Tuesday, December 2, 2008

If we are on your list...

Dear Friends & Family,

If the Sticklers just so happen to be on your Christmas list this year, would you please consider closely the above picture? If you were thinking of buying any of my children a toy, please reconsider. Books would be great. Or maybe cleaning supplies. Or even better... you could rent us a dumpster.

Thanks,
the Stickler family
I have hung our stars & stockings by the chimney with care. John Martin's name isn't on his... but we're working on that.

Sister did a great recap of our time at the farm you should check it out. I'm thankful she did it because I keep trying to blog and can't seem to finish one sentence. I'm working on a post but I fear it will be weeks before I actually get it up!

For now, I'll leave you with a total disaster and some stockings!

My sweet husband brought us home a Christmas tree today as a surprise. It's SMELLS delightful and I can't wait to light it up!

Good night friends...

28 comments:

Amanda Thrasher said...

Darby,
let me know if anyone ever heeds your advice. I've been petitioning for the "book" Christmas for years. I've loved you and the sisters travel journal. Happy Advent!

odomfamilyfun said...

Love the living area...it looks just like mine :) I have put in a kind request this year for books and nothing else (we'll see how that goes!). Love your stars!

Courtney said...

OMG!!! My Mom is in town and I showed her this post and we have been staring at this photo for 10 minutes. This is hilarious (I'm sorry -- probably not funny to you huh?! But they look SO SO happy and cheerful playing together...)

I love the stockings! Merry Christmas. xx

becky said...

thank you for that. i should show yall the pic of my garage...where nearly all the toys are b/c they get taken away when my kids won't clean up at the end of the day. i'm glad it's not just a boy thing!! your stockings/garland turned out absolutely precious!! i can't wait to get my stockings back from my friend who is monogramming them!!

The Birds Nest said...

LOVE your stars!! And stockings!! You know that no one is going to listen to you. I know I wouldn't if those precious children were my nieces and nephew!!

Abby Maddox said...

We have already told our family NO TOYS for Christmas! We don't have a playroom so I get that mess all over our house. I am too counting down the days til we can be "real" friends. So great to get to lay eyes and arms on you guys...and eat powdered doughnuts at the gas station :) Hope all's well down there...if you know what I mean.

Darby said...

Abby, Your hilarious. Tell Jeremiah that the young mans "pickle" is completely healed. And I think Jeremiah should go into urology if orhtopedics don't work out! :)

Tara Verdigets said...

Darby,
You are scaring the "poop" out of this first time Mom. Please tell me my living room is not going to look like that? HA!

Merry Christmas!

Laura said...

Great to see you guys! Glad you made it home safely.

Shireen said...

Hey, girl!
Gosh, I get to see the stars and stockings and those precious sweetie pies (your babies ;)) this weekend! Praise the Lord!!
I loved your comment on Russell's post! Ha! Gosh, I'm just so thankful he wasn't hurt or that the tire didn't come out ANY further!
He and Ryan are going to work on it this morning. :)
Love you, Darby, and I'll see you soon!

Kellie said...

Oh, how often my playroom , den and bedrooms look just like that -- Love how you hung your stockings - I see you have no mantle either!!! Beautiful!

Sarah's Fab Day said...

Ok that picture made me laugh out loud because our living/playroom looks like that quite often. The past couple of years it hasn't been my parents favorite gift to give but it's been mine, I've asked them to pay for the boys' Little Gym (or a portion of it). My parents and in-laws take turns with the Little Gym so they each get a turn to give "fun" gifts. because if we didn't it would be complete toy overload!!!

Wanting What I Have said...

Ok, I am laughing...and wondering...will your family "hear you" on this request? We've tried the "look how much they already have," "please no more," "how 'bout books," or "perhaps something to go towards college funds," but we get completely ignored year after year. And our playroom looks just like that and cleaning up often ends in tears with bags being loaded into the closet for goodwill...prior to birthdays, Christmas, etc. I get my kids out of the house for a few hours and I go to town cleaning out...to make room for more stuff they probably won't spend more than a few minutes playing with... Ok, off the soap box...

mrchrishill said...

