Best laid schemes of mice and men!

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,

Or as you may be more familiar;

The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,

Are the words of Robert Burns in his poem To A Mouse.
(After turning her up in her nest with his plough) November 1785.

I have read the poem and I think I am more the mouse than the man as I feel like it is my home that is upside down.

It isn't that things are such a mess it is just the crazy long list of things to accomplish before we leave to visit Dave's side of the family...and then mine...and then his...

Which leaves this poor Old Path feeling neglected.

I real do appreciate all of you who pop in here from time to time and read and sometimes leave a comment. I feel like I have done you all a disservice by neglecting things here. You'll all be glad to know the children are all okay, they as always seem to be top priority, and my blog is the one thing that can wait.

So what have we been up to. Well I might just try to squeeze in another post or two with a few more details but we have been make jam and jelly. I froze our grape juice that we got from our grapes this fall and finally made some jelly. We also have made some apple jam and kiwi jam. Dave and the kids built a new enclosure for the guinea pigs I think they must feel like they are in a mansion in their new digs.

Hannah is moving a long with her potty training. 4 nights in a row she has gotten up dry in the morning!

We had our Christmas open house and baked like crazy. It was a lot of fun to have friends over and just visit.

I need to run and get a few more things checked off my list, we have a church Christmas thing tomorrow and I still have to bake for it.

We are still here!

I am sorry everyone I really should get in the habit of posting a few lines even when life is crazy.

So I will Update you all on what has been going on...I believe I left you with Joshua and the stomach flu well thankfully by the next morning he was right as rain. I mentioned a little while back that since Bunny had what we think was a stroke even though he recovered that we felt his days were numbered. Well he continued to loose weight and I had told Taliah to prepare for the worst. She brought Bunny upstairs and told me she thought he was even thinner. I looked him over and told her again that I thought he was dying and that whether it happened in a day or a week it was coming. Which started Josh crying. Taliah said Mommy he just opened his mouth really big and I have never seen him do that before. I took him to look at him and he was gone. She sat holding him for a very long time. Bunny had been a much loved friend who would hang out in the doll cradle or just sit cradled by her for hours at a time it seemed. She had him for about 3 and a half years and it was hard to say good bye. Just the other day I gave her some veggie scrapes to give to the guinea pigs and she said I'll give some to... oh never mind. I knew she had forgotten for a moment that he was gone. I really can't believe that in 2 months my kids have dealt with 4 pet deaths!

Not the best picture of Taliah but you can see she loved her Bunny.

Hannah with Bunny

Next I was hit with the stomach flu and it was not so kind to me I was down for the count for a few days. (My immune system is not the greatest I welcome any advice, I am thinking of trying a Homeopath in the New Year.) Taliah was next to get it. Just as I was starting to feel a little better I came down with a head cold that is holding on. Hannah finally seems to be over her cold. Yeah. So I am sort of holding my breathe to see if anyone else is going to start with something.

I have to throw this in here too the other day the dog must have got something she shouldn't have and threw up; my poor kids started saying things like she is too young to die she isn't even full grown. I felt so bad for them they have dealt with a lot in the last 2 months that, that is the first thing they thought of:(

On a brighter note it snowed again...there is nothing like a fresh blanket of snow. As I went out to take a few pictures it was quiet and still and the snow crunched with every step. I think that is one of my favorite things about winter.

Not sure why this looks so dark it is actually about 8 am

We are having a Christmas open house on Saturday so if you live local feel free to pop by. Dave and I decided we would get the tree early. We love to take the kids to cut one down so we headed out only to discover that it was a weekend only place. The kids where all set to get their tree and decided they would forgo the chopping down experience and go with a tree lot instead. Off we went to the near by village. Well, they were all in mesh bags how can you tell if it is a nice tree. We decided to drive in to the city for one. We went to Home Depot and theirs were all in mesh bags too! We remembered seeing some in another parking lot that weren't bagged so we trekked off over there. Finally the most beautiful tree... we had found the one!! Dave asked the all important question,

"How much for this one?"

"Oh that one is $70.00."

(Choke)

"Do you have anything in the $30.00 range."

"No sir the cheapest we have is $50.00."

"Okay kids back in the van we're going back to Home Depot."

So with fear and trembling we bought a bagged tree and it is lovely. So that is what the last week or so has held for us.

Oh, one more picture maybe not the best picture of him but I thought it was too cute. With it being Advent we are doing all sorts of things to help us focus on Christmas. I guess Taliah was inspired and dressed her youngest brother up as a Shepherd. This is a picture she took of Joel!

Advent

A blog friend asked about advent so I thought why not make that into a post. I am no expert on church History and the like but I can share what I know. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which simply means coming. For about 4 thousand years the Jews had awaited the coming of their Lord and of course Christmas is the celebration of His arrival. As for us Christians we await His coming again. Advent is a time to reflect on this. We can celebrate the wonderful fulfilled prophesies of old, and we can await the ones yet to be filled. Advent starts on the Sunday closest to Nov. 30th, this year it begins this Sunday the 29th!

