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Christmas decorating 2018

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Over the weekend, we put the finishing touches on our Christmas decorations this year. Like this year, it was a process. LOL. We put our tree up the weekend of Thanksgiving, only to have the top 1/3 of the lights go out after a couple of days. This is not a pre-lit tree... it is a tree that I inherited when I moved out on my own in 2003. We add our own strands of lights. Then yesterday morning, I noticed that a strand near the bottom was also out. URGGHHH. I tried changing out fuses, lights, etc. Finally, I said okay and took ALL the ornaments off and the garland and took the broken lights off. Off to Walmart to buy more. I redid the lights, Bill and I put the garland back on, and the kids and I put the ornaments back on. Every ornament has some meaning to us! If more lights go out, well it will stay that way....LOL So, here is Christmas Tree 2018 (Version 2.0)!




The kids also got to put their small trees up in their bedrooms this weekend. We did have to get Rebecca some more ornaments…
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Our Christmas Traditions: Feast of St. Nicholas

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We are a Catholic family. As our children have come along and we have started new traditions in our home, one of the traditions that we have done is to do a simple celebration of the Feast of St. Nicholas. The evening of December 5, we all leave a shoe out for a treat to be placed by "St. Nick" overnight while we are sleeping. It is our tradition that the kids get a new ornament for the Christmas tree that symbolizes something that is going on in their lives and  they also get a treat. Some years Bill and I get ornaments, other years we do not.

This year was no exception. Before bed, we placed our shoes in the hallway upstairs to await St. Nick's arrival. (We put the shoes upstairs this year instead of by the front door, as my babysitting kid arrive before my kids have to get up for school and I didn't want them to get into my kids' things.)

And St. Nick did not disappoint.



This year Rebecca received a theater ornament and a pack of m&ms.


Jacob received an &q…
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Spam and Santa's Workshop

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On Thursday night I decided to make breakfast for dinner. I also made Spam to go with our eggs as Bill had never had Spam before. I used to eat it when I lived at home many years ago. It was okay....the kids liked it. Bill said it was okay. I don't think it will find a regular rotation into our menu. LOL



Friday night I had to tutor and then we had to take Rebecca over to her school for her book club's movie marathon overnight. She had a blast. The boys and I watched the Jim Carrey version of the Grinch movie.

Saturday, I was up early to get Rebecca from school at 7:30. Then I had to go work a "Santa's workshop" event for a non-profit that I have joined the board of. It was a fun time and we saw lots of happy kiddos including some familiar faces... Do you remember that little baby that I watched last year that cried ALL THE TIME? Well she was there... and is still a little "spit-fire" (her mom's words, not mine!). She did enjoy her cookie though...


O…
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A weird Thanksgiving, a Christmas parade, and Rebecca's birthday

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The beginning of November was full of "Junie B. Jones" excitement but we also had lots of other fun stuff happen in November....the three events that stand out as the biggest were Thanksgiving and gearing up for the Christmas holiday season and Rebecca's 12th birthday!

We spent Thanksgiving dinner time at my parents' house. Up until a few days before Thanksgiving, we weren't even sure we were going to have a dinner as my mom didn't want to do it. There has been a lot of stress in our extended family this year. Bill and I have been having our problems. My brother moved out of his house and is now couch surfing while his wife and kids live with her mom in a 1 bedroom apartment near their school. My youngest brother and my sister are angry with my sister-in-law and with Bill. They are also having a time adjusting to their lives in grad school and college respectively.  Anyhow, back to Thanksgiving...my dad convinced my mom to have it as he said family should be …
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Junie B.Jones the Musical

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The beginning of our November was dominated with work and with tech week and performances of "Junie B. Jones: The Musical."



Back in the beginning of September, Rebecca decided to take a leap of faith and try out for a school production of "Junie B. Jones: The Musical." Auditions were open to any 4th through 12th graders in our school district. She was pretty nervous. After her audition, she said that she was told that her acting was really good, her singing was really good, and her dancing needed a little work. 🤣 She found out a week later that she got a part! She was cast as "Mother" in the play. This part included both lines and a singing solo. She was ecstatic.

Rehearsals were 5 days a week and it was our first foray into the world of theater. She had such a good time and made wonderful memories and made lots of friends.

Performances were November 9th and 10th and the play was great.







Rebecca did a wonderful job! We went as a family to opening night as…
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