Our Tree......

.....is no longer naked.

Just for Fun.....

I am still trying to get through piles of grading. I made a huge dent tonight, finishing my senior portfolios...Yippee! Now just 2 sets of papers, and tomorrow's 2 sets of final exams.....and then I am home free to enjoy Christmas preparations full force.

And, to take a break, I decided it might be fun to share these answers....just because it is fun and mindless!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:00
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Bolt
4. What is your favorite TV show? House, and sappy Lifetime Christmas movies
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Toast or cereal; eggs/toast/meat on weekends.
6. What is your middle name? Dana
7. What food do you dislike? Liver
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? December (George Winston)
9. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Caravan
10. Favorite Sandwich? Turkey Reuben (with cole slaw)
11. What characteristic do you despise? Dishonesty, disloyalty, people being 2-faced
12. Favorite item of clothing? PJ pants
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? African Safari
14. If you retire where will you retire? To a trip around the world. And then to a cozy log home in the north country, where summers are mild and winters, well......I'm still working on that part of the plan!
15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Every year is memorable.
16. When is your birthday? July 29
17. Morning person or a night person? Night Owl, for sure.
18. What is your shoe size? 9.5 (was 8.5 before having kids!)
19. What is the closest blue item beside you? I don't have a lot of blue in my house; oh, my stack of exams on blue paper.
20. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with anyone? We got our tree up tonight. Does that count as exciting?
21What did you want to be when you were little? Teacher (elementary school) and attorney (high school)
22. How are you today? Stressed, but hopeful that the end is nearing.
23. What is your favorite flower? Daisy or sunflower
24. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Christmas Eve and Christmas. Tis the season!
25. What are you listening to right now? The newscaster telling us about the coming freezing rain.
26. What was the last thing you ate? Steak fajitas for dinner, with homemade guacamole.
27. Do you wish on stars? Yes, both literally and figuratively.
28. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I would be my own color. Hey, Oprah has her own color!
29. How is the weather right now? Freezing rain, lots of snow and ice expected.
30. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My husband, today while he was with the kids at basketball practice.
31. Favorite soft drink? Caffeine Free Diet Coke....though I am enjoying the Sierra Mist Cranberry Fizz that is out for the holidays.
32. Favorite restaurant? The local eatery that comes highly recommended by residents. I love trying out the local eateries in the towns that we visit.
33. What is your hair color? Dark brown
34. What was your favorite toy as a child? Sports equipment; make-believe anything
35. Summer or winter? Summer, though I find winter very cozy during December.
36. Coffee or tea? Chai tea
37. What did you do last night? Served dinner at our local hospital's hospitality house. And graded papers.
38. What are you afraid of? I try to give all my fear to the Lord; I live in fear of God's greatness and holiness, but am not afraid because of His amazing grace, mercy and love.
39. Salty or sweet? I like the combination of the 2. Like candy corn and peanuts, MMMM.
40. How many keys on your key ring? Too many..........15, and I have no idea what half of them go to.
41. How many years at your current job? Wife for 8 years, Mom for 7 years, professor for 11 years.
42. Favorite day of the week? Sunday, followed closely by Friday.

Red Flannel Tree Farm.

To me, the quintessential event that ushers in the Christmas seasons has nothing to do with shopping, or black Friday, or Santa's first visit. The center of our home during the Christmas season is the tree standing next to the fireplace. The REAL tree. The one that drops needles and smells heavenly of forest and fir. I know that we live in a day and age where many people are going to artificial trees out of convenience and allergen-free living, but I still insist on a real tree and don't foresee ever succumbing to artificial. It makes me think of Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura and baby Carrie trudging through the big woods with their tree. As an Up North Michigan girl born and raised, I feel that I must be loyal to all my community tree growers and keep buying those evergreens!

There is just nothing like the smell of fresh pine throughout the house in December. There is nothing like knowing that part of nature is part of your celebration. And it is worth the pokes when decorating and the constant need to water and vacuum up needles.

Today was the big day to pick out our tree for 2008. It was snowy and cold and windy, but we decided to make the drive 30 minutes north to Cedar Springs and the Red Flannel Tree Farm. Doesn't the name just shout "COZY" to you? The farm is owned by the parents of one of my former students, and this was our first time visiting. It was such a festive place, with lots of wreaths and antiques and trees of every shape, size and type. The first thing we did was hop onto a sleigh for a horse-drawn sleigh ride, compliments of 2 gorgeous percherons named Ford and Chevy. And the driver was a kind, friendly war veteran who actually looked like Santa!

