Candy and Programs....

 <-------Don't forget to read side note!

Last week we made some candy = Yum!!

If you remember last year we made some candy, 

but since I can't have pecans, we tried something 

different this year.  I think I shall regret this as I ate

WAY too many,  but they sure were tasty!

I had two helpers that were very excited to help me

- the rest were sleeping. 

 

 First, you line the sheet with wax paper and

carefully line square pretzels on the sheet.

 Next, you place a candy cane kiss on each pretzel!

 Until they are ALL done.

 Pop them in the oven for 5 minutes on 170*.

 Then grab them out and squish a M&M on the kiss.

Wait for them to cool for a while.....

 Try not to snitch.......hmmmmmm

 And Ta-da!  Ready to take to the Christmas program.

They're like potato chips.  You can't just have one. :)

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I was SO proud of my handsome hubby for all of his hard work and creative-ness in making the scenes for the program.  Even though he was gone a lot, it was worth seeing the end result (I normally help him with it, but this year was a little different).

 The angel coming to Mary.

This was Mary's house at the beginning.  Then he had to run out while another scene was happening and change it to the Inn and then come BACK out and change it back to another house. 

 This was grandmother Mary telling her story to her grandkids.

The whole story was Mary telling her grandkids how it all happened with the other kids acting it out.

 Joseph coming to the Inn

 The Shepherds

Don't you love the starry sky?  He painted sheets and hung net lights behind it. :)

 James (I think) joined the story telling.

 Some of the kids singing

 Mary and Baby Jesus (Ashlyn), she looks a little lost without Joseph.

 King Herod talking to the wise men.  

Keith was very happy with the way his throne turned out.

"Older" Baby Jesus (Jeren).  He was a happy clam as long as he was eating grapes. :)

Keith and his helpers did an outstanding job and I think it turned out SO nice, especially since it was all made out of CARDBOARD!! :D
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Last, but not least, here's something to add a smile to your day.
Last fall, a church here in town was offering the Dave Ramsey, 13 week Financial Peace University, so Keith and I took it.


So the other day, we drove by that church and Owen shouted,
"Look Mom!  That's where we went for revival."
I told him I didn't remember a revival there and asked who was the preacher.
He said, "Don't you remember?  It was Dave Ramsey!"
:)

Please Read!

Please read the side note and respond if you so desire! :)

Hope you're getting your Christmas shopping done! :D

Merry Christmas!

Pictures

Yesterday, Daddy was gone and we were bored, so I decided we would take Christmas pictures. :)

The picture taking only took about 10 minutes, 

but getting everyone dressed and ready 

took a LOT longer than that. :D

We prayed before we started - as we always do - and the kids did GREAT!!!

This picture was not posed at all, but I thought was so cute of them.

 Yes, I'm proud of them! (in a good way)

 I tried to take individual pictures of each one, but they didn't go so great. 

I really liked these two of Jeren though.  He's not a baby anymore. :(

 None of Ashlyn's tured out very good, but I thought she was SO cute sucking her thumb. :)

I hope you're enjoying the Christmas season!

A Weather Check and And Ramblings...

How's the weather out there???

My mind is wandering tonight!

I feel like my brain cells have "restless leg syndrome".

***************

We have been trying to keep Ashlyn in for the most part. The last time we had a baby born this time of year, we went through this....

Megan was 8 weeks old and ended up with an ambulance ride and a complete isolation stay at the Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis.  Boy, we sure don't want to repeat that!!!!

So we have been keeping Ashlyn in as much as possible to avoid all the germs.

I'm saying all of this to remind myself that this is best - right???  ....But I can't say this loud enough

*I HAVE CABIN FEVER**

I'm not one to stay inside much.  I like to be outside

- doing things -

messing around in my dead flower garden, 

gathering sticks and making fires, 

raking leaves.....  

I don't like to shop, unless it's garage sales, or thrift stores, or Hobby Lobby. :D

So all that to say!!!!  I'M SO THANKFUL FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN!

We have been filling our days with lots of things - indoor things - 

Coloring

Reading

Tent building with blankets

Putting up the Christmas tree (pictures to come)

Playing with Little People (the plastic kind)

Reconstructing the basement into a play room (more on that later)

Painting (more on that, too)

Painting hands and feet (yeah, that will come later, too)

Took Christmas pictures (see header picture)

And......

Dirty diapers

Dirty dishes

Dirty clothes
But I'm sure you don't want more on that. :D

In all of my cabin-fever-ness this evening, I've been thinking about two VERY special ladies in my life!  

My Mothers!

I don't know how I would have made it the last 3 weeks without them.

 

Keith's mom came speeding up the day Ashlyn was born and stayed for a couple of days until she needed to go back to work.  She kept the kids fed and dressed, so nobody would think they were homeless.  She brought them up to see us while we were in the hospital and did the laundry AND managed to keep her sanity. 

Then my mom came up after her acute illness subsided and stayed for 11 days!!!  She wouldn't let me do anything.  She cooked, cleaned, did laundry, ripped out shelves in the basement (more on that later), hauled a deep freezer around - by herself (have I ever mentioned she is from the house and lineage of Samson?), spoiled her son-in-law absolutely rotten, made multiple trips to Walmart and she managed to keep her sanity, too - except now she's sick again. :/  Sorry, Mom!

God has truly blessed Keith and I with these wonderful women we call Mother!

I think I've officially gone over the line of "no wordy posts".

I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather out there.  Our weather man says we're supposed to get snow this weekend!!

We're still enjoying the great outdoors.  We're just doing it from the warm and toasty indoors.  :)

Stay warm!!

An update:

Keith got done last night with building the Christmas program set for the school program on Friday.  After a week of working almost every evening, he's finally done with his part. :)   SO, I think I'm going to run out for some Christmas shopping this evening!!! :D 

Finding a new "Normal"

Wow!  I can't believe another week has sped by.  Grandma went home last week and

we are finding the new normal for our family.   Things have gone smoothly for which I am very thankful. :)

Ashlyn isn't lacking in love to put it mildly.

 

Her big brother thinks she is ALL his.

 

 Megan likes to sing "Jesus Love Me" to her.  I remember so well, Kristyn 

singing to Megan when she was tiny like this.

 

 Our little angel

 

 We got a visit from my sister-in-law and her kids.  Cera and Megan are two of a 

kind - about 6 weeks apart.  Thanks, Trelanie, for coming by.

 

Ashlyn's first Sunday last week.

 Yes, I know my eyes are almost closed, but it was the best picture of the kids. :)

All ready for church.

 Ashlyn didn't care much for her first bath...

 

 ...but I think she forgave Grandma and Megan once she was all bundled back up in her blanket.

We have been getting Christmas things out the last couple of days. 

Megan and Jeren have enjoyed the Little People Nativity.

"Jewen, this is Baby Jesus!"

On a different note, Megan has been having some interesting prayers at the dinner table lately.  

Here are a few of her prayers:

"...and please help Grandpa Schaper to be good"

(I'm not sure if she was meaning Papa, or Great-Grandpa)

"..please help Kristyn's calculator to feel better...."

"...please help Owen's flashlight to come home..."

She was very intent on getting this angel on it's perch.

Got it!

Kristyn put up the children's nativity - yes, we have several nativities that we put up each year.

Owen and I filled the bird feeders the other day.  I think he sat 

like this for an hour watching all the birds.

 

 Our church was asked to perform a live nativity downtown for their annual Christmas night.

Keith and Kristyn were angels and Owen was a shepherd.

Thanks for stopping by our blog.  As always we love hearing from you. ;)