Adventures with Ahrens First W/end of October- You know what that means!

About four years ago, we began our trifecta- "Friday Family Fun Night, Super Saturday, and Sunday Funday."  Friday nights are a pizza or the like type of meal with either a game night, a movie, or if we are extra lucky, a local play.  We have done scavenger hunts, glow in the dark themed nights, etc.  Super Saturday starts out with the migits making a dollar package of muffins.  We used to be regular mass goers to the Saturday Vigil, and that was our major event on Saturdays, but over the past year, we have become "make-it-to-any-Mass-that-fits-the-schedule" type people.  (I know, I know.  That is a terrible attitude to take.  Where am I, and why am I in this hand basket???)  Some Saturdays we are at the YMCA pool, playing outside, at a party, etc.  Sunday Funday is a mellow morning of Mass, the occasional stop at my folks, if they are not at the cabin, and ends in the traditional steak dinner.  To have a meal that I don't have to get creative with is actually the fun part of the day for this mommy.
*When Geoff and I got married, we spent a few years without children.  We never had much money, but we liked the idea of having a date.  So, each Friday night, we would make a steak dinner and eat together on the couch.  Steak, salad, rolls, and while the steak was on the grill, we would munch on garlic Triscuits with port wine cheese as our appetizer.  We carried the steak idea over to our trifecta of family time.

However, as most of you know, I was deprived of Christmas for about 25 years.  I was raised Jewish.  I would like to say that I found Jesus, but we all know that He found me, and I began the conversion process, prior to meeting my husband.  (No he is not Catholic, but he is honoring my choice to raise them Catholic, and when they are able to, they will decide how they feel called.)  Therefore, every year, since living in this house, we have decorated for Christmas, the first weekend in October.  I don't decorate for any other holiday in the year.  ONLY Christmas.  And really, not outside much.  Last year, we bought a strand of lights to go over the garage doors.  Might stick a sign out front this year.  Nothing crazy.

So, tonight, we began staging.  We put the tree together, and made sure all the lights are working, and I fluffed the tree.  We will decorate the tree and stream our Christmas music all day tomorrow as we get through our work and then, begin our Friday Family Fun Night.  I was so surprised to see that our elf already found a hiding place to sneak in for a one day appearance.  Santa was so nice to let him out for the day!

Missing something there.  

That's not it!

These trees are out year round.  And I can get them to all light, perfectly.  Just sayin'. 

Nope.  Not quite.  

This is actually out, year round.  

Spot-it type book.  Notice the Jack-in-the-box?  Freaky.  

I enlarged it... one of the items is a toilet seat.  Nasty.  

Our entire tree is only decorated with ornaments that we make from pictures from the previous year(s).  Each year, I like to add about 8-10 new ones, that way we cover most months, and changes in the migits.  This year, we will have gymnastics, the play, camps, plays we went to, maybe a cabin visit, the new downstairs, etc.  I thought the search and find type book we got at the library would be perfect for in between work while we are home schooling in the morning.  

GOT IT!

Silly lil' elf!

Looks like he left a note!  Cool- he knows cursive!  Wow.  His old writing must have taken so long!  (Just a guess.  So glad the elves were not educated with the new common core standards.)  Looks like his proper cursive is something "he" needs to work on, too ;o)