Christmas Eve with the Smiths

Every year we spend Christmas Eve with my side of the family, we usually do some sort of brunch or lunch at my parents house and exchange some gifts there and then move on to the extended Smith family at my Grandma Smith's house. I think the way my grandma decorates for Christmas is awesome! She puts a tree in every room of her house and often has themed decorations for them. When I was little she would transform her china cabinet into Santa's House, complete with Santa snoozing upstairs and Mrs. Claus knitting in her rocker in the living room. Since my grandpa died about 8 years ago (wow, has it really been that long?), I've gone each year to help my grandma decorate. I LOVE IT!

My mother is more intentional about traditions than Tevya, and it made my Christmases growing up magical and special. I have no idea how she never forgot a tradition, and if she was ever tempted to "not do it just this year" she didn't succumb to it. It was beautiful! One tradition that we still participate in with them is opening pajamas on Christmas Eve and taking pictures in front of the tree (which we help decorate). 

Below are some of our pictures from our fun times this holiday with the Smiths.

Elliot and his Emmy

Christmas tea...of course!

Putting a hook on the Noah's Ark ornament...or as Elliot calls it "a zoo on a boat"

Sisters and Joy

Elliot playing with his "people"

Helping with pumpkin cake...race cars are necessary when stirring

My hubby...isn't he just a hoot!

Ev & Beth

Cousins at Grandma's #1

Cousins at Grandma's #2

Me, Elliot & Cousin Madison - HUGS!

New guitar!

Elliot's gift to his grandparents this year! - SO FUN!!!

The Sibs + Elliot

My favorite men!

Christmas Creations!

This Christmas I made my award-winning "Christmas Calabaza Cookies" (they won the Christmas cookie competition at work - ha!), honey vanilla caramels, lotion bars and bath ornaments...which I dubbed "Bain d'Ornament." Yes. Cheesy, I know! Here are the pics and recipes! :)

Christmas Calabaza Cookies
Dry Ingredients
1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour (just started using Bronze Chief and LOVE it...chemical & GMO free, slowly ground to maintain a low heat, keeping in tons of protein, vitamins and minerals)
1/4 milled flaxseed
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
Wet Ingredients
1 c raw honey
1/2 c butter softened
1 c pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
Glaze
2 c powdered sugar
3 T milk
1 t vanilla extract

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil. (This is a "pro-tip" that my hubby has been asking me to use for awhile. If you line the sheets with aluminum foil, you can immediately pull all the cookies off the sheet at once and the foil cools almost immediately, so the bottom of your cookies don't get any browner. Plus, virtually no clean up.)
SIFT dry ingredients into a large bowl.
BLEND wet ingredients in another bowl until smooth.
COMBINE (slowly) the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.
DROP by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets.
BAKE for 15-18 minutes.
COOL for 5 min.
MIX glaze ingredients above and DRIZZLE over cookies.
ENJOY!

Honey Vanilla Caramels
(yeah, just realized that I can't find this recipe anywhere! Basically, I just replaced the corn syrup with raw honey from a local farmer. I figured, why not fight allergy instead of cause them. They were pretty tasty too! :))

Luxury Lotion Bars
(note: lotion bars can be made with equal parts of just about any wax, butter (shea, cocoa, mango, kokum, etc.), and oil (olive, avocado, sweet almond, sunflower, etc.) I'm looking forward to trying many more combinations in the future)

3/4 c filtered beeswax
3/4 c virgin organic coconut oil
3/4 c organic unrefined shea butter
18 drops lavender essential oil
10 drops ylang ylang essential oil
10 drops geranium essential oil
7 drops patchouli essential oil

MELT beeswax in a double boiler, add in coconut oil and melt, add shea butter and melt (shea butter should be heated just to a "melted" point, otherwise it can become grainy).
REMOVE from heat and add in essential oils.
POUR mixture into silicone mold and let cool. Then pop out and rub it all over! (Elliot loves his "Christmas Tree" lotion)

Bain d'Ornaments

1. Pick up some glass ornaments from your local craft store...or ask a friend to do it for you. :)
2. Gather ingredients - I used (in order of layers) citric acid, french green clay, baking soda, powdered yarrow, epsom salts, and lavender flowers
3. Craft a funnel out of piece of paper if you don't have one small enough for the ornament opening. (I was actually thinking, I might pick up some of those free paper funnels at the gas station just for these sorts of purposes)
4. Add your ingredients in layers

Isn't it pretty? Now you can just dump it into your running bath water and feel all wonderful!

