My brother and his wife come over to our house all the time to eat dinner and play cards. For a while, we played Spades, then Hearts or Rummy, but those games got old really fast. Then we played Hand and Foot for a while, but that can be a very long game. So then we started playing a game called Hell and that was a lot of fun. But after weeks of playing it every time we got together, it got a little tired too. So now we’re on the hunt for a new game to play. Last night we played a fun dice game called Farkel, but we really do enjoy card games where there’s a little more skill involved rather than pure luck.

So, if anyone reading this knows of some good card games for around 4 people, please share with me!!

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

Burton Hillis

Obviously a tornado has ripped through my living room. Paper and boxes are strewn about. Children’s toys and clothes are piled from one end of the room to the other. Scraps of wrapping paper with tape still attached are stuck to the carpet. Half filled garbage bags are here and there. Santa isn’t a man, he’s a tornado! My living room and kitchen are in shambles after Christmas morning, when of course, we open presents with our kiddos and then hurry out the door to open presents with my mom and dad and brother and his wife. Then we hurry over to David’s parents for even more gift giving and receiving. By the time we get home (exhausted), we unload the car and plop down in the sofa. The last thing we feel like doing is opening 2 Bratz dolls, umpteen Hot Wheels, 4 board games, 12 outfits, 20 million Littlest Pet Shop… and a partridge in a pear tree. So everything makes it to the living room floor, where it sits the entire next day because we aren’t even home; we’re visiting with family who’s in from Oklahoma City. When we finally do get home, there’s the mess, still waiting for us. Aaah! And now, the Christmas tree isn’t a festive part of my holiday cheer… it’s just one more thing I’ve got to pick up and put away.
Christmas is wonderful. But the aftermath can be hard to know how to handle!!

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time doing whatever it is you have planned today!

Today is the last day of doing nothing before the rush & bustle of Christmas. Starting tomorrow, we head to my Uncle’s house for a Christmas party and from then on until the day after Christmas, my schedule is packed! Family on my hubby’s side is coming in from out-of-town and we’ll be running back and forth between my parents and my in-laws. But it’ll be great. Christmas is my favorite time of year! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Today I had the very enjoyable experience of watching my son and my oldest daughter perform in a school play. My son, Jacob, is in the 5th grade and his class, along with another 5th grade class, put on The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever today at school. They have been practicing and learning their lines for weeks now and today all their hard work payed off as they delivered a fabulous show. Jacob played Elmer, a little boy who plays a shepherd in the Christmas pageant. He delivered his lines flawlessly!! I was so proud. My daughter, Leah, and her 1st grade class, all dressed up as angels and provided the “Baby Angels.” They were adorable. And, I must admit, it was so cool to see the real Christmas message acted out on a public school stage! The kids were beaming by the end of the play and they received a standing ovation. My hubby, of course, recorded the entire thing and I can certainly say this won’t be one of those old home videos you dread watching over and over again. It was awesome and I was so proud of my kiddos.

By the way, if you’ve never read The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever, then you should read it!! Great little story… and timeless.

I took Anna to the doctor today. Double ear infection. Poor baby! She was crying last night when i put her to bed, saying her ears were hurting. I gave her Motrin and knew I had to get her in to see the dr. asap. She’s been home with me since last Thursday. Now that we’ve got the antibiotic, she can return to school tomorrow.

Well, I’ve reached quite the milestone today (or at least it seems that way in my mind). I turned 30 today and I am completely ok with it. I had lunch with my mom today. I got a haircut (much needed) and I went shopping. I got myself a cute jean jacket from Old Navy and a cute shirt. Anna was home from school with me today so she was shopping right along side me and I had such a nice day with her. She gave me her very honest opinion on the clothes I tried on. You gotta love the very blunt criticism of a 5 year old! LOL

When I think about being thirty, I really don’t feel any different. I still look at life the same way. I’m still just me. It sort of reminds me of the way I felt on New Year’s Day of 2000. I guess I was just expecting to feel like I was older or different somehow. But I’m not (unless you count my haircut). My twenties are over, which I must admit feels a little odd, only because everything important in my life happened during those years; my wedding, the birth of my kids, building our home. But I’m sure when I look back on my thirties, there will be important moments that I can look back on too. Jacob will graduate high school while I’m in my thirties. YIKES!!

Anyway, happy 30th birthday to me! Yay!

I “elfed” the kids and my dad. Too cute!

www.elfyourself.com/?id=1347027193

You’ll have to copy & paste the link. For some reason, I can’t get it to link.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of sitting through a Middle School band concert then it needs to be the next thing on your “To Do” list. My son is in his first year of band. He is in the fifth grade and he is in percussion, which means he plays the Bells (they look just like a xylophone). He and his fellow musicians played a repertoire of three Christmas songs last night. I recognized “Jolly Ol’ St. Nicholas” and “Jingle Bells,” but the first song was indiscernible. But, my little man did a great job, and since these kids have only been playing their instruments since mid-September and only meet twice a week for thirty minutes, I think they did a pretty darn good job.
Of course, after my son’s stellar performance, I still had to sit through 5 songs from the choir, 2 songs from the 6th grade band, 2 songs from the Jr. High band and 2 songs from the Jazz band. Needless to say, I was all “carol-ed” out by the time we left. We only recorded Jacob’s three songs with our video camera. Sitting through the rest of it once was plenty.