Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY December 8, 2008

Outside my window... it's a blustery day

I am thinking... I should be finishing laundry, unloading the dishwasher and starting dinner preparations.

I am thankful for... my husband.

From the kitchen... calls my dishwasher full of clean dishes needing to be unloaded.

I am wearing... my gray Old Navy logo shirt, comfy jeans, my favorite silver tennis shoes and my hair in a pony.

I am creating... mini Christmas trees for the kids' bedrooms.

I am going... to regret playing on my blog all afternoon.

I am reading... House.

I am hoping... for a meaningful family Christmas.

I am hearing... "Cars" playing in Eli's room and an airplane flying overhead.

Around the house... it's quiet.

One of my favorite things... is having a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week: To start making lists of things I need to prepare for the holiday events and to finish preparations for Eli's birthday party on Saturday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... see the picture of our house below .. LOVE IT!

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It's Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas!

I DID IT!! I got my Christmas decorations up! (I only have to put together the kids' little trees for their rooms). The house looks great! I always enjoy it so much when it's done! And now I'm excited for the Christmas season. Yesterday the weather was BEAUTIFUL! I know God created that day just for me, because I'd be outside hanging garland and bows and such. Rick put out our mechanical deer that I insisted on last year. As soon as they were operational, Brynne ran to the garage to get her gun. She needed to shoot the deer. I guess I can be thankful that she won't have any trouble fulfilling the task of the Proverbs 31 woman who "brings her food from afar." She'll just go out and shoot dinner. To hear the video you'll need to go down to my Playlist and pause it, or you'll hear my music over her talking.

In the video she tells the deer, "This is my island!" She is referring to the "island" in the middle of the rock creek that runs down our property. The creek is "Eli's Creek" and the island is "Brynne's Island."

She actually did this little routine without knowing I was watching her. I was just taking pictures. When she realized I had taken pictures, she wanted to "hear it". She thought I was videoing. So, she recreated the scenario for me to tape it. At the end she says, "I'm ready" because she didn't know I was already recording.

Incredible

Last night we got to meet up with our former childrens' pastors, Daniel and Lori Smith, and their kids at Incredible Pizza in Tulsa.  It was so nice to see them .. we miss them so badly! Dawson was thrilled to get to see Pastor Daniel.  He's never recovered from him leaving us! We had a good time playing games and hanging out with some families from church:  The Highfields, Caruths, Pipkins, Blakesleys and the Hughes family.  The kids had a blast and it was just good to see Daniel and Lori looking so good.  

This morning Kyndal, Dawson and I, and many others, worked at the Angel Tree distribution that our church sponsored.  That is such a neat event and the blessings we receive from giving to those families cannot be measured!  It even managed to put me in the Christmas spirit!  

When I got home Rick had brought the tree down from the storage room and it was twinkling and pretty. We pulled in the tubs of decorations and I cranked up a Christmas station on XM. Rick went outside to finish the Christmas lights and I started putting up decorations.  I still have garland to hang up the stairs and garland and bows to hang outside.  But, for the most part, I'm done.  Our house looks great so far!  I always love the way it looks when we're done, I just dread getting started!

Remember the Hurting

There are trees to decorate, gifts to buy, parties to attend ...

There is so much busyness during this season!  But let us not forget those around us who are hurting, really hurting.  I can think specifically of two young mamas who lost babies in the past 2 months, one just before she was due to be born and one to SIDS when she was 4 months old. I can think of at least two marriages, in my immediate group of friends, that are teetering on the edge of defeat.  I can think of at least two people who have spouses with life-threatening illnesses that have debilitated them to the point of complete reclusion.  And the spouses and children of those two are suffering, badly!

Let us just not forget that decorations are a pain to put up, and a bigger pain to take down ... that gifts are given and received and forgotten ... that parties are, well, whatever they are to you ...

Just please take time during this season to pray for those around you that have serious issues going on in their lives, and be sure that you are being grateful for the good times you may be having.  And when you're giving, don't forget to give to what counts.

It's not THAT bad!

I hope you liked my last post .. I couldn't resist!  It's not that bad around here!  (And if you didn't notice, that's not even our house .. thanks for the forward, Linda, that was very funny!)  Actually Rick hung half of our lights a week or so ago.  They are glowing brightly right now.  We still need to finish them, but this weekend's weather is supposed to be decent, so we'll get to it.  I'll post more later today.  I need to go work out!!

Christmas Decorations Have Begun

Rick got our Christmas lights up and finished today.  Told you we were the Cranks!

Christmas with the Cranks/Taulmans

It's December 3rd and I don't have the first Christmas decoration hung.  I go through this every year .. total dread and exhaustion.  If you don't know this, all four kids' birthdays are between the start of school and Christmas.  And, I am not a believer in mediocre birthdays!!  So far we have had a full-blown backyard beach party, corn maize experience and 80's murder mystery dinner. Eli's birthday party is a week from Saturday and it's a construction theme.  As you can imagine, we're not just throwing up some decorations!  

