one thousand gifts #254-260

Happy new year! It's Monday.  That means it's once again time to share more of what I'm grateful for. So here we go...

#254 a new washing machine to replace the one that died.  i love that my clothes dry much faster now.  perhaps the old machine had been dying a slow death and we didn't realize it until it stopped working altogether.
#255 Christmas blessings and time spent with family
#256 the joy of giving

Bubba's new "Johnny mops"--this mom just couldn't resist giving him a "gag" gift!

#257 a really nice New Year's Eve weekend--the boys once again spent it with Grandma and Grandpa (and one of their cousins too) while the hubby and I got to stay home and watch movies on our new big-screen tv. :)
#258 my mom who celebrates her birthday today!
#259 rearranged furniture (for the new tv) that gives us more room.  maybe i can start exercising again now! :)
#260 our family chiropractor who, through "muscle testing", has helped us determine a few things Bubba is sensitive/allergic to and which may be the root cause of his eczema that he's had since he was little.  food preservatives, fragrances/perfumes (not a surprise--his daddy is allergic to this too), american and swiss cheeses, & tomatoes are all things that his body reacts negatively to.  so we'll eliminate what we can--especially the corn dogs, hot dogs, and cheetos that he loves to eat and hopefully in a week or so we'll see the eczema is clearing up. :)

Christmas tree proof!

Here's photo proof that our tree is up and decorated!

Merry Christmas!

It's Free Book Friday again!

Well, Christmas is just around the corner...just a couple more weeks!!! 

Amazingly, I got our tree up and the boys and I decorated it last night. I think this has to be some sort of record for me. I'm usually dragging it out the week before (sometimes as late as just a few days before) Christmas.  Of course, I typically leave it up through January then so we can enjoy it for a while.  Anyways, I didn't think to take a picture of it, so I'll have to post one later when I have time.



So I think for today's Free Book Friday {Kindle books} I'll stick with the Christmas theme.  By the way, if you go back to any of my older Free Book Friday posts, be sure to double check the current price of the books you are looking at--many that were free when I recommended them are not free now. 

Okay, first up we have the classic A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens because everyone should read this story sometime.
Here's one with the classic poem:  The Night Before Christmas and Other Popular Stories for Children.
And one mustn't forget O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi.
The next is a book I think might be worth trying by well-known author, Hans Christian Anderson:  A Christmas Greeting.
And we don't want to forget to have a cute Christmas story on hand for the kiddos too:  The Mouse and the Christmas Cake (it's even illustrated!)
A Little Book of Christmas by John Kendrick Bangs has some good reviews.  I'm going to try and find time to read it this Christmas season.
And The Christmas Child by Hesba Stretton may prove to be a good read as well.

And finally, a few stories by contemporary authors:
A Victorian Christmas (Anthology) by Catherine Palmer
One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson
O Little Town: A Novel by Don Reid

As always,
Happy reading!

yikes!

have i really not posted anything here since december 20? 

let me just say a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all right now!  

guess i've gotten so busy over HERE that i haven't spent time keeping up with all the regular family updates. 

Christmas was lovely.  we started a new tradition--opening our gifts as a family on Christmas Eve morning (instead of at night after church service).  that way we had all day to enjoy our new stuff.  we didn't make it to service due to the weird times they were scheduled for (5pm = mealtime and 11pm = sleeptime), but we made time to read through the story of Jesus' birth and talked about it a little before we opened gifts.  i sort of missed going to church on Christmas Eve, but we had a fun day together as a family.

the boys opening our "family gift"--new games for the Wii

we opened the gifts in our stockings first thing Christmas day.  then the rest of the day was spent with extended family--in the morning we had brunch with T's family at his sister's place.  it was a nice being able to get together and spend a little time together.  we enjoyed the rest of Christmas day with my parents.  more gifts needed opening and Mom put on a huge feast as usual.  and of course, the guys had to watch a little football.  at least i think that's what they watched.  i happily spent time working on a sweater i started back in june. (i've committed to no "work knitting" on Sundays or holidays--just like a real job, ya know!)

anyways, for New Years we have a tradition that my mom and dad take the kiddos and give us a much needed end-of-year break.  (not that they don't give us a bunch of breaks like this throughout the year as well, but it's nice!)  the boys play games, watch movies and stay up late.  this year, bubba got to invite one of his cousins to spend the night there too.  the boys are close in age and had fun ringing in the new year together.  i hear they had doughnuts at midnight.  as for T and me, we spent new years catching up on some shows we hadn't had time to watch, played a few games, and watching a movie too.  stayed up late, and slept in the next morning.  it was nice.

