family picture

Merry Christmas!

And since there is never a dull moment, I am getting up in the morning and driving to Florida. Yup. Not alone, of course. Joseph(21) and Aaron (20) are the other drivers, Samuel (17), Evelyn (13), and Suze (11) are just going along for the ride. The 21 hour ride. We are staying in a Microtel a few miles from Gramma's place. See....Kathryn and Benjamin are flying there tomorrow. Ben is flying home on New Year's Eve, we are taking Kathryn home with us. Why? We want to visit Gramma (Paul's mom). Grampa isn't doing well, and it has been hard for her. She has had some tough decisions to make, so we want to go down and give her a few hugs, and see Grampa. Sometimes these spontaneous ideas just fall into place. So...off we go tomorrow, to Florida for the weekend!

i'll he home for Christmas......

You can count on me....they missed their flight. After sixteen hours at the airport waiting for another one..they finally got seats on the red eye. So they are in New Yoro now....sleeping at Emilys house...we are just waiting now for them to come on over... so...I took Sam to the small city to get cartriidges for his air soft gun that he picked oit to get from Santa. It would be too sad if he couldnt try his present on Christmas. Paul built a snowman with the kids...when they went in the house, after ,my nice relaximg walk, Sam and I plugged it with his airsoft rifle.....ooh fun. Anyway...we did go shppping today...just to the one place...then the kids started texting me for things...A quick trip to Aldi too....i am writing this oj my nook so excuse the mistaoes...and Merry Christmas!

merry merry Christmas!!!!

Camille and I...

Miss Charlotte Claire and I...

Miss Margaret The Birthday Girl, teaching baby Linnea to play her ukele.

Baby-In-A-Box...well, my five year old baby...she found this doll pacifier and reverted instantly to a crawling baby.

Suzanne tried to get Camille to eat when she was sick...what a nice big sister.

Suri was such a good pup when the girls were sick...

Miss Charlotte Claire going out to enjoy the snow.

Kathryn and Jon like their cousin Thomas...well, he is married to their cousin. He is the twins' daddy.

So...the shopping is done...all the food for tomorrow night is planned and bought. The last of the gifts have been wrapped. Today Mirielle and I found just a few extra things and she wrapped them for me. We were out of the house by 9a.m. to go to the dollar store, B.J.'s, and Wegmans. We bought crackers and cheese and pepperoni, green peppers and tomatoes and cilantro and cheese and fajitas for our Chipotle bar.

Benjamin was supposed to come home yesterday. They missed their flight. So...they will be here before Christmas, but I am not supposed to say WHEN. I am so so excited!!!!!

Lots of the older kids are at Emily's new house helping her put in new floors upstairs. Paul and Samuel and Suri are rabbit hunting, and I hope they don't really shoot a bunny.

So...I just want to say how thankful I am...thankful for my kids...thankful for my husband...it has been so nice to have him around these past days. I am thankful that I know and believe that God sends all things for my very best.

all done shopping...

Abigail and I went out and about this fine snowy morning. BigLots for one more roll of wrapping paper, two Secret Santa gifts, and some marked-down Christmas cds. An oil change for Benjamin's car at Valvoline, then to Walmart for pizza dough (homemade is better, but 88 cents isn't bad either), and a box of ribbon candy for Aaron. Then Wegman's...they sell 5 pound bags of shredded mozzarella cheese for $12-something. We are having our usual Saturday night pizza tomorrow for Margaret's sixteenth birthday celebration, plus some chicken wings, celery and blue cheese, and carrots and ranch dip. Not me, of course...I do not eat dip, and try to stay away from pizza. Anyway, we got Fluff to make our Christmas fudge, and pears and yogurt and milk. We stopped to fill up Ben's car with gas, and home we came.

Emily and Abigail are moving. They closed on their house on Wednesday, and most of their stuff is moved. Samuel, Sonja, and Jonathan just went to help Abigail move the rest of her stuff into the house.

