Now is it Christmas?

We're having a bit of  holiday confusion at our house. First of all, there were presents and cousin time to go along with our deep fried turkey. Since the 'out-of-towners' who came back home this year, did so over Thanksgiving, we had our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration in one big happy day.

Then surely the arrival of the tree in our living room means Christmas is here, right? My kids sure thought so. I explained that we were just 'getting ready' for Christmas but land sakes, that tree is half dead already and it's STILL not Christmas.

Twinkly lights, lots of them. They look so cozy and pretty but even they don't mean it's Christmas.

And believe it or not there is even a few gifts under the tree. Santa never comes to our house so Mom and Dad have taken over. They may be from yard sales but who cares, they are presents just the same, right?

The cookies are baked. Good thing Mom isn't making us wait till Christmas to eat all of them. We should probably find some neighbors and friends to share them with since none of the presents under the tree look big enough to be a treadmill.

Our mailbox is full of pictures of people we haven't seen since last year's picture. We even managed to get our pictures sent out at the beginning of December this year.

If you didn't get a paper copy, We wish you a 

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

  too!

The candles are lit.

We've made sweet treats to thank people that we appreciate.

 {While the school boys wrote cards for their teachers the little ones wanted in on the fun too. I gave Kyra a card to write on and when she was finished she brought it to me. "Who is that for? I asked. "For Joseph," she said, I guess she's been listening to some of the story anyway.}

We're counting down the days with this fun project. A wrapped story for each day in December. Just remember, if you plan to use library books for this you should keep track of due dates. I may or may not have learned that lesson the hard way.

While we wait for Christmas to get here we pass the time by playing with our very own Nativity set.
And every time that sweet little voice says, "Mommy, can I play [with] my Jesus Loves Me?" (a.k.a. Baby Jesus)  my heart melts. 

I love the signs that my children are picking up the real meaning of Christmas. In the van today, one of them said, "Mom, this is the Baby Jesus song we sang at church, the one that says 'REmanual'."

 

 Wishing you and yours a Blessed Holiday!

{and if you happen to read a blog where the writer can't decide whether to write in first or third person, just go with it and try not to let it ruin your holiday spirit!}

If I had an Amish neighbor........

I'm told she may be jealous. Call me an old married lady but I requested a wash line for my birthday. I know, I know, this is not on the top of the "perfect gifts for your wife" list but it's been 4 years since I've had a real wash line. 

We wash a LOT of blue jeans at our house!

My sweet hubby tackled the project like a pro. It took him several weeks to find/collect all the necessary ingredients but it's up and ready to roll now. 

I have to admit that I did remind him at one point that an alive husband was more important to me than the wash line. I had to move away from the windows while he perched 25-30 feet in the air on a ladder supported only by a 5-6 inch tree trunk. Don't worry, he was smart and cautious about the whole plan, it just gave me the heebie-jeebies! (Really, blogger doesn't like that word? Stange!)

Our springy 60 and 70 degree temps this week provided the perfect chance for putting it to work.

It's less than 10 feet from the washing machine to the back porch where I can hang everything from one spot, with no bending up and down. Spoiled much?

 
My excitement over the thought of being able to hang sheets out and enjoy the crisp, fresh air goodness again, is off the charts! Since my neighbors tend more toward the redneck stripe than the Amish breed they probably find me and my new contraption quite strange but that's okay, I've been called worse. Besides, my electric bill and my weary dryer are both just as thrilled as I am.

With a Grateful Heart

I know Thanksgiving is history. Even the leftovers are gone by now. I'm as excited as anyone to move on to lights and trees, Christmas Carols and nativities, but there are a a couple of Thanksgiving memories that just need to be included here in this little blog of mine.

Note to self: Remember to sign up to help with every Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast your children are part of. After the meltdown my son had when I didn't show up for lunch with his class a few weeks ago, the next volunteer sheet that came home was for the Thanksgiving feast. I signed up. How hard can it be to serve apple slices and popcorn to kindergarteners. Sounds much easier than creating glittery Christmas ornaments--count me in.

And truly it was no big deal. Open a few bags of carrots, slice a few apples and run the hand sanitizer pump like a pro. In exchange I got to watch the cutest little people put on a darling show. They sang several song. Marched around the room in there Indian feather hats and painted pasta necklaces. They did those little finger plays that Kindergarten is famous for. I'd have missed it all if I hadn't signed up to serve those carrots. I suppose the teachers probably reuse the same ideas every year but I was super impressed with their ideas and crafts. Projects I would never dare to attempt with 2 little people much less 20 of them.

 

They ended with an impressive rendition of  This Land is Your Land. I wish I had known what was coming, I'd have saved room on my camera card to record it!

**************

Roasted us a tasty good turkey this year. Almost every year my hubby brings me a free fresh turkey. While I'm not big on the whole carving (a.k.a. picking meat from bones for hours) thing, there is something domestic-y and satisfying about smelling that baby roasting all day and then pulling a golden bird from the oven.

