A Party for Little Miss Eleanor

Our little granddaughter just turned one year old.  What a sweetheart she is.

Her mom made her a beautiful and delicious birthday cake, it was finger lickin' good!

The White Envelope

For the past five years, my amazing kids have given Keith and I a pretty special Christmas gift.  Each year, on Christmas morning, there has been a white envelope on the Christmas Tree.  Inside is a letter from them telling us of some great services they have rendered to others.  Now the amazing part is that these acts of service are quite extensive, and have definitely stretched each of them in time and means.  It is so touching to me to learn how unselfish and willing they are to share with those who are in need, and it always brings me to tears.  I sure love my kids.  They are just really good people!  They have good hearts and truly enjoy giving of themselves.  I can't even imagine the number of people who's lives they have blessed through this Christmas tradition.  Thanks for your good example to me kids.  Love you!

Sunrise

Just before our big snowstorm hit last week we had some of the most amazing sunrises ever.  It was actually fun to get up super early and peak out the window.  If there was a hint of pink we would open the kitchen blinds and watch for awhile to see how the sunrise colors developed.  This particular morning was so colorful it was incredible.  I was worried that the camera wouldn't do it justice, but these turned out pretty good I'd say. 

A Litte More about Christmas

Cranberries look so beautiful, before, during and after cooking.  This year our big turkey feast was the Friday before Christmas.  Keith took Eric, Diane and Dennis skiing.  I stayed home because my knee is in no shape to tackle a mountain and cooked up the whole feast in one afternoon.  It was sad to miss skiing, but I loved knowing that they would come home to a wonderful meal.  The leftovers were divine, too.



How do you get this many people playing all together at once?  Go karting at Sykart!  The best part?  Everyone loved it, and would like to do it again.  It's pretty fun when you have that many people racing, and you know almost everyone on the track. That makes it a little more personal when you pass someone, or get passed! 



And the best part of Christmas...skyping with Elder Schenk!  He looks great and is loving his mission.  He's feeling concerned at having only 5 months left to serve.  There is so much good he can do as a servant of the Lord there.  We got to talk for an hour, and it was so good for my heart.  I have been missing him quite a bit, but after spending that time visiting, I'm feeling just fine again.  It's cool how much he loves being in the Philippines and being a missionary.

A Merry Little Christmas (with the Harts)

As always, a lovely Christmas tree at Mom's house.

Brothers opening their gifts.



Mom made us a great Christmas dinner.  Best ham ever!



Eric got a super helpful book called 1001 Things You Need to Know Before You Leave Home So You  Don't Go Back.  I think he should study that one carefully.  Not that I don't want him to come back home, I just want him to be successful when he leaves.

Gift unwrapping with gusto!



We shared a few stories, including a really good story about camels, and then sang a few Christmas carols.  A wonderful Christmas evening.