The big news this Christmas: we are getting a new sister-in-law! We are so excited to have Stephanie as part of our family.
Stephanie said yes on the 22nd, which, luckily, was the same night Blake asked her to marry him. :) June 16th is the big day so the countdown will start up here soon I am sure. Congratulations, Blake and Stephanie...we love you both a ton!
I hosted an Ornament Exchange for all of the ladies in this area...it was a big hit and a lot of fun! I just wanted to post some of the fun pictures of last night. The first one is a horrible picture (taken by me) but John put up Christmas lights on our house this year! They look so great and it makes the house look so welcoming.
This was the snack table at the party. I didn't want it to be potluck style because that seems to make it harder for people to come sometimes. So, some people ask me, "What do you do all day?" since I don't have a "real" job...this is it. This is what I love to do. Baking, cooking, and inviting people into our home to experience a peaceful, non-hectic, God-centered environment for a night. John and I are finding that this really is our passion as a couple: to open our doors so other people can experience a form of hospitality that will hopefully point them to our Savior.
The beverage table. I experimented a lot with different recipes for this party and I think I found a few Christmas favorites...and staples for the years to come.
Ornament Exchanges are so much fun. All that is required is to bring a new ornament, wrapped, to the party. These are the women who came last night. We laughed a lot! This very well may become an Anderson tradition at Christmas time. It's also a fun way to make memories with the women we get stationed with when the military sends our husbands (and consequently us) to different parts of the country/world.
