Dennie Family New Year's Resolutions for 2025

Here are this year's resolutions:

Robby:

Visit 2 new states in the camper.

Tara:

Crochet a blanket.

Drank 3 bottles of water a day.

Reagan:

Drink more water.

Anderson:

Have a great first semester at college.

Graham:

Run more

Campbell:

Drive by herself (She will turn 16 this year.)

Keaton:

Drive (She will be old enough to get her permit this year.)

Whitman:

Practice driving (He will just turn 12 this year.)

Alrighty, looking back at our resolutions in fun for me which is why we keep doing this...even though we rarely complete many of them. Here are last year's resolutions and our results:

Robby:

Eat at 5 new restaurants (possibly, but that might be a stretch)

Go to 5 new state parks (nope)

Tara: 

Read 100 books (yes, I actually read/listened to 182 books)

Watch 50 Hallmark movies (I, honestly, don't think I watched a one)

Walk 12 different trails (nope)

Reagan:

Earn a few scholarships (By no means is her college free, but she did pretty good at earning scholarships)

Spend more money (She is already working in finding a summer job to replenish her cash, so I guess she did just fine on this one.)

Anderson:

Work more (maybe some)

Graham:

Lift weights 3 times a week (sometimes)

Dunk (I don't think that's happened yet)

Campbell:

Drive more (The girl has her driver's license)

Go to Top Golf (We actually did that one)

Keaton:

Go on a cruise (I just told her she couldn't say that for this year's resolutions-it didn't happen)

Whitman:

Improve at spelling (He's getting there, but a spelling bee probably isn't in his future)

Spend an hour outside each week (ha, ha!)

December 30, 2024

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• Robby and I were the first ones awake this morning, and we soon headed out of the house to run some errands. We ended up in Hot Springs and hit up a few stores plus came home with a late lunch for the kids.
• When we came home, most everyone was in the kitchen, and they went to town on the food we had brought home. After unloading the groceries, we went through today's boxes. I had ordered a broom so I worked on putting it together and using it briefly. I decided that I didn't really want to sweep so I just tried it out a little it and assume that it works just fine. 
• Other than that, we didn't do anything today. I had a nap and cooked some. Anderson worked on his legos-he is selling quite a few so he can buy a new one. Graham has played some basketball while Reagan has not so patiently waited on a package. I have ordered her textbooks for next semester and am not so patiently waiting on those. 
• Keaton is about to make fudge for tomorrow's festivities. And I might have some hot chocolate, and as I look as this blog, we might should try to do some more things tomorrow to make this worth your read, but these last few days of nothingness have been wonderful.

December 29, 2024

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• Sunday mornings are always a little busy, plus since I made cinnamon rolls (from a can-don't be impressed) I was definitely scrambling. Most of the kids were a bit bummed that we didn't have Sunday school yet again this week due to the holiday, but I think I'm still enjoying the break. I know I will enjoy this next off week before staring school the next week.
• After church, we went to Grannymom and Grandpa's house for Sunday lunch. Robby and I ran a few errands on the way. The kids had to take Reagan home so she could grab her car, but we all arrived at about the same time.
• We celebrated my birthday at Grannymom's house. Dana gave me a plant and a gift card, and Grannymom and Grandpa had 2 shirts for me. It was a good start to my birthday month.
• On the way home, Robby and I stopped at Kroger while everyone but Reagan went home. She met some friends and then climbed Pinnacle. I saw on my Facebook that someone was having to be carried down the mountain so I text to check in. She never answered so I just assumed it wasn't her-she said that they did see the lady being hauled down the mountain.
• Most of the rest of the afternoon was spent napping. It was actually a fairly quiet afternoon. The big boys and Campbell went to the U tonight while I worked on making supper for us and the Wilsons. 
• The evening was full of food, visiting, and the fog machine. When the Wilsons left, the big 3 ended up in the living room chatting so Robby and I are sitting listening taking it all in. 

December 28, 2024

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• What a messy and rainy day today was. The plan was to leave the house today at 10, but that is just when the rain started. I was leaving with the girls and tried to leave before the rain came, and we were close.
• The boys left and Robby also left right after us. The girls and I did some speed shopping at Goodwill (Keaton has a murder mystery party, and we were trying to find a dress-no luck). Plus we shopped the sales at Platos (Actually, I shopped the sales; the girls did not.)
• Meanwhile, the boys were all getting haircuts. Whitman's hair is just wild lately, and both of the big boys said that they needed haircuts. I think that everyone did get a good cut, so that is good.
• We all met up at the gas station where Robby put gas in all 3 cars. The boys went to McDonalds on their way home, while the girls and I picked up free Slim Chicken sandwiches. 
• Then we met Robby at the Promanade where we did a mystery shop with him. Then he went on to do a few more shops while the girls and I hit up two more stores before heading home. We didn't spend a ton of money, but a good time was had.
• As we were driving home, I thought that it must be at least 4, but I was surprised to see that it wasn't even 1 yet. This weather is a bit depressing. I did find my spot in my chair today and finished reading a book and finished listening to a book. 
• There are still a few projects left on my list to do before Wednesday, but I guess that I have a few more days. The boys did get new headphones today, so that was exciting for them except Anderson had to wait for 10 minutes for the amazon man to leave the house. He now drops things off at the front door and more packages off in the garage each day. 
• The kids have made their own suppers tonight: Anderson heated up a pizza which he shared with Whitman and Reagan, Graham is having cheese dip, and Campbell had leftover cheese dip while Keaton had waffles. 
• Now, football is on, and I'm trying to decide if it is bad to have two cups of hot chocolate in a day.

December 27, 2024

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• Another quiet morning around here. I was able to listen to my book quiet a bit as I did a few chores. The biggest activity this morning was cleaning the oven. I cleaned it some, and then Robby cleaned it some more. He put down an oven liner to hopefully keep it clean, but tonight when the oven was on it just smells like burning plastic so we shall see.
• I know that a few more things happened this morning, but really I sure can't tell you. The boys were all stirring around noon which is a bit early at least for Whitman lately. Anderson and Graham went to play basketball for a few hours this afternoon.
• While they were gone, Campbell and Keaton ran some errands with Robby and me. We had a few stops, but the highlight was costco. The girls found some pretzels that they had to have, but other than that we didn't buy anything at all....not even a cookie.
• Back at home, it was soon time to start watching the Hogs played their football game. I headed up a little bit of supper for us to eat. During halftime. some of us played a new game of Whitman's. Now, we have all moved on to eating desserts while we watch the last quarter of the game.

