Another Attempt at Advent

The last few years, I have felt led to celebrate Advent with our family. I started just with reading advent scriptures the first couple of weeks only to have it fall by the wayside with the busyness of the season. Last year we actually did some Advent activities for several days and stayed with the scriptures longer.

It is obvious that finishing what I started is something with which I struggle. The pile of unfinished scarves and socks is further evidence of this shortcoming.

So, I have been pondering Advent and how to create a situation I must see through. I decided the key is in the planning. So, as is my way, I started planning waaaay ahead. On Sunday. Ahem.

Okay, so I'll have to let you know later if it works. The idea, however, is that I bought some of those miniature stockings at our local discount store for $1 each. In each will be be tucked a scripture and a location. There are 24, with little white tags (straight from the office products dept of same store) labeling the days. I also picked up some treats. With four kids and a roommate (I'm sending a box to The Big Boy at college and including his roomie), it can be costly, so we are talking very low cost treats. It isn't about the wonderful gift, it is about the anticipation of our Savior. The treats just make it an exciting activity. I bought candy, chap stick, cheap toys, playing cards, beef jerky, and other whimsical items. I'm thinking the beef jerky was the most costly of the lot. Many little gifts like this can be purchased in the seasonal department. Another place to check out is the travel item section. Those little sodas in six packs are another idea. Boxes of snacks are always good.

I'll string the stockings across the front of the mantel and each day they will read the scripture and ponder it in their hearts. Of course they will. Then they will look at the location where their treat for that day is hidden.

The big boy has a box and the treats are in little bags and labeled by day, with scriptures attached. Well, almost. I'm doing that next. His covers him through finals, then he will join the rest of the family in our Advent adventure at home.

I'm hearing voices from "Christmas Vacation" in my head, "Sparky, you create expectations no family gathering can meet..." (or something like that) Voices, be gone!!!

Two great places for Advent ideas are:

Cathy's Christmas Cottage Advent Calendar

Teaching Mom's Advent Calendar

Even if you just do a couple of activities and a few scripture readings, it still is a step toward making Christmas about Jesus in your family.

The Stockings Were Hung

When I was small, one of my favorite parts of Christmas was getting out my one very own ornament & my stocking. They were the two decorations that had my name on them. In the mix of things, they were mine. Allllllll mine.

Then, my mom started making stockings for everyone. Some were knitted, some crocheted, and some were stitched using counted cross-stitch. All were beautiful, and more importantly, all were different. Each pattern was chosen with the recipient in mind. Holly, whose nickname was Holly-Bear, had a red stocking, knitted, with a bear design. The bear was holding a sprig of holly. Mom made a stocking for each of her four kids, each of her four kids-in-law, and every single one of her grand kids. All 13. That would be 21. She also made a few as gifts, I believe.

Then, the tragedy of cancer entered in. Mom never met her last two grandchildren, numbers 14 & 15. That would be my Things 1 & 2. So we have dug around all these years, using old pet stockings and extras that were gifts for the older two. I kept thinking I would make them one, so theirs would be homemade, too. Last year was attempt #1. It was ok, but not just what I wanted. I only had one stocking, too. And by the time I finished it, I wasn't up for another one. Each year about this time I think about it, and either I get new ideas, or I have no hope of accomplishing the task in time for this year. Regardless, at ages 11 & 13, my Things remain stockingless. Until now.

Today, I ordered The Things stockings from Pottery Barn. No, they are not homemade. But they will have their names on them.

For Thing 1:



For Thing 2:



As much as I would love to, I'll never be able to make them a stocking from my mom. It's just one of those things that happens in life. Some day, maybe I'll make them all stockings. Maybe not. But at least now, they have their very own stockings, that are not hand-me-downs from siblings, (or worse yet, pets), and I don't have to cringe when we hang them up on Christmas Eve.