now life is nearly back to normal.  except for the craziness of trying to get my business up and running.  but it's coming together, slowly.  right now, i'm hoping to have stuff for sale in my Etsy shop by mid-january.

to eat, or not to eat, that is the question

...that we ask cj now when he's being picky at mealtime.

last night was our church's Sunday School Christmas program.  but before that, we had to eat supper.  and cj refused to eat.  again.  no amount of coaxing, not even telling him that he'd have a cookie (and cookies are his FAVORITE treat!) after the Christmas program if he ate was enough to get him to try the yummy ravioli my husband made for us. cj wouldn't try his peas either.  so he didn't eat.  and he got really hungry during the program (thankfully, that was after he was done with his part).  we stuck to our guns and the poor dear got no cookies, no snacks...nothing but water.  (maybe he's learning that no amount of crying will get us to change our minds about this rule!)    

as for the Christmas program itself, the boys did their parts very well and their mama was more than a little pleased.  bubba played a piano solo that he started working on a week ago.  (nothing like deciding at the last minute that you want to participate after all!)  and you'd never know he hadn't been working on it for weeks.  yes, the kid has talent.  (and his mama can't help but be a little bit proud.  i do teach him the piano too, after all!)  bubba also had a vocal solo during the song "We Three Kings" that he did quite nicely and a short recitation as part of his class's part of the program.

 

cj also did his part with the pre-k class just fine...he even said his line "A is for all He stands for" into the microphone.  a week ago, i wouldn't have guessed that he'd actually do it!  and when the younger kids (pre-k thru 2nd grade) sang their songs, he even tried to sing along.  :D

one good thing about cj's not eating supper is that he was more willing this morning to try a new food.  T, the wonderful daddy that he is, helped cj eat some apple.  yes, Grandma, you read that right.  cj ate real, fresh, apple this morning!  the trick with this kid is honey.  give him a little honey to dip it in and he'll eat it!  i think he ate at least half the apple.  it was amazing!  top it off with trying a second new food...Grape Nuts cereal with a little milk and honey (of course!) just the way T was eating it this morning and i'm currently in a state of shock.  :D  cj even asked for more!  you bet you can have more, kiddo!

Merry Christmas!

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed. Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!
(Luke 2:8-20 MSG)

That's what Christmas is really all about. We celebrate the fact that God become like us so He could save us. Immanuel. God With Us. The Great I AM. Thank You, for the most wonderful Gift ever!

It's so much fun giving and receiving of gifts in celebration of God's Best Gift to us, His Son. I pray we don't get so wrapped up in our fun that we forget to be amazed at the love God has for us, that He would send His Son to be the Light of the World and our Savior.

♫ ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ♪ ♫

i've been contemplating a dilemma for a couple of weeks now.

for anyone reading this who doesn't already know, we have 2 connecting rooms that are our living and family rooms. the first is more like a multi-purpose room. someday it may be converted to a dining room, but in the meantime it's our computer, piano, school and play room. then there's our tv room which with the sofa, futon, a big recliner, a glider rocker and a couple end tables is full up with furniture. thus, my dilemma. where are we going to put our Christmas tree this year?

yesterday, i finally decided to make room for it. our school table got cleaned off, folded up, and moved to the hallway where it's now taking a vacation. {we've been using the kitchen table for school lately anyways.} i then shifted our electric piano so it's up against the wall instead of at an angle to the corner. the futon got moved from the tv room to the multi-purpose room. it's in basically the place where the school table had been and is facing the piano. it actually works nicely, since you can sit and look out the window and watch the birds if you want.






that left a nice big open space in the tv room for our tree.

so we set it up and decorated it.






it finally feels like Christmastime around here!

handmade christmas gifts

here it is after midnight and i'm {still} wide awake so i thought i'd put my alertness to good use and spend some quality time online. well, i'm not exactly sure if time online actually qualifies for having much quality, but i know it sure gets spent quickly enough! alas, i digress!

the Christmas season is in bloom, the Christmas celebration is just around the corner, and i've been busy knitting and crocheting gift items. i have little to no money to spend on gifts this year, so i've limited myself to using what i've already got on hand. i'm finding this decision is a good one for many reasons. first, i'm not adding to my yarn stash, rather i'm using my excess. {it's really quite like going on a diet.} second, i'm not spending money we don't have. and third, handmade gifts are, in part, a gift of the time spent making them and hopefully will be appreciated and enjoyed by their recipients all the more because of that fact.