My little princesses stayed home from school today, again. They were just dragging yesterday. Char had no energy...and Camille had a temperature of 99.9 yesterday afternoon. They are pretty happy though: their big box from the Disney store! Belle and Merida and Ariel and Rapunzel are now playing with them.

Yesterday I got my sugar cookies made...it took too many hours. Rolling them out, baking them, frosting and sprinkling them. I used a new recipe that called for 10 cups of flour and 6 sticks of butter. Kim, I think they turned out pretty good, judging by how many I "tasted".

Now we just have to keep the kids out of them so there will be some left when Ben gets home.

I don't know when that will be yet...I think he is going to surprise us.

It is snowing out! We will be having a white Christmas here in the middle of New York state.

Mirielle and Aaron are tired this week. They had clinical in the hospital, leaving here at 5:30 every morning. And somehow I wake up when they do. This fine morning I couldn't fall back to sleep, so I can totally sympathize with their fatigue...I would LOVE a nap today!

But when those kids get off that school bus in an hour or so, it will be the start of Christmas Vacation! So I don't think I will be sleeping when they come in the door. Nah.

I think I will go do some work around here, make some fudge, switch the laundry.

I wish...

I wish I was the kind of girl who....

1. Answered every comment left here on my blog. I totally enjoy reading them, then I procrastinate about replying....then I'll be doing one of those mind-wandering jobs like wiping down the top of the stove (I live with dozens of slobs!), and I'll remember a question or a nice comment that I never answered or thanked someone for.

2. Had her act together. I mean, come on. I have a huge bag of presents in a Target bag in my room. They are for either Charlotte Claire or Camille. That one day...that day I was so proud of my accomplishment of getting things out and putting them in piles? Well. That day, we either pooped out or got interrupted before we finished wrapping...and that bag of presents is sitting there. I don't know what we already wrapped for which one...and I don't believe in equality, but...what if one of them gets all the presents? I still have to check with Sonja K., she was my helper that day.

3. Same as number two. (ha, I said, "number two"!) I never got the candy out for Suzanne's class party. dang it. I remembered after the buses left. Shh, I know I could have driven over to school...but I didn't feel THAT bad.

4. Same as number three. I am almost out of wrapping paper.

Oh, never mind this list. I don't have too long to sit and enjoy the quiet today. Charlotte Claire is sleeping on the couch. She is still not 100% better...so she stayed home again. Camille went today. I do miss her. But, it's nice to be here with just Char. I filled all the stockings, sort of. Paper bags with 17 names on them, all lined up on the table. On Christmas eve or Christmas day later on when they start asking, I will empty the bags into the stockings. I swept the floors (Suri sheds so much!!!). I washed the counters and did the dishwasher. Washed some clothes. And here I sit, taking a rest. I was going to help Emily move in to her new house today...yes, she closed on her house! I feel very proud of her for being a homeowner!! Yesterday I had my day somewhat planned out...then I dropped everything and went to her apartment with the two little girls. We packed up her kitchen stuff for her, then went over to the new house to do the walk-through with the realtor. It was really fun, and I was glad to help. So today we were going to try to move as much stuff into a U-Haul as we could, just her and I...but Char is dragging....and ugh. I just think she is better off waiting until the older kids are home from school, and Joseph is up and can help her....

I made cut out cookie dough last night. I really want to roll them out and bake them before Ben shows up home. I think he is going to surprise us, he hasn't told when he is coming yet. He better not surprise us and not come home at all...

The first batch of cut-out cookies are long gone.

I also want to make fudge....and some Almond Joy fudge for Sam.

But I don't want to eat any of it. While I was filling the stockings, I had an extra Tootsie-Roll Peppermint Candy Cane lollipop. 60 calories. So I opened it, tasted it...then decided it was just too sugary...I wasn't enjoying it, so I threw it away.

Do you believe I am still not done with my Christmas shopping? Just a few more things.

I talked to my brother today on the phone. He has two kids who are 7 and 9, and I told him he is getting them better presents than my kids are getting. Just in case they read this I won't mention the gifts, but...I want one of those! And one of those other things! Of course he IS my brother, so he didn't pay too much for anything...he just finds those deals.

