Memories of a life time!!!!! Christmas 2010

As I woke up to a very winter day and off to work early today. Wind howled. snow blew but I was blessed by the love of the children today as they were cuddle bugs. We talked about what if I had to stay here over night?

PR picked his pillow and where he would be sleeping rite away and then there was AL who said I will sleep with you and where you are MRS Betty Jo and that melted my heart. I took out a couple of books and read as we were all cuddly. The one was about News Eve and the other was classic called Snow Day ... and that was fun so we decided to draw pictures and talk about what you would do on snow days.

I have not been on here for awhile I has such a blessed Christmas with my family there was twenty of us for Christmas and we have some great news. My daughter got engaged!!!!

My niece had her baby on the 23rd his name is KeShawn Cater and a cutie!!!!

Wow all of these babies it was amazing!!!! Now to go on about Christmas day we go up and passed out gifts and talk amongst our youngest daughter and it was fun to talk about all of the foster children. My parent came in from a small town about twenty five miles away , They arrived with out a turkey and the oil that we were cooking it in. I had ham in the oven and so our daughter Larissa said that she would go to the store ... it was closed... Nick one of our older sons said he would stop at the only store open in the area, so then dad went to get the turkey that was left at there house...foggy and cold...!!!! Then Secret Santa gift exchange came and it was sweet to see all of the nieces here for the first time in a number of years and not to mention the new baby got out of the hospital that day... a real gift!!!!

Lars, Keeley, Mikka

I was soooo blessed that day...We also celebrated my birthday that same day even tho it was early the family was all together and it was fun.....

Oh I for got to mention that we for got to put the salads for dinner ....WOW what day!!!!

CHRISTmas wishes....

Evening Church service is over...chili supper is cooked and ready to eat. My niece had her baby last night weighing in at 6 pounds and 4 oz, Welcome KeShawn Carer he is so sweet and such a precious gift!!! Presents are all wrapped under the tree and ready for the excited children. As we sit to get ready to read the Christmas story from the Bible a tradition that we started a few years back. I have had a real quite day a little under the weather today so its nice to sit blog. I have been sooo blessed with the children that I teach they were so excited with all of the fun party on Wednesday. Icy roads closed many area business so it was nice to have an extra day off as well got lots done yesterday and so today was nice to chill .

I wanted to take a few moments to ask you if you read my blog to please keep JESUS in your giving this year!!!

Merry Christmas to all of you who read this!!!

Smells of Christmas...

The boughs are hung, the cookies are made, the coolness of the freezing snow/ rain mixture that we had yesterday. Gotta love it ... I think that it is so awesome to be able to smell the joy of LIFE....what is life to you is the life you live work.... take care of family..... I think of the movie NATIVITY at this time of year as anyone else would that Celebrates the birth of Jesus. Sacrificed comes to mind while I watch Joesph help Mary and not to mention that gave his food to donkey and the love he shows for Mary was amazing. LIFE here is again the she gave us the one and only SAVIOR.... In my LIFE I have JESUS and it is so amazing that HE loves was sooo much that HE gave his life to me!!!!!

Smells, and Life that is part of my joy today as I sit in church listening to the sermon on Love and we need to renew our minds and always have that JOY and Life and take a deep breath and smell the LIFE of JESUS!. It not about the material things it is what we live for every day and I know that I live for HIM and this holiday season share HIS LOVE with everyone you meet!!!

The wreath that is here is a special on I took and placed pictures of my husband Dan and I when we were small and our children and put them on with some small decoration . I love it is allot of fun!!

The tatted ornament is one I seen and redone it I love it it turned out awesome. I took an old Christmas card and the tatted around it and made hanger. I love it I wished I would of come up with this before now I would of loved to do these for Christmas gifts. Oh well maybe next year!!!

Christmas Tea 2010

This time of year is so exciting I love our pastors wife A.W. when you put this warm atmosphere of her home with all the fixings. I have attended this for now 16 years out of the twenty six years it has been so amazing. As we fellowship with other women of the church and as this is the first year that my daughter and I have enjoyed this by ourselves we have always had other siblings~ or foster children . It is a time that we dress up and look nice I love to see my 13 year old daughter looking forward to this.

She always has the famous HOT CRANBERRY TEA as we entered the house with the beauty of the Bear Butte in the back ground the warmth of the love that CHRIST has giving to us and it was really nice. She also makes the best goodies of peanut balls to fudges to artichoke dip and brie and man I cant remember them all it is so awesome.

After we snacks and share with everyone she will read a story and I love it so much I can remember tearing up with some of them. It was amazing and today's was about how a young man went to help his dad as a help to him and how those things are always over looked that sometimes we need to take the time and share with our children about how its not about a gift always it could be the time that we spend with some one that will last a life time. She would always send us home with a wonderful Christmas Ornament that she had made so it has been so awesome to see them over the years. This is this years ornament.

On AW behalf I would love to share her recipe of there famous HOT CRANBERRY TEA .

12 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate

12 oz can frozen apple juice concentrate

12 oz frozen lemonade concentrate

1 1/2 quarts cranberry juice

1 C sugar

12 drops cinnamon oil (found with candy making stuff)

In Large 2 gallon container, mix frozen juices as directed on labels. Add remaining ingredients, heat and serve.

This is so nice to freeze and have on cold winter days!!!!!

Enjoy It!!!