East Coast New Years

Years ago I realized that New Years Eve wasn't any fun with young children. We couldn't afford a sitter (if you could even find one) and nobody invited us to a party that was kid friendly. I took it on myself to start my own party for those who were stuck in the same situation as me. We call it East Coast New Years. Friends with children are invited to come, everyone brings munchies and finger foods to snack on all night. The kids destroy my playroom and the adults hang out and talk (and eat, and eat and eat). At 9pm our time, which is midnight on the East Coast, we watch the ball drop in New York, we cheer, make a toast, then everyone goes home. My guests make it home before the drunks hit the road, and the kids are in bed before the meltdowns begin. Just another tradition at the Snows! Happy New Year!!

Undies In the Stocking

It's tradition that us girls get undies in our stockings. Being that Mom worked at the mall for 15 years, most of the time the undies came from Victoria Secret. We also get undies in our Valentine cards, they tend to be pink or red with hearts or something on them. Mom is good about finding the styles that we like. Then Tiffani joined the family. Tiff wears a different kind of undie, so Mom had to start buying three different styles of undies for our stockings. Christmas morning, we would happily pull out our undies to show everyone what we got. The room would oohh and ahh. You can tell that we are excited about our new undies, and love this tradition. We really don't think there is anything strange about it. Then Jessica joined the group. Last Christmas my Mom gave her a stocking, and inside was undies. Jessica saw them, and hid them. Mom asked Jessica later if she liked them, and Jessica was very embarrassed to be talking to her boyfriends mother about her undies. We had to explain to her the tradition, and the fact that she got undies in her stocking meant she was part of the clan. Once Jessica got over her embarrassment, she told Mom what kind of undies she likes. Sooo, this Christmas, Mom counted her four pairs of undies to put in the stockings, then realized Christmas Eve, that two of them were Amy Jo's style, and she didn't have any for me. Christmas day we were opening stockings, showing off what we got (Jessica needed some coaxing to show us her undies!) and Mom had to explain to me that she owed me undies. Saturday when we were in Seattle shopping, we saw a Victoria Secret. I said, "Whoo hoo, Mom owes me undies!". When we walked in the door, the sale was 5 for $25. So, not only did I get my Christmas undies, us girls got to pick out our undies for Valentine's Day. We were quite comical going around this big display of undies, picking out the right styles and sizes for the right person. Poor Tiffani is the only one who doesn't know what she's getting in her Valentine....but we do! Jessica doesn't like pink, and I think that it's only fair that she should get pink undies for Valentine's Day, but Mom let her choose another color. Someday we will get her over to the pink side....someday. Until then, we love getting our undies, and hope to pass the tradition on to the next generation.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Yesterday I went to Seattle with my Mom, sister Amy Jo, brother's girlfriend Jessica, and all my Aunts, female cousins, and Grandmother. It was the whole Dennison clan, minus Tiffani who is 9 months pregnant (oh and add my aunt's friend and daughter) so we had a herd of 15 of us. We all had tickets to see Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the 5th Avenue Theater. The play was fantastic, the theater beautiful, and I think we need to make this a yearly tradition. We stayed at the Seattle Sheridan, which was very nice. My Grandma was very impressed that the "young man" at the front desk knew her name when she called down there. We did happy hour in our room before the show, and Grandma brought her ribbon sandwiches. Grandma makes these for every occasion, and it's now a family joke that we know Grandma can be counted on for ribbon sandwiches. After the show everyone was hungry, and we were turned away from restaurants who didn't want our big group. We finally ended up at Elephant and Castle, who were more than accommodating for us. We had drinks and appetizers, and had a great time. I still can't believe that Grandma stayed up past midnight....that old gal has some stamina! This morning we got up and headed to Starbucks for coffee. As we were sitting at a table outside of Starbucks, this man walks up and says, " You look like ladies that could help me. Where is the American Eagle Outfitters located?". Mom pointed left, Amy Jo pointed right, and Jessica thinking about it, pointed up. He just laughed and looked at me. I told him I had no idea. Amy Jo was right and we pointed him in the correct direction. (Good thing Mom now has a navigational system, because she is really directionally challenged). After coffee we did some shopping, then headed for home. It was a great trip, with many memories made. (Gail, step away from the reindeer sweater). I love that the Dennison ladies are a close clan that like to hang out together...... and can be counted on for ribbon sandwiches.

