I Can't Wait to be a Teacher Again!

It's almost Thanksgiving! And I feel a little like I am missing it this year. We move in just ONE week. The boxes are mostly packed, the loan has been approved, inspections have been completed, repairs have been made, and lists have been made (all sorts of lists to keep me half way organized and sane during this transition!).

What is not happening is school. Not totally true. We have stayed semi-caught up with the three R's. But we had a wonderful start to our year with My Father's World and that has taken quite the back seat since about September. I am so very thankful that in just one week, I will get to unpack those boxes labeled "school room." I will put the books on the shelf, set up an art and writing center, and hang the map back up on the wall. I will once again have ROUTINE!

I really am so excited about starting back. I really miss the way we were doing school before that "for sale" sign went up just 5 weeks ago. I enjoyed snuggling on the couch reading about the animals in the rainforest and then looking at the AMAZING drawings my girls made with their colored pencils to illustrate what they had learned. (Not bragging but my girls can flat out draw...Betsie too.) I know it may actually be January before our routine is solid again. The holidays, unpacking, and a trip to Disney World will throw us for a little bit of a loop. Still, those things are more blessings and I look forward to them with a happy heart.

So maybe I am not missing out on Thanksgiving. We aren't celebrating it in our usual way with decorations and stories of the pilgrims and Squanto, but I am truly thankful and feeling quite blessed. God has been so kind to me and I praise Him for His goodness.

The Blessing Jar

I made mention of our Blessing Jar in my New Year's Eve post and my sweet friend Leslie asked about it in the comments. Since I have been lacking in blog-worthy ideas lately, I appreciate a chance to respond! So Leslie, thanks for asking!

I am sure this idea must have come from the Five in a Row boards because I am a great copycat. Basically, our jar is just a big pitcher. We try to record as many blessings as we can on little pieces of paper (whatever is handy, not pre-cut fancy slips or anything!) throughout the year and drop it in the jar. We read these to each other as a part of our New Year's Eve celebration. It was a joy to remember the free dishwasher and dryer that friends from our homeschool group gave us last January...or the time Jason almost backed over Mary Evelyn in the driveway -but didn't because for some odd reason his trunk was open - and he stopped to get out and close it just as she was running across the driveway...or the time we went rollerskating as a family for Rachel's birthday...or the day Betsie finally reached 20 pounds...etc. You get the idea.

There are little everyday blessings like a child doing school with a sweet attitude that day or another child being very helpful without being asked or hearing from an old friend. Sometimes at family devotion Jason or I will pass out an index card to everyone and we'll all record at least one or two blessings. We do this when we have been a few weeks and kind of forgotten that we have a blessing jar! It's a nice way to keep Thanksgiving going all year long. Afterall, we are told in scripture to give thanks always, not just in November! 2007 was the first year we did this. It was an easy little project that we could all do and we found it to be a blessing in itself.

A Happy Thanksgiving

It was a wonderful weekend. Jason was off work from about mid-day on Wednesday until this morning. It was so nice to have him home. Tax season is just around the corner and I am cherishing these last few weeks before he is busy working most weekends and evenings.

On Thursday we had nowhere to be until supper time so we took advantage of the time and decorated for Christmas. We aren't finished yet but the tree is done and of course that's the biggie! We are using an artificial tree for the second year and Jason is really wanting real next year. He loves to cut his own. I loved going through the ornament box and seeing the girls' little handprint ornaments and nativities they have made. Of course we had the Christmas music going while we decorated. Betsie was convinced that the tree was hot and she was afraid to touch it at first...unfortunately she has gotten wiser in the last few days. So far, so good though.

Mary Evelyn hanging the stockings

The tree all finished

That evening we headed over to Jason's brother's house. He and his wife Charity fixed a delicious meal for us and all I had to take was a salad. My children were incredibly picky, which drove me nuts, but they were still pretty sweet and had a great time!

Jason and his mom



My father-in-law, Marc


Betsie with Uncle Paul


Rachel, Aunt Charity, and Betsie



After we got the kids in bed that night I had some work to do. My mom was still in charge of turkey and dressing, but I needed to get some deviled eggs and sweet potatoes together. So I worked on that Thursday night and Friday morning. I also made a vegetable dish and some pumpkin dip to be served with gingersnaps. We got to Mom and Dad's house by 11:30 and stayed all day.



I really enjoyed my time with my family. The food was great and we laughed so hard I thought my sister would go into labor. (Her baby wll be born in a week!) The kids had a great time playing with their dolls and a little backyard football. There was of course some football on the TV as well. It was really nice. Plus Betsie managed a 2 hour nap even with nearly twenty people in the house!

Betsie says yummy!


Uncle Paul gave Mary Evelyn that hat the night before and she wore it all weekend...she says it's her farming and fishing hat!



We even had a little culture. I bet you all didn't know what an accomplished violinist Jason was! (Cause he's NOT!) He was attempting "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" on my niece's violin but it was a bunch of screeches in reality. LOL! My Uncle John looks like he's listening to something really classical but don't be fooled. My niece Alyssa however played for us and sang us a few lovely songs!
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On Saturday I did a little shopping and went to lunch with my sister-in-law Liz and my Aunt Mary. Liz says it's a new tradition. We'll see! It was nice to get out with them, so maybe! But for now we are back to work and school for a few weeks.
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I hope you all had a great weekend as well!
Jennifer