CHOOSE JOY...December 28...

Today I am celebrating family! We got to visit with my sister at her house near Allentown. My parents tagged along. We went down Friday afternoon and spent the night. We brought the Wii and Scoty knocked us all out in boxing (check Mo-mo out in action!)! Then, after the kids were in bed, we got to play The Office trivia game with Regina. You really have to be an Office fan to play it, so it was great to have someone else as crazy as we are! After a lazy morning and some delicious bagels, we hit the ground running.

We were off to Scot's Aunt Norma's house for the Dressler Family Christmas Gathering. It's a house full of Dresslers! Aunts, Uncles, cousins, siblings...it's always a crazy time! Yesterday there were 50 people attending! Here's a picture of us with Scot's brother and some of his 1st cousins.

Today was a visit to our home church followed by Scoty's 6th birthday party. The grandparents were here, of course, and my Na-na, who'd been sick over the holidays, was able to come, which was a blessing for all of us!

So, today, I celebrate family. It's good to be close to our families, at least for a little while...

CHOOSE JOY...I missed a few days! :)

Looks like I missed out on my chance for the prize...but I had a good couple of days and a wonderful Christmas, so I've got a lot to be joyful about!

Christmas Eve was a fairly calm day. The day ended with a Christmas Eve service at our church and the annual opening of the Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately, Georgia Kate konked out during the service and could not be awakened. She slept on the couch while the ornament opening chaos ensued! My mom was there to experience the Dressler Family ornament opening.

Christmas Day started early for us. At 3am, Georgia Kate fell out of bed and bloodied her lip. We actually had the "Does she need stitches?" discussion. At 4am, Thomas was up, asking if it was okay to be awake. We sent him back, hoping to fill his head with visions of sugar plums. He was back in 5 minutes. So, we compromised. Normally they have to stay in bed until 6am. Because it was Christmas, I told him he could get up at 5:30. So, while he was standing there and I was desperate to get more sleep, I told him if he went back to bed, he could get up at 5:15. He was happy.

We were up at 5:15am on the dot. :) The kids were pretty much spastically excited. It was fun! And the Wii wasn't as big a hit initially as we thought it would be. Turns out our kids had no idea what it was. Now they know. And they haven't moved from the living room, wanting to try every game. Boxing and baseball have been the favorites so far. That thing is going to be addictive! I am glad to know I still have some baseball talent. My kids were amazed, asking me how I could be so good at batting. :) Yeah, I'm no athlete, but I never struck out when playing little league softball. I was the go to hitter. My kids now think I'm cool...or at least cooler than I was before.

We went to my in-laws house and got to open gifts with our nephews, which was crazy and fun. This visit was followed by a visit to my parents' house. My mom wasn't feeling well, which was kind of a bummer. But, we enjoyed a delicious meal and opening more gifts. My Dad took over the cooking duties and did a great job!

We were suppoed to visit my Na-na and Papa Joe, but Na-na has had a stomach bug and was still sick. Even today she wasn't able to handle the tornado that is the Dresslers, so we'll visit her tomorrow. It was disappointing to all of us, but better for her to feel good before we descend on her house.

And today we are headed to my sister's house. She had to work Christmas Day, which was a real bummer. But we're going to sleep over and hang out with her today and tomorrow morning. Tomorrow holds a Dressler Family gathering at Scot's aunt's house followed by a quick visit to Na-na and Papa Joe, if Na-na's feeling better. We are on the move.

How good it is to be home. I'm feeling tired, but happy. We are blessed. Life is good.

CHOOSE JOY...December 23...

Today wasn't a particularly eventful day, but it was still fun. We went to get the boys' hair cut, but the barber shop had closed for lunch, so we drove to Friendly's, which is actually quite a drive for us. Maggie had been asking about going to Friendly's. She remembered going there over 4 1/2 years ago and drinking blue soda. It was a must visit. Well, the kids were so excited and we all laughed a lot. They enjoyed their meals (though I'm not sure the food was as magical as they remembered! :), and then we drove back to the barber and got nice, Christmas cuts. The day ended with the older 3 kids decorating a gingerbread house with Mo-mo (my mom). They chattered about that nonstop. It was fun.

Yep. Another day where choosing joy was easy. :)

CHOOSE JOY...December 22...

Today I got to spend the day with my sister, Regina. Aunt Danni came to town to hang out with us, make some cookies, visit and just have fun. The kids loved having her, especially since she has to work on Christmas day. It was nice to have her come before the holidays to see our tree and just be with the kids. We'll be visiting her on Friday to spend the night and open some more presents.

I'm thankful that we're close enough to just hang out. I love to see how much the kids love having their Aunt Danni around. It's an extra special blessing. We are abundantly blessed.

CHOOSE JOY...December 21...

