Joyfully Weary

Last week the kids and I put our math and crafting skills to work and made Christmas trees out of ribbon.  Our Supplies:  foam board (construction paper would work just as well), green glitter paint, foam brushes, various green craft ribbon, rulers, scissors, glue, & brown markers Step 1: paint foam board with green glitter paint and let dry completely.  Step 2: use ruler to measure width of foam board Step 3: subtract 1" from foam board width and cut one piece of ribbon to that length. For example, our foam board was 10" so our 1st piece of ribbon was 9". Step 4: glue ribbon strip a couple inches from bottom of foam board.  Step 5: measure and cut the next strip of ribbon 1" smaller and glue it on top of the1st. Continue this step until you get to a 1" strip of ribbon.  one of our ribbons had silver balls so all the kids added 1 ball after their 1" strip - they thought it made a good star Step 6: dra...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". traditional christmas fun our christmas tree watching this boy master new skills  little girls, pigtails, and kisses i-phones and how they can keep little boys quiet long after they've finished their dinner *movie watching under the restaurant table enamored cousins and a very patient baby wren big buddy and his newest knight photo c/o  heather upside down sunglasses upside down jackets are pretty great too kazoos in church  a tried little lad with her baby We just had a wonderful last couple of days with some of husbandie's family. We weren't able to get together for Thanksgiving so this was a nice treat. We spent most of the time just hanging around Maca and Papa's house, but we did venture in to Chicago Saturday afternoon for lunch. (FYI, Michigan Avenue is a mad house during the holidays.) It'...

Several weeks ago we met one of Husbandie's former students at a local park for a little family photo session. It's really hard to narrow down favorites, but here are a "few" that particularly make me smile. 

Husbandie and I are both fans of traditions, especially Christmas traditions. We have several, but the one that kicks off our Christmas season is cutting down our tree at a local farm. We have done this shortly after Thanksgiving every year we've been married. Our first Christmas tree cutting experience went perfectly. There was a light dusting of snow on the ground but the air was far from frigid. We found the perfect tree and remembered all the necessary supplies.  Unfortunately, since that day we haven't been as lucky. It seems like every other year something has gone wrong. We've forgotten to bring cash, kid gloves, measuring tape, ropes, etc. We've mistakingly cut down the most expensive tree in the lot - $85! Our potty training two-year-old had an accident and I forgot to bring spare clothes.  I was determined to not make the same mistakes this year and I thought we had everything together. My purse was overflowing with extra hats and mittens and we h...

Christmas shopping season is officially in full swing. Husbandie and I ventured out a little bit Friday evening (I wasn't up to facing Black Friday morning crowds) and we were able to knock a couple items off our list but we still have a ways to go before we are done. One of the stores I always visit for Christmas presents is Kohl's . They have something for everyone so it's easy to cross a bunch of people (children, nieces, sisters, brothers, parents, etc) off my list in one stop. They also have some pretty great deals which makes staying in our Christmas budget a little easier. About a week ago Kohl's contacted me about a new tool they've added to their online toy department. The tool allows you to browse toys by age. I've played around with it some; it's very easy to use and is full of great toy suggestions. Here are a few of my favorites picks for my own kids, as well as for my nieces and little brother. 1) wood marble maze , 2) band in a box (...

A weekly reflection inspired in part by Bob Bennett's song "Small Graces". "these are the small graces, the little moments when the miracles come... sometimes they slip by without notice sometimes they are very hard to see other times it's very clear when they are happening to me"  my pretty little girl, who has no problem keeping up with her brothers a future swimmer and photographer *if i take her picture it's only fair she take mine :) candy can joe-joe's! a fogging morning  a tea party thanksgiving dinner! *we prefer smoked ribs to turkey a "healthier" pecan pie rediscovering christmas treasures continuing my  November list of thanks ... 18) last minute lunch invites  19) soft blankets 20) crafts 21) the smell of my children's hair 22) little belly laughs 23) chocolate & peppermint  24) forgiveness   

Last week at the library, just as we were leaving, the kids noticed an Indian corn craft. They of course all wanted to do it; why is it that when it's time to go everything looks fun? We needed to get home for lunch (and naps!) so I promised we do our own version later.  Our Supplies: paper plate with corn cob drawn on to it, tissue paper squares, glue, scissors, tan paint, paint brush, & a stapler  Step 1: Cut the corn cob out of the paper plate Step 2: cut three strips from ridge of paper plate - these will be your husks parts of the plate you'll use, discard the rest  Step 3: paint your husks & set them aside to dry we enjoy a good paint mess at our house but if you aren't so inclined crayons or markers would work just as well.  Step 4: scrunch tissue paper squares into balls and glue them to your corn ear i love how his lips get involved in the gluing  Step 5: let everything dry Step 6: staple husks...