Starting the Season Off Right

As we were decorating the Christmas tree tonight, we were listening to Christmas songs. My favorite came on and, after we were done decorating, I had to go in and play it again. I love this song so much and feel that it is the very definition of what the season is all about. Christ and the love that God has for us. This version by Martina McBride is also my favorite because it has an air of reverence to it. The video has the words of the song and I think it is so important to pay attention to those words. They are so beautiful and mean so much to us as children of God.

My favorite part is when it says:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.

Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!

O night divine, the night when Christ was born;...

So beautiful. Please enjoy and welcome the wonderful spirit of the season.

13...and Cute!

Week Full of Blessings.

As I mentioned before, Mister is turning 13 tomorrow. It amazes me. He still seems like a little boy to me. I can see the internal struggle in him sometimes, that pulling between boy and young man. Halloween, for example. he was reluctant to say he wanted to trick-or-treat, like he was starting to feel like he was too old for it. But once he saw a costume he really liked, he jumped on the chance to go. And while we were out treating, he steered clear of a house because there were some older teenage boys in front. Ah, the struggle of childhood and growing up. I catch glimpses of maturing in him from time to time. But I'm glad he still plays and has fun.

He chose to have a family party for his birthday and we did it last night. I think we had almost 40 people over for it. The kids ran wild while the adults talked up a storm. Mister made out like a bandit with a pocketful of cash, a lot of Star Wars toys, a Wii from my folks, and Guitar Hero from me, H, Little Man, and Holly. It would be an understatement to say that he was happy with the day.

After everyone left, we hooked up the Wii and the Guitar Hero, well....I hooked it up because I was a little anxious to give it a try. I've only played it once, and it was the drums, not the guitar. When it was my turn, I was pushing the buttons on the guitar arm and the notes weren't playing. I couldn't get it to play. After about a minute of this, Mister came over and let me know that I needed to strum the front too. So I said ok and it worked. Tiny looked at me and said, "Yeah, Mom. If you were playing a real guitar, it wouldn't make noise if you just did the notes with your left hand." Oh yeah, she's a smart one. I had a rioteous laugh with that one.

Other than Mister's bday party on Friday, we had a great Thanksgiving on Thursday at my grandma's. We also had a surprise baby shower today for a cousin. It's been great to get together with the family, especially two cousins that came to visit with their families from out of town. I've felt really blessed this week.

So Much

Oh, I have soooo much to blog about. My Mister is turning 13 on Sunday. 13! We had his party today and I will post about that, Thanksgiving, my family, and my first attempts at Guitar Hero. So much fun coming your way, soon. Too tired. Must rest. Goodnight.

Wow

We got soooo much done today. My mom and I cleaned, painted, and rearranged two bedrooms. The kids will now have their own room and we all have a little more room. For those who didn't know, we've been living with my folks since July. At the same time, my older brother and his girlfriend have also been living here. So, that's a total of 9 people in the house. Yeah, a bit tight at times, but do-able. Anyway, my brother and his girlfriend were finally able to get a place of their own this week. So, that is why we were redoing the rooms.

My mom picked out a brown color with a slight rosy-ish tint for the rooms. It, quite honestly, looks like makeup in the can. But, on the wall, it's a pretty warm color that looks good, especially with the southwestern decor they already have going on. It's pretty amazing how much difference it makes. I'll see about taking some pics and sharing them with you. I'm just really glad that the kids have a room to themselves now, a place to store their toys. They won't have to sleep in the den, although they do like the couches a lot.

My poor mom will likely decide to stay in bed all day tomorrow from all the work she did today. She always overdoes it. And Little Man and his cousin both passed out when it was bedtime, didn't even put up a fight. They had a busy day.

The kids and I will all be home for the next week. They don't have school and, since I work for the school district, I don't have work. I've been working consistently for about six weeks now and am still enjoying it. I am in the human resources office for the district and I really like the ladies I work with and I like the work. I do a lot of filing, application intakes, database updates, copying, and helping everyone catch up on and organize their workloads. It's satisfying work. But this week, I get to relax a bit with my family. We have some cousins coming in from Nebraska and some from Arizona. We will likely be getting together a lot over the next week, and eating a lot of really great food.

In addition to all this, Mister will be turning 13 next Sunday. The big 1-3. We're going to have a birthday party for him on Friday, followed by a movie night/sleepover. I hope it goes well. He's such a good kid and he deserves it. I don't know if I mentioned this, but when the school year started, he was bringing home a lot of grades below the C-level, including a F. Well, after a few talks and some teamwork, he has really kicked it into gear. Last week, he brought home a progress report with all A's and B's. I was so proud of him, I almost burst. I have such good kids.

Well, I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and can enjoy your families and friends. Happy Thanksgiving.

Cha cha cha

The other day, I was in the kitchen and Tiny and her cousin were playing. Something her cousin said reminded me of a commercial and I said, "Cha cha cha chia." You know, for the chia pet. Tiny looked at me and asked, "What's a cha cha cha chia?" Too funny.

Word for Today

Ever come across a word over and over and you don't know what it means and it bugs you to no end that you can't figure it out? Well, I do, often. So, that is why, occasionally, you will now find a Word for Today post. Today's word:

Peripatetic: (adj.) 1. of or relating to walking. 2. of or relating to the philosophy or methods of teaching of Aristotle. (n.) 1. A person who walks from place to place; itinerant. 2. A follower of the philosophy of Aristotle; Aristotelian.

New Look

I was toying with my blog layout a few nights ago and that is why it looks a bit different. I didn't plan to change it, but I was catching up on the Fab 4, some friends from our previous military lives, and I was admiring her layout. It reminded me of the scrapbook pages I always admire, but never have the budget and time (and patience) to do. So, I followed the very noticeable link on the corner of her page and perused the many fancy layouts. After picking one, I couldn't find a banner that I liked. So, I found one of my own by just doing an image search. I found the typewriter picture and had to have it...for a little while anyway.

I'm not sure if I will keep it the way it is or change it up again, but Heidi at Fancy Feet likes it...and I like that.

I think

Our house finally sold yesterday. All the papers are signed, recorded, and filed. It is a short sale, so we were basically just getting out from under it. We haven't been able to afford it for almost a year now. The lady that bought it seemed to really want it for her own. She even chose to repair the roof, replace the carpets, and make some minor repairs...all before she was even approved for the loan. All I know about her is that she teaches piano, and that she now owns our house.

I told the kids that the house finally sold. One of them asked, "Is that good news?"

I said, "Yeah." And while I walked away, I whispered, "I think."