Joseph, Gabriella, Julianna, James, and Elora

Joseph, Gabriella, Julianna, James, and Elora

Thursday, December 29, 2011

A Not-so-perfect Christmas

We have this weird obsession in our culture with having "The Perfect Christmas." Everybody's "perfect Christmas" looks a little different, but the one thing commercials all agree upon is that they must all be perfect. The sparkling tree. The stockings hung by the fire. A delicious and beautiful meal. And of course, the "perfect gift" for each person you love sitting underneath the tree (and if you are a woman, you know that expectation involves diamonds and Kay jewelers somehow; for men, a new car with the world's most gigantic red bow on top!)

Even as Christians, I think we have some of these "perfect Christmas" expectations, although in a different way. We recognize that we are celebrating Christ's birth and struggle against the consumerism to capture that "true meaning" of Christmas. Which I think is wonderful, and important. But...we have certain ideas of how that should work, too. We should attend the Christmas Eve service and bask in the candlelit hush as the choir sings "Silent Night." We should gather our family and read the famous Christmas story from Luke chapter 2, and thrill at the words "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men." We should spend quality time together with our families, singing the lovely old carols and feeling "peace on earth" in our hearts.

I admit that I have these expectations, and I love Christmas. Traditions are very important in my family, and I want everything to be JUST like it was for me when I was a kid. Well, this year my expectations fell pretty...flat. I had great plans. My sister and brother in law were here the whole Christmas week, and we were going to go up to my parents house and spend all kinds of time when them and my family. A massive snowstorm kind of stuck us on separate sides of the mountain, so that didn't really happen. Robert was going to take some time off...but instead he ended up working double shifts and late hours on all kinds of computer "emergencies," leaving me alone with the kids. I had made homemade peppermint and almond bark for all my neighbors, and I was going to give it to them along with an ornament that had scripture references on them...but then our family caught a bad cold, and we were all sick just in time for Christmas.

 Being up all night coughing meant we didn't go to church Christmas morning (dressed all in our matching plaid dresses/shirts, which I had planned. Yes, I know I'm a dork but I love matching our family's clothes!). Instead a tired Daddy attempted to placate the baby while an even more time Mama attempted to take a nap, neither one terribly successfully. We made it out to my parent's house for Christmas dinner (in our pajamas), where the kids had a great time, and I tried to put a good face on it, but honestly I really felt so very terrible that it was hard to enjoy anything, even time with my family! Even the food didn't really taste right thanks to my awful cold. And of course, it's hard to sing carols with a croaky sore throat. As much as I love Christmas and am glad we got to spend it with my family, I didn't really "feel" the joy I usually do at this season. And I must admit this week I have been kind of feeling sorry for myself, cooped up in the house being sick, with all the sick kids, while my poor sick husband still has to go to work and fix all these dumb computer emergencies, and my family is all up in Colorado (we got them sick too, just in case you were wondering!).


But then I started thinking about the REAL Christmas - that first one. I don't imagine Mary felt terribly "Christmasy" either. An unwed pregnant teenager travelling miles from home on a donkey with a man who was her husband in name only, having to give birth to her first baby in a stable - not the cleanest or most comfortable of environments - and having strangers coming to stare at her...this doesn't sounds like the "perfect Christmas" I would imagine! I bet there were lots of moments when she didn't "feel" so good about it and maybe even said "why me, Lord?" in her heart. But she was able to look past the circumstances to what really mattered - that God's own Son was born and salvation was come.

 And those things are still true regardless of how perfect - or imperfect - my Christmas was this year! When I think about all I have - and material possessions doesn't even enter the picture, although I have more of those than I ever could need - it makes me so grateful and humble as I realize how little I deserve it.

"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel."  

Monday, December 19, 2011

Monday Madness

It is snowing a TON at our house today! It's lovely...but I'm also afraid that all my family will be snowed in up there in the mountains and I won't get to see them this week...Daniella and Phillip are here and Lyd and Sophie are off school, and Tiana's in town, so we have all kinds of fun girly things we need to do!

In other news...

Joseph informed me today that he wanted to have 7 brothers and 5 sisters. He does realize that adds up to 13 right? THIRTEEN! Oh dear. It's easy for him to think that sounds fun. By the time there are 13 of them, he will be grown up and get to go away to college. Just about the time they become more helpful than messy, they leave the house. Sigh. God's sense of humor seems kind of mean sometimes.


