Getting Ready for Real Life Again

Christmas just about did me in. My house is filled to the brim with toys of all kinds (and for all ages). My brain is tired from trying to figure out my palm pilot. (very cool gift from Jason) My heart is full from special times with family.

Now it's time to get back to normal. We have 100 days of school left. I meant to only have 80 days left at this point, but well, uh... Yeah, no good reason except this has been a tough school year in ways I'd rather just ignore for this post. We start back tomorrow with Rachel having lessons from the book, Hanna's Cold Winter. I'm excited about this one because it is set in World War II Europe and we have not studied WWII much. We'll have a chance to learn so many new things together. Mary Evelyn's lessons will come from the book, A Pair of Red Clogs, which is set in Japan. Many, many good lessons in store for our time together this week. These lessons are in addition to the three R's, Bible study, and read aloud time. Speaking of read aloud time, we finished up Little Town on the Prairie last night and will begin These Happy Golden Years tonight. Only two more books in the Little House series. I am going to miss the Ingalls family when we are done...good thing I can read them to Betsie in a few years! If you have a suggestion for what to read next, I'm ready to hear it.

We also have a little family New Year's Eve party tomorrow night. We'll do things like read the blessings from our 2007 blessing jar, play pictionary using 2007 events, play Twister, eat out at Olive Garden using a gift card we received for Christmas, watch a movie, etc. This is the first year the older girls have cared about staying up until midnight so I am trying to make it fun and memorable for them. School the next day will happen, but it will have to be very low key because I am sure we'll all be very tired!

Happy New Year everyone! I'll post pics from our little party later in the week.

More Christmas Pictures

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Of course it wouldn't be Christmas if someone wasn't sick...this year it is Jason with a yucky cough and Rachel running a fever. They both seem to have turned a corner and be recovering now. Christmas Eve was a work day for me...cooking and cleaning. But I enjoyed it. The girls were a tad on the wild and excited side!

We were able to stay home all day on Christmas Day. Jason's parents, brother and sister-in-law, and my parents came over for supper in the evening. The pictures below are all from Christmas Day.

Christmas With My Family

My family celebrated Christmas together on Saturday. Here are a few pictures from our time together.

My Mom, sister's daughter Claire, and brother's daughter Alyssa

My brother's daughter Libby with my Rachel

My sister Laura with her her girls, Claire and Lydia

Mary Evelyn opening her animals

Rachel and her doll Julie

Me with Betsie

Alyssa and her Dad, my brother Billy, reading the Christmas story before our meal

Jason, postponing eating his own meal so that Betsie will eat something!

Jason, my sister Laura, my grandmother Evelyn, and my mom Elaine

My bother's wife Liz, my Aunt Mary, sister's husband Jim, and Jason

Help is on the Way! (Christmas Came Early)

Either I am a really rotten housekeeper or I just have a VERY thoughtful husband...or BOTH! Jason just gave me my Christmas present a little early. Starting in January someone will be cleaning our house every other week. I am in shock. I might just go spill something and let it get good and sticky over the next few weeks just so someone else can clean it. (Not necessary. I have three kids. I'll let them handle that.)

*

Jason gave me a note, written ever so eloquently in green crayon - on the back of a torn paper that Betsie had scribbled on. Somewhere in the note was the phrase, "I know you need help." Yes, it's true. I do need help. I did laugh at his presentation, but it was oh, so sweet. Actually, since he also said, "I love you," and is sending someone to rescue me every other week, I am considering that little note a treasure to keep.

*

I have been teasing him, but it is such a thoughtful gift. It shows that he knows me and he cares about me. He knows I am struggling to teach and plan and clean and get the raisins out of the bathroom sink all at the same time. He is lightening my load and I am so grateful. God has surely blessed me with a husband who is living with me in an understanding way. I will remember his kindness every time SOMEONE ELSE cleans my bathrooms!

*

Thank you Honey! I love you!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

For to us a child is born,to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Christmas Crafting

My girls are having fun this afternoon making this fun and easy craft. Thanks to Alicia for this idea! They are making a BUNCH to take to my parents' house this Saturday. They are having a blast.

A Christmas Miracle For You

Last month I asked you to pray for little Ellie who was being adopted from Liberia. I know her mom Denise. The prayer request was urgent because Ellie needs surgery and she needed to come home to have the surgery.

