Since I'm posting about Christmas gifts...

...I have to share one of our new favorite books. Gracie got Little Mommy from my mom for Christmas. I think we read it no less than 5 times, during each and every sitting. Lily loves it, too.

If you love Eloise Wilkin, as I do, this is a must for your collection. It is not written by Eloise. But it's got the same style and charm as EW. So adorable, and I can't believe we haven't seen this before! The illustrations are precious and the rhyme is cute. Check it out. It will only set you back $2.99. :)

Joey and the Lego Dino

Here is Joey showing off the first model of one of the Lego sets he got for Christmas. He started working on this on-and-off yesterday morning, and finished by the afternoon. The Pterodactyl was the first version he tried because it is the quickest and easiest. Now he has sights on the others.

I like his intensity and the drive with which he works on his legos! He truly is a man trapped in a little boy's body. And I do so love him. :)

Hand-Selected by my kiddos

The Man took the kids with him a week or so before Christmas, to do some Christmas shopping for me. He did his own shopping, but then also let them each select a present for me.

Joey chose Curious George. It's a must. A mommy needs a stuffed monkey. (Last year, he insisted that I needed a plush lion.)

The sugar cookie scented candle was chosen by Gracie. The combination of the words "sugar" and "cookie" were what sealed the deal for her. And I'm pretty sure that she thought I was somehow going to bake and eat the "sugar cookie." It amazes me how decisive Gracie already is. Something that I know not of. :) Scott said as he read the names of some scents as he passed a candle display, Gracie decided then and there, on my present. And nothing could change her mind.

And Lily (the opposite of Gracie in the decisiveness department) finally settled on the little Fiesta Ware bowls that match our dishes. We have some little clear, glass bowls that we use for things like ice cream, dip, or salsa. But they have been breaking one by one. So when Scott saw these dishes that matched ours, he suggested it to Lily who thought it was a grand idea. I think it may have been slightly self-serving on Scott's part as he was thinking primarily of our chips and salsa moments. :) I'm glad that they are something that we can use together and everytime I use them, I can remember how thoughtful my kiddos and their sweet daddy were to go shopping for me.

I Should Be

I should be doing laundry and vacuuming.

Or catching up on the ironing and bills since I'm on our winter break from school.

This house is still a disaster with toys, and paper, and general Christmas stuff everywhere. I should be cleaning it up.

And I should be making the weekly menu, one which I haven't made in, well, weeks.

But instead I left the Little Man to have some manly time with his granddaddy, and I took my two Little Mommies for a walk with their babies.

And I am absolutely sure that this is what I should be doing today.

Sweet Sixteen

Sixteen years ago today, my eyes were opened to my sinful soul's lost condition, and my need of a Savior. Clinging to a childhood prayer and a "good girl" lifestyle wasn't good enough. I needed my sins washed in Jesus' blood. That night in the cook's dorm at winter camp, I was born again, the Bible way. Praise the Lord for sixteen years of new life in Christ!

My testimony is here.

Christmas Round-up

This week has turned out so nicely, and I hope the same is true for each of you!

Tuesday, December 23rd-

We started our Christmas celebrations at my parents' house on Tuesday. We normally celebrate at their house on Christmas Eve so we can all relax and be home on Christmas morning. But since we had a church service this year on Christmas Eve, we did our Christmas with them on Christmas Eve's Eve. :)

My mom made WAY too much food and it was so yummy!! We ate all night long!



Some food highlights were the never-ending shrimp cocktail bowl (vat!), these awesome crab cakes with homemade tartar sauce, and the most amazing guacamole and bean Mexican dip! Oh my, I'm just drooling recalling all of the wonder! Thankfully, there truly was too much food so we brought some home with us. :)




These are my mom's awesome Christmas wallwords. Her brilliant plan was to put them up on a wall, where a large picture hangs all year, and then in December, all she has to do is remove the picture and the Christmas wallwords are on display. How cool!

We did our little traditional Christmas pageant again this year. It's always interesting to see how the cast changes from year to year. This time, my children were an angel, a shepherd, and a lamb.

