Our End of December and Happy New Year Week

I'm writing this in that between time, where Christmas has passed, but school has yet to start, and every day feels like Saturday.  

So, if you remember, the girls got Target gift cards from Grammy.

One day, we went to see what they could find to turn them into.  I loaned them purses for the event.  I've been talking up the concept of carrying a purse, and what things might be useful to have in a purse.  

Once inside, I pointed out purses, and Hannah chose one.

Katie, however made for electronics, and picked up an SD card for her new digital camera.  (I feel like it should have come with one, but it so didn't.)  

We explored a few other departments, but they didn't find anything else they needed that day.

This was the first time they'd been in Target in literally 2 years.  It was a very educational experience.  When we got home, they wrote thank you notes to Grammy, and packed purses.  

More library books

When we cleaned out Jack's old room, I discovered someone had hidden the noisy birds in his closet.  I like the noisy birds.  The cats are really not sure what to think about them.  

Grumman, in a rare cuddly moment.

How I rang in the New Year.

Paul picked up display boards for the girls to use for science fair.  He put them in my room, so they wouldn't mess them up.  So Grumman took it upon himself to do it for them.  Those puncture marks correspond with his fangs.  

Oh Grumman.  

The Great Room Shuffle

I feel like we do this every few years.  

Step one:  move Jack into his new room.

Which used to be Eli's room, and then the guest room, which was used by Bri for 6 months in 2020 and then by Sam for 6 months in 2021.  

Step two:  clean out Jack's old room.  Which included a treasure trove of clothes that don't fit anyone any more.  And, on the chair, an old pair of Eli socks.  :sigh:  

Then we moved Katie into Jack's old room.

I'm feeling like it needs a colorful bedspread.  There's a lot of blue there.  

I had each of the girls pick out their top 10 favorite stuffed animals.  Then I picked out a few that were favorites of the older kids.  The rest are going bye bye.  

Take note of the bed in the above photo.  

With the disappearance of Katie's furniture and the lego buckets, we got to vacuum a nice large portion of the room before

PRESTO CHANGO!

We flipped the Ikea bed and added a desk.  

Lots of excitement with all the changes.  

Our Christmas Week

Fiona has a sunbeam that she likes to lay in on the stairs, but she's also a big fan of the "electric sunbeam."  

Remember the Grinch punch that went horribly wrong and nobody liked?  I was able to redeem myself with a much better version, which everyone enjoyed.  

I used rainbow sherbet, Hawaiian punch, and cherry 7-Up.  

No complaints this time!

Hannah made holly from chenille stems.  

 

This is what happens when you wait too long to buy cinnamon rolls.  Fortunately, Josiah is *awesome* and made them from scratch for me.  

Speaking of sunbeams...  Grumman was enjoying the school room sunbeam one day while Katie's science fair project was all over the floor.  

Library books

A little geography review with a GeoPuzzle.  I love these.  

We use fabric gift bags for Christmas, instead of wrapping paper.  Fee got in the bin and when I asked her what she was doing, she gave me a look that clearly said that she's the gift.  

She's a very happy little cat.  

"Everybody go sit on the couch for Christmas jammies!"  

....gosh, there's not much "everybody" any more.  

We also re-use gift tags from year to year, but sometimes they get lost along the way, so Christmas Eve found me Crikey-ing up a couple more.  

In a blink, it was morning.  I had to get everybody up at 7:30.  Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas album helped.  

Stockings o'clock, people!  Rise & shine!

All too soon, the stockings had been emptied, and it was time for the Christmas morning traditional breakfast:  

Orange Juice & Cinnamon Rolls

Paul came home after breakfast, and we started opening gifts.  

And when he got up to get something, Grumman took his spot.

Lots of games this year

Which is wonderful

They've already been playing them.

Popcorn, to be enjoyed with movies

Another trap shooting shirt, since he liked the one I got him a few months ago so much.

Miss M, opening her kitchen stuff.

Some books that Katie asked for.  

Eli's Miss Adorable dropped of some gifts, including this Air Force necklace.

And my Daddy made me this bracelet.  

Overall, it was a pleasant, low-key holiday.  

Sunrise Book Review

It's no secret that I enjoy Susan May Warren's writing.  I've reviewed several of her books, and read as many as I can get my hands on.  Today, I want to share her latest work with you.  Sunrise is the first book in her new Sky King Ranch trilogy.  

Sunrise is the story of Echo Yazzie, who's had a rough childhood and carries some hurts from that time in her life. She also has some unfinished business with Dodge Kingston, who took off years ago, and has come back to small town Alaska because his dad crashed an airplane he was piloting.  

Now, I'm not supposed to give spoilers, which makes it really hard to gush about the book as much as I would like to, but let me just say that this book contains, hands down, the best awkward hug scene I've ever read.  I cringed.  

Sunrise is suspenseful without being scary when it comes to the action scenes.  There's danger, yes, but there's not darkness and evil, if that makes sense.  When it comes to romance, Susan May Warren creates tension and sweetness, never anything explicit.  

If winter weather has you wanting to curl up with a good book, look no further than Sunrise.