Our Christmas Letter

From our most recent family portrait session!

This year we sent out our Christmas letter electronically. You can view it here if you'd like - http://evangilmore.com/xmas2010/. 

Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas! Christmas Eve with my side of the family was just a beautiful time. It was hilarious to watch Elliot pick his favorites for the day...some blocks, a truck that plays "Funkytown", and two pictures that were colored for him of Snoopy and Linus. This kid CLUNG to those pictures, uninterested in most of the other gifts that followed. Now, he has further explored his other toys and is thoroughly enjoying them all. He likes loading his dumptruck with toy food and dumping it all out. Making "meals" in the kitchen with mommy and playing with his little Fisher-Price nativity set (his favorite is the camel) and squeezing the ears on his rocking horse.
On Christmas morning Elliot woke up in his Christmas pajamas and robe and toddled into our room to read the Christmas story and pray. Then the stockings, the traditional orange rolls for breakfast, with orange juice freshly squeezed by Evan and his new juicer....don't laugh, he's thrilled! Then we opened all the gifts. Let's just say my husband did a fabulous job expressing his love through the gifts he gave me this year. Very thoughtful and very practical at the same time. I'll use everything!
Christmas afternoon Ev's side of the family came over for Christmas dinner and gifts. I certainly hope no one had more food on their table. It was almost ridiculous....the part that made it not ridiculous is that everything was delicious! We had an apple stuffed pork roast (great job Ev!), cornbread dressing, cranberry relish, spinach salad, baked sweet potatoes, sauteed butternut squash, and apple dumplings...HOLY COW! I'm still recovering.
It was great! Especially considering Rory is still wagging her little tail around here. We got home Christmas Eve night and realized pretty quickly that something was wrong with our pup. She was heaving all over the place and had opened the gate to the kitchen so we thought she probably got into something, but we couldn't figure out what, because she hadn't torn up anything in the house. Then she started to shake uncontrollably and I sat down with her to do my own examination. Her tummy was all swollen and bloated, and there were little flecks of crushed peppermint candy around her mouth. If you recall my last post, I used those on my hot chocolate on a stick. She found the last one that I had wrapped in wax paper and put in the trash. So we found a 24 hour emergency vet clinic and I drove her there at midnight. I seriously thought she was going to die on my lap on the way there. When we got to the hospital they whisked her away as soon as I came in the door and they induced a bunch of vomiting and put an IV in her and then came in and told me they were going to give her activated charcoal and she would have to stay overnight AND that they she was looking good but they couldn't promise anything, so I should say goodbye to her before I left. What?! I just started crying.
So I came home at about 2:30 in the morning and we waited until we woke up. When we called at 8:30 they said she was doing well and we could pick her up! :) YAY! She's been tired the past couple days and we've had to watch her food intake closely, but she's back to her old self now. Evan said this is just typical of a Gilmore family Christmas. I said that is sad. But I am starting to expect these sorts of adventures, which I guess is just life.
Anyway, all in all, we had a fantastic Christmas and hope you did too! As a closing word, here's our little Christmas letter that we only sent to a few before Christmas, so for you all, it's belated.

December 24, 2009

In Him was life, and that life was the light of men!

-John 1:4-

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry  Christmas! The year of 2009 has been one of big transitions and great joys for the Gilmores, as we’re sure it has been for you. We’ve moved to Upland, Evan has been blessed with a new job at Taylor, Megan is being published, and Elliot celebrated his first birthday!

While there are still unpacked boxes in the garage, we’re enjoying the warmth and comfort of our new home this holiday season. Elliot’s wonder at the lights and wrapping paper and general splendor of stores around this time of year is a delight to watch.

One thing we have been learning about this year, is the beautiful reality of the life, light, and freedom that God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ provides. There is so much darkness and death in the world around us, that we often unknowingly let it seep into our hearts and minds. But embracing God’s gift of love, the light of His truth, and the abundant life He offers is continually renewing and freeing for us.

We are so thankful for the God who, so many Christmases ago, wrapped Himself in the limitations of human flesh to provide a way for us to know Him and love Him free from the bondage of our sin.

We are also incredibly thankful for you, and the love that you pour out on us! And we pray that you will also know the amazing freedom and joy that comes from the God of life, light, and love!

