As mentioned in my previous blogpost, this Christmas has felt a little more scattered than usual. I felt more like I was in survival mode than even the usual chaos zone leading up to Christmas. I'm still stress eating too much junk, having trouble sleeping, and still fighting off a variety of bugs...including a cold sore that arrived just a few days before Christmas Day. Having said that...we did accomplish some fun Christmasy things along the way. Here's a little glimpse at the last few days leading up to Christmas this year...
Emma tempered the chocolate and Emma and Ellie made the truffles...
Heather made the caramels, Mom was the ingredient gatherer, and I was on fudge duty. I do make a mean fudge, though this year's was a little more "decorative" than usual with my helpers adding sprinkles and marshmallows to the top. If you like a creamy delicious fudge that's not as sickeningly sweet as most, then try my recipe. I spent several years getting it "just right" and am quite proud of it, though I do tend to eat too much of it when it's around.
As you know, I LOVE Christmas cards. Love getting them, love sending them, love thinking about them. I was a little less on-top of things this year than usual, but I am happy to say that they were all sent before Christmas at least.
As you know, I LOVE Christmas cards. Love getting them, love sending them, love thinking about them. I was a little less on-top of things this year than usual, but I am happy to say that they were all sent before Christmas at least.
I do my Christmas card sending in phases every year. Phase #1 is the bulk of the cards, phase #2 are the people I need to doublecheck addresses on, phase #3 are the locals, and phase #4 are the people I need to spend a little more personal time on. All in all, I sent about 230 this year, but likely will send a few fewer next year as there are quite a few people on my list I haven't heard from in several years.
In case you didn't know or didn't remember, this past summer I went as the Trip Mom on an HXP (Humanitarian Experience) trip to Thailand with Ellie. It was a life-changing experience for both of us and I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of it. This past week, one of my Thailand "kids" had a mission farewell that I was thrilled to be able to attend (one of the perks of living in Utah now). His decision to serve a mission was solidified while he was in Thailand and I felt like we had a small glimpse into him opening his heart to the idea while we were on the trip.
Elder C is on his way to Florida now and we loved being able to hear him share his testimony with us...
As part of this mini-reunion for the farewell, we hosted a few people at our house for a couple nights. Somehow the hair bleaching went down at our house when we were out of the house for all of 45 minutes. 😑
Last but not least, after spending 3 weeks in a row with Lucie, I was feeling very deprived in those couple weeks leading up to Christmas. I missed my "Cici" (her self-picked nickname) snuggles, the storytimes, the silly singalongs, and just feeling like I was making a small difference again. I clung to every picture Cami sent me and delighted anytime they had a chance to Facetime...especially when Lucie asked me to read her a book over the phone or to sing her a song. I really do love being a Gigi and can't wait for a new little one to join the mix soon.
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