Christmas photos

The tree is down which oddly enough I enjoy doing as much as putting it up and I feel like the season is over. I know, I know, for many people New Year's eve and day is a big thing too, but it never was to me. Sure, it is a good excuse to get together with friends but it has never been big in my book and I've never really planned around it. Like many people, I make new year's resolutions, though at this stage in life they are more like goals for the new year instead of life changing things. I'm big on goal setter and feel I never get anywhere unless I have things to work towards so at some point in the next few days I'll write down my goals for the new year and then I have something to work towards. I already set out business goals for the year and will look at those a bit more and than should be off and running for a new year.

Christmas was good. The kids had a great time and got nice gifts. We went to see Marley & Me Christmas afternoon which was a great movie. If you see it be prepared and have some tissues. We also went to see Bedtime Stories (must be movie week) a couple days later and that was very good also. Seems there is always good movies coming out around Christmas time.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! Santa can now take a vacation.

It is the calm before the storm. I'm expecting the kids to arrive from their dad's house before too long (though I'm getting anxious for them to get here) and then chaos will reign, wrapping paper will fly, voices will raise, and it will be a week before the house is ever the same. Maybe longer.

Guess I got lucky!

I though I'd check out web sites about putting out grease fires, since I just had one and they said "don't use flour"...opps. Oh well, it worked and was the only thing I could think of. It did work...though we dumped on like a five pound bag of it. Had we tried to sprinkle it on, I don't think it would have worked. Seems the best thing is to use a pan lid. Lot of good it is to know that now! - Though anyone who knows me knows I NEVER fry with grease so I doubt this information will ever come in useful again. But who knows?

Christmas vacation is starting out with a bang!

Ohhh....its going to be a LONG Christmas vacation. Is school ready to start again?

I just had the fire department out. No, we didn't burn down the house, but we sure tried. It goes like this. I'm taking a shower and the boys were so nice as to make dinner tonight to give mom a day off. This morning and announced they'd make breakfast and dinner today. Brent makes wonderful eggs and bacon this morning and all goes well...except I have to clean up the mess, but that is expected.

This evening was a different story. As I said, it started with me being in the shower. After I get out, Brent comes in an announces they had a little fire and put it out (seems there was a noodle or something under the burner that caught fire...no big deal). I walk into the kitchen just to double check the situation and I notice a pan on the stove and it begins to smoke like crazy! I yell (yes, it was a yell) "that is TOO HOT" when all of a sudden - POOF. You guessed it. Up in flames!

At this point Ryan grabs the handle and throw it in the sink. Flames are licking the cabinets above the sink and as I'm saying "NO WATER ON A GREASE FIRE" ( Yes, I was yelling again) he turns on the sink. Again, you right if you think this just made it worse. Now flames are up to the middle of the cabinets, not just under them. I said "flour, flour" as I've lost the ability to think and say things at this point but knew that it need to be smoothered and there was a bag of flour on the counter. At first I thought it made it worse, but then it went right out.

At this point our smoke alarms are going off, but it doesn't take but a few seconds for the master alarms to go off which can only be turned off after the fire department comes. So after a few minutes of ear piercing alarms, two rather handsome firemen show up and peek into the kitchen, open the hall doors and leave. Though my embarassment may last a bit longer.

No damage and I've actually had longer clean up times for meals that haven't caught on fire.

I think we're headed out for some pizza.

More pictures from last weekend

These were taken Sat. evening at the zoo and the church.

A Weekend of Christmas

Saturday morning Brent, Hailey and I headed to church to deliver food baskets for the holiday season. Our church delivered 515 food baskets, each with about $100.00 worth of food to our community. Brent, Hailey and I filled up two of the 515 baskets and got our names and headed out to deliver our food. The first house had what appeared to be four or five children and a grandmother. The second home had a single mom who had 9 (of her 10) children there. She was so thankful for the groceries. It was a great experience.

Later that day, the kids and I made candies for the holidays. Then we watched Fred Claus. Which was good, but especially so because I have a "thing" for Vince Vaughn.

That evening we went to the Zoo for their holiday lights display which was pretty. After the zoo, we headed to a church just outside of town that had a "Night in Bethlehem" experience which was great! They do it every year and do a fabulous job at bringing the birth of Christ to life. We will defiantly make this a holiday tradition.

