Sneak Peek and Snow

Tomorrow is W day--the wedding day.  My beautiful sister in law is getting married.  I can't wait to share pictures--the whole event will be stunning and her dress is BEAUTIFUL! 

Katie had me make a banner for a little surprise she is having at the reception.  I don't want to give any details away, but here is a sneak peek at the banner I'll show you! 

Today we are off for nails and the rehearsal dinner. . . tomorrow I have hair, dress, pictures and the main event!

We are praying for nice December weather.  Did you hear we had SNOW in Southern Orange County, CA this week?  That is pretty remarkable--it has been decades since it snowed here.  It was all fun for Facebook pictures and shocking our friends who expect 80 degree weather here all the time, but it isn't so fun for a wedding where the bridesmaids are wearing strapless, knee length dresses.  Just sayin.  It was light, but it is so rare here.  This picture was by my friend Shawn near the Laguna Hills Mall.

I'll post wedding pics soon!  I'm off to get started on the wedding weekend!

Busy, busy

         

Here is our Christmas card.  We took these pictures before Ryan had a job, and the JOY summarized how we felt about the hope we have in Christ, even in trial. 

This week is a busy one!  Last night we had 60 people over for our ministry leaders' Christmas party.  It was so fun--dinner, dessert and a white elephant gift exchange.  Fitting 60 people inside a house is a tight squeeze too!

The marriage ministry we co-lead is having its all member Christmas party on Thursday night.  We have a fantastic team of helpers, but decorating the tables, getting dessert, and planning games for over 200 people is always a challenge!

Friday morning, my five year old has his school Christmas performance, and I'm making cute, chocolate covered oreo cookie pops for the class.

Friday night is an service dinner the marriage ministry holds every year for some families that are in need this Christmas.  We adopt families and provide dinner, dessert and gifts for the families.  It is always a wonderful night.  That night should have about 120 people attending, but, again, we have a fantastic team of volunteers leading the charge.

The biggest event happening this week is my sister in law's wedding!  She is getting married Sunday, and all four of us are in the wedding.  The rehearsal dinner is Saturday night, and a couple days of fittings, nails, and other errands all lead up to the big day! 

I will be sure to post pictures from as many of the events as I can, but especially the wedding.  Christmas is getting close!  Christmas is my favorite holiday--Merry Christmas!

Chocolate Covered Oreo Neighbor Gifts

I almost always make my caramel brownies for the neighbors, but I wantedto try something new this year. 

I had seen these beautifully covered oreos on Pinterest, but I wasn't sure I could get the smooth look without buying a mold.  SO, I used a muffin tin, and it worked beautifully. 

Enjoy the pictures.  From the smiles on my neighbors' faces, I think the treats were appreciated!

I bought Oreos, white chocolate melts and candy canes.

I crushed the 2 candy canes--sorry for the glare--this was at night.

I put a spoonful of melted chocolate in each muffin tin and put a cookie on top.

I covered the cookie with melted chocolate and put some crushed peppermint stick on top.  Then, I popped them into the fridge to set.

Once the chocolate was hard, the cookies popped right out of the muffin tins.

I put three in a little bag and tied it with red ric rac.

So sweet, easy and delicious for Christmas!

Pinterest Recipe: Bacon, Ranch Pull Apart Bread

           
(picture from Plain Chicken--found on Pinterest)

Plain Chicken has had this recipe on Pinterest for awhile now, and I have been craving it for awhile now.  Yes, folks, it is really good.  I even messed up the recipe.  In my December busy haze, I didn't read carefully before heading to the store and bought a bottle of ranch dressing instead of ranch dressing MIX.  I mixed the bottled dressing with the butter and it tasted great, but I bet the mix and butter would be even better. 

This pulls apart with gooey promise and you get a strong bacon taste in every bite.  The baked in ranch-butter that soaked into each sourdough bite was the best part.  My friend and I almost ate the whole loaf, and I would have eaten more if it hadn't been unacceptably gluttonous. 

