Christmas

Its so hard to believe that Christmas day has come and gone. Where did it go????? We had a wonderful time this year. Last Wednesday evening we had our little family Christmas....the kids where so excited and could hardly make it through supper.

Christmas eve we went to my mom and dad's for Christmas. I didn't get anymore pics because my camera battery died and I forgot to charge the battery for anymore of our holiday activities.

Christmas morning the kids opened their stockings and then the rest of the day we spent with Mike's family. We had a rather relaxing holiday and where not rushed and where able to enjoy our Christmas and families.

All of my Christmas decor is still up. I usually leave them up until mid January, but for some reason I am ready for them to come down. I think its because I would like to paint my dinning room and kitchen, but don't want to start that until my decorations are all down. we will see how next week goes. It's hard to believe and is alittle sad that Hailey will go back to school on Monday. It has been so wonderful having her home!!!!!!

Snow

It finally snowed here, Hailey and Jace have been waiting for this day for a long time, and as soon as we got home from Hailey's last basketball game, they where off. As you can see, its not much but they didn't let that stop them. They really wanted to build a snow man, but that will have to wait for another snow fall.

Mike shoveled most of the snow that was on the cement so that they could at least have alittle something to play with. They where outside for over and hour and they are back outside again. They love snow!!!!
What could be better than coming in from the snow and enjoying hot chocolate and chex mix right out of the oven.

Thought I would share this recipe with you, not exactly sure what its called, but it sure is good.

2 sticks butter

1 cup of brown sugar

8 cups of crisp x

Melt butter and b. sugar in a saucepan and boil for 1 min. Pour over crisp-x and bake at 350 for 8 minutes making sure to stir every 2-3 minutes so it doesn't burn. Enjoy!!!!

We really love this recipe, but I usually only make it at the holidays because of all the butter and sugar.

Wishing you

a Merry Christmas from little Miss Claus!!!

PTL!!!!

We got the test results back on Mike and they are normal. So now they are still treating him for acid, apparently he had the flu so bad that the virus started attacking his stomach wall causing him pain. I am so very grateful that is it, although he still does have pain, we have the peace of mind that there is nothing more. Thank you so much for your kind words and prayers.

More Christms

Drying oranges by the fireplace. They are now on a tree in my dinning room. Funny story with these. I was watching a friends son the other day and he took one into the toy room to eat it. Pretty soon he came back out and was chewing on something, here it was a dried orange. Didn't taste so well though cause he wanted to spit it out.

Front door

More front porch decorations

Mike

Tomorrow morning at 8:00, Mike is scheduled for a CAT scan. For over the last month or so he has been having severe stomach pains and then had the flu and still hasn't felt better so he went to the dr. over a week ago and what they where trying to treat him with isn't working so the next step is for him to have a cat scan and then next week sometime we should find out the results. Just pray for us for peace and patience as we go through this and as we wait for the test results. I haven't allowed myself to google any of the possible things that the dr has thrown at us or the places my minds wants to go.
Psalms 121:1 & 2 says: "I will lift my eyes unto the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth". No matter what the outcome of this, if its only stress or something more, our help will come from the Lord.

Soft Pretzel

Some of you have been asking me for the soft pretzel recipe, so here it is:

2 pkgs. yeast

1 1/2 C. warm water

1 T. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

4 1/2 C. flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add rest of ingred. Mix until smooth. Let rise 15 min. Roll out and shape. Dip in soda water (4 teaspoons soda and 3 cups boiling water). Place on greased cookie sheet. Let stand for 5 minutes. Bake @550 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until brown. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with pretz. salt. (This makes a large batch. If its just the 4 of us I usually cut it in half) Enjoy!!!!

More Christmas

I think that I am finally done with my decorating and even if I wasn't, I am letting it as is. Its taken my way to long to do it this year. Last Thursday my mother and I made fresh pine wreaths and yesterday we did our Christmas chocolates. We did the usual, buckeyes, Ritz crackers with pb and coated in choc., choc covered pretz and this year we did raspberry and mocha truffles, oh my word they are to die for!!!!!!!! I am not finished with my Christmas shopping but would like to have that finished by the end of next week, so that when Hailey starts her Christmas break that I'm not trying to get that done yet either and can just enjoy having her home.

Looking alittle like Christmas..

So I have started decorating for Christmas, but am not done yet. I've had some frustration with some of my lights, they are not working. I pull a strand out and plug them in to check and they wouldn't work, so its put me behind. Here are a few pics...

I will post more later on. Hope to finish up inside and get outside next week. Hope that you all are having a wonderful long week end.-Jenelle

Thankful...

So we have all had the flu here this past week and one day after Hailey was sick, asked me if when we go to Heaven, will we get sick?? and as I was explaining it to her that we will have new bodies and we will feel no sickness, no pain, no sorrow, I got so excited once again about the day that our Lord will come back and take us to a place where we will have none of this yucky stuff that we experience here on earth. This Thanksgiving I am so thankful for this promise!!!!

