Beautiful...

Mostly because I don't have to be out in it, but this is the view outside my front door at about 11:30 pm on Christmas Eve. Santa has been here and he left to go to work the overnight shift and I'm getting ready to head to bed pretty soon. By the reports we are supposed to have between 5-7" of this stuff. I'll take more pictures tomorrow!

Remembering the reason for the season...

The coffee is nice and hot this morning after the beautiful snowfall last night. There are fresh blueberry muffins out of the oven making the house smell amazing. The wee ones are playing with their toys. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas morning!

I wish we would have been able to make the Christmas Eve service at church last night but I didn't want to venture out in the blizzard conditions with the kiddos. I'm leaving you today with a clip of a show I've watched since I was a kid and it never gets old.

Christmas Eve

We are having a quiet Christmas this year. The older boys are at their father's this year, my mother is preparing to move to Texas, my brother is up in north Missouri and the hubby got stuck on the overnight shift at work. My good friend and neighbor up the street invited us to go to her house at noon tomorrow for dinner and I might take her up on it. Then the evening of Christmas will be spent between Paul's parents' houses, weather permitting.

I haven't been much in the Christmas spirit this year but this is one of my favorite Christmas carols. I hope everyone has a merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Haven't posted in 2 months...geesh

Well I haven't posted in a while, which I realized after I won a blog giveaway over at http://unusuallyunusualfarmchick.blogspot.com/2009/12/nordic-ware-mini-scone-pan-winner.html

I've been consciously/subconsciously avoiding posting on the blog because the things I would like to vent about are all tied up in various courts at the moment (yes, pertaining to the d-bag ex) and I can't really put anything "out there" until it all gets heard in court. Please keep me in your prayers that I come out ahead on all of it. He is seriously a thorn in my side and my older kids are really suffering as a result of it.

This has been alternatively one of the best/worst years of my life - is that possible?? I married the love of my life this year.

He is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me and I enjoy sharing every single day of my life with him, even though we arent' perfect and drive each other crazy at times.

I also taught myself to sew this year..

I am a master pillowcase dress maker now. :) I also made a couple of small purses to match said pillowcase dresses. I started on Delaney's Christmas dress but it's December 21st today and I'm not done with it yet...could be a bad sign...lol

We also got a Friends of the Zoo membership this year to the Kansas City Zoo and we LOVED it - thanks to Grandma for providing that as an extra birthday present to everyone - and took several trips to the zoo this year.
Here's a picture from one of our adventures. The kids learned a ton about animals this year and got to observe them while learning so it was a great experience for everyone.

I've done some more knitting, made some more scarves and I'm "over" posting pictures at this point because it's a pain in the butt to put them on here and then move them all around. :)

I'm not going to delve into all the "bad stuff" any more than I did up above. We're doing what we need to do around here to take care of the situation and that's all we can do. It would be fantastic if the courts would move a little more quickly but they don't and so patience and perserverance is the key (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

I hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season and I hope that 2010 brings all of us even bigger and better things for the future!!

Thanks to Tammie over at the Unusually Unusual Farmgirl for making me get off my butt and actually post. I'll try to get back a little more often now.

The cold weather is approaching - it's reading season!!

The time of year has arrived when I start making a reading list for myself and the kids. I love to read and enjoy sharing my love of reading with the children also. I believe the benefits of enjoying a good book are life-long.

I started my list with the new Dan Brown book, "The Lost Symbol". Here is the description from the publisher:

"In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling-a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C.,The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -artfully encoded with five symbols-is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon-a prominent Mason and philanthropist -is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations-all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth. As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet. From the Hardcover edition."

This book kept me engaged from start to finish. I liked it even better than "The Davinci Code". I tend to be a fast reader, especially when it is a good book, and I had this one done in 2 days. I loved that the entire story took place in Washington, D.C. I also enjoyed the fact that you knew exactly who the villian was from start to finish and had realistic and descriptive visuals throughout the book.

I have read all of Dan Brown's books thus far and he will continue to be an author that I seek out for future reading enjoyment.

Small Talk Six Saturday - Party Time!!

Today’s topic is “6 unconventional things you think people should celebrate by throwing a party.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . . My answers are probably going to be all over the map, so be forewarned...

1. Groundhog Killing Day Party. Let's face it, we get hopeful for early spring every year and the little bastard always sees his shadow. Yeah I'm sure the PETA people will eat me alive for this one but who cares... Put him and us out of our misery and rid us of the hope of an early spring - it never happens anyway.

2. Grade card party. I would actually consider doing this for my oldest if he could pull his grades out of the crapper. Or we could go in the opposite direction and make the ones that didn't make good grades sit in a corner with dunce hats while the party is going on...lol.

I think I'm in a mean mood today...

3. Hump day party. I think this would be more of a private affair (but to each his own...whatever trips your trigger) - candles, wine, kids put in bed for the night and some time alone with the hubby every Wednesday evening - at this point you need to fill in your own blanks...I could definitely go with this idea of a party.

4. Veteran's Day Party. I think instead of making this a day of mourning and remembrance, we should throw a good ol' celebration for the men and women in uniform that make it possible for us to live in this free country that we have. I think it should be bigger than the 4th of July...let's throw a huge kegger and hand them all a beer for all the hard work that they do. Whether you choose to agree or not with what they do, you get the opportunity to disagree because of these fine folks. Let's celebrate them!

5. A potty party. I have one that is potty training right now and one that I'd like to get potty trained but it's probably still too early for him. When I get them potty trained, I'm throwing a potty party for all Mommies and Daddies that have survived the trials and tribulations of potty training. And I'm celebrating after training the youngest that I will never have to potty train anything ever again...well maybe unless we ever got a new puppy...LOL

6. A Clean House Party. If I could ever get this house perfectly clean, I might be tempted to throw a huge party, which in turn would totally defeat the reason for the party in the first place, since my house would be trashed afterwards. Although a perfectly clean house would definitely be a reason to celebrate around here.