Cute Things They Say, End of the Year Edition

"You can go to Kate's birthday party when you get little, Dad!" -- Wynne, age 3 1/2, responding to her dad's lament that he didn't get to go to a birthday party with his baby girl
(You have to love the reverse aging theory.)

"The people in China are so nice! They make all kinds of stuff for us to buy." -- Shae, age 6 1/2 (I'll let the comment speak for itself ;)

C is for ...

Cousins on Christmas Eve

Counting the growing number of stockings at Grandma & Grandpa's house

Crooning with Grandpa at the organ

Caroling "Oh Tannenbaum" (this year with new German friends)

Caught off-guard by what Santa brought

Collecting just what you asked for

Comprehending the magic of it all

Computer registrations for new pets

Calculating how much fun this is going to be putting together

Cool new "grown-up" toys

Creations that grow out of the box

Comfy couches

Coaster tossing at Great-Grandma's house

Cameras flashing

Cooking Extraordinaire

Cut-up moments playing board games

Cardboard box rides

Clan members congregating

Cuddling with Grandma

Capers in the snow

Community gift from Grandpa

Crazy t-shirt gift exchange

the Coming of the Christ child!


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. --John 1:1-5

Santa's Sleigh Repair

A belated Merry Christmas to you! Christ the Savior is born!!

Last Sunday after the Christmas program, we went Holiday House Hopping to my brother's and sister's houses in Rewey. Some of my family were on hand to start our holiday over-eating, admire Christmas decorations, and watch the Packers lose by one point on a last-minute PAT kick to the Steelers. Fun and frustration, all rolled into one evening!!

Marla & Paul's Christmas village gets bigger every year. Wynne especially liked the blue tissue paper river that Kaycie made this time around.

After a rousing game of Cousin Twister...

many of us enjoyed a brisk walk over to Dan & Tammie's farm...

and admired the beautiful lights on their even-more beautiful home.

Look! Dan even decorated the barn!

We went inside to warm up, drink some hot cider, and string some popcorn.

Then guess who showed up in Uncle Dan's shed??

You guessed it: Santa Claus!! His sleigh had broken down, and he walked in to borrow some tools. Lucky for us!

With many cousins around her, Wynne was not too afraid to sit on Santa's lap on this night.

Shae asked for two front teeth again...

Paige asked for a flat-screen TV on her dad's behalf...

and Ally asked for a new trumpet.

The cousins gathered together for a picture with Mr. C. If you're wondering where Cy's picture was, I missed it. Cy visit with Santa and hopped off his lap before I could get the camera out of the bag!

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.--Luke 2:20

The Toys That Saved Christmas

Our church family is blessed with a husband and wife team who steer the Sunday School. They are fun, practical, and best of all - sincere in their walk with the Lord. Diane wrote a fun script based on the Veggie Tales Movie, "The Toy That Saved Christmas." The children and a few parents staged it this past weekend at worship.

Paige and Shae were part of the "pajama girls" on a sleepover! They got to hear the story as it played out in front of the audience.

Dinkletown was full of nice people, but they didn't know the real meaning of Christmas!

The toymaker Mr. Nezzer brainwashed everyone into thinking that the true meaning of Christmas was getting toys...especially Christmas Christy dolls!

When the toys escaped their boxes to go and find the real meaning of Christmas, Mr. Nezzer ordered his elves to go after them...

Cy,of course, enjoyed being one of the henchmen.

Finally the toys met up with some kids who took them to Pastor Mark, who read about Jesus' birth in the bible. The dolls broke into the TV studio and made a commercial, telling everyone the REAL meaning of Christmas. Not only are they cute toys, they're pretty smart, too!

This little Dinkletown girl was one of the many who were happy to learn what Christmas is all about!

Our Christmas program was cancelled last year due to bad weather, so it was an extra blessing to see it come together this year.

As the first line in the opening song says, "I can't believe it's Christmas!!"

Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.--Luke 2:10-11

Cooking with Cutie

(Okay technically, this is not "Cooking". But we'll pretend...)

Step 1: When you see Mom put the butter out on the counter, pull up a stool. You know she's making something yummy!

Step 2: Help Mom stir up the powder and the peanut butter. Don't forget that butter. Mmmm,mmmm, mmmmmmm!

Step 3: Clean up all the powder you spilled. That was an accident, right Mom? Here, I'll just lick my fingers and clean it up that way. Quick, before Daddy gets home!

Step 4: Roll em and roll em and make all these cute balls. I call 'em BOM-BOMS!!

Step 5: I better try one, just to make sure they're okay.

Step 6: Pour half a bag of chocolate chips in a bowl. Eat a few chocolate chips.

Step 7: Watch Mom put the bowl into the microwave. "Where's the Chocolate Button, Mom?"

Step 8: Mix up the chocolate with your fork, then throw a few Bom-Boms in there.

Step 9: Scoop up a Bom-Bom and put it on the tray.

Step 10: Be sure to let a whole bunch of the chocolate drip all over the counter and tray. More to clean up with my fingers later!

Step 11: Put the tray in the garage and wait a LONG, LONG time for the candy to cool.

Step 12: Eat your BOM-BOMS!! YummEEEEEE!!

Santa's Not The Only Guy...

...who's been busy in his workshop!

Let's see, there was the pre-season wood therapy project...the mid-season collecting of more barn board...and the post-season "barn within a garage". I don't know what else to call it, except a mini-barn. It's very warm and functional.
MUCHO-thanks to our friends Shannon and Melissa for letting Mark replenish his barn board reserves.
And a big thanks to Mark's brother Joe for donating so much free time to come and help with this project! (Sure wish you could have been here when I was standing on the tippy-top of the ladder banging in eye bolts during light installation. Better you than me, right, Joe?)

Mark knows I really don't like knick-knacks, but I do appreciate decorations with meaning to them. This license plate is from my folks' first car, I think. (Either that, or he just told me that to appease me!)

Lest you think I am one big useless blob, I HAVE been doing some holiday baking!

Mickey got a new box. Not sure if he's liking it, but I think it is a little warmer now in this part of the garage (next to the house). Mickey is thinking, "Sure it's warm. Spend a night out here with me and find out, why doncha??"

One more shot of the light. Very cool for 2 reasons...#1) Mark installed the light himself (after telling me who his favorite funeral home director is, just in case); and #2) the pulley system is from the original barn on our place and mimics the kind that my folks and older siblings used to haul hay across the mow.

Meanwhile Santa's Elf was working at school to cut out all of the football awards. Here's an idea of how many awards he makes.
Some are straight edges, but others are rather intricate wooden replications of the Chieftain arrow, tomahawk, and hatchet.

A local guy (whose wood shop is Nirvana for my husband) has this huge etcher that carves out the names of each award and recipient). Far cry from the plastic trophy, eh?

Oh, one more project from the workbench!

Is this not a beautiful side table? We keep our board games in it. And liquid stress reliever, of course.

I better be careful, or Santa will take my elf back to the North Pole with him!

Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.--Exodus 31:1-5