Christ was born on Christmas Day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERY ONE!!!

Pictures: once again taken by Ashley
The top three are pictures of my house in the snow!
The forth one is me, cleaning snow off the bird feeder.

We celebrated Christmas at my daycare! There was a "snow day" that day (no school). So we got to have a nice long relaxed party. All the families gave me gifts! I feel so spoiled. I received such wonderful things.

Ashley is sick for the second day with a sore throat, achy all over, and a fever. she had to take off from work today. I am feeding her soup, oatmeal, juice, tea, and Echinacea! Please pray for her health.

I actually finished all my Christmas knitting!!!!! I am so happy and relieved. Now I am going to look for a pattern to use the yarn I won!

Something very exciting happened to me last week. I had been talking to a woman on shelfari about our shared love for historical fiction and how we like books about America in the 1800's. she then told me that she had written a book about that time period, she was doing a contest and I should enter. Well after checking her out, I realized she had written several books that are rated very highly on amazon. I did enter her contest and the time came and went. So I thought I had lost. Then one day I got a package, very obviously a book. I thought it was one that I had ordered. When I opened it up I saw it was Erin's book that she had wanted me to read! Hmmm. maybe I did win the contest after all. Then I saw a note that she had written, it said...
Wendy,
You weren't my monthly winner, but I wanted to send you a copy of "Echoes"
anyway because of our shared love of the history.
I hope you enjoy it!
Erin
I actually cried when I read this, her kindness just got to me!
Erin, if you are reading this - Thanks again!
I will read the book during Christmas break and I will write a review shortly after.
Here is a link to her website - http://www.erinquinnbooks.com/

Top 5 Christmas traditions that we do here at the Barrows' house
1. Opening my parents' gifts and Glen's parents' gifts Christmas Eve
2. Going to Glen's parents' on Christmas Eve for dinner and gifts
3. Opening stockings before breakfast and gifts after breatfast
4. Stuffed shells or Lasagna for Christmas dinner
5. Having "My family" over for christmas a few days after

What are your family traditions?

Chritsmas, Christmas time is here!

Pictures :
1. Cardinal out the kitchen window
2. My back yard
3. Pine cones in my back yard
4. My neighbors barn
I am learning how to use my new camera now.
I still have a lot to learn! There are so many buttons, so many settings!

Ashley is home now... for good! Well, out of college for good. She is actually home for two weeks, then she will be home again... for good (her new home!) She has been unpacking, sorting, re-packing, and working ever since she got home. She start her job at Kinney Drugs. She was happy after her first day and felt very comfortable. She said she was very nervous but it all came back to her and she soon knew exactly what to do.

I am starting to do some craft projects with the kids for Christmas. Our Christmas part will be on Friday. Then I will have a whole week with no kids! It will be a nice break and I will be able to help Ashley a little more with packing. I am hoping to do a little Christmas cookie baking on Mon. with Ashley too.

I have given up reading until all Christmas stuff is done! You have no idea how hard this has been for me! I have been knitting, knitting, and knitting. And crafting, crafting, and crafting! And I keep wanting to pick up a book. It is almost uncontrollable! I have so many new books that look so good! I can't wait! Hey you know what, I almost feel better just talking about it! Thanks guys!

Quote for the day : "Life's too short to Frost a Cupcake" (this is actually the title of a book)

Top 5 "Pains of Christmas" Do you know that song? "The twelve pains of Christmas" I thought I would do a top five based on that song. there must be some thing you really do not like about Christmas.

1. Hanging up the outside lights (really, what a pain!)

2. Making out Christmas cards (I always say I am going to do it early but never do)

3. Not finding what you want to buy

4. Not knowing what to buy

5. Getting all the "Stuff" out of the attic

What are yours?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Pictures -
1. We had a flock of Blue Jays come to the feeder this morning.
2. We also had a whole flock of Juncos come!!! I have never seen so may at one time.
3. The daycare Christmas tree.
4. Lights around the daycare room.
5. Christmas tree all lit up.

