Merry Christmas my friends

It is the day of Christmas Eve and aside from wrapping and cooking I have it in the bag. I can't wait to show you the gifts I made this year. I am super happy with them. Of course, if I were to show you now some surprises would be spoiled so you will have to wait, along with me, to see what I cooked up this year. Speaking of cooking, and baking, yesterday was cinnamon roll baking day. None of these shortcuts for us - it is the real McCoy - nothing beats homemade yeast dough and everytime I see those recipes for cheaters or those things in a can I feel a little self-righteous - forgive me please! Today I better finalize the menu for Christmas Dinner. I am super excited that tonight we are doing Christmas Eve at Lynnette and Drew's house. We are "killing two birds with one stone" and having Christmas Brunch for Christmas Eve so that we can actually go to church to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas Day and not miss out on any traditions. Of course we will grab some cinnamon rolls on our way to church and then when we get home tear into the gifts. Looking forward to it. We'll eat our meal at dinnertime. Everytime I plan a Christmas dinner I see so many carbs - everything we love is carb heavy - yet when I ask for favorites and must haves they all come up again. Sweet Potato Casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, Spoon Bread, Homemade rolls, this year I am skipping the grean bean casserole and trying something new - Sweet and Sour green beans and instead of honey and brown sugar on the carrots I am going to oven roast them to bring out the sweetness. We'll see how many complaints I get. Part of me says Oh just go with it and start a diet in the New Year. Which I will do but my jeans are already feeling tight and I still have Boxing Day (Haney Christmas) and New's Year's Eve and Day to get through. UGH  - already feeling the pain.
Well I will attach a copy of our Christmas Note and bid you adieu - time to get my elf hat back on! I made my cards this year but of course they are gone and not a picture taken so here's the note and Merry Christmas

this year's family picture

Merry Christmas from the Underwoods

How blessed we are to have been given another year to love and to serve Jesus as we celebrate His birth this season. Here is a quick snapshot of our busy year.

John – survived another hard year at Loudoun Tunneling Co., Inc. We are grateful that the business is still running and we have some work to do. However it has been a long hard road in this economy and we pray things pick up soon. He recently moved his office into our home and seems to now work night and day. We enjoyed seeing many of his cousins and extended family at a reunion this summer in Lake of the Ozarks, MO.

Mary – has put on a lot of travel miles this year with over 20 states and counting. Her new project has been speaking to women’s retreats and other gatherings. The topic is “Journey of a Lifetime – Reflections on Pilgrim’s Progress” and has been well received at each event.  She also switched jobs and now works in childcare at our church. Playing with babies on W, TH, F is a highlight of the week and almost removes the itch for being a grandma.

Lynnette – continues to teach a combined 2^nd/3^rd grade at Lorien Wood. She is in her fifth year of teaching. Her husband, Andrew recently began a new job for the Dept. of Justice and now commutes to DC every day.  We love having them about 30 mins from us.

Michael- was married to Laura Parks this past October. They moved to San Diego where she is stationed with the US Navy. We miss her this Christmas as she tours around the world and pray for her safety onboard ship and in ports they will be visiting. It’s a rough way to start a marriage of 6 weeks, but we hope this will fulfill the necessity of a deployment for a long time.

Kayla – is a senior at Covenant College and we don’t know where the time went. She will graduate in May as a Sociology Major with a concentration in Counseling along with two minors: Community Development and  Missions. She has enjoyed her years of volleyball and decided to finish up by playing a season of basketball.