Category Archives: Scrapbook

12 years of Christmas Cookie Parties

2025 UPDATETIME CHANGE1-4PM

As we age and our family grows, we’re moving the time to be a better fit for driving in daylight and bedtimes for grandchildren. Still keeping the first Saturday of December as our annual date, but we’re moving the time from evening to daytime beginning in 2025.

{ORIGINAL POST CREATED IN 2012, and as I edit this over the years, you’ll see edit dates inserted throughout the post.}

We are always excited for the first Saturday of December. Since 2000, we have hosted a Christmas Cookie Party each year.

It started as a fun and easy way to get a nice variety of cookies for gift giving (and consumption, lol)… Each family brings 8 dozen of the same cookie for the exchange, plus a few extra cookies for judging/sampling purposes, and leaves with 8 dozen assorted cookies. Mike chooses a few judges & prizes are awarded for best tasting and best display. ~~Each family brings copies of their recipe to share, too.~~ (We stopped bringing paper copies of recipes years ago – just seems easier to txt or email those as requested.)

We even have some who like to come for the fellowship and don’t want to bake cookies. They usually bring an appetizer to share which goes well with our homemade egg nog or Christmas coffee…

For the first ten years we “adopted” children through a local organization and furnished gifts for many children.🎁

And over these past 10 years we have collected donations of school supplies for children both abroad and local.✏️📚🖍✂️📓

We’ve had anywhere from 6 to 18 families participate each year. Large crowds are fun because there’s so much energy packed in our home – but small crowds are nice, too – time to really talk & visit with dear friends and family.❤️

This has been a WONDERFUL time of preparation for us to kick off the Christmas season. Definitely a routine we all look forward to. Our tree & decorations go up during Thanksgiving week. Then we all work together to tidy things up around here. Cookies are baked and freezers get full of beautiful (and yummy) cookies to share with others…which leaves the rest of the month for my favorite part: to work on homemade gifts and other fun projects in a clean and Christmassy home! A perfect time to s-l-o-w down and meditate on the REAL reason for this season…our Savior, Jesus Christ.✝️

Funny – what started as an excuse for a party to get cookies, has blossomed into a wonderful tradition for our family!

So if you are reading this post, CONSIDER YOURSELF INVITED (OR REMINDED) to join us the first Saturday of December at 7pm – every year. Whether you want to participate in the exchange or just come for fellowship, we’d love to have you! This tiny house is the happiest when it’s bursting at the seams…🙏🏼

Thought I’d share some pics we’ve collected over the years:

2021 PICS🎉

2024 pics❤️

HIS HANDS are here…

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If you are reading this post, it’s because Mike gave me permission to post it. Otherwise, this page will just be tucked into a page in my Bible…

11-29-12
Rough day today. Ever had one of those?

Not like “physically rough”, but “spiritually rough”.

Not like: “I hate God”, but like: “God show me where You are in this…”

I’m sharing a burden for my best friend today. A burden heavier for him, because God made him a man. A husband. A father. A provider for this family. A man plagued by his past mistakes. A man made new in Jesus Christ, but still remembering his old self. A man who wants so badly to undo his mistakes. A man who looks so hard for fixes, that he can’t see His Hands. Sometimes.

Then I walked into the barn and saw the gloves he had left behind. Struck me as the perfect picture of how The Lord’s Hands are laced throughout my life – even when I can’t physically see them.

The Lord always leaves “His imprint” for me to find. Sometimes it’s through people. Sometimes it’s through nature. Sometimes it’s through music. Sometimes it’s through circumstances. It’s always there – permeating through my senses. The question for me becomes: am I TRULY looking for it? Seems crazy that what seems obvious in retrospect is so blurred by my in-the-moment-nearsightedness…

So what’s the common thread? The one true strand that He weaves for me? Could it be HIS WORD? The very thing I love to read? I feel like David as he pours his heart out in so many Psalms! Just the exercise of asking these questions – this new willed discipline of coming back to the only Word that is sufficient for my moment’s existence…just this tiny effort of walking in communion with my Heavenly Father…begins to shake the scales off my eyes, unmuffles my ears, and forms words on my tongue that first came from Him. THEY ARE ALIVE!

