La Navidad

The often asked question the last few days has been, "How was your Christmas?" or "Como fue la navidad?" The most frequent response, especially from my Hispanic friends, has been, Lots of food! Lots of Family! Ours was no different.

Mucha comida...

Oh, the food! And this was just from Christmas Eve! I'm still trying to unload the refrigerator.

Mucha familia.....

Mucho fun, Muchos memories (sorry-bad Spanish)

Pardon me while I try to escape from the post-Christmas abyss!

And the Stockings were Hung....

Stockings are a big deal at my house.
When I was young, and we were bugging my parents every hour on Christmas morning, my Mom would say at about 5:30-6:00 am, "Ok, you can get up and look at your stocking." She would bring our stockings to our rooms and we would rip into them and that would appease us for at least a little while.

Fast forward, I would let my own kids look at their stockings first. I used to put a piece of fruit, a box of the tiny cereals and some hot chocolate in each one. That would cover breakfast, since I simply was never up to preparing a large and sumptious breakfast on Christmas morning....exhaustion always set in.....due to pregnancy, nursing or just plain old-fashioned exhaustion.  The kids used to argue over which cereal they got....it was the only time of year I would buy Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes.....

Fast forward, now this has evolved into making each person's stocking individual and special. I take a lot of time trying to find things that will FIT and also unique and fun stuff, especially for the girls. You know, stuff you never buy for yourself.....

So the stockings are all ready.......except we are going to miss one stocking this year.......

 He's away in the service of Him whose birth we are celebrating this time of year and that makes it okay! And we get to talk to him at 12 noon MST!

Merry Christmas!

An Important Announcement

Santa's Workshop is now officially closed until next year.
3:55 MST.

aaahhhhhhhhhhhhh

Grandma's Fourth Annual Christmas Party

Yippee, we're going to Grandma's house!

Playing Reindeer Games.....

Fill the stocking relay

First you put a piece of candy on a spoon...

Then you run as fast as you can and put it in the stocking.

Be careful, don't drop the candy!

Yay! Our team won! Guess what the prize was?

The candy from the stocking!

Strike a Reindeer pose....

Playing "Santa Says"  (kinda like Simon Says)

Decorating our gingerbread man cakes

It takes a heap 'o concentration!

I had tons of fun at Grandma's Party!!!

Greg Olsen art

What is the funnest thing about being the Relief Society President?

Getting a phone call from someone who says, "I would like to help a member of your branch have a Merry Christmas." Seeing wonderful people step forward and lend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate.

Anonymously.

What a joy this has been for me this Christmas season.

....."Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Matthew 25:40

Ten Days before Christmas Quiz

Stealing this from Rebecca Irvine:

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? True confession, I love eggnog, but no one else does and it's super fattening, so it doesn't grace my frig these days.

2. Does Santa wrap the presents, or just set them under the tree? Definitely wrapped. It's more fun on Christmas morning! Side note: I don't put anything under the tree before Christmas. Too many years of toddlers trashing presents started this tradition, and now we have another generation of toddlers......but it looks impressive on Christmas morning piled with gifts!

3. Colored or white lights on the tree/house? White on the tree. TL loves colored and it was time for replacements outside, so he gets his colored outside.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope....but teenage daughter has been requesting it. hmmm... wonder why?

5. When do you put up your decorations? Day after Thanksgiving, exhausting!

6. What's your favorite holiday dish? The breakfast coffee cake, made by my daughter, recipe from her mother-in-law.....yummmmm.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child. The year of the Barbies....I'll never forget seeing them all lined up. Now I know how many hours my mom spent sewing Barbie outfits, complete with tulle and satin and beads!!!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? From the neighbor girl across the street. I was shocked and devastated. I think I was about six.

9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree(s)? We have one with gold and red ornaments in the living room (the kids call it the ASU tree). The other one has a mish mash of elegant red and apple green ornaments along with family ornaments, large red poinsettias and bows.

10. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve? Never used to but now we open jammies and the kids open each other's gifts.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Here in the desert of AZ, it would definitely be an exciting event!

12. Ice skate? Can you do it? Not really. I'm a desert rat.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? One memorable one is the year TL gave me a garbage disposal. I was thrilled beyond belief. (try living without one for awhile) (I have a photo of my joy)

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you? Christmas hymns and studying the life of the Savior, giving! (I know it's not one-but I can't narrow it down to one)

15. Favorite holiday dessert? My mom's toffee! hands down.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve fajitas! Sewing for Christmas.

