It's Begining to Smell A lot Like Christmas

MMMMMM...sugars and spices and everything nices. I worked on Kyle's favorite cookie for Christmas tonight. I sent him to get me molasses at the Amish bulk food store it's way less expensive than in the store. I can get a quart for $2 instead of a pint for over $3. I also like to have molassess on hand for my baked beans.

Kyle even helped with the scooping and rolling in the sugar. I usually don't make these much because I don't like having mulitple steps, I just like to drop and bake.

Kayla worked on her cream cheese mints tonight. I have a little snowman cookie cutter that I usually use to make these, but it went missing in action so she started out with a pumpkin...I mean Christmas ornament (if you squint your eyes and look just right.) She gave up on that and went to the rolling and squishing with a fork.

Squint your eyes and look just right, you could hang these on a tree.

 We ended up with a snow day today. It's a bittersweet thing this time of year. I have so much material to cover before next week. The students don't learn much the week before break. (We learned in our seminars that this stage is called emotion, critical thinking can't happen when you are in emotion, good or bad.) I was up and out of bed at 5:30 this morning and left with Kyle to go to work at 7:00 this morning because I thought I'd get some work done before the kids got their at 10:15. By the time he dropped me off at school, school was closed. It was quiet in the building, I got a lot done. That was nice. I came home and started the tackling of the piles that get ignored when it's just us in the house. But, we have a Christmas dinner at our house Saturday with friends so, I have to make sure all my papers are filed and that kind of stuff.

The kids didn't liked being worked all morning with mom home, but they survived and got to snuggle up for a movie afternoon. It was nice to have the weather slow down my family. I really got to enjoy a quiet evening at home...I can't remember the last time we did that? hmmm...nope still can't remember. Thank you, Heavenly Father for the little blessings, they bring big smiles!

Rebound that Basketball

Last night was the first home game of the season, the Falcons faced the Dalton Bulldogs. The JV cheerleaders are all pyched up for the game. They have their smiles all warmed up ready to get the crowd involved in the game.

Here are the lovely Freshman Kaylas. Yep, they are both named Kayla. Tonight was jersey night for the cheer girls.

The JV lost in the last few minutes of the game. The varsity lost 62-65 in overtime. What an edge of the seat sort of game. It's been along time since I watch basketball at the high school level. The crowd was going crazy. The Sheriff's deputies actually had to go to the student section of the Dalton side of the gym and settle down the crowd.

Let the Candy Making Begin

We decided this year to only make one of each of our favorite cookies/candy and one item that the family likes. So I decided on Buckeyes. Yes, I made my favorite first...well sort of...Last week I made a pan of fudge that we already devoured. I guess I'll have to make another one.

We are going to collect cookies and candy from Relief Society sisters to make plates to deliver to our shut-ins for Christmas. We are teaming up with the youth to make the deliveries. So making a double batch of buckeyes in my new kitchen-aid is going to the greater good...if they make it through the week....

Kayla bought her goddesses a new collar. The collars have a little bell on them. The kittens had a hilarious good time figuring those out. We got a good laugh from them. They were running around all frantic and trying to get the bell. Jolly good show that was. Hope you laugh as much as we did.

Let It Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

It has been snowing for the last few days here in Ohio. I am really enjoying the beauty of the snow. I'm actually glad that there has not been enough to cause snow delays and snow days at work. It seems that there is never enough time to get through everything that you need to teach.

Plus, I always wonder when we have snow delays about those children who don't have much...are they getting food today? Are they getting their needs met? Those were questions I never had to ask as a child. Sometimes you don't realize how blessed you are.

On a more humourous note...be glad you aren't the one in the car with the practing driver on these days. The boys had a fantastic time at the cold weather campout. They even stayed warm sleeping with hand and feet warmers distributed evenly throughout their sleeping bags. They always enjoy a good hearty breakfast casserole they make in a dutch oven over the fire. I guess now we'll have to get them I survived the cold patch.

Christmas Devotional

Each year at Christmas time the First Presidecy talks to the members of the Church about the importance of the season. (You can view it at www.lds.org) I always enjoy watching, especially from the comfort of my own home! I really enjoyed the messages and how they relate to our lives today. I liked how President Uchdorf told of how we can sometimes be like the Grinch character and be annoyed by the packages, boxes and bags. But are we going to let our hearts stay two sizes to small or are we going to find the real meaning of Christmas.

I hope we all slow down enough to enjoy the subtle influences of the Savior on our lives. I hope that I can come to understand and become more charitible so that it's a habit or condition in which I live and not a planned activity.

Girls Night Out

The boys went cold weather camping with the scout troop tonight...(dumb boys)....so we are having our traditional girls night out. Only tonight we had a few flaws in our tradition. Dakota was out driving with his instructor tonight so we had to take him up to the camp site. He signed up for the 5-7 pm slot...so we had to wait for him to be done in prime shopping and eating out time. We made a mad dash to Kohls to spend our Kohl's cash before it expired from Black Friday. We made it back in time to get Kota and dinner and the whole milk Kyle forgot to get (and couldn't take the 1 % we had in the fridge for fear of ridicule from the boys). We decided to go home and have a Twilight marathon...we have to pick up Eclipse tomorrow.

Here are the girls.....

All the makings for chocolate fudge......

time for PJ's.......

...and the studs! Me: Team Edward....Kayla: Team Jacob.....I'll have to teach my daughter rippling muscles and good looks aren't everything!

Teen Drivers, Gray hair, and Mother's Curses

I thought I was doing pretty good getting to 35 with little to no gray hair. I only have to color my hair if I want a color change, not to hide grays. Well there must be some truth to your teens turning your hair gray and I want to blame it on my teen driver.

It's amazing all the things you can do while your driving that you don't even have to think about...all those things start blaring when your son's behind the wheel. Like the pressure of a foot on the gas pedal or brake for instance. The passengers should not have to be held in their seat by a seat belt to start and stop a car under normal driving circumstances...I think I might have to see my friendly chiropractor for having whiplash!

What about taking a right turn on red. You stop, inch up until you can see, then go if there is nothing coming. Inch up, not get half way in the intersection so if there was something coming they would hit you anyway.

Oh, I have another one...Get in the left lane. Get in the left lane. THERE IS THE DRIVE, GET INTO THE LEFT LANE, as we are sitting in a diagonal across the driving lane and turn lane in the middle of State Route 42 (on the way to driving school ironically).

Or stop, stop, STOP! The amazing thing is that he says quit yelling at me it makes me frustrated...like he didn't hear the two times I said it in a normal tone. He only hears when I have to yell it....talk about be frustrated.

We haven't had any real mishaps, just some heart stoppers or accelarators....

Did you know the speed limit in Hayesville is still 35 and not, oops I'm doing 45?

I'm sure we all looked like this when we began driving...this is when you hear your mom's curse in your head....just wait until YOU have kids. Yep, they frustrate me as much as I frustrated her, but I still love 'em!