Christmas! Ready or not!

I don't know what is going on this year. It has to be me. *Normally* I get VERY into the season. Tree and decorations up day after Thanksgiving, cards out, Christmas music playing 24/7....lots of coffee in Christmas mugs. Christmas dishes, Chrismas sweaters, Christmas clothes for all. Snowmen EVERYWHERE.

This year....I didnt even unpack the Snowmen stuff. Tree was done last night-the 17th....

But we are catching up-WITH A VENGEANCE!!!

8 year old daughter was in a Christmas paegant.

That day we were given a tree!!! By the cleanest best decorated people we know. God is so good!! I coudln't figure out the money for a tree...then I priced artficial and couldn't figure out what was a good one and the idea of a used hagard dusty tree wasnt very festive. Our decorating budget was also $0.00. I tried to tell myself that a tree wasn't necessary. BUT it is this little guy's first Christmas!!!

Doesn't he DESERVE and just HAVE to have a wonderful wonderful tree?!







We have very little living space and it took a while to figure this out...it took a while to put the tree up and then move out furniture and move around furniture and clean some more and then all the older kids took a nap. I drank coffee.


Then I tried to put lights up. That was a joke. Somehow I have never put the lights on myself. go figure.

I read about making Christmas ornaments in the crockpot and got really excited. Our new tree is 7 1/2 feet--we arent really prepared for that much decoration. For days I tried to get those ornaments made. Somehow though time doesnt stop for Christmas. There are still meals to be shopped for planned, made, eated and clenaed up after. Feelings to storke and attitudes to discipline and laundry so so much laundry. Could not get to those ornaments. I yelled at everyone to get their chores done so we could make ornaments. My 10 year old son mumbled that he ddnt even want to make ornaments. Chores got done. He wandered away and 8 year old daughter and I came up with these.

I had a cherry Kool Aid packet left over from my great idea to make play dough for 2 year old son. Two year old son ate play dougha nd didn't play at all so I thought we could use the kool Aid to color these red. That is why they are pink :)



10 year old son got frustrated that I didnt decorate the tree properly and he fixed it. Seriuosly. I DIDNT do it right and he DID fix it. No argument here. I put the smaller tree in my dear daughter's room and got pink lights.


And we delivered cookies to our friends:




And a dear friend of ours was given a basket of food and gifts from her church. This church took it one step further and asked if she had someone she'd like to give a basket too. Being the great friend that she is she immediately wanted to bless us and did.