december.

cookie exchange party....came home with these pretty snowflakes.



craft mess everywhere.  :)  



after 32 days i was finally able to do laundry in my own home again.
they ended up declaring my machine a lemon and replacing it.
YES. 
it truly was a lemon.
and now i am enjoying this lovely new one....it sings a crazy long song at the end of a load.



milkshakes and a christmas movie has been our december friday nights.
the straws are from bed bath & beyond.
they are called milkshake straws.    :)



annie bought a 3DS with her birthday & allowance money that she has been saving. 
we found a great deal on black friday...craig is savvy with the internet deals.  
i appreciate that so much.
so she has looked like this all month.



kerry had chocolate peppermint cupcakes this month!!!



 *********i LOVE SNoW!**********



pretty morning in mid kansas.



my little girls had their elementary program on monday.
it was THE CUTEST program i have been to in my 16 years of parenting.
it was really hard not to cry over the totally sweetness of it all.



after i searched for two days, craig found my address book and these went out.



i used my last home alone day to wrap all our gifts.
this is the first year i have put all the gifts out.
but i was sneaky....i put fake names on all our kids' gifts to keep them from figuring out what's inside.
it's driving them crazy!
ha ha ha



every weekend this month we have spent in gyms all saturday and sunday.
i have to remind myself that i love basketball and i want them doing this.
it's good for them and i can handle one more game.... i can.  :)



gorgeous sunset on the way to..... another basketball practice.


all this arrived in one day.
oh my.



family game night....sequence numbers.
that game is awesome.



scott's concert....really good too.
they sang jingle bells set to the nutcracker music....same words of jingle bells over and over.
it was really cool.
i wish it was on my pandora station.







treats for the girls' classes.
OREO POPS.
i went to make them at 10:00 PM and opened the oreos i bought for it and someone had been sneaking them!!
so there were HALF of what i needed.  
don't you love going to the grocery store at 10 PM? 
not.
..........................................................................  

i received a copy of the Kids Power Bible for my kids this week.
it's COOL.
i knew my kids would like it.
it's bible stories in comic book style....what's not to like?!



you can get all the information at their website HERE.  
cute stuff.

.......................................................................... 

Comments

[Lisa]

Meg, do your little ones not believe in Santa Claus? I'm tired of hiding the presents but don't want to ruin the surprise of Christmas just yet...

[Seriously Sassy Mama]

I love the Bible!

[Allison]

What was in all those boxes you got?! That's like Christmas day right there. Love all your photos, Merry Christmas!

[sara @ it's good to be queen]

peppermint chocolate cupcakes?! YUM. can't wait to see that kansas snow tomorrow! we haven't had one flake in arkansas. oooh, my boys would love that Bible.

[Holly]

December looks like a fun month in your house! Merry Christmas Meg!

[Weza]

I always always smile when you post pictures of fabric piles.
Merry Christmas Meg.
xxx

[Jenn Shock]

I bought the same exact wrapping paper a few days ago....all of the ones you have in your pic! Excellent taste :)

[Sue]

Yay! So glad your kids liked the Power Bible. Thanks for taking the time to look at it and include it on your post. Merry Christmas!

[Jen Logan]

Where did you get Lauren's camera ornament? I have been looking for one.

[happygirl]

Love that you encourage your kids in sports and music. I think you are a clever girl. Fake names on gifts, indeed. I'm glad I found your blog. :)

[angela]

I LOVE this post! Merry Christmas!

[tina]

I love ordering online especially since the nearest mall is about an hour away!!
The gift hiding thing is crazy at our house, it makes me laugh every year!
Merry Christmas :)

[Gina f.]

What a bunch of fun photos!! I am going to check out the Bible game.

[Kathy]

I so enjoy reading your blog. You are very REAL! Love that about you.....Merry Christmas!

[Heather Simnitt]

Read an article in Reminisce Magazine (I'm an old soul - but only 34 years old) about a family where each year a child would unwittingly be assigned the make of a car. They would have to wait all December to see who was the Buick, the Chevy, the Ford. It was always something different every year. Cute idea!

[Alicia @ La Famille]

you were a rockstar mama this month! i'm not into all the games and practices yet, but i know that'll come. you're such a good mama :)

[Robyn B]

I know what you mean with the sports - we've got one who plays soccer, one who plays basketball - both year round! I always have to remind myself that I WANT them involved with sports, it's GOOD for them physically and they make great friends, they ENJOY playing...because practices night after night get old :) But I love watching the games, it's the practices that drive me crazy - that's why I asked Santa for a Nook this year!
Merry Christmas from Texas!

[Christy]

I have the same dryer! I find the music a nice change from the same old same old buzz. Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

[Teresa]

I love Scott's Jayhawk ornament. Let's hope 2012 brings them some winning games!

[April R]

LOVE this post! thank u for sharing and Merry Christmas!

btw - if you like the comic book style Power Bible you might like the Action Bible - http://theactionbible.com/
we picked one up for our kids last year and they love it

[shauna]

i want a milkshake with a milkshake straw.
i sorta want to be your kid.

[amy jupin]

yea for new washers!
yea for milkshakes (and big ol' straws)!
yea for cute cowgirls,
and amazon.com,
and snow,
and christmas cards DONE!
:)

[Lee Ann]

I love it all! Except for going to the store at 10pm :( I had a friend growing up that had 4 siblings. The mom used a different colored paper for each child's gifts. No names. Your names are a fun way to do it too!

