Finally......a date night with hubby!

We went out for a bite to eat, then on to the movie theater where we saw The Bucket List. Very good, in my opinion, but you do need a few tissues. It was refreshing to see a good story without all of the filthy language, violence, etc. It has inspired us to make our own bucket lists!

Random updates

Boy, it sure was hard to send the kids out to get on the bus with a temp of 6 below 0 this morning!
Also, I will be posting some new pics soon....Sydney has something to share!!!
I think we might be on the mend, for now. Thank goodness!
I will be getting my sewing machine back from the shop on Tuesday!!!! Very excited for that!
The van rolled 100,000 miles last week, can you believe that?! I am so ready for the Jon & Kate plus 8 van, LOL! It's a Dodge Sprinter. Sydney took along a friend to the movie on Monday (no school due to MLK jr. day) and we had to take 2 vehicles! We have so outgrown our minivan. I cannot wait until the old house sells so we can start thinking of getting something more suitable. Keep your fingers crossed for us. That place has been on the market for a 1 1/2 years. Two mortgages are very tough on the budget!

UGH!

Oh what a sickly family I have right now! A few of us had just finished
antibiotics for strep right before leaving on our Christmas trip. When
we came back on the 26th of December, Rianna and I had strep. Then on
New Year's Eve, Sydney came down with this strange 5 day vomiting
thing. And, of course, we cannot all get it at once, or even slightly staggered; everyone is taking their turn week by week. I am just plain
exhausted! I am so sorry I haven't been around to update things here
much. I have found myself buried in laundry, dishes, and medicine cups. At this point, I truly believe we should purchase stock in Clorox and Lysol!

I did find a moment to list my best selling earrings on ebay
this morning though. You can find them here.

And to add to my stress, both my regular sewing machine and my
back-up have decided to crash on me! Most of you know, those machines
are my big stress reliever! EEEEKKK!

How precious!

Our family (the 6 of us, my mom, step-dad, sister, brother-in-law, & their 3 boys) spent a couple of days at the WI Dells instead of exchanging Christmas gifts. Here are the kiddos after a hard, full day of swimming!

The Christmas Program

This is the program Amy and I had to throw together in 3 weeks time. We worked really hard on this! Sadly, I only have these pics; I was directing and Bruce was on sound.



And here is my little angel

November Student of the Month!

I know, I am so behind on posts here. Had to share this one, we are so proud!!!

Twirls For Girls

"Twirls for Girls" Campaign to Provide Handmade Clothing for Donated
Dollies

Salt Lake City, Utah. November 16, 2007 -- As part of their ongoing
mission to "make" a difference, a team of crafters/authors from
YouCanMakeThis. com have come together to launch "Twirls for Girls."
This month-long drive is set up to encourage the creation and
donation of handmade doll clothes to Toys for Tots during the holiday
season.

The "Twirls for Girls" website provides free, downloadable patterns
for making simple, yet adorable, doll clothes. The patterns, written
in "eBook" format, include step-by-step instructions so that even
those who are new to sewing will have success with these projects.
The completed items can be taken to any of the 601 Toys for Tots
donation centers nationwide, where they will be matched up with
donated dolls and plush toys. The children who receive the little
pieces of clothing will no doubt have hours of fun playing dress-up
with their new friends.

In addition to the free patterns, YouCanMakeThis. com has specially
priced a selection of patterns for the duration of the drive, and
100% of the proceeds from these patterns will be donated directly to
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The organization will use this
monetary gift to bring Christmas joy to needy girls and boys across
the country.

Participants in this effort are encouraged to share photographs of
their creations on the website. For each item donated, they will
receive an entry into a drawing that will be held at the end of the
drive. YCMT customers who purchase the selected patterns will be
automatically entered as well. So far, 24 sponsors have donated over
$1500 worth of gift certificates as prizes.

The Toys for Tots organization actually started with a handmade rag
doll. In 1947, Diane Hendricks crafted the doll as a Christmas gift
for a needy child. She asked her husband, Marine Corps Reserve
Officer Bill Hendricks, to find a charity that would facilitate the
donation. No such organization existed, so Bill founded one. Toys
for Tots was born out of a spirit of giving of oneself, and today
brings the joy of Christmas to millions of children across the
country. The name of this supplementary drive comes from a skirt
style that has become very popular in DIY sewing circles. "Twirls"
are full, multi-tiered skirts that are usually made from pieces of
fun fabrics. With the free pattern, crafters will be able to create
dolly-sized twirls skirts not only for this cause, but also for the
special little girls in their own lives and communities.