Planning Ahead

For a couple of different reasons this year we decided that we want to have a homemade and service Christmas. Carrying two house payments is one of those reasons, but we also just want to have Christmas be what it should be about this year. There is no way a kid is going to be more excited about the Savior's birth than the magic of Santa. Having said that, our girls still expect him to bring roller skates. I tried to reason with them that roller skates aren't homemade, but they said if the elves make them then they are homemade. I still have some work to do there. I'm just not sure how to handle that. If we didn't have aforementioned second house payment I'm sure I would just get them. But Nate and I agreed that we're not spending anything on presents this year. And then I also keep thinking that this is our chance to be done with Santa forever. Ryan doesn't ever need him. We can put presents under the tree on Christmas Eve that the kids have never seen before, and we can fill stockings, and we can claim that it all came from us because we love them more than any fluffly old man hidden in the Arctic. But anyway, besides the Santa issue Hannah and Nikki are really excited about it. They have made their little lists of things they are going to make for everyone else in the family and service coupons that they are going to give. It is really sweet watching them get excited about making things for others. We have Kellee's family to get presents for this year on my side of the family, and it has been so fun coming up with ideas of what we can do for them. Kellee, just don't let your kids be expecting too much because we all know how crafty I am! Except I did just make a tree topper out of twigs and branches that I hotglued into a star shape, and I think it looks pretty good. We have plans for making cinnamon applesauce ornaments for our tree. I have made lists of decorations and food and gifts to prepare, and I'm grateful I started before Halloween. It's going to take a while, but I think I can really have the bulk of the work done by the end of November and then enjoy the month of December. So, today I'm grateful that for once in my life I didn't procrastinate. I have planned ahead! And I think we can make this a beautiful Christmas season that will fit perfectly into our holiday budget that went MIA.

Washer and Dryer

I am grateful for my washer and dryer. As much as I hate laundry, it could be SO much worse.

Sundays are such a wonderful day of renewal. Church was so great today. The focus in every meeting was on the Savior's atonement, and I am so grateful that His sacrifice is for me. I love this picture because He loves each of His sheep, lost or found. I can so easily picture myself as that little sheep needing His protection and care. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for His suffering, death, and resurrection. I am grateful that He extends so much mercy to me. I am grateful to know that the Atonement covers our sins, pain, sicknesses, afflictions, and can make right everything that is unfair in this life. I am so grateful.

Naptime

I am thankful for Ryan's naptime. I got my wall of family pictures rearranged and updated today without having to worry about him taking off with the hammer or getting into the toolbox while I worked. He even gave me enough time to write a quick post on the blog! "There is beauty all around when he's fast asleep."

Family Tree

This was a cool project I got from a lady at church. It's our family tree, and I'm quite excited about how it turned out -- even with my lousy handwriting. I think it will look nice with our family pictures in the living room. I just have to get a frame for it now.

Cleanliness

I am thankful for my shiny sink today. A couple of days ago I looked at the FlyLady's website which Brigette mentioned on her blog, and I learned how to clean my sink. And it's pretty neat because my kitchen has been clean for three days now. The FlyLady was right, the shiny sink really has made a difference for me.

Encouragement

Back before the sun took so long to come up in the morning, I used to go jogging at 6 am. Sometimes this guy would come flying by me as I puffed up a hill. As I struggled to manage a "Hi" during one of my dramatic exhales, he would give me a "Good morning" as if he was sitting at the breakfast table rather than sprinting through the neighborhood. He always amazed me. Today I was beginning the ascent of the last hill of my run (we live at the top of the neighborhood so no matter which way I go the end is always uphill) when I saw him waiting at the bus stop with his kids. I didn't realize it was that same guy until he called out as I went by, "Keep running!" I kind of laughed and said, "This hill is killer." He told me, "You'll get used to it." Then I managed to run up the very hill that I have walked up all week long.

I have been surrounded my whole life by people who lift me up and encourage me to do more than I think I can. I am grateful for Mr. Sprinter and all the other people who have ever believed in me along the way.

I Am Thankful

Today I am thankful for Nate. He is so patient with me. A lesser man couldn't handle the job. Well, this morning he was pretty frustrated with me, but I think it's amazing that he doesn't get upset with me more often. I better go read with the girls and get the house cleaned before he gets home!

I Am Thankful

I have so much to be grateful for. Yesterday when we were in the grocery store the girls were surprised that Christmas decorations were replacing the Halloween things. What about Thanksgiving, they said. My thoughts exactly. And since we had so much fun with our Halloween chain we are doing a Thanksgiving tree leading up to Thanksgiving. We'll add a leaf everyday with something we're grateful for. Here's mine today:

I'm grateful Ryan hasn't been to the ER, or that we haven't had to call poison control yet. Nate considered it yesterday when he got out of the shower to see him eating deoderant, but thankfully he had just started.

Doesn't he look so sweet and innocent? He is really sweet.

I'm actually not just trying to be funny with this one. I do think that he has had extra protection beyond what I have given him. He has had some scary falls and scrapes and has been into more cabinets and drawers than I have really been prepared for. Whoever it is watching over him, I'm very grateful.

Halloween

I have neglected the blog lately, and there is a lot to catch up on. But for now, since family night is on the way, I'll just put this up. Halloween was actually really fun this year. It's never been a holiday I really cared for, but our Halloween chain gave us lots of good times.

***So now that I have a few more minutes, I'll try to list out some of our Halloween activities. Everyday we would do an activity that we had listed on our countdown to Halloween chain.

decorated gingerbread haunted houses (with graham crackers instead of gingerbread, and I forgot to make the icing chocolate, so they thought it looked more like a Christmas activity than Halloween)

Caramel apples

Orange Rice Krispy treats

ghostly marshmallows

spider pops

ghost pops (since we already had the lollipops)

witch coloring page

Halloween shaped Jell-o jigglers

painting pumpkins

carving pumpkins

read a spooky ghost story (it was a children's story, but it made me pull my toes up close to Nate when I went to bed that night -- it was called The Tailypo)

made paper scarecrows, but they never finished those so this was a flop

decorated Halloween cookies

were going to go to the pumpkin patch, but that day ended up a little too crazy

made paper Halloween decorations to hang up

tie dyed jack-o-lantern T shirts

Halloween-themed paper dolls (I thought they might be bored by this but they had fun making Frankenstein into a princess with skeleton legs and other crazy ideas)

Halloween lunch -- pizza mummies, apple bites, and a melon brain

and of course, trick-or-treating!

There were a few more things, but I can't think of them and don't have pictures so they must not have been all that exciting. It made the holiday so much better. I never have liked the scary decorations and costumes. The cute pumpkins and ghosts are fun, but I just don't get why people like to be scared. Well, I do like the story "Where's my Golden Arm." I found that on the internet because I couldn't remember all of it, and Nate keeps saying "You've got it!" all the time making me laugh. We had a record of that story when I was little. Anyway, I think we may have to make this a tradition because we all had fun with it.