Gotta lot of odds and ends here.  I keep thinking I should share this or that and then the time gets away from me and I don't.  In fact I am certain that most of the good stuff has evaporated right up into the ethers. Sorry about that.   Up side?  We have the tree up and decorated and it may just be the nicest yet.  We have red and a buttery yellow gold goin' on in this house.  I have never had red and gold. I think I like it. Alot : )  In between the colored balls are tucked all of our family's homemade and travel souvenir ornaments.  The unified balls cause the rest of this conglomeration of felt gingerbread and popsicle sticks to march together nicely. 

Read on for more equally random disjointed recent thoughts:

Husband and I sat down to dinner with just the three littles tonight.  5, 4, and 2.  It was very very quiet, if a little surreal.  Best part is we sat next to each other.  We always used to but in this house I sit on the other end of the table since its closer to the kitchen.  I liked it better before. Perched at either end of the table like bookends feels exceptionally grown up and stuffy. 

Our Asher arrived week before last and his little brothers and sisters are still over the moon excited as you can see by this little face at the airport…

Four of the children will be in their first Irish Dance program next week.  We saw a dress rehearsal and I was wow'd.  Kieran decided to join his sisters a month ago and it turns out he dances very well.  

I snagged coins for the wooden shoes and little chocolate santas and candy canes for St Nick next week.  Check that out – a WEEK early!  I can't remember how many years it has been since I found all the stuff for one much less had it all together on time. We don't perish around here for lack of knowledge, but rather tend to be overwhelmed by all the ideas and underequipped with free time to implement them.  Given that, I consider this a banner year thus far because also….

We lit the first advent candle on the first day of advent this year.  I considered that a small victory since that means we located the wreath and acquired candles (replacing purple is such a goose chase some years!)  on time. I stumbled upon the Catholic Icing site and have borrowed a few very doable ideas.  One was to make little wreaths of green doughnuts with four tiny birthday candles atop.  That went over well. <g>  Can be done any time in advent to discuss the symbolism. Otherwise we are saying our Hail and Blessed Be's and making one cookie each week of Advent.  This week was chocolate kiss peanut butter cookies.  Wanna take bets as to how many will be in the freezer come Christmas? ; D 

My fab and funny friend Lisa, mama extraordinaire, has been transcribing installments of a wonderful old book on a special blog for advent.  I have really enjoyed it.  I am now pausing a moment to put in on Reader or I will miss the rest of it no doubt.  My favorite books are always old and out of print and its such a joy to have access to them. 

Sherry at Large Family Mothering has had a couple posts that I meant to share lately.  One was on persepctive about where we have been and where we are now. I couldn't agree more.  Most of us large families had very humble beginnings and have scraped and struggled for many years to get to where we are. If you are 25 with a new baby and an old couch, don't despair.  Also remember that a new couch and a big house do not perfection make.  She shares:

"Another thing to remember is that I, and others like me, don't share everything that is going on to the whole world in cyber-space. While things may be peachy in one area, there may be challenges in another; there is no perfect life on earth, no perfect family, no perfect Christians."

There is no Christianity without a cross.  Rest assured that if God sees fit to remove one cross, He will indeed provide another. And that is ok too.  Just know there is always somethin'.  Just different somethin's at different points in this journey. 

She also talks about the sheer joy of homeschooling and balances that with perspective, again, on our expectations. Parenting is more art than science in the end.  We can do all the 'right things' but we will never teflon coat our kids.  "Holiness and maturity cannot be inherited, and homeschooled children are no exception, although we hope they have a bit of a headstart. The choices are still theirs, and the same sinful nature and deceiver meet them at every turn as with all other young people. "  As with us all.  They still have to work out their own salvation in the end.  We hope we have given them excellent tools.  We cannot do it for them however. 

A Country Farmhouse-My house looks nothing like this, being a virtual explosion of red and yellow and cobalt blue these days.  But its funny that the blogs I read most often look more like this.  I have loved visiting here. it is soothing to the eye and the psyche. And reading about her nursery helped to remind me of what was important to me when I started this ride.  We still cannot really afford to only use 100% organic food, clothing, floor coverings and cleaning agents. My desirability flow chart starts with that at the tippy top, then the next rung would be all natural and homemade. Then natural and packaged.  Then "running late" which may or may not involve a box of  dye free Pop Tarts after a soccer game…..   But it does feel very good to make the changes we can and shoot for quality and simplicity. 

Speaking of children and food, I am hoping one of my progeny saw these cookie molds on my list.  I have my heart set on someday making Springerle cookies in a traditional mold.  With organic flour and sugar,  I promise… mostly.  Victoria magazine featured them last Christmas and darned if they didn't do it again this year. I think  its a sign. <g> While on a traditional German theme, check out these stickers.  I have an idea for making traditional paper mache egg ornaments using these.