12 Days of Christmas in NM #11

 Presents!! We opened gifts yesterday morning since today would be BUSY with packing and Sunday church prep. Why am I sitting here doing this post??

 My sweet Cade

 Clay and his new Lincoln Log set

 LOL........Clint is so expressive. Quite funny to watch ;)

Awww....maybe next year you'll get what you wanted ;)

(Which was???.....LOL)

Clint LOVED his western Playmobil sets

Callie and her baby doll

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Of course, the slide was a hit.

Nanna and Poppa had this nice picnic table shipped here.

Then it was time to play.....

12 Days of Christmas in NM #10

Reading the Christmas story from the Bible before opening presents this morning.

"Born To Die"

On the night Christ was born,

Just before break of morn,

As the stars in the sky were fading,

O'er the place where He lay, 

Fell a shadow cold and gray

Of a cross that would humble a King.

Jesus knew when he came

He would suffer in shame;

He could feel every pain and sorrow.

But He left Paradise,

With His blood He paid the price--

My redemption to Jesus I owe.

From his throne Jesus came,

Laid aside Heaven's fame

In exchange for the cross of Calv'ry;

For my gain suffered loss,

For my sin He bore the cross--

He was wounded and I was set free.

Dearest Lord, evermore

May Thy cross I adore

As I follow the path to Calv'ry;

Of Thy death I partake,

My ambition I forsake--

All my will I surrender to Thee.

{Chorus}

Born to die upon Calvary,

Jesus suffered my sin to forgive;

Born to die upon Calvary,

He was wounded that I might live.

~Ron Hamilton~

(Love this song!)

12 Days of Christmas in NM #9

Tonight is our "Christmas Eve". I had quite a few eggs to use up before our 2 week trip so our supper was actually "breakfast".

To go along with the bacon and eggs I made "Green-Chili Grits".

2 TB butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 C water

1/2 C grits

1/2 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp chili powder

1 TB parsley flakes

1 tsp cilantro flakes

2 eggs, beaten

2 whole roasted green chiles ( I used frozen ) seeded, and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or spray a casserole dish ( I used iron skillet ). Saute' onions in butter until translucent. In another saucepan, boil water, stir in grits, and cook (stirring occasionally) for 30 minutes. (For instant grits, follow package directions). When grits are thick and have a creamy texture, add sauteed onions and remaining ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Pour mixture into dish and bake for 80 minutes or until set.

Recipe was found in this cute little cookbook.

12 Days of Christmas in NM #8

Shhhhh! Don't tell the boys! Just finished their stockings boots. Actually, until their feet get big enough we'll have to use Daddy and Momma's boots. ;)

Nothing extravagant......the older 2 got a pair of socks, a car, and some snacks for our Christmas trip back east (if they'll last that long....).
I think they turned out adorable and I know they'll love them!!

12 Days of Christmas in NM #7

Earlier this week we hosted our church's Christmas party (about 35 folks total....a blessing!!). I wanted to have Eggnog Punch so I decorated this area just for it.

The star has been part of our decor for several years now, but I sent Hubby to Lowe's to get some battery operated lights to wrap around it. Really gave it some "bling"!! ;)

The book "A Cowboy Christmas" was found on Amazon. My boys enjoy listening to me read it and one of their favorite parts is about the bear getting the chuck wagon. (ha ha ha)

The stuffed snowman and punch bowl were also already a part of the household. It's fun digging around and finding things to decorate with!!

12 Days of Christmas in NM #6

Baking Christmas cookies!! One of the traditions I've taken part in since early childhood. Of course, I wanted my children to experience it as well so yesterday we had a friend from church over to do just that. We baked and baked for several hours. Lots of fun!!

12 Days of Christmas in NM #5

While my family was here in November we used their help in getting a photo for our Christmas cards. Simple, but cute by using flannel shirts we had. Saved money too ( well, Callie ended up getting a "new to us" dress since she didn't have anything flannel ) ;)

The best of over 200 shots........LOL Yes, getting 4 "under 4" to cooperate for a Christmas picture can be a challenge ;)

The 3 boys <3

A pic with our babies <3

12 Days of Christmas in NM #4

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....."

Woke up this morning to SNOW!! As you can see, we already have several inches and it's still snowing some. A "White Christmas" is certainly possible here. ;)

12 Days of Christmas in NM #3

 I have another batch of these in the oven right now. Thinking back, this may be the first time I've ever made cinnamon ornaments. I wanted to continue my western/NM theme in a frugal way and this seemed to be the answer! :)

Recipe came from here and the cookie cutters I used were bought a couple of years ago at the Alamo's gift shop. As you can see, I once again used bandanna strips. They were perfect to use as hangers!

12 Days of Christmas in NM #2

 Yesterday evening I spent some time decorating the dining room china cabinet. The green, red, and white plates were already in our possession and I got the cute-o wooden Christmas signs from Hobby Lobby.

The garland was made from a roll of crafting burlap, a string of white lights, and strips of green and red bandannas.

12 Days of Christmas in NM #1

The state question here in New Mexico is, "Red or green (chile)"? If you want both you reply with, "Christmas". 

That (red and green) is going to be the theme of my "Christmas" tree this year. I went to Hobby Lobby and cleared out their artificial red and green chile peppers and turned them into ornaments. Sooooooo stinkin' cute, aye???

An Early Thanksgiving

With my family here this week we've been busy celebrating Thanksgiving and doing some sightseeing here in NM.

Oh, well!! Maybe next year Cade will get into the holiday spirit........:)

Indian Clint

Tending to his "fire"

Of course we squeezed in a trip to White Sands.

Plenty of family shots :)

Time for some serious sand sledding!!

Weeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Stopped in Lincoln, NM to see where Billy the Kid roamed.

The courthouse

American history is so much fun!!

The grave of one of his victims.

The post office

Dad REALLY wanted to see Roswell on the way home so we stopped there for awhile too.

Taos Pueblo and Picnic