If I could have one superpower, it would be to slow down time. Even turn it back. I'm one of those people that really love the holidays. And it seems like it's all over in a flash, and I'm left wondering, what happened?
I wish I could just stretch it out a bit more.
So -- in another version of a whirlwind, here's our December. All at once!!
We started off the month with a trip to Boise. Since Alyssa has changed universities, she had to go for her orientation at Boise State. She could ask a guest, so I was going to go with her -- but then we ramped it up, and the whole family came along. I was glad for it when I saw the icky weather we had for the drive down there. So Todd drove!! Yay!!
I got absolutely NO photos of Alyssa or the campus at Boise State. Might have a selfie or two on my phone -- it's the only thing I was carrying that day. She has changed her major from nursing to radiology, and that is one of the factors in her decision to change schools. We enjoyed some shopping and restaurants while we were in the thriving metropolis of Boise. Miss Emma likes dressing up, and thinks her leather jacket is *way* cool.
Which, it is. Ha!!
I have to include this next shot that I grabbed after we returned home. Emma thinks that whenever we go to a mall that she gets a trip to Build-a-Bear. Todd always makes that happen -- especially since it gets him out of sitting around in stores while his wife and daughters try on clothing endlessly. So when we got back home, Emma lined up all her stuffed ponies from Build-a-Bear, and was reading to them. This was the photo I snapped before she knew I was there!
(Her reading is progressing quickly, but in that picture, I think she was actually "reading" a look-and-find book!)
Every October, my friend that throws the Christmas Cookie Exchange party calls me up and wants to know if I'll participate again. Despite the time cruncher that it becomes, somehow each year, I agree to it one more time. I wrote about last year's cookies
HERE.
This year, I stuck with shortbread cookies (but I'm kicking myself for using a different recipe -- going back to the original recipe next time!), but instead of regular cut-out cookies, I wanted to use my "new" linzer cookie cutter set. Linzer cookies are basically a shortbread sandwich cookie, with raspberry (or sometimes apricot) filling. I have a bunch of homemade raspberry jam, so it seemed like a perfect answer.
I forgot that for sandwich-type cookies ------- you have to bake twice as many to get the same amount of finished cookies. Suddenly 12 dozen needed cookies became 24 dozen baked ones. That's two gross. Two hundred and eighty-eight. Plus a few extras for tasters and overdone ones. Ai-yi-yi!!!
Half of the baked cookies have a cut-out center. That's for the filling to show through. My linzer cutters have scalloped edges on the outside, and then 5 different Christmas shapes for the inside: ornament, tree, bell, candy cane, and angel. The cutter is designed to cut the inside shape at the same time as the outside circle shape. Because I used a different recipe, the edges of the cookies didn't stay as crisp-and-clean as the last time, so it's kind of hard to identify some of the shapes. And I found the candy cane ones were really hard to work with, so I did very few of those.
And I broke the cutter in the process -- but Todd was an angel and glued it back together for me!!
Step 1 -- lay out all the baked cookies.
Step 2 - sift powdered sugar over the tops.
(That's were you get the stenciled look on my counter!)
Step 3 -- Spread jam on bottoms, and carefully cap with tops.
Step 4 -- Step back and admire everything before you pack them into boxes for the cookie exchange!
I think it was 5+ jars of jam for 12 dozen cookies.
And now, in a Keeping It Real Moment, THIS is what happens in your kitchen when you have to do 12 dozen filled cookies all at once:
It ain't pretty. But it's real.
The payoff, as always, are the other cookies that everyone else makes. I took a LOT of cookies to my Seminary class the next day:
Because, really. Who in the heck needs 12 dozen Christmas cookies!?!?!?!?!
Also in December -- the annual holiday concerts. It was Emma's first school concert:
Curls by Darcie. She was so excited, and the whole group of them was so stinkin' cute!
That's not flexing their muscles, that's pulling on their "hats". And then the Mitten Song. Pretty sure I remember Darcie singing this same song when SHE was in elementary school. The music teacher is the same guy -- one of the few that is still around since my older kids went through.
Waving to parents......
Darcie had her concert, too. I really didn't get very many photos of hers.....
In mid-December, Brandon returned back to the West after spending 3 1/2 months in Washington D.C. for his internship. He missed his little family, and they missed him, too!
We miss them all -- it's been such a long time since we've seen them, and photos are few and far between. We would have loved to have them come for the holidays!! After Brandon returned, they stayed with family in Utah until moving back to Rexburg at the end of 2014. Oh, my!! This little granddaughter is growing up SO quickly!!
A couple of shots of the living room decor....
Our tree never seems as "blue" in real life. I think it's the way the camera picks up the LED lights.
I do not pretend to be anything close to a professional photographer, but I really should study up a bit more on lighting.
So, I shopped last year's after-Christmas clearance sales, and have started a whole new woodland animal theme in the living room:
The little white fuzzballs in the tree are baby owls. Pretty excited about this new look. Need nice lighting to really show it off. Refer back to above statement.
There's more of the woodland decor -- I just missed taking more photos of it.
And finally, a few pictures of Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. Our annual traditions are holding strong. I was glad I could talk the older kids into dressing up for the Nativity one more time on Christmas Eve. It really made Emma's night to do that!
Mary and Joseph:
Three wise people:
For her "treasure", Darcie must have decided to bring a tray of Christmas goodies, swiped from the dining room table. I guess that could be considered treasure!
Here's the slightly-awkward-looking 2014 version of the blanket fort:
And inside it:
Cameron wouldn't be talked into joining his sisters on the floor. I think he values his bed!
Christmas Morning:
And Andrew joined us for Christmas Day -- so glad to have him here!!
Darcie's class ring -- she was pretty excited about it!
(It was a very "Frozen" Christmas for Miss Em!)
I have to tell you, that for one moment, Christmas Morning at our house -- just stopped.
We were opening gifts, I was handing out gifts from the tree, and when we heard Emma say,
"I got a Kindle!"
..... Everything went dead. We knew that *we* hadn't given one to her --- and it was the real thing, not some kid's version of a tablet.
Turned out, that Grandma had given Emma her old Kindle, since Grandma had a new one now!
Emma doesn't realize that it's not new -- it just does the things she wants it to do!! And it has a pretty purple leather cover. Too funny!!
I can't remember what caused the tears for that photo, but I thought it was a pretty cute picture of the two of them cuddling!
Andrew's gift to Emma was this funny hat that lifts its little arms when you squeeze the bulb at the end. You can't tell by the look on her face, but Emma loves this thing!
Christmas Cinnamon Rolls!!
I changed the way I did the icing on them this year, and that's a winner, for sure.
I'll be sticking with the new method from now on!
And Christmas flowers!!
I missed any great pictures of Christmas Dinner. I'm going to chalk it up to living in the moment and enjoying it all.
It was a really good Christmas. Just really nice.
I feel so grateful for my kids and family and all that I have in my life. I'm thankful for Christmas and Jesus Christ and the blessings that we feel in our lives as we try to follow the teachings of the gospel.
