Christmas Spirit

With only 3 days until Christmas, I still hadn't felt the spirit I crave this time of year.  I black Friday shopped, decorated the house, listened to the songs, hid the elf, watched the movies, filled the stockings, bought more gifts, drank more wine and baked more cookies.  

This afternoon I looked at my tree and realized it was naked.  So awkward.  For the first time ever, I tried to decorate my new tree in simple, color-coordinating, matching ornaments.  

It was fine.  

So this new tree of mine... I wanted something sleeker and easier to store during the remaining 11 months of the year.  I sold my old tree through Facebook Marketplace to a sketchy situation in Des Moines and introduced a 9-foot skinny tree to our home this year.  

The kids hate it.  

Ross actually had a friend over and the first thing he did was point out how dumb our tree looks this year.  

Bah Humbug.

Meanwhile, Mack is in full-swing with Basketball and seems to have found his team.

This year is going so much better than last in many ways and I'm proud to say his grades are all C's, B's and A's with no modifications.

And he’s number 0. 

Why someone would select to be zero is beyond me.  

Guess it's better than double-zero?

Maisie performed in her holiday choir concert and is in basketball.  

6th grade basketball is bringing back so many memories of stinky jerseys and awkward lay-ups.

So proud of her for trying something new.

And finally, Mike and I learned a work vehicle wasn't in the cards for this year.

This meant Mike bought a jeep and I'll take over the truck.

Introducing Mike's new ride for the next couple years.

And that's when I realized what was missing.

I tried so hard to make my Christmas tree look perfect, sleek and clean.  

It had zero personality.

No story.

Isn't that what Christmas is?

So I pulled out all the ornaments and filled the tree with all my favorites.  

My favorite memories of Christmas past, gifts from those we don't get to see on Christmas, stories of traditions, and the sprit of those who engraved Christmas so deeply in my heart.

And just like that... Christmas is finally here.

Phone Sharing

Someone got ahold of my phone...

 Guess Who!!!

Mummies and Jobs

Tonight I'm getting educated on mummies, this includes the embalming process, wrapping process and entombing.  Why a 6th grader needs to write a 5 page research paper on ancient Egyptians is baffling to me.  I'm hopeful this assignment will help her down the road navigate real world problems, practice life skills and and live her best life.  

Is it obvious I'm annoyed?

Speaking of life skills- which happens to be my specialty- Maisie and Molly have been been offered jobs.  Maisie oversees all the laundry and Molly maintains all meals and dishes.  This is a paid position and so far, has been worth every cent.

My babies aren't babies anymore.

And I'm kinda lovin' it.

Faith

I tried to capture a photo of Mike and me together on my birthday with the sexy meat and cheese tray he brought home, but the thick sweater I was wearing made me look like a dweeb, so it's not worth the data.  

My 41st birthday was as good as it could be and either way,  and I'm 41 regardless.

 I spent my Saturday afternoon with these 2 silly hearts who crack me up like a raw egg.
I'm pretty sure I know their hearts like only a mama could.

Maisie was hungry and Molly suggested Banana Splits.  

Banana Splits?

Is that even 'a thing' anymore?

Culvers Concrete Shakes worked just fine.

Luck was surely on my side the day these two spirits came into my life. 

Sugar Plum has been losing teeth left and right.  

She now has what she calls, "A Fry Slot on her left"

Meanwhile, my youngest won’t change out of his pajamas without a reminder (yet his heart is made of pure bright gold), my oldest has made friends with a kid who has more in common with him than I could have ever asked for, and my firstborn bio is pushing me to the end of my patience.

But I walked through the dark woods with my husband tonight.  

We shared our hopes and fears as we passed over the damp, cold leaves, gravel and mud in our boots.

In the end, I really couldn't ask for more.

And it leaves me feeling SO grateful for our faith.

Amen.

Prom Dresses, Mack, Basketball and 4-H

Apparently I blinked and Maisie fit into my prom dress.  

"The days are long but the years are short" couldn't be more accurate.

Tomorrow, the 11th, Mack legally becomes 17.

He and I have been spending more time together and while shopping he almost talked me into buying hi-top converse shoes for myself.

I ended up with low-tops instead. 

But it was close.

This kid dresses to the nines and has a style only Mack Boyd, can pull off.

He's so likable, so normal, so smart, so social- 

I still don't understand how God chose US for HIM 3 years ago.

He participated in the Iron Man Volleyball Fundraiser Friday night.  Apparently, he was the designated 'setter', cause he was kinda the best.

Mack with his sophomore class friends.

Maisie is going out her her first sport ever this season, middle school basketball.  

And Mack is dong JV basketball.  Sounds like the racist coach won't be coaching this year.  

I sing a Hallelujah.

Jayson is a Lucky Clover in Winterset.  Tonight was his first official 4-H meeting.  There was a lesson on manners and etiquette, followed by DIY catapults!  The meetings are in the church Molly was baptized if the scenery rings a bell.  

Ross will have his cast removed Friday and we'll move onto whatever is next.

He assures me he'll be doing 3 wrestling meets in January.  

Over my dead body.

Meanwhile, this guy and I keep on truckin'.

Fall Fun!

These girls of mine are just what the doctor ordered these days.  

Last weekend was cheer night at the game and both girls were 'feeling the school spirit."  

They remind me so much of myself at this age.  

Weird, awkward, self conscious, and goofy.  Maisie even has a different voice at school than she does in real life now.  

She claims she can't make it stop.

Meanwhile, I'm working to help ServeSafe students understand they CANNOT wear long acrylic nails in a food establishment.  

Clearly, I'm not getting through to them.

And because Maisie is in a 'trying-to-be-funny' stage, she dressed as her math teacher for a friend Halloween gathering.  

I think she looks a little more like Velma from Scooby Doo- but, whatever.

And in the midst of it all, Ross re-broke his leg.  

Not a proud moment for any of us who were involved with the second break, hearing the orthopedic surgeons' disappointment of the break, or having to purchase 2 sets of crutches within 3 months.

Yet, it is what it is, and we make our own beds.

Then the snow fell and the roads froze up overnight.

I texted Mack at 7:51 to drive carefully to school as the roads were slick.  

I got the call at 8:08.

He had spun out across the highway and landed in the ditch.

Then there's this little bottle of sunshine who can't get enough farm chores.

Where did she come from?

I can't get enough of her right now.

In the meantime, I'm taking the girls trick-or-treating for Halloween.  

Molly isn't dressing up, just going as a 'girl', Jay has zero interest in trick-or-treating and will probably program some sort of device instead, Ross will be with friends (making smart choices) and Maisie is going as a box.  

However I can't stop from thinking about one of my favorite sayings - 'whenever you start wondering where God is, remember the teacher is always quiet during a test'