Tis the season to give

I need to tell you about a little girl I know. Her name is Ashlynn and she amazes me every. single. day. Ashlynn has come up with several things this season that have just blown me away. Let me tell you about our week.
On monday we made thank you cards for a pantry that we have been visiting. You see we have hit some hard times since my husband injured himself... and this pantry has saved us. In more than one way. Not only do they offer much needed food, but also they offer up amazing sermons from their pastor while you wait... and I am hit almost every week by something he has said. So a thank you card is the least we can do. Our local dollar store has packets of thank you cards for 1.00. So we got a package of thank you cards and a package of markers and we said thank you. What happened next is amazing I can hardly tell you all about it. One of the ladies started crying... and then another... and then I started crying. Then they brought out packages of fruit treats and candy for the girls... and then there was some more crying as one of the ladies told me that volunteering has "saved her" this year... and to receive thanks like this hit her so hard. Ashlynn and Taryn were impressed by the reaction. It lasted most of the day with them.
Later that day Ashlynn asked if we could make Christmas cards and bring them to the store to hand out to the shoppers that are there. I asked if she wanted to make them for particular people or stores.... and she said " No just for people who might need to hear Merry Christmas" WOWZERS.... well yes darling we can. So we spent all day on Wednesday making cards that we are planning on giving out this weekend. We do not know where we are going yet only that we have a handful of cards... that we are going to give to perfect strangers... and the girls will decide WHO gets them when we are at the store.
On Tuesday she was looking over my shoulder while I was surfing facebook and I came across a post from someone who was putting together a care kit for homeless people. That struck her and we had a conversation that went something like this
" homeless mom does that mean they don't have a home?"
 Me "Yes Ashlynn that is what that means."
 Ashlynn " But mom it is really cold outside... you mean there are people who don't have a home to sleep in and keep them warm."
 Me " That is exactly what that means."
Ashlynn thought for a while and said " Mom we don't have a lot of money."
and I said " no but we have what we need."
Ashlynn " there are people who DON'T have what they need?"
Me " yes"
Ashlynn " well we should help them"
then she ran off to play. I thought it was the end of it. On Thursday however she started talking about needing to make a care package for homeless people. That glimmer of an idea has grown and grown... until I have jumped on board with her. We are working together to make a care package for people who are less fortunate than we are. We don't have much.... but we have more than someone who is living in a grocery cart. And because of that.... some of what we have is going to them. While I would have kept every penny to make what is going to be a very small Christmas in our house.... Ashlynn is looking to share it. She tells me over and over that Christmas isn't about the presents.... as she is aware that I am concerned about Christmas for the year. She hugs me and says as long as we are all together we will be okay. And then she reaches out to help those who don't have even as little as we do. This child humbles me. She just humbles me. And I am so glad to say that I know her.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

There is something about snow before Christmas that seems magical. After Christmas it becomes an annoyance.... but right up until and on the day of.... well that is part of the magic. We have had our snow. Sunday on the way home from church that snow nearly caused mayhem for our family personally even while it caused mayhem around the country ( here's looking at you Germantown Wi!)
IF it is going to snow however it is only DECENT for that snow to be the sort that can pack.... at least when you are or have kids. THIS snow not only nearly caused mayhem but it is NOT packable at all. Kind of offensive if you ask me. STILL we have gone out and thrown handfuls of snow at each other... most of which blew back into the throwers face. It made for a short snowball fight. Still what do you expect at four and six and well NOT your business. :-D Still we had a wonderful time and then came in for HOT Ovaltine. It was more fun than I can ever say. I thought all the fun came when you were a kid... until I started having fun WITH my kids. Then well MAN it is TOO TOO TOO Awesome being a mommy.
Christmas is the time for craftiness.... and we have been crafting with the best of them. We have made ornaments and cards... we have sent out cards to people we love and we have had so much fun. I had an entire list of activities and crafts for an advent calendar.... but then we got sick... and the first week of December there was little chance of sticking to any plan. Even our tree didn't get up when I thought it would. So I decided that it was best to be easier on myself than I wanted to be. So we are keeping it low-key. We aren't stressing that we didn't get it all done. If it does it does... if it doesn't well I am the only one who would be upset... so (shrugs ) the heck with it. We will have a FAR better holiday if I take it easy. Still there is a bit of sadness when I think of the carefully planned ideas I had for crafts and pictures and memories and blog posts and the like. But what good is all THAT if mom is in need of an anti-anxiety script when all is said and done. So I got my kids a chocolate advent calendar... Yeah I know I know I know... and they are counting down... and we are laughing and joking and having a good time.... we are throwing snow non-balls at each other and having ovaltine. and I am sharing those photos with you... So here's to a Christmas that is a little bit less!

Thanksgiving and other Hijinx

Alright alright. I dropped the ball... I know it. I have 26,27,28,29, and 30 of thankfullness to get through so that I can post CHRISTMAS DECORATING pictures. I will be quick. I was sick sick sick all last week.... SO I was grateful for cough medicine with Codeine so that I could sleep at night. I was grateful for coffee so that I could counter the effects of the codeine in the morning. I was grateful for a couch to lay on ( though I didn't get NEARLY the time I needed to do that) and I was grateful for the understanding of my family. All of my Holiday plans went kind of awry. I had planned so much.... but we DID have a turkey... and I was able to get up and make that day work for us. And I was so very very grateful for craft work and my children's love for it. They made amazing awesome truly spectacular ornaments and then they generously gifted those ornaments to people they loved. I am so blessed by my little girls. Their hearts are so open to giving and sharing. And they feel so proud of what they can share. I am endlessly amazed by my children. It makes me feel all explody when I think about it too much.... like all that amazing good feelingness is welling up inside me and I have to stop thinking about it before my head bursts.
SO anyways... we spent Thanksgiving crafting... and giving it away. :D and then I spent the day after shopping with my OWN mommy.... and let me tell you if I haven't my mommy is the best person on earth... aside from my own kids of course. We shop every year on Black Friday ( yes yes yes ridiculous consumerism yada yada yada) We eat breakfast out and have fun! But this year.... we came back after getting those door busters and we picked up my munchkins and we introduced THEM to the beauty of a girls day. It was fantabulous. I was sick so outside waiting had to be kept to a minimum. But we didn't need to do that anyways... we went to Guitar Center and Joann fabrics .... dude we were breaking down the DOOR. :D
We had planned on decorating the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving day but for various reasons it didn't get done until YESTERDAY. SHEESH I am falling down all over the place. Not to even mention the fact that I had a whole advent calendar with things planned to do that I haven't started yet. I start to get a little bit frustrated.... but then I have to let it go. That is NOT what the holiday is about and if I am upset because plans that I created for myself are falling apart.... well who is putting THAT stress on me. Yeah not worth it. So we decorated the tree and watched Christmas movies for the rest of the day and we decided.... it is about US... not plans. At the end of the night Ashlynn decided that we should all hold hands around the tree and sing a Christmas carol.... So that is what we did. We sang We wish you a Merry Christmas while holding hands around the tree.... and it was AMAZING... and we love each other... and we were reminded that maybe just maybe the stress of Christmas is something we do to ourselves..... and maybe we can enjoy it a little more if we relax a little. So in the spirit of that I am going to share PHOTOS! YAY...because photos are my favorite thing in the world. Taking them, sharing them, looking at them... you name it.