Thanksgiving 2011

Oh, Thanksgiving.  Has it already been a week since you passed?

It's been a quick week for sure, but not near as quick as the lovely week we shared with family on the Brown side that all came to town from Florida for the holiday.  How spoiled are we that all this good stuff showed up right on our doorstep?  Check out our busy break with the Browns!

There was shopping galore for all - from groceries to Goodwill, from motorcycles to the mall.  In the end, I only have pics of a certain knockout ready for the ball and two kiddos among six who hit more than one train store in the course of a week.

 There were some early Christmas presents to be ripped open.

There was lots of snuggling and getting reacquainted to be done.  It's not every day you get to hold so many Browns so close.

Anna did a NUMBER of crafts ...

while Noah went for a few unorthodox rides.

We all took in a few shows and displays together...

as well as a few touristic sights at The Creation Museum, The Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Downtown Nashville, and Ryman Auditorium.

And, of course, what's the point of having cousins around without some good ole playtime to share?  Play-doh, trains, video games, legos, bikes, play kitchens, and light sabers, it was!

Before the last guest left this week, Noah showed Memaw how much he's improved on his reading skillz, too.  Memaw also read Noah and Anna a special book she gave to them, The Oak Inside the Acorn.

We missed you as soon as you drove out of sight, Amy, Johnmark, Beka, Aaron, and later, Memaw and Papa John!  Thank you for filling up our Thanksgiving with so many good things this year.

November's Daily Thanksgiving

Nov. 1:  For Josh's job.  We are just plain spoiled-rotten to have him home so much, have him love his job, have enough income to afford my staying home with the kids.  Thank you, Lord.

Nov. 2:  For how naturally Noah has taken to reading.  Thank you, Lord.

Nov. 3:  For giving me a precious daughter when I thought I wanted another son.  Thank you, Lord.

Nov. 4:  For protection on the roads.  Oh my word, thank you, Lord.

Nov. 5:  Thank you, Lord, for the way things change!

Nov. 6:  Thank you, Lord, for your Word!  It truly is living and active and it is amazing to behold.

Nov. 7:  Not gonna lie.  I'm thankful for FB. :}

Nov. 8:  Thank you, Lord, for all the rich experiences that make up this human life!

Nov. 9:  Thank you, Lord, for your BEAUTIFUL creation.  Every day I see something amazing and altogether creative on this earth that points to a brilliant and artistic maker.

Nov. 10:  Thankful for quietness and down time.

Nov. 11:  So, so, so thankful to be an American!

Nov. 12: Thank you, Lord, for our babies.  We are having the time of our lives with them.

Nov. 13: Thankful to have landed in Gallatin, TN.  Thankful to feel like we're putting down roots. I like the feeling of a place finally being home.

Nov. 14: Thankful for the contentment I feel being a stay-at-home mom.  I didn't always feel so peaceful in this role.  Thank you, Lord, for molding my heart.

Nov. 15: Thank you, Lord, for rainy days.  Thank you for all our todays.

Nov. 16:  So thankful for my precious Ambien on the nights when my precious melatonin doesn't do the job.

Nov. 17:  Thank you, Lord, for my hubby who puts a capital H in Husband.  - Handsome, helpful, hardworking, handy, here, and hands-on with his kids.  Thank you, Lord!

Nov. 18:  Thank you, Lord, for friends and community!

Nov. 19:  Thankful for surprises.

Nov. 20: Thankful for special occasions like family visits and holidays.

Nov. 21:  Thank you, Lord, for your words on the tongues of my children.

Nov. 22:  Thankful to be home for the holiday and not traveling for hours and hours.

Nov. 23: Thankful for family who were willing to drive all those hours and hours to be in TN for the holiday.

Nov. 24: Thankful to be well stocked in the kitchen and to have dodged any last-minute mob scenes at the grocery store.  Gobble, Gobble, Y'all!

Nov. 25:  I'm thankful Noah's fever didn't start again until after Thanksgiving, I guess. : /

Nov. 26:  Thankful for my boy's precious thick curls and my girl's bright blue eyes. Smitten.

Nov. 27:  Thankful for recreational activities and the time to do them:  knitting, blogging, movies, games, crafting, outings, shopping, napping, visiting with friends and family.  It's been a GOOD holiday. :)

Nov. 28:  Thankful that the red Icee Anna spilled came out of her precious fuzzy white sweater.

Nov. 29:  Thank you, Lord, for my lovely lady friends from MOPS and Meetup.  What a difference a social life can make for a stay-at-home mom!

