Christmas Card

Oh, how I love Christmas card season! No, this is NOT the picture we're sending out with ours. If George was standing up about a foot more and Jane's eyes were open and everyone was looking the same direction and we put a nice sepia tone on it so that no one could tell that we don't match, it would've been perfect! We have about 25 more of these near-perfect photos. And now I know why people send out "children only" pictures with their Christmas cards, which of course I was against until 2009.

Santa Stop

Sleighbells has become one of our favorite local holiday spots. After all, they do have the best Santa who sits and talks to my 4 little believers for 15 uninterrupted minutes and knows just when to ho, ho, ho.

Cans o' Goodness

Finally putting those pricey formula cans to good use and spreading a little holiday cheer. (You can find the recipe here.)

Mismatched Socks

I grew up with some of the cutest stockings you ever did see, hanging on our mantel every December. So 10 years ago I started on my own set and the set is finally complete! (Well, at least for the next 15 years or so.) In the beginning I felt tied to traditional colors and themes and making sure they kinda went together, but as you can see I threw that out the window about the time I moved to California. Hmmm.... Now if I could only recreate my mom's ingenious felt Christmas character bean bag stocking holders.

3 Good Things: George, Dishwashers, & Hot Showers

I woke up in a foul mood today. I won't elaborate, but I am one cranky mama. So, in light of the upcoming holiday, which all too often gets overlooked, I thought I could cure my blues with a little gratitude. And since all good things come in threes, here they are today...

1. George. I'm not ready to be thankful yet for my 2-yr-old today, who was literally crying all night long. But I will give it up for my eldest child, who gets himself up in the morning and gets ready for school, all on his own! And then entertains me at breakfast with his enthusiasm for all subjects -- which professional soccer team do we like best? Did you know how big the wing span of a flying fox is? Is Australia the biggest country in the world? Mom, you should never touch your eyes, nose, or mouth -- it spreads germs...I always use hand sanitizer after playing on the playground...the playground has a lot of germs...Jane, do you have hand sanitizer in your classroom?...you should always use it after you play on the playground...This kid has way too much energy in the morning. And he's smart and funny and creative and loving and sensitive and obedient and friendly and just a great kid. (I like my other kids too, even my 2-yr-old who is now sleeping in, but George gets top billing today.)

2. Household Appliances. At least when I woke up this morning my dishes and laundry were done. Three years of washing dishes by hand was all it took for me to be eternally grateful for the modern miracle of a dishwasher. I thank my lucky stars everyday for that one. And, even though I was doing laundry all night long, at least I didn't run out of quarters and have to wait for Pavi's to open so I could go get more to dry the load in the washer, and make the Fackrells mad because they were waiting to use it. A private laundry room is a beautiful thing.

3. My Warm House. Every once in a while, when I'm standing in the blustery, cold, pouring rain (as I was at the bus stop this morning), I am reminded of a day I spent several years ago at a concentration camp in Dachau, Germany. It was a gloomy, somber place and standing there in my shorts, in the cold rain, in the middle of July made me wonder how anyone could have possibly survived there in conditions that were exponentially more harsh. Or even wanted to. Thankfully, I don't live in a concentration camp. And after shivering at the bus stop for 5 minutes and sending my super-great son off to school, I get to come home to my warm house, take a hot shower, and put away my clean laundry. Life is good.

Halloween 2009...finally...

Fall Tribute: Dress-Ups

Any time of the year is really a good time to dress up, but in the fall it's always more fun because you can get other people to join you. These ladies and I put on a Daddy/Daughter Sock Hop last week for the 8-11 year-old girls from church. The curtains I found at Goodwill made the perfect outfits for serving up pizza and root beer floats with 50's flair.