It also helps if you're tackling the whole process on Tuesday afternoon and minus a house full of starving guest with high expectations! 

And of coarse a mommy feeding a family of 7 never turns down free meat!

I told my man not to bring me one that didn't fit in my oven, he listened but he stretched me to my limit, she's a 26ish pound-er!

***********

Most importantly as I thought about my own reasons to be thankful, there are many, I was reminded of a song we sang a lot when I was a teenager.

Give thanks with a Grateful Heart,

Give thanks to the Holy One,

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son.

That first line, that's where I got stuck.

It always seemed like a repetition to me. Songs are like that, especially choruses. Say the same thing a couple times in different ways. Make it 'flow-y.' Make it rhyme. Make it easy to remember.

But it suddenly hit me one day. Giving thanks is NOT the same as having a Grateful Heart.

I say I'm thankful for my house,  but I sure wish it had a bigger kitchen and an attached garage.

I say I'm thankful for my children, but I get frustrated when the act like children.

I say I'm thankful for food but I think that the fridge and freezer full are not enough, I must go get that one thing I'm out of.

The list could go on. I just had to wonder if my words and my heart are connected on this thankful stuff.

We live in a world that doesn't promote much thankfulness, much less the grateful heart.

We've come to the place where we miss our family dinners to line up to be the first one in the stores for a good deal. (That's another  post, another soap box....but it sure makes some pretty loud statements about the contentment and thankfulness, or lack thereof, that we're surrounded with.)

I too, could easily get caught up in the "I wishes" and the "It would be nice..." thing, but what I want, what I really want is that Grateful Heart.

There are some out there if you look for them.

As I watched a dear couple facing serious health issues hold each other tight and sing

"I Have Someone to Thank" I saw a grateful heart.

When a sweet little voice says "Sanks Mom" for a simple snack or a glass of water, I see a grateful heart.

 When I receive a hand written note of thanks for doing something simple for a friend, I see a grateful heart

When I choose to focus on what I have and the many blessing I've been given instead of the endless list of  wishes, I take another baby step toward a grateful heart.

I do however, think it this will be a longer process than figuring out what to do with all those turkey leftovers.

Another Birthday Boy

{I apologize if you've stopped by here this week and found a big disaster. We've been busy with birthdays and holidays (yes, more than one of them) and days off school, and all sorts of things that I want to blog about. And then blogger decided this would be a good time to get ornery about loading pictures. I'm hoping to get caught up soon. Here's the post I started 2 weeks ago.}

 We leave no time for boredom to creep in or dust to settle at our house in November. We're usually still finishing up leftover cake from boy #1 when it's time to celebrate another boy. I usually try to vary who has a 'big' party (meaning they might get to invite a friend or two) with who has a 'just family' party. This is all done in favor of my fleeting sanity! A few years we've even done a joint party but apparently they don't really count.

This year it was Reagan's turn to have some friends over. Turning 6 is pretty important. We decided on a Carnival theme. I've been wanting to do that one for a long time! I might have had more fun than the kids did. There is just a ton of things you can do and most of them are really quite simple and inexpensive.

The Menu: We simply had to do supper, so many food options that fit the theme. I invited the guests for a "light supper," because, as I told my husband, "that sounded better than we're just having junk food."

Ideally this would be an outdoor party so there would be plenty of room for the games but since my children's birthdays are in November and January that didn't seem all that ideal after all. So I removed as many spiders and dust piles from our old basement as I could and set up the games down there.

I love the challenge of finding a cake to go with the theme and it's usually fun to make them but I new better than to try to pull off a carousel cake which was about the only idea I could find online. I opted for cupcakes instead and they turned out super fun. (Bonus: they were e.a.s.y. p.e.a.s.y.) I ordered the clown picks online, $3 for a dozen, and used circus peanuts for some and mini marshmallows (cut) with yellow sugar, to look like popcorn, for the rest.

I had salvaged a bunch of cardboard with no idea what I would do with it at the time. I used it to paint all the little signs. My husband laughed at me and my junk hoarding but admitted later that it all turned out pretty cool. And once again we have my 2 best friends, cheap and easy! I threw in some balloons and red and yellow streamers to complete the transformation from dining room to circus tent.

  
On his actual birthday (the party was a day late) he chose cheeseburgers and fries for dinner. "White french fries with vinegar, lots of vinegar!" Silly boy gets frustrated when I make sweet potato fries because he likes the ones with vinegar better.

 {wearing the birthday king hat he got at school}

And the photo shoot of my Handsome Six Year Old.

 Love that Boy!

Brownies and Birthdays

  The thing about being a Mom is, if you stay home from church because your head feels like it might explode, you're barking like a baby seal and you have the energy level of a hibernating bear, you will still be expected to 1. iron clothes so everyone else can go to church looking presentable, 2. clean up the breakfast mess, 3. prepare a delicious, hot, dinner to serve when the troops return. Not just any dinner, a special request birthday dinner, because 12th Birthday's just cannot be ignored or postponed.

