About this time every year I tinge at the pretty fall garland that is for sale in the store, thinking how lovely that would look around my mantel or around our front door but knowing that there are more important things to buy -- I covet until I pull our own homemade family garland and then all is right in the world again. For the last ten years or so, we would cut fall leaves out of colored construction paper or brown bags. Then daily everybody writes down what they are thankful for; when they were younger I would write down what they said then I would fix them to a ribbon and hang them around the mantel or window to decorate the house. In years past the kids always wanted to do our leaves but to me it just felt like my feeble attempt to decorate in a way we could afford and I thought it just looked tacky until this year. This year I actually took some time to read back through some of those thankful leaves remembering some of the events that were taking place, remembering how much things have changed and realizing that time is moving through the universe at such a rapid pace that I am almost out of breath. If I blink it will all be gone! And then something hit me -- what if this were the last holiday that I got with any one of the people in my home? Now don't get me wrong -- everyone is healthy & happy and I am not such a pessimist that I think that the sky is falling but looking back at those Thankful leaves I realized that anything can change with the direction of the wind and that no matter how many "traditions" I put in place that this time, this place and this year will NEVER be this way again and really this is how I need to look at every second of my life. And how many times even this year I have also complained about those "traditions" that needed cooking and prepping and preparing and planning -- shame on me! This time is fleeting and while there are extended family situations that I'm not looking forward to, there are traditions and memorable family times that I want to create and cherish inside my own four walls. So I am thankful that G-d gave me the vision to start this tradition of tacky thankful leaves long ago and that He gave me the wisdom to see what I truly am thankful for but especially that He gave me the insight to relax a bit and enjoy this moment of time because this moment is but a wink.
With Christmas music in the stores, Halloween slashed at 50-75% off and Thanksgiving in the turkey wings (so to speak LOL) I thought this was a provocative reminder that my holiday preparations do not have to look like a spread from Better Homes and nor does it need to be scrutinized by anyone (especially my mother) except those who I am thankful to spend it with. As you prepare may you also be reminded...
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm
telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes as follows:
Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries.
After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.
Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated
with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make.
Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.
The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.
Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration
hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me it is a turkey.
We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you
while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice
comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey
hotline.
Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds. As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.
We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the
start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional
method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When
the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where
you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at
a separate table.
In a separate room.
Next door.
Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey
in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be
happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that
"passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to
bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread. Oh, and one
reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially
while in the presence of you diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy
by its lesser known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you
regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.
Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the
traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small
fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She
probably won't come next year either.
I just had to share how cuuuuutie my mom's tea tray turned out. Dh found these picture frames in the trash -- nothing wrong with them but one needed glass. Then when the kids were decorating for fall they found all the pressed leaves from an excursion we went on last year and I remembered that I wanted to make this tray but at the time I didn't have a frame (figured I'd look for one at a garage sale and then promptly forgot about it until now). Well, the leaf one turned out so cute I thought I would do a tray for my mom's birthday but I thought she would appreciate pictures instead so I had some copied sepia colored and I think it turned out so nice. The best thing about this is my tray only cost $3 for the door handles. Mom's was a little more because of the pictures, the new glass and we bought a little more expensive door handles but still only totaled to $7. Might make a cute Christmas present if you are in the need for an idea and super easy:
Our family really doesn't celebrate Halloween. In the past, we have done multiple things to try and honor G-d on this night such as serving others, trick-or-treating for UNICEF, and even going to our annual church "harvest" festival dressed in Biblical costumes, all which were fun at the time but seem empty today. My heart hurts for the world and what it sees as harmless fun and okay. This year the kids and I have decided to stay home and avoid it all; partially because of my own convictions but partially because our church has decided to make this night a "fund raising" event for their missions groups. I'm appalled that they have turned an opportunity to reach out to the unsaved into a means of making money. It sickens my heart. My kids don't really have the desire to go to a different church event with people and kids they don't know just for a bit of candy so we have decided to just stay home and watch a movie (Wizard of Oz or something fun), make popcorn balls and maybe some caramel apples but no harvest festivals or costumes this year. It is tradition that I make two stuffed pumpkins to eat - one a bit spicy and the other like an apple dessert so we will also carve those and I thought I would throw these lovely pumpkin devotionals into the night as well:
Boy, what a whirlwind we have been in but I thought I would update you.
