I have to say, I am looking forward to 2010. There are lots of plans and lots of changes for myself and my family this coming year. Positive changes. Big changes. Even though I will be entering the new year with a crashed computer, I will come out of 2010 better than going in. :-)

I have a few errands to run today and lots of catching up to do with the house. So I will go for now.

That Ol' Time Feelin' of Christmas

I have the sweetest, most thoughtful mother-in-law. She sent me a box of her old christmas tree ornaments that was on her tree when her kids were little. My husband remembered a few of them. Some of them were made by her father in Scotland. He made many things. He made a radio for them to listen to during the war. He made a machine for her to work her arm every day when she had polio as a child. He worked with wood also. This man was a very handy man to have around. His workmanship is so good, that I cannot tell which ornaments were made by him and which ones were store bought when my husband was a child. Can you tell?

I recently went to Walmart at 9pm at night thinking I was going to miss the crowd. I was hoping. That wasn't the case. I was browsing the book and magazine nook to find something to read. It just so happens that I was in luck this time. You see, our Walmart isn't a SuperWalmart. Our book and magazine nook is just that, a nook. The selection isn't that great. However, that night I found a few gems.




A Christmas Visitor by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer; and The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren who also wrote The Purpose-Driven Life.

The Good Wife's Guide
by: Good Housekeeping

I've seen this ad circulated for quite a few years now. I still like it. It shows the life of the times in that era. Today's housewife gets no respect. People look down on a housewife in today's time. Back then, you were looked up to and respected. It seems to me that women are not getting much respect whether or not they hold a job or work at home. Either way we're not very happy.
This is the season to be happy! Be joyful onto the world. Let the earth rejoice and sing!




Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Enjoy the lights that sparkle and shine for us to remember... What are you going to remember. Those yummy little sweets that your loved ones made for you when you were little? How about those shiny presents that sat under the tree?




Oooh. There were twinkling lights and bright shiny ornaments on my christmas tree when I was growing up. I use to sit at the bottom of the tree looking up through the branches and just watch the lights dance. That was my favorite spot. It was so magickal looking through the array of lights and color. I still love it!




This year I wanted to do something special. Something different. Something that the kids would remember and enjoy. What did we do? We bought a real tree. I have never experienced a real tree for christmas and I wanted my kids to know what it was like. To have the smell of pine throughout the whole house when waking up. I have to say, it truly is a remarkable thing. Now I have to admit that I have been debating this for quite a number of years now. We did have a prelit fake tree that we've used for years. But the lights quite working so we threw it out last year. So this year was our opportunity to go either way. We could always buy a prelit tree on clearance after christmas when they all go clearance we reasoned with ourselves. I was a little hesitant about the shedding. I've heard stories about how the needles were always a mess on the floor. And being the O.C.D. person I am about little stuff like that all over my floor, I didn't know if I could overlook something like that. But let me tell you... I LOVE LOVE LOVE this tree! I can handle the needles on the floor. I vacuum them right up. Not even every day. And when I vacuum another room, it fills the air with fresh pine scent too from the needles in the vacuum bag. So not entirely a bad deal if you ask me.


Now you go on out there and find you a real Christmas tree before they are all gone! Put all your ornaments and lights on it and go wild. Do something different than those magazine pictures. Make your tree special to you!

Have a Merry Christmas y'all!

Tired. So very tired this morning. I have weaned baby from breast to bottle and formula this past weekend and so far she is weaned rather smoothly. However, those middle of the night feedings are not what I am use to. This is the earliest I have ever weaned onto the bottle with formula for any of my kids. I have come to love the ease of breastfeeding at night and sleeping with my bundle of joy next to me. But now, when she wakes from hunger... I have to get up, walk half asleep to the bathroom, mix her formula which is more clumpy than it is during the day, and pour into her bottle, and then walk half blinded from the lights back to bed and then get baby girl and feed her. Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there. Then there is burping, hoping she doesn't wake fully, and diapers if there is a messy diaper... it continues. I love my baby girl and I'm loving having the energy during the day to get my house on a routine and clean now that I've switched her to formula. So I am just learning to deal. I did order one of those handy dandy day and night bottle warmers from Amazon. It will be so much smoother using one of those because you can store 2 bottles in the rear part of it and it will keep it cool for me! How cool is that? I have Amazon Prime, so I have 2 day free shipping! And oh how I could use that like right. now. I also ordered more of the bottles that she tends to favor. They are the Playtex Ventaire Wide. My last baby loved those too. These are suppose to be a little easier for baby to switch from breast to bottle with the "wide"ness of it. They are also BPA free for those of you following that.


This is what I am going to be doing a lot of today. Computer time. (I broke that lock/unlock thingy off the key chain a few months ago. The hole for the ring to go through is broken. Does anyone know how much those thingies cost? It's a Ford.



And a lot of this.
The only thing I have on my to do list today is:

1. fold and put away laundry
2. clean inside oven (already have the cleaner sitting in it)
3. ... wow. I thought I had something else to put here. I guess I really am taking a rest day.
   

I am using this day to relax. I am still really tired and it's almost lunch time. This is just going to be one of my rest days. I need it apparently. The sun is in and out of dark clouds most of the day. I washed the outsides of the windows this morning since it was cloudy. I'm glad I got that done. Some of them were quite dusty and dirty. The baby is in her swing napping and the girls are in the living room watching Dora the Explorer's Christmas episode. I've got bath towels in the dryer and a handmade crochet blanket my grandmother made for my husband in the washer with a homemade crochet baby blanket a neighbor made for the littlest one here. The next load to wash today is my bed sheets and that is all I'm doing today. Dinner is thawed in the fridge just waiting to be grilled or broiled. We're having steak for dinner. Not sure what sides will be fixed with it, but that won't be a problem. I may even make some homemade bread again tonight. Last night's bread was really good. Okay, off for my nap on the couch with the girls.

Wow. What a day today! I got a lot done considering I have an 8 week old baby here with me. She has been napping a lot today.

Here is a snapshot of my day today.

Woke up at 5:30am.
Took medicine
Helped take trash to curb for trash day
Saw husband off for work
Checked email, facebook (family emails on it too)
Nursed littlest one then laid in swing for morning nap
Spent quiet time on computer before waking oldest up for school
Woke R up for school, takes his medicine, sock hunt and off to school
Straighten living room floor ready to vacuum
Girly Bear wakes up and santers downstairs
Vacuum living room floor (pine needles from tree)
Nursed baby girl again and down for nap again
Then Monkey Girl comes downstairs and change her diaper and get her dressed
Baby Girl wakes up fussy, so get wrap on and snuggle her in the wrap and walk outside to calm her down
Walk to neighbors house to visit for a few minutes
Come home and fix breakfast for the girls (grilled cheese sandwhiches this morning)
Lay Baby Girl back in swing
Start dinner and get it simmering on stove
Continue with laundry, sorting, folding, ironing, hanging, ect.

None of this is in complete order. The laundry for instance, is an ongoing thing. Little bit here, little bit there, and then put away. Also, nursing Baby Girl is an on again off again ordeal also. The diapers between the two keep me on the floor a lot too.

Christmas Joy!

I love this time of year. (I like all the seasons for their own reasons, but this is my favorite.) The lights and the smells just make my heart go pitter-patter. Having a fireplace glow with the warmth of the logs burning. Watching the faces of my children in awe as they stand at the tree with the lights and decorations hanging. Cooking the special dishes that comfort the little tummies for time to come. This is the time of the year that is all about comforting and joy. This is why it is my favorite.


Here is one of my Christmas favorites:

Christmas Joy by Susan Branch