With the help of my dad, I transformed an old trunk (found in our side shed) into a beautiful clothing trunk for her American Girl doll.

 BEFORE and AFTER

She LOVED it. And I have to say that she has been switching out her doll's outfits more now that they are organized and she can see everything. It's been much easier for her to keep things together and put away in her room.

Sorry things have been quiet here on the blog....We were at Matt's parent's house for nearly two weeks during the Christmas holiday. It was SO relaxing and fun but this week has been very busy. We've been re-entering the reality of life.

It's not like anything has been URGENT!, but there's been a lot to get done here at home, which weighs on me: getting Christmas put away, purging and organizing each room to start the New Year clean...Jack's birthday party tomorrow, new freelance writing jobs, SEW LOVELY at the end of the month, pants to alter. And the desire to get things done without putting my children in front of movies for hours.

I've been pressing into the Lord to help direct my days and use "open" time to do more reading with my kids, playing on the floor, etc. I always like to take time at the start of the year to refocus on what God wants me to be doing. It often starts with remembering that I am 1.  Matt's wife, 2. a mother, 3. a friend, 4. writer/crafter/blogger. Some days it's very hard for me to keep these in order. I may be sharing more of my New Year's thoughts with you soon...You might enjoy Ann Voskamp's New Year post here.

Blogging is something I really enjoy and it's not going away, but things may be a little quieter this month as I focus on getting thing in order in my home and my heart. I started this blog because I wanted to "be intentional about teaching God's truth to my kids." This month, for me, that means that all my extra time is going to be devoted to just that (without the pressure to do a post on it).

While I haven't been blogging every day, it does dominate a lot of my thought time. I think about it a lot and sometimes I feel this pressure that it's just one more thing I have to get done each day. It can take the joy out of it. So I'm gonna be rethinking some strategies to still blog, but to do it in a way that doesn't feel like just another check mark. (So far my ideas include: writing more posts that don't include photography, posting 2-3 times a week only, writing posts each week all at once, getting up before the kids once a week to have "uninterrupted" computer time.)

Anyway, just thought I would let you know where my heart is at these days and that I haven't just fallen off the face of the earth.Thanks for letting me ramble.

And now, I need to deal with a little boy who is has climbed on the counter and is sticking everything imaginable into his pile of play dough and a baby girl who is throwing a fit because she can't get her baby doll stroller to do what she wants....ahhh such is the life of a domestic engineer. Did I mention my toilets are disgusting?

More later, friends. More later.

Christmas Day is here!

Baby Jesus

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Aren't you thankful that God sent us his son, Jesus? Today is his birthday. Let's sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus.

2 DAYS until Christmas

Heart

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

God sent his son Jesus to earth on Christmas so many years ago so that we could live with God in Heaven forever (that's what eternal means). But there is something we have to do first. We have to ask Jesus into our hearts. How do we do that? 1. We confess that we are sinful. 2. We tell God that we are sorry and ask God to forgive us. 3. We thank God for sending Jesus to save us by dying on the cross and rising again. 4. We promise to love and follow God with all our hearts. Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

This Christmas you can give Jesus a very special gift—your heart!

3 DAYS until Christmas

Candy Cane/Peppermint

A sweet candy cane reminds us of God's greatest gift---salvation through Jesus (given to us as a baby so many Christmases ago).

Do you remember the verse that we read yesterday?

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red ascrimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

Look at the candy cane. There are red and white colors on the cane. Taste the candy. This reminds us of the sweetness that comes with the forgiveness because Jesus died on the cross.

I'll be making the following recipes for Christmas. It may be a little late if you've already made your last trip to the grocery store, but they'd be great for New Year's as well.

Grandma Doerman's Mystery Cheese Ball

I think the mystery part is due to the sharp taste of the bleu cheese. As a little girl, I remember being shocked by the flavor and at the same time, I had to keep going back for me. Mysterious, indeed!

1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese

1-8 oz. package of cream cheese

1/8 lb. blue cheese

3 Tbl. mayo

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. minced onion

chopped nuts and dry parsley for coating

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (except parsley and nuts). Form into one ball or two small balls. Roll them on a plate of the chopped nuts and parsley. Wrap in saran warp and refrigerate overnight.