Nov. 30:   Still in our pj's, my snotty-nosed mini-me and I just finished making Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips on top.  I'm thinking about my boy at drop-off this morning who asked if I remembered to write him a note in his lunch box so he wouldn't miss me so bad.  {Sigh} Thank you, Lord, for this charmed little life that I lead.  Thank you, thank you for these days.

Taa Daa: More Knitting

So I finished this square for the prayer blanket...

And then I did one last square - making that 4 total, I think.

And tonight I finished up a super soft and warm scarf for my ever-so-patient Anna!

Now I am on the prowl for someone (or some book or you tube clip) to teach me some more stitches and patterns.  Until then, I'll probably make some more scarves. :)  Teacher gifts, perhaps?

Why I ♥ Chick-Fil-A

Top 10 Reasons I Love Chick-Fil-A

1.  They are cleaner.
2.  Safer play area with complementary antibacterial wipes.
3.  Styrofoam cups ... which they come around and refill FOR you.
4.  The cow calendars and those coupons inside them.
5.  Free food via coupons, kids' night, events, surveys, etc.
6.  Great service!  "My pleasure."
7.  Ummmm, hello???  Yum!  Always.
8. They even decorate the bathroom doors for the holidays.
9. You don't see your food being prepared, so the presentation is just better overall.
10.  It keeps us from having to eat at other fast food places - which just about all get an Ick rating from me.

10 DAYS?

Has it really been TEN DAYS since I last posted?  Wow.  Well, trust me, I definitely feel the time lapse.  Blogging has become so much a part of me that when I go this long without it, I feel sooo behind.  It's like I can't relax until I've gotten caught up on our beloved Scrapbook Brown.

But it has been a busy 10 days since I last posted about "sick days" - which, by the way, there are two more sick days to add to THAT list -  but I'll be back in blogging commission before November wraps up.  I better be or there'll be you-know-what to pay with my sister breathing down my neck.  :}

Just need to catch my breath ... and sort through pics of all the fun and family.   One thing's for sure - I won't let myself decorate for Christmas til Thankgsiving has its say!

Sick Days

My word!  We can't seem to get well for more than 24 hours at a time around here! For the past couple weeks it been fever, vomiting, diarrhea, wheezing, coughing, sneezing, and snot ... and repeat and swap kiddos (Josh, too, actually) and back again.  Everyone finally was back in working order all at the same time yesterday and I thought we were good.  But today, Anna is back and grounded with a fever (though it started last night and I just didn't wanna believe it).  Don't feel sorry for us though... we make the best of sick days around here.  In the past few hours we've painted her cradle some more, broke out a new board game early that was supposed to be for Christmas, watched Tinkerbell, played tea party and lincoln logs, and are taking in Anna's first go round of Pocahontas.  She's spellbound.  She also dressed up for the occasion.

I'm the only one who has managed to NOT get sick in all these germy November days.  Famous last words though, I'm sure.  I do feel kinda queasy right now.  I hope it's just the heat I have turned on...

Funny note - even the dog was throwing up last week!

Miscellaneous Taa-Daa's

Just like her momma, Anna is developing a love for all things crafty, creative, and lovely.  

She marvels at the sky with me all the time saying precious breathless things like, "Dat's amazing, Mommy!"  or "Isn't dat wuvwy (lovely)?"

Since I've taken up knitting, she's often reminding me that she can't wait til she can knit, too.  

And while I've wrapped up work on the first two squares for a prayer blanket a group of friends and I are making, Anna has pretended to participate, as well.  Josh says she sits with her hands all bunched up with imaginary needles and knits the air.  She's also put in an order with me for a scarf of her very own and she is eager to get to pick out the color all by herself.

She's had a hankering to paint her baby bed pink for awhile, so I finally pulled out some paint and some brushes/stampers and we set to work giving the cradle an upgrade of sorts.  This week, we are adding baby blue polka dots to the canvas. 

And last on our list of creative endeavors, I made this practice run of a pendant necklace so I'd be ready to teach the girls at MOPS on Monday.  Anna was my eager and wuvwy model once the glue dried.  

Taa-Daa!

Family Photos 2011

Several weeks ago we met up with a new photographer friend for our long awaited annual family photo session.  It was so wildly foggy that morning (and freezing to boot) that we had to push our session back an extra hour or so in hopes that the fog would burn off.  We literally sat in the car and Noah prayed aloud for us asking the Lord for the sun to come out.  And it did! :)  So we were off and around a pleasant little walking path on a chilly Saturday morning while Shannon Payne worked her camera click-click magic.  Before just about EVERY shot, she had the kids do silly faces which worked wonderful wonders for Anna's cooperation in the smile department, as you shall see.  The session turned out great.  We are thrilled with the 30 shots we ended up with.

