MIscellany

It hardly seems that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. This year has flown by in such a whirlwind that I can't believe that it's already almost over. So much has happened. So much to be thankful for. I certainly can look back and find regrets, but I can also find so much contentment.

I feel that this year I have grown as a mother, as a woman, as a christian. I don't know what it was, or why, but I'm different, and in a better way. I'm thankful to have had another year with my children, being there for them in everything they've done. I'm learning to listen more with my heart, than with my ears (and we all know how well I can hear... or can't).

I'm excited to be having a white Christmas this year and can't wait to get out in it. Normally, you can't get me out in a car in the snow, but the prospect of going to visit family, and driving through the quiet country with a blanket of snow is thrilling! Although the snow won't start until tomorrow morning, I'm ready!

I hope that everyone has a merry Christmas this year.

Weekend in a nutshell

So Friday was another snow day. The sun did manage to come out for about 20 minutes that morning, just enough to melt the solid ice on the driveway. Then the sun promptly went under the clouds again, dropping the temp back below freezing, and un-doing any unthawing that had taken place. Sigh. I didn't think the sun would ever come back out, but it did eventually yesterday. The roads are now officially clear, so it's back to school tomorrow!

Yesterday we had Christmas with dad and Annette. It was a lot of fun as always! Annette is one of the best cooks and she always makes delicious food. We got to meet their new dog, Lily Ann, and the kids absolutely loved her! Christopher did, too, which surprised me. I'm not a big dog person, but she was a cute little dog! The kids are begging, but it won't happen... After coming home and having supper, we decided to go out and look at the Christmas lights in Greenville. Although it's nice to have them closer to town, I really liked it better when the people had the displays at their home in Woburn because you had to get out to see them all. Now you just drive through and your viewing time is limited to wether or not there are cars behind you. But it was fun and the kids enjoyed seeing them.

Today we woke up to snow. Completely unexpected! It snowed pretty much all day and dropped another half inch to what was already there. What fell on bare grass quickly melted, though. We're supposed to get *more* freezing rain Tuesday night and another storm is on it's way for Friday. Dare I hope for a white Christmas? It's been years!

Kate had her Christmas band concert today and it was really nice. The 6th grade band had improved so much since just last spring at their last concert! I really like that she enjoys band. I always enjoyed it as well and have so many fun memories. Next year she'll be in the 7th/8th grade band and that means marching, parades, and much more fun stuff. I think she'll really like that!

Tomorrow I need to go through all of the kids' presents and wrap them, and make sure all of the stocking stuff is bought. I'm thinking it's a little uneven right now, so I need to see what I have for which one. With them being home 3 days last week, I didn't get that accomplished. It never fails that there's always something to be done at the last minute.

Three out of five

As expected, freezing rain came last night, lending us another snow day today. We didn't get that much rain, but it was enough to really shut things down. Our driveway is a solid sheet of ice that I refuse to try to drive on- rear wheel drive does not do well on ice (or snow...). The kids watched from the window today when I went to get the mail to see if I could make it without falling- I made it. They finally got to venture out to play in the snow drift out front, which had gotten about a foot shorter since Sunday. They dug a tunnel part-way through and they plan to finish it tomorrow. Since we're in a rural community, not all roads are treated, so they're still ice-covered. School has been called off for tomorrow, making three snow days in one week. It seems like this winter is shaping up to be a monster. The year we moved in here, we had 2 or 3 big ice storms that brought 1/4 inch of ice each time and several foot-deep snow falls. The kids missed so many days of school that they didn't even bother making them up. The school board had taken the "act of God" clause out of the books that said that 5 or more snow days would be an act of God and wouldn't have to be made up, but I guess that winter was enough for them to use it again! We're almost there already and it's not even Christmas!

Snow Day

Our first snow day of the season went quite well. Both kids were wound tighter than an eight-day clock, so it would have been really nice if they could have gone out to play, but it was just plain frigid. Temps in the teens. And it didn't help that the 3-foot drift out front kept tempting them. They soooooo wanted to jump in it. Temps are going to be down to 3 degrees tonight, so I don't expect it to warm up enough for them to jump in it tomorrow, either. But as far as I know, school is on for tomorrow!

Thankfully, my mother-in-law called early this morning saying she was stopping by to pick something up, so I asked her to bring in an egg so we could make cookies. There was no way I was leaving the house for eggs! The cookie-making went well despite the fact that 1. we had run out of piping bags, and 2. had no red gel color. Nice... I let them use butter knives to decorate and tried to make red from hot pink and black. To our surprise, hot pink and black do NOT make red. In fact, it makes a very vibrant purple! So we had some lovely purple icing to decorate cookies with along with the traditional white, green and yellow.

I need to do some shopping tomorrow for my goodie ingredients. My list is so long I need to start making something every day to get them done by Christmas. Our gatherings start this Saturday, so this weekend will be busy. It doesn't seem possible that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away...

