1 Corinthians 13 for Christmas

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,

strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls

but do not show love,

I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas Cookies,

preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,

but do not show love,
I'm just another cook.

If I work in the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home

and give all that I have to charity

but do not show love,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes,

attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata

but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,

but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return,

but rejoices in giving to those that can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearls will be lost, golf clubs will rust,

but giving the Gift of Love will endure.

Merry CHRISTmas.

These little piggies went to church

Sugar Pie's first set of pigtails.

It wasn't easy getting them in, but miraculously, they lasted through church!

Perchance to Dream

Sugar Bear: I had a terrible dream last night!

Me: Oh, no! What was it about?

SB: Daddy was melting!

Me: Daddy was melting? Did you dream he was a snowman?

SB: No he was just Daddy, but he was melting into a puddle.

Me: Oh, my! What happened?

SB: He was on the front porch just laying there in a puddle, and he was calling for you to help him. He was saying, "Mommy, help! I'm turning into a puddle!"

I'm thinking it's time to put away the "Frosty the Snowman" dvd.

Not Me! Monday...er, Friday

I have the memory of an elephant. I NEVER forget things. Ever.

I did NOT forget my sweet step-mother-in-law's birthday on Monday. I did NOT remember it was the 15th, her birthday, until 8:30 pm that night. I did NOT call right away only to find that she was asleep, recovering from a major surgery she had the week before.

I did NOT forget to pack and send a lunch for my dear daughter to eat at school on Tuesday. I did NOT suppose that there would be plenty of food at her Christmas party that day. I did NOT remember not getting the list of what food to contribute to the party as I was walking in to the school to pick her up. She did NOT just eat cookies and marshmallows that were meant for decorating, with a few sticks of pretzels and cheese cubes at the Christmas party. Her teachers did NOT have to scrounge around to find something for her to eat for lunch. I did NOT die of humiliation when they told me this.

I did NOT forget what day it was on Monday (see above), and thus did NOT forget to post my Not Me! list. I did NOT forget to post it the next day, or the next day, or the next day. I did NOT decide to post it today, Friday, instead of waiting until next Monday just so I could use the word (word??) er in my post title. I do NOT think it is funny when people type the word er in their blogs, emails, and other publications. I was NOT trying to be cool like them. I do NOT say er out loud when I read it, just to hear the funny noise it makes.

I did NOT forget what I was originally going to post on my Not Me! Monday list.

**just added**

I did NOT forget to link up and comment on MckMama's blog until just now!

I am a dork...er, NOT.

Join in the Not Me! confessions this coming Monday at MckMama's blog.

Christmas Home Tours

So with all the forgetting that's going on around here, you shouldn't be surprised that I forgot about all of the wonderful Christmas open houses being hosted in blogland. There's one at Kimba's, Sophie's, Rhoda's, and Julia's blogs. Go stroll through their virtual neighborhoods and see all the pretty lights and decorations that others are sharing.

As for me, better late than never, right? And apparently just under the gun, as Sophie (BooMama)'s Open House is about to be a Closed House.

So, without further ado...

Welcome to our house!

Please do come in and make yourself at home!

Grab a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and I'll give you the dime tour.

Upon our entrance we see our beloved children's tree. It is adorned with their handmade ornaments from school, and they hung those ornaments themselves. It's my favorite thing to look at right now. It is standing in a metal bucket that I normally use to hold cold drinks for parties, and is surrounded by the Polar Express train that Grandpa B. gave us a couple of years ago.

To your left you'll see the dinning room. I went simple in here this year. Just filled these hurricanes with glass ball ornaments.

Here's a "keeping it real picture" from the other side of the table. Several projects in the works there. 3 to be exact!
Next, we're getting ready for Santa. Just need to make the cookies.
Also on the project list!
That brings us to the kitchen. I love to get out my Spode Christmas Tree dishes to use and display throughout the season.

I need some more fruit!

