My Favorite Things

Santa Claus came and went.  The turkey has been roasted and eaten.  The presents have been wrapped and unwrapped.  As I look back over the past few weeks, there are definitely some stand out moments that make the Whitlock Favorite Memories list.  My favorites weren't the new video games or electronics.  My favorite things were the simple pleasures that money just can't buy.

1.  My 8 year old made a large star for me.  He used five sheets of paper and made it entirely by himself.  He was so thrilled to give it to me and could barely contain the secret.  He kept dropping hints, like "It's handmade and it's a star but I'm not telling you how big it is but it's really big."  His excitement was contagious and it made me so happy.



2.  One of my sons turned 15 on the 23rd of December.  He wanted steaks for his birthday dinner.  I inadvertently turned my back on the steaks while they were marinating and our dog snatched a steak.  I chased him around the table at least 10 times before I gave up.  We all had a little less steak but joked that Rascal really enjoyed the birthday feast.

3.  My daughter made candles for presents this year and gave me a wonderful apple scented candle.  She was pretty sneaky about the candle making process and I was completely surprised with the gift.

4. Our fifteen year old is in the concert and jazz bands at his high school.  They played a jazz version of "My Favorite Things" that put chills on my arms.  Our daughter is also in the chorus at the same high school.  They sang the "Hallelujah Chorus" and were accompanied by the orchestra.  There are some wonderfully talented musicians in our schools and if you are a music fan, you should definitely check out the free concerts at your local high school.

5.  We cranked up the cookie making factory.  Brittany and her boyfriend wanted to make 30 plates of cookies to deliver to their friends.  They did most of the work but the little boys and I pitched in to help.  My kitchen was floating in sugar, food coloring and chocolate.  Surprisingly, my 11 year old son really enjoyed this and spent several hours decorating the sugar cookies to his satisfaction.  

6.  Finally, one of Frank's favorite desserts is lemon pie.  Brittany really wanted to make him a pie.  However, she ran out of time and we actually didn't need another dessert for Christmas day.  So...she wrapped up the ingredients and wrote him a note as a promise to bake him a pie very soon.   Here is the "lemon pie" that was wrapped up for him...

I hope that you enjoyed the holidays with your family and that you made many favorite memories also.  I would love to hear about your favorite things.  Please share your holiday stories in the comments below.