My Christmas Conundrum

With the onset of the holiday season all kinds of things are presenting obstacles I hadn't considered with our new family arrangement. Case in point...Christmas cards. Every year for the last 18 years I have sent out Christmas cards to family and friends and signed them "The Wood Family" and the listed all of our names under that. That hardly seems appropriate this year and as a result I haven't started addressing Christmas cards this year. It's not a big deal (heaven knows it won't be the end of the world if I don't send cards out all together) and I think I will probably just sign them Jen and Sydnee and call it good, it's just an oddity that I hadn't planned for. However, that doesn't make for my biggest Christmas conundrum this year...the obstacle that is peeking out at me and laughing while I try my darnest to embrace this holiday season (Halloween is like my Christmas so I have to psych myself up for the rest of the world's Christmas) is the fact that I can not choose a theme for this year's decorations. I've already decided to do a Nightmare Before Christmas tree in the dining room because I think Sydnee will love it, but I need a cohesive look for the rest of the house. I love the trendy peacock colors that have been ebbing into the Christmas realm for the last few years, but I'm not sure I want (or need) to go with a trendy color scheme that would require me to purchase oodles of new decorations. I've done gingerbread for my kitchen in the past and I think I'll probably go with that again and add some red touches to my already green kitchen to make it festive. I'm thinking a traditional Christmas look (real red, real green - not pink and lime) with maybe some pine accents and simple white lights. What do you think...do you have a Christmas theme?

Fall Fun

Ah, cool Autumn mornings are here again. The leaves are beginning to turn colors and the days are getting shorter. All of these are signs (at least to our clan) that it is Pumpkin Patch season. We have been visiting the same patch for nine years now (since Krista was in kindergarten) and have loved every blessed trip. However, this year we made a huge mistake - we went on the same Saturday when the photographer was there. You would think after so many years of visiting on Saturdays we would have come across this earlier, but nope, not until this year. Cars were lined up in a fashion only comparable to a hillbilly family reunion and the place was packed. The girls still enjoyed the visit and we did come home with several Autumnal treasures, but I have learned my lesson - we will call ahead and not go on a day when half the state is taking pictures of their "little darlings" with every gourd known to mankind.

We have added our bounty to the front yard display and hopefully today a scarecrow of some sorts will join in the fun. I've saved a pair of Sydnee's overalls for the special attire, now to find a long-sleeved scarecrow-like shirt. Each season or holiday it seems I select a new theme to decorate or craft with. For instance, this year I am scarecrow crazy, I have them in my classroom and on my front lawn. We've done scarecrow dress-up relays in the after school program and made our own scarecrows using felt pieces. Next year I will have a new focus (obsession) but for now the scarecrows have it. Once we get a resident in our display in the yard I will post some photos.