Back in action

I lost my camera. It's official. The problem is that I can't pick a new camera. I'm torn between one with a high ISO (takes good pictures in dim light without a flash) and a similar camera that supposedly takes good action shots. My old camera had both features but apparently now Kodak does not sell a camera with both of those features in one camera. Poo poo to them. Anyway, I finally figured out how to download pictures off of the little camera that my sister, Katie, gave me. Thanks Kates! And now I can show you the little silhouettes I made out of black construction paper and brown paper bags from the grocery store. Luella's isn't very good, but she does not have much of a silhouette as I pointed out before.

I keep getting vegetables from my co-op every week. It's so weird to get a big box of produce and be completely surprised by the contents. We've taken to making what we call "Saturday soup" the day after we get our produce. I cut up almost everything that we get and put it in a pan with broth and a big can of tomatoes and there it is: Saturday soup. I figured out that with Sammy if I take it out and puree it, he'll gobble it up. So last week he ate squash, dandelion root, potatoes, cabbage, spinach, and tomatoes and didn't even know he was doing it!

We also get a "fruit suprise" and that is definitely a suprise as well. For instance, this week I got a whole pineapple!

Obviously, this is late, but we put up our tree shortly after Thanksgiving. We accidentally got a much smaller tree this year, but that's okay. It will probably be an easier clean-up that way.

See how it's kinda small? Not Griswald-ish at all. I was a little disappointed.

But it's better with lights.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. Even Luella has her own personalized stocking thanks to the kind lady who has been knitting our family stockings since I was born!



Since we finally have a legitimate fire going in the fireplace, Matt was a little worried about the stockings hanging so closely.

But c'mon! Where else are we going to hang them? I just keep a cup of water close by when we have a fire so that we can douse anything that starts to go up in flames. Like Sammy.

 I don't do much decorating for Christmas. I like the tree and the stockings, but I'm not into too many doo-dads sitting around the house. Just more to dust and clean up. But I have always wanted an evergreen garland outside so we got that this year.

And put lights on it.

We did a small celebration on St. Nicholas day. That's not a usual thing for us, but they do it in the Waldorf school and it's kinda fun.

Back before Americans melded St Nicholas day into Christmas day, it was it's own holiday. I think they also still do it in European countries. You  just leave some water/sugar/hay (grass?) for the reindeer in your shoe before you go to bed at night and when you wake up he has eaten the goodies out of your shoe and left you some chocolate or nuts or something. We did a baggy of marshmallows and chocolate coins. The only reason I bothered with this holiday is because we were studying some saints in history and St Nicholas came up. It's kinda fun though.

Luella is still chubbing out and trying desperately to crawl.

She mainly likes to be held because she really likes to get around the house. She hates it when she's playing on the floor and someone just walks past her. But that doesn't happen very often.

LOOK at those legs. She's a total chub.

My kids have been playing Legos constantly. Previously they were very into playmobil, but they have recently switched to Legos and they can do it for hours.

I've always tried not to buy Lego sets that HAVE to be made into a certain thing. Matt thinks those are fun for the kids, but I really like to see what they come up with when they just use the random bricks to make up stuff.

I gave the lady of this house a glass of wine because I thought she looked like she needed it. :)

We have still been doing our weekly Girl Scout-like troupe thing with the girls in our neighborhood, (and a few little brothers that show up).

Last week we decorated cookies. I think a whole tray of gingerbread men looks so funny.

It was a hit. We used kinda weird candy like swedish fish,

So we're busy busy busy and I can hardly find time to shop for Christmas. Maybe that's okay. I think the kids are going to get a couple big gifts this year instead of tons of little stuff like usual. That's okay right? Matt and I have very different ways that we like to do Christmas gifts and are still working on melding our traditions even 9 years later. That's okay also right? Well, it is what it is. Have a great end to your advent season and stay warm. It's 7 degrees here!