3rd Week of Christmas

Snow friends!

Me and the girls sledding...the view from the back....

Our country snowman

Our country snowman 2 hours later

Fun with friends having dinner and making snowman cupcakes
WAY more marshmellows and candies got eaten than onto a cupcake!


Not exciting to you, I know, I'm sorry. But really I'm cataloguing it for my brain and for the future scrapping I need to do!

Dec. 15th~
2 hours late to school by choice because of icy roads
Dec. 16th~
The Lord answered my prayers and MOPS is on! The theme was "The Lost & Found". Our pastor's wife, Virginia Tiefenthaler spoke on the gift of Forgiveness. She was talking to me and I cried the whole day long. Great message! Thank you Lord for speaking to me today.
Dec. 17th~
School cancelled. Shopping errands with the kids. Pumpkin broke out in hives on his face, went to doctors, got a shot. Ouch. AWANA cancelled.
Dec. 18th~
School cancelled although I had snowflake popcorn snacks ready! Made pancakes shaped with cookie cutters and snowed with powdered sugar and whip cream! Sledding and made a big country snowman. Jacob's came over for dinner and snowmen cupcakes!
Dec. 19th~
Cancelled everything. More snow! More sledding!
Dec. 20th~
More snow! More sledding! Dick drove the "chair lift" taking all the kids to the top of the hill over and over, while Hubby and I sipped hot tatties (sp?) with the neighbors. LOL
Dec. 21st~
Hubby off to the Seahawks game. Good luck driving! Off to the mall with the kiddos. Dinner at the new Ram. TONS OF SNOW!

I just don't remember this much snow here ever before. I'm taking lots of photos....

2nd Week of Christmas

I guess I should title it "Week of December" but anyways. . . .

Dec. 8th~
School 2 hours late by our choice because of icy roads
Dec. 9th~
MOPS Leadership meeting. We played a hilarious Christmas carol pictionary game. I LOVE games
Dec. 10th~
Preschool and nothing exciting....
Dec. 11th~
School, preschool, Pumpkin's Christmas program, then Dairy Queen of course!
Dec. 12th~
Daddy and pumpkin off for a hunting trip (skipping school)
Dec. 13th~
Peanut to grandma's, Princess and I to the Nutcracker Ballet at the Pantages Theater with friends. Then home to meet the babysitter and off with Kelsy to the Olive Garden and to see "4 Christmas." (hilarious)
Dec. 14th~
Church with the girls, baked molasses cookies and snowballs, daddy and pumpkin made it home safely through the thick snow and ice from Eastern Washington, annual family cookie exchange at grandma's

First Week of Christmas

I thought about how much we do in the month of December (and the last week of November) and how interesting it would be to document it all. Just for fun, ya know. Ok really because I have THE worst memory on the planet. My sister once gave me a magnet that says "If it's not in the scrapbook, it didn't happen." That just spells it out for me....

So here it is, our December in a nutshell (is it just me or when you say that phrase do you also think of Mike Meyers saying it too?). . . .

Dec. 1st ~
Mother in law's birthday, payroll at the office, errands, and preparing & setting up for MOPS
Dec. 2nd ~
Preschool, MOPS....The theme was "The Hobby Hall" and we did a Christmas frame craft, purchase Christmas tree
Dec. 3rd ~
Preschool, shopping, errands, begin decorating the house
Dec. 4th ~
Bible study, preschool, keep decorating the house
Dec. 5th ~
Work day, Zoo Lights with grandpa & grandma, Frisco Freeze dinner!
Dec. 6th ~
Put up tree, finish decorating, Christmas parade, pizza & late night games with friends
Dec. 7th ~
Seahawks game (we went down onto the field through kickoff), shopping

Official Christmas Card Photo

I'm having a hard time deciding which of these should be our official Christmas card photo.

Please vote for your favorite. . . . .

I'm partial to the first one.
We could start the new year off with a buzz. . . . .
We'd have something to talk about besides the economy. . . . .

Cabin Retreat!

Playing doctor of course

Late night movies!

Me & Kelsy

The little girls have kisses for Josh

We were so priviledged to spend the weeked after Thanksgiving at our friend's cabin. There was plenty of relaxing to be done, games to play, and 4-wheelin' fun! Our kids and theirs play so well together, in fact we're suspicious both our 2-year old girls might be twins. . . . .

