I saw this on a framed piece of art and it really struck a chord within me, so I thought I'd pass it along.
Tis Christmas in heaven, what a beautiful sight! I want you to know everything is all right. The crib is adorned with the brilliance of a star; Wisemen have come from near and far. I've met all our dear ones who preceded us here; The reunion was lovely, an event full of cheer. And tonight we'll all gather in reverence we'll kneel, For the babe in the crib, up in heaven is real! I think of my family that I left behind, And I pray that your Christmas is as blessed as mine. Please shed no more tears for my soul is at rest, Just love one another and live life to its best. Yes, it's Christmas is heaven, so I've heard them say, Yet, Christmas in heaven happens everyday!
As I sat wrapping presents and listening to Christmas carols this afternoon, my thoughts turned to my father and I got very sad. I miss him so much and it's hard thinking that this is my first Christmas without him. (Some days, I still can't even believe he is gone.) But something inside of me didn't let me stay sad long; I brushed away the tears and pushed on, trying to remind myself that my dad is not sad...he is not in pain. He is happy as happy can possibly be....he's with his parents and his best friend....but most of all, he's with God. And really, is there a better place to be? (Of course the selfish side of me says the best place is here with me and my sister, but I am really trying to see the big picture.)
Last night, my husband and I went through all our cabinets and closets, trying to get rid of stuff that we just don't need/use anymore. We have a storage unit that we are wanting to get rid of to save ourselves some extra money each month, so we need to be very smart about the space we have within our home. It was so nice to get more organized and rid ourselves of some of the clutter. Now granted, my home didn't look like this...
...but it was still not as organized as I would ideally like. (Whose house is, really? Maybe Martha Stewart's but she doesn't count because she is just not normal. lol I do have to admit to being fascinated by that show Hoarders, which is where I got the idea to Google this picture; they had a lady on there who had dead cats under all her crap and she didn't even know it! Now THAT is pretty bad!)
Even though my house is just normal-cluttered, it's still amazes me how much stuff I've been holding on to...art projects from the last 4 years, clothes that no longer fit, toys that the kids have outgrown, etc. My husband took out several bags of trash last night while I made piles of clothes and toys to give away. My home looks so much nicer now! Plus, I was able to make enough space that I think we can accommodate the stuff that was in our storage unit. Yay!
I think I am gonna take a break from cleaning tonight and start wrapping Christmas presents. I love the process of wrapping gifts. Just anticipating the look on the recipient's face when they see what you've chosen for them is really wonderful. Last night, Isabel helped me wrap our gift to her teacher. It was so cool to see how happy she was, just wrapping someone else's gift. I know kids often get so caught up in the "what am i gonna get" aspect of gifts this time of year, so it was good to see she was equally excited about giving.
We've really tried to stress the importance of focusing on the reason we celebrate Christmas, not all the little traditions that tend to dominate the day. (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE all the little traditions, including giving gifts, but I just want to ensure that my kids get the big picture!) I got the best sign that Isabel is getting the big picture when I heard her singing a made-up song this week. I can't remember exactly how the lyrics went, but she said something about how "Its all about Jesus, its his birthday, its not about you or me or presents." I guess you had to be there, but it was really sweet. :-)
After today, I have Isabel home with me for 3 weeks of winter break. Yes, you read that correctly...THREE WEEKS! I am getting a wee bit nervous, thinking about how I am going to pass all that time. Now, if I just had Isabel by herself, I'd have no trouble at all. Heck, if I even had Andrew all by himself, it would be a breeze. It's having the two of them together, all day long, that is challenging. Some days, they are so good...but other days, I am amazed that they are both still alive at the end of a brutal day of fighting.
So if any of you out there in bloggyland can pass on any fun ideas for things to do over the next 3 weeks, I'd love you a whole lot! ;-)
Sorry I haven't written in a week; my computer has been acting up on me lately and then it totally wouldn't work at all Monday night. Ugh! Thankfully, my husband was able to work his magic and get it online for me today because I was going through major withdrawal! lol
So are you all so excited that Christmas is only 9 days away?! Do you have all your presents wrapped and ready under your tree? I have all my presents here at my house; I just have to get around to wrapping them! ;-)
Recently, I was asked if I would be interested in participating in a blogger Secret Santa project, which I immediately agreed to because I LOVE stuff like that! I remember having a Secret Sister project in college; we were each given a fellow freshman to do random nice things for...mostly it was giving them little gifts or encouraging notes, but I still remember how touched I was by each thing my Secret Sister did for me.
