chocolates

Our Christmas Joys

The labor of love. I think I started something years ago that will never go away. And to make you all happy puts 10 pounds on me. I happily sample several each batch I produce. And then your know to get the chocolate off of my hands, I take a few licks too. This year I came up with something new; pretzels, caramel and chocolate. These are nummy!!! I made plenty!! Hope you all enjoy.
This year I sent Susan and Benson a time-line of their family like I gave each of you last year. I was really excited to do this. I sent them a CD so they could add to it as their family increases.
Dad and I and Fairen put together game boards and delivered them to the Ronald McDonald House and to a Boys and Girls club in Midvale and one in Sugarhouse. They were so appreciative of this. We left about 8-10 games at each place.
We've had an explosion on our site on the internet this year. I could hardly keep up with the orders. I got up one morning at 3:30 to start loading game boards and packaging them up to mail. I continued on until 7:30 that evening. Each day since December 1st has kept me very busy. The chocolates had to wait their turn. Heber created some adwords on Google for us and this paid off. The proceeds from the sales will help pay for my new hearing aides, which I am so thankful for ($6500.00). They don't come cheap.
Hey, I'm into this blogging thing.
Love
Mom

Lessons From Davy

Everyday I have been trying to do small acts of service. As I have served, I have received so much more. I have noticed the love of others and not been so cynical. At night when I go to bed and think of my day, I realize how much I am blessed. Before I lay my head on my pillow I realize that like 5 other random people have given me something, or just called me on the phone out of the blue, or came and helped to light all of our 150 luminaries, or when I go to seminary, I look at my students and feel their love every morning. This is what Christmas is all about. It shouldn't end. I am thankful for the TIME I have had to learn how important TIME is!
(side-note)I love these pics of Davy. He has taught me to be more loving and believing. I love his eyes. Happiness shines straight from his eyes to my heart. He sat on Santa's lap and looked with awe and wonderment. Santa will get Davy a remote control bull dozer for sure! He knows that!! Ben and I took Davy for a Saturday of fun. We all had a great time!!
I Love you all!!
Dixie

Sugar Cookies Too!

We here in Wellsville, thought Echo's sugar cookie extravaganza was brilliant and so on Saturday morning everyone in the house had to participate in the making, baking, decorating and delivery of Christmas cookies. Each person filled a plateful of yummy cookies - we were out of traditional holiday food coloring and so the final product was yellow, silver, and hot pink, but they were tasty nonetheless. I delivered mine to two good friends Marty Cannon, who I went to Europe and Chicago with and Nancy Maughan. Darren surprised Mark Anderson who he worked with in scouts for a long time, Ryan, our neighbor, made a plateful for Brady Anderson, in appreciation for being the carpool driver... Brady said he was going to keep this on the "DL" and hid them in his room. Land made his for his friend Kohner's mom and his brother and sister - and Kohner. Land spent A LOT of time with Kohner and his family when he had his broken leg and Carol prepared him much good food. On Land's note he wrote - Thanks for the magnificent times. We thought that was a bit weird, so he scratched out times and replaced it with dinners. Chase brought his Christmas gift to his violin teacher who he has not seen in a couple of years. When she saw him at the door she gave him the biggest hug, and started to cry. She invited everyone in for refreshment. Chase was invited to play violin at her church on Christmas Eve. He actually said thanks for having us make cookies. It was a great day! Thanks to Echo for the idea!

I didn't notice it at first, but look at the flour facial hair that Land has sprouted - he's a silly kid, that one

henke elves

check out russell and davy too!

elfed allreds

us too!

elfed addy

so so funny!! check it out!!

