ZABARS

Our mail lady is awesome. Really! She delivers our bills mail in a silver jeep with her freshly dyed maroon hair and many piercings. She knows my big black van and never forgets to wave as I drive on by. She casually chats with the neighbors and delivers all my packages right to my porch.

This morning we were still in pajamas with bed head getting ready for the day when our doorbell rang. I tiptoed to the peephole in hopes the visitor did not hear the chaos behind my walls. If I was very careful, perhaps I could just "pretend" we were not home. I shushed and yelled quieted the children.

What a relief to see my favorite lady dropping packages off for us. I opened my door and waved and said thank you. We exchanged pleasantries as some children escaped out the open door...

I was quite baffled since all of our expected purchases had already arrived, but I picked them up and brought them to the kitchen table for a closer look.

My children were now hovering over me like little mosquitoes trying to catch a peek at the return address. I, again, shooed them away until one white box caught my eye.

A big piece of tape was on the side that said "perishables... open immediately.'

It was from ZABARS.

Hmmm... Zabars? Perishables? I knew Zabars was an awesome epicurean store located in NYC but why are we getting a package from there and who was the sender??

I must admit, it was quite exciting on this otherwise rainy day.

We quickly ripped open the package and pulled out

THIS:

A bag FULL of FRESH NY BAGELS!!

GLORY!

Do I hear an AMEN as well??

A piece of home never made 8 people sooo happy.

And the bag that the bagels were in??....

PRECIOUS!!!!

But who were they from??

A little note fell out and it read:

Good 'ol Aunt Eva... Hubby's sister and our nephew...

She's the best isn't she.

And she really made us feel special today...

So Aunt Eva... if your reading this...

THANK YOU from the very bottom of our tummy's. You could have not picked a better gift if you tried. The only thing that could have made it better, was if you and that sweet boy were joining us on Christmas morning. All of us, around the table, eating and laughing and eating some more...

In spirit you will be. We love you

Xoxo

GiGi

Let There Be Light!!!

For the past 4 years, we don't consider Christmas complete without a chilly visit to the crazy Christmas house.

One sweet couple spend hours and hours and MONTHS of hard work decorating their precious home for others to enjoy.

With over 250,000 lights and over 100 inflatables, this house is a Christmas wonder!!

On any given day from December thru January, hundreds of locals stand in line to enter a magical land of lights.

Christmas music plays, a movie is projected on the garage door and FREE hot cocoa and popcorn are given out to everyone.

Santa waits to greet you by the open fire and hands out candy canes to all the good little girls and boys...

Once we have our goodies, we head around the house to see the magic of the season. Paths are made all around the lawn. Everyone respectfully follows the paths and happily takes pictures for everyone else.

Lights are everywhere. Music blares and Children dance in excitement.

Everyone loves the "crazy Christmas house." Its infamous in our little town.

Even in the midst of Santa-land, the real reason for the season takes center stage.

New crosses were added this year for one of the owners grandparents... who passed away on Christmas eve of last year.

Every year, we brave the cold to capture just a few moments at the crazy Christmas house.

This year we took my cousin Neal. He has never been there before, so we decided it was TIME!!!

Even Emma couldnt resist taking a picture with her favorite Christmas Character!!!

I think this is one of my favorite parts. The Angel Choir. They always sing something beautiful!! Inside their house, they have 5 rotating Christmas trees for you to see thru the window.

As you make your way down the other side of the driveway and head home, they have another donation bucket. People are so kind and donate to keep this precious event going!!

Sometimes in a world full of selfishness, its such a blessing to find those that give 100% of themselves.

All evening, after we came home, I thought of these 2 people.
What they give.
What they sacrifice...
Just to show others LOVE.

Now, THAT is what Christmas is all about.

Xoxo

GiGi

Back Up The Mountain

After a very very late friday night, we packed up our big black van and headed up to the mountain in NC to visit our dear friends.

I just love the drive and still oohhh and ahhh like a pathetic city tourist. 

