Well, seeing as Christmas is only about, oh 19 16 days away, I figured I better start checking things off of my to-do list. It's been kind of difficult because Thanksgiving was my focus for so long & now Sebastian's first birthday party is looming. I figure if I can at least do a few things this week, it will make my life {a little} easier later on. Here's a sneak peak of a project that will, I believe, end up being a gift for many family members this year. I'll probably tweak a few of the photos based on who the recipient is.
It is a CD case calendar, made using a kit I purchased here. The templates are all so beautiful, I had a hard time deciding which one to use. Since nearly everyone has a desk, I figured the CD case idea would work out for many folks.
The tree is up! The plethora of Christmas knick-knacks are waiting on the mantel to be placed in there rightful spots. I guess I'll be working on that today.
I purchased a few more gifts the other day, have many things on the way from amazon & updated my Christmas list so I can start buying more gifts. The pathetic part is that I have the money set aside for gifts, I just haven't had the time & energy to go shopping at multiple stores. I think my indecisiveness might be a problem too. What I find something even better at the next store? I want to be diligent in using God's money well, which is why I put so much thought into the things I buy.
The girls have a Christmas program next Sunday at church, so I plan to snap some pictures of them {and the little fella} to make into a holiday card. I'm thinking of using this set here. Perhaps I can pre-address all the envelopes so that all I have to do is have the photos printed, insert & send! Yes, good idea. I think I'll do that.
The actual "getting together" part of the holidays is pretty much decided. Planning when and where we will be going has been a dramatic process {to put it lightly}, but not because it was our desire to have it that way. I am wishing we could just NOT GO ANYWHERE {did I say that? I guess I was just thinking out loud...} and hunker down in our jammies all day in front of a fire & eat homemade food & enjoy each other's company. Maybe I will have to plan a specific day for just that purpose......
Enough about me. How's your holiday "stuff" coming along? All ready?
Otherwise known as a year in the life. A year in our life since the day that Sebastian Judah joined our family as our third-born child and first-born son. I think this has been the shortest first year of any child thus far.
:: just a few weeks old ::
Maybe it's because our lives are so different now, what with homeschooling and a work-at-home husband. Maybe it's because he was born during the chaos of a holiday season, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, upon the brink of my second daughter's 3rd birthday and my 30th birthday, causing those first few months to just fly by all too quickly. Maybe it's because my first-born is older now and such a big help and little mommy to my baby. Maybe it's simply because I now realize how fleeting and precious these childhood days are and the tighter I hold on to them, the quicker they slip through my fingers.
:: five months old & going for his first walk outside ::
Sebastian is still clingy, although no longer requires being in my arms to fall asleep. He loves his "chupy", although that too is not quite as necessary as it once was. He can feed himself, entertain himself, and is quite the opportunist when it comes to getting into things he's not supposed to. He has yet to take his first steps, being quite content with crawling. He seems to have a good sense of humor {a prerequisite in this family} and loves tickles under his chin. Nothing can get me smiling quite like that huge goofy grin of his, showing off his eight big teeth.
:: nine months old & looking like a little fella ::
His first birthday is bittersweet. Happy for all the growing he's done, sad that the "tiny" baby I held has gotten bigger, excited for all the new experiences in the coming year. First steps, first words, first discoveries are all waiting for their perfect moment.
:: today ::
Happy first birthday Spuddy! Mommy loves you more than words can say.
I am thankful for all the requisite things: my family, my friends, a warm home, food on my table. You get the picture. One thing though, this season, stands out to me above all the others.
Hope.
I don't know how I would make it through my life without it. The older I get, the more and more people whom I love are going through heartbreaking times:
Divorce.
Depression.
Addiction.
Loss.
Sometimes, when I hear of friends going through trying times, I feel so inadequate in knowing what to say. I wish I could, dear friend, craft the perfect sentence to ease your pain, speak words of Life into your aching heart. I may not use the right words, but I can tell you there's hope. With Jesus, there's always hope. There's a song called Hope Now by Addison Road, which expresses much of what I mean to say, in such a way, that it always puts me in a state of worship upon hearing it. A snippet of the lyrics in case you haven't heard it...
When my life is like a storm Rising waters all I want is the shore You say I'll be ok and Make it through the rain You are my shelter from the storm
Everything rides on hope now Everything rides on faith somehow When the world has broken me down Your love sets me free
I think, given enough time, we all eventually will find ourselves at a place where everything rides on hope. No more security from a good paying job, or a stable marriage, or happiness in "things". When situations defy logic, when loved ones fail us, when what we were counting on doesn't come to pass, I am thankful for hope. Hope for a life beyond this one, hope for healing from brokenness, hope and confidence that He is still in control & has a plan for me. And for you too, whoever you are.
I'd love to read your "Thankful For" posts throughout the week. Please add your specific post {not a link to your main page} so we can enjoy each others sense of gratitude! If you don't have a blog, I'd love to read about what you're thankful for in my comments section.