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Dill Dip

1 cup of mayo OR plain yogurt

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbls. dry minced onion

1 Tbls. dry parsley

1 Tbls. dry dill weed

1 Tbls. Beau Monde (Spice Island makes it)

Mix all the ingredients and chill overnight. Serve with fresh veggies and crackers.

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Paula's Cranberry Fluff Salad (a new favorite for the Widdifields this year)

1 package of whole fresh cranberries (12 oz bag) chopped VERY fine in a food processor)

1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple (with liquid)

1 1/2 c sugar

1 lg tub cool whip (16 oz)

Mix cranberries, pineapple (with liquid) and sugar in a Tupperware container and chill overnight. The longer it "marinates," the better. Several hours or the night before serving, you will need to "drain" the cranberry mixture. Simply set a colander in the sink and pour the mixture in. Do NOT rinse. You just need to drain a bit of the juice off of it. Remove from colander and mix with tub of Cool Whip. Transfer to a your serving dish (glass shows off the pretty color).

4 DAYS until Christmas

Snowflake

Doesn't snow remind you of Christmas? Snow also reminds us about forgiveness. Think about how white new snow looks. Now think about how sin is dirty. Because God sent his son, Jesus, and because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can be forgiven. All the dirty sin is washed clean and we are like pure, white snow.

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

4 DAYS until Christmas

Snowflake

Doesn't snow remind you of Christmas? Snow also reminds us about forgiveness. Think about how white new snow looks. Now think about how sin is dirty. Because God sent his son, Jesus, and because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we can be forgiven. All the dirty sin is washed clean and we are like pure, white snow.

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

Bacon-wrapped breadsticks

This recipe is from my friend, Lauren R. If you like bacon, you are gonna LOVE these. They are super fast and easy to make and will take just 5 minutes of prep Christmas morning.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Italian breadsticks (the skinny, hard kind that usually come in a box)
  These are in the grocery aisle with the Italian food/pasta.
• 1 package of bacon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbls. chili powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimed cookie sheet or a casserole dish with foil. Wrap uncooked bacon around each breadstick and place on foil. Sprinkle brown sugar over the breadsticks. Sprinkle chili powder on top. Place in the oven. In about 10 minutes, flip the breadsticks over. You don't want the brown sugar to get too done or dark on one side. Then, finish cooking for another 10-15 minutes. Cut them in half if you are serving a large group.

5 DAYS until Christmas

Holly

This time of year, you may see decorations of holly leaves and red berries. Did you know that these remind us about Jesus dying on the cross for us? The thorns on the leaves remind us of the crown of thorns Jesus wore on the cross. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.
(John 19:2)

The bright red berries remind us of the blood that Jesus shed so that we could be forgiven. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Sausage rolls on Christmas morning are a Widdifield tradition. Well, I guess they are technically a Fisher tradition since the recipe belongs to Matt's Grandma Fisher (my mom-in-law's mom). Grandma Fisher was actually well known in her community in Tulsa, OK, for her specialty. To make extra money, she would sell the rolls to local businessmen.

The recipe only requires two ingredients, but it is somewhat time consuming, so I suggest making them up the night before, covering them well and refrigerating them. That way you can just pull them out in the morning and pop them in the oven. Okay, here we go...

GRANDMA FISHER'S SAUSAGE ROLLS:

• 4 cans of Pillsbury biscuits
• 1 tube of Jimmy Dean sausage
• Rolling pin
• Wax paper
• Fork

Cut off two pieces of wax paper. Lay one piece on a flat surface and place three rolls on top. (Note: You may have to replace wax paper once it gets too wet and the biscuits begin to stick too much.)

Place the second sheet of wax paper on top and roll out biscuits to a thin, oval shape.

Remove top layer of wax paper and smear a thin layer of uncooked sausage on each biscuit.

Roll up each biscuit.

Use a fork to seal edges by firmly pressing each end. Pierce the top of the rolls at least 4 times with the fork.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with ketchup for dipping.

6 DAYS until Christmas

Cross

God sent Jesus for a special mission: to make it possible for us to be with God again, just like Adam and Eve in the garden. Our sin separates us from God. When Jesus was a grown-up man, he died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.1 Peter 2:24