I love this new theme. I wish I had seen it sooner! Not that I’ve had time for anything extra lately!

Didn’t get my Christmas letter done. Doesn’t matter because I didn’t have time to do Christmas cards anyway. I think I’ll still send them, but next week.

I felt compelled to ask my Mom for help with the quilt because the house is going to hen. (”Hen” = A kinder, gentler exclamation which my grandfather used.) The quilt may or may not be done by late Christmas Eve, in time for Mrs. Claus and the Claus Mother In-Law to deliver it and a couple of things the nieces and nephew left behind after our family party tonight.

We had a family Christmas party tonight. Not everyone could be there which totally put a hole in the night but we managed to have fun anyway. This is the second family get together we’ve had where we’ve had planned activities. I have to say that except for hte boredom of the men folk, it was great and I think we will make that a tradition.

My Mom likes to make up treasure hunts and the kids like to go on them, even if there’s not a whole lot at the end. She created a treasure hunt for today and we also had a craft and some cookie decorating and peanut butter ball coating planned.

My Mom gave each child on the treasure hunt a snowman ornament. They had to look around the place where the clues were in case there was a package there. The person getting the gift went by age order, youngest to oldest.

The boys weren’t thrilled with ornaments but I guess the gift shop was fresh out of granades and M-16s. The boys always enjoy the treasure hunt though. It’s “the thrill of the hunt”, as they say.

None of the boys wanted to make ornaments, which wasn’t surprising. That’s okay because it was a messy though worthy ordeal. We made these nativity scenes from Oriental Trading Company. The ones we made look pretty close to the picture except that the fabric for the clothing was nothing like it. The fabric that came with the kits was cheesy looking but adequate. If I ever get that ornament lot again, I’ll cut out my own fabric. I kind of doubt that Joseph wore plaid. I could be wrong. I have been wrong before.

I think I might be inclinded to try paste or a glue stick next time. We used Aleene’s Tacky Glue which is basically like good old Elmer’s (check out the common sense bottle Elmer’s Glue comes in now!) but much more feminine. It took a while to dry and therefore stick and we kept having to hold the fabric to the pieces. If we applied pressure for too long, the glue would get sticky just in time for us to yank the fabric off, thus creating something of a blonde’s “lather, rinse, repeat” scenario. We did eventually make five or six of them, though, and they are worth the effort.

My Mom made about 10,000,000,000,000 peanut butter balls. Heretics call them buckeyes. That’s just wrong. Especially in the State of Michigan. A true Wolverine, or even a Spartan, would not call such a wonderous treat “buckeyes”.

Anyway, the girls helped her chocolate coat the PBBs, the boys watched their dvds and I sat at the table working on ornaments with the girls while they sort of worked the dipping in turns. It was nice and relaxing.

We did something different for our meal today. We had subs (hoagies, po’boys, gyros, whatever you want to call them) . We usually eat hot food with a zillion side dishes. We had subs, chips and pop (soda, soda pop, carbonated beverage, whatever you want to call them). It has been a long time since I’ve had a sub because I don’t usually make them, I buy them, and all subs seem to have dairy, chicken, turkey or eggs in some form. We had enough variety - and my Mom was able to find sub rolls without dairy WOO HOO!!! - that those of us with allergies ate well. That was nice.

The past couple of weeks have been very busy and stressful but I’m glad we took the time today to read what the season represents. It helps keep things in perspective. Or I should say that it helped me to regain my perspective. Right now we are once again struggling to find church clothes that fit these kids. If I’ve told them once, I’ve told them a thousand times: STOP GROWING!!! If they’d just stay the way they are, we wouldn’t struggle with this whole outgrowing of clothes thing. It’s so annoying. They just don’t get it.

Speaking of growing up, one of my friends shared some really neat insights her nearly full grown son shared with her about his own future. *sigh* May God hold my children and help them walk in His way every day of their lives.

I suppose this is enough rambling. Besides, I’m about to fall asleep in my chair and I’m not ready for tomorrow yet. Merry Christmas Adam everyone!!

You know, there was something else I was going to say. It is really neither here nor there to most people I expect.

Yesterday I had an appointment near the cemetary where my mother in-law is buried. I don’t cry about her being gone much anymore. I also don’t go by that cemetary very often. We all still miss her but we know she’s in heaven with Jesus, about to celebrate his birth in His presence in fact. But sometimes I think of her, the mother of my very own Mr. Nicklebee, and choke up.

I visited her grave after my appointment. Not that she was there or anything. I just felt like remembering her. And being someplace where crying is normal and/or expected.

She was a lot like my Mom in thoughtfulness at the holidays. She and my Mom, who never knew each other until Mr. Nicklebee and I met, both put a lot of thought into the special little things about the holidays. Especially Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day.

Mr. Nicklebee will be working out of town on Christmas. He wasn’t at our party today. He won’t be going to church with us tomorrow in the morning or to the candlelight service in the evening. He won’t be here when we wake up on Christmas morning. This has happened before several times but it isn’t any easier now than it was then. As a matter of fact, Mr. Nicklebee is in Afghanistan protecting your right and mine to celebrate Christmas and other things Christian without fear of physical harm or death. God bless America and God bless our troops!

Yesterday and today sure have been weepy, cry-y days.