Baking Day 1

Today was a day in the kitchen.

Felicity helped make Original Gluten Free Rice Krispy Treats.

 Kent helped make Dairy and Gluten Free Rice Krispy Treats.

 Kaomi helped make Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 Katy helped make homemade Brownies.

Our Girls

Kaomi's Imagination

Tea Party anyone?

Riding her imaginary horse, Patty.

December Entertaining

It's December, we are looking forward to having several people over for various reasons.  This past weekend we got together with some of the guys that Jeff meets with and their families.  The kids (ages 5 months to 16?) had a blast playing together and the adults had some good fellowship time as well.

8 kids sat here

Dining Room Table set with my china

Jeff designed the center piece

After dinner caroling

Our wonderful guitarists

Enjoying the Snow

This morning we woke up to a small amount of snow.  There wasn't much on the ground, just on the rooftops and cars.  I had an appointment first thing this morning and had asked Jeff if he could stay home with the kids until I returned.  I enjoyed getting in my snow covered car, using the wipers to move the snow from my windshield and driving down the street with snow on my hood.  It felt Chrismas-like.
We live on the top of a hill, so it was interesting when I got to the bottom of the hill to see the cars that had almost no snow on them and then when I got out on the main road and most of the oncoming traffic didn't have any snow at all on their cars.  There was even a small amount of snow still an my hood when I returned home a little later.  Snow is fun!

Black Raspberry Ice Cream

This is one of my favorite ice cream flavors.  I remember as a child occasionally getting to pick an ice cream cone flavor at the mall.  I think I always picked the purple one.  Then when I worked at Pop's Place in high school and college it was still one of my favorite flavors.  Then I got married and pregnant with Kent.  I craved this flavor of ice cream and couldn't find it ANYWHERE.  This summer I was excited to find Black Raspberry ice cream at my local grocery store.  I thoroughly enjoyed each bucket of it.  Sadly, it was only a seasonal flavor and is no longer available.  Dreyer's,  if you read this could you please make more next year?!!!??

P.S.  I have found occasional black raspberry swirl/chocolate chunk/vanilla combos, but they aren't the same.

More of Felicity's Busyness

A Day for Thanksgiving

I am thankful for:
Clark only getting up once last night.
Felicity snuggling extra long in the rocking chair yesterday.
Kaomi getting herself dressed in a pink and brown shirt, pink skirt with green, purple and gray stripes, black stockings, white socks, and black Sunday shoes.
Katy and Kent learning to fix their squables without parental intervention, sometimes.
Jeff loving my children and I.

I love my family.

God has given me so many things to be thankful for, but I'd say my family is up at the top of the list.

Boxes

My Grandfather's Ministry

My Aunt, Grandfather and Grandma have been packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child for many years.  It has provided a ministry opportunity for them to show the Love of God to those who may never get a package for Christmas.  This year they packed over 1,200 shoeboxes.

Read more about it here.

Just in Time for Turkey Day

 We stopped at our local feed store on Thursday and we saw Turkeys!!!  The kids were so excited, after of course they had asked me what those giant birds were.

Rock, Rock

Felicity likes to rock, rock often - before naps and bedtime, after naps, and first thing in the morning.  Jeff and I don't mind, we like to rock, rock with her too.  Lately she's been asking to rock, rock, "balooo".  It means she wants to rock in the blue chair.  She snuggles with her "bleedeleee" (blanket) and rag and sucks on her bottom lip.  She's been doing this for a long time with us and now she is starting to want to do other things rather than rock, rock as much.  We'll miss our snuggle time with you Lissie.

Winner - Fall Pilgrim Activity

The winner of the Fisher Price Thanksgiving Celebration set drawn by Kaomi from all the entries is...

strawberrylobster said...

I posted on my blog. http://princessmommydiaries.blogspot.com/2011/11/little-people-thanksgiving-celebration.html


I will be contacting you today to get your package delivered as soon as possible.

Fall Craft

We spread a great big piece of paper on the table.  Got out the fall stamps.  And had fun!

A fairly easy fall craft.

After it was dry I hung it on our wall across from the kitchen to decorate our home for fall.

Don't forget the Pilgrim Activity Giveaway ends tomorrow morning.

Felicity's Busyness

I'll sit with you Clark.

This cookie is good.  It gives me energy to see what else I can find to explore.

1st ice cream cone.

Felicity keeps me busy lately.  She likes to sit in Clark's chair.  I guess she thought sitting on him was a good idea in the first picture.  He didn't mind.  In fact he had been crying and stopped when she sat on him.  I gave the kids ice cream cones one evening for dessert, so of course she wanted one too.  I put just a tiny bit around the edges and she had a blast being like the big kids and she didn't have to have a bath later.  She must not have liked the cone because she smashed it and left it sit on her tray.

Packing Boxes for Operation Christmas Child

We packed shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child again this year.  The kids have fun thinking of others and finding things to put in the shoebox they are packing.

Felicity's shoebox

Kaomi's shoebox

Kent's shoebox

Katy's shoebox

Clark's shoebox

More Pictures from Katy's Birthday

A New Doll because she loved the old one to pieces.

Zebra Pillow from Grammy

Lissie, very happy to have her own "new" doll.

Fall Pilgrim Activity - Giveaway

 My children enjoy playing with their Fisher Price Little People year round.  I try to make it extra fun for them by using our Mayflower and Pilgrim set in the fall or if we are learning about the pilgrims in history.  This year we added the Little People Thanksgiving Celebration set to our collection.  They have really been enjoying having Indians to join the Thanksgiving feasts that they make up.  I enjoy having a couple of toys that are season specific and since my children enjoy them so much I wanted to give one Little People Thanksgiving Celebration away to one of my readers.

To enter this giveaway leave a comment that tells us one of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions.  Be sure to leave your e-mail in your comment so I can contact you if it is not on your profile page.

For a second entry share about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your post. 

This giveaway will close at 8am on Thursday, November 17th, so I can have time to get it in the mail so you can have it by Thanksgiving. 

This Giveaway in now closed.

Family Pictures

And Life Just Moves On

I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've shared what is going on.  It seems like everything is so busy right now.  I've got some pictures and posts I'll be working on as well as a giveaway coming up this weekend.