Merry Christmas!

Wow, it has been a very busy last month!  Time has flown by and too many things have happened to even recount here right now.

However, we are enjoying the holiday season and making preparations (like baking cookies, decorating, shopping for food and gifts, etc.) to celebrate Christmas this Saturday.  We took several weeks off from homeschooling and have enjoyed some nice times together as a family.  With the kids being teenagers, it is hard to find Christmas activities that are not geared towards little kids.  It is hard to believe how much my kids have grown up!  I am going through another transition in how I deal with them because of how mature they are getting.  And change is always hard!

I truly enjoyed decorating our home this year!  There were so many decorations that I haven't been able to us for  many years because of space limitations.  However, this house has so many places that can be decorated that I was able to use almost ALL of my decorations and even had to buy a couple of things to supplement!  I am very happy with how the house looks, except that our 6 1/2 foot tree now looks like a table top tree!  Hoping to get a 9 foot one for next year!

Here is hoping that you have a warm, peaceful holiday season - celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!!  He IS the reason we celebrate this season!

Fun Family Christmas Day

Yesterday, we spent a nice day together as a family doing some Christmas things. First, we went to brunch at a buffet that is running a discounted price for the holidays. Then we went to a Christmas Arts Festival and browsed all the fantastic arts and crafts. They even had live artisan demos like blacksmithing and pottery. After that, we went to see A Christmas Carol in 3D - wow, 3D sure has advanced since the last time I saw one!! A little later, we went to a couple of train displays. These are permanent G gauge trains displays in people's yards!! Some of them have spent years and thousands of dollars on these displays! And during the Christmas season, they open their yards to the public to come and see (and collect donations for Children's Hospital). Some are just a normal size yard, but one that we went to was at a multi-million dollar home and must have cost ten of thousands of dollars!! The amount of trains he had filled 1/2 of a 4 car garage on racks stacked to the ceiling!

All in all, it was a nice family day! My kiddos aren't small anymore, so it isn't easy to find Christmas activities that they will enjoy. But they are good sports and we had a great time together!

What Are You Baking for Christmas?

I began my baking today for Christmas - finally! Life has been a little busy with moving and all, but I am beginning to get settled in and today I began my baking.

First, I made 3 batches of peanut brittle. This was my first time to do it by myself and it turned out great! And I even taught my daughter how to make it.

Then, I had to go and do all my shopping to get all the ingredients for baking and Christmas Eve and Day meals. Then I made 2 Key Lime Pies from the original recipe my mom got from the guy who invented it in Key West, FL. This is such a simple recipe, but SO yummy!

There are only 4 ingredients:
5 egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of key lime juice (I squeeze my own from Mexican limes - the small ones)
1 graham cracker pie shell

Mix the first three ingredients together and pour into the pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes and you are done!! Top with some freshly whipped cream and you have a winner dessert for any occasion!

Tomorrow I will be baking pumpkin pies and pumpkin roll, as well as pumpkin dinner rolls. Then we will be making snickerdoodles and peanut butter M&M cookies. That will be all for us!

How about you? What are you baking (or have you baked) for Christmas? Care to share a recipe or two?

The Best Christmas Story I Have Read in a Long Time!

This morning we finished reading Cootie McKay's Nativity by Todd Wilson and I could hardly finish reading it for crying! It is the most precious and wonderful Christmas story I have read in a very long time. I received this book, along with book 2 of The Familyman's Christmas Treasury (Captain Chaos and the Manger Blaster!) and To Bethlehem - a Christmas Game for the Entire Family. I have been SO impressed with these wonderful products by The Familyman - Todd Wilson. I learned of these products through a weekly email newsletter that I get called The Homeschool Minute. Todd is one of the weekly contributors and has mentioned his game and books, so I just had to check them out. We love to play games, so I was really interested in a game about Christmas.To Bethlehem is so much fun to play and the more players the merrier! It is simple enough for little ones to participate, but fun for anyone at any age. There are silly things and questions that make you really think about the true meaning of Christmas. You use shekels (gold plastic coins) for money and there are times you have to pay fees or other players. You may have to sit on someone else's lap or wear your socks on your hands, but I guarantee that you will have fun and make some treasured memories along the way!

