Christmas Break at a Glance

Please tell me I'm not the only one with a kitchen counter that looks like this right now. I will say it's a pretty good representation of our life right now, because at any given time you will find:

*a plate of treats from friends or neighbors

*gifts for the kids (these are from primary teachers and secret sisters at church)

*gifts Mark brings home from work (shown here: giant Santa pen and book entitled "What's Your Poo Telling You?")

*two gingerbread houses, made by Kenzie and Brady

*rubber stamps, scissors and paper from a Sunday art project

*the ever-present Legos

*vase left over from roses Mark gave me for our 17th anniversary (should have taken the picture before I threw them away!)

*2 Redbox DVDs ("G-Force" and "Julie and Julia")

*list of books to return to the library this afternoon

*$1 Brady got from the tooth fairy last week

*Christmas cards from friends (one of the best parts of the season!)

*misc. ribbons from gifts unwrapped or to be wrapped

*fuzzy socks (a staple around here in the winter)

*coupons (Amber or Chelsea, they're for Similac, want them?)

*Christmas dish towel (because if there's one thing I've learned from my mother it's that your dish towels must coordinate with the current holiday!)

So that's pretty much our life right now: trying to keep the kids happy, finishing up last minute prepartions and generally enjoying this time of year. What crazy things are on your counter right now?