In total, I have been a southerner for 7.5 years. Considering thats almost half of my marriage and adulthood, you would think it would finally sink in. But it doesn't. I guess Im still so thankful that God brought us back down south after 8 years in NY. Eight l-o-n-g years.

They were beneficial years and blessings flowed from them, but we floated for all 8 of them. We knew since moving back to NY, we would be back south. We just didn't know when...

Anyway, every time we take the drive up to the mountains, I marvel. It was a very special little girls birthday and since our kids love to play together and get lost in the woods, we couldn't pass up the invite.

The kids settled into the van and hubby and I tried to have conversation without being interrupted. 

I also tried NOT to think of all the wrapping that I haven't done yet.

Or the fact that no matter how hard I try... we are still always late...

But once we ht the highway and saw the scenery change a bit... it was all lost and forgotten in the beauty of it all.


Before long, we pulled into their driveway and our kids began squealing with excitement, and their kids started to emerge from all over and the fun began.

It was a wonderful afternoon of laughing, talking and sharing.

Edifying!

Visits always bring me back to my "roots" and stirs my heart. Ideas are shared and advice is shared.
and the number 7 becomes my new favorite....

And you never would have guessed 13.5 children were there.

Aren't they a beautiful bunch???

Xoxo

GiGi

** Don't forget to follow me if you enjoy our Little Red House happenings...***

All They Want For Christmas...

With 6 kids Christmas gets expensive!!! Challenging!

With a limited budget, hubby and I decided years ago that less is best.

TRUST ME, no need to start pitying these dear children... they are well taken care of. But in a material world, we like to control what type of material girl (or boy) they become.

Every year we say we will stick to 3 gifts each. 3 big gifts... but every year we fail miserably. Don't get me wrong, its not too much more but its never just 3!

I tend to get carried away. But since gifts and extras are so limited through the year, I don't mind indulging just a bit for Christmas.

Even with my over-shopping, I still manage to come in UNDER budget. And most people's jaw drops when they realize just how little I do spend.

*** I have amazing shopping skills... really***

I also **LOVE** to include necessities like scarves, undies, make-up, toiletries...
All those things all the kids need anyway, but somehow, when its all wrapped up, they get super stoked!!

But anyway, My kids have had their Christmas list written for about 2 months now. Its been written and re-written and written again. Come mid-november we close shop and nothing else can be added to the list. I refuse... refuse to be out fighting the crowds the last 2 weeks of christmas for their latest "must have."

Plus, with my competitive spirit... it might not end well...

Top 3 gifts the kids want...:

Emma:

Bow and arrow

Hunger games companion book/ regular books

a necklace she saw

Hannah:

Harry Potter Scene it

(Yes, we allow Harry Potter. No we are not witches. Please refrain from any and all negative  comments. Especially from those who LOVE Disney World or anything related. The "MAGIC" Kingdom...HELLOO!!!)

A certain Cake decorating kit

A ring she picked out

Molly:

Sidewalk chalk

A guitar

Squinkies

Noah:

Squinkies

games

preferably a Wii game

Abigail:

Strawberry shortcake toy

Little Pony Toy

Chalk

Penelope:

Has no clue :)

We really don't do big electronic items. Some years we have given DS's. We also have been super SUPER blessed by extended family that have offered to buy the kids wii's, ipods, cameras and other items like that. Their generosity has always been overwhelming.

The greatest tradition we have in our home is our Secret Santa grab bag. During dessert on Thanksgiving, we pick names out of hats and that is our secret santa. We then buy them gifts, usually one store bought and as many homemade as they like and wrap them up under the tree!!!

The kids get SO excited to give to their special someone and just LOVE shopping for the perfect gift!!

they then torture each other endlessly till Christmas eve. At night, we gather 'round the tree and exchange.

This really is my favorite tradition we share and my FAVORITE part of Christmas. 1 gift brings the giver AND the receiver so much joy!!

