Tis the season for cleaning out closets....

My Closet

His closet

Lydia's closet

Luke & Seth's closet

My husband is home with us this week, and we're tackling a few major projects together.

Our first one was cleaning out and organizing all the bedroom closets.

I am super excited that we made the switch from plastic hangers to wooden hangers.

The short story is that our church used to be a clothing store and there were thousands of them!

It took almost an entire day to get them all done, but we did it, and they look great.

I took all of the kids clothes that don't fit anymore to a really nice consignment shop in town.

And, I'll take my husbands and mine to the nearest Goodwill.

I went ahead and put it all in my car, so it won't sit in my bedroom floor.

 Here are my tricks to organizing our closets....

1. Create a Clean Slate

Take everything out and go through all your clothes to see what works and what doesn't work.

It's not rocket science, but it seriously helps to eliminate all those items you really just don't wear.

I don't do this more than two times per year,

 but it sure helps make those quick run throughs once a month more doable.

2. Organize Clothes 

There are a lot of ways you can organize your closet, but the main thing is that it works for you.

I've tried the color coded system, and I didn't like it.

I prefer putting all of my "like items" together.

{jeans, casual pants, dress pants, shorts, skirts, short sleeves, long sleeves, etc...}

3. Store your shoes 

There's no "best" way to do it, but the important thing is that

 you know what you have & you help them last as long as possible. 

I personally keep all of my shoes stored in the boxes they came in.

My husband prefers to keep his lined up by pair on the bottom of his closet.

Knowing where your shoes are saves time and stress in the mornings!

4. Group Sweaters together by color in top of closet

It helps you quickly grab the color that you need.

They last longer when they're folded.

I prefer them in my closet because if they're tucked in a drawer, they tend to be neglected and not worn.

Closets organized.

Chest of drawers cleaned out.

Christmas taken down.

Toys sorted and re-organized.

Feels good!

Won't last very long, but it feels sooooo good right now.

Are you cleaning out and organizing this week?

{thankful for}

226. a husband who likes organization as much as I do.

227. my mom's lung infection clearing up, finally.

228. the current episode of The Office that we're watching...hilarious.

Books and TV

Here is the list of books that I read this year.  

I had high hopes of reading way more than this, but we moved last August.

I know it's been 4 whole months, but reading just hasn't been on my radar as we've been adjusting.

I've been busy falling into the bed each night and only craving silliness such as::

Friends re-runs, The Office re-runs, Modern Family, and Tori & Dean.

And, if I'm gonna be honest, I've also watched a little Real Housewives of Atlanta and Beverly Hills.

{They make me feel normal because they are KA-RAZIE}

And, while I'm on this rabbit trail....

let me just say that those girls from Atlanta are not the most correct representation of Georgia girls. 

2011 Books

A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Building a Bridge to the 18th Century by Neil Postman
Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman
Decision Points by George W. Bush
Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman
Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline & Jim Fay
Radical by David Platt
ReJesus by Alan Hirsch
The Core by Leigh Bortins
The Hiding Place..The Triumphant True Story of Corrie Ten Boom
The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte

My favorites from this list were:

Grace for the Good Girl

Choosing to See

The Hiding Place

Ann of Green Gables

I've got a crazy list of books for 2012, but I thought I'd give you a few that I plan to read....

Oh, remember when I made this list?

I'm determined to read at least 8 of those classics this year or I'm never gonna meet that goal of 

40 before 40.

Families where Grace is in Place

What Women Fear

Parenting Teens with Love & Logic

Sheet Music

The Money Saving Mom's Budget

Little Britches

 

Anne Frank:  The Diary of a Young Girl

Soooooo....did you read anything this past year?

Have you made a list for 2012 yet?

Or, we could stick to tv shows that you're watching!!

Nester had an impromtu linky party for books we've read, so I thought I'd link up...

Christmas in Pictures...

Would you lose respect for me if I told you that I have more pictures of these girls than I do my kids?

I have had a flood of childhood memories since they were opened on Christmas morning!

I've been caught several times now playing with them...without Lydia in the room. 

{no joke}

She got her first American Girl Bitty Baby, and her name is jia-jia, which is Lydia's Chinese name.

Y'all, she tucked her in last night and told her not to be scared anymore cause she had a family now.

{jia-jia is pronounced ja-ja for those of you wondering}

He is so spoiled.

