No Cheeses For Us Meeces

We have been pretty well devoid of snow this winter, which frankly, I am more than fine with.  Except that I have come to enjoy having white Christmases over the recent years, and it was weird knowing that we wouldn't have snow this year.

Well, apparently Mother Nature got the memo, because it started snowing a couple hours ago, and we now have a delightful dusting of the white fluffy stuff all over everything.

So here I sit, watching "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (a Christmas Eve tradition) while my husband has to work (super annoying that Target is open til 10pm), and it continues to snow.

All the presents are wrapped, dishes are washed, floors swept, lights are hung in the windows and on the balcony.

We are undoubtedly prepared for Christmas around here!

Bring on the break from reality for a couple days!

Christmas Eve

Bruce and I had a "mock Christmas Eve" yesterday since my poor hubby has to work late every day this week, Christmas Eve included.

He likes to be able to open one gift on Christmas Eve (which is a concept entirely new to me), so before we decorated our gingerbread house, we exchanged one gift with each other.

Bruce got me "Bedknobs & Broomsticks", which is a childhood favorite, which Bruce had never seen before.  And I got him a Minecraft T-shirt, that thankfully, he likes (I will admit it is a pretty clever shirt).

So now that we've had Christmas Eve already, I really just want Christmas to be here and to be able to relax with my husband for a couple days.

Building a House

Bruce and I made our first gingerbread house together tonight.

And, while it won't be winning any awards, we sure had a fun time making and decorating it!  Our icing turned out to be a bit runnier than we anticipated, causing some problems, but it was an enjoyable time.

Our masterpiece!

Merry-Go-Round

Bruce is on this month's campout with his scouts today and tomorrow.

I've only had to deal with being a scouting widow for 6 months so far (basically since we got married), but I'm already not a huge fan of being without my husband for one mandatory weekend out of the month.

Especially with both of our busy schedules up to this point.

Bruce just finished classes for the semester, so he'll be starting back up at work until the next term starts, so it is unlikely we will even see each other as much as we did during the past few months, since I work during the morning and afternoon, and he seems to be working the afternoon and evening.

Oh well, what can ya do?

Hopefully we'll be able to make gingerbread houses on Saturday when he gets home.

Lather

We made it home!

Today was another long day.  But a long day of sitting in a movie theater, and then sitting in a car.  So much sitting...

The final Hobbit movie was good, but I would have to say that it is my least favorite of the three.  I feel like they just tried to drag a lot of elements out really far, and it lost my attention and sympathy a lot.  But it was still a good flick, and I am glad that we saw it, after all, I love Middle-earth.

So now, Bruce is trying out his new shaving kit that we pick up in SLC, and I get to reap the benefit of looking at my handsome husband being all manly...shaving old school.

Bites of Bliss

Bruce, Jimmy, and I drove down to Salt Lake City today.

Our plan is to go see The Hobbit tomorrow in Centerville. So we came down early to see the Christmas lights and do some walking around town. Okay...a LOT of walking around.

We were able to go to Gourmandise, a delicious French bakery that I used to occasionally go to when I lived in the area, and Bruce was finally able to try macarons! I've spent a lot of time extolling the merits of macarons to him, and I was pleased that he enjoyed them.

Tomorrow should prove to be exciting as well, we are anxious to see the new movie!

Doctor, Doctor...

Bruce brought the game "Operation" home from his parent's house on Sunday so we could play it.

I don't think I had ever played it according to the rules before, so this was a new experience for me.  Bruce however, is an avid Operation fan, and loves the game.  With one small exception...apparently he'd been playing the part with the rubber band wrong all these years.

In the game, you are supposed to attach the rubber band from end to end without making the buzzer sound.  Apparently he had been playing it that you simply remove the rubber band.

He wasn't quite jazzed about this revelation.

But he still won the game anyway.

All The Stockings Were Hung

Bruce's stocking is done!

I made him a new stocking this year, and it only took me three tries. But we are very happy with the final outcome.

What do you think?

Merry Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from the Scholes Abode!

Yes, I realize that the card says my husband's name is Nathan and not Bruce...surprise!  Bruce's real name is Nathan.  But I will continue to refer to him as Bruce on here...because old habits die hard.