I also asked you to pray that her two new brothers could come home at the same time.

All if this was impossible humanly speaking. But Denise and her husband made doctor's appointments for the three kids in faith. They prepared paperwork to take to Liberia for all three kids in faith. They bought clothing and toys and everything else in faith. They knew God could say no, and that if He did it would be for their good somehow. But they also knew that God is pleased when we come to Him believing He is able to do the impossible.

Last night Denise's husband and son arrived back home with not one, but three, little Liberian beauties! Just in time for Christmas! They have doctor's appointments already scheduled for all three and now Ellie can have her surgery. God has answered countless prayers for this family!

Thank you for praying for them. I hope you are encouraged by their faith. I sure am!

Merry Christmas!

Samuel, Joseph, and Ellie

A New One for My Calendar

I just added "Order Mary Evelyn's ants" to my calendar. Have I gone completely crazy? I am actually paying for bugs that will live in my home. Just last week, I paid a guy to come and spray around my house to keep bugs out. So yeah, Mary Evelyn is getting an ant farm. She asked for some kind of gun to shoot cheetahs and elephants so they would go to sleep, thereby making it easier for her to catch them and bring them to the backyard. Not sure where she is finding cheetahs and elephants or what her plan is for when they wake up. So an ant farm it is...and we are considering ourselves pretty blessed that at least we can step on them if they get loose...guess you can't do that with cheetahs and elephants.

I'm Done! (Almost)

Hip, hip, hooray and Praise the Lord! The lost shipment has finally arrived. It was my last gift and now it's here. Woo hoo! (Looks like the inlaws won't be left out this year after all!) All I have to do now is find one missing stocking stuffer (or did I wrap it?). And I never did make Betsie's handprint ornament...need to get that done. But most of the big stuff is DONE!

Now, onto other things. Last year (on the old blog) I posted about a fun little Christmas event we enjoyed. We went back to Hollywild this year. We loved the lights and the animals. Betsie was still nervous and this year she could tell us so! But she loosened up and almost had the nerve to feed a goat. Almost. Mary Evelyn loved it of course, and Rachel had fun too. Here are a few pictures from this year, which look an awful lot like the pictures from last year.

Eleven Days?

Only 11 days left until Christmas?

What do I have left to do:
Waiting on two gifts to be delivered and then wrap them
Need to put Betsie's play kitchen together
More baking for gifts
Buy ingredients for Christmas dinner/finish decorating a few spots
Clean house (needs it desperately)
Finish one more week of school (in theory...we'll see)
Finish Christmas cards


I'm sure there is more. This year seems busier than before. I think it is because the kids are having more activities as they get older. And it takes more creativity to keep things hidden from them...something I haven't mastered yet. Of course with us homeschooling that means they are HERE ALL THE TIME so I can't be sneaky while they are at school. And while I love homeschooling, I'd sure love a day or two at home alone right now. Just a day or two though...I like them here most of the time. ;)

Hope you're enjoying the season and not feeling to frazzled.

Merry Christmas!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Growing up, one of the highlights of the year was getting a tree and decorating it for Christmas. Seeing those once-a-year ornaments was like seeing old friends every year. There was the Santa and Mrs. Claus wooden ornament that my sister had to position facing the fireplace every year. She did this so that Santa would see it and feel especially honored and welcomed as soon as he came down our chimney. Mom still hangs that one, and I am pretty sure my sister always makes sure Santa will still see it.

I remember going with my Grandpa into the woods and cutting down the tree for his and my grandmother's living room. It was more like a prickly little cedar bush, but it was still fun. And when I got to be an older child/young teen, he would cut one for me to have in my room. You could hardly decorate it without injury unless you wore gloves, but I will never forget those trees! That's such a special part of Christmas...celebrating the birth of Jesus with the ones you love.

As our children are growing, I love being able to look at our tree and enjoy the memories of their earlier childhood days. I love the ornament Jason and I bought for our first Christmas together and had personalized. We bought it at a little Christmas shop in Boone, NC when we were visiting my sister who was in college there.

My tree is not going to be in any magazines and most things don't match, but it is the most beautiful tree in the world to me. It is filled with the memories of my marriage and my children's lives. Here are a few of the ornaments I love.

