Good vs. Best

While the rest of the world is moving on to New Year's resolutions, I'm still stuck back in December. I was too busy to post about this when it happened but I really want it documented so I can read it  later (again and again and again!) as a reminder to myself.

'Twas the week before Christmas 

Still so much that's not done.

My list is still long, at least 101.

There are presents to wrap and

Gifts to be made.

And I still can't decide, 

Is that the right shade??

The cleaning and laundry,

Help! I've fallen behind.

There is cooking and baking

O where is my maid??

Then a message I see in my FaceBook world,

I should have expected this from such a wise girl.

"If your list is too long and your feeling all stressed,

Just give up the good and stick with the best."

The words stick in my mind as I go through my day,

I try to make sure that my children aren't missed.

To read them a story or give them a kiss,

To not get annoyed when the get in the way.

They are most important, of course that's what I say,

But is that how they feel at the end of the day? 

{I have no idea where all this rhyme-y stuff came from but that pretty much exhausts my earth shattering (pssht) talents. Back to plain ole English here.}

To be honest, I had a little argument with myself first.
"Who, Me??"
"I can do this!" 
"I mean, really my list isn't THAT long."
"Besides, everything on MY list IS important." 
"Maybe, I shouldn't have procrastinated so much the last 2 weeks."
"Well, maybe there is one or two things I could skip." =)

And of course in the end I realized that it really is silly to stay up until 2 a.m. so that we have cookies with sprinkles on them. (You guessed it, no one even missed em.) The fresh greens never got made into festive arrangements. They're still on a pile on the porch, at this very moment. And the presents were just as fun to open without big gaudy bows on them. I did however, make a few notes for next year.

#1. If you want to make homemade gifts it might be best to decide this in May rather than December.

one of this year's projects

#2.Those projects that look/seem so simple, still take time, not a ton of time but some time and it all adds up!

and another. simple and useful.

 #3. No matter how organized and intentional you are, someone is bound to throw something at you at the last minute that you weren't planning on so you might as well just plan some extra time for it. Can we say flexible? And hey, if not, there's always a hot cup of coffee willing to jump in and save you from total boredom.

this year's unexpected project:
"Mom, I need an Isaiah costume by Sunday."

Whoa. Bunny Trail. Back to my original story.

 By Wednesday I had decided what had to go and had made enough progress on the rest that I scheduled a lunch date with my boy on Thursday. We set out to grab a few last minute things from a couple of stores and then he chose our lunch destination. Little Brother was riding with Daddy so it was just me and little Mr. Quality Time. =)

Well, Little Miss Blue-Eyed-Cute-Stuff snuck along, but she didn't cause any trouble.

 And since it was a "real date" we tapped into our "holiday cheer" and splurged on a Happy Meal (the kind with a toy!) and a Bacon Ranch Chicken Sandwich. (That's pretty special coming from this Mama. I can usually get lunch for 4 of us for about $7. Luv that $ menu!)

And then we took plenty of time to play too. The boy loved it! The Mama loved it! 

Relaxing. Fun. Special.

This really is the Best (and the good can just wait!)

(And while I was busy relaxing I figured out something else.....I really need a room with glass walls in my house, so much better lighting for my shutterbug habit!)

Christmas Past

Memories and tidbits from our Christmas this year......

Good times with family.

Meeting a new cousin for the first time.

Our traditional Christmas Eve. seafood dinner.

The invasion of our lives by the well known "Angry Birds."

(Yes, I realize we're behind the times on this one, I'm just thankful we didn't get sucked in sooner.)

 I think they call this male bonding.

The chance to celebrate Jesus' birthday at his house, and a lovely Christmas Program

presented by enthusiastic kiddos. Yes, the Christmas on Sunday thing messed with some of our 

traditions, but it just seemed right to be celebrating Him together!

Prophecy fulfilled! A Savior is born!

 I'm rewriting the old poem to go something like this....

The stockings were hung......

....in hopes that someone else would wrap all those crazy odd shaped trinkets that take f.o.r.e.v.e.r!!

No such luck!

Getting out the door in time for church is crazy enough. These guys were super patient about waiting till 

we got home and not opening a single present in the morning.

You rock guys!!

 I tried a new game plan with the gifts this year. Everyone got 3 gifts, just like Baby Jesus did.

Gift # 1

Books.

 Gift # 2

Something Useful--this year it was slippers.

Aren't they just the cutest little Mater feet you ever saw?

 Gift # 3

A fun toy.

 (Tunes for this boy.)

 And then a moment of panic, when I realize there is only 3 gifts under the tree and there are 4 anxious boys awaiting. My mind scrambles. I can't remember shopping for this boy. I don't remember wrapping for this boy. I try to decide if I should give him the gift intended for his cousin (even though it's not something he really wants and it clearly says someone else' name on it.) HELP! I go back over the list in my head one more time and Whew! I remember. It's still tucked safely in the attic, waiting there patiently since yard sale season last spring. Daddy heads off to retrieve it and the day is saved!

