WE WISH YOU A....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!.....I hope this finds you healthy, happy, and ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus! I had been feeling kinda blah about his whole holiday thing until today. When I walked into church this morning, the spirit hit me! It wasn't about the shopping and the wrapping, and the baking, but about the birth of our Savior! Church was covered with beautiful red poinsettias! I wanted to take a picture while the candles were lit, but out of respect, I waited until services were done! It was truly beautiful! I can't wait to get back there tomorrow for the big celebration~! I felt the peace!

I hope that you are all feeling it too!

Merry Christmas!

from the Ullmann family to yours!

I'm so EXCITED.....

I just can't hide it!.....(Oh dear, now I have that song in my head!) Last week I was FINALLY given some AWESOME news! I saw the Neurosurgeon and found out that things are going well with my back, and that I should be able to start to wean out of my brace NEXT week. What a wonderful Christmas gift! It will still take another 6-8 months to fully recover!

The same day I found out that I made the Creative Team at Scrapbook Doodle! I have met alot of wonderful, talented ladies at this scrappy site, and can't wait to contribute to their team! Congrats as well to my scrappy friends Janice and Jodi for also making the team!!

I am SO thankful that for once in a very long time things seem to be looking UP!

Dad, can you taste them? Get your coffee ready!...

TODAY was the day! We made 12 dozen doughnuts! Oh, I am sorry, that was a mistake....only 2 dozen (then I don't have to send so many to NM!) Since we have lived in MN for the last 9 years we have always gotten together with my Gram for this project! Last year we got in a flour fight, and Gram got really upset because she thought we were wasting flour! So, today we were trying to be good, and Tay just tested the water a little bit, and flicked some at her! I said "oh no, you are wasting flour!" Gram chimed in saying "Oh well, it is just flour!". Amazing how things change from year to year! The boys felt well enough to pitch in! So we doubled the recipe and away we went! Once we were finished I of course HAD to have one! So I got my insulin needle all pumped up, so I could! The hardest part was not being able to eat any of the dough while mixing it together! That is sometimes better than the finished product! We rolled, cut, and sang along with the Christmas music on the radio! It is a time of year that I will ALWAYS cherish, as will my family!

Today was supposed to be Tay's Christmas program at church, but when he woke up with a temp of 103, we decided that a solo in the program was not on his agenda for the day! Sad to miss it, as he is growing up, and only has one more year left in the Children's program!

Gram and I also enjoyed staying warm indoors yesterday by putting together a FUN Rudolph puzzle!

Blessings ....

The Good Ole Days....

Yesterday Gram Onie arrived to spend some time with my family, and to take part in our annual doughnut making! We might even get a little holiday baking done! I know...I can't enjoy the goodies, BUT...it is not about the doughnuts, but more about the time spent with Gram. At 89, she is still so spry, but the day will soon come when she will not be here to do these things with! The whole family jumps in...one gets the dough ready, the others cutting them out, and Dennis at the stove deep frying them! I will definetely share some of the goodness via the blog tomorrow! Today, before we went out shopping for my cousin Scott's twin girls who live in Arkansas, we took a couple of simple pics of Gram by the tree. We are going to print them and put them in with the girls' gifts, so they know who Gramma Onie is! They are currently 3 1/2 and Gram has not seen them since they were only a year old!

Taylor's classroom is in a competition with another classroom for a movie day at school-depending on who brings in the most goods for the food shelf! Tay's class is currently trailing, but he insists on doing what he can to get there! We gave him $20 at Target the other night and told him to shop! He did so awesome! He had several bags of goods, which will be beneficial to a family out there! He had everything from pancake mix, to veggies, to baby cereal. He compared name brand to generic to see what the better buy was. We were so proud of his thought that went into it! He has also emptied our cupboards of everything I cannot eat anymore! He has until the end of next week to get their numbers above the other class!

My diabetes...has definetely been a challenge. I am trying to do the best I can in accepting it. Now with insulin, I have experienced a couple of episodes of "bottoming out"! It is somewhat of a balancing act, but have high hopes of it leveling off at some point! I have one of the best doctors, who also happens to be a friend. We appreciate all that he has done for us over the years we have been to MN! I do have to take my blood sugars a minimum of 7 times daily, and have to inject insulin atleast 4 times daily. I can't wait until I can get the insulin pens!

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend-stay warm, and dry!

December Challenge

Okay, so my scrappy friend Janice put out a challenge to take a photo a day for the month of December! Well, I am getting off to a little bit of a late start, but hope to make it up in no time!

What a 10 day stretch it has been! Unfortunately, my pancreas has other things in mind, and is not producing any insulin, so my Diabetes diagnosis has gone from a Type 2 to a Type 1! Which means I am not only counting carbs, but needing insulin as well. I am getting used to the 7 blood sugar checks daily, and the 4 shots of insulin. Taylor even gave me an injection! It is important that the kids know what to do if need be! I don't know why God decided we needed more on our plate, but we will accept it, and move on. Or like our friend and Doctor said...we must be doing something right that the devil is really trying to get in our way! I did meet with the dietician this afternoon, and she gave me the go ahead to make homemade doughnuts with my dear Gram this weekend! I can have ONE at a time, but will have to take insulin for it!

Beyond the Diabetes.....

Last Thursday Josh had a basketball game against Sartell........their biggest rival! Well, he fell just right on it, and the piece on the top of your shin-just right below the knee came away from the bone. So, he is hobbling around here on crutches, waiting for the swelling to go down. He sees a Orthopedic Surgeon on Thursday morning!

I actually think we might have a REAL winter this year! The last several years have not produced very much snow, but we are on our second snow storm of the season so far! Tay has been a TROOPER.....shoveling the drive and sidewalk. He loves it outside!

So, with all that said....Here are my four pics for the first four days of this month!