End of December Faves

Well, it's a perfect way to end December.....sharing FIVE FAVE moments/things/blessings from the past week.  Yesterday was Christmas, my most favorite holiday besides Easter.  I just love celebrating the birth of our Savior and seeing my girls both having fun and spending time with my little family.  My husband was relaxed and we didn't have to travel anywhere as we traveled on Christmas Eve day. It was a wonderful Christmas and I hope yours was special as well!

 It's a joy to look back on this week and find the moments that were special and give thanks to God for them.  I'm doing this, along with other bloggers who link up with Susanne, our very gracious hostess.  

FIVE FAVES

• GENEROUS GIVING: The small group of moms that I lead decided to participate in a service project connected to the elementary school I work in.  One of the special needs boys in class had just moved in to our suburban town two weeks ago from an inner city neighborhood and his family is quite poor.  Because our school district still has Christmas Giving Trees in the lobbies, with tags of anonymous families who could use some extra financial support, we encourage the children/families to take tags and shop for these needier families' wish lists.  So my group took this boy and his family and gave quite generously.  I was also able to share with the school counselor that this was a ministry through my church.  She was so happy that we took this project on and it was so much fun shopping for little B and his family.  I hope to always be able to do projects like this.  It really is a blessing to be able to help.

• BAKING!  Last Saturday, my oldest girl, just home from college for the Christmas break, wanted me to show her how to make chocolate spritz cookies and boy was I happy to give her that job!!  We all love those cookies but they are SO time consuming.  She gladly took over the kitchen once I showed her how to use the press.  She did an awesome job, too and I can tell ya there are not many cookies left!!

Claire on her 16th birthday!

• SWEET 16!  I did write a special post about Claire turning 16 last Sunday but wanted to share her milestone here too as it was a fave of my week.  It was so much fun to see her surprise at the small gift I gave her.  She thought she wasn't getting anything since we had given her a party for friends earlier in the month and her first smart phone at the beginning of the school year, which we said was her birthday gift a few months early.  But.....a special bracelet with her birthstone was on sale, so I had to surprise her.  She chose going out for Indian/Pakistani food that evening....it was SO good!  And of course, she reminded me that we must get up to the DMV for her learners permit to start driving next week.  Man, do I feel old!

• CHRISTMAS EVE:  Oh, how I love Christmas Eve and all of our traditions.  Some have had to change over the years, especially now that my mother has passed on to heaven.  So, Dave and I and the girls went out here to where my sister Hope and her husband Donny live.  My dad now lives in an attached apartment off their home in the woods, and so we did Christmas with him on Wednesday.  It was so good to see him and he was so thrilled to see his granddaughters.  Hope made a yummy homemade turkey soup lunch and I ate way too many of her special Christmas cookies!  Once we got back home, we had a small snack and got ready for our church's Christmas Eve Candlelight service.  It was just wonderful.  After church, we all get in to cozy lounge-wear and watch White Christmas and have yet more sweets.  It's a wonderful day every year and this year even more poignant since Courtney is a senior in college.  We are blessed to have this time with family.

Dave and I

• CHRISTMAS!  Of course this makes my fave list. All 4 of us home. No obligations other than to each other.  Dave and I were able to sleep in a bit, made coffee and breakfast, opened our stockings and just relaxed with books while the girls slept even longer than we did!  Gone are the days of ripping through packages by 11 a.m.!  The girls finally made an appearance for breakfast at about 10 a.m. and it was so nice to not rush!  I had made them chocolate chip pancakes as a special treat. Before we opened gifts, I read from Isaiah 9 which is one of my fave portions of Scripture for Christmas Day.  Dave sometimes reads from Luke 2 but this year, I did the reading.  After gifts, we had a late lunch/early dinner on very special plates that my sister Hope no longer wanted.  They are pink dishes from the 1940s (I think...or the 1950s) that my parents used up at our Adirondack camp when we were young children.  How I've always loved our camp dishes.  So I cleaned them up and used them for Christmas.  Sadly, there are only 4 dinner plates, 2 teacups and 1 saucer left but at least they have special memories connected with them.  I will treasure them always and pass them on to Courtney one day.  Christmas day is always a fave with me....the gifts, the Scriptures, the family relaxing, time to read, watch movies, eat goodies.  God is good to us.

All set for Christmas Dinner

Whatever you have planned for this weekend, I trust you will have peace, joy, and love in your hearts and home.