I've gotten a little behind because this has been a very busy week!  I took a few pictures along the way though so I'll just start with this lovely day and go backwards.

My sisters all came down today for our fun day of candy making.

 It's been such a long time since we've been together it was sure a treat for me!  I've sure missed them.

Brenda was telling us a little about their experience of cleaning out Dennis' folks house and selling it after his mom passed away last summer.  They didn't seem to be having much fun with it.  We were thinking about our experience cleaning out and selling mum and daddy's place and were feeling grateful for the sweet relationships we have with each other and how that made each week that we got together a joyful one as we reminisced and celebrated our parents lives.

Anyway, we visited a while, catching up on each others lives, then got busy with our candy.  Oh the treats!  We really made some good ones today!  Teina made corn chex candy and these yummy pretzel rolo, pecan bites that I can't stop eating.  Brenda made thin mints (better than girl scout cookies) and chocolate covered pretzels and caramel popcorn, Les made peanut clusters,  pretzel Hershey kiss, m&m bites and cherry-o-let goodness (which she left in my fridge...oh darn!)  I made caramels, then stuck a pecan in them and dipped them in chocolate, and toffee corn pops. (thanks to Kelley for tracking me down some corn pops!)  Everything turned out just yummy. 

We ate lunch ( I made some soup and Kelley got me some good rolls from Reams this morning) Then we exchanged our presents.  Teina gave me the cutest snowman ornaments that you can put a picture in that will be perfect for the grand kids pictures. and some nice piano music of hymn arrangements that looks really fun to play.  She sure knows what I like!  I gave Brenda this picture I have been working on for a little while.  Kelley finished it off with a cool frame made from mum and daddy's old fence.  I think It was fun to think about each one in their family and try to make the picture look like them...turned out kinda cute!
Brenda showed us some pictures of Phil and Stacey's babies.  They are all doing well and have grown so much! They are sure cute.  I don't know how Stacie does it.  Brenda has been going up there a few days a week and helping her out and I think her sisters helps her some too, but with Phil in Idaho all week teaching school, that's got to be rough.

 We planned our Christmas party we are having the Saturday after Christmas.  It will be extra nice for me because my whole family will be here!  That hasn't happened in quite a long time!
We loaded all the goodies onto plates and into bags and got them ready to go.  Gosh the day flew by so quick.  I sure wish we lived closer so we could do things like this all the time.  Love my sisters.