PLAYMOBILE MEETS CERAMICS...


I tend to glance at the nativities a lot this time of the year. I love them. What a concept! Amazing! The God of the universe would choose to come reside with us - as a baby!


This year, I finally have a little playmobile nativity for the younger ones. Zander must take things apart - and put them back together too.



I glanced over and low and behold.....playmobile has met the real nativity...the one the children are not to touch. I'm quite certain there was no man on this camel earlier in the day....and what IS that wise man doing with a small camel???

Ah - the donkeys are kissing according to Zander....

Never fear! The lights are in good hands????

These boys grew UP hearing of the year I tried to hang lights with packing tape.....and the lack of success that I experienced. We drove home from church and I was so proud to surprise Mike. All the lights had fallen and were in lying in brightly colored pools of snow. I'm sure THAT won't happen here...but DUCT TAPE????

When I asked I was told it was either that or have this mess of lights hanging down from the roof???? Jamin suggested they decorate the tape, maybe draw holly on it.... I shook my head and came inside....after all the lights will be UP and that's what matters!

SUNDAY

Sometime in the middle of the night it became apparent that Zander could not breathe. Stacia was also stuffy. In the a.m. I discovered that Arielle and Nolan had sore throats, coughs, feverish, and were congested as well.

I had plans to be at our local BX by 10:00 a.m. anyway. I headed out on a mission to earn a free gift card for being numbered in the first 100 customers and to snatch a very special couple of items for Christmas. Can't say more here because my children all read the blog. Jamin came with me. We added lots of meds to the list and produce, as we are low on most items and not doing another co-op order until Friday.

As Jamin and I waited to buy our items, we were told that one of the items we had had an upgrade - much nicer for the same price.....so home I ran to pick up the one I'd purchased of lesser grade and back in time to snatch the better item for the same price. Great deals.

We bought a host of over the counter meds.

Josiah discovered the light hanger clips I was sold are NOT the ones we need. He headed back to return them and get what we need. I vaguely hope to make it to chapel tonight but with 4 sick younger ones, it may not be nice to do that to the older boys. I had one week at chapel. I will call and make arrangements to pick up the toys tomorrow.

While the boys hang lights, I'm working on a Shop Natural order. I also printed out a cover letter, two transcripts and summary sheets of last year's work for NARHS.

Got a call from the BX. I entered some drawings. It appears I won another $25 gift card to the BX. I was hoping for the Ipod or PS3..... maybe yet. LOL

Hmmm....can't find our projector....we really need that lighted nativity scene now....

Saturday

1. Student thanksgiving shindig at the base. Nolan went with me. He enjoyed playing with friends while I helped. Things were going so smoothly that I left after about an hour.

2. Nolan and I popped over to the BX. We happened upon a sale. 20% coupon off for today and two more for Sunday. They have to be used before noon and "one per customer". Tomorrow they will be giving away gift cards to the first 20 customers....we may try for it. I plan to go back and get Bre and Krista's gifts tomorrow...if they didn't sell out today. 20% off brings a better item down to local prices and there are no taxes on base....win/win.

3. The boys were going to work on lights. They got them all out and tested.

4. The boys were able to meet with friends (Scottie, Mikey and Matthew) to go paint balling. They then went out to Steve and Debbie's to hang out and have pizza. Josiah came home early to go to work.

5. Steve brought Jared and Jamin home. They and Mikey played some more while he tried to fix the crashed computer. No go. The info is there but you simply can't access a thing. He thinks we are at the "wipe and reboot" stage...but I really don't want to loose all my info on that computer. sigh.

6. While the boys were out the littles and I headed to Lowes. They were out of the giant lighted nativity I wanted. LOL They also did not have the hangers we need to put the lights up.

7. We went to Home Depot.

8. We went to Hobby Lobby.

9. I wrapped Mike's Christmas gifts. I got a package of goodies ready for the girls. I got a package ready to mail to mom. I will have to find boxes for Mike's gifts...flat rate isn't working this time.

10. Zander has gotten increasingly red and stuffed up. He can't breathe.

11. Cy got home from work at 11:30. For some reason his trac phone won't let him call out...he has a zillion minutes on it. I hate computer troubles.

RASCALLY CURSOR!

Well, I fixed it. Sort of. I figured out how to move it from the top of the blog...but now the code is displayed. ::snort:: I think the code bugs me less than having it flashing up top.....at least it's where I put it but for the life of me I don't know why the code is displayed. LOL

OK, ya'all I NEVER claimed to be a computer whiz....I have learned what little code I know, and how to blog by jumping in and doing it....so if any of you can figure that out - let me know otherwise, I'm not going to worry about it. LOL

I AM still trying to figure out how to move a graphic back to the top right corner across from the tickers....I HAD it before Beta - I can have it again. LOL

*Dead Days of Summer by Carolyn Hart*

This was one of the first mystery series I read. This book is part of the Death on Demand series. Annie Darling runs a mystery bookstore on a quaint SC sea island named Broward's Rock.

Dead Days of Summer brings back memorable characters: Annie and Max Darling, Emma, Henny, Ingrid, Laurel....this time they must solve the mystery of who set Max up for murder.

There are several things I enjoy about this series. I enjoy the relationship between Annie and Max. I always like a book that shows a married couple working together and enjoying one another's presence. I am also a book addict and love the little asides on various mysteries and authors that Carolyn Hart includes.

This specific book kept me guessing a bit longer than most. I enjoyed that.

I've tried to read Ms. Hart's Henrie O series and haven't been able to get into it - but maybe I'll pick it up again one of these days - soon. {G}

The Day AFTER....

I'm baking a couple of turkeys. It may be a late night as I need to get them deboned and bagged so I can take them to the base tomorrow a.m. We're doing a Praise Band Concert, turkey sandwhiches/football thing for students.

Josiah had to work...ugh.

The rest of us brought decorations down from the attic. We brought in all the fall decorations and get them stowed away. I thought we'd do the lights but Jamin flat out wasn't going to do them without Josiah and Dad around. He had some valid points...so we focused on the inside.

Last year the tree went where my birthday hutch now resides. We moved furniture around and around and things simply weren't going to fit this year. The younger ones really wanted the tree up. Have you ever noticed that a room that is FULL can often fit "one more thing"? The 7.8 foot OR pine is now in my bedroom. The recliner and table that were in the corner are now blocking Mike's dresser....LOL The crib was moved from the foot of the bed to block my side of the bed. BUT - it all fits.

Boxes and boxes of decorations

Stacia offers support as Jamin puts the tree together

We used to hang all stockings from the mantle...but they don't fit any more. Several years ago we began to use wreath hangers to hang the stockings on bedroom doors. I still put the "believe" up because it always reminds me of that wonderful word study. {G} BreAnne and Krista's stockings hang at the mantle waiting for their return. The sled on the right is mine from childhood.

We moved the recliner and set up our "main nativity" here...the crate holds all our Christmas books

The hutch with winter finery....former home of ye ole Christmas Pine

We took everything but the sound system & aquarium out of the entertainment center. I filled it with nativities and a few snowmen. Jamin put the Christmas Village along the top.

This year we decorated only with the picture ornaments we've given the kids each year....and the new ornaments that Mom sent for this year

Piano has ornaments with the children's picture hanging from it & snowmen

When Cy got home from work, we finally opened the 11 boxes Mom and Dad had sent last week (several were shoe box size). Each year Mom gives everyone an ornament so we hung those on the tree. There were some birthday gifts and some Christmas gifts that we put under the tree.

My Mom's packages are notorious for being well-taped.

Stacia claimed the pink tea cups and saucers....