The Count of Monte Cristo

I started this book months ago.  I was stubborn and didn't heed my momma's advice to read the abridged.  I'm still not done.  I've run out of steam. I've started another long read, Atlas Shrugged.  Hopefully, I'll finish it.  One day, I'll read the rest of The Count.  There are many quotes from what I did read.  Enjoy this one....

There is neither happiness or misery in the world;

there is only the comparison of the one state with another,

nothing more.

He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to 

experience supreme happiness.

We must have felt what it is to die,

that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living.

'Live then, and be happy, beloved children

of my heart, and never forget that until the day

when God shall deign to reveal the future to man,

all human wisdom is summed up in these two words

   Wait and Hope.'

Christmas decorating for the underachiever

My family used to call me the elf because I've always loved everything about Christmas.  I like to go other peoples house and help them decorate.... some years I've maybe even been pushy about other people getting their tree up.  I just love it.  

So this year I was shocked when I had no desire to get our Christmas stuff out.  We finally did it today.  Yes, I'm well aware that normal people have not put up their tree yet, but as stated before, I'm usually an elf. Anyway, Michael made Blinna for breakfast and we got to it.  So, this year I let everything go and let the kids have at it.  As you can tell from the picture below.....

Here's our Nativity play area...

and another Nativity scene (this one a much nicer)

Here's the one thing I did work on....

our Jesse Tree

I bought burlap and felt at Hobby Lobby and went to work cutting randomly.

I think it looks like a tree.  It has some issues but who doesn't? 

Addie's sporting her favorite shirt - Go State!

Then I cut green felt into leaves and glued the Jesse Tree ornaments on them.

You can get it here.

Being Pinterest obsessed like I am I found this site. 

The names of Jesus on a paper chain.  If you'll notice, again I'm

letting the kids take over in the decorating department.  

The most embarrassing part is that I wrote CHIRST for Addie to copy

and didn't notice for a few days that it was spelled wrong. 

She turned the R into a B further changing the name and then Nathan

with his perfectionist/Monk-like tendencies circled her mistake.  

Good times.

The point is each morning we take another ring off and read 

the verse about Christ's name.
Maybe someday we'll fix it, maybe not.