December Review

Brian got 2010 of this blog printed for me for Christmas.  I love looking back through it but I also love watching the kids read through it, too.  They laugh and ask each other "Do you remember?"
That in itself makes me want to be diligent about posting pictures and stories so that they will be able to remember lots more.
So, here are some pics from our December, pre-Christmas.

Everyone helped decorate the tree but these little guys hung around the longest.

Jack was an innkeeper in the Christmas program at church  

and Kayla was a wiseman.  

I loved how she got herself all set up on the couch.  

She turned 2!

Decorating sugar cookies, very carefully with more than enough of everything in the end!

Clementine buddies.

I don't have pictures of these things but we had fun caroling at the retirement center, delivering goodies to friends young and old, reading lots of Christmas books, watching "White Christmas" and eating real, not microwave, popcorn with friends, and more that I'm probably forgetting.  I think it was a pretty good month.

Got Ham?

Trying to get back to somewhat normal today.
Normal routine, normal food (meaning not a steady diet of sweets!), normal sleep, etc...
I am one who likes to take down the Christmas decorations right after Christmas.  Still need to do the tree but I think I've gotten the rest of it.  I like how neat everything looks when it's been put back in its place.  We also need to figure out what to do with all these new presents.  We cleaned out last week but still, when the kids all get even just a couple of new things, it adds up.
Jack has been beside himself today- he got a fish tank for Christmas and set it up today.  Tomorrow- the fish!  He has read so much about them and is sooooo excited to finally have his own.

For dinner tonight, I tried something a little different.  We still have a good bit of ham left over so I found a soup recipe then tweaked it.  I really liked it!
Here's my version:

Ham and Vegetable Soup

4 cups of chicken broth

1 can of diced tomatoes

some barley

Boil those, along with some pepper and basil.  (Adjust boil time to whatever the barley needs)

Add some chopped ham and veggies.  The recipe I saw called for mixed frozen vegetables but I used some green beans, corn, and chopped carrots that I already had.

About 10 minutes before serving, add some noodles and cook until tender.

I made some corn muffins to go with it.
Yum!
It was a little salty so next time I'll either reduce the chicken broth or add a little water.

Just Licking

She still cannot stay away from all the candy on the gingerbread house.  We know she's trying again when we hear the random piano notes as she climbs.  She said, "I not eating, Mom.  I just licking."  Oh that makes me laugh!!

Christmas Eve

It is Christmas Eve.  Finally!  My kids are just about beside themselves with the waiting.  It's a little different for us this year since we are home and not at Grandma's today.  I think this is the second or third time in my 38 years that I haven't been there.  We will go on Monday but there is a little tug in my heart to be there now.  Today.
Funny how tradition can run so deep.  I love the smells from her kitchen.  Right now my own smells a little like a grandma's.  One thing missing:  the smokey scent from the woodstove.  At Grandma's, either one of them, it would be warm (maybe hot) inside and cold outside.  And you know, I don't know when there has been a fire in those stoves but it's still a part of my Christmas memories.
Another thing that sticks out in my mind is the Santa radar.  One of the local tv stations would break in and show on the map where Santa had been spotted.  We would squeal and hurry off to bed, so excited, believing that he was close.
With all that sweetness tucked in my heart, there are new things I await now, like our Christmas Eve service. 
I love the singing.  I love coming together as a church family to worship.
There are other things I look forward to.
One of my favorite thing about travel time on Christmas is to see how quiet so many homes look from the outside.  Many of them with driveways full of cars.  And I wonder what's going on inside.  I imagine family catching up, reminiscing, enjoying a big dinner.  I always hope it's a joyful time.
And surely I am excited for my children to experience Christmas for themselves:
*the delight of birthday cake for breakfast
*the pleasure on their faces as they open presents
*the time they can spend with their grandparents and great-grandparents- what a blessing that is to us all.  *the fun with cousins
*hearing again the most wonderful story ever told
I wonder what their memories will be, what they will hold dear.

Sticky "Bums"

Let's just say Christmas came a little early to our house.
Brian and Kayla have an annual baking tradition.  Well, at least for two years running.
They make these sticky buns, which Lucy calls "sticky bums."  Ha!  That makes me laugh.
Anyway, these two work on the rolls the night before- and I do mean work.
The dough rests all night then they finish them up in the morning, and we have a delicious mid-morning snack.
The texture is impressive.
The smell, fantastic.
But the taste, out of this world!

