Almost Christmas Break!

Well, the kiddos are 'crazy'...no not mine, but the little ones at school. Who can blame them...Christmas is coming, snow, 2 hour delay, out-of-uniform day, and today we took a ride on The Polar Express. Okay, crazy isn't the word...they are thrilled and unable to contain their little selves. I would be too if keeping up with them weren't so exhausting. After tomorrow we are off for break, so it will give me time to unwind and enjoy the holiday hustle with my own family. We have no real plans, except to relax, relax, relax until Christmas. I will have a full day wrapping at some point, but I kind of enjoy the "Mom" time that it gives me and just thinking about how the kids will love their gifts makes me...well...er...'crazy'!:)

I am so looking forward to doing some scrapbooking over the break...I even have some holiday cash to spend...guess where that will be spent? While at Michael's (which I believe may be my most favorite store in the world right now) I found a really cool book by K&Co. that is all snowflakes that you punch out, embellish (it came with some embellies too!) and hang up! I am going to make one of the boys advent boxes next week be that we are making 'flakes...then we can hang them all over and keep them up even after the Christmas decorations come down.

Okay, okay, that reminds me...I have to put the Christmas decorations up before I can take them down so I must go and get that marked off my "To Do" list. Ahhhh...the holidays!

Two posts in two days!

If you happen to stumble upon this blog please keep little baby Lilly and family in your prayers. She is the newest member of a wonderful family...daughter of a friend that I taught with years ago and still keep updated about her family via their blog. Hoping that with more and more prayers she will be better and home soon.

Here's the addy if I can't get the link: http://buildingtheark.blogspot.com

Mom's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful, wonderful and inspirational Mom! Here's a little something from the boys...if I can figure out how to load it! Happy Birthday Mom! :)

All These Things

So it looks like I will be getting around to posting here about 2 times a year! Yahoo...what progress. lol I think about posting all the time...I have so much to share and talk about...not that anyone wants to read it, but I always think about it.:)

For example...I am working on baby first year scrapbooks for the boys...I am half-way through the DS1s book and LOVE how it is turning out. It is such a great idea from the April 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes. If you are always behind..like most scrapbookers I know...then you will love the freedom that this project gives for you to finish a mini-book of the first year. I have so enjoyed looking through DS1s first year pics as he is in 8th grade and heading to high school next year.

Other great things on my plate...well, I am trying to really, really declutter the house...it holds me down so much and makes me feel like a failure, so I'm taking a hold of that monster and getting it under control. I am in for one major yard sale in the spring...something I said I would never do again...but I figure that if I have a yard sale it will eliminate some of the trips I will need to take to Goodwill. Also, I'm going to use the money for scrapbooking and save for a trip.

So, I finally have a great decluttering plan because I read a great book called 'It's All Too Much" by Peter Walsh (he's the declutter guy on TLC...I think that's the channel). Anyway his book is awesome and it is especially beneficial in helping me get rid of things I hold onto b/c I invest too much emotion in them. There is a quote in there about how if you keep everything then nothing is really that special...or something like that...and WOW does that make sense. :)

What else....hmmmm...well, I have to get the kids costumes and DS1 and DS2s birthdays are in November...so this is usually crunch time for me until after Christmas. I have to laugh, b/c it's a wonderful time, but crazy hectic.

This list may need to be pulled out again after the holidays and updated as a sort of New Year's Resolution list I think...some of the items will definitely still be in progress...but I'm working through them. :)

Oh yeah, most importantly I'm making sure to make time for lots more family time and not feeling guilty about not committing to other activities or events. Nothing is more important than these four (includes the big boy...DH!) guys who are loud, messy, sweet, loving, smart, and such fun.

All these things...make me smile! :)

Balance

I have been thinking a lot about balance lately. It is something that always seems to elude me. When you think about it, balance is what is needed everywhere...

Balance between eating the junk and a good diet; watching a show or working out; time with family and time for me; what needs to be done and what I want to do; job and family; sleep and getting more accomplished; time spent with each child; worrying and trusting that things will work out, etc, etc, etc. This list could go on and on.

Balance! Achieving it is impossible I guess...so now the problem becomes the balance between thinking about it and letting it go. Guess I will just have to let it go. :)

Where to begin?

I wanted to create a blog for our family, so Nuts in a Tree fit perfectly. It didn't come about just out of the blue though. The beanie baby squirrel on the kitchen counter is what triggered this title for our blog. I would like to post here regularly....but with our busy schedules, we will just have to see what happens. At any rate, Nuts in a Tree has been created...and the journey begins.