CELEBRATING

{D.I.Y. tags}

*Martha Stewart bird punch + circle punched brown bags + branch doodles = christmas tags

CELEBRATING

{imagination}

*the shepherd & the wise men going to see baby Jesus in an audi TT.

CELEBRATING

{sleep}

...........I'm going to bed...I can barely keep my eyes open. It was a full & busy day at home; one of those where I only sat down to eat a quick lunch (which during I got up 3 times) and to feed Caiden. Oh how thankful I am for those pockets of quiet during these busy days!

And his smile.

Yes, that still melts me every time! :)

CELEBRATING

{singing christmas music}

CELEBRATING

{work day with daddy}

CELEBRATING

{togetherness}

~such a blessing...to baby-sit the boys. They were so delightful and excited about everything in life. They love to have books read to them....what a wonderful legacy to give them at such a young age. Thank you for the opportunity to be in your warm & cozy home, filled with children's laughter & the presence of the Lord.

[email from my mother-in-law after my date night with John]

CELEBRATING

{mobiles}

*and the fact that 2 long-awaiting projects are finally done! mobiles just make me happy~

CELEBRATING

{laundry}

"Life was better in those days, it really was. When China Mae did the wash in the wash house, and we put the fire under that big iron pot, why it was an exciting event. China Mae had joy over making the clothes come clean, while people today would think it was a drudgery. We kind of celebrated on wash day. Mama would make a pineapple upsidedown cake, and Louella and I would make stickies out of biscuit dough and cinnamon and sugar, and after that big load of work was done, we all sat down and had a tea party."

p. 334 from At Home in Midford

CELEBRATING

{caiden's first drawing}

CELEBRATING

{magic}

*drew exploring John's old box of magic. did you know I married a magician? I did! And boy, does he have some pretty cool tricks up his sleeve. But one of the [unwritten] marriage agreements was that there were no magic secrets. And drew is following right in his daddy's footsteps. He loves to figure out magic tricks. (please note that drew is in his very own personalized dress-up outfit, not code for going out!)

CELEBRATING

{snow}

*and lots of it. just a couple of days ago, it was 60*. and now, it's been snowing and snowing. like the inside of a snow globe. now it's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas. (which means I have a lot to do!)

CELEBRATING

{weekending}

*there is a lot of handmade-type vendors around these parts. Lots of artsy influence and school. Some of it is great, some of it is--well, I guess we all have our own opinions. However, I was able to go to the Handmade Holiday Festival with my friend, Richele. We went last year and were delighted with inspiration. This year was even more expanded.

*have lots of old wool sweaters on hand? take a look at her book and see all the wonderful things you can do with them! she was the inspiration behind John's blanket (that's still a working progress). and next to crispina is her dad of The Dolphin Studio, who has been printing their calendars in these parts for years (see above photo of calendar). he is also the one who made the pottery. the orange heart magnet came home with me. we also chatted for some time about Ireland, his homeland. he said his neighbors there are "Quinn's" so me thinks I need to go meet my Irish heritage at some point!

*the festival took place in Crispina's studio where she has huge bins of felted sweaters, all color-coordinated. I think I was drooling.

*delicious children's Indian shoes.

they reminded me of A Little Princess.

*some other great vendors that I didn't get any pictures of:

Lorna's Naturals

Recycle Moe

(you *really* ought to check this one out---they had the coolest stuff!!!)

CELEBRATING

{new equipment}

*almost feels like a new child. except it doesn't require any changings, sleeps through the night from day 1 and keeps itself completely clean. no bed-bugs. pretty nice.

CELEBRATING

{lost teeth}

*drew has lost his 2nd tooth this week. the other one is already grown in. the *tooth fairy* granted drew a whole dollar for his first tooth, but seems to be feeling the economy squeeze as well, for she only left 50c. for this one. (though she got lost the first night and didn't make it until the second night.) so even with all this *pretending,* drew is not fooled at all by all this. he knows *exactly* what is going on. (wink) but it's still fun to pretend. oh, and the eye patch is also a new thing for drew. dr.'s orders, for 3 months-every morning to strengthen his weak eye. we technically only have until he turns 7 before his eyes are "set." so we're CELEBRATING another hole in drew's mouth and a chance to be a "real pirate" for a couple of months. signs of growing children!

CELEBRATING

{daddy-at-home}

*today is a sad sort of day. it is the beginning of a new "era" for our little family. we have been so so lucky that "dad" has an office here so he can work-at-home. which has meant all sort of wonderfullnesses. like having him here for lunch. or a quick visit by the boys for some licorice (or better yet, for me, a late morning kiss*), or when I run into a snag with 2 of the boys, he intercedes for a few minutes so I can man-handle the baby, or a quicky errand while the young boys are napping---which is a thing of the past. a break time wrestle session on the mats with dad will have to wait until after dinner. my mornings will now consist of handing off a bag lunch, a (long) smooch, and everyone waving goodbye out the window. yes, it is a sad sort of day at the neiner household. we have been so very, very lucky to have John's presence if only but here & there throughout the day. but, we are CELEBRATING the wonderful year & 8months we did have him here with us throughout every day. and, of course, this will just make the "welcome home's" even more sweet.