Sharing the Love

Tiffani at Still Seeking Sanity (also known as my sister in law) hit me with this cute award. Thanks for the love! I'm supposed to blog about my top 5 addictions (only 5!!).

1. Lands End Overstocks.....mainly the shoes, but also the coats, swim suits, and kids clothes. I spend hours searching the site looking for deals!

2. Bath and Body Works soaps (yes Tiffani admitted to this one too!)....I love everything, and stock up at their sales....they also send me way too many coupons for my own good.

3. Mochas!!! Very bad addiction to those. I must have my morning mocha.....seriously!

4. Top Chef....boy I miss it when it's not in season. Dan bought me the Top Chef cookbook for Christmas....don't know if I will ever try anything that fancy, but hey, it's fun to look at!

5. Bargains, any good deal, clearance racks, door busters....it truly is an addiction.

I pass the Fabulous Award to..

Renae at A Walk in My Shoes

Lisa at It's Miller Time

Jaimie at Jaimstar

Jenn at The Samuelsens

Kristy at Kristy and Family

Christmas Joy

I should have known that Christmas was going to be different this year. Pastor Grant was preaching on Expecting the Unexpected, and God tends to hijack his sermon series to make a point. Every plan I had made for Christmas went out the window when the snow started. I never finished the last of the stocking stuffers (not a big deal) and the kid's teachers won't get their presents until January. I'm a bad Mommy because I didn't take my kids to see Santa. My Dad and Step Mom never made it up here, and my Mother in law postponed Christmas until Dan gets home. We normally have 6 Christmas's to attend, and so far we have only done 3. I have to say that it made the holidays more relaxing, but I was really disappointed at first. As you know we are a family of traditions, and when you break from tradition it's frustrating.
Christmas Eve we had so much snow that I couldn't get the van out of the garage. I tried to fire up the tractor, but it wouldn't start. So I had to drive Dan's truck. I don't like to drive Dan's truck, and have only done it a few times. I loaded the kids into the truck to head over to my Grandparent's house, and Lily asked who was driving. I told her I was, and she said, "You can drive Daddy's truck?". When we were almost there Lily stated from the back, "Mommy, you CAN drive Daddy's truck!". The roads were compact snow and ice, so I didn't like driving, but we made it safe and sound. Nate is to the age of questioning the whole Santa thing, and wanted to leave a spy camera out to watch for Santa. Christmas morning we woke up to snow falling. It was truly beautiful with all the tress covered in snow. The kids woke me up at 6:30 am, and I told them to leave me alone until 7am. At 7:01, Nate was in my face waking me up. The kids were excited and opened their presents and stockings. I loved Lily's reaction to her Swim to Me Puppy, "It's just what I wished for!". Here's a picture of our back yard early Christmas morning.
We headed over to my Mom's Christmas morning, and the kids were excited to see their step-cousins. The sun came out and they all played in the snow. My brother Marty and family took 4 hours to get to Mom's, but they finally made it. I totally skipped Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Stauffer's because of the snow on the roads. Here's a picture of us opening presents, this is only half the room, but you can see the chaos. (No, I'm not picking my nose, just ignore me).

I learned a lesson this year. I can't plan everything! I need to learn to relax and take everything as it comes. The world did not stop because I didn't do cinnamon rolls (Dad is the only one who eats them anyway!), and the kids never missed seeing Santa. I need to get over my guilt of not making it out to the Stauffer's (sorry Grandma and Grandpa!). We do have two more Christmas's to do, so we are not done yet. Question is, do I have to keep my tree up until January 18th when we do Christmas with Dad?