December 26, 2024

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• The main task this morning was taking down the Christmas things. I know that everyone does it, but it is a lot of work. My watch says that I have walked up the steps 17 times today-I believe it. Robby did help or I would still probably be taking things up the stairs.
• Also there were the dishes plus two loads of laundry to fold. I love days that we don't have much laundry, but I know that means that the next day the laundry baskets will be full.
• Campbell came down around 1 to fix her sisters lunch. She said that if she made them food, then they would move quicker getting ready. I guess she was right because within the next 30 minutes, those girls left the house.
• They did some shopping at Target, Old Navy, and even stopped for drinks at Sonic. I think that they had a good shopping trip, and I'm pretty sure that they spent most of their Christmas money.
• Robby and I ran a few errands as well-I even found some wrapping paper. I probably should have bought more, but I hope that I'll see more on a better sale later. Or maybe I could use smaller boxes next year-that would help a ton too.
• This evening Reagan went out to a friend's house. They were going to have supper there on this rainy night. I made grilled cheese for the people left at the house-we didn't have much cheese but I was like Jesus with the fish and bread and made it happen. It wasn't miraculous though-there was just limited cheese on each sandwich.
• Football has been on all evening-the boys are all playing video games, and I think that Campbell is as well. Keaton has been busy upstairs cleaning the girls' room-or at least her section of it. I probably should work on a cleaning/organizing project for tomorrow...but the couch sounds like a plan too.

December 25, 2024-Merry Christmas!

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• It is nice having teenagers. On the computer, I have been reading about people waking up at 5 am with their kids. Meanwhile, we had to wake up most of ours plus they could have happily slept longer than the 9:00 that we woke them up.
• Robby and I were moving a bit slow this morning, so we were scrambling to get breakfast in the oven, but we managed. It was probably an easier breakfast than usual, but it might have been a bit smaller than usual-we had strawberries, blueberries, monkey bread, and sausage, egg, and cheese sliders.
• The kids all opened their presents today, but first it was stockings. Everyone's stockings and sonic drink containers were filled to the brim. The kids all had 2 gifts plus one box with cash in it along with the gift from their sibling so there were lots of presents. 
• Reagan said that her favorite gift was her jacket, and Keaton said hers were her shoes and water bottle. Whitman's favorites were his phone and fog machine. I'm not really sure what Campbell or Graham's favorite gifts are. I have probably asked, but I have forgotten. I did ask Anderson, but he refused to answer and just said that they were all his favorites. My favorite will definitely be my kindle. 
• We had just finished presents and cleaning up a bit when Nonna and Pops came over. Jason, Grannymom, and Grandpa were not far behind them. They all looked at the kids' gifts, and then we had our breakfast. 
• They all stayed for a bit visiting, but when they did leave I worked on the kitchen while the kids opened and rearranged all of their gifts. Before too long, we headed to Dana's house for Christmas lunch.
• She had two different chilis to enjoy, and everything was perfect. We stayed for a while, and even took a few Christmas pictures. Then it was home for the evening. Robby and I didn't take down the Christmas things-I would have, but people would make fun of us. Instead we organized his office/pantry. 
• I had lasagna soup in the crock pot for supper. We all sat at the table and ate-I thought that the soup was pretty good, but most of my people said that they would rather have had lasagna. Even so, it was still a good meal. Plus I had made apple cider to enjoy this evening. Now, I knew that Reagan and I were the only ones who would drink it-and we were. I had only one cup full because it was so hot, I burned my tongue!
• It was a pretty perfect Christmas day around here. This evening, the kids played with gifts and worked on how they were going to spend their Christmas money. I read some while Robby and I watched a Christmas movie. 

Christmas Ornament Countdown 2024: Merry Christmas!

Christmas certainly makes all of us Dennie's happy, but so do Little Debbies. We have had the opportunity to go to the Little Debbie store in Northwest Arkansas a few different times. Some times we find lots of good deals and other times, not so much.

This summer the big 5 were in Panama City for Beach Camp while Whitman, Robby, and I went to Northwest Arkansas and Oklahoma to celebrate the 4th of July. When we were on our way to the Pioneer Woman's in Pawhuska, we stopped in Gentry and found ourselves a buggy full of fun things to buy at the Little Debbie outlet including an ornament! Here is the blog post from that day.

I hope your Christmas Day makes you as happy as a box of Little Debbies!

December 24, 2024-Happy Christmas Eve

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• Before I get very far in the blog, let me revisit this smoke machine the little boy got. It takes about 3 minutes of the machine being on to cause havoc in this house-smoke alarms go off and doors have to be open. Currently, Whitman is smoking in the school room, and the window in there is open. However, if the neighbors look out their window they will think that our house is on fire because smoke is pouring out the windows. Hopefully, we will have a few warm days when he can sit outside and use his smoke machine all evening long.
• I fried sausage this morning and tried to get a few things ready for tomorrow's food early this morning. Before too long, it was time to wake up Whitman, Reagan, and Keaton. They were the only ones who wanted to go to the movies with us this morning. 
• We fought the rain, but made it to the theater in time to see almost all of the previews. Then we watched Wicked-it was pretty long, but I only think that I slept for a few minutes. I'm not the greatest movie watcher, but it was interesting. I have even thought about reading the book so I could understand it all better.
• We stopped at ChickFilA and the library on the way home. We were home for about an hour and a half, but Robby made snickerdoodle cookies while I made corn casserole.
• Then we loaded up and headed to the Christmas Eve service at church. This was the first year that we were in the remodeled sanctuary with chairs, so we left the house almost an hour early so we could get seats. We were able to all sit together during the service which was a treat. 
• It was a fun service with the kids on the stage (though we don't have any kids any longer), the candles during Silent Night, and when it was over, it snowed in the entry way. It was pretty fun seeing all the kids playing in the snow. We did make time for a family picture before heading to Nonna and Pops' house.
• Nonna had all of the food ready, and before too long we were all enjoying Christmas Eve supper. My favorite was Nonna's chocolate pie. After eating, we took a kid picture with Nonna and Pops. As soon as we had finished that picture, the kids were tearing their clothes off to put on more comfy clothes. Whitman and Reagan were the only ones who did not change. 
• Next up were presents-I think that most everyone opened a few things that they wanted-actually, everything they opened the wanted because they told me what to buy for them. It was a pretty good Christmas with lots of gifts to open for everyone. 
• I had asked the kids earlier in the week if we needed to make reindeer food, but whoever I asked was adamant that we do make it. So I had a few things out at Nonna's house for them to make a little food even though it was raining. 
• At home, we threw our reindeer food and took the kids Christmas picture. We pulled Santa one last time, and then the kids went to bed and I was able to do my Christmas work.....not really, we pulled Santa and no one had any intentions of going to bed. I'm wondering if I should take a nap now or just starting pulling gifts out and ban anyone from coming into the living room. 

