2012

Every year I typically choose a word to focus on for the duration of the year.

Last year, I didn't.  And the year showed for it.

A lot of great things happened last year.  I really can't complain.

But overall, the year just felt so sporadic, unorganized, and vision-less.

This year, I have two words: Consistency and Character.

These words were borne out of a desire to just spend this year focusing on the four gospels of the Bible, nothing else.

Last year, I realized that I don't read about the Person I'm supposed to be emulating nearly as often as I read the other parts of the Bible. 

So this year, I'm choosing to spend three months on each Gospel.

And because I'm focusing on Christ this year, I am choosing to focus on goals that improve or strengthen my character.  I also chose the word "consistency" because in many areas of Christ's life, He was consistent.  It also is foolhardy to start a goal if I'm not going to be consistent in it, especially where my character is concerned. 

So my goals may be small this year.

They may not make sense to others. (How did she get "character" out of that one!?)  I'm not going to go into reasons why I chose certain things and not others.

But they're here.

And I hope to emerge from 2012 a woman who is consistently more like Christ in her character.

1. Do one "creative" act each day, and finish the creative acts I start. 

2. Read three "big" books: an encyclopedia of healthy cooking techniques, a world history volume, and a book about educational methods.

3. Complete two "years'" worth of my Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish curriculum as a refresher. 

4. Recycle more. (We've downsized our trash service to force this issue.) 

5. Eat nutritiously, avoiding high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and trans fats.

6. Exercise consistently.  Run three 5Ks, one with my sister and mother. 

7. _______________________ (personal goal about scripture memory that I don't feel the need to share in detail.) 

Seven is a good number to stop at.  

We have some exciting things planned for 2012.  

Thanks for sticking with us through the end of 2011.

We appreciate you!

Pinteresting: My Visual Garden

"I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough shaggy bark of a pine.... I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me.

Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song.... At times my heart cries out with longing to see these things. If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight.

Yet, those who have eyes apparently see little. The panorama of color and action which fills the world is taken for granted.... It is a great pity that, in the world of light, the gift of sight is used only as a mere convenience rather than as a means of adding fullness to life."

Helen Keller

This week I decided to do something I hadn't seen yet on Pinterest (although I'm making no claims to brilliance, I just haven't searched for any other people who might have had the same idea.)  I decided to go through my Gurney's and Henry Fields catalogs and make a "visual garden" of what I want to plant in our garden (which will also be different this year, thanks to the abundance of raised bed information on Pinterest).

It was beautiful and inspirint to see the greens, oranges, reds, and golds all in one space.  It almost made me think spring.  Except we have three more months of winter here.  Sometimes four or five.

I'm certain that in the spring, the visual promise of fruit for our labor will be fuel to keep on building those raised beds, hoisting the dirt, shoveling the manure, and planting the seeds. 

Goodnight Nobody, Goodnight Mush

Tonight we read Goodnight Moon thirty odd times in a row.
This is a breakthrough.
He must have gotten sick of Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb after we read it 15 times.
Hardy har har.
You just try reading that book 15 times.
Dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum.

I was surprised when he handed Margaret Wise Brown's book to me and said "book, pwee!" because he's always hated Goodnight Moon until now.  (Let alone I was surprised he remembered his "please" considering his crabbiness and misbehaviour due to his surgery.)
It didn't have a good rhyme for him.
But tonight he fell in love.

I think he enjoys it because of the words he knows in it: kitten, mitten, brush, cow, moon, sock, mouse, balloon, light, bear, chair, etc.
He also likes to pretend he is the little old lady whispering "hush."

And Clement Hurd's illustrations are such that I don't mind reading a book 30-odd times in a row.  There is always something new.  For instance, are you aware that the clock on the mantle changes times, and the moon rises in the sky in accord with the clock?  I learned that awhile ago when I was writing some preschool curriculum and found this fun webpage.

I also just noticed now that the red balloon is missing in the first illustration I posted.  

That just means that tomorrow I'll have to go through the book again.  

I don't think Million will mind.

I might even show him this movie with Susan Sarandon's narration as a special treat tomorrow.  (It's really a cute one, but I couldn't embed it.)

Goodnight, moon.

Post-Christmas Carnage

Oh dear.
I suppose this should have been obvious to me, but Christmas with a toddler is QUITE different than Christmas as a two-jobs, no-kids couple.
We are suffering from what we call "Christmas Carnage" today.
There is not a room in our house that is not in full-fledged chaos.