With Joy Inexpressible,

Evan, Megan, and Elliot

My Christmas Eve Eve Eve Projects

Yesterday was the first day home away from work and anything work related. Except for a few frenzied emails, since I'm the only Leadership faculty in the country. This post will include lots of pictures! Hope you're ready.

Project #1: Super Chocolatey Hot Chocolate-on-a-Stick

I started on the hot chocolate on a stick, my recipe was inspired by Givers Log. You can find the recipe here. She has lots of helpful tips! And I will tell you what she does...do NOT get even a DROP of water in your chocolate!!!! I'm SERIOUS! Bad things will happen if you do.
I used candy canes instead of sticks and drizzled white chocolate over all of it and then topped it with crushed candy canes.

Step 1: Get your molds and sticks (or stick substitutes) ready, while your water heats up in your double-boiler (or makeshift double-boiler like I use)

Step 2: Melt the chocolate and add in the other ingredients. I had 16 oz of chocolate, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1 cup powdered sugar. Mix it all up (it will be very thick! So use your muscles!)

Step 3: Dump that deliciousness into a ziploc bag and snip off the corner with a pair of scissors. Then pipe the chocolate mixture into your molds and wait for it to harden (it will obviously harden faster if you pop it in the fridge)

Step 4: Pop your chocolate sticks out of their molds and place them on some wax paper for their finishing touches.

Step 5: Finishing touches. This can be whatever you want. The chocolate looks a little chalky when it dries, so if you want it to be shiny and smooth you might want to dunk it in some more plain chocolate. I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the sticks, then I crushed the leftover candy canes and sprinkled them on top.
Who knows! Some of you might be getting one of these for Christmas. :)

Project #2: Christmas Wreaths

When I saw this wreath on Thrifty Decor Chick, I knew that I wanted to make one. Now, about three weeks later, I did. Mine isn't as pretty, but hey, it was worth a shot. If you're going to make one, PLEASE follow Sarah's advice and hot glue all the bulbs to their little toppers before you start. It will save you a lot of trouble. I thought that because mine were plastic and not glass that they were on there really good....not so. I had to go back and glue them all.

This wreath is hanging in our Christmasy Kitchen.

This is about step 3 on the wreath I've been promising Evan that I will make, ever since we put our tree up. We saved the branches that fell off or that we had to saw off our tree from the bottom and have been preserving them in water for the past couple weeks. They were still quite fresh. Then I took a wire hanger and reshaped it into a circle to be the base of the wreath. THEN... I tied all the branches around it and wove some of the branches through other ones, added a bow, some pine cones and couple ornaments....and VOILA!

Evan's wreath. We still need to hang it up, but hey. It's finished.

Project #3: SOAP! (of course)

I tried two new soap recipes last night (which I'll detail in another post). But it was a crazy adventure. At 11:30 my comatose husband was being a gem and standing next to me to help me stir. SO now, coconut milk and green tea soap are curing on my table. Hurray!

Project #4 was wrapping a ton of gifts, but I won't bore you with a picture and I still have more to wrap. So before my little guy wakes up, I better get to that.

OH...Christmas Tree!

What a great weekend! Apart from a somewhat eventful trip to Indianapolis, we had a wonderful time. We went to the Artsgarden to see Emily and Mom sing and then to the Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch. Then yesterday we got our tree! I cannot tell you how sweet it was to do this with our little boy.
We found a place just a couple miles outside of Upland - a landscaping business/bed & breakfast/Christmas tree farm -where you can go pick and cut your own tree! And the prices are very comparable to the one's you'd find in a lot. I'm super excited, because most trees that you buy in a lot were cut around 3 weeks before they got there, so I figure this tree might stay green and not get dry until well after New Years!

Anyway, my manly lumberjack husband cut down the massive fir...

...and carried it back to the car...

...while Elliot and I hiked the "trails" of the tree farm...

We came home and Elliot really wanted to help with the tree...

...we said no! How about mommy and you just put on some Christmas tunes and eat Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes (I think I like these things far too much).

He loved all the decorations...

...And lights.

One very special part of the night was when Elliot and Ev put together the Nutcrackers.

And we stood back to enjoy!

We'll be posting new pictures with our Christmasy decor soon. Until then, Merry Christmas from the Gilmores and their little man.

How Many Kings? Absolutely Beautiful!

