What are you baking for Christmas?

I plan to have a Christmas baking day next week.  Here is what I plan to make...

Christmas Petit Fours from Molly at Mentoring Moments for Christian Women:  When I saw this recipe, I knew instantly I had to make a batch.  Those of you who read regularly may recall that I studied French in school for a variety of, ahem, weird unorthodox reasons.  Petit Fours would be one of those reasons.  The boys will get these as a special pre-Christmas treat.  After I let them grab a few each, I will quickly take the remainder to neighbors so I will not eat them all! :)

Molly recently posted another great recipe at MMCW, German Apple Strudel.  I won't be baking this one this year.  However, Molly has brought this to our church's fellowship meal, and I have tasted the results.  YUMMO!  I hope Molly brings some to church again.

*HINT, HINT*

*WINK, WINK*

Alright, IRLs, it's time to look away!

And NO peeking!

ARE YOU PEEKING?!?

Snickers Surprise Cookies, found at Taste of Home:  I am making these to give to friends.  Shhh...it's a surprise.  That's why I told them to look away!  They better not be peeking.  :)

Okay, IRLs, you may join us again. 

Although I seriously doubt they ever looked away.

Cheaters! ;)

Red Velvet Trifle from the Food Network:  This one has toasted coconut in it!  My boys are salivating at the thought of it. We will enjoy this after our Christmas Eve meal...if I can keep my children from eating all the coconut first!

So, now it's your turn.  What do you plan to bake for Christmas, New Year's, or just because?  I'm not going to meme this, so please comment and feel free to copy and paste URLs in there that will take us to related posts at your blog or recipes at reputable sites.  Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Happy Baking!
Dawn

Thank you to Molly and MMCW for granting me permission to post their petit four picture!

Preparing Tables, Preparing Hearts

Dear Readers,
I searched through my archives last night in hopes of finding something I could republish as a holiday greeting.  I am thankful for you and that you are keeping this blog alive even though I cannot give it much attention right now.  The post below is what I found to share, and it really set me thinking.  I was searching for something for you to enjoy but found a kick in the hiney word of encouragement that I needed instead. 

Admittedly, I'm not feeling particularly festive this year. I am feeling the burn from a few rough months and am more inclined to collapse face down onto my bed than to scrub and polish my house, plan a menu, gather supplies, decorate, and cook. Thanks to my wonderful mother, who is cooking our Thanksgiving meal this year, I have much, much less to do than normal.

However, even though I won't be preparing the table this week, I am not off the hook.  I can't just collapse.  That would be giving up on the most important job a mom has...leading her little ones to worship God.  My little ones aren't as little as when I originally wrote this piece, but they need me to do my job just the same.  So, though I won't be preparing a table, by God's grace, I need to persevere in preparing hearts (including my own)....

What a very busy week! The holiday rush has begun. I have scrubbed and polished my home from ceiling to floor. I have planned the menu and gathered supplies for decorating. I have supervised and edited as the boys have finished their "Merry Thanksbirthsary" projects. Everything is nearly in place, and I am close to being ready to receive my guests and fill their plates.

However, I hope to accomplish more. I hope that as I open the doors to my home and receive my family and friends that they will feel love and warmth. I pray that they will truly celebrate and that the sights, smells, flavors and experiences of the day will remain in their memories for years to come.

More importantly, I pray that Thanksgiving will be a day of reflection and genuine thanks in our home. I pray for true contentment and grateful hearts as we acknowledge that all we have is from God. I pray also we will recognize and give thanks for more than temporal things. I long for my family to rejoice and say, O death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!  From the time we carve the turkey until we slice the pumpkin pie, may we rejoice in Christ and celebrate what He has accomplished.  (1 Cor 15:55-57)

So ladies, scrub, polish, plan, prepare, cook and bake.

And as we clean the house, let us pray for those who will fill our homes with the sounds of celebration.

As we plan our menu, let us pray for those who will gather around our table. 

As we stir, mix, slice, and chop, let us be thankful to God for all He has provided. 

As we set the table and open our doors, let us do our part to make our Thanksgiving feasts a time of speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and praising in our hearts to the Lord, giving thanks at all times for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, even to God the Father.  (Eph 5:19-20)

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Chatty Birthday

Since our fall break falls between the boys' birthdays,

we took them to Chattanooga as a late-for-one,

early-for-the-other present.