I can't quite recover within one day like I usually can.
It's not that I overdid Christmas.
In fact, we only made one kind of Christmas cookie this year, compared to my usual seven or eight, and the cookies were all consumed by Tuesday.

We didn't get our annual jammie picture.
We didn't finish watching a single Christmas movie that we started.
We didn't even really eat our traditional Christmas breakfast together, as Michael was leading worship, so I handed it to him as he rushed out the door.
We didn't finish our advent chain.  We missed the last four days.
We didn't do a lot of the things I was imagining might occur in the Hallmark Christmas I imagined in my head.

We mingled our Christmas Chaos with an elective but medically beneficial surgery for Million the Friday before Christmas.  We officially won the mean parents of the year award.
The surgery coupled with two long days of Christmas with extended family (and PRESENTS!) made him alternatingly crabby and loopy from the pain meds.
He likes to point to his "owie owie" and make it known that he is suffering.



So Christmas was different with a toddler.

For a teeny glimpse into a small portion of my family's Christmas, you can read my sister-in-law's blog about going over to my little sister's house. (Why reinvent the wheel, when her post has already been written so beautifully?)

Christmas thank-you notes will take me a lot longer this year.
Last year I had them out the day afterwards.
Ahem.  Yes.  We're shooting for sometime before January, because postage goes up then.
Million scored big this year.
Which is both fortunate and unfortunate.
Unfortunate, because I didn't write down which person gave him which item.
Until my next post, we're spending time in full-fledged recovery, under a pile of laundry, dishes, and thank-you notes.

Joyeux Noël

Pinteresting: Recipes Tried

Ahem.
I almost forgot about posting my pinterest discoveries for this week.
We're preparing for a minor surgery for Million tomorrow, amidst our family celebration of Christmas.
If I'm already forgetting by the first week, I'm likely doomed to fail at some point.
But I'm here.
I made it.

I may or may not feel like my sixth grade self who forgot to turn in a piece of homework, and then the teacher made me sit in the hall, and then she forgot to call me back in, and then she scolded me when I didn't let myself back in the class.  And I cried.  During 6th grade.  And I still hold it against her.  So much so that even run-on sentences and fragments can't express my rage/shame.

Okay.  It's not that bad.
I'm just feeling a little sheepish I have no actual photos to share.

This being the first post and all, I suppose I could catch you all up to speed.  This week I'll catch you up on recipes.  Next week, I'll catch you up on crafty ideas, for which I will ACTUALLY have pictures.


Because of Pinterest, I've made the following recipes.
Onion soup mix.  No thoughts to report yet, as I haven't actually used it.
Buffalo Chicken Strips that were out of this world.  I might have thought about making them twice in one day.
Homemade Graham crackers. Mine were a little thicker than they should have been, but they tasted wonderful.  It was nice thinking to myself that Million wasn't consuming high fructose corn syrup in every bite.
Apple Cider caramels.  I liked them, and Michael liked them.  My dad and some others didn't, mainly because they couldn't get their brains used to thinking "apple cider" when they saw caramels.
Homemade Wheat Thins.  The first pan was good.  I accidentally burned the second pan.  More trials needed.
Caramel and Sea Salt on Shortbread.  These were amazing.  When Michael is home more to save me from consuming the whole pan, I will make them again.
Oreos inside chocolate chip cookies.  I died after eating one.  Unfortunately, they don't make fair-trade Oreos that I'm aware of, and I wasn't extraordinarily impressed with the recipes for "make your own oreos" that I've tried--so this one is mostly for your benefit.
Crockpot chicken taco chili.   I just made this yesterday.  Ask me when there aren't leftovers in the fridge.
Homemade tater tots.  These worked the time I made them with red potatoes but not with russet potatoes.
Little delightful crescent roll jalapeno poppers.  I've only made these about six or seven times.

I've tried and deleted two or three recipes (a blueberry lemon breakfast cake and one other thing I can't remember) that just didn't work for us.  Oh, it was egg-roll wrapped mozzarella sticks.  My mind kept on smelling Chinese, and the mozzarella just didn't mingle well, in my opinion.

I've also pinned about four cream of chicken and wild rice recipes that claim to taste like Panera's.  I've tried two of them (and stupidly forgot to mark which ones---gah!) that didn't taste like Panera's.  I'm on a mission from God and will find that soup someday.