Black Friday

I've never shopped on Black Friday, with good reason, right? This year my friend Kelsy talked me into it, so Thanksgiving night I gathered all the ads and made my plan of attack. We met at Wal-Mart at 4:30 a.m. and clutching our freezing shopping carts and huge Starbucks, entered the store along with hundreds of others to position ourselves closest to our most desired item. For me, it was a pink ride-on Jeep for Peanut, which was stacked at the very far corner of the store, with too many people already lined up waiting for the clock to strike 5 a.m.

Now mind you, I'm using the term "lined-up" very losely, as there was a posse of 5 already formed there, so never you mind the rest of us who ridiculously wished of getting our hands on a Jeep. And the posse wasn't ashamed of giving the run down of which box was going to whom and how long they've been standing there and there is obviously too few boxes and too many people.

This is when I began to get a little shaky. I blame the coffee. Secretly I thought this would actually become ugly. Over a Jeep. A toy. At Christmas. Seriously? And so I just stood there "in line" chatting with another mom dreaming of getting 2 Jeeps, while we stared nervously at the posse and the clock.



At 4:45 the Wal-Mart bouncers arrived, cut the black plastic covering all the pallets of loss-leaders in the entire store, and positioned themselves for the rioting. At 5 a.m. the Jeeps (and EVERYTHING else in the entire store) were grabbed and loaded into carts in less than 60 seconds. I'm happy to report Peanut will be getting one for Christmas! (Ok with help from a friend who happened to be standing there also and could see that I was about to get trampled and have my box stolen.)

Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

Thanksgiving was spent with our families, which is such a blessing. I have a hard time imagining people who don't have family around, especially during the holidays. God has most certainly richly blessed us in that aspect of our lives. But this year, we mixed it up a bit. . . . .

We had breakfast with my family, which would have turned out to be much better time spent had we ourselves not run out of propane. Taking showers at her house consumed most of our time, we ate a delicious breakfast, then they headed out to do a service project, while we went home to put our kids down for naps. . . . .

BREAKFAST EVERYONE!

Then we were off to my sister-in-laws home for dinner. Thanksgiving is always at my mother-in-laws, same time, same food, same company, so I can't lie -- it was different. Not in a bad way, just different.

Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law making REAL whipped cream!

The Thanksgiving journal was presented to both families but didn't seem to go over too well, (although the entry from my husband's parents made me cry). Maybe I didn't present it right or give everyone enough time, but I'll bring it out next year and the next and the next, and we'll gather some memories for prosperity along the way. . . . .

With gratitude to Sarah Giampapa, I found the encouragement to actually complete Thanksgiving journal in time for this year's festivities. She made and posted her beautiful books she gave to her MOPS moms, and I thought to myself for the last time, I can do that! So I did it.

With so much going on in life, and I don't just mean now, it's important to be thankful to God for all His blessings big and small; to praise His name always; and to celebrate thanksgiving with others.

What a wonderful memory this little notebook of thanks will become. I look forward to the notebook growing and maturing.....



FRONT COVER

INSIDE COVER

BACK COVER

INSIDE BACK COVER

Cheese Fingers

This post is out of order, I know, and it kills me to do so. But these string cheese fingers I made for the family harvest party are too cute not to show you. My sister-in-law sent me the idea as my contribution to the party, so I can't take the credit for the idea, but I will take the credit for how stinking cute mine are!

String Cheese Sticks (I cut mine in half, so i got two fingers per stick)

Green pepper pieces for the fingernails

Adhere the fingernails on with a smidgen of cream cheese

Using a knife, cut out finger creases at the top and for the knuckle

Cookie Sheet Advent Calendar

Have you seen these adorable advent calendars made from a cookie sheet? My friend, Heather, saw one (purchased from a craft fair), told me about it, and asked if I would host a craft day at my house. So last Sunday Heather, Leslie, and Yelena came over and we got crafty!

There are so many blogs and crafts sites that have photos and directions for this project, but in reality, they're very self-explanatory, but I'll include instructions for your convenience.

I've only had mine completed for a week and my kids are nuts about it! They just simply cannot wait to countdown to Christmas. I'm hoping to come up with some kind of treat, written on a piece of paper, to put underneath each magnet too.

Supplies:

Cookie Sheet

Sanding paper

Paint

25 Magnets

Modge Podge or ATG Adhesive

Scrapbook papers

Embellishments

24" Ribbon

I used an 11 x 17 cookie sheet, purchased from Wal-Mart for about $4.50.

Sand off as much of the non-stick surface from the back of the sheet as you can.

