Paul goes Quail hunting!

See that little bird in his hand? Yep, that would be a quail.
I have SO enjoyed hanging out with Paul on his days off for Christmas. We've done some projects around the house. Slept in. Rented movies. Played games with the boys. And today, Paul got to do something he'd never done before. A friend of his took him quail hunting today. He shot 15 quail!!! Now, what we're going to do with them, I'm not quite sure. Anybody got a quail recipe?

Paul also had time to put together a Lego Grevious (from Star Wars) with Will. This thing has 1,085 pieces. It took them 7 hours. Before:
After: (this thing looks so creepy to me)

Whew, an entire week without posting. I'll have to admit, it's been nice to have some time off the computer. But I'm glad to be back! I'm ready to take down my decorations, clean my house and get ready for a new year. You know how your house can get so cluttered at Christmas, by the time it's over, you just want everything back to normal? That's where I am. SIMPLIFY.

Who Would Imagine a King

I have yet to hear this song all the way through without tearing up. Partly because I'm sad that Whitney doesn't sing like this anymore. But mostly because I am overwhelmed with emotion. A baby, born in the most humble of ways...to be a king. THE King. Paul and I have watched the Nativity Story for the past several years, sort of as a tradition. If you haven't seen it, promise me you'll go rent it...no, just BUY it. You'll save yourself the money of renting it twice. There's a part in the movie where Joseph and Mary are on the road to Bethlehem, (the movie shows how rough the terrain really was), they take a break to get a fish and eat. Mary looks at Joseph and says, "Do you ever wonder when we'll know?" Joseph says, "know what?"....Mary - "that he's more than just a child." Man, that gets me every time. The Bible says that Jesus grew in wisdom. So as a baby, he needed to be fed, he cried and wanted to be held. But at what point could you tell a difference? There's another time when Joseph takes out a piece of bread to feed to Mary and the donkey (so that the donkey would make it). He didn't eat for himself. I know the writers took some liberties as to what happened on the road to Bethlehem, but watching this has stirred up so much conversation between Paul and I. The greatest story ever told. I pray I never tire of hearing it. And sharing it.

This past Sunday Paul spoke in church. He talked about the significance of Frankincense and Myrrh. To hear his message click here to download it. This week, Paul received a very special gift...The letter attached says:
Your message from Sunday morning contained a few topics that are near and dear to my heart. You may not know this but I am a Perfumer and work with aromatic chemicals, oils and resins on a weekly basis. I know you have spent years studying the bible and have read the words Frankincense and Myrrh and their descriptions, but you have not ever smelled the ancient materials. My Christmas present to you is your very own anointing from God. Sorry for not including the gold, but you know what it looks like.:)

I wish you could smell this picture! Myrrh has a fermented smell, sort of like alcohol. That is what they used for burial. Frankincense has a clean and minty smell, it's strong and kind of grabs your nose when you first smell it. How neat that we could smell what Jesus smelled when he was born!!! Thank you for this gift Erin and Patrick! We'll never forget it as long as we live!

If you take the time to reflect on the meaning of this season, God will meet you there and give you a joy and excitement that nothing in this world ever could.

Fun Christmas Song!

I know, I know 2 posts in one day, but this is too good not to share! Enjoy! Be sure to pause the music on my playlist so you can hear them.

Elves.. Come one, come ALL!

Tandy and I found some vintage elves on ebay that look exactly like our "Elf on a Shelf" elves. We decided to add them to the fun. Here's what I did with mine...The note says: "Dear Will and Wesley, This is my little elf brother. I told him about you boys and he wanted to meet you! Is that okay? Would you give him a name? He would love to stay here with me until Christmas. Thank you for the candy Will, it's yummy! Your friend, Jingles" Oh, my children are gonna need therapy one day aren't they? This is where we found Jingles and Cocoa this morning. These two are having quite a time in our house. Eating cookies, sprinkling elf dust (glitter) and getting into a little mischief. :)

And the winner is....