I was given a gift card to TJ Maxx so I could find something wonderful for my Secret Santa...and boy did I ever! I couldn't believe the nice displays they had up in the housewares section. As I stood looking at the displays, it dawned on me how this would be more challenging than I had originally thought.
Example: I went to get a pretty candle but then hesitated: what if my Secret Santa has issues with candles? Or what if she hates the scent I choose?
Ok, so no candles.
Next a beautiful package of Christmas potpourri caught my eye, but again...same dilemma...what if she doesn't like the scent?
Hmm, ok no scented stuff.
I found a really lovely pair of embroidered journals that were wrapped together with some fancy lavender ribbon...and I just knew that would be a good item. What mom couldn't use this? Even if she doesn't "journal", she could use the journals to keep grocery lists, recipes, addresses, phone numbers, important dates, directions, ideas for future blog posts, wish lists, etc.
So yay, score one!!
I kept looking around and then I saw some photo albums that were also tied together with some pretty dark red ribbon. Score again! All moms can use photo albums since most of the ones I know take a million pictures of their kiddos and end up putting them in shoe boxes or something until they get around to scrapbooking them. (Or maybe that's just me? lol)
Woo hoo!! Go me, two down!
I still had some more money left on my gift card to spend, so I tried to find one more small item. I found a nice selection of note cards, which I thought would be a good gift. I always like to write little thank you notes or even just "Thinking of you" notes to friends, so I thought perhaps my Secret Santa would too. I found a box that had a really beautiful assortment of Monet paintings, so I grabbed those to make my Secret Santa present complete.
I soooo hope she likes what I chose! I had debated getting her something more functional for her home, but you never know what appliances someone already has. And since I didn't know what size she was, clothes/shoes were out of the question. I briefly considered doing a purse, since most women LOVE a new purse (and I got a fabulous deal on a purse there not long ago)...but again, its hard to pick out something like that without really knowing someone. Purses are just so personal! lol
So everyone cross your fingers that my dear Secret Santa will enjoy her surprise holiday gifts from yours truly! :-) I will let you know once we are able to reveal our identities to our respective Secret Santas and share any compliments/praise I receive. ;-)
Are any of you participating in any kind of Secret Santa projects through school, work, church, friendship circle, family, etc? Or have you in the past? What kinds of gifts do you usually get when you don't know the person that well?
Oh one more cool thing: did you hear about the "Carol-Oke" contest that YouTube is having? Go to www.youtube.com/jointhecarolers and you can choose from one of three carols, create your own "Carol-Oke" video and upload it for a chance to win a $5,000 shopping spree. (And if you do decide to be a brave soul and post once, come back here and let me know so I can watch it and applaud you for being so super awesome!)
In the meantime, enjoy this video clip that always makes me giggle:
An amusing new way to sing an old favorite, eh?! lol
I don't know what it is, but this song has just touched me on such a cellular level lately. This being my first holiday season without my father, I've been on such roller coaster with my emotions. Sometimes I am so thankful that I am still here and that I have my husband and kids, but other times I am so sad for what I've lost.
I sing this song in my head all the time lately. It doesn't bring my father back, but it does provide some much needed comfort to my still-grieving soul. Plus, this being the season of my Savior's birth, its always a wonderful reminder of how He is there with me through my difficult moments...and how grateful I am that God sent His Son to be there for all of us. I may have lost my dad, but I am so blessed to always have my Father.
Isabel and I love to have Mommy/Daughter days on the weekends. Just a day for the two of us to be together without her brother distracting us from important tasks like tea parties and playing with Barbies!
I find myself looking forward to these days all week long. When I am sitting in traffic and feeling annoyed, I hear my inner voice say, "Only [insert number here] more days until Mommy/Daughter day". Isabel has even noticed that I've said how much I can't wait for our special day when I am a little stressed out. Now when she hears me sigh or sees me rub my temple, she leans over and says "Don't you wish it was Mommy/Daughter day today?" If she only knew how much I wished that on certain days! (Lately, I've heard her say that she can't wait for our special day too, which I love!)