I’m crying now. Real. Physical. Tears. I can’t believe that my heart cry from this morning – the one where there was no answer in sight – where I felt worthless and unable to offer anything to my best friend – where I had to rely on His Spirit interceding for me because I didn’t even know how to pray…and He sent me a sister at that EXACT moment – to unite with me in prayer…

That heart cry has been heard, and He’s answered me with His Word.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV84)

And then one final lesson, The Lord had in store for me… He must have heard me whispering in my mind – how it sure seems like I’m always praying the same thing…different situations, but same requests… I searched my Bible for passages on faithfulness, and He led me to David’s Song of Praise in 2 Samuel 22… Then I went to Psalm 18, and I thought there was a glitch in the Bible app on my phone… The Words I had just read in 2 Samuel were ALMOST IDENTICAL to the Words I was reading in Psalm 18! Wow. This is powerful to me today. NO, I don’t think He minds that I have overlaps in my requests. I think He just wants me to pursue Him. Forever. 🙂

“To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (2 Samuel 22:26-33 NIV84)

To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (Psalm 18:25-32 NIV84)

Yes, Lord, Your Way is perfect, and Your Word is flawless. I pray the meanings of these verses will flow out from me like living water… May my husband receive the same nourishment from them that I do. Use me to help him see Your Hands, Lord. AMEN

Entered my 4th decade…

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So I’ve been 40 now for one month! 🙂

Can’t say I feel much different – still behind in pretty much every category – and still moving slower than I’d like, lol!

I don’t mind, though – I like keeping busy, and I hate rushing… 🙂

Mike made me a frame for one of our school maps out of scrap wood he had laying around. I love it! 🙂

From Michael, I got an ITunes gift card and he also joined in on Paul’s gift… Apparently, “the gift” for turning 40 is chocolate – namely, M&M’s… (Not sure if that’s because they were on sale the day they were shopping, or because we tend to bend our eating habits for special occasions and perhaps the birthday girl would share her loot, lol…)

I decided to try to see if I could get the candy to last as long as possible – after all, it’s not our habit to eat it often, so that shouldn’t be hard to do, right?

My 3 boys rolled their eyes when they saw what I did… 🙂

So how’s my “great idea” workin’ out???

COMPLETE – EPIC – FAIL!!!!! 😦

Every single one of those candies are gone, lol. Didn’t even last one month!! And sadly, I was the worst offender… 😦 This is EXACTLY why I don’t keep this stuff in the house… A terrible example of self-control, I was. 😦

[In my defense, I’d like to say it’s the Peanut M&Ms’ fault. If they didn’t taste the best, I wouldn’t have hunted so much for them and eaten the ones in my way, lol! I know, lame excuse. Uggg.]

We just finished memorizing the first book of James, and there are several verses that were very convicting to me… When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full‑grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15 NIV84) Yikes, Lord, such a simple, little thing – yet a perfect example of how weak I am when I rely on my own power to fight my battles. I guess I felt like I didn’t need Your help in this…that I could handle it with my “big talk” and “methodic system”. I know it wasn’t You tempting me… You were there with me the whole time, just waiting for me to ask You for help. Instead, I allowed desire to drag me away, and that led to sin – the sin of not practicing self-control. It’s easy to practice self-control when you don’t have something you desire in your kitchen cupboard. Strengthen me, Lord, to be better able to handle the next time I’m in a similar situation. How amazing that M&M’s can lead me to repentance, lol! I love Your sense of humor, Lord. Amen

Thankful for seeds…

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Yesterday, as we celebrated the first of our Thanksgiving meals this weekend, I kept thinking about how grateful I was for “seeds”.

From the meats, to the vegetables, to the fruits, to the breads, to the desserts, and all the condiments – they can all be traced back to a “seed”. These “seeds” were conceived, germinated, grown, tended, cared for, born, hatched, picked, harvested, processed, cooked, served, and finally: consumed. By these “seeds”, our physical appetites were filled. Perhaps even, OVERfilled, lol…

Then I thought about “seeds” in regards to family. Perhaps it’s because we were with so many extended family members – multiple generations under one roof. Levels of people grown from the same “seed” – shared grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and those grafted in through adoption or many years of friendship. And then there’s the thought of future generations to be added to the family tree – new marriages and the miracle of children… By these “seeds” have grown many years of familiar traditions and memories – and now opportunities to plant new “seeds” for future relationships to grow as our walks progress from the youngest to the older…

As I prepared my meal contribution, I listened to this sermon by Vance Havner entitled God’s Work In The Life Of One Servant, Part 2. (aired on Moody Radio – Today In The Word Radio on 11-12-12) It truly spoke to my heart, and brought me to thanksgiving for the “seed” of His Word. This was a timeless sermon over 30 years old, and yet completely relative to today’s world. I absolutely love how The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The pastors will change, and the testimonies will be unique, but the Truth behind the lessons does not change like shifting shadows – just like James tells us in James 1:17. The “seed” of Jesus Christ is in His blood. And I am eternally grateful He died for me, so that I can spend eternity with Him. Father, while I am still here, I pray that I can plant many generations of “seeds” that You will grow. AMEN

Oh Lord, I pray over my day

Hunting for…?