Christmas Eve Tradition

I keep forgetting to blog about all the traditions that we do. Yesterday the kids made cookies for Santa with my Mom. They cookies look ugly, but this Santa takes a couple nibbles, then tosses them. Tonight the kids will leave out milk, cookies, and carrots (for the reindeer). I have to admit that I will be doing some present swapping tonight. The one and only thing that Lily asked for, is wrapped under the tree from my Dad and Step-Mom. They won't be doing Christmas with us until January now, so I think Santa will swap a gift for the one under the tree, so that Lily gets what she asked for.
Tonight is traditionally dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Dennison's. We always have (dry) spaghetti for dinner. My Great Aunt Laurel who passed away last year always made leftsa, a Norwegian potato bread. Now the women in the family do a leftsa making party before Christmas so that we carry on that tradition. After dinner of spaghetti (did I mention that it's always dry?) we open presents, eat desserts, and wait for the bells. When my cousins and I were little, we knew it was time to go home when we heard the bells outside. That meant that Santa was on his way to our houses, and we needed to hurry home and get in bed.
I know that we won't be doing these traditions after my Grandparents are gone, but I enjoy every year knowing that dry spaghetti will always be a joke in the family, and the leftsa tradition will live on.

Wishing you a Merry White Christmas!

We woke up this morning to fresh snow. We finally got the pretty snow that covers the trees. The kids were trilled and we were out the door playing as soon as my sister Amy showed up. The boogie board still isn't working well, and our neighbor suggested pulling the kids with the lawn mower.....it may just come to that. The big bummer is that my Dad and Step-Mom decided against driving in this bad weather. Dad is really disappointed that he's not here to play in the snow with the kids. Dan is in warm LA today, he says they will get a Washington Christmas with rain. I hope everyone takes it easy as they travel to their families today and tomorrow. May you all remember the reason for the season, and count your blessings. Merry Christmas from the Snows!

Freedom!!

I never thought I would be so excited to go to the grocery store. I finally got my freedom today and dropped the kids off at my Mom's house. They were glad for the change of location and she helped them make cookies for Santa. I ventured out to Safeway, which was busy, and then to Woods Coffee for a black and white mocha. Even though I was only gone for an hour, it felt like heaven to just get out of the house! We are forcasted for more snow tonight, so we will see if I will be doing any driving over Christmas. It is frustrating to have bad roads over the holidays, and I hope everyone is careful and has a SAFE Christmas!

Holly's Book List

I know it's a little late to be giving Christmas ideas, but hey, there are always birthdays to buy for. We love books. I love Amazon, and always have a big wish list so that I can find books quickly when I have a little change to buy some. When Nate was little we were in a book club that sent a book, craft and stickers once a month. They always sent the best books, and I am glad that it opened my eyes to the wonderful world of children's books. I will break down our favorites by age group.

For toddlers:
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
Toes Are To Tickle by Shen Roddie and Kady MacDonald Denton
Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk (great for boys who love trains!)

Preschool to Kindergarten age
Any book by Kevin Henkes, he is our favorite!
Dr. Seuss books, can't go wrong with the classics (even though I'm ready to hide those right now!)
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman
The Hoppameleon by Paul Geraghty

School Age
Nate the Great series of books by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
The Magic School Bus series from Scholastic

Happy Reading!

Boogie Boarding in the Snow

My parents are very creative. My siblings and I are very creative, and we know it comes naturally. As kids we learned quickly to create our own fun, or Dad would put us to work. As I mentioned before, Dad would bring out the "toys" on snow days. Not regular toys like sleds or tubes. No, we were on the farm, and Dad would use whatever he could find to make sleds. Most of the time our sled behind the four wheeler was a car hood (those rip your snow pants when you go flying off!). Sometimes it was a piece of fiberglass, or a plastic barrel (that one would give you a bloody nose if you rolled too many times!). So, here I am snowed in, without a sled. Naturally, I think like my father (scary) and use what we have. Last March when Dan and I went to Maui for our 10 year anniversary, he bought a boogie board. Then he payed to have it shipped home. Seriously, where would he ever use that thing again? Well...... I busted that thing out and gave it to the kids. Of course the neighbor used his tractor to clear most of the snow off the driveway this morning, so the kids didn't get the action they were hoping for. Oh well, it was entertaining for awhile, and may work later if we get more snow.

