Once again, we did our traditional cookie decorating at Jenny's house. Not only does she do a FANTASTIC job of setting up the table perfectly with various sprinkles and icing, but we had the added bonus of a few, small newcomers.
Initially, Emma wasn't sure what to do with the cookies. She mostly just wanted to eat them.
It didn't take her long to cover them in sprinkles, with or without icing! Either way, they were going in her mouth.
Josh went right to work with great enthusiasm.
Both Josh and Malia really got into the decorating. Mostly, Malia loved eating the icing, but after a while, she realized that putting the icing on the cookie was almost as much fun as putting the icing in her mouth. Josh loved putting on sprinkles. He didn't care that there was no icing to hold the sprinkles on the cookie.
Of course Dylan had to decorate the traditional Mickey Mouse cookie. He is all things Disney. I love that even though he, Chandler and Regan are getting older, they all still love these kind of simple pleasures.
Chandler and Regan both did a great job and ended up with very professional looking cookies. They should. After all, they've been doing this their whole lives!
This is from the Wall Street Journal. To read it is to know it was written in an earlier era. This kind of beautiful wrting could not be written today. This piece gave me chills and inspired hope - true hope, based on a man or on myself, but on Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas.
When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.
Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.
But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression -- for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?
There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world?
Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.
And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.
So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.
But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.
Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.
And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually since.
I was going back and forth between sending the really cute Christmas cards I already had, or creating one from scratch. Either way, I wanted to include a picture, but I was having a hard time coming up with a date to actually take the picture. Add to that, that if I designed my own 4x6 cards and had them printed, where would I get envelopes? So between trying to figure out when to take the picture, and whether to do store-bought or custom-designed cards, I was completely paralyzed!
Finally two nights ago, I just took some quick shots at home in front of our tree. I plugged the picture into the custom card I had created "just in case". But I still wasn't ready to print them because I still hadn't solved the envelope dilemma. So last night, I thought, Well, I HAVE the store bought cards here already and THEY have envelopes. At least I can start addressing those. I ended up printing out a photo at Sam's to include in my store-bought card and mailing them all today.
However, the story continues. I didn't have enough store bought cards, so I STILL ended up printing out the custom one. Unfortunately, the envelope dilemma didn't resolve itself by magic. I came home, searched through all my random note cards and found a few that would kind of fit my 4x6 custom cards.
See... it is quite paralyzing. I basically ended up with the worst of all worlds and wasted a lot of time with multiple trips to Sam's Club. If you didn't get a card from me, just know that no one has, yet. And because I ran out of envelopes, some of you that are near and dear to me may not be receiving one at all. PLEASE DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST ME AND TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST! Write down that I tried.
And if you know where I can get envelopes to fit 4x6 cards, I love to know!
Yesterday, Chandler donated 10" of hair to Locks of Love. I'm very proud of her! Regan is next after she grows her hair another inch or two. Both of the girls feel strongly about this organization and are happy to donate.
But I must say, I don't miss her super long hair. It looks very cute short.
Had to embarrass you with this birthday pic. It was great to spend you actual birthday with you watching Christmas with the Kranks on your gigantic T.V.
I just read that Jay Leno is moving to prime time.
NBC is thrilled. They have a cheap "unscripted" show to replace very expensive-to-produce dramas. Since the rise of reality T.V. and with the writer's strike, scripted shows have been on the decline.
This makes me very sad.
Although I'm not a huge watcher of T.V., I have a few favorites (LOST, the office). My list is very small as more and more shows become over-the-top inappropriate or simply disappear. Two shows which have really caught my attention are Pushing Daisies and Crusoe - both cancelled. These two definitely qualify for "The Best Shows You're Not Watching". (Although I stopped watching Pushing Daisies because it just couldn't stay clean. It had to throw in something every week.)
I blame a lot of factors.
I blame reality T.V., especially the ones that are pure junk, like the Mtv dating-type shows. These shows remind me of the National Enquirer or junk food. (Not that I haven't been known to peruse a STAR magazine or munch on a Twinkie or two, but that's another story!) I know mindless entertainment is fun, but people react to it as if they actually know the people getting booted off. It's the Facebook version of intimate, authentic relationships. I think good T.V. actually requires you to engage your brain, and for many Americans, that is painful. That they are very cheap to produce is a plus not easily overlooked by the networks.
