Thinking of Christmas...

Our Patriotic Christmas Tree

(with only red, white, and blue lights)...

...because the green strand died.

We all like the idea (and the effect) so much though, that we're planning to do it again next year!

***

Another nativity set.

(I know! Another one! But because of its purpose, this might be the most important one we own.)

This one, made by Schleich, is extremely well made and durable.

It is meant to be played with.

(Because I firmly believe that Baby Jesus should not be off-limits!)

His and Mine

The J-3 Piper Cub may be his,

but the oh-so-happy owner/pilot is definitely mine!

Log Home Christmas: The Little Pictures

Log Home Christmas: The Big Pictures

The Living Room, dressed up for Christmas!

(The wool quilts made by my great-grandma will stay in the living room all winter long!)

The stairs decorated with stockings from my husband's childhood

and stuffed handsewn ornaments

made by his great-grandma!

The gift-wrapping station located under the stairs

features an old wooden box I just inherited from my mother-in-law!

Reading Around the Fire

After your little brother is in bed and the house is quiet,

there's just nothing like curling up with a good book next to a warm fire,

especially when you're already in your jammies.

Daughter #3 opted for some poetry tonight:

Shel Silverstein, to be exact.

***

Daughter #1 is reading Prince Caspian

(from the Chronicles of Narnia)...

...for the second time in two days.

***

Daughter #2 is tackling The Spirit of St. Louis

by Charles Lindbergh

(because Daddy liked it).

Night Music

This is not an uncommon sound around here.

Sometimes I find it beautiful.

Sometimes it is just chilling.

This was part of tonight's concert.

Beautiful or chilling?

Turn the volume way up, and then you decide:

Happy Christmas!

As I got out the Christmas decorations this year,

I noticed that I have collected more than a few Nativity sets!

This one my husband bought for me in Israel

when we were in high-school:

The Scrabble letters spell out "Happy Birth Celebration"

(because according to Google, there is no Hebrew for "Happy Christmas").

***

This set came to us from Mexico via my husband's grandparents:

(Does Feliz Navidad really need translated?

Really? Oh. Well, it means "Happy Christmas" in Spanish!)

***

My friend got this one for me when she lived in Germany:

Frohe Weihnachten means Happy Christmas in German

(or so the internet tells me!)

***

My husband remembers this one from his childhood:

(it's new to us this year)

***

My grandma got this in Peru

(where I spent most of my childhood)

and although it's an ornament and not really a set,

it counts because it's the only Nativity-themed thing I've got from Peru!

Over the Weekend

This weekend, while my parents stayed with the kids, my husband and I flew to the other side of the country so he could run a half-marathon with some friends.

It was sunny and almost warm on race day, and 4/6 of our group had fun running their race.

The other 2/6 of our group had fun not running the race,

and after the 4/6 crossed the finish line, 6/6 of us spent the rest of the day having fun together!

Cat Math

First there were three.

We added a redhead to match our redhead, so then there were four.

A week ago we lost one, and were down to three again.

We lost another one on Saturday night, and now there are two.

(Now the cats sleep in the garage at night...because the coyotes don't.)

Home Tour - Part 3

As requested, here is the final installment of our home tour!

(If you'd like to see the first two parts click here and here.)

The Master Bathroom:

The Office/Music Room/Guest Room:

The Laundry Room:

And that's the end of the home tour!

(Want to come visit?)

Laundry Room Make-Over

I finally couldn't take it any longer.

The clutter in the laundry room was getting to me.

So I decided to give the laundry room a make-over.

The only rule was that I had to use only what I had on hand around the house.

It almost...

...ALMOST...

...makes me want to do some laundry.

Batter My Heart

Batter my Heart, Three-Personed God 

by John Donne 1573 - 1631  

Batter my heart, three-personed God, for you  

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;  

That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend  

Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.  

I, like an usurped town to another due,  

Labor to admit to you, but oh, to no end;  

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,  

But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.  

Yet dearly I love you, and would be lovéd fain  

But am betrothed unto your enemy;  

Divorce me, untie or break that knot again;  

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,  

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,  

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Disclaimer: You who know me well, know that I have not ever been a big fan of poetry. (Shakespeare's plays don't count.) :)

Maybe I just wasn't reading the right poetry.

Home Tour - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of our Home Tour.

Log stairs:

Upstairs landing:

The boy's bedroom:

The girls' bedroom:

Master bedroom:

The Attic:

(to be continued...)

(maybe...)

Pieces of Fall in My Living Room

Today is the first day of Fall, so I had the kids collect some of the elements of the season to bring in and display indoors.

Apparently our trees don't know it's supposed to be Fall.

And it's 80˚ outside today.

Maybe we'll try again next week...

Home Tour - Part 1

When we moved into this house in June, I had every intention of doing a photo tour...

just as soon as I had every room set up the way I want it.

Now that September is almost gone, I have accepted that

the room-set-up-thing's not going to happen any time soon.

So here's a partial tour of our new house as it looks right now, and maybe someday (if and when things ever get arranged like we want them) I'll do another "official" tour.

To the right of the front door:

The Living Room

(looking left from the front door)

The Dining Room:

The Kitchen:

(to be continued...)