[Bailey C]

That's a lot of Christmas cards! I'm sure I'm not the first/only one to think of this, but here's my tip: save your addresses in a label document rather than an address book. You can open the file and update as needed and then at Christmas (graduations, weddings, other big events) you can just print them off and stick them to the cards - save yourself some time and hand cramping!

Merry Christmas!

[Kate @ Songs Kate Sang]

Mmmm... those cupcakes look amazing!

[carly]

i have the same washer and dryer set, love them! where did you find the oreo idea??

[Kerry Wiebe]

Megs, I'm so glad you like the cupcakes and I'm so glad you came for the cookie exchange! I love your pics and your family!! Have a great Christmas talk to you soon!

[angi]

LOVE the photo of the school bus and grain elevators. Reminded me of myself as a kid on a school bus in Ohio.

[Lisa]

i love the song my samsung plays - and my kids love hearing it and being able to tell me when the load is done! it's just makes a ho-hum chore a little more fun!
have a merry christmas!

[Alice H]

Love this post. I have to write notes on food if I want my family to stay out of it so I don't have to go to the store at 10pm. Lol.

[Katy @ Live Laugh Love Craft]

Love every single part of this post. Especially that pretty wrapping paper! Mind sharing where you got it?

[Amy @ www.littleforalittlewhile.blogspot.com]

I'm so glad you admitted you got those amazing snowflake cookies at a cookie exchange because my first thought was "Really?! How does she do it all?!" While I still wonder that, it made me feel better that you didn't make them, ha! Looks like youre all set for the holidays. Have a super, amazing, colorful Christmas!

[Valerie @ Chateau A La Mode]

Heehee on the market at 10PM...I did the same thing the other night. My son needed Advil because he was running a fever. First of all I said, are you sure you can't just go to sleep? Then I realized that was being a mean mom. I went out in my pj bottoms figuring they sort of look like sweats?!, my dirty hair in a half ponytail mess and a mismatched sweatshirt. Of course I actually run into someone I know and of course she is coming from a Christmas party looking gorgeous....oh my, whatever. Looks like this month is filled with lots of memories at your home and that is a good thing. Merry Christmas.

[Kerry]

I wanna know what's in those boxes!!!!!!!!!!! And fake names? GENIUS!!! My kids have totally been ruining their surprises this morning, putting their presents into piles and shaking them... I've banned them from the tree :)

Looks like an awesome December to me Meg, Merry Xmas to you and yours xxx

[Spinning Wheel]

I love the idea of the cookie exchange party! I think I may do this with some of my neighbors next year to spread the holiday cheer. My family and I have game nights often, especially around Christmas time, but we've never tried Sequence. It looks like a lot of fun and I bet my little ones would really enjoy it! Happy Holidays to you and your family!

[nancy m]

Gorgeous photos, Meg. I first started reading your blog a few Christmas's ago when you'd decided to give "only one" gift per kid. You have been an inspiration ever since, and I don't even have kids. God bless you this holiday, and in the new year ♥

Nancy in California

[Kathryn]

I ALWAYS wrap my gifts without names on them . . . using some sort of color coded wrap etc. I just hope and pray that I can remember what belongs to who when it's time to open . .

[Kathryn]

forgot to mention . . . I only do the secret wrap thing because I know what a snoop I was as a kid and that some (one) of my children (adults now!) has inherited that gene!

[Carrie]

I have to share my washing machine saga. In September the washing machine stopped spinning. Pur home warranty people tried to get sears to come out, the canceled so we got another company. They said the motor was shot and it would take 5 days to get the part. 10 days later, motor in, cool. 3 days later, water was leaking put of the machine. They came back, tub cracked, put in a too powerful motor. They forgot to call the home warranty people. 2 weeks later we get a brand new washer and the installers break something with our outlet. So it works with a menagerie of extension cords. Get the outlet fixed, washing machine is making a horrendous noise and walking the floor. GE claims that it is not their issue, it is the installers. Ohhhhh kay..... Get the installers back a few days later, they claim that the washing machine is missing bolts and to stop using it. Call GE, they argue with me, finally send someone on Halloween. The guy comes in, laughs, pushes down a bracket and says that the installers removed the packing bar too early and that is what happens. A 2 second fix. We have a new washing machine finally!! Did I mention that I cloth diaper? Our neighbors are awesome and I admit to hand washing those things a few times, never want to do that again!!

[Jennifer]

Love this post! You are awesome, i hope you have a very Merry Christmas. I love all the special memories you are creating for your family, that takes work!!

[Emily a la Blog]

Oh my GOSH you put my Christmas card list to SHAME.

You've captured all the things I love about this season. The crafts, baking, packages, mailing, events... So much fun.

[tammy]

my mom used to put symbols or weird numbers on our presents instead of our names! we could never crack the code :)

[Suzette]

I love my Samsung song! Say that 10 times fast! I end up with it in my head all day. At least it's better than the sexy sax man song (Careless Whisper)!

[Meredith]

Meg, I lost my Christmas Card address book this year and did not find it until the week before Christmas. My cards went out the Thurs before and were thankfully delivered before Christmas.