The Stockings Are Hung and the Singing is Sung

Yep.  It’s Monday.

After a long, cold weekend Monday is a beautiful thing.  I like normalcy….if you can call 11 people in one house all day normal.

This weekend we filled Shop 24 orders and went to church.  That’s pretty much it.  ‘Tis the season.  Our little etsy shop will be open for one more week before we take a holiday break.  I love making stockings for people, but I’m always glad to be finished and hunkered down with my family.

This week, in addition to a couple of holiday events, I am planning to finish my Christmas shopping.  I am about halfway done.  A couple of my kids are giving me trouble.  The things they asked for are either $2 or $200.  Isn’t there any $40-$50 present you can think of?!  Give mamma a break, will ya?

So I’m perusing Amazon and blogs and Pinterest looking for the perfect thing.  I may have to settle for next to perfect.  I am giving myself until Thursday.  After that I am heading to Target with my money and what will be will be.

My other challenge every year is filling 10 stockings.  I like a fully loaded stocking complete with little notes and special things that only Mom would know you like.  It’s a love note from me to them.  I usually shop for little things all year, making it easy on myself.  But this year I just didn’t do it and now I am left with hitting the city and going through every dollar bin I can find.  And with so many of us not eating sweets or gluten, the extra filling of candy and snacks is going to be an added challenge.

I may have to stuff a few with granola and walnuts.

On Sunday my oldest son, Jacob, and I sang a song at his church.  He asked me on Friday if I would do it with him.  If you’re good at math you have already figured out that gave me less than 2 days to learn this song.  I guess I could have said no, but really what were the chances of that?  He asks me to do something with him about once every 2 years, so I jumped at the opportunity.  In other words, he had me over a barrel.

I don’t have any pictures or videos of us singing because the rest of my family went to a different church so there was no one to take a picture.  It’s complicated.

This is a gift of ours, making things complicated.  We are extraordinarily good at it.

But I did take a picture while we were practicing.  I needed some kind of proof that we did something together.  Plus he loves it when I say, “Hey Jacob!  Look over here so I can Instagram you!”

Despite my lack of practice, the song went OK except for one measure that we both forgot and stood there for 4 beats staring at each other.  Then we picked it up again….what are ya gonna do but smile and go forward?  Perfection is highly overrated.

Thanks for stopping by and if you have any good kid ideas for Christmas this year let me know.  I need it!