I find comfort in knowing that this one day will be such a relaxed fun day. Not that I don't enjoy my every day life; its just that at times, being around both my kids can be exhausting. They fight a lot and as any mother knows, that can drain your joy pretty quickly. Andrew is at an age where he is still a handful- a joy for sure, but a handful too. Isabel is much easier. She knows to be quiet in stores and doesn't do the "I'm being stubborn and won't move from the toy aisle because I LOVE LOVE this truck and can't possible leave without it" thing that Andrew pulls sometimes. Isabel just walks alongside me and asks if she can help. I love that. Plus, I get plenty of one on one time with Andrew every day while Isabel is at school, but I hardly get any alone time with her. Tony doesn't get home from work until close to bedtime and once he gets home, it's the kids' special time with him.
This is why Mommy/Daughter days are so wonderful. We set aside some time either on Saturday or Sunday that is just for us girls. And it doesn't matter what we do. Sometimes we do things that we know we can't do with Andrew, like painting ceramics. (Well, I probably could take him but I'd be too afraid with his hyper energy!) Today we went to the library. We sat in the comfy chairs and read our books, enjoying the quiet atmosphere and the wonderful stories in our laps. But we also enjoyed each other. I would look up from my book and smile at her. She would look up from hers and show me a picture. It was so nice. I don't take Andrew to the library because he still struggles with being quiet. I know he will get there in time, but for now...the library is just mine and Isabel's. Our girl haven away from the craziness of our lives.
And you know what, I really couldn't think of a much better place! Books have always been one of my favorite things in the world. So many wonderful stories to take your imagination anywhere you want! To lose yourself for even just a few moments in a story of whimsy....that is priceless. I love that Isabel feels the same way about books. Today I watched her wander up and down the aisles, looking over all the children's books. She pulled one down...looked over the cover and the first page or two...debated its merits...and put it back. She repeated this many times until she finally found THE BOOK. You know, the one that makes the whole library trip complete. Her eyes lit up and she said, "This is it Mom!" and asked if we could go sit and read. I was only too happy to oblige.
We sat by the windows and enjoyed the sun streaming down on us. I looked over at my beautiful girl. I watched her mouth move as she sounded out the different words. I saw her expressions change as she looked at the illustrations on each page and I felt so much joy in my heart. I am so glad my love of books has passed to my sweet girl. I honestly believe it is one of the best gifts a person could have.
And so we read for awhile until some unruly children disrupted our little sanctuary. At that point, we looked at one another and decided to head out. With our books tucked under our arms, we held hands and walked towards the exit.
Isabel looked at me as we walked to our car and said, "I like Mommy/Daughter day". I smiled and said, "Me too."
Do you remember my post last year about preparing for the cookie exchange with the gals at my church? Of course you do because it was hilarious!! And if you are a new reader of my blog, or simply just want to re-read that awesome post from last December, click here to read it .
Now this year, things will be different. There will be no procrastinating and waiting until the very last minute to pull 13 dozen cookies out of thin air. This year, I chose to do chocolate chip cookies. Simple and easy. One year in the future, I hope to sign up for a more complicated cookie, but until I have more baking practice under my belt, I only feel safe contributing an "easy recipe" treat to my church friends.
I went shopping last night and got all the necessary ingredients. I even bought some nice containers to put my cookies in so I don't have to deal with last year's plate fiasco. (I had frosted sugar cookies and decided to put them on Chinet plates with plastic wrap coverings. Yeah that was not a great idea because I had to stack them on top of each other to carry them to/from my car and I had to worry about smudging the frosting, etc.)
I am feeling very confident about this. I am off to a good start. Aren't you so proud of me for being a little on top of things this year? ;-)
This weekend, I will do another post with lots of pics from my baking efforts. Until then, I am off to make little cards to go with my cookie containers. Yes, you read that right...I am making little Christmas greeting cards to accompany my cookies so each recipient of my treats will get not only something yummy for their tummy, but also a little something to warm their hearts.
I just love this time of year! There are so many ways to express/indulge your love, gratitude, and joy. Cards, cookies, yummy dinners, festive decorations, thoughtfully wrapped gifts, get-togethers with loved ones, inspiring Christmas music, helping my kids bake a delicious birthday cake in honor of Jesus's birth, dressing up in our beautiful nice clothes.....and my favorite: checking out the neighborhood's lights/decorations outside!
