It's beginning to look a lot like winter break....

We got about 18 inches of snow over the weekend and it sure does look like winter here! And I can tell it is almost time for winter break because my girls cannot.take.one.more.day.of.school.

There is much begging, whining, some crying, rebelling and pouting going on in our home. "Mom, come on we're not learning anything, can't we just stay home." "Mom, it's only a half day, what's the big deal." "Well, I'm not going. I'm just not going."

Sigh.....about half way through winter break they will be saying, "I'm so bored." "I don't have anything to do." "Can you take me to the mall." "There's nothing to eat in this house."


Oh the joys of winter break.

A little Christmas hilarity.....

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Best Friends.....

It's great to have a best friend. I have written about my best friend in the past (Hi Ruth, I miss you!)

Over the years I have had a few very, very special friends. First there was Julie Fischer. I don't know if she was my first best friend, but she is the first friend I remember having when I was really young. Then there was Dawn. We were best friends all through middle and high school. I, to this day, I still call her mother, Mom #3. (She was Mom #2 but when I got married she had to move down to #3). In college there was my best friend Maria. My partner in crime! I was in her wedding when I was 6 months pregnant and although we live many hours apart we are actually spending New Years tonight with our families. My young adult years included Cheryl who very sadly passed away before the age of 40. And then I met Ruth right before Jeff and I started dating. Karen came into my life when my girls were very young as were her's and I love her very much!

That one very special friend has been a common practice for me. Although I would be considered "outgoing" I have always gravitated toward deeper relationships.

Erica seems to have followed suit. She is a very caring and friendly person. She is a confidante to many, yet she too has a few people in her life that she really shares completely with. When she was just born she met her first best friend, Becky. Even though Becky doesn't live near us anymore the girls have gotten to spend time together over three summers and they still consider each other to be best friends! She just told me the other day that they intend to be in each other's weddings.

When we moved here four years ago she met her "sister," best friend, Lindsey. They are inseparable (believe me, inseparable). Lindsey is a friend from church and so they share a love for the Lord. They laugh, they cry, they share their secrets, dreams, code names and inside stories.

I call Lindsey daughter #3. Maybe I'll be Mom #3 some day too :)

What a beggar......

NO, JEFF ISN'T THE BEGGAR

Nemo is such a beggar. We have created this monster though. He is just too cute, how can you resist that little head tilt and whimper with this big brown eyes.

Today Jeff was preparing the chicken for our family get together on Saturday and I looked over from where I was working at the kitchen table and this is what I saw. Nemo just sitting there staring at Jeff, willing something to fall from the counter so that he could scoop it up.

It does get annoying sometimes. Especially the time I found him ON the kitchen table when he thought I had left the house. He was perfectly still, almost like he was thinking, "If I don't move maybe she won't notice me." Yeah, that wasn't good.

But he IS such a CUTE beggar, isn't he?!!

The Pickle

So last night we went over to my mom and dad's for some cake after Megan's Christmas play. (I will share some pictures and such about the play later this week).

When I sat down after getting some snacks all the girls were milling around Mom and Dad's Christmas tree talking about pickles.

Pickles? Why are they talking about pickles, my girls don't even eat pickles. (Jeff and I happen to love pickles - useless information plug). The girls were looking for a PICKLE ON THE CHRISTMAS TREE.

Okay. I know my parents are getting old but wow, is senility really setting in? I know sometimes they forget where they put things and Mom lapses into her German accent whenever she says a word starting in "W" but now they're putting pickles on the tree as ornaments. This is not good.

Well actually, Mom explained to me (after I put the phone down calling the assisted living hotline LOL) that Aunt Ursula had given her a pickle ornament for the Christmas tree. (Oh great now I have to worry about Aunt Ursula's mental health?) It seems that this is a German tradition, although Mom had never heard of it.

According to German tradition, the pickle
brings good luck and was the last ornament
placed on the Christmas tree.

On Christmas morning the first child to find the
pickle was rewarded with an extra little gift left
by St. Nicholas.

This German tradition encouraged the children to
appreciate all the ornaments on the Christmas tree,
rather than hurrying to see what St. Nick had left for them.

I love being German. I love hearing my mother's stories. I love when I hear her talking in German. I love reading the book that my uncle wrote about their childhood in Germany and coming to America and now I LOVE PICKLES ON THE CHRISTMAS TREE! I gotta get me a pickle this week!

Did you know?

Here's some good ole useless information.....

**Over a 12 day period your body generates a whole new set of taste buds. (This process continues until you are in your 70's.)

**The only food cockroaches won't eat are cucumbers.

**Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.

**A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

Interesting, huh?

Halloween

I don't know how much longer the girls will dress up for Halloween. They did dress up this year and they looked so cute. Erica was a sailor and Megan was a hippie.


On Halloween Megan went with Emma to the church harvest party. Erica went as well and was helping with the games and crafts. The church was giving out so much candy, I mean by the fist full. Even our pastor was there handing out candy! They had lots of fun games for the kids to play.




Then later that evening we took Erica, Lindsey, Megan and Abbey to a town near by with a "downtown" so they could trick-or-treat. They had a great time and got lots of candy. It was so much fun because there were so many cute little ones walking by. It made me feel so "homey" and "small town". People who live in the town sit out on their porches and hand out candy and have friends over to see everyone dressed up then they have a parade right down the main street. So cute and so fun.




We told them they can keep going trick-or-treating as long as they're wearing a costume. I can't stand when kids go around trick-or-treating and they aren't even wearing a costume! Megan worse her costume to school this year but not Erica. I think that is a sign of the end of an era pretty soon with Erica.....although candy can be hard to turn down so we'll see if she dresses up next year.