The Rest of December

While we were on Christmas break I used some of the free time I had to look back at this little blog of ours!

It made me very glad that we have these memories kept here!

What a joy to relive those memories and see all that the Lord has allowed and done.

It spurs me on to keep posting in this space for sure!

We had a lot of normal things in December amongst all of the busyness that comes with the holidays.

It was a GOOD month!

I still start every morning in the quiet house in a comfy chair with my Bible….it was more enjoyable with Christmas tree lights and hot cocoa!

The Christmas tree is put away now, but I kept some lights up to enjoy during these winter months – I just love them so much!

I bought this devotional book in December and have been enjoying it very much.

We finally had an appointment with our Lyme doctor at the beginning of December.

We suspected that Eliza had Lyme disease, and we were right.

Sweet baby girl!

We had everyone checked and I was sad to learn that I also had been re-infected with Lyme disease as well.

It makes SO much sense – I had been fighting so hard for health most of the year!

We were using lots of essential oils, good food, and rest for Eliza while we waited to get into the doctor – and they were helping her some.

This is after the first appointment we had with the doctor where Eliza and I had the CBT Lyme Stop treatment – it is not easy!

Eliza slept over twelve hours that first night and was feeling better already the next morning – praise the Lord!

I know so many people struggling with Lyme disease who do not have access to CBT or a doctor who understands the disease fully.

It just makes me so grateful we have this doctor so close by who can help us.

She and I both have had many days of rest since then…but we are both feeling so much better!

We did LOTS of eating in December!!

More than normal?

Possibly, ha, ha!!

I had some fun days in the kitchen though!

If only these counters could talk, right?!!

I made grain-free waffles for the first time.

THEY WERE SO YUMMY!

This was the first attempt that day, just so you know everything does not always go as planned.

I also made English muffins for the first time!

They got rave reviews!

I am going to try cinnamon raisin ones next time!

We have been enjoying a website called Unbound Wellness.

It is where I got the grain-free waffle recipe!

You can find them here.

Tate and I made the Chinese Lemon Chicken from that website and it was SO GOOD!

I made some Orange Bread one day – we delivered two of those loaves and kept one for ourselves.

Our treats look more like this when Addie is home!

She always makes the most yummy things that are pretty too.

I helped Kayla make rolls one day, so then I had to make them again for us!

My hubby told me these taste like La Gondola rolls – which is an Italian sandwich shop we used to go to all the time when we were first married and living in Illinois!

They had the best bread so I will take that as a compliment!!

I am usually playing a game called “how much can I fit in my instant pot?” around dinner time everyday.

Twelve sweet potatoes – not bad!!

Addie made us fish tacos with all the fixings on New Year’s Eve.

It seriously was the best meal I had eaten in a LONG time!

So many flavors going on with all those yummy toppings!!

Also…it’s soup season!

We still enjoy salad in the winter, but we don’t eat it near as much.

We are still enjoying Kombucha too, but we do not make it very often!

Blake is my great Kombucha helper.

We are definitely here for the leftovers from Addie’s Christmas parties!

It seems I am always baking or making something for snacks!

And of course someone has to buy all that food, remember???

We missed date night because of a snow storm one Friday night, so I went and got grocery all by myself the next day!

So rare – but I enjoyed it!

Speaking of snow, we had two good snow falls in December.

They were beautiful and the second one has stuck around!

Playing in the snow means hot cocoa afterwards!

We enjoyed our monthly Hymn Sing get together in December!

It had the added twist of a cookie contest and a rowdy game of Do You Love Your Neighbor?!!

The kids like to play Dutch Blitz when we are together too.

Our Christmas break gave us the opportunity to chose whatever we wanted to do each day!

It was a challenge that I gave our trio – to use their time wisely, but to enjoy the change of pace.

We DID enjoy it!

A lot!

Of course lots of games were played….

We watched a new movie one afternoon….

Made a puzzle another afternoon….

The kiddos water colored in their new watercolor books, and Lane built his new airplane….

We read books and Eliza had some new ones to read that were a gift from her pen pal….

We also covered the sliding glass door with paper snowflakes one day….

(please make note of Lane’s crafty snowflake!)

Those snowflakes make it harder to get a photo of all of the beautiful visitors at our restaurant on the deck!

I spy with my little eye a beautiful red cardinal….

I used Christmas break to catch-up on all kinds of things I do not get to during school days!

I spent one afternoon ordering photo books to be printed – looking back at all of those photos pulled at my heart strings!

Our pups Sadie Jo and Ruby Jane enjoyed Christmas break too!

It was just like every other day for them though, ha, ha.

I gave Ruby this candy cane shaped bone for Christmas and she takes it everywhere she goes!

I think she knows another pup who would steal it without a second thought if she doesn’t keep an eye on it!

Even though these two had a break from school, they were still always together.

They are better together!!

We spent New Year’s Eve at home enjoying those fish tacos (see above!) and playing the game Kemps with oversized cards.

The kids know to never invite me to a fast paced game because I am useless and can only hold my cards and laugh the whole time!

I worked on some goals in my journal while I watched them all play!

There were SO many beautiful sunrises and sunsets in December!!

I was constantly running outside to take them in and get a photo of them.

I told you December was a good month!!