  We're not even going to talk about that number. I'll spare you my extensive rant of "How in the world did that happen?" Of "Seriously, this is the last year our house will be teenager-less until 2030!
{Oh.my.stars. that is a frightening thought!!} Of "How in the world can I mother a 12 year old when I feel like I'm only 22 myself?" It's mind boggling, I tell you, mind boggling!!

  No big party this year. He chose to invite his cousin for a game of laser tag and a sleepover. He requested brownies and mint ice cream, the perfect bedtime snack after an energetic game of laser tag.

  We treated his classmates to donuts. Nothing makes a sixth grade boy more popular than a couple dozen fresh made donuts. :) (I made sure to get a few extra for the 'quality control' test performed by yours truly a.k.a. delivery lady.)

  This sweet Little Miss accompanied me to make our donut delivery. I kind of got the feeling she thought she was the one turning 12. I think she would have happily stayed and figured out a way to fit in with those big 'stylin' girls! *Oh Sigh!* They're ganging up on me, all of them!!

  Since the sleepover and brownie celebration was a couple of days earlier I bought a small ice cream cake for his actual birthday dinner. A Mama's gotta have something to stick candles in and take pictures of.

  And a couple of quick shots of my handsome young man. I thought he looked so sharp in his 'Sunday-go-to-Meetin' duds but I couldn't get him to relax and give me a real smile until I put him back in jeans. I suppose he must be a normal boy.

Just checkin to see if 12 is when the 'superpowers' start showing up.

He's smart.

 He's responsible.
He's creative.
He thinks showers should be optional.
He's athletic.

He's funny.
He considers his room clean if you can walk from one side to the other
without serious bodily injury.
He's a leader.
He's courteous.

He's a "quality time" kind of guy.
He's pretty sure he's almost as tall as his mom. (He's not. YET!)
He's compassionate.
He likes Legos, pizza, trucks, sports and sugar.
He thinks body functions are hilarious.
He's outgoing.
He's respectful.
He's determined.
He's not perfect, but he's a great kid, and I get to be his Mom!

(And the thing about being a Mom is, if you stay home from church, you can have a  generous portion of leftover dark double chocolate brownie for breakfast and nobody has to know. :)

It's birthday mania week at our house. We getting ready for the next big event on Friday.
Rumor has it there's gonna be a Carnival.

Made Me Smile Monday

{a  snapshot from my week. with or without words. something exciting. something ordinary. something special. something silly. just something. that made me smile this week. a memory to brighten my day. to make me smile again. even though it's MONDAY!}

I got the best little package in the mail this week. 

It's that time of year again. Time to collect the coordinating outfits, bribe the munchkins, pray for the photographer and hope for the best.

Forget the nice, normal, sitting still, smiling sweetly stuff

we're going 'au-naturel.'

Oh the personalities that shine through and the captions that one could devise.

Feel free to add yours in the comments! 

This little guy? 

I just wanna stuff him in my pocket 

and do everything I can to stunt his growth.

Seriously, he's just too much fun!

Happy Monday

Who is making you smile today?

Inspiration Strikes

and at the strangest times I might add.


***I've been on my "knock-off Olive Garden Salad" kick for over a week now. It's my lunch almost everyday. Just yesterday it hit me, they've been missing the onions all along. It's just so sad! Today's lunch was so much better. :)

***I bought this  candle holder somewhere on clearance, certain that it would find a happy spot somewhere in my house. It's been sitting in the closet for years. I didn't want to get rid of it because I do like it. It's kind of different, unique. But it a strange size and I just wasn't willing to pay top dollar for a specialty candle to fit it. So it sat, collected dust, took up space.....

....until last week when I discovered the perfect use for it.

 plastic headbands hang over the one side....

elastic headbands hang from the curly-q's and the top is perfect for little clips and flower pins. Bingo!


***I treated the kids to "dinner and a movie" night, one evening while Daddy was working. In an effort to avoid ketchup on the beige carpet I did this. Worked like a charm! My one moment ingenious moment of the year.

***My kitchen/dining area is a coffee theme. The curtains and most of the decor is black/brown and I suddenly realized this fall that since we gleefully said goodbye to our red plaid couch their really isn't any prominent color theme in the living room either. Pretty much the only color in either room is accent pieces AND   **light-bulb moment** I could swap them out seasonally. With just a few new candles and quick changes I added a little bit of fall to my house. My fall decor in the past usually consisted of a mum and a pumpkin on the porch. I'm kind of loving the fall colors inside too.

[The mirror inside the front door & the reflection of the opposite wall.

I wish I had gotten about a dozen more of those little white gourds!]

***Last Saturday my husband mentioned in passing that an Amish lady gave him a homemade donut at one of his stops. It wasn't even that day. It was months ago. But he mentioned and I got inspired and that was that.

Mix

Roll

Rise

Fry

Devour!

Mmm. They're so good that first day now I think it's time to get back to that salad kick!


Your turn....what's your latest inspiration? I'm always looking for new tips and ideas to make a Mommy's life easier, prettier, more organized, more fun...............

Happy Friday!!