Still Snowed In

Yes, we are still snowed in. Yes, I am going crazy with boredom. The kids have been having jammy days, where they stay in their jammies all day long. I haven't put makeup on in days (alert the media!!) and I have run out of Christmas projects to do. So, here's a picture of Lily's cookies yesterday...she frosted them by herself.

And here is Nate outside in the snow. We finally got a few hours where the wind wasn't so bad, and he had made a little fort. I had to keep yelling at him to stop throwing snowballs at the windows!

I am tagging everyone who reads this to leave a comment on things for me to do while we are snowed in. I can't say I will try everything, but I am bored enough to be open for suggestions.

Cookies, breads and chocolate....oh my!

I used to love snow days. Dad would pull out all the "toys" and make mounds of snow in the field for us to play on. There were times he drove all over the county to pick up my friends, so that we could all have a snow day together. I have so many fond memories of snow days. Then why am I so mad at the snow now? I guess it's because I'm stuck in the house, knowing that the last minute Christmas gifts aren't going to get bought. I don't have friends to play with, and I must entertain the kiddos. I need to have a better attitude, but I'm really bummed and going crazy! Yesterday I made soup at 2 pm for no reason. I wasn't hungry, just wanted something to do. Today has been bread, cookies and chocolates. Seriously, if we don't get out of the house soon, I will gain 20 pounds! I am really hoping that Santa will show up and eat these cookies!

Another Christmas Tradition

My Dad is just a big kid. We all have come to realize that Dad will never grow up. Dad's favorite part of Christmas presents is filling all the stockings. Since our family is huge and still growing, years ago Dad and Marsha started filling gift bags for everyone instead of buying more stockings with every new family member. They are up to 18 gift bags this year to fill, and Dad has a blast shopping for them. Every year he finds some sort of toy for the "boys" in the family, and they spend the afternoon playing with them until they break. A few years ago it was wheels that were on a pulley zip chord, and they were racing them across my floor, seeing who could knock pictures off my wall. I finally kicked them outside and they raced them down my driveway. (Nate even got out the chalk and made a start and finish line). Another year it was marshmallow guns, and I found mini marshmallows around my house (ok, the kids did) for a month. Nate's favorite toy was the whoopee cushion he got. He spent the whole afternoon trying to get everyone to sit on it. The next year he asked Grandpa for another "tooter". He also loves to buy the grand kids noisy toys. If it's obnoxious and noisy, Dad will buy it for the kids. Seriously, it's never a quiet moment when Dad is around. Being that I am hosting Christmas with Dad this year, I am really scared about the toys he has found. I might have to take all the breakables down before he gets here. And where did I put those earplugs?

Happy Birthday Grant and Ben!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ben and Grant!

Here we go again.......

Marty and Tiffani, congrats on your boy's birthdays.

Amy Jo, Rob, David, and Dan, congrats on your nephew's birthdays.

Mom, Wayne, Dad and Marsha, congrats on your Grandson's birthdays.

Emma, congrats on your brother's birthdays.

Snow Day

We did have a snow day today, and of course the Snows played in the snow. First picture is the kids outside, they didn't last long because of the cold NE wind. Next would be holly in the snow...get it? Oh boy, I really need to get out of the house!

Just call me Information

Maybe it's because I'm the big sister, or that I'm a stay at home Mom and everyone thinks I have nothing better to do. But I get a ton of calls for information. Don't have someones phone number, call Holly's Information Line. Need addresses or zip codes for thank you cards or Christmas cards, call Holly's Information Line. Need a recipe or directions on how to adjust a soup to work in the crock pot? Call Holly's Information Line. Seriously, these are just the calls I have gotten this week. I think I need to change my answering machine....Hello you have reached Holly's Information Line. For phone numbers press one, for addresses press two, for recipes....Call the Betty Crocker Hot line. Oh wait, my friend Amy calls me the Betty Crocker Hot line, so I guess that should be press 3. Who do I get to call for Information?

