Wa-hoo, I’m done with my Christmas shopping!! Dh, the kids, my parents and dh’s are all done! Dh has his sister/bil left to do, but that shouldn’t take long. He likes to do his shopping on line; he hates the crowds this time of year.

I’m sure there might be something to buy or someone that pops up between now and Christmas, but the majority of it is finished…Oh, I do need to do stockings, but I already know what that’s gonna be and that’s last-minute anyway.

I usually do fruit, candy, a couple small toys for the kids, and cologne or socks for dh…But I’m curious…what do you do for stockings?

Thanks to those who commented in my venting the last couple days. It’s great to hear what others have had to say.

Yesterday I had an extremely wicked migraine, one I just couldn’t shake, despite a cocktail of Excedrine Migr, extra strength Tylenol and my favorite, Percoset. Hopefully it’ll clear up today.

I hope any of you that live in CA are out of the fire’s way and are safe…remember not to inhale!! If it’s near you, my prayers are with you.

We should be getting our home addition contract today…keep your fingers crossed.

Yesterday I went to a leadership training meeting at church and dh stayed with the kids a majority of the day. He said everything went well and had a good time with them.

Ds1 got his first professional haircut a few days ago…he did really well. No squirming, fussing or anything. And he looks darling

Our weather is supposed to turn cold this week. Forecast for Tuesday is 33F and snowy…yuck. Time to migrate south.

Thanksgiving is coming up soon. I love this holiday. I love the reminder to be thankful for what we have. Our family is far from well-off, and our house isn’t big, but the things we have are all nice and comfortable. And that’s really all we need. I love that my husband works so hard to give us the life we have. And I’m happy I can stay home to be with my kids all the time. I realize it’s a luxury and I cherish it each day.

Robin has an interesting post that made me decide to write this one. His point is right on.

My husband and I have always discussed getting a gun for the house. I grew up in Texas where everyone and their dog and the dog’s fleas have guns. Babies pack pistols in their diapers and toddlers shove a shotgun into their diaper bag. My dad had more than one.

My husband was in the US Army for 4 years and became very skilled in shooting a number of weapons, as I’m sure you can imagine.

But the thing that’s always held us back was hearing all the horror stories about kids shooting each other or themselves. The last thing we’ve ever wanted was to have that happen to our family…I can’t imagine ever “getting over” something like that.

In discussing this topic this past week with my husband, I asked, “Well, how do you keep a gun responsibly? What’s the key? I grew up knowing there were guns, but they weren’t ever out laying around and I never saw my dad playing with one. But I respected them and I stayed away as a kid.”

Dh pointed out that was the key, right there. To keep them put away, not to have them out and visible so a kid’s not temped to pick it up. Not to clean it around kids and only take it out when you go practice at the range or use it hunting. It’s all in the parenting…but there’s still horror stories. Like  the “one time” when the gun was left out.

So I don’t know…I’m not against guns at all, but if we were to have one, there would definitely be regulations on the thing. This has been a discussion for 7 years and may be one for the next 7

So here’s the pics of us at the church Halloween party.

Our Little Pirate.

Lovely Cleopatra.

Dracula and Baby Pumpkin. And lastly, the Queen of the Underworld.

Last night our church held its annual Halloween party. The traditional dinner is pot-luck chili and cornbread followed by trunk-or-treat, except it was raining so we just did the candy inside. The kids always dress up, and sometimes adults do, too. It’s always fun.

Our dd was Cleopatra, ds1 was a pirate, and the baby was a pumpkin. They were all really cute, if I do say so myself

While we were out shopping for costumes Saturday, dh saw one he thought would look good on me, the Goddess of the Underworld. He thought it was fitting for some reason….??  I told him ok, but he had to dress up, too. He agreed, so he found a Dracula cape and teeth.

So, yep, he was Dracula and I was the Underworld Queen at church. One of my friends said she liked our costumes…I told her they weren’t costumes, it was our normal wear. That’s how I always look taking care of my little hellions and dh was just heading off to his evening job. (In my kids’ defense, they really are good 95% of the time.)

For trick-or-treating, 3 of us moms (all friends) just dumped our candy together and handed it out like that. It was a massive bowl!!

So all in all, it was a fun night. My chili turned out good (of course–I make a wicked chili, growing up in Texas) and the kids had fun. I’ll try to put up some costume pics tomorrow.

So here’s the room, before and after. One room down, 2 to go (and a bathroom)!

In the before pic, the floor really was all splotchy and uneven…it wasn’t dirt.

My dd has been sleeping in her brother’s room during all this…sometimes in his bed, sometimes on the floor (thick futon mattress). Either one can be in either place at any given time. It’s been really cute; he even sleeps better when she’s in there with him.

