Happy New Year

Happy New Year to you! I hope and pray that you will be aware of what God is doing in and around your life this year.
I'm up and around early this New Year's day. I guess I'm just excited that it is now a new year and a fresh new start. It's like starting a new scrapbook, excited to see how it all turns out. First off I'm anxiously looking forward to the return of the Lord-Can this be the year?!!!
Actually, I can hardly sleep in but hopefully, I get a few winks sometime today. I was up until 2 am playing Risk. (not my normal bedtime) I love playing Risk. I played with my husband, son and one of his friends. I made a fatal mistake at the end and ended up loosing to my son.
The traditions at our home on New Year's Eve is to stay up and bring in the new year with homemade eggnog. The kids grab pots and pans and big spoons and go outdoors and bang on them, the dog goes wild and runs around in a frenzy!! We also eat tapioca pudding-a crazy tradition but we do it. The most fun though when the kids were younger was to play a game we call "hunkle, bunkle, beanstalk. We've had a lot of laughs with this family game!!
Please pray for my friend Millie. She is in a hospital because of a burst vessle in her brain. Her family is with her and they need prayer also. She was flown out of state to a hospital in Seattle.

More of the cookie exchange

snow removal

Here are some slides of Jim and my dad removing snow from my Dad's driveway. This snow accumulated in about 3 hours. They cleaned the driveway 3 times during this snow storm on the 23rd of December.

Christmas 2006

Here are some slides of "some" of the activities at the cookie exchange!

Christmas cookies again

I can't believe this but I forgot to take a photo of the cookies that I took to the cookie exchange. They are called "Chocolate Thumbprints". If you like chocolate and need a chocolate FIX, these will do it. These look festive and are delicious. The recipe is from Tast of Home magazine.

Chocolate Thumbprints
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, separated
1/3 cup baking cocoa
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1/4 vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon butter
26 milk chocolate kisses, unwrapped

In mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, egg yolk, milk and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Cover and chill 1hour or until firm enough to rool into balls. Mewnwhile, in a small bown, lightlly beat egg white. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; dip in egg white, then roll in nuts. Place on greased baking sheets. Make an indentation with thumb in center in each cookie. Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until center is set. Combine the first four filling ingredients in a small bowl; mix until smooth. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon into ech warm cookie; gently press a chocolate kiss in the center. Carefully remove from baking sheet to wire racks to cool.

2006 Christmas Cookie Exchange

Here is a slide show:

These are the cookies brought by all those who attended the cookie exchange hosted by my sister Shirlee. My cousin Glennora was in charge of the entertainment!! Needless to say, we had a blast!!!! We had some delicious food to eat, gifts brought to us by beautiful "Santa's helpers", and a gift exchange.