No, Christmas isn't about the stockings. It's about Jesus. It's also about family. Each year when we get out those stockings we talk about their Grandma and how much she loved them and how proud she would be of each of them. We remember how she always had Pringles and gum and lots of love and hugs for her grandchildren. We wonder just what stockings she might have made for The Things. Then we laugh, because she would have laughed. She knew how much it meant to have something that was just yours, with your name on it. She would be glad those Things finally have stockings.

Thankful

Thankful, thankful, thankful.

As I scurry about the kitchen, I hear it on the tv in the next room. I hear it on the radio. I hear it at church, see it on the blogs, and on Twitter. Everyone is thankful. Even my little Clementine orange sports a sticker, "Thankful for Cuties".

Thankful.

Grateful. Webster says thankful means "conscious of benefit received", or "well-pleased; glad".

Thankful.

Full of thanks.

Thankful.

Am I?

Thankful.

Why, yes, I am.

I'm thankful for my health. I'm thankful for my home. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for everytime I laugh. Oh, yes, and I'm thankful for my orange Cuties.

Those are all good things. It's easy to be thankful for those.

What does God's word say about thankfulness? It says a whole lot. For example, Ephesians 5:19b-20 says, "Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sing & make music....from your heart to the Lord.......ALWAYS GIVING THANKS.....to God the Father.....for EVERYTHING....in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ.

There is a lot to be learned there.

Thankfulness is from our heart. Sayin' "I'm thankful" doesn't make it from the heart. Can you sing about it? Compose a trill about it? Search it out. Do you really mean it? Are you really glad?

Who do we thank? God the Father in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ. The Creator. The Prince of Peace. The Almighty. Makes sense.

We are supposed to always be thankful.

For everything.

Uh-oh.

I'm not up for composing a trill about the 9x13 glass pan that dropped on my foot last night.

Nope. Thankful is not what I was just then.

I'm not really sure that is what that means. Honestly. I can say, however, things sometimes happen that I just don't like, and I have learned that God always gives me a reason to be thankful.

I have a long way to go. I know that gratitude is a state of heart, and I need to be more grateful. I'm getting there. Sometimes it just takes living life to learn thankfulness. I'm thankful that I'm learning.

I think just pondering it all & searching my heart is another step on the journey.

Juggling Phantom Balls

I was inspired to write a post about this weekend after reading Staci's post about her weekend. I'm a copycat that way. Staci, just remember, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery....or something like that.

The last three or four weeks have been really busy with a vast array of activities & commitments. I kept thinking this week would be MUCH calmer. Heh.

Last Thursday, The Big Girl came home from a wonderful week at nursing camp to get turned around and leave again on Saturday morning for church camp. Unbelievably, Thing 1 also attended youth camp. I'm still astounded that he has aged so!

Youth camp required a 5:15 arrival at our church, requiring a 4 am wake up call. As is typical, bedtime was midnight-ish. You can do the math.

Once Thing 1 & The Big Girl were safely deposited on the bus, I headed to Walmart to make a grocery run. I feared returning to our home again with no groceries, as my remaining children may well have been planning a mutiny. After a fairly long grocery run, I got home, we had breakfast and headed out to the Air Show.

Now if anything makes a person more weary than a 4 am wake up call, it is standing out in hot, humid weather all day. However, I think I would have walked on coals to see the Blue Angels perform. There were many air acrobats that had us in suspense and amazed. My dad was there with us, and as a former pilot, he was a wealth of information. The Blue Angels performance filled me with awe. Each time they zoomed by, Thing 2 and I squealed giddily. I'm sure it was less than attractive for this middle-aged woman to squeal, but it was what it was.

We ended the evening cooking a few things for Father's Day dinner, then, exhausted, we hit the sack at 11ish. Wow, it was a long day.

Now we begin a new week. I have termed the phenomenon that is this week "Juggling Phantom Balls". You see, we may or may not be showing our house this week (no, it isn't listed yet. There is a reason for that. It isn't READY). If we don't show it this week, we will next week. We may or may not be going to Cedarville next week for a college visit. I may or may not be picking a friend up from the airport a couple of hours from here on Wednesday. I don't know if I'm juggling these balls or if they really aren't there, because I don't know what will happen yet. They aren't anything I can really grab on to, but there is something there, to be sure.