We got to see a Christmas play today! A Child's Christmas in Wales was playing at a local theater and we took the older 3 kids and my Mom as a Christmas treat. It was FUN! First, we visited a local Chinese food buffet, which was something completely unknown to our kids. Scoty is really into compartmentalizing everything, so every food he tasted was met with the statement, "We eat this in Palestine." Or, "We don't eat this in Palestine." He settled for some white rice because "we definitely eat this in Palestine." :)

The play was festive and funny and the kids loved it! The favorite comment of the evening? As we took our seats, Scoty looked intently at the stage and said, "I can't see. That house is in my way." Apparently he thought we were there to see a movie, and the set was standing right in front of the screen! :) He continued to be amazed at how real all the people on stage looked! We need to get this kid out more!

I love to support this local theater. I volunteered with them and even performed in A Christmas Carol way back in 1991. My kids thought that was the coolest thing...that I was actually in a play on that stage. They wanted to know if anyone would recognize me. :)

It was just a fun experience and I'm so glad we were able to fit this into our holiday schedule.

We also got to visit our home church for the first time. Though we had snow and the crowd was low, it was so comfortable to fit back into that life. It felt good....

CHOOSE JOY...December 20...

We got to decorate the tree today! First, we all slept normally for the first time since arriving. I woke at 5:30am, and I was the first one awake! The kids soon followed, but 5:30 is way better than 3am! Since we were all awake and relatively happy, we decided to decorate the tree before Scot left with his Dad for some Christmas shopping. The kids loved it!

Last night when we untied the tree we realized it was still full of snow! We had to open it and let it dry before we decorated it. The kids were disappointed, but we did get to visit my parents and decorate their tree. That was, apparently, good enough.

I can't express what a blessing it has been to be here. We've been tired and sick, but it's nice to be among family. Hey...yesterday we got to go shopping for 3 hours without kids! :) That doesn't happen everyday!

So...here are some pictures from our adventure getting the Christmas tree yesterday and from the decorating. Enjoy! Christmas is almost here!

CHOOSE JOY...December 19...

Today we went and picked out a Christmas tree! It was a magical moment for all of us, because it was snowing! We went to a farm to cut down our own tree. It was cold, but we had a BLAST! My mom was picking out her tree, and my in-laws came along for a snowy ride.

Pictures to come...but it was a wonderful, JOYful day!

CHOOSE JOY...December 18...

I spent the afternoon with my Na-na and Papa Joe. It was so comfortable to be at their house. The kids enjoyed their time running around. Things seem a little unfamiliar to them and they've been somewhat overwhelmed, but being there made us all feel at home.

I loved the familiar rhythm that life has at their house. Not too much has changed in the last 4 years. Papa Joe is confused these days. He looks at us with recognition, and sometimes I know he recognizes us. Other times he looks at us like we are welcomed strangers. That's hard. Even before we left his memory was slipping some, but he always knew me. Now he smiles and interacts with the kids, but I don't know if he really knows me. It breaks my heart.

But, in spite of that, it was a joyful day. I won't get into Scoty's doctor's appointment. He needed some booster shots, which we weren't prepared for. He was an unhappy little boy. But, the good news is, he's healthy. He's got an appointment with the orthopedic doctor in January because of his tip-toe walking, but the doctor doesn't think it's anything more than physical. That's an answer to prayer!

CHOOSE JOY...December 17...

I'm beat! The kids have been up at 3am both days. And though we tried to prevent early sleeping, 3 of them fell asleep before 5pm again today! So, we'll see what happens in the am. Guess I better get to bed, just in case!

But...today I choose joy because I'm connected! Yep...I'm online at my new home. I ordered the information to connect to Verizon DSL yesterday and the package came today! I had a few minutes to get things all situated, and here I am! That makes me happy!

Now...off to bed! :)

CHOOSE JOY...December 16...

We're HOME!!!!! I am typing to you from central PA! It's amazing how much is just the same. Subtle changes, but it still feels like home. At least for me and Scot. The kids? Well, they're happy. But nothing is familiar to them here.

The flight was uneventful. Security was easy. And here we are! All of our bags made it, we met our family at the airport, and got back to PA without a single problem! We're so thankful!

Unfortunately, we were awake at 3am...jet lag is awful! But, we moved into a full furnished home provided by a local church, so we rested easy. Our family filled the fridge and made us comfy. We're all set. And we're blessed.

And we've already been to Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. :)

More to come from this side of the ocean...

CHOOSE JOY...December 15...

Today, joy is easy to come by! I'm going HOME!!!!!!! See you from the other side of the ocean!!!!!!!

CHOOSE JOY...December 14...

Today I choose joy inspite of illness. I choose joy because I know God is faithful. I choose joy because I haven't cried too much at saying goodbye. I choose joy because my family back home is giddy with excitement. I choose joy because my kids are just as excited. sigh. Packing is exhausting. Saying goodbye is exhuasting too. But it's all almost over. And that's something to rejoice about! One more hard goodbye left...our precious tutor and her son....That one will bring some tears. But tears are good because they mean we love and are loved.

So, today I choose joy!

CHOOSE JOY...December 13...

We are sick and getting sicker. :( Maggie came down with it today, and Scot feels funny. Scoty continues to be under the weather, and I'm sick as a dog. Prayers are much appreciated. But, that's not what this post is about!

