Twizzler wars ~Viginia trip Part 2

After we were fully on the road, we had a fairly uneventful ride ;). We broke out the Twizzlers (family road trip tradition :), as some of my long time readers may remember), and Mommy also handed out glow-sticks. Everybody was using their sticks as cello bows while Daddy's "The Piano Guys" CD was playing "Cello Wars" (you can find it on youtube :) ).

Emmi had just woken up ;)...

And these were the first Twizzlers she remembered :).

She liked them :)!

Bethi was not feeling photogenic that day... 

this is the best I got,  haha...

So cute :)!

 Glow sticks!

Daddy and I also had a hilarious conversation about a tatting idea he had for me (that was part of the project I started on our trip, I really will tell you about it, but that comes later :).). He had a really good idea, and it worked out wonderfully, once we knew what the other was saying ;)! But, Daddy was "saying one thing" and I was "saying another", and we were both royally confused about what the other was saying (usually we're better at talking than this ;) ). We finally changed our "language", and guess what? During that conversation, which had lasted for at least a half hour... we were saying the exact same thing, just using different words to describe it, haha!
Oh, and we had glowing children in the car! Haha :). Tori put down a glow stick, and gasped "I'm glowing! Mommy! My hand and skirt are glowing!!! I think this glow-stick is leaking...".
They all did really good on the trip up there, it was amazing! We picked up some supper, headed to the hotel, and settled in, very happy for the safe trip, despite drivers making dangerous u-turns. We saw three cars in a row making the same dangerous u-turn at one point! But God kept us safe, and we were glad to be in Virginia :)!

Reformation day

To much of the world, this day has become a day to celebrate evil and the dead. But a few know that today should really be the celebration of the anniversary of something much better.
Martin Luther was born to a wealthy family, and had good schooling. He planned to be a lawyer, much to his father's delight, as the job paid well. But one day, as he was heading back to school from a visit to his parents, he was caught in a thunderstorm. He promised "St. Anne" that he would become a monk if he lived. He kept his promise- he felt it was a sign from God. But, he felt that something was missing in his walk with God. Later, he came to see that it was grace! He couldn't earn his salvation; it was a gift.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle church in Wittenburg. (I posted these theses in my last post, if you haven't seen it.) Although he was not the first reformer, he was one of the first to make the reformation public.
Martin Luther headed the translation of the Latin bible into German, and wrote many letters, books, and hymns, including "A Mighty Fortress is Our God". He also became the Father of six children, three boys and three girls born to him and his wife Katie, a former nun.
Our family has celebrated reformation day for years- we started a year or two before we found out were the evil roots of Halloween came from, and what it stood for. We no longer participate in Halloween and that leaves us with more time to learn... We usually read Luther's 95 Theses, the book "Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World", and look at pictures of the church he nailed the theses to, of his house at Eisleben (he was born and died in Eisleben, although he left!), and other things. We usually do our Christmas "kick off" today, too, but we did that last night. We did get a movie about Martin Luther, that we'll watch sometime soon, if not today. I hope it's truthful ;). Nothing bugs me more than a movie that doesn't tell the truth, especially if it is about history- it's bad enough in a movie based off a fiction book ;). Mommy researched it, so we're pretty sure this movie will be fairly accurate :).
Although Martin Luther and those who believed as he did were persecuted, they stood firm in their faith in God, and did so much for the freedom of future generations! Praise God for his many blessings, and for the way he uses people he has drawn to himself to do his work. May he receive all the glory!

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe—
His craft and pow’r are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not His equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing,
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He—
Lord Sabaoth His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him—
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also—
The body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still:
His kingdom is forever.

                                                                  ~Martin Luther, 1483-1546

Blueberry picking post

Our blueberry picking earlier this year that I keep talking about, but never in detail :), was, as always, great fun :). It was really hot, but we're kind of used to that down here, so :)... It was Peter's first time getting to go with the family blueberry picking, that was fun :).

 Peter :)...

