Blue Christmas

My new favorite color is Ocean Mist Metallic!



Yeah for me!

Hey, do you know anyone that would like to buy a white van? I promise to clean out the gum wrappers, juice box straws, sticky finger prints, goldfish crumbs, happy meal toys, pink sunglasses, kleenex...

These are a Few of My Favorite Christmas Things

Following my friend Jill's lead, I thought I would post a few of my favorite Christmas things around the house. These are not listed in any particular order.

I love the candles, crystal and Fitz and Floyd ceramics on my buffet. I can't wait to have company and light the candles and watch the glow! I added the poinsettias to the buffet and the also to the banister. I was so excited to have stairs in this house. I have always loved the decorations on banisters for Christmas.


For the past few years, my mother has been giving me Jim Shore decorations. One of my favorites is the Santa. This year's gift was the Santa and Rudolph. Aren't they cute?!? All of the grandkids want to watch the Rudolph video at her house even when it is not Christmas!


Let's just say that I am a spoiled wife. Since a company Christmas party in 2002, Larry has been giving me a Swarovski crystal snowflake for the tree every year. It sparkles like crazy with the lights on the tree. This picture does not even begin to show it's beauty. The kids know they can not touch mommy's ornaments and they are hung just in my eye sight for maximum viewing pleasure. Larry, you're such a great husband.

These stockings are a treasure for the Texas Tollesons. They were hand made by Larry's grandmother Annette.

The "Christmas Chronicles" series by Jeff Guinn is one of my favorite Christmas reads. I have read The Autobiography of Santa Claus and The Great Santa Search, both of which were very cute. I have just checked out this one. I can't wait to start reading. My favorite cd's this time of year are Amy Grant's "A Christmas to Remember" and Relient K's "Let It Snow Baby... Let It Reindeer". If you have not heard their version of the Twelve Days of Christmas, you are missing out on one of the best songs of Christmas!

I L-O-V-E our huge tree. We have had it for 13 years and though it gives Larry trouble every year, it looks fantastic when it is finally up! Right now there is another string of lights out, but if you squint your eyes, you hardly notice it at all!

My mother made this quilt. It is on of the first quilts she ever made. She is quite talented. Thanks mom.

Every girl should have a pink tree in her room! I never had one, so I am living my dream out through Lily. It is pink, sparkly and Zebra. What's not to love?!?

Have a wonderful Christmas season and enjoy your holiday decorations while they are up. It will all be over before we blink our eyes.

Deja Vu

OK Maybe I'm mistaken, but haven't I already posted a blog about a boy with a sprained arm?

Oh, yeah - that was the other boy. Yes, Small Groups has become an insurance liability for the Texas Tollesons. Zachery fell. Hard. We now know, after a trip to Urgent Care, that he is just sprained and bruised. Nothing that a week out of PE won't cure. We have just three weeks left with our Small Group, please pray there is not a Deja Three!

Cruel?

So, does this classify as cruel and unusual punishment???

I'm not sure, but I think two little elves were involved.

Home Improvement 201

I have known for a long time that the interior walls needed some paint. Bad. Six years of little hands and little spills and race cars and sticky lizards had made the walls, well NASTY!

I started planning to paint a year ago. I just knew that when school started I would have lots of free time to paint. Problem #1. I also knew that I would have a helper since mom is retired now. (Yeah Mom!) Problem #2. So, I decided to start with the dining room. It has 4 walls with a good stopping point (something my living room lacks). The hardest part of painting this room was deciding on the color. Who knew there were so many reds!
Before:


After:

Now, I L-O-V-E love my dining room. It is probably my favorite room in the house. I think we need to eat in there more often just so I can appreciate my handiwork!

Oh, and to address the Problems. #1 - I DO NOT have more time to do anything! If anything, I think I am home less than I was before all three of the kids were in school. Just FYI for all of you moms with kids still at home, enjoy your days at home and try not to volunteer all of your free time away. I have learned the hard way that there is not a magic fairy that cleans the house, does the laundry, grocery shopping or anything else while you are volunteering your time away. Spend some time for you. If you do not take care of yourself, how can you take care of anyone else?

Problem #2 - Mom does not do ceilings. My neck still aches! Just giving you a hard time mom, you do great corners! xoxox Dot

In Training

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6



I am pretty sure Larry has taken this scripture to heart. The boys get soooo excited to go hunting! They love getting up early, getting to eat donuts and getting to shoot guns. They don't notice the cold. Or the rain. They are not tired. They do not complain. They have even asked for waders and duck calls for Christmas. Larry, Zac and Logan are crazy about hunting.

But I don't mind at all. Larry is teaching the boys so much more than just how to hunt. He is teaching them patience. Respect. Obedience. And most of all, how to be a loving dad. I would never take that away from Larry or the boys. He is providing the boys with life lessons that will help them be better Christian men. Boys, enjoy the season. I'll see you in February.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Logan is thankful:

• for my family.
• for my friends.
• that we're here at Thanksgiving.
• that we are alive when we come back (from hunting tomorrow. Yeah, I hope that too buddy!).
• that I'm going hunting with friends from church.
• that we had fun at lunch today. (Thanks to Doug and Dena for hosting. Doug, Logan loved football in the front yard!)
  

Lily is thankful:

• for my friends, my house, my beds, my food, my family.
• that we had a great trip home from camp (last weekend).
• for our cars that we can drive in.
• for our phones so we can talk to people.
• for Molly, for showers, for pictures of all of us, for tvs. (Do your kids ever pray the room?)
  
• for school that we can learn stuff. (Is the technical word for your education...stuff?)
  

Zachery is thankful:

• for my family, food, our house, our dog, our church.
• that I have a Bible.
• for my siblings. But I guess that's family.
• for getting to live in this free country.
• well, I guess I am thankful for entertainment. Things I enjoy like sports and tv.
• for God creating us and for giving us choices, not just sending us straight to heaven.

Larry is thankful:

• that even though it is not great, enough health to do things with the kids and do whatever I want to do. (Everyone please continue to pray for his good health.)
  
• for his wife. (Ahhh, thanks sweet)
  

I am thankful:

• for my family. I love you all and I can not imagine the void in my life without you.
• for our friends and the love and support you give us.
• for the Macy's parade.
• for turkey, dressing, cranberry chutney, corn casserole, chocolate cake, Ruth's brownies. I am sooo full!
  
• for all of God's unending love and blessings.

I am thankful that we have one day specially set aside for counting our blessings. I think we take too many things for granted in the world today. And though it should not surprise us "what the Lord hath done", it does. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17 I encourage you to look for His blessings daily for we are greatly blessed.