I love to sit back and watch them play with their gift as if it were the very best thing in the whole wide world. HOURS of entertainment.

Christmas day tends to be overwhelming.

Kids rush to see the next thing they got....

they don't enjoy everything they have.

For me, Christmas Eve shows the true meaning of Christmas. Love expressed to each other and love enjoyed through "ONE" special gift.

Makes me want to slim down Christmas even more...

And remember why we celebrate it in the first place.

Xoxo

GiGi

SUYL Christmas Decorations!!!

Today I am linking up with KELLY at KELLYS CORNER for Show us your life Thursday!!! 

And THE CHATTY MOMMY FRIDAY FOLLOW!

I LOVE Christmas.

I do!

I love the reason for the season and I just LOVE the glitter!!

I won't buy a lick of decor if its not at least half covered with the sparkly stuff.

Its so bad, even Link the cat always has a face full of that stuff.

Our tree is artificial. But its awesome and beyond life-like.

White lights are a must!!!

And anything gloriously sparkly.

Every year I add some more. Some new picks for my mantle.

More bulbs for my tree and some shiny ornaments for my mini trees!!

At night, the only lights are from our tree and I sit and stare. I really think its the most prettiest tree in the world...

In the coziest house in the world...

with the best family in the world...

Is that bad??

I just love them so much. Shouldn't we all think that way??

Even though I sometimes complain that its a bit snug in here at times... I do think my Little Red House is the best little house in the world!!

Xoxo

GiGi

The Sweetest Surprise For CHRISTmas!

Shame on me for not blogging right away. I had perfect intent to blog all about our special surprise as soon as it arrived but alas, life got the better of me and it slipped my mind.

2 months.

Just 2 more months till I get the laptop/ipad hubby PROMISED me. One all for myself. I no longer have to fight my way upstairs and sit on the floor to use it!!!

I get giddy just THINKING about it.

Whew...

Anyway, 2 days ago, our awesome mail lady (she really is awesome) delivered a package to our door. We have a lot coming these past 2 weeks, so I just assumed it was something we had ordered.

But when I glanced down at the package, I was greatly surprised.

In it were 2 boxes of these...

DEVIL DOGS!!!

Beloved devil dogs that CANNOT be bought in the south!

She knows how my kids love love love these creamy chocolate cakes.

Janene is awesome! She is such a good friend. She is someone who I have not seen in over 4 years, but I know I can call her at any day or night and she will drop everything just to pray with me over the phone. Or encourage me with scripture. She is a true woman of faith!

We can pick up right where we left off without skipping a beat.

And we love her!! And miss her whole family to bits!!

But I must run!! See these pile of boxes?? Thats just the beginning of all the wrapping I must be doing...

Xoxo

GiGi

Recovery!!!

Oh what a weekend!!!

We are currently recovering from a fun christmas filled whirlwind weekend.

Of course, recovering with 4 small kids equals crying, screaming and UBER cranky day but all in all, it was worth every tear! (whine scream and fight)

It started off bright and early with my littles dressed in their Christmas best for our church's annual pre-school program. Our sanctuary was filled with overly-obsessed excited parents and grandparents ready to snap 1,000 pictures of their childs ever move.

Was I included in this you ask?

Nope, I calmly sat in our usual seats and didn't remind my husband 10 times that we should have sat closer to the front or that there was no way I would be able to see my sweet babies from our seats out in no mans land.

I also may or may not have made my hubby go back to the nursery to make sure my baby was delivered on stage WITH her furry ugg boots on.

I beamed with pride as I saw my son on stage. His red sweater vest with his hands in his pockets made me tear up with joy. Im sure my Abby was just as cute, but since she was shoved behind kids that were twice her size, her performance was left up to my imagination.

And my P was perfect on stage, in her pink dress and those cute furry boots I make her wear!!

Thanks Kathleen, for making sure she looked super cute!!

Once home, we ate pizza and took naps and then headed back to my Aunt and Uncle's church for their annual Christmas production. 