I love that we live in a place that is relatively warm all year so we can walk around and look at all the cool displays without freezing. I remember as a kid, my cousins and I would pile into our grandparents' station wagon and they'd drive us around, looking at the lights. It was so much fun, even from inside the car. There is just something so magical about all those beautiful lights twinkling and glowing in the night. Maybe because it reminds us of the star that twinkled and shone in the sky on the night of Jesus' birth? Whatever the reason, it's special!
Andrew has gotten very possessive of his toys lately, which I think is normal for a 3 year old. Every time he leaves the room to wash his hands or go to the bathroom, he makes an announcement: Don't touch my [insert whatever toy he was playing with here].
Now, if he just said it once, it wouldn't bother me. It's the fact that he repeats it at least 2 or 3 times EVERY TIME HE LEAVES THE ROOM that makes me absolutely bananas.
Yesterday afternoon, he got up to go the bathroom and told Isabel "don't play with my balls while I am gone" (he was playing with the tiny white balls that go to our Hungry Hungry Hippo game). She didn't answer him, being totally engrossed in her Fancy Nancy book. Not about to take this lying down, Andrew yelled "Don't touch my balls!!"
By this point in the day, I was sick of hearing this over and over so I said, "Andrew just go pee ok, no one wants to play with your balls!"
I honestly thought my husband was gonna die from laughter. :-)
I went to bed at 8pm last night. I was resting comfortably even before my kids fell asleep. I am old! lol
So are you all jazzed about the New Moon premiere?! Of course you are. You know you wear your Team Edward t-shirt to bed while you gaze at the Edward posters all over your bedroom, sighing like a little 12 year old girl every time you see his beautiful face.
Maybe that's just me...
Kidding. I don't have a poster of Edward. Actually, I have a poster of the entire cast that came with my Twilight book but I have not hung it up. Its still inside my book. Honest! Wanna come over and check? ;)
(Notice there is no Team Jacob acknowledgment here. That is on purpose. I wasn't won over by him in the book, so unless the movie manages to change my mind, I shall remain adamantly Team Edward!)
My sister-in-law invited me to go the midnight showing with her tonight, but since I am so OLD and going to bed before my kids lately, I decided to pass. Instead, I told her that I would baby-sit her 12 week old son while she and her husband went. They just moved back to San Diego from Oklahoma and I am so happy! I've always really liked her and I told her that I was gonna steal her baby from her a lot to help me get over my baby fever. I just want to bath her baby and give him lots of hugs and cuddles...and then pass him back to mommy! lol I want all of the benefits of having a baby without any of the actual responsibility. You know, I essentially want to be a grandparent. And since those days are at least 20 years off (please, please God), I am glad I can still take advantage of the same built-in perks by being an auntie!
So, no New Moon for me tonight. I will just have to entertain myself with the Project Runway season finale and my new People magazine! Johhny Depp is on the cover, having won the magazine's annual Sexiest Man Alive title again, so I'll still have something "drool-worthy" to enjoy tonight! :-)
I didn't open the package with my husband's Halloween costume in it! Aren't you proud of me?! I waited until he came home and then pounced on him, begging him to open it because I was dying from curiosity. lol He was going to make me wait until Halloween night, but he took pity on me. He took the package to our bedroom, opened it up and put on the costume, then came out to show off his outfit.
My daughter, upon seeing him, said "Oh my goodness, he looks so great I just have to kiss someone!" and ran around the living room. She is such a character, I just love her!
So what was the mystery costume, you might be asking yourself? He was a nobleman. It kind of looked a little like a knight costume to me, but less extravagant. It was a nice costume and all, but I couldn't help but feel a bit letdown...like, I waited all afternoon on pins and needles for that? To be fair, I probably would have felt that way no matter what the costume was...unless it was something really outrageous. (But knowing my husband, he would never choose something outrageous.) Honestly, I am just thrilled that my husband gets into the spirit of Halloween and dresses up with us. It would be such a bummer if he was the only one who didn't.