Christmas Ornament Countdown 2024: 1 Day until Christmas

This is my 13th year to showcase our new Christmas tree ornaments, and this is also my shortest Christmas ornament countdown. I think that we have moved over to buying stickers for the camper this year instead of ornaments plus we didn't venture to many new places during our travels this year.

Today, on this Christmas Eve, I have two different ornaments from the same place to talk about. For Christmas 2022 Graham received a trip to a Cowboy's game in Dallas. He had to wait until November of 2023 to go. Robby and Graham went to the game with Keaton and Whitman joining us on the camping trip as well. 

We were able to do a few Christmassy things including the ice exhibit at the Gaylord. The theme was How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was amazing to see and so cold in there. We had really never seen anything like that before, and we all enjoyed it.

Here is the post from that day of the trip.

December 23, 2024-Dennie Family Circle Christmas

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• Our goal this morning was to leave a 8:30, and we were pretty close to that. The kids sure don't pop out of bed, but I know they are staying up pretty late. That's fine with us as long as they are quiet-Christmas break only lasts for so long.
• The kids started trickling to the car, but it certainly helped that we took Bentley with us. She could have stayed at home, but someone would have had to come and take her out. Since she is good traveler, we just brought her though. And really she did well. She was a little nervous at first, but she did eventually settle.
• We arrived at Les and Shelley's house before noon, and soon we were feasting on Interstate BBQ. Les had some sweet BBQ sauce which I loved. Plus there were lots of sweets and appetizers to munch on. 
• After eating, Robby had some games, and he had lots of prizes which included lottery tickets. The games were all minute to win it type games, and there were prizes for everyone. That was fun for everyone. We even had a few winners-but not many at all. Then we played the game that we all so enjoyed playing at the Wilson's Christmas party. 
• Eventually, it was finally present time. We started with the birthdays, and then moved on to the Christmas gifts. The kids all enjoyed their presents-gift cards, money, and even more presents. However, I didn't get a picture, but the person that most enjoyed their present was Whitman-he was so excited to get his fog machine!
• And if you were wondering, a fog machine does actually set off the smoke alarms in your house. When we made it home, that was the first thing that the kids went to work on. The whole house was eventually filled with fog. It was quite fun-that sounds sarcastic, but it really was fun. He is getting a few more things that he might can use with his fog machine as well.
• After presents, we did a family picture. We stayed a bit and visited, but eventually we headed home. The drive home was a bit longer, but Robby did stop and pick up some pizza on the way home so we would have some supper options. 
• The kids were all pretty chatty on the way home. We could have driven for hours more because I love being with them while hearing them talk. We had discussions on weddings, finances, careers, and so much more. It was a good ride home.
• Once at home, everyone helped unload the car. I put most things away and tried to do some things for tomorrow. I had planned to make cinnamon rolls tomorrow, but that just isn't going to happen. I'll do it in a few days though. 
• The kids have had supper, some have had showers, and now I'm going to open some of my hot chocolate from Shelley.

December 22, 2024

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• Church this morning, but since we didn't have Sunday school, we were all out a bit early. Reagan even stayed late and had a potluck with the young adults. It was a potluck, and even though she decided last minute to go, we asked if she should bring anything. She replied that she thought that adults were bringing things, and we reminded her that she is one of the adults now. I think they had plenty of food though.
• Reagan went from there to a friend's house, to the mall, to downtown, to another's friend's house, and then to another friend's house to watch a movie. I'm sure that I missed a few stops, but she has been out all day long and is still out.
• The rest of us had lunch at Nonna and Pops' house. They had pizza, and as Sunday lunches go, Campbell had a repeat of lunch at her Christmas party. While we were at Nonna's house, Campbell and Anderson had birthday presents to open from Jason. Anderson received some cash, and Campbell opened some pens, highlighters, and a notebook. We played a round of 20 Questions there, and then we headed home.
• Robby ran some errands this afternoon while I stayed at home and did some work...and then took a nap. Campbell's party was this evening so we took her there. Once we came home, I went to work on a few things for tomorrow and even wrapped a few more presents-I think that I only have 2 more to wrap. I hope I only have two more to wrap or I have forgotten some things.
• Campbell had fun at her party-she took over 700 pictures plus decorated cookies. I haven't seen any pictures yet, but if the pictures have a Merry Friendsmas sign in it, Campbell made that sign. She has become quite the sign painter lately.
• Football is on, and I think that I am going to have myself some hot chocolate!

December 21, 2024-Happy 15th Birthday Campbell

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• I emptied the dishwasher, made ooey gooey, folded laundry, and wrapped some presents before Nonna and Pops came over. They brought doughnuts to celebrate the birthday girl. This was kind of a low key birthday for Campbell since she has already done most of her celebrating, but she did stay busy all day long.
• First, we did some Happy Birthday singing with the doughnuts. Campbell even opened her birthday present from Nonna and Pops-a pair of tennis shoes which I believe that she has worn all day long.
• When they left, I think that Keaton and Reagan went back to sleep. Robby went to run some errands, and after a bit, I ran some as well. I tried to convince Campbell to go with me, but she declined.
• The afternoon went by pretty quickly, Anderson finished our puzzle, and he and Graham played some basketball. Soon, I was taking Campbell and Keaton to their first babysitting job. I think that they were a little bit nervous-I was actually nervous for them too.
• But they did excellently. They had packed a bag of toys plus they even had a craft to do while they were there. When they wrote to tell me that the mom was on the way, I headed to pick them up, but I also wrote back to them to remind them to clean up some. They already knew to do that, and I think that the mom was very appreciative.
• I picked them up, and we went straight to the Wilson's house for our Christmas party. We brought chex mix, spicy cheese its, bbq sliders, sausage balls, tortilla roll ups, corn flake cookies, fudge, chicken nuggets, and hershey kiss cookies. Shannon had just as much food as we did, so there was enough food for the whole neighborhood. 
• Not only did we have food, but we also had lots of fun. We iced sugar cookies, played a game of Shannon's that even had prizes, played a new game of Robbys, and we even had a visit from Santa. It was lots of fun, but I'm exhausted!

