Christmas Party

Last night was the high school Christmas party at church. We had a progressive dinner. Appetizers at the church while kids were arriving. Salads at the Willimans' house. Dinner at the Chutes'. And dessert at the Giffins.
At each stop, the kids also got to play a little game. At the salad stop, the game was "Name that Christmas Carole." I thought it would be a fun post. You have to use each clue to guess the name of the song described. Good luck! (And no looking up the words in a dictionary!)

1. Bleached Yule
2. Castaneous-colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
3. Righteous Darkness
4. Arrival at 24:00hrs - Weather: Cloudless
5. Loyal Followers Advance!
6. Far Off in a Feeder
7. Array the Corridor
8. Bantam Male Percussionist
9. Us Monarchical Triad
10. Nocturnal Noiselessness
11. Red Man en Route to Borough
12. Proceed to Enlighten the Pinnacle
13. Quadruped with the Vermilion Proboscis
14. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
15. Delight for this Planet
16. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings

Check back later for the answers!

Flashback

Saturday, after Braden's basketball game, I spent the next several hours washing clothes then hauling them next door to dry them, fold them, and bring them back for another load. Four in all! --- Did I mention it snowed 2 inches during this fun time?
While I was doing laundry, Jon had dug out his old baseball, football, and basketball cards to show Braden. (Braden had been asking to see them) Here are a few pics of the fun time Braden was having looking at cards.

And yes, I know Jon needs a haircut. He just hasn't moved it to the top of his to-do list.

Fingers Crossed

.......that nothing else goes wrong.

The dining room light won't turn on. And no, it's not the light bulb. So until Jon has time to investigate, I moved the floor lamp from the front room in to illuminate our meals.

Then I went to fluff the clothes in the dryer only to discover that the dryer won't turn on. And the load that had been drying was still damp. Jon's going to investigate this on Saturday. Hopefully there is just a simple clog in the vent or something. I can dry the clothes at my grandparents. But I really don't want to have to pay a repairman. And honestly, I don't want to be hauling wet clothes around in the FREEZING COLD.

(Last year around this time we were calling the plumber about a huge clump of roots clogging the pipe and preventing us from using the toilet.)

And then I find that Dallas decided to try out the tree skirt as a hiding place for her bone. She opted for the bean bag instead, but not before completely yanking the tree skirt out from under the tree. I think she did this on purpose, knowing I put the skirt on the first to save myself the trouble of crawling underneath all of the branches!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

** Can't wait to see how much bigger Braden is beside you in a few weeks!**

It's Thursday....

and Braden is officially done dancing. (Yes, when I get an idea in my head, I run with it. Quickly!) Logically, the decision had to be made ASAP. He would have had class tonight. And being the first of the month, I would have been paying tuition. And a costume deposit.

So after the holidays, we will begin planning for either guitar or piano lessons. (And yes, that is already being planned in my head!) My biggest flaw is my inability to take the time to take my decisions to God. Do I get any bonus points for at least being self-aware? But how cool would it be if he ended up in the praise band in later years? ......... I know! I'm getting a little ahead of myself. It's what I do!

Also, I just found out that I do not have to bring desserts for the h.s. Christmas party on Saturday. Super excited not to be spending my Friday night and Saturday in the kitchen! They decided to just purchase the food instead.

And super excited about my new tooth brush! The Colgate 360 is my absolute fave, but it needs to be the medium bristles. Last time I bought a pack, they only had the soft :( But I finished those off and am so happy to be back to the mediums again!

Yes, it's the little things in life that bring me the most joy!

Jon's always said I was a cheap date! I'd go to Bueno over a fancy restaurant any day of the week.

Before I Say Good Night.........

CONGRATULATIONS to one of my four favorite sis-in-laws, Amanda!

Not only is she about to graduate with her master's,

but she's been offered a job in Boston!

Way to go!

We love you and are so excited for this new chapter in your life!

Can't wait to see how God is going to use you!

