Santa's List

Here are the kids checking out Santa's List...

Brooke finds her name on the Nice List... Brooke was excited to find her name here. She was worried that Santa forgot her. When she found her name she yelled out to the sky "Santa, I love you!"

Luke found his name on "THE OTHER" (Naughty) list...Boy, oh, boy did this cause some major upset! He ran off crying and screaming "Santa I hate you!!"

Elves 2008

At noon last Friday the sun came out and I rushed the kids into the car for 2 hours of fun with the Elves at Gardner Village.

Where I've Been Lately...

I haven't been posting (or getting on the computer in general) much lately. Here is what I've been up to instead:

Mary Engelbreit aprons:

My Christmas apron:

Brooke's Strawberry Shortcake apron:

Fruity aprons:

Start Something!

I found this on a blog I ran across while looking for something else:

"My challenge to you is to try something new today! Pick anything, educate yourself about it or find someone to help you out, and give it a shot!"

Obsession

Shall I let you in on a little secret? I obsess about Christmas Stockings. And not just in December – almost all year round!

I have one that I LOVE. I have always wanted to have matching stockings hung at Christmas. Sadly, I don’t have the pattern for my stocking or the knowledge of how to knit. I don’t know anyone who can knit.

When we first got married we bought a red and green matching stocking, but didn’t get any that matched for kids. For the past few years they have been using them. I hate them. I want 4 matching stockings. I want knitted. I obsess about how I want the whole thing to look hanging on my not mantel.

Two years ago my beloved Aunt gave hers to me. Now I only need 2 more. Jason doesn’t love them, but I’m sure that’s because it’s red… I’m more than willing to have his be green or blue… I just need them to be matching!!!

I have found stockings that I like online and ones that I like in Christmas Stocking knitting books (http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Stockings-Holiday-Treasures-Knit/dp/1931499004) , but again the whole who’s gonna knit it thing comes up. Plus, I don’t want to spend a fortune on a stocking. $100 per stocking is too much for me. I don’t know how to afford 4 custom stockings.

There are lots of cute quilted ones that I might consider if I wasn’t so set on the whole matching thing. I can’t stop obsessing. I wake up in the night and think about this issue and how I’m going to solve it. It began before I was married (many years before) and now I can’t shut my brain off. I’m thinking I might need to seek out medication for this problem…

So, what are you obsessing about?

A Parent’s Thanksgiving List

A Parent’s Thanksgiving List
From Families Who Laugh . . . Last by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard.

I’m grateful my children demand I talk to them when I don’t feel like talking, feed them when I’m not hungry, and change their diapers even when I’m all dressed up and ready to go somewhere special. I don’t think I’d discover the world outside my own needs without them.
I’m grateful my children haven’t learned how to hold back their tears when they’re sad, laughter when they’re happy, or screams when they’re frightened. They constantly remind me that emotions are for sharing.
I’m grateful my children have broken nearly everything in my home and used a crayon or ink marker on the rest. They’ve taught me that things aren’t important, but people are.
I’m grateful my children start out small and helpless so they don’t become aware of my incompetence until they’re teenagers. By then, we’ve both grown so accustomed to each other, we somehow manage to make it through the rest of life together.
I’m grateful my children get their pants dirty, pick their noses, burp without saying “excuse me,” and quarrel in public so I’ll never be able to get too arrogant, proper, or judgmental of other people’s children.
I’m grateful my children sometimes call me names like “weird” because sometimes I am “weird,” and it helps keep a person humble to be told they’re “weird” when they’re acting weird.
I’m grateful my children occasionally miss the bus at the precise moment I’ve stepped out of the shower, contemplating the well-planned, organized day ahead of me. Experiences like jumping into the car after throwing on whatever’s handy and racing to school have a tendency to loosen rigid plans into something better known as spontaneity.
I’m grateful my children always need new shoes, piano books, prescriptions, haircuts, fieldtrip money, tuition, food, toothpaste, and underwear. That way, I don’t have to waste my time thinking about a new sofa. It’s difficult to get wealthy and think about luxuries when you have to buy toilet paper and milk by the truckload each week.
I’m grateful my children know how to play. My five-year-old asked me to come downstairs so he could “teach me how to play” with his plastic animals. While Jacob demonstrated the subtle techniques for sinking a rhinoceros into couch cushions while pretending it was quicksand, I realized my young son was right. I really do need someone to “teach me how to play.”
I’m grateful my children question my every command and giggle when I get angry. It’s difficult to feel too powerful or self-righteous with kids around to remind you of how funny you look when you’re pointing your finger.
I’m grateful my children insist I hug, kiss, rock, or put my arms around them often. Otherwise, I think I’d forget how the sense of touch is so healing.
I’m grateful each of my children is unique when the same strange, inexperienced mother raised them. Somehow they don’t seem to let me ruin them much.
And lastly, I’m grateful for the gift of children in my life. God willing, I’d like to fill the rest of my days with those interesting people who call me Mom (yes, and sometimes “weird”) but eventually “weird grandma.”

Tagged! (I Feel Loved)

I woke up to find this on our windows and porch:

I must admit that I felt like I was special since we were included in the tagging of the neighorhood "Y" fans. It's fun to be included!! Thanks to whomever did this...maybe we'll try it next year!