Make it a Peaceful 2010

This one of my favorite songs that is a slight adaptation to one of my favorite prayers-the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.

I think this is what everyone should strive for in 2010...be an instrument of peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith
Where there is falsehood, let me bring truth
Where there is pain, I'll comfort you

Where there is silence, let me sing praise
Where there's despair, let me bring hope
Where there is blindness, let me bring sight
Where there is darkness, let me bring light

And with these words I speak
Grant that I may not so seek
To be heard but to hear
To be consoled but to console,
Not to be seen, but to see
To be loved but to love

For when we give love we will receive

When we forgive, we'll find reprieve
It is in dying we'll be released
Make me an instrument of peace

What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday-2010, Ring it In

It's almost a new year, so here's a What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday to ring it in. (It's not really a what would you rather do, more of what would you rather say).

Would you rather call our upcoming year....2010....

"Twenty Ten"

or

"Two Thousand Ten"

Do you get what I'm saying????

Happy New Year's Eve Eve!

Snow Fun for Them...Snow Fun for Me

Most of you know (because most of you live around here) that the "Great Christmas Blizzard of 2009" hit on Christmas Eve. Everyone knows I don't like cold weather so I wasn't really looking forward to this. When we left for church it was sleeting, when we walked out of the church it was a full blown blizzard. Good thing it was Christmas Eve or I would have been grumpy. Now that it's all said and done, I have to admit it was so fun to wake up to a (big) blanket of snow on Christmas morning.

And the kids loved it.

Here are our adventures in snow land...

Snow angels are necessary.

So is sledding.

Josie feeding daddy some snow.

Patrick nailing his sister with a snowball (in the back).

Proof that I went out sledding with the family.

Josie hitching a ride back to the car.

I hear there is maybe more snow on the way??? Oh well...the kids love it, and that's what it's all about!

Are You Talkin' to Me?

"Hey blondie...you...with the camera....what the heck is on my nose?!?"

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you...what is IT???"

"Seriously...I'm starting to get ticked off."

"You're of no help...I'm outta here!"

Perfect Pairings-Luke 2:12-14

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."--Luke 2:12-14

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Three Little Lams and WM and me!

(This was the best I could get of the three of them last night at church.)

What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday-Thursday edition

I am all out of whack on what day of the week it is. I guess that's what Christmas week has done to my brain. All day yesterday I thought it was Tuesday, even though I did everything that I needed to that was on my Wednesday calendar. Everything except for What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday. So, forgive me, and let's do it a day late.

What would you rather...

Have a white, snowy Christmas day

or

Have a dry, mild Christmas day

Whatever you prefer, I hope you have the kind of Christmas Day you dream of!

Twins, circa 1973ish

In a post while back I mentioned that I dress my two girls alike...a lot. And especially for holidays like Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, etc. And usually Patrick has is matching shirt or sweater vest. This year he has a matching sweater. I've got all the outfits ready to go. Photos will be taken and shared...pending no one spills or throws up (last year Patrick threw up all over himself and Katie and the car and the Walgreens parking lot...no photos from last Christmas).

Now...when we were at my mom's over Thanksgiving I was looking through old photos and discovered my need to dress my children in matching outfits truly is genetic.

Therefore, I'm going to swallow my pride and share just a few of the photos of my sister (who is 19 months OLDER than me) when we were younger. (Note: these photos are a bit blurry and ragged...someone in my family wasn't that great of a photog. Sorry...I think you'll get the gist).

Also, just for the record...I was an ugly baby/little girl.

Here we go...

I think this is either Easter or my aunt's wedding (we were flower girls). But we matched...even the ribbons in our hair.

This is just probably some random Saturday afternoon. But we...matched. (Seriously, look how much cuter my sister is than me).

Christmas 197???. Not exactly matching, but coordinating. That's my mom sitting, how cute was SHE? And young. Dang, I wish I had that thick, dark hair. (My sister and I defined the term 'mini' skirt/dress, huh)?
This plumb cracks me up. My sister was so much cuter than me that this is my revenge. Hee hee. Not really, I'm not a revengeful type. It's just funny. And we match, except I'm not picking my nose. And I'm not as cute as her. Oh--and that's my mom, again. Beautiful!

Still, I have the best sister ever, EVER! She brought me Starbucks this morning! I got to have my Starbucks in my jammies!!! Seriously...betcha wish you had a sister like her!

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

Secret Santa!

So...Santa arrived at my house! For me. ME! Usually I'm the Santa around here, so when a box came with my name on it (and not from one of the places that I've ordered a gift from), I was a bit curious. Then excited! And the return address was "Santa!" Yay! I knew all my good behavior had been paying off. So would you like to see what my Santa (who is still secret, by the way...hmmmm), sent me???