Finally brethren, in the spirit of Christmas, I'm about to be extraordinarily kind to you.
So kind.
I'm about to post a link to a recipe that has literally taken me three (nearly four) years to find.
And thanks to someone posting a link to an Ethiopian crock-pot recipe on Pinterest... my curiosity got the best of me, and I once again started up my hunt. (And the reason I couldn't find it for three years is because of a variation in the spelling and a shortening of the name.  Wonderful.)   I now need to just remember to pin some of my old recipes.

It's here.
It's beautiful.
We made it today along with this recipe and some home-made injera.

To My Son, At Christmas

Dear Million:
Two years ago, Daddy bought you a squeaky hedgehog dog toy and a hedgehog blanket.

I cried because you weren't home.

Last year, we bought you presents and a book.

I cried because you weren't home.

You celebrated you first Christmas with a photo album of us, clothes we sent that were already too small for you, and a toy hammer.

And I cried when I saw the pictures. Because you weren't home.

Tomorrow we will celebrate our Christmas with you at home.

And I'm pretty sure I'll cry.

We no longer know where the squeaky dog toy is.  (I'm fairly certain BonAmi finally had his way with it.)
Your crib is no longer a symbol of a big empty place in our hearts.
You use the hedgehog blanket we bought you every night.
You will open presents from us. In person.
You will dance in your jammies to the Drifter's "I'm Dreaming Of a White Christmas" like you enjoy doing.
In your big-boy jammies that made me cry the first time you put them on.
You're growing so quickly.
What happened to the little one-word wonder from five months ago?

Million, what I want you to remember when you're a big man and hear about this Christmas is not what presents you got, not the silly things you say, or even how you enjoyed licking a plate that BonAmi had been cleaning off for us.  What I want you to remember is the concept of "home."

Mama and Daddy try to make our family's house into an atmosphere that reflects what God wants a home to be.
But we know that try as hard as we may, we'll never have "the perfect home."
We're imperfect people.
And God doesn't want us to have the "perfect home" here on earth.
Because that is what He has in store for His children when they go to heaven.
Our attempts to make heavens here on earth cheapen the perfect home He has for us.
We become ungrateful, dissatisfied, and proud.
We worship the created rather than the Creator.

When you're a big man, I want you to think about what a home is.
And I want you to take delight in your earthly home without worshiping it.  And I'd also love to know you will be joining me in my heavenly home.

Merry Christmas, little man.

Love,

Your teary-eyed Mama

My Place

My one feminine spot in our house.  I'll need to put a chair in here when the burping and farting jokes start. 

About Using the Word "Heart" As a Verb...And Pinterest

If I were in my late 30's/early 40's and survived Footloose and acid-dye jeans in the 1980's, or if I were born in the Clinton era or later, I would think it would be cute to say "I heart such and such."

I tried saying it a few times.
It just doesn't work for me.

I don't "heart" much of anything.  I heart blood, arteries, preferably no angina, and my vascular system.
Kind of like when people say "LOL" or any text message abbreviations aloud.
Just doesn't work for me.

Anyway, if I were to say aloud that I "hearted" anything (besides my local good foods store), it would have to be Pinterest.

I even semi-jokingly looked at their programming careers and told Michael there were openings.
But we don't want to move to California, and he's got a new job now, so that's out.

I've been kind of feeling lately like my blog needs a little more order, so it doesn't seem as emotionally/spiritually labile and scatterbrained as I feel.  So I'm thinking of introducing a series with a shorter/more creative name than "What I found on Pinterest and ACTUALLY made instead of just repinning and forgetting about."

Pinterest works for me.  It's like a scrapbook that I never need to putz with or cut stupid edges for.
It's also a recipe book and a home remedies guide.
And the home ec teacher I would love to have sitting on my shoulder.

Did you know that if you put a wooden spoon on top of a boiling pot of water it won't boil over?
Neither did I.
And it works.  I tried it.
At least it worked the one time I tried it.  And it was a very hearty and rapid boil, you doubters.

So...I'm thinking Thursdays will likely be my what I cooked/baked/learned from/sewed because of Pinterest days.  Which still have yet to be named.

If after a few months I'm feeling really inspired, I might even try a link-up Thursday or two.  We shall see.  So we'll see you back here on Thursday for my first "I heart pinterest" (which will NOT be the series title) post!

Delight

I typically refrain from analyzing our adoption---where we are, if we've bonded, etc.

Usually it seems that complete strangers and extended family members will do that for us, without putting much extensive thought or knowledge into the matter. "Oh, he seems to be attaching so well!" they gush.

People love to give their opinions about anything, even if they have no knowledge of the subject.

But two nights ago, there was a flicker of a moment where I saw in Million's face that he was taking genuine joy and delight in my company.
And it was a beautiful moment. 

