Cleaning for Company

I feel like such a hypocrite.

After I read Don Aslett, I told myself, "No more cleaning for company!"  I clean for us.  I clean because I don't want my space to be nasty or germy or uncomfortable. 

So it's the day before Christmas.  Company is coming.  And I am cleaning.

Self-justification commences:
I've been doing Christmas prep instead of the cleaning that I want to do for me.
I've been busy at church instead of cleaning for me.
It's been too long since I cleaned, and I've been trying to get to it.
The cats are shedding, and the hair drives me bonkers.
If I don't clean today, I can't do it until Monday, because I intend to enjoy being with family.

So the vacuum is out.
And the cat hair is being dusted up.

And I still feel like a hypocrite.

Advent Wreath

A friend of mine does gorgeous wood-working.  He's been turning his hobby into a small business.  Look at some of the things he's made.

The Advent wreath is in the shape of a cross.  It can hold tapers or the little votive candles.  (I can find votives in purple and pink much easier than I can find tapers.  So I prefer the little glass globes for the stumpy candles.)

The Christmas-tree ornaments are delicately worked and make a full nativity set.  When I saw them on the Christmas tree at church, I coveted them.  When a set went up for sale at our school's annual fund-raising auction, we were lucky enough to get a set for ourselves.  Woo hoo!





Matt's website isn't fully set up yet.  But for those of you who know us, the website will give you enough information that you would know how to contact him if you want to purchase something to be crafted over summer for gift-giving next fall/winter.  For those who will be attending symposium, there may be some of these beauties for sale there; there were last year, at least.  For those of you who don't know us, there's information on the website about a craft booth in Spring Green.  (He doesn't know that I've bragged about him here in public, and I'm not finding information online.  So there's nothing for me to point you to, for easy-breezy ordering information.  If there's something you'd be interested in, you'd just have to write or call and start asking questions.)

Christmas Pictures: Time for Games

Big girls played "Ticket to Ride."

 

Younger set tried their hand at Battleship.

The fellas pulled out their Magic Cards.

More Christmas Pictures

Christmas Pictures

Mr Photogenic

Matthias weighed down with medals.

Philip's height provides a grrreat view.

Papa and some children.

I love this happy picture!

Pre-Christmas Pictures

Church's choirs singing with the symphony orchestra.

Alia and Zoe -- shepherds in the SunSch Christmas pageant.

Christmas Decorations

Over and over I'm hearing women bemoan that they don't have their Christmas decorations up yet.

Maybe they're feeling pressed to get-it-done-already.
Maybe they've decided to go easy on decorating, but still feel guilty over it.
Maybe they worry what their kids will say about fewer decorations.
Maybe they feel wasteful to have decorations that will sit unused this year.
Maybe they're convinced they're letting someone down, or somehow betraying the Christmas spirit to not decorate All The Things.

And this is joyous?

Why do so many women have to make excuses to themselves when they back off just a smidgeon from the hype?



I want so badly to yell from the rooftops, "Just forget it all.  Go to church.  If all you do for Christmas is go to church, it's still a good Christmas."

Errands

Yesterday began with
chapel
Curves
pharmacy.

Home for showers and getting dressed. 
Then round two:
Goodwill (where we found a flute and a clarinet!)
Salvation Army (which was closed)
Woodman's
Fleet Farm
Walmart
a neighbor's house.

Home to bake the cinnamon rolls, wash the used stroller we were giving as a gift, and wrap presents for the child our branch adopted for Christmas-giving.  (For me , it's so much happier to give a child things he needs -- like diapers or a snowsuit or a stroller -- than it is to give frivolous mind-rotting gifts that are requested by so many, things that I refused to give my own children.)
to work to drop off gifts
bookstore
another grocery store
the home of a neighbor who sells honey

Home to make and eat supper.
Church for Advent service
and choir practice.

Today I have to pick up the messies I left all over the house yesterday.

Symphony This Sunday

Our church choirs have a reputation.

(That's kind of cool....)

This Sunday we're singing at the concert for the local symphony. 

