Our tree
December 5, 2007 
The rain broke long enough yesterday for me to get the lights hung on the outside of the house, so now we are officially decorated for the holidays. Last Saturday we went out to get a tree. My brother came with us and we went to a little tree farm about 15 minutes from our house. It was so much fun, and it snowed on us the whole time which was an added bonus! I love the snow. I miss the snow. Anyway, we got three trees for $25! My family got a Colorado Spruce that is very fat and about 6 feet tall for $15, and my brother got two Frasier Furs for $5 each. They said that they had a lot of them and it was easier to sell them cheap than to cut them down and chip or burn them. They were probably 8-9 feet tall.
We came home from tree hunting and had hot chocolate and donuts (from Alberston’s…I miss Krispy Kreme) before we decorated the tree. We had an odd assortment of ornaments because we buy ornaments on vacation so they don’t match. We have a saw blade from Sister’s, OR, a penguin from Park City, UT; a cowboy from Texas; a Scottish Santa that a visitng teacher brought me years ago, and a Santa holding the Eiffel Tower that my father-in-law brought us last year. And of course, we have all the handmade ornaments that the kids have made in nursery class and preschool. Under the tree is the snowman tree skirt that I made 6 years ago.
On the mantle, I have lined up seven of my nativity scenes, and the five stockings are hung there as well. My kids are thrilled because this year we have a chimney so Santa will be able to get in easier. We’ve been listening to Christmas music non-stop (which I think is driving DH crazy) and trying to convince youngest to stop touching the tree. Also trying to convince oldest and daughter that Christmas is still a few weeks away, so they don’t get to open presents yet.
I took advantage of preschool time this morning and went out and did a bunch of Christmas shopping while I just had one kid with me. Luckily he doesn’t pay attention to what I am buying yet, so he has no idea that I bought oldest’s present.
My parents are coming to Oregon for Christmas. I have a cousin that lives in a town about 20 minutes away and my aunt, uncle and cousin (and her family) from Canada are coming to town too, so we will get to see them. Even though, Christmas is not my favorite holiday, I am really looking forward to it this year. I guess I’ve caught the Christmas spirit!
Changes
November 6, 2007 
We have had a rough couple of weeks. There has been lots of yelling, threatening and tears (on my part and the kids). And I am tired of it. I don’t know if the kids are still adjusting to the move or what. I think they are lonely (no kids in the neighborhood), bored (fall + rain +cooler = less outdoor play) and testing us. The problem is that I feel like we are on the losing end of the struggles.
This brings us to changes. I have “brought the hammer down.” Before we were waking oldest (and hoping just he would wake up) at 6:45, and rushing out the door to get to the bus. Now everyone is getting up at 6:30 and getting dressed. After lunch is made and the kids have their breakfast, I am reading the Book of Mormon to them. Then, we are kneeling together for family prayer and calmly (hopefully) heading out to the bus stop.
I have also made job charts. I have tried this before and haven’t been able to get them to work but I think this will. I am a list person. So, I made lists. The kids each have one thing to do every day (we breaking this in slowly) and four things they must do each day. I put the lists in sheet protectors and taped them to the fridge so we can dry erase them and wipe later. After school, the kids can have a snack and then it is chore time and no playing or tv until the chore is done.
Last week, I considered letting my kids stay up later than our usual 7:30, but have since decided to stick to that bedtime. This way DH and I have some time together to relax, watch tv, play a game or whatever. So come 7:00 it is pajamas and teeth brushing.
Another thing that I have done: Posting the rules on the fridge. I find that I am threatening a lot. A lot. “Stop whining or you will….”, “Put that away or…”, etc. It is old. So, at FHE last week we made a list of rules and posted it on the fridge. If the kids break a rule posted on the fridge they get time out with no warning. 4 minutes for daughter, and 6 minutes for oldest.
This week, I am working on our Christmas cards. I have made them for the last several years, so I am working on ideas this week. Looking forward to turning on the Christmas music, lighting the fire and sipping hot chocolate. (Stealing this idea from Gab…if you want to be on my mailing list email me – sahmof3qts@aol.com) We are headed to Utah for Thanksgiving! Can’t wait for that. Praying for good weather. That means that the next couple weeks are getting things ready for Christmas so that I don’t have to ship stuff for later.
Better Late Than Never
November 2, 2007 
Okay, so I can’t find the before picture of the boys room. BUT, it was blue. Bright blue that had faded and had marks where they had stuck pictures up with that gummy stuff that was popular a few years ago, and it had a lot of holes. And the ceiling was white. And there was this awful valance hanging over the window, and blue blinds. The blue blinds are still there but not for long, I hope. And my boys had Thomas the Train bedspreads, which didn’t look good. So here are my after shots: 
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The paint is Pepper Grass and Crayon Cloud from Behr. The cute rug and comforter covers came from Ikea, as did the matching green throw pillows. I love Ikea. They don’t have a dresser so the just have baskets under their beds to hold pants, t-shirts, socks and underwear. I am having problems with the bookcase…they don’t just pull down one book to look at, they pull all of them down and it drives me crazy. But, I love that they look at books when they wake up. So, if anyone has any good ideas for me. The magnet boards came from a relief society enrichment last year. At first, the green was so bright and scared me, but I have grown to love it. The Ikea stuff helps. =)