If you want to paint the edges, you will need to sand that part too.

(I chose not to paint this one)

Drill two holes on the top edge for the ribbon hanger (I used my Crop-a-Dile).

Measure and cut your papers for the top and bottom sections.

Either adhere your papers with Modge Podge or with strong adhesive (I used ATG tape).

Paint the edges of your cookie sheet, if you chose to do so.

Let dry completely.

Using a ruler and marker, make a 25 square grid for your days before Christmas.

(My 2 friends' papers were small enough to run through my printer, but my paper was 10"x10", so I drew my grid with a black fine-tip marker.)

Adhere your calendar paper to your cookie sheet.

Make your 25 magnets to your liking.

Embellish your calendar with whatever you fancy.

I challenge those of you who would love to make this to only use what you have in your stash. The only items I had to purchase were the cookie sheet ($4.50) and the magnets ($2.50).

Create yours and link me a photo! I would love to see it! Happy crafting!

This Should Make You Laugh.....

Yesterday I was cleaning like a housewife gone mad. Raving mad. Washing-ALL-the-woodwork-then-oiling-it-mad. Wood blinds included. No I'm not pregnant ~ for sure ~ this just really needed to be done.

A loud cry comes from the family room, where it seems my daredevil Peanut has been at her high-flying tricks again. This time a couch jumping stunt, off the end of the couch, trying to clear a coffee table onto the carpet. She doesn't make it and hurts her foot and cannot walk the entire day (this happened about 10:30 am). At bed time, she's still not using it and insists it hurts a lot. I figure I'll see how she is in the morning~maybe it's nothing and she'll wake up and, you know, forget about it and it'll be fine, right?

This morning she's using it but hobbling badly and cries when I put on her shoe. Off to pre-school and Bible study we go anyways, and after Bible study to meet with a couple MOPS leaders for a church speech on Sunday. During this meeting, I am also trying to keep an eye on my 2 girls, another boy, and a set of 2-year twins in the nursery at the same time. Yeah right. Peanut gets her fingers slammed in a nursery gate and they're looking pretty bad. It's at this moment that I realize.....it's not going to be a good day.

As my tears are rising, I load the girls in the car and decide to head to the doctors to take a look at Peanut's foot, well and while we're here, I ask the nurse, can the doctor check her cough and her fingers too? Cough is fine, probably just a virus (I could have diagnosed that), fingers are fine (awesome), better get x-rays of her foot (uh, okay).

Across the parking lot to the next building for x-rays with 45 minutes to spare before we have to pick up the boys from school. Will we complete our mission? Not a chance. Abort x-ray mission to get lunch (yes it's now 2:30 and we haven't eaten lunch), pick up school kids, drop off one at his home, to return for x-rays.

Uh oh, diaper is feeling quite full. No I don't have a spare with me or in the car. Ask one of the women at the front desk. Nope. Right then, we get called to the back. Lay Peanut on the table, hold her adorable leg still for 6 photos, while Princess and Pumpkin wait behind the wall eating someone's cashews that were left on the desk. ? Exactly what I was thinking. ?

Back to the waiting area to wait for films and then it happens.....
Peanut has a huge movement in her diaper.....and it's leaking through her pants. Super. Into the car with screaming stinking 2-year old and the others in tow, drive up the street to Walgreens for diapers, wipes, possibly pants, snacks, and drinks for the rest of goodness knows how long we'll be before we complete this mission. Into the bathroom with unpurchased products, but wait, there's no Diaper Depot. Who doesn't have those? These days they're even in men's rooms! Seriously?

So, I cart over to the pharmacy corner, take off my sweater, lay Peanut ON THE FLOOR and proceed to change her messy diaper right there in Walgreens. Sweating, gagging, sanitize my hands of course, purchase everything, and back to the x-ray office.

The end of the story is mission accomplished without any injury. She's fine.

P.S. While I was in Walgreens, a friend called and asked me how I was doing, and as I proceeded to tell her this story, she succumed to hysterics. It really is funny when I say it out loud.

Oh Right, the Kids at Halloween

I got distracted about my hubby in a dress. You want to see the kids Halloween costumes and stuff, not us grown ups being silly. Sorry about that. Kindof like now that we have kids, our parents just come over to see the kids, not us anymore.