Next time I make this I will run ten miles first (or at least be aware I need to) and add some finely chopped green onions toward the end of the baking time. 

I was so happy inhaling this that I didn't take a picture.  It really looked a lot like the picture above.  Often my recipes look "different" from the beautiful example on the recipe, but this one looked just about as ooey and gooey with calories and deliciousness as above.

This would be a fun appetizer for an informal party this Christmas or New Year's.  Your fingers get buttery and gooey, and the boss's party isn't the place for this dish.  This actually would be a PERFECT dish for watching your favorite football bowl game.  We resorted to a fork and knife half way through, but it was too pretentious for this appetizer.  Enjoy!

Bacon/Ranch Pull Apart Bread:

1 unsliced loaf of round sourdough bread
8-12 ounces of shredded cheese (I used a cheddar/jack mix)
3 oz. of bacon bits or chopped bacon
1/2 cup of melted butter
1 Tbsp of ranch dressing MIX

Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place shredded cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Thoughtful Christmas Activities for Kids

As our family room mantle says, we try to keep our eyes off ourselves, especially at Christmas.  We don't even ask our kids what they "want" for Christmas.  They certainly make it known all year long.  My five year old caught wind of my mother asking about some toys I had mentioned for him, and he asks every day when he gets them.  Kids are wired to love the "gimme, gimme" of Christmas.

As a parent, I want my boys to focus on Christ and others at Christmas, and I need to planfully train them for this.  There are so many fun ways to practice a thoughtful Christmas.  We do the Jesse Tree advent activities, and many of our friends at church are celebrating St. Nicholas day today by practicing generosity with other families just as Pastor Nicholas did years ago.  I wish I had a post about this, but my pastor gave a great sermon about St. Nicholas and the way he handles "Santa Claus".  He mentions books and activities, so it is worth the listen here.

Also, two new ideas came to my attention via my Pinterest boards this year.  Check out their pictures and blog links below.


                           
The first was a mom from TSJ Photography who wanted her kids to serve others and learn the popular saying, "It is better to give than receive."  They made an advent calendar of service activities throughout December.  She even has a cute printable that tells others they have been "RACK'd"--been recipients of Random Acts of Christmas Kindness.  This would be a great way to write down a verse and even a summary of the gospel as you leave the note for others.

Here are some ideas that are random and not so random:  Bring a teacher, office staff person, or post office worker a Starbucks.  Pay for a person in the drive thru behind you.  Mail or drop off anonymous gift cards to families you know who are in need of some "help" this Christmas.  Help a family put up Christmas lights who have illness or other reason for this being difficult (remember to help take them down after Christmas).  Buy a Christmas tree for a young family who might not be able to afford one this Christmas.  Leave a pretty Poinsettia on the doorstep of a widow or single mom.  Make dinner for someone who is having trials this season.  Invite single or lonely neighbors to your home to have dinner with your family.  Pass out free hot cocoa  or cider to people driving around looking at lights in your neighborhood.  Sing with your kids and leave Christmas caroling song messages on people's message machines (short songs and a sweet message).  Let someone else have the amazing parking spot you just found.  Be creative! If you have older kids, let them help you think of nice activities you can do. Depending on your routine, circumstances, and neighborhood, the ideas will be specific and unique.


         
This other idea is much like the Jesse Tree.  Pinfluence made a paper circle garland, but glued scripture print outs that point to Christ on each paper ring.  Each day, you and the kids can rip off a garland ring and read the scripture together.  This would be a fun activity to do at dinner.  Pinfluence even includes free scripture ideas and downloads on the link. 

Have a beautiful day celebrating God's generosity and gifts to us by focusing on Christ and being generous to with others!

Christmas Card Rejects

I was considering NOT doing Christmas cards this year when we were without a job, but Ryan really wanted to still do them.  My super sweet friend, Jenny, asked if she could bless us by taking family pictures for free. 

She was amazing with the camera! 

My two boys were not. 

