Did They Ever Find Out?

CHRISTMAS DAY.  JOY! JOY! JOY!

    

     Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful day! We did.  We went to mass and opened presents and made a lot a lot of food.  Now It's 7:44 and we only have a few more hours left of Christmas day.  Enjoy every minute of it.

     As the year goes on, I hope that you're Christmas spirit only grows stronger.  Continue to be cheerful, thankful, giving,  and loving.  Keep spending great quality time with your family.  Play games.  Go sledding.  Watch a movie.  Please keep all of the deployed soldiers and their families who cannot be together this Christmas, and those who do not have any family to be with, in your prayers this Christmas.  

"And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, who was with child.  While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son.  She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.  The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and they were struck with great fear.  The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to yo good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord." (Luke 2:1-14) 

  This chapter from Luke is one of my favorite bible stories.  It's very short, but there is so much to be taken from it.  What I've taken from it this year comes from these two verses, "She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." What do you mean there was no room for Jesus? I thought a lot about this.  About how the inn keepers only saw ordinary strangers who needed shelter knocking at their door.  They simply turned them away.  But, little did they know Who they were turning away.  Did they ever find out who they said no to? 

     The second verse, "I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."  That will be for all the people.  Jesus came to earth to save us, and this beautiful gift is for everyone.  His joy isn't for a select few to enjoy, but for everyone to enjoy.  So because He gave us this gift, we must share it with others, with everyone we meet.  Never turn anyone who needs help away.  You never know who it could be, so always lend a helping hand to any person in need.  :)  Keep this in your heart this Christmas, and for the rest of the year.  Keep the joy and the love alive all year long! 

     

     

I want to thank you all so much for reading my blog.  I've enjoyed every minute of it and I hope you have, too! This is my last post on this blog for now, but I will be starting a new blog soon.  I will post the link on here when I get it started for anyone who follows me on here.  Keep the true spirit of Christmas alive in your heart all year long! Merry Christmas! 

Rachel Merry

The Joy of Hallmark

11 Days Until Christmas.  (We are IN the zone.) 

Sipping Peppermint hot chocolate, Hallmark movie playing, Christmas tree lit, snow falling, kids sledding… It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  

     I love Hallmark Christmas movies.  Who doesn't? Lots of people say they don't, but that's not true.  I'll admit, the actors aren't great, the stories are cheesy, and you can always predict what's going to happen in the end (haha)... but I always find myself laughing (sometimes at how silly it is) and smiling along with it, because while they might not be the best movies, they do spread Christmas cheer and always go right to my heart.  And I love Christmas cheer.  And things that go to my heart.  I think we could all use some more of both of those things.  

     What have you been doing to other people to spread some Christmas cheer? Have you done any random acts of kindness that went right to someones heart? I'll tell you what.  I was just babysitting and the mom sent me home with a lot of Ghiradelli peppermint bark.  That went to my heart and my stomach.  Driving through town the other night (by that I mean two weeks ago) and seeing a giant nativity scene set up in the middle of the town square, that went to my heart.  Seeing our mailman at Wal Mart last night and him recognizing me and saying hello, that went right to my heart.  You see, it doesn't take a lot to touch someones heart, and yet it makes all the difference in the world.  

I hope you're all having a Merry Christmas! 

Rachel Merry

P.S. My blog has been viewed from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Afghanistan, Estonia, Australia, and Sweden! When I started this blog I never thought so many people would read it, and I want to thank you all for doing so! That goes to my heart! :) Merry Christmas!

      

       

Glorious Snow Day

12 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's what's happening:

Last week some friends came to our house we colored, and found our Elf on the Shelf Kristi, and  the twins and I made some cookies. It was a BLAST!

We made a ton of cookies, and then wrapped two plates up to Elf people, and one is the Giving Plate.

     Today was a glorious snow day! Everything started out as it normally would, just doing our usual business.  Later on in the day I was supposed to to babysit and my mom had to go to a meeting.  Right before we both had to leave, it started snowing SO hard that both events were cancelled and we GOT TO STAY HOME! It was a treat! We were so excited.  I made homemade marshmallows and brownies earlier in the day and my mom surprised us with Despicable me 2, so we all cleaned up the house, made dinner, put on comfy pajamas and watched DM2 and had yummy dessert! 

