New year

Every man should be born again on the first day of January.
Start with a fresh page.
Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary,
or let down one, according to circumstances;
but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more,
with his face to the front,
and take no interest in the things that were and are past.
~Henry Ward Beecher

I found a lot of good quotes on the philosophy on the new year. New beginning all that.
I had to laugh at Mark Twain's oh so positive out look on it all....

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain
Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever. ~Mark Twain
New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions. ~Mark Twain

Makes me laugh, but he is honest and mostly right.
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves on New Year's eve and January 1? What makes all of us think suddenly at the dawning of the next year, in the middle of winter, right after the holidays any of us is going to be in any frame of mind to suddenly "get it right" - Oprah's quote was this
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey
Get what right? That's what I want to know. And why does it only have to be done once a year?
We put the pressure on ourselves on Jan 1, to suddenly change, fail miserably, then table everything until next year. Shouldn't we all be focusing on all of these little things all year long, so that when the new year comes we can look back and say we did our best, and live with no regrets? We focus so much on what is wrong with our lives. New year's seems to be another chance to simply point out all that needs to be fixed, and putting unreasonable expectations on ourselves, dooming us to failure, instead of seeing all that is right.
I hawk a lot of blogs and of course a lot of this week's posts are "My resolutions" - and then proceeds this extremely long, totally unreasonable, totally unattainable list. To what end? So next year we can all say, oh wow, look what I didn't accomplish this year, and I wanted to, oh darn.
I don't normally do resolutions......
Well~ this IS the year I WILL lose the weight ::snicker:::::but that has been in the works long before the new year has come along...
Now what was I saying? OH yeah - the only resolution I am making this year
is to be more grateful.
Simple as that.
Oh certainly there is a list of short-comings I could start listing , take up two pages of my time , feel terrible about myself when I am done, say I am going to change each one, fail miserably, and hate myself for failing yet again, but instead I will chose to focus my energy on the positive.
The Good.
The Happy.
I think that one simple change will change the other areas of my life too.
And as the top quote says~face front, not back. We can't change what is done. We can look forward, and change what is to come. Each DAY is a new one, why wait for next year?

Fuf fun

Ready. Set.

Go!

Foof! (that is how Fuf chair is pronounced)

Lotsa this going on here this week. Man these things are huge and fun.

Just enough

Oh how I wish we could keep this pace all year long.
I am the only one that has had to be somewhere at a particular time for the last 6 days.
We are moving slowly.
It is nice.
The down time is nice.
Together time is nice.
I am not sure how to even sum up our holiday except as
just enough.

Just enough silliness.
I think this one is seriously going in my new year's card.

Just enough excitement.

Just enough of what we wanted.

Just enough chillin' in our new Fuf chairs.

Maybe a bit too much Guitar Hero. Anymore and I may just be Livin' on a Prayer!

Just enough legos.

Just enough family.
Just enough food.
Just enough presents.
Just enough Wii
Just enough together time.
Just enough sleep.
Just enough.
What more could we ask for ? Or is it For what more could we ask?
I hate grammar. Never was very good at writing.
As for this week.
I am the only one who has to go anywhere ~ a tragedy of working in healthcare, and also per deim which means no workey= no money! But also means I get to get out of the house ALONE for a few hours three days this week! I fear a bit too much together time for the rest of my crew may cause some problems by the end of the week. We'll see.
How long will it take for Just Enough to become Too Much!

Beauty

A quote from a blog I haunt. It is a note to some women she had spent time with and taken photos of - some day I would love for her to photograph me, I think she is the only one who could ever make me like a photo of myself, but I digress and have just totally proven my own point....... these words struck me .
I need to heed them.
Most of the women I know need to heed them.
I want my 14 year old daughter to have them in her heart.
We all need to listen.
Any woman who has ever avoided having her picture taken, or seen one of herself and groaned, and said something negative.
May we all remember this......

