Boys Night

A few nights before Christmas last week, my hubby came home and said, "Boys, we're going out for dinner and shopping for Mommy for Christmas, so grab your coats! And Mommy can't come 'cause it's a boys night out!" Well, they thought this was just great! :) I was watching my youngest for any signs of mixed feelings about leaving me behind, but he grabbed his coat and followed his big brother and Daddy out the door without one backward glance! They were on their way to chicken nugget land and Ollies (a local discount warehouse kinda store) to spend their couple dollars on beautiful gifts for Mommy! :) Oh what a night they had! They came back through the kitchen door a few hours later with secrets to wrap and new kid's meal toys that had blinking lights! It just doesn't get any better! They wanted to tell me so badly what they had bought me, but were able to restrain themselves and kept their secrets quite well!

Christmas morning came and it was so beautiful to watch their faces watching me open their gifts and find out their secrets! They had discovered that it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive. (Well, at least AS blessed to give as receive--they really liked opening their gifts, too!)

My new pumpkin spice candle from Garrett is burning beautifully in the kitchen and my cute picture frame from Carson is soon to be filled with photos of my three favorite guys! :) So, I enjoyed a peaceful evening with a cup of coffee and a book, while they made a memory and began learning a valuable lesson. Definitely a successful night for all!

I Resolve to Have More Resolve

I always make a list of New Years resolutions, and after a few weeks of valiant effort I fail miserably and don't think about those goals again seriously for eleven months. So, what am I doing this week, but pondering some of my January 2009 resolutions. I have to say, there were a few personal goals which I don't care to elaborate on that I've made some progress on in the past year, but there are oh so many others . . . but, I'm not going to dwell on the past, only the future! So, here are a few things I plan to work on beginning immediately! And I'm hoping that blogging about them will afford me some kind of accountability! Ha! Yeah, right! So, anyway, here's my list so far. . .

1. Using that elyptical machine that's been a clothing tree in our bedroom for way too long!

2. Eliminating a lot of the sugar from my diet, and adding some vitamins and other good stuff!

3. Cutting back on my daily intake of coffee, since I can't drink it without LOTS of cream and sugar! One cup in the morning is my goal, but, this is gonna be a challenge.

4. Read more books, and watch less television! I've already started working on this one!

5. Dusting off my sewing machine and starting some projects. I wish I was more skilled, but it's not gonna happen unless I practice!

6. Try to do my grocery shopping every two weeks instead of every week. Ha! We'll see how that goes.

7. And, just maybe, I will try to work on not biting my nails! This WILL take some dedication, let me tell ya!

These are only a fraction of the changes I want to make, but when I begin seeing progress in these areas, I will add to the list. NOT before! :)

So what do you all think about New Years Resolutions? Do you make them, do you usually keep them if you make them, or do you avoid the whole resolution-making process altogether?

New Years is Blowing In

Brrrrrr!!! Very windy and cold today! Good day to stay in and do some blog maintenance, I'd say! :) And I can't stand it another day. . . the Christmas decor has got to go! Busy day ahead! Hubby is going to have to pick up the milk I forgot at the grocery store yesterday because I'm certainly not setting foot out on this frigid blustery day with two little boys just for milk! Ugghh! Why do I forget one important thing on the grocery list EVERY WEEK! Oh, and the number of times I did ridiculous things in the past week, like try to warm up my cup of coffee in the freezer instead of the microwave, is just too scary to count!

Anyway, can't believe 2010 is only a few days away! Gonna do a few things differently in 2010. So this week is definitely a planning/organizing/catch up week. Then we'll kick off the new year with another nice relaxing three-day weekend with Daddy around! Really looking forward to it! And I'm hearing rumors of another possible snowstorm to bring in the new year!

Hope you all are having a relaxing week and making plans for something fun this weekend! 2010! WOW! Where did this decade go?

The Christmas Story

Luke 2:1-20

"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angles were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."

A Special Day at Mom-Moms!