I have so much to be joyful about. First of all, I went to finish up everything for my children at school today, get all their books and their report cards, etc. I got to talk with Scoty's teacher for a long time. She thought we were returning after the Christmas holiday. She expressed such sadness at Scoty leaving her class for the rest of the year. She went on and on about what a wonderful little boy he is, how sweet and kind, how polite, how smart and helpful.

My heart swelled with pride! Scoty is all of these things. And I was so worried that by putting him into a second language situation some of his best qualities would be lost. I was so wrong! Miss Abeer raved about how much she is going to miss him. And she even said his Arabic is amazing and she's shocked to hear all my kids speaking Arabic because they speak it as if it's their mother tongue!

My mother heart couldn't be more proud. Habibi Scoty. I'm so proud of him!

Poor kid was too sick to go to school today, but he had to see Miss Abeer one last time. I, of course, snapped a picture for the scrapbook!

Tonight was our last night in church until we return. And I rejoice because I'm going to miss this place! There were tears from some unexpected people. They had a cake to say goodbye. It feels good to know that we have become part of the family here. I praise God for bringing me to the place where I belong in ministry.

So, in spite of high fevers and terrible coughs, I choose joy! And today it was kind of easy to do! :)

CHOOSE JOY...December 12...

We're still sick and getting worse, it seems. Blech. I'm feeling like someone ran me over with a truck. Scoty rallied a bit this morning, but tonight he was crying to go to bed. Keep praying, friends! This sickness is hitting everyone here, and it's rotten.

But, on a joyful note, our church held it's Christmas Bazaar tonight! There were games, gifts, give-aways, puppet shows, crafts, and a cafe for cappuccino and cakes. Scot and I manned a sugar cookie decorating stand. The kids came and cut out a cookie and then got to decorate it. They loved it! We were making cookies for 4 hours straight!

The place was packed. What was our purpose? Just to bless the community with something fun for their families. Our church, being protestant, is often viewed with suspicion by people from the more traditional churches. There was a huge response and people were happy! Successful and FUN! It was tiring, and since you all know I actually don't like kids, it's amazing that I'm standing here saying that it was fun, but it really was. I choose joy! :)

CHOOSE JOY...December 11...

Today has been a pretty crappy day. The packing seems endless and depressing. The chaos in the house is hard to live with. The car insurance company wasn't opened when we stopped by. The building our church is renting for a Christmas party tomorrow was locked with a pad lock and the person with the key left the country so we had to break into the building with bolt cutters, but we only had a small pair, so Scot had to work exceptionally hard to break in. (I did get pictures of that...I'll have to share one!)

Then poor Scoty is sick. And I mean sick: high fever, chills, watery eyes, terrible cough, sore throat, and he threw up tonight. Seeing one of your own children sick has got to be one of the worst things. He looks so sad and frail. Poor kid.

But we travel in just 3 days! We are getting on a plane for a 12 and a half hour flight. We can't be sick. It would be awful. Pray for us! Pray for health.

Even in the midst of this, I choose joy. I choose joy because God is walking through the stress with me. I choose joy because no matter what, I'm getting on a plane to the USA on Monday morning! And I really did have myself a hysterical laugh over Scot and the bolt cutters. :)

CHOOSE JOY...December 10...

Friends bring me joy. Today a friend offered to take our older 3 kids for a fun time at a local fast food restaurant so Scot and I could work on getting ready to go. They had a great time, and she offered to take them again before we leave. Kindness.

Then tonight we got to visit with close friends of ours for supper. This family has 4 kids roughly the same ages as all of our kids. It's like a perfect match. Even the gender of the oldest 3 matches! And Georgia Kate adores their youngest son, Jad! I love to see them together. The evening was a loads of fun!

I love having good friends. I love laughing. I love enjoying good food (like the minced pies I got to taste from the hand's of my British friend's mother who is visiting and brought with her mincemeat) with friends.

Yep...friends bring me joy!

CHOOSE JOY...December 9...

Today we visited friends in the West Bank. It always brings me great joy. This was our last visit before we travel. Bittersweet...

CHOOSE JOY...December 8...

Friend brought me joy today! We spent the morning/early afternoon with some of our closest friends here. We visited a Stalagtite cave, stopped at McDonalds and a playground for lunch, and just hung out. We won't see them again before we travel and I'm going to miss them like crazy!

Goodbyes stink, no matter how you look at it. But it's good to feel sad about saying goodbye. It means you love and are loved. I'm so thankful for my good friends, Irene and Anthony and their adorable little guy, Zebulun.

CHOOSE JOY...December 7...

Today I'm feeling full to overflowing with joy! First of all, last night, we had the privilege to attend the ordination service of one of our local pastors. It doesn't happen often here, and it was just a beautiful experience. I felt such a love for the Palestinian people and for our church family here. The church is growing, and seeing Mazan and his family honored in such a special way last night was a blessing for me. (Here's a picture of our national leaders with Scot in the background and our newest ordained minister and his wife in the center)

Then today we cooked another Thanksgiving dinner for some of our Palestinian friends. We told them we could cook the meal if they could host it, so we made a mobile Thanksgiving dinner and took it on the road! What a nice evening spent laughing and talking and dreaming for the future.

