Christmas Fun

Can you believe that another Christmas has come and gone? We have had such a wonderful week of family time. On the 23rd, we ate at our favorite Mexican food restaurant with Randy's parents. We then came to our house and opened the "Memaw and Granddaddy" presents. The older three received much needed money :) and the younger three got a fabulous Playmobil horse farm. Fortunately, it came with three horses or we would have had a war! Thank you Memaw and Granddaddy for a yummy, fun night.

On Christmas eve, we opened a few family gifts. I bought new One Year Bibles for the Michael, Matt, and Missy. I pray they will love them as much as I love mine :) The little ones received precious gifts from their older brothers and sister, and much squealing and giggling was heard in our home that night. Then it was off to bed for three excited little people.

Fortunately, I had barricaded myself in my bedroom the afternoon of Christmas Eve and assembled a Playmobil mansion for the girls. I would have been up until the wee hours if I had waited until that night to build it. We had saved Missy's Playmobil dollhouse furniture, and so the new dollhouse came from Santa fully furnished. It is sweet to know that Molly and Madelyn will enjoy the same toys that Missy played with so long ago.

Mason got a Darco racetrack set that he can build and rebuild many different ways. Thank you Aunt Susan for the great "info" on good boy toys!!! These cars go fast and never need batteries - my kind of toy! Santa also brought some clothes and stocking stuffers. The little ones were thrilled that Santa ate the cookies, drank the milk, and kept the wonderful pictures that Molly and Mason had drawn and stuffed in their stockings.

I baked nearly all day on the 24th so that I could enjoy Christmas morning with my family. Normally, Randy's parents host the Thanksgiving dinner and we have everyone to our house on Christmas. This year we had a wonderful problem - our house was too small for everyone we wanted to invite for Christmas dinner! Randy's mother sweetly offered her home again, and we had such a blessed day. I have written often about our sweet homegroup at church. We have several single men and single moms who love the Lord and bless us greatly. Two of the men in our group were able to have Christmas dinner with us, and we also had an elderly widow whom Randy befriended many years ago. When you add our big family and a few more sweet relatives, the number jumped to almost 20.

Now the refrigerator is full of left-overs, my camera memory card is full of Christmas memories, and the decorations are looking a little dusty. Thankfully, Michael and Matt will be here for a few more days:) I will go to see my parents and some of my brothers and sisters sometime next week with Missy and the little ones. We can't wait to see you Nana and Papaw!

I pray your Christmas was a day of blessing and joy.

Back to the Real World

We are a tired bunch, but we arrived back home tonight after three fun, relaxing days in Angel Fire, New Mexico. There was about a foot of snow on the ground, but the sun shone every day. We made a snowman (sort of!), threw snowballs, went sledding, drank hot chocolate, ate too much, and played lots of new board games. Missy and Dan were good sports and helped so much with the younger three. The only thing lacking was Michael and Matthew - maybe next year!

Michael and Matt will be home tomorrow and the wonderful Christmas week will begin. I will be frantically unpacking, doing laundry and cleaning tomorrow before they arrive. Once again all of our children will be home at the same time. That is a huge blessing for me! Tuesday and Wednesday will be cooking days with a lot of secretive toy assembly going on in my bedroom.

I think our favorite holiday tradition is baking a birthday cake for Jesus. It looks a little different every year but always has lots and lots of sprinkles on the top :) We will make the cake together on Wednesday and eat it after our Christmas dinner. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Here are some pictures of our fun, snowy weekend.

To the Mountains We Go

We are leaving for a fun long weekend in the mountains. I will be back on Monday with lots and lots of new pictures! Have a wonderful, relaxing time with your families 'til I return :0)

I Love a Handmade Christmas!

Every year I try to make one or two new Christmas things for our home. This year I was a "bum" and didn't finish anything special. I am still working on my needlepunch turkey for Thanksgiving! :) Even though I didn't have a lot of time for needlework or quilting this fall, I still loved unpacking handmade things from years past. My favorites are the snowman quilt (made from a pattern purchased from Meme's quilts) and the two embroidered pillows (Bareroots pattern) I made for our big comfy chairs. Now it really feels like Christmas!

A Winter Wonderland - Sort Of!

The first snow of the season was just a windblown dusting of white stuff, but it was snow! The little ones bundled up in their new coats, boots and gloves. They lasted about 10 minutes in the cold wind, and then they traipsed in for warm robes and hot chocolate. I love, love this time of year!