If It Takes All Night

This is a note to say that Michael's second sock will be finished by Christmas if it kills me.
The first year we were dating, I made him an afghan for Christmas.
I lost the pattern halfway through the afghan, and consequently pulled an all-nighter right before giving it to him. (I had to re-do about one-third of the afghan, because there were two almost identical lover's knot afghan patterns floating around on the internet.  This was before blog photography became REALLY popular, and all of the free crochet patterns were just written instructions.)

I might have made him stay out of his living room for an hour or two as I did my final piecework, I was that far behind.
He gave me a Beatles t-shirt and a striped orange men's scarf that Christmas, and that clinched it for me.
I married him, and he married me, despite my craft procrastination.

He can't complain, however.  He's currently the only individual with a present under the tree.  Brown paper package all tied up with strings, no less.  (I have an aunt who dies every time people think that song is a Christmas song.  Really, it wasn't an attempt to reference that song--we're just trying to be more environmentally conscious and budget friendly.)  Million colored the wrapping paper/grocery bag.   

Lest you be impressed, it's not even a "fun" present.  It's a "ha. you got a job and might need some new work clothes...so here is the only thing that fit you at the one thrift store I looked at" kind of present.  But it's there.  It's the only present under the tree! That counts for something.

Okay. Okay.  This was enough procrastination for one night.  Back to my knitting.  

Or I could go take a picture of the afghan I talked about. 

Or Michael's brown paper package.

Or I could have a cup of tea.  

Or I could knit. Sigh.

Your Book Suggestions Wanted

I'm writing my lists of goals and ideas for 2012, including my ever-present book list.

I'd like to read 12 new books (setting the goals high this year, huh?)  in 2012.
One is a world history encyclopedia.
One is a healthy cooking techniques textbook.
The others are up in the air.

What are your favorite fiction or non-fiction books that I absolutely MUST read at least once in my lifetime?  Or books that would be a thought-provoking read in this current time era but might not necessarily be as provocative 20 or 30 years from now?
I'm all ears.

Family Photos: A Bit About Monika

It's my great pleasure to introduce you to Monika Rae photography, based out of the Twin Cities.
My first memory of Monika was a freshman music theory class we shared together.  Oh how many hours we practiced chord progressions in the music lab together.

Even if I hadn't known Monika previously, it would have been the absolute MOST comfortable and fun photo session I've ever been a part of.  I've never laughed so much while getting my picture taken. Our family is planning on using her again in the future!

She blogs over here, and is not only a talented photographer and musician, but a great writer too.

I could go on for hours about how fun it was, and how talented she is (and how great she is with kids!), but I'll let her pictures speak for themselves.  (I'm a sucker for black and white, if you can't tell from the pictures below.)

Thank you Monika, for the beautiful memories in photograph form of our family.

Good Pictures and Poor Pictures

***Good pictures a' comin' alert.  At some point in the next week or so, I plan to upload some amazing photos from a family photography session and blog a little bit about the photographer.  

***Poor pictures a' comin' alert: Bear with me the next few weeks, as I'm resolved to learn the manual settings on my point and shoot camera.  

When I wanted to buy myself an electric guitar, my dad said I had to memorize all of the chords on a chord chart and prove that I knew them on my acoustic before I could buy the orange electric guitar I wanted.

And I did.

So it's one of those things.  

I'm resolved to learn the manual setting on my basic camera, as it will likely be awhile before we can afford a more expensive camera, and I want at least the basic knowledge of how cameras work before I get a fancy one.  

By all means, if you see something I'm doing wrong (especially on a consistent basis), and you have the knowledge and skills of photography, let me know in a comment.  I will be so grateful.

Also, we don't have any photo editing software on any of our computers other than Microsoft Picture Manager.  We used to many years ago, but it was not a "legal" copy of Photoshop, so we got rid of it.  If you have any editing tips as to contrast, cropping, etc. that aren't "high-tech", I'd love them too.  I'm all about learning new things. 

Million and I dyed rice a couple days ago.  We didn't have rubbing alcohol in the house, so I used cooking wine.  Ha. That's our budget right now.   I'm going to put all of this rice in a jar with some marbles and other small objects;  Million can shake it around and watch the rice blend colors and the objects move around as a result of the shaking.  I might even wrap it and put it under the tree so that Million can tear even MORE homemade wrapping paper off presents.  He can wait two weeks to shake some rice, right?

