Five Days To Go!

Time is getting short, and still so much to do!

Our boys are trickling in, our oldest first, who is bringing his sweet girlfriend to visit us for a couple of days. Then the other three arrive sometime Saturday, traveling back with the Sisters and a carload of Colorado kids. That will be a "singing" trip, as the nun who is driving them is a most highly loved choir director. Wish I could be a fly on the windshield to hear all the music and joking!

We're spending our time right now finishing up the decorating and wrapping presents. We're also doing the remote preparations for a big family sledding trip next week, and a sing-along party. Today we'll get some baking in, which we won't continue until Sunday and Monday, seeing as Friday and Saturday are Ember Days and it's just too painful not to be able to eat the dough! We'll offer up the inconvenience for vocations and for our wonderful, hard-working priests.

But today we'll be making these, Peppermint Cookies n' Cream Brownies (YUM!), and some of these, home made marshmallows and chocolate pizzas next week. And of course, the traditional chocolate chips (some variety there-of) and sugar cookies. Jon will make divinity when he gets here; it's his specialty. Dominic will probably want to make some cookie pops. And I'm sure some fudge will be made before it's all over.

Here's the finished Winter Village, complete with Christmas trees and sky (had to use two panels for the sky, because of the way the pattern runs, but it'll make for some cute curtains later):

Michelle found the picture of the altar and the rug for the foyer of the Church. We ended up finding these really neat little stick-on "jewels" for the stained glass windows. We still have to decide what to call our church, though. Something having to do with the Nativity maybe? Any suggestions?