Thankful

 

 

This Thanksgiving morning I am thankful for my family sleeping in, giving me a few glorious hours to cook sweet potatoes and read Scripture in silence.

I am thankful for the hum of the heater, and the warmth I enjoy having a home.

I am thankful for a day with no school that allowed my girls and I to binge-watch several episodes of Once Upon a Time into the night. We rarely watch t.v., and even more rarely watch it together, so to have them snuggled up beside me watching was a treat.

This month I was thankful for a series of moments:

November 1: watching the kids barter candy acquired by trick-or-treating, confiscating the excess candy (for their own good) and helping myself to the peanut m&m's and Heath bars

November 2: gratitude that God had prepared me through my own quiet time to teach the third grade girls at the last minute; feeling delight in using the ability to teach

November 3: receiving an encouraging text from a dancer when I felt as if everything was falling apart in rehearsal; God reminding me that I wasn't alone in my leadership role, and that He would see to it that the dancing angels would glorify Him at Christmas

November 4: God reminding me to thank Him for His character and nature, and not just the gifts He brings each day. Revamping my gratitude list to include a facet of who He is each day.

Novemeber 5: matter-of-fact conversations with our kids about purity and God's intentions for marriage in our crazy confused world.

November 6: a note in our journal from my man

November 7: coloring quietly at the kitchen island with my not-so-little-anymore kids

November 8: watching siblings figure out how to give and take. A brother rubbing his sister's hair while she fixed his youtube account issues at the computer.

November 9: delight in learning through facebook that a troubled boy that I once knew in high school had come to Christ through the leading of his young daughter

November 10: the assurance that God will take care of my husband's stress at work. That His plans are good and for our good and His glory; catching glimpses of His glory through the beautiful created world

November 11: reuniting with a mentor who prayed over us and our ministries here; discovering that I had apparently said something twenty years ago that stuck with them and impacted their direction of their ministry. Thankful that God can use the very smallest of conversations that we are not even aware of for His purposes.

November 12: happy to know that Mom and Michelle enjoyed their Zipline adventure together

November 13: thankful for a holiday outing to the theater/school fund-raiser; happy to see Laurel happy to be with her friends at school

November 14: thankful for leftovers and a night when I didn't need to think up what to cook for dinner

November 15: thankful for my husband's patience and generosity in taking our teen daughter shopping in Charlotte all day; being thankful that one of us is frugal and one of us is generous to balance ourselves out

November 16: You cause us to want to give our lives to life-giving pursuits

November 17: You will show me how to parent each child in the way he or she should go

November 18: You hover over me with Your presence

November 19: finding pumpkins on 80% off fall clearance; being able to buy things and put them away for next year, having enough financial margin to be frugal and plan ahead

November 20: neighbors that help one another; watching out the window as one older neighbor helps another when with her trash can and recycling bins

November 21: kids playing balloon toss, and Uno, and board games...unplugging for a bit

November 22: Will declaring that he actually likes reading after three years of struggling for every letter, sound, and word

November 23: an unexpected chance to catch up with a dear friend, dinner out

November 24: the tick tock of our Grandfather clock, wind chimes on the back porch, the soft glow of candlelight, warm holiday scents, warm tea, soft music, soft blankets, fuzzy socks, a pen that writes just right, journals, devotional helps - cozy

November 25: fried eggs and buttered toast (and a large collection of workout DVDs to counter the effects); The family raving over breakfast night instead of complaining about dinner. Carbaholics anonymous?

November 26: an invitation for Will to sleepover at a friend's house, an all-day play date for Mary Jayne; hunting time for A; Minecraft and FaceTime time for B, chill time for L, and decorating time for me. Binge-watching shows from our series. Having everyone be able to do something that they like to do.

November 27: seeing our extended family for Thanksgiving

Anticipating the Advent season together

 

Brain whirl calmed

All is calm, all is bright.

Then, why do I feel panicked the week before Thanksgiving?

This is not even my Countdown app. Who installed this?

Or this one? Also, not my app. Someone is seriously excited around here.

