Weekend Happenings

Good Friday morning AND Merry Christmas!

The Gallery Pics are from the Christmas Eve Service last night. It is one of my family's favorite Christmas activities, and it did not disappoint.

Of course, after the service, the Faulkner Five bought our traditional Chinese Chicken dinner and enjoyed Chinese take-out for our Christmas Eve dinner. The opening of sibling gifts, (I've included a couple of those pictures, too), a Christmas movie and the evening was considered a Christmas Eve success.

CHRISTMAS CARD COUNT - Thanks to Evelyn for a hand-delivered card, Robin for a wonderful musical e-mail card AND four cards in the mailbox yesterday, my total is 79!! Can you believe it? I have 79 Christmas cards! YEA!!!

So I guess my new goal for December 2010 will be... 100! I think we can do it! If not next year, then maybe the next. I don't mind if it takes more than one season to meet my goal. Not a bit!

And would the sweet family who sent me at least FOUR cards please step forward. I would like to thank you in person. Who knows? I might even bake you an eggnog pound cake to show my sincere appreciation!

Weekend Happenings

This weekend will be much like your weekend, I am sure. Last night found me in the floor working on Matthew's (my great-nephew) ABCs of Christmas Scrapbook. I am almost finished. (Thank goodness we see him Saturday instead of today!)

The kids will open their "Santa" gifts this morning. We can practically fit all of their gifts in a shoebox these days... but the price tag is not what it used to be when they were younger!

We will be at my Mom's for Christmas today, and Saturday we will celebrate with Mike's family (and my great-nephew). I'm trying a new recipe for Saturday's get-together, and I'm planning on posting it next Tuesday. (My friend, Melaney, shared it with me, and it sounds very good.)

Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, I will have lunch with three of my oldest girlfriends Sunday after church. (Not old in age, but old in length of friendships. I don't want to start off a great lunch having to apologize.) We usually have three out of four of us attend, but this year we are trying very hard for 100 percent. It's difficult since one of our group lives in Atlanta, but we work around her very busy family schedule when she comes home to visit to squeeze in a couple of hours of "girl time." We'll see.

Sunday night, the Faulkner Five (along with the lovely Melia) will be attending our annual Movie After Christmas. As of this minute, it is still up in the air which movie we'll be attending. I'll have to let you know for sure Monday.

As always, I'll see how everything I've carefully planned and orchestrated turns out. It's always interesting to see what REALLY HAPPENS.

Books - These are a few more Christmas favorites. (You can also look back in the December 2008 archives for more Christmas book ideas. There are more religious books in the 2008 posts.)

1. Christmas in the Big Woods (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It will make your children really, really think about what is important at Christmas time, and to be happy with blessings such as God and family.

2. God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T. Bergren and David Hohn. It's the book with the two polar bears on the cover. Excellent.

3. I Spy Little Christmas by Jean Marzolla and Walter Wick. My kids always loved the I Spy books, and this one is more of the same. If you have car traveling this season, this will occupy the guys for quite a while.

4. The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa by Stan and Jan Berenstain. What can I say? A classic.

5. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. This probably goes without saying, but it is one of the BEST secular Christmas books ever. Beautiful illustrations and beautiful story. Love it.

If you have favorites, share them in the comment section. You can never have enough Christmas books.

Have a wonderful, safe, Merry Christmas. Enjoy your time with family and friends. Take 1,000,000 pictures, tons of video and memorize as much of this special time with your little ones and other family members as you can.

Take care, and I'll talk to you Monday.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting and Very Merry Belinda