"

“be gentle with yourselves. try and see you as i saw you. i know how hard it is to see yourself and all of your imperfections. just remember, everyone that loves you and knows you sees you just as you are every day, and they love you anyway. you need to love yourselves just as much. we are all very different, and your definition of beauty may not include yourself, but i want it to. because my definition of beauty includes you. all i see when i look at each one of you is immense stunning BEAUTY. each and every one of you is so beautiful and special to me. no matter wrinkles, size, break outs, whatever. it is what makes you YOU. full of character. lovely. unique. (tears!)

please, as you look at your photographs, remember these words. feel my love for you. be gentle. and understand most of all that no matter how much you doubt it-YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL just the way you are."~ Tara Whitney

And the only thing that this blog post really needed is a nice recent photo of me. But you see. I avoid the camera. Hate my picture taken. Again...totally proven my point. So I leave you with one from September. The day I turned 40. I was feeling very content that day. I only need to crop it when I learn how to use the new free program I downloaded!

Finally

Finally.
Finally.
Finally.
Excited.
Thank the lord! I thought the Christmas spirit was going to totally elude me this year.
Two more sleeps.
Neena and Pappa arriving today.
Wrapping will get finished tonight.
Then, other then a bit of work when I would rather not have to go out and do torrow or Friday~ Christmas is here.

Can I pretend to try to convince anyone that this is a photo of our house!? *grin* I actually saw this house on a special on HGTV the other night. It is put up every year by a man with no kids, who designs and makes new displays every year. Takes him like months to put it all up. God bless his spirit.
We did do our annual christmas lights drive over the weekend. We always pile in the car, used to be in pj's, and drive around looking at the lights in the neighborhood and surrounding hills. We were excited to see a local house that puts on a huge display was back in action this year after a few years off. That is really the only house that goes *all out* around here. I found it quite interesting to see many more lights in denser areas where there is most likely more "Keeping up with the Jonse's" going on, then in the less dense areas where there is less "competition". Something about all those twinkling houses that makes everything look to warm and happy. I love how warm and cozy our house looks lit up with the candles in the windows and wreaths up.

So ~ if you are traveling, please be safe.
Wishing for you this holiday season that you may want what you have, and have what you need. May you be surrounded by love and happiness.
Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Busy week this week, I leave you with this - lyrics from Trans-Siberian Orchestra - I will see them live some day........take time to truly read the words.

Merry Christmas.
Keep the spirit in your heart long into next year.

Promises to Keep ~ Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Christmas time and the year will soon be leaving
Cloaked in time till it's just a memory
Christmas stays if we don't forget its meaning
Days go quickly by
Years they multiply
And we go searching for thee

And the dream is still alive
From that first December morning
And it always will survive
As long as we can see
That the dreams we find in life
Are the dreams we tend to seek
And Christmas has its promises to keep

Christmas time
And the moments just beginning
From last night
When we'd wished upon a star

If our kindness
This day is just pretending
If we pretend long enough
Never giving up
It just might be who we are

AND SO IT'S GOOD THAT WE REMEMBER
JUST AS SOON AS WE'VE DISCOVERED
THAT THE THINGS WE DO IN LIFE
WILL ALWAYS END UP TOUCHING OTHERS

SO FROM A FADING NEON STAR
SOMEWHERE SHINING IN THE NIGHT
WE FIND A FATHER FAR AWAY
NOW REFLECTING IN ITS LIGHT

There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
~ Erma Bombeck (1927-1996), American author and humorist.

Sometimes it would be so nice to have to spirit of a child again. Instead of seeing the Christmas holiday as a "to do" list - to be able to again just see the magic and glitter of the season. I normally find a lot of joy in my Christmas preparations, it has been a bit tougher this year.
So I am trying to enjoy it more. It seems harder without the excitement of little ones around the house. As the kid's get older they "take it all in stride' a but more I think. Not as much outward excitement about the holiday.
This picture was some snow we got the other day. This is my fence at my side garden by the garage.