We all enjoyed Halloween. We had a Clone Trooper in a tightie whitie suit (too small ~ oops), a Fairy friend of Tinkerbell's, and a Barbie Cheerleader (also too small but only $7.50). We went to our church Carnival Extravaganza!, then to Auntie's house to trick or treat on her block, and the next day to Grandpa and Grandma's for the annual harvest party.

Loads of fun +

Too much candy =
Perfect Halloween

We Both Wore Dresses

We went to a really fun Halloween party this year, which was actually our first adult costume party post children. To my amazement, my hubby agreed to dress up.

Dressing up just isn't his thing but it's really fun for me, so there begins the struggle, so it shocked me when hubby chose a gladiator costume, because of all things, it was a dress.

As it turned out, he was a hunk in it.
So we both wore dresses.
Seriously fun party.
We're already planning for next years......

Pumpkin Carving, of course

Let me start with a confession: I don't like pumpking carving. It's not that I don't like to carve pumpkins myself, in fact I LOVE to do them myself ~ that's the artsy side of me ~ it's the mess. Watching my 3 children cut, scrape, play with the innards, and wipe the pumpkin goo all over whatever spot in the kitchen or themselves is not already slimy, makes my left eye twitch. {And just so we're clear, I'm admitting this only so all the other anti-playdough anti-paint moms can feel better about themselves.} However, I will participate in this activity every year because it's tradition, because it makes my children very happy, and because I actually will enjoy it once I get into the goo. The result of the activity is always delight for everyone. Me included.

Last night, after the children had asked at least 35 times if we were EVER going to carve our pumpkins ~ which we grew ourselves by the way--oh yeah I can do dirt with the children :) ~ Hubby talked me into it. I gotta say, there was no eye-twitching mess. Pumpkin carved 3 crosses for Jesus into his pumpkin, and Princess's "mommy's gotta carve me a horse idea" turned into a "let's make yours polka-dotted" idea from daddy carved with a drill. She's super happy ~ it's a cheetah pumpkin! And Peanut was perfectly happy doing her "homework" with the pumpkin "paint" and lining up the drilled out pumpkin parts, which she said were the little ones ready to go to MOPS. Awwww what a sweetie! But then she all-too-happily chucked each little MOPS person into the garbage.

So tonight we're going to our church Carnival Extravaganza, so I'll post our little trick-or-treaters later! Happy Halloween!

P.S. I'm posting a photo of the spider who greeted me at the front door last night. EEECK!

So, I've made "A Mother's Confession" to you, tell me something your children or family love to do that makes your eye twitch.....

Evidence of a Good Day

I'm sure I'm not the only parent that wants to know what goes on at school each day. When I pick up Pumpkin from school, I want to drill him with questions ~ What did you do today? Who did you play with? What did you learn? However, I learned during the first year of pre-school that Spanish Inquisition style questionning does not work. So I try different tactics in order to get a glimpse into his little world away from mommy.

Today's format began with:

Name 5 things that happened today that
were fun, and verbatum he answered:

#1 Football

#2 Art

#3 Another game of football

#4 Playing Star Wars characters

#5 Not having the bully pick on me at recess

I laughed out loud at the innocence of the answers regarding recess, was happy about comment #5 as the situation seems to be improving, and continue to wonder ~ with a giggle ~ when his answers will contain anything to do with actual schooling.

Actually what struck me more than his cute answers for love of football, were his jeans. Seriously? I'm quite sure he brought home more dirt today than he left on the playing field. But aside from being a laundry nightmare, his jeans were evidence of a good day. A fun day. The best kind of day I can hope for my little boy.

And as any good scrapbooker would do, upon entering our house, I sat him down to photograph the evidence.

I love you Pumpkin! You can come home with seriously dirty jeans any day.

Friday's are my day off.....

I think I need to make Friday's my official day off during the week. No doing MOPS, no doing work-work, no making tons of phone calls. A day for being lazy in jammies. Of course, that's never gonna actually happen, but if I think of Fridays that way, maybe it'll be a bright spot in my busy week! hee hee

Don't get me wrong. My busy week is of my own doing and I truly love it. I cannot just sit down or sit still. I'm a freak multi-tasker. So really my Fridays are going to be Floor Fridays---meaning scrub the floors on Fridays---so they might actually get done once a week. I say might because I know myself better than that. Just because it's on the list does not mean I'm gonna do it. I'll find something else to do instead.

I recently joined Facebook, so there's something else to do instead. It's really cool to be connected with old friends and faces. I was talked into it by my friend Andi, and I think she's secretly in a contest to see how many friends we have. Don't tell her I'm winning! LOL Ah the life of a busy yet bored mother, right!

