Here I Go Again

(Another blog entry just on the wrong blog)

Well, this is my fifth or sixth blog to date. I cannot seem to keep from just getting tired of it and wiping it all out. Then I want to start another one, so here I go again. I am going to write about my family life, and general news about the area that I don't put in the paper neccessarily.

We have a big Christmas planned. We always have a big Christmas planned. I love having my family home at any time, but especially on the holidays. David doesn't come home for Thanksgiving, he always comes for Christmas, so that makes it extra special for us. He will be flying in to Tulsa Friday morning, and driving on here and staying a week, and the whole family can't wait!

We will have our Christmas dinner and present exchange on Christmas Day, starting in the afternoon. Presents get so expensive and none of us are rich, so we will also have a white elephant gift exchange before or after our presents to each other. I'm not so sure but what we enjoy the white elephant gifts more than the other. The whole point of that is to give something that you don't need, or use, or maybe something that will just be funny to open. You don't have to worry if the recipient will like the gift or not, in fact you probably are hoping they won't like it, more fun! There is 2-3 gifts that get passed around every year. An old ceramic hamburger that opens is one of those gifts. It has been given around, and we don't change it or clean it. It has a half melted Jolly Rancher on the inside that goes with it. The recipient either takes it with them and gives it to someone else the next year, or just leaves it here and somebody goes and gets it and wraps it for somebody. The other thing is a wildly flowered dress that I got at the church garage sale for a joke gift for Courtney. It was successful, and now it gets passed around every year too. I got it last year so I am thinking about who to give it to this year!

I didn't put up nearly as many Christmas decorations this year as I have in the past years. The lights are still hanging off the house from last year, but they are sagging here and there and I don't want to plug them in that way. I can't get up on the roof and Bob hasn't had time to, hardly anyone sees them down this road we live on anyway. As always I did put up my big tree and decorate it, and I did put out my Nativity. I love it. I have thought about leaving it out all year 'round, but I don't really want to get used to seeing it all the time, I think it has a bigger impact if I just leave it out for the Christmas season. Although I do leave it out until the last of January usually.

We went to the Christmas program at New Mansion last night and it was a pretty good program. The best part was when all the little kids were saying their little parts into the microphone and it was Arica Todd's turn to say "Welcome". She did, then she said welcome again, then "welcome...welcome...welcome..." then Emma Marsh decided to get in on the fun and she said "welcome...welcome..." then Arica-"WELCOME!" then Emma-"WELCOME!" then they both starting saying "glooobily doubily bobliy" and assorted nonsense noises-- it was soooo funny! Belinda finally wrestled the mike away from them and on with the show!

Alicia had a part in the play in which she played "Nancy" and writing in her journal and she was remembering her grandma and grandpa and it kinda got to me. Alicia always so-o-o-o adored my mom, and my dad too for that matter, and it seemed as if she were almost talking about them. The others would do the scenes she was talking about, and it was a good little play. Heidi Todd was a younger "Nancy" in one of the scenes and sang a song and she did such a good job. She hit every note right on!
Danielle, Courtney and Hayden had parts in another play and it was really good too.

Baby Blake got to be Baby Jesus in the Nativity scene and he did his part very well, nary a peep from him the whole play, although I did notice he squirmed until he got out of his "swaddling clothes" and Mommy and Daddy had to rearrange him a few times. So so cute!

It was a good night, it reminded me of a song by Squire Parsons "Christmas in a Little Country Church". I love that song. It talks about how the little shepherds are wearing their bathrobes, one of the shepherds sneeze, one little angel scratches her nose. So simple and so good. It doesn't have to be a big production and it doesn't have to be perfect. Just show God's love to everyone and bring them in.

Enough for one blog. I'm in the writing mood again, so there will be more (if anybody out there is reading this-hahahahahahahahaha!)