My son Will is the photographer in these pictures. Yes, I'm still in my pj's and it's 10:00. It's a foggy, dreary day today, so I might just stay in them all day!
CONGRATULATIONS HPS aka Hannah! Send me your address to angelarichardson@mac.com and I'll ship your bottle of "Little Red Wagon" today!
These are a few of my favorite things...
1. Homemade gifts from children. One of my choir kids gave these to me on Sunday morning right before the service. I LOVE a Christmas cookie, but I don't have the heart to eat them. Aren't they precious?
2. My Gramma. She's got the most precious voice you've ever heard. She loves the Lord and has always taught me to put Him first. Gramma is the energizer bunny - no kidding, she has more energy than anyone I know!
3. Puffs with lotion and VICKS VAPOR RUB! I'm addicted to these. I'm totally serious. I put them under my pillow case. Ahhhhh. Just trust me, go to Target, get a box and then tell me if you're not addicted too.
4. Country Crock Cinnamon whipped spread. YUM! My favorite is a plain english muffin with this on top.
5. The cover of January's O Magazine. Now, my fan status has been waning for a few years. I used to be her biggest fan. Those of you who know me, know that I would have LOVED to get on her show and meet her. I'll talk about why I've lost interest some other time. But this cover grabbed my attention! "How did I let this happen again?" That is the story of my life! Kudos to Oprah for being real about it. That had to be hard for her. I read the article on how embarrassed and mad she was that she is still talking about her weight after all these years. And that her goal is healthiness instead of a number on a scale. I was encouraged to read that. But, this whole "New Earth" series is another can of worms. I can't even go into that right now.
6. A Christmas program. This little elf, Lexi was in an amazing program on Sunday. Lexi is my friend Lisa's daughter. She is a sweetheart. And she stole the show! Great job Lexi!!!
7. Hearing kids sing Christmas songs. I have the privilege of leading this HUGE choir this year. 170 kids! They melt me. This past Sunday they sang in church. It was precious. Just precious.

Christmas Polish Picks and...a GIVEAWAY!!!

Sorry it's taken me so long to pick polishes for Christmas. I know many of you have been going around with bare naked fingernails, just waiting for my advice. (I'm being silly of course) But, I wanted to make sure I actually posted about them BEFORE Christmas. So without further ado, drumroll please.....
1. "A Ruby For Rudolph"! This is BEAUTIFUL! Great for a Christmas party. It would be so pretty at a dinner table with the lights low, because it has a little sparkle. Oooooo, I just love this one.
2. "Little Red Wagon"! Now I love this one for the name. How CUTE is THAT? But also, it's a great "Christmasy", cheery red.

Today I went to my local Trade Secret and picked up a bottle for a GIVEAWAY! If you would like to put your name in the hat for the "Little Red Wagon" polish, leave a comment saying you want to enter. I'll leave the giveaway open until Tuesday, December 16th. If you win, I'll get your address and send it to you! If you want your name entered TWICE, you can link the giveaway to your blog and let me know you've done that in your comment. Good Luck!

Thank you KRISTI!!! '08 Christmas Swap

I have 2 sick boys today and we just got back from the doctor. I was having a "ho-hum" day until.... I saw this in my mailbox!!!
Cute packaging Kristi, love the stamps. I blurred our addresses since I'm not a private blog. Just lookin' out for ya! :)Hmmmm, is it a pair of shoes?
No...This t-shirt made me laugh out loud! "Santa's Favorite Blonde!" The other thing that made me laugh is that it's and XL and it will still be snug as a bug! I'm so glad you didn't try to be nice and get me a medium or something!And, you hit the BULLSEYE with this one. These little lounge socks are the best. I'm a foot fanatic. I wash my feet every night before bed (no kidding) and always put on something fuzzy and warm. A+++And looky looky here! Just call me Cleopatra ladies! This nail and body care kit is from the DEAD SEA! Here's the inscription on the box..."Minerals from the Dead Sea are filled with nature's rejuvenating forces and will pamper your skin with beauty essence renowned since (get this) THE DAYS OF CLEOPATRA!" It has a buffing block, nail file, cuticle oil and body lotion.
Kristi, you hit a home run girl! Thanks for making my day!!!

I'm on pins and needles waiting for Toni (Is It 5 o'clock yet?) to get my package!

Also, check out Bella~Mella for a chance to win an adorable Christmas apron. Melanie is a new blogger friend of mine. She's got a great blog. She share's her heart and she's a kindred spirit, because she also shares the crumbs in her butter!

Our Christmas Makeover

This video was part of West Ridge's Dinner in December program this year. I really think this is the big break we were looking for! ha! :)
(pause the music on my playlist first so you can hear the video)

"Resist the urge...

to have everything neat and tidy". That is what I have to tell myself when I do these little activities with my kids. I've been around moms (and mom blogs) that have more patience in their little finger than I do in my entire being. Some will say, "oh, they're just being kids, let 'em make a mess and have fun!" Me, not so much. But this year, I'm working on it. A couple of weeks ago I was making cookies and asked the boys to help. I actually let Will crack the egg! But he could tell I was tense and he said...