We finally had our Rosh Hashanah meal on Friday night and it was nice but didn't go at all as planned (starting to think that maybe I should stop planning anything due to dh's crazy job and even crazier schedule LOL). Dh had gone early that morning to BIL's to build the stilts for the boys beds and he thought he would be back by 3pm finished. Well, BIL got very elaborate and they weren't even slightly ready at 6p and dh was completely frustrated. His brother just belittles him so much and my dh buys into it so he comes home feeling defeated - big brothers can be really mean. I was expecting dh home for a nice evening so I had started preparing our Rosh Hashanah meal since this was the first evening that he had off but my girlfriend stopped by to drop off some things that they had forgotten for the pool table. That ended up being a longer visit than expected and so I was rushed to prepare the meal and then it didn't seem right not to invite the BIL since it was dinner time and he was here and he had been working all day on our stuff but I already know that he doesn't understand why we celebrate the feast days so I wasn't at all comfortable doing the prayers and everything that I planned for the meal (mostly because I feel like I should be able to explain it all and G-d has already shown me that I don't need to understand it completely to do it but BIL would need an explanation). I am kinda grateful that we ended up not because at one point my BIL makes the comment (to my oldest son mind you), "so y'all are Old Testament folks and you don't believe in the New Testament" -- I just hate having to justify EVERYTHING we do! Luckily that didn't turn into a confrontation, my oldest son explained enough and I am still trying to blow the comment off. Thankfully a girlfriend reminded me that, "Our celebrations of the feasts and Shabbot are not supposed to look like everyone else [I believe]. This is something personal between us and God. We, too, can fall into legalism/traditions of man when we mimic too closely the Jews or others keeping the feast/sabbaths. Know that He is pleased with what you are doing. You are remembering His Feasts and honoring His Sabbaths!" It is so nice to have like minded friends.
The meal was nice even though I have discovered that my oven is no longer closing properly so my whole wheat challah had a very hard crust. I wanted to have a whole fish this year (the fish with a head represents that we should be as a head, and not a tail in the new year) but the only whole fish I could find were lots of whole Tilapia's which were VERY bony and their spines did not pull out nice (possibly because my oven is cooking so badly). I tried to make the most of it but my dh HATES picking out bones and my kids get extremely frustrated with it so that wasn't nice at the table listening to everyone complain however the fish tasted fine (funny story - I didn't know how to cook the Tilapia's and the Fish cookbook I had didn't give a recipe and recommended NOT buying or cooking this fish because it supposedly tasted like mud!!! ours didn't but my expectations for the evening were pretty much shot at that point). We also had orange glazed carrots & beets, saffron rice and zucchini with of course apples & honey. I ran out time to make a honey cake so ended up making an upside down apple cake instead -- BIL hates cooked apples and because it was a change to the menu I had no ice cream to go with the apple upside down cake (though having ice cream would have not made it kosher so I guess it turned out all good. BIL had left over German Chocolate bday cake ).
In the end these were all minor difficulties that I just needed to get over and it turned out nice just not at all like I had hoped but it still honored G-d. The cool thing was that the next day at Flamenco my 2ds was talking to a family who celebrate the Jewish feasts (I don't know if they are Jewish or not) and the mom wants to meet me (I haven't done that yet) and she even explained a few more things to my ds who was even more excited that we had done it so G-d confirmed that even though "I" felt like I did a "half" job it was still good that I did it and we honored G-d.
LOL now on to the next event which btw is also delayed-- but what's new?
3ds celebrated turning 8! What a fun day and what a crazy kid I have. All he wanted for his birthday was roller skates and a dishwasher (yes, you read that correctly because he is sick of hand washing dishes FYI ours went out last year)--- he got roller skates and dh keeps saying we are having a garage sale to hopefully make enough for a new dishwasher (believe it when I see it -- I hate having garage sales).
My birthday boy had the entire day planned but it didn't include how we woke him up. It started at IHOP for breakfast but we took him kidnapped in his PJ's and a pillow case which he HATED LOL!I brought clothes for him to change into but he was sooooo embrassed to be out in public in his PJ's that I thought we might have ruined his birthday. He got over it.
Then he wanted to play tennis -- man, I am soooooore but that was fun.
Then we came home to pack a picnic and go to a different park that had a ton of climbing things & we gave him his skates there so he got to skate too -- man, I am suuuun burnt but that was fun.
Oh before that he also wanted his hair cut (really needed about 2 inches cut off it) but I trimmed it at the house -- man, I sure hope I didn't chop it up since I really don’t know what I am doing -- I think I did okay.
Then we went to a dollar movie - Hotel for Dogs -- cute but man, I ate tooooo much popcorn
And last home for ice cream and cookies. The entire day was exactly what he had on his list of what he wanted to do and it was a nice family day. Happy Birthday my little monkey shine.
Oh my!I am making myself absolutely crazy, super cleaning for Passover. And Oh man does it ever need it!! I seriously should have started this week before last because I doubt it will be done in time for Passover which we will try to celebrate on Thursday evening. At the rate we are going we will be celebrating in a clean house sometime this Fall LOL
ONE bathroom is almost done and boy does it feel, look and smell good. I'm cleaning areas that I probably haven't cleaned since I nested with my first born LOL. I'm pretty sure that 3 days on each room isn't going to get done by Passover but that's okay because it really needs it.My Messianic girlfriend says she usually starts cleaning on Ash Wednesday so that is 6 weeks to super clean (NOW you tell me! lol).Next year I think I will join her because heaven knows it will need it again by then.