This is actually a new one. Each year at Thanksgiving the women in my family do an ornament exchange. This year I ended up with the one from my sister-in-law, Liz. I love it! Not many ornaments are crosses, but it's a beautiful reminder of why Christ had to come in the first place. I hung it in a place where you just can't miss it!

These little slippers were made by one of the older special needs children at Betsie's orphanage in Zhuzhou, China. We bought them when we visited the orphanage three days after we got her. They look so pretty on the tree.

I think this is Rachel's hand when she was two. I have Mary Evelyn's handprint as well. I plan to make a handprint ornament for Betsie sometime this week.

Below are a few of the photo ornaments of my sweet girls that I also love. We have several others.

I also love the Sunday School crafty ornaments that adorn our tree. I could never get rid of these. (Even though poor Joseph is backwards in this first one...maybe he was headed out to find some swaddling clothes?)

Last but not least is our tree topper. Not some fancy glittery angel or star or bow. But Mary Evelyn's three-year-old handprints formed into an angel. And her little fingerprints making the red hair. I made angels like these for my mom a few years ago and this was a goof up because the wings are upside down! But that is part of this angel's charm so I kept it. I keep meaning to buy a nice store bought tree topper, but if I ever do, this angel will still have a prominent place in our home.

Merry Christmas!

A "Sweet" Morning

This morning, the big girls and I went to a fellow church member's home and got to decorate a gingerbread house. This is a great group activity. Each family can bring a little candy and you can have lots of variety without spending your week's grocery budget on all that candy! Rachel did a great job...Mary Evelyn found something else to do.

Should we be surprised that Mary Evelyn found their pet bunny and never got around to helping us decorate the gingerbread house?

Rachel getting the house put together. She became a pro with the icing and even had to help her kitchen clumsy mother.

Building a pretzel fence

Just a few more details




Looking good!

All done!!

My Dancing Elves

This is fun. You can watch my little elves dance and then make your own elf fun.

I Can't Believe I Did This

When will I learn? Rachel is just as sneaky as I used to be when it comes to Christmas. And when will I learn that having readers in the house means I can't leave things lying around like when they were little. As in...my entire list of what all three kids are getting for Christmas...right down to the stocking stuffers. Sigh... I had the list out because I was wrapping things. I do this early so Miss Sneaky won't see her gifts. I was using the list to make sure I actually knew where everything was, etc. I left the dumb list sitting on my bed. And guess who saw it.

We knew she had seen it by the odd questions she was asking. "Dad, what is Carmen Sandiego?"

So much for my great ideas. I had even gone to the trouble of assigning each family member a Spongebob character's name so they wouldn't even know which gifts were theirs under the tree! My family members are Squidward, Sandy, Plankton, Spongebob, and Mr. Krabbs. We're quite the group, I tell ya. I'm the only one who knows everyone's identity! LOL!

I'm not mad. I would have read the list too if I had stumbled upon it. I am annoyed with myself though. My big girl won't be surprised. Happy, just not surprised. I tried telling her that was just my decoy list and the real list of real gifts is hidden. She knew that was not true. Ahh, well. I will just have to find some other ways to surprise her this year. Not with gifts...I'm done shopping, but somehow. And she and I have a surprise planned for Jason, Betsie, and Mary Evelyn. That will be fun.

But this is going down as the year that Rachel knew EVERYTHING! I suppose we'll look back on this one day with fondness. For now, I am kicking myself!

Christmas Shopping On the Brain

It's that time of year again...at least to me it is. I like to shop kind of early. I want it DONE before Thanksgiving so I can do other things in December. And I want to be prepared when family members start asking for suggestions for the girls. The thing is they seem to be harder to buy for the older they get! When they were little I could get them what I wanted them to have and they would still be happy. These days they have opinions and preferences. Rachel is all about American Girl dolls and their accessories these days. Mary Evelyn just wants any kind of animal she can get her hands on. I could probably keep Betsie happy with just the box for another year, especially if she can fit inside.

I haven't really made any purchases yet (just an ant farm for guess who) but I am shopping and browsing all over the internet for ideas and prices. Maybe that explains my lack of blogging lately. (Actually I've just been busy!)

Here are a few places that I have been browsing:
Insect Lore
Steve Spangler Science
American Girl
Deep Discount DVD If you wait until the day after Thanksgiving, this site has a huge sale. Their shipping is always free!
China Sprout

Target and Amazon are my other favorite places.

Now I just need to find a few good hiding places.