Second on my mind: we are thinking about pulling Braden out of dance. I ran the numbers in my head this afternoon and was blown away. (I've been in denial until now!)

6 more months of dance this school year = $180

Recital costume avg. = $55

Recital tickets for Jon and I for one of two performances = $20

Recital finale t-shirt (required) = $18

Pictures (I always order the memory mate) = $10

For a grand total of approximately $285

(When you add in the 3 mo. tuition already paid, we've exceeded $300!!!!)

For a child that isn't in other things, this maybe fine. But given my child plays football, basketball, baseball, sometimes soccer, has church 2 nights a week, AND wants to take either piano or guitar lessons.............. Dance seems like a waste of money right now. And given that we are officially in a recession, doesn't $18 for a finale t-shirt seems silly? And that's for the boys shirt. The shirt the girls have to wear costs $34.

I'd love to hear other opinions on this. It just kind of seems stupid to spend so much money on something that really isn't his passion.

He really does like to dance, but was also motivated by the trophy you get for dancing for 5 yrs.

And any thoughts on guitar vs. piano?

And finally, my high school girls and I had a great discussion tonight on creation v. evolution that branched off into a ton of other areas! It made me really appreciate being able to spend this time with them as we teach each other and hopefully grow in our walks :)

Have a great night!

Monday Night

Again out of order!

Braden and Jon assembled their annual gingerbread house on Monday. Here are a few pictures of the decorating process.

You'll notice that Braden's house looks nothing like the house on the box. Is it even possible to create a house that looks like that? Jon says it is........ if Braden isn't the one in charge. While I find this hard to believe (especially given my lack of patience!) I am tempted to buy 3 kits and have a friendly little competition next Christmas! (I buy the kits right after Christmas when they get marked down and then put them away until the next year!)

Anyone interested in joining our friendly contest please let me know :) If you live out of state, we can always compete via the Internet.

And my project on Monday night: Braden's right canine! You'll remember he told me it would fall out on Thanksgiving. Well, it didn't and I got tired of his whining that it hurt to bite/chew because it would push the tooth back into his gums. Blah! Blah! Blah!

Monday night I finally asked if he just wanted me to yank it out. He said yes and sat down on the couch. I gave it a few tugs/wiggles to get an idea of where it was still attached. The root was completely gone. It was hanging on by both sides, but the front, back, and middle were ready. So, one more strong tug and out it came!

He put it in his tooth fairy pillow (For those of you with small children who have yet to loose teeth, I would encourage you to buy a pillow. It makes finding the tooth so much easier. It fits easily under Braden's other pillows and has a nice pocket for the tooth, and later for the $1 to fit into.) and went to bed. Around 10:30 that night, as I was just relaxing and beginning to drift off to sleep, I REMEMBERED THE TOOTH!

Now usually, I never have cash. But I happened to have two $5's and a $10 bill in my wallet that night. But the tooth fairy only carries $1's!!!! (Usually Jon would be sent to the ATM and then to the store to buy a pack of gum or something.) Jon's asleep. What to do? Wait! Braden has four $1's in his wallet!

I run downstairs and grab $5. Run back upstairs and into Braden's room. Trade him his $1's for the $5. Dig under his pillow for the tooth pillow. Swap the tooth for the cash. Stick it back under his pillow. Go back into my room where I put the tooth in a Ziplock, labeled with the date, and hide it in my jewelry box with the other teeth he's lost. Put the extra dollars on the dresser. And finally climb into bed where I have to unwind all over again!

The funniest part of this story was the next morning when Braden woke up. He remembered his tooth right away. Found his pillow. Told me he got a dollar. Then, knowing his mom never has any money and now believing that there is no Santa Claus, says, "probably from my wallet!"

And that was it. He didn't check his wallet. He didn't even put the $1 in his wallet. I put it in his wallet today after looking at it sitting on the entertainment center for the last 2 days.

Strange little boy! Though not so little anymore! ...... btw, what do you do with all the baby teeth? It seems wrong to just throw them in the trash.