...til T-day. My head count is {so far} 14 adults. Sometimes I feel like passing out at the thought, but other times I'm fine. Anyone else want to RSVP? Did I mention 6 children too? Well, two of them are babies & one is a little toddler. There is one thing that is keeping me from hyperventilating: my plan. My very detailed, {hopefully} well-thought out, plan. If you've never hosted Thanksgiving before or have done it many times, I believe a plan is the key to reducing your stress, making sure all your desired dishes will actually be able to be completed, and getting the meal to the table in a timely manner. How I assemble my plan is this: first, compile all the recipes & have each one photocopied or printed out. I then write out a detailed timeline, starting several days before the event. In this case, much of the work will be done on Thanksgiving day, but I try to do whatever possible before hand, such as pre-measuring ingredients, chopping herbs & vegetables, making the cranberry sauce, etc. Today, I will be making & freezing pie crusts, already rolled out & in the pie pan. Timeline snapshot:
1:00 pm
Remove ham from oven & let rest. Tent ham loosely w/foil. Turn up temperature to 375° F
Put turkey breasts in oven for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours. Add broth to bottom of pan.
1: 15 pm
Stir stuffing.
Start water boiling for macaroni.
1:30 pm
Check turkey pan if needs more broth.
Add noodles to pot. Set timer.
1:45 pm
Start potatoes in water to boil. Reduce heat to medium simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Stir stuffing
Turn on lower oven to 350° F.
Assemble macaroni & cheese.
I remind myself of every little thing, when to turn the oven up or down & to what temperature, when to stir, when to glaze, when to check if something is done. I think I'll remember to do all those commonsense things, but on the day of, I'll be glad I wrote it all out for myself. You will now be able to see whether or not what you've actually planned can be executed. Oven space is the trickiest part of the whole deal. This year, I will be able to use my two (!) ovens to make everything run a bit more smoothly, but believe me, it *can* be done with only one. Next I go through each recipe and transfer all the ingredients to a grocery list.
I count butter in sticks and make little tick marks for the eggs and just write down everything else. Hopefully nothing will get forgotten! I print out a copy of my menu & write down the type of serving dish I'll need for each recipe, then I can see what needs to be borrowed.
The night before, I like to write the recipe names on post-its and attach it to the proper serving dish so I don't forget which one is for which recipe. And that, my friends, just about sums up my planning technique. I did manage to send out invitations. I found sets of invitations complete with little sticker seals at Woodman's on clearance for 25-cents each. The kids made the thumbprint turkeys & helped with the assembly. See:
I really want to have a Mary heart on, what could easily be for me, a Martha day. The people around my table are more important than a perfectly executed meal. I keep reminding myself & others around me of this truth. Every time someone says, "I know you might be busy, but....", I say that I am not too busy for the people I love. I don't want to be so caught up in stirring the stuffing & glazing the ham that I don't get to enjoy my guests. If someone offers to help, I will reply with a resounding "YES!" and put them to work. On Thanksgiving Day, I plan to be ready with a hug, a smile & some kind words for everyone who walks through my door. Oh...and maybe a little taste of whatever has been cooking.
I'm sure it's just one of many, but I noticed something curious the other day. When I have more money, I tend to spend more. When I have less, I spend less. This should not be! What if, when I had more, I spent less! Then I really would be set! Shouldn't my spending be based on some sort of conviction or spending plan rather then the amount of money in my bank account? In a practical sense, it might go something like this:
If my budget allows, I will limit myself to one premium coffee per month {Starbucks}. Period. If my income miraculously doubles, I will still stick to this limit.
Maybe this sounds just plain ridiculous? Maybe there should be some sort of "until" in my scenario, ie. until I reach such-and-such financial goals or untilmy budget is in need of revision. Maybe people would think I'm crazy to "only" limit myself to X, even if I were bringing in a 6-figure salary {I meaning my husband, in my case}. I guess I'm just thinking that when I'm making more, I could limit myself to X and Y and A through G, and occasionally H, I, J, and once in awhile K and L, oh, and M & N only on special occasions. Then I be sitting there wondering why I am poorer than when I made half as much! I'm sure it has happened to many of you who, when going from higher amounts of income to drastically lower amounts of income, asked yourself, "If only...". Now that you find yourself actually able to live on less {even cheerfully, at that *shocking, I know*} you wonder...If only I had lived on this amount when we were making more, my savings account would be bigger or my debts would be paid off or....
Anyone else tend to spend more when they have more & spend less when they have less?