We basically spotted "our tree" from the sleigh and jumped off to claim it. We certainly didn't dress as warm as we might have, but we braved the snowy conditions and went to work with our saw.
Everyone got a few swipes in with the saw........

And Kennedy took the honors this year of actually felling the tree. Hayden made sure that I took a photo so that we remember that next year is HIS turn to make the tree fall!!

Then began the trek back to the barn. Matt drug the tree with help from the kids.

They have quite an operation out there. The kids had fun watching the men shake all of the fluffy snow off the tree, drill a hole, and bale it. We also bought a new tree stand called the "Answer Stand" which is supposed to be the magic answer to the quest for a tree stand that actually works. We have bought at least 5 tree stands in the 8 years we have been married, so we are hoping that this will end our frustration with getting the tree straight, having trees fall over, etc. The jury is still out on that one, so I'll let you know.

After warming up with a cup of complimentary hot cocoa and homemade chocolate chip cookies, we jumped back in the truck and headed to a local pizza place for dinner. We have made the habit of trying out local pizza places whenever we are in a new small town, and this one--Stein Brothers--was not disappointing.

Now, after a hot bath, I'm settling in to edit some photos and hopefully watch a good Lifetime Christmas movie. Tomorrow brings church, a big VIP sale at a local scrapbook store, and then we are making dinner for the Renucci Hospitality House....oh, and continuing to make progress on laundry and grading. Stay warm!

December Daily Update.

Today, I forced myself to take a break from grading, and I used the time to get caught up on the pages of my December Daily album. It has been SO NICE to have the structure of the pages pre-made, so that I only have to insert photos, embellishments, and journalling cards. I am truly loving how it is turning out, and especially how our December story is already being woven together to show our traditions, activities, and values. The only thing I am having a hard time doing is narrowing the photos down to one per day! The month is certainly chock-full of so many fun and meaningful activities. I am using mainly the new Making Memories Christmas line, along with journalling cards that I printed out from the Ali Edwards digital journalling cards that I purchased for only 3.99 from Designer Digitals. This is a true bargain, and the cards are the perfect size for recording a tidbit of my thoughts and reflections for each day.

Day one was about the Advent House and its tradition in our family.......

Day 2 broughts reflections about the joy of giving, and our project making and delivering cookies to the Renucci House hospitality house.

On Day 3, I included a photo of all of the treasures that the kids picked out for us at their school's Santa Secret Shop.

On Day 4, I journalled about the delicious homemade meal from the heart that our nanny, Mary, cooked for us....truly one of the most meaningful and thoughtful gifts we have ever received. It is still making me smile (even though Ruby, our lab, got into the brownies overnight and ate the rest. She seems to be OK, but those brownies were too good to be eaten by a dog!!).

For today, Day 5, I included a photo of Hayden and I making Gingerbread Houses in his kindergarten classroom today. I love that when he was done making the house with all of the frosting and colorful candy, he exclaimed, "No Big Bad Wolf is ever going to blow MY house down!"

Tonight, Kennedy and I are going out on a Mother-Daughter night. We are starting at a Girl Scouts' Spa Party, followed by a late dinner and a shopping trip to pick out some gifts for Lucy. Lucy is a child from South Africa that we sponsor, and we are on a mission for a toothbrush, hair goodies, art supplies, books, flip-flops, and stuffed animals for her. Do you have any suggestions for finding flip-flops in December in Michigan? It should be a very fun night!

December 3 and 4, the Simple Gifts.

I have always loved choosing and giving gifts. I am the type of gift-giver that resists buying gift cards or gift certificates, because I love the process of shopping for, selecting, and wrapping a gift that is perfectly suited and chosen specifically for a particular person.

When someone gives a gift that is thoughtful and created with love, that gift wraps itself around your heart just like a hug. It says that you are special, worth my time, and cherished. This week, we have received some very special gifts around here. They are not gifts that cost a lot of money, or that came in fancy boxes. They truly were gifts from the heart. Tonight, I have meetings at work late and didn't get home until nearly 7:30. I fully expected to be stuck with a bowl of cereal for dinner. Instead, what a blessing to arrive home to the home-cooked-from-scratch meal pictured above. The nanny who watches our kids, our beloved Mary, rather than buying a gift for our family as she typically does, instead cooked us this incredible meal of spicy pork stew, delicious avacado salsa, and decadent brownies. Wow. What an incredibly thoughtful gift for a busy family during the most hectic time of the year for us. I seriously think this is one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received, and it just made me feel wrapped in her love. She also gave us each of the recipes, which will become part of our family heirloom cookbook. The meal was delectable, and nurtured our bodies and soul. Thanks, Mary, for the amazingly thoughtful gift that was perfectly chosen for us.

