bits of sunshine

a bit of the Christmas in my living room

 

 

our merry-making continues today!  i hope yours does, too!

a true Christmas miracle

for the month of November
our church collected things ::
hat
gloves
neck warmer
wool socks
hand warmers
lip balm
instant coffee
enamelware cup
mini can of pop
large chocolate bar
raisins
tooth brush
tooth paste
hand sanitizer
a Bible

and we packed shoe boxes
with these items
and tied them with red yarn

then ben and i took four teens
from our youth group
to the cities
we prayed that God would allow us
to give those boxes to people
who really would be blessed by them
people who would appreciate the Bibles
the people God wanted to have them

ben drove us around for 5 hours
finding homeless men on the streets
we took turns hopping out and asking
"could we give you a Christmas present?"
only a few men said "no"
most were surprised
- taken aback
almost disbelieving

we had packed up 15 boxes
as the day wore on
we counted up 6 boxes left
we gave another away
we counted 6 boxes
we gave another away
we counted 6 boxes . . .
we left one on a bench by a bus stop
we gave another away
we counted 4 boxes
it was dark
it was late
we gave the last 4 boxes
to a police officer
who was interested in what we were doing
and sounded excited about giving
4 gifts over the course of his shift that night

then we started to "name" and count up
the men we had given boxes to
we "named" them
by what they were wearing
or where they had been standing
we counted them up . . .

we had given out 19 boxes!
God took our 15
and made them into His 19!

you know the story
of the loaves and the fishes?
God does these wonders
and miracles
when they will glorify Him

a favorite verse of mine
lately has been
"He performs wonders unfathomable
and miracles uncountable." (Job 5:9)

be encouraged in Him today!

a mix of bits

and what a strange mix it is.
some sunshine.  some clouds.
a melancholy (as in pensive or thoughtful) muddle.

a cedar tree that Ben brought in from the woods.  all strung with twinkly lights.
and covered in our favorite ornaments.
two presents for each kiddo under the tree.
and a few more to come.
a few presents that won't be here on time. . .
there is money in our checking account, but our debit card wouldn't work.
i'll try again today.


lots of treat making and packing and sending.
cards being written and sent.
cards coming in.
mostly very merry.
but two bits of very sad news.

planning our christmas eve service again.
so many beautiful songs and readings.
but also some mentions of Christ's death on the cross.
can't we save those for good friday?


having witnessed a true christmas miracle.

ben at work.
and having work lined up for all winter.
not like last winter.

just enough snow on the ground to sparkle cleanly.
christmas lights wrapped round our birch trees.
one red (for isaac).
one green (for maddie).
sparkly snowflakes on the porch (for me).

a deepening relationship with a dear girl.

the discovery that someone we love is reading things that are very unhealthy,
pursuing paths that are dark, but believing that they are light.
approaching gently but firmly.
praying that she will see.

my kiddos in their first christmas play. 
maddie an angel (with curls) - with a LOT of lines (in unison with her cousin).


isaac a shepherd (in the middle) - with a few very excited lines.
i was so proud of them both!

a wrinkle, some misunderstanding, some untruths?
in a relationship of some importance in our lives.
ben thinking deeply about the best course.

some rearranging in our house.
getting ready for a BIG christmas present.

hoping to meet up with an old friend today and see if we can start up again
maybe not just where we left off,
but maybe with something new and wonderful.
after all, this is the season for new and wonderful.
and for peace and answers and easing and joy.

** ** ** ** ** ** **
the giveaway? the lighthouse is indeed split rock on the northern minnesota shore of lake superior. and the winner of an ornament from me is jessica! she blogs at turkeycookies. hop over and pay her a visit.

Letting go . . .

This has been the week for letting go. 

That lovely piece of quilted red corduroy fabric by my sewing table?  It can wait till next year to become a tree skirt and stockings.  The tree skirt I have will work just fine.  And our presents can go under the tree.

The Christmas tree ornaments?  They can hang where-ever it is that a 6-year-old girl and 4 -year-old boy want them to.  A whole clump of Isaac's red favorites?  Right at his eye level.  All of Maddie's fairies and angels in one spot?  Touching each other even?  Just lovely.  I just decorated the top third of the tree my way and let the rest hang as it may.  It's growing on me.  :)

Having a very organized home?  It's one step forward, two steps back.  But eventually we'll be there.  Just not in time for Christmas.  If the living room and kitchen are under control, we'll be in fine shape.