Such a beautiful city!

Their favorite part was getting to meet up with the Kingdom Arrows!
Here, they are outside the Scopes Trial Museum.

Michael and I enjoyed the extra day off
and the cool fall weather!
Ahhh...so refreshing!

They also got to see the Chattanooga Choo Choo!
left to right: Orville, Gracie Girl, Joy Bug, and Wilbur

The boys requested a double-decker bus tour of the city
as part of their birthday present.
Wilbur, whose birthday is today,
enjoyed sharing a seat with Joy Bug.
(He liked the free Moon Pie and
Double Cola that came with the tour, too!)

Happy 11th birthday, Wilbur!

I love you!!

National Pi Day

photo credit

Did you know that March 14 is National Pi Day?


Get it?

3-14
three point one four

Edited from original post: This year we have the chance to celebrate the Pi Day of the Century!

Since pi = 3.141592653...

(Thank you, Google!)

...we have the opportunity to celebrate 3-14-15
So make sure you have dinner at 9:26:53 and you will be a Super Pi Star!

But if you're like me, you'll probably just eat whenever there's time. ;)

Okay, back to the original post....

Since March 14th falls on Sunday this year (Not really! It's on Saturday in 2015), we will complete our activities on Monday. Here is what I have lined up for the day.

1. Complete a few of the activities from this resource.
2. Go to the pool and determine how many laps each of us can swim in 3 minutes, 14 seconds.
3. Calculate the average number of laps we swam.
4. Calculate the circumference and area of circles of varying sizes.
5. Create a piece of artwork using circles only.

And last but not least...

Enjoy a Pi(e) Dinner!

Oh yeah!

 

Pie. For Dinner!

 

My people are all about the pie. Chicken pot pie is a favorite that has to make its way to the table every now and again. In fact, pie dinner became tradition at our house purely by accident.

One night, I was utterly exhausted-- completely out of spoons. (That's code for energy among those with chronic illness.) I looked something like this...

 

The hungry people at my house still required food, though. And for some strange reason, they looked to me to provide it. Shocking, I know.

I plodded into Kroger and didn't have the energy to make it past the bakery. The apple pie looked really good. It was already baked and everything. And it had apples... that's fruit, people! Fruit!

Don't judge me.

As healthy as my plan was, I knew Michael would want more than just pie. Perhaps some ice cream on top? So I sent the boys around to the freezer section to grab a carton of French vanilla. The clever one saw pot pies and grabbed four of them. My two little stinkers came running back up to the front of the store so proud of what they had acquired.

Look, Mommy! Pot PIIIIIES! We loooooove pot pie!!

We can eat apple pie and pot pie, and it will be a big pie dinner!

A tired, spoon-less mother cannot argue with that logic or temper that enthusiam. Pot pie and apple pie it was.

I was declared the best.mom.ever as my sons danced around the dinner table, stuffing their mouths with various pastry delights, singing the apple pie version of Bill Cosby's "Chocolate Cake Song."

 

 

Mom is fly... give us the apple pie!

 

Shazam! Pie dinner was born. Now, the tradition lives on every March 14th. Pie dinner has rightfully moved to Pi Day.

 

This year, I have a few more available spoons and will serve my secret weapon, Ham Pie, with Michael's all-time favorite dessert, pudding pie.

Real cooked food! I'm so granola.

Ahem, here are the recipes:

Ham Pie (adapted from a Ham and Swiss Pastry Bake found in this cookbook)


2 cups cooked, cubed ham
1 cup grated cheese (we prefer swiss)
1 bag of Mirepoix Style Blend
(Kroger brand frozen veggie, thaw first; if you don't shop at Kroger it is about 1 1/2 cups combined of chopped carrots, onion, and celery)
1 tsp dried mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup light mayo
1 9 in deep dish frozen pie shell, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Mix all ingredients and pour into pie crust
3. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes
4. That's it! It's sooooo easy!

