Christmas cards

I made nearly 40 Christmas cards since last night. So exciting to get them started! I'm loving this paper from Basic Grey. I used all mine up, so I cannot wait till my Mosh Posh order comes and replenishes my stock!
I totally hate to admit this, but doing Christmas cards can be such a bother, it seems. I wish I didn't feel that way. I don't feel that way when I'm CREATING them. It's only when I have to sign them, address them, stamp them, and mail them. It feels like we're always so rushed. And I HATE to get cards with only a name and no personal note, so feel like I need to add a little note to each of mine. Last year we got our cards out on Christmas Eve. And even then we had no return addresses on them. Lazy, huh? The thing I am almost looking forward to this year, though, is getting a Christmas picture of the boys. I say ALMOST because they're just at that uncooperative age where expecting both of them to smile AND look at the camera at the EXACT SAME TIME is futile. I'm not even gonna bother with the mall people. I'll just do it myself. At least I'll be spared the humiliation, if not the frustration. Still, I love seeing how Benjy and Camden act together. Benjamin loves to laugh at Camden and copy everything his big brother does. He so cracks me up! And Camden will do anything to keep Benjy in stitches, to the point of annoying me to death. Still, I know he loves his baby brother. Perhaps tomorrow would be a good day for that picture....

Peace on Earth, goodwill to men.

It's Christmas time. That means many things for me. Not only is this a season full of Santa, Ho Ho Ho, sweets, and children buzzed with excitement, but it also is packed with stress, worries, cranky kids, and exhaustion. While I try to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in me and my family, I find myself challenged to find a balance at this time each year, to find peace. When at my wit's end, here's where I can find it.
* Church - The place itself with its beautiful and inspiring stained glass windows, the liturgy and everpresent reminder that Jesus loves each of us, the people who, like me, are looking for a sense of peace and hope.
* Blue Christmas tree lights. These will always remind me of the tree lights we had growing up. The big fat blue lights that grew hot to the touch. The ones that had a certain "hot" smell. These were the true color of Christmas for me.
* Christmas music - Favorites are the sountrack for CBS' Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
* Watching The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
* Snow - lots of it. The more the better. Just watching the snow is so darn relaxing.
* Creating - not necessarily scrapbooking, but just CREATING anything.
* Licking the bowl of Mom's chocolate poundcake mix. Yummmm!
* Sitting in my favorite rocker by the window in my bedroom reading. Just reading and watching the sun shine outside.
* Hot bubble baths
* Lots of candles
* Finally, but certainly not least important - prayer

What will I be doing in December?

I cannot wait to SCRAP! Here's a peek at the kits I'll receive next month. Actually, there's another one, too, but the picture isn't up on their website yet. Yep, I'm going to be scrapping like mad. My favorite kits are coming from 3 Scrappy Boys, Scraptivity, and Mosh Posh.

A day with my boys

What a fun and wonderful time I had with Benjy and Camden today. Yes, Camden had strep throat, and so he was home getting un-contagious today. But his day of recuperation turned out to be such a blessing for us all, especially after yesterday when the both of them felt lousy and I was a huge grump. Here's what you get when you combine one gingerbread house kit, two small boys, and one rainy afternoon.

At Random - 10 points of my day

1 - Camden has strep throat.
2 - I can't seem to get the smell of Ellie's pee out of my carpet. uggghhhhh1
3 - I miss Curt. And the boys do, too. Benjy calls for him throughout the day. Camden says he doesn't like his job anymore. I try to be patient.
4 - There were these stupid ants on my front door tonight. I'm sure someone left sticky fingers on it yesterday....
5 - While I hated to miss work today - and again tomorrow as I'll be home with my sick child - I plan to use the day to catch up on some craft projects for Christmas presents.
6 - I've been short-tempered today. I need to take time to be thankful for my blessings. Every day, after all, is a day to be thankful. Thank you, God, for my family, for my home, for the people that surround me with love.
7 - I did get some serious Christmas shopping done today while sipping coffee and reclining in Curt's chair. :) Ho Ho Ho!
8 - I didn't scrapbook one iota today.
9 - I want to scrapbook tomorrow!!!!!!! I need to make some small calendars for the templates I made on my 'puter tonight.
10 - I made this awesome Christmas collage today for the boys to count down the days till Christmas. Here's the link: Countdown to Christmas

Art - from my perspective

This is what happens when your two year old discovers the colored toothpicks. He was supposed to be eating cake, but instead he was creating a masterpiece. Benjamin was so intent on placing the toothpicks in his piece of cake that he entirely forgot to eat it! I love the colors here. Mom even appreciated his work, even though it meant the end of her toothpicks!