Love the picture of toy chaos!

I remember when I was a kid, my brother and I had a closet that was huge and it had to be a mess all the time, but what happens when my kids don't have that closet... it looks like your picture.

My sister (three kids under 12) each December goes around with a garbage bag and adds toys, dolls, etc. to it that aren't favorites anymore and gives the bag(s) away to needy kids knowing Christmas is coming and you can't stop the grandparent toy train from arriving at the station.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Victoria said...

LOL! How did you get a pic of my house???? ;)

I have been thinking I need to go through and purge our playroom before Christmas so there will be room.

I have petitioned for a college fund vs toys but that hasn't happened yet! I find that I let my family give the toys and I buy the boring stuff with a toy thrown in for fun.

simply seleta said...

May I just say this is MY FAVORITE POST OF ANY BLOGGER of the year?!?!!?

Why? Because it causes the voices in my head to be quiet. It soothes me knowing I am not the only busy momma in town. Or out of town.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

duchess said...

That top picture is too funny. My house is often that way from Nov - Dec.

Anonymous said...

Why do I feel better knowing that all these people struggle the same way I do?? That's pretty much what our playroom looks like year in and year out!!!!
I think this is one of those joys of parenting "a certain person" forgot to warn us about.(kind of like the pain with breastfeeding...)
Although, I have been told by that same certain person that this is a season....it won't be long and that room will be immaculate...and the kids will be grown and gone...:)
I am with you though, sometimes it's overwhelming! Thanks for sharing your sweet spirit!
Merry Christmas!

Anonymous said...

LOVE it.

Christi said...

i love it! we give our niece and nephew books and a boardgame for each christmas. it's really fun because we give them the ones we loved as kids at their age! =)

is that red thing always on your mantel. i'd love to see a full photo of your fireplace.

Jennifer said...

I immediately showed this picture to my husband and said, "See, we are not alone!" Thank you for an honest glimpse of a REAL playroom! I recently had the kids pick a few toys each to donate to Goodwill (and Ben was so confused, as he thought we were giving the toys to Alex's best friend Will because he was good. We laughed for quite awhile about that one!). Then when they were away at school and preschool I packed up several more bags of toys and hauled them away, too. They don't even know anything else is missing...scary!

Valley Girl said...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!!!!!! I sent out an email to our family members asking that they remember to love and make memories with our kids over the holidays, instead of just drowning them in gifts. We have the only kids on both sides of the family, it's just INSANE!!! We have two girls to boot, so we do NOT need another doll, stuffed animal or tutu. I know that there is joy in giving, but I don't know what to do. I have to give stuff away ever so often because there is literally no more room in this house for another toy! Ahhhhhhhh!

Ashley Turnbull said...

My soul, I think I would have a heart attack. Is this what parenthood is all about (for this very Type A, everything has to be neat and organized person...). Ah!!!! And you just need to start a site where you put these suckers up for auction at a discounted rate for all your "cyber-friends..." Ha!

erika said...

when will you blog again? i need a picture of paiger, morgie and JM bc I am missing them soooo bad!
XO
MOMMASIS

Adventures in Swaisie Land said...

Love the garland!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the picture of your messy room. I am so glad to know that I am not alone. With three kids six and under, keeping any room straight is a huge undertaking! Love your stars and stockings!

Julie Wolfe said...

Darby, we've got those stockings and Brian's is Santa, mine is the elf and Ellie's is the ballerina! Too funny!

MIMILEE said...

This is so funny! How well I remember the days of TOYS TOYS TOYS!!! EVERYWHERE TOYS!!! Utter chaos! We lived in a tiny house with no room designated for play, so EVERY room looked like the one you have pictured! OMG....so glad those days are gone!
Merry Christmas, Darby to you and yours!!! GOD BLESS THIS MESS!