 Here's one of the salt-dough ornaments that Michael, Million, and I made this year.  I have a few about the house to remind me that God cares for the birds, and He cares for me more.

I blogged a while back about Michael ordering some diapers and surprising me.  They came a few days ago.  Aren't they cute? I'm the little cloth diaper dork who has a chart in the laundry room to mark down how many diapers I've washed to see when my diaper investment has been fully "paid off." For the record---under 480 more diapers washed, or under 9 weeks left until we recoup our cloth diaper financial investment.  Even if Million started potty training early (which he will not be...because I'm not ready for that yet!), we'd have a "free" stash of 40ish for the most part gender-neutral diapers and all of the go-along's for any future kids.


And that's all I've got for now.  Hope your weekend is fantastic.  Michael might (crosses fingers) be able to spend some time at home this weekend.  And we will potentially have homemade pretzels to celebrate.  Or bagels.  Because bagels make all the world better.

A New Song In My Mouth

Yesterday morning came along.  I posted a prayer request here on our blog that was humbling to post.

I read a bit last week that said it's not wise to give your testimony until your head has finally cleared and you can speak coherently, because God doesn't get the glory if you're just babbling.  So this is me not babbling.

But God has answered our (and your) prayers.  As of last night/this morning, Michael has a new career.  Maybe sometime I will share some of the more personal details and why it was the exactly right timing, but for now I will just "ponder those things in my heart."

Psalm 40:1-5

I waited patiently for the LORD;
         And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
         And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
         Many will see and fear
         And will trust in the LORD.

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
         And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
         And Your thoughts toward us;
         There is none to compare with You.
         If I would declare and speak of them,
         They would be too numerous to count.

Prayers Needed

***Edited to note: I took this post down for about a half an hour this morning, thinking it sounded like I'm ungrateful for his current job.  I'm not.  I am fully aware what it means to have a job---any job---in this economy.


This post is about Michael and his job. And desire for a new one.

Michael works extra hours a lot.
With confused patients who often make his work environment a very unpleasant place to be.

Sometimes it's funny.  Like when Michael said "Good morning!" to a patient, and the patient looked up at him and said in all seriousness, "So, I hear you have a date in hell."

More often than not, lately, it's not been.  He's been caring for the violently combative or s**ually perverted (trying to keep this a family-friendly blog) kind of confused individuals.  For months on end.  He's worked with this type of population for 5-1/2 years.  He goes into work each day knowing that he has to somehow forget what the confused person did to him or said to him the day before.  He has to display God's love and compassion. And he has to deal with the typical work-place drama too.

Then he has to come home and be a husband and daddy who isn't thinking about Nasty Patient #4,927 or Violent Patient #6,792,807.

This.  And a 10-month job search.

Michael has a second interview tomorrow for a different job, and we'd love it if you could pray for him.
But we'd also love it if you prayed for him to be like Christ in his current work situation and to not grow weary of doing good.

Oh Soul Are You Weary And Troubled?

A couple days ago instead of my usual morning devotions, I did a word search for the word "weary" in the Bible.

When your life story's recurring theme is "waiting", it can become wearisome.
And after awhile, you can get what I've heard called "bone-tired."
However, it helps to remember the source of life and breath and all things (Acts 17:25).
The one who sustains the weary with a word.

Galatians 6:6-9 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.


Isaiah 50:4 (Christ speaking through a prophet in poetic form, but for the purposes of this post, I've taken out the poetic breaks): "The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient, Nor did I turn back."


Isaiah 40:28-31  Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired.  His understanding is inscrutable.  He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.  Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.


Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

A day in photos

He loves sledding.

 He especially loves sledding when it is fast and dangerous.

What has my husband taught him?

They'll likely be building jumps next winter.

Michael made these crescent rolls with dough from our bread maker this morning.

Million beginning a love affair with our oscillating space heater.  BonAmi says "Is this kid for real? He hasn't noticed the heater yet?!"

Popcorn that was intended to be strung and placed outside for the birds, until I remembered the butter and salt.

Some caramel corn for Michael as a result.

Intentional Mom of the Year Fail And Why It Wasn't A Fail

I always planned to be extraordinarily intentional with my kids.
And I still think that's a good thing.

I made pancakes this morning.
However, it did not turn out into a bonding experience like I always imagined before parenthood that it would be.

I didn't make shapes of animals or letters for Million.
I didn't put chocolate chips into them.
I also didn't take the time to show Million the reaction between the baking powder/baking soda and the water or the bubbles that formed as a result of a quick chemical reaction when heat was added.  No science lesson.