Delicious...I ate the whole box in one day. Ok, it wasn't one day, it was two.

Santa read my blog and know I like pretty writing paper. And are those little gift tags pretty? I like pretty!

Quick story: Just last week I was wrapping a birthday gift and had to make a homemade gift tag. I have a million Christmas gift tags, but no "every occasion" gift tag. I made a mental note...pick up some everyday gift tags. Soon. No need to do that now! I think Santa also can read minds. ;)

I'm a mommy. I have photos. Lots of them. This is much needed and much appreciated!

Cute little snowmen...look cute with my other Christmas snowmen!

Candle. Love candles. This one smells so yummy it makes me want to lick the air.

And...this...this left me speechless and made me want to cry! I held it in my arms like a baby.

I love my Secret Santa!!!

Merry Christmas Secret Santa--you really are the BEST and I wish you and your family peace, love and the magical moments that Christmas brings. Thank you SO much!!!!

Perfect Pairings-Job 6:8

Sorry I missed last week. Here's today Perfect Pairing...go see Baloney for some more.

Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant what I hope for, --Job 6:8

At our house, we're hoping for a white Christmas (not me, the kiddos).

Headwear 101

I think I've pointed out before, my 6 year old, Katie, is very fashion-forward. And as every fashionista knows, accessories are extremely important. Katie's accessory of choice is head wear.

A flower is always a nice touch.

As is a skirt.

You can never go wrong with football shoulder pads.

And don't forget to wear...this...to your next dress up function.

Always keep a hardhat with you, in case of construction.

Animal print is always in.

Merry Christmas from this little elf!

What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday-La La La Laaaaa

Last week's post was quite popular, so I get the feeling you all like the non-sensical type of What Would You Rather Do? Wednesdays. I'm all about being juvenile...so let's do it!

Which song would you rather listen to...

Jingle Bell Rock

or

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

Random...I know.

As for last week...that's tough. But I'm going to have to go with Scooby Doo. I think. I really do love Bugs. But, no, I think I'm going to stick with Scooby. Actually I like Flintstones, but that wasn't one of your options. But this is my blog, so I can say stuff like that! ;)

Ho, Ho, Ho

So sorry I've been bad about posting anything new and exciting. Like the rest of you, my life is so super busy...between Christmas parties, Christmas programs, Christmas pageant rehearsals, making dinner for friends, birthday parties, Christmas shopping, potty training, pacifier-breaking, laundry, cleaning, sleeping, breathing...well, you get the picture...my poor 'ol blog is getting very neglected. So today, because I don't have time to do a nice big post, I'm just going to give you some pics of the kids with Santa through the years.

Ok, let me rephrase...I'm going to give you pics of the kids (not Josie...don't have any of her with Santa) that I have scanned in or downloaded. Again, it's a time issue...if it's not on my computer, it doesn't make the post...

Katie's first Christmas. And the only professional photo of any of my children with Santa.

Katie with Santa when she was 2 years old-with a black eye (one of her friends threw a block at her...I'll never forget it).

Patrick's first Santa visit. Cute....and happy.

A year later...Patrick's next visit with Santa. Not so cute....or happy.

Katie giving Santa a hug.

Like I said, I have no photos of Josie with Santa. Maybe I should do something about that, but I know how it would go. Not very well.

So that's what you get today. Happy Santa-ing. Sorry they aren't better photos, for the past 5 years one of my kids have been the the "I freak out when I see Santa" phase and I refuse to put them through it, that's why I don't have many pics of them with Santa. Really...is it more important to get a photo of your child screaming in fear? I think not. But that's just me. If you have cooperative kiddos...go for it!

Happy Tuesday!

Ornament Making-Easy!

Today I'm going to share with you a super easy Christmas tree ornament craft that you can make with your kids. It's easy, pretty quick, fairly mess-free and I think you'll actually like the end product. I had my little Kindergarten Daisy Girl Scout troop make these for our December meeting and they turned out pretty darn cute, if I must say so myself. I wasn't sure since I just kind of walked around Michael's craft store and picked up random things--hoping it would come together. It sure did.

So try this at home with your kiddos. My 4 year old could do this, so I would say the age range would be 3-3 1/2 and up.

This is what you'll need:

Clear glass balls (you can get them at Michael's or Hobby Lobby...probably any craft store)

Glitter glue--color of your choice

Shredded paper (it's in the wrapping paper aisle in many colors)

Ribbon

The only prep you'll need to do is putting the child's initial on the ball in glitter glue...let it dry before you have your kiddo start. Older kids can do their own initial.

Step 1: Write child's initial in glitter glue--let dry

Step 2: Pop the little hanger thing off the top of the ball

Step 3: Stuff shredded paper into ball...you can make it in all one color, mixed, layers for a striped look, etc. Be creative. (use a pencil to kind of stuff paper down in the ball when it starts to get full).