The floor needs a couple more days to harden/dry all the way. She has actually had fun with the boy, but she’s still looking forward to get back in there!

Ok, not really. Catchy title, though, right?

My house just LOOKS like it’s been hit by a tornado. And at this point, it would be easier to deal with.

My parents are here visiting for a week and a few days. So all their stuff is around. Which is fine…I’m used to that part.

*back story= When we first got our dog, he went through an adjustment period. He peed and pooped and I think vomited in our dd’s room while we were gone a couple times. It was pure evil nastiness in there. Like someone got the elephant’s poo for a week then dumped it in her room.  Plenty of fun to clean up. Obviously, we tried to get the stench out, but nothing worked. Oh, yes, I tried every home remedy and nothing worked. Her floor under the carpet is hardwood, so we couldn’t soak the carpet for long because I didn’t want to warp the wood. So we finally gave up and tore the carpet up.

Now…My dad saw the floor and decided he’d help us re-finish it. I thought we’d go get a coat of lacquer of some sort and throw it on and be done… But noooo! Ever the perfectionist on home projects, he decided we have to rent a ginormous sander, sand the floor w/3 different types of sandpaper (that’s where we’re at now), stain it, wait 24 hours, then coat it with something 3 times.  So much for his vacation.

Where is her furniture, you’re wondering? In the living room. And the kitchen. And the sunroom. And the dining area. Her mattresses are propped up on one wall, so we have some new lovely flowers to look at.

But…when the floor is done, it’s going to be gorgeous!! I can’t wait…I’ll have to do a before/after shot to post. And my dd is totally going to wet her pants when she comes home from outdoor school!

During LDS church General Conference yesterday, one of the men who spoke said something I really liked. As a kid, he came home from from a football game; his team lost and he was upset. He told his mom, looking for sympathy, and she told him, “Come what may, and love it.”

Over the years he’s come to understand that statement. It doesn’t mean we have to love the bad things going on around us. We don’t have to love going through tough times. Or that when we are wronged, to take it lying down.

It means we need to appreciate the opportunities we have to learn and to grow. To enjoy being on earth and being a part of God’s plan.

I don’t know why, but I really liked that saying. It’s a little more sympathetic than my usual saying, Suck it up. So I’m going to try to remember this when I run into something difficult or my patience is being tested. I want to remember to love every moment with my kids and husband and not let a moment go unappreciated. I want to let it all come, and love it.

I’m looking forward to the other talks that will be given today.

Lately we’ve decided to cut back on our spending. We’ve cut Rhapsody, Starz movie channels, groceries (splurges/unnecessary stuff), and this week car payments. How?

We traded in Paul’s ’02 Altima to a ’04 Corolla S. Trading cut not only car payments, but gas (yay!) as well.

On our way home from the dealership, we stopped and got milk.  I remarked to Paul, “You realize how blessed we are?  We’ve got 2 nice cars, a home, a big yard (half acre), toys for the kids, clothes for the kids. We can buy milk whenever we need to. We never worry if we have food for dinner. Our kids don’t need to go without a meal. We can go to the doctor when we want to. We buy the diapers we like, not the cheapest ones out there. We’re certainly not rich, money is tight, but we have some nice things, too.”

Of course he agreed.

I’m a firm believer when you’re in trouble, you’ve got to row for shore while praying for a breeze. And while my sweet husband works hard for what we’ve got, I also believe in being thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving him the job he has (long story, but trust me…it was no coincidence.)  So this Sunday, I’m so thankful for all the many blessings I have.

The rumor is Washington Mutual went under because of a run on the bank yesterday. Word on the ‘net is that there have been a few other runs around the country. Sound familiar?

The government is trying not to say the word “depression”…instead they’re saying “recession.” Recession as in bald guy or just receding hair line?

We learned about the Great Depression in the history books and shows on tv…or we heard about it from our grandparents. There are stories of families packing up wagons and cars with their belongings and driving around searching for jobs. There were signs up that told would-be workers, “No jobs here…keep moving.” Whole families would work for mere bread. Hundreds of hollow, hungry faces stare up in pictures in lines at soup kitchens.  Parents gave food to their children and ate nothing themselves. Many put cardboard in their shoes because there were holes in the soles.

But you never think it will happen in your lifetime.

And it probably won’t, to that extreme. But, if there is a depression, how will your life change? Is your job secure? Do you have food for your kids stored up? What about extra blankets and water? A generator with extra gas? Do you know what you could cut to minimize your bills?

I certainly don’t think a rush on the grocery stores would be helpful, so I’m not suggesting we all go out and buy stuff. But it is a good time to think and get ready for recession, whether it is fully bald or just receding.