 But seriously,

y'all,

how

could

I

even

attempt

to share

just

one?

Love.  LOVE. And a giant exhale that it all came together and turned out well.  But mostly, just Love.

Fair Play: Sabers and Sweets

Having a boy and a girl, we do walk a fine line of fair play in this house.  Anna loves playing in her dollhouse, but she can throw down in a wrestling match with Noah just the same.  Noah loves to sword fight and make toot sounds, but he can tone it down with Anna and play with her makeup like a pro.

Tonight is no different.  I've spent some time just sitting still (and knitting) while I soak in the sounds of my husband and babies playing in the other room.  It's downright delightful to overhear.  I wish I had a tape recorder running so you could listen to Anna participate in Jedi sparring just before Daddy saves her fairy godmothers from Darth Vader.   You should hear Anna's squeaky voice making laser gun sounds while Noah mimics the  battling hum of light sabers.  It's too bad I can't fully convey how cute it is to hear Noah's delight mid-play to have discovered Anna's long lost princesses for her at the bottom of the character bin.  And not 10 minutes later, I catch my three loves dining at our ottoman-turned-tea party that Anna has painstakingly prepared.

And since turnabout is fair play, Josh and Noah's Star Wars characters politely enjoy cupcakes with Cinderella, Belle, and Anna's rock collection.

I'm in love with the years that are upon us and I'm doing all I can to saber - I mean, savor :) - the sweetness of it all.

For Sale!

I am in LOVE, I tell you.  In love with a little (and by little, I mean huge) FB group called Girlfriend's Trading Post that functions like a localized Craigslist for almost 3000 of us H'ville area women.  Every week lately I meet up with up to 10 different people to buy or sell stuff.  It's just plain fun to clean out the crap around the house we don't use and will never miss and to make money doing it.  Easier money than consigning or doing a yard sale for sure and more reliable meet ups than you sometimes encounter on Craigslist. 

Here's a big sampling of stuff I've been able to clear out over the last month or two with ease.

I've about run out of stuff to sell for awhile actually.  If the kids don't watch out, I  might just sell their beds out from under them!   I kid, I kid.  The flip side of all this selling is all the great deals I have gotten shopping this site as well.  I finished up my Christmas shopping for the kids this way yesterday.  Love GTP!

Fall is Just Fun

Officially Shabby Chic

We used to have a light blue book shelf right here in Anna's room, but now there sits Anna's new shabby chic dresser.  I'm smitten by it.  We got it yesterday from a Craigslist posting and it is a perfect fit for my lil' lady's room. 

It matches her little vanity.

It complements her sweet little bed.

It just completes her room.  Love.

And speaking of love - I love how quickly I sold the shelf it replaced last night.  

I didn't even have time to add the details to the listing on Girlfriends' Trading Post on FB before I had 2 buyers  (eventually a 3rd who offered $40 for it!) jumping at it! It was picked up and paid for within two hours of my listing it! A shelf I bought for $5 at a yard sale and cleaned and painted and used for a year, I sold for $20.  Not bad, though Josh thinks we should have asked more. 

Noah at 5 and 1/2

At 5 and a half years old, my precious boy

 enjoys watching his favorite show "Ward Ward" (Word World), likes to have his back and arms tickled, is a lego and Star Wars maniac, makes friends so easy,

gets drunk on his newfound power of operating a gummote (remote control), still loves to laugh, always guesses things to be in amounts of forty-one hundred, has such a good, good heart,

twists from side to side when he's nervous, does not like to eat breakfast or drink milk, is 41 inches tall and almost 39 pounds, much prefers kindergarten to preschool,

has a hard time keeping his eyes open for a camera flash, is pretty talented at bat, never tells me anything about his day at school, finally enjoys riding a bike,

still gets mistaken for a three-year-old because he's so short, has become a real headliner at his allergist's office with his bear growls during his shots,

loves his dog, adores his daddy, annoys his sister, still mispronounces l's, r's, and th's, lives for the weekend when he can play Wii,

is fascinated by babies, has started chewing on everything (he even got in trouble for it at school), still takes baths with his sister (though not for much longer),

is finally allowed to play in the front yard by himself, prefers to wear shoes at all times and socks while he sleeps, and talks, talks, talks, talks, talks, talks, talks!  One of my favorite things he says all the time is how "duper, duper" (super duper) something is. :) Usually, it's that he is "duper duper hungry" or "duper duper excited" or his shoes make him "duper duper fast."