Getting Ready for Christmas

Christmas is nearly here and I've posted very little about all the fun things that we have been doing.  Some of our projects have been "Top Secret" and I will post about them after Christmas so I don't spoil any surprises, but I have taken quite a few pictures this month so I will share a few of them with you.

We decorated for Christmas this year a few days after Thanksgiving.  We put up our tree - which is packed full of memories - and my nativity sets (I'm starting to take after my Grandma Christensen I guess because I have already started collecting them).  I even added a new nativity set to my collection this year - one from the Friend magazine that Owen and I assembled together.

Here's Owen with the Nativity set that we put together.  The picture may be a little bit fuzzy, but it shows how much fun we had making it together:

We have also had a lot of fun making treats for various occasions.  Here is Owen helping me make Christmas shaped rice-krispy treats:

And last, but not least of all the pictures is the excitement that Owen has had as we've received packages in the mail.  He's been content to have them wrapped and put under the Christmas tree, but I think his favorite so far was the big box that came from Grandma Allen - proof once again that sometimes all a little boy needs to have fun is a big box and his imagination.

Holiday Baking - Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

On Thanksgiving I was introduced to a wonderfully delicious cookie that I have been craving since I had them at that time.  I finally asked my friend, Leslie Smith, for the recipe and made the cookies today.  The original recipe can be found HERE but I will post the recipe here with the changes that I made due to the quantity of ingredients that I had on hand.  

Cookies:

2/3 C granulated sugar

2/3 C brown sugar

3/4 C vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 C flour

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

2/3 tsp baking soda

2/3 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and line cookie sheets with wax paper.  

2) Mix together the sugars, oil, pumpkin, egg and vanilla until smooth.  

3) Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg and mix through (dough will be more batter-like than stiff).  

4) Spoon out tablespoons of dough onto prepared cookie sheets into round cookies.

5) Bake for 10 - 12 minutes - until cookies are firm, but not overcooked (tops will be just barely starting to crack).  Remove from oven and cool completely.

6) Mix together filling:

Frosting:

2 oz (1/4 cup) margarine or butter

4 oz cream cheese

2 C powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp maple syrup (I just used store bought pancake syrup because that's what I had)

- Beat together butter and cream cheese, then add the powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla and syrup and mix until smooth.

7) Assemble cookies - by turning 1/2 of the cookies upside down:

Next add the filling either by piping or spreading with a knife or spoon:

Place the second half of the cookies on top of the first to make a cookie sandwich:

Then either refrigerate to allow the frosting to firm up a little bit, or just enjoy.

These cookies are really rich, but delicious.  The remind me a bit of the pumpkin rolls that my mom makes, they just don't take as long and they are easy enough that I very likely will make them again in the future.

Play Time, Birthday & Thanksgiving: The wonderful month of November

November went really, really fast for our family this year.  Bryce spent a lot of time working on his second show of the semester: Blithe Spirit.  The show turned out really well, but with Bryce spending so much time at work, Owen and I had a lot of time at home to play together. Here are a couple pictures of Owen playing really hard this month:

 Owen has learned how to make towers with his Lincoln Logs - including windows.

He still likes playing with trains and building things, but his building is getting more complex and he's starting to add characters (people and animals) to his play time, not just vehicles.

Owen also helped me with my Thanksgiving baking this year.  After I got my pie crust rolled out I let Owen play with the leftover pie crust.  He had a whole lot of fun rolling out the dough with Mommy's rolling pin and mat.  He also likes pie crust better than play-doh, because he can eat it when he's done playing : ).

(Notice the Royer trait of using the tongue to aid concentration - it's amazing what traits are genetic)

We spent Bryce's birthday and most of Thanksgiving weekend with the Smiths in Southern Illinois.  Here are a few pictures of us this past weekend:

 Owen and Harvey have a lot of fun when they get together - as long as a referee is close at hand.

 Bryce is starting early to teach Lia the subtleties of holding playing cards. 

To sum up our month, we were busy, but we still had a lot of fun and got to spend some time relaxing with our friends and family.  And to conclude our monthly epistle, here's a picture of us saying:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Study Thoughts

I listened and read through President Uchtdorf's talk from the last General Relief Society Meeting tonight and these were the parts of the talk that stood out to me the most and I wanted to share them:

Forget Me Not - by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

There is a German legend that just as God had finished naming all the plants, one was left unnamed. A tiny voice spoke out, “Forget me not, O Lord!” And God replied that this would be its name.

Tonight I would like to use this little flower as a metaphor. The five petals of the little forget-me-not flower prompt me to consider five things we would be wise never to forget.

First, forget not to be patient with yourself.

God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It’s OK that you’re not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself.

Second, forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice.

An acceptable sacrifice is when we give up something good for something of far greater worth.

We can ask ourselves, “Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?”

Third, forget not to be happy now.

The lesson here is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us. This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals.Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.

Fourth, forget not the “why” of the gospel.

My dear sisters, the gospel of Jesus Christ is not an obligation; it is a pathway, marked by our loving Father in Heaven, leading to happiness and peace in this life and glory and inexpressible fulfillment in the life to come. The gospel is a light that penetrates mortality and illuminates the way before us.

When we understand why our Heavenly Father has given us this pattern for living, when we remember why we committed to making it a foundational part of our lives, the gospel ceases to become a burden and, instead, becomes a joy and a delight. It becomes precious and sweet.

Fifth, forget not that the Lord loves you.

Sisters, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances may be, you are not forgotten. No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you with an infinite love.

Sisters, there is something inspiring and sublime about the little forget-me-not flower. I hope it will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet. Please never forget that you must be patient and compassionate with yourselves, that some sacrifices are better than others, that you need not wait for a golden ticket to be happy. Please never forget that the “why” of the gospel of Jesus Christ will inspire and uplift you. And never forget that your Heavenly Father knows, loves, and cherishes you.

**These quotes are taken directly from President Uchtdorf's talk from the September 2011 General Relief Society Meeting.  The original talk can be found here: https://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/forget-me-not?lang=eng **

Halloween 2011

Our family had a very enjoyable Halloween time this year.  We had three nights when we celebrated and several other activities that made the season enjoyable.  Above you can see the "Happy Halloween" sign that Owen and I made as he learned how to safely use his scissors, and above and below you can see Owen and Bryce carving our Jack-o-Lantern Sunday evening (Owen's specialty was using clay to make a base to keep the candle up).

Owen's costume from last year still fit him, so he got to be Superman again.  This year he really got into character as he flew around the house and constantly tried to save the world from a horde of imaginary bad guys.

Last Friday (Oct. 28th) our ward had a Trunk-or-Treat activity and Bryce and I dressed up too.  Bryce was a ninja - using a costume that he made for a class in grad school but never got to wear -  and Owen determined that I was Superman's Mom.

Last night (Halloween) Bryce and I didn't dress up, but we had fun taking our little Superman around our neighborhood to go trick-or-treating.  He was a bit shy, and had more fun pretending to fly than knocking on doors and getting candy, but by the end he had figured out that it paid to say "trick or treat" and take the candy that was offered.  

Now I get to take down the decorations, bake the pumpkin for later goodies, and pack the costumes back up, but the important part of the last week has been that we've had a fun time enjoying the season and we've had a lot of fun as a family.  So Happy Halloween everyone!