Goings on...

Finally after 7 years of marriage I got this framed and hung up! Those are my $1.90 candlesticks from Good*will.

These turned out so cute. Unfortunately I made 30 of them and NOT ONE sold. So every gift is going to have one tied on it this year.

It was a fun afternoon putting them together. And the supplies were all 40% off at Joanne's or more!

This is the only picture I took during my parents 5 day stay. We were all sick and feeling yucky. Pops is modeling the birthday card that Avery made him. She even glued on a big loop on the top so he could "wear" it!

Fun Activities

Meeting Santa

James Hardie's Christmas party this year was at an old movie theater. We dressed the kids up (who've been sick for two days, but we needed to get out of the house) and headed out in the sleeting ice to tell Santa what we wanted for Christmas. Reece went right up and sat on his lap like a pro, we were lucky to get Avery in the picture at all. But she hung in there and didn't cry until ten minutes later when she realized with devastation that she never told Santa what she wanted. Which I eventually told her that Santa might be at the mall this week and I would take her there for round two!

This is about the only shot of me in the last two months. I'm always taking the photos and never seem to be in them. Holy cow! I look like I'm in the last trimester, ha!

My sweet sweet family. Downing all the candy, cookies, and hot chocolate their little hands could find.

My Cup DOES Runneth Over

Last night my sweet friend LaRae handed me a package as we were all leaving Panera and I was SO excited because THIS is what I opened...

I don't know where she found this, but I LOVE IT. I had been thinking that this wall needed something, but had no idea what. As soon as I walked in the house, it was this plaque's destiny to hang there. I asked Shane to hang it last night, he wasn't too interested. He thinks I get a little over excited with my need to get something decorated. I didn't understand why 9 pm wasn't a good time to hang this on a wall that might have woken the kids...ha!

So this morning, once the caffeine kicked in, I got out MY cordless drill, an anchor, and a screw and hung that baby up!

Now I am motivated to set up an appointment to do the next set of pictures to change out all of the ones in these frames. They are mostly of Avery and are going to get moved to the stairwell so that more pictures of Reece and Ellie (when she gets here) can be up there.

Thank you LaRae,

It made my weekend, after a long week, sick kiddos, and multiple cancelled Christmas functions! It reminded me that despite those things, I am one blessed mama! I'm so thankful for our friendship and I won't ever see this sign without thinking of you!

I buy books...

I admit it. It's an addiction. It's my crack. I have no intention of ever going to rehab.

One of my most favorite activities is heading to Barnes and Noble, ordering a tasty beverage from Starbucks, and just browsing around. (Since I used the word "browsing" this activity can obviously not be done with any of my little precious babies with me.) So I occasionally buy a book and then life happens and I sometimes forget about it, pick something faster/easier to read, or just plain spend more time knitting and not enough reading. Shocking I know for an English major and former English teacher.

I'm rounding up the books that I have started or bought this year and haven't read or hoping to get and put them in a link list on the left hand side. As I finish each book I can make some kind of mark on each one so that I can keep track of all the things that I want to read.

I should probably do this with my chores list for each day, but that certainly wouldn't be any fun!

This site rocks!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Being productive...

those words seem almost foreign. I spend most of the time fighting the fatigue and pain my body. I'm 30lbs. heavier (got weighted today, that was fun) and miserable. I can't believe just the general amount of pain I am constantly in. By 6pm I am walking around like the HunchbackofNotreDame. Hot baths are helping a lot. The other thing that is helping is COKE! Not the drug...the little red can of delicious goodness. First two pregnancies I was anti-caffeine, followed the food rules, was really careful. Apparently with the third one caution is thrown to the wind! I even stopped at Sonic today to get a Cherry Coke. Normally I am a huge water drinker, but not now. Water means instant heartburn, acid reflux, and nausea. I bet you all are SO jealous! ha ha ha!

Ok, enough complaining. Now one advantage to drinking a large caffeinated beverage every day is that I am getting more done! Today I ran to JoAnn's and got the materials to make the ornaments on Kelly's Korner. I've already made a batch of them and hope to sell them at MOPS on thurs. I also got the batting and binding I needed to make a Christmas quilt. I would show you, but the fabric is at the embroidery store (another stop I made) getting pretty. I also picked up the book... Material Obsessions. I am just beginning this quilting thing and this book is just my style! I used a 50% coupon and got it for 12 bucks! Lastly was Wally World for some basic groceries.

