A Christmas Open House (Sort Of)

Welcome. Come on in. The halls are as decked as they are going to get.

I'm a little late to Boo Mama's Christmas Tour of Homes, but hey, better late than never.

So, please do come in. Would you like some sugar cookies? Oh wait, the kids and hubby ate those. What's that? You didn't want any anyways. Good deal,I'll just get you some coffee and Peppermint Mocha creamer. Feel free to bring it with you as we take our little tour.

You've already seen the wreath on my front door. It isn't fancy, but it is the first wreath I've ever had. I bought it the first Christmas my husband and I celebrated as husband and wife. This is the fourth home it has hung in seven years of marriage.

Did you notice the bells hanging near the door? There is no rhyme or reason to them other than they match the house. They are probably meant to hang over a door knob, but I like them where they are so there they stay.

As you came in the house, you probably noticed the tree to the left. We decorated it with the help of three children four and under. Can you tell?

We always used to have a real tree. Then we had children. We purchased the cheapest artificial tree we could find. Sometimes I wish we had a fancier tree. However, I do think it will be interesting to see how long this 40-dollar beauty lasts. This is its fifth Christmas.

I keep things pretty simple around here, so we don't have much more to see. Would you like more coffee first?

Next is the mantel (obviously). I put up some garland. I bought it last year from my beloved Tar-jay. It was already decorated. All I added were the gold berries. I keep thinking I'll add lights as well. Maybe next year.

The stockings are almost hung. We need to add one more hook since our youngest was born after last Christmas. I can't bring myself to hang only four stockings, so they sit waiting.

Here is a blurry close-up. The striped stockings belong to my husband and me. The floral and brown ones were made by my step mom and belong to my oldest daughter and my son respectively. The pink felt one is simply a placeholder until the baby's homemade stocking arrives. Rumor has it that the stocking is already made. It may even be in the mail. Thanks Grandma C.!

Our nativity (sitting on the hearth) is of the Fisher-Price variety. All three of the children enjoy playing with it. Baby Jesus is hiding in a basket in the kitchen until Christmas morning.

The only other Christmas decoration we have is this Snowman night light. We only have one, so it is hanging out in the kitchen. The kids enjoy turning him on and watching the bubbles.

Oh wait, there is one more thing. I did a little decorating this afternoon. I put a strand of berries on the light hanging over the kitchen table. I'm hoping this can be a year-long decoration because I'm really starting to like it.

Okay, that's it. Feel free to stay as long as you'd like. We love company. Please be sure to leave a comment so I can come visit your place. Also, don't forget to stop by Boo Mama's to find the list of other Christmas Tour of Homes participants.

Merry Christmas!

Brain Dumping

Really, I tried to come up with a better title. I promise, I did. However, I kept coming back to "Brain Dumping" and it pretty much suits what is about to follow. Don't say I didn't warn you. It will be random.



Not long ago, I stopped blogging for a week or so. I expected it to be hard for me, but it wasn't. I missed it, sure, but I also realized how I had been at the computer a little too much. Since that time, I was finding it harder and harder to actually come up with something to write about. I wasn't even blogging in my head throughout the day. And, someone please tell me I'm not the only one who does that. Please.



Anyways, I realized the other day, as I was doing dishes, that I was once again blogging in my head. I hope that is a good thing. At least I enjoy it. It also helps me keep my composure when my little ones do something that is particularly trying for me. I figure it will eventually make for a good post and then all seems well. Well, I still have to clean up the mess, usually bodily fluids of sorts, but at least my attitude is better about it.



So, there have been several posts that have been running around in this head of mine. I fear they won't leave me alone until I post them. However, new things keep happening all the time which I want to record.



What to do? What to do?



I know, have a brain dump. I'll be able to get out little snippets of all those stories that have been floating around in my head and then move on.



Well, it seems like the perfect solution to me.



Now, I'm guessing no one but my mom and husband have made it this far, so I hope you two enjoy.



In no particular order:



Ann was somewhat of a bug catcher this summer. Her tool was a cute little "Bug Bungalow." She was usually on the lookout for something to put in it. For weeks I thought about posting how funny it was that the only things she'd caught all summer were a dead fly and a slug.



Fall is by far my favorite season. It isn't even officially here yet and I'm still loving it. It does nothing to offend me. It is full of fun holidays and beautiful leaves. It can truly do no wrong. Even the gray skies don't bother me. Really, I could go on and on about Fall, but that probably isn't necessary.