If you knew how many pictures he walks in front of, you'd die.

He wouldn't stop 'til he got his picture made today, so here he is in all of his ferocious glory.

It was such a wonderful morning at our house, and the kids were so grateful for each of their gifts!

This one sits back and takes it all in, quietly.

He enjoys watching each person open their gifts.

This one has his shirt on backward and he could care less.

He jumps from one sofa to the next and attempts to open two gifts at a time.

He is the opposite of quiet, and we wouldn't change a thing about him.

This one opened each gift carefully, not wanting to mess up the pretty paper.

She also said the words "thank-you" at least a hundred times.

She got other things for Christmas, but that Strawberry Shortcake dress and those dolls stole the show.

Are you wondering about the boo-boos all over her mouth?

She bit the dust on her bike two days before Christmas. 

****************************************************************************

She wanted to put her Christmas dress back on today and take pictures outside with her lollipop.

Ask me if my boys have ever, in all my years of being their mama, ever asked me to do a photo shoot.

So, here are some of the pictures we took outside that capture her adorable personality.

A smocked dress, big bow and bare feet = Southern living at it's finest!

That's a Hello Kitty watch that she got in her stocking, and she now likes to sleep in it.

I love it that she likes to dress up ...

and have fashion shows...

 and dance with all her might.....

and have me take as many pictures of her as my camera will hold...

AND ride bikes, play in dirt, and build legos with her brothers.

Currently, we are in her room listening to "Come Let Us Adore Him" on her new Hello Kitty stereo.

I'm writing this post, and she is singing to the top of her lungs totally out of tune.

*************************************************************************

I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas with your families.  I know we did.

We had a beautiful Christmas Eve service at our church.

I will never tire of having the Christmas story read aloud.

After this Christmas, I think Matthew's version is my very favorite.

He starts the book with the genealogy of Jesus.

And, he mentions the unmentionables. {and their labels}

Tamar prostituted herself.

 Judah and his brothers sold their brother Joseph into slavery.

 The one who had been Uriah's wife, who was Bathsheba, committed adultery with King David.

Ruth wasn't a Jew, but she made it into the lineage of Christ.

These people were important to him because he could relate to them.

Their stories mattered to him because they were people who were desperate for Jesus the way he was.

Matthew was a tax collector and was among the least favored people in the area.

When he met Jesus, he was unconditionally accepted and it changed him from the inside-out.

His version reminds us that Christ came for everyone.

...even the unmentionables.

I am overwhelmed with a grateful heart that He is Emmanuel, God with us.

He is bigger than our mistakes.

He is greater than the sins that entangle us.

He is more powerful than the labels that people give us and that we give ourselves.

He is with us.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, 

full of grace and truth.

{thankful for}

214. Matthew's version.

215. Jesus removing all my labels.

216. His acceptance of me.

217. His work on the cross.

218. My kids grateful hearts.

219. Time with my precious parents and my brother and his family.

220. delicious food that I'm still thinking about.

221. peppermint ice cream from Mayfield.

222. newly painted bathroom cabinets in our rental house.

223. a walk down memory lane with strawberry shortcake and her crew.

224. a warm house in cold weather.

225. Hamburgers on the grill with french fries

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Family pictures for our yearly Christmas card have never been so fun!
Seriously, we usually end up in a family feud, and we left smiling this year.
{this is what we're gonna call growth}

~2011 Year In Review~
Lydia turned 4 years old and we celebrated with dinner and a movie with her friends.
We started selling our family rules signs!
My parents took my family and my brother's family on a 7 night Disney Cruise.
Luke turned 11 and celebrated with pizza and a pool party.
Busch Gardens for a day!
We completed our 4th year of homeschool, and there were less days of crying. :)
Andy took our college students to India for two weeks to see some of our favorite people ever.
Andy accepted a new position at Athens Church in Athens, Georgia!!
We said goodbye to our sweet college students and our wonderful friends in Orlando.

Moved into the home of some friends while they were away in Africa and lived for our first 6 weeks.