At work the other day, I heard a commercial for us.  On a 50,000-watt radio station.  On one of their most-listened-to talk-shows.  A commercial for us.  I was excited!  Oh my goodness -- you can buy tickets for the concert on Ticketmaster.  To me, that's where you get tickets for Toby Keith or Kenny Chesney or Michael Buble.  One of my co-workers said, "I have NEVER seen you nearly so pumped about ANYthing."  No foolin'!

This is going to be fun.



If you're local and want to attend, it's 3:00 on Sunday at Hamilton Fine Arts Center (at the high school).  Information is available at the symphony's website.  The children's choirs are singing a couple of songs without the adults, and I don't know what those pieces are.  The adults (or adults with the kids) are singing:
Once in Royal David's City (Mann/Willcocks/Vierrege)
Up, Good Christen Folk
Praise God the Lord, Ye Sons of Men (Hugo Distler)
Jesus Christ, the Apple Tree
Your Little Ones, Dear Lord, Are We  (David Cherwien) 
Silent Night (Hal Hopson)
See, in Yonder Manger Low (Keith Veirrege)

Mugs

Gary with his TARDIS mug.

Mandy showing off the disappearing/reappearing TARDIS.

Dr Who?  Why, Doctor Matt, of course.  Accompanied by the Supreme Empress Dictator of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Christmas Pictures

Rachel and Alia (early in the day)

Zoe borrows an FS hat

The fire is captivating!

Pirate Paul has a Polly Parrot on his shoulder.  Squawk!

Evidence that little girls were here!  Horses on parade, headed to dinner.

End of the day meltdown.  "But I don't WANT to go home!  I want to stay at Nanna's and Papa's!!!"

Family Pictures

Gary and Zoe

Katie and Maggie

Mandy and Paul

the kids

front row:Philip, Maggie, Katie, Mandy, Paul

back row:Andrew, Nathan, Rachel, Matt

the whole family

Alia, Katie, Zoe, Nathan

Susan and Gary

Rachel and Matt

A Few Christmas Pictures

Fish fingers and custard.
Really, Katie?
It's something that Doctor 11 enjoyed.
And no, they're not really fish sticks.  They're cookies designed to look like fish sticks.  Even though my tastebuds told me this was quite the yummy snack, my brain just couldn't cope with the looks of it.

[shudder]  Fish fingers and custard.  [shudder]

By the way, notice 11's sonic screwdriver also on the tray.  And it just so happens that on the back of the table is the box for Gary's "Disappearing Tardis Mug" from Paul and Mandy.  Combine that with timeshares for Gary and Maggie, in ownership of a brand-spankin'-new Dr Who lunchbox, and sonic screwdrivers for Matt and Rachel, and we shall call this a very merry Dr-Who Christmas.

French-Fried Frog Legs!!!!

"I'm goin' on a picnic and I'm taking ....
FRENCH-FRIED FROG LEGS, eggs, dandelion greens, carrots, bananas, and apples."

[Whew.  Good thing nobody had heard of fish fingers and custard back then.]

Andrew wanted a hair cut.  When I cut it to 3/4" that wasn't enough for him.  So I buzzed him shorter.  Wow -- it's hard to recognize him now.

 

 So it takes three adults to dress one child in snowsuit, mittens, and other outdoor paraphenalia. And Katie can accomplish this feat quicker than the three of us put together.

Matt and Katie taking the girls sledding down the "hill" in the backyard. Isn't the light gorgeous off the snow when twilight is approaching?



Okay, so there are other pictures.  Tomorrow or the next day I'll try to post pictures from the weekend.  But first there are chores to catch up with.  It's been a very nice few days.  Plenty of chance to soak up God's Word at church, and plenty of time to hang out with my dear kiddoes.

And Few More Christmas Photos

More Christmas Photos

A purple tutu!



The riding toy wasn't a present. It came out of storage in the garage because it seemed like Zoe might be getting big enough for it. It might've been her favorite thing of the week.



"Uncle Paul, do you know how to read?" He does know how to read! "Read to me."



Handsome!

Christmas Photos

(This one was from two weeks earlier, for the Sunday School Christmas program.)






Pretty!