Baby It's Cold Outside

All quarter long I dreamed of this week. I would be done with school, and the kids would have one week left. I would get all my projects done, and all my last minute shopping. Then the snow came. I'm stuck at home, getting most of my projects done, but am not leaving the house. I ran out of the special tape I am using for all the calenders, so I'm at a standing point there, and a I need to get last minute stocking stuffers (without the kids of course). I'm guessing they won't have school tomorrow, and if it's still cancelled through Friday, their teacher's won't get their Christmas presents, and I won't have any time alone to finish my shopping. Grrrrrrr. Here's the snow we got so far, it's still snowing and the wind is blowing.....walking in a winter wonderland.

There may be more than Dr. Seuss in my head!

Grades were posted this morning, and I got online as soon as I woke up to check it out. In both my classes I got A's!!! Happy Dance time! I can't believe I got a 4.0, I didn't even get close to that my first time around at college. This is great because it will raise my GPA. Right now it's a 3.3. I was really doubting that I would get an A in biology, but she told us that there were points left up to her discretion. I did do some extra credit, and rarely missed a class, so she must have looked at effort. The funny thing is that when I started the quarter, my goal was just to survive without failing. It was about half way through that I realized that I could get good grades. My perspective has changed now, and my goal is to raise my GPA to at least a 3.5 by the time I graduate. Wish me luck!

More Dr. Seuss Stuck In My Head!

Lily is always trying to keep up with Nate. Every few days she wants me to measure her to see if she has grown as tall as Nate. She has wanted to be in Kindergarten since Nate started, and now wants homework every night like Nate. We read to her every night, and she is starting to pick up words that she can read. In class they have sight words that they memorize, and she loves to point those out when she sees them. She has always loved Dr. Seuss books, and as I've said before, I have the ABC book memorized. Last month Dan was helping her read Hop on Pop. She can now read the whole thing by herself, without any help, but some of it is memorization. So last night she picked out Green Eggs and Ham and told me she would read it. I figured she would read a few words, and I would do the rest. Oh no, little miss smarty pants read the book to me with very few words that she needed my help with. I am glad that she is excited about reading, but I know that my days of reading to her are about gone. This stage of reading takes a lot more patience too...sometimes I dreaded reading with Nate when he first started. I think I need some new Dr. Seuss books to help me get through this stage......Sam I am, I do not like green eggs and ham!

Are you ready for Christmas?

My friend Amy at Love my Babes tagged everyone to see if they are ready for Christmas. I am close to being ready, today I plan on finishing a couple baskets, and maybe a batch of jam. Tomorrow I want to hit Target and get the last of the gifts I need to buy, but we will see how the weather looks. Nate's school was delayed an hour and we just walked him to school. The temperature is 17 degrees, but real feel with the wind is -9 degrees. That walk wasn't fun, and poor Lily was getting blown around. Tomorrow I'll drive him to school! I did retrieve some of my decorations from my planter box that blew into the neighbors yard though!
While we are talking about Christmas gifts, I'll let you in on a few of my ideas......can't give them all away because I know who is reading this! For my grandparents who have everything, and don't want "stuff" from us, I do certificates for the bread of the month club. I print out little coupons, one for each month, that list a specific bread or batch of rolls that I will bring them that month. I did this last year for Grandma and Grandpa Dennison, and they loved it. So, this year I'll do it for both sets of grandparents. It's also a great excuse for me to go visit them once a month.
For the kid's teachers, I do gift baskets with homemade mixes and jams. I try to theme each one different, and get a little inside scoop on their likes. Nate is on a mission today to find out if his teacher likes tea or coffee. I also realize that the kids have many other teachers in the building that they see, PE, Music, Art, Librarian, Para educators, and the kids bring them all jam. It's important for me to show my kids that we need to thank all the staff at the school.
I found calenders at Michael's (for $1!!!!) that you insert photo's into. My kids love to have their own calenders, personalized with their favorite pictures. I also do them for my parents and mother in law.
Anyone else who wants to share their Christmas readiness, play along. (Seriously, some people get mad if you tag them!) Merry Christmas!

Christmas Reminder

I received this in an e-mail from my sister. I don't know who wrote it (wish I could give credit where credit is due) but thought it was appropriate for Christmas.

