Ridiculous funny moments with our family

Opening presents brings the usual take your time comments from the parents but this year Sissy joined in with those admonishments to her brother. Take your time! Make the moments last!

Reading the gift labels and scritchy scratchy handwriting that was on them brought the laughs after To: Kristen From: Mommy and Salty? Who's Salty... oh, that says "Daddy"! Yeah... fun times!

Not changing traditions has brought many cries from our college girl! Maybe the fact we've just moved to a new home has changed things a bit for the parents. Less energy for Christmas preparations...

Poor Nativity set folks - one visitor to the manger is now footless because Kitty jumped down off the windowsill and this visitor flew onto the floor. They are now a "plegic"! So every time she jumps up there, we holler "no more plegics"! We can't differentiate between para and quadriplegics since they are made of resin and half of the body may break if it hits the floor. Here's hoping for no more tragedies this year.

Butch and Muffin really wanted to join in helping prepare dinner last evening when we were trimming and slicing meat from the full leg of prosciutto. We received 2 of these wonderful things for Christmas and will be able to make our favorite pasta with sugo di prosciutto. Yum! Yes, Kristen, people do say Yum about food!

Watched Julie and Julia again and loved every moment of it. Cooking is a favorite thing with Kristen and me (especially together) and we holler with laughter, sing and dance while doing it. I really miss this when she returns to school!  Yesterday I tested just how high I can sing and my expression must really be something to behold based on their reactions! I passed my usual high note but not without lots of breath support and opening my mouth as wide as possible! Drop that tongue said Kristen - and it worked like magic! By jove I believe she's learned something at college!

Back to the "normal" and Christmas is coming!

Normal. What is normal? Normal is our usual schedule of life but a new home with different needs makes normal abnormal! Adjusting is required. Change is good? Change is stressful. Change is exciting. Life goes on.

School has to be structured but we don't like structure all the time... Such a struggle of inner thoughts and frustrations. Getting down to it is hard but moves along once we start. Homeschooling is interrupted by life. Only my homeschooling friends will relate to these thoughts and frustrations and ideas. Trying to be too much like normal school is not fun and not possible when doing it at home unless you take one room and make that your school room and you closet yourselves in there during specific times. Perhaps that works for some people but we haven't succeeded. Our happiest, most successful strategy is to snuggle in on the couch in the living room. Why not! Good memories will come from learning while sitting side by side on the couch with our doggies close by. I think they're learning a lot too!

The Christmas decorations are sitting patiently waiting in the garage and the corner of the living room will soon be a busy place with a big, beautiful tree. Tonight will be the time for decking the halls and transforming this new house into our home with thoughts of Christmases past and present. Only 12 more days until Kristen arrives!