More pics of after the wedding

(Notice the candy wrappers??)

Sherry and Jere's Wedding

It was a beautiful wedding.

It's been a while...

It''s the morning after Christmas and I'm sitting in a messy living room, littered with the leftover trappings of Christmas.  Emma's new dishes and pots and pans are everywhere; scraps of wrapping paper seem to take up every corner and crevice;  still excited children playing with new games and toys, and one tired mama sitting in the recliner taking it all in.

It has always struck me as ironic, this day after Christmas.  What looked so pretty 12 hours ago, now looks like clutter.  The christmas music that I couldn't get enough of yesterday, doesn't quite fit today.  The excitment is gone and Christmas is over for another year.

So today we will clean and organize and put away and start to get our household back to "normal".  And there is something comforting in getting back to normal.  As a child, I didn't think so.  I hated for the Christmas season to end.  As an adult, I find I crave normal, or our version of normal.  I will be glad to take down the Christmas decorations and clean and organize.  It will be soothing to walk into a freshly cleaned and redecorated house, and soothing to know everything is back as it should be.

(I am so behind on my blog.  I have so many pics and posts.  Hopefully, in between the undecorating and cleaning I'll be able to slowly catch up the blog.)

Assorted thoughts and ponderings...

• So far, December has been a blur.  It seems to happen this way every year despite my best efforts for it to be different.
• My sister in law, Sherry, got married this past weekend.  It was simply beautiful!
• We had our annual open house last night and spent about a week getting ready for it.  I think we need to make it a monthly occasion.  It seems this open house is the only time my house gets painted and deep cleaned.  No one agreed with me to make it a monthly occasion.
• Paul jr. arrived home late last night for the holidays.  Both big boys will be home for a few weeks, which make the house very full, very loud and very happy.
• I leave for a week in KS on Tuesday.  It hasn't quite sunk in that I will be spending a week alone at my parents house.  Merry Christmas to me!
• Tomorrow Ben and I will be attending a Christmas party with his little schoolmates.  He is so excited.  I'm looking forward to spending time with him and my little students in a fun setting where I don't have to plan anything or even be in charge!!
• Schnitzel has to have minor surgery tomorrow.  He got a scratch or bite a few weeks ago which got infected and then healed.  However, it healed without closing and he is left with a small hole in his skin.  The vet has to make a new wound and then suture it closed.  Ouch.  Thankfully, Paul found a vet who is extremely reasonable.
• Happy Thursday!

Day of Hope

 A few weeks ago, our local crisis pregnancy center held a "Day of Hope" to raise money.  One of the aspects of this day was a 5K run that Anna was excited to enter.  She raised $100 for the pregnancy center and ran in her first 5K and did very well.

 They also had fun activities for the kids.  The rest of us walked in a 2 mile walk and had a great time.

It was a beautiful day for a great worthy cause.

Emma's New Bed!

The Pumpkinless Pumpkin Patch