Dawn's Pudding Pie

2 large boxes of instant pudding
3 cups of milk (I use 2 %)
1 large tub or 2 smaller tubs of fat free Cool Whip
1 graham cracker pie crust

1. Mix pudding with 2 cups of milk.
2. Stir in additional milk, until the mixture is smooth but not runny.
3. Stir in cool whip and mix on high until fluffy and firm.
4. Pour into pie crust and refrigerate for about one hour before serving.
5. Seriously, that's all! Easy Peasy, too.

Isn't Pi Day the best holiday of them all? You can't get any easier than that, folks... except maybe to get yourself something store-bought. But you would never do that, would you?! Lol!

(Go ahead... buy Marie Callender's! I won't tell.) :)

 

If you plan to celebrate, please share any fun activities you have planned!

Happy Pi Day!

Dawn

Celebrating Advent

During the Advent season, our family worship takes on a Christmas theme. Last year I wrote Advent about our traditions. Michael reads to us from Scripture that explains one element of our Jesse tree each night. We sing Christmas hymns, memorize Bible verses from the Christmas story, and read The Advent book.

This year, Michael thought we needed to change things a little. The boys have reached that place in their development that they know the Christmas story inside and out. We are also incorporating a lot of Scripture memory into our regular school day. It's not that we think you can reach a place of knowing Scripture too well; however, he thought it would be beneficial to build on the foundation that has been laid. This year he is not reading the Advent book and we are not having the boys memorize Christmas verses.

Instead he is holding a sword drill. Each night he reads an Old Testament prophecy and the New Testament fulfillment and requires the boys to learn the Scripture reference for each. After he does some teaching and discussing with us, I read one of the passages for the night, not naming the reference. He and the boys seek it out in their Bibles and step forward when it is found. Once all three have located the passage, I call on one of them to read the reference and the first phrase, much like a traditional Sword Drill.

In between passages, I call out a book of the Bible. Each boy locates it and steps forward. Michael participates and occasionally pretends to have difficulty locating the book. The boys think this is a lot of fun and work hard to "get there" before Dad.

We still sing Christmas hymns and let the boys explain the Jesse tree ornaments. We are having such a great Advent season singing and worshipping, spending time in the Word, learning together, and having fun as a family.

When we finish our family worship time, the boys take a piece of candy from this candy tree we made quickly and easily with toothpicks and a Styrofoam base.

I would love to hear from you. What are your Advent traditions? You can leave a comment if you would like or participate in the new discussion I started on the topic in my Blog Frog community.

Happy Advent!

Dawn

A Whole Bunch of Christmas Stuff

Milestone Monday

Having colds did not keep us from having a good time over the holidays. Here is what happened on the days we weren't sick.

Christmas Eve: Each year we have a family dinner with my parents on this night. This year we also had their ruby anniversary celebration. Michael finished the evening with our last Advent devotion.

The Ruby Anniversary Celebration

Peppermint Sundaes for Dessert

A Ruby Cardinal by Wilber

Finishing Our Advent Season

Christmas Day: We started with sweet rolls for breakfast and then opened presents.

After the presents were opened, we went to Papaw's and Nohnie's house for a lunch of finger foods. The boys thought that there were no more presents because Mom and Dad had brought a couple of small presents to our house for them. After lunch, Papaw raised the blinds in the kitchen to reveal a new trampoline!

While they were jumping, Nohnie placed two more presents under the tree. We called them inside, and Orville said, "Hey look! Somebody forgot to open a present!" He looked at the tags and prompted Wilber to come to the tree so they could open these last two presents. Inside each box was a new bicycle helmet.

They both looked at Papaw and explained that they had outgrown their bikes. They were so nice and politely explained that they could not use them. Papaw said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. We'll just have to go to Wal Mart and exchanged them."

I played along and said, "You know, Wal Mart is open now. Let's go get in your van and drive to Wal Mart to exchange them." We led the boys to the garage. They completely believed us and thought we were going to get in the van. Sitting behind the van were two new bikes. Wilber looked at them, eyes wide and mouths agape, and asked, "You bought us bicycles, too?" Precious!

Following Monday: We headed toward Michael's sister's house to visit with his side of the family. En route, we met our friends from college, Heather and Dan, at Denny's. Our boys enjoyed visiting with their daughters while we parents enjoyed each other's company. We hadn't seen each other in years, but it was as if we hadn't missed a day. I was so excited to see my dear friends that I forgot to take a picture!

