Hot Tamales

The last time Christmas was on a Sunday we didn't open gifts until after church. Then, since we got such a late start, we ran out of time to make and eat Christmas dinner. We shifted it to the next day and ate it on Boxing Day instead. Knowing that we would have a similar situation this year, we planned ahead. Rather than our traditional Christmas delicacies, I made a different kind of Christmas meal. This year, I learned how to make tamales.

Yes, it was a time consuming project, but it was worth it. We ate these beauties, along with Mexican rice and instant pot refried beans, after we opened gifts. After one bite Bryan looked at me and asked me to marry him again. It turns out tamales are powerful.

Everyone Say Merry Christmas

Most Christmas mornings we all stay in our pajamas and are lucky if we brush our hair at any point during the day. But when Christmas is on a Sunday, we put on our dress clothes and go to church before we open any gifts at all. The next logical step, before putting our cozy pajamas back on, is to take pictures when we're all fancy and coordinated.

I have no idea how many pictures we took. This is the best of the bunch.

Christmas Jammies

Oh the Weather Outside Is Frightful

The insanely cold weather that's been sweeping the nation has finally reached us. Bryan put tape around the edges of one of our back doors to help keep the chill at bay. The tape froze, on the inside of the house. It's currently 4 degrees outside with a windchill of -16 degrees. That's crazy cold.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and are able to stay warm!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

 

In A Three Horse Open Sleigh

Sophie, Phoebe, Topher, and I were invited by friends to take a sleigh ride through a neighboring downtown last week. This is the third time the girls and I have gone on a similar excursion, but it was Topher's first. It's what prompted his invitation to my friend to join him on their own sleigh ride.

The weather was warmer than we expected, which made the outing more pleasant for me. Phoebe, Topher, and I sat in the rear seat while Sophie sat with her friend up in the front. Her friend's mom, my friend, took a picture of most of the group when we finished the ride.

It's cool to have lived somewhere long enough that we've got seasonal traditions with friends.

Sleigh Ride

While six members of our family participated in the choir concert, Topher sat with my good friend and her family. Originally she was going to only hold him during the choir numbers, but she volunteered to hang on to him the entire concert so I could focus on the performances. Apparently it went so well that he told her he wanted to go on a sleigh ride, just with her, without his family.

That's right, my four-year-old asked my married friend who is my age out on a date.

She said no, but as nicely as possible.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Thank you to everyone who prayed that the concert would go well. It did! I'm still completely exhausted from it, so I'll save the full report for a different day. But I will leave you with a picture of the back of my head as I directed what turned out to be an enormous choir! We had thirty-six people sing in the choir. That's huge considering how small our congregation is. It was definitely a Christmas miracle.

O Holy Night

I'm still serving as the choir director in my church congregation. For the last two months I've been organizing an interfaith Christmas concert with a local Lutheran congregation. The person in charge of music in our ward has a demanding job, so most of the planning has fallen to me. Thankfully other people volunteered to oversee the decorations, refreshments, and the printed program. That's left me with the music, narration, and related logistical matters. Oh, and directing our choir for three of the numbers and overseeing three others, plus two congregational hymns. A friend stepped in to organize rehearsals for the two small group numbers, which freed me up to drop in and give feedback, which is my favorite part of the job. I've loved getting to stretch my creative muscles, but it's been a time consuming process.

The concert is this coming Sunday evening. I would appreciate any prayers and positive thoughts you can send our way, because we'll need them.

Underneath the Tree

Topher has embraced the joy of wrapped gifts under the tree. He loves it so much that he's taken it upon himself to find items to wrap and place under the tree. Yesterday morning I found two unopened containers of protein powder wrapped in a Walmart bag, placed under the branches. I asked him if he was responsible for the addition. He confirmed that he was. I suspect he's also the person that put the foursquare ball under there.