Lots of baking going on here too! That I do enjoy. Although this year, nothing seems to be turning out as usual. Flat snickerdoodles, brown oatmeal cookies. They still taste yummy but don't look so good! I make a plate for each of my patient's and take it next week when I see them. A lot of them can not cook or bake for themselves, and a few years ago I took some cookies to a patient that she could share with her family, and the delight on her face to be able to do that was so great, I decided I would do it every year.

And this is MY snowman tree. Yes I said MY. As in , mine. Mom's rarely get that. But one year, my grandmother gave us a small tree she didn't want any more, and since our family tree is in the family room and can't be seen in the front of the house, I wanted a tree to put in the front window. So I put this small one on a chest there. I chose to decorate it with snowman decorations to go with the other snowman I decorate with. The family tree is covered with the kid's yearly ornaments and crafts. This one is full of things I have chose, and make me happy. I put berries around the tree, and a stuffed snowman on the top. This year C helped me put it up and decorate it, so it is a bit ornament heavy in the front, but still beautiful.

Couldn't have said it better.....

First - a gratuitous Christmas shot - messing with my camera in the light of the tree last night....


And this was in my in box yesterday and it struck a cord with me....

Christmas: God Changes Us
by Rick Warren

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? Romans 7:24 (MSG)
(From me - Wow. Even in biblical times they said the same thing most of us say these days! )

*** *** *** ***

Have you figured out yet that a lot of times you are your own worst enemy? It’s your own reactions, your own fears, your own inadequacies that cause you to act in foolish ways. I know that’s true for me.

I need to be saved from myself because there are things I don’t like about me – things I wish I had done differently, things I’d like to change. But I can’t change them, not on my own power. I need an outside power source.

You may be saying, “I can change.” I hate to say this, but you can’t. In January, you’re going to make a list of New Year’s resolutions. And, by the end of January, that list will be in the dumpster. Why? Because you can’t change on your own; you need God’s power. You need a Savior, someone who can make the changes you can’t make yourself.

Let me make an important point here: God never wastes energy. He doesn’t waste effort on things that are unnecessary. In other words, if you didn’t need a Savior, he wouldn’t have sent one. The very fact that God sent a Savior means you need one.

The truth is, if you are honest about it, sometimes you feel like your life is out of control. That’s a pretty common feeling. Welcome to the human race!

The apostle Paul felt that way 2,000 years ago. Paul says this in the Bible: “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does” (Romans 7:24-25 MSG). That’s the answer!

Let me be honest with you. You may be looking for salvation in the wrong places, that’s why you’re frustrated. You’re looking for that one thing that’s going to give you fulfillment and meaning and peace in life.

Some of us think that if we could just get married, or if we could just get a certain job, or a promotion, or attain a certain level of wealth, or have a baby – or if our babies would grow up and graduate! – things would be great.

You’re looking in the wrong places.

A lot of people are looking for salvation in a self-help book. Or they’re looking for it in therapy or in a fad or diet. Or they’re looking for it in a vacation, “If I could just escape to Tahiti, everything would be great.” The problem is that if you go to Tahiti, you’re taking you with you!

The answer is not in a place. It’s not in a program or a pill. The answer is a person: Jesus Christ. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life is never going to make sense.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved. Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.

Teenager

"what are you doing?"
"Taking a picture of you."
"Um - why?"
"Because I want to capture you in your natural habitat."
"you. are.weird."
"I know, dontcha love me anyway?"
"ha!"

