White Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas this year. Some of us were still a little coughy and sneezy, but for a full week all ten of us were home with no practices or classes or meetings to go to at all. Georgia even saw fit to give us some snow on Christmas day. It was so nice to watch the snow come down in the warmth of the family room with a roaring fire.

I'm hoping to get up enough gumption to resume painting. Our living room is still only half painted. We started painting at the end of summer when we had a bit of a break and haven't touched a paint can since. The ladders and boxes and general clutter of it all is starting to really bug me now that I have a few moments to notice it. The Kings are coming for a few days at the end of the week to help us ring in the new year. Maybe I can get Ginny on the painting job with me. Part of me wants to get it done so that I don't feel like a hopeless lazy bum. I have visions of a beautifully decorated home that shocks and amazes all who come through our doors. Part of me then wipes the sleep out of my eyes after the beautiful dream. We've got a long way to go!

With the kids home for the whole day during Christmas break, I've had the feeling of homeschool again. It's nice to have all my chicks under my wing for a bit. But, I've also realized that the house sure does stay a lot cleaner when everyone is scattered to the wind for school or work. Plus now that the kids are older, more of them cook. I have washed so many pots and pans and run the dishwasher to death and STILL the kitchen is trashed! And it's not that the kids don't do their part as well. We run the dishwasher at least twice a day and still we run out of clean dishes! Keri Lynn, in her college wisdom, suggested to me earlier this week that I should get everyone simply to clean up after themselves. Really? I have not thought of this before?

Kristofer is really hoping to get into Georgia College and State University where Keri Lynn goes. We'll see how it goes. The SAT didn't go great, but his grades are okay. I really don't know how it's all going to pan out for him. I do know that he is very ready to be out on his own. He gets a lot more impatient with his siblings than he used to. I noticed the same thing with Keri Lynn when she was at this stage. There is a natural need to move forward and away, to gain independence, to grow up. Sigh. I've got to get Kristofer's senior potrait done soon. He has taken some really great pictures of himself with his nifty camera, but we need to get the cap and gown one done for the yearbook. I'd like to get the whole family photographed over at Portrait Inovations, too. We have very few pictures of all of us in one picture. We make up for it in hundreds of snap pictures throughout each month. Keegan takes up about 95% of the pictures with his cute little self!

Kathleen is preparing to act in her first high school drama. It's a set of three short plays. She has a big part in two of them. She's been practicing her little heart out. It's been a lot of fun to watch her get her opportunity to do something that she has dreamed of doing practically her whole life. I can't wait to see her! She's been trying to keep her parts quiet so that I'll be surprised when I see it!

I'm going back to school next week for a January class. January is going to be a crucial month as I go on the job hunt. Things are still very tight on the job market in education, as with so many other areas. So we're looking at the very real possibility of me remaining unemployed for another semester. The good news is that by the end of Summer 2011, I'll be credentialed. And we'll just have to lean on the Lord some more for providing for all of our needs. He is the giver of all things anyway, employed or not. The fall semester was a great opportunity to do student teaching and to take a couple more classes. It was a busy time, but it was doable. I worked with a really good teacher and some terrific sixth graders. I can't wait for my own classroom!