I have come to realize that Christmas is literally a labor of love (which I enjoy immensely...so, I will not complain at all). I like everything about this season (except the longer lines and lack of close parking spaces):
If you have facebook and read my last, last post here, then you are aware that I've been getting some good deals. Like the photo cards for $4.90 shipped to my doorstep. Never mind it took me a grand total of 2 hours and 15 minutes to create them and #1's head may be partially chopped off and I may have spelled our last name wrong since I basically gave up before I proofed it. There were so many technical glitches that if I would have had to do one more thing to it, bad things like it disappearing without being saved, would probably happen. I could not bare it any longer and just clicked on check-out before the men in the little white suits showed up calling my name.
Speaking of my name, someone very sweet left a beautiful note in my youth group stocking. She looked up my name which means "honey bee" and shared some thoughts on how that translates and it blessed me to tears! I must steal her idea and make someone else cry now.
Oh, some exciting news! My van was vibrating and making some awful noises like the engine was dropping out of it or something. So, I took it into our neighborhood auto shop today and my mechanic said it was way overdue for an oil change, needed a new air filter and some other thingy. He said he has no idea how any air got through my filter. When I went to pick up the van, he had the filter laying on the ground and told me in all his years of auto service he had never seen an air filter that dirty (and, he is in his sixties). My response was to throw my hands in the air victoriously and yell "YES!! That is quite an accomplishment, isn't it?". I now have a legacy, people. I think he may keep that air filter as a monument....like the fake mouth filled with gingivitis at the dentist office. And, the icing on the cake was that whatever part he replaced had completely collapsed and the nasty noise was metal rubbing on metal. Thank you, Lord for my guardian angel.
I have baked more cookies in the last ten days than the entire last eleven months combined. And, we take them everywhere we go. I'm pretty sure Target is going to start accepting sugar cookie cutouts next year as a form of payment. Seriously, there is a plate of cookies on our counter almost every night that everyone has been instructed: "DO NOT EAT". I know most of you can relate.
Our elementary "holiday" concert was tonight complete with second grade reindeer, Feliz navidad and Hanukkah songs. Besides my beautiful #2 dancing to a song with friends, the highlight was the boy down in the front, yellow shirt dancing with his own choreography. It's kids like that who win people money on national TV. Of course, we recorded it. Along with everyone else in the room.
It's too cold to go shop. It's too cold to go anywhere really.
Last night at our youth group's Open Mic Night, I listened to my sweet #1 play keyboard and sing the Christmas song she wrote. Despite being sick, I think she sounded fantastic. And, The Husband didn't do so shabby accompanying her on drums.
Our Advent study has stalled due to sickness and schedules, however we have vowed to finish all 20 days of it, even if it takes until until March. We decided that it does not really matter what time of the year we study about Jesus....I guess I always put the emphasis on around Christmas so I could counteract the materialistic part of it. I would like to think as my kids are growing up, they are starting to "get it". And, when they are not reviewing their mile-long wish lists, I think they do get it.
Perhaps next year I will do a Daniel fast between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ha ha...now that I typed that it looks so extreme. I guess my point is that I am sick of eating.
To all of you out there baking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping and feeling overwhelmed.....be blessed when you pause from the busy-ness for a moment to think of the great gift of Love given to all of us. Then, put that next tray of cookies in the oven!
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