A Practically Perfect Day

We are having a cold, blustery day with a little snow blowing around our yard - the first snow of the Christmas season. Because of a car issue, I canceled Mason's speech lesson, and Molly's piano lesson was also cancelled. That has left a day snuggled at home with the fireplace burning, candles lit, the Christmas lights glowing, music playing, unrushed homeschooling, and a feeling of absolute peace. I am sitting on the couch eating Christmas M & Ms while the little ones rest and read. We made a Christmas gingerbread tree yesterday, and today we will tackle the gingerbread house that goes with it. You have to agree - this is a perfect day! :0)

Here are some pictures of our favorite Christmas decorations. Have a wonderful day wherever you are!

The New Normal

I know we moved 2 months ago, but today I actually felt like we have officially settled in. Randy did a wonderful job flooring more of the attic and moving the last of the boxes out of the garage. Yesterday I invited several quilting friends over and gave away most of my fabric. I had hoarded fabric for almost 15 years, so there was a lot to give away :) I am expecting to see several beautiful quilts made out of my old fabric in the months to come - how fun!

Homeschooling was normal today (whatever that is!), and we had a loving, peaceful day at home. Soup is on the stove, snow is on the way, and a big fire is burning in the fireplace. I am more content that I have been since we listed our old house in May. Our new windows will hopefully be put in this week, and then we will slowly and patiently begin to remodel this house. Plans are already underway for a big garden, a new deck, a big wooden playground, and a pink bedroom for the girls. Then there are the bathrooms, and the kitchen, and.....WAIT!!!! I am wanting to remain blissfully content, so I am not even going to think about all of those things today :)

Apparently, some people (my sister) thought that the last post of the gingerbread pizza was slightly risque, so I am only putting up G rated pictures today. Mason lost another tooth - such a cutie! Madelyn is a fairy princess, and Molly is just enjoying the fire.

Have a blessed evening, and tell your family how much you love, love, love them.

Run, Run As Fast As You Can

OK, so this post doesn't have a picture of three adorable children, but it does have a picture of a pretty cute pizza :) I think we are going to get our money's worth out of this giant gingerbread cookie pan. You know you want one! Go to Walmart, give them about $8 and it can be yours. Then you can make your own giant cookies and pizzas.

Be blessed today and give everyone you know a big hug :)

One a Day

I always beat myself up in December over the house, homeschooling, crafts, ....and whatever else I can think of. The truth is that our home at Christmas isn't always clean, we don't always get our lesson plans finished, and several purchased crafts remain unfinished and pushed into next year's pile. I am trying to really, really enjoy this season of remembering the Lord's birth. I am trying to really, really just love the time spent with my precious family regardless of the things that remain unchecked on my list. Pray that I stay focused on the important this December.

We are going to do one fun, messy, crafty thing a day this month. On the 1st we decorated our trees and made a very large gingerbread cookie. Yesterday we baked and decorated cookies at a friend's house, and today we will make.....something :0) I always say that making memories are the best things to make, but I sometimes grumble because of the real messes that those memories create. If you come to our house this December, you might have to step over a puzzle in the hallway and glitter on the floor, but we will be having fun and remembering why we celebrate this sweet time.

Oh What a Mess!

Please, please tell me that you make a HUGE mess when you put out your Christmas decorations! I looked around at our house yesterday and saw no hope at all for a resolution to the chaos I had created with boxes, ribbon and greenery. But today is a new day, the trees are finished and most of the decorations are out and looking beautiful. The little ones have been making tree decorations for a few days and we finally got the trees set up in their rooms. They did all of the decorating themselves, and the result is gorgeous! :)

I have decided that my desire to simplify this year maybe a little misguided. I think I have been reshuffling rather than down-sizing. We have sold or given away furniture, appliances, clothing, home dec items and more, but I am finding that I want to go out and replace those things rather than enjoy my uncluttered home. I am also having a very difficult time letting go of anything that might even have an inkling of sentimentality for me. Unfortunately, I can feel sentimental about almost anything :) I am praying for a renewed mind that focuses on what makes a Godly home, not a possession-filled one.

One wonderful thing I bought this year is my new One Year Bible. I love, love, love it!!! I don't have to think about (worry about) what part of the Bible to read everyday. I just open to today's date and God shows me something amazing every time. How wonderful to read today in 1 John about not desiring the things of this world - just what I needed!

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you (ouch!). For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15-17

I better go and finish cleaning up the rest of my self-induced mess!

I Will Decorate the Tree, I Will, I Will.....