The family who owns the blueberry farm is really sweet! We have fun every other year showing off the newest baby they haven't seen yet, haha! We didn't pick quite as many berries as usual, but I think everybody still ate as much as usual (don't worry, Miss Judy says that you "HAVE"to eat some or you haven't really experienced berry picking, heehee ;). She also makes some delicious blueberry popsicles! And we know, because she gives us some for free every year after we are done picking :)...).

Emmi was so cute, she wanted sooo bad to let Peter try some fresh blueberries :). And Abbi did a good job this year, she actually  got a few blue ones off of the bushes (last year she picked them up of the ground ;)). 

 Just chillin!

 

Emmi Joy :).

Abbi, so happy!

Andrew

I love this picture of Bethi!

 I really like this picture of Tori, too :)...

 

 

We had a lot of fun, climbing in between the bushes, looking for berries, pushing babies on the swing set, eating popsicles, and talking to the owners :).

You know, these are about the only real swings I know of

(that are not in a neighborhood) close to us...

We were hoping to go a few more times this year, but the hail that hit us on July first this year (would you believe it?!) knocked all the berries off the trees, so they had to close really early :(, but we still have enough frozen blueberries to last us a while! They are wonderful in muffins, and frozen blueberries straight out of the freezer are almost as good as fresh! (We enjoyed some muffins this morning... which may have a bit to do with the fact that this post is finally finished, haha...)

Christmas Candies

We started our Christmas baking about a week before Christmas. We did all the candies in two days, although not back- to- back.
The first day, Tori and all the little ones got in the kitchen with me to make chocolate dipped pretzels, white and chocolate. It is tradition for us children to do this part- it has been since Christmas 2006! We have a few more children helping since then (in 2006 there were three of us who were old enough to dip the pretzels. Now we have six!!!). So it goes a bit quicker now :)! It took two hours to do those two batches...

Starting the white pretzels!

My Grandma would call this "The Little Dippers", haha :)!

Sweet :)!

Enjoying a snack afterward.

Ohhh...

Half of the finished product (and Abbi asking for more!)!

On the second day of candy making, Daddy was home and helped. We made caramels, triple treats, peanut butter balls, and chocolate covered potato chips.
Then, about 1:30, Daddy and us older four children went to clean the church and take candy plates to a few families. We had a lot of fun, visiting a bit with the people we brought plates to, and seeing one older man, our neighbor in our old house, who we hadn't seen for several months. We were also happy that we caught everybody we were planning on taking the plates to :)!

Advent

I have been meaning to write a post on how we do advent/ what the purpose of Advent is for... almost four weeks. Since the Advent season started. Oh well... Here it is now :)...
Advent is really a time of preparation and reflection on the reason why we celebrate Christmas! There are four weeks of Advent, and, although there are many ways to celebrate Advent, here is how we do it...
On the first night of Advent, we make our Advent wreath. We have a golden candle holder, with spots for five candles. One Candle (the white one, white stands for purity) goes in the middle. This is the "Jesus" candle. It is a bit taller than the other candles, as Jesus is above all others. The other four candles (purple, the color that stands for royalty) go in the four corners around the white. These candles are the "Prophecy", "Bethlehem", "Angels" , and "Shepherds" candles. We put green garland and white ribbon around the candle holder, in a spiraling circle. Green stands for new life, circles for eternity (there is no beginning and no end to a circle), and of course, white for purity. We put holly berries on (drops of blood that Jesus would eventually shed for our sins), and pine cones (pine cones must die to give life to the next tree- Jesus gave his life so we could have life. We also put poinsettia flowers on the wreath, to stand for the Star of Bethlehem.
Sometime during each week of Advent, we try for Monday, we will make a meal of either red chili or white chili, just because chili seems like a nice winter-ish meal. No other reason :). It is just part of how Daddy and Mommy chose to make that teaching time different from regular winter suppers, make a point of how this is a special time (kind of like it is pretty much a must for everybody to eat turkey on Thanksgiving!).
That night, we do a Bible study (using the Bible that Daddy used while growing up, and that was used for family Bible time every night for years. We now have a newer Bible for family Bible time, and this one is getting saved for this time of year, due to the fact that we didn't want this one destroyed by the little hands that wanted to read to themselves during the day) on what that nights candle stands for. We discussed the candle for that night, review the candles we have done so far, and have a time of prayer.

