First of all, Welcome to all those who received our newsletter, either by post or by (blushing) email. If you received it by email, that's only because I could not remember where I put your card that you just sent us---I think someone was "decluttering" my fruit basket, whickh was where I was keeping those return addresses that I was going to need. The other reason, you may have gotten an email style newsletter is because you live too far away for me to get the Christmas card there before Christmas! Have any of you ( anyone???) started putting away Christmas stuff? I don;'t like to say "putting away Christmas"...I have to add the word "STUFF" because to say it the other way just makes it sound like one is putting away Christ. Homeschooling phonics puzzle here: Why is "Christ" spoken with a long i sound, but "Christmas" has a short vowel sound for i? I have not started the physical work of it, but am mentally preparing for it! I need to make labels for my bannister lights to remind me next year how I figured it out this year. We had a Charlie Brown Christmas tree this year, which makes the clean up easier---no sweeping up pine needles and vacuuming! I am also mentally preparing for next year so that I can spend December not doing Christmas STUFF, but making Christmas memories with My family... so I can be outside with the video camera watching them do snow angels instead of last minute shopping or addressing envelopes! Anybody else start back to school this week? I am having Faith do some Math, but pretty much, it is a "gung ho, let's get everything in order before we officially start next Monday" kind of week. This includes out from under her bed, getting all the laundry done, so that nothing is piled 10 feet up come next Monday, re-organizing toys and clothes....Pat is off this week, so I need to get it all done while he is still available to entertain kids somewhat... I also am hoping that my shelves get done sometime soon...so that I can organize the closet in the homeschool room...I sort of feel like I cannot advance with any further projects until that is done...mostly because I can't reach the items I need without taking everything out of the closet first! Time for Bed now..no pics this time!