If you listen to no other Christmas song this season, please listen to this one! Here it is on YouTube! Here it is on iLike. It's an absolutely beautiful lyrical picture of Christ's love for you and for me. It makes me want to fall on my knees and run into His arms at the same time with tears of joy and gratitude for His glorious grace.
To my sister Sarah, thanks for sharing this song with me. I love your heart!
If you don't have time to watch the four minute video. Here are the lyrics:

How Many Kings - by DOWNHERE

Follow the star to a place unexpected

Would you believe after all we’ve projected

A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all

Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl

Just a child

Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many Gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that has torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn savior

All that we have whether costly or meek

Because we believe

Gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure

And myrrh for the cross he’ll suffer

Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?

It’s who we’ve waited for

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many Gods have poured out their hearts

To romance a world that has torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Only one did that for me

All for me

All for you

All for me

All for you

Traditions

Last Christmas for the Gilmores was....let's just say....a little less than stellar! God blessed us with amazing family that were close by, so we could spend it with them and my husband was a gem through it all! However, we're now looking at our first set of holidays as a family in our new home. And well....I love traditions! I love the meaning and closeness that they bring.
BUT, since we're still in the process of forming some of ours, I wanted to hear about yours! What are your favorite traditions? Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. Past or Present. As a child or an adult. What do you look forward to each year?

What to do about Christmas

I know that it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I love the traditions. I love the twinkling lights, the smell of cinnamon spice, the snow (on that one day of the year), staying in pajamas all day long, the warmth, the excitement, the giggles, the love. The thought of a God that loved me so much he restricted himself to human flesh and limitations just to be closer to me! Amazing!
One of the traditions that my mom started in our home awhile ago was Operation Christmas Child. Each year, Samaritan's Purse International Relief organization collects thousands of shoeboxes filled with gifts and distributes them to needy children across the world. Their mission statement is as follows:

The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.


Next week is their collection week! Even if you don't know of a church or organization around you that is collecting boxes, you can find a drop off location that is closest to you by checking their website --> here! Their website also has instructions for packing the boxes and all the forms you'll need. You just need to print and fill out the label, fill a shoe box or small plastic box with a removable lid, and drop off your shoebox with $7 for shipping and other expenses at the closest dropoff location.
Our family will definitely be having a fun family night getting our boxes together next week! A couple other ideas for gifts that keep on giving are...


1) TOMS Shoes - For every pair of shoes you buy, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need.
2) TWLOHA TShirts - To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. Their first tshirts were sold to pay for their friends treatment and worn by a few well-known Christian bands (Switchfoot and Anberlin), before they became popular.The profits from the tshirts go to funding treatment and recovery.
3) shop.TheLiteracySite.com - Tons of fun handmade and green items you can buy. Every purchase goes toward giving books and education to children in need. Click here to find out how!
4) WearPACT Underwear - Another opportunity to promote literacy! Buy this fun 826 National underwear design to support young writers. (Other causes you can contribute to include rainforest preservation and protecting our oceans and marine life...kind of treehuggerish, but hey!)
5) XO Laptops - Right now, the One Laptop per Child movement is doing a Get One, Give One promotion. Where for a discounted price ($399) they will send one laptop to your child and one to a child in need, to provide them with educational opportunities and the power to create and collaborate.

(**Values disclaimer: While I can vouch for the vision and values of Samaritan's Purse, TOMS, and TWLOHA. I don't know about the last three. I've only heard about their charities, but I'm not aware of other alternative causes that they may or may not support, so I'll definitely do a bit more research on those before I purchase anything, and I would encourage you to do the same.**)

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

                                      

Happy 1st Birthday Elliot! I love you so much!!!

The Holiday Inn Express & Soap

I'm at IWU's annual fall faculty retreat up at beautiful Pokagan State Park....kind of. Actually, some of us are staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the road. Here are the perks to staying off site:

1. If you don't want to be participating in the fireside sing-a-long you can say it's because you have to get back to your room (which we have to drive, not walk to).

2. We're right next to a large outlet mall

3. Ummm, yep. That's all I've got

Now some of the drawbacks:

1. You have to drive, not walk, back to your room.

2. This place allows pets....just imagine the possibilities and you're probably right

3. The lobby, the elevator, the hallway, and my room have very distinct odors. Not necessarily completely pleasant or unpleasant, but the kind of thing that makes me stop and mentally shout, "WHAT IS THAT?!" (I should probably start bringing at least a few essential oils and a diffuser everywhere I go)

This weekend has been a balance of perks and drawbacks. I have some friends that were generous enough to let me ride with them up here, and it has been great to just be alone for an evening. However, I miss my boys very much, and I wish they were here.