The First candle is : The "Prophecy" (or, anticipation ) candle.

" Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

~Isaiah 7:14~

The second candle is: The "Bethlehem" (or, preparation) candle.

"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

~Micah 5:2~

The third candle is: The "Angels" (or, rejoicing) candle.

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings, of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

~Luke 2:9-14~

The fourth candle is: The "Shepherds" (or, the reflection) candle.

"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven,the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."

~Luke 2: 14- 20~

And the Fifth candle is: The "Jesus" (or, Christ)candle.

"For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, A light to be revealed to the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things, which were spoken touching him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary
his mother, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against, (Yea and a sword shall pierce through thy soul) that the thoughts of many hearts may be opened."

~ Luke 2: 30-35~

Through these verses, (and, of course, there are many more to use if you wish!), a discussion can be started, that can be both informative and sweet :).
I have loved our family's Advent celebration the past few years (actually, I guess more than a few- four or five, at the least, which is considered several!). I think it has really helped our family really think about what Christmas is about, as a family, in a wonderful way!!!
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

Our Thanksgiving celebration...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
The day before had been spent preparing for the day (and the day before that!). Tori made the pumpkin pie (which was delicious!) and Bethi did the filling for the bishop's chocolate pies (which were delicious!) almost all by herself. I made the cinnamon rolls that Daddy was going to take to his store on Black Friday (Andrew helped me with these, and in the process of making them we managed to drop a whole egg in the milk mixture (thankfully it didn't crack!), brake a whisk and drop half of it in the milk mixture (haha...), and Andrew laid on a couple of the rising cinnamon rolls (which he helped me put on the table!), haha... aren't you glad that you didn't have to eat them ;)!), and Mommy made the maple twist, cookies, and cranberry sauce (yum to all but the cranberry sauce... haha. Daddy and sometimes Bethi and Andrew are the only ones who like that stuff! Although Mommy loves the smell- "It's time for *the sniff*" she says while taking it off the stove :)!).

Bethi making the pies...

Emmi playing under the tree. Isn't she a *wonderful* gift :)!!!

On Thanksgiving, the day of Thanksgiving traditions started. First, I made the maple twist icing with Emmi. It was so sweet, she doesn't get to help me cook as often as the others at this point, mainly because she hasn't learned yet how dangerous it is to dance on chairs, :), so she really only helps me with quick projects. She does love to help though, and she was fascinated with the powdered sugar, haha :)!

We ate our breakfast while watching the peanuts' movie "The Mayflower Voyage" and a couple short documentaries of the pilgrims.
We started the big meal almost immediately after breakfast was cleaned up. We tried making the macaroni and cheese in the crock pot this year to free up oven space, which would have worked if we had longer than four hours to cook it. As it was taking so long, though, we had to move it to the oven for about thirty minutes. On Christmas, we'll probably put it in the crock pot at the same time as the turkey goes in the oven, instead of a little after, and it should be fine.
After the macaroni was in the oven, we children held a "corn husking" party. This is probably the favorite thing for the little ones, because they get to help me make a corn husk doll for them after they husk their ear of corn.


Andrew named his "Johnny"... and quickly sent him to time out or something, I'm not sure why...


