Christmas morning

May you and yours enjoy this CHRISTmas season and enjoy His peace and love all year long!

Whew!

Its been a crazy busy month with wreath making, wrapping, mailing, two taekwondo tests, and school. The kids have been awesome this month and really helpful. I was very glad that I had almost all of my shopping done before Thanksgiving. I was able to mail out four boxes Thanksgiving weekend, but have been so busy, I just mailed the other four out this past weekend. Baking is done and the neighbors are enjoying the fruits of my labor (and hopefully gaining thighs as heavy as mine :) It is the season to share after all!)

Now, I am in the midst of cleaning out the closets and organizing. Something we didn't do when we moved in. It was all I could do to get unpacked-organization was for another day-after baby. I cleaned out my desk yesterday-took about four hours. Oh the junk we keep! Why? Why?

Today, I'm heading upstairs to tackle the closets. We gently tossed stuff in them when we moved and slammed the doors shut and told the kids that they were never never allowed to open them unless they wanted everything tumbling out. I'm heading up there soon, wish me luck. I'm letting the kids know that if I don't make any noise after an hour to send the firemen in looking for me under the piles of stuff!!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Around our house

This year is the first time we've ever cut down our Christmas Tree. We have always had a real one, except for the last three years in Japan. They do ship them over for us, but they are like dried twigs when we get them and total fire hazards. We have a tree farm right down the street from our house and we were able to go and cut our own!! It was alot of work and very exhausting to drag it to the car but it was totally fun!


Posing on the sleigh. Now we just need some snow!






Princess watching daddy cut down the tree



Enjoy Santa stopped by. Little Miss Trouble wouldn't go near him at all, not surprised though, its that age





TL's turn to saw



Finally Down!! Now to drag it to the car!





Snuggling with daddy is a special treat



Little Miss Trouble was so mad at her sisters because they wouldn't let her help wash the dishes. She had disappeared and I found her in the bathroom washing some of the dishes in the sink. Well, at least she removed her shirt so it wouldn't get wet!

Resources everywhere, and I do mean everywhere....

We recently finished a mini unit on Thanksgiving. Today, I found an awesome resource that I had stock piled away. I did not even remember it at all.

So, this week, I'm going to start making lists. Websites I have bookmarked, books we have, lapbooks, other material downloaded to the computer, and perhaps, if I'm lucky some things we've used from the library. All to make it easier in the next few years.

Anyone else have such a list? If so, just curious as to how you organized it. I was thinking on the computer, but also printing out each section and putting it in a file so I could just grab the file and go. Most topics I've covered at least once already and then I could grabe the file and review the lesson plans and things I need to get from the library. Any ideas? Thoughts? Input would be much appreciated!

Remember to write things down.....

Remember when we were growing up? Journals and diaries everywhere. Locked, unlocked. Pink, blue, striped, flowers, polka dots, sports-all different kinds.

Today, we don't see them quite as often as we used to. They have been taken over by computers. Much quicker to type it in then sit down and write it. Written letters are getting harder and harder to find. I usually get one a year from my aunt, and she just passed away.

With her passing, we found letters, papers, and all kinds of wonderful family treasures. I wonder if we keep looking, if we'll find diaries and even more letters stashed away. The house she lived in, her grandfather built.

Remember to write often. Write down things going on, prayers, memories; these are valued treasured not to be forgotten but cherished.

I will be posting during the CHRISTmas break my genealogy study. I pray that you and your family will use it and try to research some of your family history also!!

Have a wonderful and blessed week!