December 20, 2024

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• I spent most of the day in the kitchen, and then I spent the rest of the day in Traci's kitchen (I wasn't working there). After my chores, I woke Graham up and then started to work. 
• First I made pumpkin muffins for the kids. I had this on my list to make later in the day, but then I realized that Campbell and Graham would miss them since they went to work earlier today.
• After the muffins, I made more chex mix, tortilla roll ups, and spicy cheese its. After that, I had Anderson and Graham help me roll out the sugar cookie dough. The both helped quite a bit and then each worked a section of the current puzzle.
• Last night, I did finish the puzzle and start on a large, but much easier puzzle. Everyone has stopped and done some today (not Graham though-he is not a puzzler. Whitman really isn't either, but I made him.)
• This puzzle seems to be a hit-Reagan, Campbell, and Keaton worked some last night after 11. When Reagan came in, she told us all about her evening last night. Campbell and Keaton were in the kitchen listening, and the boys all came down and stood on the steps to hear her story. When her stories were over, those girls went to work on the puzzle with no intention of going to bed. We are all staying up way too late lately, but I'm loving all of it. 
• As soon as Campbell and Graham came in from work, we all left to go to the Craft Gingerbread party. This year, they divided their party up into two different parties so it wasn't as crowded, but there were still lots of people there. 
• We have been going to the gingerbread party for quite a few years, and it is one of the highlights of my Christmas season each year. The boys were all at a table filled with boys, and Anderson spent the most time on his house-he probably spent longer than any of my girls too. 
• It was a fun afternoon, and we came home and started a few more things in the kitchen. I made poppyseed chicken for supper. Then Keaton made fudge, and Campbell made cookies. When all of that was finished, Reagan helped Robby wrap some presents. Plus Campbell, Anderson, and Graham wrapped their presents. 
• Now, I'm about to take Bentley out and then cuddle up on the couch for the rest of the evening.  

December 19, 2024

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• Robby was gone this morning so I took Campbell and Keaton to church to work. Campbell drove us there which kind of helped the sour mood that I was taking them. Usually, Robby takes them and they have a mystery shop on the way so they can get a treat. 
• I spent most of the day doing the puzzle-seriously, I have an addictive personality, and I know it. At least puzzles and reading are my vices. I have a list of things to do in the kitchen tomorrow so I better finish that puzzle tonight so I can focus tomorrow on my chore list.
• I ran a few errands with Robby around lunch time. When we came home, the big boys were already out playing basketball with friends. They were gone for quite a long time.
• While Robby picked up Keaton and Campbell, Reagan went with me down the road to buy a little present for someone. It was a new little store that I had never been to-I could have spent a bit more money and bought some sourdough bread.
• Keaton and Campbell had a good day at Mother's Day Out, and both girls came home with treats. Campbell even had a birthday present from the sweet teacher that she works with. Since Keaton is a floater she didn't get as much as Campbell, but she still managed a gift card so I know that made today fun.
• After working all day, Campbell went to a friend's house this afternoon. She is over there now, and I have to leave to pick her up in a little bit. That is fine since I will finish my audio book while I'm getting her.
• Reagan went to a friend's house this evening. She did get her grades back for this semester-all As, plus she has already been working on her summer job plans.

December 18, 2024

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• This morning Anderson had a dentist appointment to fix his final cavities. He had a few-enough that he had to have them fixed this week and last week. While he was there, I went with Grannymom to do a little bit of birthday shopping. We had fun and found quite a few things. 
• When I came home from my shopping trip, I took Bentley on her walk-it was after 11, and she still hadn't asked to be taken out. I had tried to quietly get her out of the girls room this morning, but she didn't come. Probably not too many dogs can wait until nearly noon to go potty.
• We then took our walk, and afterwards, I worked on the puzzle until Campbell and Graham went to work. I did some wrapping and even Whitman joined me today. He was a pretty decent wrapper.
• Anderson helped me some more with our puzzle-I think that we might finish it before Christmas, but for a while I was doubting that. We are now only left with sky-so we have a lot of blue pieces. 
• Reagan left early in the afternoon to meet her friend and do some shopping before going to a friend's house. She is still out so I'm not sure if she bought anything or not, but she was out shopping for a long while. 
• Tonight the rest of us had church-the kids performed, but none of my people are kids anymore. Since I work with all them, I was around to watch. The big kids all had a Christmas party-they were less than impressed though. When Anderson is not pleased with something, you know it wasn't great! 

December 17, 2024

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• The last few nights, we have been getting into our room well after 11 each night. I guess it is because Reagan is home or because we aren't doing school or because people have been out...I'm not sure what the reason is, but the house just seems to come alive around 10.
• Last night, we finally pulled out Santa Christmas counter. I'm not sure why we haven't done it yet this year. But now we are all caught up-except I'm not sure if we will do it tomorrow or not. And speaking of counting down until Christmas, I finished all of Nonna's Christmas presents today and delivered them. Plus, I finished 3 more of my own presents along with wrapping quite a few as well. 
• Robby was the first one out of bed this morning, but I was close behind him. I started on my chores, and of course I was avoiding my walk. I eventually decided that I was going to go, but then I looked out and it was raining. A bit later, it had stopped and I finally did go on a walk, but it was much chillier than I had expected.
• I did some things around the house, but since I am so good at putting things off lately, I stalled on cleaning the bathrooms. I did work on the puzzle some-we are over half way there, but we do have the hard half for last. The house is full of children (mine and other peoples) tonight so maybe some of them will do a few more pieces.
• Around one, Campbell drove me and Keaton to run a few errands. Then we stopped at the library and at Nonna's house to deliver her presents. When we did come home, I made some chex mix while Campbell made cornflake cookies. After those were made, I started on chicken alfredo for supper. Reagan had 2 friends over earlier in the day and then 3 different friends for supper, and Anderson has a friend over now as well.
• Keaton's new desk chair came in the mail today. It took forever to put together, but it looks pretty nice. I think that she will like having a desk chair. And we also got a huge inflatable Christmas tree. Right now though, the kids are all upstairs, and Robby and I are downstairs on the couch.