I'm happy to be home from Texas and can't get enough of my kids' hugs and kisses. They're my pride and joy I tell ya! Maybe I need to follow that up with some cute new pics, huh? I'll get right on that, right after I finish my hair, finish scrubbing the floors, fix the toilet paper holder, fold the girls' clothes, wash the rugs, get going on my bookkeeping work, pick up kids from school in 29 minutes. . . . .

While I'm here in Texas......

It's been a few weeks-ish since my last update on the family. I'm currently in Dallas, Texas at the MOPS Convention, so it'll be just a quick one today.

The kids are doing well, or so I've heard through Hubby and the babysitter since Tuesday. It's so wierd how badly I need to and want to get away, but then when I have the chance, I spend the entire time not only missing them all but wishing I was with them. Aaaahhh. I'll be home on Sunday for kisses and stories and maybe we can all sleep together Sunday night. Hey now, I know I'm not the only one.....

Last night and this morning I and my friends from my group, Andi and Heather, along with the 4,000+ other MOPS women here at convention, worshipped with Kim Hill, Jaci Valesquez, and Nic Gonzales. Unbelievable! We also got to get funky with a FABULOUS kid's music group, Go Fish (http://www.gofishkids.net/cms/). If you haven't heard of them, you need to get their CD's. Their motto is to make kids' music with Bible teachings that won't make parents go insane. It's great music! Their new album is called "Party Like a Preschooler." You gotta get it.....


Updates on our family & friends:
Hubby's grandma is doing well. Liz is taking full-time care of her and they are taking it day by day right now with therapy and recovery.

Nico went home after about a week post surgery. The scans show all the brain tumor was removed successfully, Praise the Lord! The tumor is malignant so he's preparing for chemo and radiation.

Hubby's cousin had her surgery yesterday and she's doing well. Her tumor was successfully removed doesn't require further treatment. Huge answer to prayer!

My cousins's baby also had her surgery on the 29th. The tumor and her tailbone were removed, and they're waiting for results and for her recovery.

Our first MOPS meeting is on Tuesday. We hope we're ready! hee hee We know we're ready but you know....all those details.....Our tables are full and we do have 10 MOPPETTS workers for Tuesday most of whom--maybe all--where's that list?--have volunteered to help full time.

My schedule doesn't seem so hectic (or at least it didn't last week when I was "using" it.) That's a great answer to my prayers.


At a class this morning, I was again reminded of
1 Thess. 5:17 to "Pray without ceasing." Amazing.

I miss my husband and kids......

Rejoice evermore and Pray without ceasing

We're both employed

We're all healthy

We have a wonderful home

We're very happily married

It's still sunny and warm

GOD IS SO GOOD!

Pumpkin's back in school in 1st grade, loves his teacher, and is excited to be back. He says he doesn't learn anything but loves playing football at recess every day. He plays quarterback, 3-on-3, 1st and 2nd grade football, but he doesn't throw the ball. He said he likes to fake it and then run for a touchdown like they do in the pros. What team is he watching?

Princess started preschool on Tuesday and she's doing wonderfully. She knows a bunch of the kids in her class that are also in her Sunday school, AWANA, and MOPPETS class this year and also were with her last year. Her teacher's comment after the second day was that she was as smart as her brother (that's good) which was so nice for her mommy to hear and that she has great shoes (hello! love it!).

That leaves the Peanut, who's been to the ER twice in about 5 weeks for stitches--one in the back of her head from a pajama accident; and 3 in her leg and 5 in her arm from a glass jar accident. On the days I have 2 kids in school, I'm enjoying the quiet time with just Peanut (ok not it's never quiet). It will go by too quickly.

This week has been quite emotional. From the big. . . . .

Hubby's grandma fell and broke her hip last weekend but is recovering well from the surgery.

Hubby's friend lost his father to cancer yesterday.

My friend's son was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Wednesday and is having surgery today.

My cousin's baby is finished with her chemo and is scheduled for surgery.

My hubby's cousin is awaiting her surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in early October.

To the little. . . . .

Coordinating MOPS is a bit stressful---ok really stressful.

We need childcare workers desperately.

I'm waiting for all my Things To Do every week fall into an orderly "list" (I know school has only been in session for two weeks---it'll work).

The weeds in my gardens are taller than my children.

These are the verses I'm reminded of today:

I Thessalonias 5:16-18

Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.