We made it back today - leaving at 9:30 and arriving home at 4:30. That includes about an hour of stops. The boys were such good travelers today. They watched movie after movie and fussed very little. The girls were quiet, too, causing us to worry that they were even OK. They were great. :)

I am so glad we went home this weekend. It was just the perfect visit. Grandmomma knew who I was and was so happy to see me. I was happy to see her, too. Her pierced ears are just too much! She had her pearls, and she looked like a queen. :) She was sort of jerky, but she knew who the people were in the pictures I showed her, and she seemed to recall many things about her day. On the second visit, however, she wasn't as aware of her surroundings. She seemed rather out of it, mumbling some incoherent thoughts in between her more thoughtful sayings. She did sing for me, though. "What a friend we have in Jesus," she sang. She sang it so fast I couldn't make out her lyrics, but she seemed pleased with herself. This woman wouldn't have sung out loud for all the money on earth when I was growing up. Maybe this is a blessing, her Alzheimers. She's able to let go and be herself. God does work in mysterious ways.

Well, it's good to be home. Curt goes back to Florida tomorrow. The boys and I are as ready as we can be. We've decorated the inside for Christmas. Tomorrow we'll tackle the outside. I need to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done and help Camden with his Santa letter. I also want to get some more scrapbooking done as well as some ebay pieces. And last but certainly not least, I want us to get to church tomorrow for the first Sunday of Advent.

Art - from my perspective

This is what happens when your two year old discovers the colored toothpicks. He was supposed to be eating cake, but instead he was creating a masterpiece. Benjamin was so intent on placing the toothpicks in his piece of cake that he entirely forgot to eat it! I love the colors here. Mom even appreciated his work, even though it meant the end of her toothpicks!

We made it back today - leaving at 9:30 and arriving home at 4:30. That includes about an hour of stops. The boys were such good travelers today. They watched movie after movie and fussed very little. The girls were quiet, too, causing us to worry that they were even OK. They were great. :)

I am so glad we went home this weekend. It was just the perfect visit. Grandmomma knew who I was and was so happy to see me. I was happy to see her, too. Her pierced ears are just too much! She had her pearls, and she looked like a queen. :) She was sort of jerky, but she knew who the people were in the pictures I showed her, and she seemed to recall many things about her day. On the second visit, however, she wasn't as aware of her surroundings. She seemed rather out of it, mumbling some incoherent thoughts in between her more thoughtful sayings. She did sing for me, though. "What a friend we have in Jesus," she sang. She sang it so fast I couldn't make out her lyrics, but she seemed pleased with herself. This woman wouldn't have sung out loud for all the money on earth when I was growing up. Maybe this is a blessing, her Alzheimers. She's able to let go and be herself. God does work in mysterious ways.

Well, it's good to be home. Curt goes back to Florida tomorrow. The boys and I are as ready as we can be. We've decorated the inside for Christmas. Tomorrow we'll tackle the outside. I need to get some last-minute Christmas shopping done and help Camden with his Santa letter. I also want to get some more scrapbooking done as well as some ebay pieces. And last but certainly not least, I want us to get to church tomorrow for the first Sunday of Advent.

Black Friday

I think this is the first time in eons that I've been shopping on Black Friday. I absolutely hate, detest, abhor holiday shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. Until today, that is. Mom and I hung out all afternoon and had the best time. We started off at Big Lots, which was a colossal disappointment since it's slated to close and was out of nearly everything. Then we moved on to her favorite gift shop. And now it's my favorite, too! It's just so dang packed with everything I LOVE - that primitive country look, pictures, candles, SHEEP! Mom bought me this gorgeous candle warmer made of speckled blue ceramic and some caramel corn tarts to heat up. They smell so yummy, I can't wait to get home tomorrow and plug that thing up. Then we moved on to Roma's, our favorite restaurant, for Italian and breadsticks. Our tummies full, we stumbled on another little primitive country store, bought a few more things, and then headed up to Phyl's to check out their toys and Christmas decorations. Again, we couldn't resist the lure of the sales! We finished our shopping at Peebles, the ONLY chain store we visited. And again, we struck gold! Mom got the boys the cutest stuffed animals, and they loved them to pieces when she gave them to them tonight. So sweet. :) I just can't say how wonderful this day was. Not just because of all our bargains, but because of the time we had together looking at the beautiful ornaments, talking about things we love and things that annoy us, eating peacefully, and just being happy to be in the same place for a change. Yes, I've missed my mom. It was good to be home again.

