Feeling Cheery

enter LUCKY50B for 50% off this pattern only

 Well, Hello December! I can't even believe you're already here.

 This last weekend, after our Thanksgiving coma, we brought out our stockings and christmas decor.

 I also got out my Into the Woods quilt found in my Simply Color: Green book. (and I looked festive with my hot pink and red socks as well!)

We also turned on Christmas music on, got out and assembled our fake tree, turned on the "Christmas spruce" scented wax and watched as my children continued the tradition of clumping up ornaments on 6 branches instead of evenly spacing them out…and bringing out the school ornaments as well.

As I sat and controlled my need to control the Christmas tree decorating yet again…I got all sentimental and crap…and thought…one day my tree will look just like I want it to, and that will mean that our dinner table will be empty from our children most of the year, and my house will be quiet and lonely from all of them not living under the same roof. Yes, people, I have in fact now arrived at that time in my life where my children are no longer attached at the hip, and I actually have the opportunity to miss them. And you know what? I've now become one of those annoying middle aged women who look at the young mothers and smile and say "I know it's hard now, but at some point in your life you'll look back and miss it…momentarily…and then you'll be so happy that you do in fact get a solid night's rest…but…you'll also be feeling like you are running out of time with your kids being in your home all together at once."
I'm living happy in the right nows. My kids and husband are the most important things and I am so lucky.
I did have to remind myself how sentimental and lucky I was feeling just minutes before as I watched from the sidelines the process of the tree "decorating" that was happening. We had the13 almost 14 year old standing on a chair getting the top half of the tree only to become sidetracked and egged on by two children under the tree coaxing him and then cheering as the ornaments ping pongee down the center of the tree... and then the fourth child needing reminding that chucking ornaments at the tree so they get stuck in the tree is not called decorating in this house.... I only yelled twice (and had to walk away while grumbling under my breath) so I'm gonna call that a success.
remember my grumbling Christmas pasts?
Our not so Pretty Christmas
Oh (ginormous) Christmas Tree 
man we have some great stories…and how does my husband still have patience with me? :)

ANYWHO…In my feeling cheery that I'm getting solid sleep these days and that I still get to enjoy my children messing with my tree decorating ideas…I wanted to offer a 50% off of my Lucky Stars pattern so you can control at least one thing if you aren't controlling your tree decorating like me…and you can make this adorable pillow, ahem and quilt if you have the time.

Just enter: LUCKY50B at check out and the pattern is yours for $5 :) this offer will end on DECEMBER 16, 2015 

Then and Now Christmas

This is my all time favorite picture of my kids. 

It kills me because I don't have a high resolution jpg of it so I can't make it a large print. 

This picture actually brings tears to my eyes just thinking about that time. 

It was taken in 2009 Jake was deployed. We were going through some serious emotional "hell" with our oldest one. But for a moment in these pictures I took we looked normal, with no problems.

 Between Jake being over seas, me being a single parent, and watching my child go from a happy child to...just...not being who he used to be, and watch him struggle socially, physically, and emotionally... well it pretty much about destroyed me. It was the darkest time in my life to date. But, now, looking back at that time, 5 years now, I can honestly say, it didn't break me. I feel like I learned a lot about myself. And it made my oldest child, one resilient, and pretty amazing young man. 

So, this picture brings up a lot of emotions and naturally I wanted to recreate that pose so I could have a better high resolution picture of my favorite picture ever of my children. 

And well...

at first they totally were like: 

All kind of smart mouthing each other to do what I told them because we were all cold and wanted to go inside.

The husband came out and was like "Guys seriously the quicker you comply the quicker this is over. DO.WHAT.YOUR.MOTHER.WANTS.YOU.TO.DO."

okay that's better... but seriously they were totally on the "Stiff" side. Loosen up please!

The husband then says "come on guys, just act natural!"
And I don't have a clue what hand gesture or body movement my husband did when he said that...but what they all did at the same time was this:

Apparently that's acting natural? okay I guess i'll take it. 

In no way shape or form can I get my family to even in a picture pretend that we are a normal happy family. I guess I'll just be very happy that we are a slightly un-normal happy family. Which we are. And even though we are a family that has gone through a few ups and downs...we are very aware of our blessings. Even in the lowest points in our journey, we look at our experiences as blessings given to us to learn from.

The minute I sighed and said "Okay, I think, I got at least one. Guys, I think we're d......

...done. Guys???" 

I turned to the husband and he looks at me and asks "Did you really get one? Or do I need to get them all back out here."

"Yeah, I got it. It's not like the other picture, but it's okay." And then I was grateful for having him here with me. To deal with the boogers we call our children. Who bring us so much happiness, sadness, disappointment and pride. They are hard little things to take care of all the time.  But man I wouldn't change places with anyone. I love my Blessing of Life.

I'm grateful for snapshots of our past. I'm also grateful for our experiences that we leave in the past. They mold us to who we become today. So instead of trying to recreate a picture or an experience, I'm just going to keep moving forward, and be grateful for the wonderful little people they have and continue to become.

They're my special little people. And I love them. And we want to wish you all,  friends and family, a Very Merry Christmas from our very un normal and so far from perfect but trying hard to be a good family.
the Christensons.