I love life here. I love my friends. It's nice to know that though I'm thrilled beyond belief to be going to the US, I will miss life here. Palestine has become part of me. That's a good feeling!

CHOOSE JOY...December 6...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

CHOOSE JOY...December 5...

Today I found joy in the spontaneous giggling of my daughters! I heard them giggling and squealing and jumped up to try to sneak a picture or two of the craziness. I thought they would be perfect for the LOVE pictures challenge! I was right! So, here is my JOY and my first entry in the LOVE category!

TICKLE FIGHT!

CHOOSE JOY! A Challenge!

I realize that I never explained the whole "Choose Joy" idea! So, here's what Sherry challenged us to do:

by MidniteScrapper

...

So, if you are up for another challenge - here we go!

1. This will officially start on December 3rd and will end on December 31.

2. The challenge of this blog will be similar to our Gratitude Blog idea. Look for JOY each day and blog about it. It might be something as big as attending a wedding or as small as how cozy your slippers feel...it's up to you. CHOOSE to find joy.each.day.

3. There are a few extra challenges for this one too...don't worry - don't stress....have fun! Those that complete the journaling AND the photos will be able to be have their name in the drawing for the prize TWICE.

Each week, you must post at least 3 photos based on the themes I have chosen.

Week 1 (Dec. 1 - 6) - LOVE

Week 2 (Dec. 7 - 13) - RED

Week 3 (Dec. 14 - 20) -GLITTER/SHINE

Week 4 (Dec. 21 - 27) - FAMILY

Week 5 (Dec. 28 - 31) - PEACE

4. If you are going to participate in this challenge - please comment in this post so I will know. I will check on your blogs as often as I can. At the end of the month, you will need to come back here and follow the directions for being entered into the drawing for the GIFT AWAY.

5. If you have any questions - please let me know. I tried to type this up as clearly as I could, but I do have two toddlers running around me at the moment (my JOYS). =]

So, that explains why I'm CHOOSING JOY! :)

The end of an era in our family...

Taken from a Scrapshare post...

The Binky Era. 4 kids; 4 binkies. As we were told that after age 3 binkies and bottles, etc. can cause some serious damage to teeth, we set the binky cut-off at age 3. We took each of the kids to the toy store and allowed them to "buy" a toy of their choosing (which some major help and persuasion from Mama!) with their binky.

Georgia Kate turned 3 in October and she still had a binky as of yesterday. We've been talking about trading it in and yesterday when we asked if she was ready, she said yes.

She wandered through Toys R Us but didn't find anything that really grabbed her until she saw the Piglet slippers. That was it! And they were cheap, too. BONUS!

She paid, the cashier chucked the binky (less temptation on our part to return it when the going gets tough), and we headed home.

Last night GK didn't cry at all. Things were good. She woke up once and asked me if she could have her binky back, but it was a pretty smooth night.

Today was a different story. GK used her binky as a comfort thing when she was upset. Something upset her and she sought out her Shirty (one of my shirts) and binky. Binky, of course, was not here. She freaked. Screamed for 45 minutes. I held her, consoled her, offered to read to her...nothing could distract her from her complete and utter sadness at the loss of binky. It broke my heart.

She finally stopped crying, said she wishes she could take her piggy slippers back and trade them for the binky, but she managed to move on. Not another tear was shed and she went to sleep without incident.

We'll see what tomorrow holds. I'm glad to be finished with them for many reasons, but there's part of me that is sad too. My kids are growing up, and that's bittersweet.

CHOOSE JOY...December 4...

Today I found joy in teaching my last English class. I love teaching English, and I love it even more when I've got a fun group of students. My class this semester has been one full of laughter! I taught mostly university age students as well as a few teen-age girls, and I loved every minute of it! We laughed at each other during the lessons, but I also got to have some "girl talk" during breaks and outside of class.

The Palestinian people have been kind and gracious. I have loved getting to know so many and only wish I had more time to spend with them! Today, my class made it easy for me to choose joy.

December 3...Today I find joy in...

The anticipation our kids have about our trip to the US! Wow, are they ever excited! It's been a long time since we've been back. A nephew has been born that we are dying to meet, Georgia Kate was born and has recently turned 3! We haven't seen my in-laws since the summer of 2006! I'm so excited I can't sleep! I've got travel stomach 2 weeks before we actually travel!

For all my excitement, the kids' excitement is quadruple mine! Today Scot said, "How about we just leave for the US today." They all started shouting and only Thomas voiced slight hesitation. "But Daddy, we didn't finish packing yet." Scot said we could finish really quick and then just go an sit at the airport and wait for our flight out in 13 days. All 3 of the older kids shouted immediately, "It's just 12 days, Daddy!" They are not missing a single day in the countdown.

