Snowflakes

Here's a fun little craft you can do right on-line. Check it out here.

Hectic Holidays - I'm Thankful

We got our lights fixed – yippee!!!


Then we went up on the mountain to get our tree. It was cold, wet and a lot of fun. The kids would have enjoyed it more if it would have been snowy - oh well. It was easy driving.




Then it was MacKenzie's Birthday! Happy Birthday MacKenzie!!!



The holidays are always hectic - I'm thankful for long weekends so we can squeeze everything in.

Murphy's Law - The Christmas Chaos Has Already Begun

Murphy's Law says, "If anything can go wrong, it will." Notice the left-hand side of the lights.

“I try to take one day at a time - but sometimes several days attack me at once.” Jennifer Unlimited-

Wouldn’t you know it, my husband and I spent all day getting out the decorations, going through the lights, putting them up. We checked every strand before we started to string them, but . . . as you can see, a section is out. I keep telling myself – people aren’t perfect. Patience…patience…patience… I had a lot of practice at this art of patience, when the kids were little - but that was a long time ago.

“I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” Gloria Steinem-

Marriage and a career – that’s nothing, try adding kids into the equation – especially at the holidays.

We, Moms, want to pretend we’re perfect - at least for our kids - but Christmas is no time to pretend. . . at least when it comes to perfection. ‘Cause, come on, you might as well admit it right now, parents aren’t perfect. Heck, like I said, people aren’t perfect.

(So, tomorrow, we’ll redo the lights.)

And, here's my one helpful holiday site for you. I'm hoping this might help make your holidays a little happier and maybe even run a little smoother: if you're looking for a holiday recipe, just click here. Maybe, with the help of an EZ recipe, you'll be able to pretend you're perfect.

It's Officially Black Friday

Today is officially Black Friday. The Day after Thanksgiving is always the biggest shopping day of the year. And my daughter and I will be out in the throng. We will definitely be buying books and a few other things.

But yesterday was Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for. I had all my kids home with me and we had a wonderful day.

First my husband and I got up early and took the dogs for a walk. Then we came home and did some meal prep. After that, Jake, Luke, Kara, MacKenzie, Lars and I all went to the movies. The Boys watched Quantum of Solace, which is the 22nd James Bond film. We, girls, went and watched Twilight. It was the second time for me. But I sure enjoyed it.

We came home and had a wonderful dinner together and my brother, Steve, stopped by for a bit. A very nice evening, a very nice holiday. So much to be thankful for. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday too.

ANSWER to Thought for Thursday

ANSWER: The Autumn of 1621. Read more about it and watch a slide show here.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

QUESTION: WHEN WAS THE FIRST THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION?

(I'm going to post the answer this afternoon - at 3:00 p.m.)

Hope you have a Happy Turkey Day!!!

A Trip to the Library - Stocking Up on Books

My husband and I ran down to the library to stock up on books for the long holiday weekend. The Multnomah County Library has a Tree Growing in It!



The Beverly Cleary Children's Library has a brass tree sitting in the center of the room. It has all sorts of things carved into the tree and children come and rub the animals' faces. The more an animal is rubbed, the more he shines. It's a beautiful sight to see.


What a wonderful way to spend a holiday weekend: reading.

And, now on to more serious holiday subjects. It's time to talk turkey. If you need help calculating how long to cook your Thanksgiving bird, just click on the upcoming link and then scroll down the page to the "calculator" and this little helpful link will give you your exact Turkey Time.