CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS & CHALLENGE

The Jolley family has received so many beautiful Christmas cards this year. Thank you for helping us celebrate the holiday. Along with the pictures and cards, are some letters as well. One letter in-particular stood out to me, and we wanted to share with all of you her message and challenge. (Thanks Lori!)

"We are grateful for so many things: a quaint home, great jobs, food on the table, health, happiness... I could go on and on. Despite the instability of our economy and the daily headlines fluctuating between "it is improving" to "it's not as good as once thought" ... we know this, we are blessed. Blessed to call you our family and friends - and blessed to wake each morning to God's gifts.

So here's the 2009 challenge... : As you gather with your family and friends this year, make sure to say "I love you" whole heartedly, hug tightly, hold each other in your hearts and share abundantly for what you are grateful.

It is with gracious hearts that we see the wonders of this world..."


Merry Christmas! We love you and are grateful for such wonderful family and friends that help in a moments notice, pray for us, and share with us our greatest truimphs and disappointments. We hope this year has brought you closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Let us always remember what the season is about. Love, the Jolleys

PIANO RECITAL

Faith's first piano recital was a lot of fun, though I had to miss it. Faith started piano lessons with my mom in January. Throughout the year, we have taken probably a month or so off. She is learning and doing so well. I enjoyed watching her play on the video. Here she is playing Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and The First Noel:



Didn't she do awesome? She was one of the only children that didn't have music in front of them! She worked so hard to memorize it. Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

Both Dawson and Kate fell asleep, though Dawson said he just couldn't keep his eyes open!

Faith smiling big. She is growing up!
Here she is with a few of the kids.


Awesome job Faith!

DEAR SANTA

My friend Echo had this posted on her blog and it was just TOO CUTE to pass up! Merry Christmas to all the hardworking mothers out there!

"Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the pediatrician's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with a red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free times in the next 18 years. Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone. On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. I could also use a recoding of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your sister," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container through a window in a bag with a clown on it. If you don't mind, I could use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be to much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family. Well Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my daughter saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think she wants her crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

Mom

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all of my requests if you can keep my children young enough to always believe in Santa!"

SCORE!

Today's awesome deal. I bought 8 boxes of General Mills cereal, 4 cocoa puffs, 2 trix, 2 banana nut cheerios. Each cereal was $2.50; when you bought 4 boxes, you get $4.00 off making them $1.50 a box. Then I had coupons. So, 8 boxes cost me $7.72 (that's with tax included).

BUT WAIT, there's more. As I was walking away, the cashier said "Wait." and handed me a catalina for $5.00 off your next purchase. SCORE! I didn't see a catalina on pinching your pennies. I told her I didn't know there was a catalina. She said "Neither did I. Merry Christmas!" So, today, I really paid $2.72 for 8 boxes of cereal. Great deal, huh?

(SIGH)

This morning it happened. After 6 beautiful, wonderful months of clean, normal ears, she has nasty green drainage from her left ear. Sigh! Just hoping that we will be able to keep her happy and healthy for Christmas.

STITCHES

So the picture is a little fuzzy, but I have to tell you the best story. Yes, I've been married for 10 years. Yes, I know how to sew and even have a sewing machine to use to sew paper (LOL). But ask me if I have ever mended a single item in the 10 + years that we've been married. The answer: "NO!" until Friday night. Kate's coat (hand me down from Faith) needed fixing. The mitten which is attached to the coat (have I mentioned how much great it is to have mitten already attached? I highly recommend it) was ripped off. It has been sitting in the bottom of the coat closet for a month. Friday night, I retrieved it from the closet, grab black thread and a needle (I know but it was between black and white, so I opted for black), and proceeded to mend her coat. What did Brandon say? "Are you feeling okay?" I said yes, and that it was about time to fix something instead of throw it away.
The verdict. It wasn't too bad. It took about 5 minutes and you wouldn't know unless you looked too close. I will definitely try it again sometime!!! There is a first time for everything I guess! LOL!

ANNIVERSARY #10

It all started when a boy (Brandon) met a girl ('Michelle'). She was a 'Jensen' who went to bed at 7 o'clock every night. He was just another guy. If my counting is correct, that was 1987.


We have now been married 10 years. My, how the time flies. During our 10 years, we have been blessed to add to our family with 3 children, Faith, Dawson, and Kate. We have lived with in-laws twice (thanks Kathy and Jerry!), lived in 2 different apartments, and bought our first home. We've switched jobs too many times to count. We also have had a few different vehicles. We've had our share of ups and downs. But through it all, at least we had each other.

For our anniversary, Brandon surprised me and took me to New Moon (I love twilight) and then out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It just a great night, just the two of us!


Thank you for a wonderful evening! I love you Brandon! Happy 10th anniversary!