Tonight, though, we are definitely hosting our long-time friends in hopes of hiring him to be the general contractor on our new Timber-Frame house.

Kids at camp. House showings. College visits. Timber-Frame construction planning. I think I need to stop & take some time to pray a little more.

A Fun Old-Fashioned Family Camping Trip & Weekend

My extended family owns land about an hour from here on a small river. The river is a huge local recreational area where people camp, fish, swim, float, and just spend a lot of summer hours. The land we own has several great gravel bars, fishing holes, swimming & jumping spots, and some nice areas to camp. So, this weekend my brother & sister decided it is a great time for a Fun Old-Fashioned Family Camping Trip. We planned, like my other brother & family, to visit but not camp. Until Thursday night.

Thursday night was a tipping point, when the minions known as our children begged & begged until we did the unthinkable. We gave in. We decided to go camping.

Friday we were on the run as soon as our feet hit the ground. Because we hadn't camped in many (MANY) years, we were less than prepared. We popped up the little ol' pop up camper & cleaned it out. We made a list of all the items that needed to be replenished or replaced. After a four-hour trip to Walmart & Sam's, we loaded said camper with....stuff. Lots of it. We loaded 4-wheelers on a trailer, threw a bunch of....stuff....in the back of the Expedition and Pickup, baked a cake for Aunt D's birthday, packed, iced cake, loaded up our crew plus The Big Boy's Friend That is a Girl, K, and ..... wait. What about the little dog that lives in our house? Can't stay out, can't stay in, too late to board....so Benny loaded up, too, and we headed out.

We arrived at dusk. After setting up camp in the dark & digging around to find some hot dogs & marshmallows to roast for a fine & nutritious supper, we settled down to some campfire talk. It was lovely.

Picture the setting: The river flows just a few yards away....my brother's camper is a toy hauler that is larger than our first house. It has several large beds, several tv's, hot water, microwave, and....satellite. Fox News 24/7. Deluxe. Next to that is my sister's airstream with running water, generator, beds, kitchen, etc. Verry nice. They have awnings, carpet, space, organization. Then, next to that is our popup. No electricity. Water in large bottles & coolers only. Very little space for the stuff of 7 people. A luxury compared to our previous camping abode, a small tent, but still the runt of the litter. However, we did keep up with the Jones's. We, too, had an awning.

We had a relatively short night, waking at the first hint of light the next morning. It's funny how camping can make me a morning person. Then, after a big breakfast of 2 lbs of bacon, 2 lbs of sausage, eggs, fruit, coffee, juice, & croissants, we started a busy day of swimming, fishing, jumping, running, riding, and general playing.

Various family members & their dogs came and went through the day. We played hard and the evening brought several family members together for a Family Camping Birthday Dinner. We ate, had a Rainbow/Hippy Birthday cake, then settled in for some guitar music and conversation, when Ben (the dog) got sick. He started coughing and hacking and was terribly sick....all....night....long. I still don't know what was wrong, and he has improved significantly since he has rested at home for two days, nonetheless, it was a long & exhausting night.

Early Sunday morning meant time to load up & head home in time to shower & go to church. A Sunday afternoon nap did wonders for us, and we then unloaded & began what will be at least of week of clean up for the two night trip. At this writing, I begin to hyperventilate when I near the laundry room, and a trip through the sleeping bed/camping-supply-laden living room brings tears to my eyes.

Just when one would think the weekend is winding down, Thing 1 has a church event, and The Big Boy is assigned the task of retrieving the Thing after the event. However TBB didn't make it. He met up with a sign on the highway & after the fight, I think the sign won. Thus, Mom became dispatcher, sending Dad to the scene and The Big Girl to retrieve the Thing.

