An Advent Season 2012 ~ pt.1

Now with 4 in our home - I'm wanting to start some new traditions...having pinterest is helpful too!
Every year we have done some sort of Advent calender - our fav has been putting lil pounches on our Christmas tree, with treats and candy that the children take turn finding.

This year I wanted to do more of an activity, something fun as a family each day. This can be as simple as card making or as elaborate as snow painting. So I have come up with 25, yes 25 random fun things to do as a family. Most of these we do every year, but this time I can be a bit organized and not try to do everything all at once, and missing out on others - and in the long run not feeling guilty about not doing that special activity!

And to add to the "opening" of a window, I have decided to put together 25 Christmas books that I wrapped and randomly numbered. In each book, is the day's activity. We open up our books in the morning, allowing mom to plan out the day's activity and before bed we read the book together. I wrapped them all up, so no one can peek!!

Now, this was not an easy feat! Who has money to shop for new books, at Christmas ~ especially after all the gift shopping is done! Well, there is this great concept in our society - goodwill & resale shops...I didn't pay over 1.00 for any of the books!!
Now, over the next few years the books will change I'm sure, keeping the ones we really like.

So in my future "pt.2" post I will list all the titles of the books, and our activities that we do...since I didn't keep a list, we'll all just have to wait till they are opened! :)

baking yumminess!

I love baking, give me any excuse to spend a day in my kitchen, rolling dough, scooping cookies, crushing crackers - making the kitchen warm, cozy, and smelling wonderful!

Today I'm baking up a storm for a group coming to our youth group - I'm signed only for 1 batch of cookies and a batch of brownies....but that's no fun!!

So, my plan - cuz it's fall and you have to include apples!! - are these yummy cookies:
Apple Cookies!
and because everyone loves a good chocolate cookie:
Chocolate Cookie.

And my brownies - well, one pan just isn't enough, nor is just a box of mix...so, after owning many jelly-roll pans, gonna try Texas Sheet Cake!
Texas Sheet Cake


I will post pics at another time -- off to pull my first batch out of the oven!!

inexpensive yumminess

so this one, isn't mine - i can't claim it.
but OH it's good:)

i have 6 people in my family now...and our grocery bill hasn't gone up much - I refuse!
and pinterest...what did we ever do without pinterest - oh, i know..have recipe books, recipe books with pictures - which is the only kind i like!

this awesome inexpensive yumminess, is from pinterest!
These are mini chicken pot pies - now, i don't have any pics...cuz our family of 6 ate them all!

but, feel free to head over to the blog, that i found - again a new "friend" of mine...and try them,
you'll like it!!
Mini Chicken Pot Pies - The Country Cook

now, I only used 3 chicken breasts - yep 3...and it made 24 biscuits!!!
and to have even more fun - my veggies were broccoli, peas, and corn - yellow & green for the PACK!

Missing!

do you ever just stand in your laundry room, overtaken by the huge amount of fabric, and just stand in awe. where do these clothes come from - there's no way all this can fit in their drawers! if it's all in here what are they possibly wearing right at this second?!
in this day and age my children need nothing - nothing at all when it comes to clothes. i'm over taken by the latest sales at stores, pulled in by the great deals at resale shops - for what reason!?! to add MORE to this pile!
i remember having a few of everything - not more then around 3/4 of any one thing - my children, they can go 2 weeks + without me having to do laundry...and that's just whites/jeans...course then i'm literally doing laundry for days straight.
yesterday i read an article about how to keep the home "sane" ... her first suggestion is to not put off to the weekend, laundry; that if you do a load a day, you will be caught up.
...let's just say she obviously doesn't live here - here where on average i do 3-4 loads a day, not including bedding.
my son is a jean and tshirt kinda guy - he has tons...ok, not tons but well over 20 tshirts. oh and pjs the boy could live in pj bottoms every night of the week and weekend. so i asked him yesterday as i handed him 2 stacks of just pj bottoms...if he has room for these - he laughed and said nope, his drawer is already full.
WHOA - hold up. he has 2 stacks - about 10 pj bottoms, that i just handed him, and his drawer is still full in his room. and that's JUST THE BOY. - we won't even go into the very full girls room - a room with 1 closet fitting 3 girls.
if i took all the hours of my week of when i'm doing laundry - it's a job! i'm gone from my life, in my basement - lost in a sea of fabric - lost, Missing, to the world.

one things for sure - i'm not buying a piece of clothing for any of my children till after christmas...3 months, i could do it right? probably, i should carry a pic of my laundry room with me every time i leave the house, to remind me where i'm lost ever day.

wrinkles

my lil 4 year old in the bath

"Momma, I'm rinkly"
"Yeah you must be getting old!"
"No, it's cuz I'm in the bath."
"Oh, I thought you were turning into a grandma."
"Grandmas are rinkly all the time, cuz they take baths and showers every day"

luv her!

Care...

It's the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don't deserve

It's the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just to real
It takes everything you have just to say the word...
Forgiveness

It flies in the face of all your pride
It moves away the mad inside
It's always anger's own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you gotta right to hold a grudge
It's the whisper in your ear saying 'Set It Free'
Forgiveness, 

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible

It'll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what it's power can do
So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness,

I want to finally set it free
So show me how to see what Your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to me
Forgiveness, 

~~~~~~~~~~~~
but I have to care, just one ounce to forgive, don't i?

Having a Bad Morning?

when you are having a bad horrible rotten everything sucks, very bad day...
think of me:
10:50 right now...

almost an hour ago - I went into a bedroom to put clothes away, I then hear my precious 3 year old start screaming...'SHE'S POOPING, ON ME!!'
(What the world, right??!!??)

I walk in the living room to see...
3 yr old standing screaming
baby on all fours, with her diaper and bottoms, lodged in her "crack", and poo oozing out
3 yr old has poo down one leg, on her foot, between her toes..and still screaming.
baby has it down both legs, on arms, and fingers....and wait for it...
in slow motion...hand GOING...INTO...MOUTH.

>we pause here to "notice" the poo in the rug..IN the rug, not on.

....there just isn't enough patience, wipes, soap, spray, wash, hand santitizer, bleach..in the whole of this house.
Yeah, that's been my day...can't wait for more fun. Life with 4, yep:)