K is allowed a certain amount of time a day online to IM her friends. What you don't see in this photo is that she also has her phone on her lap which she is texting a friend that doesn't have IM, and behind her IM screen is youtube which is streaming videos that she is also singing along loudly to, while she types. Every 3 min when a song ends, she has to go change the screen and start another. How she does it, I couldn't tell you. This kid who has trouble focusing on her school work can do four different things at one time online. Guess it is becuase she isn't focusing on one thing. I keep telling her teachers if they made their lessons into cute commercial jingles she would get all A's. She can remember a jingle after hearing it once.
She is going through a rough patch right now.
I am torn.
You see - she has this "boyfriend" - well as much of a boyfriend as you can have at 14 when you aren't allowed to really truly "go out" with a boy. But they talked a lot on the phone and saw each other at school. But one thing you have to know. See the sweatshirt, oh excuse me hoodie? It's his. Apparently, at this age you exchange clothing. She hasn't taken it off in weeks. Because she struggles, K often at school gets grouped with the shall we say without sounding rude, the less than desirable kids who also struggle but for other reasons. So very often the boys she likes are not what we would all call "good" boys. But God bless her, K sees the good in them - "He is nice to me mom" "He has been really good lately". I keep trying to tell her that boys that make poor choices in school, winding up in ISS, do not make good decisions out of school but she keeps saying how nice he is etc.
Well it seems that this boy, the one that to her is "not like the others" and "special" has had to move to an "alternative" school. No one seems to know exactly what or where. K in all her 14 year old drama, says, "I didnt' ask, I don't want to think about it" - she may know and just not be saying, but she is pretty good about sharing. She of course is devestated right now. Lots of tears. All I can do is hug her, let her talk about it, and be there. I tell her it won't hurt forever. When she isn't actively upset though, I have been reminding her that it is his own choices that have caused this to happen, and the only one to blame is him. Depsite any of our circumstances, I want my children to always remember they ulitmately make their choices and experience the consequences of those choices. She understands, but it doesn't make it hurt any less.
So see why I am torn? On one hand, the farther away from this kid the better, than on the other hand, my baby is hurting. She is such a good soul. So caring and forgiving. I fear there will be another one right behind this one.
I can see it now, her outside the prison gate, insisting "He is nice to me" and "has been so good lately".
Oy. Love this girl.

Yes, Virginia -

In an effort to boost my own Christmas spirit .....I have highlighted what I believe most...

Is There a Santa Claus?

From the Editorial Page of The New York Sun,
written by Francis P. Church, September 21, 1897

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

"Dear Editor--I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in The Sun, it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety-fifth Street

"Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. ""

What my mother told me, and what I have told my children, although C still insists he believes, I can't see how but I don't argue. There was a santa , for real, a long long time ago. When he no longer graced the earth with his presence his spirit persisted.(Sound like someone else we know?) Parents and adults around the world decided, it was their duty to keep Kris Kringle's spirit alive and well, for all to believe and enjoy. Santa is love, compassion for our fellow man, the spirit of giving, the warmth of family. That exsists in all humans if they give it a chance. I told K she was now responsible for carrying on that love and spirit of giving since she was now "in the know". If only more people allowed the spirit of Christmas to come from their heart more than once a year, the world would be a much better place.

Christmas spirit

Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree."
~ Charlotte Carpenter.

Tree is up!

C helped a lot this year...put almost the whole tree together. Just a little help from Dad. I repeat, he is really maturing fast lately. His voice is even getting deeper

Tired of this girl hating everything about herself. It's the age I know but still....I stuck it to her yesterday when she didn't want her picture taken, and I said, "gee you want to apply to be America's Next Top Model when you turn eighteen, something about that makes me think you need to like to have your picture taken. " She smiled and posed immediately. *sigh*

And remember when I said C was going to make an edible "gingerbread" aka graham cracker house, today...this would be it. He was in much more of a hurry.Did it all completely himself though.
One Christmas Chorus concert down , one more to go tomorrow night is C's. Tonight was K's. Very well done.

Warning : TONS of photos!