Sunday was church, then making the rest of our candies and last night was a Christmas program and then I went to my friend Julie's house to visit with friends.

It was a great weekend.

I'm done with my Christmas shopping!

My goal was to be done before December, but I just didn't make it. I had quite a bit done before that time though, so a couple trips out this month and I'm finished. I'm sure I'll pick up some more stocking stuffers in the next few days but all the major items are purchased. I hope the kids like what I got. The older they get the harder they are to buy for. And really, the boys can't hardly even come up with anything they want except maybe a four-wheeler and that was out of the question.

She looks so much like me!

I took this picture last night and was struck how much Hailey looks like me. I always knew she did, but this photo really makes us similar looking. If I was younger when I had her (say, 18 or 20) when she turned 18 or 20 we could enter those "mother daughter" look alike contest and give them a run for their money. LOL

Kids with Santa

I figured my days of getting the kids to get their pictures with Santa was about over, but last night we went downtown and there he was - Santa himself!
Santa's house was open and since it was so cold we were the only ones crazy enough to be there (or so it seemed). Santa's house was about to close for the night and was completely empty except for Santa and Mrs. Claus. Even though Ryan and his friend Jake protested a little, I convinced them to step inside for a picture with Santa. Besides... it was warm in Santa's house!

Hailey's CHRISTMAS Program

So I head out last night under the threat of really bad weather for a school program for Hailey that I'd wouldn't miss for the world. I am a bit sad about it because after 12 years of continuiously having Chistmas programs at New Central I know that this is the last year. Hailey heads for middle school next year and this is the last elementary school Christmas program I attend till I have grandchildren. Which should be a while....

Anyhow, I arrive about 15 minutes before the program and there is nothing that even resembles a seat to be had so I resign myself to standing the entire program. Oh well, I knew I didn't want to miss this.

Just when I was too sad about it being the last one, and annoyed that I was too hot and knew I had to stand there for the next almost hour someone comes around and hands me the program. I look at it. The first thing that struck me and made me smile was that this was called a "Christmas" program - not a holiday program.

Now, I've been attended these Christmas programs for 12 years now and I'm always pleased because though I'm not sure if they've always been called Christmas programs, I do know that there is usually one faith based song sung during the program. I've thought every year how nice it is that my kids attend a school where that is allowed. But this year was different. I noticed it right away. Instead of Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (or as Ryan heard and sung it for his Kindergarden program - Rudolph the "ett" nose reindeer) the songs this year were Away in a Manger, The First Noel, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angles Sing, What Child is This, We Three Kings of Orient Are, O Little Town of Bethlehem and Joy to the World. In fact, during a little skit put on one student got up and told the "real" meaning of Christmas and proceeded to tell the audience of the birth of Jesus.

Blow me away! Public schools that don't try to discourage faith and a belief in Jesus. I would have expected the same Christmas program from Hailey's school if she'd been going to private Christian school. Thank God!

I also noticed on their gym wall was a poster - "God Bless Our Troops".

So, instead of last night being so sad for me it was a real boost to know that even in today's politically correct culture some schools can still remember that this is CHRISTmas.

Today I'm allowing myself to be sad that it was my last Christmas program at school and that my daughter is growing up.

How to appreciate what you've got.

Sometimes a series of events in out lives points things out to us. Our sermon at church last week was about gratitude. Then on Monday, as is my usual routine, after I went to the post office I stopped by the Salvation Army store to check out anything new there that I just can't live without :) I always glance by the book section and usually pick out a book or two I want to read or a book to send to my mom to read (or one I read and then send to her). Anyhow, they are very organized there and have a separate section for Christian based books so I always check that out first before going to the fiction section.

A new book was there - about gratitude. It looked very good so I picked it up and for 50 cents decided I would dive deeper into gratitude. I'm anxious to start reading it as the sermon was very good and makes me think about all I have to be grateful for.

Then on Tuesday night the kids are I went the the home for the blind here in town. Our church group has "adopted" this home and a few times a year we do special programs for the residents there. Last night we visited with the residents, took treats, and sang Christmas carols with them. Hailey and Brent were very nervous about being around the people but by the end of the evening they were both saying how they liked the people and wanted to go to whatever event was held there next.

The whole experience made me very grateful. One, for having my health and vision and the other for my children being healthy and able to open their own hearts to help others.