when i disappear up to my loft, i say i'm going to do some mousing . . . i don't know why i say that, because really, i hate mice . . .
a little peek at what i've been up to . . .
and, next blog post will be thoughts on hope that i've been mulling around while i've been a little christmas mouse up in my loft . . .
come on in and see a bit of what i'm seeing inside my house and through my windows. i'd love for you to really be able to come in and share coffee, but for now this will have to suffice.
we are in our new home. so it seems like a grand time to start some new traditions.
even though it seems crazy to be dragging out decorations in the midst of a house that is not fully unpacked and settled yet . . . but i am nothing if i'm not crazy!
i am loving how we are celebrating advent - and want to do it again next year. starting on the sunday after thanksgiving. having breakfast together every morning. lighting a candle, reading a scripture (or two), having a conversation about what we've read. giving the kids a small gift each morning. so far these gifts have been tiny pots with seeds (which are growing!), slippers, chocolates, ben's birthday gifts, a cinamon roll at a favorite coffee shop, making roll-out sugar cookies together, little toy frogs with a frog and toad book, breakfast at a favorite restaurant, tiny remote-controled cars, and watches.
we have more fun things (some hand-made, some outings, some home-baked, some store-bought, some necessities, some just-for-fun) waiting in the wings. ben and i decided to stretch our gift-giving out over all of advent. this makes little things seem bigger, and come christmas morning a stocking filled with treats and one or two gifts under the tree will be sufficient, and we'll be able to focus on Christ's birth, not on a pile of presents. just as each morning we are focusing on Christ's advent, and adding the special touches of candlelight and a gift.
another thing i've loved is how we have been decorating a bit at a time. ben brought our tree in on the first sunday of advent and we strung it with lights and put the star on top. then we left it for a week. just lights and a star. we put the decorations on the tree on the second sunday of advent - which also happened to be sinterklaas this year - or the dutch santa claus day.
we ate - traditional dutch spice cookies (thank you, G!) as we decorated the tree. yummy.
we brought in one box of christmas things during the first week and got out all of our nativities and found little niches for them.
another day i hung some christmas art on the wall in place of other things (my gram always used to do that, change out her regular wall hangings for holiday pictures and bits. i loved that. so now i do it and i am reminded of my dear gram.)
we've also been reading lots of christmas stories and playing games (i'll have to tell you about what we're reading and playing in another post.) and sledding down our hill. lots of sledding. through these beautiful frosty days. we are thoroughly enjoying this advent season in all of its bitter-sweetness. i pray that you, also, are enjoying this season my friends.
"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope." Romans 5: 3-4
What a beautiful end result. Hope.
Not just endurance. Which is necessary to living.
Not just character. Which is admirable.
But hope. Something to hold onto. To wrap my heart around. To wrap around my heart. To dig into. To taste. To cling to as life rushes and eddies and buffets. Hope. Hope produced in me. Through the sufferings which are part of this life. Through my suffering I may rejoice. For I know Hope and His Name is Jesus. I am lead by Hope, the gift God has given, the gift of Hope, the Holy Spirit who indwells me. I am filled and sealed with Hope. I may rejoice, even though I have not yet seen.
"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled wth an inexpressible and glorious joy!" I Peter 1:8
Joy inexpressible. Joy unexplainable. Joy that fills.
Joy that lives in tension with my melancholy. The finite shell of me, the Infinite Who lives within me. And in this tension there is beauty. There is depth. A realness tugs at my soul. A deep sense of the fragile here and now.
{betsy :: red and green. light and dark. joy and heartache. everything feels fragile.}
(I love to read over at habit, and a few days ago - the particular picture and post above just stopped me and joined my thoughts about Hope.)
I am filled with a longing to live every day with endurance. To live every situation with a strong character. To live every moment with hope. To share the hope that I have in as many tangible ways with as many people as I possibly can. For even when nothing makes sense, there is Hope, there is joy. And I will live in and live out this joyful hope.
May you be filled with hope and joy today, my friends.
Love, E
ideas, plans, lists, ideas, plans, lists . . .
all for how i see this season in my mind. but what about how they see it?
do the ornaments have to go on the tree only where i think they should go? i'm not the only one celebrating in this house, am i? (how often do i say that to isaac? you're not the only one in this family. we have to think of others. everything doesn't revolve around you. maybe i should take my own words to heart.) being controling doesn't help me control the other stuff in my life right now, but it does sap me of joy that i could be experiencing and sharing with my family. so maybe, in the middle of decorating the tree, we should just stop and get our outside clothes on and go sled down the hill with ben, who has just finished plowing. yes. lets. all together. and when we return inside, maybe my kiddos should place some ornaments right where they want them on the tree. yes. they should.
this advent season has been one of newness (a new home, the beginning of some new traditions, a new season of our life). simplifying (paring down outside activities, nurturing our family). focusing on enjoying the moment - not controling the moment. and giving the things that i can't control to God. really giving them to Him, praying about them, and seeking an answer. holding on to God, not holding on to the stuff.
every day is not going to look exactly like my "plan" - but every day can be wonderful if i let it be. and sometimes the way my kids see it is even better than the way i saw it. and decorating in stages instead of all at once - i've loved that, too. less mess. less stress. an end in sight. less is more. a smaller batch of cookies - so we all enjoy making them. the gifts planned for today might not have arrived in the mail or may not be totally finished . . . but there's nothing wrong with mixing up what we've got, is there? the point, i'm finding, is to celebrate each day. to have a plan, but to be able to enjoy being flexible with that plan. to allow my husband and my kids to help shape our days.
after all, i'm not the only one who lives in this house . . . and i'm really glad i'm not!
on one of the snowy, blowy days (read 0 degrees, 20 mph wind, icy snow) we've had this week, the kids and i spent a couple hours sorting through our christmas cd's and loading our favorite songs onto itunes so we can listen to them . . . we've been loving being wrapped in music.
on one of the not snowy, blowy days, we went traipsing through our woods and prairie and down by the river and brought in all sorts of interesting, weedy, seedy things and strung them up with twine and sparkly ribbon.
on sunday, ben went out and came back with a huge cedar tree. it smells SO good. we wrapped our lights around it - but it's the biggest tree we've ever had. our lights didn't reach . . . my dad brought us some more yesterday, so we'll finish lighting it, and start decorating - maybe tonight.
we are lighting our advent candles each morning and talking about prophecies of Christ. it's so interesting. God prophecied about Himself so many times . . . this morning we talked about Genesis 22. if you are interested, read through the story and think in terms of Christ - the wood carried, the journey lasted 3 days, on the 3rd day deliverance was provided, "God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice," lifted up on a mountain, a son - an only son, the promise of blessing to all, . . . . God telling His story through all of history. always pointing to Christ. always pointing to deliverance. always pointing to the Gospel - the Good News.
and thank you, my friends, for your encouragements. i am weak. i am tired. i am worn. but i am blessed. and i am cared for. and i am wrapped in arms of love. i am leaning on the Everlasting Arms. i am pressing in to Him. and my family is pressing together. and God is good. so very good.
and the verse of the day today is "Lord, you have established peace for us. All that we have accomplished, you have done for us." Isaiah 26:12 amen. and amen.
God bless each one of you today. i love you. ~e
our merry-making continues today! i hope yours does, too!
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!
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!
Oh, the best sorts of gifts - when both the giver and the gift are dear.