Humpday Wednesday

I have always called Wednesday Humpday. It's the middle of the week. You're half-way through and it and half-way to the weekend. Well, this is the best of Humpdays. It's really the weekend already! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we leave for Mom and Dad's in the morning. The boys are psyched to ride in Curt's rental SUV for 8 hours. (I don't think they totally understand what a long ride they're in for....) And I'm just so darn happy to be going home. There's truly no place like home.

I read this on another scrapbooker's blog - Tia Bennet's. She's an awesome scrapbooker who's on the 3 Scrappy Boys message board and also on the Mosh-Posh board. I know she's on the Mosh-Posh design team and I think she's on the 3 Scrappy Boys team. Anywho, she's got super talent, and I'd give my right hand to have it. Of course, then I wouldn't be able to use it because I'm right handed!!!

Tag

2 Names you go by
Wendi. Mom.

2 Parts of your heritage
Irish, teeny teeny teeny part Cherokee

2 Things that scare you
elevators, interstate roads

2 of your everyday essentials
email, prayer.

2 Things you are wearing right now
pajama bottoms, long-sleeved T shirt.

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
Dave Matthews Band, David Gray

2 favorite songs at the moment
Wonderful World (Louie Armstrong), Beast of Burden (Stones).

2 Things you want in a relationship (other than real love)
humor, honesty.

2 Truths
My kids keep me young. My kids make me old.

2 Physical things that appeal to you in the opposite sex
humor, dark hair.

2 of your favorite hobbies
scrapbooking, buying scrapbooking papers.

2 Things you want really badly
no more hunger for anybody, peace.

2 Places you want to go on vacation
italy. england.

2 Things you want to do before you die
Tour ancient Rome, see my kids grown up, settled, and happy.

2 Ways that you are stereotypically a chick
I don't go out without washing my hair, shoes are important.

2 Things you are thinking about now
That cookie was good, the movie's too loud.

2 Stores where you shop
target, Amazon.com.

2 People you would like to see take this quiz
My mom and my sister -hint hint hint hint

Monday Misery and a few things to be thankful for

Although I am thankful for so much - especially this week - I am digging myself a hole of misery today and I'm ready to jump in and just wallow for a bit. If I had Barry Manilow on my iPod, I'd listen to him in my mud hole.

I write the songs that make the whole world sing.
I write the songs of love and special things.
I write the songs that make the young girls cry.
I write the songs, I write the songs.

Why the pity party? I got a flu shot today. I wanted it. I begged for it. I wanted one last year, too, but the shortage nixed that. I got the flu last year, too. And I was even more miserable than I am now. So, I wanted that flu shot today. And I got it. Now I feel like I have the flu. That's why I'm feeling miserable. Not too miserable to blog, but miserable enough to feel lousy doing it. (And yet, I do feel a slight bit of satisfaction at knowing I did it in spite of myself. :) )

And now, on to better things:

Tomorrow is the release date for "The Polar Express" movie. Camden and I went to see it last year before Christmas - beautiful film! Of course I'll be at the Shop N Save bright and early tomorrow buying my own DVD of it because I cannot live without it and I wouldn't dream of depriving my kids of it.


We're going home for Thanksgiving!!! I was so homesick tonight (on top of the "flu") so I called Curt and told him about it. He wants me to be happy, so we're going home! How sweet is that?! We'll just hang out here on Wednesday night after he gets in. Then on Thanksgiving morning we'll hit the road. The boys will watch movies all the way home - that Polar Express will be quite timely, huh? And Curt and I can just be together. It's a seven hour drive, which I'm not looking forward, too. But my little family will be together.

I cannot wait to see Mom and Dad. It's been since June - too long. And I'll get to see Grandmomma, too. She may not even realize I'm there, but it'll mean a lot to me and Mom. And that matters. Plus, maybe we can squeeze in a trip to the Norton Big Lots before it closes!

Sunday Haiku

This rose so perfect
from my son cute and sweet
brought a smile to me

Benjy gave me this gorgeous rose at his Tea Party at KinderCare last week. So sweet! He didn't participate with the singing and dancing since I was there, but he did enjoy sitting at the table and eating with me and his other friends as well as their moms. The little turkey stole my cookie!