I think I have a case of the post-Thanksgiving doldrums. I have the tree up and the fall decorations packed away, but I haven't wanted the extra mess of Christmas decorating. The older boys leave today, and I am really, really going to get busy this afternoon :)

Randy, Michael and Matt went to the Tech game in Lubbock yesterday and enjoyed watching Tech win again. Randy was a real trooper. He has a terrible cold but didn't want to miss out on a day of fun with his boys. He sat in the cold for about 4 hours at the game and feels pretty rotten, but he has promised a friend that he will help install several windows this morning. Pray that he makes it through this day and feels much better tomorrow.

In addition to putting out the Christmas decorations, I really need to do some laundry. Mason had to wear "dirty" socks yesterday, and that boy was NOT happy about it! Hmmmm.....decorating or laundry?

Here is a fuzzy picture of the family portrait we had made this weekend. No one is really crazy about this picture, but trying to get 8 people to look at the camera at the same time is almost impossible. Having 8 people all love the same portrait really is impossible! I will post a picture of the 6 gorgeous children tomorrow :)

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

We had a wonderful day at Memaw and Granddaddy's house full of family, food and fun. I love, love Thanksgiving! All of our precious 6 children were home for the weekend, and we even managed to sneak in a family portrait. I will post more family pictures later this week, but here is a Thanksgiving picture of the three youngest members of our family :)

An Early Thanksgiving Feast

Today was sweet Madelyn's last day of pre-k at the Christian church. She will officially start homeschooling with the rest of us on Monday! She is much better at listening to mom and less disruptive during school time than she was a few months ago. It was a little sad to tell her teacher goodbye today, but I know we made the right decision :) She ended pre-k with a wonderful Thanksgiving feast complete with "friendship stew" and homemade cookies.

Have I mentioned lately that I love, love, love Thanksgiving! I love that it hasn't become the commercialized mess that Christmas and Easter have become. It is just a simple time to be thankful to God for every good gift He has given. I love that our big family will be together for a few precious days. Getting 8 people in the same place at the same time is really something to be thankful for! I am thankful for precious friends, a warm home, a full pantry, and so much more. Most of all I am just thankful that God loves me beyond words and has blessed me with more than I could ever ask for.

Wherever you are, have a blessed day on Thursday. My prayer is that you will be surrounded by people you love and who love you in return.

The "Winner", the "Loser", and the "I Don't Care"

I love our relaxed, pajama-clad Saturday mornings. I walked into Mason's room this morning to find all three little ones on his bed playing a game of Hi Ho Cherry-O. The pictures tell the rest of the story :0)

Mystery Solved!

Our precious puppy, Scruffy, has been a joy (most of the time). He sleeps on the foot of Madelyn's bed at night, is sweetly protective of our children, plays well with our other dog, and is just a good, good dog......but, this week he has been OBNOXIOUS at breakfast. He has been jumping on Madelyn's legs and scratching her while we eat. He has been whining and barking for food -not good! I was feeling responsible for the change in behavior because I had fed him some left-over scrambled eggs earlier in the week.

Then.....this morning Randy caught Madelyn feeding Scruffy some of her breakfast - off of her fork! Apparently there was an unspoken (unbarked) agreement between the two that Madelyn would feed Scruffy the breakfast things she didn't want to eat. Hopefully, the mystery is solved, Madelyn won't feed the dog any more with our eating utensils, and Scruffy will be content with dog food.

Madelyn - you make my heart happy every day!

My Dishwashing Buddy

My precious Mason LOVES to wash the dishes. He pulls up his sleeves, puts on one of my old aprons and washes the dishes for me after every meal. He can also load the dishwasher much better that his mom. Isn't he a cutie!

Doin' the Happy Dance!

I can honestly say this is the first Christmas season that I have had the big gifts nearly finished before Thanksgiving. Here is Michael's quilt top that will go to the sweet quilter this week. Now I just need to finish Molly's dress for Thanksgiving and finish recovering my dining room chairs by this weekend (in my spare time!). Aren't you starting to count down the days (hours) until next week? I love, love having all of my cute children home at the same time. 8 days!!!

Shhhh - It's a Surprise!

Last week's OSU vs Texas Tech game was a BIG game at our house. We have loyal fans on both sides, but our favorite OSU fan was a little disappointed at the outcome :( To make her feel better, I have finished her Oklahoma State quilt top and will take it the the quilter tomorrow. I need to finish Michael's Tech quilt top and send if off next week. Just so you don't feel too sorry for Matt, his Tech quilt was finished and delivered a few months ago. Whew! I am feeling the need to make something that is not orange or red!

