Happy Camping

This:

 Into this:

Into this:

Makes my Hubbie into a very happy man!!!

Sweet Daughter doing this:

And making this:

Makes me into a very happy Momma

I will admit - this:

Gave me pause - then I got busy with my green scrubbie (and licked the fudge pan) and I was a happy camper again!!

Oh yeah - smashing candy canes to make this:

Made the littler kids into happy campers too.  (I confess to forgetting to take pictures - but they really did have fun!!!)

I hope you are all camping happy too - in this wintry season of joy!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Sweets

One of the best parts of Christmas is the sweet treats!!!

So we're beginning to create those yummies!!

The biggest challenge is keeping the big boys (especially Hubbie) out of them until the proper time!! :0)!!

So much to their dismay - I have hidden the tin - such a meanie I am!!  But be assured - the cookies will be eaten up with gusto - just not before the celebrating starts!!  :0)  (I'm not too much of a meanie - I did leave out a plate of treats for everyone to enjoy :0)!! )

Blessings,
Christine

I Never Want to Forget...

...My little man's Goodnight routine...

After bedtime prayers...

Jacob:  "Mommy, did you have a good day?"  (pronounced "dood day")

Me:  "Yes I did, Honey.  Did you?"

Jacob: "YES!!!"

Jacob:  "I love you infinity and beyond, Mommy!!"

Me: "I love you infinity and beyond, Jacob!!" 

(Can you tell which movie he really loves?)

Jacob: "1, 4, 3 Mommy"

Me:  "1, 4, 3 too, sweetie"

(our "secret code" for I Love You, used by us since our 20 year old was a tot)

If Daddy is at work:

Jacob:  "Mommy can you tell Daddy all those things for me?"

Me:  "Of course I will Honey!!"

This conversation happens every single night - and it NEVER gets old!!!

Blessings,

Christine

A Birthday, a Praise and a Celebration!!

We had a birthday recently.  Our third born - Matthew turned 17!!  Crazy how fast the time has gone!!

 Matt is going to firefighting school and is turning into a fine young man with so much potential!!  We are so proud of him!!

He is crazy about his tiny sister and she is crazy about him!! She just had to help with his cake - cutie-pie helper!!

On another note - a couple of months ago (when I wrote about one particular no-good, very-bad day) I wrote that my hubby's company had announced that they were selling and Wayne would no longer have a job after Christmas.  Well, Hubby began the job search and put out lots of feelers and resumes and while we've had lots of encouraging comments - the hiring process has been very slow (like everywhere around the country right now!!).  My sweetie has been very confident and sure of God's plan (unlike me who struggles with fretting - ahem!!).  He has been my rock during this time, for sure!!!  Anyway, Wayne called me from work the other day with an exciting announcement - the doctors that own his company took a final vote and the result was to NOT sell!!  So Hubby was told his job is secure and the decision was to reorganize from within instead (which I'm told will be very good)!!  Oh my, my heart has been praising God!!  He has a plan - Wayne is sure God put him in this position for a reason and sees his job as a mission.

In celebration my sweetie gave me an early Christmas gift.  It came in the mail and when I opened it - this envelope was inside:

Tickets to go to the Handel's Messiah!!!  I cried!!!  I have always wanted to go to the Symphony and this is possibly the best thing to ever see there (in my mind anyway!!!)  I can't wait - I get to dress up - go to dinner with my prince and listen to a chorus of beautiful voices raised in praise to the King of Kings!!!!  What could be better?!!!!

Hope your day is blessed!!!

Blessings,
Christine

A Christmas Outing

It was a beautiful afternoon and since the rain is predicted to come back we decided to go get our Christmas tree before the mud gets too deep!!

The sun kissed the gorgeous jagged peaks of our Cascade Mountains.  The air was chilly but with cookies and chocolate milk packed in the car with us we were ready to tramp all over the Christmas tree farm and find the perfect one!!

After hiking all around we finally all agreed this little tree was the one.  Everyone helped with the sawing and soon it was down!

Now for the long trek back to our car

A very pretty farm right next door - there were darling black faced sheep dotting the field - so nice - I want to live there!!!

As we drove through the farmland we came upon several flocks of swans in the empty fields.  They winter here and spend their summers in the far North.  They were very noisy - trumpeting at us as we stopped to take their pictures.  They are big birds and very magnificent when they fly!

Oh, it was a lovely day - hiking around in the crisp, cold air and then warming back up while we drove all over the countryside - snacking on cookies and singing Christmas songs!!  As blessed day with the family making memories!!!

Hope your weekend was wonderful too!!

Blessings,
Christine

A New Season

Thanksgiving Day is a memory (except for maybe those extra calories I consumed!!) but not the thanksgiving in my heart!!

A new season is beginning - the celebration of the birth of our Savior!!  What an amazing time of year - to go from a time of thanksgiving to weeks of celebrating Jesus' birth!!

Truly an entire season of celebrating God's provision - from our daily needs - to the deepest needs of our souls!!

 Our Advent calendar is up

Only one lonely sheepie so far - but before we know it - it will be filled with all the characters of the true life story of Jesus' first hours here as a man

And as for our celebration with gifts to our loved ones - my crochet hook has been busy!!!  I have quite a bit more to do - and as a surprise a couple of my older boys have suggested homemade gifts from me (I thought they were not wanting things like that anymore) - so my hands and hooks are zooming along - trying to take advantage of every moment to add rows!!!

I love this season - the excitement is building - preparations are in the works - sweet secrets are whispered about and hiding places are guarded.  Festive decorations are being unearthed and yummy treats are anticipated.  All to remember what God has done for us!!!

Can you imagine what heaven was like as the day drew near for Jesus to be born?  The breathless silence as Mary labored and birthed that amazing baby?  The burst of joy as that sweet puddle of a newborn gave His first cry?  The angels swept down to earth to sing their hearts out - heaven wanted to share their joy at the fact the God's plan was in motion - to bring us to a place of close communion with HIM!!  My heart is overwhelmed at the thought!!!

So when I get stressed at the busyness and obligations of this time - I want to commit to remembering what this is really all about.  HIS plan to bring me into a relationship with Him was born that day in His Son.  Amazing Joy!!!!

Blessings,
Christine