I thought this was neat, a good reminder for this season of Christ's birth ....


If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Last night Mom took her granddaughters to see the Nutcracker Ballet. To be fair, she invited the Mommy's of her granddaughters along. I still don't know who was more excited, my mom or the little girls. I prepared Lily all week and even bought the Nutcracker book so she was familiar with the story. The show was put on by a local ballet company so there were little girls Lily's age in the show. Seriously, it was a great ballet, but those little girls as pink mice and little sheep stole the show. Both Emma and Lily loved the whole thing. Emma was enthralled by the purple sugarplum fairies. She had to go meet a "purple girl" after the show. Mom had bought seats on the floor level, but we went up to the balcony for the second act so the girls could see better. It was a fun night and I realized that we are hitting little girl milestones. Lily's first ballet, her first "show" that she sat through. She is growing up too fast. Can she just stay 5 for a few years while I get used to this? Thanks again Mom for taking us to the Nutcracker, it will be a cherished memory.

Snow for the Snows?

The weather forecast says that we are going to get snow tonight and tomorrow, then a cold 10 degrees by Monday. I stopped by my Grandparents house today to drop off my Christmas card and Grandpa says we are going to get a lot of snow. I think we will get a dusting, then really cold. So we now have a bet. If I'm right, Grandpa is going to buy me lunch, and if he's right, I buy lunch. I'll let you know next week who wins.

Letters from Santa

When Nate was little I heard about a little town in Idaho named Santa. The postmaster there is kind enough to mail your letters to your kids, with the postmark that says, Santa ID. So, every year I write letters to my kids, nieces and nephews, and mail them to Santa. Santa then mails them back to us, and the kids are thrilled to get mail. I include some stickers with their letter, and tell them to be good girls and boys. It's just a fun tradition. So here are your instructions.

• Write letters to your children from Santa, include something personal so that they know Santa is watching, add stickers if you wish.
• Address the envelope to your children, return address, Santa, and include postage.
• Mail the letters together in a separate envelope or manila envelope to: Postmaster, Santa, ID 83866
• Make sure to write thanks to the postmaster on the large envelope.
• Ho Ho Ho, have a Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday Tarah!

Happy Birthday Tarah!!

So...here we go.

Stephana, Linda, Josh, Jesse and Joey, Congrats on your sister's birthday!

Anita, Steve and Jodi, congrats on your daughter's birthday.

Shane, congrats on your beautiful wife's birthday.

Randi, congrats on your mother's birthday!

Tracie, Tiffani, Amy Jo, Erin, and Tiffany, congrats on your friend's birthday.

Gotcha!

Celebrate!

I'm doing a happy dance because my quarter is over!!! Yah baby! I can finally focus on Christmas presents, projects, crafts, cookies........and the list goes on. Jessica and I celebrated today after our last class, with lunch at Olive Garden. Oh, and Congrats to Jessica for graduating from Whatcom Community College....three cheers for Jessica! She is starting classes at Western in January, so today was her very last day at Whatcom. I'm so relieved that Biology is done. I have to say that Biology gave me plenty of funny stories to blog about though. Oh well, in January we will have tall tales of Geology, Music Appreciation and Behavior Management.......all good stuff.

Lighted Parade

One of our holiday traditions is to go to the Lynden Lighted Parade. The last two years we have had snow and froze our behinds off. This past Saturday I bundled the kids up and headed to our usual spot for the Lighted Parade. Funny thing about us and Lynden parades, if you ever want to find us we sit at the Bank of America for the Lighted Parade. In June, we sit across the street from Bank of America for the Farmer's Day Parade. I don't know why, but it's now tradition, and everyone knows where to find us. Ok, so back to last Saturday, it was just a light sprinkle when we got there, but right at 6pm when the parade started, the rain came. The whole street is lined with big trees, and so we were getting big drops of rain off the trees. We sat through the whole parade (minus a trip to the port a potty in the dark), and ran to the van once it was done. I wouldn't call the night fun, but it's tradition, and no weather is going to stop us from sitting on the curb yelling Merry Christmas to everyone passing by. Oh, and the lights were pretty too.

