MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Decorating at the Hyde's!

Christmas is getting really close!  Last year I donated most all my decorations and started fresh this year, here are some snip-its around our home that gives us holiday cheer!

Jingle bells around candles

This is a decoration I've had forever and decided it was a keeper

Dining room centerpiece

Living room tree, we hand picked each ornament individually this year for our tree and am very happy how it turned out

Basement tree

Basement tree

Merry Mistletoe Candle

Our mistletoe

Not sure how accurate this will be by the time I post!

Thanks for all your cards!  I love opening each of them.

Our last 3 Christmas cards framed and use for home decor

An Unhurried Holiday

A few weeks ago I was reading a devotional email I subscribe to and have been thinking about that particular message these past few days.  The past few years, we have done a fairly good job of focusing on slowing down our holidays but this year, it seems like we have let that slipped a bit and have been feeling overwhelmed with our December schedule.  So with the few days we have left, I'm going to try to implement this slow down and remember Jesus is the reason for the season!  Here is the devotional message below, take time to read it, it's a good one!!!  

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Luke 2:16 (NIV)

"Hurry up! We're going to be late to the choir concert!"

"Come on kids. Help me unload these groceries right now. I've got to get these cookies baked before bedtime."

"Is it 6 a.m. already? I gotta get to that door buster sale as soon as it opens so I don't miss out on the deals!"

With the holiday season upon us, the music at the mall announces that folks are dreaming of a white Christmas. That may be true. But in reality, many women are dreaming of something else white: a little more white space on our December calendars!

Pageants. Parties. Shopping trips. Baking days. Wrapping nights. At every turn there are people to see, things to do, stuff to buy. The hustle and bustle of this supposed-to-be-happy season can knock the holly-jolly right out of our holidays and replace it with hurried-up headaches instead.

As a result, our calendars become overloaded, crowding out the spiritual significance of the season.

I wonder if the participants in the original Christmas story ever dreamed that the celebration of Christ's birth would become so hassled and hurried. The shepherds? The angels? The wise men? Mary and Joseph too?

Was hurriedness present the night Jesus was born? We might think that it was not. But actually, there was hurry present that night. However, it wasn't to the mall or grocery store that people were rushing.

The shepherds were working in the fields when suddenly an ensemble of angels told them the Christ Child had been born. Luke 2:16 says they hurried off to find Him lying in a manger.

If I had been one of those shepherds, I would have been quiet and amazed once I got there. Being around a newborn baby makes me speak in a hushed tone and feel such awe as I see new life. In the presence of Jesus I wonder if those men too were settled and silent.

Maybe we could do the same today. In the midst of our holiday hustle and tasks, we could stop; leave our work. We could slow down long enough to hurry in another direction. We could put our activities on hold so we might quietly meet with our Lord. We could be settled and silent in the presence of Jesus.

As a result we just might discover an unhurried holiday: a season that will strengthen us spiritually instead of sapping our energy and joy.

How about it? Will we pause and purpose to hurry into His presence instead of rushing from task to task? Dare we linger long enough to be refreshed by the company of the One whom the holiday is really about? The tasks will wait while we do.

Here's to more "white space" this Christmas; space that creates more room in our days for meeting with Jesus!

Dear Lord, remind me daily that it's You I should rush to during the holiday hustle. Not things. Not activities. I want to seek and find only You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Thanksgiving Week (WAY LATE) Pictures!

I know this is WAY late but I've been having some major issues with blogger so bear with me as I'm just now getting my photos to finally upload to Blogger from Thanksgiving Weekend.  I've spent literally hours banging my head on my keyboard, my Picasa web album is full so I couldn't upload to Blogger and had to resort to opening a Flickr account....  I have such a love/hate relationship with this blog!  But anyways, here they are....

On Thanksgiving Day, we spent the day with Aaron's side of the family! 

My niece Aniston, who is growing by the hour I swear! 

She's much more shy than her older sister

My other niece Adalyn, loves her flashcards!

Having fun!

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we headed to my parents for my nephew's first birthday party!

Hanging out

My brother Cody and I

Love my Grandma! 

Jolie getting ready for the party 

And here is the birthday boy Elijah! 

Eli and Aunt Erin hanging out

This boy sure knew what to do when he was handed a gift!

My brother and his family, Jolie and Elijah

Time for CAKE!

So delicate at first 

 

Time to get down to business!

"Mmmm... this is WAY better than that puree you give me called baby food"

Handfuls... SURE! 

YUM!  Happy Boy! 

"Since you are all family... don't mind me doing a nose dive into my cake" 

"What's so cute about this people?!?"

Yes I do have cake up my nose, I may be saving that for later!  

Dang good! 

My fist taste extra good covered in frosting

What a FUN time it was celebrating Elijah's first birthday!!! He is a hoot!

And let's not forget Charley, she didn't get any turkey but she did get her puppy latte! 

My 18 Pound Bundle of Joy

I know Thanksgiving is done and over with but I'm behind on posts and wanted to share the results of my first attempt at a whole turkey this year.  In the past I have just done turkey breasts so this was a big deal to make a whole turkey.

Going into this, I was very nervous, I didn't want to screw up such an important meal.  After numerous talks with my Mom and Grandma in which I took many notes during those conversations and numerous visits to Butterball's website, I was rearin' to give it a whirl.

I figured, if I'm going to go to this much trouble to make a meal, I'm going to buy a big turkey so I went with an 18 pound-er, ya I wasn't messing around!  My original thoughts were I was going to make a Thanksgiving meal for family but it didn't work out this year to do so but figured I would invite some friends over to partake in our feast.  Being that I was a newbie to this whole turkey thing, I only invited close friends, that way if it didn't turn out, I wouldn't be embarrassed because they can vouch that I'm a good cook otherwise.

I also was thinking, okay what is my 'Plan B' if this doesn't turn out?  Go to the grocery store, buy a pre-made rotisserie chicken and pass it off to my friends that it is turkey?  Yep, a perfect  'Plan B' was set in place!  Luckily, Plan B was not necessary because I'm thinking my friends would have known I fed them chicken.

Prepping the turkey did give me a bit of anxiety, I had a few moments where I wasn't understanding my notes that I had took from my mom.  I then did a live chat with a Butterball representative just to clarify a few things.  Once I got it into the roaster, I felt a sense of relief that the hard part was over with. Surprisingly, I was only mildly grossed out by the uncooked bird, I just tried not to think about it too much as I was prepping it.

Turkey turned out fantastic!  Got done earlier than I was expecting but it all worked out fabulously!  Aaron and our friends complimented the meal and now I'm confident in my Thanksgiving Day skills.  I'm feeling so good about it all, I think I will invite my family up next year to host Thanskgiving.  Gooble Gooble!

I highly recommend using a roaster to free up your oven space

And she's prepped and ready to go! Notice my leg and wing tucking skills...

Thanks mom for giving me my Christmas gift of turkey plates early for our festivities!  I love them! 

Aaron craving his first turkey!  Everyone was suppose to wear their ugly Christmas sweater to dinner but Aaron and I were the only goofballs dressed up for the occasion 

Mark and Nikki popping the champagne 

Taters! 

Apple Walnut Cranberry Salad

Gooble Gooble 

Green Bean Casserole 

Apple Caramel Cheesecake (compliments of Nikki)

Not pictured: gravy, rolls, deviled eggs & pumpkin souffle.

BIG THANKS TO MY MOM FOR ALL THE ADVICE!  Pretty sure I would have screwed it up and we would have been eating chicken if it wasn't for all the expert advice I received!  :)