Yesterday, we received another meaningful collection of gifts. The kids always shop for us at the Santa Secret Shop at school; they get their own money, make their own decisions, and work within their own budget....all by themselves. Of course, they can never wait until Christmas to give the gifts, so we usually end up opening them the same day they bring them home. This year, the gifts were enjoyable (laughable) and meaningful....I love the things they pick!! Kennedy chose {another} plastic watch for Matt, while she got me a pretty {adjustable} heart ring that she knew I would love...and I do!!! From Hayden, Matt got {another} Dad pocket watch, while he selected for me a purple "Fabulous Mom" makeup mirror and High School Musical sparkly lip gloss! :) As I was opening it, he said "It's for you because you're so beautiful, Mommy." Oh, my sweet boy! Hayden chose a sparkly "I love you" stone for Kennedy, along with an I love you pillow; Kennedy chose a toy car for Hayden. While these are inexpensive gifts, and maybe even cheap by most standards......they are chosen with such love and care by the kids and are among our most treasured Earthly possessions. I love how kids give gifts from deep in their hearts.

Door 3 was opened today, yielding dollar bills for each of the kids. We also stopped at Biggby's to get warm creamy drinks of cocoa and teddy bear mochas. I love it when the holiday cups come out...they are so colorful and cozy and festive.

And the next time you run into me, feel free to ask to borrow my glittery High School Musical lip gloss!!

December 2.

So, I fell asleep last night before making my December 2 post here, so titling the post "December 2" is the next best thing, even though the posting is on December 4. Whew! The month is already slipping away.

Today brought a trip with some of my senior-level psychology students to the Renucci House, which is part of DeVos Children's hospital. This house basically provides lodging and meals at little or no cost to family members of patients, and it is an amazing place of refuge and hope. My students and I baked an assortment of holiday goodies to share with the residents, so we spent the afternoon packaging the goodies in tins and sharing a bit of holiday cheer. I must say that I am very blessed to work with such wonderful young adults who love Jesus and, thus, love others. They gave of their own time, money and talents to make these holidays a bit brighter for people who are suffering and worried about loved ones, and I am very proud of them. Anyone who thinks that college students are just about self-centeredness, partying, and sleeping around needs to come over and spend some time with my Cornerstone students. They are truly quality people who have their heads on straight and love Jesus with all of their heart.

Today also brought the opening of the 2nd advent house door, which contained Hersey candy cane kisses. It's amazing that the kids don't really care what is in there, it's just the special treat of opening the door to the surprise. Truth be told...those kisses have been in my canister for months, and the kids have searched through that very canister many times, sifting past those kisses looking for a better treat. But tonight, they were looked at as a prize (tricky Mom!). We also made some cute snowmen with personality; Kennedy made hers with lots of glitz and attitude, while Hayden said his was a "Cool Rocker" snowman with long black hair. Love it.

Welcome December.

December came with a fury here, as we woke to a fresh blanket of snow and blustery conditions outside. The kids were praying for a snow day but, although many surrounding districts were closed, we (as usual) did not get so lucky. So, the kids are back to school for 3 weeks of learning and fun leading up to Christmas.

This year, I am taking Ali Edwards' December Daily challenge and documenting all of our Christmas holiday preparations through the first 25 days of December. I made the mini-album last weekend, and this is what the cover looks like:

Today, after running errands to Costco (pecans, strawberries, milk...oh, and a new book I couldn't resist) and Michael's (glue gun refills), Hayden and I worked on making some Christmas treats that I am taking to the hospital hospitality house tomorrow with my students. I will tell more about that project tomorrow, but today was all about making sweet treats. Like dipped Oreos with Christmas sprinkles.......
And decadent Christmas turtles....so easy to make, yet so yummy!
And the countdown is on! Last year, we counted down by taking links off a paper chain. This year, Hayden gets to glue a cotton ball onto Santa's beard every day of December until Christmas:
And today was also the first day of opening the advent house doors. I got this house from Pottery Barn several years ago, and it is something that I hope becomes a cherished family heirloom that will be passed through generations. Kennedy opened door #1 today, which revealed Christmas chocolates.
Tomorrow, I hope to finish the first page of my December album to share here. Happy (simple) December.