Sweet boy Canon

I'm glad that from time to time, Q and I are able to see our nephews and nieces. We have eleven of them, and they all live in different areas of the country. I had a great time getting to know Canon better during our holiday trip.

He made me laugh by some of the things he said, and also by the things he did. Whenever we rode in the Suburban, I rode in the back with him. One day seemed exceptionally cold, so when I got into my seat I said, "Brrr, I'm cold." Canon said, "I'm not. I'm always warm." Then, he grabbed my hand and said, "Here", as he warmed it with his hands. He looked at me and gave me a cute smile while he did so. I thanked him for making me feel warm again. Isn't that sweet?

I don't know if you could tell by this picture what it is we're doing, but we're having a "cross-eyed staring" contest initiated by Canon. He's such a nut! I'm so glad we had some real fun times together.

Q and I pray for our nephews and nieces on a regular basis. We primarily pray that if they're not saved yet that they would be saved soon. We pray that God works in their young hearts. 

We're thankful for the few days we got to spend with Canon. We love him to pieces!:)

Celebrating Christmas in Branson, part 3

We played lots of games during our vacation time in Branson. I think the biggest highlight of the trip was our putt-putt competition. We played three days in a row! Q beat me by one point one day; then I beat him by one point on another day; then finally, he beat me by three points on the last day. It was tough competition--even Canon scored well against us all (and he's only 7!)

The first day's course was full of black and neon decorations. You could even buy a pair of 3D glasses if you wanted to play that way.

We also enjoyed playing in the arcade. We earned tons of tickets for Canon to buy a big bouncy ball.

The guys loved swimming together in the evenings. It was fun watching them throw each other around in the pool.

A few hours was spent on a good game of Monopoly. All six of us played, but most of us didn't last very long in it. The last two in were Uncle Q and Canon. 

Q beat Canon at the end, but Canon was still very happy to have placed second.

Next up...one last post about our trip to Branson--it includes me and one very cute and sweet nephew.:)

Celebrating Christmas in Branson, part 2

Our family time continued with opening up presents. Canon made sure that everyone had a stack of gifts ready to open. I could not wait to see the look on his face as he opened up our gift. Two handmade gifts were placed inside of a Spiderman back pack. 

Inside he found...

...a hand-painted Spiderman t-shirt and a matching wallet. I put a coupon inside the wallet that was worth $10 to spend while we were together. I enjoyed making these gifts for him. I will post about how I made these two items in the near future.

The two brothers, Quentin and Ben, each received a package of beef jerkey as one of their presents from Mom and Dad Johnson.

I am so thankful to have awesome in-laws! It's not because they spoil me with gifts--they pray for me and are concerned about things in my life all year round. This box of goodies from them included some fun socks, crafting items and a subscription to Good Housekeeping Magazine.

To end our evening, we indulged ourselves in these molten lava cakes. It is a tradition Q and I started when we were first married. If you want the recipe, you can go here, as I posted about it last year. They are scrumptious!

Here are Mom and Dad Johnson enjoying their little cakes. Q's dad is a huge sweet tooth, and he sure got his fix with this dessert.

Next post...fun and games during our time in Branson.

Celebrating Christmas in Branson, part 1

Early last Sunday morning, Q and I headed out of town for a long day's drive to Branson, Missouri. A family friend gave my in-laws their timeshare for the year, so we were invited, along with Q's brother and son to enjoy the week there. We stayed in a spacious condo that was actually divided into three parts. We had three kitchens, three stackable washer and dryer units, and several bathrooms and televisions to choose from! It was very comfortable and such a treat for our family to spend time together there.

When we first arrived, I decided to decorate the tree in the living room with candy canes. My in-laws had already placed lots of presents under it, so we had to make it look like a real Christmas tree.

We designated day 2 as our Christmas Eve. The Johnson family opens presents on Christmas Eve, while my family opens the majority of them on Christmas morning. Q and I now open presents from others on Christmas Eve and the ones to each other on Christmas morning. It took us a while to figure that one out the first year we were married, because both of us wanted to keep our own family traditions.

Our nephew, Canon, could not wait to open up his Christmas stocking, full of small gifts and treats.

We spent the rest of our morning going around town shopping and looking at different things. Branson is a family-friendly town with lots to do!

Uncle Q and Canon spent quality time together, too. Here they are playing the hand-slapping game which brought lots of laughs--and red hands!

By late afternoon, we were back at the condo setting the table for dinner. We ate Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and rolls.

After dinner, the men took turns reading the Christmas story before opening presents. Canon began passing gifts out to everyone, then....