A little more history. From my reading on this subject it is really hard to say when exactly this tradition began most resources suggest somewhere around the 4th century but I read that there was a reference as far back as the 2nd century. During the Middle Ages the focus was on the second coming with prayer and fasting. It also use to be six weeks but sometime in the 9th century it was shortened to 4 weeks.

Advent wreaths really vary nowadays, however you still see lots of the traditional 4 candle wreathes with 3 purple candles and one pink. Some will have a fifth candle that is in the middle and that candle is white. The three purple candles represent hope, peace, and love. These candles are lit on the first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent. The pink candle, which represents joy, is usually lit on the third Sunday. The white candle is the Christ candle and it is lit on Christmas. It is often lit on Christmas Eve too! I have heard it said that purple is associated with royalty and that is why there are 3 purple. Not sure about the pink one I am sure I knew once the significance but I can't remember.For us we usually grab for candles of purple or burgandy and a white one. We light them through out Advent. I am thinking of using the pillar candles because we like to light them everyday. So the first week just the first candle is lit and on the second week two are lit and on and on. Some people have a traditional prayer that is prayed at the lighting of the candle. Some have the tradition of having the youngest child lighting the first candle and then the second youngest lighting the second candle you get the idea. My Mom has always said, "Come Lord Jesus Come," when she lights them.

I also read that the 4 candles represent the 4000 years the Jews waited for Christ. As for advent calanders they are a neat thing but they don't technically follow advent they start on December 1st and count down the days till December 25th.

Personal I love the idea of advent. I love spending 4 weeks before Christmas baking and crafting and listening to Christmas music, but I think it is easy to get so absorbed into the activities that we loose sight of Jesus. Taking time to really prepare our hearts to reflect is a wonderful thing that helps keep our eyes on the greatest gift of all.

I think Advent can look different for every family. We have all sorts of traditions and things we do but most importantly I tried to fill this time with activities that point us to focusing on our Lord. I shared before about 3 wonderful books written by Arnold Ytreeide even though we have read all 3 we will be reading Tabitha's Travells again this year. He keeps us on the edge of our seats, yet he always challenges us. After each portion of the story he gives us something to think about and discuss. This is an exert from his challenge after the first days reading;

"Advent is a time for us to focus on the real Jesus of scripture; a time to get rid of our own ideas about who he is and what he should do for us. It's a time to learn from him how to be servants, to be humble, to love.

Tabitha's family may not understand her, and we may not fully understand what Jesus is all about. But take these next few weeks to think and learn about the true Christ of Christmas. It's what Advent is all about!"

Take the next few days and think about what your family can do over the next few weeks to draw closer to Jesus, and really celebrate Him Christmas morning. Here are a few other links of Advent ideas;

Advent History (teachingmom)

Advent Activities (American Bible Society)

Advent Coloring pages and crafts (Mahalo)

The Christmas Story Advent Coloring Book (DTLK)

Advent activities and crafts (CatholicMom)

I am not endorsing the above sites and I have no idea if all of their content is quality, I have just found some useful items and I am passing that along. Hope that helps.

To read more about keeping Christ in Christmas click on the image below.

My Birthday and Contest Winner!!

Sorry for the late post. Today did not go as planned. Does any day for that matter? We were suppose to go off to the dentist this morning..Happy Birthday eh? Anyway we didn't make it to the dentist.

If we back up to bedtime last night, Joshua told me he had a tummy ache. I had him get in to his jammies a little early and lay on his belly and he fell asleep. I have had Hannah under the weather and she was needing some attention so Taliah was helping Joel into bed when I heard her yell ahh he is throwing up. I came to the bottom of the stairs just in time for Joshua to throw up down the stairs. Hardwood stairs which gave quite the splatter effect I got hit in the head with it at the bottom of the stairs!!! I know probably way to much information. After a long clean up. I got him settled only to be up over and over and over again. Thankfully he seems to be fine today.

Hannah how ever is still not doing so well. Taliah had a throat thing last week where she lost her voice. That seems to be the same thing Hannah has but she is really wheezy sounding. Taliah didn't have a fever but Hannah has although she also just cut a molar. So I don't know she just seems so pathetic and makes me sad. Also not sure how many of you have picked up on the fact that I can be a bit of a worrier. I would love any spare prayers for her! Needless to say we were exhausted not to mention possible contagious so no dentist!

Are you waiting with baited breath to know who won the DVD?? Drum roll please....

Congratulations to...

ALEXIS

Alexis if you want to email me just click on the envelope and I will be sure to get it right out to you!!!

Again I have to say stay tuned I do have some future ideas for giveaways!!!

