Mid-Week Peek at My Week

Overall - barring yesterday - it has been a GREAT week. Why? Because.......

IT IS FINISHED! (that's a good thing, trust me!)

I've worked on decorating our home for Christmas and I completed the task on Monday. It is a good feeling... and I love Love LOVE sitting on the sofa with only the Christmas lights on and watching them twinkle.

This year is minimal - by my normal standards - because I'm super excited that all of our kids (we only have 3) and the significant others (a.k.a. DS' girlfriend and DD's boyfriend) are coming!!! And with all those people in our little home, we'll need lots of space to maneuver... plus places to put down air mattresses. So... 8 trees it is.

The main tree includes ornaments that are special to our family - from way back when the kids were small... and even before. My most favorite ornament on the tree (and the last one I put on it, with a tear in my eye) is an ornament that was my Grandfather's. It always brings back happy memories from my childhood when I would go with him out in the field of their farm and find the "perfect" Christmas tree. He'd chop it down and we'd carry it to the house... where I'd get to help decorate it.

My father-in-law made the fence for me years ago.

Brittney's tree is filled with ornaments she has made me. Every year for Christmas (even now) I looked forward to seeing what ornament she would give me, knowing that she had designed it herself and made it herself. Of course when she was really young (I think she started this tradition when she was 5-6) she had to have some help with her dad in executing her design. I treasure these ornaments!

My international tree is one of my favorites! It has ornaments on it from various countries. Some I've obtained on my ten international mission trips. Some have been given to me by others who have traveled outside our country - or who live outside our country. Some I've purchased through the WMU World Crafts that sells items made by artisans from all over the world. This ministry keeps these women employed and therefore keeps them out of the sex trades of their countries. A win/win... I get a gorgeous ornament made in another country and help a young woman in the process. I haven't purchased any from World Crafts in a number of years and when I searched for the link, I've discovered that none of the ones I currently own are in the catalog anymore. However, I did find one that I really REALLY want. Hmmmm... I might need to buy myself a Christmas gift.

Isn't the sombrero great? My parents got it for me in Mexico.

The fourth 6' tall tree is Brock's tree - in his room. He loves putting the ornaments on it himself.

Brock learned to walk pushing that yellow taxi around 

when he was barely one.

Then there are four more trees - all 4' tall or smaller. Fun stuff!

In addition to Christmas trees we have a few nativity sets on display - after all that IS the reason for Christmas. There is a gorgeous one that my husband got for me on his first trip to Israel. There's one that my daughter made for me. An Eskimo one (I love it!). A Native American one. The one we were given during our early years - as a gift from a young couple in our church. And a couple of other smaller ones, too.

The Israel nativity set is stunning!

And.... there's the Hallmark ornament collection. I have an ornament from every year Hallmark has made them... and we've given an ornament to each of our children every year since they've been born (which I still have in my possession - I will give them to them some day, but for now I keep/display them). That's well over 100 ornaments total. They have never been on a Christmas tree. Instead, we suspend them from the ceiling in our hallway from tension rods.

The very last piece of the Christmas decorating this year was a nearly all-day project. Putting together Cloydville - the Christmas village that my oldest son has given me - building by building and the little pieces, too - every year for Christmas since he was seven. It includes 25 lit buildings, plus a lot of people, animals, and such. It is gorgeous! And... it takes up about 1/4 of our dining room.

The stockings are hung. Teddy bears and snowmen in place. A wreath or two on the doors. Yep, it definitely looks like Christmas at our house.

In addition to Christmas decorating, I managed to make a few cards (5), clean, cook, shop (oh did I shop! I did a lot of my online Christmas shopping during Black Friday - Cyber Monday), laundry, etc.

I don't want to talk about yesterday (which included heartbreaking news, a gas leak at our house that resulted in the city turning off the gas until it could be fixed (it is fixed now), broken ornaments, etc.).... do you ever have one of those days where everything seems to pile on you? Yesterday was THAT day for me. But......

today. is. a. new. day.

SCORE TIME: Would I give this week a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down”?

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

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