Since it is only 2 weeks away *gulp*, here are, in my opinion, the Top 10 Thanksgiving Recipes from Allrecipes. I chose one from each of the categories outlined in my Thanksgiving planning post here, that could easily be served at your Thanksgiving table: turkey, potato, sweet potato, green vegetable (2), stuffing, condiments (2), desserts (2). And here they are, including personal comments from the peanut gallery me in parentheses. *drumroll please*
And because we're all gonna have 'em, my top Turkey Leftover recipe: #11: Turkey Pot Pie
This creates a pretty straight-forward, old-fashioned style Thanksgiving meal. If you're adventurous/eclectic like me, stay tuned for the Top 10 Not-Your-Grandma's Thanksgiving Recipes!Enjoy!
This might seem a little bizarre, but does any one else use Real-Time Pricing for their ComEd bill? I was inspired to see if we had something like this based on a frugal tip I came across. In a nutshell, instead of paying a fixed price per Kilowatt hour for energy, you pay the going market price for that particular hour. In the off-peak hours, the energy costs less. I am looking into this option for our family & was wondering if/how it has saved money for other families. If no one responds, I guess I might just be the guinea pig.
Totally diggin':Cookthink {might I add that this is super genious?! Searching for something that you're craving instead of/in addition to specific recipes?}
Reading:A Woman's High Calling {It's so good, I might just get the growth & study guide....}
October 16th marked our ten year wedding anniversary and this last Saturday was Hubster's birthday, so what to do other than.....celebrate!! It was really amazing the way God provided so many little things for us throughout the weekend, so I'll try to highlight those as I go along.
We dropped the kiddos off with our babysitting service {a.k.a. family - praise God for great families} on Thursday & then acted like wild & free teenagers as we went for dinner {leftover Red Lobster gift card} & cruised the strip. I was able to hit the thrift store where I picked up a dressy black top from Kohls and a pair of brand new jeans from New York & Co. with the price tag still on {$44.95} for just $7.80! I ran into Kohl's and used $10 Kohl's cash that my mother-in-law gave me to purchase a half-price nightie for just $4.31. SWEET! We then waited for some friends of ours to get out of work and invited ourselves over to their place where we enjoyed a late night snack & lots of great conversation. {After staying up a little too long past our bedtime, I was dragging a bit on Friday.} I had a killer headache on our drive, but was blessed by my wonderful hubby who drove the whole way. {God spoke to me through a message I heard during the drive by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on "self-control" out of Titus 2. Everywhere I turn I am hearing the same "message", which is just blowing me away. I'm thinking I might wake up and see some writing on the wall, it is THAT obvious.}
I was wishing that we could have traveled someplace far & exotic, especially as it was our 10 year milestone, but lack of funds dictated our destination. I was still able to plan a lovely weekend stay in Door County. It was right as "off-season" was starting so that meant lower rates for everything. I choose the Lodgings at Pioneer Lane and was blown away at our room. Loved. It. It was more than I expected, with a fireplace, in room whirlpool, plush bedding, a walk-in shower, and a quaint balcony looking out over Ephraim and Lake Michigan. Lots of little details make this place special like hand-painted room number/pictures on each door, Hershey's kisses which were replenished throughout our stay, STASH brand teas, a selection of magazines/games, a DVD player with movies to borrow, free Wi-Fi, and they recycle! A couple of shots...
There are many small towns dotted along the Wisconsin peninsula and we barely skimmed over three of them. The colors were still beautiful, although from what I hear, not as intense as they were a few weeks ago. We walked a lot, explored many different shops, and mostly enjoyed one another's company. Friday night we had a hard time deciding on where to eat {wanted to save our money for Saturday} and God amazingly led us to a restaurant that would be closing the following day, so all the meals were half off! We could hardly believe it! We paid, for our entire meal, what just one entree cost at several nearby restaurants. Saturday, we shopped til we nearly dropped, rested up in the whirlpool for a bit followed by an afternoon nap, and then splurged on a stellar dinner at T. Ashwell's. It was worth every penny {quite a few of them}! Can't even explain how much we both enjoyed it! We had a reservation, canceled it {we were too tired from the day}, then remade our reservation. I am so thankful that God didn't let us miss it. The restaurant is housed in a converted old home & the hospitality made us feel like we were their guests, as opposed to customers. The food was just out of this world.
Sunday we did a bit more stopping & shopping & then it was back to reality to pick up our children {although I did miss them while we were gone}! We had felt so pampered while we were away that we were both left feeling a little down {post-vacation depression}! I guess that is a sign that we both had a wonderful weekend.
I am a domestic engineer (aka homemaker) and a homeschooling Mama. I enjoy decorating, cooking, baking, scrapbooking and anything crafty. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, a granddaughter, a mother, and a friend. I am a child of God and am having a love affair with Jesus. I am the mama of a baby daughter, Olivia, diagnosed with Trisomy 18, who went to be with Jesus at 28 weeks pregnant. I am also a mother to a precious little one, miscarried at 8 weeks. I am learning how to live with grief and embrace the plan that He has set before me, knowing I am safe in His hands.
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