Black Friday (the title that won't show as a title ::snort::)
Does anyone find it ironic that we celebrate contentment and thankfulness on Thursday and literally trample others to get into the stores on Friday? ::snort::
No, I am not a 4 a.m. Black Friday Celebrant. Josiah and Jamin, however, understand the significance of this day for retailers. I can't wait to hear how big of a day they had today at the restaurant. ::snort::
I did a bit of shopping today. I discovered the very things I had briefly considered getting up early to fight for, were available online with free shipping. I took care of several family members that way.
It is not in our budget this year to buy PJ's for 12 folks. I compromised and bought some cute t-shirts. I decided to check at a store that usually has some cute ones and they were on sale....so I bought those.
I also went out to buy DUCK TAPE! Why? So we could decorate! We've come a long way since the days when we refused to put up any Christmas decorations. LOL
Wow - it takes MUCH longer to decorate, when the older four are not around to help. The ones at home really pitched in....but our work force is greatly reduced as the older ones leave home and/or get a job that requires working on Black Friday.
As always, we had two missing boxes, and so we didn't finish everything today. ::snort:: There is still tomorrow.
This is part of the pile of decorations we found in the attic last night.
First we had to take down fall decor...
Mike put this new Nativity up first thing...I knew the lighting wasn't going to work at high noon in TEXAS...but I couldn't miss this photo. Stacia was introducing herself, "Hello, Jesus, I'm Stacia."
The Light Crew was busy - we're about 1/2 done.
Are you wondering why it is taking so long this year? Besides the fact that the two older boys aren't home to help? Mike bought this thing that all the lights will hook into...it plays MUSIC and pulsates the lights in rhythm to the music.....
Sweet Stacia was so good and so quiet for so long. I went to take some things to the kids room and noticed marker on a wall. . . then a door...then another door....then I said loudly, "Oh, NO, no...no...no..." and heard, "I'm SOOO sorry, Mommy" from the closed door. Oy vey. She had drawn all over the boys' room. All over it, with a Sharpie. Here she tries her hand with a magic eraser...but this is not the room that she covered.
Wed night in the Fellowship Hall she discovered the big dry erase board and markers. She played for about an hour. Miss Joyce suggested we get a board for Christmas. I was thinking about it. I guess she really does like to draw. ::sigh:: This is the same girl that painted our fence and patio red in the summer.
She cracked me up when we told her it was naughty to draw on the wall....she picked up her phone and said, "Bre, I need to talk to David!" Later in the evening she was talking in her phone and said, "My mommy, really, really loves me." She DOES feel remorse over drawing on all the walls...
Jamin should be home shortly - I hope from a long day of work. That's our day.
©2008 D.R.G.
13 comments:
Goodness, I can't imagine decorating for Christmas this early! LOL! I know it's traditional in the US culture though AND to have it down promptly after Christmas. For us, in the UK, we put it up much later and don't take it down until 12th Night.
Our kids have plenty of pj's now too.{g} And last year we did dressing gowns on Christmas Eve which they needed. So this year, I have T shirts for them too.{g}
They also get a book on Christmas Eve to go to bed with. Jamie chose them this year. He bought them at the Christian Book Store so I'm trusting they will be good! {vbg}
I loved your idea, last year, of having a gift for each of the children every Advent Sunday. I'm hoping God will give me an idea for an affordable way of doing this, as I love the concept!
And we do NOT have pink and purple duct tape. Lucky YOU! LOL!
The nativity scene is precious! Also, as a mom of one preschooler to another - may I suggest Color Wonder? It's got to be the one of the greatest inventions known to man. My oldest is 14 and it came out when he was just a toddler and we had it for him - and after 4 children, it's a household staple!
I just got our 4 year old the Color Wonder Magic Light Brush set for Christmas. She can paint till her heart's content and NEVER make a mess! It's wonderful! :)
~Emily from SHS
www.homeschoolblogger.com/mom24wonders
What a sweet baby girl! I Know, not the typical response to drawing on walls stories. :giggle: But it's the response about Mommy really loving her that just melts your heart. I had a drawer too. We're still finding hidden areas upon occasion where she wrote her initials with Daddy's. Too cute.
I really want to find some good duct tape colors. My kid is in love with duct tape, and I found the coolest instructions online to make a duct tape bull whip. She keeps saying she wants to be an explorer so every girl explorer needs a bull whip. lol I'm wondering what book she read that sparked off the explorer idea. :)
Dorothy, you don't have colored duck tape????? ::shudder::
Many decorate to follow Advent...most I know try to do it by the first week in Advent....we always do it right after thanksgiving - all that work, I want it up at least a month....and we usually take it down on New Year's Day.... BUT many take it down on Epiphany.... We decided to make it fit our family calendar. LOL I chuckled over your pj comment....we didn't have the $ for 12 dressing gowns either - but the t-shirts will do nicely and were on sale. LOL I'm busy looking for ideas for the 25 day Advent Box calendar and the Sundays in Advent....
Emily - I've never heard of Color Wonder....does it take Sharpies off the wall? It sounds like it's more of a toy?
Stephanie, our walmart had a variety of colors.....if yours doesn't let me know.
Hi! I love your decorations. We started picking up fall yesterday after my post shopping nap. The kids are anxious to get some lights up.
All my boys have been drawers. Magic eraser has saved them, washable markers have saved them, and the color wonder. They are made by Crayola. The paper is treated so that the marker color only shows on that paper nothing else. Cool huh? So you need the special markers and the special paper. Check out the Crayola section at wal-mart, you'll see it.
I'm still hoping to get ours up sometime in the next few days! We've significantly cut back from the days when I used to decorate (with a TREE) in almost every room of the house!
Wow, you guys go all out. I would love to decorate more, but we tried doing more outside and the things seem to take a terrible beating once the cold, windy, snowy weather sets in. We do a little, but not too much.
I can just hear Stacia...Dan says the same thing. He'll say he is sorry over and over and then he says it was an accident. I think we are confusing some words. He also feels terrible after and just can't seem to help himself. Of course, Stacia is only 3 and Dan is 5...but hey, who is counting (ME!).
Oh no! It had to be a Sharpie, of course.
oh! she's s cute. I feel like I'm missing so much! She introduced herself to Jesus? so precious. Do you remember what we taught Arielle to do when she was that age (with the animals in the nativity)?
Bre G
Thanksgiving > Black Friday story: My pastor today mentioned people who stand in line for four hours to get a "deal" and don't think they have time to pick up their Bible and focus on Jesus.
I'm thinking, yikes, MY dh was at Target at 5 a.m. on Friday--I'm not going to TELL anyone now!
After church, talking to one of the elder's wives, who mentioned sending her Mom out at 6 a.m. on Friday morning. I told her about Robert.
Another woman came up, and we asked if she'd been shopping. We laughed about feeling so guilty when the pastor had used that as a reference, and she said her first thought was, "Oh, no, ________ (another church member) knows I was out at 5 a.m.!"
Of course, our pastor was talking about the context of the gift being "perfect" and misplacing focus, not that shopping was bad. But there were a LOT of guilty-feeling people out there, I'm sure!
(Um, maybe you had to be there to see the humor, lol.)
---
I need to look at colored duct tape again. I'm sure Trevor would prefer it to scotch tape!
How precious Stacia is, introducing herself to baby Jesus... Aren't you thankful for blogging!!
:)
Now that's quite the nativity!
I'm sure it was you (on SHS) who first enlightened me about colored duct tape. Gotta love it.
Yikes, Stacie is surely an artist in training but will your walls and everything else survive this stage?!
Post a Comment