happy, sunshine-y monday, everyone!

I am like a kid at Christmastime anyway, but right now I am downright giddy. I am an idiot with happiness. And when I get so excited about things, there is always that niggling voice that says, "What if something BAD happens?" But I am not listening to that, I am just going to be happy.



It is busy too.....I had to laugh out loud this morning when Suzanne reminded me that her 4th grade Native American project was due soon....(we call it the INDIAN project...I mean, you cannot just change the name of an entire population of people because a hundred years later you want to be more respectful)...anyways, this is our twelth Indian project, because Suzanne is the twelth child. One year the teacher saved one of the kids' longhouse, and let another of our kids update and recycle it. She understands, I think, how it is here. Anyway, when Suze reminded me that she too chose "longhouse", I asked her if she would consider doing a cooking project instead...



I am mostly done with Christmas shopping...everything is stuffed with no rhyme or reason in my closet, I do not know for certain what I have bought for whom. Like usual. And like usual, I KNOW I will be more organized next year.



So now we have our wedding plans, too. Thankfully I have some nieces, my sister's girls, who are gearing up to help me. We shall clean this place from top to bottom, and decorate it nicely for Christmas....they are getting married two days after Christmas. We are keeping it small and simple, around 40 people, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if that number became 50. eeks. We are going to make some lovely cupcakes, and serve....chicken wings....Ashely's favorite. And some veggies and dip. No, not typical or traditional, but hey, they are in love and want to tie the knot, they don't have much money, so we shall try to bless them as much as we possibly can with what we have.



Paul and I got married in his parent's living room....and I must admit I have been tempted to look back with longing for a more elaborate wedding, but we also saved my parents lots of money, and had minimal stress....it was small and sweet and simple....



Anyways, it is no wonder I am excited...but also feeling stressed already, a bit anxious, because I want to enjoy Christmas, and the logistics of getting everything cleaned up and having things in order two days later....but I shall not let this anxiety gain ground and ruin things. It WILL work out.



For this week, I need to make sure the laundry is caught up...I washed a mega load of socks the other night and matched about fifty pair. The sad part is about fifty socks are still single. I do not know how that happens. I also want to meal plan for when we are gone. Plus, Paul is leaving today for Boston, so that makes this week more challenging. The kids like him to tuck them in at night, and sometimes can be just crazy for me. They are also getting filled with the excitement of the season....so I am going to try to get them to the pool at least once this week. We need like a trampoline in the livingroom for the winter...I should at least unfold the treadmill and be prepared to watch them on it....they like to put toy trucks on it and watch them go flying.

It seems that even Rosie has picked up on that "something is in the air" spirit. The other night when I just found out about the wedding, I told the older girls and Paul, and we were squealing and making plans, and Samuel came into the living room and stood there and said, "Something's going on. What is it?"

In the midst of the excitement and happiness, there is of course the strong hope that this is going to be a good marriage that lasts forever, and that Benjamin will keep seeking God in his life, and that Ashley will do that too. They ARE young. But being with them, it is apparent that they respect each other and try to bless each other, and just plain like each other.

Yes, I have noticed that worry and doubt and anxiety would ruin everything if I allowed them to.

And also in the midst of all these things, all these happy and festive things, I need to hear God still.....

And now I have to leave to bring Paul to work.....so he can go to Boston from there...blah, and wah, and poor me. ha.