Our Christmas Letter and a give Away
*Give Away has Ended*
Hi all!!! First of all, I wanted to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas. Please click here to read our family’s Christmas letter.
Secondly, we are snowed in!!!! Whoo hoo!!! Several inches on the ground and a total of over a foot more expected by nightfall. Mitch is out snow-blowing our driveway and a few of the neighbors. Then, after he takes his Science and American History exams–(no snowday for that homeschooled eighth grader!!) We are going to make some hot chocolate—the old-fashioned way with milk and cocoa powder on the stove top–and then finish making fudge and candy and wrap some presents. The boys are supposed to have basketball games tonight but we figure they will be canceled.
Well, in the meantime, I want to host one more give away for Christmas. I will be giving away a Christmas goodie box to one of you on Monday. It includes a grab bag of lotion from Bath and Body Works, some yummy smelling candles from At Home America and a copy of Point of Grace’s Christmas cd along with some delicious Ghiradelli dark chocolate.
Here is how to enter: It will be simple. Just leave a quick comment telling us what you will be doing this weekend. That’s it!!! We are all busy with final Christmas prep and don’t have lots of time to be frittering away on the computer. So let us know what are you doing and also, where you live. It is fun to see where we all reside.
I’ll go first.
Here in Saint Johns, Michigan I am wrapping, menu planning for Christmas Day and then it is off to my sister-in-love’s Thais’ for the Ehman Christmas get-together where I am asigned to bring homemade Parker House rolls….uh, um….blue ribbon award winning rolls from the 1998 Clinton County Fair—(patting myself on the back as I type!), Native American Corn Pudding and fresh Cranberry-Mandarin Orange-Jalepeno sauce.
How about you????? Where are you and what will you be doing this weekend?
Sweet Give Away Blessings,
Karen
Hello All–
I will spend the weekend being jealous of all of you who are snowed in!! I’m a former New England girl who lives in Maryland. We can’t buy a snowflake around here. Sigh.
Yesterday I spoke at a high tea at Reynolds Tavern for a mother-daughter Bible study Christmas event. It was awesome. What a great idea. Moms and daughters (who are all in middle school) get together to study scripture and talk about the issues current to the daughter’s lives. I wish I had thought to do this when my daughter was their age.
Today I will go and watch my daughter conduct a Christmas concert with her choir. Then we will come home to a nice fire and the Redskins game.
I hope everyone has a great Christmas!! It is so meaningful this year to us, since my first grandchild was born a week ago yesterday. Holding that tiny infant in my arms, it is hard to believe that God became a helpless baby. Boggles the mind.
What a weekend! We had our first christmas friday night, without my husband, who had the flu. Spent the day saturday figuring out what i need to buy yet, for gifts and food.We’re hoping today will be a good day to finish last minute things!! hopefully the weather doesn’t get bad.We’re under a winter weather advisory. hope everyone enjoys the holidays and has a wonderful Christmas with there families.
We are “doing” Christmas with my parents and siblings this weekend.
Hi, I am in Gulf Breeze FL by Pensacola Beach. You guys have snow and we have white sand. It was short sleeve, shorts, and flip flop weather today. I hosted a Christmas Tea Party and spoke in a poor housing complex today. It was sooooo incredible. The room was filled with great JOY! We could feel God’s smile on this event. God touched their hearts and ours. It was WOW! I think God is calling us to reach out to women living in visually dark places. This was a moment in my walk with Jesus.
well…we were supposed to go Christmas caroling at the local nursing home today but it’s snowing and blowing in Milaca, MN so we stayed home. My son and I had made gingerbread cookie dough the other day so staying home gave us a chance to bake and decorate our Gingerbread friends. Last night our family led music for a group home in town. It wasn’t snowing yet so we were able to go. It was a real blessing to hear everyone really sing out and enjoy themselves. My daughter and husband are busy putting together a puzzle. We got our Christmas letters in the mail and I’ve written all of the thank-you’s I need to at the moment. So far it’s been nice to be home and listen to Christmas music and bake yummy treats!
Thanks for sharing your downsizing story. We lived in a very small house for a few years and my son says that’s his favorite house!
