Blessed indeed!
We enjoyed our advent season of reading and singing.
We did a LOT of baking!
See more gingerbread pictures here.
I had a couple of big orders that kept me up late at night.
These were for a Christmas party for a railroad company.
We went to the Christmas parade and froze our tails off!
Josh and Charlie joined us, it was fun to watch Charlie enjoy his first Christmas parade!
The key is to place your cutouts in the freezer for 10 minutes before you bake them, they will hold their shape.
We dipped our sides in melted almond bark.
Let the sides dry and harden for a few hours, then added the roofs.
House, Cabin and Barn
25 years ago I learned how to decorate cakes , it was the best money and time I have ever spent. Not only has my ability to decorate cakes enabled me to make some money from home, but it naturally grew into a catering business. And what has been even more rewarding are the countless classes where I’ve taught others how bake and decorate.
When our now 24 year old daughter was 10, all she wanted for Christmas was a Crock-Pot. Ever since she was little she loved being in the kitchen and at 10 she felt like she was ready to take over more the family meals… and she thought a Crock-Pot was going to be the key to her success.
A couple of people made comments about how foolish it was for a “child” to get something like a Crock-Pot for Christmas and how we should give her “age-appropriate” gifts, that we should let her enjoy her childhood.
Advent is the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting. The word Advent is derived from the Medieval Latin, adventus from the Latin word meaning arrival.
We observe Advent because it is a time to reflect on Jesus’ first coming and to look toward his second coming. This is also a time of preparation.
The harvest has been plentiful this year which means we can get a lot of great produce at a reasonable price. This makes for a perfect time for canning a little extra to give as gifts this Christmas.
They are also great to have on hand to give as a hostess gift, in a basket as part of a bridal shower gift or even to take as part of a care package for someone who is sick.
This is the second Christmas for our three youngest to be with us. Last year this time their birth certificates listed different names and their future was still un-certain.
This year they are FOREVER Brodocks and with each passing day I love them more and more.
As I watch them grow and embrace life I marvel at the mercy of our Heavenly Father… that He would choose for us to be their family…that He would pluck them from the fire and give them a life of grace! May they never take that for granted… nor that we would either!
Christmas is all about the Redemption work of Christ. As I sat in worship today I looked at these 3 souls and rejoiced in how the Almighty picked them up out of wickedness and placed them in a Covenant keeping home.
Not by our doing, nor their doing, but by His grace alone. He did the same for me…picked me up out of wickedness and saved me, not by my choosing, but His.
Such a simple project, but a special project.
A few strips of colorful paper and a list of names to copy.
Reminding them to use a capital letter…
and to be neat.
While they copy the names and tape the chain together
we discuss what the names mean and how Jesus came to fulfill the law…
and to be our Redeemer…
our Mediator…
I’ve seen something similar to this floating around Pinterest.
I used a piece of heavy weight fabric and some acrylic paint.
I had all the kids that still live at home make their hand-print.
To re-do it I’d put the palms closer together.
I used a black marker and marked the date, I also lightly wrote the child’s name on his/her print.
I hot-glued it to an old banged-up frame that had no glass or backing.
We have a couple of friends that we are especially close to.
We try to get get together a few times during the year, but it doesn’t always work out. We all have houses full and busy lives… and this year 2 of us had daughters get married so life has been a bit CraZy!
Olivia devised a menu and a serving plan. Her two closest friends came along side to help her and to serve us. These three girls worked their tail ends off for us.
