Amazon wish lists are wonderful!

I tried a new technique this year. Amazon wish lists. They are quite slick.

I created a wish list for Danny, myself, and each of the girls for Christmas then shared with Dad and Carol, Mom and John, and Jolene and Neil. It is really nice because they link straight to websites to make the purchases from and allow buyers to mark them as purchased to avoid returns due to duplicates later... It has really been easier than trying to describe "that one pink sparkly outfit in the Justice catalog" to Grandma and Grandpa. : )

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3A89J354PN3TB

Then, Dad created one for us to look at for him. What a concept! Wedding and Shower registries have been around for years. Why didn't I think of this idea?

I hope to include the girls' paper wish lists here too, after I scan them.

Advent Calendar

Well, our Advent calendar is going to be interesting. I made the numbered tins for Dec 1-Dec 24 last year and placed them in a tray for the girls to open each day to find a candy surprise and to countdown the days to Christmas. I was hoping we would be able to put them in a barn wood framed metal board rather than a tray, but Danny wasn't able to finish the barn wood project until after Christmas last year.

Well, this year the frame is done, and it is huge and wonderful! It is made of wood from the old red barn at the Cunningham farm, and I am so happy we were able to repurpose it for such a special purpose. However, the magnets on my Advent tins just aren't going to cut it.... Eliza and I had the tins filled and perfectly arranged, then the cat hit one , and they came tumbling down like dominoes. We rearranged, we slammed the office door, and they came tumbling down like dominoes. We rearranged, took a few pictures, Skylar opened the first tin to collect the prize for Dec 1, she put it back, it fell, and the others tumbled after. She got frustrated and stomped off. Then, I placed them neatly back and Skylar took a couple of pictures of the intermittent dominoes. As of bedtime last night, all of the tins were back in place, but it should be a comical 24 days.

Letters to Santa

Well, it's been a year since I posted the last time. I have decided that I need to appreciate this Christmas season more and plan to journal and document this season as much as possible. I want Christmas to be as magical for my kids as it was for me. Tonight, the girls wrote letters to Santa , and we sent them in to be considered for publication in the local newspaper. They are precious, so I thought I would share.

Art Auction and Scrapbook weekend

Well....the art auction was a blast. There was about 140 tickets sold for this auction, and the mingling was fun and spirited.

Several of the artists that donated pieces for the auction demonstrated and spoke about their creative process. One artist from Perry, Betsy Peterson, brought her actual inspiration item and read the poem she wrote as well as the art she created. She is a folk artist and Danny and I love her work. I had never bid at a live auction before, but I couldn't resist. There was a healthy battle with myself and one other, but Danny urged me on. We ended up winning the item for $150. I think that was a reasonable price for one of Betsy's pieces and the money went to scholarships anyway. Such fun!

We also met the Steffen's at the auction. (the couple we bought our house from) They were very nice and personable. We talked to them about some of the things we had done to the place. and they were curious which girl slept in which room. It was nice to meet them in person.

I didn't get much sleep before headed out to pick up Joan and get to a scrapbook retreat in Des Moines on Saturday. It's easy to jump out of bed when you are going to play with your girlfriends though...at least for me. I so needed this girl day. My goal was to get 12 layouts done, relax, laugh often, and do a little retail therapy. Mission accomplished! I am so thankful for my girlfriends. Thanks for the perfect day Joan, Mary, and Karla. Also, thanks for putting up with tired and puncy Gina. : )

Vapooling Day #5

Well..... we now have assigned seats in the van in the order we get out . It's like stacking clowns in a clown car.

Also, one of the riders volunteered to sing to me. I hope the look on my face did not reflect the thoughts in my head.... I sometimes have that issue. My mouth and my face don't have filters usually. My face must have said something because she didn't end up singing, but WTH!?!?!

Thank goodness it's Friday. Danny and I are headed to a Art auction for the Rotary Club in Perry tonight. Should be a fun date night.

Vanpooling Day 4-Veteran's day

I didn't ride the van yesterday because I had to be home before 5pm. One of my co-workers didn't think I would go back to the van today after tasting one day of freedom. : )

Well...it was just Marty and I today, but I was there. Admittedly, it was hard to get up after sleeping in about an hour yesterday.

I am glad I rode today though. I found out that Marty is a 23 year Army Veteran. He shared many stories about duties and deployments he had been on. The most touching story was about how he blocked his son from joining , then volunteered for the Gulf War by taking a demotion, so his son was again not eligible. They won't send a son and father. He didn't want his son to go through what he went through.

He left me with the thought that the 4 years he regrets most is the years he recruited. Not because he sensationalized the military but because he sent several soliders to their death. He has lost many friends including one that he was close enough to in order to be at the birth of his triplets.

Thank your veterans today!

Vanpooling Day 3

They made a Gina sandwich on the way in yesterday. 3 per seat is a little much! Marty, the driver, is looking for a bigger van.