Santa Conversation - Part 2.

I never have been able to feel completely ok with telling your kids there IS a Santa Claus. I try instead to focus on the Jesus -HELLO - aspect of Christmas.
But J. is in preschool and even at a Christian preschool, Santa talk is inevitable.

So we had another discussion about Jesus's Birthday being Christmas and thus, the reason we celebrate Christmas.
J. asked about what the Bible said about Santa.

I again told him that Santa is NOT in the Bible.

He asked, "Why?"

I thought I would take the easy road and say, "Well, because Santa isn't holy."

J's response, "Then why does he say, 'Ho Ho Ho!'"

I give up!!

Long-winded.

All my recent posts seem like a commitment to a book series.

"Does that post come in hardback?"

Yeah - so here's a short one for all you comic strip lovers out there.
(Without the comic.)


;-}

To a dear friend on a difficult day.

I had nine days off.
Most of them were hard.
I am not complaining. Not at all. What could be better than hanging out all day with your two sweethearts?
I just forgot how difficult it is to keep 2 pre-schoolers entertained.

There is so much to be said for the structure that pre-school has added to our lives. When I was a full-time stay-at-home mom - we literally stayed in our pj's almost all day! Now it's get up, get ready, and go! Go! GO!

This morning, I was enveloped with feelings of dread. I was not really ready to give up on the idea of a whole week off. I honestly thought about not going back. (Plus we're a bit sick so it was almost permissible.)
I started to feel sorry for myself.
I decided to pull up some blogs.
And there it was - my big fat kick in the pants.

It came in the form of a post written by a new momma who is facing going back to work full time. Today.
I was ashamed of myself for being so whiny.
I only have to work about 25 hours a week, MAYBE 30.
If ever I get lonesome for my babies, I can pop in their classrooms and hug them - or just peek in from the doorway and watch while they are unaware.
There are people I know and really love that are going through things that are far more difficult and painful than me.

I have had her in my prayers all day long.
And staying in that atmosphere of prayer for someone else seemed to make my day go by more quickly.
I guess when you pull your head out of your plunger-shaped navel for long enough, you really can't help but feel better.
So J. your heart has ached an ache that only mothers know. My heart ached for you today.
And your candor in thoughts, although heart-wrenching to read, showed your great love for your family.

I hope the boys did wonderfully today.
And I hope your day went by as smoothly as could be expected.
Much love to you, my friend - you are a true hero.

A couple of firsts...

Today the kids and I, (along with Uncle boogeda and his girlfriend for a little while)
enjoyed our very first fire in our fireplace!!
We set it all up and kept it going for hours!
I know that's not a big deal for everyone - but for me it was cool. It was my very first grown up fire in the fireplace. All the others were always set by my mom or dad at their house.
The kids hadn't ever been around a fire before. They were very attentive for the most part when asked to back away or be careful.

Another first today for the kiddos was they got to taste s'mores. I guess you never forget the cute little faces your kids make when they taste something wonderful for the first time.
They were also amazed that you could put chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers together and make a 'sandwich' that tasted so good.
They were very cute with their chocolate-covered everything!
As we roasted the marshmallows, J. kept saying, "Mom, I don't burn them like you do. I'm a professional marshmallow toaster."

The kids got to decorate their tree. We call it the fun tree. It is so fun!
I even broke down and let them have the... hold back your applause and laughter... fiber optic tree they kept beggin for. They were so impressed by its beauty when I plugged it in, I think A. sucked all the air out of the room and said, "Oh! It's Beautiful!"

I also made chili for the first time all by myself. It was edible. Only just.

I got to go to Hobby Lobby for a little Mommy Rehab when Chris got home from work.
I guess I feel so frivolous buying things like ornaments - but I did it anyway. My tree was still kinda bare. And the ornaments were 50% off.
I spent my entire $50 Christmas decorating budget on ornaments.
They really are beautiful though, frivolous or not.

According to J.

The Bible says that Santa can only come at SECRET TIMES - like at 4:30 in the morning.


I have my work cut out for me.

Abundantly Thankful.

Warning: Long post. ;)

I wrote a blog, which I chose not to post, the day before Thanksgiving. It was about how sad I was to have to share my Holidays with my other family. Whom I have grown to love in a special way but still cannot replace being with your own momma on Thanksgiving. (Selfish... I know)
I am glad I didn't post it because most of what was in there was contrary to the whole point of Thanksgiving.

I have not truly been thankful for my new family, gained by love.
I have not really embraced their differences as beautiful in their own way.
I have not been confident enough to reveal to them who I am or why.
I have not pursued a relationship with those people who have shaped the life of the man I love.

This Thanksgiving was one of little to no anticipation on my part. I dragged my feet in every way possible before finally getting in the van to go.
Part of my dread could be best rationalized by the knowledge that those we were going to spend time with have been at odds with each other for a few months now. And the only catalyst that the pot-bellied stove needed to erupt was the slightest misspoken word. (Enter me. The girl with foot in mouth disease.)

I baked all day before we left. And that, all by itself, put me in the holiday spirit.
We got in the car around 10:30am Thanksgiving morning and reluctantly drove toward what I knew was going to be an awful experience. I kept telling myself, "We owe our children a reasonably good Thanksgiving memory - so if it's bad - I'm going to leave..."