    

  

The camera was on self timer and so I pushed the button and then ran to get in the picture, but I fell.  Emma was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. 

     The marshmallows are so delicious, and so easy to make.  While they will make a beautiful mess in your kitchen, they are worth it! They are so soft, I can't imagine anything that I would rather make a pillow with.  

Homemade Marshmallows
Makes about 5 dozen 1-1/4-inch cubes
One difficulty with making these marshmallows is that you will never again be content with store- bought marshmallows! The consistency of these marshmallows is firm, yet melts easily when place in hot cocoa. Give this vanilla version a try, then experiment with other flavorings and, perhaps, some special coatings.
Ingredients:
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin 1-1/2 cups water, divided
3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar 1/2 cup cornstarch
Vegetable oil (for pan preparation)
Directions:
1. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan by oiling the pan with a thin film of vegetable oil. (Vegetable oil is rather flavorless and a good choice for this situation.) We also like to line the pan with two sheets of parchment paper that fit the pan as two crosswise strips without any folding or crinkling of the paper.
2. In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, place half (3/4 cup) of the cold water. Sprinkle the gelatin on the surface of the water and let stand until the gelatin is softened, about 10 minutes.
3. in a 3-quart saucepan, mix the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining water (3/4 cup). Over medium heat, warm the mixture until the sugar dissolves, stirring periodically.
4. Once the mixture reaches the boiling point, quit stirring and allow the mixture to reach the soft ball stage, about 240°F. If crystals form on the side of the saucepan, use a pastry brush dipped in a minimal amount of water to lightly melt the crystals back into the saucepan.
5. With the whisk attachment outfitted on the stand or hand mixer, drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the gelatin while on low speed.
6. Once all the syrup has been incorporated, increase the speed of the mixer gradually until a high speed is reached. Continue beating until the mixture is very stiff, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan smoothing evenly into each corner. Allow the marshmallow mix to set and become firm, about 4 hours, or overnight.
 8. When ready, combine the confectioner’s sugar and the cornstarch together. Sprinkle one-third of the dusting mixture on a working surface. With a knife, loosen the edges of the marshmallow from the parchment paper. Invert the marshmallow pan onto the dusted working surface. Peel away the parchment paper carefully.

9. Cut the marshmallows into cubes (or desired shapes) with a large knife or pizza wheel. Dust each marshmallow piece in the remaining powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture.
10. Place the dusted marshmallows on a cooling rack and allow them to dry several more hours or overnight.
11. Store dusted marshmallows in an airtight container with waxed paper between layers of marshmallows.

Enjoy!

Kristi's ADVENTures (Only ones I caught on camera)

There's only 12 more days until Christmas!!!! IT'S COMING SO QUICKLY! What are you doing with your time before Christmas? I hope you're enjoying it! 

Merry Christmas!

Rachel Merry 

Every Chance You Get

I was so sad to hear of the passing of Nelson Mandela.  I first learned of him when my dad and I watched the move "Invictus".  I was so inspired by the movie and his story that I continued to do more research and learned more about him.  He was truly a light in the darkness and we can all learn and benefit from the goodness that he brought to the world and left behind for the rest of us.  

17 Days Until Christmas

Happy second week of Advent!

      We went to mass tonight and father talked about the all of the WAITING that you do before Christmas.  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  There is so much waiting done before Christmas and I certainly think that it's the hardest time of year to wait.  There is also so much rushing.  So much rushing that you can't enjoy the waiting! The anticipation is one of the greatest parts of Christmas! Make sure you take the time to slow down and enjoy it.  After all, Christmas only comes once a year.

     Father also talked about all of the good we can do while we're waiting! We're waiting for the coming of baby Jesus, after all, and this waiting period is all about preparing for Him! So every chance you get to do good for another person, do it! Really do it! Really try! Because if you do that, everyday, you could really change the world.  

 We've started our Advent Light 'Em Up Calendar! We've gotten a few "Do a random act of kindness for a family member without them knowing it was you", and "put cookies and a nice note in the mailbox for the mailman". (We love our mailman.)

(If you haven't seen Kid President's YouTube videos before, check them out!)