But I sooooooo needed to do this. I guess I have barely been surface cleaning for ??? I don't even know how long. My bathroom and every crevice have been triple cleaned. Every nook and cranny has been wiped down inside and out. G-d so knew I needed to do this and if we have Passover in the bathroom (the only clean room in the house - LOL) oh well then - dayenu "it would have been enough" - but at this point I really don't care when we celebrate Passover; cleaning this house is taking priority. I just wish the rest of it wasn't falling apart while I work on the one room OR better yet that my boys would truly help which they are not.
I've started on my bedroom and the main bathroom today. The boys are working on their room but woefully distracted.
So far:
I have found a whole big box and bag of Betty Crocker points. Well, Betty discontinued that program in 2006!!!
I have found the letters that I wrote to the boys while they were babies, about my pregnancy with them and thoughts of how and what they were learning and doing as they grew --- they have been missing for 4 years!!!!
I discovered that our family should never be stinky -- LOL we have 12 unopened containers of deodorant!!!
And we should be very soft too LOL -- we have 8 bottles of lotion (dh brings home a lot of this when it goes on clearance - need to talk to him about how much we need to hoard up hmm... may take some of this to a shelter because I don't think we need THIS much of it)!!!!
I have discovered that just plain ole dust can clog not one but 2 vacuum cleaners if you vacuum enough of it. Hopefully dh can fix one of them and I think I was able to unclog the other.
I have found scotch tape, file folders and more card stock all of which I thought we were out of that I needed to buy and now I won't - "penny saved" and G-d knows how many pennies I need to be saving.
Found the BookIt pizza coupons for free pizza (expire end of May) for the kids hmmm... maybe an incentive to move faster... doubt it
Found the lost nail clippers -- 2 sets -- and lost comb
I have found open space in two cabinets and I'm not really de-cluttering unless it is obvious that it is trash or I don't want it.Cleaning is enough for now.
All this and I am sparing you the GROSS details that I found. Lets just say that some things are best dusted (or should I say sand blasted) with the blower for the yard or the air compressor LOL
It really feels good. I can see why this is such an important aspect of preparing for Passover. I only wished I would have started this sooner.
This will be our 3rd year celebrating Passover.No, we aren’t Jewish but we are trying to understand the Biblical Feast celebrations and how they relate to Jesus; in turn how it applies in our own lives.Every year we learn some new or a different aspect of G-d that we never saw or didn’t know.It is such an eye opening, wonderful experience that I highly recommend it if you have never tried to celebrate these occasions.
Now we don’t always do things exactly the way we are supposed to mostly because we are still learning what is “kosher” and what is not, but we are getting there and I think that the L-rd understands our attempts even if we make mistakes.This will be the first year that I will attempt to remove the “leavening” from my house.In years past we have never done this aspect of Passover.I am seeing this not necessarily of removing actual yeast that you cook with but as the dust and grime that seems to be hidden throughout my house.My hope is that this is a cleansing of hearts as well as we super clean in preparation of His Resurrection day.
I’m hoping the boys will help me make pillow covers for our celebration this year.Dh is supposed to be off on Sunday; that was before the announcement that they are closing his store so who knows what will become of it all. We usually go to Good Friday services at our church and sunrise services on Sunday but it all seems to be coming at me so fast I can't seem to get caught up or catch up to where I need to be, all in His time… Breath!
For the record Christmas morning really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be so I guess I am ready to reflect on what I have learned from it all.But it is so noisy in our house today I’m not sure I can think to write LOL.I don’t understand why grandparents think that buying electronic talking toys is such a blessing to their grandchildren.I think they are secretly getting back at us for all the rotten things we did while we were growing up.It is parental payback that is making me insane LOL
I’m trying to get the boys to put down their new toys long enough to write some thank you cards.In my depressed state I failed to mention that we didn’t go to my in-laws house to celebrate on Christmas Eve (my face doesn’t hide anything when I am upset) yet the presents showed up here anyway, so today, that I am feeling more forgiving and now that this whole horrid event has come and gone I thought it might be nice to pick up the pieces and be thankful.Many people give to the boys but they are either out of town or have their presents delivered so we don’t see them (& that is a whole nother can of worms that I won’t go into now).I thought it would be nice to let them at least know we received them and I am trying to instill appreciation in my boys --- I know I should probably work on some of this in myself as well.
This Christmas my side of immediate family agreed to not give presents to each other because everyone was so broke but I guess that meant “tone it down” & not necessarily “no gifts”.They had already said that they could not NOT give to my boys so I asked them to give together gifts and to expect my boys to give back little something’s because we are trying so hard to fight the “get, get, get” of Christmas and we are trying to instill the GIVE aspect.I have come to understand that broke to us is soooooo not broke to what others think is broke --- man if they only knew what broke really is.I know in my heart that dh, my boys and I are blessed beyond measure and G-d graciously provides ALL that we need so I KNOW that my family is soooo not poor and that there are many others out there that are much worse that we try to help but golly gosh.
