An Official Invitation

I would like to invite anyone who reads this post to come and visit my house and enjoy all the hard work that has gone into Tyler Baird's Eagle Project.

Weeknights will include
- lit Christmas house display (about 200 houses)
- craft activities for kids
- fire pit and marshmallow roasting
- hot chocolate
- donations will be accepted (canned food, toiletries, books)

Weekends will include
- all of the glorious things above plus
- hayrides
- popcorn

And on the 20th....
Santa will be at my house from 6:30 - 8:30.

December 23 is the last night of the festivities.

To view a clip of the news broadcast, copy and paste this link (since I don't want to take the time to figure out how to do a cool linkety link).

http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-phoenix-531-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=videopage&maven_referralPlaylistId=search&maven_referralObject=943767120&maven_referrer=staf.

Random Thoughts / Happenings

This has been the busiest month (besides crazy yearbook season) in quite a long time. It seems like I haven't done anything huge or terribly exciting, just little things that are consuming my days. Below is a list of some of the things that have kept me on my toes.

1. Kaylen's various classes - dance, kindermusik. I've skipped the library and family fun van for a few weeks.
2. Purple has visited. It has been fun to take time out to go out to eat each night.
3. Christmas baking. I vowed I wouldn't make 6 batches of Buckeyes, so I made other stuff - pumpkin bread, peanut butter fudge, carmels, candy cane cookies, and 2 batches of buckeyes. Next year I would love to do only cards. We'll see if Eric goes for that.
4. Christmas shopping. Almost done. I've still got to figure out my parents, grandmas, and nieces and nephews.
5. Present wrapping. I actually enjoy it, maybe it's a form of therapy for me. I get to watch something I've DVRd while I chill and wrap. Maybe I'll finally catch up on Grey's Anatomy.
6. Scrapbook class. I partially completed a recipe book. I think I'll adapt it slightly and change it to a book with pictures of us cooking (when I get the time).
7. Family photos. I'm still waiting to get them back, but I'm excited to get them.
8. Christmas cards. I've been making the cards, but I've still got a long ways to go.
9. Tyler's Eagle Project. I've been able to not be as involved as I was the first weekend, but it's still hard to stay inside and ignore everything, so I will usually go and sit outside for 5 minutes (or until I get too cold) and then return to help clean up.
10. Today I spent some time driving around my neighborhood looking for Eric's bike. Some stupid person came and took it out of our backyard on Monday night. Then they came back on Wednesday night and took another bike. The porch lights weren't on, so our camera didn't catch anything. I'm quite annoyed with evil (for lack of a better word) people.

This list doesn't seem like it would occupy so much of my time, but somehow time has flown by and I can't believe it's 10 days until Christmas!!!

Orchestra Concert

Lindsey and Spencer are in orchestra at school. Spencer is in Beginning Orchestra; this year was his first year. Lindsey is in Advanced Orchestra; this was her second year in orchestra. On December 4, there was a concert. They both did good. I had to laugh at Spencer, because he was so cool, that after each song, he would hang his violin on the music stand and let it hang there while he rested.

Memorable Monday

I intended to do this post last week, closer to Thanksgiving, but time just got away from me. I wanted to blog about past Thanksgiving memories.

Most of my childhood Thanksgivings were spent at home. We rarely went anywhere. I have 3 main memories about past Thanksgivings.

1. My mom's second cousins (I think) used to live about an hour away from us on a dairy farm. Shelly (my sister) and I spent one Thanksgiving eve at "Aunt Debbie's" house. We rode on a 4-wheeler, played Nintendo games, and made spin-art t-shirts (that were totally cool then) which I would wear with the side tied into a knot. It sounds like simple fun, but I remember really enjoying it. On Thanksgiving, they brought us back to my house and we all ate dinner together.

2. One year we (I think it was just my parents, Shelly, and me) went to Cedar City, UT for Thanksgiving. We ate at my grandparents' house, in the living room on their orange carpet. There were quite a few different people my grandma had invited who would have otherwise spent the day alone. The following morning, when we had to leave, it had snowed. I built a snowman (the first in a long time) that was quite small, standing about four inches tall. On the way back home, we drove through the mountains with the snow on them. It was quite a pretty site, and short, but enjoyable visit.

3. Our Thanksgivings at home had the traditional foods. My parents invited a family (the Bentleys) over many years. Sister Bentley made the best cherry cream pie. Her son, Shelly, and I would play Barbies and Star Wars before and after eating. I have quite a vivid picture in my head of sitting on the grass, playing with Shelly and Brett.

"Deck the Halls...

.... with balls of holly," argued Spencer. We went back and forth about this yesterday. I even showed him in a piano book that it's boughs. He said, "that doesn't make sense. It's balls." I wasn't successful in my endeavors to help him learn the correct lyrics.

I briefly mentioned decorating in the previous post, but I took pictures I want to post.

Our family tree


My "pretty" tree

Our OSU tree

Thankful Thursday

I can't believe it's already Thursday. I haven't done Thankful Thursday for a while, so I decided to take the time to recount my blessings during this busy and hurried season.

The things I'm thankful for this week include (among many other things):

1. Thanksgiving. It was great to have my parents, Shelly's family, my grandma, and a family from the ward over for Thanksgiving dinner (lunch). We had delicious food. Everyone was fantastic at helping clean up the mess. I wanted to do something to help us all remember why we have Thanksgiving, so I made a turkey with feathers. Spencer had the assignment to ask everyone who came what they were thankful for and write it down to make "Tyler the turkey."

2. Decorating. My Christmas decorating is done! Enrichment was Tuesday night, and the women all came to my house. We had a ton of people in the house, but it forced me to get the house decorated (and clean). I set up 3 trees this year. I have my "pretty" tree that is gold and red. In the game room, we have our Ohio State tree that is red and silver, with Ohio State ornaments. Our family tree is in the family room, decorated with all the ornaments we've gathered through the years. I forced everyone to help with the family tree, but it was fun to look back at the ornaments and reminisce about them. Some were "child's __th Christmas" and we'd have to calculate things out to figure out whose ornaments were what. Others were ornaments we've picked up in our travels, like the Waterford crystal snowflake I bought in Waterford Ireland or the double-decker bus from London.

3. Stronger than Cancer blog (see link under blogs I blurk). I discovered this blog yesterday. I actually know the girl who's writing it (she works at my local scrapbook store). Her husband passed away a month ago after his second battle with cancer. I was in tears while I read her blog. It's amazing how strong she is. It's also a very good reminder to appreciate, value, and love those in your life, family especially.

4. Visiting Teaching. I went visiting teaching this morning to one person's house. We ended up staying an hour and a half. It's hard to describe, but I just really enjoyed spending time, talking with her and laughing about parenting.

5. It's Thursday! We're closer to the weekend, and closer to me getting a real haircut. I haven't had one for at least a year. I've been trimming my hair myself. I'm not doing anything drastic, I'm just excited for getting my hair looking better for our family pictures we're taking on Saturday.