Dinner with the Family

Well, I have survived my dinner I had for my side of the family on December 21st. I had my brother, sister (you see above), my mother, and her boyfriend along with my kids and husband. It went really well. It seemed that everyone had a good time and we ate a lot. The turkey we ate was the one that Wesley won at the Turkey shoot. He was very proud of this turkey so he had to have his picture with it.

This was the first whole turkey that my husband and I have cooked. I think that it turned out really well. He has been watching Alton Brown so he has learned a lot about cooking most anything. Anyway, we had a great day and it was fun to spend some time with them. I don't normally get to very much so it was fun to catch up. Here are some pictures of my table and of the kids that morning before church.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday!

~Heather

Cookie Swap

OK, I just got home from a Tacky Christmas Sweater cookie swap. This is Amy Fuller with me and we became friends while her husband was the music minister at my church. I love Amy Fuller and I aspire to be her. She has the best spirit and wonderful heart along with this natural instinct about shopping, decorating, and crafting that I just want to have. But anyway, she has this cookie swap every year and all the girls get together to have a good time and chit chat and eat good cookies. This year I made homemade Oreo's. They taste almost just like an Oreo and they are a hit with my family. (I will add the recipe at the bottom of this post) I look forward to this swap each year just because it is a special time with good friends and a relaxing time during the holiday season. Since Amy has moved churches and houses two years ago so now we have new girls that join us. They all are fun and it is a wonderful time to see them. It is so funny to see each of our personalities and how they fit into each others lives. Amy is my voice of reason and the one I go to with any issue (including decorating dilemma), Jenny is the hilarious one. I just smile when I am with her, she exudes fun. Nancy (who didn't :( get to go this year) she is also the voice of reason and wonderful confidant. She helps me with problems in my life and gives me advice. This is just a couple of the ladies that attend the cookie swap and I could go on and on about them and how much they mean to me but I don't have the time.
Well I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year's. As Jennifer (from the cookie swap and SmellingCoffee.com) says (paraphrased) "We get so busy with the 'season' we tend to forget the 'reason'" So as we get closer and closer to Christmas day try to remember that it isn't about Santa and gifts, it is about celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Recipe for Homemade Oreo's
Cookie Wafers:
1 (18.25) box Dark Fudge Cake Mix
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons shortening

Cream Filling:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shortening (no substitution)
3 tablespoons hot water

Preheat oven to 325. Blend all ingredients; then knead with your hands until it is pliable like dough. Form dough into 3/4 inch balls and press flat (1/2 inch apart on greased cookie sheets). A bottom of a glass works nice to make them flat. Bake 4 to 6 minutes or until cookies are crunchy. Let cookies cool on cookie sheets.
Combine filling ingredients and mix well. Form into balls about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter, again using your hands. Sandwich one filling in the center of two cookies and carefully press down until the filling spreads almost to the edge. Make 2 dozen cookies (4 dozen wafers)

An end to a good thing...

Today was the last class for this semester. I am quite excited to have completed the hardest semester and made it through with straight A's. During class, we had a class party and ate really good food and had a really good time. I realized something today, I have made some of the best friends of my life. No one understands the trials that I have gone through better than these women. Yes we all have had our disagreements but we have come out of this victorious and have almost accomplished the a great goal of all of our lives. Next semester we will only see each other on Monday nights from 4:30-7:30 instead of seeing each other about 12 hours a week. We have all grown so close and work so well together that it is going to be a new experience to not have that support every other day to bounce problems off of each other, get advice, and just to socialize together. I pray each day for these ladies and I hope they do for me too.

This picture below are the ladies that I sit at a table with and are my closest friends at school. They each are wonderful and I couldn't have gotten through this with out them. On the right, is Jennie, the literacy genius, if you ever need anything to do with reading or writing call her. Next is Tracy, the organized one, she has great skills and she is the one I would call on to me sort out problems. Then Tammy, the hilarious one, she could make me laugh and laugh, oh and the best story teller of any one I know. (Me) Tracey, the creative one, I am amazed with her each time she completes an assignment of how fun and creative she can make them. By the way if you need a tee pee call her she has one. I am not sure how I fit in to all of them but it is a great group and I know that we all will keep in touch after this journey of school is done.

Thanks for reading--onto Christmas and making this holiday a great one for my family. ~Heather