December 16, 2024

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• This was the first day of our Christmas break. I slept in a little bit, but by the time that I returned from my walk, Campbell was already sitting at the table working on painting her sign. She made a sign for her birthday which was pretty perfect, and now she is working on a sign for her friend's Christmas party. 
• Everyone had a little bit of school work to do today, and I think that Whitman and Graham were the only ones that actually did anything. Maybe other people did, but I'm not exactly sure. 
• Campbell and Graham did have a short day at home since they both had work this afternoon. It was a dreary afternoon to be at work, but I think that they were both busy all day so I'm sure that helped some.
• Anderson and Whitman helped me a little bit this afternoon on our puzzle. It is still overwhelming but since we just started yesterday, I think that we are moving along well. I do have to be done by Christmas though so I need to do as much tomorrow as we did today. 
• Kennedy had spent the night tonight, and those girls must have slept a bit late. It was around 3 when I left with Keaton and Reagan to go and get Reagan's hair trimmed. Then we ran into Old Navy and Marshalls really quickly before heading home.
• When we came home, Robby had pizza in the oven for our supper. I spent the rest of the evening working on Christmas gifts, puzzling, and just sitting on the couch.

December 15, 2024

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• This Sunday morning we were not late-Anderson for sure was not late. He had to be at church at 8 so once again I was waking up a boy early in the morning. When he left it was super foggy out, but by the time that the rest of us left, it had cleared some. One good thing about me having to wake up Anderson this morning was that I made cinnamon rolls for everyone's breakfast. \
• After church, we celebrated Campbell and Anderson's birthday's at Grannymom's house. Campbell opened a pink blanket and a pink sweatshirt. I worked the longest trying to find another pink thing from her list to add to the box, but I wasn't able to so she also got a wallet and canvases which were not pink (I do like a good theme.) Anderson opened a sweatshirt, headphones, and socks plus they both received money from Dana. 
• This morning when Robby was trying to get in the shower, the water was shooting out everywhere. Apparently, the shower head broke sometime between our showers-I think I would have noticed if the water was spraying everywhere, but since I didn't have my contacts who knows. Robby trying to fix it before his shower but had to take on in the bonus room.
• This afternoon he went to two different Lowe's trying to find an adapter. When he couldn't find what he needed, he decided that it was call a plumber or try again and don't worry about breaking anything. With a little force, he was able to get one piece off so he just switched out shower heads, and we are good to go....well, I am about to take a shower so we will just see.
• I started to work on the puzzle that Keaton gave me for an early Christmas present. I have done really well today, but none of the kids have really seemed interested in helping. I'm not sure that I can do it by myself so I'm a bit worried.
• Tonight Anderson made monkey bread to take to his senior life group. Reagan went with her friends out to Hot Springs to look at Christmas lights. Meanwhile, the rest of us went to the Wilson's house for supper. Shannon had potato soup plus grilled cheese sandwiches (also this was our lunch menu-but we all seemed to love it since we gobbled it down). 
• We stayed over there and chatted for quite a while. Plus we played a few games which is always fun. When we came home, Reagan and Anderson were still out, but they both came in plus Reagan has a friend spending the night. Now tomorrow begins our winter break (kind of since everyone has a bit of school to do.)

December 14, 2024-Happy 15th Birthday (Party) Campbell!

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• I was the first one up this morning. When I went upstairs, Graham was telling his alarm to go off in 5 minutes. I sat in the living room until he walked through for his shower and then stayed in my chair until he drove off for his ACT test.
• He questioned me yesterday when I told him he would need to leave 45 minutes early, but in today's rainy mess, it took him a bit longer to get across town for his test. Who knows how he did, but he has really worked hard getting ready for it lately.
• Not too long after he left, Robby and I ran a few errands. The most fun errands that we did were picking up Campbell's birthday cake and me finding some jeans at Old Navy for my Christmas. When we came home, I went to work on party prep while Robby worked on the garage. 
• I eventually decided that a short nap would benefit me so I did that for a while. Then I went back to work on cooking. Because of my little siesta, I was behind the rest of the afternoon and evening.
• I think that I had mentioned that Anderson won a scholarship from the Korean Grocer's Association. The banquet to receive the scholarship was tonight, and if you don't go, then you don't get the money-so Robby and Anderson went since I was on party patrol. It has been quite the banquet-they are currently still there. 
• Meanwhile, Campbell had 17 friends come over for to celebrate her birthday. She has only had a few birthday parties in December so close to her birthday. Not only did she have her balloon arch, but there was also a candy bar. I had Mexican and all of the trimmings for supper.
• She even had games to play including bingo and who knows the birthday girl best. There was karaoke plus a pinata and lots of presents for our birthday girl. I worked cleaning while the girls were all still here, so most things are already picked up.
• It has been a pretty busy day, but I think that tomorrow might provide time for a real nap!
• 
  

December 13, 2024-Happy 18th Birthday Anderson

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• I had a huge list of all of the household chores written out this morning, but then once I had done about 20 of those this morning, I quickly decided that I was just going to do the necessary ones and throw the rest of that silly list away. Maybe I'll do some more of those obscure chores later or maybe even in January, but for now, there is no reason for me to clean the baseboards in any part of this house.
• Nonna and Pops came over this morning to give Anderson his present. They brought a few cookies which everyone enjoyed. Surprisingly, everyone was awake already today except for Whitman. Anderson said that sleeping on his new mattress last night was the same as his old one (maybe we wasted our money-but probably not since we figure his mattress is at least 12 years old.) Keaton was pretty excited to have a new mattress for tonight-she even brought her old one down by herself and put it in the garage!
• Robby and I then ran a few errands-he had a few shops to do, and I walked around looking for sales (I didn't find anything.) We picked Anderson up some Whataburger for his late lunch/early birthday supper. 
• While we were gone, Reagan made it home from her first semester. It sounded like she had a fun final's week. She did some studying and did pretty well in all of her classes. She brought home her bedding for me to wash, so I worked on that some while I made a dessert for tonight,
• Campbell and Graham went to work this afternoon, and then Campbell spent the rest of the evening getting things ready for her birthday party tomorrow. She has made a balloon arch, and it really looks good.
• Robby and I had our Sunday school party tonight so that was fun. We all brought gag gifts, but I did leave with battery operated hand warmers so that was a win for us. 