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Although the calendar doesn't officially say that it's winter, it's here in Southern Illinois with a vengence! Just two weeks ago it was 70 degrees. Today we've had blizzard conditions, slick roads, and a wind so blustery you'd think a tornado was coming through. All this from a storm they said wouldn't drop much more than a dusting- and it has snowed all day. We have a 3 foot drift out front that the kids are excited to see how much bigger it grows overnight. They also want to jump in it, but with a high of only 16 for tomorrow, I don't think that will happen. And tomorrow is their first official snow day of the year! They called around 6:30 with the news. Boy, it will be SO nice not to have to get up tomorrow and get out! Now we just have to get through Wednesday when they're calling for freezing rain!

It's been a while since I've been here, so I'll update. Thursday night, Kate had a sore throat. Friday, she woke up with strep. As soon as I checked and she had a temp, I knew exactly what it was- she never runs a temp anymore. I took her in and sure enough, it was. It was her first time since she had her tonsils out 5 years ago. What a blessing! She woke up yesterday morning feeling like her old self again! Thank goodness for antibiotics! Now to just keep the rest of us healthy before Christmas!

Yesterday was BUSY. Preston had bowling, and did really well! He got two spares and was so proud of himself! I had a photo shoot at 3:00 and we were invited to go out to celebrate Reid's birthday at 5:30. Keith and Dee watched the kids and it was SO nice to get out! We were a little worried about the weather as it had POURED the entire day and was slated to get cold around nightfall. We left our house at 4:45 and it was 46 degrees. It was 36 at 5:15 when we got to their house and 32 when we left town at 5:30. We ran into some ice in Effingham but made it back safely with no other incidents. The Murray's also joined us for dinner and it was really nice to have some other friends along. We had good food, good fun and good conversation. It was 10:00 before we got back and the kids were tired but had a good time with Grammy and Pa-pa.

Then Kate woke PReston up early when she saw the snow... Why is it that on weekends, they're up before dawn and on school mornings I have to drag them out of bed? We were supposed to see Megamind with mom today, but with the weather so bad, it wasn't worth the trip to Effingham. It was pretty slick when Christopher tried the roads and he slid right past our driveway coming home. We did venture up to Granny's this afternoon since they're less than a mile from us, and I'm glad we did. We wrapped presents for the family we adopted, the kids made sugar cookies and Granny and I made the BEST toffee ever. I have the recipe... I will make more.

So now we will just cozy up tomorrow and enjoy a warm house and maybe make some more Christmas goodies. If we can venture to town to buy some eggs...

Welcome to our home

I'm excited to be taking place in the Nester's Christmas home tour this year and at Kelly's Korner. I wish I could deck our house from top to bottom, but I lack the creativity. Our home is more warm and sentimental this time of year than it is fancy. I like it better that way. Come on in and see our home!
This is our upstairs tree. It's a real tree decked in nothing but vintage and antique glass bulbs. Nothing else ever goes on it. We went with some colored lights this year, mainly due to the fact that one of our white strands from last year decided to quit working. I think it looks fabulous! We've been white light snobs for years and now I think color is so much better.
Our dining room is my favorite spot in the house. I love it even more since I found my buffet. It gives me more places to decorate, and finally, a spot where my card tree won't get toppled over onto my stove.
I got this large martini glass at Wal-Mart a few years back and I love filling it with glass balls.
My buffet. The kids were so excited to get our first Christmas card!
Here's Bobby Boy, our Elf on a Shelf. Today, he's living out his farming/truck driving fantasy as he sits atop an antique JI Case grain truck, but I didn't take his picture. I wonder if the kids will find him.
This silver bell is probably my most treasured holiday decoration. It belonged to my great-grandma and as a child, there was nothing better than when she would lift us up to pull the string and hear "Silver Bells."
I love this little table in our upstairs hallway. The sticks are there year-round, but the cone trees come out to play for Christmas.
The kids keep their advent calendars on their doors. The Santa doorknob cover was my great-grandma's also, and I loved it growing up.
Here is our mantle with the stockings. I made the children's stockings- the ones on each end. My stocking is the Santa one that my grandma made me when I was a girl.
This is the kids' tree downstairs. It has nothing but their keepsake and handmade ornaments. It's also the tree that was knocked down *five* times last year by none other than the cat in the basket beside it. This year, it is cleverly tied to the dehumidifier behind it with some heavy rope. So far, it has worked.
This is the same tree the other night. If you look closely (or click the pic to enlarge) you can see Nonnie asleep in his basket next to the tree. He looks so angelic. It's hard to believe he's quite the rascal with the tree.

Every year, Kate decorates her dollhouse for Christmas. Too cool for her dollhouse family, the Playmobil children have taken it over.
It also appears to be house a Zhu Zhu rocker. The candles in the window are Q-tips cut in half with the ends painted orange.
This room seems to have a large Hexbug in it... The stockings are hung here also. The cat got into it and tried to eat some of the decorations, so some of them have been taken down already. Same with upstairs... we can't keep him out of garland.

I hope you've enjoyed our home. Happy holidays!

Quote of the year

We have yet another critter in the ceiling above our basement. I can hear it moving about above me right now... We have traps set, yet the thing isn't taking the bait.

