Remembering...

All day long...

as I have posted my Christmas pictures,

of family and friends,

and a big smooch with Garrett,

I have forgotten,

To remember,

That someone, somewhere has a 

heavy heart,

a tired soul, 

an unanswered prayer,

a falling star that is still falling.

I am thinking of my sweet Nikki today,

my beautiful black pearl

and her fifth Christmas without Jon.

I think of her beautiful children
and their hopes and dreams
and courages hearts...

I think of how God is using all of them,
to teach us to hold on to each other
during these times,
because this too shall pass,
in good
and in bad.
Today is the only sure thing,
that any of us have.

I waste alot of New years goals on vein ambitions,
not this year.
This year my goal is to simply,
hold on to each day,
love with everything I have,
and cherish every single moment.
I love you Nikki.
Today, I am celebrating your courage.

Sisters

The best christmas present by far..

 was having my sister and her family stay here for a week.  

In fact, I am certain the reason why this season was 

a little magic, had to do with her comming and decorating my

house for Christmas in the first place.

She added a little lovin here...

And a whole lot of lovin here.

(see stairs behind)

She puts love in everything she does...

She is a beautiful mother...

and an example to me of balance and joy and what it means to be

Real

And I love her for that.

I wish I had a picture of us...

but she doesn't do pictures:)

So here is a picture of her ED fixing my counter top...

I didn't have to ask.

I never do.

They both just see where they can help out,

and go about it quietly.

(unless there is a drill involved:)

I love that she compensates when she knows that

I have hit my limit...

And that she lets me do the same when she hits hers.

I love that she talks to me with that same

heart, soul and no B.S

just like mom did.

I love you Shellie.

And I miss the rest of you, Becky, Ryan, my black pearls, ALL of my amazing friends...

everyone who has made me a better person and blessed my family

I am starting this New year with a heart of gratitude for all of you..

Merry CHRISTmas.

And a very HAPPY new year.

(Now I need to get pics from Garrett's sisters from our cabin party!)

Crepes and crowds

The one tradition of my mother's,

that I haven't messed with or thrown out all together,

is Christmas morning Breakfast.

Mom was superholidaywoman,

(Yes this is a word...my mom)

and I always loved her for it,

but in my old age and new found wisdom,

I am learning I just can't do it all.

But Breakfast....

Mom used to invite anyone and EVERYONE,

come one, come all.

So some time after we clean up a little mess here...

And a little mess there...

(Malia made us all sno cones with her new ice machine:)

We start a new mess.

Christmas cassoroles...

And Christmas crepes...in every flavor of the rainbow...

And lots of other good stuff that we are all too full to eat...

I even set the table with REAL plates! (mostly:)

I hope mom knew that she was invited.

I wonder about things like that,

I hope I made her proud.

I hope Dad felt her in someway...

That would be the best present ever.

But we had Whitney to make us laugh...

And to remind us all to cherish each other for now...

Because this too shall pass.

I took the Liberty of adding a little tranquilizer in the O.j

Phew.

Time for a BIG nap.

I did it.

(We are missing pictures of other guests...you know who you are!)

Happy Holidays everyone.

Christmas

First night of Christmas

Family Gift night.

I finally replaced Garrett's wedding ring that he lost water skiing.

I asked him to marry me all over again.

And I ment it.

I love you my kind and tender friend.

Thanks for my Camera!!!!!

Savannah spoiled Malia rotton:

One snuggie

One amazing art kit

Three packs of bubble gum

Night two

Pajama night.

Note Garrett's red hot pajama bottoms:)

 

 Night Three

Devotional...

And Finally the cousins arrive...

We make Christmas eve fondue...

And lots of cheesy, chocolate faces...

Then we boot them off to bed...

For Santa is coming soon...

 And then there was Christmas Breakfast....

But I will post that one later...

I think I have already hit the picture limit for one post:)

Christmas cakes

I am no baker.

Nope.  Notta. Zip.

But sometimes the kids and I like to watch "Cake Boss,"

A reality show with the obnoxious Italian baker, Buddy, 

who drops the word Fandant, (fondont)

a thousand times a show.

The kids have been begging me to make "fandant",
for some time now, and I was hesitant,
to say the least.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how my mother always baked

beautiful pastries, pies, ect around the holidays,

She never worried about the messes or the messes

or did I say messes?

That is why I don't care for baking.

But last week, I was overcome with the desire to let my kids

make something 

Beautiful

So they could give it away to someone who had made a difference 

in their lives,

to someone who had served them, made them better,

and sacrificed for them.

So we choose their primary leaders and scout leaders.

While I don't think I will EVER work with "Fandant" again,

because it is hard and stubborn and terribly temperamental,
(much like myself at times),

it was one of the happiest holiday memories I have ever made with my children.

I have decided this year to give myself the present of
~Presence ~
I want to be in every moment,
fully, completely and joyfully.
It is a gift, that has already changed my heart and my home.
I wish I had a Christmas cake for all of you,
But if you want a "fandant" covered cake,
I say stick with the professionals:) 
I love you big time.

Pies and pennies

Sunday

I taught my class about the spirit of Elijah.

I like to call it the scent of Elijah, because when I think of Grandpa, 

I can smell the sage that grows on the northern slope of the ranch.

Thursday we went to Pa Pa's house

Last year he bought us all the book Eat, Pray, Love

for our little book club,  and after we saw the movie he thought it would be

a fun spin to have Thanksgiving breakfast.

Because writer Elizabeth Gilbert wanted Thanksgiving dinner on her trip to Italy,

so she told her friend to cook the turkey and she would do every thing else.

About 15 minutes before dinner, she asked her Italian friend how the Turkey was doing.

"oh, should I cook it now?"

You get the picture...

They ate their Turkey in the Morning:)

He cooked ALL of these pies all by himself.

And...

get this...he made extra turkey and rolls for us to take home!

"with a little help from your mother."

he says

But she helped with a lot more than pies.

He also made the best HOMADE bread I have ever tasted!

All to honor her gift of cooking,

All to help us feel her there with us,

All to help his grandkids connect with the spirit of Elijah,

To know who they are and where they came from.

He then did the same traditions, he did when I was a child.

To celebrate my Danish side,

Dad has us save our pennies all year long, and then we stuff 

my great great grandfather's wooden shoe with the money.

Because in Denmark, their wooden shoes were stuffed the night before Christmas.

Then dad cooks muffins and puts one penny in the batch.

Then every one eats a muffin, and the one who gets the pennies gets the

money in the shoe!

This year it was my 3 year old nephew Derek!

No he didn't choke on the penny:)

Then we had Pine nuts and Jerky.

Why?

To celebrate my pioneer ancestors.

One christmas my great grandmother, after crossing the plains with her nine children,

widowed,

Could only afford a bag of pine nuts and some jerky.

So every Christmas of my Dad's life they ate pine nuts and jerky,

To remember the Christmas they had nothing but each other.

I grew up with the same tradition.

He even bought mom's favorite roses for the center piece.

And we tasted the Love in every bite.

Love you Dad.

(I am waiting on some pics to post our Thanksgiving dinner with the Smith Family)