 

I am experiencing mama brain whirl. Although I routinely take quiet moments for centering, my mind refuses to shut off at night. For the past two nights I have been awake at 1 am working on creative projects or trying to figure out what kind of Jesse Tree I want this year. White? Champagne? Realistic? A bunch of branches stuck artfully in a pot?

I don't think Jesus is highly concerned about how I decorate our home for Christmas. I can see this in my mind's eye. In my heart of hearts, I know what's important, and yet, I can feel myself sucked into the whirlpool of holiday busyness before the turkey is even carved. I tell my soul to be still. I pray for an ordered mind, and I put a plan into action.

Here's how I am combatting the desire to panic (in the name of worship and Hallmark moments):

1. New devotional material-

Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts (which focuses on the practice of gratitude), has written a new devotional just for Advent. I like the reflective nature of her writing and I am smitten with the downloadable paper ornaments that come with the book and tell the story of Jesus's family tree. There is even a children's picture book version which Amazon has coming my way.

 

 

2. Calling all elves: enlisting my able-bodied children to haul and dust and sort the Christmas decorations from the attic. They can prep teacher gifts just the same as I can (and they are gifts for THEIR teachers in the first place).

3. Music to craft by: holiday creating is more enjoyable for me with a soundtrack of festivity.

Listening to the words of carols helps me to pause and remember why I'm baking, wrapping, shopping, and crafting in the first place.

 

4. Saying no to things that I don't really want to do. We have declined joining friends (that we love) at events that we have loved before. I am now okay with not doing every tradition every year.

5. Surveying the family: When I asked what traditions really mattered to my husband and kids, I was astounded at how very little they came up with. Either they have forgotten most things, or they are not as important as I once thought.

6. Keep a list of these revisions in a holiday notebook. Last year I noted that the kids fought over who ate one another's advent chocolates. Some children could not handle the waiting and sneakily ate the entire calendar in a few sittings. Lesson learned. No calendars really necessary (even if you can find them on sale for a dollar). Same thing with the Christmas crackers. I am apparently the only one who got anything out of the tissue paper hats and jokes inside. I like the international flair, but the rest of my family do not care to be Brit impersonators. No need to pick these up on super-bargain clearance either.

7. Don't insist that everyone participate in everything. My husband is not as enamored with song and dance as I am. No White Christmas theater ticket for him; we called it a girls' night. No Into the Woods movie ticket for his stocking. I don't care anything about deer hunting. So we allow one another to go our separate ways and not assume that every activity is equally joyful for each other.

8. Compacting celebrations- We are deeply thankful that my mom likes to cook an amazing Thanksgiving spread for a crowd. Both sides of of family gather as one, and then four hours later we crawl back onto our own couches in a Tryptophan coma.

 

9. Draw names- our kids draw names for secret Santa. They are horrible at actually keeping a secret, but they like shopping for someone. (And one person is easier on the budget.) This person is also the object of their secret service. During the holiday season, they are to practice serving one another and secrecy (still working on this part).

10. Quiet moments or dates with each person in a family. A date for Andy and I is no longer a night on the town, but a cherished moment to sit on our couch and drink cocoa in our pajamas. A date with my son could be reading graphic novels together (which I hate and he loves). A date with a daughter could be taking her to shop for her secret Santa or a Starbucks run. Small moments instead of big gifts. Experiences over broken parts in January. Gifts of learning something they wish to try.

 

 

11. Praying for others- using the Christmas cards that come in as a chance to remember families that have touched our lives, and to ask God's blessing on them. Using the ministry appeals that come in to pray for ministries and missionaries all over the world. We are using this box of prayer cards sent out by Samaratan's Purse to pray over the distribution of Christmas Shoeboxes around the globe.

 

 

12. Moderation - as soon as the twinkle lights go up in the neighborhood and the temperature drops below 70, the kids start asking for cocoa - which is great, but not every night. Having friends over is great, but not every weekend. Spending money is fun...until you've spent the budget. Having a little talk with ourselves to be generous but not gluttonous. To enjoy each moment as it comes instead of rushing off to the next one.

All is calm, all is bright.

 

 

 

 

Everyday life, Wednesday

I think I will name our Christmas cactus Seymour. It is starting to scare me.