Well guess whose boys got a brand new Wii for Christmas from the people who said they were broke?Not to mention some additional games and accessories!I don’t know but that doesn’t sound like a gift I would buy if I was broke not that this a gift I could afford to give my kiddos like in EVER.Now don’t take me wrong.In years past I would have been so hurt that others provided such a great gift and thus making mom & dad look like cheapskates but this year I think dh’s blunder just made everything seem trivial.I didn’t care what happened because I guess I felt like it couldn’t get any worse.And wow!I’m not a video game player but I knew that this was the Christmas present of all presents for my boys -- the unspoken present that you secretly wish for that you want so badly but you don’t even dare utter the words because you know that the dream might poof and then you will never get it.So yep! compared to the gag silly gifts that we gave this year (& last year) this present was like the boys won the lottery and I am grateful that grandma & grandpa were so “broke” that they got them this one gift.I don’t know but it made it seem that all was right in the world and that maybe we weren’t so “strange” and “off the wall” or doing things so different from the world that we felt like we didn’t belong in this world any more.I know that this isn’t my home and that is often the reminder that keeps me from doing things like the world but sometimes I want to at least feel like I belong and that (as the song from Cheers goes) “everybody knows your name”.
So what did I learn?
My family is financially DIRT POOR & BROKE (even more than I originally thought) - but we are wealthy beyond measure in spirit and even if we can’t afford to have Wii games or surround sound systems we do have each other and as the commercial goes - that is priceless.
The world didn’t fall apart because of the hurt that happened in my life just weeks before Christmas.As a matter of fact, Christmas came and went just like it always does and because I crawled into a hole, half of the things that I “normally” do didn’t get done (thinking specifically about the sugar dough and gingerbread dough still in the fridge that never got baked or the Christmas card greetings that won’t be sent this year and the many other things on the “perfect” Christmas list).So doesn’t that say that I don’t need to make myself so Christmas crazy with preparations (& probably those around me too)?I too need to tone it down and stop making Christmas THE event that makes me utterly coo-koo because it doesn’t have to be sooooo PERFECT.
And the most important lesson that:Less probably is more.Think about it.If you only got the ONE gift - the ONE greatest gift that you couldn’t even utter the words to tell someone about because it was that special, would that not make it the BEST Christmas EVER in your life?From now on, I want to eliminate the junk and look for the ONE gift -- & I know Who that starts with -- the One and Only true gift which is Christ our L-rd.
Hmm… How is the stress level at your house?Bah Humbug is more like it here at mine.It has just been one thing after another and I just don't have it in me to do it but I also don't like looking back at my life and saying "I wish I would have" or it was "my attitude" that ruined it all so I am trying to have the Christmas spirit.
Dh thinks I need to get his blunder off my chest -- I'm forgiving him but I still have moments of anger, depression and "how can this be?”He is trying and I am trying, so in that respect things are better and I'm no longer looking for a motel for him LOL.Okay so what did he do you ask?
I'll try to be brief (but hardly unlikely LOL).
The man bought a stereo surround sound system for the TV at the tune of $350 from a man in an alley off the street!!!!!!!!okay there are so many things wrong with this I can't even hardly see straight --
1) We only had $300 in Christmas money to spend on EVERYBODY
2) He took out $ from our emergency fund to pay for this -- a HUGE no, no!Gosh, has he not watched the news in the past year???? Is he not at all worried about the economy???
3) Our house isn't really set up in a way that a surround sound would work well except for maybe in the bedroom and the TV in there is only used to hold dirty clothes - it has horrid reception so we rarely watch it and after Feb it won't even work because it will need a converter box and it doesn't have the plugs for the converter box it is that old.
4)Duh!! we can't even afford to buy the converter boxes that we need WITH the $40 coupon because we found out that we need to get "proper" antennas for the TV's we do have in order for the conversion to take place.
5) more than likely this stupid sound system is STOLEN so not sure we can in our right mind turn around and sell it to recoup our money and never mind what repercussions we would have if it comes back to haunt us.
6) we later find out that we don't even have a new enough TV that the surround sound will plug into so this was a TOTAL waste of money unless we buy a new TV as well (rolling eyes because we both agreed that we would be giving up most TV with the conversion)
7) He first claimed that it was a family gift but has since seen the reality of his actions and has apologized for being so selfish
8) The next $350 that we were to save was slotted for a new dishwasher and the kids even opted to go on a less expensive vacation over the summer to quicker save money for a dishwasher (& we sorta blew that when we kept hitting bumpers but that is a whole nother story).The boys honestly wanted a dishwasher for Christmas.Tell me whose kids want a dishwasher for Christmas?????Only kids who are sick of washing dishes by hand and who are willing to give up any frivolous gift they could get to save them from washing dishes!I don't know, does that make my children lazy or conscientious?They know they will still need to load & unload the dishwasher and they still want to sacrifice any fun for ease and more free time.
