sun shine in.....

although our weather here in the past few weeks has been bitterly cold, it's been SUNNY! from the west side of our house, we have the most beautiful sunsets. this day was no different. the light was stunning. i had to take a few shots. please don't mind the fact that in the picture of my kitchen, it looks like an elf threw up. look at the light people, and those cute little boys adorning it.....pretty, huh???

we're lit.....

this is one of my dad and rye's FAVORITE jobs of the season. OR NOT! thankfully, this year it wasn't raining. bit butt cold, yes. as you can see, many hands make the job more fun. even our cat, joe felt like she needed to get in on the festivities. (check her out up on the ladder,supervising). thanks dad and lik...the lights look awesome!!

helpers????

the time for decorating has begun. this year, my little elves were eli, zach and my baby jack. oh, bless these little ones.
"can we help??"
"sure, just make sure that there are no red ones next to any other red ones. NO circles next to any other circles. please, mix the sizes and shapes! NO stars next to other stars. snowflakes must be strategic placed by size. we CANNOT have any like words together. and please, PLEASE DO NOT clump the silver ones together. we must have unity PEOPLE! this tree is NOT for children, it is for mothers to enjoy! THOU SHALT NOT CLUMP!! LET'S SAY IT TOGETHER. LET US NOT BUNCH THE ORNAMENTS!! DO WE ALL UNDERSTAND ENGLISH?? if you can abide by MY rules, yes, YES, i would LOVE for you to help me decorate the tree!" (smile traci, SMILE!)

you should have seen them scatter in all directions. like mice with a cat looking to eat them for dinner!!! "RUN...let's get out while we can!!! PLEASE don't MAKE us 'help'!!!"
ok, seriously, in my mind, that whole conversation took place. in reality, it did not. (well, kind of). it took every ounce of my being to let them just hang. i have to say, they took my 'coaxing' very well. however, it didn't take them long before the box of extra decorations became much more entertaining than this silly old tree.
thankfully for me, they really didn't seem to mind much that i reorganized 'their work' as quickly as they could turn their backs. like i said, God bless them. sweet little things. :)
"hey, look guys, papa and daddy (uncle lik) are hanging the outside lights!! i KNOW they would L-O-V-E for you to come HELP them!!"......

here she goes....

alright, i've put it off long enough. it's a quiet friday morning. my new Chris Tomlin christmas Cd is playing softly in the background. heat is on to 74 degrees. lights are sparkling on my tree. i'm anxiously awaiting the snow flurries i've heard rumors about. yup, this is my kind of day. it's all good until i turn around and see the dishes in the sink, the laundry waiting (after 3 days) to be put into it's proper home and of course, that dreaded floor that is BEGGING to be mopped. ah well, it will have to wait. there's blogging to be done. first things first.

ok, what's been going on here over the past few weeks? well then, let me pull up the calendar and recent photos and i'll tell ya......