Just checking in

It's Saturday afternoon and I am feeling caught up for the first time in a week. It's been a hectic week, to say the least. I felt like my to-do list started out a mile long and didn't get any shorter till about Friday noon. Whew. So, today is a little more relaxing, although I still have to host guests for dinner and then decorate a cake after the kids are in bed. Oh, and bathe the kids before dinner so that they're ready to go to church tomorrow. I'm teaching Sunday school and then we'll stay for a Family Day at church until M, C, A and S need to be at practice for the Christmas play. L and I will catch a ride home to go to a birthday party. And then, the weekend will be over. And we start again. :) So, yes, it's crazy around here, but it's only 10 days till Kirk and Karla arrive and M starts 2 weeks of holidays, so I'll relax then.

I really would have loved to ignore my list this week and bake Christmas cookies, decorate the tree and decorate the fireplace. But I was good and didn't, so now that is almost the first thing on my list for next week. I'm not going as crazy with the baking as I did last year, but I plan on making Raspberry Almond Thumbprints, Maple-Pecan Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Cookies, Fudge and maybe another kind of candy. Truffles? That's it. I think. :)

We might be going to a wedding on Saturday, so I bought fabric for a dress and hope that I can have it made by then and that I can buy shoes that look nice and don't cost a fortune. Think I'm asking a lot?

What should I give M for Christmas?

Did I mention that we're going to the beach while K and K are here? We are! It's a 8 or 9ish hour drive to get there, and that part makes me just a little squirrelly, but I am looking forward to being there so much. We're also going to the rainforest, and while I look forward to showing the lemurs, etc to people who haven't gone before, well, don't tell K and K, but I'm not so excited about that part. :) (It will be my 4th or 5th time, I think.)

This morning S has 3 more of those bug bites. :( They're all on her foot/ankle this time and already the swelling is going down - Praise the Lord. She didn't want to walk this morning, but seems to be doing a lot better by now. Ok, I will qualify that: she is limping out to the garage to get her bike out. She obviously feels better if she wants to ride bike, but she is limping. Poor baby.

I have pictures to post, but the camera batteries are dead, so that will have to wait.

The throw pillows are the only project left to do in the guest room!

C and I finished 5 weeks of school, and I think we're doing alright. This level is more of a challenge for her, but not so much that she's discouraged. One of her books is called Window on the World and she loves learning about different countries and people groups and praying for them. In fact, she loves it so much that she has recruited our family for her very own Prayer Club. We have met 3 or 4 times so far, and she leads us very capably. :) We must even raise our hands if we have a question. I had to bow my head suddenly and regain control (and I didn't dare look at M) at our last club meeting when I heard my 6-year-old say in a slightly ministerial voice, "Well, there doesn't seem to be any other questions. So, shall we turn to prayer?"

Got to go see the chameleon the 3 little girls are watching...