Time to get out of my comfy chair and make those cookies.

And...thank you everyone for nice comments you have left me. Please know that I really appreciate them! And...to answer the question about if I worry when my kids are sick...well yes....this morning Char didn't get up until after the buses came and left...and all of the sudden I was really scared. Then she came out and was jabbering away. I worry about her though. She is very petite, no fat to spare. She hasn't been eating much, she is very pale. I don't want to send her to school to catch something else. But...after all these years, season after season of having flu, colds, the barfing fun...I know it will pass. I know they will be okay. There is still that little whisper of doubt, I worry that maybe they won't. And croup always scares me because Mirielle almost died of it. (she was 20 months old, and had an infection plus the croup virus. Her throat swelled, closed up...she had to go by ambulance to the hospital...she had to stay a few days, then Joseph, who was 5 months old, was admitted for it.)

I do pray alot, and know that God causes all things to work together for my very best, and that He is watching over me. But sometimes I have to fight against the spirit of fear...quite often, in fact. For me it is scarier to have my non-cholant 21 year old working a night job and driving to and from work in winter weather. And my 27 year old nurse daughter driving to the big city all the time, working 12 hour shifts and being tired. It is scarier to have a daughter who works at McDonalds during school break (Mali), and hear some of the comments that creepy guys have said. When my own heart does that thing where it skips a few beats, I get scared. Oh yeah, I have my things to worry about. I think everyone does. But then there is God. When I just actively give in to my worry, listen to it and dwell on it...instead of fighting against it and trusting God, then it gets stronger. Peace comes when I fight that spirit of fear.

Sorry if that is all scrambled up...it is totally quiet in here...except for the hum of this computer and Suri snoring on the couch next to Char....who is sound asleep...so I can't blame it on being distracted. But I am. I need to get moving...

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Chewed up ornaments everywhere...When she wants something to gnaw on, I guess she just goes over to the tree and helps herself.

Let's see../.how much did I accomplish since yesterday? I took Mali shopping and let her pick out a few things, so now she's done. She got her secret santa gift, which I helped her with. I got something small for Ben and Ashley, and some stocking stuffers. We then took a quick trip through the grocery store because we were running out of puppy chow, milk, and fresh fruit. I got a rawhide bone for Suri's stocking...Mali said, "Suri has a stocking??!!" Well. It was NOT my idea. Charlotte Claire totally tacked an extra one up, all on her own. I have, however, supplied some special treats for Char to put in it. Mostly because Char thinks it's so much fun.

But yes...she sort of is the 17th child:)

I still have just a few things to get. We are having Margaret's birthday on Saturday, with chicken wings and other good snacks...then our Mexican Christmas Eve, then a ham on Christmas. I tend to get all muddled in the store, so I wrote some specific lists. Now if I can just remember to bring the lists into the store with me. Then remember to refer to them, instead of burying 'em under groceries in the cart.

So yesterday afternoon, I got into the house with presents to hide, groceries to put away, dinner to make. I put teriyaki pork chops into the oven and made some veggies. I then wanted to exercise, do stockings, wrap presents...so I started with helping the kids wrap their class gifts. Suzanne, Sonja, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, and Camille needed presents...as we wrapped, Jonathan casually mentioned his chorus concert. Yeah, it was last night. And yeah, we went. I was thankful I had the presence of mind not to say what I was thinking, which was, "SERIOUSLY!!? TONIGHT?! Blah!!!" The little girls were still running fevers, so it was just Jon going on stage. Paul and I both went to watch him, and we were impressed. We were impressed that they sang the old "Here We Come a-Wassailing", which had the lyrics.."may God bless you.."...hey, in schools these days, God is NOT that popular.

So the girls are home again. They have to be fever-free for 24 hours before going back to school. They were both quite hot again last night.

