Brunch and a gift!

Last Saturday we had some friends over for brunch. We had cinnamon rolls, fruit , a breakfast casserole and Fruit Salad! I thought I would share the salad it is delicious and very low calorie, even better.

Fruit Salad

1 can unsweetened pineapple chunks

1 can reduced-sugar sliced pears, drained.

1 can reduced-sugar sliced peaches, drained.

1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes

1 pkg. (3 oz) cook and serve vanilla pudding mix

2 firm bananas

3 tbsp. lemon juice

1 jar (10 oz) maraschino cherries well drained.

Drain Pineapple, reserving juice in a 1 cup measuring cup. In a bowl, combine the pineapple, pears, peaches, and grapes. Cover and chill. Add enough water to pineapple juice to measure 1 cup. Pour into a small saucepan. Whisk in pudding mix. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. remove from the heat: set aside to cool to room temperature.

Slice bananas into a bowl. drizzle with lemon juice; gently toss to coat and let stand for 5 minutes then drain. Add bananas and cherries to chilled fruit. Add cooled pudding; toss gently to combine. refrigerate until serving.

I think on Weight Watchers 1/2 cup is 2 points!

I also thought I would tell you about some really good movies that my girls got for Christmas...

The Love Comes Softly Series.

This series was written by Jeanette Oke.

These videos are about the life and struggles of a family as they travel West to begin a new life. Tragedy strikes and they are led down a path they had not planned. God is present and leading every day. I loved this series as it teaches very real truths about making choices every day to choose God's Way.

It is definitely a chick thing but a very sweet series!

We made It....

Our December was a flurry of programs and activities.

We attended 3 Band Concerts...

Darci plays the flute, DeAnn plays the Bass Clarinet, and Denae plays the Clarinet.

We attended 3 school Musicals....

DeAnn sings with the Cougar singers

Darci sings with the Crusaders Singers

and Denae was a cheerleader in the school play.

Darci played a 14 page Memorized piano duet called a Concerto on December 6th. She won 3rd.

And we celebrated with the 50th Anniversary of Don and Joann, Dusty's parents.

Also... throw in 6 Basketball games for DeAnn!


Now we are relaxing!

50th Anniversary

December 21, 1958 was the day that my In-laws, Don and Joann Cowell were married.

On that day, Joann's dad, Reverend T. Arthur Smith, married them.

Almost 20 years ago , Dusty's dad married the two of us

and today my husband was able to participate in the renewal of his parents vows.

My girls were able to serve cake and punch at

the reception for their Grandparents special day!

Happy Anniversary to a couple that said "I do" for life!

John 3:16

Every Wednesday night I have the privilege of sharing the gospel with 16 little Sparks during Awana. They are so fun! Since my girls are getting older they don't hug me as much but those Sparks run and hug me every week. They are so sincere and listen wide eyed (well most of them) to whatever you have to say.I would love to say that I am very creative when it comes to the story and don't have to have a lot of help, but I usually just need a start and then I can go. This week One of the stories that came from the Awana manual was about a little boy that got stuck in an airport on Christmas eve. He started out with excitement to be flying for the first time to see his Grandparents and all that goes with the airplane and airport. But... after several hours and several trips to the McDonalds in the airport his dad says why don't you pull out your Awana book and work on your verses. His verse, you guessed it, John 3:16. His dad said that is a "Merry Christmas verse" and the little boy asked why. His dad went on to explain that without the birth of the baby Jesus at Christmas we would have no forgiveness of sins.There would be no salvation!
While he was waiting at the airport he met a little girl and they started talking. After missing their flights and being stranded on Christmas day, you can imagine they were disappointed. However, it gave him an opportunity to share John 3:16 with her. Then he was really excited. He had internalized the verse and was able to make since of memorizing all these verses. It was about the baby and the manger , not about all the other trimmings that come with Christmas.

I gave each of the Sparks an ornament to put on their tree this year.

A gold embellished cross. A symbol of John 3:16.

