Thurs. Christmas Eve....12/24/2020 We celebrated the birth of Jesus and had lots of family fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

 

 Kenzie and Travis with their Christmas Stocking from Vikki and Rody

Jacob, Peyton, Travis and Kenzie

Bill...happy with his musical Christmas hat on...Kimmy reattached the bell for us.

 Kenzie with her new journal...I always get her a journal!  She loves her journals!

 Jacob with his Lego set.  He put it together really quick after we opened presents and ate

 Jacob with his light saber Travis made for him

 Eli, Adam and Jacob opening their Mad Lib book to do together

 Adam with his Lego set..he got his together pretty quick too

Eli with his light saber Travis made him

Peyton opening her American Girl doll clothes

Eli, Adam, Jared, Rody, Vikki and Isaac

 Isaac, Jacob, Peyton, Travis and Kenzie...beautiful rag rug in front of her Kimmy and Jared made for her

                                         Max, Melissa, Jack and Evan (holding his gift up)

Jack with his gifts

Max with his gift

Melissa with her gift (Bruce made salsa for each family...on bottom shelf) He makes the best!

Eli with his gift

Adam with his gift

 Jacob with his gift (breakfast and lunch ha ha)

Kenzie with her gift 

Isaac and Peyton with their gifts

 Bill with his Muck boots from the girls and their families...me with my Roaster from Bruce and Melissa which I desperately needed! 

 Our family picture....Jacob, Jared, Kimmy, Adam and Eli, me and Papa, Travis and Kenzie, Rody, Vikki, Isaac and Peyton, Hailey, Evan, Bruce, Jack, Melissa and Max

 Bill with his Muck Boots on...He loves them

 Isaac made me this beautiful sign all by himself!  I love it!

Vikki with the glass Lenny Travis made for her

 Bill and me ready to open presents

Jared with his charger that you only have to sit your phone on it

Me with the glass cross Travis made for me!  I love it!

 Bill and I with the beautiful big soft blanket Vikki made me for the bed upstairs.  I love it!

 Ha ha...Bill kept his Muck Boots on while he opened presents.  Holding his motorcycle decorative lights

Adam, Jacob, Travis, Kenzie, Papa and Peyton

 Isaac took this picture of us eating...Jared, Kimmy, Kenzie, Rody, Vikki, Bill and me

Kenzie, Travis, Peyton, Isaac, Adam, Jacob and Eli

Papa, Kenzie and me

Peyton with her American girl doll.  She kept trying on all of the clothes she got for her.

 Jared and Bill playing ping pong...Jared won 2, Bill won 3

 Adam and Jacob playing fuze ball

 Lots of laughs

 Eli putting his lego set together.  He did a great job!  Has his gnome from Aunt Vikki by him

 The basement was a busy place...even I got in on the action

 Jacob watching Jared and Adam play ping pong

Jared, Jacob and Adam

 They all changed the basement around...it sure looks great and is way more cozy this way.  Thank you Kimmy, Vikki, Jared, Bill, Jacob and Adam

 Isaac, Kenzie, and Peyton

 Eli and Kenzie

 Kenzie and Jacob

My beautiful new mug Kimmy and Jared made!  I love it!  Coffee tastes better out of their mugs!!!

Isaac and Jared

Isaac hitting the ping pong ball...he kept it going 133 hits

Adam working on his lego set

Eli working on his lego set

Kenzie and Travis got here first.  Vikki and her family were next, then Kimmy and her family.  We ate snacks and hung out while Kenzie wrapped her gifts for Travis, Vikki made the punch, and Kimmy and I did some last minute things  Then we opened gifts.  It took a while because Kenzie wrapped the gifts from her and Travis really good with packing tape...

They made beautiful glass items and pendants. Plus gave me a beautiful box of bath bombs, and body scrub that smells amazing.  I had picked out a pendant of Kenzie's I loved and told her I would buy it after Christmas.  She surprised me with it, plus another leather pendant.  Travis made me a beautiful amazing Angel and a beautiful cross.  I got a beautiful homemade mug and a really nice light from Kimmy, Jared and the boys.  I got a beautiful blanket Vikki made me, and a steamer to get wrinkles out of clothes and stuff from Rody and the kids.  Got an amazing roaster from Bruce and Melissa.  Can't wait to make a roast this week.  My old one wore out and I got one that doesn't have a cover....I needed a covered on again.  Got everything on my list from Bill...too much to list, but one cool thing that was a surprise and not on my list was a key FOB for his truck.  I lost mine 5 years ago and haven't ever found it.  He did say he was taking the new one and giving me his as he stuck the new one in his pocket lol.  Melissa, Bruce and the kids came and we had Christmas with them in the Garage.  The kids did their gift exchange and Bill and I each opened a gift.  Travis and Kenzie gave Melissa and each one in her family glass items they made that were really cute.  We took an outside picture and then it was pretty cold, so they left and we went back inside and opened the rest of the presents.  Jared and Kimmy mash the potatoes, Bill carved the turkey, I made the gravy and everybody helped set the food on the table.  Kimmy washed lots of dishes so the kitchen wouldn't be a mess.  Thank you everyone!  We ate a yummy meal, played 3-13, talked to Lela on the phone while we played, watched our church Christmas Eve Service, played ping pong and everyone changed the basement around for us.  It looks great.  Thank you! Thank you!  It was a great day and lots of fun!