For my birthday - the big 40 - J shocked me with telling me, he wanted me to plan on a full spa day for myself and a friend! Totally not his style at all. But me, one that does not care much to be rubbed and wrapped, asked him that instead of a full day for myself and one friend would he mind if I did full spa mani/pedi's with two friends. He was all for it, since it was half of what the full days would have cost him. Well , I can highly recommend The Spa at Bear Creek. We were pampered, and even though we were just coming for main/pedi's were encouraged to come take use of the outdoor hot tub or steam to relax us before our treatements. We were waited on, dipped, pampered, rubbed and polished. Very private, lovely service, terrific robes. We are not totally spoiled, and do not want to go anywhere else and are planning our next visit! I took two of my dearest friends, that I never get to spend alone girl time with. Both of whom have been my friend for over 20 years. I will say, one benefit of "getting to that age" is that you have life long friends, with deep meaningful relationships. I wouldn't trade these two for anything in the world. Here I am with L, J got "delayed" when her car locked itself at the gas station, in the hot tub. They were making snow at the time, pretty cool.

Couldn't resist taking a pic of my "booties, after my loverly tootsies were emmersed in warm wax and wrapped. Ahhhhh...
The only regret...we never did get a picture of the three of us together! I never see these two at the same time , so I would have cherished that shot. Oh well...life goes on......
LAter that night, L and I used my sister's birthday gift to me, and went to see Jeff Dunham in Hershey. HI-Lar-IOUS. We had a fab time, and it was a perfect end to my delayed birthday treats!

Then, last night we continued the tradtion we started last year - gingerbread houses.
As you can tell, silliness did prevail. -after a bit of grouchiness and "typically fourteen year old-ness on K's part -

Lovely creative mess....I just LOVE to sit back and watch the kids go at it. Our friends C & L, and the girls joined us this year...so much fun! (I didn't include their photos since they aren't my children and I didn't ask permission to display them on the internet!) It is a *tad* more difficult for the dad's to sit back and not *help* too much. C did let J help him quite a bit but mostly with frosting placement. All his ideas were his own. That is what amazes me, what they come up with!

Zoey did not go far from the table, she spent the night scarfing up earrant gummies and icing that dropped. She even managed to get some on her nose. Thankfully, she did not get sick later.

Finished product! And all the pic, K would pause to take....I love the roof and marshmallow mailbox.

This is C's. He added a garage, complete with car with yellow wheels. The red beads on the left, are a helicopter pad for Santa's helicopter....

Let' see - he also made an out door fireplace like we have..using pretzel sticks for wood....snowmen, reindeer food.....and a cool wreath....I can not remember what the other objects in the yard are!

Very rpoud of his creation! Today he does want to make an edible one out of graham crackers...I am going to but together the gingerbread tree I bought, so he can use the icing. :0)
We did agree with our friends, this has to be done every year with them,a dn next year the grown ups get them too! Maybe ours can be put together after a bit of Christmas cheer! Could be interesting!
Today, tree decorating, and prep is done!
relaxing and baking can begin.

More Christmas

Got everything but the tree done yesterday! Woohoo!
I am trying this year to document my keepsake decorations.
These carolers are ceramic that my great-grandmother made , gosh, most likely over 40 years ago. She made a lot of different things that are dispersed among the family. I got these. I cherish them.

Putting the nativity out yesterday grounded me like it usually does. This is what it is about. This set is our first set as a couple. From Home Interior I believe. I *covet* the Willow Tree set, but am not sure I could part with these even if I got a new one. Baby Jesus's arm has been glued back on twice. This one has history.

This is the baker's rack in teh kitchen. Usually holds chachke's and kid's art projects etc...for Christmas is hold's a few of my snowman collection and art etc....we have never mad ea huge deal out of Santa in our home. He visits, he is a fun part of our holiday but I have never decorated with the character. I chose Snowmen. They are far cuter and can stay up into the new year.

The rack holds some of the kids Christmas crafts from school every year, and even some of my own crafts, this recipe book we made at a cookie swap a few years ago.

