We wish you the happiest of holidays, and feel so blessed to have all of you in our lives. We are looking forward to spending time with family…and to all of our loved ones far from us, know that you are always in our thoughts and prayers! Much love from all of us, from our family to yours, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

   My sewing machine has died once again, and only a few months after being serviced. AHHHHHHH!!!!! I think I need to admit that it’s time for a new sewing machine. I have had this one for almost 4 years now, and it has been great, but I think the time has come for me to get a stronger machine, one that can handle the amount of sewing I am currently doing these days…translation: this is not going to be cheap. My sewing needs have far surpassed what my ‘Brother’ can handle, and I need to find a machine that has workhorse capabilities to keep up with my ever-growing sewing demands. I made sure to talk with my VERY experienced and ENORMOUSLY talented sister-in-law Debbi (seriously, she is an AMAZING seamstress!!!), and soaked up as much of her sage sewing advice as I could as to what direction I should go in for my sewing needs, and what I need to look for and ask about. Armed with that, I will now be hunting for a new machine, and hopefully the one I want will be the one I can afford. That will be the biggest hurdle seeing as how the majority of the really great, hard working sewing machines can easily cost anywhere in the thousands of dollars…pocket change, right? As for my current situation, thank heavens for Lesa! She saved our Christmas by so kindly lending me her machine so that I can finish the Christmas related items that I am right in the middle of sewing. I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to finish them all in time, but I am right back on track, and should be done by tomorrow afternoon, heck, maybe even tonight with a few well placed prayers. So I’m off, and back to my sewing. I am almost out of time, and I am so excited to get these projects finished! Seriously, could this be any more fun? Oh I love a great sewing project…

   Heidi came out yesterday so we could work on a quilt, and make some hooded towels. We had a great time, but our fun ran into the evening, so we went to pick up some pizza for dinner. We stopped at the store to grab some drink and dessert on the way, and I ended up buying several liters of soda (so totally against my nature, I never buy the stuff), but seeing as it was on sale and a little treat since we had a fun Auntie and cute cousins over, I went against my better judgement and we picked out several flavors of drink. Heidi and I also decided to get some cookies as an easy dessert for the kids, so we grabbed several packages, threw them in next to the soda, and then went for the ice cream (Craig wanted some for later). I was looking at all of the flavors, and trying to pick the least expensive one, when I noticed that the Dreyers Slow Churned ice cream was lower in fat than the other ice creams in the freezer, and I said so to Heidi. As I was saying this I realized that there is another guy in the aisle, right behind Heidi and I, and he is listening to us. And here I am, standing there saying that I want to make sure the ice cream I get is low fat, (none of that fatty McFat-fat stuff, only the low fat HEALTHY ice cream will do, better not get any of that bad fat filled ice cream, only healthy ice cream for us). All the while my cart is filled with 5 liters of sugar coma inducing soda, and 3 packages of fat filled cookies. Ummm, I think the fat content in the ice cream is the least of my worries. Heidi and I had a good laugh about it as I paid for our festival of fat, and we left. (Please pass the butter, and the peas, and the butter, and the sour cream, and the butter, and the corn, and the butter….fluffer nutter!)

   Here is an aritcle about a couple in Italy and their little boy “Friday”.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22326746/?GT1=10645

   I don’t think any of my children’s names would have passed muster with the Italian courts either.

   Well, last week we were able to get our Christmas family photo done. Chris was insanely kind, and busted out all of his really nice and expensive camera gear, and using his awesome photography skills, he attempted to get all of us in the same frame at once, possibly with a smile on some of our faces. It was anything but easy, but, with nine of us in the picture, did I really expect it to be any different?

I had everyone dressed in some combination of black, white and red, since those colors meant the least amount of shopping for new stuff. I had already made H and G new Christmas dresses with beautiful fabric that had all of those colors already, which worked out perfectly. I did have to buy new ties for Craig and the boys, and new shirts for Mr. F and C, but I still spent far less than if I had coordinated everyone with some other color combination instead.

Chris brought a cd of the pics on Sunday, and he even had one of the pictures picked out, and ready for me to upload for printing ASAP. Who knew that somewhere in the gazillion shots Chris took, there was one that had most of us actually holding still and smiling. There were no fingers in noses, bunny ears behind heads, eyes closed, or mouths agape, AND most of us were even looking in the same direction! It’s a Christmas Miracle!

   Seriously, he really did a fantastic job, and it was beyond kind. Thanks so much Chris, we truly appreciate the time you took to do all of this for us, I know it wasn’t easy. So now all I have to do is actually get the pictures into signed cards, and mail them, which will probably be the hardest part of all of this, since I will probably keep forgetting I even have these, until the very last minute. I’m terrible with the whole Christmas card thing. Oh well, I can always try, right?

   Finley got his first teeth today! He has been gumming stuff like crazy for the past little while, and this morning I noticed that two little teeth had finally broken through. And yes, since he often uses my finger to gum on (he’s such an animal!), I knew he was still toothless as of last night, and was fairly surprised that they came in that fast. He had been just as happy and smiley as always, with no signs of teething pain whatsoever. The best part is that he slept through the night, and never even made a peep (thankyou son)! I can’t find my camera or I would have totally copied Banna’s post on Ellis’ first teeth and had a cute little money shot of the actual teeth. Instead, you will have to endure a little pic of some other womans baby’s and his little toothy smile. I know, sheer torture, but I think you will manage to live through this ordeal.