December 12, 2024

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• I could hear Campbell and Keaton moving around upstairs before I even got out of bed this morning. They love working at Mother's Day Out-I think that Campbell loves it more than Keaton, but neither of them complain and are always ready bright and early on Thursday mornings.
• I go back from my walk about 10 minutes later than usual. I decided that I would do a few more things around the house before waking up Whitman to start on school. I had thought that I had let him sleep in for 30 more minutes when I did go upstairs to wake him-except that kid was already awake and in the bonus room.
• Graham is taking the ACT on Saturday so he has been working on that, and Anderson just had geography today so there wasn't too much of a need to wake them up super early either. Though I am wondering now if Graham has a touch of ADD-he can manage to do about 20 problems before he is throwing darts or hitting a golf ball. Now, it doesn't help that we have that dart board mat hanging in the kitchen. The boys play a few rounds of golf each day-their golf is not exactly like normal golf, and people always seem to be yelling "fore."
• I wrapped a few things today. Anderson had one gift to wrap so he wrapped that-and I was quite surprised at how well he did wrap. 
• I picked up Campbell and Keaton, and then we took all of Grannymom's presents to her. We went to Walmart next-I was hoping that I could find a few things there, and yes, we did leave with a few bags, but I wasn't able to mark anything off of my list so that was disappointing. 
• We came home and were home for a bit before Robby left to pick up supper. We ate and then the boys played a round of golf, Campbell blew up some balloons, and Keaton did some sewing-it was a fairly active evening.

December 11, 2024

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• Today was a fairly busy day. We started out with all of the normal things-chores and a walk for me and then school for everyone else. 
• The big boys left first with Robby. They had a dentist appointments for a few fillings. It didn't take too terribly long, but it did take up a good bit of the morning. 
• Soon Campbell, Keaton, and I left leaving Whitman at home alone to do his school. He had already finished quite a bit with me before I left so hopefully the rest didn't take him all day long-he can knock it out when he wants to, but most of the time he is just not in any hurry at all.
• Campbell, Keaton, and I met our friend at Old Navy. Her business buys Christmas gifts for probably nearly 100 kids. Today, we bought clothes for about 20 kids (2 outfits and a jacket for each). Then we stopped at Tazikis for lunch. The girls had never eaten there so they got to try something new, but I also tried their whipped feta-delicious!
• After we ate, we went back to their office to wrap those presents. Then we went to Walmart to buy toys for the same groups of kids that we had just bought clothes for. This was more difficult than the kids-we had a limited budget and some things that these kids asked for, we had never heard of. Then it was back to their office to wrap those presents. It was such a fun day, and of course spending someone else's money is always so fun!
• We were out all day long, so Campbell missed work-we knew that she would miss today so she had already let them know. The boys all came to church-Graham said that they were running late because Whitman took his shower a bit late.
• Anderson stayed late at church to practice for Sunday. He is a shepherd so that will be fun. Since he wasn't around to take people to ChickFilA on the way home, I ran by there, and we cashed in on some of our freebies. 
• I had to go through all of our boxes when we did finally make it home tonight, and now that I am finally done with all of the things, it is bedtime!

December 10, 2024

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• I was scurrying around this morning trying to get up in time to wake Graham up so he could take his final early this morning. I woke him up, and then I left on my walk. I walked and walked and walked, and he had not still left yet. I was just about to head back to the house to make sure that he was leaving when he drove by me. (He did just fine on his test and kept an A in the class.)
• The rest of us started on school this morning. Keaton, Whitman, and I finished one book today, and Whitman and I have one more that we will finish today or tomorrow. Plus the boys will be changing up their geography so I will have tons of huge library books to turn in just a few days.
• Campbell, Keaton, and I will be gone most of the day tomorrow so they have less school tomorrow which encouraged them to move along today. Me being gone tomorrow also throws a kink in Whitman's school-I will try to move him along so I have less to check when I do get home.
• After everyone finished their school, and then we headed to Nonna and Pops' house for a few minutes. I had some presents to deliver to their house so Campbell, Whitman, and Graham went with me. Campbell drove us there, everyone had cookies while we were there, and Graham drove us home. 
• Once we were home, there were more presents in the mail that I had to sort out. I have felt a little bit like I am an Amazon worked myself lately. While we were sorting mail, I made a few baked potatoes to supplement supper-Campbell and I were the only one who ate one though.
• I made a grocery list this evening, and now I'm sitting in front of the tv completely distracted by the tv show that Campbell has on.

December 9, 2024

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• Just a few minutes ago, I had convinced myself that this was Friday night. I'm not sure at all what made me think that-maybe this had been more of an easy day like a Friday than a typical Monday with all the things to do. 
• There have been a few new packagers around here lately-one of the new things is a karaoke machine. This has provided Campbell and Keaton lots of entertainment. Tonight Keaton was sitting in the floor using the microphone to tell stories. Not only has this karaoke machine provided lots of fun, it has also provided a few headaches.
• Another new thing is a golf set-it is basically a heavy sheet that has dart board on it. You can hit golf balls, throw the balls, or even throw darts, and they will stick on the board. There have been competitions and games happening all day. Last night Keaton and Whitman asked if they could skip a school thing if they made a bullseye. I'm a softee and let them, but I did pick out what they could skip (I let them skip the easiest thing that they have.)
• This morning went smoothly-we are winding down before the break plus Keaton and Whitman are finishing some things. He will eventually finish enough things that I will need to figure out what to add to his list. Graham and Anderson both take their finals tomorrow, and Reagan has a few more finals the rest of this week. Her hardest was today, but she sounded pretty confident in it afterwards.
• Campbell and Graham went to work today while Keaton and I went to eat lunch with Robby. When we came home, I finished school with Whitman and took my afternoon walk. Soon Campbell and Graham were home, and the boys went outside to play basketball some.
• Tonight, Robby and the big boys went out to eat. Graham has been wanting to learn to cook a steak, so tonight they went to taste what a steak should really taste like so he can have a goal. We shall see though if he is actually able to cook one well because Robby and I don't know how to properly cook a steak!