Speaking of good smelling things! I have a website for you to check out :) Simple Soap Works This lady in southern Indiana makes these herbal soaps and salves (all of them that I've looked at are without glycerin). I've tried two of them so far (thank you Stephanie!) and they're wonderful! Of the two that I've tried, my favorite is the Rosemary Geranium, but there are lots of other options to try and choose from. They're only $3.50 a bar and they last a good long while so try them out! I hope you enjoy it.

I'm off to brunch!

A Festive Fun-Filled Fourth!

Amidst the drizzle yesterday, we had a great time! Beth and Evan worked on laying down some tracks for her demo in the morning and then we headed out in our red, white and blue to the festivities at the Smith Ranch.

We had a lovely cookout with family and friends, and after calling the Fire Department to make sure that the horrible rumors about postponing fireworks were indeed false, we headed into town to take our traditional spot in the high school parking lot and watch the fireworks. Elliot wasn't quite sure about them, as you can see from his facial expressions on the bottom left.

Then back to the Ranch for more fireworks and Patriot Pops - YUM! (Thanks to Amy at TheIdeaRoom for the recipe - we used Dixie Cups and Toothpicks, because I don't have those cool tupperware freezer pop things. Check out her creative fourth of July treats here)

Also, even though you can't see it well in any of these pics, I made my headband from the tutorial on UCreate --> Here!

Today we stopped by Upland to drop off some boxes and were able to meet one of Ev's new co-workers and his wife, which was lovely. Now we're back home, doing laundry and gearing up for another big week.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Love you!

2 Years...And Counting!

Happy anniversary, my Love, my dearest Ev!

"I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me!"

-Song of Songs 7:10 -

Today was our cotton anniversary! For those of you not in the know about such things, that means #2. :) What a day too! After gifts, breakfast in bed (with a flower picked from our little patio "garden"), a trip to the YMCA, and the park close by for some swinging action with Elliot, we went to Jimmy Johns for lunch ("gourmet" sub sandwiches, you know), then the Heironimi came and had a play date with Elliot, while we went out for a photo shoot. SO FUN!!! I have always wanted to learn to use a manual camera and develop the film myself, and I have a super talented husband that knows how to do both. So we took our cameras and went to a new park to do some shooting. I picked a bunch of wildflowers and took lots of pictures. Ev took lots of pictures, realized he didn't have film in his camera....and then took lots more. Then we went to our anniversary dinner at Biaggi's. We came home to spend some time with friends and settled in for the night. What a beautiful day spent with a wonderful man - my husband and lover and friend!

Easter and Eggs

I love holidays! More specifically, I love celebrating holidays with traditions. So I'm generally not one that digs around looking to see if the origins of Christmas trees or Easter eggs or fireworks or valentines are pagan or Christian. I understand why other people do, and I actually respect their fact finding mission and appreciate the information that is found and the understanding that is then added to my concept of that tradition or holiday. That being said, Easter was this last weekend (or Passover or Resurrection Sunday, whichever label soothes your conscience more). And it was AWESOME!

For those of you that don't know, the Gilmore family Christmas this year was....well....let's just say not nearly what I had hoped for or planned. So Easter was kind of our first holiday as a family with Elliot that we were able to start our own traditions like I wanted and spend time together as a family on adventures and celebrating Christ's sacrifice and victory over sin, shame, and death!

Elliot and I had a little sunrise service with a candle that we blew out when Jesus died and lit again when he rose from the dead, then we all went to church at The Chapel (for probably the last time), then we came home and had Easter dinner and a little Easter egg hunt for Elliot in our living room (HILARIOUS!).

Then we did Easter baskets, and finally we went on a fantastic geocaching adventure around Fort Wayne and found a great playground. After Elliot went to bed Ev and I colored some eggs. Some speed-cleaning and a late night run to the drugstore made the festivities complete!

I am so grateful for my family and friends and for God's gracious provision for us during these tough times. As we continue to try to live our lives with simplicity and contentment, He continues to increase our love and joy! PRAISE THE LORD! Jesus Christ is Risen! (...He is risen indeed! :)