"Mom, I can tell you're doing this activity for us and trying to make it fun, but it's hard for you."

Out of the mouths of babes.

Oh, dear. It showed. My impatience, my "freaking out" over every cookie splatter and the fact that each oatmeal chocolate chip cookie wasn't perfectly round on the cookie sheet. I even re-shaped some of the ones they did. Oh, that's horrible. I can't believe I'm even admitting it.

I read this today: "Be completely humble and gentle; be PATIENT, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 I realize that patience is not something that will come naturally for me. So I asked, even begged God for patience. Especially with my boys.

So tonight...I did MUCH better. I let my kids decorate the Christmas cookies, however they wanted. They were licking icing and trying sprinkles. Glopping huge amounts of icing everywhere. The picture looks pretty neat and tidy, but what I really wish I had was an after picture (before we cleaned everything up:).
These little babies are a REAL find! My great-grandmother's old cream jars. They're so small, about 2 inches tall. (She used to go down to the drug store and buy a little jar of cream for 5 cents - and she got to KEEP THE JAR!) So, after all these years of me trying to figure out what to do with them, example: mini flower vases, storing paper clips and push pins, I had a BRILLIANT idea. I put sprinkles in them for the kids and they each had their own jars with their own icing. They are the perfect size for the kids' fingers to reach in and pinch out a sprinkling.

Yay! Here we are, actually having fun.

Wesley's masterpieces.Will's works of art.
On a side note...I love aprons! I have such a collection that when friends come over, I usually have them pick one to take home. (Now there are some that are off limits, like the one I'm wearing here.) Bonnie May - Thank you for my Christmas apron! I think of you every time I put it on! I found a web site the other day with AMAZING aprons. Click on HEAVENLY HOSTESS to check it out.These are my favorite. They're pretty pricey, but I know some of you out there with sewing skills, who could whip these up in no time!!!Look at this cute dish towel too!

First time for everything

I am 31 yrs. old and I have never owned a REAL pair of HIGH heels. There, I've said it. I'm much to awkward and clumsy and I've always been intimidated by them. Well, I took my 6 yr. old shoe shopping with me today. I need a pair for our church's Christmas program, it's a dress up deal. These are what he thought looked best. And I TRUSTED HIM! We're not talking pumps honey, these are some SERIOUS heels. So tonight I try everything on together, the dress, earrings and yes, the SHOES. WOAH NELLY! Since I don't have a full-length mirror, I decided to stand on my toilet to see the whole thing. Not a good idea. I marched up on the toilet as if I were wearing flats and didn't leave room for the rest of the heel to make it up there with me. Now, at this point, my boys are in my bedroom playing Star Wars x box, when all of a sudden they hear.....ka-BOOM!

Yep, that would be ME!

Praise God I wasn't hurt too badly. And the shoes are absolutely fine. But, I'm not quite sure I should wear them to a dinner show where I have to walk to my seat holding a plate of food from the buffet. Oh, I can see it now....

I might just wear these puppies instead.

Hugh've GOT to see this!

Alright, so I caved.

I bought this months edition of People magazine. I can't lie and say I got it for the crossword puzzle in the back. Or the article on Jennifer and Angelina, or the CMA Awards Best Dressed.

Curiosity killed the cat.

I got it to see what all the fuss was about. I mean, Hugh Jackman? Where has he been? Or where have I been? I didn't know he was on the radar or even CLOSE to it. I mean, this is the last I remember him...yikes

~and then all of a sudden...

Paul and I went on a date a few weeks ago and saw the trailer for the movie "Australia". It stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. I can't wait to see this movie! It's about time there was a good romance again.

Okay, so about Hugh, I can see the draw...the accent, the scruff, the "I didn't really fix my hair, it just looks this good". But I made a few changes to the cover to make it a little more to my liking...

DECEMBER 1ST - DAY 1

Tonight we opened our first Christmas book and read it. These are old books we've collected over the years, but wrapping them makes them feel new again. Will and Wesley will take turns, for example, tonight - Wesley picked the book, Will unwrapped it. And the winner is...
Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear
We also started the Advent Calendar. Tonight Wesley pulled out a camel. By the 25th it will be a full nativity. I love all these little traditions!!! (Maybe even more than my kids:)