December 8, 2024

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• Of all Sundays for us to be running behind today-the choir was having their big Christmas service so there were more people there, leaving us to not have our normal seats. Thankfully, Grannymom and Grandpa had some beside them that we grabbed. And really, there was no reason for us to be running late at all especially since Campbell and Keaton were already at church this morning.
• They had spent the night at the church house for a lock in. I had told them to send me some updates, but I didn't think that Keaton really would at 2:30. Usually, my phone is on silent so I don't hear text in the middle of the night, but the whole house could have heard my phone last night since it must have been turned up super loud. I was glad that they were having fun though.
• Anderson had to stay after church today to practice being a shepherd for next week's big church. I forgot to ask if there was going to be animals. I surely hope not-yesterday, while the boys and I were at Walmart, there was a dog walking down the aisle in front of us (I'm pretty sure it wasn't a service dog.) It had to potty (#2) and that dog decided to do so not 2 feet from us. Maybe if there are animals on Sunday that Anderson has to deal with, then they will be better trained than the Walmart dog.
• Since Nonna and Pops were just getting home from the hospital at lunch time, we didn't eat at their house and instead picked up some McDonalds on the way home. That was fine since our afternoon was pretty short.
• Robby left first to run to Little Rock fora mystery shop. I left next with Campbell to take her to her dgroup in Benton. While she was there, I ran to the store and then waited on her. Meanwhile, Robby came home and picked up Keaton to take her to her dgroup in Bryant. 
• I then hurried home-I was home for 15 minutes and had something that needed to go in the oven for 12 minutes so I was cutting it close. The boys had turned on the oven for me though. I left with Whitman and Lilly to take them to their lifegroup back in Bryant, and Robby dropped Keaton off at the same house a minute after I left.
• We came home, and about 30 minutes later Campbell, Anderson, and Graham left for their lifegroup in the same neighborhood. We sat on the couch for a little bit, and before I knew it I was rushing around making cornbread for the Wilson's and our supper. 
• We had chili which is what they had for lunch. Robby made a dessert for us to enjoy as well. Candice brought home Keaton and Whitman who came home with most of the food that they took, and not too long after that the big kids arrived home as well. 
• Now, football is on, and I'm trying to finish the blog so I have a few minutes to read before bed. 

December 7, 2024

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• This morning I was pretty brave and took both big boys Christmas shopping together. Anderson is not a fan of shopping, and Graham really isn't a fan either. However, I needed (and still do) Christmas ideas for them so they had to go.
• I did start the morning off with a run to ChickFilA to pick up some free breakfast things for us. That helped a little bit. Then it was on to Walmart for some shopping for their stockings. Graham found one gift there, plus he also found a Hogs shirt, but when we were checking out, he saw a hole in it...and then tonight when I was at another Walmart, I forgot to look for a replacement.
• Next up was Academy-we kind of struck out there, but Anderson did get some shorts (not Christmas) that he needed plus we bought an extra pair for him for Christmas plus a sweatshirt. Graham also found a shirt there. Oh, and they both found basketballs there as well.
• After this we braved the outlet, and that is where they started to get tiredI worked on  and a wee bit grumpy. Graham really wanted to go to HandM, but everything that he looked at did not have his size. We went to Old Navy next, where Graham found a pair of shorts while Anderson bought a dress shirt (not for Christmas).
• When we did make it home, the girls could not get over that we had already been shopping and were back home. It was almost noon, but it wasn't that early. I worked on putting those present up for a little bit. The girls were busy all afternoon getting ready for a lock in at church tonight. 
• Robby worked on the winterizing the camper most of the afternoon. I helped some and so did the big boys.  We dropped the girls off at church, and then Robby and I went to eat really quickly. 
• After eating, we went to Walmart where I bought a few more Christmas presents while he bought things we need like food for tomorrow's supper. Once we came home, we had a ton of Amazon packages to open so it took me half an hour to go through all of them and put them where they needed to go.
• Now, I am cuddled up in my blanket on the couch while Robby is watching football, and I am about to start a new book. 

December 6, 2024

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• I woke up and did my morning chores, and then I worked with Graham on his study guide for math. Keaton and Campbell went to Nonna and Pops' house to help them finish their Christmas decorating. They mainly worked on setting up the Snow Village, but my girls will do anything for some ChickFilA. 
• Anderson soon afterwards finished one of his college classes, and Anderson and Graham will be done with all of their classes by Tuesday. Even though it was a Friday, I still did spelling with Whitman. I guess he forgot that it was a Friday, because he didn't complain at all while we worked together.
• Campbell and Graham went to work this afternoon. While they were gone I worked on the kitchen and the house some more. Keaton had already worked a lot on the decorations and the games.
• Robby waited for our pizza for supper forever-it was fine though because Keaton just switched the order of things for her 11 friends that were over. 
• They did secret Santa gifts plus they decorated gingerbread houses. Keaton called Reagan to be the judge so Reagan picked the winner. When the party was over, Keaton was great about helping clean up the kitchen. 

December 5, 2024

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• This morning started with Campbell and Keaton going to Mother's Day Out to work while I did some speed school with Whitman and some math with Graham.
• Robby came home for a few seconds while Whitman and I jumped in the car. Whitman had a class at the Museum of Discovery. The class was called Mad about Matter-it was super well done. The lady did lots of experiments with liquid nitrogen. Then they broke up into groups and had a few different experiments that the kids did including making slime. 
• At the end the instructor made a huge cloud with liquid nitrogen. Then she froze marshmallows with it and let everyone eat a marshmallow. While you eat it, if you breath out-smoke comes out of your mouth. It was pretty neat.
• We had some time to look through the museum while we waited on Robby to come and pick us up. Then we came home so I did some school with Anderson before I left again.
• This time I ran to the library and then I picked up the girls. We had to do some speed shopping because Keaton is having a Christmas party here Friday night, and she needed a few things-from Walmart, Target, and Kohls. 
• We ran all those errands and even walked through Kirklands before coming home. When we came home, Keaton and Campbell started on Keaton's balloon arch while I quickly showered. Then I left again for my Sunday school class meeting. 
• Robby picked up supper for the kids, but when I came home Graham was happier to see the leftover cake in my hands than to see me. 