When Madison Came to Read

Our sweet Madelyn LOVES to be read to. Our friend Madison had promised Madelyn that she would come to our house and read. The day finally came - Madison came over and read and read and read. Unfortunately, Madelyn was little tired and slept through most of the books! The funniest part of the day was when Madelyn began to snore loudly and flung her arm and leg over Madison as she slept. Madison, you are a wonderful reader and a real trooper!

What I learned in Homeschool

To be very honest, homeschooling has come naturally for my children, but I have struggled with every part of it. I was a classroom teacher for several years, so letting go of a strict schedule, worksheets, and test-based learning was hard for me. My over-achieving mind did not match up with our actual life. It wasn't that I didn't WANT to homeschool, it wasn't that I didn't know how to teach. I needed a different mindset about learning and enjoying my part in the process. I had the curriculums, I had the home-library, I had willing children and a supportive husband. To put it bluntly - the missing link was me!

For the past year and a half, our life has been a "little" crazy. We have adopted an older child with a disability, we have remodeled a house, sold that house, moved to a new house, and lived life on top of all of those disruptive things. Through it all, I tried to homeschool the way I felt comfortable with (and was not happy). It took a respiratory infection that lasted from September to November to finally push me over the edge. I did not have a voice for several weeks, slept very little, felt crummy, and had to do a lot of things differently.

I started to really focus on the important things - God's word, math and reading. I found fun ways for my children to self-teach themselves when I didn't have a voice to do it. I changed sweet Molly's reading curriculum to one where I did less and she did more. I let Molly and Mason figure out math problems without my "expert help, I encouraged more and fretted less.

Guess what happened! I began to enjoy homeschooling when I had to step back and do less. I stopped beating myself up when I didn't have the perfect lesson plans prepared days in advance. I began to delight in my time with my children and began to focus on character issues instead of spelling words. We have learned about hospitality, washing dishes, composting, recycling, compassion for our neighbors and much more. Now, we still practice math, reading, handwriting, scripture memory, spelling, soccer, piano and more, but our focus has changed - MY focus has changed. Let's hope I have really learned this lesson....I don't want to have to be pushed over the edge again in order to give up the "old way" for the new. The new and improved Strickland homeschool is a much better place to be :)

A Wonderful Weekend

About once a year I head to the mountains with my quilting buddies and we spend 2 glorious nights at a cabin in Angel Fire provided by a friend and her husband. We sew, eat, talk, eat, sleep, eat.....and have a wonderful time of fellowship together. Fortunately, I have a precious husband who loves to spend time with our three little ones. They rented movies, cleaned the backyard, ate out and had a fun, fun time without mom.

I have to admit that I would rather be at home with my family than anywhere else in the world, but it is nice to get away now and then and just be with sweet friends.

I took my camera, but instead of picture-taking, I sat in one big comfy chair and needlepunched all weekend. Other than a funny, fiery flip-flop incident, the weekend was relaxing and peaceful. Here are some pictures of our trip to Angel Fire in September. Trust me - it looked the same in November minus a few leaves :)

When Best Friends Visit

Our sweet friends, Roger and Dianne, have been our dearest friends since college. We have seen each other through joys and sorrows, premature babies, adoptions, and more. They are truly friends for life - we love you guys!

They stopped by for an hour or so today on their way to the big Tech/Texas game. The little ones and I had a fun day getting ready for our friends to arrive. I have been convicted lately that I need to focus on hospitality in my home. Teaching children to lovingly prepare for guests is a fun thing to do. We made scrumptious cupcakes, swept, mopped, vacuumed, and dusted together. How I pray that Molly, Mason, and Madelyn grow to be gracious adults. Today was a good start!

Molly and Mason showed off their new reading skills, and even Scruffy the dog got in the picture!

Pumpkin Carving!

I have mentioned before that we are not a Halloween family, but we love the pumpkin part of Fall. Tonight was the big night - we carved our pumpkins! The little ones drew the faces on, and then I tried to carve exactly what they drew. Madelyn drew the tiniest face on hers, and the candle wouldn't stay lit. Other than that little problem, it was a precious family night together.

We ate a delicious home-cooked meal , monitored the dish washing (Mason and the girls are learning how to wash plates and load the dishwasher), ate ice cream, carved pumpkins, played games and read books. What a perfect evening!

We also had a first - when we opened Madelyn's pumpkin, there were several seeds sprouting inside. Apparently her pumpkin was a little "old" - lol!

As the days get cooler and the nights get longer, we will enjoy this season of family togetherness - what a blessing.