By the time I plan and execute birthday parties and purchase gifts for the kids for their birthdays, I'm pretty wiped out!  Then the word "execute" starts to take on a whole new meaning!  Like I said, it's December 3rd and no decorations have been hung.  I am grateful the tree is fully-decorated in the storage room so that's one less thing to do.  Seriously, you would think I could have hauled it downstairs by now!  The up side is that my Christmas cards are done, printed and waiting for labels to be attached and I am so close to being done (I accidentally typed "dong" just there .. which is what I feel like) with my Christmas shopping.  

Rick and I were accused of being the Cranks this year because we plan to boycott almost all Christmas parties we have been invited to.  And we usually also squeeze in a family birthday dinner with Rick's sister and family.  But this year, instead of that, we're going to all go to The Christmas Train as a family.  We haven't been since the first Christmas after we moved here. Kyndal was 7 and Dawson was 5.  They have been requesting that we go again, and I think Eli and Brynne will love riding the train, seeing the North Pole and Santa and all of the other cool things.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Now we can just only hope the weather cooperates.

Maybe, maybe, I'll decorate the house this weekend.

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving!  It's one of my favorite holidays.  Maybe that's why I get so irritated about Christmas because everyone seems to look over Thanksgiving.

We spent the holiday in Windsor with my family.  We eat and eat and eat and relax and spend time with family.  I really enjoy it.  On Thanksgiving day my dad makes a traditional turkey dinner with his famous homemade noodles .. yum!  We spend time with an ecclectic blend of family members.  We watch football.

I enjoyed my time with my family so much.

Black Friday

Well others can complain about how horrible it is to shop the day after Thanksgiving, but I personally had a great day!  Of course I think perception and expectation have a lot to do with it! No, we didn't get to Kohl's at 4 a.m. or Walmart at 5 a.m.  And we weren't willing to trample someone for a couple of dollars off (in all seriousness, I hope we are all praying for this poor man's family).  My mom, aunt and I took off from Windsor Mo. at 6:30 a.m.  We stopped at Walmart in Warrensburg, getting there around 7 a.m.  Sure it was busy, but not horrible.  And we got what we were there to get without much trouble.  Then we headed to Kansas City.  We went to some less-busy stores first .. Hobby Lobby, Gordman's, Old Town Pottery.  Then we headed to more busy stores like TJ Maxx, Target, Toys R Us and Kohl's.  We never really ran into any horrible crowds or lines, with the exception of Toys R Us.  But, they had it so streamlined that we were seriously only in line for about 10 minutes even though the line was to the back of the store.  (The economy is obviously shaky!!)  In all we shopped about 10 hours. But we had a nice lunch and a great time together!  I completely finished my Christmas shopping, with the exception of one thing here for Dawson that I didn't want to have to transport back to Oklahoma. But I'm almost done!  More than anything I just enjoyed the day with my family.  My sister and niece met up with us later in the day.  And, we just had fun.  

Now I need to put up my Christmas tree and decorations and address my Christmas cards. I actually kindof dread that every year.  I love the way it looks when I'm done, but I don't enjoy the work that goes into it.  I am thankful that last year we hauled our tree upstairs, fully decorated, to the storage room.  Now all I have to do this year is pull it down, re-apply some fallen ornaments and fluff it.  Then I'm done!  Yea!  I'm a scrooge, I know.  I guess I really just don't see the point in all of the hoopla over decorations.

Gobble Gobble

We are heading to Missouri this afternoon (after Rick fits in a round of golf  ... hmmmm...).  It's a fair tradeoff, really.  He is graciously staying home with Eli and Brynne while I go shopping on Friday.  Yes, we're doing it.  We do it every year, actually.  But we're not the psychos out there willing to battle it out with an elderly woman over the last $5 Barbie.  We just like to get out there and see what's what.  We like to go out to lunch.  To me, it's just a fun day with the girls, without kids.  I get to spend the day with my mom and my favorite aunt and my sister.  It's just fun.

I still need to get us packed.  That's what I'm heading to do now.  But I wanted to, first, leave you with a couple of adorable turkeys to get you prepared.

Brynne and her class turkey.  Her feather is the noodle one on the far right.  She also made this turkey she is holding.  She loves art projects and I am confident she did each part all by herself.

Here is Eli's turkey hat.  On the contrary, I was told he was a pill during this whole project.  He hates art projects.  He might have colored the brown, although I am sure with help, and he did draw lines on the green turkey feather, but you just can't see it.  He did enjoy wearing it, though, and saying "gobble gobble".  I told him I always knew he was a turkey.

Our family hopes that each one of you reading this has a wonderful time with your family this holiday.  Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks.  Sometimes we forget to do that in all the hustle and bustle of turkey dinners and shopping.  But, this season I am eternally grateful for the blessings God has bestowed on me, most especially the blessings of an awesome family.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!