I've been neglectful in blogging this week. With Curt in Florida, I'm just too pooped to care once the kids are in bed. I'm not too pooped to play around at 3 Scrappy Boys, though, where I'm playing Fall Bingo with the girls and chatting about scrapbooking and just about anything else. Shame on me. I should blog first! :)

Curt comes home on Wednesday for Thanksgiving. The boys cannot wait. Yesterday Benjamin heard the garage door going up and he screamed "DADDY!" But it was Camden. He seems to understand that Daddy will be home soon. I know Camden misses him terribly. Camden and Dad are buds, playing Star Wars together, going to Lowe's, and just goofing around. They're both goofy, let me tell you! It will be nice to be all back together for a few days. Then, on Sunday, he'll return to Florida for another couple of weeks. Then back home for a break! Then, back to Fla. before coming home for Christmas. Hopefully that'll end CAT duty this year. I'm sick of hurricanes. And yet, I shouldn't feel so selfish. I am blessed to have a home, family, and everything I need within reach. (Except Curt) Some have absolutely nothing left. So, God, please help me to be more thankful for the blessings I have each day. And please bless those who have lost everything. Give us all the strength to deal with whatever hurdles life throws us. Give our leaders the conviction to do the right things. And give our children the spirit to weather it all. Amen

Scrapbooking - the Big Picture

I'm going to write my scrapbooking mission statement here. I admit that this sounded a bit hokie at first, but now I think this is going to be a great opportunity to learn more about me and my favorite craft. Check out http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/ to learn more about this wonderful hobby-turned therapy!

I am a happy person, inspired by God, my husband, motherhood, family, friends, children and animals. I also am a teacher to children and a supporter of their teachers, working to meet the needs of children. My devotion to the relationships in my life leads me to scrapbook the random and purposeful moments we live. These are the things about which I am passionate. I want them to count. So I make pages, albums, cards, and gifts for my family and friends. I sell premade pages and albums for others to enjoy. And I fill our family albums with the stories that make us who we are, the big ones, the happy ones, the sad ones, and the tiniest ones that would disappear if they weren't written down. I've learned that every one of these moments counts. For me it's a creative force that feeds my brain and soul. For my family, it's leafing through albums and remembering who we are and what we're all about. For strangers who buy my work, it's a chance to hold onto their own stories. These are the things that are too special to lose. They will always count for me.

Grandmomma

I've been missing my grandmother lately. Although I've lived away from home for 15 years, I am just now starting to feel the the emptiness that being away from family can bring. I don't want to take them for granted, and yet I fear that I have.

Grandmomma isn't the same lady that I remember. She doesn't live in the same apartment or wear the same clothes. She doesn't have the same smell or say the same old things - like "love ya bushels, Wendijack!" Her new address is a skilled nursing floor at the local hospital back home. She spends her days resting in her bed or sitting up in her chair watching people go by, listening to the groans of old people further gone than she, thinking about eating sweets ( which she used to despise). Yes, she's changed. Mom says that every now and then there's a flash of the old grandmomma, then she sort of glazes over and is gone again for a while.

The old grandmomma loved fried chicken. The new one loves pizza.
The old grandmomma loved going to church. The new one is afraid to go anywhere.
The old grandmomma loved to wear makeup and have new clothes. The new one doesn't care.
The old grandmomma never sang the hymns aloud in church, though I'm sure she knew most by heart. The new one belts them out when they have church services on the "floor" as they call it.
The old grandmomma told us of every little move she made: "Barbara, I'm going to the bathroom if you try to call." The new one has to have somebody take her to the bathroom.
The old grandmomma never cursed a day in her life. The new one - well, let's just say her vocabulary is a bit more colorful now.
The old grandmomma never failed to send a dollar to me or Michelle on the occassion of the other's birthday. The new one doesn't know how old we are. Sometimes she doesn't know who my children are either.

But I truly believe that the new grandmomma has a purpose or else she'd be gone by now. Only God knows what that purpose is. This new grandmomma may be different, but she's still my grandmomma. And somewhere, deep down inside, I know she remembers holds onto the very core of what made her my Grandmomma. I loved her then, and I love her now. I wish I could tell her that in person.

On Starfighters and God

Sunday Haiku

Starfighter - 3 hours
396 bricks
a devoted dad

Curt built this Lego number for Camden the night before he left for CAT duty. He set it up in his room so that Camden would see it when he woke up the next morning. He came bounding into my room at sunrise, grinning ear-to-ear. "Mommy, look what Daddy did!" I asked him what he did when he saw it. "I smiled," he said. The Arc Starfirghter is now a series of several smaller Camden-divined space ships. I knew it wouldn't last, but the thrill he had in seeing it that one (and only!) time, and the imagination he puts into making new models with these 396 bricks, are what counts.

