Christmas!!

Christmas this year was a wonderful time
With family and friends and feelings sublime.

Janessa and Jordan were honored to be
At a Christmas Eve feast with the Taylor family.

For her mother-in-law, Janessa made her first pecan pie
That was very good-looking but can I say, "SUGAR HIGH!!?"

For his dad, Jordan opted for something as sweet
Dan's favorite: week-old-stale-sugary peeps! (YUCK!)

Jordan's sister, Camille, came all the way here from D.C.
And found the cold, wintry weather not her cup of tea!

But she soon warmed right up, with her silky PJ pants
Sewn by her mom, for which sewing is a sixth sense!

Jordan's sister, Jessica, the last of the brood
Helped her mom wrap the presents and prepare the great food. (like that delicious cranberry jello thing!!!)

Jordan was delighted because all that night,
Jessica happily wore her gift: a knit beanie "done right."

Later that evening, as dessert came by,
Dan let us in on the secret to his great pie:

"I could say they're 'home-MADE,' but that wouldn't be true,"
But saying they're 'home-BAKED' Marie Calendar's does the work for you!

The night ended quietly as Dan thoughtfully told
A sweet Christmas Story of a young shepherd of old.

The next morning, Christmas Day, was equally fun
Though our "wishes for snow" were a bit overdone...

Early that morning, as yummy "ebelskeevers" we ate,
The men of the house had to take a wee break...

Brother-in-law, David and clan were a bit stuck
Well, a 7 foot snow drift is some tough luck!

But no worries with Jordan, Katie, Jade, and Dan
They pulled them out quickly, and to the house they ran.

Soon we snuggled inside and enjoyed watching all
Open presents from Santa, Mom, Dad, and Grandma.

A mess of giftwrap, but what a fun deal
To see little Ava in her pink automobile!

And to top it all off, Janessa really scored
With sweet outfits for Claire that we all adored.

I could go on, but my brain might turn to toast
Which would make it hard to finish up this blog post.

Suffice it to say, Christmas was great, no doubt
Snowed in, eating lots, and fun times hanging out!

I hope you have enjoyed this "Christmas Poem..." I'm totally NOT a poet, but that was fun. Stay tuned for next year-- it's Christmas at my parent's cabin!! Then we'll REALLY be snowed in!!

"Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow"...not DUMP!

This Christmas season has been quite...white! At least on my side of town!! However, we are very grateful for the moisture, as it was pretty dry last summer here!

My neighborhood a few days before Christmas

Taken from Jordan's parents' house on Christmas Eve (that's Jordan leaving to dig his brother-in-law's car out of a 7-foot snow drift!)

HERE is the 7-ft. snow drift...

The aftermath: Jordan's parents' neighborhood, day after Christmas

Final Christmas Concert at St. Thomas More!

Tonight we had our final concert of the season, held at the St. Thomas More catholic parish. It was a wonderful experience! I was really happy with it, especially since today, I FINALLY got my voice back well enough to sing some of the notes I've been mouthing for so long!! This pregnancy thing--gives me a drawn out cold, sinus problems, etc... glad for it to be over soon!!

At the last minute, I think we pulled it off--and I'm referring to the fact that we didn't really have our songs memorized--well, the lyrics memorized--very well even in rehearsal...oops :) But I remembered them a lot more during the concert. Pheww!

Thank you to all of you who came! I hope you enjoyed it!

Best Husband in the World

So, since this event was so...momentous, I decided it NEEDED to be blogged about!! This past week, Jordan's alter-ego, "Duane," finished the infamous closet. (OK, so maybe I've complained a little about the pace in which the closet was being done...)

Some women have their "Bob," the carpenter, "Jake," the electrician, and of course, "Fabio," the pool guy... I have "Duane," the painter/closet finisher. (If you look really closely at the above jumpsuit photo, Jordan's exceptional "DI" find actually says "Duane" on it. It really helps me with the fantasy...)

Here he is like 3 months ago...having ripped out the annoying step in the middle of the closet that housed the HVAC system (he rerouted it, so it's much bigger!) He also knocked out the back wall to give us like 4 more feet of space!

And ta dah! Here is the finished closet...and yes, you are reading this right: we went "dumpster diving" (CONSTRUCTION-area dumpster diving...it's different, I promise!) in Jordan's parents' neighborhood to come up with this lovely carpet...yes, it's in small strips, but hello, it's a closet!