Joey herded his lamb quite well, he's a natural at police-type work. :)

We exchanged presents at my parents' that night. It was kindof nice that it was a day earlier, because it spread out the present occasions. The highlight gift of the night was the whoopie cushion that my nephew bought at the dollar store for my son. We were serenaded with it's "music" all evening. And by the next day, on the 872nd usage of the wonderful gift, it sprung a hole. Yes, my friends, we WORE OUT a whoopie cushion, or "tooting balloon" as they call it. But never fear, I'm here to inform you that duct tape fixes all problems, and the tooting balloon was resurrected using duct tape. I'm still wondering when the sound of faux flatulence is going to get old, because around here, it's just as hysterical as the very first time. :)

Wednesday, Christmas Eve-

This was the first day of our Christmas break from school. Joey was very hung up on making a birthday cake for Baby Jesus, so we made a chocolate cake to take to Scott's sister's house on Christmas night.

Chocolate cake, with chocolate icing, and chocolate curls. Yum. The curls were actually very easy to make, by the way.

We had a nice Christmas Eve service at church that evening. Afterwards, Scott took us on our traditional "Lights Tour"...it was a bit soggy this year, but the cookies were still good. :) After a harried few week with school and Scott's big project/work schedule, I felt weary and not very Christmasy (whatever that is supposed to feel like) for much of this day. But things turned out just right by the next morning.

Thursday, Christmas Day-

...we got to sleep in, AGAIN! Our children are so weird. For some reason, they are hardwired to sleep in on Christmas morning, they do it every year. After devotions, and the kids reciting Luke 2 to us, as opposed to Scott reading it to them, we enjoyed our Cinnamon Rolls and opened presents. Lots of fun!

Then there was plenty of time to play with new presents, and get ready for the day.

Here is Gracie rubbing her new lipbalm into her nightie. Lovely.

The one perk of Scott going into work on Christmas Eve this year (he was supposed to be off) was that he got to bring home all of the leftover food from their company Christmas luncheon. So I had lots of food to munch on and didn't have to cook. My parents came down for lunch, and spent the afternoon with us...

...reading books to the kids, doing new puzzles...

...playing...

...taking a nap on Joey's bed. :)

Here is a tired, little girlie, dressed in her princess outfit (all day) and mesmerized by the fire.

Then around dinnertime, we headed over to Scott's sister's house for dinner and a much-too-late evening of fun, and our fair share of elfing ourselves...I think this is the third year that we have spent time on Christmas day amusing the children with elfing. :)

The best non-spiritual aspect of Christmas this year, for me, has been experiencing our first Christmas in our new home. It was so nice to open presents by the fire and have a little more space to spread out and leave the junk lay around. :) This house has been a tremendous blessing to our family, and I really, really love it. The longer we live here, the more I am forgetting our old house. But having Christmas here, reminded me of Christmas past, and I realize again how wonderful this place is. I don't ever want to take it for granted or expect it. I hope I always appreciate even the material gifts from the Lord. The Lord of Glory had not where to lay His head when He lived here on earth. Our comfortable abode is a special blessing to our family. One that we don't deserve.

Yesterday, my sister and I hit the stores for some after-Christmas sales. Decorating and fixing up the house has kindof been on hold for the month of December, but I am eager to get back into it once all of the festivities die down. But for now, we are taking some time to relax and reflect on Christ and what He has done this year and what His plans are for us next year. I'm currently sitting by the fire, enjoying the Christmas lights and listening to my father-in-law read to the children.

If you have made it this far into this post, bless you! And I hope He continues to bless you, this year and next!

The bags are packed...

...and we're about to head out for our first Christmas family celebration! As of this afternoon, the school books are put away until next year (love saying that!) Merry Christmas to each of you! Can't wait to hear about your Christmas!

Love,
Abbi

Is there anything sweeter to a Mommy's heart?

Tonight I stayed home instead of making my normal Monday night grocery run. Gracie just walked up to me, threw her arms around me and said, "I'm glad ya home, Mommy."

I'm glad I'm home, too. In so many ways.

