Tea Companies

Auntie Steph took us girls (Melissa, Ellie, Clara, and Joanna) out to the New Mexico Tea Company, where we bought loose leaf tea, and then to the Boba Tea Company where we bought smoothies. And tomorrow is Christmas!

Christmas and Snow in New Mexico!

We are here in New Mexico for Christmas, and it snowed! Here are a few pictures of us playing in it.

family christmas photo

First, without Amy.

Then, with Amy, on Dad's cellphone.

Then us being crazy.

Greg and Dorinda's Wedding

This weekend Ellie and Clara drove to Kansas for their friend Dorinda's wedding with Auntie Diane, Sharlena, Sarah, and Auntie Di.

Sharlena put curlers in Ellie's hair while they were driving.

Mrs. Betty, the lady who let us stay with her.

Sharlena and Ellie before the wedding.

Our group before the wedding.

Greg and Dorinda

Clara in a funny hat at Cracker Barrel.

Picture of our group outside Cracker Barrel.

gardens & vegetables

We have not had a lot of produce from our garden this year, but it's exciting when we do!  We recently harvested a few tiny carrots and a tomato.

Clara's Birthday

This Friday night we celebrated Clara's 14th birthday.  Her actual birthday was on October 22. Four girls came over and we roasted hotdogs and made smores around a firepit.  

^Clara and Dad after their birthday breakfast

^ Clara with her origami gifts

^ Clara's cake had 33 candles on it

^ The girls who slept over made Blueberry Sally Lunn with Clara for breakfast

^ Sunflowers from Alexa

Houston

We drove down today to Houston to visit Uncle Mark and other relatives. We're staying with Mom's brother, Matt, and his family.

Cousin Randy helping us figure out the wireless internet connection on Dad's laptop.

Dinner, discussing economics and the stock market and cheating in baseball over delicious split pea soup and sausage.

Rainbow

"God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.  It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh."  Genesis 9:12-15

haircuts, birthdays, friends

Melissa got her hair cut a couple days ago.

We celebrated a friend's birthday and had a great time spending time together.

This is Alexa.  She's staying with us for 6 weeks as she is interning at Gospel for Asia.  We've really enjoyed having her stay with us.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21

rain, school, rain

The rain has continued to pour down for almost a week now.  It's been rather off and on, but things are staying damp and it's pretty humid.  We've enjoyed drinking hot tea and hot cocoa, and dressing for the cooler weather.  

Right now Amy is going through the Honor Academy's ESOAL (Emotionally Stretching Opportunity of A Lifetime.)  It's hard to explain, but basically the interns are coming to the end of their physical strength, and learning to rely on God instead of themselves.  You can read a recent update about how Amy's doing here, at her blog.  Please pray for her as she goes through this, to stay healthy and not get injured.

Here at the Christofferson home we're staying busy with school, keeping up with deadlines for our homeschool co-op classes and such.  Mom is teaching an Economics class as well as a Learning to Sew class.  Melissa is taking Chemistry, American Government, Web Design, and Expressive Drawing.  Clara is taking Sign Language, Volleyball, Write Way, Web Design, and Einstein's Lab.  I (Ellie) am taking Biology, Dance, American History, and Bach to Rock (art/art history.)

Texas Rain

We've had fairly steady rain for a couple days now.  It's really nice; the kind of weather that's conducive to drinking tea or coffee and curling up and reading a book.  

ice cream & family

Amy came home for Labor Day weekend.  She'll leave tonight.  On Saturday night we went to our favorite ice cream place, Braum's.  

Having our cones dipped in chocolate is a favorite.  I did it for the first time this time, and I really liked it.  I think everyone did.

The potholders in the house where Amy lives at the Honor Academy are yucky, so Amy wanted me to make her some.  So I did.  Amy graduated from her first year there, so being a second year intern now, she lives in a house instead of dorms.

[I in all of this is me, Elicia Ruth Christofferson, known to most as Ellie.]

SeaWorld Trip

Recently our family went to SeaWorld with people from Clara's girl scout troop over the weekend of August 14-16.  We stayed in cabins at a KOA campground and spent all day Saturday at SeaWorld.  We were tired out and sunburned afterwards, but we had a marvelous time with friends and family!

A show with killer whales.

Sarah, Lily and Claire

Some of our group before seeing a pirate show

All of us in front of the KOA sign before we left on Sunday.

Carwash for Amy

This weekend we had a carwash to help raise money for Amy's second year at the Honor Academy.  A couple of other interns came and it was raising money for them too.  At first it was rainy, but then the storm cleared up and we were able to wash 30 cars in all.  We are now sunburned, and afterwards we were rather sore and tired, but it was fun to have Amy home and get to know her friends.

Making signs the night before

Amy holding a sign by the road

Lots of friends helped out.

This weekend for us...

Amy brought 4 of her friends when she came this weekend.

I started painting in Clara's and my room.

On Saturday we went to the wedding of some friends and afterwards stopped at a huge bookstore in Denton.