I'm sure by the time I have 13, twelve of them will seem like a piece of cake, right?

Mmmm. Cake. Think I need some cake...

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Customer Service

TO: Customer Service
Department of Child Assignment
Heaven

RE:  Recent Purchases

Dear Sir,

This is the third letter I've written concerning my recent purchases of your product, and I have yet to recieve any satisfaction from your department. I find myself far from happy with my purchases, 4 units of your "Cute Little Baby" product (serial numbers 1292006, 0272008, 08292009, and 04222011). These products were marked as "precious, adorable, sweet, cuddly little babies" and sure, they lived up to your promises at the beginning. I read the warning labels about the side effects - "may include sleep deprivation, irritability, and lack of personallo bvgbftvb tgh nl time" - but I thought the benefits seemed to outweigh the risks, and they did...at first. However, I failed to notice the "fine print" clause which stated "warning - unit will most likely grow into loud, obnoxious, destrucive, screaming toddler!" I really think this warning ought to be written in giant letters and posted ALL OVER THE PACKAGING! 

As you'll notice from my other letters, my attempts to return these purchases have been rejected. Apparently the fact that I feel you used FALSE ADVERTISING to get me to buy your product is insufficient to overcome your "No Returns or Exchanges" policy. I think I should at least be allowed to exchange them for a better-behaved model. I find your policy most inflexible and unhelpful. 

At the very least, I feel I should be entitled to some sort of refund, as these products have become insatiable eating machines consuming every last resource I possess. They consume not only all of my food, but also every spare bit of my time, energy, sleep, health, personal grooming, and patience. I find your claim that these products are a "long-term investment" and "should start showing major returns in approximately 18 years" to be very unhelpful. I don't want to wait 18 years to see a return on my investment! I bought it hoping to be able to enjoy it NOW! Who thinks 18 years ahead, anyway?

Because of all these problems with your products, and the fact that your customer service representatives have been so unhelpful in dealing with them, I am writing to inform you that I will no longer be purchasing your...

What's that? You have a NEW model? Sweet smelling? Blue eyes? EXTRA-cuddly? Awwwww.....
Well...I suppose I could always use one more. Ok, you've got a deal!

Sincerely,

A Mother


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Christmas presents

If you are like me, you have a lot of family members to buy or make gifts for, and not always a lot of great ideas! I don't think of myself as a really "great shopper" like my sister Daniella or my Aunt Diana. I can't always find something that I just KNOW the person will love, and I don't really love going shopping all the time! Also, when you have been in the same family for so many years - or friends for many years, like my best friend Rachel! - you start to run out of ideas. You've kind of done it all before! So here are a few ideas I've seen recently that are different and not terribly expensive:

1. Pumpkin Butter
I LOVE pumpkin (see my last post!), and I almost always buy a big one around Halloween just because I think they make pretty decorations. After Thanksgiving is over, I turn mine into a crock pot full of pumpkin butter. Here are some simple directions on how to do it - it's really quite easy!
NOTES - they say to use pie pumpkins, but I have always made mine with a regular large pumpkin and it turns out just fine. Just remember to cook the pumpkin first, either in the oven or the steamer! You should have seen me chipping away the rock-hard pumpkin from the shell the first year! ;-) It was funny...in retrospect. Put the finished butter in small, pretty glass canning jars and tie a ribbon around them, and you have a great gift for friends, neighbors, or Sunday School teachers. Just remember to tell them that the pumpkin butter NEEDS TO BE REFRIGERATED because it doesn't "can" safely like most other fruits. For this reason, you also can't mail it very well.

2. Build your own Smores Kit
I saw this for sale in some magazine, but I would totally do it myself. Three small decorative boxes, each with one component (graham crackers, chocolate, marshmallows) inside, stacked and tied together with a ribbon. So easy! Check out the dollar store or Hobby Lobby for the boxes - HL often has 1/2 off seasonal sales that makes things like this very reasonable.