Reflective Journey

In my Education class, we are being reflective of our journey this quarter. I thought I would look back on the quarter as a whole and see what I have learned.

• I am capable of balancing home and school.
• My kids are fine with going to Grandma's house once a week, and I need to get over my Mommy guilt.
• I can't say yes to everything.
• The world won't stop if I tell someone no.
• Even if I feel foolish at school, my friends and family are proud of me.
• My love of writing never went away.....although it's been in years since I have written anything but a Christmas letter.
• Biology is humorous...who knew about the barnacle?
• Although my Biology class was meant to explain evolution, it gave me a bigger picture of the complexities that God created.
• I still can't draw. If you want colored drawings of sea life, ask my children.
• I still haven't found anyone who can explain the life cycle of moss to me!
• My house may be a disaster, but I'm capable of good grades.
• I can master new things on the computer, like power point.
• I need to get over my stubborn self and go to the doctor if I am really sick.
• My Mom is wonderful (Yes, I already knew that)!
• And most importantly, I didn't do this on my own.
• 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

Yes, I'm smarter than a 5th grader

I figured out the MP3 player yesterday. I now have music on it. The problem is that it still won't recognize all my music from itunes. Since most of the music are items I bought on itunes, I'm guessing that somehow it's protected and won't convert. If all of that doesn't make sense, I'll just put it this way..... I can't listen to the music I bought. The only way I know how to fix this problem is to burn the music to a disk, then install it to the new music program. That could take awhile. Again, I may not get my Christmas music on my player before Christmas. So if you see me singing The First Noel in February, just know that I finally got all my music moved.

New MP3 player

Dan gave me my Christmas present early because he was leaving for work. He bought me an 8G MP3 player this is similar to his. I was excited because my ipod shuffle only holds 250 songs, and I have long out grown that number on my itunes. So this music player is a different brand, and promised to be compatible with my itunes. I put in the installation disk, and it grabbed most of my music, but not all. It took some playing around, but I finally figured out how to transfer the music onto the player itself. Problem is, it says it will take 147 days 8 hours and 23 minutes. I think I might need some technical help around here......I don't think I'm doing this right! I mean seriously, Christmas will be over before my Christmas music makes it on the silly thing!

Almost Done!

I survived a week from Hell, and got good news in the end. I have been stressing about finals next week. This being December and all, I have a million things I need to be doing, and studying on top of that. Yesterday I was told I won't have any final tests. YIPEEEE! So now that my projects are done, I can work on the million other things I need to get done. Besides the fact, my house looks like a train wreck and I'm hosting a baby shower on Monday. Wednesday will be my last class, and then I have freedom until January. I'm still on track to graduate this spring, and I'll keep you posted as to my grades this quarter.

Tagged Again!

I got tagged again! Problem is that it's the same one as before, and you all have seen my 4th picture in my 4th file. So.... I'm going to pick a picture from this past weekend. We spent the weekend at Birch Bay in a condo. It was nice to have quiet family time without interruption. We played in the hot tub on our deck, and watched a beautiful sunset. A Wonderful weekend until....Dan and I got violently ill on Monday morning. Not a fun day. We could hardly move, besides running to the bathroom, and we had to pack up the condo and go home. We took turns driving, and I'm thankful that God gave me the strength to make it home! The next day I had a big presentation for one of my classes, and I had to finish up my handout. I was weak and had no energy, but managed to do my presentation, then go home. Last night as I was making cookies for church, cooking dinner, and finishing another presentation, Nate got sick. Seriously. This is what I have had nightmares about all quarter. So, I took care of Nate, called Mom, and she was able to take him today while I went to school. Nate is feeling better today, and so far Lily is fine. I somehow managed through my biggest fear this quarter, having major projects due, and sickness at the same time. I am so grateful for my Mom! I have only two days left in this quarter and I'm done......until January.

Dad's Birthday

Congratulations on my Father's Birthday!!!!

Yes, this is a picture of my Father. He's driving the lawn mower with 3 of his grand kids with him.