Friday and Saturday

Thanksgiving weekend is the last somewhat sane weekend in a military chaplain's schedule until after Christmas. The Advent season is busy for ALL pastors. However, to the Christmas programs, Christmas parties, Christmas Eve Services, New Year's Eve Services, Thanksgiving Service, Ladies and Men's programs, one must add all the squadron parties and wing parties....lots of them....lots and lots. After 12 years in the chaplaincy, we've learned to carve out some family time during this weekend. ::snort:: I'm chuckling because Mike really only had one full day off on this 4 day weekend - Friday. Though the way the weather is looking the base may well close before our services tomorrow.

Friday we lazed around. Then we decorated. Today Mike cleaned out the ever full lent trap and hose of our dryer. We lazed around some more. We did some more decorating. We discovered that my favorite "Celebrate Jesus" sign from Messengers of Truth was destroyed last year. This was a gift from our sister in law before they became so popular. Unfortunately, you have to order 50 of them at a time - and we don't have the $ for 50. ::snort:: I'm going to check ebay for some sort of yard sign.

Mike's been at the chapel for about 5 hours, so I've had lots of time to finish up details in the living room and change to a winter look on the blog.

We bought screen material on ebay and Mike made a frame - we made our own "big screen". Though we don't have TV, we do have a projector. I'm not real good with numbers on ebay and so we ended up with about 4x the screen material we expected. Mike made two frames...this weekend he put latches on them so that they can be latched together for one GIANT screen. Part of our Day After Thanksgiving tradition is to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol in the evening and WOW was it up close and personal. You can see how much taller than Jared (nearing 6 feet) the screen is. ::snort::

Jared and Mike hauled decorations from the attic (Jamin and Josiah were working 12 hour shifts on Black Friday)

Some of you may remember that last year (with Mike deployed) I could NOT figure out HOW to fit a Christmas Tree in our living room. Ah - diagrams - floor plans! That's the trick.

I've listened to NUMEROUS movers complain about how heavy this piano is. One of our last movers split his pants moving it....but my two men moved it with relative ease.

I will confess that I MISS hiking in the woods and finding the nearly perfect Christmas Tree - but it was COLD yesterday and I was glad to have a tree ready to put up. ::snort::

Stacia fell asleep about this time. While she napped we tackled the tree. We decided to decorate again this year with the "children's ornaments". Every year since they were babies we've made a photo ornament for each child. We now have enough of these gems to decorate a tree. I cried when I put Bre's baby photo on the tree. We laughed when we saw the year that we'd simply cut out pictures, glued them on blocks, and put a screw in the top of them. Living on $600 a month with 5 kids was tough. It was incredibly special to unpack each of those ornaments. I'm not sure when we'll let the children have them, but eventually they'll each get a set.

This is the FLATTERING photo the man took. I'm still not "real" enough to post a photo of my hiney portruding from a tree.

Stacia woke up and inspected the tree.

We used to have a big tree topper debate in our home (angel or star). One year as I listened to Mike's message about the "babe born in the shadow of the cross" something clicked. That year we created a crown of thorns to top our tree. It's not a REAL one, because I see they sell them in stores now for big bucks. We made ours out of a grapevine wreath.

When the tree was all decorated we circled around and discussed the meaning of Advent, God's extreme love for us, and then we let Zander top the tree. This job will fall to Stacia next year.

Zander did NOT like the Boy Scout Gourmet Popcorn and made plain stuff for himself.

I'm really not ready for our season of thanks to be over....our Thankful Tree is still on our wall.


Mike is still not home, but it's time for me to snuggle under the down comforter. We don't get many wintery nights down here and I plan to grab a book and settle in.

Hazardous Snow Warning!

My boys think it's funny that 6 inches of snow qualifies for a snow warning. However, with now sand and salt for the roads and no snow tires...*I* appreciate the warning! We may get snow!

Today...Cloudy with rain showers likely in the morning...then rain showers and snow likely in the afternoon.. Snow accumulation up to 2 inches. Highs in the upper 30s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

Tonight...Cloudy with snow or rain likely. Snow accumulation of 1 to 4 inches. Total snow accumulation 1 to 6 inches. Lows in the lower 30s. North winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

Poll Results and New Poll

I'm closing this poll. It appears that Anne of Green Gables is the favorite series among respondants, followed by Narnia at 22%, Little House at 20%, Lord of the Rings at 16%, and
Little Britches and Redwall both at 10%.

Check out the new poll....if you were making a lifestyle change and had to choose ONE of these appliances, which would it be? I have several friends asking me and would love to have your input as well. Obviously, this will be influenced by what you already own, and current health/eating goals of your family.

Psss - I'm assuming a microwave, ok? ::snort::

Homeschool eStore Black Friday Sale

You can go here to see a list of free downloads that are available today and tomorrow from this company. There are some great notebooking pages, unit studies, worksheets, math and science etc. I posted earlier listing what I'd been told was available but wanted to share the direct link to the page from which you can download.

My kind of Black Friday shopping - from home and FREE!

Advent Inductive Study

I wanted to be sure to share an advent study that we've done for years. It takes a bit of work. I've given it to my older children to do on their own, we discuss aspects of it, the younger kids love the coloring....we've used it in a variety of ways.

Take a look here and see what you think.

Thanksgiving 2007

Mike and I started the day off by going to the Dining Hall. Mike said the prayer, we greeted and visited students, I sat down and had a nice conversation and cuppa tea with another young lady and waited for Mike to show up. ::snort::

This impressed me - the Mayflower from produce....it impressed the food service workers that I took photos.

I tried a new thing with the turkey this year - A THERMOMETER - and roasting it for an hour at 350* and then about 20 hours at 200. It was juicy and tender. Loved the set you bought Mike for BBQing, Mom and Dad.

We had a friend's family over whose husband is deployed. We laughed that last year Mike was gone. This year Steve was gone. We HAVE to get together next year when both may be home. LOL It was a relaxing day. Photos in no real order.
Games

Mike occupied the younger game players

We gave the Chocolate Fountain a trial run - looking towards the Ladie's Tea

All approved.....

Note the left side of the fountain - WHY? Did it need more chocolate by this point????

....though we do need to think about daintiness for the Ladie's Tea - and maybe provide wet wipes and bibs...

Playing....Stacia's in a Horse Phase - which motivated lots of fun....






Mike set up "the screen" 120 inches...

Stacia couldn't stay awake long enough to even watch the start of the movie!

It was a great day with friends and family. We were able to talk to the big kids. It was even cool enough for us to have a FIRE! We even had flakes of SNOW, they melted before they landed but they were THERE. I can't believe the temps dropped 40* overnight around here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I can't help but think that last year Mike was not home on this day. I'm so very thankful to have him HOME this year. I miss our baby girls {::snort::} terribly, but know that they are going to have a wonderful day in Spokane. We'll see everyone in December.

I've been thinking and decided to post. As you sit around today and recount the things for which you are thankful, will you remember to say a prayer for the troops who are far from home and for their families who wait for them here at home?

The Holidays (birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Anniversary, and Valentine's Day) were hard for us as a family with Dad missing. I'm sure they are for others too.

If you read this, and your dh or son or daughter are currently deployed know that you are in our prayers. We are so very thankful around here for men and women who volunteer to serve their God and country in the military and for those heroes at home, who support, encourage, and run the home while the troops are far away.

Ah Thanksgiving - the season when we stop to think of all we have to be thankful for instead of all the things we don't have and want/need. May this season have been the start of a new level of contentment in our lives.

We wish you and yours the best of days with friends and family.