9) This year I made a HUGE deal (read stinking fit) about our family NOT giving our extended family gifts (he has 6 brothers and sisters all married with children who also have children and they REFUSE to draw names or do anything at all economical for Christmas -- it comes to 42 just on his side of the immediate family.Well, with the 10 on my side that comes to buying for 52 people not including any extraneous people like the boy’s AWANA or piano teachers and such!!! Even dividing the group by families it still comes to 13 & giving to only the kids comes to 17!!Every year we say we will stop the madness and this year I put my foot down).And even at $5 a piece that just didn't leave anything for our kids so we haven't bought presents for our own kids or each other for a few years now (& $5 per person, that isn't very much either).I was okay with this decision to not get the boys gifts because they do get a lot -- too much in fact BUT it is never nice or what they need and never what they truly wanted and in the past few years it has been absolute JUNK (as in dollar store gifts that barely lasted through Christmas Eve).I was okay with what we were doing because I thought the goal was NOT to go into debt over Christmas.I try to make up for the lack of real gifts on their birthdays but this year I just said enough is enough -- the world is messed up if you don't give to your own children and husband at Christmas and you give to others who don't appreciate or need it.I have always tried to save us money by making most of our gifts but his family poo-poo's at what I do to the point of actually throwing away one of my gifts IN FRONT OF ME intentionally!!! Last year, we didn't have hardly anything left for our own family Christmas and that is when we wrapped up silly gifts of things we already had around the house for each other-- dh's work shoes, my purse, cans of olives; you get the point.It was a hoot but it also broke my heart and I said never again.I just didn't want our Christmas to be like that.Dh agreed that not giving gifts this year to the immediate family was a good idea (& btw dh has tried to discuss this, in the past, with his family, to the point of arguing and fighting with them about it -- they don't agree with us and we just can't afford it anymore so the "no gifts" this year might just make it sink into their heads that we can't afford it).Funny thing was that my boys understood that it was about the giving and not the getting and they are also trying to make not going into debt a priority as well.My dh just had a momentary brain lapse that has cost us dearly.I am trying to forgive and I know that in the long range things like this will seem so trivial but it is still a moment by moment forgiveness.
9) ARGH!!! And what kind of message did papa send to the kids who bought their Christmas presents to each other at garage sales and the Goodwill!!!!!!!He has asked for their forgiveness and has explained to them fully what a very unthoughtful thing that he did so I guess that is important but dad just dropped down to human status in their minds LOL.It was difficult for them to deal with their emotions because they didn't understand how this had happened either.They are being understanding about this Christmas and understanding that "no one is righteous, no not one" which includes their dad.They are trying even harder to not "want" knowing that our financial situation is just grime now but I tell you, kids shouldn't have to worry about money in this way.They know they should be good stewards of what G-d gives them but they shouldn't be put into this position of watching out for mom and dad's money too.I think it makes a kid grow up way too fast.I know G-d works all things for good and I pray that this is an invaluable lesson for them in years to come.
10) Never mind that we (as in mom & dad) haven't gotten them anything this year either and now we can't because the money is spent -- or at least "I" feel like we can't because I would rather have that emergency money sitting in our account than NO emergency money and the additional VISA bill coming in January for the gifts we bought in guilt.Dh didn't completely feel the same way at first but he is abiding and toning waaay down, seeing it more clearly that he originally did.Maybe he trusts the L-rd more than I do but he isn't the one making homemade bread and soup out of leftover chicken bones and potato peelings or humbling himself and going to the food pantry to make the money last just a tad longer.I just thought I was doing all these things and denying ourselves of even some necessities because it was helping to keep us afloat AND keeping me from going to get a job.I know he felt the same way as well, but he just forgot what our goal was.I know so much of this happened because the poor man is just plain exhausted but more so, he is just sick of living on barely and trying to make ends meet but we ALL are and I just keep thinking we can't give up.He just forgot that and I know that; it is hard to keep fighting and fighting to keep the world out especially this time of year when it practically comes knocking on your front door.I also am not worried about the future because I DO trust the L-rd and I know that G-d provides however, I also believe that we need to watch the signs and see things for what they are and do our own part.It seems to me that things in the world are going to get so much worse before they get better and I just felt that we have to do everything in our power to not be pulled into the tidal wave.Dh momentarily lost that battle -- I am forgiving him for that and trying to make it through this Christmas with what we CAN do but my world was shattered over night and I am afraid I just don't have the energy to make it alright, nor did I have enough time to turn it all around in time for Christmas (this all happened a few weeks ago and it, combined with my sons Flamenco show just blew the wind right out of my sail and sent me spiraling into depression -- I’m better now).I'm just tired of fighting the world especially when it comes out in family but especially when it arrives in the form of my dh.I know that the convictions that I have are right because we are so blessed by G-d when we follow them but my dh is sometimes a flake -- one minute he is spot on agreeing with every word I say or at least discussing it and the next minute he is forgetting what we discussed and going back to the world.Maybe because he works retail it is hard to detach oneself from it.I'm just so worn and truly wondering that if the whole holiday just runs its coarse this way every year because it really isn't the day Jesus was born -- it is a farce almost as big as Santa so why would G-d be happy with this and we all know who likes to make a hay day out of all of this and just create chaos, confusion and disappointment.And I find it interesting that G-d doesn't list HIS birthday as one of the feasts in the Bible that we are required to celebrate (although I know some believe that Jesus was born during Sukkoth that celebration still is not a birthday party for Him.).All of these thoughts just make me think that Christmas will always be like this and I believe G-d doesn't want us worshiping a baby but a King of Kings and a L-rd of L-rds and that is possibly why He doesn't ask us to celebrate His birthday which is all wrapped up in a Hollywood blanket as well.
