Football Wars

Once a year wings night with Daddy

In South Carolina, college football is a big thing. Much bigger than professional football (although some follow both). This intense rivalry is reflected in our neighborhood seasonal decor. Next to the holiday inflatables are giant school mascot inflatables. Most notably on the corner near us, there is a Clemson tiger across from a Carolina gamecock. When Clemson lost their last game, this deflated tiger made my children laugh as the gamecock stood proud for many days to come.

I am a white twinkle light girl, but the neighbors like these inflatables...so do my kids.

Even Ginger and Jack are ready for Bowl Game Day

Christmas Advent-ures: 2013 Favorite Discoveries

I made my kids stay up until 11pm on a school night to watch The Sound Of Music (live) with me. These are a few of my 2013 favorite things:

cozy moments, Christmas jammies, cocoa, and musicals, family harmony

Favorite Advent Scripture Readings: You Version Rediscovering the Christmas Season.

This daily Bible reading plan includes a devotional thought with an activity. When laying out the pieces of the nativity set imagine yourself in the scene. What posture would you take for worship?

When reading about God's specific instructions for building the temple, let your decking of the halls be an act of worship, and an expression of God-given creativity. Love the practical fresh application of familiar stories.

Favorite App: The Salvation Army Bell-ringer....you can add different tones to make handbells while you are ringing, plus it takes less energy to tap then ring!

Consignment pants for Mrs. Claus to help one feel festive

Favorite Gadget: remote controls that you can use to switch off the outdoor Christmas lights so that you don't have to go out when it's below freezing.

Favorite Scents: live Christmas trees and blooming paper whites. Scents so beautiful that I do stop and smell the roses.

Paper stars from Target

A gift from my dancing angels

Favorite new (to us) Christmas book: Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon. This story is based on the Christmas truces during World War 1. Imagine hearing "Silent Night" on one side matched by "Stile Nacht" on the other side of no man's land. The Christ who came to bring eternal peace causing a temporary peace in battle.

Love this...an O Henry story for kids

Favorite Holiday Sparkle: Rhinestone bobby pins, glitter make-up, and silver sparkle hairspray
When performing in the Singing Christmas Tree in my 40's, it occurred to me that the silvery sparkle would cover any emerging greys! Maybe I'll take to wearing sparkles year-round!

Favorite Cookie: Gingerbread. These pretty ones were given to us as a give. My favorite slice and bake variety are found at Publix.

So tasty and break-and-bake!

Advent-ures: Christmas Jammies

We are not nearly as cool as the Holderness family, but to get some great ideas for next year, watch their video Christmas card.

Click here:

Christmas Jammies

Dance of Gratitude

"I yearn for this life to be a dance of gratitude to You, my Beloved."

Anonymous quote from My Worship Journey Companion Journal by Linda Dillow

rehearsing

I thanked my mother tonight for driving me to ballet class and rehearsals one thousand times as a kid.

She replied, "So worth it."

She gave me a gift in all those dance lessons. A gift that I can pass on to others as we lead worship through dance in this year's Singing Christmas Tree.

I pray that I can invest in my children and help them find their gifts to share with the world as well.

Thankful

I am thankful for creative friends who whip up something beautiful for the Thanksgiving luncheon and then share their handiwork with me!

Last week I had the privilege of going to a friend's house to discuss Lysa Terkeurst's book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God? My friend shared the warmth of her home, her hugs, her spiced tea, and love for Jesus. As I sat by her fire, I realized what a gift it is to have an evening with like-minded friends.

Thursday morning we watched the Macy's parade and prepared sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving at my Mom's house. To my mom, "to love you is to feed you" and she always lays out an amazing spread. We are so thankful that she enjoys hosting us every year.

We are thankful for my sister-in-law's skilled surgical hands put to use by carving the infra-red turkey, my father-in-law's willingness to always say grace, and for the grace that covers all our sin (even when one of our kids breaks a glass before leaving the table).

I am thankful that my daughters enjoy baking so that they can help out in the holiday festivities.

I am thankful for a member of my Pilates class who surprised me with gifts of pumpkin breads and an even kinder gift of kind words. I am thankful for the Turkey Burn "taster" of classes at the gym tomorrow, so that I can get back on track of becoming svelte again. I keep forgetting my original intention which each holiday flavor that crosses my path.

I am thankful that my kids like to sit on the couch and halfway watch Charlie Brown specials on tv and It's A Wonderful Life so that I can enjoy moments of nostalgia. We very rarely watch tv together, so I am completely drawn into sappy holiday commercials like the ones from Publix and Johnson and Johnson. Messages like, "Mom, you are doing okay" and "Even if the day was not flawless, it was perfect" warm my heart.

Publix Thanksgiving Commercial 2013

 

http://youtu.be/08rj14I6QPY

 

I mute Black Friday blaring announcements and spend one more day in gratitude for all that we already have.

 

 

 

Christmas Cheer

 

I think I have already had my apex moment of the season, before it has officially begun.

We wanted to start Thanksgiving week with gratitude for what we have been given, and created a family gratitude tree from the branches of a potted tree that died during the first cold snap. We've added paper leaves for the things that we are thankful for, and my children mentioned God, "Jeasus" (that must be the way His name sounds to a child growing up in the South), and family.

We gathered everyone together to discuss how we could give and serve this season before any wish lists for ourselves were drawn up. I wanted to hold off until the turkey had been served before racing down that wrapping paper strewn road. Kids spent the day practicing "Silent Night" in high octaves on the piano. Daughters made minty fudge and cookies for the neighbors and teachers. A son drew me a picture in oil pastel and happily strummed on his guitar. Kids played with neighbors in the yard. Gifts given, shared, not just the ones bought.

After dinner together (!) the kids flipped through catalogues of needs and voted to give gifts of education to orphans, help for those devastated by the typhoon in the Phillipines, and funds toward the rescue of young girls sold as slaves around the world. I was proud of them for caring for others. Deeply satisfied that that were catching, incrementally, what living beyond yourself (and not just living beyond your means) looks like.

We made plans to ring the bell for the Salvation Army, gather and sort can goods for Harvest Hope, perform in our church's Singing Christmas Tree, take care of kids in the nursery, mail shoeboxes, search for a mission trip we could go on as a family this year, and send the youth to build a house with World Changers.

All of this was fine and well when there seemed to be little personal sacrifice involved. Then my husband decided to ask what they thought about spending the money we would have spent on ourselves on those in genuine need. One boy melted my heart with a quick, yes. "I don't really need anything this year." The other four, to their credit, were honest. "Can I have some time to think about this?" "I don't really know." "Do you want an honest answer, or to hear what I am supposed to say?"

We prayed that God would teach us how to give of ourselves and to others. To grow us from where we are.

Then, with my heart bursting in maternal affection, I allowed each child to draw the name of another sibling out of a silky red hat to be their secret Santa for December. The idea was to buy a gift for one brother or sister (instead of four), but also to pray for them and find secret ways to serve them. They did great until the secret part. That was just too much for them to handle. One kid kept letting things slip until names were drawn and redrawn and I relinquished the name drawing to one of the older kids. Perhaps one day we will get to the point of loving and serving in secrecy, but today we are still elves in training.

Latvian wool socks from our adoption journey last year

 

"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant.

To enact gratitude is generous and noble, but

To live gratitude is to touch Heaven."

- Johannes A. Gaertner