Christmas Candy

Last week the kids and I made these fun snowmen (the foamies bucket sale at Michael's strikes again)...


And then it was time to make the fudge to give as gifts again this year...

It was a real ordeal, and yes, the tape measure and calculator were essential tools in the process. :)

Eventually things came together, but I am lacking a picture of the actual fudge, due to the fact that I had quite a time on Saturday actually getting it out of the pan, and into the boxes without destroying the whole thing! At one point I decided to flash freeze it (remembering it working from last year) but my biggest pan wouldn't fit in the freezer without totally rearranging everything, so I tried putting it out on the back deck since it was so cold out there. But then the pan froze into the ice on the deck!

I'm sorry to say there were some tears shed over the making of the fudge this year. :) Daddy working a lot of hours right now with a huge deadline coming up and a cold going around, as well as an ice storm made for a traumatic few moments. But eventually, by God's grace, I got it flash frozen (in the freezer!) and it worked.

The kids had fun helping me decorate the boxes. And then I made some orange fudge for Scott to take into work.



And now I am D.O.N.E. with the fudge. I said last year that I wasn't cut from the candymaking cloth. I hope I don't forget those words before next Christmas. :)

Best 97 cents spent at Wal*mart...

...at least that is what I was thinking after sealing dozens of Christmas cards. :)

That Candy Man

In the small town that we recently moved from, the firemen came around the weekend before Christmas in the trucks pulling a float with Santa and Mrs. Claus. They went up and down each street and firefighters walked along on the sidewalks handing out candy and oranges to all of the kids who poked their heads out or stood on the porches. We don't "believe in Santa" (don't worry, our children still love Christmas!) at our house, but it was a nice time for us, since we knew some of the firefighters and we got to stand outside and talk to the neighbors who we hadn't spoken with in weeks since the weather was cold.

The whole "Santa/firemen coming through the neighborhood" concept was lost on me since I grew up in the country. When we heard loud sirens yesterday afternoon, I didn't put it together that this was "Santa" coming through our new development.

Imagine my surprise when he hopped out of the firetruck with a bag from my favorite local chocolatier with a box of their chocolates for each of the kids!





Gracie (who doesn't remember Santa from our old town) said, "I like that Santa candy man!" Mmm, I think in this case, so do I. :)

Sliding and Sledding

Our region was blanketed with ice yesterday, so Scott took the kids outside to have a little bit of fun before he went up to work from home today.

They had fun sliding out back...





...and on the driveway...





And then they left to go sledding for the first time in our new neighborhood.




This is the view from our front door. See them in the distance?


A little closer...

There they are...

...sledding down some kind of topsoil stockpile/berm or something.

Wish I could blog this smell...

It was Cinnamon Roll Day, over here at our house. Oh my, someone save me from the Cinnamon Rolls! The house has smelled like pure heaven all afternoon. If only there was a way to blog the smell, similar to the way we post photos and videos. :)


This was halfway through the process...

The secret is in the maple glaze. There is brewed coffee in it. I had to refrain from eating it straight-up.

The finished product...

...with a lot to share! I froze some for Christmas morning and then gave away almost all of the rest...because my, oh my, I do NOT need to be eating cinnamon rolls for weeks!

So my question is this: If I eat several little, runty ones from around the edge instead of eating one or two big ones, will I consume fewer calories? Because that has been my logic so far. :)

Another fun day!

Today we headed to the Crayola Factory with some friends! We had a few free tickets to burn, as well as some energy. The Crayola Factory was less crowded than it normally is, and we had a great time! There was extra space and time to do more crafts this time, and play with the boats in the canal museum. My kids love that place, even though it gives mommies a headache. :)

Then tonight, my sister and her kids came over, in the snow, and it was just like old times, again! When we used to live down the street from one another, on Tuesdays when our husbands were at visitation, we always got together at each other's houses and hung out, eating baked goods, letting the kids run around like wild animals and then we would bathe all of the kids. It was always nice to have someone down the street when we were snowed in and couldn't drive anywhere or when a husband or two was working late.