A very special Christmas tradition we started a few years ago is having a cookie baking day at Mom-Mom's house! Garrett and Carson love cutting out the sugar cookies and decorating them. Whoever eats them will definitely get a sugar high as some of them have more decoration than coookie ! :)

This year was extra special because we got that snowstorm a day or two before our day at Mom-Mom's, so we baked our cookies in the morning and went out to play in the snow in the afternoon! They have a MUCH bigger yard with several hills to sled on! This is where Garrett figured the whole sledding thing out, to be able to sled on our little man-made hill in our flat backyard at home.

A blanket of snow makes everything beautiful, even Pop-Pop's woodpiles! :)

Winter is Here!

Garrett has been waiting for two years for snow to play in! The last two winters we had more ice than anything - nothing conducive to making snowballs, a snowman, or going sledding. So, Garrett was quite ecstatic to wake up Sunday morning to roughly 10 inches of white powder to get out and just roll around in! He couldn't stop giggling! :)

And three days later it's still here due to these utterly frigid temps! The boys couldn't be happier, and it has helped keep their anxious minds off of waiting for Friday to get here, too! :)

Garrett quickly figured out how to work his "sled", and proceeded to give Carson some pointers until they were both sliding down our little man-made hill all by themselves! (Our yard is flat, so we spent a good bit of time building a small hill by the garage first!)






Then Garrett tried getting a little tricky going down the little hill all different ways. :) Oh, such fun!






























Carson loved going down on his back with his legs up in the air! He giggled all the way down every time! :)













We are definitely looking forward to more sledding fun this afternoon and again tomorrow before the rain comes in the middle of Christmas day to wash it all away! I have a feeling it's going to be a snowy winter, though! I just LOVE it! Why have winter without white snow to make the bare gray landscape beautiful and give us plenty to do outside! Hurray for one of God's many miraculous creations - SNOW!!!!

Pointing to Christ

I just love this season, don't you? A whole month chock full of festivities with family, friends, at church, and around the community. For our family, all of it centers around the reason for the season, the birth of Christ!

My pastor's wife gave a devotional at our ladies' Christmas brunch earlier this month and she challenged us that in all our celebrating this season, to be always pointing people to Christ! That should be our main focus as we celebrate Christmas. It was a reminder to me and has made me more thoughtful of my purpose as I'm planning and doing this December! The birth of our Savior is great cause for joyous celebration! What a precious gift of salvation we have been given through Jesus' birth, and all we have to do is receive it! Do you believe that our Savior was born in a lowly manger for the purpose of dying in our sinful place in order to give us the most precious gift of all . . . eternal life? There is truly no greater gift! How fitting that we celebrate this holiday for a whole month! Merry Christmas to you all!!

Tis the Season

Is it just me, or did December arrive sooner than expected? (And snow on the ground already, too!) So, we've been scrambling to decorate and bake and memorize lines for church programs. All fun, but scrambling none the less. :)

I let the boys decorate the tree again (with just a few minor adjustments from me, of course). And I skipped some time consuming tasks like stringing popcorn for the tree, and lights on other shelves and windowsills. I really don't miss any of it, and it saved me loads of time. Instead, we spent time on Christmas projects the boys could enjoy, like making green and red paper chains, paper snowflakes and other ornaments, and Christmas themed bulletin boards for school.

Yesterday was almost entirely devoted to getting a Christmas card photo taken. NOT an easy task, I must say! Getting the boys and their dog all bathed, the boys haircuts, clean clothes, and all smiling and looking at Mommy and the camera simultaneously. . . pretty much impossible! However, after MANY clicks, there are a few photos that will work, I think. And while the dog was freshly bathed the boys got to enjoy playing with her in the house for once. All in all, a pretty good day! :)

So far December has been cozy and festive! I'm so excited for the rest of the month spent celebrating the precious birth of Jesus with family and special friends! What a joyous season, indeed!

Gobble, Gobble!

So, we got a little crafty yesterday and these are our new little friends! Daddy gave the boys some grouse feathers from his hunt last weekend, and told them that Mommy would help them make a turkey! Ha, thanks, honey! :) So, of course, I immediately looked up Martha Stewart online and found some great ideas. We sort of combined ideas from several of her holiday crafts and came up with our own interesting looking gobbler!

I've got to say, these turkeys turned out better than I thought, and Garrett and Carson were beside themselves with excitement over them! Even Daddy was impressed with our craftiness when he came home from work yesterday.