Early Presents

Don't you love getting presents early?

I know I do!

The other day, Bruce let me have one of my Christmas presents early, and I LOVE it!

It's Gimli!








He lives on the top of my computer monitor for work, he's basically the best.

I also came home to a delivery from my mom as well!  She got me a tripod for my camera!

So excited to have that!

Bland

We had this Christmas Cookie Cookbook growing up that always had our go-to Christmas Cookie recipes in it.  There were, however, many recipes that we never ever tried.

So I decided to try making one of the recipes that always looked really fun and super tasty to me.  They are Stuffed Stocking Cookies.  Basically it looked like a sugar cookie with chocolate chips and chopped nuts inside, while the cookie is formed into the shape of a stocking, then frosted to add the cuff, heel and toe of the stocking.

They looked so cute and fun in the old 80's book!

But man, were they ever disappointing...

They spread out too much on the pan, and unfortunately, they tasted awful.  Well, maybe not awful, but they didn't taste wonderful at all.  Quite bland.

Maybe that is the reason we never made them.

That or possibly the fact that they are more frustration to form than they are worth.

Boo for blandness...

Upgraded

I finally have a new work computer!

My old laptop has some serious issues... for years... but since it was still under warranty, I didn't qualify to get a new one.

That is until now!

I've been using a resource laptop for a week or so, and was more than ready to get my own back.

It's newer model, and feels weird... And doesn't like to configure the screens the way I have had them for the last 5ish years, but I'm hoping to figure out how to make it succumb to my will...

I am most excited about the speed and response time I get from it. It's amazing! My old one took forever to do anything... And I mean for.e.ver.

Super stoked about the upgrade

Who we will become

As a young missionary I had just left my first area in January of 2009. I was ready for the move, it was time for me to leave the area. I had done what I needed to do there. My next area was Hamilton, OH which was right next to my previous area; in my own district even. My first two companions were elders who both said this was their favorite area. They were both goofballs and had become complacent for what the area was. Hamilton was considered a stuck in rut area by those who were closely familiar with it.

I was determined to leave it better than I arrived for however long it was. One night after meeting with our ward mission leader with my second companion there I pressed him and with my eagerness suggested ways of involving the members. He told us that members had expressed that we were waiting to help until they got different elders. The companion I was with was one his last transfer. He had been to Hamilton serving previous. Because the members didn’t see what they thought was pleasing progress or behavior they didn’t trust us and didn’t want us going anywhere near their friends. Or at least for the people who expressed concern to our ward mission leader.

I didn’t want any part of this accusation even by extension. So that night I went home and in one of the most fervent prayers of my life asked for heavens help. I explained the situation to the Lord, what I thought of our predicament, and asked for help. I explained that I accepted that I wouldn't know exactly what to do, but that I would go and do whatever we would have to do. I told him I’d knock on every door in the city if that is what it meant. I just didn't want my time wasted or miss the opportunity to help someone he sent me there to help. I made a promise that I never broke from there on out.

Sure enough, I made sure day in and out we were out on time and we were in on time. I was sincere and genuine in all that I did. I gave my very best and I wouldn't let up even if I was tired. I sent my companion off with a bang. Oddly enough, the next companion I got was the most energetic person I ever knew, his secret nickname I gave him was Mr. Friendly. As he became my companion I became the district leader of my old area.

Quickly we began to gain trust of the people we met. I was helping the two new elders in oxford understand the nature of that area and still letting them figure it out. I had us holding weekly instruction on better social conduct of tracting, which helped the Elders quite a bit.

Our area was really gaining traction and we were busy teaching and helping people. I was busy every day and we were doing miracles in that area. Then out of the blue our wards bishop passing away.

He was one to never give up on his family, his callings, his work, and certainly the Lord. The night before he died he called me up because he was concerned about a certain family that we would like us to see the next day that might need our help. I asked if he wanted to come, he said, “No, I will be busy. I’m excited to go give a family in the ward their recommends so they can be sealed.”