So that is where I'm at.It is off my chest.I have forgiven and moved on but that is just one of the many reasons I’ve been away and why this Christmas was just “getting through it”.I hope your Christmas Eve is MUCH better.
I’m sorry I have been gone so long.Frankly, I honestly didn’t think anybody really wanted to hear me rant about a whole slew of nonsense and depression that has been going on in my life; Christmas being the most recent but there has been a list too long to repeat.Thankfully, Christmas is on the home stretch and it can’t come a minute too soon.
Honestly, after last year I truly thought, “How can Christmas get any worse??”The funny thing is that things aren’t worse --- I’m just too worn out to make it better.It is hard to pick up the pieces when you shoot your own self in the foot.I’m sure you would like an explanation to that one; unfortunately it is months, and days of complaining that I’m sure nobody wants to hear at least not on the day before Christmas Eve, so I will spare you the “holiday cheer” and try to move on.
What is really on my mind 2 days before Christmas (and really only one day for me because my outlaws celebrate on Christmas Eve) is do you really think it is all what it is cracked up to be?Now don’t get me wrong, I grew up in the most secular, materialistic, non-Christ believing family that one could be in.Christmas was a blast - I’m guessing because I was the kid but I fell in love with Rudolph and Santa and all the rest.If it weren’t for the families of friends I’m not sure that I would know what the holiday was really supposed to stand for because in my family it stood for fighting, arguing, staying up ALL night on Christmas Eve and then going to grandma’s without daddy.I was completely heart broken when I found out the truth about the red man and I was shocked beyond belief that the whole world could go along with the joke that I felt was played on ME!I just knew that I didn’t want that for my family or my boys.But do old habits die hard or am I just a gluten for punishment? It seems that the harder I work at trying to achieve the exact opposite of what I had growing up -- that is exactly what I have ended up with.Okay not exactly, dh goes to grandma’s but I refuse to go to the outlaws without him because it is just a hanging for me without him however the fighting, the arguing and staying up for days straight hasn’t gone away.I don’t know.I can’t help but feel that the whole holiday is still the same as it ever was because it isn’t the truth either.
What I mean is that as Christians we try to celebrate Christmas day as the birth of Christ but any good Berean who has studied the scriptures will come to the same conclusion that I have. It will never be a “joyous” occasion because The Joy wasn’t born now -- some sun god was or some other “self serving wish I could be the deity” of a man who wants us to believe that we are celebrating Christ.It is the plain truth and so much of what we do (that wreck havoc on our sleep and make us poor women carry the brunt of the load and make us absolutely Christmas crazy) is just more of the same pagan worship.Truly I think there is only one force that is behind all that and I honestly don’t know even ONE person who is “enjoying” this season sans my kids who are bickering like never before.
Okay so then what do we do?I mean how does this “secular it isn’t Christmas if it isn’t a REAL traditional tree” gal celebrate or do you?Do you ignore it? How can you ignore that it is all pagan based? Do you smash all your Christmas stash to bits and hide in a cave?And gee with the retail market already putting Valentines junk on the shelves I guess I would have to live in that cave starting early October!I’m so torn because I LOVE Christmas or at least the idea of Christmas but I have yet to have THE Christmas that is perfect in my head.I’m starting to think it won’t ever happen because it wasn’t ever meant to happen because this holiday isn’t really a Holy day that was ordained by G-d.Or was it?Some believe that Jesus’ birthday was during Sukkoth which makes perfect sense to me so does one celebrate His birth then?And it never made sense to me why one would give presents to each other on Christmas if it was somebody else’s birthday.Shouldn’t the gifts go to G-d if it is His birthday?My sister doesn’t let a birthday go by that she doesn’t remind me of the year that my dad gave me a globe on HER birthday -- man was she miffed.My problem is that I can’t let go of the idea of celebrating Christmas when the world thinks it is celebrating “something” now.And golly, couldn’t someone have told me this BEFORE I had had 11 years with my children celebrating all this pagan stuff that they certainly won’t be happy to give up?It would have been so much easier to tell them the truth from the beginning; at least we did that with dear ole’ Saint Nick and they don’t seem to be bothered by not having him in their lives although the relatives do.So then what do we do?How does one tell folks thank you but we don’t exchange presents any more and please stop sending me a Christmas card because we don’t believe that December 25th is Jesus’ birthday (never mind the lynching we got for telling our children the truth about Santa Claus).