In a house with 2 dairy-allergic children, cheese isn't a hot commodity. In fact, when my father-in-law brought the first set of traps in last month, he brought a slice of cheese because he didn't think we'd have any. Perplexed as to why this mouse wasn't taking the cheese, I told Christopher that maybe he didn't like American and offered some Monterey Jack from the freezer. His reply...

"No, I don't think that's it. He might have been caught in a trap before and remembers the smell."

I don't know too many mice that have survived traps, let alone, survived and actually let free. If he has, then he must be some sort of super mouse.

Humbled

For years I have wanted to do Meals on Wheels. I remember my great-grandma doing it, and have always wanted to try it. Today was my first day, and after doing it, I felt completely humbled.

I have always been extremely blessed. I am so thankful for what I've been given. But after seeing some of these people and how they live, it really, really makes you even more thankful. Here I was, wearing nice clothing and a nice warm coat, getting out of a nice car, and delivering meals to people in some very dilapidated homes. These people were eating microwave dinners that made Banquet frozen meals look gourmet. The smell alone from the food was very unpleasant, yet that meal may have possibly been the only real meal that they got to eat all day. And sometimes, I get extremely frustrated when I can't find anything I want to eat. Those people didn't have a choice. They got what I delivered.

Over 20 years ago, my grandpa bought coats and shoes for two boys that my grandma was helping through her work. These children came from a broken, abusive home and had very little. After that, each year, he would buy coats and shoes for other children my grandma was helping, and it began to grow. He and his friend Pete decided that they needed to make this a project for their Methodist Men group, and the idea grew into a ministry that now provides coats and shoes to any child in the county that is in need. The teachers submit childrens' names and sizes and my grandparents shop for them and present the children with them the day school lets out for Christmas break. They say their faces are priceless when they get their coats. Last year they delivered to over 300 children in our county, and they have about the same this year. The need is great. Last year, my mom's basement looked like this as they were getting all of the coats ready.

While helping at Preston's school yesterday, I noticed that one little boy that sat across from him was wearing a sleeveless shirt. Mind you, it was below freezing. He also had holey jeans and shoes. Instantly, my heart was tugged, and I prayed that this little boy's name was on the list to receive a coat and shoes (he was). I also felt even more torn when he asked if I wanted to know what he was going to ask Santa for- a lunch box. He wanted to bring his lunch to school like Preston instead of the most likely free lunch that he gets. How can one not feel humbled? My children are asking for Ipods and Wii games, while this little boy only wanted a lunch box. I almost asked the teacher if there was a way I could get him one, but I don't feel that that's my place to do so. Especially if that lunch box won't be used because his mother can't afford to pack it.

God is really speaking to me this holiday season, and not just through the rock to the windshield incident Tuesday (which has been repaired). I feel myself wanting to give more and want less. I want to give my time to others and not myself. I am extremely blessed and will be forever grateful for what God has given me. This year, please take some time to help someone in need in any way that you can. Nothing is too small. Chances are, whatever you do, it means more to them than you'll ever know.

A deal too good to be real!

Those of you that know me well, know that I'm pretty thrifty. I save anywhere I can, because really, who likes wasting money? Not I! So when I saw this deal a few days ago, it was right up my alley. What is it you ask? It's an amazing deal from Shutterfly, offering 50 FREE holiday cards to bloggers! And this deal could not have come at a better time. I have literally been trying to get the perfect picture for our holiday cards for months. MONTHS. I've been planning since August, and shooting since October. My children are absolutely sick of our photo sessions, especially the multiple trips to the family's farm to get the perfect shot by the old barn.

So yes, I am a bit of a perfectionist. And when it comes to holiday cards, I'm a little picky. I don't like store-bought cards- they lack creativity. Hand-made cards are too time consuming- we tried that once and scrapped the idea mid-way through. Creating your own photo cards is my best solution. And as an avid photographer, showing off my sweet children is a passion. Shutterfly has SO many options that it's hard to pick just one- kind of like trying to pick just one photo...
This festive card grabbed my attention right away! I love the bright colors! It would be FAB! Especially with the two cheeky children above who obviously found something more interesting than the camera to look at!
But I'm more of a traditionalist, so this card really says Christmas. I also like that you can use more than one picture, which makes my decision somewhat easier- I can narrow it down to 6 favorites instead of one!
Or I can make some more calendars for the grandparents that can't get enough of their funny grandchildren. I actually made two of these yesterday for some of them and they were so much fun to make! I can't wait for them to arrive!

Those who know me well also know how particular I am about thank-you notes. Again, it's that traditionalist in me... I'm trying to instill in my children the importance of a good, thoughtful, and gratefully handwritten thank-you note. Shutterfly offers some really spectacular cards that would me a pleasure for anyone to recieve. And getting a thank-you card with my children's artful handwriting and their sweet face on the front will make anyone's day!

Would YOU like to get in on this great deal? Click to get your chance to grab 50 free cards this season! Now, I don't do Facebook or Twitter, or else I'd shout this out over there, but you can! Rally some other bloggers and let them in on this deal. It will make your holiday just a little merrier!