Tori named her's "Cornelia", haha :)!
Mommy read some Thanksgiving books, both story books and history books, and Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation.
We ate at about five o'clock, and we went around the table, telling what each person was thankful for. Some of the things were Jesus dying for us, our family, God choosing to bless us with another baby, God protecting us when someone tried to break into our house and we were run off the road by a eighteen-wheeler earlier this year, and other things. We truly have a lot to be thankful for this year!!!
After we ate came the big task of cleaning up after the meal, but it actually didn't seem as big a job as it has in years past. After cleaning up, we decorated the Christmas tree while listening to Todd Agnew's Christmas CD, "Do You See What I See" and drinking hot chocolate. Although we do have "just for fun" decorations in other rooms of the house, we try to keep the main room, the living room, decorated in only meaningful decorations. Ribbon on the tree to stand for the gift of Jesus, three nail ornaments to stand for Jesus pierced hands and feet, ornaments with scripture verses that speak of his sacrifice, and so on. It is really neat, but our tree stays well UN-balanced through the season. Every time the current baby gets an ornament... it moves up the tree :). After a while they are all on the top half of the tree, haha! We laugh at it every year, but we would rather have babies to love then to have a"perfect" Christmas tree :)! (It wasn't until about an hour later that we remembered that the star wasn't on the tree yet, haha!)

Emmi thought the nails were necklaces ;)!

Sweet girls :)...

So thankful :)... (she was crying because she had to
wait her turn to put up another ornament, haha!)

Dueling photographers... another yearly tradition!

After the tree was "done" aside for the star, we watched a "Little House" Christmas show while we ate the pie. We then put the star on the tree and did devotions before getting to bed at about twelve, true to our tradition on Thanksgiving ;).

Bethi helped with the star this year.

We had a wonderful day, one to be thankful for :)!!!

The cornucopia I crocheted for Thanksgiving

has been used just as often as a hat ;)!

Our Fourth of July

Our Fourth of July started on the 2nd, when we went to the fireworks at Lake Murry. They were beautiful, and Emmi loved them, but Abbi answered Mommy's question "Aren't they beautiful?" with "They NOT bootiful, and I HIDE from them!!!" While we were at the lake, one lady offered to take a family picture. That was a blessing!
On the Fourth we had friends over for grilled hamburgers and homemade ice cream, and we did sparklers and fireworks! At first we thought it would rain, but all we felt were a few drops! Daddy set the fireworks off, and he got some really pretty ones! He even got one that did like three things in one for the grand finale! I think that one was everybody's favorite.
Oh, and those projects we were doing for 4th of July? We DID complete them in time! Mommy got her's finished on Friday last week, I got my headbands done on Saturday, and Tori even had time to make some braided bracelets with the left over yarn!

O.k., who votes that I don't make Maple Twist again?

First, one time when I was helping Mommy make this yummy breakfast treat, Mommy went to do something and I got bored of waiting. Mommy was surprised when she came and found a pan of circles! These should be a circle in the middle and triangular twisty things around . That's one circle in the middle. Not all over the pan.
Then, one day I made them myself. I put in vanilla. Not maple. This recipe calls for maple. Oh well just add maple and see what it does. It's tradition now. Daddy couldn't tell the difference, so now every Fathers Day I make the *Maple* Twists- with vanilla.
Then- the day before Thanksgiving- I did it again. I didn't mean to. But I put the oven 100 degrees higher than it needed!
That's it. If mom wants me to make them again then I need to do it the day before I should need to start them.
Here's the recipe. And don't think that no mistakes can happen.

Maple Nut Coffee Twist
_____________________________________

Dough:

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 egg
2 3/4 to 3 cups flour*
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast





*Self-rising flour is NOT recommended
 ______________

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons maple extract
1 1/2 cinnamon
_______________________

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 or 2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
_____________________

In the order above, put the ingredients in the bread maker, on the dough setting.
When the cycle is almost done, mix filling together.
Take the dough out and dump on a floured area.
Divide into three balls.
Roll one out, spread melted butter on top, and then sprinkle a 1/4 of a cup of the mixture on top.
Repeat, putting all the extra mixture on the last time.
Let rise 30 to 40 minutes.
Bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes while you make the Glaze (just beat glaze ingredients together)
Spread glaze on Maple twist.