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Just curious… Any guesses as to what is hiding in the grass, lol?

I’ll update this post in a few hours with the answer… 🙂

[imagine Jeopardy music playing now]

AND THE ANSWER IS….

AIRSOFT BULLETS, lol!
(Apparently the purple ones are the heaviest weighted bb’s, so they are a VERY precious find…)

I absolutely love that The Lord has blessed me with two very different boys! I have one who can’t sit still and is rarely seen without a ball, mitt, or bat in his hand. And then I have one who will crawl on his hands and knees and search for bb’s for HOURS after an airsoft war to retrieve the “best” ones, lol! 🙂

Ross Family Hike 2012

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A couple weekends ago was our annual “Ross Family Hike”. This hike has been happening since before I married in to the family. Mike’s Mom’s maiden name is Ross, and we are the 7th generation to farm here. (I’ll put a pic of a genealogy paper at the bottom of this post. Our cousin, Ernie Ross, created it for us before he died in 2011.) For me it seems, the older I get, the more interesting history is becoming… Sure wish I would have paid more attention to the stories from my grandparents before they passed…

Every year, the four of us talk about blazing a new trail for the Ross Family Hike during the summer months so we can use it & enjoy it all year. And every year we are scrambling at the last minute to cut one right before the hike, lol. Why spend the time to cut a trail you may ask?? Well, ever since I got a group lost in briars and spider nests five years ago or so, it was decided we needed a defined path for “non-natural hikers”, like myself… 🙂

We all look forward to this hike – and this year was no exception! We begin with a family prayer and share a potluck meal in Mike’s parents’ garage. Then we take a hike through the woods, and the guys usually end with “shooting” – clay pigeons, squirrel targets, etc…

This first pic shows the yellow ribbons that mark this year’s path. I’m happy to report I was “allowed” to be the “ribbon girl” again this year! 🙂

I briefly lost my “title” last year because of using too much ribbon…we ran out before we were done with the trail, lol! I went a little more conservative this year, and won back the approval of all three of my boys… 🙂 ;

Michael is our “extreme adventur-er” – can normally find him doing ANYTHING other than cutting briars, lol…

Found this cool squirrel-table-stump…

Love finding old fenceposts in the woods & trying to imagine how the old pasturefields used to look…

Now the pics change to the actual day of the hike. We went on a “trial run” hike in the morning because there was a steep part we needed to add a rope to. We tied a rope to a tree on the top of the dry creek bed so that we could use it to climb up the bank. Felt like Indiana Jones, lol! 🙂

FINALLY – these next pics are the “actual” hike… 🙂

Not kidding: ROPE WAS FUN!! Brought lots of smiles & laughs…

Uncle Bill, on the other hand, didn’t need any rope! 🙂

Every year we take this same pic… 🙂

Yes, Michael’s holding half of a dead rat – long story – crazy boys… 🙂

It was a wonderful day for all – “Blake” (our oldest cat) says it all right here… 🙂

Algonquin Mill 2012

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Thought I’d share some pics from this year’s Algonquin Mill Festival. Every year, we look forward to this festival. The autumn setting is just beautiful, and the air is full of the scent of steam engine smoke! 🙂

Mike’s mom quilts in the farm house on Thursdays during the year. During the festival, the ladies dress in costume and enjoy demonstrating what they do to the families who come through the house. Recently, Mike and the boys have been joining Grandma on Thursdays to work with the men where needed. Mike has always wanted to learn how to work the steam engine powered flour mill, and he is getting to do that. Hopefully, the boys will follow suit as the next year progresses. It’s such a wonderful learning experience for all – the passing on of knowledge from generation to generation.

The festival lasts for 3 days. Today, Mike worked in the flouring mill, and the boys & I worked in the Apple Butter house. We had a steady stream of sales, and enjoyed talking with the other volunteers and customers. 🙂