Can it really be December 15th?

I always start out the season with the best intentions. I had almost all of the my shopping finished within a week of Thanksgiving (thanks in part to crazy Black Friday). I took my Christmas card pic and had the cards printed before December. I have all of my neighbor gifts, teacher gifts, and things to mail decided and purchased. I am checking things off my list and feeling really good. BUT I still haven't wrapped the packages, gone to the post office, mailed my out of town boxes or my Christmas cards. I still have treats to bake and things to buy and my girls will be out of school in 3 days. So I am blogging, cuz that makes sense. The one good thing that I am doing this year is an advent with my kids. Last year I bought this cute advent wreath with 24 fun round boxes. So cute at the store, such a great idea until I went crazy trying to think of tiny things that could fit in those boxes and of course I had to get 3 of everything. There are only so many Hershey's kisses you can give a girl before she gets sick of them. This year my blog addicted friend suggested that we put slips of paper in the boxes with things to do instead of gifts to get. At first this idea seemed like a lot of work, but then I looked at some lists of things and realized that most of these are things I hoped to do with my girls anyway. So on December 1st I threw caution to the wind and started. It has been really fun and I must say I am grateful for the focus it gives me, even just for a few minutes each day because really Christmas really should be all about family. These are the 14 things we have done so far:

1. Hang this year's new ornament on the tree


2. Drink hot chocolate with snowman marshmallows


3. Make an ornament wreath (this turned out awesome)


4. Get a snow globe and share a snowy memory, it actually snowed here in Texas that day


5. Go to the Nutcracker Ballet


6. Eat a Christmas cookie and read a Christmas story


7. Put out new blowup 6ft Santa


8. Do a service project at school and then eat a peppermint shake


9. Make Christmas creatures


10. Watch a Christmas special


11. Eat a Christmas chocolate orange


12. Do 2 acts of service for your sister


13. Read a Christmas chapter book (the Holly Joliday)


14. Get a new pair of Christmas Socks

And tonight we are going to see Santa at a friend's house. We have had a fun 2 weeks.

Let's Pretend it is November 1st

Halloween was a good time this year. I did not have to carry any of my children. It was not freezing cold, nor hot and we had no last minute costume break downs. It helped that it was on a Saturday. We were busy most of the day with soccer games and errands, but we still had time to get the cuties ready.

Kiss My Bass

The Hub went fishing this early morning with some friends. There are several lakes (aka drainage ponds) in our neighborhood. So they set out to catch some bass. He came home pretty excited to have caught anything let alone the biggest of the morning. He hasn't done much fishing. He said it was fun and relaxing. A new hobby? I love this pic. He looks really happy.

Pizza, Pumpkins and Power Outages

I don't know how it happened, but last year we forgot to carve pumpkins. Being new to the great state of Texas I had been warned about carving too early and mold and bugs. So I kept putting it off until there was simply no time and then CB was sick and, well you get the picture. So this year I promised my girls: We will carve pumpkins. We will have pizza. It will be fabulous. Well it started out fun. The pizza was a little burnt, but that was ok. There was much excitement about picking the perfect pattern and which one would be fun, but not too hard. We got the squash hallowed out and then the power went out. I should have probably added that it was raining, but rain in Texas is just part of the fall, and summer, and sometimes spring. Anyway, it was raining and thundering and lightening-ing (is that a word?) cuz it was doing it and when we decided to go out on the back porch and carve pumpkins it was pouring. But we were determined to carve and then darkness. The power stayed out just long enough that we put everyone to bed without finishing the pumpkins. There were lots of sad faces.

But today, Halloween Eve, when the girls got home from school those pumpkins were carved. They look great and they are finished just in time to take to the trunk-or-treat. And I didn't have to carve one or even help them. I guess they are really growing up.

Don't Have a Heart Attack

Well, I can't remember the last time I posted. . .I won't catch you up on my life because honestly it has been a tough couple of months. Maybe later. Right now I am looking for some good old procrastination. I have so many projects going on. None are finished. I convinced self I could quilt. I know don't laugh. So I decided to start 3 different quilting projects. Then I thought--hey the sewing machine is out why not make some pillows, pj pants, and Christmas presents for my girls. It is only October I have plenty of time. I know, it's crazy. Plus, as I really should clean my house, make some dinner, write a lesson plan for a class that I have to teach in a week and a half, (Did I mention it is on being organized?) finish my notes for this PTO project I am involved in, skim the leaves out of the pool--honestly it is a long list. Instead I am blogging.

So for my one follower out there (thanks Laura) here are some pics:

CB playing the piano and J and M just goofing around. They make me smile. I feel grateful for that.

I Know I am a Grown Up

I had a moment today that made me realize that I might be a grown up. We got trees planted in the backyard. For those of you who do not live in the south, these are little gem magnolia trees. They have dark green leaves with purple undersides and bloom these amazing white flowers. When I think of the south I picture red brick houses, big porches, ice cold mint juleps (who knows what that is) and magnolias. Anyway, I am so excited to plant trees and put down roots. I never thought two little trees could mean so much to me, but when they were being planted today I couldn't stop grinning. We are putting down roots. We are officially southerners. I hope to be here long enough to see these little guys grow up. Who knows maybe I will even sit in their shade and drink a mint julep or at least a lemonade.

Sunday Night

What is it about Sunday nights? They seem to be the odd mix of happy and sad. Sad that the weekend or in this case vacation is over and happy almost excited to start back at it again. This is our hallway. Each school night backpacks are readied and shoes (with socks) are laid out. In this picture I see little things about my girls. I notice things like J's unlaced shoes. She has yet to master tying and C's perfectly parallel shoes and cleaned out bag. Cam's are laid out too, first in line, bright pink, and ready. Not to be left behind by her older sisters. So I sit here this Sunday night looking at those bags and shoes. Happy that tomorrow is Monday and that the lovelies are off to school and I can finally be alone and sad because I know the day will soon come that there will be no bags and shoes in my house. I am sad because yet another year with them has gone by. They are growing up so fast. Everyone said it would happen, but I must admit in the throws of it I didn't really believe them. I am happy too though because they are amazing and honestly even though motherhood is one insanity after another, ultimately I am better for it.

(this post was inspired by Dr.SBJ who took the pic and is a great example of one who stops to find the joy and beauty in the everyday)