Kendrick Christmas Traditions

Christmas is the best time of the year. It's the time for traditions. It's the time of year when the family is all together and when you make memories that last forever. From before I can remember my family has always had certain traditions that I've grown to love and I plan to continue with my future family.


Throughout the years, about a week before Christmas all of us kids put one shoe on the fireplace before bed. This tradition comes from many European Countries. During the night Santa hops from house to house carrying a book of sins in which all of the misdeeds of the children are written. If they have been good, he fills the shoe with delicious holiday treats. If they have been bad, their shoes is filled with twigs or coal. The Kendrick kids were told the elves came and put the treats in our shoes. It was probably because we thought Santa was too busy and it didn't make sense to us.

Treats- We always made yummy sugar cookies before Christmas and seemed to eat half the batch by the time we were done. Yum! My mom usually bakes bread, cinnamon rolls, homemade carmel, and delivers them to neighbors as a little Christmas gift which everyone of course loves!

PJs- On Christmas Eve we each open up one present which is our new set of pj's. Then we are all cute and wearing our matching pajamas in our pictures on Christmas Day of opening presents.

Dinner- My mom would make homemade Clam Chowder and homemade bread on Christmas eve and it was delicious! Wow!

Santa's Plate- Before bed we had a plate for Santa with cookies and a carrot for his reindeer with a glass of milk. I always thought we would get more presents if we treated him well. :)

Morning Rules- Everyone had to wait till every kid was awake and the meeting spot was mom and dad's room and you better not wake up too early! And NO PEEKING down stairs! Oh, and there were a few years when my Dad was running marathons that he would go on long runs and we would have to wait until he got home to go down stairs!! It KILLED us!!! Dad!!!

Stockings first! Oh, and thats not a problem because Santa stuffed those stockings in the Kendrick house! It was always the coolest stuff! I loved it and dumped that sock out as fast as I could!

Breakfast- Strawberry Waffles and Whipped Cream...this is the breakfast you get on holidays in our home! 

Trash Bag- My Dad doesn't like messes (I inherited that trait) so all of us kids know Dad will always be holding a trash bag for all the wrapping paper so there won't be a mess. LOL. Pretty classic in the Kendrick home.

Movies- On Christmas Day we always tend to go to the movie theater once all the craziness has died down and we need something fun to do! :)

But of course, we can't forget the real meaning of Christmas! Here are some great quotes I found:


"So who needs Christmas? We do! All of us! Because Christmas can bring us closer to the Savior, and he is the only source of lasting joy....

"We need Christmas because it helps us to be better people, not only in December but in January, June, and November.

"Because we need Christmas we had better understand what it is and what it isn't. Gifts, holly, mistletoe, and red-nosed reindeer are fun as traditions, but they are not what Christmas is really all about. Christmas pertains to that glorious moment when the Son of our Father joined his divinity to our imperfect humanity" ("Hugh W. Pinnock, Who Needs Christmas?," New Era, Dec 1987, 4).




"The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force. The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master....

"If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments" (Howard W. Hunter, "The Real Christmas," Ensign, Dec 2005, 22–25).

Funny Girl

When I was back home the other week, one night I was watching tv with my mom and she had recorded the movie "Funny Girl" and played her favorite parts for me and I actually thought it was really funny! So the other night, I went to the public library and rented the movie and watched it. It was a classic and I thought it was great! Here were some lines I liked:


Fanny: You think beautiful girls are going to stay in style forever? I should say not! Any minute now they're going to be out! Finished! Then it'll be my turn! 


Fanny: Where I come from, when two people... well, sort of love each other... oh, never mind. 
Nick: Well? What do they do when they "sort of love each other"? 
Fanny: Well, one of them says, "Why don't we get married?" 
Nick: Really?
Fanny:Yeah, and sometimes it's even the man. 


If you ever get the chance, rent this musical. It's awesome! You'll get some laughs out of it! Mom, thanks for sharing it with me! Thanks to Grandpa, he taught you to love those musicals! :)

Chiropractor Craziness

So I decided to go to the chiropractor for the first time this last week. I called a few numbers my insurance gave me and ended up going to Heath Chiropractic and I absolutely loved this guy. Not only does he do the normal chiropractic care, but he does deep massases too while doing the cracking and popping! Ok, but I had a really embaressing experience that I have to share! He told me he could either work on my back over my clothes or without and use lotion.  Well, of course I said without, since I've had the priviledge of having professional massages before and I'm totally fine with letting a stranger rub lotion on my back! Well, so the chiropractor gave me a gown and told me he would come back in the room once I was changed and laying on the table. Well, he left the room and I took off my clothes and put on my gown and laid on the table. The chiropractor soon came in and quickly said, "Oh my, you can put your pants back on!" And shut the door.  He must have thought I was such a perve and weirdo! I don't know what I was thinking! Chiropractors don't give full body massages! At least I had my underwear on! Jeez! So I quickley put my pants back on and laid on the table and we continued with the procedure. That was quite a scene and akward for the both of us! But it ended well and I'll be going back often! :)

The Love of Christ

I read this testimony from Elder Melvin J. Ballard, from "The Sacramental Covenant"  a while ago and loved it so much that I wanted to share it:
 "I recall an experience which I had two years ago, hearing witness to my soul of the reality of His death, of His crucifixion, and His resurrection that I shall never forget. I bear it to you tonight...that I know that He lives, and I know that through Him men must find their salvation, and that we cannot ignore His blessed offering that He has given us as the means of our spiritual growth...