This set was made by an elder in our first church. We won the carolers at a silent auction one year at a craft fair. They are made out of fabric and glue, and I have been told soda bottles. Again we got these , geesg , 15 years ago most likely. They are just a part of the decorations. Since Wayne is no longer with us, they are even more valuable to us.

Get the outside wreaths up this weekend, and the tree done. We are making our gingerbread houses sunday. I got myself a gingerbread tree this year to accent the kid's houses. The spirit is slowly creeping into my heart.

Progress

The mantle is done. Going to work on some of the rest today. No hurray except that I have to get all of the every day decorations I took off the baker's rack in the kitchen and mantle, to make room for the Christmas stuff, off the kitchen table so we can eat!

OK - thanks to blogger these photos are in reverse. Oh well - C was all about helping with the lights this year. This is *getting instructed* on how to test a string to find out which bulb is out. C was very proud to tell me when I came back from running K to youth group that it was HIM, not Daddy that found the bulb and replaced it. Man, he is getting so mature so fast.

Found the santa hats in the boxes....C sported the long one off to school today. When I told him he wasn't allowed to have hats at school, he reminded me, "we can wear a hat TO school, just not AT school" - I stand corrected. So I imagine it will spend the day in his cubbie.

And Duncan Bob Oodle resurfaced from the christmas boxes. Elf on a Shelf. He is supposed to disappear each night to report our activities to Santa and reappear in the morning someplace new. Duncan Bob did not move until I realized and remember this morning. Luckily no one noticed, not that anyone really believes he sees Santa anyway.......I actually bought him becasue he looks exactly like an elf my grandmother had out every Christmas. She claims her's came from the top of a box of chocolate one Christmas. When I saw this guy in the store he just brought back all that nostalgia, I had to have it.

The spirit is slowly creeping in. I think one thing that isn't helping is that we don't have to do much shopping anymore. Most of the stuff for the kids is electronics and can be ordered online. I ran errands yesterday and decided a side trip to Old Navy was in order. Bit of Christmas shopping, and over head music helped a bit. Ran into Toys R Us - yessss! I got to go in TRU this year - to look for something C asked for (by the way Nerf N Strike Vulcan is NO WHERE to be found - in case you are wonderin') I watching nostalgically as parent's of young children pushed their piled carts full of Little Tykes and Lego. I can remember pushing overflowing carts every Christmas, because at that age the toys are huge! That stage of our life is over, until grandkids come along a LONG time from now. It was sweet to remember though.
We are also having a hard time this year deciding on charity. There are SO many that need something, including our bank account not being as full as usual. Two families over at school, with sick kids, needing holiday help, the angel tree at church, Toys for Tots, families without jobs right now, soldier packages, shoeboxes to Africa....where to give and how much is really pulling at my heart right now. DO we give close to home where we may see the families enjoy the gift, or again to strangers we don't know who need it? I am planning on sitting with the kids and talking about it tonight. Let them decide.

25 days of Christmas

So this is how it begins.
J left this wonderful mess in the dining room for me. He did listen to my request to get it all out.*thanks honey-kisses* Of course it had to go somewhere, but when I rounded the corner, I couldn't help but groan. It's a reflex. The getting out and putting away every year just gets daunting. The spirit has not found me yet, so hopefully some holiday music and the decorations will help.
As I sit here sipping my coffee looking at it, the type A in me is screaming that nothing else can get done today until this mess is smaller. The avoider in me is thinking of everything else I can do instead. But Type A will win, she is a strong one. Moving in slo-mo this morning, not sure why. Didn't even get my make-up on until after C left for school. I am usually all ready in case he misses the bus and I have to take him. Horrors if that had happened today.
And guess what? I am actually feeling better enough today to hopefully walk the dog! I have not walked the dog since the accident. Praying this is a good sign, and it goes well. After suffering for two days after driving back and forth to NC, feeling better is a nice change! Since my therapy on Monday I have been feeling much better. Praying it is a permanent change.

And by tonight my mantle will look like this!
*snicker*