December 3--This Year's Advent Obsession

This year we've got three advent calendars going. A candle with markings so you can burn just enough each day to be "burned out" by Christmas. =) A felt, picture nativity advent. And this year's new idea and guaranteed tradition...the JELLY BELLY Advent.

The Jelly Belly Advent is the "brain child" of my sister, Carol's (with the help from husband, James). For each of the 24 days before Christmas...there is a scripture to read, a Christmas song to sing, and then a Jelly Belly to taste. Each day's Jelly Bellys are tied in cellophane. Just the right number for your family. There are 24 different flavors...one for each day. So, you're guessing what that day's flavor is. The coolest part is the "Jelly Belly Decoder" complete with coded words that are made readable as you slide it through the red cellophane window. Our kids...no our whole family...has loved this! It has been our most successful "nightly" venture yet!

Would love to hear your advent ideas!

Two Easy Dessert Recipes

There are two cobbler-type recipes I've found in the last little while that taste wonderful and are very easy! (And relatively inexpensive...esp. if you can find blueberries on sale.) I've also made both of these recipes in a half-batch. Using only half the cake mix and saving the other half for the next time. This has worked great for our little family.

Pumpkin Cobbler

1 box yellow cake mix (save 1 cup)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
--Mix together and spread into a greased cake pan.

29 oz. canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pinch nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
--Mix together and spread over cake.

1 cup saved cake mix
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter
--Mix together, cut in butter and sprinkle over cake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until center is not wobbly.

Blueberry Buckle

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained (I drain off a little)
3 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
Less than 1 cup sugar
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cube butter
Less than 1 cup sugar

In a 9 x 13 pan, layer pineapple and then blueberries. Sprinkle sugar over fruit. Sprinkle dry cake mix over the fruit and sugar. Melt butter and drizzle over cake mix. Sprinkle sugar until covered. You can play with the amount. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I find that letting it cool for a couple of hours is preferable so it is not soupy, but still warm.

December 2--Exciting News

December 1--Making a Memory

Cookies and a Movie

I'll continue to post some "catch-up" items along the way...but wanted to get one "Christmas memory-making" posted.

The cookie press we used was once my Grandma Christensen's. I've never used it before last night. So, it made it extra special to "make a memory" with something of hers.

Making Holiday Memories

This is the first year that we'll be "staying home" for Christmas instead of "going home" (to Utah). I've been kind of worried about how we'll make this season it's own kind of memorable for all of us. I often think especially about making a great Christmas morning moment--knowing Greg and I will be the sole creators of the "magic".

The idea that has helped me just get excited is to gear this year toward a "season of memories" instead of just a "morning of memories". It's my hope that in days to come I'll post a "Memory Made a Day". (I know this is optimistic, but it's worth a good try.) This way when we look back on this year's holiday, I hope we remember not only Christmas morning but a whole season of fun and family traditions in progress.

Check back and we'll see how we do! Would love to hear any ideas on simple crafts, recipes, activities that can help us fill the days ahead!

A Date with my Little Man

Nathan's favorite thing in the world is glow-in-the-dark miniature golf. So, over the Thanksgiving weekend we decided that getting to go there on a "date" would be a great way to give his life a little "perk". Hours before it was time to leave, Nathan came down dressed for the occasion. White shirt, khaki pants, white socks...he was determined to glow everywhere!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were so lucky/blessed this year to get to spend Thanksgiving with our dear friends in the ward here...Nate and Deborah...and their three boys. Wish I'd taken more pictures...I can't figure out why I didn't! (Maybe doing to much eating and talking!)

We are just so thankful for friends that feel like family-away-from-family...especially on the holidays!

Radio City Music--Christmas Spectacular!

The weekend between Greg's birthday and Thanksgiving, Greg and I had the chance to go to "Radio City Music--Christmas Spectacular"! I first saw this show several years ago when my family went to New York around Christmastime. I can remember that of the shows we saw (including "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway) that this was our favorite one. A great mixture of singing, dancing, and special effects. When I saw that an "arena version" was coming to the area, I just knew we had to go. So, for Greg's late birthday and our early anniversary we went and had a great night! Filled with a flying Santa, performance of parts of the Nutcracker, the Rockets, fireworks, snow falling on the stage, and our favorite part...the live nativity including real camels! It was great to start off the season making a memory with Greg!

A Much Needed Update

These last few weeks have been some of the busiest I can remember. Just in the last week alone, we've had Grandma and Grandpa Franson visit, our baby's ultrasound, and I've had my "One Night in Bethlehem" event. (The ward's Christmas activity I've been in charge of--a two night open house for the community--hundreds came!) The next posts will give you a brief re-cap of recent days...before we start in on Christmas season memories in the making!