I even came home and made brownies, said ornaments, and got the kitchen cleaned up (it was until I cooked dinner at least). Avery helped me make the brownies today and it was pretty cute to see her all covered in chocolate. I even gave up the spoon and let her lick away.

It felt good to be productive. Quazi Moto has set in now and the bathtub is calling my name. Just waiting for hubs to get home so I can have one without a bunch of knocking and whining at the door. Last time I attempted that I ended up with two kids in the bathtub and I had to get out because according to Ave..my belly was taking up too much room!

So cute

I saw this on the DaySpring website and thought it was too stinkin cute! So I am now on the look out for some cute nobs, tiles, a metal rod, and metal rings. I think these would be cute above the girls' beds in their room. (Shane and I still haven't agreed on a shade of pink yet!)

Day 4

Micah 5:2

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

I am not going to...

I've decided this year to really scale down this year for Christmas. Partly because of wanting to not spend a lot of money, (still working on that budget!) and because I just feel like we have so much that I don't want to get caught up in the materialism of it all which I am very prone to do. I have spent 1/3 on gifts this year and am even making many of them. The kids are only getting 3-4 items plus their stockings and no "big" gifts this year. Shane and I are even thinking about not doing gifts for each other. (The $400 personal property tax bill just came. Wasn't that sweet for them to send it right before Christmas! AGH!)

I've been trying to go thru all of my "stashes" and it is shocking what I could make if I had the time, energy, and motivation. I have three Christmas gifts I'm knitting that I didn't even have to buy a thing! I also have so much fabric (inherited from my grandma and some smokin deals at Joann fabrics) that I have some really cute kid projects that I am hoping to get done.

Simplify. That's my goal. Instead of running around at all the stores trying to find the perfect gift, I am making myself be really creative and come up with things that I have on hand. I want to post pictures, but that would give away to the recipients what I am making and the battery died on my camera and I can't find the charger!



So what am I not going to do?



1. Buy any new Xmas decorations until after holiday sales.

2. Use the credit card AT ALL (so far I haven't even glanced at it).

3. Spend a lot on my kids for stuff they don't need.

4. Go to every holiday activity and run the family around town.

5. Whine or even be bothered by not getting the Husqvarna serger Christmas morning.

6. Get stressed out. What gets done, gets done. Otherwise...oh well.

Latest Favorite Meal

Mini Pumpkin Pies...so tasty....

Barely fried tilapia with a mustard topping, green beans, and roasted potatoes.

I was so proud of this little arrangement until Shane vetoed the new location for the coffee maker. I know have a condensed version WITH coffee maker.

Roasted potatoes with herbs, onion, and leeks.

One of my favorite dishes...

Almost all of this was organic and SUPER healthy. It was also fairly easy. The purple things in the dish are potatoes. They taste exactly the same. Straight from Leaping Waters Farm.

Day 2

Jeremiah 23:5-6

" The days are coming,"declares the Lord, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."

Fashions at Target

***Update*** Shane wanted it cleared up that the kids picked out their outfits not him. He's got GQ style (his words not mine).***


Shane took the kids to run his errands last night and this is what I received while they were gone. Notice the mismatched outfits? Daddy doesn't have the same fashion stipulations that I do! ha! I laughed outloud when I saw this. Where did Avery learn to pose like that? And Reece looks like he's standing at attention!

The Christmas Story...One verse a day

Picture from last year.

Example of the plate I use for bible verses.

Advent

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
I did this last year and it was awesome. I have a white plate on the kitchen counter that I write bible verses on and for the month of December it is all about Christ's birth. Each verse tells a little bit so that by the 25th you have the whole story. Such a great and simple way to expose the kids to the bible and the true meaning of Christmas.

 Merry Christmas!

Day 1: John 3:16              12) Luke 2:4-5
2) Jeremiah 23:5-6            13) Luke 2:7
3)Isaiah 9:6                       14) Luke 2:10
4)Micah 5:2                        15) Luke 2:11
5) Isaiah 7:14                   16) Luke 2:13-14
6) Matthew 1:18              17) Luke 2:16
7) Luke 1:28                   18) Luke 2:19
8)Luke 1:30-31              19)Luke 2:20
9) Luke 1:37                   20) Matthew 2:1-2
10) Luke 1:49                            21) Matthew 2:9-10
11) Matthew 1:20-21          22) Matthew 2:11
                                            23)John 1:14

                                          24: John 17:19,24

                                        25: II Corinthians 9:15