We stretch celebrations out as long as possible in our house. Birthdays can last a week or two or even longer if you are careful. We’re certainly not done with Christmas yet. There are many presents still under the tree and others that haven’t arrived yet. We open presents S*L*O*W*L*Y around here.

We do, however, try to start thank you notesright away.

With a large family (each of whom buy for every member) we end up with an impressive collection of gifts. Since we also take time to focus on each person as they open their presents and stop after a bit to PLAY with the new toys, present opening takes a LONG time. I love gifts and surprises so I encourage everyone to savor the experience.

Unfortunately, all of this savoring and celebrating means I am quite behind on my Christmas cards. At what point to they become Happy New Year cards? I’m in the “I’s” but that still leaves a LOT of people left on our address list. Also, I have to finish the 2007 Christmas newsletter. In our Christmas cards, I’ve been directing people here to the blog. This would normally be great, but it would be nice if I had something for them to actually see. I have the newsletter part written. It’s not very witty or clever but it does a decent job or summarizing our year. I’m in the process of adding pictures. I made it through April this afternoon.

My goals for the weekend - edit and complete the newsletter and finish another (large) chunk of Christmas cards.

What about you? Are you taking Christmas decorations down this week? Starting homeschool back up? Dancing with your beloved under the twinkling Christmas lights? Did you finish your Christmas/holiday cards? Do share!

Kathy
Project 365 - Day 361

It’s important to create a little suspense and anticipation on the blog. Keep people hungry (and that’s a difficult thing during the holidays) for more.

Here’s a little clue about my new present.

Obviously this picture creates more questions than it answers:

• Tim and Kathy’s folks are a little stingy and got her a new hat and scarf for Christmas.
• Kathy’s tastes are simple and she is “thrilled, tickled, delighted and excited” about winter wear.
• Kathy needs a haircut and some time at the salon
• Tim went all out and carved Kathy a new walking stick for the holidays

Perhaps this is a better clue (this is fun, right?), the hint is not what’s IN the picture but the picture ITSELF.

Did you guess?
I know, this is killing you.
Okay, you’re bored silly and wish I would just get on with the blog and post some other cute pictures (preferably of the children).

Tim and my parents decided taking 11 thousand pictures this past year, give or take a thousand, proved I really was interested in photography. They put their heads (and cash) together and treated me to a wonderful new camera.

A fancy, schmancy new digital SLR camera by Nikon.

I picked up the “fancy, schmancy” name from Cindy who also received a new camera for Christmas. Mine is a Nikon D40X - the name alone sounds cool and impressive.

Tim got a fantastic deal and then went back and convinced the sellers to drop the price even further (he threw around the words price matching and Nutella, it’s a powerful combination).

I was totally surprised and amazed. Now I can take “real” pictures and turn this blog into something truly special.

Oh, the pressure is on now.

I am still learning about all the different settings and options. We took around 400 pictures between 1 pm Christmas day and 6 pm Wednesday. At that rate we’d hit something like 73K pictures in the upcoming year.

Gulp.

It’s a good thing I have one of these on hand. Nothing like a nice, little external hard drive to store your photos.

Joshua, Tim and I had a great time using the action function of the new camera to take some shots of the kids sledding this morning.

I’d love to hear from other Nikon photographers - share your comments, tips, favorite lens, books, etc. I want to learn everything!! I think I need to add the Nikon D40X field guide to my Amazon wish list.

Now to find the perfect camera bag. This one in chocolate brown by Jill*e is gorgeous but seems a wee bit pricey.

Happy shooting!
Kathy
Project 365 - Day 360

Thanks, Carl, for encouraging Tim to consider this camera.

The children tell me I haven’t written a blog “in, like forever, Mom.” I can’t imagine what Tim and I have been up to, over the last few days.

Merry Christmas!! The rain is softly falling. It was snowing an hour ago but, this being Washington, we must bow to the inevitable as it and turns to rain.

“I’m dreaming of a rainy Christmas.” That’s what we sing around here.

Thanks to all the rain, a longship was able to beach near our home, and we were forced to entertain a shipload of Vikings.

Well, maybe not.

We’re having a wonderful Christmas day. There is wrapping paper everywhere (always a good sign) and more presents under the tree. Tim and my parents connived to surprise me with an incredible Christmas gift. I’m thrilled, delighted, tickled, and excited.

Sarah reluctantly agreed that we could eat the Gingerbread House that she built … Daniel was only to ready to oblige.

As is our tradition, we all slept in the family room on Christmas Eve, watching a Christmas movie late into the night, each child trying to stay awake long enough to catch a parent in the act of filling the stockings. “Saint Nicholas, my foot!” they snicker. “I remember Daddy tripping over Daniel last year — Saint Nick needs to wear night-vision goggles or something.”

Any Christmas with Baskin Robbins gift certificates is a good Christmas. Thank you, Mamie and Grand-dad!

We enjoyed a delightful service at church, singing Christmas carols and a good sermon, explaining why Jesus came to earth, as the Light of the World:

• To let us know what God is like
• To inform us of God’s loving plan
• To guide our steps in this life
• To handle the problem of our sin
• To transform our lives

Sarah held her candle so carefully, there was no chance of lighting anyone’s hair on fire.

We are so grateful to our Lord and King, Jesus the Christ, for coming to earth as a helpless baby to save us from our sins. As we savor our new gifts and the delight in the eyes of our loved ones, we remember the King of Love who makes it all possible, and whose glorious birthday we honor. We are thankful for this precious Prince of Peace, who came, even when we were enemies to Him, so that we could be reconciled with God.

