Downtown Lights

Every year our city's downtown gets "decked out" with lights. It really is amazing. They cover every building...top to bottom...with strands and strands of lights. Tonight we headed down to stroll the streets, and then stopped for donuts and hot chocolate at a little corner shop before we headed home.

You can see in the background...Santa and his sleigh with Rudolf taking off at the front.

You can see behind us some of the strands of lights on the building.

Whenever Elizabeth gets hold of a cup...she puts it to her mouth and uses her loudest voice to say many "words" into it.  It's fun she's in the process of discovering she can do many great "tricks".

Death by Chocolate

We've been trying to think of a nice gift for some people that Greg works with.  I saw this glass "trifle dish" at Wal-Mart for just over $7.  I used the recipe below, and I think it turned out pretty nice!

Death by Chocolate

makes 12 servings

1 pan brownies, cooked

2 packages milk chocolate pudding, make as directed (I used 1/2 cup less milk)

12 ounces whipped topping, add to pudding

8 crushed Skor Candy bars (the come in a 6 pack at Wal-Mart...so I used 6...and it seemed ample)

Break up half of the brownies into pieces and put on bottom of bowl.  Spread half of pudding mixture and sprinkle with half of crushed bars.  Repeat the layers and top with remaining Skor bars.  Chill about 12 hours.  (Something about letting it sit makes it magically extra good!)

Evening at "Outdoor World"

One of our favorite places to go is Outdoor World. It's a store at our nearest mall that's like a mini Cabelas. During December they have a Santa's playland area. They've set out lots of toys they sell for the children to play with, tables for coloring and writing letters to Santa, and they have Santa there to talk to and take pictures with. We went and had a great time! The line for Santa was longer than we wanted to wait through. (Mostly I can't bring myself to give our boys another chance to change their minds about their lists!) =)

Joshua watching a train.

A sweet girl in the stroller while the boys play.

"I Spy" a Wise Guy!

Photo taken from our ward's annual Christmas open house..."One Night in Bethlehem"

Cute Halloween Memory

Just got this picture emailed from a friend.  A gathering of friends added up to a lot of cute babies in costumes on Halloween.

First Chance to Play in the Snow!

It's amazing to be this far through a "Michigan winter" and have our first snowfall with some accumulation be just a couple of days ago!  A week or two ago Nathan tried on boots at Wal-Mart and when I tucked them in the cart for Christmas I swore him to "forgetting he'd ever seen them until Christmas morning".  Then the note came home from school for each child to bring their "mittens, hats, and boots" the next day so that they could play in the fresh snow...anticipated to come that night.  Nathan got all choked up...but wouldn't say why.  I soon realized that he really has totally grown out of his old boots and that he'd go "bootless" the next day if we didn't do something.

The next morning we had waiting on the foot of Nathan and Joshua's beds..wrapped up boots (Joshua is officially now in Nathan's old ones) and their snow pants.

If the pictures of Nathan look like it's dark outside...that's because the sun hadn't yet come up by the time Nathan had dashed out to play! It was fun to have "magic" on that frst waking-up-to-snow morning!

"The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"

I thought that maybe Nathan was old enough this year to enjoy a book I remember reading with our family growing up.  I just remember it for being something that made us all laugh together.  Nathan did enjoy it...but what I didn't expect was how much Greg and I would enjoy it this year! 

In the evenings we sit by the christmas tree and do several little advent calendars.  Then we've been reading a chapter or two.  I think what our kids have liked most is laughing out loud when Greg and I do (even thought I'm not sure they get it) and getting their backs scratched. 

Greg and I didn't expect to be so honestly "touched" by the ending we'd forgotten!  I definitely hope this book becomes a tradition for our family...it unexpectely made us feel the "Christmas Spirit" more than about anything we've done so far!

Neighbor Gifts for Next Year

Another cute idea from Little Birdie Secrets...these festive mini loaves.

I loved them when I saw them...but then when I read that the cute pans are only $1 at Michaels...I was sold!  This last week the store here had lots of them with little graphics on them...and two solid colors.  White and forest green.  I think with some cute Christmas scrapbook paper these could turn out pretty fun.  (I've now got a box of 15 loaf pans in my basement.)  The pans are dishwasher and oven safe!

Holiday Potpourri

I saw this cute idea for holiday potpourri on...
Little Birdie Secrets.

I decided to give it a try myself...and came up with a more basic version. 

I just tied together:

• one orange
• three cinnamon sticks (found at Whole Foods (sells bulk) in their "beauty" section--much less expensive than in a regular grocery store spice section)
• a little "spice packet"--included in it...
• 6 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice--or you can just do small sprinkles of cloves, ginger, and nutmeg, and cinnamon.  (I actually think that ground cinnamon helps it smell stronger than the cinnamon sticks. But the sticks are more pretty. So I just make sure some cinnamon ends up in the "spice packet" to help things along.)

For the "spice packet" I just put the items in the corner of a baggie and tied shut with a piece of twine.  Then cut the top of the baggie off so it's just tiny and fits into the cellophane with the orange and cinnamon sticks nicely.

It's been a nice option for visiting teaching type gifts that are less perishable than food...when we know we just can't get all of them delivered in one night.  I just do quite a few and keep them in the fridge.

"Cookie Decorating Party"

I'm going to blog several ideas that I've come across this year that I'm hoping to use for next year.  I appologize in advance for multiple posts today to help me "journal" for the future.

We were invited this last Friday to a "Cookie Decorating Party".  Joshua's nursery teacher hosted it for the "young families" in the ward.  (We are shocked to go to these things and find we are on the "older end" of young these days!)

She asked each family to bring one dozen unfrosted cookies and she provided the frosting and sprinkles. It was a fun casual way to get everyone together...with a project to work on and time to talk!

Joshua with his nursery teacher.

Nathan decorated at least 20 cookies.  After all the other children had left the table (Joshua inhaling all three he'd decorated.)  Nathan just kept carefully working and only ate one!