They are five and two, and trying to get a picture of all of us looking is like climbing Mount Everest.  Difficult.  We did find a couple pictures we could use.  We got the two year old to smile like last year--by tickling him.  Try it.  It is the greatest trick ever.  My husband has become a master of posing like he is holding still while still inconspicuously tickling the two year old for a smile.

I thought I give you some Friday light heartedness and show you what my boys do on 99% of our pictures.  These are some of our favorite rejects . . .

Micah wouldn't put down the Mickey Mouse telephone toy and play along.  I think this was the FIRST picture--sigh.

Micah is not enjoying being tickled and the five year old is being goofy.

See the mischief all over his face?  It is oozing out.  He is thinking, "How can I be cute and then run away really fast and ruin the picture?"

A much needed time out from pictures.

And that's a wrap!

I love my little, crazy boys!  Those who know me know how high energy they are!  I hope I gave you a smile for the weekend!

 

Our Unemployment Story: God's Good Gifts

                   
If you follow my posts, you might have realized our family has been in the trial of unemployment.  My husband worked for a national fast food company as a director of finance.  After 12 years with the company, he was told he was being let go last May and his last day of work was the Friday before Labor Day.  The company did bless us with severance, which we know was a gift from God.

So, we have been looking for a job for 7 months, since the May announcement, but jobs were very slow in even appearing on the job lists.  He had many interviews, but the processes were extremely slow and nothing seemed to be fruitful.  Companies would decide not to hire anyone due to the economy, they would change the title and pay to where it was not feasible for Ryan, or they would want some crazy skill that Ryan didn't have--international experience/banking experience/healthcare experience/techonology experience.

We knew that God had a plan.  He had allowed many different "random" circumstances lead to Ryan's unemployment, so we knew he would do the same to provide employment for our family.  It was hard not knowing if God wanted us to move to a smaller home, to look into a different type of career, to have me work part time, or to look at jobs in places that would require us to relocate, but we prayed we would be able to do whatever He willed with joy and contentment.  God slowly peeled away layers of entitlement and anxiety to refine us and grow us in our spiritual maturity.

We had hoped and prayed that Ryan would have a job by the time we got to November.  We were told by several people that job availabilities and interviews came to a standstill over the holidays.  November 1st came and went, and we hunkered down for a frugal Christmas season, with our eyes hopeful on January and early spring.

God picked the most unlikely circumstances and timing to bring us a job.  November 17th, two days before Ryan's birthday, Ryan got an e-mail from an old co-worker who had been talking to executives over at El Pollo Loco (a grilled chicken fast food restaurant in western states), and they were looking for a new finance director to work in their marketing department.  This co-worker told them he knew the man for the job, and he forwarded Ryan's resume from his LinkedIn page.  All of this happened without Ryan knowing!  Ryan got a call at the end of the same workday asking him to be at El Pollo Loco at 8:45 the next morning to interview with two executives. 

In past job interviews, Ryan had been given about 2 week time intervals between contact and interview dates, and, after that, many layers of interviews that went on for months.  This contact to interview was all within 24 hours!

Ryan's interview lasted 4 hours, and he ended up meeting not only the 2 executives, but the whole executive team and the president.  He was asked to return on Monday to go to a training for a new technology they were using and to interview with HR.  He had a job offer on Wednesday afternoon, and we spent Thanksgiving day truly feeling the provision of God with keen awareness!  He signed the paperwork the day after Thanksgiving and started his job today!

We smile at how God broke all the rules in order to prove to us that this job was from Him and nothing of our own doing.  Ryan didn't apply for the job, but it came to him without his knowledge.  He got the job in a traditionally slow hiring season.  He was able to move from hearing about the job to getting a job offer in less than a week--much different than ANY job interview process he had faced before. 

We are praising God for His goodness to us and for providing us with a job.  We are thankful that He grew us in this trial, and we have another example of God's faithfulness to strengthen our faith.  We are more than excited to share this story with everyone, as we know many people are facing financial struggles and other trials right now.  We pray you are encouraged in your prayers and waiting on Him.  To God be the glory and the honor.  We are thankful for His goodness to us!

James 1:17   Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.