the progress of my handmade gifts as of right now is as follows:
1 knitted gift completed
1 non-yarn {gasp!} gift that is basically finished
1 crocheted project that just needs loose ends weaved in
another crocheted project in progress
and another knit gift just started today
{and that's not counting the 5 knitting projects i'm working on for myself! }

for the rather obvious reason that i'd like to keep these gifts a surprise, i won't post photos of these works-in-progress at this point in time. :-)

i do have plans for a few more gifts depending on how much time it takes to make each one, so i'd better keep at it if i intend to have them all done by christmas!

happy knitting!

Christmas 2008 memories

Christmas Eve was spent here at home and was very relaxing and enjoyable. it was such a beautiful and sunny, but cold winter day. the artist in me just couldn't resist taking a few photos of the trees in our backyard (through the window, of course!) i love how the shadows and snow contrast.

it was so nice to once again take the time and remember that it's the birth of our Savior that we celebrate at Christmas. God has given us the best gift ever in giving us His Son. i think that's one reason why we like to give each other gifts at Christmas. one of my favorite gifts this year is a very interesting knitting book from my dear hubby. oh and also the yarn & new knitting needles from bubba. ;-)


one of bubba's new books: The Tale of Despereaux. and he's not at all happy to get it. *wink*

cj enjoying all of his new books (hand-me-downs from his big bro!)

Christmas Day was celebrated with my parents (after stopping by T's sister's place for a quick "Merry Christmas" and to give T's folks their Christmas present.) as usual, my parents bought us all way too many gifts and the boys both made quite a haul. lots of new toys and some new clothes as well.


bubba and the ultimate movie gift this Christmas--Kung Fu Panda.
cj thoroughly enjoys this movie too. i believe he has discovered his inner tiger while watching this.
every time he's seen it, we've had to listen to him rawr (lots!) and we've had to take care for he will occasionally attempt his own style of kung fu move as well. thus far, he is just being playful.

mom's gift from me: a few of my favorite pics from 2008 nicely framed and matted

mom (and dad) knew i wanted more yarn, but didn't know quite what to get or where to get it, so they gave me a generous gift of money specifically to purchase yarn! i was so excited that i woke up friday morning at 5:30am! (if you know me, you know that's NOT normal!) i then spent most of the day friday shopping online! it was fun to look at the different yarns and imagine what it would look like as a pair of socks or whatever. it was especially fun to be able to buy yarns of a higher quality than i usually can afford! yippee! now if it would just hurry up and get here!!!!!

T was feeling awfully neglected that day, so after i finally decided what yarns i wanted and placed my order, i sat down and played a game of scrabble with him with our new super scrabble deluxe game.


me and the super scrabble deluxe game for mommy and daddy from daddy and mommy!

it made him feel better, i think. except i won. (whomped him, actually!) hehe. intensive shopping does that to me. we had a rematch on saturday and he beat me soundly. that's how scrabble goes, i guess! it really all depends on whether you get the right letters and can make your words fit on the board in just the right way to gain lots and lots of points...or not.

saturday was really snowy. we tried to capture a few pics of it as we four-wheeled it into town in the old pickup truck. it's kinda hard to tell in the picture just how much it was actually snowing though.

since then, i've been knitting and crocheting lots. i began working on a pair of fingerless mitts for myself. i finished the right one, then decided to start a pair of socks. since both projects require the same knitting needles, i can only work on one or the other at a time. i'm especially liking the sock that i'm making--i sort of even designed it myself--and am looking forward to being able to wear it.


brown sock #1--about 3/4 done

which means i'll have to make it's mate right away when it's done so i have a pair. that's one reason why i'm so excited about my new knitting book. it teaches you how to knit two socks at the same time...on 1 long circular needle! it's amazing! i never would have dreamed of knitting like this, but i'm so glad someone else has so i can learn how! it will be so nice to begin knitting that way (after my new yarn and knitting needles arrive). by knitting both socks at the same time, one doesn't ever have to worry about single sock syndrome! which can be a real problem. a knitter will finish one sock and then go on to something else. that poor little sockie hibernates until is rediscovered (months later) and the hapless knitter hasn't a clue what to do because they've forgotten how they made poor little sockie way back when...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

thankfully, this has only happened to me once thus far in my personal knitting history and that was a baby sock that i didn't like! i can just imagine what it's like though. that's probably why i have made a concerted effort to finish off each pair of socks i've made, even if i'm bored to death with them by the time i'm done. socks aren't meant to be alone!

