Nice Memories

Tim and I started the weekend with a late celebration of our 17th anniversary!! We went out on a double date with Mark and Lynde to an early dinner and to see The Christmas Carol with Jim Carey in 3D. Great show == I would highly recommend it but I would not advise taking young children. Some of the sections are pretty intense. It was a fun evening out!!!

Gabrielle and I hosted our first ever mom-daughter Christmas goodie exchange which was a blast!! It is always a marvelous time to be together with great ladies (both young and more mature :) ) !!!! At the end of the afternoon we had a variety of over 6 dozen cookies/candies which thrilled the boys who were not invited to the party! Six dozen cookies sounds like a lot but really doesn't last that long around here!! We made cashew-crunch bars and Grandma Nonnie's stand-bys (Russian teacakes) Those little cookies have such great memories for me!!! I can remember Grandma would set up a posterboard cone as a tree and then attach cookies wrapped in cellophane that we grandkids could grab when we came to visit. It seemed like every few days for the entire month of December there was a new variety of cookies on the tree but Russian teacakes were the first (and my favorites!)

This week has been quite cold -- it is 22 BELOW zero this morning as I write. I love the seasons in Montana!!! I love to watch the snow and ice through my windows with a huge cup of hot tea or steaming latte!!! Such cold temps do interesting things -- my Grandma told me of trees with ice that would stick out like porcupine quills from the deciduous trees. I couldn't fathom them until we moved here. It is very beautiful .

All of the kids (especially Elijah) are excited for skiing to start. Hopefully they will get to start going in January.

Tim and I are hosting our first ever Christmas couple's only get-together this weekend. It should be a fun evening!

As far as hunting goes season ended Sunday the 29th. I forgot to update I guess...... Tim and Josiah both got elk this year (very cool!!) Josiah, Tim and Elijah all got deer. It is such an asset to our freezer!! Elijah and Gabrielle had several close opportunities but no return on their efforts this year -- they chased elk most every day they went out. One of the last days Tim and Gabrielle were chasing a herd of bulls across a gully and Gabrielle walked across a frozen creek. She doesn't weigh much more than a twig. Tim followed her across and fell through the ice onto a rock. The doc at urgent care said it would have been better had it been a sharp rock -- he hit a dull rock so it tore open his knee and left a good bruise on the tissue around it. Gabrielle called me in the early afternoon to tell me that she had lost the bull herd, that Daddy was tore open his knee and was bleeding, AND that the drive-train on the car had broken. Could I come pick them up??? What a message!!

I drove out to where they hunt and picked up the kids. Tim limped the car back home and we got his knee stitched. He just had the stitches removed yesterday -- all is well once again :) Okay, the car is not okay but we knew she was on her last miles so no worries there!

I need to scoot after my day. I absolutely LOVE this time of year but it is busy -- even busier than normal!! I hope your day is full of joy and wonder as we remember Christ's gift to us -- the gift of himself!