Orville's Drawing of the Two Families at Denny's

That evening we went to visit more friends, Roger and Amy. They are also friends of ours from college. In fact, Roger and Amy, Dan and Heather, and Michael and I all met at our alma mater's BSU. Amy cooked us a wonderful dinner and we had so much fun talking and reminiscing. Orville and Wilber got to make another new friend and enjoyed playing with their son. Once again, I was too busy enjoying myself to think to take a picture. Bad me!!

Orville's Drawing of Dinner with Our Friends

Tuesday and Wednesday (New Year's Eve): Michael's sister hosted our second Christmas celebration. The cousins had so much fun playing together. We exchanged gift baskets, and all the grandkids opened their gifts from their paternal grandparents. Kristi (Michael's sis) was the hostess with the mostest! She prepared a wonderful celebration, and a good time was had by all. We left late in the day on New Year's Eve and saw fireworks several times on the way home. It was beautiful!

Wilbur Opening His Grandparents' Present

Orville Opening His Grandparents' Present

Our Nieces Enjoying Lunch

Orville, Wilbur and Their Older Boy Cousins Enjoying Lunch

Our Twin Niece and Nephew

Uncle Michael with Our Newborn Nephew

Wilbur's Drawing of the Fireworks

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Cookie Factory

Last Friday, my kitchen transformed into a cookie factory. I decided to do extra baking this year and make an assortment of Christmas cookies. By making two batches of four different cookies, I had enough to make goodie bags for our friends and neighbors and to fill a few cookie jars for my boys. Below are pictures of the treats I made with links to the recipes.

Peppermint Patties
These were the easiest of all to make. However, the white chocolate chips did not melt well. It made a thick, paste-like icing and did not drizzle. I had to frost each cookie with the melted chocolate instead. If I make these again, I will use white almond bark.


Holiday Trees
These were great! The dough was simple to make and easy to roll out. It kept its form well, too. They were yummy, especially after dipping them in almond bark.



Crunchy Cereal Wreaths
In my opinion, these win the cutest-cookie-ever award. My kids loved them. The coconut gave them a little nicer flavor than the run-of-the-mill Rice Krispie treat. They were messy to make though. I could not form them as instructed in the recipe. I had to spray a large spoon with Pam and scoop out a ball of the mixture. Then I placed it on wax paper and formed the wreath shape by hand. It was a sticky mess.


Sweet Coconut Snowballs
These got rave reviews from everyone, and they were very easy to make. I do not have a food processor, so I used my blender for that step.




Candied Almonds

Although not a cookie, this simple, tasty treat is post-worthy. I first made these two years ago when we celebrated a Colonial Christmas. My family loved them, and they are a must-have each holiday season.

Happy Baking!

Celebrating the Season

Thrifty Thursday

Molly @ Counter-Cultural Mom is hosting a blog carnival. Join her as she asks us to share our favorite Christmas resources. This week, we are to share our favorite books and music.

There are two books that we read every year, The Advent Book by Jack and Cathy Stockman and The Tale of Three Trees, a Traditional Folktale retold by Angela Elwell Hunt. For more on how we use these books in our celebration, see my posts "Advent" and "The Three Trees."

The Advent Book is expensive. However, I found it for $25 with no shipping charge on Amazon. Amazon was also holding a promotional special for the Amazon Visa card the year I bought it, $25 off your first bill. So, I really got that one for free. I bought The Tale of Three Trees on ebay for around $6, including shipping.

I do not have many cd's. I think I have an Il Divo Christmas album somewhere, but couldn't find it. Mostly, we sing Christmas hymns from the Trinity Hymnal. I look forward to all of your suggestions. This is an area in which I need some help!

Advent

Teaching Tip Tuesday

The Advent season is upon us, and in our home, we have a few special traditions.

Each evening, the children join Michael and me on the couch where we sing either "O Come All Ye Faithful" or "Hark the Herald Angels." I have made a "song book" for each member of the family by printing lyrics on card stock and stapling the sheets together.

