The beginning of December ...

December is here and we have the tree all set up with lights and ornaments!!!!  Ashlyn put most of the ornaments on and it looks so pretty!!!!  December is a busy month of school programs, basketball games, stuffing envelopes, wrapping gifts, banquets and all the festive things that surround the celebration of Christ's birth!!!!!  He is the reason for the season!!!!

I was telling the children how when I was a little girl, we would string popcorn and cranberries!  They wanted to do the same thing!

 Our first snow was the other week when we were in Florida but this was the first snow I witnessed the other day!  Just a bit but fun!

The house is getting Christmas décor all around!  I'm a seasonal person and love to decorate with seasonal things!  Especially Christmas!!!!  These wreaths are from Costco!

We got hit HARD from a bug all last week!!!!  We spent Thanksgiving day with Mike's family and then went for the Christmas tree on Friday.  I wore a scarf because I felt like a sore throat was coming on.  Saturday, I was sick and so was Austin and Ashlyn not that well.  By Sunday, the three of us were on the couch and not well.  Fevers, sore throat, colds.  I felt a little better on Monday with just a bunch of snot!  Ashlyn and Austin were still sick and I was giving them Motrin as needed but just not well.

 Tuesday was a day planned with my Mom and sisters to go out shopping.  I didn't want to miss this but the two youngest were still sick.  Mike decided to stay home with them and let me have the day out!!!  I was ready for some outside air and a day away from the sickness!!!!

This is where I was in my closet trying to wrap some gifts while the sick children rested.

This is my new favorite radio station!!!!  WDAC HD2 radio on the radio!!!!  It's constant Christmas music 24/7!!!!!  Just love it!!!!!!!!!

Ashlyn was sick and out of school all until Friday.  Matthew ended up getting the same thing and was out of school Wednesday and Thursday!  I was so tired of caring for sick children and offering tea and water and Motrin and any thing that helped them get well!!!!

Ashlyn and Matthew were finally back in school by Friday!!!!!  I was so happy but Austin was still on and off of the couch.  He just didn't look good out of his eyes!  Bad breath from not eating.  Lean body from not eating.  A cough.

I was into doing something fun with Ashlyn so when she came home from school, we mixed a batch of gingerbread cookies!!!!  This was fun!!!!  And it smelled wonderful!!!!

And this is our favorite veggie mixture right now!!!!  When I was out on Tuesday shopping, we stopped in a Produce Junction!!!!  I grabbed me some fennel, carrots and celery!  I love this combination and offer it to the kids as much as possible!!!!!

Things were looking up for this kid on Friday!!!!  He asked for a homemade strawberry Popsicle!  He had a smile and seemed to be getting better!

My pots outside were still sitting empty.  I thought it would do Austin some good to get out of the house a bit and so we went to Mom Lapps for some berries and laundry soap.  I was on the look out for some pines too and as I drove around her house and then down to Ervin's to look for some pine trees, I spied a huge pile of greens out back!!!!  There was a big pile of greens on a huge pile plus some red branches!  I knew this was gonna be a good find and I pulled the Yukon up to the pile and started to load up!!!!  Look how the pots turned out!!!!  I love it!  I didn't even have to cut the branches!  Everything was on a big heap and was gonna get burned!

I ended up going back for round two!!!!!!

I love candles in December!  The dining room table is my display of white candles!!!!

Saturday we got all dressed up in our warm clothes and went through our little town of open houses!!!  This is something we did a few years now and the kids enjoy it!  There are a handful of shops in town that each have a riddle.  If you guess the right answer, you get a small prize or treat!

Austin was out with us and seems to be on the mend but still so grouchy!!!!  I'm ready to see health out of his eyes!!!!

Blurry photo but he was along too!!!!!

Some shops have crafts and Ken's Garden's always has a fun one!!!!  This time it was ornaments!  So cute!

I wanted some photo's of these two in the greenhouse filled with poinsettias but neither of them were impressed.  Ashlyn was muttering under her breath the entire time of how I always need to take pictures and how she wasn't in the mood.  Just a few smiles guys!!!!

I know someday she will thank me for all the pictures!!!!

Saturday night we went out to Matt and Lena for chicken and a hang out!  The kids had fun but again, Austin was dragging.  During the night, Ashlyn woke up crying and threw up all over her bed!!!  What is this??????  I sure hope not another sickness!!!!  I felt like Satan was having a good time with these germs here at our house and after getting Ashlyn and her bed cleaned up and she was back to sleep, I prayed for health!!!!  I wanted to go to church so bad because the past three weeks we were out of town or sick!!  I was ready to hear a message preached and sing songs at the top of my lungs!!!  Ashlyn woke up Sunday morning feeling well!!!!  Thank you Jesus!!!!!

Ashlyn seemed well but Austin feel asleep during church and just miserable!!!!  Will he ever start to fell better I wondered???  This was now over a week of not feeling good!!!  We came home from church and ate lunch and then spent the rest of the day watching football in our pjs, napping and just relaxing.  Austin feel asleep around 6 PM and slept until 8 AM the next morning!!!!  AND HE IS FEELING MUCH BETTER!

Monday morning Austin woke up feeling better!  I could tell!!!  His eyes sparkled!  His breath still stinks but he seemed pleasant and happy and chirpy and actually played!!!!!  Thank you Jesus!!!!!


He wanted cookies and so we baked some!!!!  What a cute smile!!!!!

 Maybe this blend will help us!!!!!!

This was one of the days when the two boys were on the couch sick and Ashlyn was feeling a bit better!!!!!

When I was at Produce Junction, I grabbed some décor for church!!!!  Mike helped me again with the wreaths on Thursday night!

When people share favorite songs on Instagram, I take a screen shot and then look up the songs!!!!  So fun!!!!!

 And look what showed up!!!!!  Blue birds are here for the winter!!!!!

I love my view from the kitchen!!!  Except for that little person still on the couch needs to get well now!

Last year, we did the 12 books before Christmas and the kids loved it!  This year I decided to buy the books at thrift stores or some new and wrap them myself!  Ashlyn and Austin are really enjoying this!

 Here is a favorite on mine during the holiday season!!!!  This small book is filled with devotions and daily ideas that we can do as a family or just myself.  It's inspiring and I love this book!!!!!

Little Man is finally feeling better and was begging for chocolate cake.  Everything he asks for he takes one bite and is finished with it.  This time, we visited the local cupcake shop and got him a chocolate cupcake.

This is already December 10 and I feel like we were sick the whole month so far!!!!  I am praying that the germs will be gone now and we can enjoy the rest of the month in good health!!!!!

Christmas is the best holiday ever and I am ready to get a move on it with getting my cards in the mail and the shopping all wrapped up!!!!

Remember, Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas and so stop your busyness for a moment and think of His birth!!!  Read it in the Bible!  Meditate on His goodness!!!!

Cheers to happy and healthy upcoming weeks!!!!