Glen and I got all the Christmas stuff down from the attic. I sorted through everything to see what I wanted to use for the daycare and to see what I wanted to use for us. The Children and I decorated our tree yesterday. This was fun, they all took turns hanging the decorations. I hung little stockings under the tree with their names on them. They each got to pick their own. They love the room being all Christmassy.

This weekend Ashley comes home. Our family tree and decorations are waiting for her! When she gets home we will do it together. Her move in date to move into her new Apt. has been moved up to Jan. 1st! So she has a lot of work to do when she gets home. I told her she doesn't have to move everything in at once. she can move in slowly, take her time. It is very exciting, your only child moving into their first place after college!

The children have really gotten into this birdwatching! They can't wait to see what birds we will see everyday. Yesterday we saw a Red Bellied Woodpecker! Of course he took off before I could snap his picture. Today we had a flock of 8 Blue Jays and 9 Juncos! The kids want me to put up a feeder on the other side of the house so they can see it out the daycare room. I had wanted to put a feeder on the window but I forgot there was a screen there, silly me!

Here's some big news! - My oldest niece (my sister's daughter, Paula) and her husband had their first baby! She was born on Friday the 5th at 3:14 in the afternoon and weighed 8lbs. 13oz.
Welcome baby Emmah!

My new music this time is "O Holy Night" by Martina McBride, only this is actually a different version than I have on my CD! It is like an extended version! It is so beautiful! Please stay and listen to the whole thing if you can. She has a voice that just carries and will almost bring tears to your eyes! Let me know what you think.

Top 5 things you look forward to at Christmas time.
1. Christmas Music! I love Christmas music, I could listen to it all year long if it wasn't illegal (it is illegal isn't is? My husband said so!)
2. Driving around and looking at lights. We do this every year.
3. Shopping! I love, love, love shopping! I think it is my favorite sport! My mom always asks "What do you want to do when you come down to TN? and What do I always say, mom? "Shopping!" right?
4. Opening and watching others open gifts. Who doesn't like this?
5. And last but certainly not least - Having all my family (except my mom and dad) here for christmas.

Season of the birds

Pictures - Ashley took all these pictures with my camera while she was here for Thanksgiving break. She posted some on her blog too. http://throughmyeyes-ashley.blogspot.com/
#1 & 2 - Junco
3- Titmouse
4 & 5 - Chick-a-dee
6 - Female & Male Cardinal
7 - Male Cardinal
8 - 11 - Female Cardinal
12 - Blue jay

I have a bird feeder just outside my kitchen window. when the kids eat breakfast and snack they have gotten in the habit of looking out at the birds. My kids can now name blue jays, cardinals, and chick-a-dees. We are keeping a bird journal and writing down what birds we see next to the date. They are really into it. They love looking for the birds. They also want to make feeders out of pinecones, peanut butter and birdseed, then hang them on the tree outside the window. This is a very messy project so I am thinking about it. Check out Shelly making some on her blog - http://logcabininmichigan.blogspot.com/

I won some yarn!!!! I entered a giveaway on a knitting blog and won! I am so excited. It is a real pretty blue. This is the blog I won it from - http://needleshooksandbooks.typepad.com/a_blog_of_my_own/
Check it out and see my name!

I have to do some serious Christmas shopping! I have hardly done any. I need to take a full day and just go. I making alot of my gifts this year because of money. I am also doing alot of food gifts. I have found that food gifts are always the most popular, everyone loves them!

Books - I finished "Fifty Acres and a Poodle" It was excellent! I loved it. It was so real, just like they could have been our neighbors. It was about two city folk who decide to buy a fifty acre farm and move to the country. They know nothing about living in the country or a farm. This is a story about learning along the way. They acquire many animals, friends, and farm vehicles in the process. Very delightful book. Ashley picked out my next book "Smashed, The Story of a Drunken Girlhood" by Koren Zailckas. I have never done this before, read two memoirs back to back. I do love memoirs though!

Top 5 - I am going to start talking about Christmas so... Top 5 favorite Christmas songs -
1. Breath of Heaven - Amy Grant
2. Grown up Christmas List - Amy Grant
3. Oh Holy Night - Martina McBride
4. Let it be Christmas - Alan Jackson
5. Anything by Mannheim Steamroller

What are yours? Get creative now!