HI Karen,
Here in Ky we are cold but no snow. We are having a relaxing family weekend. We will watch Christmas movies, eat way to much junk and go to church on Sunday to see our darling 4 year old daughter sing in the children’s choir.
Have a great weekend!!
Tricia in Ky
We live in Cheney, WA and this week broke the record of getting 29 in of snow in 24 hours! We are expecting another 5-9 in tomorrow which is also my 2nd daughter’s 8th birthday. We were supposed to take her ice skating but will probably be watching a movie instead. Today we are working on getting the rest of the gifts wrapped and goodies made in front of a wonderful fire. Our prayers are sure with your family during this time!
Menu planning is the main focus of today. I need to plan for our Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day buffet. Snow is forecast for mid-week here in West Chester, OH – possibly snow on Christmas Eve, which would be so wonderful. This morning I took my 33 month old grandson Christmas shopping for his Mom (he chose a beautiful scented candle) and we donated a bag of groceries (which he picked out) to the local food pantry (hope the family likes jelly beans, peanut butter and spaghettio’s!). Tomorrow is slated for finishing gift wrapping and relaxing. It’s been a hectic week, but now that all the “must do’s” are done, I can enjoy the holiday season. Happy holidays to you and yours!
On Saturday, we will be celebrating our baby grandson’s first birthday. Sunday morning will be church, then Sunday afternoon my family will come to our house to celebrate our Christmas together….hopefully, we will have time to return to church Sunday night for the choir special!!!
I’m in Ontario, Canada and it snowed for about 6 hours here today and we have quite a good amount of snow! It truly is a winter wonderland. The weather man reported that over this weekend we should receive more snow than we usually receive in the entire month of December. I think I’ll be shovelling alot this weekend :o)
Today I used your recipes and made Candy Cane Crunch and Easy Peanut Butter Cookies. Both turned out perfectly! What inspired this baking frenzy? Tomorrow my entire family is coming for Christmas dinner. Tomorrow I will be cleaning like crazy and preparing a turkey dinner with all the fixings for 16. Sunday we’ll be off to church in the morning, then hopefully relax a little in the afternoon before returning to church for the Children’s Christmas presentation in the evening. Thankfully, my gifts are purchased and wrapped so next week SHOULD be quite enjoyable!
Continuing in prayer for you and your family,
Joy
I’m in Elgin, Illinois, and we’re loving the snow, too! This weekend, we’ll be baking cookies, wrapping gifts, and cleaning the house for company. Sunday night we plan to go Christmas caroling with our church to many of our shut-ins and area nursing homes.
well, we were suppose to go to two family Christmas’ (with my family) and both got cancelled b/c here in NOrthern Iowa we are suppose to get high winds and low windchillls and blow the 13″ of snow around. So besides a little moping we are going to go sledding and snow shoeing (new christmas gifts) and watch movies!
I am going to the spa all morning tomorrow courtesy of my husband and kids who surprised me with 3 hours of spa treatment for my birthday last weekend. Part of the day includes makeup and an updo which will be perfect for the wedding/reception we are going to later in the day.
Since we were snowed in today I got all of our christmas cards done as well as most of my baking done which means I can head out of the house guilt free to be pampered. This is not a normal thing for me, in fact I have never been to a spa before and am a little excited and yet nervous too. Hoping it will be a relaxing day!
This weekend I will be doing laundry, shopping for my daughter’s Christmas, and having an “Old Fashioned Christmas” at church on Sunday.
Hi Karen,
I am in Pensacola, Florida where the temps have been in the 70’s this week! No kidding. Last week we barely made it to the 50’s as afternoon highs, and now this. Oh what I would do for just a few snow flurries…or even just cooler weather. I am actually attending a wedding this evening, but plan on resting this weekend. I have worked overtime this week and must rest in order to prepare for Christmas. It has been my prayer that I not lose focus this year, so I won’t be getting out in the hustle and bustle. We’ll wrap a few presents, and that is it! I hope you have a wonderful week with your family. Bless you.