17. What tops your holiday tree? Nada! (yikes!)

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving definitely wins, but receiving is fun!

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Angels we have heard on High. p.s. I LOVE the Messiah.

20. Candy canes? Meh.....Not too much, but add a little chocolate and I'm there.

Scripture: Isaiah 8:6

Christmas Photo Essay

Christmas Eve Tradition: Fajitas

Beware of overtired, crazed woman with large knife cutting fajita meat.

The delicious spread......complete with refried beans creating copious amounts of intestinal gas...but surely yummy at the time.

Your mouth is a convenient place to stuff a chip while folding arms for the blessing on the food.

Christmas Morning

Grandpa Santa passing out gifts. (don't forget your glasses so you can read the gift tags)

How many children can we cram on their Pottery Barn type train tables to prove how strong they are? (tables hand crafted by Grandpa Santa for way less than Pottery Barn charges!)

These children were definitely NOT on Santa's naughty list this year...Santa's workshop created:

Tutus for little girls and Darth Vader/superhero capes for little boys....

Pretty aprons for good big girls!

Warm, cuddly quilts for families.Pretty intense games of Mario Kart

We missed ya' this year Elder Steve, but next year this stocking won't be empty!

Santa helped us create warm hearts, full stomachs and happy memories this year!

Huge disclaimer: Quilt tops were created months in advance and sewn on the sewing machine, and my confession........no neighbors received goodies this year and Christmas cards did not get sent......Gasp!

Merry Christmas

"Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend. It is magnificent and beautiful.
It is peace. It is the peace which comforts, which sustains, which blesses all who accept it.
It is faith. It is faith in God and His Eternal Son. It is faith in His wondrous ways and message. It is faith in Him as our Redeemer and our Lord.
We testify of His living reality. We testify of the divinity of His nature. In our times of grateful meditation, we acknowledge His priceless gift to us and pledge our love and faith. This is what Christmas is really about.
To each of you we extend our love and blessing. May you, wherever you may be across the world, have a wonderful Christmas. May there be peace and love and kindness in your homes. May you husbands smile with love upon your wives. May you wives know the sweet joy of being loved and honored and respected and looked up to. May your children be happy and filled with that indescribable magic which is the spirit of Christmas. May those of you who are single find sweet companionship in the knowledge that you are not alone, that Jesus stands as your friend. He came “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79).
To each of you we extend our love and blessing. May it be a happy and wonderful season. We leave a blessing upon you, a blessing of Christmas, that you may be happy. May even those whose hearts are heavy rise with the healing which comes alone from Him who comforts and reassures. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).
So said He in His hour of great tribulation: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).
In the spirit of that great promise and gift, may we all rejoice this blessed Christmas season." Gordon B. Hinckley

The Day after Thanksgiving

Yes, I know it's ten days after the fact, but traditionally in my home, the Day After Thanksgiving has been....(not Black Friday shopping) but Decking the Halls. Since there has been a severe lack of Christmas-y type postings I thought it behooved me to get in the spirit of things and share my latest holiday acquisitions....


I have been coveting/drooling over/envying/desiring this 9' pre-lit Christmas tree every year in Costco for the last few years. We finally bit the bullet and got it. It is gorgeous! Except now I need to buy more Christmas decorations to put on it. We put our shorter, 6' tree in the living room, complete with all our sentimental decorations and it looks wonderful! Although I need to move everything up 2 feet to accomodate the curious rug-rats that invade our home occasionally (toddler grandchildren).

Each year I buy something new to decorate the house with at my FAVORITE store The Orange Patch, in Mesa which decks the halls in a truly magnificent way every year. This year my lovely daughters (I include my DIL in this title) bought me these trimmings. I LOVE THEM! They took me with them to pick it all out. It was fun, fun, fun.

For more festive holiday photos, I refer you here, my decking the halls from last year.

(now say a quick prayer for me today since I'm doing my Spanish oral final and I am scared spit-less!)

21 Days: Read the account of Jairus in Matthew 9. Ponder "on a time in your life when you had to search for the Savior to find strength beyond your own."