And Scoty asked, "Really, can we wait at the airport?" :)

Yeah, their excitement brings me joy. Oh, there have been tears shed already at the thought of saying goodbye. Maggie and I both cried some, and I'm sure there are more tears to come. But seeing them dream and imagine what life will be like for us in the US brings me great joy!

Everyday I pray that our time in the US is all they dream it will be and more.

Christmas playlist...

Well, I finally caved. As a music lover, one might think I'd have a playlist on my blog. I do not normally because I realize that people might read my blog in places or at times when it is not convenient to have music suddenly come blaring through their speakers. However, I am making an exception this holiday season. I just can't resist Christmas music!

So, if you do not wish to hear Christmas music, it might be too late! By now my Christmas playlist should be blasting some fun Christmas tune-age for your listening pleasure!

Merry Christmas! :)

December 1...Today I'm thankful for...

My friend Sherry. I have never met her. She lives a billion miles away. We don't talk much. But she is my friend. She has inspired me in so many ways. She and I share a bond of faith that is strong. I love keeping up with her family activities and seeing her gorgeous kids and hearing about her amazing husband. I love her honesty in sharing the struggles she faces.

Sherry, you inspired me to post a thankful blog every day of November. What a wonderful challenge! Thank you for helping me take account of the myriad of blessings in my life! You are beautiful person; your selflessness and acts of service are inspiring! You live your faith, and Jesus' love just pours out of you. I'm so thankful to call you friend. You bless me. :)

And so ends the month of Thanksgiving. But it is my sincere prayer that these days of giving thanks will remain with me. I praise God for calling me to serve Him. It's been an exciting life so far! I can't wait to see where He takes us in the future! But one thing is for certain: I am blessed. Blessed with family and friends, blessed with food and clothes and all the little extras that make life fun...so much to be thankful for!

November 30...Today I'm thankful...

I'm going HOME! We spent literally the entire day packing, cleaning and organizing in anticipation of our trip to the US on December 15. It's horrible and stressful. I hate packing and moving. It's unsettling and tears have been shed by me and the kids. Today Maggie cried when she realized she couldn't take all of her Christmas ornaments with her. We let the kids choose one to take along, and she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It broke my heart.

But, all of this work means that I am going HOME! I love it here, but thinking about going home is filling my heart with joy! There are struggles and stresses there, including some major family upheaval since we left in 2004, but it's still home. Things are familiar. The language is easy! :) And Christmas is a major holiday! It's all good!

So, in spite of the stress of packing and the mess and chaos that is our life right now, I'm so thankful that I'm going home!

November 29...Today I'm thankful for...

My church family. Our church is nearly overrun with children, so some weeks it's insane. Chaotic is a description I use frequently when describing our church. It is certainly full of life! Our new name is fitting in so many ways: Fount of Life Alliance.

We are a daughter church of the larger Alliance church from the Old City. Our make-up is primarily young families. And we are growing! Tonight was our once a month family service, which means the kids stay with the adults for the entire service, and the message is geared to families. It's always noisy and somewhat chaotic. But tonight, as I stood at the back of the church, I was struck by several things.

First of all, I love worshiping in Arabic! I now understand 90% of the worship songs, and can freely worship without trying to figure out what I'm saying. Arabic is beautiful, and there is nothing more beautiful than worshiping God. I love to lose myself in worship.

Another thing that struck me is what good friends I have here. I looked around and my heart felt full as I thought about the blessing so many from this church family have been to me over the last 4 years. I realized how much I will miss so many of them when I return to the US.

Tonight one dear friend told me that she can't imagine our church without us there. She said she thought about what she'll miss the most when our family is in the US and she decided it is my laugh. She said my laugh is genuine, full of joy, and catchy. :) I realized that I do laugh a lot at church, because I am surrounded by so many people that bring me joy.

I praise God for my Palestinian church family. It's a welcoming church. And we are growing and trusting God to find us a bigger place in a different location. What a privilege to serve here with such kind, dedicated people. The laughter is the icing on the cake!

November 28...Today I am thankful for...

PIE! Scot makes the world's most delicious pies, which is great because my Na-na is an expert pie baker and I miss her pies! One day, a few months after moving here, Scot decided to try his hand at pies. He has since mastered pie crust. His pies are to die for. He baked 7 pies for Thanksgiving and our day after Thanksgiving Pie Party. They were YUMMY!

I'm thankful I have a husband who bakes pies. It's such a nice treat. Check 'em out. Drooling? :)

A BOOK PARTY! :)

I'm having a PARTY and you're all invited! :) This isn't my thankful post! I'll be back later today for that. This is my "I'm hostessing an online book party" post! :)

I have a friend (SabraInPA on SS) who is selling books through a direct sales company called Usborne. I thought it would be fun to host an online party. Since we don’t have access to libraries here, and English books are scarce and expensive, I would love to build up my kids’ home library with age appropriate books. My friend, Mika, shared Usborne with me, and in an effort to help her business, I signed up to hostess an online party. Their books are wonderful! My mom actually bought us a book of Arabic words from this company our first year here and my kids still use it!