You'll have to come back for part 2 to see the present I made for Canon and the delicious dessert we enjoyed afterward.

Pressing forward in 2010

Happy New Year! I can't believe we're in 2010 already. We can thank the Lord for what He did for us in 2009 and anticipate what he has in store for this new year. Are you excited about looking forward and resting in God's sovereignty for your life?

Last year at this time I wrote a post on New Year's goals. I hope it gives you ideas on how to write your own for the year if you haven't done so already. I've thought some about what I'd like to accomplish in the days ahead, but they mirror much of what I've written down in the past--read my Bible and pray daily, love and submit to Q, stay faithful to church and the ministry, improve my sewing skills, work on strengthening my musical talents, etc. Besides getting to know others in my community and witness to them, I'd like to try more new recipes this year. 

Along with these goals, I have desires that I've given to the Lord. Most of them are not things that I can do anything about except to pray and see how God works. I'm continually learning to give these over to the One who can do all things wonderfully in His time.

Finally, I'd like to encourage you to press forward in this new year. Sometimes we are discouraged by past sin, failures, and hurts. But God doesn't want us to stay in that "rut." We cannot be successful if we keep looking back. Philippians 3:13-14 says, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." We must learn to forgive ourselves, forgive others and delight in the Lord who loves and forgives unconditionally.

What are some of your goals for the new year? How are you going to accomplish them?

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

A special Christmas dinner

When Q was growing up, his family always had a Christmas Eve dinner with the main course being Swedish meatballs. We planned on doing the same thing this year with a few friends from church, but then I got sick the day before. I felt awful inside and out, but we were determined to just postpone it to Christmas day. Thankfully, I was starting to feel a bit better and a few of our friends could still come.

We spent the afternoon cleaning and cooking for our special event. I pulled out the fancy tablecloth, napkins and china and set the table.

I've done this napkin decoration before. I did an accordion-fold on the napkin, slipped it through the holder, then placed a candy cane through it. 

We had Gloria, Debbie and Jim over for dinner. The conversation around the table was fun and encouraging. Q and I are really enjoying getting to know the people in our new church. Our meal consisted of Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread muffins, salad, pineapple chunks and this yummy pumpkin dessert. Check it out...

I'm glad I remembered to take a picture before I had eaten the whole piece! The dessert is called, "Pumpkin gooey butter cake." I found it in one of my Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking Magazines (Dec/Jan. 2010). The lady who submitted it said that it was a special thing for her to make during Christmas. The recipe is a healthier version of the original treat, so don't worry too much about the calories. Here's the recipe for you all to enjoy!

Makeover Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

1 pkg. (18-1/4 oz.) yellow cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup reduced-fat butter, melted

FILLING:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) reduced-fat cream cheese

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup reduced-fat butter, melted

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Additional confectioners' sugar, optional

1. In a large bowl, beat the cake mix, egg and butter on low speed until combined. Press into a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.

2. In another large bowl, beat cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the butter, eggs, egg whites and vanilla; beat on low until combined. Add the confectioners' sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix well. Pour over crust.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Chill until serving. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Our Christmas Day morning

Q and I had a wonderful Christmas morning--our first one in our new home. He grabbed a cup of coffee and I sat down across from him as he read the Christmas story.

We love starting our Christmas day like this. It is wonderful to reflect on why we celebrate this special day.

Sometimes when I've wrapped Q's presents, I've included a tag that gives a hint as to what is inside. The one above says, "To my Q--something for your love of history--Love, your wife" Inside the package was Focus on the Family's Radio Theatre presentation of two stories--"The Hiding Place" and "Bonhoeffer: The cost of freedom." I also got him their Classics Collection which included five stories--Les Miserables, Ben-Hur, A Christmas Carol, Silas Marner, and Billy Budd, Sailor. For this gift the tag read, "something for your love of literature." Q loves his books and now he has these neat recordings that will make them come alive.

I couldn't wait for him to open the package that read, "for your new pastor's look." Inside was this beautiful pocket watch that I hope to get engraved soon. We took turns opening packages and saved the big ones for last. He had already opened my smaller gifts to him, and I was excited opening up the ones from him. I received a few much-needed articles of clothing and some cute tennis shoes.

Then, it was time for him to open up what he really wanted this year...

I know it's kind of hard to see on the box, but it's a picture of an ice auger. He had hinted several times that he wanted one to use for ice fishing this winter. Then, I opened up his big gift to me...

I love my new fancy shoes for church. I've been needing a pair for the longest time. 

What special gifts did you enjoy giving and receiving this year?