About halfway there, I began to call my relatives. My Grandmother, my Mimi, my mom.
I cried like a baby after talking to my mom. I so wanted to be with her.
Then it started snowing.
And snowing.
And snowing.

By the time we got to Big Spring, it was a virtual blizzard!!
The kids were ecstatic! I was ecstatic!
I have never seen such snow!! It literally snowed until it began to grow dark.
We rolled in it. We built a colossal snowman. J. kept saying our snowman had to be 5 layers tall!!
It was.
It was truly a sight to behold!
I have never built a snowman that wasn't mostly mud and leaves.
This one was pure white, fluffy snow.

Everything was great. We all had a great time.
Food was great. Company was great. Cowboys won. Chris parents even gave up their bed for our family - of course I didn't ask them to - but it was very generous of them.
This morning when we turned on the tv - CNN had Big Spring on a special segment talking about how we got over 8 inches of snow on Thanksgiving Day!!

The kids made some great memories!
I am so Thankful for the Thanksgiving that I so dreaded.
Thank you God for helping this knucklehead see the opportunity that is before me in being Jesus to my in-laws.
Thank You for leading me down the path that brought me to my wonderful husband.
Thank you for the family that raised him. Without their love, he wouldn't be the man he is.
Thank you Father for your foresight into our lives. You truly do order our steps, though we may not always see it.
Thank You Father for all the things You provide; whether it be clothing or food, healing or friendship, laughter or family. Thank You for always creating an atmosphere of bounty for those who are looking for it- and even for those who aren't...

I so appreciate being able to see things with a Thankful heart.

I need opinions, PEOPLE!

Imagine, if you will, that there are four - not three - chairs around my dining table. Now imagine that the table has been sanded and the top surface stained a medium spicy maple with the legs and underpinnings painted black.

If you are still with me, are the chairs too big for the table?

Proportionally speaking.

Now, if I were Wendy, I'd add light to that photo. But Wendy I am not.

Why is it that clear lights look like multi-colored lights in photos? (Chris would have some light-refraction lesson for me here...)

Here's my completed Christmas tree - a day early. I needed to have this image marked in time because I am almost never early anymore!!

So for those of you who lost the Christmas tree competition that you were unaware you were participating in - nanny-nanny-boo-boo!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart.

Philippians 1:3 (The Message)

autumn scents.

I guess a lot of my posts have been about smells lately.
I don't think there is any other time of year that, in my own mind, is defined and encapsulated by smells.

• I have a perfume that is only worn during a cold spell in the fall and winter. Because any other time of year would not do it justice. So I'm cracking it open...
• I have been baking all afternoon. I am bringing dessert and pea salad to Chris's family Thanksgiving. So the smell of apple pies, pumpkin pies, punkin bread, and butter pecan spice cake have permeated my home. I love it! Makes all the effort well worth it!
• I actually burned up the small Yankee candle that I bought to match the one I got for La's house when it went up on the market. I had to go buy a bigger one today. Yankee Autumn Wreath - yummy, sweet spices.
• The smell of crisp cold air as it whips across your face.
• The faint smell of smoke whistling from crackling fireplaces lit for the cold snap.
• There is no better companion for the smells that are fall than the warmth that accompanies baking.
• The only smell that is going to be missing from our holiday home is the smell of a fresh Christmas tree - allergies are too prevalent in my family to subject our loved ones to the real thing.

Those smells have become a part of the magic of the holidays for me. Today, the holidays are alive and well in our home! I just love it!

We're home.

We really should get big points for trying so hard to go places and do things.
That being said, here are our trip highlights:

I packed and loaded up the van with unusual ease. I even remembered extra batteries for the camera! I packed the necessary chargers. Q-tips. Even adequate theme park supplies.
I was at the top of my game.

We rolled into San Antonio without incident around 3:30pm on Sunday afternoon. We found our hotel with exceeding finesse.
We watched the Cowboys barely win.

It was around this point that I began to have the types of thoughts I should have had the NIGHT BEFORE...
I said, "Babe, did you get the tickets?"

That comment preceded the end of fun.

Him: "What do you mean?"
Me: "I mean our rain checks to Sea World."
They had been in his wallet since we went and got rained out in July. I bought him a new wallet for our anniversary in November. Naturally, to avoid hearing me gripe, he straight-away changed his wallet and its contents over to the new one. Well, most of the contents anyway.
Him: "This is not a funny joke."
Me: " I wish I were joking."
Him: "Come on.... You're being serious... oh man..."
Me: "It's ok, surely they'll have a record of our purchase..."

The Next Morning at Sea World Guest Services Desk

"We have no way to trace our rain checks, you are responsible for them once they are issued."
Me: (facing the very real possibility that we will have to tell our kids who are currently chanting 'Shamu! Shamu! Shamu!' that they may not be seeing Shamu today) "Is there nothing else we can do here?"
Employee left and returned a few minutes later with the option of repurchasing Half-price tickets. Stab me through the heart.
I turned to Chris and told him to call the shots. I am way too cheap to swallow THAT pill.
He agreed to pay 1/2 price for the tickets - it was, after all, completely our fault and very nice of them to accommodate us that way.
We then entered the park and had a miraculously great time. We made lots of wonderful memories! One of which was getting to ride a roller coaster for the first time with my hubby!
If you have never had the opportunity to ride a roller coaster with your spouse, I highly suggest it! It was very eye-opening. That's all I can say about that!!

A very O. vacation.