It has been hard to send Jonathan, but he is such a good kid....he gets ready so responsibly. He takes his own shower every morning, his homework is always done and in his backpack, and he brushes his teeth and gets his shoes on with no drama. After the Connecticut thing, I am sure every mother in America, if not the world, hesitates a bit before sending her children off to school. (Yes, Margaret, probably the dads too.) So having the girls home sick this week is okay with me. Not okay to see them sick, but okay to have them here to hug and snuggle and take care of.

I am cutting my computer time short this morning, as I have so much to do. I want to make a whole boat-load of Christmas cookies, especially because Ben is coming home. I dread it, because I am just finally back down to a better weight after working off those last ones...I only ate the burnt ones, but my goodness I burnt a lot of them! Just well done, actually, golden brown....really crunchy and buttery..oh dang. I should chew mint gum all day or something.

days of waiting...

For the kids, the days before Christmas are all about waiting. Waiting for the presents, waiting for Ben to come home. Waiting for their stockings. But for the mom...oh dear. I have lots to do still. A few gifts to buy. Things to wrap, stockings to fill. Margaret is turning 16 on Saturday, yes she was born on the 22nd day of December. 16 years ago...I brought home a beautiful little Margaret Cheryl on Christmas eve. She is my ninth child, the first of the five-girls-in-a-row-in-five-years. When she was born, Emily was 11, Abigail 10, Benjamin 8, Mirielle 6, Joseph 5, Aaron 4, Mali 2 and a half, and Samuel 16 months old. That Christmas, Mirielle got sick on Christmas eve, so I drove all the other kids and that newborn Margaret over to my brother's house because Christmas wasn't Christmas for our kids without spending Christmas eve with their cousins...and it was the better of two hard options...staying home taking care of a sick child (cleaning up yucky messes) with a newborn, or going to my brother's house and just holding the baby while the Aunts and cousins help with my kids...anyway. I do go on, don't I?

Margaret is turning 16 this year on the 22nd, so we are having a party for her. She likes to cry about sad things, so we are having a Sad Birthday. (what does she like to cry about, you might ask? Well...a few weeks ago Paul took the little girls and Jon to chorus practice...they had to wait a long time for the older ones to finish their practice, and they were very good and patient. So he stopped at the small expensive store in town and bought them a cake...that made Margaret cry.) So...I still need to get Margaret a present. All she wants for Christmas is a U.S. Passport because Emily is taking her to Norway soon. So for her birthday, I want to get her something nice.

And I still have to do that.

I also need a classroom gift for Jon, and to wrap the Barbies I got for Char and Camille to take in for their gifts.

Lots of them are bringing things in for their parties. So I have to make/buy that stuff.

And...the little girls are excited as can be because I sat here with them the other day when they were burning with fevers...and let them spend their Christmas money from Gramma at the Disney store online. It was great fun, now they are asking a hundred times a day WHEN the mail is coming. They are getting the Rapunzel wedding doll with the short dark hair, a toddler Ariel doll, a Belle doll, and the Eleanor doll from the movie, "Brave.".

So they wait, I procrastinate. Today I hope to get some things done though.

I did clean up a large mess this morning, thank you Suri. While we were at the dome last night, Evelyn made brownies, Suzanne made a chocolate cake. The brownies were left on the kitchen table. Suri jumped up and crashed the glass pan of them to the floor. She managed to eat them all and leave a nice big pile of clean glass there. I am really hoping she is okay. If she swallowed any glass, eeks. She knows she was bad though, when Paul tried to call her over to the pile, she would not come. Dogs shouldn't eat chocolate, but she seems fine. I am a bit worried about her...glass, chocolate...if anything happened to this dog, the kids would be devastated.

So, never a dull moment here. The girls are feeling better. Better enough to take all the Fisher-Price Little people stuff out of their closet, have a tissue "snow-ball" war, and fool around like crazy. They do not want to watch any shows or movies, thank you, just catch up on all the things they couldn't do for the last few days.

So...I have to buy food for Margaret's party and for Christmas eve. Our Christmas eve theme this year is Mexican. Margaritas, Pina Coladas, tacos and fajitas.

Oh, it is so much nicer to sit here and type about all the things I have to do than to actually get up and do it.