Christmas Cookies, Cards & Campouts by the Fireplace

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

White everywhere..

In my house. 

Those are the thoughts that transpired in my mind a couple mornings ago, as I hastily threw together butter, sugar, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, baking soda and flour - lots and lots of flour, which mind you did not all fit into my Kitchen Aid standup mixer. Looking back, I shouldn't have doubled the already-big cookie recipe. Three dozen was more than enough. Six dozen, well, that's just plain ridiculous, especially at 6 a.m. in the morning - on a weekday no less. But, being me, and perhaps being a bit unrealistic toward my own limitations in this stage of pregnancy, I went for it. And, boy, was I exhausted when those batches finally finished baking. It took awhile to clean off all the flour that had spilt on the countertops and appliances, and if I'm truly honest with myself, there's probably more cleaning still to be done.

Christmas-time is a wonderful time of the year, and the snow glistening in the sunshine in our
backyard reminds me of that. It's so cozy to be indoors by our wood-burning fireplace, stretched out on the futon couch alongside Penny, our border collie, while we take in the soft glow of the mini lights on our first-ever fresh cut Grand Fir Christmas tree. Ken and I are blessed to spend the holidays in our sweet little home here in Alaska - the first house we've ever shared together. It's a season of firsts for us - in owning a home, adopting a dog, and becoming pregnant.

There's so much joy in this place we find ourselves, and it comes first and foremost from our hope in Jesus. Praise God for giving us a tangible hope in the form of a Savior who came to earth to be our Immanuel (God with us). As I reflect on recent trials and challenges, I'm reminded that God has overcome the pain and suffering of this world through His Son, Jesus, and I choose to put my hope in Him and draw strength from Him. Christmas would have no meaning for me apart from Jesus. Kind of like life, I suppose.

I'm so thankful for what Christmas represents.

This week, I've enjoyed compiling and mailing Christmas cards and cookie care packages. These are two of my favorite holiday traditions! Anything snail mail-related always gets me so excited. I see it as a unique opportunity to share my heart with friends and family.

Here are a couple photos of the cookies I've been baking and mailing:

A month ago, I scoured the internet for some amazing deals on photo cards and ended up paying less than half the normal cost for most of my cards. I also scored a coupon for a bunch of free Christmas cards and saved nearly $40 on those alone (yes, I have expensive taste, and went for the nicest cards I could get for free.) In the end, I settled on two different Christmas cards - in total about 85 cards. Teaser alert: I apologize in advance to those who may not have received their cards yet and are now viewing these photos. Here are the two designs:

Design #1

Design #2 (Front)

Design #3 (Back)

When I finished addressing each card, I also took some time to melt wax and seal the cards up that I was sending in cookie care packages. (Thank you, again Grandma Dorothy, for the lovely wax seal stamp set from Italy - I've enjoyed using it these past couple years!)

Photos of the wax seal process:

Last week, Ken and I also camped out in the living room on the couch by the fire a couple nights. My back was bothering me an awful lot the second night, so we headed back to our bed around midnight. At that point, Penny moved in and took over the sofa. She's been sleeping in a lot lately, and making herself quite comfortable around the house. She must be feeling right at home...

I suppose that I'm feeling right at home as well, settling into winter here in Alaska, with the hope of spring right around the corner. I can't wait to welcome Baby Crewdson home in just a few short months!

Thanks for stopping by, and I pray that you are having a blessed and joyous Christmas season!

With Love,
M.

Greetings from Mexico!

Mexican Babymoon!

Buenos Dias, Amigos!

Greetings from the tropical seaside town of Riviera Nayarit, just north of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I'm watching the sunshine envelope the sky, as I glance out our balcony doors, and enjoying the swaying palm branches as they dance in the morning breeze. It's a little below 70-degrees outside, and we're gearing up for another 85-degree day here in Mexico.

Ken and I stumbled upon this Costco destination package a few months ago, after reaching the disappointing conclusion that it was too expensive to travel to Maui this winter to see my family. It's ironic to me that visiting another country would be cheaper than visiting my own. And yet, in needing a hefty dose of Vitamin D (in the form of sunny skies and warm beaches) after living more than a year in Alaska, we decided to try out a place new to both of us: Mexico.

Together, Ken and I have traveled to eight countries in the past four and half years of marriage, which includes Western Europe and Canada. Before meeting each other, we had separately visited countries such as Japan, Korea, Australia, Africa, and Iraq. Somehow, neither of us made it to Mexico - we hadn't really thought of going there. Particularly since I was from Maui, and Hawaii is a tropical paradise in and of itself, I never thought of Mexico as anything new. Also, with all the border issues and drug cartels I’d seen in the news over the years, I was also very hesitant to travel to a politically/socially tense environment.

And yet my perspective has shifted greatly in recent months. Yes, there are dangerous places in Mexico and yes, it’s probably best not to travel to those places as a tourist – but there are also very tourist-friendly cities, that thrive off of tourism in the same way that Hawaii does. In researching and preparing for this trip, I noticed that Mexico has so much beauty and richness, culturally and physically. The beaches are lovely, and much like Hawaii’s. The people I’ve come across are overall, warm and welcoming. They are also fascinated in finding out that we traveled all the way from Alaska.

“Alaska es muy frio!” We hear that a lot.

While I’m not sure when we will journey back to this area, I’m so glad that we took this opportunity to have our “Babymoon” getaway here. It reminds me of how much I love different cultures and people groups. What a diverse world we live in!

Here are some photos of our time here in Mexico. Ken and I have spent our time here relaxing, swimming, kayaking, body-boarding, eating fresh fruit, walking the beach, and exploring the local towns.

For now, adios!