The best part is that there is a BIG Black Friday sale today. Maybe we can all find some books that interest us and save some money in the process. Here is the direct link to the Black Friday sale on my party page: BLACK FRIDAY SALE

I think the books would make great Christmas gifts for the young readers in your life. Of course, there is no pressure! This is just something fun that I decided to do. I hope you’ll find something from Usborne that you like too!

Here is the e-mail invitation they send with party details:

You are invited to an Usborne Books eShow to explore the world of Usborne Books. A child's interest in reading and learning is stimulated by the lavish illustrations and informative content. There are over 1300 bright, colorful and fun titles covering activities, puzzles and a wide range of subjects for children of all ages.

Usborne Books - the books kids love to read!

Hosted by: Carrie Dressler
Place: www.ubah.com/HOS134282
When: Today thru 12/7/2008 11:59:00 PM

Everyone is welcome, so invite a friend.

It's a rewarding experience when a child opens a book and discovers the magic of reading.

Thanksgiving Day...today I am thankful for...

My family. I praise God for my best friend, Scot, and our gorgeous, energetic, and happy kids, Thomas, Maggie, Scoty, and Georgia Kate. They bless me in innumerable ways on a daily basis. They are a treasure.

With a heart of thanksgiving, I send my sincere wishes for a blessed Thanksgiving Day to all my readers. May you find so many things to be thankful for today and always!

November 26...Today I am thankful for..

Thomas Paul. Today is his day. Thomas has been a bundle of energy from the very moment of his birth...and even before that! Thomas began walking at 8 1/2 months, and was seen running through the mall in Nyack before he even reached 10 months! He never slowed down!

Thomas is extremely intelligent, wowing us all with his amazing abilities in both English and Arabic. He lacks the patience to study hard. We're hoping that changes as he gets older.

Thomas is affectionate and enjoys lots of hugs and kisses! Sometimes it borders on annoying. :) He is a friend to all and loves to stay after school to help his teacher in the classroom. He excels in physical activities, including TaeKwonDo. He is a natural athlete, which he did not get from either of his parents. I love to watch him run! We have often been heard saying, "Run, Forrest, run!" when Thomas was on the move.

Thomas is spiritually sensitive and enjoys understanding more about his faith and the faith of his friends. He loves to read and memorize scripture, which is exciting to me!

Thomas is also the family peace-ender. He picks on his brother and sisters when he's bored. "Thomas is teasing me!" is often heard ringing throughout the house. Oooo, does that ever get on my last nerve. Of course, I hear he is much like a certain uncle who will remain nameless...

Thomas is a fun-loving boy. He certainly brings life to the family. I just wish he'd take a rest once in awhile...or at least sleep past 5:30am! :)

November 25...Today I'm thankful for...

Stroopwafels! YUM-O! Dutch friends of our sent some of these things back as a gift from Holland with a coworker passing through. They are cookie type things filled with a caramel and they are to die for! So yummy! So, while at the local grocery store that specializes in catering to foreigners Scot found them! So, we bought them, of course! And ate the whole bag in one day! Uh-oh!

Stroopwafel means syrup waffle. If you can find them, try them. You won't be disappointed! You can check out this website if you really want to know more!

November 24...Today I'm thankful for...

2 bags of garbage and 6 bags of give-away stuff. Purging. It feels amazing to get rid of so much stuff that has been filling our house. We got rid of toys, clothes, towels...anything that we did not use and did not foresee using when we return in July. It's gone. Ahhhhh...

And that's just the beginning. We still have 3 more rooms to purge. Look out! The Dresslers are downsizing! :)

November 23...Today I am thankful for...

SHRINKY DINKS! A friend from Scrapshare sent me a package awhile back and included a pack of Shrinky Dink paper. I haven't done Shrinky Dinks in years and was excited to try it with the kids. It took a little longer than anticipated just to get them all colored and cut, but we did get to finish quite a few pairs of earrings for me and some gifts for family. And all 4 kids made a Christmas tree charm that they want to make into a necklace.

Who can forget the magic of Shrinky Dinks? Watching them curl up and shrink was so much fun the kids were fighting over who got to stand closest to the oven. Humph. Well, it wouldn't be a family craft time if there wasn't at least one fight!

It was great fun, and I've got some fun, funky, mildly obnoxious holiday earrings to wear for Thanksgiving and Christmas! :)

November 22...Today I'm thankful for...

God's protection on the road. I spent the night away with some friends for a girl's night in. On the way back to Jerusalem, I was driving a friend's car and a tour bus turned left in front of me. I praise God that he gave me the reflexes I needed to respond. The bus driver never saw me coming for some reason, but I was able to make a hard right turn, avoid the divider, and come to a safe stop on the side of the road. It wasn't until we were stopped that I realized how close we had been to a terrible accident.

It was scary and we were all pretty shaken up afterward, so someone else took the wheel and we stopped just a quarter mile up the road at a rest stop where we were able to unwind, laugh, and regroup. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

I am thankful God had his hand on our car and we were all safe.

November 21...Today I'm thankful for...

Silly surveys! I love filling them out and reading them. It's like my grown up version of Slam Books! I stole this one from my friend, Beth's blog!