Reminders

It was still dark out this morning.
I sat by the lit Christmas tree.
Sammy was in his new tent in the middle of the living room.
"Mom?  Why was Jesus born?"
So we started to talk about this question, yet another big question from Sam.
Some of things I heard:
"What did the angel tell the shepherds?"
"So God was a baby? Oh yeah, so God and Jesus are the same guy."
"Tell me more about baby Jesus, Mom."
I have loved these sweet moments with Sam lately.
They are so good for me because I quickly get worried over all I "need" to do and then I get grumpy.  Who wants to be grumpy at Christmas, of all times?
I need to be reminded over and over, by Lucy singing or by Sammy asking questions or by whatever means necessary, that Christmas is about one thing.
Him.

Short and Sweet

Today has had its ups and downs, I guess like most days.  The downs are kind of getting to me but it's rest/nap time and all is quiet.  Things usually look up after this part of the day.  I found this Christmas book, Christmas in My Heart, A Timeless Treasury of Heartwarming Stories, and sat down with it for a few minutes.  The story that caught my eye is "A Day of Pleasant Bread."  Short and sweet.  Here's a couple quotes:

"As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year.  And thus I drift along into the holidays- let them overtake me unexpectedly- waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself: 'Why, this is Christmas Day!'  How this discovery makes one bound out of bed!"

and

"Do you know, the more I look into life, the more things it seems to me I can successfully lack- and continue to grow happier."

Christmas Baking with Lucy

It is smelling delightful in here!
Today's mitten countdown activity:  baking christmas goodies.
Turns out Lucy is my only helper.  The other kids ditched the kitchen in favor of digging in the dirt on this really warm December day.
That's ok.  It's good for them to be outside and it's been good for Lucy and I to spend the morning together.
We've made some gooey oatmeal bars which are tasty but I don't think they are going to hold together.
Brownies just came out of the oven.
We just mixed up some sugar cookie dough and will bake those this afternoon.
I think a friend will come help us decorate the cookies then we'll put together some plates tonight and deliver the goodies!
I had friends in both Bridgewater and Charlotte that always did lots of Christmas baking and brought us plates of cookies.  I always looked forward to that day.  So many different treats.
I miss those girls more than their sweets, but the sweets were sooo good!

Pretty Star

We have spent the morning, or at least a better part of it, making stars like this one.  Isn't it pretty?  And the best part, it's easy.  A friend sent me the link; you can find the directions here.  You only need a stapler, scissors, tape, and six pieces of paper.  Try it!  

Happy Birthday Lucy!

There is so much to say about this girl that it's hard to know where to start.
For one thing, she goes back and forth about this birthday business.  Yesterday, she was either singing "Happy Birthday to me!" or she's saying "No!" when we ask if she's ready for her birthday.  That's kind of how I feel.  We have enjoyed this little one every step of the way but for my baby girl to be 2?  My heart aches, just a bit.
She delights us all.  Her big brothers and sister love her.  Her sister will do just about anything for her, even try to potty train her.
Lucy's a talker and a singer.  Lately, her favorite is:  "I'm a Little Teapot" which she calls "peapot" and "Jesus Loves Me.  She has her own version of a couple of songs that include the words "Hallelujah" and "come and worship Christ the newborn king."  She has used the words 'actually' and 'supposed' in the last couple of weeks.  She pretty much parrots anything we say.  She has no problem letting the big kids know when she's had enough.
There are a lot of people she loves.  She still prefers the guys, and at church, in particular, there's Pastor "Hutchin" and "Powell."
I love her smiles and her hugs.
She loves to "boom" Daddy, which means get a running start and knock Daddy over.
She is always happy when her "friends" are coming.
She likes to play in her kitchen and she likes to read books.
Helping in Mom's kitchen is good, too.  "I help you Mommy?"
Jack and Lucy can eat us out of a box of clementines in a couple of days if I let them.
Lulu and Sam are getting to be good buddies- really fun to watch.
I know there's so much more I could say about our sweet Lucy.
She is nothing short of a joy and a gift, as they all are.
Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Christmas Craftiness

Our backyard is home to this towering pine.  While I apparently missed the crafty gene from my mom, I still have thoughts of being able to make something pretty.  Something for the house.  This tree is my inspiration.  Kayla and I watched a couple of youtube videos on making your own pine roping.  Looks easy enough, we thought.  So we got some florist wire several weeks ago.  I got up the nerve to try a few things.