So tonight was a little reminiscent of that era. Both daddies were working late and it was snowing. The only thing that was missing was a baby to snuggle with. My sister is remedying that in a few months. :) It seems like FOREVER ago that we lived a few doors down the street, but in reality it has only been one year.

This week is just one jolly day after another. :)

Gingerbread Day

The other day when we were reading a book (or something) I realized that I couldn't recall a time that we ever made gingerbreadmen. So yesterday, the kids and I set out to change that.

I love floury noses and faces.

But then I got too lazy to whip up some icing to ice them with, so the kids decorated them with mini-chocolate chips. They thought they were great, anyway.

Another new Christmas memory made. :)

Christmas Perspective

I love Christmastime. Very much. Family, food, togetherness, presents...they are all favorites of mine. Even though I know that the real meaning of Christmas can easily be lost in the excitement and activity of December, it is still so easy to lose the right perspective of Christmas, isn't it?


About this time last year, I found myself sitting in the patient waiting room on the fourth floor pediatric unit of the hospital. I retreated there with my Bible that particular morning to try to get a few minutes of quietness in His Word. This particular waiting room faces the front of the hospital and looks out through the back of the giant letters that make up the hospital's name which is displayed to the throng of cars passing by on the highway. I had never seen the hospital's sign from that perspective before. I was always in one of the cars speeding past, looking at the sign the way it should have been viewed. And there I sat, looking at it for the first time from the "wrong" side. In so many senses of the word.


It was nearly impossible to concentrate on the page in front of me that morning. Not only the flutter of people in and out of the dinging elevator nearby, distracted me, but also my daughter, still snoozing in a room down the hall, recovering from a scald burn weighed heavily on my mind.


As I stared out the window that morning with my eyes transfixed on the clear blue sky, in the distance beyond some rooftops and trees, the curvature of a rollercoaster from the city's amusement park caught my attention. And then just beyond that, I made out a tiny, flashing whisp, barely visible. After studying it for a minute or two, I determined that it was the blades of a windmill whipping around in the cold, December wind. The windmill outside of the science center where I sat less than one week earlier while that same, little girl was upstairs in a science class.


And I thought to myself, "My, how things have changed. In an instant, my perspective is totally different."

My plans for Christmas, last year, were instantly changed by the simple ring of my cellphone and the dreaded news on the other end, that no parent wants to hear. There's been a kitchen accident. Your baby is in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. Meet her there quickly.

Not surprisingly, all of the little plans I had made for last December went flying out of the window, not to be thought of again for a long time. And it didn't matter after that moment. The health of my child supersedes all of the best-laid holiday plans.


The sight of the back of the hospital sign/rollercoaster/windmill was something I never imagined when preparing for a fun-filled holiday season. Up until that time, I didn't know it was even possible to see all of the way to the amusement park and science center from the hospital. But then again, I had never been in that spot before, or sat still long enough, pointed in the right direction.

This December is very different than twelve months ago. Praise the Lord, Lily is totally healed and life has gone back to normal. Or has it?

I am finding myself holding onto our ideas for Christmas much more delicately, this year. Almost with fragility, knowing that in an instant they can all be changed. I don't know if the Lord is going to majorly adjust our month again this year. Or if He simply wants to tweak my plans from time-to-time. But either way, I want to be willing to quickly give them up to Him and allow Him to redirect me to what He wants us to do this month. I want to sit still long enough, pointed in the right direction to see the world from His perspective. I want to have open eyes to consider the needs in others' lives. To offer a word of encouragement. To take some time to keep some things and ponder them in my heart, like Mary.

Oh, Lord, help me not to forget that there is a hurting world out there who needs You! In the midst of the celebration of this season, help me to keep my eyes pointed where You are working.

Open Letter to the mouse spotted twice in my garage

Dear Mr. Mouse and family,

Your presence in this abode is unwelcome. I'm not sure what you are expecting to find in our garage. But, I can assure you that we store no food in there. The engine block of our car is not a suitable place for you to set up residence. Neither is the space underneath the workbench. Please vacate the property immediately. I may have been a negligent housewife once or twice (or 13 times) by leaving the garage door hanging open all afternoon, but I assure you, that will not be happening again. The Man of the House is onto your wiles.

