2013 Daily December 14--Christmas music

We love, love, love The Piano Guys at our house.  If you want some really good entertainment go to their website and watch their videos.  They are just awesome!  We were super excited when we saw they were coming out with a Christmas album!  (If you need a good Christmas present their first two albums would make great gifts!  We love them!)  So I knew what new Christmas album I was going to buy this year.

Love it!  We got the edition that comes with a DVD that has their awesome videos on it too.  This CD is on constant repeat in my van as I shuffle kids here and there.  

And here is their newest Christmas video "Angels We Have Heard on High."

Enjoy!

2013 Daily December 13--new Christmas book

Being and English/Humanities major and the daughter of a librarian, I think it is just in my blood to love books.  I especially love Christmas books.  I posted before about our new Christmas book countdown.  That has been fun.  These are the books we wrapped up.

Every Christmas when I make out my Christmas budget I allot a certain amount for a new Christmas book and Christmas CD.  I am going to share the CD tomorrow.  Today I wanted to show you the new Christmas book we got.  We opened it on December 1st.

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg.  It is so fun!  It is based off their original The Jolly Postman.  The postman delivers letters to different fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters.  But the coolest part is you get to open the envelope and take out the letter, or puzzle or game or whatever was sent to that character.  It is really cute and a fun addition to our Christmas collection.

2013 Daily December 12--nativity display

One of the highlights of our Christmas season is our church congregation (our stake center) in the big city does a huge nativity display.  This year was their 6th year, and it just keeps getting better!  They have hundreds and hundreds of different nativities on display plus beautiful music and concerts, a live nativity outside, and yummy refreshments :)  and it is all free.  Mr J is all about the cookies.  When we asked him what his favorite nativity was he said, "the pink peppermint cookies."  Not exactly the answer I was looking for, but anyway.  It is a drive up for us, but we leave right after school and make it up there by dinner. Go out to eat, and then go enjoy one of the concerts and the displays.  It is a wonderful evening together.  I wanted to share some of my favorites.  Enjoy!

The decorations are just beautiful!  It is like 'instant Christmas spirit" when you walk in. They go to so much work!  It is amazing!

I love, love, love Fisher Price Little People.  (What I want for Christmas is the Snow White and Seven dwarfs set :) but anyway, I loved this set.  Miss A got this set only smaller (less buildings, people and animals) when she was a little girl.  She sets it up in her bedroom every year.  

The kids enjoyed looking at all the different kinds.  They focused on South American sets in this area.

I think most of these were from Peru and Columbia. So many cool designs!

Loved this one.

And this Eskimo one was too cute!  Love all the huskies around it and the igloo.

They also focused on handmade sets.  I thought these block ones were cute, and I loved the Christmas tree skirt.  I was seriously tempted to see if I could just borrow it for a few weeks and give it back after Christmas :)

This one was probably the most unique.  Handmade from car parts.  Love the elephant.

If you ever get a chance to go to a nativity display, go!  It is wonderful and so brings to focus the real meaning of Christmas which is Christ.  I am so grateful for our Saviour Jesus Christ and his love for me and for everyone no matter who they are or where they are.  It is so important to keep Christ in Christmas!

2013 Daily Decemeber 11--an addictive snack recipe

I originally saw this recipe here and thought I would make it for a church activity.  Oh. my.  It lives up to its name--addiction.  I had several requests for the recipe after that.  Last night I made it for Ben's work to celebrate their move to their brand new building!  Yeah!  I am glad I had to give it away because I seriously could have eat all of it (and it makes a ton!) if I hadn't gotten it out of my house.  I am thinking I will make it to go on our neighbor Christmas goodies plates this year.  Enjoy!!!

Addiction

3 sticks butter (1 1/2 cups)

2 cups sugar

2 cups corn syrup

1 large box rice chex cereal

1 large box Golden Grahams cereal

4 cups coconut

3 cups sliced almonds

Mix cereals, coconut and almonds in a very large bowl--my largest bowl won't hold all of this, so I have to divide it into 2 large bowls--it makes a lot!