Anyway, thank you honey. Looks GREAT, and not only that, holds about DOUBLE what it used to!! I'm glad I have such a great handyman around!

Now, we just have to finish organizing the garage, and then set up the baby's room! And I think I'm having a baby in like 13 days...hmmm can we do it? Duane, come by ANY TIME.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!!

So, since we have this GREAT camera, I thought this year we'd take nice pictures of our Christmas decorations! And since Jordan is the only one who knows how to use it, I waited patiently until he had a few minutes to take some shots :) He took them in all different kinds of lights to see what would turn out best. I guess there are pros and cons to each different way of lighting it, but I think they turned out pretty good!

I have to say, I LOVE my Christmas tree this year. It turned out just the way I wanted!

Taken from the top of the stairs with the lights out

Then with the lights on

And up close

And focused in on our first pewter ornament...we get one engraved with the date every year. This was, of course, a "First Christmas" one...

And with our beautiful Nativity! (thanks to Jordan's grandma!)

And of course, the stockings at the fireplace...Jordan and I made these the first year we were married. Never noticed till now that mine is...bigger!! Haha... oh well :) Honey, you're filling it to the BRIM this year, right? (not!...well on secondthought, maybe the baby could fit in mine?)

OK I need to do this....Christmas Tag!!

First off, I seriously need to live here...

I've received a request for one Christmas Tag from Kika, and then saw another on Ariel's blog, so I'm combining the best questions of each!! I'm not going to "TAG" anyone, but you cool people out there should know you should do it too!! :)

1- What is your favorite Christmas song? This is hard. "Still, Still, Still," "O Come, O Come Emanuel," "Stars Were Gleaming" from the primary songbook, "Santa Baby," by Eartha Kit, "Mary did you Know?" by Clay Aiken, "I Wish I had a River," by Sarah McLachlan, "The Christmas Song," by Celine Dion, ALL of the Christmas songs that Michael Buble sings...

2- When was your most memorable Christmas? Hmm... when I was little, my sisters and brothers and I all slept horizontally in my king sized bed (I shared with my sister, Heather). They, being older, kept up the fantasy of Christmas, claiming to hear reindeer hooves on the rooftop! It was awesome.

3- What is your favorite Christmas treat? chocolate covered cherries (NOT cherry cordials...the kind you get from Harry & David) caramel apples, fudge, homemade caramel!

4- What do you dislike most about the Christmas season? That it goes by too fast and all of the dumb store commercials on the radio!!

Or I could live here...

5- What do you like best about the Christmas season? The music, the "feeling in the air," and the fact that so many people are actually thinking about Christ and His purpose, birth, and love for us!

6- Who is the hardest person to shop for on your Christmas list? Probably my parents!

7- If you could receive one gift without money being an issue, what would it be? I'd love it if someone paid off all of my debts...house, car, etc... :) Oh, and bought me a new wardrobe for post-pregnancy :)

8- What is your idea of a perfect Christmas Eve? Just eating Christmas Eve dinner with my family, fireplace, with my Mom reading a Christmas story, Dad talking about the Savior's birth (Luke), and opening one gift!

9- Which do you like best, eggnog, or hot chocolate? Probably hot chocolate, but I really do like Egg Nog--as long as it's the LIGHT kind...

10- Do you prefer a fancy Christmas tree, or one decorated by the kids? I'm terrible. A fancy tree. As much as I'm sure I will love my kids, I'm planning on doing a small tree with their handmade ornaments on it, so it won't ruin the decor of my nice tree :) hehe...I hope my kids don't hate me! They can help decorate the fancy tree though...within reason!

Or here...

11- What is your favorite family Christmas tradition? Eggs Benedict Christmas Morning, getting a new ornament each year.

12- Do you like fruitcake? Most, NO. But, there were some in Chile, where I served my mission, that we're bad!

13- Do you prefer skiing or snowboarding? Since I've only been skiing once, and never snowboarding... skiing?

14- Are you dreaming of a White Christmas, or do you say “Bah Humbug” to snow? LOVE the snow!! White Christmas all the way! I even got off work at 2pm today :)

15- What was your favorite gift from Santa when you were a child? My doll...I named her Victoria.