Step 4: Put the little hanger thing back on the ball

Step 5: Tie a pretty bow around top of it

That's it!

Here's the finished product hanging on the tree. Pretty!

Super easy--it can keep kids entertained and busy for a little bit while you get things done.

One of my little Girl Scouts was sick and couldn't make it to the meeting so I put all the ornament making items in a bag and wrapped it with a ribbon. So if you're looking for a little something to give to a child for a pre-Christmas gift, this would be good for something like that, too.

Happy ornament making and Happy Friday!

Some of the 'Tips'

So a couple days ago I posted the cover of Golf Digest and the headline that said "10 Tips Obama can take from Tiger (and vice versa)." Since I'm assuming the majority of you do not have Golf Digest delivered to your home (except you, Baloney, I know you do because we're both married to crazy golfaholics), I thought I share a couple of the highlights:

(not in the order they were in the mag)...

Things Obama Could Learn from Tiger:

--The Quick Recovery-yeah, I'm not sure Tiger will be recovering very quickly from this mess.

--The Trouble with Compromise-um, apparently he has no trouble putting himself in 'compromising' positions.

--Controlling the Message-sorry Tiger, when you act this stupid the message you're sending is out of your control.

--(my fav)The Danger of Looking Ridiculous-no comment.

Things Tiger Could Learn from Obama:

--Dial it Back a Little-yeah, like only have 2 or 3 mistresses instead of 10+

--Save Some for the Losers-oh wait, you're the loser now Tiger.

--The Art of Grace-I think he's past the point of having any grace.

--(my fav from this list)-Share a Personal Moment-CHECK, we're hearing all about his personal moments.

Now, this is the last I'm going to say about Tiger (probably)...so in the words of one of my favorite guys, Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that."

What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday-For the Kids!

Here's a random What Would You Rather Do? Wednesday for ya (you know, I'm kind random in my thought process so throwing out a weird one like this shouldn't come as a surprise).

Would you rather...

Watch vintage Scooby Do cartoons

or

Watch vintage Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny) cartoons?

Betcha if you have kids over the age of 10 this kind of stuff has never occured to you before.

Happy Wednesday!

My answer to last week...I'm red and green. But I will admit that one of the most beautifully decorated homes I've ever been to for a Christmas party was done in blue/white/silver...it was stunning!

Tips, please.

We got the new issue of Golf Digest in the mail yesterday. You wanna see the cover?

Here...let me give you a little close up on my favorite headline...

Hmmm, as if things in D.C. aren't dicey enough, now we're taking tips from Tiger? Tiger?

Maybe we should think a little harder about who we should be taking our tips from.

Just for the record, I was always a Tiger fan. I used to like him.

And secretly, I'm kind of laughing at the folks in the Obama camp who are going around asking, "whose idea was this?"

Impostors, Dinos and Jose' is Back

This weekend we got our Christmas tree, hung the stockings and put out all the decorations. All we have left to do is put the lights on the house...this is always a subject of discontent at our house since WM and I do not agree on how and what color lights should go on the house...but that's for another time.

I got out the Fisher Price nativity set that we've had for several years and my kids LOVE playing with it year after year. Just when I think that Katie will not have any interest in it, she ends up playing with it for hours. We also have the Fisher Price North Pole set with Santa, Mrs. Clause the reindeer and elves. Often the two sets get mixed and the elves end up in the manger with Baby Jesus. Or I think last year Santa gave Mary a ride on the sleigh.

But this year an imposter showed up! Who the heck is that Hawaiian gal? I'm blaming on one of those shepards--I'm thinking she must be one their girlfriends. Even the Bible says they were kind of shady characters. Of course those elves are kinda dicey fellas--could've been one of them.

And if I were Santa, I'm pretty sure that I'd bypass this house all together. I know they have a Christmas tree up, but still, going to that house is just asking for trouble...or to be eaten.

Oh, and look...Jose' got hung on the tree!

We love Jose'

Happy Monday!

P.S.--I did not pose any of these pics...this is purely photographic proof of my children's crazy imaginations. :)

Perfect Pairings-Luke 1:28

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." --Luke 1:28

Meet Jose'

I would like you to meet the newest member of our family, Jose'.

Now let me explain.

I have the best, BEST in-laws in the world, my mother-in-law will get a chuckle out of this. This past summer when we visited WM's family in KC my mother-in-law gave me these cute little Christmas ornaments that she had found with the kids' names on them. Here they are:

One for Katie:

One for Patrick:

And one for our new family member, Jose':

Poor little Josie didn't get one. She's feeling so left out. And I can see how this pasty white little Irish girl could be mistaken for a little Hispanic boy. It's an easy mistake.