i also just finished yet another crocheted shawl...it's a gift, so i can't say any more about it right now. (but i can post a picture! i wouldn't want the recipient to know what they're getting before i give it! *grin*


isn't it pretty though?!!!

ugh. T just told me it's -24F. brrrrrrrrrrr! time to hibernate myself. g'night y'all!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

this is always a special week for our family.

first of all, of course, there is Christmas. it is such a wonderful thing to take time each year to remember the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

we usually go to church for a Christmas Eve service. we were planning on it as usual, but we've changed our plans because it's at 5pm this year. this is a problem since T works until 4:30 and it takes us half an hour to get to church. we could probably get over there (just a few minutes late and really stressed), but then there's the fact that it's right at supper time. dealing with a crabby 2 year old is not my idea of an enjoyable service anytime. so, we're gonna stay home, relax, eat chili, have our own little Christmas service singing carols and reading the Christmas story, and then open our gifts to each other. i don't know about you, but that sounds a lot more fun than dressing up and stressing out!

another reason this week is special is that yesterday (the 23rd) was bubba's 9th birthday. 9 years ago on a cold and sunny Christmas day i brought my sweet baby boy home from the hospital. i remember being very tired and sore, and yet, thrilled to the core to be a mommy. and it's been an adventure in parenting ever since!

we haven't done much to celebrate bubba's b-day, yet, since we're having his party in january, but i decided to give him his new brainmonster hat (and cj got his too so they can match).



he likes it! and cj likes to play with the googly eyes.

aren't they funny hats? when i found the pattern online, bubba saw it and said "oh, cool!" so i asked him if he'd wear one. "yes!!!" so mommy made one for each of the boys.

i originally planned it to be a Christmas gift, but i thought he needed a present to open ON his b-day and since i'd already given him his tamagotchi (and the gift from daddy is being saved for when we have his party), i just had to give it to him as a b-day gift instead. speaking of his tamagotchi, here's what i've had to put up with for the past week and a half that he'd had it.



as you can see, he's totally engrossed in this new toy. and he loves to talk about his tama-family and what they're doing, what he's bought for them, etc. it's gonna get old...fast, but i'm glad he likes it!

as for myself, i've begun yet another knitting project. this time it's for me. i'm making a pair of fingerless mitts so my hands don't get so cold when i'm knitting or typing.

i just remembered...i never posted a pic of the prayer shawl i made. i'd best do that now!



i really like how this turned out. the colors and texture of the yarn makes this shawl super cozy. it's like a warm, fuzzy hug!
and since this prayer shawl was made for megan, i'll just add that we are so happy that she is home already!! (only 3 weeks since the accident!) we know her full recovery will still take some time, but it's amazing that she is home for Christmas! what a wonderful answer to our prayers!

God is Good, All the Time!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

creative gifts

i've been pretty busy the past few days. busy knitting, that is. i'm making hats for the boys. will post pics when i can. all i can say is just wait and see! they're hilarious! also, i've been attempting to read and knit at the same time. i think it's taking me twice as long for both, but i really don't care. i'm enjoying myself!

i'm also working on a few other miscellaneous Christmas projects/gifts. can't say too much about them though--wouldn't want the wrong person to read this and find out what they're getting! ha!

bubba's b-day is on the 23rd, and we were gonna have a party for him last sunday, but we had to postpone it due to unruly weather. he was a bit bummed, so we decided to let him open one of his gifts anyways. i did good. he LOVES his tamagotchi. this is his first virtual pet toy and it's kept him entertained all week. to the point that my new threat is that i'll take it away for a day if he doesn't behave! haha! he had a lanyard leftover from a VBS he attended 2 years ago that he now uses to hang it around his neck. it even matches. blue. cool.

making a list and checking it twice...

mom asked me yesterday to get our christmas lists to her so she has ideas for our gifts. my 8 year old immediately went to his computer and edited his list from last year. unfortunately, that particular computer has neither internet nor printer. thus, i get to type all his requests onto the "master list" anyways. i really wouldn't mind, but now, every 5 minutes or so, he remembers something else he wants!