December 24: Soon be driving to Cedar City to Betsy's house! They call my car "Santa's Sleigh" because I bring lots of stuff...the Christmas dishes, requests for last minute things from Costco, the gifts, my clothes for overnight stay, etc.! Their gift to the family is a traditional get-together on Christmas Eve with lovely appetizers including Scott's favorite:shrimp and center stage is Prime Rib roast and King Crab legs...always a treat! We range from 8-11, depending upon where nephews are visiting (this year they're with their dad.) Since I have the roasting pan with lift-out rack it's going, and since I have goblets and Christmas napkins they're packed, along with a toothpick dispenser and small beater with bowl for whipping the cream and folding in the horseradish (since I'm the only one that really likes this, I bring it!) Christmas morning we will open packages before Scott reports for Fireman duty and then off to Carlile Parents home for a traditional pancake, etc. breakfast and more gifts! Mine are all food related, but Shhhhh don't tell!
Home in the afternoon (before dark, due to ice on the BlackRidge area of I-15 (snow fell past two days) and then off to Flagstaff, AZ area on Saturday morning to meet up with Zoey and parents and Zezulka grandparents for a ride on the Polar Express. This is the train that runs from Williams to So. Rim of Grand Canyon (all decorated up to reenact the famous storybook). We hope to meet around lunch time and play and """shop???""" until time to go to Santa's Village which I understand has things for the kids to do until our reserved train time. We'll have a sleep-over and peek at the Grand Canyon Sunday a.m. before bidding each other good bye. Somewhere in there "Santa's Sleigh" will unload the Grammy Miller gifts for this family! I love the packages...it's so fun for me to think of something that really matches the personality of each family member! Ashlee, Justin and boys were here this past weekend, so we had a Christmas dinner of Roast Pork (recipe from Alison) with Scott and Betsy joining us and then went to Tuacahn for Living Nativity. You expect some sheep, but also a horse-riding Roman Tax Collector , Mary on a live donkey and the Wise Men arrive with their camel! It was great and quick...20 minutes was perfect! We had Christmas packages from Grammy on Sunday evening, and it was a long wait for Boston and Jackson, but they were so good and very appreciative...Grammy loves those hugs! Justin got his AJM Book and seemed very pleased. More on that in the after Christmas blog, as there are 3 more still to be received and I don't want to blow that surprise just yet!
My friend Bev had told me she loved orange marmalade when we were ordering breakfast on our Thanksgiving trip to Moab. I came home and googled Knotts Berry Farm and was so amazed that they no longer offer this flavor! So, at the local grocery I found three different brands from Smuckers and up---I wrapped these as part of her Christmas package and suggested we do a taste test in the future! She had a good chuckle over that.
I reacently found a recipe on the internet for CrockPot Applesauce. It is easy and so tasty and healthy....now that's a 3 way hit! I use the Granny Smith apples that you get at Costco in the bubble pack of 12. Luckily I have the bigger crock pot! I use my apple peeler and then cut them in chunks. I put half in the crock pot and sprinkle first T of ground cinnamon and stir, and then finish with the rest and another T of cinnamon. Then to 1 cup water I add 2 t. of vanilla. I put the heat on high and it's around 3 hours. You can tell they're done because not only it smells great, but also they're kind of transparent looking, bubbling around the edges and when you stir the batch, it settles down and goes mushy. If you want it near puree, stir with a whisk! So, my friends and neighbors are receiving Crock Pot Applesauce this year. (At Harmon's I found plastic freezer jam jars (3 sizes) with bright screw on plastic lids...quite festive and reusable...so a few more will be delivered this morning!
At DI this past week I had a very special experience during the "Bishops Christmas". This is held during December, with a mini store set up in the back, so that folks coming with a bishops order for specific toys, home items, clothing for Christmas, etc. can choose from set-aside and specially donated items. The bikes are always a miracle as one day there are none and by the next 20 have arrived...it was like this all month. There were many beautiful quilts available and brand new pillows, sheet sets and this year lots and lots of new coats in all the sizes.
My branch had made a quilt and I was asked to deliver it since I'm out there almost every day. One of the asst. store managers was in charge of Bishops Christmas, so I found him and showed him the quilt. He immediately wanted to know the size, as he had been searching for a double bed size: it was, and he was very happy as he had someone needing this size. I thought that was the end of the story, but the next morning as I was getting dressed I had a very strong impression that someone was coming to DI on the day who would need a big quilt. I thought about the flower one I had made several years ago when I was experimenting with the "Turning 20" patterns. I knew this had to go to DI that day, so I pulled it out from my glass coffee table that stores quilts inside.
I found Chad, the asst. mgr. and told him I had been impressed quite strongly to bring this quilt in for Bishops Christmas. "Is it a King?" was the first thing he asked. "I have someone who really needs that size." I told him it was a Queen, but would fit on a king-sized bed, but with less hang down on the sides. We opened it up, and the long arm quilting design really looked nice and I told him I had made it and quilted it. He then looked at me and said, "You are an answer to prayer. There's someone here who will really want this. Do you want to give it to her?" Of course I agreed, and he called this young mother over and showed her the quilt and told her I had made it. He told her he would put it aside with her Bishops Order for Christams. She loved it, she cried, she hugged me and I glowed....it's the greatest of feelings to be in the right place at the right moment! Then he told her, "And you will treasure this even more because you know who made it!" That made my heart swell. Later in the day, she thanked me again. So nice to know I've been a part of her Christmas miracle.
If you haven't found Christmas yet, it's not too late---music will help, a good story (I recommend Shepherds, why this Jubilee? by Jeffrey Holland) or the Hallmark TV station or Lifetime (both have been showing continuous Christmas-related movies every day)
I feel the love of our Savior so strongly and I feel the love in people's hearts so strongly at this time of year. May we keep these wonderful feelings all year. Hugs, "Sister Miller"