There are Evan and Tyler, with Evan putting his whole body into moving the characters on their Playstation 2 Game. Hehe. More pictures coming to my Dropshots account since my incredibly talented handy man husband got me the best digital camera ever for Christmas! Ed and I are just about finished remodeling (almost literally!!) our home for the appraisers tomorrow. It is just beautiful now that we've got it all spic and span and sparkly and clean. It's 4:am and the first appraiser will arrive at 9, the second to follow at 11. What a long day we have! And then to keep it nice 'till we either sell it or finally give up and let the company buy it!!
Well, it's Christmas Eve and we are wrapping like fools! And that's just the kids and us wrapping for the in-laws. Phew, they may be getting just as many gifts as the kids are this year! It's been quite stressful around here lately. We're packing away books, painting trim and porch stairs and doors, replacing appliances, painting kitchen cabinets, re-caulking bathrooms! I never knew this house needed quite as much work as we've put into it this week. Top that with the holidays and we are walking around with clenched jaws and teeth, in desperate need of Chiropractic adjustments, LOL! We're hoping for the best appraisal ever, and it will occur on January 2, 2008. I took the kids to the mall today for their very last minute requests from Santa. It really wasn't that bad, as Philip predicted. He said since it's Christmas Eve, everyone should have already seen Santa. There were mostly little toddlers and babies, and of course we bumped into other slackers like ourselves from our playgroup, hah! Thank Goodness the boys didn't ask for anything we wouldn't have gotten them! The little ones want new, force action and FX light sabers, which we're not getting them! Philip asked for a gaming system and thankfully, that is Santa's big gift this year. We got them a Play Station II and a few games to go with it. And then at Blockbuster, we saw their all-time favorite, Legos Star Wars II, so we'll be renting that until we can afford to purchase The Complete Saga. That is my update for now. Off to boil eggs for my famous-every-holiday-dish- of deviled eggs, and finish crocheting one last market bag! Happy Solhannumas! :)Love, Me
I have been on a path of finding my Spirit for quite a few years now. It's neat to look back and see how many times I thought, "wow, isn't the view incredible from this place of knowing" and then realized I had so, so much more knowledge to access! Tonight I went to a Christmas Tea, put on by my MIL. This was her second annual Christmas Tea. She offered delicious appetizers, and about 4 different flavors of tea. The house was really beautifully decorated, she has quite a talent in that area, as in so many others. At this Tea, I was able to hang out with two of my closest friends, Paula and Sahnuah, and they each very kindly thought to bring gifts for me and my family. I didn't have their stuff ready, so of course I felt bad that it wasn't an even exchange. I am still working on things! ;) S. gave me this really awesome calendar. To those that don't know, Time Management is not my forte, and is something my husband and family have just really started to work harder on. It seems that over the past 4 years of living in Columbia, we have almost started living separate lives. He has his work and his dog and I have my groups and the kids. It was a very rare occasion that our family was all together in one place AND relaxed. So, we've been working on this by planning our weeks and months according to Ed's days off and my "not going to miss this no matter what" events. LOL. Well, this day planner is the most awesome thing! Not only will I be able to keep everything planned and organized and coordinated, but I can also stay in tune with "...the natural cycles of the Moon, Sun, planets and stars as they relate to Earth." and "By recording our own activities side by side with those of other heavenly bodies, we may notice what connection, if any there is for us." I am very happy for this calendar book! And the book starts on December 21st, Winter Solstice, and is FILLED with poetry and wondrous information. I LOVE it! AND I got 3 wonderful crystal angel Christmas tree ornaments from P., along with a bag full of presents for the boys that each of them are fully enjoying as I type this! Also, w/out even trying, I have lost 4 (four) (V) pants sizes since weaning Evan! Woohoo!
