New Outfit......
The is a present that Anna's grandma & grandpa got her for her birthday. It is so pretty and she loves it and I wish I had a matching outfit to wear with her. Doesn't she look like such a big girl?

She is also wearing a really pretty angel necklace that her Uncle Troy & Aunt Jen got her. She loved it and I will be keep it up so little boy hands don't get on it:)

Happy 6th Birthday Anna......
My little girl turned the big 6 yesterday. Wow how the time flies by and it seems like just yesterday that she was a baby. She had a great B-day with having Monkey Bread for breakfast, which the kids love to help make. Then at 10:00 a.m. I surprised her with going to Bouncy Town with a couple of her friends meeting us there. They had a blast bouncing. We then came home for lunch and then went back to Bouncy Town at about 4:30 and let them bouncy till 6:45 p.m. We then came come from there to open presents and eat cake. What a fun day we had.
Happy Birthday Anna......

Marshmallow Suckers......
The kids love these things and were so excited to get them in the mail from Grandpa & Grandma Kostman. Thank you so much for making the kids feel special.

Jesus is the Gift

Jesus is the gift that perfectly fits every heart
and it is with His love that all celebration starts.
We rejoice in Him as we remember His birth
and thank God for sending His only Son to earth

His life led from a manger to a cross on a hill
where He faithfully followed His Father's perfect will.
He freely laid down everything so that we could live
and there is no greater treasure anyone could give.

Like a scarlet ribbon His love wrapped around the cross
and He offered it to us all at the greatest cost.
So each time that we give we remember what He's done
and honor the perfect Gift - God's one and only Son.

For God so loved the world that He gave... John 3:16

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and will remember the reason for the season.

Into the World Came....

God's purest Light to show the way;
God's perfect Savior to free us from sin;
God's tender Shepard to care for our needs;
God's sure Foundation to make us secure;
God's fullest joy to give us a song;
God's broken Bread to satify our hunger;
God's conquering King to rule our hearts;
God's healing Foundation to make us whole;
God's highest Purpose to fill our longing;
God's quieting Peace to bring us rest;
God's redeeming Love to make us His own.

"Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanual, which being interpreted is, God with us." Matthew 1:23

Written by, Roy Lessin

This is just what we need to meditate on this Christmas season and pass on to our children who are learning about what Christmas is all about. My prayer is that I share this with my children and they will pass it on. Love, Renee

Scones.......
I have been trying to find a good scone recipe for awhile. I worked for Victor Allen's Coffee and Tea for about 8 years and they have the most delicious & moist scones. I wish I could get there recipe, but I found one that is pretty good and the kids loved them. Here's the recipe......

Cinnamon Scones
4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 c. butter
1 egg
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then mix the first 6 ingrediants together in a large bowl. After they are mixed cut the butter into the mixture well. In a seperate bowl mix the egg, sour cream and milk. Then add to the first mixture and mix till combined. Then with your two greased baking sheets scoup out the mixture into good biscuit size scones. I think I got a total of 16 scones. I also sprinkled a cinnamon sugar mixture on top or you can make up a frosting to drizzle over the top when they are done. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they look done. Eat and enjoy:)

To find more scone recipes go here.

A Couple Recipes.....

Tonight I made up a batch of Peanut Brittle for my mom, since she loves it. I also found out that my kids love it too except for Noah, which is surprising. I first tried to use a microwave recipe, but it ended up getting cooked to long and tasted a bit burnt. So Anna had fun throwing that in the garbage.

I have to say the best way to make brittle is on the stove with a candy thermomater. The recipe I used is called Grandma's Christmas Brittle and it turned out great. It also makes a good amount, so you probably only have to make one batch. That's if everyone doesn't eat in up in a couple of days. I guess I'll have to hide it somewhere saft.

I also decided to make up a recipe that I found in Cook's Country, which I love to read. It is called Crunchy Spiced Nuts. It's amazing how much some of these would cost if someone made them for you. They turned out awesome and I really think my dad is going to love them.

Crunchy Spiced Nuts

Ingredients:
1 large egg white
1 Tb. water
1 tsp. salt
1 pound unsalted pecans
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

Directions:
Heat the oven to 300 degrees and spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Then whisk the egg white, water and salt in a large bowl. Then pour the pecans in and coat them with the egg white mixture. In a smaller bown mix the sugar and spices and then pour it over the nuts and mix well. Then pour the coated pecans onto the baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake until dry and crisp, which takes about 40 to 45 mins. Let cool and enjoy:) These can be stored in an airtight container for 3 weeks if they last that long.

So those are a couple of favorites around our household. We have also been busy baking cookies, which seem to disappear very quickly. I think I am going to wait till we get to grandma's house before we bake to many more.

May You Find Him.....

May you find Him to be-
the peace for every struggle,
the supply for every need,
the solution for every problem,
the escape for every temptation,
the release for every burden,
the balm for every pain,
the comfort for every sorrow,
the victory for every battle,
the wisdom for every decision,
the strength for every endeavor,
the hope for every tomorrow,
the song for every day.

By Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer.

Christmas Happenings........

Yesterday the kids and I wrapped up the cousins gifts and mommy got together some of the adult gifts. The kids were also very busy yesterday making some Christmas cards. Unfortunately a little 4 year old is impatience with letting the glue dry and wrapped up a few cards, which may end up sticking together in the end, but I'm sure the one receiving the card will understand. Now I just have to focus my kids creativity in another direction before I have 50 cards made up and wrapped up.

Also the fire has been going non stop here. It is cold outside and I don't like being cold and paying the gas bill. I am very thankful to have a good pile of wood out in our garage and my dad said they could bring us up some more here in January if we would like.

I also wanted to share with you about little Noah. He is such a sweet, smart and funny little boy. Last night I was laying down with him before bed because he always wants mommy. He started making this loud breathing sound. I asked him what he was doing and he told me, "I'm snoring like daddy." That made me just giggle inside.

Well hope you all had a wonderful week and have a great weekend....

YUMMY......

Yesterday at my mom's group we had a Christmas party and everyone brought a dish to pass. One friend brought this wonderful casserole and I had to share it with all of you. The best part is last night I was grocery shopping and they had cubed ham on clearance for $1.50 a package, so I bought up what they had. This will be a great Christmas morning dish don't you think????

Ham Hash Brown Bake
1 (32 oz) package of hash browns potatoes, thawed slightly
1/2 cup butter or margarine melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 to 2 cups cubed pre-cooked ham or turkey ham (the recipe called for 1 12-ounce can of SPAM cubed, but I used turkey ham)
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/ 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups of crushed potato chips

Combine potatoes, butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, combine ham (spam) soup, cheese, sour cream, milk, onion, and chilies. Combine both mixtures and place in 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with chips. Bake 45-60 minutes or until heated
Serve & Enjoy:)

Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Saviour.

-Roy Lessin

Chore Charts.......
I have been looking for a good way to motivate the kids and came across this great site. It has a lot of different charts to choose from and even one's we could use. I thought some of you may be interested. To find the link go here..... I'm planning on letting them put little stickers on the sheet when they get something done. If anyone has a site them like let me know.

Enjoying the Fire......
The kids were all laying in front of the fireplace the other night enjoying the warmth. This is a espically nice picture with the Christmas tree in the background. I am still trying to figure out how to use my camera with night pictures, but I think this one tured out great.