Christmas tree joy!

Wow!!

It has been a busy few days! I guess that happens around this time of year... lots of fun stuff going on! I have a few things I had wanted to post, but I want to post one thing at a time... the most exciting(for me anyway!)is that ...

We got our tree on December 2nd. We always have good intentions of getting a tree early, but for one reason or another (usually involving money!) we get it last minute... well this year, I finlly got my way! I sat my hubby down and we talked about sacrifices (like working two jobs) VS. privilages (getting a tree early to enjoy as long as we can to make it worth the $$$!)...and we agreed that if we are going to get a tree we should enjoy it as much as possible! Plus, when you don't have a tree the holiday just seems to sneak up on you...and I want to enjoy this time.... because the kids are only little once! You know the anticipation is a lot of what I remember from being little...

It's not the stuff, but the excitement and feelings of warmth and happiness that I want our holidays to be about...

I won't say that we haven't tried to figure out a way to get the kids stuff too...but it is secondary to the feelings... and that is the way that it should be... the reality is that our kids have plenty... we don't live extravagantly, at all. Not that we wouldn't ; ).... but I think that's ok. We still have so much more than so many others.

I am lucky and blessed, and I like to acknowedge that!

So all the mushiness being said, the tree decorating wasn't all fun.. it got late and a little grumpy and slightly tense because of a light miscommunication... BUT it went up and the kids LOVE it!

I must admit that I love it too!

Probably more than a grown woman should! The last two years I didn't get to go on the tree hunt because of random things... I can't remember why the year before, but last year we hadn't gotten the mini-van yet and we don't all fit in the car at the same time... so I stayed home with a teeny Roscoe while Al, Emily, and Sophia went, not a huge deal. BUT this year we all went together and I got to choose the tree! I got a big fat tree that I fell in love with the second I saw it. When we got it home and in the stand I got to cut the string holding it up and was laughing and dancing around... well it was contagious and the kids got really into it too!

FUN STUFF!!

hee hee.. I truly think that sometimes I am MUCH too easily amused! : )

ring around the tree-o... yes I was singing, too! : )

POOF! It turns out it looks much bigger in the house, than amongst all it's bigger cousins in the lots!!

I turn the lights on every morning and smile while I watch the kids dance around it.

It fills the house with a luscious smell and a homey feeling. And we had to cut a few branches off the bottom so stay tuned for my how to make a wreath post... maybe tomorrow? I don't get the time to get on here as much as I like... but that's the life of a stay at home Mama! : ) My job never stops.. no lunch breaks or overtime pay here!

and that's ok by me, because if I can't get on here that means I am hanging out with the family... and that's the fun stuff! : )

I am thankful for a house full of fun and love!

I am thankful for the ability to geta tree early this year!

I am thankful for my goofball attitude..it lightens things up around here, which is sadly neccesary some of the time!

I am thankful that I have in my head several ideas for a thankfulness blog.. I am one lucky woman!

raking leaves

Today is usually my friday. My husband has Mondays and Tuesdays off. But because of Thursday being Thanksgiving, he is working tomorrow.
That is a drag.
BUT he is working tomorrow because he has Thanksgiving OFF, so it will be ok.
A lot of people have to work on the holidays and I'm glad that we get to be together as a family! I worked on all the holidays, in a different life, way back when I was pregnant with my oldest, Emily...and ever since I have always remembered to be grateful for the opportunity to celebrate with family.

I love my family. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world when I look at what I have, as far as cool people in my life. The truth is our life is hard, and I wouldn't mind if things were a little easier... because well who wouldn't. But we have love in this house. We all have our moments, being human and all, but we do alright for one another.


Today I participated in the ritual of leaf raking. It is a funny thing what a few hours of raking leaves can do for your state of mind. For me it is a rare opportunity to be with myself and my own thoughts. Its good exercise and it makes me feel good every year at this time.



We have a huge over one hundred year old tree in our yard.
It is incrediby large.
I have a love/hate relationship with this tree.
I love our tree because it gives us amazing shade during the summer and our house is so very much cooler than the last place we lived... by almost 20 degrees during the sticky parts...and that's big!! Especially because I was pregnant in the summer.... yikes!

I hate the tree a little because of the birds and squirrels that take refuge in it, are a pain.

I love our tree because it has been here for over a hundred years and that's a long time in the city.

And I hate the tree because I am a gardener and we live in the city on a small ass plot (that we rent) and the top of this thing is crazy big... this house hasn't been taken care as well as it could.. we are doing our best but it's not ours and we could be putting hundreds and thousands into this place.. but it won't be ours when we're done... and that matters...

anyway we cut a lot of the tree down but too late in to the growing season because this year was our first year having a garden here... so we are learning. This house is surrounded by trees and the last had fun sun from every direction all the time(hence the crazy hot summers!) So I didn't have as much produce as I would have liked.. but I think it will be better next year... especially with the fantastic compost we will have come spring!! : )

the leaves from the tree provided shelter for some herbs that I hadn't harvested yet... so I got to play with smelly plants today too, which is a total score! I lost a few herbs that weren't close to the ground, but saved some thyme, oregano, and marjoram which are three of my super favorites... so that's awesome! good job tree! thank you for shedding your leaves right before the snow came...or I would have lost everything!! : )





For some reason our tree reminds me of the book the Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I love that book ...it still makes me cry when I read it to the kids .... it was one of my favorties when I was a kid.







Raking can seem like such a tedious and seemingly never-ending chore... so many leaves... but you know the number of leaves is not really infinite. It is a perfect metaphor for life really.... just keep plugging away... you'll get there eventually.. might not be as quick or even exactly what you were expecting.. but funny thing is .. it just keeps on happening. Life is all about the moment.. a bunch of little moments everyday. I just try to make more moments ones that I want to have again, than the ones I could do without...perspective is the key.

It is satisfying when you get that huge pile o' leaves too! I'm hoping it will dry out a bit and the kids can go play with it for a bit because it is so much bigger than the are.... even together!

One thing that I didn't get done that I had wanted to do today was a super cute leaf project that I have been trying to do. Tomorrow for sure, so I'll post it soon.( seems like every other day or so I get a post in)

Roscoe and I did get to build today, though which was super fun.

He is becoming such a little ham truly..he is so darn cute I can't stand it! He is our last as far as we think right now... so being my third I feel like I am constantly looking at him and thinking "aw... I'll never have another crawling baby now..." I love that he still makes noises and doesn't talk much because it's so sweet.
I love, encourage, and enjoy his accomplishments but I'm not in a hurry to send him into toddlerhood ....and tomorrow girlfriends and for the love of Pete DRIVING!... at least it seemed to go that fast with Emily. Often I wonder what the hell I was thinking starting over again with a 10 year old already... but then I remind myself that everyone is better off for it. Emily is allowed to grow up because I don't have time to be neurotic about her NOT being a baby anymore.... and the little ones get my extra patience(sometimes) because I realize that their times as young kids is fleeting. It throws a good helping of perspective into the mix having a teenager, pre-schooler, and a toddler under one roof!

Today I am thankful for Fall.
I am thankful for the exercise and my time to myself today.
I am thankful to have such a cute and loving family.
I am thankful that we all get to be together Thursday for one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving!