The Reason for the Season

I was in a gift shop in Nashville today and like every other store in America the week after Christmas, all the Christmas items were 50% off.  My daughter was looking at a tree filled with ornaments and saw one she liked and ran over to tell me about it.  "Mom, look at this ornament.  Isn't it pretty.?   It says "Jesus is the Reason for the Season."   I agreed the ornament was very pretty.  She went on.  " That is the reason for Christmas isn't it Mama?".  I said "Yes, Honey, Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas.
A man was standing right next to me and my daughter and I know he had heard every word.  He was staring at us, nonspeaking and unmoving.  I looked the man in the eye and said  " You are such a sweet girl to remember that."  The man walked away.
On the drive home, I was wondering what might have been on that man's mind. 
There was a car in that parking lot with a Minnesota license plate.  Did he recognize a Midwest accent, but was afraid to ask where we were from?
Did he agree with my daughter , but was just too shy to say so?  Or,
Was he part of that 14% that does not believe we should be celebrating Christmas or uttering the name of Jesus or God or Christmas in public, but kept it to himself because of the "Go ahead, challenge me" look on my face?
I have heard more people wish me a Merry Christmas this year than any other year in recent memory.  Jesus is indeed the reason we Celebrated that Holiday with Family and Friends.  I am so thankful and so grateful that my 8 year old knows this and is not afraid to acknowledge it.
Have a Safe and very Blessed New Year's.  And... MERRY CHRISTMAS even if it is a few days late.

Poly Mesh

The easiest, most festive decorating tool I have found in awhile.  This "ribbon" is 21 inches wide and comes in a 10 yard roll.  I made this wreath in just under an hour. (It was my first one).  I used almost the whole roll of poly mesh and a 2 inch wide accent ribbon.  I bought this roll of poly mesh at our local flea market, but found it available in several craft supply stores and on e-bay.  I used a wire frame specifically made for this project, but a foam wreath form and floral pins can also be used.
I have enough mesh left over to make a matching bow, wrap some AVON Bubble Bath or my favorite wine to give as a hostess gift.

House Project #5 Complete

Still Working on projects 1,2,3 &4, but our new living room is complete.  I love it.  I chose a denim blue for the color below the chair rail, and a carmel on top.  I used Glidden paint for the first time.  I will never use anything but Glidden again.  It covered in two coats and dried to a beautiful Satin finish.  This started out as a dining room redecorating.  It was so beautiful and cozy when we finished, we decided to move our TV room to this room. 

The kids loved helping.  They both did so much and such a good job

Bailey's testing the new location of moms favorite chair

Here you get the full effect of the denim blue and caramel.  Yummy.

Determined to tackle my dining room tomorrow...

I found the pictures I was looking for.  Here is a before picture of my dining room.  Tomorrow....I paint!

I was looking for some specific pictures tonight, but came across all these little "creatures" that live with or around us. 

"Lizzy" likes to hang out on the front of our house

Our goofy Setter Hunter.  Never has enough attention

Bailey Beagle.  There is no bad time for a cookie... or a nap

Hunter with his sister who came to visit this summer.  They had so much fun.

Jasper Jacks.  Every meal is a new adventure in cat yak.

Joker.  Too smart for his own good.  Finally found a fence that will hold him.

Our Sweet Rosie.  So spoiled, so gentle              

Bailey looking for "Lizzy" out the front room window

Two of the ugliest toads I have ever seen.  I hope this is just an innocent game of leap frog

The Price of I Love You

I told myself I wasn't going to post this, but I cannot get it out of my mind. 
I Love You.  Hearing those three endearing words from children and Spouses can be quite expensive.
Child #2 - "Can I pleeeeaaase go to Winter Camp?  all the Scouts are going, I'll learn so much, it'll be so much fun...."
Mom - " you can go"
Child #2 - "Ooohhh Thanks Mom, I Love You"
Cost: $100
Child #3 to Mom after replacing two frogs (who were very near and dear to her heart) with two "glow in the dark" fish and one snail - "  I Love You."
Cost - $18.00
Husband to Wife after she agrees to let him go Up North on that hunting trip - "Thanks Honey, I Love You."
Cost - ...Okay  face it, I'll never know how much those trips really cost.
Mom to Children  - "Can  I get your help with the house work today?'
Children - "Uh Huh"
Mom - Thank you babies,  I Love You.  (See, didn't cost them a penny)
Children - "Uh Huh"
In my children's defense, I DO, from time to time, get those I  Love You's for Free.  and oh, they feel so good. 

Daylight Savings Ends

Nothing says Good Mornning like a pile of cat yak in the middle of the Living Room floor.  Never the less, it was nice to wake up to sun shine this morning.  I don't mind the time change,  It means sunnny mornings and no more walking to the school bus stop in the dark.
My husband comes home today.  I miss him.  I don't miss the piles of clothes on the bedroom floor, or  his pager going off in the middle of the night.  I certainly don't miss the toilet seat and the bathroom window blind left up.  He's my best friend and I miss him.  Tom is like an onion.  You have to peel him back a layer at a time.  Underneath the sarcasim and the impelling urge to crawl under a rock with what comes out of his mouth sometimes, (he's almost been kicked out of a few middle school football games...and I couple family dinners) he's the most sensitive, caring, hard working man I know.  He is fiercely protective of his family, his customers and of his community.    If you haven't had him come and work on your furnace or air conditioner, you're in for a treat.   His gift is his uncanny ability to diagnose anything.  If it's broke, he can probably fix it.  The link to his Assured Heating  website is above.    Check it out.
We're polar opposites; fire and ice we've been called, but we're a good match.  I keep him grounded and he keeps me from taking things too seriously all the time.  The kids and I are going to do some Christmas shopping for him today before he gets home. 

My Very First Blog

Okay, so I've wanted to start my own blog for a long time now.  I guess Facebook just isn't enough.  I'm a talker and I just can't seem to say what I want to in one short sentence a day.  So, I have a blog now.   Why do I think people will read my blog?  I'm an ordinary, busy mom like thousands of other ordinary busy moms, but our family is nothing ordinary.    We're not Reality Show worthy, but not ordinary either.  You can't write this stuff, or make it up.    
I'm married to a Firefighting, Packer loving, outspoken HVAC Contractor in a small town in Tennessee and have three children, 2 horses, 2 dogs, 2 fish, a cat and a Snail...named Gary.   I'm busy.  All the time.  I work  as an Administrative Assistant for two Avon Districts in the Nashville area and I'm an Independent Avon Representative.  I'm lucky.  I love getting up and going to work...most days.  The rest of the time, I'm a member of the local PTO, a Football Mom, a Brownie Troop Leader and when I have time, I embellish shirts ('cause there's no such thing as too much bling) and I scrapbook.   Lately, I've had the urge to discover Pilates.  I've never done it, and don't know what it is, but it was recommended to me, so I think I'll try it. ..next week.  In the meantime, I want to develop my blog.  I want it to reflect people and things that are important to me or things I think are fun and deserve a second glance.