Wed. 12/23/2020, Made rolls, pies, and got things ready for tomorrow. Took butter horns to Bruce

 Dinner from Outback...table is made big for tomorrow, so it looks like Bill is super far away

 Bruce with his Butterhorns I made him

 He's so funny!  He sent me these pictures. He doesn't even like me taking his picture.
Melissa didn't know he had taken them until he showed her he sent them to me ha ha.

After my morning reading and prayer time, I ate a piece of pumpkin bread for breakfast.  Bill had to fast because of some pretesting for his upcoming surgery Tuesday.  He had to have a Covid test too.  I ate it while he was in the shower because he loves it and I didn't want to eat in front of him.  I did some cleaning, baked rolls, baked a chocolate banana pie and a banana cream pie.  Got the cranberry relish out of the freezer to thaw.  Did some other stuff to get ready for our fun family day tomorrow when we celebrate the Birth of Jesus!  I played For King and Country Christmas music from their Drummer Boy Album.  It was so worshipful, that I was moved to tears a few times.  It just made my day go great listening to it and worshipping.  For dinner, we got Outback steak dinners.  Curbside pickup was super fast.  We always go out to dinner the night before our family Christmas, so we kept our tradition, but our restaurant was at our house because of Covid.  The food was all super delicious.  I talked to Melissa and had a nice chat.  I ran a pan of Butterhorns to Bruce for an early Christmas gift.  He told Melissa that the only thing he wanted from me was Butterhorns because mine taste the best and are his favorite.  I gave him a tube of frosting and almond flavoring in case he wanted to use that.  I also sent the recipe for the Butterhorn frosting if he wanted to make it himself because they are being so careful right now.  It's a quick and simple recipe, so he made that kind which I know tastes so much better.  He even sent me pictures of him with them in a text message which made my day!  I was so happy he liked them so much.  Will be making no nut ones for my fussy girls after Christmas.  Talked to Vikki a few times, but she was pretty busy making my picture calendar.  Poor girl even forgot to make the jello until 10 when she called me and said she was at Kroger.  I told her to skip making it, but she is determined to make it.  If she wouldn't have been so busy with my calendar which I love, she would have remembered the jello.  I texted with Kimmy a few times and with Adam once.  Talked to Stacie for a long time too.  Everything is all set for the morning.

 

Tuesday, 12/22/2020, Baked, Butterhorns and pumpkin bread. Picked up food at Maple Grill

 Pumpkin Bread done

 Made 48 Butterhorns today

 Beautiful Family Tree Vikki made for us

After breakfast and reading time, I got the dough out of the refrigerator and made Butterhorns.  I should make them more often.  They sure are easy and so delicious.  I made Angie's Pumpkin Bread recipe after that.  It made lots...5 big loaves, and 2 little ones so I had some to share.  Dropped off some at different places and then went to get Chili for me and a burger for Bill from the Maple Grill.  Bill loved his burger.  My chili was good, but I did add some more tomato juice to it to make it delicious.  Vikki, Peyton and Isaac were here when I got back (she had called me and was waiting for me).  She gave us the beautiful family tree she made for us with all of our names on it.  It's amazing!  I don't know how she can figure out all those names and put them together so they fit so well.  We found the perfect spot.  Thank you Vikki.  Great job!  You are so talented and generous.  After she left, Bill and I watched the movie Angels in the Snow.  It was very good.  

Monday, 12/21/2020, Baked Cookies, Made Chex Mix, Butterhorn dough in for tomorrow, Gifts dropped off here by friends

 Everything is just whisked for the chocolate crinkle cookies

 They look beautiful and taste super delicious

 Snowballs waiting to be rolled in powder sugar

 Homemade Chex Mix

Great Conjunction Christmas Star that only happens once every 400 yrs.  This is from a friend's place in Florida

 Angie's picture

 At Pammie's place

I got up at 5:30 and got to Kroger's by 6:05 a.m. to shop before the store got busy.  Perfect time to go as hardly anyone was in the store, except the workers.  Pretty much just had to get stuff for my baking and a couple things for our Christmas dinner.  Got home before Bill got up and took a quick cat nap on the couch.  When Bill got up, I made us oatmeal. Did our reading and praying and then I put worshipful Christmas music on.  I cleaned the kernel burner because the computer said it needed a total clean.  I asked Bill to pray before I started so it would go well.  I sometimes have problems getting the parts back in.  It's hard for Bill to get down to do, so he takes care of the pellets and I do this job. Today it went amazing and everything went back together so easily.  Yay!  Cheryl and Elaine came and dropped off a bag of goodies from St. Laurent's and also some candied pecans she made.  We had to social distance, so I just talked to them through the door for a while.  After that I started baking.  I made sister Pam's Chocolate Crinkle cookies first.  They are so delicious.  Bill and I only had one each and I stored the rest in a container for Christmas.  Chris from church, came and dropped of lots of frozen venison burger and steaks, and also some pheasant.  Bill sanitized all the packaging for me and I got it in the freezer.  I made snowball cookies today too.  Then I made a big batch of Chex Mix.  Bill had a couple hot dogs and I ate the rest of Stacie's Saeurkraut and some hotdogs cut up in it.  We had some applesauce she canned too.  It was all yummy.  Bill had me put a whole hotdog in the sauerkraut for him to eat.  Soon he will be eating the Sauerkraut too lol.  I talked to Melissa.  We are praying for Bruce's presentation/interview to go very well tonight.  I messaged with Adam, talked to Vikki, talked to Kimmy, and messaged with Kenzie.  I made some butter horn dough up for tomorrow's baking.  We watched a movie called Christmas Wish.  It was very good.