Next, Michael reads one page from The Advent Book by Jack and Cathy Stockman. In this beautifully illustrated book, each page is drawn to resemble the front of a church, and the church door "opens" to reveal the text. There is one page for each night of Advent, and each page tells part of the Christmas story. I have placed this book in my Shelfari in the sidebar for those interested in a closer look.

Afterward, the boys alternate turns finding the ornament for the night on our Jesse tree. I do not have a separate tree for this, but place the ornaments on our Christmas tree. Each night, we tell the boys which story of the Bible is the spotlight story. Then they tell us what they know about the event and find the ornament. Michael then reads a corresponding verse or Bible passage.


The ornaments we own were acquired at discount stores, most costing only $1, or we made them ourselves. We crafted an empty tomb out of clay and constructed Jacob's ladder from craft sticks. I only buy or make about four ornaments per year, so we use cards from the Bible game Redemption for those stories for which we do not own an ornament.

Our Variety of Handmade, Store-Bought

and Redemption Card Ornaments

Inside each pocket of the Advent calendar pictured to the left, I have placed pieces of candy and a slip of paper containing a memory verse. Each morning, the boys remove the paper from the pocket for the day and work on memorizing it in time for family worship. After our Jesse Tree time, they state the verse for the day and receive the candy.


We end our Advent observance with prayer and another Christmas hymn.


I so enjoy this season of family worship. It is simple to accomplish, has created lasting memories for our children and for us and keeps us focused on the only reason for the season, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Merry Thanksbirthsary Menu

If you read my post "Merry Thanksbirthsary," you know that our Thanksgiving is serving triple duty this year. We will celebrate Michael's parents 40th wedding anniversary and the boys' birthdays as well as give thanks. I have prepared the menu and wanted to share.

Appetizer
Spinach and cream cheese pastry puffs


Entree
Chicken Pot Pie


Side Dishes
Thanksgiving Medley
Roasted Garlic Corn- recipe below
Green Beans a la Dawn- recipe below
Pumpkin Butterscotch Muffins


Dessert
Waldorf Astoria Red Velvet Cake - a red cake for the "Ruby" anniversary!


Roasted Garlic Corn
1. Soften 1/2 cup sweet cream butter and blend in 4 cloves of garlic, minced.
2. Spread 1 tbsp. of butter mix on 1 ear of corn. Salt and pepper.
3. Wrap in aluminum foil. Place in slow cooker.
4. Repeat until desired number of ears of corn are complete.
5. Cover crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Green Beans a la Dawn
1. Place two large cans or 4 small cans of green beans with shellies in a slow cooker. I prefer Italian beans with shellies.
2. Cover with water. Add 2-3 tbsp. chicken boullion granules and mix until granules dissolve.
3. Add 2 tsp. each of garlic powder, onion salt and sage. Stir. Cover. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

The Three Trees

Teaching Tip Tuesday

Most of you have probably heard of the Tale of the Three Trees, a traditional folktale, retold by Angela Elwell Hunt. It is generally thought of as an Easter story, but in our house it is a Christmas tradition to read and discuss this beautifully written and illustrated children's book. A few years ago, I found the set of Christmas trees pictured below at our local Kroger store. (This is the best deal I could find online.) I initially bought them because I wanted to spruce up (pun intended) the fireplace. Every time I looked at them, I knew they reminded me of something, but I just could not pinpoint what it was. I don't remember exactly how I finally made the connection, but something jogged my memory, and I ordered a copy of the book.

Each year, after we finish decorating our home for Christmas, we read the story of how three trees, growing side-by-side on a hill, dream of greatness. One hopes to hold treasure. The second wants to be a great sailing ship, and the third wants to grow tall and point to God. All three find their dreams fulfilled, but in the much humbler form of a manger, a fishing boat, and a cross. Though they are not fashioned to be items of significance, each one plays a significant part in the ministry of Christ.

After reading, we discuss our dreams. Just like the trees, we have to remember that the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness. " And we must respond as Paul did, "Therefore, I will rather gladly boast in my weakness, that the power of Christ may overshadow me." 2 Cor 12:9 We talk about how our hopes and goals must be grounded in faith and we must not consider anything that the Lord calls us to do insignificant. Instead we remember that "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 1)

We also spread all of our Jesse tree ornaments (see this post by Counter-cultural school) across our table and talk about the purpose for decorating our tree this way. We teach that all of the Bible points to Christ, and that He was born to die. He came to earth to secure our salvation. The manger points to the cross, and the cross to the empty tomb. What a cause we have to celebrate!