CELEBRATING

happy december!

I cannot believe it is already *that* month!
Since my days are slipping by me like sand falls through one's hand, I decided to keep up with my one/a/day, very little thought-but still keeping a record, type blogging. My brain cannot handle any more at this season of my life, but I don't want this time to pass unforgotten. (right now, I am quickly typing because 2 boys are by my side asking for more chocolate chips from the tin in their reach while Caid is "calling" for me. Why does this always seem to coincide with a quick blogging post?)

SO, this month, I am going to (attempt) to post daily with the theme of CELEBRATION.

First one being, our first snowfall of the season, also Caid's first snow fall! Which is very, very unusual for new england! But we're not complaining. We know *Jack Frost* will be here soon enough, and he certainly doesn't move on any time soon.

{first *snow* fall}

Thankful for

[SACRIFICE]

*John Stra, grandfather of John, circa 194-

[served on the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) during World War II

where they experienced a Kamikaze attack on the ship,

which he later earned a Purple Heart award for.]

Thankful for

[HIM]

*today, he turns 30. he wears it well.

and this is the quilt I made him for his special day

-sealed with my love, of course.

Thankful for

[OUR CHURCH FAMILY]

*for pictures of our extreme-church-makeover,

click here.

Thankful for

[FRIENDS]

*near & far, you know who you are.

new & old, you're better than gold.

Thankful for

[MILESTONES]

*baby caiden: our 2month-old, thumb-sucker,

through-the-night sleeper (8 hours!),

steal-our-hearts-smiler, loves-to-eat,

cries-everytime-mama-leaves-the-house baby.

Thankful for

[HEALING]

*today. oh, what a day it has been.

Thankful for

[OPPORTUNITY]

*sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

from John's trip to Israel. Feb. 2009

Thankful for

[OUR LITTLE FAMILY]

Thankful for

[GODLY HERITAGE]

:my grandparents celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary:

OCT 2009

Thankful for

[LAUGHTER]

Thankful for

[SEASONS]

Thankful for

[DIMPLES]

Thankful For

[CLEARANCE]

A Season of Thankfulness

Well, Fall is well into gear here and we're already past the beautiful new england colors and pumpkins. So onto Thanksgiving, and with that always come the reminder to be thankful. And so much have I to be thankful for. And something I have been reminded of is that it is so very dangerous to forget.

to forget.

It sounds all too profound, doesn't it? But when we forget, we tend to get away from the importance and impact that those things has had in our life. I had recently come across a blessing box I made some years ago. I had cut up all the random magazines I had and was using the pictures as reminders for recording special blessings and provisions from the Lord and others. I am a very visual learner, so this was quite motivating for me. But it had been packed away for some time thus leaving quite a lapse in recordings. So I dusted it off and the boys and I went to it. The best part was reading all the old cards to the boys which filled us witg reminders of our bountiful blessings.

Many I would have forgotten about.

Some, I will never forget.

So, though I don't know how many little "thankful cards" I'll get to filling out this month, I am going to dedicate the rest of this month's blog to a DAILY THANKFULNESS theme. I will be {attempting} to do a simple post each day until Thanksgiving with a single picture and a single word of my thankfulnesses.

Hope you'll join me in your own heart & way of REMEMBERING.

{Blessing Box How-To}

1. Use a cardboard box with lid top; can be purchased at craft-supply store.

2. Cover as desired: mod-podge is my favorite glue + coating to use.

3. Buy a pack of blank 3x5 cards; cut in half (if desired).

4. Using an exacto knife, cut a slit in box top wide enough to ensure the card fits

through. (this makes it particularly fun for the kids).

5. Fill the box with blank cards (don't forget the date), magazine cut-outs, glue stick, scissors & pen.

There you have it!

{e.}

We're There Alright

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A MOM of 3 BOYS WHEN:

1. You have to use the doodle board to write down your to-do list.
2. You consider a 99c chai latte (decaf) at DD a splurge.
3. You leave the room to change your babies diaper and come back to find your 3 year old equipped with a bottle of elmers glue in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other and your 5 1/2 year old has set a trap with rope and the vacuum cleaner!
4. You use the bathroom as an "escape" to savor just a few minutes of peace and quiet only to realize you have yet to wash your face, brush your teeth, get dressed, do your hair or put your contacts in.
5. You can change a diaper, wrap it and make it in the trash without a single light on.
6. You realize your tea has been brewing for appx. 30 min.s
7. You have to decide between answering the front door, breaking up an argument between the 2 oldest, or letting lunch burn.
8. You realize it's dinner and this is the first time you've fed your kids vegetables.
9. You realize the best time to let the kids have chocolate is right after breakfast: because after lunch is too close to nap time and after dinner is too close to bed time.
10. You spend more time dressing your children than you do yourself.

ENJOY...because I am!

(and please feel free to add your own!)

Number 3 for # two

Today is Jack's big day.

He turns 3.

Fun, crazy, independent T.H.R.E.E.

Somebody's getting all grown up all too quickly!!!

{in the hospital with Jack. circa '06}