This man was always so eager to serve other people. He lived his life for others even as the savior did. I felt the same love for Hamilton as he did. His life to this day is a type and shadow of everything that area had taught me. Sometimes life becomes difficult. Sometimes it seems as though you might not be able to accomplish something. The choice of what happens next is still yours to make. We won’t know everything that we have to do, but there is One that can guide us. Seek Him in honest and sincere prayer. Be active in your prayers, explain your situation, what your understanding is, and ask for help for worthy goals and you will receive it. My one hope was to use my time to the best of my abilities to help people.

In many ways it always will be. I find that if all I did was live just for myself, my life would be a waste. It just wouldn't mean anything it would have just exist in a memory of what I did for myself. I am no longer a steward of 62,447 people. But I am of my family, my boy scouts, and those that I can associate or meet with in my busy life. The situations will always change as time passes on, but one

thing that won’t is that I want to live to help those I can.


President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said,

“For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become”


I love the Lord, with all whole soul and I am grateful for the opportunities he gives me to serve. I know if I give my best to worthy pursuits which would lead me to help others he will help me get there. The work we do for others and those we love will live on forever in the happiness for those that we help.

All Growed Up

Ah... Economizing, isn't it a joy?

Really, it is something that Bruce and I should have been doing from the get-go, but it is something that now, as we embark on (and feel the effects of) the holiday season, we cannot avoid.  Which isn't a bad thing by any means, especially since we are both on the same page about it.

Getting creative with a budget and our planning can be a fun challenge, but we're up to the task, and hopefully we'll learn some good habits and be able to keep them as time goes on.

Now I just need to come to grips with the fact that my income doesn't go as far as it once did when I was single and living in a super low-rent apartment... *sigh*...yay for adulthood!

Party Hearty

Well, our ward Christmas party was a success!

We started our set up at 11:00 this morning, and strung lights, fluffed trees, set tables, and turned the church gym into a veritable Christmas wonderland over the next 5 hours.

We raffled of some prizes and the centerpieces, and we even had a dessert contest.

Thankfully, we had a lot of help cleaning up, and I am happy that it will be another year before we have to do this again!

The Countdown

So Bruce and I decided to make a new advent calendar for Christmas this year.

I have a countdown from before we were married, but it can often be frustrating since it involves constantly moving and removing, rotating and fiddling with the various numbers.  This new one would be considerably easier, and far cuter than our old one.

We started thinking about this project back in early-November, but neither one of us really started making any headway on it until recently.

We purchased our little boxes first.  I knew Michael's had exactly what I wanted, and we had a coupon!  I already had a ton of Christmas-themed paper, so we were covered in that department.  Our frame came from Target.  I removed the back and the plastic face on it so that our boxes could sit inside the frame.

I found a big sheet of magnetic sheet metal at Lowe's, and had it cut to the size I wanted by a company here in Idaho Falls.  This was the most time consuming part of everything, just waiting for the metal to be cut (after finding someone to cut it, that is...that took a while too).

Bruce and I laid out a couple ideas for the background of our countdown, and settled on what you see in the pictures.  I mod-podged our paper choices onto our sheet metal and let it all dry for a couple hours.  Meanwhile, I cut out paper to fit on the inside of our tins and their lids.  I used a blue paper with little white snowflakes for the inside of the tins, and then alternated between red, green, and cream to put behind the numbers that show through the lids (I did do all the numbers by hand, but if anyone else does this, I would recommend printing them).

I bought some metal-bonding glue at Lowe's, and attached the sheet metal to the back of our picture frame and allowed it to sit overnight.  Then we attached a frame hanger, glued magnets to the back of our tins, and hung it up!

I am so happy with how it turned out!

Crafty

Our ward Christmas party is on Friday, so some of us gals who are putting the shindig together rounded ourselves up and worked on the decorations tonight.

I wish I had taken pictures, because they were really cute, but alas, I am horrible at taking pictures.

One of the gals has a vinyl cutter, so we put vinyl cut-outs on some vases, wood blocks and red & gold charger plates, which we will place in the center of the tables with other various items.  Then they will be raffled off during the party.

Hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures of the actual event, so you can see how cute and crafty we are.

It Flies

Where does the time go?

I just looked at the clock and saw that it is after 10:00, which is about an hour and a half later than I thought it was...

Work was slow today, and so I did some crafting, cooking, laundry, errands, and trying to figure out my new phone.

I thought that I'd do some more work on my craft, but not now that it's so late.

There is always tomorrow!