Christmas Card Love

Although I understand they can be quite a chore, I really hope the tradition of sending Christmas cards never dies.  I just love the fun of opening a card from someone I love.  My favorites are the cards with family pictures, then the cards with pictures of kids only, then the good 'oil traditional Christmas cards!  

Oh wha fun it is to receive Christmas cards!

Christmas Cards

Christmas cards weren't high on the priority list this year...but I still managed to get them done.

Here's how things went down:

1.  Turn on the Christmas tree lights.

(This photo doesn't have the lights on, but you get the point.)

2.  Pull up a dining room chair and an ottoman.

3.  Tell the kids to gather together.

4.  Say cheese!

5.  Snap about ten pictures and hope for the best.

6.  Load the pictures onto the laptop.

7.  Open Picasa.

8.  Crop, brighten, boost colors.

9.  Add background patterns and position my three favorite snapshots.

10.  Add text.

11.  Order 4x6 prints online from CVS.

12.  Pick up prints later in the afternoon.

13.  Peel and stick photos onto the front of our Christmas cards.

14.  Write a message inside each card.

15.  Kick myself for buying cards that required me to write inside each one.

16. Address each card.

17.  Take the girls to the post office.

18.  Buy stamps, Sarah's choice.

19.  Spend 20 minutes letting the girls peel and stick the stamps onto the envelopes.

20.  Sing a silent Hallelujah that I'm finished with that labor of love!

And lastly,

21.  Take note to use all-in-one photo cards next year!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Reminiscing

As I wrap gifts to go under the Christmas tree, I remember a time when I wrapped gifts in paper based on the Christmas celebration at which they would be opened.  Some were were wrapped in blue snowflake paper, some in black damask, some in red and green polka dots.  I don't know which I miss more, being more organized, or seeing all the different wrapping papers under the tree!

Tooth Fairy Fail

This is not the first time the tooth fairy forgot to leave money for a lost tooth.

This time, he lost his tooth at school.  When you lose a tooth at school, you get to take home a tiny treasure chest to put your tooth in.  Not surprisingly, Caleb lost his tooth (I mean actually lost his tooth) at school and brought home an empty treasure chest.

I tried to smooth things over by telling him that the tooth fairy probably didn't leave his reward because she didn't find his tooth.  He wrote this letter for the second night.

Unusual Days For These Parts

Cocoa
Saber
Picnic
Drawers
Rain

Wednesday - Details

Fetch
Boy, Maggie loves to fetch!
That is all.

Slumber

Up-cycle
Caleb has been attending Camp Invention this week.
He's been creating new things from miscellaneous recyclables and office supplies.
He's taken apart a VCR to explore the components and later build something new.
He's been learning about atoms.
He's been in little boy heaven.
(Not that girls can't participate; there's about a 50/50 split between boys and girls attending.)

Normal

Hearing the Wii Fit tell me "That's overweight," is less than desirable.

Rude is more like it.

Today, victory was mine!

That condescending little voice said, "That's normal."

Organic
I usually pass up on organic produce.
It's not that I don't see the value.
It's just that my priorities place cost above quality in some cases.
I took a double take at the store today when I was looking for strawberries.
Of course, I noticed the 300% price difference between organic and non-organic.
But the starkest difference was in the color and smell of organic versus non-organic strawberries.
Organic wins hands down!

Wednesday

Fetch
Slumber
Up-cycle
Normal
Organic