December 4, 2024

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• Sometimes I schedule things and then later I wonder why in the world I scheduled them when I did-today was one of those days! I signed Campbell up for her driving test at 9:45 this morning. We had to be there at 9:30 so I zoomed through reading with Keaton and Whitman, and then hurried out of the house.
• We arrived on time, and then Campbell took a practice run around the loop. Then I parked in the spot-it was so busy, that I had to park in between the other cars. We went in and checked in. Then Campbell sat in the car for about 45 minutes waiting on her turn while I sat in the waiting room. (The other 3 times, I have stood outside, but today it was too cold for that.)
• When it was finally time to take her test, I could peak out the window from where I was sitting and could see her back out. I tracked her on her whole route, and when she parked I walked out to meet her.
• She saw me, and I could tell that she was upset. She got to me and did tell me that she had passed, but then the driver exam person explained about what happened. Campbell was driving along, and someone pulled out in front of her. She had to stop suddenly, which she did fine. Then that person swerved in front of Campbell and stopped in the middle of the road causing Campbell to have to slam on the brakes. This caused the driver exam lady to start yelling at the other driver. All of this was just too much for Campbell-she said that she never wanted to drive again.
• Then we went to the Revenue office, and I guess it was a good thing that we had to wait for Campbell to calm herself down. But it wasn't that good that we had to wait for almost an hour. We finally got her license and hurried on to Sonic-that girl deserved more than just the standard drink-she got a meal.
• We made it on while Graham was standing in the garage waiting on Campbell and the car to get home so they could go to work. They worked the rest of the afternoon while I finished school with Anderson, Keaton, and Whitman.
• Before too long, it was time for church tonight. They fed us dinner tonight at church-tacos. They were fine, but most of us had another meal or snack when we came home. The Wednesday night ChickFilA people just came home at the same time that I put a cake in the oven for tomorrow night.

December 3, 2024

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• When I stood up at 12:30 today, I could barely stand myself up straight. I then realized that I don't think that I had actually stood up sine 8:30 this morning when I first sat down. I guess I need to start walking around between working with kids. 
• There is really no reason that school is taking me this long this year-well, I did change the little 3's language arts so I guess that is what it is plus I've added an extra math for everyone. So really, I have done this all to myself.
• Robby was at Costco today and offered to pick up the kids something from the snack bar. He offered to pay a dollar for each kid. This was a good experiment in the kids' money management. Anderson bought nothing while Keaton and Whitman both used Robby's dollar to buy 1 cookie for them to split. Campbell and Graham, the working children, bought themselves a cookie and a chicken bake.
• When lunch was over, I took Campbell for a little bit of driving-tomorrow is the driving portion of her test. I think she will do fine...at least I hope she will do fine, but backing up won't be easy at all! So start praying around 9:45 in the morning for her to back up safely.
• When we came home, I took my walk and worked with Whitman. Then I ran with Robby to pick up a supper supplement. I had made potato soup which most people ate, but they also snacked on the chicken that Robby picked up. 
• Now, everyone has been in the living room for quite a bit of the Hogs game. Campbell and Keaton have stayed in the longest, and now they are spinning each other in Robby's office chair. 

December 2, 2024

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• This didn't really seem like a Monday, especially a Monday after a break. Things went fairly well today which always surprises me. Now, Whitman was even finished a bit earlier. However, this is because he didn't do the math that I laid out for him, he switched it out from math for later this week. I don't mind him doing this except it just leaves the harder math for later in the week.
• Graham really struggled this year because he has a lot of school, and then three days a week he is leaving by one for work. Plus the other two days a week, he is gone over an hour for his class (when he goes). He rarely accomplishes all that I have planned and was still working on school work tonight on the couch.
• Anderson may just turn out to be my chef-or at least my short order cook. His standard lunch meal lately has been eggs with leftover ChickFilA which we have seemed to have a lot of. He fries up his eggs and dices up his chicken and makes a pretty appealing looking hash.
• Campbell would prefer to stay home instead of going to work, but she sure does love getting those checks in the mail. She said that she did a lot of cropping today. When she did get home, she drove Keaton and me to pick up a present that Keaton bought. Then we picked up some nuggets for some folks before we hurried home.
• Then Campbell joined Robby and me to go out and eat. It was a good meal, and the waitress was nice, but everything just took a while. At least the room that we were in was entertaining. When we came home, I settled in my chair to read and write the blog. I've just returned from taking the dog out and am a bit chilly now-should I get myself some hot chocolate...possibly so.

December 1, 2024

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• This morning was church morning-I had called Anderson a few times to wake up, and he seemed awake. However, when he came downstairs this morning to head to the car, he said that was the fastest anyone has ever gotten ready for church-I doubled checked that he had remembered teeth and deodorant. He had so it was all good-and his hair even looked nice.
• We all went to church-I might be missing teaching Sunday school just a tiny bit, but maybe not. I'm not sure-I do enjoy our Sunday school class, but I feel a bit unsettled still on Sunday mornings. 
• After church, we had lunch at Grannymom's house for lunch. The college girls were both there- Reagan and Lilly so that filled up the kids table. I'm sure that they enjoyed that though. We also celebrated Dana's birthday a bit early this afternoon.
• When we came home, Robby left to run some errands. While he was gone, I did do a few things at first, but then I just pretty much had a nice long nap. (I really don't think that it was that long, but it sure was nice.)
• None of the kids had afternoon and evening activities so it was a quiet evening around here. Reagan left early this evening to head back to school. She just had two weeks left of school so it won't be long before she is home again. 
• The Wilson's came by this evening so we visited for a while. Shannon brought all of her desserts over so we did enjoy some sweets before we start the week tomorrow.