Thankful

Thankful for a sister who

1.  Has the Big Ten Network

2. Invites you over to watch the OSU game on said network

3. Offers to buy pop, make snacks, and fry chicken wings for dinner

And Holly is thankful for any get-togethers that involve eating ice cream.

Celebrating Early

My family has always been 'Christmas Day' kind of people, but this year we were all feeling the pull to stay home with our families on Christmas and that is okay.  That just means that Christmas gets to come early!

Holly preparing to say the Pledge of Allegiance before dinner.  

If you don't understand, you need to spend more time with me at Christmas.

Graham Cousins

Christmas 2019

Only the Best

The Stockings have been hung.  The presents are wrapped.  

The lists have been made.

Assisting the homeless and serving our community have been completed.

The carol have been blaring since November.

The parties have since been cleaned up.

Now its time to bake some cookies for Santa and bask in all our hard work.

Annual Exchange

What good is seeing and posting fun and torturous group Christmas games if you aren't going to do them?  Thankfully I am just the mastermind and don't have to participate.

Double Date

We were invited out by another couple to have dinner at their favorite restaurant - Blue Pacific.  Since we had not been there before, we studied the menu before heading out so we could at least pretend we knew what we were getting into.  Thankfully our friends were great teachers on how to maximize our food experience.  A few bites into our meal we were hooked.  I foresee Blue Pacific becoming our new go to date nights out.

Serving

Tis the season to be selfless.

Taking time out of the already busy season to prepare and serve a holiday meal at the Wauseon Community Dinner.  

Christmas Treasures

Who knew that a simple hobby, an enjoyable way to pass the time, would forever bring a smile to their family's faces.  So thankful I am now the owners of these Christmas Smurfs.  They will be cherished and proudly displayed every season until it is time that I pass them on.

Starting Point

We need to work on how to hold a knife, but we all have to start somewhere!

Frankenmuth

We have taken a few trips up to Frankenmuth over the years, but never in the midst of the Christmas season.  We've never seen the town lit up or horse drawn carriages.  We've never heard the carolers or meandered down the street with other holiday goers.  So when the ever elusive wide open, nothing schedule, free Saturday presented itself this December, we said THIS IS THE YEAR!

Thankfully it wasn't too cold, Bronner's was crazy busy, and we had some great company with us who had never, ever been there!  We each picked out a new ornament, bought way more sugary treats than we needed to, and discovered stores that we need to come to sooner rather than later!  All-in-all it was a great day and the next trip is already in the works.

Sounds Right

Ahhhh Kindergarten!

The fun age of spelling phonetically. 

Baking Surprise

Holly's teacher tackled something never been done before in a classroom...

BAKING AND DECORATING COOKIES!

Of course this couldn't have been done without parent volunteers and, lucky for me, my schedule was wide open to step up!

There is oven access in each wing of the school so baking the cookies was no big deal.

Frosting the cookies with 18 students and keeping them from licking the knife was much harder than expected!

I am so glad Holly's teacher thought up this idea and went with it.  I have fond memories of glitter and popsicle stick ornaments during the Christmas season in Kindergarten.  Holly will have those too and now baking in school as well! 

Soloist

Bree had her first band concert and her first solo in the same night!

I am very proud of her.  It is very brave to get up in front of people and play an instrument, especially when you've only been playing for a few months.  Although it shouldn't have surprised me.  I have one brave kid who never hesitates to jump at the chance to do something new.  

Bree's favorite song: 

The Streets

The Before:

An empty parking lot.

The After:

A parking lot filled with donations of coats, hats, gloves, shoes, socks, clothes of all kinds, bags, purses, blankets, toiletries, diapers, toys, books, snacks, and more ready to welcome those who need it.

Roughly 200 people filed through the line to grab a hot lunch and we were there to smile and bless every one of them.

For us it was not a big deal to give up a few hours on a Sunday morning to help with this event.  But to those who were there it meant the world.  The thanks and appreciation were humbling. It makes you stop and think "Is there more I can be doing?" 

FINALLY

Finally!!  The last Easter Egg of 2019 has been found!!  

I have been walking around with this little nugget in my winter coat pocket for weeks on end waiting for a little someone to find it and, finally, it was discovered. 

Nostalgic

I found a nostalgic crafting gem while shopping at JoAnn Fabrics.

My memory has failed me on what these were called back in the day.

My memory has also failed me on just how pain-staking slow and frustrating these little creations can be.  

And after many attempts, mistakes, and more attempts, they finally made it into the oven. 

And they turn out just as beautiful as I remember them! 

Holiday Baking

Snickerdoodles.... Chocolate Chip cookies....  

Corn Flake Wreaths....  Peanut Butter Kiss cookies....

There is nothing better then the house smelling of holiday goodness.

Up next - 

Mint Oreos dipped in melted Andes Mints and Amish sugar cookies.

Rewarding

Reading is a daily part of our lives in this house.

We've always done it and never expected anything from it.

However, once you start kindergarten, you read to earn those Pizza Hut Book-Its!

And then you never stop talking about it and asking about it and begging for it until Mom finally gives in.

And then you smile because your plan worked.  

Prepared

In keeping with my word of the year, I'm getting Ready for my future.  Bree's future actually. 

Somehow my oldest child is in 6th grade already.  Some days it feels like it took forever.  Some days I still can't believe it.  And if the coming days and years are going to go even faster, then it is in my best interest to set some money aside specifically earmarked for prom dresses, prom hair, senior pictures, and a head start on a graduation party.   Its a small sacrifice to make now that I will be thanking myself for later.  Its all about being #Ready.

Trendy

Christmas cards are a fading trend.  

Good thing I've never been one who goes with the flow.  

The Last

Family.  Football.  

And the last Thanksgiving for 2019.

 Because who isn't sick of turkey by this point?