November Is Here!

Ahh! November!
Just in case you forgot how much I LOVE the month of November, you can read about it here:
November

This year, somehow November snuck up on me. It seems like we were just in the middle of fair season a few days ago!

The girls are deciding which puzzle should be put out for the community puzzle on the coffee table. Abby just completed her International Harvester puzzle, so it's time to bring out a new one.

I have begun the pre-holidays cleaning projects. The office/sewing room/4-H headquarters has been completed with A LOT of help from a friend who is looking into starting her own organizing business. She was awesome in helping me turn my very tiny space into three distinct sections that are organized and functional!

The schoolroom is mostly organized. I still haven't quite got it to the point where everything has a place and all is in its place. This of course means that it quickly falls back into disarray! Of course homeschooling five kids might have something to do with that also!

The mudroom has been reorganized. THAT was a project, as we made the switchover from warm weather activities to colder ones. The bee/honey equipment was moved to the garage while the maple sugaring equipment was moved inside. We took an inventory of our "vet supplies" and started a list for an order to be placed in preparation for kidding which begins in early February. All the carharts, hats, and mittens were brought out, sorted, and cleaned. None too soon, as we had our first snow last night!

The only thing left is the playroom area. This is the room we affectionately call the WRECKroom. Normally we have our annual "It's All About Chuck" Day in October, but as I said earlier, November snuck up on me this year. So Chuck Day has been planned for later this week. After I buy some more garbage bags...

Christmas this year is going to be awesome! Mainly because I will have Sam home for the whole holiday! We made the decision a few weeks ago that we would be buying one large gift for the whole family to enjoy: a new TV. While we don't have cable, satellite, or an antenna, we do watch a lot of DVD's. Many years ago my parents gave us a large TV set (that weighs about 900 pounds!), that they were replacing with a newer set. This TV is so old ( I am guessing it's over 20 years old) that we had to buy a special DVD player in order to hook it up. While the TV still works and is in good condition, it is mammoth and the snarl of cords and special hookups, necessary to make it functional with today's modern equipment, are significant drawbacks.

So, we have been saving our pennies and the kids even contributed some of their savings, and when the Christmas sales begin we will purchase it. My brother has some experience with technology, so his Christmas present to us is his help with getting everything hooked up and installed, once it is purchased. We will gift him and his family with a dinner, in return.

The other gift for the kids is a trip to the movies to see the Chronicles of Narnia movie which is due out in early December. We have been reading the book out loud during family time in the evenings. I love Christmas for the family time, not the gifts, so all this is a win-win for everyone.

The kids just came in from doing their chores in the new snow and have decided that they need to get out the Christmas music...