Thankful for all that it held!!

Looking forward to many more!!

Hope you all had a great end of the year too.

Welcome, 2022!!

We are ready for you!!

Happy New Year, Friends!!

Christmas 2021

Our Christmas celebration was wonderful!!

Was yours too?

It is such a fantastic time of the year!

We started preparing food a couple of days before Christmas Eve.

It was a fun job with lots of helpers!!

For Christmas Eve we had a huge finger food spread planned.

We focused on the sweet treats first, making our favorites.

Addie ran the kitchen this day and I do not even have a photo of her!

I do not have photos of all the yummy treats either, but it was a lot of fun making it all!

The next day we worked on the savory food.

My helpers were needed and I was thankful for them!

On Christmas Eve we always attend a candle light service at our church at 6 p.m.

My FAVORITE, favorite thing about Christmas!

There is SO much singing, and it is just incredibly worshipful and so beautiful!!

After church was over, we came home to enjoy our Christmas Eve hor d’oeuvres meal.

Yummy, yummy!

We planned to use the leftovers from this meal on Christmas day in the evening with Kay’s crew – so we made A LOT!

The next morning after everyone was up, dressed, and ready, we had the kids open up their stockings from Blake and I.

It was a sweet time!!

If you are wondering why Chad, Grant, and David’s stockings are so flat, it is because they only had a gift card in them!

Pretty soon Kay’s crew came over and we enjoyed a huge brunch.

We have a no cell phone rule on Christmas day, which means no photos were being taken with phones.

Even though I had out my big camera, I was terrible at getting photos!

After brunch, we had Kayla, David and the grand babies open their gifts from Blake and I and the kids also exchanged their gifts to each other.

Our seven children and David exchange names every year, and it is a fun tradition!!

Again, hardly any photos!

Chad won the prize for the most creative wrapping job!

That is a piano song book wrapped like a shirt!

These three boys were loving their matching shirts.

Last, but not least, is the cutest one year old on the planet.

Aspen Praise, NaiNai loves you!!!

It was THE BEST DAY!!

Spending time with our favorites is always at the top of my list as the best day ever!

As we celebrated Christmas and enjoyed the holidays, the Lord kept filling my heart and mind with the word ENOUGH.

His promise to us!

He is enough.

The fact that He sent His son is enough!

His plan for each of our lives is ENOUGH.

I just love this thought SO much.

I sure hope I can keep it at the forefront of my mind and heart every day as we move through this new year.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for sending Your Son to die for US.

Thank you, Jesus our Savior, for making a way for US.

What a privilege to celebrate Jesus’s birth!!

What a privilege to KNOW THE LORD!!

I hope that Christmas had you reflecting on ALL the Lord has allowed!!

SUCH A GIFT, isn’t it??!!

Hope each one of you had a very Merry Christmas!!

Happy GOLDEN Birthday, Chad Ryan!!

It’s true.

Our gentle giant, Chad Ryan, is now 18 years old!

Eighteen on the eighteenth of December!!

We were blessed to be able to celebrate Chad with a meal of his choice, some gifts, and a delicious cake!

And I have exactly five photos of it all, thank you very much!

Chad chose marinated grilled steak, hasselback potatoes, green beans with bacon, a tossed salad and a fruit salad.

It was yummy!

Please take note of Chad’s fan club!!

Addie Mae made Chad’s cake!

We decided that we need to start making two cakes so there is enough to go around, ha, ha!

Chad’s Mama may have been the only one having ALL of the feelings that day!

They are all growing up way too fast for my liking!

Chad, you bring so much life to our lives and our home!

You are such a hard worker, full of quick wit that keeps us laughing, a good big brother and uncle, and a good friend to have!

We are SO thankful for you!!

Happy, Happy Birthday, Chad Ryan!!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

December School Days

We took a nice Christmas break, but we did have several weeks of school in December before that.

We have been doing a lot of very fun things, and we are doing them TOGETHER!

Ahhh, such a favorite!

The beginning of December brought our Advent Calendar – a book we have loved before and loved again.

The kids enjoy putting an ornament on the tree each day after our reading!

The beginning of December also brought Christmas hymns to our worship time.

We have some favorites that we like to sing!

It is always a goal of mine to have music playing in the house at some point throughout the day, so we listened to a lot of them too.

We stayed mostly on track those first weeks of December, but had a bit more flexibility in our schedule for the busyness the month brought.

Each day, no matter what was going on, we had our Bible time together, read aloud, and piano practice and lessons!

Those two cuties are excelling quickly in their piano skills, and their Mama had to up her game and study a bit to keep up with them.

I took piano lessons as a child but never continued with it and it has actually been fun to learn with Tate and Eliza!

We have read some GREAT books this year, and A Place to Hang the Moon is an all time favorite now!

We always made room for our water coloring art classes as well!

I LOVE water color as much as they do!!

Now that Christmas break is over, we are back into full days of school.

January through March usually brings the quietest time of year for us, as it is just so cold outside and we do not have as many things on our schedule!

There will be lots more school day posts to share!!

It is a BIG part of our world here!

If you haven’t read a good book or tried your hand at painting, I would encourage you to do so!

It is more fun than you would think!!

Happy New Year, friends!!

Here’s to some fun school days ahead!