Hello Karen,
I enjoyed reading your Christmas letter. We have snow in Minnesota, but where I live, we are not snowed in. This weekend, I’ll be doing a little baking, wrapping gifts, and some cleaning.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
Blessings,
Wanita
Send your snow, here, to Western North Carolina!! ;) We are wrapping presents and going to see Christmas lights, this weekend.
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
We are not snowed in, but we have had big fog issues lately. We will be cleaning out the garage first and then the inside of the house. We will be operating a “bed and beyond (breakfast)” for several days during the holiday. In fact we are adding 7 people and 2 dogs to our family of six and one dog!! My four kids will all bunk in one room, the other rooms become guest rooms. Oh how I would love a housekeeper right about now- oops that is me!!!
So, it is a cleaning weekend at the Kidd household.
The other item to be done is finally decorating the tree, it is still standing bear in the foyer.
Blessings,
Charlene
I’m from Plainwell, Michigan and boy did we get snow! Tomorrow is my oldest daughter’s 9th birthday so we have some fun things planned for that and Sunday will be the birthday party with all the grandparents. She is also an acolyte for church on Sunday. This is only her second time so she is excited about it. Shockingly we do not have any Christmas festivities this weekend – maybe I can finish wrapping!
Well, here in Minnsnowta…I will be snowed in also. We are expected to get another 10 inches by weekend, end…So will try to mainly stick close to home. Thought about making homemade hot cocoa myself. Need to look for a recipe to make it from powdered milk, cocoa and sugar. Thought it would be nice to have that on hand for as much snow as we seem to be getting. Then God willing, we will go see my younest in our church’s Christmas program on Sunday morning. We could be snowed in!
Enjoy your snow. will be sending more your way over the course of the next few day!! ;)
This weekend I will finish up some Christmas shopping and working my retail job. My job, which I have had for a little over a year, will be eliminated at the end of January. Please pray. DH and i are trying to live frugally as we prepare for this income loss. Oh, and i have some baking to do. It’s gonna be a busy time!
I live in Northeast Ohio. We had a good old-fashioned snow storm last night. Another round is expected for Christmas Eve!
Hi Karen,
Here in northwest Ohio we are iced and snowed in. What a fun day. I am helping with our Sunday School Christmas program tomorrow morning and then I hope to finish up some odds and ends shopping. I would also like to bake some more cookies and take some to my neighbors as gifts. Have a great weekend!
I’m in Rockford, Illinois and we are also SNOWED IN!! My son’s first snow day ever and we are really enjoying it together! My husband had already taken the day off, so we are relishing an early start to our two week + Christmas break!
So far we have played a card game that my son got from his teacher yesterday. It’s like Go Fish, only it’s called “Go Ape” and you have to act out the card that you are asking for.
Right now the baby (10 months) is sleeping while the 5 and 3 year olds are outside playing in the snow while Daddy plows and shovels.
This afternoon after naps we are going to build a Gingerbread train together!
And then if we have time I might help the boys wrap the presents that they picked out for each other and for their dad.
A busy and very fun day! As for the weekend, a church group is going Christmas caroling tomorrow night and then it’s just the final preps and plans for the busy and blessed week to come!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thanks for hosting another giveaway. We are not snowed in…I don’t think we have had real snow for at least three years. For us today, it’s rain, rain and more rain. Maybe it will get cold enough next week for a little snow – a girl can hope, right?! I have bought the kids snowboots this year (first time ever) with the anticipation that this is going to be the year we get snow. (We’re in Virginia, and we usually have rain/ice mix where we live…snow eludes us!)
Now, back to your question. This weekend we are heading to my in-laws for an early Christmas. All of my shopping is done, I have a little bit of wrapping left to do, and I will be enjoying somebody else’s cooking this weekend. Hopefully while we are visiting them, my husband and I can sneak off for lunch or dinner without the kids. . .without having to pay a babysitter, either! So it should be a good weekend.
Merry Christmas!
Cindy
http://adopttaiwan.wordpress.com
Here in Buffalo, NY…. we are SNOWED IN! :) I will be working on finishing up some homemade Christmas gifts, finishing up the wrapping, and snuggling a lot with my 3 boys (ages 36, 6, 2!) :)