Lately, I've become quite fond and possibly a bit consumed by budgeting, clipping coupons, etc. There are plenty of great blogs dedicated to that, so no need for a post by me. But, you may want to check out this site.



MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) started on Monday. I'm volunteering on the steering team and really enjoying it. It is completely out of my comfort zone which is good.



I'm hoping to get back into crocheting this fall. However, writing "back into" is probably a tad misleading since the only projects I've completed to date are two scarves and one cell phone/eyeglasses case. And, really who wants a crocheted cell phone holder? Not I. It currently resides in the children's dress-up bin.



I don't want to embarrass one of my children. But, for the record, may I say that I am very tired of a certain child sticking hands inside of said child's diaper and then trying to wipe it off. Needless to say, the poo is being wiped in random places around the child's bedroom. Yuck!



Sleep. I miss it. However, I realize no one wants to read about my lack of sleep.



And, I think that will be it. I feel better already. Oh, there could be more. But, at the risk of those things being either more trivial or more disgusting, I will stop now.



However, I saved one more thing.



Jackie at Our Moments, Our Memories gave me an award.






I'm truly honored. She is one talented writer. She can make anything interesting.
Her daughter is adorable. If you've never been to visit her, you are truly missing out. Thanks so much, Jackie!

I'm going to have to send this one over to Rachel at Badgers on the Loose. From the first time I visited, I was hooked. Her stories about life with her daughter and husband are simply wonderful. Be sure to visit and you'll want to check out her archives for pictures from her daughter's fairy birthday party. I'm making sure Ann never sees them so that she has no expectations for her own four-year-old bash. (Read cupcakes and a balloon or two.) Unless, of course, Rachel wants to plan Ann's birthday party. Seriously, head over there, you won't be disappointed.

Now, that does it. My brain is officially "dumped."

Happy Wednesday!

I May Have Even Had Time to Dream

I really like Fussy's Thursday carnival of focusing on life's positives. I do believe I'll participate again this week.



In fact, I have a couple of things I'm quite thankful for this afternoon. One of those is sleep. As in, I HAVE SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS. Sorry about the caps, but that statement necessitated their usage. All three children have let mama sleep. There have been no night time visits from Chris. Also, Jane, all 18 pounds of her, finally seems to think she can make it through the night without a quick snack. Yippee!



I'm also grateful for sleep of the nap time variety. You certainly won't catch me complaining that all three of my children are currently napping. I love them dearly, I do, but quiet is sometimes nice.



The other thing I'm very grateful for today is successful potty training. I admit it. I didn't want to do it. I was all for waiting until Chris turned 3 next May, but, the little guy was showing all the signs of being ready. He has done well. Perhaps a little too well. That is to say, he really likes the process of going potty. Rather than take care of business all in one clean sweep, he likes to poop and peek. This means he gets off the potty two to four times while taking care of business. At the risk of starting to complain, I'll just say I'm grateful that he is going in the potty. Again, yippee!



Oh, wait, I do have two more things I'm thankful for this summer day. First, thanks to Michelle at Life With Three for giving me the Arte Y Pico award. I'm truly honored. If you haven't read her before, please check her out. She is also the mama to three young children. She posts abouts about their lives and throws in some wonderful recipes too. Thanks Michelle!



Then, as if that wasn't enough, Holly at June Cleaver Nirvana gave me this.




Holly's blog is one of the most entertaining and original ones I read. I stop by frequently because reading her posts never fails to make me smile and usually I laugh out loud. Thanks Holly!



Now, I wouldn't want to be the one to stop the traditions, so here goes.



I'd like to pass the Arte Y Pico award on to Kelsey at My Sweet Life. I really enjoy the way she obviously loves on the children she nannies. In addition, her photos are fantastic. I'm also sending this award over to Chaotic Joy at Joy in Chaos. I recently found her blog and am loving it.



I'm sending the I Love You This Much Award on to Kelly at Love Well. Her posts always make me think about the truly important things in life. It also doesn't hurt that she posts some pretty adorable pictures. This award also goes out to Deidre a For Such a Time as This. She shares from her heart and her posts frequently inspire me. Finally, I'd like to send this one over to Fussy at Mrs. Fussypants. To say that I admire how she handles herself during times that might try one's patience is an understatement. She always makes me smile.



Wow! That was a lot of linking. I'm tempted to skip proofreading this and go straight to publishing. I'm getting a bit tired. It must be all that sleep I got last night.



Happy Thursday. Hope your day is full of things that make you grateful.