Since you must be so hungry, I would like to direct your attention to the globs of peanutbutter placed atop those contraptions in the corners, by the Man of the House. Feast away on that as you make your timely exit of our dwelling.

And remember, You can scamper, but you can't hide.

Sincerely,

The Lady of the House

Forgot the daytime tree picture...

...there it is! Sorry. :)

The Tree

Here are some photos of our tree and the decorating of it. For those who asked...thanks!



The idea of decorating for Christmas is so nostalgic and dreamy. However, the whismy breaks down in the practical application, when children are involved. In my opinion, anyway. :)





Decorating for Christmas with kids is more like..."fun...in an ornament-shattering, nerve-frazzling way"...for the mommy, at least. The kids don't know the difference, they love it, until they accidentally break one of their cherished ornaments. This year we only suffered the loss of 2 ornaments. But I'm afraid some more might meet their glittery demise on the granite hearth now located just inches from the bottom branches.

There's the crooked fake smile peeking out again.

My sister found these giant peppermint sticks when we were at Walgreen's one time, and I can't wait to see the kids pull them out of their stockings...just like Laura, Mary and the cousins in the Big Woods. :)

I LOVE ornaments! They are my favorite Christmas decorations. I've collected quite a few over the years, but I still buy a few more every year on After-Christmas sales. Plus, throughout the year, when we go somewhere fun, or do something special, I try to find an ornament as a souvenir to add to our tree to remember our adventures. But my favorite ornaments are the ones that have my kids sweet faces in them! The Baby's 1st Christmas photo ornaments and the little crafty ornaments that they make in Jr. church with their pictures...I hang those up at my eye-level so I can enjoy them all December!

The tree is still missing the star on the top. It's a glass Moravian Star that Scott got one year from his employer as part of his Christmas gift (since the company was originally founded in The Christmas City). It's so delicate and not illuminated that I need to find somewhere else to display it, and find the right thing for the top of the tree, but I just haven't yet.

Do you wrap presents in the stockings? My mom never did (we dumped the stockings out, first thing on Christmas morning!), but I have gotten myself into the habit of wrapping the stocking stuffers, and I can't seem to break it.

Oh look! There's the star. Silly star, you belong on the top of the tree, why hasn't anyone put you up there yet?

{Edited to add: Daytime tree picture here.}

I love this month!

Today, I went out and did a little Christmas shopping. Most of our gifts are bought and wrapped under the tree, but call me crazy, I actually like having a little bit of shopping to do in December...it makes me feel Christmasy to hit the stores and buy things for other people! I feel especially Christmasy as long as my list isn't long or intense. :) This was the basic run-down:

• Arby's - I hit the drive-thru here, first, to get my free Mint Chocolate Swirl Shake...I needed my energy for shopping! If you haven't yet, get yours for free, too.
• the bank - drove through to make a deposit
• Giant gas - filled my tank (again!) for $19 for 23 gallons...totally awesome! I waited until my tank was low again, and used up the last 90 cents/per gallon of savings
• ToysRUs - it was a madhouse there...thankfully I had only 2 things on my list and was paying with gift cards
• JCPenney - to use the awesome $10/10 coupon...love that one!
• Michael's - I think I might attempt a garland since the Nester has talked so much about them...we'll see. I had some return credit to use, or else I wouldn't have stopped
• Bed, Bath & Beyond - 2 things to buy here
• TJMaxx - can you believe I walked out without buying a thing?
• Sam's - I arrived right around dinnertime...just in time for free samples :) and there were lots of them
• Then I came back home, put the cold stuff away, hid the Christmas presents, checked the messages and headed to my parent's for dinner

Scott has been working a lot of OT lately because of a major deadline he has to meet at the end of this month. It seems ridiculous to say that he is not only busy at work, but exceptionally busy during, not only the Christmas season, but also in the middle of this terrible economy. With all that is going on in the job market, it's a blessing we won't complain about this December. :)

It worked out well, because we squeezed school in this morning, and then the kids went to my parent's in the afternoon and I joined them there for dinner, so Scott wouldn't feel badly about staying late at work. It's great because it keeps us busy too! And no one ever complains about Mimi's cooking and spending time at their house. :)

Christmas Homeschool Bowling Party

We recently joined our first homeschool group. Today was their annual Christmas bowling party, so I decided to take the kids since they have never been bowling yet.

