Visions Of Sugar Plums.....

......danced in their heads!

Merry Christmas~

What I Love........

A New Christmas tradition this year in our home was to decorate a Jesse Tree! Reading the Old Testament stories each day and adding a ornament that represents the scripture that was read.
One of my church friends (also with 6 kiddos) made the ornaments for me a few years ago but this was the first year we did our tree and read the scriptures! (Maybe next Holiday I will post each ornament! They are very cool!)

This is one of my favorite ornaments......made by one of my kiddos while staying with some of our home school friends. (Hubby and I were at Children's Hosp. with Noah(5mo. @ the time) for his surgery. Noah is now my 7 yr old home schooler!I love my home school friends!
This is a New tradition @ My Blue Bird Cottage (what we call our home)

It is a Heirloom Oak (there is a number on the bottom) nut bowl and cracker/pick set! I bought this @ Hubby's work auction for $5.00! There are slots in the bowl for the tools!

We ALL love the Christmas oranges.......easy to peel and fun to eat!

I love my hound dog......but I'm still waiting for Jacob to give him a bath!

I love dressing the girls up in their Christmas dresses. Lace socks and hair bows.....what a great time!

Merry Christmas!

Georgiann

Just Relaxing~

Well there is only 2 more days until my In Laws get here! They will be sleeping in the "N" boys room.....so I will be tidying it up and changing the sheets today. The boys can start sleeping in there alternate spot tonight!
This year is the first year the kiddos drew names to see who they would buy for and do random acts of kindness...(in secret). We are doing the straw in the manger thing as well. For every act of kindness the kids do they put a piece of straw in the manger getting ready a spot for Jesus birth!
My To Do List For Today~

• Today the youngest 3 will be wrapping presents they bought (I gave them each $10.00 to spend on their person)
• Make CHEX mix with the kiddos
• 6 Loads of laundry
• Play wooden trains with the kids
• For lunch broccoli cheese soup,bread and oranges
• Clean the Bathrooms
• Make tater-tot casserole with the kiddos (tonight's dinner)
• Load the bread makers
• Read the kiddos some stories
• Put the kettle on for my afternoon tea and snacks
• Feed & Water our many animals (I do that every day AM & PM)
• Give the girls a bath
• Remind Jacob to bath the dog
• Go outside and take a deep breath of fresh air and remember there is still about 6 days until Christmas to get ALL my other stuff done.
• Go to bed early, read my novel and sip my herbal tea!

Did I tell you I still have not even started to wrap presents?! (For about 15 people)
Its hard to do when you have at least 2 little shadows all day.......now I'm not complaining. I love my kiddos. I like them wanting to learn and to WANT to be near me.....but it make Christmas surprises hard to pull off!
Its hard to pace the cleaning because its only stays nice & clean in a house FULL of 8 people for about 1/2 a day!
My In Laws will be here for about 12 days and my hubby has the week off (Christmas to the new year) so I will not be blogging as much.
Blessings and Prayers for a
Merry Christmas!

In Love,
Georgiann

When I Saw This......

.....my heart skipped a beat!

Birds of a feather flock together~

This is the fabric I was so excited about! I really love

birds and when I saw this fabric I knew I had to have it! I was in JoAnn's Fabrics store to pick out material for a quilt......I will now be making two quilts. A bird one and one with the other fabrics I shared last week on my blog!

Look here to see a picture of a real bird I saw in my neighbors yard....looks just like the bird in the berry tree on the fabric!

So sweet!

Blessings,

Georgiann

Gifts From The Heart~

This year Noah (my 7yr old homeschooler) is making gifts with air dry clay by Crayola for everyone. He is busy painting some of them now! He made about 8 things so far and I think the recipients of his gifts will be pleased!

Blessings,

Georgainn

Scented Playdough~

Homemade Play Dough

• 1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid (we chose red cherry)



• 2 cups water



• 2 tablespoons veggie oil

In large sauce pan,over medium heat stir together the water, drink mix and oil until boiling!

Then in a medium bowl mix together the following:





• 2 cups flour



• 1 cup salt



• 4 teaspoons cream of tartar




Add the dry ingredients to the boiling liquid over medium heat. Stirring constantly until it forms a ball. Remove form heat! Let cool completely and store in air tight container. Old yogurt containers work great!

The play dough smells wonderful enough to eat.....but has a high sodium content so its not recommended






This play dough makes a great gift to take to a birthday party or even Christmas....just add a few cookie cutters to the top of the gift instead of a bow!

The Kool-Aid was 25 cents. The salt was 68 cents for a box! (enough for 4 batches)

The cream of tartar was about $3.00 for a bottle, but I have enough to make quit a few batches of dough.

It cost me about .75 cents to make 4 cups of play-dough!!!!!!




Blessings,

Georgiann

Name That Bunny~

We have two new bunnies and they need names!

