It's the most wonderful time of the year. . .or is it?

Wowza! I have been a terrible blogger. So much has happened since my last post. First of all, I want to give notice to my hero. . .my MOM! She has absolutely been through the mill. What began 5 months ago as a seemingly harmless thing (she thought she had pulled a muscle in her back) turned out to be non-hodgkins lymphoma. Not as serious as some lymphomas, but the word is scary in and of itself. A long story (we're talking looooooong) short, She had a lobe taken off of her left lung on November fifth. She is recovering well. She still cannot lift anything over 5lbs, and cannot drive, but each week she improves greatly. She is one of the strongest women I know. I am not just saying that because she is my mom, either. She has the most contagious positive spirit. She gained recognition from the hospital floor she was on, for changing people's lives in the week she was there. This is because my mom is a friend to everyone. A doctor said he had heard about her and how she touched so many lives while she was there. I am not a bit suprised. She has a deep empathy for people. She listens. She loves. While she herself is going through the valley, she is helping others to go through their valleys first. All of this has been going on and then last night, her dad (my grandpa) passed away at 8:00pm. Jesse Thomas Walker. We knew he was sick, but it still happened so fast and unexpectedly. His big heart will truly be missed. All this - and my mom remains a rock. So I just want her to know how very special she is to me. I tell her often I love her and appreciate her, but it's so true. She is a woman of God that I aspire to be like in many ways. Thank you mom, for your wonderful example of Christ in my life, and for your demonstration of frienship to others. I have been paying attention (just remember that when a menopause moment comes to you!). ;)

Okay. . .on a lighter note, here are some pictures I took of my kiddos for Christmas cards. I love how the one of Xander turned out (credit goes to Lauren Bavin - who designed the snowglobe kit-downloaded from digitalscrapbookplace.com)! These kids are the best. They are learning about chores - which I must admit I rather love! Oh how I love it when they ask if they can sweep the floor or help clean the bathrooms. My house is looking so much cleaner these days. It leaves me more time to do what I love to do - spend time with the kids, scrapbook, shop, read, crafts, and watch The Hills. Oops! There ya have it - my guilty little indulgence. ;) What do you love doing in your spare time? What is your guilty little indulgence?