        +  =  

   ‘A folding table in the basement for my sewing machines? Who knew that was where my happiness lay…well at least some of my happiness anyways.’ With the house on the market, my sewing table had to be put away. Which meant that I have been intermittently hauling everything in and out of the garage as time permitted, and working on my projects at the kitchen table during ‘off-peak’ hours. That got old REALLY fast. So, in the interest of Christmas, and all that I hold dear in my little sewing heart, Craig set up a big folding table in a corner of the basement for me to lay claim to, where I have now happily stationed myself with my sewing machine and serger. I am currently trying to get to as many of my urgent projects as I can, and I am having so much fun as I go. I missed my favorite creative outlet, and I am thrilled to be back at it again. At least until after Christmas, because once we re-list, I will have to pack it all up again in order to show off the “roomy attributes” of our house. But, in the mean time I am making the most of my temporary digs, and so far I have gotten quite a few things done. I will post more on them later, but for now, just know I am happily sitting at my folding table in the basement, and loving every sewing, crafting, stitching, seam ripping minute of it!

   We were overwhelmed with the enormous response our home received when we re-listed it a few weeks ago. So much so, that in anticipation of Christmas, and us not being to get ANYTHING done since we have been constantly cleaning, staging and prepping the house amost every single day for showings (every waking minute almost, no joke!), we have pulled the house off of the market. We will re-list again in January or February, and we hope that we will be better prepared for the onslaught this time. It was taking a toll on the little ones especially, and their school work was taking a hit, which we couldn’t have happen. We need to figure out a better way to do this (showing the house), it was a good thing, but completely overwhelming too. Even our agent could hardly believe how much traffic we were getting. So, thankyou for all of your kind words, well wishes and constant support, we have appreciated it all, and it always seemed to come at a time when we needed just that, or those exact words that were offered. For now, I will be chaining myself to my sewing machine and serger in hopes that I will somehow manage to get all of the projects done that I have been neglecting. So if it feels like ages since I’ve called you, my comment numbers are down on your blog, I’m not answering my phone, and my blog seems dormant, sorry, I’m sewing!

   Some info first….I prefer to wait until my children turn 3 before I make any attempts to potty train, which usually means that it will only take one weeks time before they are accident free and dry through the night. Miss G is currently a little over 2 1/2 years old (she’ll be 3 in March), and the most feisty and determined spirit of any of my children.

   Miss G has been fighting to use the potty for some time now (and no, I am not using the word “fighting” lightly here). She must have paid rapt attention while Mr. M was potty training because she has been determined to be like the “big kids” and use the potty herself ever since then. And heaven help those that try to stop her from taking off her diaper and going, she won’t let it happen without putting up a really good fight. But I was fighting just as hard to keep her diaper on, I didn’t think she was ready or going to actually use the potty. I was so wrong.

   Several days ago, during one of her many clothing optional moments at home (what can I say, I am the mother to several hard core little nudists) she ran to the potty telling me she had to tinkle. I followed, thinking it was nothing more than a copycat moment. She hopped right up and proceeded to tinkle, smiling like crazy. She was so proud of herself, and I could only stand there in total disbelief….WHAT?!?! She tinkled in the potty??!?! So I did the only sensible thing and put her back in a diaper and convinced myself this was crazy and couldn’t possibly be happening. But after watching her for a few more days, I saw that it wasn’t a one time thing, she was still ripping off her diaper, running to the potty and actually tinkling in it, all without my help or prompting. So I decided to stop fighting it, and accept what Miss G knew all along….she was ready.

We went to the store the next day, and with Miss G’s two biggest loves right now being Dora and mermaids, she picked out underwear with ‘Dora the Explorer’ as a mermaid and ‘Ariel’ from ‘The Little Mermaid’ on them. I washed and dried them, and the very next morning (11-27-07 for her baby book) Miss G started her first day with “big girl pants”. She has done phenomenally, and it has been a very good experience so far. I am happy to report that while she has had a few accidents, on the whole she is dry and listening to the right signals, and will go to the bathroom without any prompting from me. She has also never had any “two-sies” accidents and we have even gone shopping and still returned home dry. Hooray for little milestones!

Being a bit younger than my other children were when they started, I know this will take a little longer than the usual one weeks time we have had before, but I am ready for it. We have thrown away her diapers, and are ready to take on the potty training experience with her, and are happily cheering her on the whole way. I also know that none of this is unusual for a child of her age to do this, but for me, it’s just not something I expected one of my own children to initiate, but I am so grateful that she has. To only have one left in diapers? Crazy! So here we go, making our way into uncharted waters (well at least they are for me). I am just so proud of my little girl as she joins the ranks of the “big kids” and makes her own way to the potty.

   No, I’m not going to make any lame jokes about clearing the sidewalks or anything, I just want to announce that D has just passed the test and he has his driver’s permit! I even let him drive home, and we stopped at a car wash on the way and he gave the Suburban a good scrubbing since it was still a mess from last weekend. I have to admit, it’s a little nerve wracking to be the passenger while your own child is the driver, and a very, very, new one at that, but I know he has to learn sometime, and somehow, and what better way than with your own parents. The ground rules are that he can only drive with family. Period. (No parents of his friends, or his friends “long lost uncle Jim” are allowed.) So if anyone would like to volunteer some “teaching” time with D, I’m sure he will happily drive you around anywhere you want to go. He is looking for all of the drive time he can get! Weren’t we all at that age?