Bunny #1 above^ and Bunny #2 below.

{ Front and Back of same rabbit}

These two bunnies were given to us by our friends a few weeks ago and still have no names! Both bunnies are said to be female. {we are not planing for baby bunnies!}

Can you help us think of possible names for our bunnies??????

Blessings,

Georgiann

Did I ever tell you.....

I love birds? Well I do!!!!!!

I just happen to see this bird in my neighbors tree! I always have my camera handy and was overjoyed this bird did not fly away as I took several pictures of it!

Nature brings such JOY to my heart!

Blessings,
Georgiann

The Christmas Party~

Hi there.....well these are the Christmas party pictures I promised!
If you were one of the lucky/unlucky ones to see and hear me on my first ever very bad video before I deleted it.....this is me and what I wore to the party!
I went to Walmart and got black slacks and a long sleeve dark gray top.
Oh Amy....I will not be cleaning in these pants! and I am working hard to change my ungreen bleach cleaning habit! I actually have been making some of my own cleaners and have a cool book with recipes I've been reading! I hope to post about it soon!
(I do love the smell of bleach)

There was food and fun for all!

Big brother helping to open a candy cane.....it took 5 minutes!

Oh the Christmas cookies...................

Crafts................. Calender Candy Countdown to Christmas!

Gifts from Santa for all the kiddos!

Oh and I did good at the silent auction...... I only spent $13.00 and came home with all my Christmas gifts (to me) valued at about $200.00!

Tomorrow I will show you the one thing I got for the house (from the aution) to have around as a new Christmas Tradition!

Can you guess what is is?

Blessings,

Georgiann

A Day Of Silence~

These are the flowers my oldest son Jarett left for J on her porch. The boy in the picture is my son's friend M . M went with us to take the flowers over.......as he remembered and shared his feelings of when his father died 7yrs ago! Our home is open to many teenage kids many whom have working parents or parents that don't seem to care enough about them. These kids come to our home for a warm loving environment and a meal!
My kitchen(The Garden Cafe) is always open! And this home is full of LOVE not judgement!

The four slain officers in my state are being laid to rest today~

The funeral is on TV here and.....it is BIG!


These four fallen officers have left behind a total of 9 children!

My oldest son Jarett is good friends with J the daughter of one of the officers killed~
Jarett is not sure how to comfort his friend.
My oldest son and I have been having many heart to heart talks.....I have never felt so close to my oldest son (15yr) as I have this past week.

Six of my sons friend's have dad's that work in the police or sheriff dept.

It was just last month that my son Jarett went to the movies with J....the daughter of one of the fallen officers.
My son met J's mom and dad. He shook her dad's hand!(as the dad checked him out.)
J's mom and dad gave them a ride home!

J and her 2 brothers will be speaking at the service today to remember their dad.
There are over 2000 vehicles in the 10 mile procession that took 4 hours.
There are 20,000 family members and officers in the Tacoma Dome.
There are four over flow locations to watch.
I am watching from home here......and taping it......the service may last about 4 hrs more!
What a L-O-N-G day for these families!

We are in such disbelief!

Last week our family dropped off paper products (Costco size plates,cups,utensils etc.) to help them with meal clean up during this time!
My son will drop off flowers for J today.....on her porch.
All our hearts are heavy!


Please keep our community in your prayers!

Its For The Birds!

Most mornings you will find me sitting in my kitchen, staring out the window into my backyard. As I sip my coffee (extra strong with french vanilla creamer), daydreaming of what fun things I will cook with the kiddos,the lessons I will teach or the chores that lay a head I watch the birds come for their morning breakfast!

I love to watch the birds play tag and eat the seeds I left for them in my garden! All sorts of birds come to sing and flutter from dead flower to old moldy corn stalks bringing LIFE and BEAUTY to my other wise half frozen and very brown garden! My beloved sunflowers are now dried and withered....but food for the birds! MY birds! Oh how I love the birds!

I hope you will enjoy watching the winter birds of my garden as I do each morning!

It is now snowing here in my corner of the woods tonight! Yah

Blessings to you all, and my you all feel the LOVE and share the HOPE this Advent season brings!

Warmly,

Georgiann

The Basket~

My craft basket is heaping with delectable fabrics!

I'm not sure if its the cold weather or what?... but I'm in the mood to sew a few quilts.
I'm still designing my blocks so it might be a bit before I dive in.
(Later this month I will be showing more fabics I bought for yet another quilt, so keep checking back....you won't want to miss it!!!!) 


Right now I'm getting ready to recycle some old sweaters into pants for my girls!


For Christmas I will be making pillowcases for the boys! (the girls will have to wait!)

Blessings for a Peaceful Holiday season!

Thanks for coming by~
Georgiann

For The Love.......

        ......of books and the children that read them!


Blessings,
Georgiann