I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night in the temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious Personage, and as I entered the door I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I ever conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finieshed, I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessing which such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I ever hope to be, to feel  what I then felt!

Opposition

Cripple him and you have a Sir Walter Scott.
Lock him in a prison cell and you have a John Bunyon.
Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington.
Raise him in poverty and you have Abraham Lincoln.
Subject him to bitter religious strife, and you have Franklin Delanore Roosevelt, the only U.S. President to serve four terms in office.
Burn him so severely in a school house fire that doctors say he will never walk again and you have a Glenn Cunnigham, who set the world record in 1934 for running the mile in 4 minutes and 6.7 seconds.
Deafen a genius compsoer and you have a Ludwig Van Beethoven.
Drag Him more dead than alive from a rice paddy, an you have a Rocky Blyer, running back for the great 1970 decade Pittsburgh Steelers.
Have them born into a society filled with racial prejudice and hatred, and you have Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, or Martin Luther King, Jr.
Have him born into a Nazi concentration camp, paralyze him from the waist down at the age of four, and you have an Eastman Pearlman, the incomparable pianist.
Call him retarded and write him off as uneducated, and you have Albert Einstein.
Amputate the cancer-ridden leg of a young Candian, and you have a Terry Fox, who ran half way across Canada on artificial legs. Take both legs away from him and you have a Douglas Bater, an RAF fighter pilot who was captured three times by the Germans and who escaped three times on artificial limbs.
Label him too stupid to learn and you have a Thomas Edison.
Blind him at the age of 44, and you have a John Milton, who 16 years later wrote the great novel, "Paradise Lost."
Call him dull, hopeless, and flunk him out of  school in the sixth grade, and you have the famous statesman Winston Chruchill.
Tell a boy who loves to draw that he has no talent, and you have a Walt Disney.

Take a man who did nothing wrong to anyone, and spit on Him, mock Him, humiliate Him, be His trusted friend and then completely turn your back on Him, accept His loving kindness and service for years and then crucify Him, and after all this, have Him still forgive you, and you will have a Jesus of  Nazareth, the Christ.

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html
This is a slideshow called, "Reflections of Christ". It's one of my favorite things to watch when I'm having a bad day. It always brings tears to my eyes. I KNOW my Redeemer lives.

Gratitude

I have been thinking about gratitude quite a bit this past week. I read an article about gratitude that was very interesting with fascinating facts and great tips and just had to share!
Start a gratitude journal of things your thankful for in your everyday life. Even the little things! Like the cream cheese on your bagel, your hot shower, your comfy bed, the hug that was well needed.
Optimism and gratitude can be learned by working on your thoughts and staying positive and sometimes you have to FORCE the positive!
As my family was eating Thanksgiving dinner we went around the table and shared three things we were thankful for and how nice it would be to be able to ponder on what we are thankful for throughout the entire year!?
Studies show that an increased focus on gratitude can offer a lasting boost. One way to help shift a person's outlook--and one that's gained buzz on talk shows, including Oprah's is by keeping a gratitude journal.
The benefits from counting blessings are tangible emotionally and physically. People are 25% happier and more energetic if they keep gratitude journals, have 20% less envy and resentment, sleep 10% longer each night and wake up 15% more refreshed, exercise 33% more and show a 10% drop  in blood pressure compared to persons who are not keeping these journals.
These statistics blew me away and made me realize how important being grateful is for me spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I've decided to purchase a blank book where I will list at least three things per day. They can be big or small but there are always things to be thankful for in my daily life. Soon you will be able to look back on your lists of all the things you are grateful for; especially the days when your stressed or depressed. Remember that all gratitude doesn't need to be saved for the journal. Tell the people in your life how much you appreciate them. From people in your family to sales clerks and postal employees you encounter in your day. Everyone likes to know that they're appreciated and their positive reactions can help put you in a positive mood too!

Go get them gratitude journals! :)

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. --Melody Beattie

For The Love of Food

Hello Friends and Family! Welcome to my very own blog! And of course, the first post is devoted to food!! My passion and love in life!  Glorious food! Ok, anyone who lives in Utah or visits here will love this treasure I came across. I always love stumbling upon small diners or holes in the wall that have killer foods that you want to tell everyone about! Food and company are my favorite things! When those are put together they make the best memories! I'm ready to do some exploring! Who wants to come?Here we go!

http://www.saltlakemagazine.com/Salt-Lake-Magazine/June-2009/Utah-Locavore-100/