We didn't have a fractions lesson as I divided his pancake into pieces.
I didn't pretend that his pancake was an animal gallivanting around and just needing a stable (his mouth.)

I didn't give him a nutritional lesson as to why  I added squash to the pancakes or the nutritional value and side effects of each spice I added, although I know each of those things.


In short, he ate pancakes.
I ate pancakes.
We ate them together and then moved on with our morning.

I think that my personality has a high danger of feeling guilt after not doing intentional bonding or educational experiences with my son.  Or I think to myself, in my American way, that we might as well multitask and learn something while we're doing routine activities.

But what I also need to remember is that my son could very easily become overstimulated with so much learning, so much bonding, so much talking, so much listening.

And...hello.  There's supposed to be 5 inches of snow today.
So sledding is a huge stimulation experience that is on the docket if daddy comes home in time.
And probably even if daddy doesn't come home on time.
There is no separating my boy from the outdoors.

So all this to say, enjoy your day.  Don't overstimulate your kids too much, even for the sake of learning. 

This Moment

The tea kettle whistles, and my son is no longer afraid of it.  He no longer wails in terror, thinking that I'm crying or screaming and causing the noise.  He runs to the stove and says "mamatee!" a blended word.  He knows it's time for mama's tea.

A balsam-scented candle is burning, a reminder to us to pray for our firefighters and for my cousin who makes candles.  This particular candle is one that Million and I made a few nights ago.  It testifies of the smells of the season and that our Savior was born in a very earthy-smelling locale and placed in (very likely) a wooden manger.

We've read books.
We've done devotions (Advent devotions will be later when Michael comes home from long hours at work.)
I've showered and had prayer time.
We've breakfasted. (Well...Million has.)
I've drunk a glass of water from my George Harrison glass.
Instrumental music, reminiscent of my childhood, is playing on Pandora.

My younger siblings and I used to perform "ballet" for my parents to George Winston's "December" album, when I was a moody junior high student, afraid of being embarrassed on film.  Million dances to it now, and it makes the corners of my mouth curve upward, a little hint of a smile that I'm sure adorned my parents' mouths many years ago.

We stop and have a ginger snap topped with crystallized ginger.  Million eats one-half of the cookie; Mama eats the ginger and the other half.

We need these calming influences in our day.
Without them, our days become rough around the edges and are frequently visited by tears and bad attitudes (mine and his.)

When we don't have these little morning rituals, then I start focusing on the other side of "everyday" life.
The things that worry me.
The things that annoy me.
The things I covet.
It's unhealthy to focus so much on self.
It's unholy to focus so much on self.

So for today, I'll take my tea, book reading, dancing with my son, and ginger snaps.
Things that nourish my soul and lead me back to the Author of my story, the Perfecter of my faith, the Giver of good gifts.
And because my soul has been nourished, I can go about the rest of the day with a changed perspective, and I will praise God in the midst of the attitude training, the dirty diapers, the endless waiting for a new job for Michael, and the rather scant pantry.  My burdens have changed to blessings.

First Day Sledding and A Classy Family Movie

My little snow angel---who, for the record, will likely never have enough snow to suit his fancy.

I also might never have enough dry snow-pants to suit his fancy.

I've been having several "aha!" moments lately.
Like when I realized that I really don't appreciate Tuscan interior decor as much as I previously did.
And when I found out I enjoy the color white more than I thought I did.
(Thank you, Pinterest, for those insights into my deepest, darkest, soul.)

Another "aha!" moment.  I  read several articles about the "miracle" of coconut oil and how it is one of the only natural oils that doesn't require bile to break it down--thus, easing the digestion process, causing less formation of collagen, and also lowering your cholesterol.  It sounds like a hoax, doesn't it?  In any case, those who were proposing this said that coconut oil has the exact properties of butter in a 1:1 ratio while baking.  They claimed you could bake anything with it, and it would turn out.
I'm here to tell you at least THAT part of their claim is false.  I'm not sure about the less collagen; I haven't checked.  But bread made in a bread maker does not turn out tasting right when you make it with coconut oil instead of olive oil.  However, what my family calls Mississippi Mud cookies (a similar recipe to ours found here) DO turn out really well with coconut oil instead of butter, so some more experimentation is required.

And lastly, a "how classy we are" family movie.  Because it's been a while.  Michael references being "interviewed out."  That's life lately.

And please note (or don't note, for that matter) Million grabbing BonAmi's manhood at the beginning.  BonAmi's been a lot more tolerant of Million than we ever imagined.