Have a Very Blessed Day!

Overcoming My Guilt

It seems that every Christmas, since leaving my job to become a full-time stay at home mom, I have been bombarded with feelings of guilt for not providing an additional income to give my kids a ton of gifts. I know in my heart that Christmas is not about getting every present we ask for, but I still feel like I am letting them down. This year, without  fail, those feelings crept up on me yet again. My fear was that my kids would not have good memories of their childhood Christmases and would feel resentment toward me when they grow older and have families of their own. I struggled with this for a few weeks and even considered looking for a job to help out. That would be quite a struggle for me because, at the time, I was in my first trimester and completely exhausted, but if that's what I needed to do, I would!

Then, my Grammy passed away. In the hours after her death, my family all converged on her house and began combing through thousands of photos. One of the photo albums we found was that of Christmas over the years. Our celebrations included delicious treats, tons of laughs, and most importantly, family. Sure, we had gifts, but looking back at those years, I can't remember what presents I received, I only remember the love that we all shared!That was what Christmas was all about to me! Hopefully, I have raised my kids to understand the value of family. I don't need things to make me happy. Just being together is all I need.

My Grammy's passing has been very difficult for me. I never considered the fact that she might not be here for Christmas. She was a fighter! I was so sure that she was going to win this fight as well. I do however, take comfort in the fact that her passing has made me stronger. Sharing those memories with my cousins was a great gift for me! We laughed and cried together, because we all knew that we had something very special, a loving family!  I will not feel guilty for giving my family what they truly deserve this Christmas....LOVE!

Saying Goodbye and Some Good News

Saturday was one of the most difficult days of my life. The church was filled with poinsettias, because my Gram had wanted a lot of them to fill her house this holiday season. My cousin Courtney sang a beautiful song for her and we shared a lot of hugs and tears. But far surpassing the tears were the many laughs we shared while reminiscing about times gone by. We really do have an amazing family and the memories that we share will never be forgotten. We sat for hours in the living room, the floor blanketed with photos from over the years. Many thoughts came to mind. We were very lucky to experience all of our holidays together. Easter egg hunts in the back yard with homemade candy for us all, made lovingly by Grammy. Our Christmas Eve was always spent together, with Grammy handing out gifts  from underneath the tree. And who could forget the mystery gift that we would all shake and squeeze until we came up with our perfect guess. Christmas day would bring Grammy and Pappy to each of our houses so that they could see all of our gifts. There is a picture for every single moment. These are just a few of the moments that I will cherish for the rest of my life. She will for surely be missed, but thankfully, she left us with so many wonderful memories to ease our pain.

After the service on Saturday, I shared with my family some news that I was planning on surprising them with on Christmas. Mike and I are expecting a new addition to our family in June. My only regret is not telling Grammy before she passed, I just never thought that she would not be here on Christmas. It never crossed my mind. But, I like to think that for a few days, before I told everyone, Grammy was in on my secret, and I am sure that she was grinning her sly little grin.

Thank you all for your prayers and cards. It really does mean so much to have so many wonderful friends who are there for me when I need them!

Prayers Please

Please keep our family in your prayers as today my Grammy was called home to Heaven.

Thank you!

Merry SITSmas!

Welcome SITStas! I'm glad you could visit on this very special day! I was going to share the perfect family picture for you all to see. But, do you know how hard it is to get five kids (three of them teenagers) together at the same time?! Good grief! It's nearly impossible! So, I thought I would just share a picture of our beautiful Christmas tree. Umm, well...we didn't get one yet. I guess you will have to settle for Charlie Brown's tree! But as an added bonus, I'll share with you a little song I wrote for this special occasion!

It's sung to the tune of "Jingle bells".

Searching through the net
I found a real cool blog
It was the perfect place
for all us comment hogs.

I met some real good friends
and meet more everyday
and now I have a chance to win some awesome giveaways.

Oh, Jingle Bells SITS is Swell I just have to say.
Oh what fun it is to meet a new SITSta everyday, Hey!

Jingle Bells SITS is Swell I just have to say,
Oh What fun it is to meet a new SITSta everyday!

I must say, the best part of being in the SITStahood is meeting some great new friends. It is a fabulous community of very supportive bloggers. No drama, just good times! Thanks so much Tiffany and Heather! So, if you are not already a SITSta...what are you waiting for?!

Muffin Tin Monday Theme-Christmas Morning

It's that time again! Time for Muffin Tin Monday! Only this week, we have a theme and it's Christmas Morning. I'll admit, our typical Christmas morning breakfast is usually sticky buns and hot chocolate, but this was fun for Mady! I just made her a regular breakfast, with a little twist.

She had: Gingerbread Man Pancakes, Maple syrup for dipping, bacon. diced green apple, and a cinnamon roll. Oh and we can't forget the hot chocolate with marshmallows! Yum! Even though it wasn't too fancy, Madelyn said it was the most awesome breakfast ever!

If you would like to participate in Muffin Tin Monday, go check it out here!

The Snowy Day

The flakes began to fall this morning and shortly after the giggling erupted.The three littles (Felicia, Madelyn, and our nephew Alvie) were bubbling with excitement and ready to get out in the frigid air to play. It wasn't easy finding everything necessary to venture out in such conditions. Alvin is only staying with us for a few days so we did not have any snow clothes for him. We doubled up socks and pants and found some extra gloves and a hat for him to stay toasty. We won't talk about the princess boots that he somewhat reluctantly put on his feet. It's amazing to me how something that is such an inconvenience to most adults can elicit such joy in children. I must admit, that I love it too!

A Very "Handy" Wreath!

Holiday decorating can not be complete without a wreath! Kid made wreaths are sure to brighten any home, especially when they are made from your little ones hands!

1. Trace your child's hand. You will need to make several of these to go all the way around the wreath. (I used two full sheets of construction paper for each wreath.)

2. Cut a circle from a piece of cardboard to glue the hands to. I used an old cereal box, but you may also use a paper plate.

3. Glue the hands around the circle overlapping as you go along.

4. We then added a bow and berries that we cut from red construction paper.

Your wreath is now ready to hang up for all to see!

If you like this project, check out the Christmas Trees made with our hands from last year! You can find them here!