It was so. much. fun! They loved it!

I totally cracked up when on the second frame, Gracie got a spare! With the lane rails down and using the little ramp/chute thingie! Too funny! The youngest one in our game getting a spare. By no talent of her own, mind you.

The ball weighs about a 1/3 of what she weighs, but that did not stop my determined, little princess from hoisting that thing up and onto the ramp to bowl! And then she would jump up and down cheering for herself and whirl around looking for another ball to take "another turn" with, before the first one even made it down to the pins!

Lily got brave and gave up the ramp halfway through. Their scores were: Lily- 76, Joey-70, and Gracie-76, I think.

The orange ball was the lightest, but of course Gracie would not use that one. There were pink and purple balls in our lane, and she would only use the "gool" (girl) bowling balls. That's my girl! Sports must be fashionable, or else, why bother playing??

It was nice for me to meet some other homeschooling moms. Some of them I recognized from science classes or other things, so it was great to put some names with faces and connect with a few families from our area.

And we are definitely going to ask Daddy to take us bowling sometime soon! The kids had a blast!

We're on Orange Alert in the Homefront Excitement Department

Ever since the Christmas tree went up, it has been non-stop energy in this household! The kids run around the "circle" downstairs singing Christmas carols at the top of their lungs. I was hoping that this was a passing phase of the first day of Christmas decorations. But sadly, it is not. :)

There is so much going on right now, somedays I forget what is happening when! All I'm sure of, is that my house isn't getting any cleaner this month. :) I have the majority of the Christmas shopping and wrapping done. And the plan is to get the rest accomplished later this week, we'll see if my mom is feeling well enough to watch the children to make that possible. My poor mom. She has been sooo helpful to my sister and I, during our illnesses. And now she is sick. :(

The stack of Christmas cards is sitting here, awaiting my husband's Christmas letter. As I said earlier, we got the decorating done last week. Most of our Christmas decorations "fit" the old house and I have to re-work them for this house (garlands/wreaths etc). And I don't think I'm going to be doing that this year. The tree, stockings (hung on our mantle!), nativity, and a wreath on a mirror is what we're going with this year, and judging by the energy level of the kids, I think that is plenty! Oh yes, and their pink and green tinsel trees in their bedrooms. Let's not forget what happened when we put those up for the first time, last year. :) (Thank you to all of the SS and King's Kids teachers who keep doing little bead candycane ornament crafts with my children! They are filling up their little trees quite nicely!)

We have so much going on that I literally found myself speaking out loud (to myself!) the words, "I refuse to get caught up in the rat race of this month. That is not what Christmas is all about." And it was liberating after I actually verbalized it. Why does the world end their year in a month of craziness? Is that really what Christmas is all about?

True, I like activity, and get-togethers, and family and presents, and food (let's not forget about that)! But those things should not be so cumbersome that they distract us from Christ and His birth.

The kids and I are memorizing Luke 2 this month, and it has been refreshing to have a daily reminder, straight from the Bible each morning about what we are really celebrating during this season! I have read this story to the children so many times, but I still get goosebumps each time, as we recite together, the words that speak so clearly and thoroughly of God's everlasting love for us! He gave His son...to us!

Amazing. May it never grow old. Or dim. Especially in the busyness.

For all you misinformed people...

...who are under some kind of delusion that my house is never messy or has any clutter...I present to you my greater desk area...









And I will have you know that it has been this way for days. I simply step over it to sit at the computer. {Note the unopened Sunday paper in the foreground.} Tsk, tsk. See, I have clutter too.