Getting to Know Me...Christmas Edition

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! While I do use gift bags for showers, etc. I don't use them for Christmas. Half the fun of Christmas morning is getting lost in the piles of wrapping paper!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. I have said if I can't have a real tree then I don't want one. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I'm not a big fan of fake trees. I've never had one in my life and I never plan to. I will make my children promise that if I ever get too old to get my own that they will get a real one for me. Bonus if we get to cut it down ourselves! :)

3. When do you put up the tree? Given my own choice, I'd do it the weekend after Thanksgiving or the first week in December. But while living here we get a free Christmas tree from the Israeli government, so we take it the day it is offered, which is the last Tuesday before Christmas. It's been the 18th, 19th, 20th...I think as late as the 22nd.

4. When do you take the tree down? When it's dead? :) Usually the first week of January sometime. It's so depressing to take it down, I try to avoid it.

5. Do you like eggnog? Non-alcoholic, yes! YUM!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Boom Box, my cabbage patch kid, my vanity set, Golden Dream Barbie, and a bike.

7. Hardest person to buy for? No one. I can't think of anyone on my list that regularly causes me trouble. Some years I don't have a great idea for someone, but then the next year they're the first one I find something for.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Scot, because I know him so well. Not always, but usually I know exactly what I want to get for him.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Many. Too many to count, actually! Since coming here my collection has grown exponentially! I now have many sizes and shapes of nativities made of olive wood! I love it!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I got this hideous silky shirt with pictures of horse shoes and chains and other weird stuff on it one year. Remember that one, fam? :)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf, A Christmas Story, and It's a Wonderful Life

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?I shop continuously throughout the year, but really kick it up on September. I find it hurts the pocketbook less and reduces the "impulse" buying at the last minute.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I'm not sure if I've ever recycled a Christmas present. None come to mind. I have recycled gifts, but I think they were wedding and/or birthday gifts...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Soupy was on my list growing up. I love some cookies and always enjoy Christmas dinner. And Gertrude Hawks Peanut Butter Smidgens. Mom always gives us some of those. They last about a day!

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, blinking madly and making us all have seizures! :) Scot doesn't like the same mad blinking as me, so we switch it up. I love the twinkling setting, where they just blink randomly. I love Christmas lights and can't wait to see them when we return to the US!

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? Stay home AND visit family close by. Never travel away from home at Christmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeers? Of course!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. We put a crown of thorns on top of our tree to remind us why Jesus came to earth as a baby.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve we open the ornaments that Scot bought for all of us and that me and the kids got for him. :) I love that tradition! The rest Christmas morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When people start discussing all the nasty parts of Christmas and how annoying things are and how they don't like blah blah blah. I don't like negativity in general, but at Christmas, it just bursts my happy Christmas bubble! :)

23. What theme or color are you using? Our theme is anything goes! I love my olive wood nativities, but the deocorations are completely mismatched and we like it that way.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I miss Mam-mam's Heaven. I always looked forward to that every year.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Honestly, I can't think of any one thing. I always enjoy scrapbooking supplies and books and favorite shows on DVD and music. I'd love a mother's ring one day. I'm not sure I've ever said that out loud, so I'm not anticipating one for Christmas. :)

Can I tag someone???? I'd love to see Joanie and Sherry and Brynn answer these! :)

November 20...Today I am thankful for...

Friends to scrapbook with! I was a lonely scrapper for awhile. Then I found Scrapshare and an online community, which made me feel less lonely. Then the woman of SS along with many from churches across the US, helped me get a scrapbooking group going here with my Palestinian friends. It's been a small group up until now due to space issues, but there are big plans to make this something much bigger.

But for now I am thankful for my faithful friends who have taken the love of scrapbooking and joined me in the insanity! I don't do lonely so well!

Tonight is our last crop night and I'm feeling a bit weepy and sad. I know I'll be back, but I always struggle with goodbyes. But, I'll enjoy my friends tonight. We'll laugh and have a great time. I'll think about goodbyes another day.

November 19...Today I am thankful for...

A husband who takes the time to read to his kids. When Scot is working at night, the bedtime duty falls to me, and I realize the sacrifice he makes and the patience he has. While I'm always there for the showers/jammies/teethbrushing part, Scot takes over and does the Bible/story reading part. The kids love it. He not only makes it educational (they are now memorizing a Bible verse for every letter of the alphabet and have completed through K), but fun!

We are not talking about some 5 minute story time. Sometimes he's in there for over an hour, reading favorite books and stories until the kids are asleep. They are currently on their 4th (or is it 5th?) read-through of the Chronicles of Narnia books. With Daddy it never gets old.

The kids sometimes feel cheated when I tuck them in. Oh, I give the best hugs and kisses, but I don't read nearly as long as Daddy does.

Scot's amazing. I look forward to seeing how this sacrifice of time that he makes nearly every day enriches our kids lives in the future. And I love that even Thomas, our 9 year old, begs for more. "Just one more chapter, Daddy! Pleeeeaaaaase!" :)

November 18...Today I am thankful for...