I love looking at this on my table.  Nothing fancy but really, a few sprigs and some fake berries are enough in themselves.  Jack says it's my masterpiece.

This might be my favorite.  It's the first thing I tried, just to get my feet wet.  I wasn't sure if it was really pretty or really tacky.  Brian's mom and dad voted for pretty.  I think I agree.

The best part was Kayla, Sam, and I trying this together.  Sammy helped clip more branches.  Then Kayla and I spread newspapers on the table.  We cut a long piece of wire to fit our stair rail then we started tying.  It's a little flimsy but we like it.  

Decking the halls is proving to be lots of fun this year!

Rainy Wednesday

I am enjoying these dark, rainy days.  They're cozy.
I am struggling a bit, however, to enjoy the antics of four cooped up kids today.  Sigh.
So, we went to the rec center this morning for the first time.  It's free!  A big gym with basketball hoops, plenty of room to run, and a track on the outside for walking or running.  I think it was good for all of us, me included.  There are lots of older people and we saw our elderly friends from church there.  They go to exercise three days a week.  Maybe we will time our future visits with their's.
On the way home, we picked up "Santa Buddies" from the library for the kids to watch after quiet time and some McDonald's coffee for me.  Some time in front of the Christmas tree with Miss Read's Christmas Tales  sounds good to me.

Christmas Question

Sammy was supposed to be asleep when I went upstairs last night, but he wasn't.  I tucked him in again.
As I was leaving his room, he said, "Mom, why did Jesus have to die?"
I knelt down beside him, wanting to say the right thing.  Knowing the answer we've talked about before and overwhelmed by his question at the same time.
"God knew we couldn't save ourselves.  Jesus was the only one who could because he had never, ever sinned.  He died for our sins so we wouldn't have to."
Sammy was quiet, then he said, "So that little baby never sinned?"
"Never, not once."

My hope for Sammy and the other kids is that they wonder at the baby Jesus but that they also keep looking, to the cross.
There is so much more to Christmas than this world offers.
So much more.

p.s.

p.s.  Bedtime kisses from Sam and Lucy were extra sweet tonight, with all the sugar still on their cheeks.
I'm getting ready to watch the Christmas episode of Lark Rise to Candleford.  I don't know why I'm doing this because I think that one is very FREAKY with all the "wind do blow" business and because Brian is gone for the evening.  But, I love Lark Rise and I want to watch a Christmas show.  So there you go.  I'll have to leave some lights on when I go to bed.

Gingerbread House

Our kind neighbor gave the kids a gingerbread house kit just before Thanksgiving.  Putting it together was our special December 5 activity from our mitten countdown.  I have to say I was a little apprehensive.
Me and four kids and loads of candy.
But, it was really fun.  Lucy ate a LOT of candy.  Every time I told her no more, she said, "OK Mom."  Somehow she ended up with more anyway.  Part of the fun, I guess.

The temptation was too much.

Shepherds and Wisemen

I loved...
the dim lights and the candles in the windows,
the little angels tugging at the tinsel wrapped around their heads,
the shepherds and the wisemen,
the young voices singing, some loudly, some barely at all.
I loved hearing children proclaim the good news.
The little mishaps and the smiles.  Sometimes I think the imperfection of it makes it most endearing.
It just seems like "the" way to welcome in the Christmas season- to sing together, to listen together, and to be moved to worship in our hearts.
I remember Lucy singing, "Come and worship, Come and worship" over and over in the car and I am reminded that this is where Christmas truly is, in our worship of this baby king, come to save.

It's December!

It's December 1st!  The kids just canNOT wait any longer to decorate.  So today, the tree goes up.  Actually, it is up, just not decorated.  We're waiting for Brian to get home.
Isn't this little mitten/stocking countdown cute?  I take no credit for it.  A sweet lady from church made it for us.  Inside each one is a slip of paper with something fun to do... drink  hot chocolate, make Christmas cookies, etc...We came up with some ideas of our own, too.
Everyone's getting so excited!  Lucy points at all things Christmas and says, "Kissmas!"
Tis the season!