Santa brought me lots of wonderful things, but sadly he did not bring me more time. Here is a photo to tide everyone over until I can do a real wrap-up post.
I had searched EVERYWHERE in Disney for a real pull-string Woody doll and couldn’t find one. Santa must have good connections with the Mouse. 🙂
Our holiday was wonderful, but we’re onto Second Christmas. We are in the midst of shopping, wrapping, and baking in preparation for our Christmas celebration with Zan’s side of the family this coming weekend. His sister will arrive in town tomorrow, so we’ll be busy with family through Sunday.
Happy New Year to all if I don’t get back here before Monday!! I have lots to share.
Build a longhouse or wigwam, using as many natural resources as possible.
She was determined not to use anything other than natural resources. If it was up to her, I don’t think she would have even used the hot glue to hold it all together. My girl is quite the literalist.
But no worries, the furs are fabric. Zan suggested skinning some roadkill, but for some reason, she didn’t like that idea. Back when he and Big Girl built her longhouse four years ago, some stuffed animals were sacrificed for the project. This caused an emotional crisis of mass proportion when both girls found out where the “fur” had come from. They still get teary eyed when it’s mentioned. I made him swear to let me take care of the supplies for that portion of the project this time. 🙂
So, on Sunday we went out to walk in the woods and enjoy “The Big Show” as Gerry calls it. 🙂
Do you remember way back when in once upon a time time, that I told you about Zan’s uncle’s property not too far from here? I shared with you this photo of his driveway in all it’s glory.
Well, we revisited this location Sunday…Little Girl was on a hunt for white birch bark for her longhouse project, pictured below in it’s half-built phase. We didn’t have to scout far for the bark…as luck would have it, there was a felled birch tree on the side of that glorious driveway.
I, of course, was on the hunt for photo opportunities, of which there were many. His property is not only beautiful, but loaded with old rusty treasures. I share with you a few of my favorites from that day.
And here are a few from the ride over the hills to that fabulous place. You can see that many of our trees have passed their colorful phase and dropped their leaves.
Big Girl is becoming quite a photographer in her own right. Using her camera phone, she took this photo of her parents while out for a walk on Sunday. This image is SOOC.
Well, let’s take a minute to catch up a bit, shall we?
We’re back to a routine of sorts in the Zanduba household which is a welcome change from the summer chaos. The girls have adjusted well to their new school year, and the evenings find us running to and from Big Girl’s volleyball practice and games, and Little Girl’s gymnastics and in-house piano lessons. Mister LOVES LOVES LOVES Preschool even more than I hoped he would, and cries in disappointment the three mornings a week that he can’t go. It is great fun to see the world through his eyes as he learns new things that we at home didn’t teach him. Case in point…one afternoon he was wandering in the kitchen, and picked up an apple off the counter.
“Mommy, will you cut it like that (as he made cutting motions with his hand) so I can see the star inside? My teacher telled me about it.”
And here is what we discovered when we cut into that apple.
My kids are happy, so Mom is happy. 🙂
Which leads me to productivity. The happier I am, the more productive I am, which is likely true of most of us. So, when fall began, I was determined to get my house back to decluttered and organized. You see, I am a great organizer. However, I am a terrible maintainer. I cannot stay organized to save my life. This is what my desk looked like two weeks ago…the absolute bane of my existence. I couldn’t find anything, I was missing deadlines, I was frustrated and had no idea where to even begin. (Not to mention the number of times I knocked my shins on that accursed train table.)
So here’s a lesson for all of you interested in saving money. Do not, I repeat, do not go furniture shopping for a new big boy bed when your desk space looks like this. It is the equivalent of going grocery shopping when you are hungry. This is what happens when you go furniture shopping on an “empty stomach”:
This piece of furniture called to me from across the store and made me take it home. It begged…what else could I do? So NOW I am organized, AND have a decent chance to stay that way. Six baskets of paperwork sorted and put away/thrown away. Attic playspace/storage cleaned out, organized, and made roomy enough for the relocation of the train table. Old toys donated or tossed away. Even my camera has a home in a cabinet, instead of collecting dust buried under paperwork on top of the table. LOVE IT!
So, what else? Ah, yes, the weather. We’ve had some incredible dark rainy days, followed by the most beautiful, sunny, warm fall days I can remember in quite awhile. It has been glorious. I was able to capture a couple of water photos during a rainstorm which I will save for Shrew’s Shutter Challenge, (due October 15th by the way) but here is a photo of a gorgeous sunset looking out of my upstairs hall window.
I should have some time this week to get out to some of my favorite locales to capture some foliage shots…we are entering peak up here and the colors are lovely. Stay tuned.
And in the midst of running our busy lives, I am reminded in every moment of everyday to be thankful for these glorious days and the ability to keep up, as I am surrounded by family and friends who are struggling with some serious illnesses. My Uncle (Dad’s brother,) my Aunt (Mom’s sister,) and a dear friend, all facing recent diagnoses of cancer, and another dear friend facing surgery on Friday for a brain aneurism. They all face their trials with strength, hope, and a brightness of spirit that are amazing to me. The one thing I can do for them is pray, so pray I do. And I used what little skill I have to make my Aunt a Rosary bracelet in the hopes that it will bring a teeny bit of comfort to her in the days ahead.
I am yet again reminded of “The Gift of an Ordinary Day” and am taking pleasure in the little things that make a life worth living…
So here’s hoping all of your trials of the moment are trivial, and I leave you with two videos…
The first is my new favorite song, and the latter is the thing I am most looking forward to next. 🙂 Enjoy!
A Half Hour a Day 