We are Moving

.....just a few more days and we will be completely moved out of our house.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Still Moving

Just wanted to check in and let you know that we are still moving. It is a slow process, but we have gotten a good amount done.

We have cleaned out the shed and playhouse (which were both big projects!) along with most of the things in the closets. Next week, we will start moving beds, dressers, and other furniture.

I am so thankful that Scot has had so much time off. He has worked like crazy taking load after load to storage and the rental house! I am so thankful to have a husband who works so hard!

So what is in your attic?

Look what we found in the attic.....


This 6 ft beauty was won at the fair by my cousin and given to E when she was 3 or 4 years old.
At the time, she loved watching cooking shows and decided to name her new neon green sting ray, Rachel Ray.


She use to play with her all the time. We finally had to put her in the attic because who really has room for a 6ft stuffed animal?? Since RR has made her debut this week, the little kids have loved playing with her all over again....I fear that I am now stuck with a 6 ft neon green sting ray for life!!!!

The First Load

In between rain drops, we took the first load to the rental house. Here is a picture of the kids at the door of the rental. It was raining and freezing outside!!!



We were only able to take a few things over at a time, in case we were not able to have it all unloaded before the next wave of rain pours came down.



This is only the first of many loads that we will be doing the next 2 weeks..... and for those wondering, yes, huge rain drops fell from my eyes too! It is becoming a reality that we are actually moving and the emotions lay close to the surface!

Christmas Carolers

S, M, and B got out of bed the other night and went knocked on E's door. I asked them what they were doing out of bed? About that time, they started singing "Joy to the World".

S whispered, "Mom, we are Christmas Caroling to E." They stood there for a few minutes singing Christmas carols, then they trotted off to their beds.

I am not sure who thought of the idea to go caroling IN our house, but it sure did bring a smile to our faces and created a special memory of the silliness of our kids.

Under Contract

The negotiations have been completed, the inspection has been done, the details have been worked out, and now the house is......

We officially signed the contract yesterday! Yippee!

We got the keys to the rental on Wednesday and have told the landlord that we start moving our things in on Saturday. So the craziness of moving will begin then! I am excited... and sad. I am hoping that being busy will keep my mind off of it for a little while longer.

Happy Birthday, Scot!

Today is my sweet husband's birthday!

I am so blessed to have such a godly husband who loves and adores me. I am so thankful it is him that I get to wake up beside every morning. He is not only my husband, my leader, my protector, he is my best friend! I enjoy being with him and spending my life with him - the fun and the stressful times! Whatever we do or go through, it is so wonderful that I get to do or go through it with him! I am one blessed girl!

Our children have a really special daddy! He loves and adores them. He spends time with them both playing with and teaching them. He is just incredible! They are blessed to have someone who is an earthly example of what are heavenly father is to us.

Happy Birthday, my love!

The Mantel

Scot and I are fortunate enough to have a fireplace in our bedroom. It is something that you can be sure we will be having one in our room at the new house too! We just love it!

Instead of putting a tree in our room, I decorate the mantel.

I hung brown glass bead garland.

I place tree trimmings on the mantel along with white lights. Then I nestled brown ornaments through out. To give it a little height, I added some twigs in a amber colored glass and then hung a few ornaments from the twigs.

I am so happy with the way the mantel turned out this year! What do you think?

Peppermint Mocha

If you haven't tried Peppermint Mocha creamer yet, you need to! It is so delicious!

You can even go here and print yourself a coupon.

The Ornaments

I admit that I have a sentimental addiction to ornaments.

I just love ornaments.

I love getting ornaments from places we visit or things we do.

I love that we get the kids ornaments each year that mean something to them or represent something about them during that year.

I love, when we decorate our tree, to relive the memories of years past through our Christmas ornaments.

E's first Christmas ornament to her daddy

We have all kinds of ornaments...hallmark keepsakes, playful ones, handmade ones, etc. Each one is bought specifically as a reminder of our children at that age whether it is an activity they were into or just something that they love at that time.

Nana got B this on his first Christmas

I write a little message on the box telling why we choose the ornament that year along with their name and the year. So when we pass out the ornaments to hang on the tree, I read the message or say "oh, remember how you did so-and-so". It is such sweet memories and so much fun for everyone!

1996 - our first Christmas - a starfish Santa because we lived in Pensacola, FL

I thought I would share a FEW of the ones we have collected over the years. Trust me when I say we have lots of ornaments and these are just a few....

E loves to collect the snowball and tuxedo ornaments. This one was of them sharing coffee. When I saw which one it was for last year, I told her it was fitting that she get it because she would always steal my coffee....of course, she says it is hot cocoa so it doesn't count...*smile*

This one is one S got a few years ago when she learned to ice skate for the first time. Oh, we have such fun and sweet memories of that day!

This one was for B when he was 3 and was SO into planes and rockets and anything else that flies!

This is one that we gave M in 2007 (she was 1) because she was obsessed with penguins. It all started because at our local Christmas parade, one of the floats threw her a stuffed penguin. She carried that thing EVERYWHERE..for months!

A funny story about this next one. I got it for S when she was 4 because she loves to draw, color, paint, etc. When I gave it to her, she said "but I don't like mice!" She thought I got it for her because she likes mice not because of the crayola box. I wrote this story on the side of the box and I am so glad I did. Now each year, we can smile and laugh at the "other" story behind the ornament.

What about you? Do you give ornaments each year? Does your tree tell the story of your family through the years?

Jammy Feet

....that is what Scot calls M when she has on her cute little winter PJ's.