3. Peppermint/Almond Bark
This is what I'm making for all the kids' teachers and neighbors this year! Here's a recipe for this simple and delicious treat. Sams Club sells 5lb bars of Ghiridelli white and milk chocolate for (I believe) about $4.88 each? Of course you could use chocolate chips as well. Same story as #2, find some boxes or tins on sale, and you are set! For almond bark, simply replace the peppermint oil with almond extract (you may have to play with the quantities, depending on the strength of the extract) and the crushed peppermint on top with chopped almonds. You could even toast the almonds for extra flavor and crunch.

KIDS
4. Build your own superhero cape kit
I saw this in a magazine too, but it seems so simple that I would make it. Cut a large rectangle of fabric in whatever colorful or shiny fabric you choose, wider at the bottom than the top (like this). (If you're really ambitious you can hem it like in the picture, but I probably won't. ;-) My kids will not care.) You can sew a ribbon/string on either side of the narrow end, or you can sew on a strip across the top with velcro on each end (again, see the link above). Then cut out a bunch of shapes, letters, or symbols out of different colored fabrics. You can find all sorts of sparkly, shiny, or otherwise interesting materials at the fabric store, or you could just use what you have at home! You can add beads, sequins, or even fabric paints, depending on the age of the child. Then wrap the cape up together with all the accessories and label it "Build Your Own Superhero Cape!" You may need to include some kind of fabric glue if you are giving this to someone else's children (again, depends on the age of the child!) so they can attach all their decorations to their cape.

5. Dress up box.
Find a largish box and paste pretty paper on the outside. Or you could buy a decorative box, even a hatbox, at a store - Tuesday Morning is one of my favorites, and they have tons of pretty boxes. A plastic bin with a lid from, say, Wal-Mart would work too, and you could decorate it with girly stickers. Then go to the thrift store and find all kinds of fun accessories, like gloves, hats, high-heeled shoes, feather boas, shawls, beads, costume jewelry, fluffy skirts, etc. for very cheap prices! Fill the box with all these dress up clothes and make a little girl's day! Note - You could use this idea for a boy too, just pick more manly attire like suit jacket, glasses frames, tie, man shoes, fedora, cape, sword, uniform, toy pistols, cowboy hat, etc.

KITCHEN
6. Bay Leaf wreath
Here's the link. This struck me as a really pretty and unique idea for someone who likes to cook. It's a wreath made out of fresh bay leaves, which makes the room look pretty and smell good, and then once it dries, you can pluck the leaves off and use them in cooking all year long. William Sonoma offers a garland too.


7. Personalized coffee mugs
Here's the link to a glass etching tutorial. It sounds intimidating, but it actually looks really easy. I am going to try this for a few of my own presents. It's basically just painting an etching acid (that they sell at Hobby Lobby) into a stencil that's pasted onto glass. The acid eats away at the glass, and you have a beautiful etched picture or image. I thought you could buy each person an inexpensive coffee mug - maybe even at the dollar store - and then etch their initial or full name onto it. That way, nobody gets their cups mixed up! Great for an office, or a household with many coffee drinkers. The possibilities here are pretty much limitless. You could buy a set of water glasses and give each person their own glass. You could etch names or initials onto pyrex storage containers or baking dishes so people don't get their lunches mixed up or lose their 9x13 pan at a potluck. (I hate it when I do that!) You can do fancy wine glasses for married couples. They sell several different styles of stencil for this at HL. Use your imagination!

8. Gift Basket for the Baker
They sell these pre-made, but they are SO expensive. Buy a pretty basket. Fill it with unique and neat things related to baking i.e. fun-shaped cookie cutters, hand towels, an apron (here's a site that shows you how to make one out of a man's shirt!), special flavorings or spices, like fancy vanilla, cardamom, almond extract, cinnamon, etc. You could include baking chocolate, a pretty pie pan or mini cake tins, pot holders that look like pineapples, etc. etc. (Just don't try to make your own potholders. They NEVER turn out right and they are just not worth the time and effort when you can buy them so cheaply. At least, that has been my experience!)The sky's the limit. Add a cookbook! or just some recipe cards with your favorites. You could do a "coffee basket" or "tea basket" with a mug and some different coffee/tea flavors, along with fancy sugar,  or a "hot chocolate basket" with marshmallows. I really like the idea of building your own gift basket because you can make each one unique to the person.


Those are my ideas so far. I have one other, but I am not going to share it because I know my mom and sisters read my blog sometimes, and I am making it for them for Christmas!