This story made me stop and think.How would I act if I were stuck in an airport for Christmas? Would I remember that it really isn't about trees, presents, and homemade cinnamon rolls. Was I being real with this little people who offer me hugs every week. I hope so. I really want to slow down and focus on the Savior, spend time at his feet and enjoy the sweet relationship that He so freely offers.

John 3:16

God so loved the World

that he gave His one and only only Son,

that whoever believes in Him

shall not perish but have eternal life.

As a side note, My youngest daughter overheard one of the Sparks showing their ornament to their dad and said this is the nicest present I ever got. Now , that made me smile!

Our tree is Up!

Our Computer has been down for 5 days and I have been dying to post pictures of my tree.

No, I did not get a new tree but decided to go ahead and use the tree that we have.

We use a fake tree because my oldest daughter has allergies.

We bought this tree about three years ago after my husband kept saying the tree was taking over. This tree is relatively small and really you could put your arms around the whole thing but it doesn't take over the whole living room and that made my husband smile. We donated our other rather large tree to our church where they use it in the foyer every year.

It fits perfectly in our living room without taking over.

These are a few of the ornaments that we have on our tree...

A nurse and a pastor, given to us by my Mother-in-law

the first year we were married.

Something that we are all praying for.

These are three special ornaments made by Aunt Janet, the first year we were married.

A Camel that the wise men rode to see Jesus!

An Angel to announce the coming king!


And a lowly shepherd tending the flocks.


These are just a few of the special ornaments that we unwrap each year!

Snow...

This little guy sets on my front porch and he is so darling at night with the lights on

but this day he was smiling because we got some snow.

Not a lot, but enough to get us excited about the days to come.

The flowers on the porch even got a small dusting!

It is BURR cold now.

I've Been Tagged...

I've Been Tagged....
My blog friend, Christy from Between Here and Home has tagged me for this fun Christmas Meme...
1 ) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate! I really don't like Egg Nog.
2) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa leaves one present unwrapped under the tree.
3) Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored, but I keep thinking of white. Especially if I can talk my husband in to buying an already lighted tree! I have my eye on one at Hobby Lobby. Can you tell we don't have the tree up yet!
4) Do you hang mistletoe?
No, we don't need that! Smile!
5) When do you put your decorations up?
Not until after December 1st! My husbands rule. And we try to get them all out before the first week of December is up but maybe not this year......
6) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Turkey with stuffing!
7) Favorite holiday memory as a child?
We would meet all our relatives at my Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas Eve. Then we would open presents and have a big meal, kinda like Thanksgiving. My Grandma always had a very pretty and sparkly tree, I always loved it. Then we would watch the TV and see that Santa was crossing the US and then we would go home about 9 pm and then Santa would have left all our presents under the tree. It was always fun.
8) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I think I was 9 years old and we found all the presents in my parents closet! It was upsetting!!!
9) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
No , Not even one! We wait until Christmas morning.
10) How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Usually red and white ornaments and random ornaments that we get when we go on vacation or as gifts.
11) Snow! Love it or dread it?
Love It!!!!
12) Can you ice skate?
No! But I can swim better and that's not very good!
13) Do you remember your favorite gift?
Last year my sister gave me a scrapbook photo album of all the things from my childhood. It is very special to me.
14) What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Being with my family and watching everyone have fun!
15) What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Pie! Did I say any kind of Pie!!!
16) What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Ever since my kids were old enough to stay awake all night, about 2nd grade. They would sneak upstairs and check out their stockings and under the tree and run all over the house reporting to each other. It is usually very tiring!We usually tell them to go back to bed 20 times and then we don't let them open anything until 7 am.
17) What tops your Christmas tree?
An Angel but I would like to find something new this year.
18) Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving! I find a lot of joy in hunting for the perfect gift for my family and those I love. That usually means that your love language is Gifts but I really just want everyone else to know how special they are to me.
19) What is your favorite Christmas song?
I really don't have a favorite but I love Christmas music. This year our local radio station is playing only Christmas music until Christmas. My family has been threatened to not change the station.
20) Candy Canes? Yuck or Yum?
Yummy!
21) What do you want for Christmas?
I would like some white dishes and any type of clothes would be great!
22) Do you attend an annual Christmas party?
Our church usually has a Deacon Christmas party with all the Deacons and wives. It is usually very formal and catered.
23) Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJ's?
Usually a velour sweat suit!
24) Do you own a Santa hat?
No
25) Who do you normally spend Christmas with?
My husband and kids. We have shared several Christmas Days with Dusty's parents and that is always fun!
Now I am tagging the following people:
Sarah - Six Grains of Rice
DeAnn- The Life and Adventures of the Amazing DeAnn.
Donna- The Johnson Girls
DeAnn- The Huxman Family
Here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Fill out the questions.
3. Tag 4-5 people at the end of your post.
4. Pass on the tag.
Have fun!