Today was a really great and busy day.  I saw several things, all small things, that brought me very much joy.  Take a minute look around you and find the small things today.

5 Joyful Things From Today 

1.  Gavin, (a student in my mom and I's CCD class)who did not enjoy coming to class at first, now loves to volunteer for any extra jobs that require a helper, today he helped out his classmates when he finished his work first, and was just happy to be there.

2.  Somebody gave us a candle and it smells really good.

3. While babysitting today the kids and I made cookies and they loved it, so I loved it, so we had a ton of fun.

4. When Emma found Kristi, our elf on the shelf.

5.  Somebody said "Merry Christmas" to me for the first time!

Did you see any joyful things today? I'd love to hear! Leave a comment with them in the comment box below! 

I hope you are all having a Merry Christmas! Check back soon for more!

Rachel Merry     

    

December Is Here!

22 Days Until Christmas.

     It's December already! Becca actually just ran out of her room and said, "Did you know it's December? Because... I just found out."  A lot happened this past weekend.  We pulled out the Christmas decorations, put up the tree, decorated the house, made cinnamon ornaments, made a snowman, did some crafts, saw Frozen, bought the Frozen soundtrack, memorized the Frozen soundtrack, continue to sing the Frozen songs everyday, all day, Advent AND a new church year started, and I just finished making our Light 'Em Up advent calendar!

(Check out the Piano Guys rendition of Angels We Have Heard On High! It is beautiful and so neat how they do it!)

 

(Before)

 

 



 

(Note from Emma)

cat

mat

rat

eat

emma francis 6

 

(After)

 

 

 

     Sarah, Emma, and I made cinnamon ornaments while we were waiting to decorate the tree.  They were so easy, so fun, so pretty, and smell SO good!

 



 

All you need:

1 Cup of Applesauce

1 Cup of Cinnamon

Glitter (optional, but it shouldn't be)

 

Mix all of the ingredients together.

Put dough on wax paper and then put another sheet of wax paper on top and roll out until thin.

Choose your cookie cutters and then proceed to cut out the ornaments. 

Use a drinking straw to poke a hole on the top of the ornament so you can put a string through to hang it on the tree.

Place the cut out ornaments on a wax paper lined baking sheet.

Place in the oven at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours or until firm. 

 

This is the Pumpkin Pie recipe I used for Thanksgiving that I never shared.   It was the best pumpkin pie I ever tasted, I definitely recommend that you make one!

 

Classic Pumpkin Pie

 

Ingredients

1 disk pie dough (plus 1 disk, if decorating)

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (but if you just don't happen to carry actual nutmeg nuts, ground nutmeg works just fine. :) )

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

 

Directions

 

Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface.  Ease into a 9-inch pie plate.  Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edges with your fingers.  Pierce the bottom and sides all over with a fork.  Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.  (Unless you are using packaged pie crust, then you can bake it and just let it cool off a bit before you put the filling inside.)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line the chilled dough with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges are golden, 20-25 minutes.  (Unless using packaged crust, follow the box instructions.) Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes.  Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. 

 

Make the filling: Gently whish the pumpkin, cream, granulated sugar, 2 eggs, the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt (do not overmix).  Beat the remaining egg and brush on the crust edge; sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Pout the filling into the crust and bake until set around the edges, 50 minutes to 1 hour (the middle will still jiggle slightly).  Transfer to a rack; let cook completely.

 

I only took about 50 pictures of my beautiful pumpkin pie, but they are unfortunately not on this computer.  But I do have a picture of the snowman that Emma and I made! ...From the day after when it's nose, eyes, buttons, and mouth fell off.  But this is actually the first snowman I've ever made (I don't have any idea how that happened) and it was so much fun.  Did you know that if you make a small ball, and then roll it on the ground, it really does get bigger and bigger? It's not just in movies? It's real life!

 

 

 

I've also finished our Giving Plate!

 

The Giving Plate

This plate shall have no owner, for it's journey never ends, 

it travels in a circle of our family and friends.  It carries love from home to home for everyone to share.  The food that's placed upon it was made with love and care.  So please enjoy what's on the plate then fill it up again, then pass it on and the love holds on to your family and friends.

 

It was so easy to make, and it's a gift that keeps on giving, all year long! 