We celebrated 15 years of marriage the week that we moved.
Seth turned 9 years old our first Sunday at the church, and we celebrated with my family.
We moved into our rental house where we'll be living for at least a couple of years.
...and we painted and painted and painted.
Our house  FINALLY SOLD!!!
{the one in my hometown that had been for sell for three years while we lived in Orlando}
Family day at Six Flags over Georgia with my brother and his family...season passes for next year!
Enjoyed the change of weather and the beautiful fall leaves!!
Max, our little yorkie, turned 2 years old, and we celebrated with a long walk & a bone.
Our family celebrated Gotcha Day with Lydia...4 years ago they put her in our arms to stay forever.
We are ending this year of making our family rules signs having sold around 175 of them!

It has been a wonderful year for our family....
Transition isn't ever easy, but this has been the easiest go at it that we've ever experienced.

{thankful for}
 201. Athens Church.
202. The phenomenal people we work with at the church, who are gifted, strong and humble leaders.
203. This opportunity we have to help lead others into a growing, personal relationship with Jesus.
204. My kids' small group leaders, who are faithfully serving & loving them each and every week.
205. My kids love for our church!!
 206. Our small group on Tuesday nights.
 207. The power of God at work in our family and in the lives of these families.
208. My kids' friendships here.
209. Living about 8 minutes from one of my dearest friends and her family.
{we cheered all through school together, were college roomies and in each other's weddings}
 210. The chance to live an hour from my family.
211. The blessing of watching my kids run & play on my parents land.
212. The smiles on my parents' faces every time we walk through their front door.
213. The sweet relationship between my parents and Andy.

Merry, Merry Christmas to you and your families!
We pray peace, love & joy for each of you in the new year.

Right Now.

My friend Tiffani is the author of the awesome blog known as the House of Belonging.

I am so thankful for her!!

She is a prayer warrior.

She's strong and brave and courageous.

She's creative and kind.

She's filled with beauty from the inside-out.

She's one of those blogger friends who I hope to meet one day.

She recently moved into a new house that she is totally renovating.

She's also in the middle of opening up her business.

She has an Etsy shop that you should stop right now and visit.

She sprinkled the most perfect Christmas cheer all over her house....

She recently did a "right now" post where she gave us the inside scoop on one of her days.

I enjoyed reading hers so much that I decided to do one, too.

You might want to sit down, the excitement in one of my days might just blow you away.

watching: friends re-runs on nick at nite. 

 i totally want to judge their fashion choices, but i can't

because i looked just like them in the 90s.  

i have close friends who call me monica gellar on occasion,

 and every time i watch these re-runs, i understand more and more why they do.

eating: I went all out tonight and bought personal size chicken pot pies from trader joes.  obviously, i'm not going to be serious competition for the "mother of the year" award.

drinking: water, but i wish i was drinking a 42 oz. extra sweet tea with lemon.

wearing: my favorite lucky brand jeans with a black pullover from banana republic and my sperrys.

avoiding: wrapping christmas presents.  

i haven't wrapped the first present. 

 i had all of our gifts bought two weeks before thanksgiving 

and i sent our christmas cards out on december 1st, but i haven't wrapped anything.

it's my least favorite part of the whole season because they never turn out as pretty as the ones on pinterest.

some would ask why i wrap them and not just sit them out on christmas eve....

my kids like to tear into wrapped gifts...that's why i do it. 

feeling: full from dinner and totally relaxed.

missing: my friend kate in california,
my friend michele in pennsylvania,
 and my friend kourtney in orlando.

I seriously need girl time with each of these people.

thankful: for a warm house & bathed children.  
and really thankful that it's almost their bedtime.

weather: 50 degrees and cloudy.

praying: for my mom...she has a lung disease and she's had an infection this week.  

needing: to order the gray and white plaid fabric for the boys' room.  i hate when something has been on my "to do" list for weeks and it just keeps getting bumped to the next week's list.  hate it.

thinking: about the twelve family rules signs that we are making and shipping out this week.  6 painted...6 more to go.

loving: my new lucky brand boots that i got with christmas money from my parents.  i searched and searched  for a pair that i could love for the next ten years.  melissa frye boots were on the top of my list, but i just couldn't do it..so glad i didn't.  i love these lucky brand boots so much and i know i'll never tire of them.  reeeally love that they were half the price of frye boots and still just as awesome.

Ginger Bread Houses 2011

The bad news is::

It's almost four in the afternoon and I'm still in my pajamas.

The good news is::

The kids got their gingerbread houses completed.

{thankful for}
199. memory making with the kids at Christmas.
200. chicken pot pies from Trader Joes for dinner.