Off with their heads!

No, make that "On with their heads!"

No one ever 'fesses up as to whom is doing all the beheading around here.

I enjoyed being in the classroom again sharing a little bit about my experiences in Cameroon, and how my eyes were opened to all the influences of West African culture on the South. Shrimp and grits, anyone?

 

 

My favorite quote was when Mary Jayne was helping me collect artifacts from around our home. She exclaimed, "I never knew our house had so much Gullah culture. I walk by this stuff all the time and never knew."

I used to read the encyclopedias in our house for fun growing up. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that word girls (or nerdy tendencies) run in the family.

I wouldn't be surprised if Natalia takes some kind of culinary classes one day. Who actually likes to peel eggs and chop vegetables for salads?

A few of my favorite things...listening to my kids progress

Bulletin board humor for the minions... Counting our small, often unappreciated, blessings

The two minute dishwasher repair call did not fall in the blessing column.

"Oh? That awful noise? Must have had a green bean stuck in your pump.

It's gone now. That will be ninety dollars."

 

The weird satisfaction I get from frugality. I think my mama taught me to use a lip brush, but a hair pin works nicely too for the last bits of EOS lip balm hiding in the bottom of the egg.

My husband and daughter do not share this trait as evidenced by his generosity at the last Daddy-daughter shopping spree. Softie.

She looked cute at the middle school dance river cruise, though.

 

November Life

 

 

 

 

On Sundays, like most days, we are a two car family. Even if all of us are headed to church, someone invariably is headed in another direction in the afternoon. The boys hit the woods with Andy in search of Ole Henry the eight-point-buck. The girls come with me to dance rehearsal for this year's Singing Christmas Tree. We are still a month off from performance shape, but it humbles my heart to see ideas come to life.

 

Watching dances unfold as we rehearse and choreograph together.

Pre hunting trip, the boys take five to be measured for Bible character garb. They have agreed to stand in the sanctuary holding lanterns for me...no dancing or singing required. Much less commitment than the waltzing lessons of 2011.

Backing away from the Halloween treats is also helping me focus on performance shape...at least for November.

What's a thirteen year old girl to pack? Warm clothes, I hope! A and L head to D.C. for a school field trip.

Charlotte Motor Speedway with Brennan on his class field trip

A cherished afternoon and evening at home to lie on the floor and play with magnetic hematite stones

The detangling of knots ritual that we are still assisting with post bath, pre-bedtime.

All that's left of ancient candy corn that were meant as decorations, but still mysteriously got eaten anyway.

Bartering a trail ride with my friend Paula for a Pilates session for her friend's birthday. Score! I love riding, especially in beautiful places in beautiful autumn.

A tree in my neighborhood that makes me happy every time I drive past it (one thousand times a day).

An old, but clean (for the moment) car that smells good. Andy pulled out the manual to discover how to remove the center console. Eleven years of spilled beverages, seventy five cents, and a hairball were lurking under that thing. You needed one of those scrapers that painters use to extract the goo from the van, but he did it, and I love him so for the effort. Aahhh, Febreeze.

Comedian I am reading...well, technically, listening to. Parenting stories that crack me up because they are so true...like how he spends half his life getting his five children to school.

Luckily for the teachers, Aldi carried, for a brief stint, our favorite apple chips. Sorry, don't bother going. We bought them out. We have a lot of teachers to love with five kids. Happy American Education Week.

 

Pitching the barrage of holiday catalogs in the recycle bin before the kids circle everything in them for wish lists. Sighing a little sigh when the next Zumba instructor DVD comes in the mail and I haven't finished learning the last one yet.

Lizard catching....who needs a dog when you can catch your own pets?

Go outside and make your own fun, people.

 

Girls Night Out on the Town. We enjoyed a TLC fundraiser night at Town Theater to see White Christmas. Haven't eaten turkey yet, but the stores are already posting holiday hours in early November.

To combat the crazy rush, I am ordering my soul in God's presence. I am loving this devotional book, available through Forge ministries. (ForgeForward.org). It has simple spiritual exercises you can do each day to set your focus.