Wow, we've been busy! October is gone, November is here!

We've been carving pumpkins...


We discovered that Able loves rainbows nearly as much as apples...


No surprise, but Charlie loves firetrucks...

We trick-0r-treated...Seb went somewhere else, so no pics of him!





We've been crafting a lot, but now it's time to focus on the Christmas gifts.

Some of us have found the need to sleep...

Super Charie has come into existence!

Somebody had a birthday.

Tony is very antsy for snowmobiling season.

Oh, yeah, we carved some pumpkins! :)


And Charlie got a new bed. Every night it's like a Where's Waldo cartoon, he has this need to bring everyone to bed.


I hope November is half as much fun!

WIP-A weeks worth of knitting

I love knitting! Right now I have several things going (pretty usual!). This afternoon I rearranged the living room, and decided I needed a coaster. This is the end result (blocking), I think I'd like a second one. I have some yarn that is the same color as the teal in the heather which will become a second little coaster for the table next to my chair.


Here is a Tickle Hat for Tony. It needs a tassel and ear flaps. I'd like to be done soon because I have several more hats to go before Christmas!


These are some little finger mitts for Ladybug. I'll have a similar pair, only the main color will be turqoise, and Nana just might get some in green...



Very soon I need a list of things to knit or sew for Christmas. I'd really like as many things as possible to be handmade. A friend has promised me a scroll saw so that I can begin making some wood things, that is one skill I'm really looking forward to working on!

Day #3

Good Evening!

I blew it with lunch...a Burgerville chocolate peppermint milkshake-18 pts!!! EEEK!

The rest of the day was fine, but now I'm hungry and no points left...I need something, guess I'll just go WAY over instead of a bit over.

However, I exercised again today, so thats good! I didn't do the high intensity today, because I'm pretty sore from yesterday. Thats ok, something is better than nothing.

I still have flex points for the week. Tomorrow is going to be another "blow it" day, lunch at dads and dinner at a friends (our last Christmas flings).

One day at a time, thats how I've gotta live. It will be ok.

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Good Morning!

I'm a bit stiff today from exercising, but that is good because it means it is working!!! So after work today I'll exercise again. I went over points again yesterday by only 2.6. I still have 25 Flex points left for the week (my week started Wed), so that isn't too bad I dont' think.

Today I'm feeling better about this, more in control, and more optimistic! The thought of where I will be in a couple weeks keeps me going!

Happy Friday!

Solstice

The longest day of the year, and here we are. Candles are lit, so are the twinkling tree lights, and we are all snuggled up. In a bit I will get some tea, and start some infusion for tomorrow.

Tonight we opened a few gifts, tomorrow the kids will open the rest and there will be stockings! Santa is coming early this year. Usually we spend Christmas Eve at moms, then Christmas Day at hubby's parents, finally we rush home to open our gifts and end up with a very messy living room. Some time in between I try to fill the stockings so they are ready and waiting late Christmas Day. This routine generally leaves me feeling hurried and exhausted. I may still be tired, but at least we'll come home to a tranquil home.

Its been a beautiful day, even though the car broke down (starter)!

Happy Solstice & Merry Christmas

Christmas Hijinks

Tony is peeking into a present...:) Today we received our packages from adopt-a-family. I wasn't expecting to be adopted, and our adoptees really went overboard, those wonderful people! The presents move into the living room...we have bunco on Thursday night, where are the bunco ladies going to sit!?! :) Not that I'm complaining, thank you unknown people for your generosity!

Tonight is Taterbugs Christmas Concert-his first ever. And the Boy Scout meeting, and the Girl Scout meeting. We have had enough stress already the last couple weeks, so we will skip scouts, sadly, and just go to the concert. Stress makes us sick, so we'll just do the easiest stuff and come home and have cookies and cocoa. My cocoa might even be spiked by that point...

Taterbug says,"Mom, we aren't supposed to be there at 7 o'clock, we are supposed to be there at 6-something-something." Mom says,"Did you bring me a paper that says what time?" He says,"Nope no paper, we were supposed to remember and tell you!" Helpfull, kiddo, don't you think?

So another crazy week in the works. It is bound to be loads of fun, but in a way, I can't wait until it is over.

~Friday pick up photos from Walgreens and drop off last Christmas cards for mom to mail
~Saturday Camp Discovery in the morning and visit a friend in the afternoon
~Sunday Christmas with Auntie (shop for Secret Santa? and bake a loaf of banana bread as a gift)
~Mon-Tues regular work
~Wed pick up Toys for Kids for work and mandatory meeting at work(long day)
~Thurs Hand out toys at work and Bunco
~Fri hand out toys at work (shorter day!)
~Weekend rest thank goodness!
~Monday Christmas Eve work half day, then visit with mom prior to first big dinner, then stay the night at inlaws
~Christmas Day! Dinner with in-laws...then home....ahhhhh

I'm exhausted

Something about the pressure of the holidays, plus the pressure of finals, plus hubby's grandpa's death (and the whirlwind trip to the east), plus the shorter days and more darkness, and other the other stuff...I'm at the end of my rope.

We went over the state's income limit by $31 so Ladybug and Taterbug can't get state insurance. I can reapply next month. He needs to see a doctor, he was so weak this morning he could hardly walk, he made it through part of a day of school. Half an hour on the phone with the county...and we have an appointment on Wednesday, same day as my finals. I'll have to work something out, I don't know what.