Merry Thanksbirthsary

Milestone Monday

This year brings a wonderful milestone for my family. Michael's parents and mine married the same year, 1968, making this their 40th year together as husband and wife. Michael's parents are coming to visit us for Thanksgiving, and we will celebrate their anniversary, the boys' birthdays, and Thanksgiving in one grand feast. My parents were married closse to Christmas, so our Christmas dinner will serve double duty as a party for them. Thus, this brings the birth of a new holiday season in our home, Merry Thanksbirthsary!

The 40th anniversary is the "ruby" anniversary, and so I have planned a table setting and dinner to match this theme. I will post the menu with links to recipes on a Thrifty Thursday and pictures of the decor after the big event. Today, however, I want to share some of the school activities I have planned in which the boys will make gifts for their grandparents.

Papaw and Nohnie on Their Wedding Day

First, I am going to help the boys research the year 1968 and create a presentation to give during our celebration meal. Given the decade of their marriage, we will probably title it "It Was the Best of Times. It Was the Worst of Times."

I am also going to have them write a "When Papaw Met Nohnie" story and anther similar story for their paternal grandparents. They are going to conduct interviews via e-mail and phone this week to gather the facts about their grandparents' courtships. Then, they will each write a story detailing the events, including illustrations or photographs, quotes from the honorees, and an ending explaining why their marriages mean so much to the boys.

In keeping with the "ruby" theme, I will have each boy paint a "red" picture. Sort of like Picasso when he was in his rose phase, they will paint a picture in which shades of red are the dominant colors. It will make for a good art appreciation lesson, and if the pictures turn out not-so-great, their grandparents will love them anyway.

I look forward to celebrating this milestone with our family and praise the Lord for sustaining their marriage over the years. I also look forward to helping the boys appreciate their heritage and recognizing the blessings that God has given them... their grandparents.

Christmas Gift Baskets

Thrifty Thursday

The question of what to get my extended family for Christmas is always a perplexing one to answer. Michael and I have 13 nieces and nephews, all of whom we love dearly. We would give them each their dream gift if we had the money to do so. But alas, we just don't have the money to buy a gift for every member of the family.

We are blessed that all members of the family are Christians and have a proper perspective on the holidays and we have tried to find ways to show our love through giving without breaking the bank.

Last year, I experimented and found an approach that made everyone in the family happy.I made a movie-themed family gift basket for each of our siblings to share with their families. I did the bulk of my shopping at the Dollar Tree, our local everything-for-$1 store. I bought a red serving tray to use as the base and shredded paper to line the tray. Our Dollar Tree also sells a variety of animated movies based on classic literature such as A Christmas Carol, The Last of the Mohicans, and Don Quixote. They also sell books on c.d. We have added Wind in the Willows, Call of the Wild, and Anne of Green Gables, just to name a few, to our collection. I bought each family 3 movies and 2 audio books.

I added microwavable popcorn to the basket. I bought one large box and divided the bags so that each basket received an equal number. I also bought traditional movie theater candy like Junior Mints, Skittles, and Twizzlers. I found some of the candy at the Dollar Tree and bought the rest at Walgreens with coupons. If you have a Walgreens in your area, they offer great coupons and deals this time of year. I arranged everything on the tray and wrapped it in holiday-themed cellophane wrap (also bought at the Dollar Tree) and added ribbon and a bow for a finishing touch. I spent less than $20 per basket, well within my budget.

Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of my baskets to share. I wasn't blogging this time last year. I did, however, just hear from my sisters-in-law that they loved the baskets and want to do the same thing this year! They said that their families loved having a great movie night together, and the kids of course loved the candy and popcorn! Yippee!!!! A happy holiday solution!

Now, does anyone have a basket theme suggestion I could use this year?

Happy Birthday Bruster!

My Little Surprise

You are the greatest surprise of my life,

and how I praise the Lord for you.

It is a joy to be your mom.

Have a terrific birthday.

I love you, my baby.