SURPRISE, Kids...We're going.....

.....to Disney World!!

Now...Right Now!!

Those are the words we will telling our three great kiddos around 5:45 tomorrow morning!  I am writing about it now because I know it won't happen then.

A little over three years ago with surprised them with a trip to Disney.  It has been all they have talked about and have said numerous times that if we were ever to do it again they wanted to be surprised.  Really for any vacation, but we just haven't had a chance until now.  And it has been fun.

Of course, we have had to say no to some things and we have worked to keep them mostly at home so they wouldn't get sick.  But alas, that is another blog post for another time.

I digress and I must get to the point because I am pretty tired.  We are all packed, with the exception of Sara Beth's clothes (she was my challenge to do it sneakily.  we just decided to wait until morning to throw everything in.), and toiletries.   So we are pretty good to go.

You must be wondering if they suspect anything.  David and I both agree that Jake and Katie do not have a clue.  He thinks Sara Beth is clueless, I think she is very suspicious.   We'll see in the morning who wins that one.

It's off to bed for me, but I have to post a couple of pics from our last trip, Nov of '07.

My boys and my books

The boys, meaning David and Jake, know, along with the rest of the family, that I love books.  All kinds.  I love fiction as my escape; I love books that teach me how to grow in Christ; I love books that give me tips on being a better wife and mother; I like books about books. 

Over the last few years, I have developed a good habit of not buying too many books.  We just haven't had the space.  The bad habit I have developed is stacks of library books.  And basically stacks of books that I have bought or been given or needed for school, etc.   Really, it hasn't been all that bad

Well, finally bookshelves made it near the top of "the list".  You know the one that you make of things you want/need and prioritize it, etc.  We found some that we liked at Target and guess what...they went on sale a couple of weeks ago.  (You know my frugality and how much I really like this!)  So for Valentines, (or just for whatever), David went and picked me up two, count them -two, bookshelves!!  Yay!  He's a good man!

That brings me to the other boy.  This boy, Jake, loves to put things together.  He has been able to do several building projects for school lately and that is right up his alley.  Loves it.  So, imagine his eyes when he sees two big boxes of bookshelves needing to be assembled.  Heaven. 

This Wednesday night, while we girls were at church, they set out to at least take care of one set.  David was the overseer, Jake the workman.  By the time we came home, one beautiful bookshelf, assembled by Jake, was proudly sitting in our living room. 

But that still left one bookshelf unassembled.  Talk about a motivator to get schoolwork done.  In record time on Thursday, Jake got all of his schoolwork done, then he got to work.  He finished the entire thing by himself.  Well, almost.  You will see in the pictures that he did have a helper. :)  And, being the nice big brother, has allowed her to take some of the credit.  Which she most willing took and is diligent to make sure no one forgets that she actually helped.

I am proud of my boys!!  Now, I have a place to be proud of my books!!  After a bit of shifting some things around, the bookshelves will be adorned with books. 

With extra space.  For more books. 

My heart is giddy!

 

A Big Day Around Here

Ambiance.

There aren't too many ways to describe a scene like this one.

 

One of our favorite family traditions is moving the kitchen table to the living room in front of the fireplace when there is a fire going.  We can eat there, play games there, and even do some school work there.  It changes the atmosphere to cozy and inviting.  It is even better when the Christmas tree is there. 

Ooh, what winter fun.

See here is another one.  Just so inviting and enjoyable.

There is something about these pictures that you must know.

It may not be terribly obvious to the untrained eye.  Can you tell what is missing?

Look carefully at the tree.  And the mantle.

Do you see it yet?  Okay, I'll go ahead and tell you. 

No decorations.   

Empty.

The reason:  These pictures were taken Wednesday.

Yes, this past Wednesday, when we had yet another snow for the season.  It called for coziness and warmth.  And having the Christmas tree still up made it all the more fun.

Yes, on February 9, our Christmas tree was still up.  So we decided to make the most of it and use it this week. :)  Added a nice touch, don't ya' think?

Well, here it is, Saturday and the big day has arrived.  As of right now this is what my living room looks like:

A sure sign that Spring is on its way. 

A big day for sure!

Did you know....?

Did you know that peanut butter will remove Sharpie from wood?

Did you know that sunscreen will remove Sharpie from skin?

Did you know that Windex will remove acrylic paint from clothing?

Did you know that to get the burned-on stuff off of your stainless steel skillet, all you need to do is fill the skillet with water, squirt a bit of dish soap in it, bring it to a boil on your stove top?  The stuff will scrape easily away. :)

A Momma's gotta do what a Momma's got to do

See this beautiful little creature.  An angel.

This angel is sick.  Threw up for a couple of hours last night.

I left late to go pick up Sara Beth from babysitting.  When we got home twenty minutes later, we found David doing laundry.  Katie's laundry.  It happened that fast.

At that moment I was so glad that I was the one to get out.  I don't do vomit well.  At all.  Of course, I left David home so he could go on to bed.  I was so thankful that he was home for the worst of it. :)

But a Momma's got to do what a Momma's got to do.

So the rest of the night, this Momma slept on the couch.  And cared for her sick baby.  And cleaned up...well, you know.  If there is a category for being a good...well, you know...this child wins it.  Straight in the bowl every time!  (Well, at least after the first projectile episode.) Then she would roll over and give me her classic thumbs-up sign.   Sweet child.

I am happy to report that this morning she woke up better.  Far from well, but better.

I can officially say that we have entered survival mode.  At least for the day.  Still fighting the crud, I get to love on my sweet child, let her watch princess movies, and bring her ice.  (Praying the whole time that this thing stays contained).  I also get to clean her room...mattress...dust ruffle...floor....comforter...etc.

And love every minute of it. 

'Cause I'm her Momma.

It's Friday

Since I haven't blogged since last Friday, and I had a few minutes, I thought I would update. 

First, the Christmas tree is still in my living room.  But, it is ornament-less.  All of the Christmas stuff is in boxes, just about ready to be packed up and put in the attic.  Do you think the tree will come down before February? 

Or should I leave it up and decorate it with hearts for Valentines?  Honestly, I am tempted. :)

We are wrapping up hunting season, with this being the last weekend in Mississippi.  Jake has gotten in a couple of hunts this week, and hopefully Sara Beth will be able to get one more in this weekend.

Looks like my blogging time is up.  I have made the kids go outside because it is so beautiful today.  But it has been so long that they are bored already.  Gotta go see what we can get into.

Happy Weekend!

Confession

See this lovely tree?  It is our Christmas tree.  I loved it this year.  I sorted through all my decor and decided to do things a little differently this year.  Between what I had and my sister-in-law's store (and 6 other hands to help decorate), this is what was produced.  I like it.

It is still sitting in my living room. 

 I actually took this picture this morning.

It isn't that I like it that much.  It is just that, ever since Christmas, there have been other things that have taken it's place as my focus.  I really loved looking at it during the holidays. Now I just ignore it.

And I also am ignoring this beautiful arrangement as well.

Well, this one below gets mostly ignored. 

 It does get attention when it gets shoved out of the way for Latin tutoring.

I just had to get that off of my chest. 

 I feel better now. I hope the rest of you with your tree up feel better, too.  There is comfort in numbers.

 My confession of the tree in my living room is complete.

Oh, wait, one more thing. 

 I have absolutely no idea when the thing will come down.