I blame TiVo. Love it. Advertisers hate it. And since the advertisers pay for my T.V. shows, they get the final say.
I blame our short attentions spans. Dramas and even good comedies require you to tune in show after show or risk becoming lost. You have to remember who the characters are and the back story. The busyness of our lives comes into play. Who has time to devote to a show? We'd rather just tune in for a few seconds of ridiculousness, then flip to something else.
I blame the bubble that T.V. writers and producers live in which leads them to present everything from a singular point of view. I loved the West Wing, but how much Republican bashing can I take? It is the EXTREMELY rare show that doesn't have unmarried sex, and when they do, it's treated like a freak show. No one on T.V. has a serious faith or if they do, they, too are treated as a novelty rather than like the normal American they are. (I know I sound a bit hypocritical after saying the office was one of my favorites, but I have already cut out House, CSI, and Pushing Daisies for content. I need one vice!)
So where to go from here? I'm loathe to engage with another well-written, yet short-lived show (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) only to see it rejected by viewers and networks.
T.V. as we know it is dying a slow, painful death.
Well, it's officially that time of year. The time of year when we gather together with good friends and family and celebrate the real reason for the season... Christmas movies. I'm pretty sure Jesus would approve of such classics like A Christmas Story and It's a Wonderful Life.
So far we have enjoyed Jack Frost, Elf, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th St., and Christmas Vacation. Thursday is Christmas with the Kranks. I must give a caveat. Don't judge me by this list. We have a "host gets to pick the movie" rule.
So what else? What is your favorite Christmas movie? What is a MUST SEE in the month of December?
Well, another Thanksgiving at our house has come and gone.
Once more, I cooked a turkey, and since I'm a bit of a salmonella-phobe, it kind of freaked me out. My cousin had told me that the secret is to soak it in a brine. So I bought a Styrofoam disposable cooler to put it in overnight. Those things are ridiculous at keeping stuff in. By morning I had salmonella infected brine all over my kitchen floor. Nothing a good mopping with bleach won't cure. And as long as you don't go licking under my dishwasher, I think you will stay salmonella-free at my house!
So after a few days of much needed cleaning, my family and Tim's joined us for a pot-luck style feast of thankfulness. We had close to 30 in all. Thank you, Jesus, for good weather so the relatives could sit outside! Food was fantastic and I believe a good time was had by all as many of them stayed for awhile. I always believe it's a sign of good party when the guests are reluctant to leave!
We capped off the night with one of my many favorite Christmas movies - A Christmas Story. It was the perfect way to usher in this next season.
Josh always has a great time playing the Wii.
Of course Micah was a hit with baby-lovers everywhere.
Fortunately the lack of rain meant the kids could play outside.
Here was a funny point in the day. My niece, Lauren, who is engaged to the man sitting beside her, Chris, got her chance to finally hold the baby. Notice the look?!?
But now you gotta catch his look back! We're all pushing for a baby within 9 months of the wedding, but I'm not sure he's on board!
We headed off to Disneyland with some of our favorite Disney-goin' friends - the Platts. Lots of fun hanging with them all. I love how well the kids get along and how they love the same things. Decorating cookies and spinning in a teacup proved the big hits today!
All pictures taken with my phone... sorry for the quality.
Saw the "New and Improved" Small World.
One final pic in front of the first ever fake Christmas tree at Disneyland. Supposed to be more environmentally friendly, but I have to wonder about the impact on our planet of making and disposing of all that plastic. That's another post!
Initially, Emma wasn't sure what to do with the cookies. She mostly just wanted to eat them.
It didn't take her long to cover them in sprinkles, with or without icing! Either way, they were going in her mouth.
Both Josh and Malia really got into the decorating. Mostly, Malia loved eating the icing, but after a while, she realized that putting the icing on the cookie was almost as much fun as putting the icing in her mouth. Josh loved putting on sprinkles. He didn't care that there was no icing to hold the sprinkles on the cookie.
Of course Dylan had to decorate the traditional Mickey Mouse cookie. He is all things Disney. I love that even though he, Chandler and Regan are getting older, they all still love these kind of simple pleasures.
After
But now you gotta catch his look back! We're all pushing for a baby within 9 months of the wedding, but I'm not sure he's on board!
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