Then we began reading Cootie McKay's Nativity after breakfast together as a family. Wow, what an incredible reminder about the real reason we celebrate Christmas - and I'm not talking about Jesus being born! I don't want to spoil the ending, but we wouldn't be celebrating His birth if He wasn't alive now!! I cried through the last several pages with joy at this wonderful story (it is bringing tears to my eyes just remembering it:-). I can't wait to read Captain Chaos - I think we will start it tomorrow morning.

Todd is an excellent writer and brings the characters to life through his words. My family got a kick out of me reading Cootie's accent! He has a wonderful heart for fathers and families and I am going to have to check out more of his products after seeing how wonderful these are! I hope there are more Christmas Treasury stories in the works!

If you want to make some precious Christmas memories this year, hurry and order To Bethlehem and the 2 Familyman's Christmas Treasury books! I bet they can still get them to you in time if you hurry! You and your family will truly be blessed!

How to Have a Sane and Enjoyable Christmas!

A number of years ago, I realized that the only way I could make Christmas a stress-free and enjoyable time was to plan way ahead of time, shop all year, and take the last minute stresses away for my husband. And, of course, put the focus back on Christ our Savior, and reason for this celebration, after all.

Well, I believe this year may be a little different because we will be moving the beginning of December:-), but I wanted to share a great resource that will help you get on the right track. And you need to start NOW!!! It is not too early to plan for a wonderful holiday season. In my Inbox today, I received information about this wonderful resource:

The 12-Week Holiday Planner for the Christian Family
by Sheri Graham

Here is some of what is included for only $12.95:

• Blank monthly and weekly calendar pages for planning your year

• Weekly "To Do" lists showing exactly what needs to be done each week

• Thanksgiving and Christmas Menus forms

• Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Recipe Card forms

• A Holiday Self-Evaluation form

• Shopping Lists

• "Sheri's Tips"- tips to make your holidays meaningful, shared throughout the ebook

• Christmas Craft and Gift Ideas

• Memory Making Ideas for the Family

• Holiday Journal Pages

• Many, many forms such as:
  
  Christmas Gift Shopping List
  Gift Making Checklist
  Christmas Card Checklist
  List of Baked Items to Share/Give Away
  Favorite Meals to Freeze for Later
  Decoration Ideas
  Needed Supplies to Purchase This Week
  Holiday Baking Schedule
  Kids' Gift Idea List
  Christmas Gifts to be Shipped

• PLUS!!! This ebook includes "The Glorious Coming: A Jesse Tree Celebration of Advent" - Jesse Tree devotionals, ornaments, and instructions to make your own Jesse Tree!

• PLUS!!! Some of our favorite holiday recipes!

I have to confess that I am in no way being compensated for promoting this item - I haven't even been in contact with these folks. I just saw it and knew it would be a wonderful planning tool for so many of you who get stressed out over the holidays. Since it is an ebook, you can buy it and print it out today to get started. And you will never have to buy it again - just print out new pages each year!

Here is the link, in case you want to check it out more for yourself. And if you are participating in a Jesse Tree devotional/ornament group swap, then you won't even have to buy another book for your devotions - they are all included, too!

I am going to start laying out my planning for the holidays now, since the next two months are going to be a little crazy in our house. I already have almost all my Christmas shopping done, so that is one thing I am WAY ahead on:-) Just a few more things and it will all be done. That takes ALOT of stress out of the holidays!

On This Night so long ago

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed. Luke 2:8-18 The Message

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Greetings!

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of this season, it is our hope and prayer that you find great joy as you praise, great hunger as you seek and great wonder as you behold the Lamb!

We would like to invite you to read our Christmas Newsletter for 2007.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Joe, Erica, Cody and Alissa Burgan