The Stockings are Hung!

Time to get rid of all these decorations and pull out all our Christmas Decorations.

One of the first things we do is decorate the mantle.

I love fruits and berries and bows.

We have never put a hole in our Mantle so we hang our stockings on the stair railing.

These are special stockings made especially for our girls by their Aunt Debbie Ackerman when they had their first Christmas!

Each is very detailed and took many hours to make.

These are the stockings that are made of felt, sequins and stuffed!
They are adorable.

We are getting ready for Christmas!

Thirty Again!

I didn't just have a Birthday, I had a Birthday week!

First we celebrated at DQ with an ice cream cake!

My wonderful husband bought me a new camera!

Just for all my blogs!

Then we were off to Maize, Kansas to watch

DeAnn's first Basketball game of the season!

And In the mail today, I got some really pretty Christmas serving pieces

from Southern Living from my sweet mother!

I had an awesome time turning 30 Again!

Four Christmases

Usually during Thanksgiving we all get together and go to a Movie. This year was no different, but this year we all choose different movies.
Dusty, DeAnn and Don (his dad) went to see "Transporter 3" They all liked it. DeAnn said there was even a romantic plot to the movie.
Denae and Darci went to see "Bolt", they also loved it especially in 3D!
Joann (My mother-in-law) and I went to see "Four Christmases".
I thought it would be fun to give my review.
I thought it was a very funny movie. This movie is about a couple who set out to create a perfect life and to do so they have to exclude everyone but themselves. They vow to never marry, never have kids and to always be happy. This movie is all about the reality that they are trying to avoid like ...parents ( 4 sets of them) , siblings, nieces, nephews, poverty, their pasts and what has shaped them.We can all relate to this movie.
I thought it was funny and true. We can never be completely happy until we are real with who we are and what we are. We can't find true happiness in thinking only about ourselves but true happiness is found in knowing who we are and embracing the person that God has made us to be.
I hope you get to enjoy a good movie this Holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving

Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me. Psalm 50:23.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

"Pillow"

You know sometimes you wonder if your kids are learning anything at school? Last year Darci took a Home Economics class and she learned how to make a pillow. I am not sure her teacher thought she would ever use this again but this week she decided she wanted to make a special present for a special someone. So I bought the material and told her I would help but this would need to be her creation.
So she cut out her 4 x 4 template and began cutting and then sewing.

She pieced the blocks together...

Then put the back on....

And sewed it all together...

Then she stuffed it and sewed the edges together . It really turned out beautiful.

All for her special friend, Caleb.

Happy Birthday Caleb! Your gift was made with Love!

Chocolate

This is our cat. Her name is "Chocolate". She was a stray that came to our house about 5 years ago. She is a loving cat, as cats go.
My Husband said that he didn't want her setting on our furniture any more, as you can tell my kids are perpetuating this problem. So I bought her the cutest bed at Wal-mart , even has cat mint in the bottom.
But she has been reluctant to stay there, as cats go!
We were having fun with her the other night and my girls were trying to get her to stay in her bed......


DeAnn didn't fit but was trying to show her how fun it is to watch TV in...

Denae tried to get her to stay there...

She thought she might check it out, in cat fashion of course....

AWE!!! This is comfortable!