Thursday, December 20th

* We left for Yankee Candle Factory at 9:00 and picked up Abby Poole on the way.( actually it was 9:10...everything was going smoothly and we were on time until I opened the fridge to get Alyssia's sippy cup and it fell on the floor, cracked and splattered everywhere with milk all in it. I had new swade boots on and they got ruined then I even somehow spilled gas on them while pumping gas on the way).

* We made it to the factory though and met Courtney, Tori and the boys there! I had Bekah with me so we had plenty of help! All the kids dipped candles, we had lunch and picked out some candy bags for all of them:) It was fun!

* Alyssia fell asleep on the way home but only stayed asleep for like 20 minutes so it ruined her nap and Julianna never did fall asleep so I knew I was in for it the rest of the afternoon.

* We got home and played outside then came in and had a short "rest time." 

* Nathan watched the younger two girls and put them to bed while I took the older two girls to Windsor gymnastics center. They were getting evaluated to see what level class they should be in for classes starting in January. They were pumped all day about going and did a great job! They both ended up being able to be in the same class along with a friend who lives in Smithfield. Yea, that means we will be able to carpool!

* It took the girls awhile to settle down after they got home and showed daddy all of their gymnastics moves. Another late night.....but that is what Christmas break is for I guess! 

* It was movie night for Nathan and I!

Wednesday, December 19th

* I took the girls to the Y and went running on the trail.

* Karla came and picked up Natalee, Lydia and Julianna to spend the afternoon at her house doing Christmas crafts.

* I dropped off Alyssia at my mom's house while I went to meet with Cindy at Starbucks. She helped me with my blog!

* I picked Alyssia up and brought Bekah home with me to spend the night.

* Nathan took Natalee and Lydia to church while I stayed home with the little ones. It was a long day for them so it was dinner, bath and bed.

* I stayed up with Bekah making caramel popcorn for the first time for Nathan's co-workers. It turned out really good!

* Natalee and Lydia came home all wound up after their Christmas parties from church:) So they didn't get in the bed until 10:00.

* I prepared for leaving the house the next morning by 9 for Yankee Candle Factory.

* Nathan and I went to read in bed:)

Tuesday, December 18th

 I'm going to attempt to recap our activities over Christmas! This year was our first year with Nathan actually having some time off over Christmas. Since we have been married, he has been working for UPS and only had Christmas day off. This year he had off 11 days, which has been soooo nice! In years past it has been stressful on Christmas day just trying to fit everything in but this year was quite different!

The girls had off starting the 18th of December so that's when our Christmas break started!

Tuesday, December 18th: 

* All the girls slept in which was a nice start to the day! We spent most of the day cleaning and doing some crafts.
* Josh and Jenna came over for dinner. We had Chicken parmigiana with salad and bread. Josh did the wii dance with the girls and was made to dance to songs that they picked:) Jenna did it too and Josh had to do a song by himself but he was a good sport! They stayed and hung out after the girls went to bed. We had a good time!

Homemade Baked Chicken Nuggets

These chicken nuggets were a hit with the girls and Nathan thought they were much better then the regular store bought chicken nuggets. They are really good served with mashed potatoes and a fresh salad!

Baked Chicken Nuggets ( from All Recipes)

Ingredients

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried basil

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping.
3. Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Mexican White Sauce

This recipe is very similar to the sauce used at Plaza Azteca. I found it on YouTube, wrote it down and now every time that we have Mexican, Nathan wants me to make it. It is the perfect combination of spice and sweet together for a dip.

Mexican White Sauce

8 oz. miracle whip

1/2 c. milk

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. Mexican oregano (or plain oregano)

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Mixture looks soupy when you are first mixing it together but then thickens up as you keep mixing it. Serve warm or cold with tortilla chips.

"Guilt"

"Guilt"- it is such an overwhelming feeling. It can creep 

in and get ahold of your thoughts and pierce your

 heart like nothing else. During the day there is 

usually something I do that I will feel guilty about

at the end of the day. Whether it is yelling at 

the girls, spanking out of frustration, ignoring my

husbands needs, complaining about what I "don't have",

indulging in self pity, not saying "sorry" when I needed to..

the list can go on and on. 

The problem with guilt is when it is not healed with forgiveness.

So often I will let the feeling of guilt weigh me down day

after day instead of facing it and asking for forgiveness.

God is so willing to forgive if I just come to Him with 

an open heart that is willing to accept his forgiveness and 

move on. But, to "move on" is not so simple as it sounds

often times. To "move on" in God's eyes means to forget

about it just as he did when he forgave us. This is when

the enemy creeps in and keeps reminding us of our

mistakes. But, God wants to turn our mistakes into ash.

We just have to be willing to come before Him at the end of 

each day and ask for forgiveness. I teach my girls to do

this yet I often do not even do it. When I see their little

heads bow to ask for forgiveness, it humbles me. 

God is so willing to forgive if we just ask!

thankful (30)

I am especially thankful for my mom since it is her

birthday today! I was able to go out to lunch with her and

my sister (without kids) and it was so nice. I am thankful

for her in so many ways and here are a few:

* she is a strong godly example for me to follow

* she is willing to listen and give advice when I need it

* she loves her grandkids beyond description

* she is a motivation for me to stay in shape

* she is so understanding of everything
* she is an example to me of motherhood
* she loves my dad first and invests in their marriage

I love living on the same side of the water as her now!
The girls love being able to go over there more often and
love having her stop by:)

Ever so thankful for my mom!