Then I was told yesterday that I was "full of negative energy". Its all I can do to function right now, ask me next week how I feel, its too bad people can't understand that.

There is this song that I love


Turn me in your spiral press,
'Til my sweet juices flow, Goddess.
The wheel of the year is turning, turning,
Turning into darkness...

(yes, it is not Christian, sorry) but it helps to remind me that darkness is essential, and routine, something the Earth does each year. Maybe darkness of the heart is essential as well.

Others have said it before, and I'll say it again...it is too bad that the "joy of the season" can't be more joyful...

Christmas Tree Time!

Today we are going to get our Christmas tree! I'll leave it up until after the first of the year. One of my friends leaves it up until the 7th of January. She says she does for a religious reason. However, I'm ashamed to say WHICH day happens to be the 7th of January, so if anyone remembers will they tell me please?

As for decorating the tree, I tend to just put the kids ornaments up. For some reason we have so many ornaments just for the kids that our "little" tree ends up being full before we get to the grown up ornaments. :)

When I moved away to my own home I didn't have any Christmas ornaments, nor any baby pictures. Those are 2 things that I am making sure my kids will get. They will each have a box or 2 of ornaments, and a couple photo albums. I guess once they are gone out of the house I can put as many of my ornaments on the tree as I want!

My MIL says that she wants a flocked tree. This little stand out by their house has all sorts of different colored flocked trees, purple, turqoise, red/white/blue. Loads of fun. I think we will just go for the typical fir tree.

Do you have your tree up yet?

Don't Ya Love Saving Money?!?!

Yesterday, I went to Bi-Mart and found my mom the crockpot for Christmas. Her whole kitchen is stainless, and I found a stainless one with 4 settings and 6 quarts for $15.00! Great deal, as it is normally $30. Then today we went by an estate sale and found some wonderful deals.

For my friend who is getting into canning, a pressure cooker in fabulous shape for $6.

An antique oil lamp that hangs on the wall for $3.

A brass candle holder that hangs on the wall for $4.

An older aluminum muffin tin (the sturdy ones that didn't discolor) for 50cents.

An oak neato rolling pin $2.

A big basket $1.

All of these things are gifts for family and friends, so I'm really excited! It was great for the 4 of us to get out together. Everyone smiled and had a great time!

Busy Day

Today has been busy! I've done 5 loads of laundry, cooked dinner (simple broccoli and ham in mac'n'cheese), unloaded some boxes, moved some boxes to the shed, dishes, cleaned my bedroom, and tidied here and there.

Tomorrow my job is to bring rolls. My favorite are Miss Maggie's "Fred's Favorite Rolls". It looks like if I start them in the morning there will be plenty of time for them to rise!

My back hurts now, so in a bit I'll be off to the bathtub. First I need to change the sheets (I found the flannel-whoo hoo!) and fold another load of laundry!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Redecorating After Undecorating

As you may know, we almost moved. Most of the house is in the POD still (I need to jump in there and find the flannel sheets today....brrrr it's cold!). We took everything down off the walls and most of the nick-nacks were packed. The house seems almost empty, even though we have furniture in it, and the china cabinet IS empty. The Christmas dishes are coming into the house, that will refill the china cabinet, but what do I do about the walls?

Honestly, I love Christmas decorations, but really don't like taking them down. There lies my dilemma. Do I really go to town on Christmas decorations and redecorate the normal stuff later? Or do I put some normal stuff up and some holiday stuff up?

It may well be a moot point, as I don't have much free time anyway. I'll let you know what I decide!

This thing about food...

My pantry is full. Not just sort of full, not halfway full, but really full, as in stacking-cans-on-top-of-each-other full. So its time for a menu plan. At the begining of the year I was planning our meals weeks ahead of time using the Menus4Moms forms. I do like their forms because I can write the kids chores next to the days meal. There are lots of other forms available for free download on the internet, though. Susanne might even have some!

Somehow, somewhere along the way I got behind on planning. The thing I discovered is that meal planning takes time set aside specifically for that purpose. And thats a really tough thing for me...finding time.

Cindy would tell me to "Shop at home!" and "Do instead of buy!". It's time for Christmas shopping, and I just keep buying food, even though I have full cupboards (it's a security thang). With the long holiday weekend right upon me, I'm going to sit down and plan out my meals from here to the end of the year. This will be accomplished using just the food in my pantry! Well, I might have to buy some meat, bread, milk, and coffee creamer, but the bulk of our meals should be found in the pantry already. Besides which, I have to use up those 25 pounds of dry beans at some point!

Thanksgiving is upon us!

It hardly seems time for Thanksgiving. Wasn't it just yesterday that we had that picnic at the lake in August and got drenched in the freezing rain?

Summer just flew by this year, and somehow, somewhere, I lost fall. The leaves have fallen, and yet, I still keep looking for the sun. It is Oregon, though, so the rain does fall. I'm trying to be conscious about being grateful for the rain, because those folks in Georgia sure would love some of that rain that I want to complain about!

Anywho, we are going to Mom's for Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, yum!). Then we will have ham (double yum!) with Nana and Papa on Friday. I'm thrilled because my darling 79 year old grandma, my aunt, and my uncle are coming up from the Willamette Valley to have dinner with us. Can't spend enough time with Grandma! Also, Grandma Arlene will be there, too, so we'll have lots of wonderful family time.

What are you having for Turkey Day?