But I am determined to clean it up today. This week has been crazy with sickness and all kinds of other commitments...today is the day! And you are my accountability. :)

Family Christmas Daytrip

Yesterday, we took the kids to Sight & Sound for the first time! They have been wanting to go along with us the last few times we went to a show. To save money, I booked these tickets over a year ago in combination with another show that Scott and I saw. I was hoping that by the time this day rolled around that Gracie would be old enough to sit still for the whole show. And since we have seen The Miracle of Christmas before, we figured that if we had to take one of the kids out for some reason, we wouldn't miss too much.

Gracie took a little snooze in the car on the way out...



The kids were enamored with everything about the experience... the lion and lamb statue outside...

...the enormous Christmas tree in the theater lobby...

...everything! They were starstruck before the show even started. :)

As it turns out, Gracie's little bod wasn't heavy enough to keep her seat down!

We tried stacking all of the coats on her chair, and still she said, "I'm 'till quwooshed!" (I'm still squished)

Thankfully we had our favorite seats again (front row of the balcony, above the center aisle) so Gracie just stood up at the wall for about 90% of the show! The rest of the time was spent on our laps. It worked out great and she was glued to it the whole time!

All of the kids did really well for the show. Joey LOVED all of the animals. And Lily, of course, was scared for a large portion of the show...she had her fingers in her ears whenever anything got frightening. :) But she really liked it and didn't want it to end!

As it turns out, it was the perfect showing of this particular show to take them to, because it was casual and full of bloopers and mishaps! All of the sudden, during one of the scenes, the stage lights went completely out, the curtain came down and the theater lights came on! After a little bit, we saw a Microsoft screen flash up on the curtain from the projector...apparently, they were having "technical concerns" which delayed the show about 10 minutes. We've never had anything like that happen there before. The people sitting behind us were joking that Microsoft Vista must be giving them problems. :)

Then not two minutes after the show resumed, Mary is riding her donkey up the center aisle, the stage and theater are dark and the spot light is her back as she sings her way up onto the stage. The donkey stops, lifts his tail and a-hem, takes care of business! Right on the carpeted aisle! Of course, the spotlight is on her and everyone sees it! The whole balcony was giggling (so were we- the mature parents!) Poor Mary, she was kicking the donkey with her stir-ups, trying to get him to move, but he refused. Finally, still singing, Mary hopped off and drug him up onto the stage. It was quite comical! The kids thought it was hysterical, of course.

We are so glad that we took the children! This month we are memorizing Luke 2, and I've also been trying to spend extra time discussing with them the details of the birth of Christ, to prepare them for what they were going to see. I was moved to tears, again, as we marvelled over the wondrous miracle that it was for Christ to come to earth and be laid in the womb of a virgin. My frail mind cannot comprehend how humbling it was to become a lowly child, so helpless and dependent upon sinners that He would eventually shed His precious blood to save. He was the Eternal God wrapped in human flesh!

It was a beautiful day that we spent together as a family, as we reflected on the real Reason for this crazy season...the true Miracle of Christmas!

Learning the art of mothering - how feminine!

I mentioned earlier this week, how the ladies of this household have a love for the baby doll that is true and deep. This sweet, vintage print and the accompanying poem are so precious, that I bought an old copy on eBay awhile ago.





It's called "Dollies' Prayer" and here is the poem that is printed next to it...

Dollies' Prayer

O Lord, I pray Thee, hear my dollies prayer,

And teach them how to ask for what is right;

But if it's going to give you extra care,

Then You might skip My blessings for to-night.

Please make them all more loving and polite;

I pray thee not to let their covers tear,

But keep their sawdust stuffings out of sight,

And please help Anne to grow a head of hair.

I wish poor Bella's knees were made to bend,

I truly am as sorry as can be.

I hope that You won't mind, and that You'll send

The blessings that each dolly asks of Thee.

And, Lord I pray that you will just pretend

This is my dollies talking, 'stead of me.

Now I just need to find the right frame and mat and hang it up in the girls' room! For more Feminine Friday, go here. Happy Friday!

An award!

Aww, Lacey nominated me for an award! Thanks!

