Lovely Christmas Break

I LOVE the break week between Christmas and New Years... the problem is getting anything accomplished! Anika and Thor are both having sleep-overs, so it's just Liv, Lars and me... and I'm only getting in the shower at 11:00 a.m.!!

I'm getting obsessed with home improvement projects... I only have three in mind for the next month (well maybe 4 or 5...). I'm just not a patient person when it comes to projects. When I have formulated a plan -- and I know what needs to be done... I DO IT! I might let one or two of the projects wait until mid-February... but that is the latest.

For one thing... we have heard the "Word" ... "Be Prepared!" -- that means get stuff done now so that we are FREE to "do" when the Lord moves. I don't want to be messing around with getting my house in order when the Lord has some ministry for us to be doing... often our home is part of that ministry. Either way, having our home in order frees my mind up to be able to minister. I'm not sure what is coming -- I just know we are supposed to BE PREPARED!!

In other ways, winter is a great time for home-projects, because in the spring, summer and fall we want to be OUT enjoying life with our family. We are looking forward to a year with Dirk working from home and want to enjoy our Black Hills again -- lots of camping -- day trips to the lake -- hunting next fall for Dirk and Thor together... etc.

It's going to be an exciting 2011!!

Christmas Christmas... oh how we love you...

merry christmas dear friends and family

It's my favorite season of the year -- the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years -- even more important, CHRISTmas! We declined invitations to a few "corporate" type Christmas events... and we are not travelling for the holidays... we don't buy gifts for everyone in the family... Even with paring down our extra responsibilities we still have a little extra Season fun:
- Christmas Program for the Zion Preschool - Liv
- Christmas Program for the Zion School - Thor and Anika
- Dove Leadership Christmas Party at the Miller home - Dirk & Nancy (1/2 date night out... we still had Lars and got Devon to babysit the others)
- MOPS Christmas Party - Nancy
- MOPS Alumni Christmas Lunch at Bully' Blends - Nancy
- Zion School Parties - Liv, Thor & Anika
- Dove Mom's Coffee Brunch/Party - Nancy & Lars
- Dove Ladies Cookie Exchange Party - Nancy, Anika & Lars

The kids have been off from school starting this week, Monday, and I purposefully left all our holiday baking for these days off from school. Dirk is "on call" Thursday (23rd) and Friday (Xmas Eve) until noon -- but we are hoping to have some fun family time those days :) Friday night we will go to the Candlelight Service at Dove, then come home to open gifts... Saturday morning the kids will get an extra surprise: normally we don't do Christmas morning gifts of any kind... but Anika requested SOMETHING in her Christmas stocking (specially made by Grandma Annette)... and Dirk agreed -- there should be a candy cane or something in each stocking... So I found some extra-nice candy canes at Someone's In the Kitchen -- the extra big, handmade ones that come in fun flavors: mint for Dirk; rootbeer for Thor; Strawberry for the girls and Cherry for me! Lars will have to wait a year or two more for his! Then I went to Target and browsed the holiday isles... fun, but certainly not necessary... I didn't realize Christmas (candy) had become the new Easter (candy)??!! There were Christmas peeps... Christmas "bunnies" (acutally angels, or Santas, etc).... and all sorts of misc. treats. So I have decided the stockings will become our new "Easter baskets" -- with a few chocolate and candy treats. Not that we really need any more sweets...

No lefse made yet either... for those of you Scandinavian friends who might be wondering. Baby Lars has eaten up most of my extra time... we are hoping to get together with local friends to get a batch made sometime before the New Year. I am planning on making Almond Bars (super easy and YUMMMY white cookies with almonds and a frosting glaze); another batch of Pretzle Turtles; and possibly a batch of gingerbread cookies... I've already decided I'm not going to roll them though. I'm going to make the dough, make long logs from the dough, chill it, slice it, bake it ... frost them and let the kids "decorate" with the variety of sprinkles and other toppings we have left over from gingerbread houses (last year), etc. I'll let you know how that turns out. :) I really wanted to find the cheater-cookie dough that I've gotten the last couple of years -- sugar cookie dough that is rolled and pre-punched into Christmas shapes... Has anyone seen it around?? I've looked everywhere and can't find it this year?? (I know.... shocking that I'm not going TOTALLY homemade .... 4 kids will do that to ya)

I'm still working on the Christmas Card/picture... the photo is done... so it's just the "letter" portion to finish now. Hopefully I will get them MAILED before Christmas Day!! ha ha ha !!