Some of my favorite Christmas decor.
Here's the restroom in case you need it while you're here.
Some Christmas cheer from our friends near and far.
Our tree! We collect new ornaments each year, both on our own, and from family. I get the annual Candy Cane ornaments from Wallace for the kids and I try to find different silver ornaments for the hubs and myself each year. A couple of years ago, I ordered personalized ribbon for each of us with our names on them. I tie each of our ornaments on our respective name ribbons and hang them on the tree, instead of using those annoying hooks that always get lost in my carpet and I step on from now until February. It really helps keep track of what ornaments belong to whom (who??) and it adds a nice touch of red to the tree.
Next are our stockings. Those are all of our very first Christmas pictures as babies in the frames. I love to look at them all season!
Here's my garland I showed off at another fun party.
And lastly, I've started collecting nativity scenes. This is from a holiday show in Louisiana. It's pewter.
This is from Southern Living at HOME.
This I got at the craft fair at my kids' preschoool last year.
This was a gift. I love that it lights up.
This is the kids' set. They love to play with it, act out the story, and stuff them in my couch cushions.
And this, THIS, is my newest scene. Isn't it just priceless?
And that concludes my tour. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

"with visions of Sugar Plum"

more Wordless Wednesdays here and here

Famous last words

Me to the big kids on Tuesday night: You need to put your warm pajamas on because it's going to get cold tonight and be really, really cold in the morning.

Sugar Bear: How cold?

Me: Icy cold.

Sugar Plum: Mommy, when is it going to snow?

Me: It's not going to snow, sweetie. It never snows here in the Southern Sauna.

Sugar Plum on Wednesday night: Moooommyyyy! You said it never snows here!

An initiation of sorts...

Sometimes, it stinks to be the baby of the family...**That's a black Sharpie mark, if you couldn't tell.

This could have been REALLY, REALLY bad!

Christmas Spirit--Let's Hear It!!!

I found this at Christy's blog. It's the acapella group Straight No Chaser from Indiana University. I'll be buying this one to add to our Christmas cd collection.

Click here to enjoy!

My Garland is Showing

First of all, I must apologize for being so fashionably late to this wonderful party. I had so many glamorous urgent, (and truthfully, more important) mommy things to do yesterday, I haven't had an ounce of time to post! But here I am and here's my garland!

The Nester is was hosting a Garland Party and has inspired quite a few in blogland to grace our mantles, banisters, and walls, etc. with our embellished greenery. When you're finished here, head over to her beautiful place and peruse the garland glory. And then show us your garland and link up, if you are so inspired.

The Nester is an expert at using what she has, shopping the house, and making everything she touches luxurious and gorgeous. She is Queen Midas...everything she touches turns to decorating gold!

I, however, am not. I am a copy catter. And I'm not good at picking out quality stuff that lasts and lasts from year to year, so I didn't have a stash of greenery or fru-fru things to put a garland together. So I had to go shopping to make this work. Fortunately, the Hobby Lobby had their Christmas junk 1/2 off, so I scooped up what I could there. They didn't have the plain Jane garland that I wanted so I headed to Wal-Mart and found it there for $4 a strand.

All in all, I spent less than $40, which was the price of the cheapest fru-fru garland at Hobby Lobby and it wasn't half as luscious and pretty as mine turned out to be. And it was easy to put her together...I just followed the Nester's instructions, step by step.

my materials:

$4 garland from Wally World

$6 beaded garland

a bunch of holly berry picks--.50 each

a souped up garland--$12 (which I debated about spending, but I needed something to save some time, 'cause I'm in the red on that commodity!)


ornaments--$6

and some $1 ribbon I forgot to take a picture of :)

the method: squish and twist the garlands together, stick in the berries and ornaments, and wind in the ribbon; add a bow in the middle, hang and...

Voila!

and then I found these a couple of these fellas...

and some of these...

(I had a "stash" and didn't know it!)

so I gave her some friends and a crown, and here she is now.

It probably could have used another strand of $4 garland, and maybe some lights, but I'm done with decorating for 2008.

I'm not actually sure I like the dark feathers (or "pheathers", rather)..I may look for something white.

What do you think?

If at first you don't succeed...

try, try again!

TA-DA!

Show us your Wordless Wednesday and link up at Megan's blog.