I stress PRODUCTION because it simply was amazing.

They put on a one of a kind show which included baby Jesus, Santa Clause and Phil Stacey from American Idol. (not necessarily in that order.)

My kids took turns lap hopping and nothing was lost over the balcony.

In my mind that is SUCCESS!!!

The night was finished off at my Aunts house eating the most delicious homemade cookies made by her!!! (and my girls)

we all changed into our pajamas, had corny Christmas movies on and enjoyed the evening.

It was good!

So, on behalf of a busy weekend and a very horrible, no good, very bad day due to lack of sleep...

My cousin came over tonight for a much needed impromptu wing night...

with a side of melted mozzarella rolls.

They currently just ran down the block to raid my aunts cookie jar.

Yes, im serious.

2 grown men and 2 teenagers stealing cookies at night.

Sigh...

only family...

but thats why we love them right??

Xoxo

GiGi

Its A Christmas Miracle!!!

Can you believe Im actually blogging 2 times in one week?? It must be a miracle.

Actually, its not. I just needed a break from the real world for a bit. Know what im sayin? Hubby took a half day from work so that was such a wonderful surprise for me!!

Even better is the fact that 3 of my girls are with my Aunt baking Christmas cookies and the baby is fast asleep!

Perfect blogging atmosphere!!

I have been so saddened by the news lately. I don't like to watch it, but even then, being on Facebook makes it unavoidable. Killings, shooting, sex offenders all around and the worst part is, most of these are done by people they KNOW!! 

Its crazy. When you have a baby, you fret over the littlest things like what toothpaste to use, but once they get older,  parents hand them over to the wolves to devour...

SERIOUSLY!!

Every time I log onto facebook or turn on the news or go on to AOL, im faced with parents killing their children, kids getting molested by family members or shootings. Then there is all the junk you hear around you from other people...I can't even being in start on Virginia Tech and whats happening over there RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!! I think I need a break from reality for a bit before I vomit over my keyboard.

So, forgive me as this blog contains nothing but FLUFF and sparkly crapola.

;D

My weekend ahead is just CHOCK-FULL of events yall. Like really. It seems like every available space on my calendar is taken with fun Christmas events, socials, church responsibilities. Once my heavily eyeliner-eyes open tomorrow I am out and running and won't stop until Saturday afternoon... and then it picks up again on Sunday!!

Tomorrow will also consist of an overnight getaway to somewhere locally great. And thats all im going to say for right now...

But I'll be sure to blog all about it after I return.

But nails have to be done, food has to be bought, dresses need to be shopped for and so forth.

My older girls have a formal next weekend. They attend every year and look forward to it the day after its over. My Hannah begins shopping for a dress in the summertime!!!

But this year they have 2 formals to go to so she has been scouring the racks for quite some time. So all this week, hairstyles will be perfected, make-up will be applied and re-applied until its perfect and last minute details will be in place.

 I also had to show you these pajamas I recently bought at Ross...

I couldnt believe my eyes as I pulled out this soft fleece nightgown..

Pink puff sleeves...

PINK PUFF SLEEVES GIRLS!!!

Does it get any better??

I didn't really have the extra money to spend so I put it back on the rack and walked away...

Ok, I hid it in the rack...

Don't judge. Like you have NEVER done that before??

Anyway, as Im walking away my Hannah comes running over and whispers in my ear...

"COme on Mom... are you really going to leave it? Its sooo you. You know it wont be here tomorrow..."

I thought about it for a split half a second a few moments and then ran back and snatched it from under the piles of ol lady jammies I crammed it under must have dropped it.

It was MINE!!! All mine and I am in love. Leopard with PINK PUFF SLEEVES!!!

I also saw this sign too. I LOVE it.

And I really wanted to buy it and hang it in my kitchen but I felt bad.

I don't drink and don't want my kids to drink either, so I don't want things to casually glorify hard liqueur ya know??