So to say that this season has been full of stress is such an understatement.Torn to shreds and ripped up is more like it and this debate is only the tip of the iceberg that we have been going through.I can’t help but feel that the “lovely holiday behavior” that has been exhibited around me (and through me) is caused by one thing and one thing only -- the darkness of principalities -- because none of this is of G-d no matter how much you try to Christianize it.And yes, I have tried to bring Jesus into the reason for the season year after year but I guess it was when I watched a TV program for Hanukah trying to turn a Christmas tree into a Hanukah bush (which most Jewish believers seem to greatly shun) that is when I realized that what I was trying to do was no different.Can one really take secular objects and turn them into items that worship the L-rd like lights, decorated trees and Christmas cards?I think those object lessons that we use to understand what we are celebrating are good for teaching the story but somehow I think they miss the mark especially if the mark was born back in September and I get the feeling that if He would have wanted us to celebrate His birth He would of said do this in remembrance of My birth and it would have been listed in the Old Testament as one of the Holy days we were to celebrate.Which also leads me to believe that He never wanted us to worship a baby, but to bow down to a King and not just any King but THE L-rd of L-rd’s and the King of Kings.I don’t know where I will go with this or how to solve this but I do know G-d has opened my eyes and it feels like the world lying to me all over again.How to fix it I haven’t a clue.
The testosterone in my house has finally settled down because the derby cars are done and ALL the races are finally over. It is always some great father-son time making derby cars but as with most "projects" in our home, it consumes the very heart of all events and I will be soooo glad to put away all the power tools, model paints and mind-invasion of "how can we make it go faster?" LOL.
The boys raced their cars in two events. Royal Rangers was a district event so there were quite a few partcioants. My youngest came in 3rd out of 28 cars. 2ds came in 18th out of 54 and 1ds came in 11th but he walked away with a 1st in design. At AWANA they swept the board coming in 3rd, 1st and Grand Champion. It was so exciting.
Said to be originated with the adoption of the new Gregorian calendar in place of the old Julian calendar in 1582, April Fool's Day or All Fool's Day, was once used to be celebrated as the New Year's Day. There are rules to April Fooling. Your trick must be harmless, your victim must believe you, and your trickery must make your victim at least smile (or better yet, laugh) when you shout "April Fool's!" Otherwise, it does not qualify as an April Fool's Day trick.
Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is favor.
Proverbs 14:9
PRANKS
sew pant legs together
short sheet the bed
styrofoam peanuts to fall when open door
glue money to the ground
sneak into each of bedroom and gently carry and place each child into the bed of another
paint toenails while sleeping - remember I live with all boys
lightly rub food coloring on inside of milk jug or on sink spigot so liquid comes out colored
MENU: Serve dessert firsts that look like the meal and the meal looks like dessert. I like the kids to take their first bite and then proclaim that, "this can't be right this tastes like dessert & maybe we should eat our dessert first" which is of course the actual meal.
Note: All of these meals need pre-preparation and to keep a secret you will need to be quite the sneak.
For Breakfast-
toast: Angelfood Cake cooked in a loaf pan & lightly toasted
fried eggs: apricots in a puddle of vanilla yogurt, sprinkled with a touch of cinnamon
hash browns: peeled and shreaded apples
bacon: fruit roll up strips
milk: whipped cream spooned into clear glass
cinnamon rolls: cresent ham and cheese rollups frosted with cream cheese
For LUNCH-
Lemonade: lemon jello made in clear glass, add lemon candy slices to glass before set
Fish sticks: Take the separate long pieces of the Kit Kat bar and coat them with cooking spray and crushed graham crackers to make them look like fish sticks.
Peas: green Skittles or M&M's
mashed potatoes: vanilla ice cream with carmel sauce
or Spaghetti: Put a slice of pound cake on a plate. Spoon some softened ice cream in a pastry bag with a thin round tip. Pipe the ice cream over the pound cake in a swirly motion to resemble spaghetti noodles. Freeze for about 15-20 minutes to allow the ice cream to harden back up. Top with strawberry jam as tomato sauce and a few coconut flakes to resemble Parmesan cheese. For the meatballs, use a butter knife to rough up the surface of two or three chocolate covered malt balls. Place them on top of the "sauce."
garlic bread: Spread the melted white chocolate on toasted lady fingers. Top with the toasted coconut and green sprinkles for parsley.