Christmas music! Oh, I love Christmas music! I can't get enough of it! I buy some new stuff every year. My sister recently wrote that it's that time of year when iTunes becomes as addictive as caffeine and you can't stop buying Christmas music! So true!

My purchases this year so far? Tracy Chapman's version of O Holy Night. I'm working on a collection of different versions of that song, seeing as how it's my very favorite Christmas carol of all time! I also bought John Rutter and the Cambridge Choir's Christmas music, by Scot's request. He prefers chorale music, and I love it all, so everyone's happy! I also bought Harry Connick, Jr.'s newest Christmas Album. Good stuff, all of it!

I begin listening to Christmas music much earlier than many. It's not unheard of for me to listen to a Christmas song or two year round, but I begin in earnest sometime in October. iTunes has made it much easier to feed my addiction, including the ability to create specialized playlists! Oh, that's like mixed tape heaven for this music lover! :)

Christmas music makes me happy. It helps me think of happy times, snuggled up and enjoying the Christmas lights on the tree. My parents have 2 records that I used to listen to when I was small. I'd love to find those exact recordings on CD. The memories...

Yep, I love Christmas music. It's the most wonderful time of the year, afterall! ;)

November 17...Today I am thankful for

Laughter. Oh, boy, do I ever love to laugh! Sometimes I laugh at what other's may consider inappropriate times. I find laughter puts people at ease, smooths over rough situations, and makes people happy. So I laugh often and I laugh much. And I laugh a little too loudly most of the time. But hey...that's just me! :)

I am so glad to have family and friends who enjoy laughing as much as I do! First, my mother taught me about the hysterical laughter, the kind that happens spontaneously, usually about something completely stupid. You know the kind: you can't even catch your breath. Yeah, Mom is great that! My bff, Mara, and I have always enjoyed breathless laughter. My sister plays her part. All of us together! FUN! Scot makes me laugh like no one else, with his dry sense of humor and sarcasm and quick wit. I love to watch him laugh so hard he can't breathe. He's always so in control of himself...unlike me! No big shock to anyone when I lose it completely!

And finally, my kids. They've got the laughter gene too! They can laugh hysterically with me over the silliest stuff! And they love to try to get me to laugh, too. They can be silly, witty, and just plain hysterical! I'm going to share some pictures from our zoo trip yesterday. See if you can tell which ones were intended to elicit laughter! :)

I love laughing, so if you are an old fuddy duddy, we probably won't get along. But if you enjoy laughing, then let's hang sometime. Nothing helps heal my heart better than laughter. And ice cream, but laughter's better for me. That whole "you burn 7 calories/minute when laughing" thing. Yep. It's even exercise!

And I'm including this picture just beacuse I think the girls look absolutely gorgeous in the sunlight. And then I had to include th next picture because I don't want you to think our only adventures are on fake donkeys at the zoo! That's a shot of Maggie and Scoty riding our friend's donkey. :)

November 16...Today I am thankful for...

My baby sister, Regina. Seeing as how her birthday is October 16, I thought it would be fitting for me to give her a shout out today!

We were not always friends. I suppose I did not come to appreciate my little sister as a friend until I was off at college. Suddenly, as be both were growing up, we realized how much we had in common. Now, I can't imagine life without her. She makes me laugh the good kind of laughs~~the hard to catch my breath kind of laugh (notice a theme in my thankful posts...always something about laughing! I love to laugh!) She appreciates good sarcasm, cares for me and my family, is kind and loving, and she's a faithful friend! She isn't, however, the best package sender, though I suppose I can forgive her that one flaw! :)

She loves her nieces and nephews and they love their Aunt Danni. Ask me where the Danni came from! Thomas, when he was pretty small, struggled with the name Regina. It came out something like "Dajna." This evolved into Danni, and this is her name. My kids have actually asked, "Why do you call Aunt Danni 'Reg' or 'Regina'? Does she have another name? :)

Reg has become one of my best friends. And I can't wait to just hang out with her where she lives and works! Maybe a little Office marathon...or Gilmore Girls...just chillin' with my sis!

Love you, Reg! :)

November 15...Today I am thankful...

That in exactly one month I get to go home! Not that I've been counting the days down or anything! :) We fly out on December 15. This is the first time we will have returned to the US in 4 1/2 years and I am ready to go! That's it. That's what I'm thankful for today!

November 14...Today I am thankful for...

Scrapbooking! My addiction...er...hobby! :) Scrapbooking is a stress reliever for me. I can sit and design album pages, journal about the events and pictures, and just lose myself in memories. I love to reminisce, and scrapbooking allows me time to do that. I love that my kids love to look at our albums and remember days gone by. I love that they will one day have many keepsakes of their childhood to take with them. I love that it gives me the opportunity to write about people who are precious to me....

Scrapbooking is a way for me to unwind, but also an important way for me to preserve our family story.

I am so thankful that I can scrapbook. And I won't even begin to say thanks to all who have sent me scrapbooking supplies to keep me going! You know who you are and you know you bless my socks off!