In a large sauce pan melt butter, sugar, and corn syrup.  Bring to a hard boil and boil for 3 full minutes.

Pour butter mix over cereal and mix well.

Pour mix on wax paper to cool, and sample and sample again :)

Sorry for how yellow this looks, but you can see how much it makes and how little hands like to sample it :)

  then put back into bowl to officially eat and share.  Enjoy!

2013 Daily December 10--family pictures

I am a firm believer in getting family pictures taken each year.  This year we have sister missionaries serving in our area from our church.  One of them mentioned that she is a photographer.  I was so excited!  I asked if she would be willing to take our family pictures, and she graciously agreed.  I think she did a wonderful job!  We took them in a big field just down from our house.  Take a look. . .

And they all lived happily ever after.  The end :)

2013 Daily December 9--week 49

An absolutely crazy basketball week--Miss O had 4 games Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/tournament Saturday.  I am not sure how much I am liking this basketball thing in December of all the months to have 4 game in a week!  But we survived.  She only has 3 games this week and is done for the season.  Yeah!  But she made pep band for the high school and gets to attend all those to play.  That girl is busy.  We also had Miss A's regional choir and a very sick little boy.  Life is never dull.  Here is a look at our week.

Sundays are really our only day of rest it seems like.  Miss O loves to string popcorn for the Christmas tree Ben and I have our in bedroom.  She has done it the last few years.  Tonight she was getting it done and showing Mr J how to string popcorn too.

Basketball game #1.  Miss O had 4 points!  Way to go!  

The item on our Christmas countdown chain today was "Make a thank you card for someone."  So Miss E and Mr J were busy doing that this evening.  

Mr J got up about 3 a.m. and was not feeling good.  He threw up until late morning and then spent the rest of the day on the couch.  Not fun.  Thankfully he was feeling better that night, slept well and was back to school the next day.  Nothing brings your world to a halt like a sick kid.  So glad is he feeling better, and he didn't share :)

Basketball game #3 (we missed #2 because of other conflicts) My mom, Miss A, and Mr J were there to help cheer the team on.

Every year our Church in the big city puts on an amazing nativity display with hundreds of nativities.  It is so beautiful!  They have choirs and a live nativity outside.  We try to go every year because it just is the perfect start to the season--instant Christmas spirit.  Loved it again this year.  More pictures from that to share later this week. 

Basketball game #4/tournament--Listening to the coach.  Miss O is #22 sitting on the left.

And the same day Miss O had her basketball tournament Miss A had her regional choir concert.  Of course they were 2 hours away from each other, so we left the basketball tournament and made it just in time for the concert.  It was very good.  Never a dull moment :)

Thanks for visiting and join me for my Daily December postings this month.

Tomorrow I am going to post our new family pictures :)

I am linking up with The Mom Creative.

2013 Daily December 8--Christmas sheets

Two years ago I saw this idea of putting Christmas sheets on your bed December 1st.  I thought it was a cute idea.  We always have our Christmas pillowcases, but I had never thought about sheets.  So, my goal for after Christmas shopping was to find Christmas sheets.  I succeeded in finding 3 sets of twin sheets for Mr J, Miss O, and Miss E, but queen sets for my bed and Miss A's I couldn't find.  So the 3 younger kids enjoyed Christmas sheets last year.  I tried again after Christmas to find queen sheets with no luck--well I found some for $40 each, but that didn't sound like a good after Christmas deal to me.  Anyway, on Cyber Monday this year I thought I would have a look and see what I could find.

Kohl's $40--no thanks

Wal-mart--out of stock

Target--out of stock

Overstock--$40--no thanks

Finally I thought of trying JCPenney's--score!!!

They had these queen sized Christmas/winter sheets--regularly $35 for $13!!!  And then because of cyber Monday it was 20% off that.  So, I happily got two sets, and now everyone can sleep well on their Christmas sheets :)