Now it's on to the baking for tomorrow! Just one of the many things I am thankful for is that I am NOT responsible for the big Thanksgiving Meal! Both my mom and my mother-in-law still host the big dinner, so thankful me only has to make a dessert or two. And yes, that means we get to stuff ourselves twice tomorrow at both family dinners! :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Enjoy your time with family and the many blessings from our Great God!

An October Day in Pictures

Cousins Come to Play

It's not often that all these cousins get the chance to play together, so last month when the mid-western faction of our family came to visit, the kids packed as much outdoor play into one sunny afternoon as they possibly could! Complete with pirate sword fights and lots and lots of mud, thanks to the previous week of rain.
This is the gang after chowing down at Mom Mom and Pop Pop Barr's. My how times have changed! It used to be six adults at the table and now six kids have taken our spots! :)


My boys so enjoyed their cousins that it took a few days for the sad faces to disappear after they had gone. I'm sure by the time they have another play date, they will all be a few inches taller and be interested in different things. But for now the boys have great memories until then! :)

The Letter "I", Tomatoes and Pulleys

So, we are in the swing of things as far as kindergarten goes. However the fact that school begins in the weeks when the gardening harvest is at full tilt is kind of tricky.
I've got tomatoes coming out of everywhere, along with string beans, carrots, and peppers. And I'm still in the beginners category when it comes to knowing what to do with it all!


And I have no interest in learning that right now because I'm having a blast focusing on teaching my firstborn his phonics and math! I'd never in a million zillion years have predicted that I would enjoy this teaching stuff, but I'm LOVING it! Now, almost twenty years after I should have known what to major in at college and possibly pursue career wise, I may have figured it out! How's that for a little late! :)

Anyway, like my mom told me the other day, the Lord may have just planted this new love and desire in my heart in order for me to do my best teaching my little guys! My mom always has an insightful and very encouraging word for me! Love her to death!

Here's my kindergarten guy practicing his letter "I" all on his own. :)


And here the boys are consuming themselves with discovering everything you can do with a pulley. Thanks, Daddy, for a little science lesson. :)

Follow My Blog

Hey, friends, I just added the Google Friends thingy on the sidebar, so please feel free to add yourself and follow my blog effortlessly! :) Don't everyone rush now all at once to be the first! :)

More Great Books

I found a couple of helpful books at our local library this summer. The Organized Home Schooler by Vicki Caruana and The Ultimate Book of Home Schooling Ideas by Linda Dobson. I keep renewing them because they are just so chock full of useful information. Definitely books I would like to add to my bookshelf permanently!

I was really encouraged by the first book, The Organized Home Schooler. The author packed in so much scripture that I felt refueled for this daunting adventure facing me. Here are just a few of the verses she shared.

Of course, Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, and love and self-discipline."

I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."


All very familiar verses to me, but when applied to a specific area of one's life, they encourage immensely yet again! I think I will be laminating some of these verses on little cards and plastering them all around my laptop screen and around the window above my kitchen sink. (The two places I seem to spend a majority of my time.)

Have you read any great books lately? About homeschooling, or anything else, for that matter. I'm always up for a great book recommendation! I LOVE books! Can't wait to see my son actually reading a book all by himself!

I thought potty training was going to be an insurmountable task. This is definitely a bigger mountain to climb. But I know we'll climb it, and we're looking forward to the challenge! :)

A Change of Scenery

I need a change of scenery occasionally to jump-start my creativity. So I'm trying plaid out on the blog for a while!

And things are about the change around here! It's been five years of minimal schedules and roughly outlined goals and deadlines since I've been a stay-at-home mom. But we are about to enter the world of reading, writing, and arithmetic, requiring a bit more structure and schedule for our daily activities. I'm excited, but a little anxious.

Definitely looking forward to watching the little one grow and learn! And I'm hoping the 3 yr. old will pick up some of what his older brother is learning along the way. :)

Just Hikin' Around

One of the things we love to do as a family is take a long drive and go exploring! The hubby usually has a place in mind and me and the boys just ride along and see where we end up. It's lots of fun! This past weekend we spent some time checking out a state park and campground area. Great scenery, beautiful weather, and so relaxing just to be outdoors!