Incidentally, here's a peek at what's going on in Camden's mind tonight:
"Mommy, is God married?"
"Well, maybe the angels are his loves."
"I bet God is sad that I have a headache."
"Did God steal Jesus from Mary and Joseph? Were they mean to him?"
"So God is Jesus' father."
"I want to be God's brother."

Big Honkin M&Ms

Have you had these yet? These M&Ms are so huge! (Hey, size matters, they say!) I mean, they're crunchy - lots of crisp candy coating, and extra chocolatey. They're the size of peanut M&Ms, but without the peanuts. Man, I can't quit eating these things!

I'll be eating a lot of these pups for the next 6 weeks. Curt just got word that he's off on CAT duty till Christmas. He'll be home for the holidays, but that's about it. There are some big things he'll miss this year, and I know he'll be sad about that - the church Christmas pageant that I'm hoping Camden can participate in, Benjy's amazing progress with his speech, finding the perfect Christmas tree (I'm going artificial this year - ouch!), driving around to see the lights around town. And there are the more mundane things I take for granted every day - saying grace before dinner, reading the boys a story before bedtime, going to church together on Sundays, playing PlayStation with Camden (I certainly can't help with that!). Thank goodness for good neighbors, our church, and work. They'll all keep me sane in the next few weeks.

Miracle of Star Wars

Camden is so amazing. He could sit for HOURS and play with his Lego Star Wars pieces. Yes, originally, they fit together to make the snow walker and something that Darth Vader rode around in. Now, they make anything that his mind can conjure. And it's always quite elaborate. There was a time when I didn't think he'd ever enjoy his Lego blocks. Not so now. He's a Star Wars boy all the way. My Punkin Head has, indeed, found the dark side. And we love it.

Arrrrooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof

Emmalemmalimabean. That's what I call Emma. She's a mix of beagle and shepherd. She's a mutt. And you should hear her bark - arrrooooooooooooooooooooooof. She most definitely has that hound dog howl. Let me tell you about Emma's top ten quirks:
1. begging, no - scavenging - for food, even though she's a well-fed mutt
2. howling when she wants attention
3. licking people
4. eating Camden's Lego parts
5. shedding
6. climbing furniture like a billy goat
7. stealing dirty diapers to chew under our bed
8. escaping from the most impossible of places
9. Daddy's girl
10. Naughty - we call her the "naughty naughty bad dog" for a reason (see the top 10 quirks and you'll know why)

Sunday Haiku

Mamaw and Papaw
come to town. They bring us love.
And we love them back.

The power of words

He may not have many, and the articulation may be off a bit, but the words Benjy says are getting noticed. Here's what he's saying:
hi
bye
uh-oh
mama
dada
caca (Camden)
up
down
beep
car
truck
go
papa
more
thank you
please
no
yes
juice
milk
meow
woof
moo
boo
boy
cake
cookie
brownie
moon
Debi
choo choo
circle
purple

Well, I feel sure there are more, but that's all I can come up with for now. I'll top the list off on another night.

Trick or Treat

Camden's sixth Trick or Treat night was last night. He, as Darth Vader, and Benjamin, as Cowboy Woody, met the other neighborhood kids down the street at 6 o'clock for their version of a Halloween parade. So cute! Then the adults, who were manning the table with adult food and drink, chatted and followed the kids around as they took on the circle for as many treats as they could get. We made the entire loop and returned with pumpkins weighing the kids down and tired feet. But the kids were so happy.

I've NEVER seen Benjy so delighted in a group as he was last night. For a kid who frequently plays on the periphery, he was thick in the middle of this gang. One little girl took him under her wing, carrying him around, wrestling with him, making him hee-haw with delight. This was truly a sight to see. :)

And Camden was so, well, big. He tried hard to get away a few times, caught up in the moment of roaming from house to house, going with the flow of the other kids. I did hold him back, hoping he'd stick nearer to me and Benjy. He did, with minimal fuss. I suppose next year he'll be old enough to hang with the other kids and other parents, and he'll go on ahead of me and the B. Sniff sniff. This may well have been his last year sidled with his momma for Halloween!

Now comes the task of putting up all the Halloween decorations and preparing for Thanksgiving. It's possible that Curt will have to go to Florida for CAT duty soon. Bummer. But if he goes now, at least he'd be back by Christmas. That's what really counts. Sure, Thanksgiving is special, but Christmas is the biggie in our family.