Dec. 22, 2006--Update

Just thought I would update our week quickly. I did get the Christmas cards finished Sunday and out early Tuesday morning. I also finished all my Christmas shopping on Amazon by Tuesday morning so everything arrived yesterday. I still had a few things to grab on Wednesday so I went out and dropped Sammy and Alyssa off at the mall while I got my nails done and finished my shopping. Tara was at a friend's house I had traded babysitting with (I had her son on Tuesday) so we got done pretty quickly. I took the girls to the other mall so they could finish their shopping and they both found Christmas dresses that they bought (I told them they don't wear dresses enough for me to warrant buying them for them so they could buy their own). Wednesday night I had worship team rehearsal with the band and Tim was at the house until almost 9pm.

Yesterday I went by the house to see all my appliances and I can't wait to be able to use them! Tim is trying to get them installed today. After I saw them, I had to go pick up Sammy and Tara's homeschool pictures and then met some friends for lunch at my favorite "girly" restaurant. Afterwards we went and saw "The Nativity". I had heard some people loved it and others did not so I didn't really have any expectations. I really liked it. For me, it made me think about how hard life was then and how difficult the whole situation (Mary being pregnant with no husband, persecution by the Romans, the journey to Bethlehem, etc.) really was. I tend to think of the Christmas story in my "happy-shiny" way most of the time, but it was good to be reminded to look at it from this perspective. Afterwards I came home and got ready quickly to go to choir. Jenna reminded me she needed ingredients for making Mexican Caviar--a dip with corn, beans, peppers, etc....nothing to really do with caviar--for school today so I had to go to Walmart to get the stuff. She also told me she needed stuff for her "Secret Santa girls" for the junior high group she helps with on Thursday night. Alyssa had gotten a bunch of stuff the week before and Jenna had only gotten a couple things so she needed more. Off to Walmart I trekked to get the stuff and get back home in order to get the girls and I to church for worship team/choir and the jr. high group. We were a little late, but not bad...considering. There was no child care so I stayed for the beginning part of choir and left as they were having the dessert potluck because Tara was tired and really hungry (and not for dessert). I called Tim and he was at the fire station checking to see if he had remembered to take the day half off today to work on the house so he picked the girls up on the way home and Tara and I got ready for bed. We are a couple of days behind in Jotham's Journey because of Tara falling asleep early Wednesday night and Jenna was busy finishing homework last night.

Jenna got up early this morning and made the Mexican Caviar and I braved our icy roads to get her to school. I took the Excursion after our last adventure in the Volvo with ice and even slid in that. Thankfully Tim had plugged it in for me the night before (it is diesel with a heater block and has to be plugged in when it is cold). Today I need to clean the house for Christmas, make my menu for the week so I can go shopping EARLY tomorrow morning and take Jenna to get a dress for Christmas. Dillard's is having a huge sale and a lot of their Christmas dresses are only $30 so she will probably buy hers there. She is doing a reading for our Christmas Eve services and didn't want to just wear pants. Hopefully I will get a good picture of them before we leave for church Sunday because they will all have their dresses on.

Better get started cleaning!