The name, the tree, and the snow

To end my Christmas tree story from my last post....

I took the advice of others. I took the lights off. Fiddled with bulbs and fuses and still had no luck. Tried different combinations. Plugged each strand into its own source. NO luck. So, I bought one more strand of lights at Wal-Mart. Fortunately, the new strand didn't short-out like the first 8 or so. But, they also weren't long enough to fill up the whole tree. That's why the top third of our tree is still unlit. It will remain that way for this season, because I am tired of working on it:) And tired of buying lights!

Yay for it being a mostly-finished product.

I'm kind of glad that I am not a perfectionist when it comes to projects like this old tree.

I made these burlap stockings three years ago, when I was on bed rest with Annette. I made a fourth one in case we had another baby. I put Charlie's name on his for his first Christmas. They are very, very imperfect... one of my first sewing projects, actually. One day, I might get the hankering to do them over. But for now, I enjoy their homespun feel.

The other day, we got out the dot markers.

I like it this way, Mom.

I was completely WOWed when Annette wrote her entire name without me even watching her. Such a fun moment for me!!

We woke up this morning to snow! Annette was ready to get out there ASAP. Before Isaac left for work, I got him to watch Charlie. The little guy would have loved (understatement) to play outside too, but I knew he would get very wet very fast, and this little snowfall was not worth the work of dressing them both up for just a few minutes of play time. So, Isaac distracted Charles, and I took Annette outside for a bit. She loved it. Much, much more than I expected her to. Until her hands began to freeze. I must remember to buy some water proof gloves before our first big snow.

Love this picture above... minus the runny nose.

A fun, unexpected, white covered morning. Pay no attention to my pumpkin decor still on the door or the two pumpkins on the step. It's just December. However, I think I really must get the outdoor Christmas stuff out soon.... before the season's over : )