Merry Christmas to all!

We tried to do school today. Really we did. Okay, we didn’t try very hard.

In a moment of distraction, I let Rachel go off to play with friends. Once you lose one child to a play date, you are on slippery ground. A short while later Daniel begged to go and join Rachel.

Suddenly it was much quieter. Ah! Who needs school when there’s shopping to do.

Online.

How else can you avoid the crowds?

Sarah, fresh from the bath, shows off our two gingerbread houses.

I turned on my electric mattress pad, grabbed the Rainbow Resource catalog and started making lists. After 300 pages and TOO many curriculum choices, I was no closer to my Christmas OR homeschool shopping.

I nearly needed a paper bag for my hyperventilating.

I have a love/hate relationship with Rainbow Resource. They have amazing prices and just about any subject and study you could ever want, but I’m a curriculum junkie. I hardly ever see new homeschooling materials that I don’t want. Rainbow Resource can be a very bad place for me.

Time to work on something else.

How about Christmas cards. Those need to get out at some point. I thought it would be novel to send our cards out in late November this year. You know, to connect with old friends and keep ourselves current on people’s Christmas Lists.

“What happened to Tim and Kathy?”
“I don’t know. I think they’re in the Witness Protection Plan, something about Tim, a jar of Nutella and a Scrabble tile.“
“Ah. That doesn’t sound good.”

Yep, it was a very novel idea. So novel it didn’t happen.

Now it’s 3 days until Christmas, I’ve bought half the presents (most of which are being shipped in January sometime) and I’m only up to the D’s on our Christmas list.

These are exciting times, friends. Exciting times. It’s a good thing I thrive under pressure.

In the evening we went to a Christmas party. There’s something ironic about a non-sugar person (who hasn’t had sugar in almost 3 years) opening a white elephant present of 6 pounds of Gummy Bears.

There were three coffee gift cards floating out there and I end up with Gummy Bears. That’s something else.

I wish it was something else. How about 6 pounds of coffee? That sounds like a pretty good trade. Anybody interested?

Nancy said I could take her picture if I put her on the blog. How could I resist such an offer? My children usually run the other way when the words blog and camera are mentioned in the same sentence.

Now I’m rambling. It’s beyond late (I had to make it through the C’s before I was allowed to go to bed) and I need some sleep. Tim declared Holiday Hours when we got home from our party. Time for the Christmas Fun to begin!

How about you - are you panicked or prepared?

Until next tomorrow,
Kathy
Project 365 - Day 355

To celebrate Rachel’s 12th birthday party, we decided to host a Sleepover Extraordinaire. First Rachel invited all over her friends (most of them from large homeschooling families), next I begged the moms to come along (”to keep me sane company”), then we convinced Rachel to let us bring the little sisters as well (that added 3 five year olds to the party), finally we made sure to grab some girls from the old neighborhood.

Yes, all of that meant we needed two vehicles (packed to the ceiling) to take everyone off for the sleepover.

How else do you have a Birthday Extravaganza?

A few of Rachel’s nearest and dearest friends - Hannah, Emily, Sarah, Alivia, Bethany, Jenny, Brigette, Katie, Elizabeth and Abby. Leanne had to go home early so she missed all the photo shoots.

We had quite the assortment of entertainment for the party.

Some friends loaned us their karaoke machine (Thanks, Casey!!). It was a huge hit, playing cds at full volume (or so it seemed) while the girls sang along.

The little girls were very intrigued by the Singing Machine.

For her birthday, Rachel received Dance Praise 2 which plays contemporary Christian music and includes dance steps to go along. Thankfully the girls didn’t ask me to demonstrate for them.

I’d hate to blow them away with my stunning dancing abilities.

Or scare them.

Or give them nightmares.

Tim’s mom gave Rachel an incredible gift for her birthday party. She made nine (yes, I said NINE!!) gingerbread houses, assembled them, and had them all ready and waiting for us upon our arrival.

On Monday morning, she came over with containers of frosting/glue, bags of decorating candy, and instructions on how to create our very own Stunning Gingerbread Homes.

Each family went home with their own gingerbread house, which had the added benefit of encouraging sisters to work together in peace and harmony.

Or at least covered in sugar.

There was even a house for the littlest girls to decorate. And, since I’m a firm believer in more is better, I made sure the last group of younger sisters came over to join Sarah’s posse.

It was so kind of Rachel to allow the little sisters to join the party. Sarah had a wonderful time with Ava, Tarah, Abby, Avery, and Elise.

I’m trying not to kick myself for missing the opportunity to take pictures of all the gingerbread houses lined up in a sugary display of yummy confection. It’s hard work being the mother, hostess, party organizer, chef, AND photographer.

I did manage to get this picture.

Some creative gingerbread ideas:

• A snowman made out of white gumdrops with red scarf.
• A pond designed with blue M&M’s with a gold fish (M&M) swimming in the middle.
• An igloo fashioned out of non-pareils.
• A candy cane cross at the top of chimney.
• A stone covered chimney made out of chocolate rocks.

And much, much more sugary, gumdrop, chocolate creativity.

I’m not sure the girls slept very much. You can see they look a bit blurry here.

Oh wait, maybe that’s the photographer who was a bit blurry. I’m not sure I slept very much either.

A wonderful time was had by all.

1 Birthday Girl
11 Party Girls
6 Little Girls
3 Moms (old girls?)

Thanks to everyone who made it an AWESOME birthday party!!

Kathy
Project 365 - Day 351