Miss Poppet et al

Today I was brave (or crazy) enough to tackle these Poppet doll projects with the girls. We got them over a month ago, as a gift, so the guilt of procrastinating was beginning to set in. (Not that a corn husk doll kit hasn't been sitting in our homeschool armoire since May, or anything!)




I made Gracie's poppet and Lily did a good job of doing almost all of the sewing on hers, all by herself.

After many hours, here are my girlies with the final products, their beloved Miss Poppets!

As I was reading in the leaflet, the history behind Early American Poppet dolls, I came across this quote which is beyond "fitting" in this household...

Victor Hugo wrote this appraisal in Les Miserables: "A doll is one of the most imperious wants, and at the same time one of the most delicious instincts, of feminine childhood. To clean, clothe, adorn, dress, undress, dress again, teach, scold a little, nurse, lull, send to sleep, and imagine that something is somebody -- the whole future of a woman is contained in this. While dreaming and prattling, making little trousseaux and cradles, while sewing little frocks and aprons, the child becomes a girl, the girl becomes a maiden, and the maiden a woman. The first child is a continuation of the last doll.

So true, oh so very true!

I especially liked the last line, "The first child is a continuation of the last doll." I was an "in the closet" doll-player until well past the age it was fashionable. I began babysitting children before I gave up baby dolls, and it is so true that the first "real" baby becomes the last doll!

In my case, I've gone back to baby doll playing, disguised as "playing babies with my daughters." In fact, I readily admit that I've already played with the girls' Christmas presents (doll stuff) after they've gone to bed at night. :)

Yes, the baby doll is a wonderful invention! May my little girlies play with them for many, many more years. And if the Lord wills, may He bless them both with many "real" dolls of their own, someday!

The Perks of Homeschooling: #826

Mini Oreos as manipulatives in math class :)

The Bed of Languishing

That's where I was on Saturday and Sunday. Well, maybe it wasn't quite as bad as the Psalmist's description, but I felt horrible when I woke up Saturday morning and basically didn't leave my room for two days straight. Not sure if it was a cold, flu, a relapse of the cold I had earlier in the week, but it was BAD. My Man took over everything and even did today's laundry for me on Saturday...what a guy!

I felt a lot better this morning...still nowhere near 100%, but the Man went back to work today, so I had to be back on duty. Unfortunately, he came home languishing also, tonight. Poor guy. :(

By this evening, I felt peppy enough to do a little bit of work around the house, especially once I learned that I was the stronger one. :) My father-in-law bought some Wonderbread at the store the other day (not our thing) so tonight after dinner, the girls helped me make some stuffing out of it to stick in the freezer. It seemed funny to be making stuffing a few days AFTER Thanksgiving!

As it turns out, Gracie is an expert at bread-tearing. :) And she especially enjoyed cracking eggs and stirring in the bowl with her own, little wooden spoon. Of course, I had to stop her a few times from trying to get out all manner of cooking utensils to "try out" in the bowl...the rolling pin, pastry brush, etc. :) Both girls helped me from beginning to end, they were so cute, standing there stirring and mashing in their little pink aprons. I am so thankful for my girls!

Lily kept reminding me over and over again that she is almost old enough to make an entire meal for the family, all by herself! And she is even getting brave around the oven. Her burn took away a lot of her courage around the stove.

Tonight, I took advantage of a few Cyber Monday sales/deals on a few things left on my "buy online" list for Christmas. The free shipping/sale/double Ebates rebates added up to some wondrous deals! By the way, if anyone out there does not have an account with Ebates and is planning on doing any shopping online this month, please leave me a comment and I will email you a referral link. You will get a bonus of $10 cash back just for signing up with Ebates through my link and making your purchase. Ebates basically sends you a "Big Fat Check" when you go through their site to make purchases at participating merchants. There are several that I routinely buy from through Ebates, so I get a Big Fat Check a few times a year. Plus, for Cyber Monday (and also part of December) they have doubled their rebates at merchants. It's a great deal! Email me or leave a comment if you want more info. I totally *heart* Ebates!

Happy December, everyone!