 A perfectly beautiful day for testing out newly acquired golf clubs and bb guns.

 Promises kept.

(When my children begged for funnel cake in the fall I told them that that would be a great 

Christmas vacation treat. Turns out I was right, it made a perfect evening snack along side the 

M&M blizzards. MMmmm!)

 Snugly boys, exhausted from all the festivities.

 A Christmas tree that outlived the season.

I'm a "real tree" kind of girl. I'll clean up the mess in exchange for the fresh pine scent every time but

I just can't get over how well our tree held up this year.

Maybe it's because we bought if from a local farm. (We'll be going back!) Or maybe it's the kind of tree.

(Probably some combination of both of those and more.) But I

think there may be 15-20 needles on the floor now and 

I haven't really swept around it once. It makes me happy!!

  The blessing of being able to give!

It was a Very Merry Christmas indeed!

P.S. The verdict on the 3 gifts plan--it's a keeper!! I love how it simplified things. I love how I didn't feel like I was spending money on toys we really didn't need or stuff that would break next week. I loved that my kids were excited about reading because they were gifted new books. I loved that most of the "fun things" were picked up throughout the year and stashed away (a little too well) so I made it through the entire holiday season without even one trip to the mall! I love that it made it easy to keep things "fair" for all the kids. What are your ideas for keeping Christmas under control at your house?? I'd love to hear about them!

Master Bedroom Makeover

For almost two years our bedroom looked like this.

Ugh! ghostly white walls.  nail holes. scuff marks. chunks of missing plaster. barely enough room to walk around the bed. spiders. stink bugs. you get the idea. I've always thought that the Master Bedroom should be neat and inviting, a mini retreat from the craziness of a house full of kids. This is NOT what I was imagining, but what's a girl to do in a rental house?? So when we moved I determined that our bedroom would be at the top of the projects list!

  Even though the walls are not littered with nails and thumbtacks and the critters seem to be better controlled, that pale green had to go!!  I knew I wanted to do away with the blue and yellow (I never really like that anyway.) and my plan was to go with red. I love red! From there on things weren't so clear. There are only about 37,000 shades of red paint to choose from and they all look different in the paint sample rack than they do at home.

My sweet husband helped me revive our bought-second-hand-10-years-ago-slightly-abused-dressers with a fresh coat of black paint before we moved. It's amazing what $20 worth of paint can do!!

I would have like to update the drawer pulls but since there were 27 of them and since I couldn't find even one in the stores that would have fit, and since they cost $3, $4, or $5  a piece, that wasn't going to happen. So once again, Thank You $4 spray can! I used the rest of the can to spray my wicker hamper and trash can too.

I have to admit, the end results of the room, didn't come together quite like I was hoping but I haven't figured out what's missing or how to fix that.
In the end, (after some questioning along the way) I AM happy with the shade of red!

I was looking for curtains with a sheer layer over a heavier layer or maybe something with a black stitching design in them, but I couldn't come up with anything like that, so plain sailcloth will work for now. Someday maybe I'll get all creative and crafty and add some embellishments of my own. That's a pretty big MAYBE!

The contrast of the white woodwork with the dark walls is a little too much, I think. Especially since there are FOUR windows and THREE doors. But that paint is in great shape so I didn't take the time to paint over it now. Besides, I'm not really sure what color would be better.

I had purchased a tan bed spread at Target (for 70ish bucks) but I wasn't loving that one and then I found THIS one at the Salvation Army. And did I mention that it was half price day?? There were even matching pillow shams for the giant square pillows I already had. Just $2 more. I took the other bedspread back to Target and  for $9.50, I'm happy!!

The pillows were my most recent little creative project (and the reason it took so long to get this posted. The painting was done back in October.) I was super excited to find the black and white print fabric. I think it helps to pull everything together. I used it to cover the cushion on the cedar chest too. The black shams were a couple of bucks at GW. The red fabric was a sheet also from the GW, I added the (cheap) trim and made the silk fabric flowers. The small white pillow was made from an old t-shirt and the pillow forms were all just recovered from around here. I had to dig down pretty deep to find my craftiness, it hasn't been used in a LONG time, but they were really fun to make. I really think we need about 3-4 more pillows to complete the set. My hubby, on the other hand, has threatened to move to the couch. Apparently finding the bed in the evening and redecorating it in the morning are not a welcomed part of his routine.
I'm sure we can work this out! : )

One down, three to go!! The boys are begging me to do their rooms next but I'm feeling a lot more inspired about Kyra's room. No more projects before Christmas though!

It's a BOY'S life!

At  first glance this appears to be a post about Christmas but don't be fooled. The whole day was another a lesson for me in little boys and their imaginations!