Stormwater and Newborn Kits

Darren and I went to a Wellsville City Council meeting because they were discussing and adopting a new stormwater management plan. If they failed to adopt a plan they would be fined 30,000 dollars a day or the mayor would go to jail. Since Darren had written the stormwater plan for Summit County he thought he could help. Our first action taken was to clean the stormwater drain that is at the end of our street. It had about 10" of compacted dirt on it with dried sunflowers and other various "native plants" that had taken up residency. We were shoveling and sweeping and burning the weeds and another neighbor came down with a tractor and helped clear the debris... and that led to some of the children coming to help keep the weeds burning and others asking what in the world we were doing it wasn't even our property or our responsibility. We had decided before that we would just do it to help out the community and not start griping about the owner of the weedfest. We broke a sweat, but it brought a lot of neighbors out to work on a common project and learn why stormwater runoff is such a problem.

2nd - At my grandfather's Christmas gathering we worked on a humanitarian aid project by putting together newborn kits. It was fun catching up with my aunts and cousins as we filled the bags. Darren was the photojournalist. I posted a picture of my grandpa who is 89 years old with his wife Erica who I consider my grandma. He read poems to us and talked about Christ and tried to remember the words to the song "Freckles" that he used to sing to us when we were little. He promised he would sing the whole thing next year.
DeAnn

missionary surprise

Keeping in tune to the Christmas Spirit.
I was in line with Andrea and Nate at Cafe Rio buying a vege salad w/black beans. There were 2 missionaries ( they come in pairs ) in line behind us.
I got out of line and went to the check out and payed for their meal. I didn't want the misionaries to know who did this.
I hope they enjoyed their Rio meal. I enjoyed mine.
Laura

Olsen Christmas 07 -- are you THERE??

Hi there all my favorite family members. Dixie here, just wondering if this blog thing is working for everyone?? If anyone has any questions, please call me and I will walk through this.

Do you know there are about 47 of us all around the globe working to help others at this time of year. If each of us participate, there will be so many people touched with love. It just gives me chills thinking about this. I am so excited to hear from everybody. Please don't think it has to be something big. It is the little acts of daily kindness, and spending time with others that really make a difference.

I sure love everybody and I thank you all for what you are doing.
Love
Sister Dixie
Aunt Dixie or whatever you want to call me!! (Be nice)

sugar cookies

yesterday i did a little service project that i wanted to tell you guys about. it wasn't anything big but it was fun too. as many of you know i am the pitching coach at BYUH. this year we decided that the girls al needed to pick someone that inspired them and to write them a note letting that person know that they have been a great example to them. but they had to do it anonymously also. as an added treat i decided to make sugar cookies to had out with the cards of appreciation. so yesterday i spent like 3 actually more like 4 hours making sugar cookies and cutting them out and frosting them. i wish i took a picture so that i could show you how many i made. it was a bunch! i had a fun time doing it and was glad to participate with the softball girls in expressing their gratitude for those people in the community that inspire them.

Luminarias

Every year just before Christmas and just before the sun goes down and the big New Mexico skies go dark, the desert hills begin to glow with thousands of luminarias. It is a New Mexican tradition. For those of you who don't know what luminarias are, they are a brown paper bag with some sand in the bottom and a small candle.(I'll post a picture when they are lit). So San Jaun College put on a really big show every Christmas season (Like Temple Square only different). It takes a lot of work so the community gets together and helps out to make it all happen. Schools and clubs fold all 50,000 bags and each bag need to be filled with some dirt and needs a candle. I was able to help, along with some other institute students, direct some of the work. Elementary kids from ages 5 to 8 came by the bus loads and filled up thousands of bags in just a few hours. I was just there just to make sure the sand actually got in the bags and not in someone's eyes. It was fun and i am looking forward to seeing the Christmas lights this year.
Trevor

a new blog!! how exciting

hi everyone it is me again. if you will please email me and let me know your email addresses or any other blogs or websites i will add them as links to this blog so we can all stay in better contact. my email is echoallred@gmail.com. for now i will leave you with this picture of marc, addy, and i.

christmas project 2007

aloha olsen family!! this is the place where you can come to read and write about the christmas project for this year. i will be letting each of you know how to post on the blog, you can also add pictures of your experience. i think this is a great project and i hope you all have fun reading and sharing your experiences with everyone else.
echo