But I can't help but love it to bits.

And the jury is still out on whether or not I might snatch it up if I see it again.

Don't look at me like yall don't know what Im talking about ladies...

If your a mom, and never at one point in your life have felt like you needed to order this drink at your local drive thru...

Then your flat out LYING!!!! HA!

Ok, seriously. Im done being silly now.

Ahhh, that felt good. Time with my bloggy girls is just what I needed. Its good to visit with other like-minded families all over the country.

Where core family values are held at the highest regard. God is loved and kids are cherished.

Remember to pray for all those people out there suffering and lost. Christmas can be such a hard time of year for so many people.

Parties, dresses and wrapping paper are clearly not what CHRISTmas is all about... although sometimes it seems that way. We get so lost in the hustle and bustle of our culture that we tend to push past the hurting souls. Or forget that people, even the very closest ones, are suffering. Dearly... The pain doesnt go away for CHRISTmas. It sometimes gets worse.

So, in between the homeschool parties and the church programs, reach out to as many people as you can. Its as simple as a kind word in the grocery store or at the gas station. Small homemade gifts to the children of your neighborhood, or homemade goodies to the elderly couple down the block.

You might never know how you impacted them on a very sad day!!

A day where sometimes hearts hurt more than they love...

Xoxo

GiGi

Summing Up

CHRISTmas is in full swing and I am so excited. I had to take a picture of my church this morning. I could not capture the whole stage in my lens, and the beauty really cannot be fully enjoyed from this picture...

But it was beautiful and sparkly and CHRISTmas-y! I love it!!

My Blogging has been a minimum (shamefully sorry) but I really have been so busy with all sorts of events and programs and F-U-N holiday happenings.

A bittersweet event, was our Evening of Enrichment at our co-op for the fall semester. All the classes worked so hard on their projects and plays and MUSICALS!! It was a sanctuary filled with beaming parents, flashes and laughs. Of course, we had to remove a few of our children for various noises fighting but we enjoyed it none-the-less. Next semester classes are picked out already and Secret Sisters were revealed!!! ( We leave little gifts every week for our "secret sister" and on the last day, we reveal who we are...) Both my older girls participate as well and its so.much.fun!! I have been collecting cool tissue paper and wrapping paper to make it even funner!!!

We won't officially meet again until after the New Year, but we have plans to meet up for coffee and chatting in between.

I mean, a girls gotta socialize right?? ;)

This is my Banana's cake that she worked so hard on! Isn't it prettyful?

And because Its been too long since I blogged about my 7th child... here is Link in his favorite spot. Unfortunately, my tree skirt is forever in shambles and the lower half of my tree looks a bit scarce do to his overworked paw... but we love him!!!

Last night we went to our sister church down the road and traveled back in time to BETHLEHEM. The kids L-O-V-E-D it. I mean, really.....

We had to take the census and pay our taxes to the Roman soldiers before we were allowed to enter.

We took the Cuz with us and all 9 of us really enjoyed the journey back to that ancient Holy town. Donkeys and camels were around.

My friend Marty was in the bakery and handed out the softest freshest bread. She attends our bible studies on wednesday night, so I wanted to go and support her and say Hi. After last night, this might just be a tradition...

The shepherds were in the fields watching their sheep and the blacksmiths were making nails. Out in the field we actually got to see a shooting star!! It turns out their was a mini-meteor shower going on so we were so blessed to be able to capture it on such a clear night!

We also helped the cuz with his Christmas tree... 9 opinions picking out decorations made for endless entertainment.

This weekend was festive to say the least. Our December calendar is chock-full of events!! Blue ink EVERYWHERE!! And the best part is, its with people we love and family events. Nothing makes me sadder than having to be spread apart and spread thin for Christmas. We have our list and we are checking it twice...

and we pray you all are able to capture the resin for the season as well!!!

With school lightening up, I hope to blog more...but those are my most famous last words aren't they??

Ha!

Xoxo

GiGI