A Homemade Christmas - Stockings

A Homemade Christmas!!!
If you are looking for a unique way to wrap a gift or maybe you need to get some stockings. Sure you could run out to the dollar store and grab something there but you really want to add the personal touch. However like myself you don't want to spend a ton on fabrics and glitter. For a nice simple homemade look head straight to your closet. Look around and see if you can find an old sweater that you no longer wear. Maybe Grandpa has one he doesn't want any more.
What you are going to do next is turn it inside out, and lay one of the sleeves flat.Next you are going to cut a piece of iron on interfacing to about the same size. Lay it on your sleeve and draw your stocking shape on the interfacing. Cut the sleeve off the sweater. Leave the cuff in place because that will be the top of your stocking. Iron on your interfacing. To be honest I did not have a lot of success getting it to iron on so I ironed it on and sewed it in to the seam. Starting at the top of the stocking sew down the one side and the foot shape. The side of the sleeve that is seamless does not need to be sewn. Cut your stocking out leaving about a 1/2 to 1/4 inch seam allowance. You do this after you have sew just in case of unraveling . Turn it right side out and there is your stocking!!!I used some embroidery floss and buttons to decorate mine but you can trim it with lace and make it girly sew on sequins whatever you like. I did this from start to finish including taking pictures and kid interruptions in less than an hour. I have said before I am not super crafty and it went together really easy. I forgot to mention you can easily add a loop if you want to hang it up. Now if anyone has any questions feel free to throw them in the comment section and I'll answer them there.

You can grab the code for my 'A Homemade Christmas' button to make it easy to check back in on what we are making. I think tomorrow I will be making a few things in the kitchen!!!

To read about what others are doing to keep Christmas simple check out the link below!

Homeschool Highlight Reel

This week has been a bit funny we have been changing up our schedule a bit. I seem to always be in search of the perfect schedule. I think we may be getting closer. Taliah has been doing really well in her Math this week. She is a bit of a perfectionist I think and if she doesn't catch on to a new idea instantly she takes on this attitude of this is too big I' ll never get it. I think she is finally seeing that I do not expect perfection. The more you work at it the better you get and all I'm concerned with is that you put your best effort in. She finally seems to be relaxing and just going with it. I am finding the need to light a bit of a fire under my eldest the younger two boys are very eager. Hannah comes and goes and participates here and there. She is currently under the weather so is rather sleepy. It seems odd to get through school without any Hannah interruptions.

We have been looking at another Christmas Carol this week, I'll tell you more in a minute. First I wanted to mention Advent. Not sure if any or all of you celebrate the season of Advent leading up to Christmas but we sure do. This year Advent starts on November 29th which is just over a week to go. I love Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our King, Lord Jesus, we also look at preparing ourselves for his second coming. I have been pulling out boxes and getting things ready, as I was looking at the manger scenes we have I said, Hmmm might be a little early just yet. Talaih said to me well Santa Claus is already on all the store fliers I don't see why we can't look at Baby Jesus! I couldn't agree more. So we set up the manger scenes. I have a don't touch set that Dave and the kids and my parents have slowly been adding to on my birthday each year and a Little People set. I like having one that the kids can handle. The Little Peoples set plays the tune to Silent Night.

Can you guess which Carol we picked for this week? You got it Silent Night! We took the same approach to learning it. Silent night was written by Josef Mohr in 1816 in Austria. It is said that on Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small village called Oberndorf that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of Silent Night (Stille Nacht) to Franz Xavier Gruber and the tune for Silent Night was created to be used with a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass.

I apologize I am all over the place today so getting back to advent. We do all sorts of things to get ready we have an advent calendar and an advent wreath with the candles. I have all sorts of crafts and activities planned, but the one thing that we seem to love the most is a 3 book series by Arnold Ytreeide. Joshua is pictured here with Tabitha's Travels the 3rd in the series. Sadly these books have been out of print for awhile. I am glad to tell you that the first 2 (Jothams Journey and Bartholmews Passage) are back in print. I have not come across a better series to take you through the advent season. There is a reading for each day and he always leaves you wanting more! If you can put your hand on a copy, they are wonderful. We are very excited as he has a new book for Easter which will hopefully be available early 2010!!

If you would like to read about what other Homeschoolers are up to please click on the link below!!

Another Giveaway!!!

Here I am looking at a new year only a few days away... ah you are paying attention. No not January 1st although that will be upon us all too soon. November 23rd is my birthday. I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway on my birthday. I have an extra copy of: The Eden String Quartet: A Bountiful BlessingDVD we have enjoyed watching this and as I already have a second one here I thought it would be the perfect thing.


If you want to check out the trailer just click on this link to FRANKLIN SPRINGS FAMILY MEDIA you might want to checkout some of the other great films they have!!!
What do you need to do to enter? Really simple leave a comment for an entry. For 2 extra entries leave a comment telling me your a follower or become a public follower of my blog. Of course check back in here on Monday afternoon and I will let you know who the winner is!!