Goodbye, Strep throat...it's kinda been oddly nice knowing you

     I know that sounds weird to say. Strep throat is NOT fun and it's extremely painful. I had it repeatedly as a child and teen, and every five years or so it comes back to haunt me as an adult. It wasn't fun missing work (or the paycheck I WOULD have had if strep had not come knocking on my door over last weekend), but it was nice to be able to stay home (sans kids) the last 3 days. I got to rest (without guilt since I had a good excuse! lol)....clean a little house when I had a burst of energy....plop back down on the couch when the energy failed....catch up on some college course work...goof off for hours on Pinterest when no one wanted to be near me and it hurt to converse anyway...you know the things moms typically don't get to do unless they are sick. It's a shame I can't be some successful blogger...or  novelist....or an uber-talented crafter who actually makes a decent living doing it, because being home this week has reminded me of just how much I L*O*V*E being home. You see, I'm a natural introvert (who also just happens to be quite OCD about order and cleanliness in my home). So being home just makes sense to me because I accomplish all these silly things on my trivial to-do list that no one else ever really notices or cares about in the first place. Check off the list....ahhh...inner-most satisfaction. Now lest you think me totally strange, you other busy women admit it: it IS nice to be home long enough to catch up on stuff, even if you could never ever stay home 24/7.

     You might not know I am introverted from my job (I'm a daycare worker in a class of sixteen little ones--but my boss and co-workers will likely tell you I am sort of quiet), or from my past (as a high-schooler with a massive list of clubs and activities in which I thrived), or from my homeschooling days (when not teaching my own children I worked with three different homeschool co-ops, 4-H, cub and boy scouting, church, etc.). But even in all this, deep inside, I just always liked being by myself. I love my "littles" at work; I really really do, and have no regrets about the decision to finish college so I can keep working with children, but I relish the quiet time I find at the end of each work day. For an introvert, having a time alone is how we recharge our batteries. Being in the public constantly is actually very emotionally draining to an introvert.

      I have found over the years, that I enjoy the "mundane" duties of a homemaker very much because they require only 1.) ME. I don't need to be out in the public to find satisfaction. Taking a trip to Walmart once a day, sadly enough, is about all I require of interaction. Learning new homemaking skills such as baking fresh bread from a starter I started, to planning a delicious dinner, to cleaning the house, to reading a good book, to getting some in-depth Bible study time, to organizing a closet or room, to learning new crafts from Pinterest, could easily keep this simple mind entertained for years to come. But since I doubt I'll ever get rich from selling glass photo jewelry or writing witty blog posts to the masses, I'll finish my education and continue on in the teaching path. The social path. The path that pays a little (at least I hope, since I'll owe the government a small fortune in college loans). But every so often, when I get worn down or a bit under the weather, I'll *secretly* slightly*enjoy the small break from "normal" society. :)

Blessings,
Lynn

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

 It's beginning to look a lot more like Christmas in our new home.

Since I am off work with sick ones today (who are all sleeping or waiting to see the doctor), I thought it seemed like a good time to do a little blogging.

Now on to the holiday scene....

 Jarred spent a small fortune and a few hours getting the outside spritzed up while I took care of the inside.

It would be so nice if the photos were grouped a bit but sometimes Blogger's photo features and I bump heads. So the photos may jump around some.

The entryway.

Our faux fireplace in the dining room.

The living room (which required a moving of the furniture to fit the tree in).

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...."

(on the mantel is my Christmas village collection started on our first wedding anniversary 

with a church given to me by my mother-in-law)

One of the easiest homemade ornaments to make if you keep craft sticks handy...ta da! It's the North Pole. Cut a skinny stick up with pointed flag ends and paint it to resemble the sign. Then glue the sign onto a candy-stripe-painted jumbo craft stick. Add a little pile of glitter glue "snow" and glue on a hook.

Another easy craft....cut out felt shapes and arrange them on a felt rectangle. Cut an asterick shape in the top of the felt so you can hang your decoration on a doorknob. Easy for kids if you can have felt pieces pre-cut. Hot glue works best for holding on the trims. Embellish with fabric paint or whatever your heart desires.

This candy jar was made by my friend Tracy B. using terra cotta pots, a terra cotta saucer, ribbon, and a mini fish bowl. So cute! I want one for every season. Note to self: if  planning to make these for the holidays as gifts, go to Lowes before summer is over.

Another shot of our living room.

Sorry for the blur. This is one of my all-time favorite ornaments...little elf shoes! They crack me up every year when we hang them. Makes me think of our little daycare elf on the shelf that our class named "Sneaky Charlie Snowflake".

Ash decorated her ice pastel colored tree by herself.

The entryway window at night.

The same window in early morning. It's a bit dark.

The outside of that same window. The light-up bow was a steal at Big Lots.

Got a beautiful Christmas card that you can't bare to throw out? Frame it for a holiday decoration. I love all things gingerbread and sweets and this card comes out for inspiration each holiday as I "get my bake on".

The side of the house.

Front door.

The afghan on the couch belonged to Mrs. Womack.

My sewing table relocated to the dining room when we had to move stuff to fit in the Christmas tree. Now this area is a bit empty.

Adrian turned 13 on the 13th. :)

The kids were a major help. Ashleigh especially enjoyed

decorating the tree this year.

Holiday Blessings,

Lynn