So anyway, back to my favorite subject: ME! Ok, I'm kidding, its not my favorite subject but while we are here on my blog, the focus can be on me for a little bit. I have to say, I really liked my costume this year. I was a Coffin Bride. Ooh did you get chills up and down your spine? ;-) I was going to paint my face and do my hair more wild, but since it was a rather warm night, I decided not to because I didn't want to sweat through the makeup because then I would feel icky. (I hate wearing makeup. I almost never wear it. And when its hot, you have a better chance of getting me to drink warm goat's milk than wearing makeup.)
Isabel and Andrew dressed as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. I love matching them up. I know they won't want to wear coordinating outfits for much longer, so I am just trying to enjoy it while I can. Last year, they were Mulan and Mushu. The year before, they didn't match. (She was Dorothy and he was a cow.) But his very first Halloween, she was Jasmine and he was her pet tiger, Rajah. So cute!
I am so glad we didn't have any problems with jerks scaring my kids this year. Just lots of innocent "spooky fun" stuff...no "wet-your-pants" scary stuff. (And the one house we visited that did scare my kids, the man was so nice and talked to them, showing them that the stuff was fake. He was really nice. Thank you, Anonymous Nice Guy!)
A big thank you to my neighbor Shauna for taking some pics of us!
I just love how bored Andrew looks. lol Its like "Ok enough with the pictures, can we go now?!" ;-)
The neighborhood all around Isabel's school is so awesome for trick or treating. The families are all so friendly and really get into the spirit by decorating their yards and stuff.
It just makes the whole trick or treating experience a lot more fun. I spotted a few kids who were wearing regular clothes and carrying pillowcases, which kind of annoyed me. If you are doing that, you are basically just going door-to-door, begging for hand-outs. In my not-so-humble opinion. lol I mean come on, the whole point is to dress up! I don't know....maybe its just me but it really frosts my cookies when I see teens/tweens doing that. I just want to kick them in the pants and say, "Umm, if you don't wear a costume, you can't have any candy!!" I don't care if you trick or treat into your college years as long as you put effort into dressing up for me!! lol
I just love Halloween! Always have. I have such wonderful childhood memories of Halloween and I love doing fun stuff with my kids so they will have wonderful memories to cherish later on.
I got my Halloween costume earlier this month. (A big "thank you" to my sister here for giving me the heads up about a great costume sale online and passing along her coupon codes to me!!) After much debating between a pink Princess Aurora costume and a black Coffin Bride costume, I finally chose to honor the scary side of Halloween and go with the Coffin Bride. I am excited about it and can't wait to get all dressed up on Saturday!
Isabel has many different costumes to choose from, so we're not sure which one she will wear on Saturday. She wore her Pocahontas costume to her school's Fall Festival AND to a Monster Jam party held by one of her friends from Girl Scouts, so she probably won't wear that one again. She has a cute Tinkerbell costume, but we'll have to see how cold it is that night!
Andrew has a cute Tigger costume that I think he will wear, but I found an adorable Pirate costume at a thrift store while I was in MN this past weekend, so he might change his mind and decide to wear that one. My mom also sent home a Peter Pan costume for him, so if Isabel goes as Tinkerbell he has the option to match her!
My husband ordered his costume while I was away this weekend and he won't tell me what it is! The package comes today in the mail and told me that I am not allowed to open it. WHAT?! Does this man not know me at all?! How can he expect me NOT to open it?!
Now granted, I only have to wait until Saturday to find out...but to me, it might as well be the rest of my life because I am not someone who can wait when I am curious about something. I am amazed that I didn't peek at the Christmas present my mother sent home with me this weekend. lol
We'll see how long this mystery package manages to remain unopened. Personally, I will consider it a victory if I make it through the afternoon without giving in. ;-)
I'm a 6 year survivor of this crazy thing called motherhood. For this, I am quite proud.
In all seriousness, I love my children but don't always love every aspect of motherhood. My blog is a way for me to try and laugh at the crazy stuff the kids do in order to keep myself from going bonkers. (And just to warn you, sometimes I will just write about random crap when all is calm on the home front, so don't be too hard on me if you stopped by for a laugh and didn't get one. Come back again and I'm sure you'll find something to chuckle about!)
Welcome! Stay awhile, read through some of my posts, and don't forget to leave me a comment or two...or thirty. Comments make me happy!
