Christmas Letter via Blog

This year, we have SO many people that I wanted to send a Christmas card to. I could probably send out 200 if I really wanted to. That's just not fiscally possible. SO, I sent out about 40 to the people that I knew would enjoy getting them. Handmade and cute! Then I typed out an insertion letter. The same one basically that's on my blog.

Then I got a cute letter from the St. Johns via email. I thought i'd try putting up the note I mailed out via email. I put out newsletters, I could put a pdf out on the Nelsons for sure!

Well, it was just too big. It was bouncing back! I decided to try putting the letter up on my blog and then emailing the link out. Then everyone could read it! So, it seems that I put quite a bit of time into transforming a note to a cool letter & then uploading it and emailing.

But I learned something, and that was what is the most important thing, sending out a link is much easier than attachments! The recipients had NO downloading to do. Which just in and of itself has to make life easier!

So, next year, i'm sure you'll get a link from the Nelsons about Christmas time again! Merry Christmas!!

The Day After Christmas

It seems like preparing for Christmas takes SO much work, that they day after I don't know what to do with myself. I noticed this a couple of years ago. So, since i've worked so hard the last few months on planning and preparing, I decided to give myself the day off. It was mostly a leisurely day.

Rod and Dad and Zane and Josiah drove Garrett down to visit his dad. He was supposed to go about a week ago, but the weather has been preventing that. Zane came to town with Shannon on Christmas Eve. We spent a few hours Christmas Day with them. On Christmas, Dad called Thea, and they all gave the green light for Garrett to visit. It's a good thing, Garrett's been chomping at the bit on this visit. He doesn't like to get stuck at home in the first place, and the only day he left home during this bad weather was when Rod & Garrett went to the movies for Garrett's birthday.

I spent quite a bit of time today working on my laptop with my new external hard drive. It's a 250G drive that's USB powered. I found out quickly with my other external hard drives that they don't travel well and they don't move from my desk to the couch without a hassel. I requested a USB harddrive for scrapbooking for Christmas. First, my computer didn't like it. It took like 2 hours to get it to transfer my photos over. And, cough, I have 47,000 photos. So, I transfer them a year at a time. It takes about an hour per year. I've been transferring pix for the last four hours and I only have ONE more to go! Woohooooo!

My "goal" is to be able to sit on the couch with my feet on the coffee table and scrapbook. It feels like this has been in the works FOREVER, but it looks like i'll finally be getting there.

Josiah got Call of Duty for the 360 for Christmas and he's been itching to play it. So him & dad are doing that now. We let him stay up sometimes and play games that aren't as appropriate for the younger kids to play. Funny, Rod's actually taking a nap while Josiah plays!

With us being home so much the last 14 days of snow (today being the first sort of normal day) that I would have blogged more. The kids have had some great fun.. i'll have to post the pictures. I put a bunch on our facebook. For the first time I remember we actually had a white Christmas. It actually snowed on Christmas Day 2008. This december will definately be one that we rememeber!

2008 Christmas Letter

Christmas Shopping

Jaden asleep in the van while we wait for everyone to come out of Pennys.

We left home after lunch to finish up our last Christmas Shopping. Waiting on paychecks had caused us to wait longer than usual to finish up our Christmas shopping.

Normally, I begin buying things here and there beginning in about September, so that I don't spend a lot all at once. This didn't happen since Rod has been unemployed.
I feel oddly unprepared for Christmas. Then we have had this nutty winter weather. I have always wanted a white Christmas. A couple of times we have gotten white thanksgivings, but not a white Christmas. Not that I can remember anyway.

Since today is the first really driveable day since all of this has begun, we thought we would go finish things up. Needless to say, its been a headache. Stores are out of things we should be able to buy. Traffic is almost intolerable. It took us over a half of an hour just to get to the mall in Burlington. Normally its just over five minutes!

Cranky kids. Julia won't follow or listen in the store. In the cart she goes. Crying ensues. Jaden wasn't being his noisy self. I asked if he was feeling ok. He says yes. Then I felt his forehead, the boy has a fever!

We finished at target. Went to cold stone for a treat. We all just needed something.... I had an old gift card for cold stone, so it meant good treat at no cost. The heater was broken in the store. Cold outside, cold inside and cold ice cream.

Home next to the real fireplace soundsHood about now!

Got us all loaded up after cookies and oreo and chocolate peanut butter ice cream. Rod loves peanut butter and ice cream. Good thing they are a good combo! Got Jaden tylenol for his fever.

One more stop at pennys. Need a couple of things for my dad. I didn't really want to take everyone in after target. Jaden didn't want to go in either. I have rod my list. So we are sitting in the car, and I'm texting in a blog on my blackberry. Technology has come so far....

Jaden has my coat, heater is on high and the poor little guy is sound asleep.

Well I guess that's all for now. I'm thinking rod and the other kids should soon be done. And then we will be headed home! Tonight we put up the fake tree, normally we do real ones. And I guess ill wrap a couple of presents.

Happy Shopping to you!

South Family Adoption

This morning rod and I and the kids ventured out in the snow, with chains, to go to the Mount Vernon courthouse!

Bobby and Cindy south were officially adopted today! We all had tears in our eyes...

We were there, the Souths, the Dahls, Grandma and Grandpa. I felt priviledged to witness a real adoption, of kids I have grown to love.

How the lord must feel seeing children adopted into a good home. It must be something like when we are adopted into Gods family!

Congratulations Bobby & Cindy SOUTH!