He went to Jarod! I HATE that commercial. It is on a lot, and since our T.V. is also, we have seen a lot of it. Apparently, Jarod is a local jeweler. I guess since the big holidays are here or approaching, the jewelers have to do their jobs in order to make their money. As I was growing up, I dreamed someday of getting diamonds and other jewels from a man who loved me eternally and would always be just perfect! Hehehahaha! I have my jewels and I have the closest to perfect man that I could have ever dreamed of, but as an adult, of course my ideals have changed. With every diamond jewelry advertisement I see lately, I feel so sorry for the men of the world and for my boys as they grow up. What pressure! What false hope! If you give her the perfect diamonds, that makes you the perfect man and your lives will be truly perfect forever! Please my young boys that are so innocent and loving: Do NOT fall for it!! These days what makes my heart melt are the perfect hug after a long day and a long sniff of my husbands cheek as I kiss him. Forget jewelry, though my husband has not forgotten that, and just last Christmas I got two beautiful necklaces that I wear quite often. Let me watch him sit by the fireplace stirring a winter fire and turning the logs with his bare feet on the hardwood floors. Let me listen to him read to our children or hear him making silly dying noises as one of the boys shoots him with a blaster and declares that they will never turn to the "dark side." Let me unwrap kitchen wares and household items, please, please don't spend our money on jewelry! Hehehe. I never ever thought I'd see this day. Yet here I am. And I love this life, even on the long days, even on the hard days, even on the toughest days, please give me popcorn and a movie on the couch beside my husband before you ever think of giving me jewelry. There, got that out of my system.
So, we've been busy as always. And with busy comes stressed and then add the holidays and a pinch (ha, just a pinch!) of financial stress and the fact that we have a lot to do in order to put this house on the market, and you have one crazy life going on! I saw a book on the shelf of the library last week and I just couldn't resist: She's Gonna Blow! Real Help for Mom's Dealing with Anger. Well, wouldn't you know, I can totally relate to this lady! It's a down to earth book all about the frustrations of daily life, coupled with whatever haunts us from our past, adding up to volcanic eruptions coming down on our children. And, the best part is, there are practical, helpful solutions for dealing with the anger/frustrations! Woohoo! Warning to my secular and/or non-Christian friends: this book is written by a Christian woman and has a strong Christian perspective. It's not so strong that it would interfere with all the wisdom you can glean from it though! I've been changing the word Pray to Meditate (although I do pray, I just hate for anyone to tell me to, LOL!), and changing phrases like "Christian Woman/Mom" to "Loving Woman/Mom." It works for me. ;) I'm also attempting to read two other books, one is called Whole Child Whole Parent by Polly Berrien Berrends. This is more my style, it gets into Spirituality, and all the psycho-babble-type stuff that I'm really into. And the last is A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison. This book has been a great reminder that, for the most part, I am doing my homeschooling just as I set out to do it this year. (thanks for loaning it to me Jennifer!)
I've also been busy preparing to make Christmas gifts, gathering ideas, buying supplies. Can't really tell ya what I'm doing in here, cause I wouldn't want to spoil anyone's surprise! ;) A lot of it has nothing at all to do with yarn though. So far, I've gotten each of the boys a few of these: Bare Books, two of these BRAND NEW YOUNG ARTIST ART SET/CARRYING CASE*163 PIECES for only $3.88 each at A.C. Moore, this Tie Dye Swirl - Caron Latch Hook Kits Kits for Philip, a couple Pirates of the Caribbean puzzles, and I really, really hope to get some socks done for Tyler at least by his birthday. I still have to complete the first one of Ed's pair, plus I'm working on a scarf from this book I borrowed from the library, Not Your Mama's Knitting: The Cool and Creative Way to Pick Up Sticks. I've also made a hat for Ed, one for my Mom, another scarf, I'm in the process of completing a couple of these Lily: Pattern in exchange for a sitting fee for our first ever family pictures that will include Evan Andrew, at least outside fo the belly, hehe! :) We had a great time posing and being silly after we finally relaxed! You'll never see the first few pictures, of our hands clenched and our glued on smiles as we all tried to figure out just exactly how you're "supposed" to act and look for a photo shoot, haha!
Tyler is spending the night with a friend tonight, tomorrow will be Philip's turn with the same friend, and next week they will each spend a night, separately, with another friend. We though we'd have til May or June to do all the things they'd ever wanted to to with their Columbia Playgroup friends and our neighbors here, and now we'll only have 'till the end of February or beginning of March, and so we are cramming in some sleep overs, hehe. If I ever get my hiney to bed, I'll get to go grocery shopping tomorrow with only 2 kids, Yippee! Off to dreamland I go! 'Night, night!
There are Evan and Tyler, with Evan putting his whole body into moving the characters on their Playstation 2 Game. Hehe. More pictures coming to my Dropshots account since my incredibly talented handy man husband got me the best digital camera ever for Christmas! 