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It's time to pull the boxes out of the attic. Time to Deck the Halls. Time for twinkly white lights and the scent of fresh evergreen. I admit, I waited until 2 of the boys were back in school this week before I tackled this project. Honestly, I just wasn't sure I could handle that much help. Typically decorating is MY department in this house, and for good reason. Otherwise, our whole house would be randomly  plastered with truck calenders and sports players. I consider it my job to introduce a bit of "beauty appreciation" into my little men. Ok, so maybe they don't appreciate it but at least they're being introduced to the concept and in the meantime, I'll do the appreciating! 

So when I say my children and I decorated together, does it bring charming visions of warm fuzzy feelings? Of family members working together? Of sharing and  and taking turns? Of little hands holding ornaments and sweetly handing them to me as my house is transformed??

 Warning! Your fantasy visions are about to be crushed almost as quickly as my patience was used up! Who knew? Christmas stockings are not for hanging on the mantle, they're for wearing to "skate" on the kitchen floor. Who knew? Berry Garlands are not for decorating the tree, they are for tug-o-war.

  

Who knew? Lights strings are not for greens and garlands, they are for tying up naughty children.

(I'm kidding of course!)

Who knew?

  I decided to unpack the plastic Nativity set and let them set that up. They played very nicely with that for all of 5 minutes before they figured out it'd be more fun to launch baby Jesus off the roof of the stable. Where do they come up with this stuff?

A bit of MY handiwork.

The Reason for the Season

I told you I'm in charge for good reason!

(Not because my skills are exceptional but because my competition isn't real stiff!)

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The rest of our day included Baby Jesus and Lightening McQueen (now there's a likely combination for ya!) taking a spin (or 50) in the salad spinner.

This is only SOME of the treasures that small pockets gifted me on laundry day.

 And when I asked the reason for this....

(dinner left unfinished on his plate)
 

He told me, "It's to scared for me." Yup, that's us, always looking out for others. Please don't eat the tortellini if it's trembling in fear. Can't argue with that!

Here's hoping your holiday decorating is as entertaining as mine! Life would be so dual without my little "helpers!"

 

Give Thanks!

In Everything

Give THANKS!

I Thessalonians 5:18

I wish I could say this is where I'm at. It's NOT. My goal, yes! But not my reality. I am part of a book study on Strong Women, Soft Hearts by Paula Rinehart right now. (A great book, btw, if you're looking for a good read!) One of our recent chapter discussions was about Trust. 

"Trust [is] willingness to take your sticky fingers off the steering wheel of you life [and] rest on the risk that, in fact, the goodness of God will catch you when you let go."

If I really believe that "All things work together for good to those that love God." Then trust should not be an issue. right? And if I trust God and believe He truly has my best interest at heart, then the whole 

THANKFULNESS

attitude should be a breeze too. 

Let's just say I have plenty of things to work on.

It's a process, one that must be faced and fought for daily! 

  That said, there are plenty of things on my list of things I'm Thankful for this year.

*Grace 

 (that is greater than all my sin.) 

*Peace 

(that  passes all understanding.)

* a faithful husband

* 5 healthy children

* a warm house

* never wondering where our next meal will come from

the list goes on and on! 

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Our day was spent my favorite way--at home with the fam!

I made our free turkey yesterday, so today was all about relaxing and spending time with the kids! 

(and yes, that technically means we had leftovers for Thanksgiving dinner! oh, well, no one seemed to mind)

Our Thanksgiving Tree

  

I've seen rather elaborate versions of these and I'm not typically a fan of decorations of the construction paper sort, but we were using what we had around the house and the kids were loving it just the same. Construction paper or fancy smancy, it's all the same to them.

 

 a few of the things that made our tree....

football

 beds

coffee

Jesus

lots of toys 

flowers

family

a good job

tissues

Heaven

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 107:1

Happy Thanksgiving!

Top 5 of turning 5!

We Celebrated another Birthday here this week. 

My little buddy turned 5. 

He is my quiet, cuddle bug. He has a great imagination. He keeps me laughing. He can pest with the best (just ask his brothers!) He's totally got the "Prince Charming" thing covered. He's kind and sensitive. He's sure he can keep up with his 11 year old brother. He's super excited about learning his letters. (I'm secretly thrilled that he missed K this year and he's sticking around with me another year!) He'd rather go hungry than taste an unfamiliar veggie. He's Daddy's little sidekick. He's growing up WAY to fast!

 AND NOW....

5. Getting a REAL letter in the mail!

4. Having cousins over to help celebrate.

3. A new truck. (almost like Daddy's)

 2. A toolbox cake.

1. Blowin' out the candles.

 

and there you have it.

5 Reason Why turning 5 is so much Fun!

(and a couple extra shots, just for fun!  this little guy is so much fun to photograph. he eats up the attention, turns on the charm and "click" we're both happy.)

 Happy 5th Birthday Reagan!