10 kinds of Christmas cookies?  How about 4.  That will do just fine.

100 Christmas cards?  That I'm not letting go of.  I've got 33 or so done.  I'll keep plugging away.

My blog?  Well, the computer has not even been at my house this week.  So, I haven't had a choice.  I do have some Christmas goodness to share though.  I'm hoping to be able to in the next few days.  And I want to peek into your Christmas bits as well.  I'll be checking in.  :)

My giveaway?  I said I'd keep it open until Monday.  I guess I didn't say which Monday?  Well.  How about my kiddos and I draw a name tonight?  Sound good?  Sounds good to me. 

See you tomorrow, friends!

a bit of this, a bit of that

• I have been away from the internet for 6 days.  Ahhhhh!  I didn't know that I would be.  We went to visit Ben's parents, who live way up north in Minnesota, on the Gunflint Trail.  They have an internet connection - sometimes . . . so, I took a break from blogging . . . and now I'm back. 
• That bill - the 1929 brown hundred dollar bill - I was going to a full post about it - well - I couldn't get online to add my words - so, I'll answer the questions.
  Where did I get it?  It actually belongs to a friend of Ben's. It is in my possession because he wanted me to sell it on ebay for him. If you are interested in looking at it more closely and reading the description, you can find the ebay listing here.
  Why is it unusual?  Well, no bills are printed in brown ink anymore like this one was. There is no mint in Minneapolis now, there was then. Most bills this old have been taken out of circulation. They are either collected or destroyed. So this is rare. And interesting.
• Back to my pantry . . . It is actually my stair-well to my basement.  It's just off my kitchen.  I should take another picture that shows the stairs.  It's one of my favorite parts of this house.  And it is fun to know what some of you keep on hand all the time.  Thanks for the conversation.
• My giveaway - I'm going to keep it going until Monday.  If you blog about it and let me know, I'll give you an extra entry!
• Some pictures from my husband and his brother playing together ::   
  
  
  

1929

 

My Pantry

I just thought that it would be fun to show you what is in my pantry.  For my readers who aren't in the US - sometimes it's fun to see food packaging from other countries.  

And I thought it would be fun to know what sorts of things are staples in your pantry?  

I always have lots of green beans in mine.  And back-up baking supplies - like flower and sugar and baking powder and veg oil.  You can't see my chocolate chips and nuts - they are hiding in the basket and the red cannisters.  Usually I have lots of containers of homemade granola, too.  I need to make more!

In my freezer, I have lots of homemade jam and frozen fruits and berries from this summer.  Also some frozen garden veggies - swiss chard and carrots and pureed tomatoes.  

So - just a little peek into my (freshly cleaned!) pantry.  Tell me about yours!

And hop back to my last post to sign up for my giveaway, if you haven't yet!

driving up the shore

Let's play a little game ::

name the lighthouse
name the body of water

I'll randomly draw a comment on December 11 and send a Christmas ornament to the person I draw.  If the answers to the question on the comment I draw are correct, I'll add a little surprise to the package!

P.S.  Thank you so much to those of you who sent Elissa a little bit of love.  You are so kind.

a tiny finished project

Remember this little girl?  Here's how she looks all done up in my kitchen!

And her border matches a plastic bag holding bag that my dear friend Elissa made for me a Christmas or two ago. 

 
She sent me a bit of the extra fabric and it's just been waiting for the right place to be used.  The border for my "wishing girl" was a great spot for a bit of it!

If you have a minute and are feeling like sending some encouragement to a brand-new first-time mommy who is having a really hard time getting the whole nursing thing going - go visit Elissa.  Her blog can be found here, and she has some really sweet pictures of her new little guy.  I'm also sure that any little word of encouragement would brighten her day.  She is such a sweet person, and I know she is a wonderful mommy.  I'm praying that she will soon be able to enjoy nursing her new little man! 

very glad to be home

so, i didn't appear here yesterday.
that's because i slept until 10:00 am
so did my kiddos!

i think we had all been pretty stressed
and wound up preparing for my long stay away
that didn't happen.

tuesday night was the most peaceful, deep sleep
i have had in a l o n g time.
it was so good.

when my kiddos and i woke up
we got ready and headed to perkin's restaurant
to share a tremendous twelve - yum!

then we bought Christmas lights for our porch
and we put up the lights while pretty snowflakes
sparkled down around us.

what a perfect day.