 

What you need:

1 white plate. (the cheaper the better)

1 Sharpie of any color, but the darker the better

 

To Make:

Make sure there is no oil on the plate, this prevents the Sharpie from staying on the plate after it's baked.  You can use rubbing alcohol to rub it off, but if you just bought it it should be fine.

 

Write the message.  You can even pick a quote to write on the backside too! I put a Mother Teresa quote and the year.  Which is 2013 in case you forgot.

 

After you've finished writing, put your plate in the oven.  After placing your plate in the oven, turn it on to 200 F.  By putting the plate in before you heat up the oven, it prevents cracking.  After the oven has finished pre-heating, set a timer for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, turn the oven off.  LEAVE THE PLATE IN THE OVEN UNTIL COMPLETELY COOL TO PREVENT CRACKING! Once completely cool, take the plate out and rub it with a wet cloth.  If the marker stays on, good job! Then comes the real test.  Put it in the dishwasher.  If the marker still stays on, you have a winner! If not, try again!

 

When we went Black Friday shopping, we went to Michaels, where they had a crazy sale on canvases.  So I have made some Christmas canvases!

 

 

My favorite

I ran out of space with the L.  But that is indeed an L. 

 

Tomorrow we start our Light 'Em Up Advent calendar and Kristi (Our Elf On the Shelf) comes back! We accidentally missed a few days.  But that's ok. 

 

Each day we will open a new bag, and there will be a random act of kindness to perform inside.  We will do it together and we will do it with joy, the only way things should be done! And it is my hope that we will all continue to practice these random acts of kindness throughout the year, spreading light wherever we go.  "Being kind isn't always easy or convenient.  But it has the potential to change everything." (-Cap Watkins)

 

Check back soon for more! Happy December!

 

Rachel Merry



 

 

 

 



 

                            

 

 

 

 

 



"What if today, we were just thankful for everything?" -Charlie Brown

Thanksgiving: Complete.  
26 days until Christmas.

     Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, and there is so much to be thankful for.  I am so thankful for my family.  I am so Thankful for my friends.  I am so thankful for our freedom, and for the soldiers who have fought for it; the soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice for it; and the soldiers who are fighting for it right now.  Please especially keep those soldiers and their families in your prayers, especially during the holiday season when they cannot be with their families.  

     Even though Thanksgiving is over now, the time to be Thankful is not.  When is the time to be thankful? All the time. Keep the attitude.  The attitude of gratitude.   All year long.  It makes such a huge impact upon your own life and also the lives of those you come in contact with.  Have the attitude and spread the attitude, we need to start an epidemic! 

     So here's a little overview of our Thanksgiving,   We had some family and some great family friends over to celebrate with us! We had most of the food ready the day before, (If you didn't do that this year, do it next year, because that was really great) so we went to church in the morning and then met up with our cousins, came home and got the turkey (Which we forgot about and were frantically trying different ways to thaw out the day before, but it was really very delicious!) in the oven and did all of the other last minute preparations.  Then our friends came over and we did some cookie decorating and set up a little photo booth,(really just a Thanksgiving tablecloth nailed to the wall.  So easy and so fun, the kids loved it!)and the kids played in the snow.  A good time was had by all! 

Jack

And then there was the cookie decorating…

Out in the family room...

     Around 7:30 when we were cleaning up, Becca, Aunt Shelley and I decided to go black Friday shopping.  So we finished cleaning up, hopped in the car and drove to town.  The store opened at 8:00, and we got there just in time to stand in the line that wrapped around the building in freezing weather for a few minutes! And we enjoyed every minute of it! 

     After we finished at Target, (which took us no longer than 40 minutes, because we are very efficient shoppers and everything went very smoothly) we headed to Old Navy and Michaels.  Old Navy was packed.  Michaels was empty.  I mean empty.  It was open, but it was empty.  When you think of Black Friday, don't you think immediately of going to get crafts? Crazy people.  

     Oh, Christmas is next.  

     CHRISTMAS IS NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's time to put out your trees, decorate your house, listen to Christmas music, and spread the hope, joy, and love that this season is all about! This is a very special time, and so much can be done with it.   You can do so much with it.  What will you do with your time? 

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of you.  Thank you for reading! Check back soon for more! 

Rachel Merry