I'll Be Home For Christmas..

Actually, we all will be. The project here in Billings is coming to a close and we'll be heading out early tomorrow morning. It'll take three days to get there, but the drive south will be a delightful winter wonderland with all the snow Wyoming and Colorado has gotten as of late.

I will be keeping blogging in perspective in the coming weeks. Our internet connection at home is dial-up (here we go again) and though some can function with dial-up fairly well, we cannot. When we were home around Thanksgiving, it was taking me nearly an entire day to make a post with a graphic/photo included. Many times, pages would not even load leaving me with no other choice than to start over.  

May the Lord bless you richly and give you peace unimaginable.

~ Angela

Cherry Snowballs

We made these last week for my cherry-lovin' daughter, Sarah. She also loves coconut, so these were a real hit with her. They are like a butter cookie with a cherry surprise inside. Once baked and cooled, they are then dunked in a glaze and rolled in chopped coconut. Though these would not be my first pick - (after all they don't include chocolate OR pecans ) I still give this recipe two thumbs up. They are VERY festive! The presentation is beautiful. The cookie part is delicious and overall a really good cookie. If you really like cherries and coconut, this is a wonderful addition to your Christmas cookie list. Try them! If you do, leave me a comment and tell me how you liked them.

~ Merry Christmas ~

Salt Dough Ornaments

We've made these simple little ornaments several times over the years. They make great gifts for SS teachers, co-op teachers and little friends. They're super-easy and so much fun!

Salt Dough Ornaments

Merry Christmas!

Snowy Thursday in Billings, MT.

I realized that I didn't fully explain the slide-show below (previous post). I intended to say that the little house is where we are staying. Isn't God so good to provide just what we need? He is just soo perfectly wonderful. We're really enjoying our little abode. It's a little two bedroom/one bath house, but part of a privately owned extended stay hotel. The actual hotel is behind us on a main thoroughfare and we're one block over on this quiet, little street. We've got a front and back yard, furniture, a fully stocked kitchen, and CABLE! Do you know just how valuable cable can be on a snowy, freezing Saturday? The show "How It's Made" passes for school in my book! The way I see it we're on a field trip every time we watch it. Hee-hee...

As most of you know, it snowed last week. We got here just in time. It was so beautiful....operative word - was - the high temp yesterday was 51 and today was about the same, maybe a bit cooler. So, the snow is gone for now. We've got more coming tomorrow and we're in for a snowy weekend. We had high hopes of making it to Yellowstone, but I'm not so sure we'll make it. After a bit of digging, I discovered that all of the roads in the park, with the exception of one which doesn't lead to Old Faithful, are closed for the winter. We'd still be able to go but here's the obstacle: Apparently, they aren't officially open for the "winter" yet. During these first snowfalls, they allow the snow to accumulate and pack. When they determine there's enough, they pack it some more and groom the roads for passage. Visitors may then drive to the various entrances, depending on where you're coming from (providing those roads are passable; check for local road conditions BEFORE you head out!!) and take a snow coach (basically a van on tracks) to the various sites in the interior of the park. So, here's the catch..."winter season" doesn't usually begin in the park until around December 15th and we may be well on our home by then. All is certainly not lost though, we've seen some incredible views thus far and our way home through Denver will be sufficient if we happen to miss Yellowstone.

Wordless Wednesday

...Or NOT so wordless, whatever the case may be...I'm trying to catch up to where we are today but there's SO many pictures it's hard to pick just a few! They're ALL so incredible and I find myself wanting to describe/explain each and every one. Either I talk/chat TOO much and bore folks with minor details only I think are interesting OR I opt to dish it out with very little commentary. I'm just an all-or-nothing kinda gal, I guess. My current reading material, The Birth Order Book, by Kevin Leman, sure isn't helping matters. I'm a firstborn through and through....~sigh~...well on to better things.....

The slideshow begins with the Montana state sign. The few pics following are various views along I90 from the state line to Billings. The further we traveled, the snow became more visible and the terrain was very much like the "West"...caprocks and rolling hills mixed with mostly plains. I had high hopes that the Rockies would be visible from Billings (like they are in Denver), but they aren't. It doesn't take long to get into some mountaneous areas though which is just what we did this past Sunday. Those pictures are coming!

Blessings to you from blustery Montana ~

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For more WW posts, visit Tiany's blog.

Sarah's 12th Birthday

Our firstborn turned 12 yesterday. How can it be?? Wasn't it just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital? Oh, how I remember and cherish those days. The first few days were filled with such questions. Her APGAR score was low, she was not responding to a preliminary hearing test performed at the hospital, she was not latching on - and being the determined breastfeeding mother that I was, I didn't allow any other forms of feeding - so she lost weight rapidly. Additionally, she had a gaping hole in her heart and the doctors determined she had some sort of facial paralysis. Given an overall assessment the pediatrician thought it best to have her tested for Down's Syndrome. Eventually, we also discovered she has Duane's Syndrome (an eye condition where her eyes do not work together)

~ Whew ~ ...All that the first few days.....

And yet.....The Lord sustained us. It was one of the strongest times in the Lord for me.

...And just look at HIS beautiful creation!

His grace has been sufficient.

~ Happy Birthday Sarah ~