The other ideas include missing and mixing up everything like serving cake in ice-cream cones, pizza with silly face toppings, pancakes for lunch, and eating everything with chopsticks. Make everyone wear bibs like babies or innovate by tying their hands behind their backs and then make them eat using only their mouths.
BOOKS:
The Emperor's New Clothes By Hans Christian Andersen
Aesops Fables The Ass in the Lion's Skin - moral: Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a fool
Easter rabbit-shaped napkins are a festive detail for the holiday table, and they only require a few simple folds. Well-starched crisp cotton or linen will transform into the sturdiest bunnies. Fold napkins the day before your meal so your "warren" is full when guests arrive.
1. Fold starched napkin into thirds.
2. Crease in half to create a center line for reference; fold top corners down along this line.
3. Fold up from bottom corners along dotted lines.
4. Bring left and right edges together on center line.
5. Flip upside down and over. Turn up bottom point.
6. To fasten: Fold left and right corners back; tuck one corner into the pocket of the other. Pull out bunny ears first; open up base.
March 21 - March 22, 2008
Purim is a special holiday during February or March. It marks the day during the time of Esther when the Jewish people were delivered from wicked Haman's plot to kill them. Traditionally children will dress up and act out the story of Esther. When Haman's name is mentioned the children will rattle noise makers, known as Groggers, or in Hebrew ra'ashanim, to drown out the sound of his name. Special treats are also baked and served known as Hamantashen or Haman's Hats, because they are supposedly shaped like the hat that Haman wore.These yummy pastries are triangular in shape with the sides meeting over the filling and can also represent Abraham, Issac and Jacob or the Trinty. While the Hamantashen are baking tell the story of Esther. Whenever Haman's name is mentioned, have the children loudly say, "Boo...hiss...yuk!" and cheer for Mordecai.
Hungarian Cabbage and Noodles
1 large cabbage (about 3 lbs), cored, thinly sliced (about 8 cups sliced)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 onion, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (12-ounce) package egg noodles
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Preparation :
Sprinkle cabbage with salt; let stand about 30 minutes. Squeeze dry; blot on paper towels. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet; add sugar and heat until sugar browns. Add onions; cook until they start to wilt. Stir in cabbage; saute, turning frequently, until tender, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with pepper. Transfer cabbage mixture and pan juices to large bowl; keep warm. Cook noodles in boiling salted water until tender; drain. Quickly toss noodles with cabbage and poppy seeds. Serve immediately.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings. Hamantashen
We will watch his famous speeches (online - what an amazing thing we are blessed to have with the internet), then I will have the kids spend a little time thinking about their dreams. I will have them create a mobile and I hope to see some of these dreams of theirs come true.
Here are the links I used:
On-line video of "I have a dream" and "I've been to the mountaintop" speeches:
*Allow an hour or more for freezing* 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 (.23-ounce) package Kool-Aid (any flavor)
Place evaporated milk in a mixing bowl and freeze for about 1 hour or until frozen around edges. Using chilled beaters, whip with an electric mixer on high until fluffy. Gradually add sugar and Kool-Aid powder and continue beating until stiff. Freeze until ready to serve. For a softer, mousse like texture, let sit out a bit before serving.
We spent the day updating our calendars for the New Year adding birthdays, special events that happen in our town, commitments that we know about, and Jewish Holidays. I'd love to get the Flylady calendar but honestly when I found this Giant Grid wall calendar at the dollar store I figured it is just as good and the price fits my pockets much better, We love to put stickers on the special dates to dress it up a bit.
The kiddos have calendars in their School Control Journals (i.e. assignment books). I print off pages that I find off the net so they can be bound inside their notebooks. Here are the ones that we used this year.
This is how I spent my entire day -- eating Christmas cookies for breakfast, snacking on Christmas dinner leftovers for lunch, staying in my PJ's & new toe socks (those are sure silly- lol), surfing the net and just basking in the luxury that nothing more needs to be done for Christmas. I sometimes wish I was one of those ladies who is up and at'um the day after Christmas, bright and early, snatching up all the 75% off bargains but G-d just didn't build me that way.
My way of preparing for next Christmas is to sip my coffee and reflect on what happened this season and NOT rush around buying for next year even before this year is over LOL. One of the ways I do that is to SLEEP lol but Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home gave me the idea to make a Keepsake Folder which I attached to a memory box that can hold our keepsake ornaments for the year plus some of my other precious memories (Pictures to come later). I added cards that I can write down some of my feelings about this Christmas and the things that I did because frankly I never remember what I do from year to year. The folder is great in that I can put photos, tags, recipes and dodads inside each envelope to remember this year. I'm pleased with how it turned out and since my memory cards are fairly generic this will be a great way to spend every Boxing Day from here on out -- just boxing up the memories.
Conversations with myself about the triumphs and tribulations of being a Mama Bear to 3 baby bears, a helpmeet, a CM AO Hs teacher, a Flybaby, a daughter of Eve and a princess to the King.
