…of 2012!
I decided I better join in for Friday’s Fave Fives with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story since this will be the last faves this year. Oye, where did the year go?
1. We had one of the most wonderful Christmas Eve Service I’ve ever been to. From a stomp band to the candle light Silent Night it was a night of worshiping Jesus.
2. Josh and Laura came to spend the night on Christmas Eve after celebrating the evening with Laura’s family. It was so nice to spend Christmas day with them. We will be together with Josh, Laura, Dan, Katie and Andrew on Friday night and Saturday for Second Christmas.
3. Having Katie and Andrew arrive the day after Christmas. The last time we had the two of them together here was for their wedding in March.
4. Celebrating Katie’s 27th birthday on the 27th. We gave gifts and then shopped to exchange some of the gifts, :). We met Dear for lunch and then Josh and Laura joined us and brought Chinese in for dinner. We put 27 candles on the cake I baked and watched it glow as we wished Katie God’s continued blessings for her golden year.
Watch the powdered sugar fly!
Laura brought golden roses for Katie’s golden birthday!
5. When Dear and I were at the MGCC Christmas party at Judy (My Front Porch) and Elmer’s a couple Sunday’s ago we were introduced to the game of Crokinole. We had never heard of it before. We ordered a game after the party and the family has been enjoying learning how to play it. Josh, Laura, Dear and I played it on Christmas day and last night after cake and ice cream Katie and Andrew were introduced to the game.
After Josh and Laura left we waited up for Dan who drove across the mountains to join us for 2nd Christmas (his first). He arrived at 10 PM safe and sound and then I went to bed sleeping well knowing that. Fun times….
I’m hoping to get around to a few Fave Five participants but it might take a while since tonight we are 9 for dinner here and I’ll be busy making preparations for our 2nd Christmas dinner. Tomorrow morning we will open stockings, have Dear’s Swedish pancakes and Judy’s bacon wrapped smokies again. Then we will open presents and relax together and probably play some more Crokinole. Saturday night we are having a relaxed soup meal together.
Hope you all have a good weekend.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
What a wonderful post for FFF post. Family is what makes any dates on the calendar meaningful, isn’t it? Happy Birthday to Katie on her 27th! What memorable pictures these are.
Such a gift to have family all together!
I agree these are memorable pictures, Ellen. So happy to see you here for the last post of 2012.
That sugar flying photo made me smile. 😉
I am always on the look out for new games. So I am going to check out the one you mentioned.
Have a great time celebrating the rest of 2012.
It’s so nice to have the family all together for Christmas. And a birthday!
I have never heard of Croquignole — will have to look it up. We enjoy playing games as a family.
Best wishes to all of you as you celebrate this special family time. So glad you like this traditional “Mennonite” game. I can just see you all ducking as the wooden buttons ricoshay off the walls! (how do you spell that?)
Busy completely happy times. I’ll be glad when you get them all under your roof at the same time! I remember reading about that game at Judy’s. You’ll have to give us a true review.
You have a beautiful family!
Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year, Ellen.
Oh I love Second Christmases. They’re necessary when you have grown kids.
Happy Golden Bday to Katie!
Beautiful last Friday’s Fave Five pictures Ellen. As I type this you are probably enjoying your Second Christmas dinner with your beautiful family! Isn’t Christmas the most wonderful time of the year?!!!! Happy birthday to Katie!
The farmer here kept wanting to break out the crokinole board for a game or two but the puzzle was just too addictive and we never got around to playing this year. We often have “progressive crokinole” parties on New Year’s Eve or at family reunions. The more boards and people, the better the game. If you “google” the game you will see that it originated in Tavistock, Ontario – a Mennonite community in my neck of the woods!
Interesting to see that crokinole is back in vogue! We played that when I was very young! So nice to catch up on all your posts – love the collage of your beautiful daughter! Blessings for another great year!
I loved seeing your beautiful family together. You got such an amazing shot of Katie blowing her pixie dust off the cake…so fun.
I am going to see if we can’t locate the family crokinole board…someone must have it.
That looks as if you had a wonderful Christmas too, and with the whole family ! 27 candles you can still put on a cake, it becomes critical with 40 and I should have 70 on the cake. I suppose it has to be a XXXL sized cake then !
Happy Golden birthday to your beautiful Katie! Your photo of her blowing out the candles is fantastic. I’m so glad that she and her husband were able to spend Christmas with you!
Have a wonderful, happy & healthy New Year!
Love the shot of Katie blowing…clouds of smoke and sugar! So glad your Dan made it home safe and sound in time for the celebrations. Glad you are having fun with crokinole. Ours is still set up in the library…and maybe we’ll have some friends over to play one of these nights.
So glad you joined in for the last FFF of the year. So glad Katie and Andrew could join you guys for Christmas and her birthday sounds like it was very special. Enjoy your second Christmas dinner and celebration!