After everyone returned home & we rehashed the events of the day while eating some rather scrumptious sandwiches (made from the 10.7 lbs of lunchmeat left from the trip), we settled down for a movie. I'm told I didn't last through the opening credits....since I don't remember a solitary thing about the movie, I'm sure they are right.

About 1 am, hubby woke me to....oh, YOU thought I was going to say to go to bed. WRONG! No, it was time to watch the rest of "24"...the rest of the season.

Yes, we watched Jack fight the good fight until about 4:30 am. (Much better ending than Lost, in my opinion) So, today is a day of laundry, paperwork, cleaning, and general zoning out. In four days we have managed to knock three vehicles out of capacity with dead batteries, flat tires, and a battle with a sign. The poor dog is still staggering around in a daze. I'm not sure how long it will take to recuperate from this weekend, but I'm fairly sure there is potential for another "National Lampoon's Vacation" movie in the mix.

Ah, now I believe I have had enough writing therapy to face the monsters in the laundry room once again. Tomorrow is a new day. The diet/exercise starts anew. Normal sleep patterns shall emerge. And this weekend shall be a fond memory...

Please don't let this weekend pass without remembering the men & women who serve our country in armed services. They & their families deserve our support and prayers. Especially lift up in prayer & support the families of those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. We are eternally grateful for their sacrifice.

Hope

Today in church a lady sang one of my favorite songs. By the time it was over, I was a puddle in the pew. Then, our pastor gave a fabulous message from 2 Corinthians 4:7-11:

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

The bottom line? God wants us to be cracked pots. Scarred, broken beyond mending; and don't try to hide the cracks or cover them up. It is so we can be full of Jesus and He can shine through the cracks. I am broken, cracked beyond mending. I find myself thinking it's for naught. Today reminded me why it is; so He can be manifested through me.

Our pastor's sermons are some of the best teaching I have ever heard. You can find links to them at CapeBibleChapel.org

Oh, the song?


Our Hope Endures
Sung by Natalie Grant

You would think only so much can go wrong
Calamity only strikes once
And you assume that this one has suffered her share
Life will be kinder from here

Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear
But our hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

How do we comprehend peace within pain
Our joy at a good man's wake
Walk a mile with a woman whose body is torn
With illness but she marches on

Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years
Sometimes the sky rains night after night
When will it clear
But our hope endures the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
Let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

Emanuel, God is with us
El Shaddai, all sufficient
Emanuel, God is with us
El Shaddai, all sufficient
Emanuel, God is with us
El Shaddai, all sufficient

We never walk alone
This is our hope
Our hope endures, the worst of conditions
It's more than our optimism
let the earth quake
let the earth quake
let the earth quake
Our hope is unchanged

I never walk alone. My hope, because it is in Christ, remains unchanged.

Soup & Sandwiches

The best thing about cool weather is the cooking. I love soups and warm, cozy comfort food. Of course, I like warm weather better, but every cloud has it's silver lining.....

Spring is coming soon; I know it is true because the sun was still shinin' tonight at almost six. The days are getting longer and I'm reveling in each extra minute of sunshine.

Regardless, it is still cold out and I can still cook some cold weather food. So, I did. I'm making Shelly's Wild Rice Soup and Hawaiian Sandwiches. The soup recipe will follow, and the sandwich recipe may be found here.

Shelly's Wild Rice Soup

My sister sent this recipe from a friend of hers. It is easy and wonderfully good.

Prepare 1 box Zatarans Long Gran & Wild Rice as directed

Saute: 1 stick butter, 1 sweet onion, chopped, 3 carrots, 1/2 C celery. Add 1/2 lb mushrooms sliced thinly & 1 1/2 C Canadian bacon, chopped.

*I have used chicken and ham, as I don't keep Canadian Bacon on hand. They are great substitutes

Cook until soft & add 3/4 C flour to vegetables. Stir well. Wisk in 2 (26 oz) containers chicken stock. Add the cooked rice. Just before serving add 1 C half & half. Optional: chopped chives on top. It makes a large batch.

This soup is very filling and flavorful. Enjoy!