16- What is your favorite Christmas movie? #1 Home Alone, #2 Miracle on 34th Street, #3 While You Were Sleeping

17- Have you ever eaten snow? Yes, who hasn't? Although never eaten it w/ maple syrup (Ariel, haha)

18- Who do you wish could be with you this Christmas? My parents!

Or here wouldn't be too bad...

19- When do you put up your Christmas lights and decorations? RIGHT after Thanksgiving. Jordan won't let me before then!

20- Real or artificial Christmas tree? Real trees are awesome, but pre-lit fake ones are the BEST!! The less work, the better. That gives more time to do the fun part--the decorating.

21 - Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a really nice porcelain one that Jordan's grandma collected over the years from Avon... Jordan beat out all of the other grandkids to win it a few years ago! They were all jealous. I'm totally happy :)

22 - White lights or colored? WHITE. Definitely. Colored are ghetto. BUT, if I were to put up lights on my house, I'd do white on the house, and then a red tree, green tree, and red, white, green tree maybe... I know you wanted to know all of that...

23 - Angel on the tree or star? Star currently. Yeah, I think I like that best.

24 - Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? The sibling present and/or pajamas Christmas Eve, and the rest Christmas Morning. Although, I've TOTALLY opened them all Christmas Eve before, thanks to my DAd's impatience! :)

25 - Favorite ornament theme or color? OK, I have to say I LOVE my Christmas tree this year--dark red, light green, silver, and white. It looks so beautiful!! My favorite theme would be what we do traditionally though. Jordan and I get a pewter ornament each year with the date engraved on it. Soon we'll have tons! (already got the Baby's First Christmas one for next year!)

It would be hard, but here would work too...

26 - Favorite place for Christmas dinner? My Mom's or Shaunie & Bart's house. Good cooks in my family!

27 - What do you want for Christmas this year? I asked my in-laws for MAC eyeshadow so I can look HOT after the baby, haha...

Soap Box Sunday

Sometimes I feel like this. Well, to be honest, a lot of times. But, I have definitely felt that lately the Lord has been speaking to me, encouraging me, and helping me to have the faith to press forward into the unknown. The Apostle Paul said, "we see through a glass (mirror) darkly." We must remember that the Lord sees a perfectly clear picture in the glass of who we are, who we have the potential to become, and what our future has in store for us. He can guide us to the perfect outcome--perfect, maybe not in the way we each imagine, but in the way in which it will mold our character and cleanse our spirits.

This week's Gospel Doctrine lesson reminded me of some wonderful truths, and gave me the desire to apply these truths to my life more fully.

One of my favorite scriptures:

Ether 12:4

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

Yes, our belief in God really does help each of us to hope for a better world and hope for Eternal Life with Him. And that hope should be an anchor to us throughout our lives. I'd venture to say, especially during those times of trial and grief. That hope will get us through.

Ether 12:6

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."

This scripture, I'm sure I've read hundreds of times, still hits home--in a variety of new and different ways as I go through life, experiencing this principle over and over again. Sometimes learning, sometimes falling behind. But, the times I have learned, are times I can now lean on--times I can recall during each new challenge. I can tell myself, "well, this is what I learned and accomplished at that time. If I follow that same pattern of learning, I will be able to succeed again." That is how we learn. That is how we increase our faith. That is what the Lord wants for us.

Great example from Elder Maxwell...in my opinion, the expert on submitting your will to the Father and overcoming adversity through faith:

"Adversity can increase faith or instead can cause the troubling roots of bitterness to spring up… One’s life, therefore, cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free… Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, “Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then, let me come and dwell with Thee and full share Thy joy."

This really reminds me that all of the experiences I have in life are for my good--they are for my learning. What I take from them is up to me. Will I be bitter like Sidney Rigdon in Liberty Jail? Or will I come out on top like Joseph Smith? Where will my experiences take me spiritually?

C.S. Lewis answers this in a wonderful way:

"When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if things went
fairly smoothly. When troubles come along- illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation- he is disappointed. These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why now? Because God is forcing him on up, to a higher level: putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of before. It seems to us all unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet got the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us."

I hope that I can have the faith to trust in the Lord whatever the circumstances. Focus on what is most important in life, and always follow the example of the Savior. It's not easy, that's for sure. But, I know that I am and will be continually a better disciple as I strive toward the potential the Lord sees in me.