Sunday Night Tradition

This has become the tradition at our house on Sunday evenings...homemade soft pretzels. The kids are always excited to help roll them out and see what creations they can come up with.


Hailey and Jace enjoying the finished product.

Stars

I know its been awhile once again since I've posted on here. I have been keeping busy with sick kids, picked up a small cleaning job with a friend, helping out on pto at Hailey's school and doing the things around here just to keep up.

Hailey is involved in the upwards basketball program at a church around here. It's been kinda comical watching 10 first grade girls play basketball. The first game she played she said she was so nervous, but at her second game she alittle more confident.

Last Wednesday my mother came for our weekly triple C day (Coffee, Chatting and Crafting). I love that time I have with one of my best friends and feel so very blessed to have a relationship like I do with her and for the wonderful example that she is. These are some of the crafts that we accomplished. I love them.

Hope that you are all having a wonderful day and thanks for stopping. Blessing to you-Jenelle

This is for you Dawn..

My sister who lives in VA moved into a new house this past summer and the other day on the phone we where having a conversation on window treatments and she wanted some kind of shutter/wood blinds??? About a year ago I had made these shutters for my house, so here is a picture for ya Dawn. They are as simple as can be and are very inexpensive.

Leaves,Leaves and more leaves

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day here and so we decided to blow the leaves. This has been something Hailey looks forward to every year and once they where all blown into the edge of the corn field she was absolutely heart broken that all of her fun was now in the corn field and not in our front yard. Next year baby...

Once they came in their chore was to do the dishes, Jace was excited, but Hailey was not so impress, but she had fun after she changed her attitude and they both did an excellent job.

This past week we had the flu at our house. Sunday Mike was sick and then by Tuesday evening I had picked it up and by Thursday Jace had it. Luckily Hailey didn't get it, yet....crossing my fingers that she wouldn't. That has kinda put a damper on my week, but its life and you roll with the punches.

Some Fall Fun

After picking Hailey up from school today we headed home and raked up a pile of leaves for the kids to jump in. They had so much fun. It was such a beautiful day here. They say by the week end we could have more rain and cooler weather. I actually like the cooler fall weather, but it was good to be out and enjoy the sunshine again.

Silly Kids

On Friday, Hailey didn't have school, so she was home and full of it....Hailey and Jace had so much fun playing together and Jace was not ready for her to go back this morning, well neither was I.

I was making some fabric pumpkins and with my stuffing Hailey decided to try and make herself a scarecrow.

Not sure what was going with the last several pictures only that the kids where taking turns with the camera. O these two can be kinda dangerous together.

I will leave you with several fall pictures. This last one is the view from my front door. I absolutely love that tree, its always the first one to change around here and it is absolutely gorgeous.

It's been kinda busy around here this week, but the highlight of my week was Wednesday. After dropping Hailey off at school, my mother and I went to Berlin for coffee and chat time. After we had finished our coffee and muffin we headed on over to one of our favorite store, Country Gatherings. Love that store!!!! It was so good to sit and chat and spend the morning with one of my dearest friends.

This week has been filled with meetings, something going on every day and evening, so I haven't had lots of time here at home, but did manage to get some more fall decorating done.

On a completely different note, had to snap this picture of Jace this morning, he was playing with blocks and then after alittle bit he wanted to watch a movie so I turned one on for him, alittle later I went to check in on him and he was laying in the block box. There where still blocks in the bottom of the box. He claimed he was comfortable, can't imagine, but this coming from a boy who likes to take his pillow case off and he can fit inside (head and all ). Not sure why, but it happens almost every day.

Week end

This week end the kids and I did caramel apples. They where so excited and could hardly wait to enjoy them after they where dipped. They needed to be refrigerated for an hour and Jace would keep going to the fridge and checking on them.



Enjoying the finished project....

The finished project...

Hailey dipping the apples

Melting the caramel......

Falllllllllll......I love it

Fall has arrived here in Wayne County, Oh and it is so wonderful and beautiful. It's been the kind of weather that keeps you inside and so I have been inspired to look at our house and revamp some of my decorating. After kinda losing my creativity for the last year because of several different projects and kinda being overwhelmed with life, I have been inspired again by the change of the weather and checking in on some peoples blogs where there are pictures of their houses that are along the lines of Country/Primitive/Colonial/Early American etc., and I was inspired. So far on my blog I have usually only blogged about our kids and activities that we are involved in and I guess I will kinda broaden by blog to include some of the things that I love. Decorating or things that inspire me.

I love the season we are in right now-Fall. I love the cool weather, rainy days, having a fire in the fireplace, blankets and sweatshirts, soups and stews, coffe and hot cider, candles, pumpkins, the smell of leaves burning, ok so I love everything about fall.