Apr. 25, 2008 - Is Anybody Still Out There?

If so, I'm shocked!!  I took a very long, unexpected bloggy break!!  I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say my break involved:

• holiday craziness
• family divisiveness
• walking that fine line of "parenting" and caring for my parents and in-laws
• foster parenting woes
• trips to the ER
• surprise surgery (for me!)
• an incredibly long recovery
• which included a bout with something akin to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome!!

However, I'm back ... and I hope you are too!  Through it all I've tried to keep up with your blogs, and dabbled a bit in the new Homeschool Lounge.  I've got alot of catching up to do, so expect to see me around quite a bit!    I sure have missed y'all.

Dec. 19, 2007 - A Christmas Meme

I saw this over at In Beauty and in Grace and thought it looked like fun!!

Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper! I don't think gift bags are nearly as fun!

Real tree or artificial?
I love real trees but we leave ours up so long that it's better to go artificial! It's still beautiful. I get the smell by burning Christmasy candles.

When do you put up the tree?
Sometime over the Thanksgiving weekend.

When do you take the tree down?
Usually January 1st.

Favorite holiday theme?
We have lots of snowmen, and lots of Nativities.

Favorite gift received as a child?
Probably the stereo I got when I was 14 ... I love music and it sounded soooo much better than my clock radio!  LOL

Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, one or twenty.

Hardest person to buy for?
My husband!

Easiest person to buy for?
My children

Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I can't think of anything!

Mail or email cards?
This year .... neither!!

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Chocolate fudge with walnuts in it.

White lights or colored on the tree?
Tiny multi-colored twinkling lights

Favorite Christmas song?
Silent Night

Travel for Christmas or stay at home?
Stay at home.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?
Yep!

Favorite Christmas movie?
It's a Wonderful Life

When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Ummmmmm .... this coming Friday!!

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No.

Angel on the tree top or a star?
Angel.  Each year a different child puts in up.  We usually have to look at last year's pictures to figure out whose turn it is for this year!

Open the presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Mostly on Christmas morning.

Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The lack of parking spots!

What I love most about Christmas?
Our birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Eve ... next would be watching everyone open their gifts.

If you're reading this and want to participate, consider yourself tagged! Let me know if you do, I'd love to read about how others spend their holidays.

Dec. 19, 2007 - Small Pleasures

Some of the small pleasures I love are:

a snowa nice cup of mocha coffee while I update my blog
a snowy, blustery day 
making homemade pizza
eating an orange over the sink with the juice dripping down my arms :)
comments on my blog ;)
watching Dancing with the Stars
a good hair day
the smell of baking bread
biting into a crisp, sweet apple
a hot bowl of pasta alfredo
an incredibly soft blanket and a really suspensful book -- together!
using dh's grandmother's pattern to knit a pair of warm, cushy slippers
my children's laughter

Dec. 19, 2007 - I'm back....

from my unannounced blogging break.  Heehee!!  Hi. I am not even going to apologize for not blogging for the last while. It has been crazy busy here, and I have been feeling quite overwhelmed.

I have been dealing with two emotional teens, a hardworking hubby, two pre-adolescents, two or three meltdowns per day from one 5yo, two toddlers .... sigh. I won't even mention the decluttering and organizing that hasn't happened, the cookies that haven't been baked, the gifts that have not been yet made. . .


But the deal is, I am here. I am blogging today, and I will try to retrain myself here to post daily. I need to get back into the rhythms and routines of our life.

Thanks go out to those of you who still come and check out the blog- I do appreciate you -- more than you know!

Dec. 4, 2007 - Just had to share ...

A lovely lady named Nicole stopped by my blog a few days ago and shared a wonderful story with me ...

"Something lovely happenned to us yesterday...and in a way it all started because of you...
Yes!
Because of the music you have been sharing whith your visitors!
We discovered The Cathedrals quartet and my husband thought we should buye the CD...
We orderred the 3CD's and were very disappointed to discover our french credit card did not work...
In the mean time I had been busy preparing advent gifts for lonely or sad people. It is so much pleasure to give joy to other people. We have a small budget and it was with no back thoughts that I spent quite a lot of money to send 5 parcels.
My son was really surprised I did this...but he was even more impressed once we got home and discovered in our mail box a parcel from the States with a 3CD box...Can you believe it? It was sent to us as a GIFT?????
What a wonderfull blessing and it gave us so much joy!
I said to my son: you see!!!Give and you will receive in return so much more!
My five kids werer amazed!!I do hope they will always remember this!
I wanted to share with you this lovely christmas storie!"
Nicole
http://comptines.over-blog.com

I visited her blog this morning to let her know how blessed I was by her comments. (If any of you know how to convert French to English, please let me know!)  Those of you who know me know how much the Cathedral's have influenced my life ... and they continue to be a blessing even now -- years after their retirement!