It was so close to Christmas..

At the time it seemed a really good idea. With a week till Christmas, I decided to make these little babies.  I saw the idea alittle while ago and decided to make it for the kids.  The crayon rolls where a perfect stocking stuffer.

 I had a lot of fun making them!  I put the kids' initals on the outside of it. paired it with a stetch book.  They loved them!

I made these pot holders for my mom.  1st

 time doing them.  I was pretty impressed.  Infact, all of these things are a first time ever doing them.  I was very, very surprised with myself!!  I put them with some coasters as well...they just didn't make it in the picture.

Now these little sweethearts are my babies.  I love the way they turned out.  My sister took the pictures, my husband cut the pieces of wood, and I did the rest.  This was my most favorite thing I made....the night before Christmas Eve....at 3:00 in the morning!  But I thought, I've got tons of coffee, and pop, Matt has been waking up every moment I fall asleep.  I mean come on....sleep is sooo over rated!

                             

Now this, tihs is my almost favorite thing I made.  If it hadn't been for my babies, I'd say it was my favorite!  Mike helped out by cutting the wood! and I put it together.   And in the cup (no I didn't make it...Target did) is some coasters I made to make the present complete! Please don't look at the crazy women in the picture.  She has no makeup and for goodness sakes, she hasn't slept in days.  I'm not kidding....DAYS!!!  Anyway it's the flag we are looking at!  I was so surprised that I could do this!  I had tons of fun and am thinking of other things I am going to try!  How am I feeling about these things I've made...well lets just use a quote from a very famous movie......Tommy Boy........."Well then I get all excited. I'm like Jojo the idiot circus boy with a pretty new pet." 

Can You Imagine??

Can you imagine what it was like when Jesus was born?  I was sitting at Coffee Break this morning and my mind starting to wonder, as it always does at any givin moment.  Someone mentioned gossiping and my mind took off.  I started thinking of all the times I've been caught gossiping and how hard I try not to do it.  And then a silly little thought came acrossed my mind.  What did the ladies in Mary and Joseph's town say about them or even the ladies of Bethlehem.  Cause you know when ladies get together....well you know the rest.  So this morning I came up with a little story.  It's based back in the day with a modern twist.  It's been in my brain all day and I have to get it out.  Tell me what you think.

     "Did you hear that there was a baby born in a stable about...ohhh a couple of days ago?" Martha brought up at the ladies once a week get together. 
     Martha always knows what is going on in our little town of Bethlehem.  You never want to open your mouth around Martha, cause if you do....well lets just say she doesn't know how to CLOSE her's. All the ladies sat together on a Saturday afternoon, making food and were preparing for Sunday's day of rest, couldn't help but to fall into the topic that Martha had brought up.
    "Yes, I did hear about that.  That poor dear.  I could never have imagined giving birth in a stable.  The smell alone would drive me mad.  But to add all the animals to the mix and I would have been long gone.  I don't know how she put up with it."  added Easter.
     "Yes, she was very brave.  I couldn't imagine what she was going through.  You know maybe we should bring her something.  I wonder if she has any food or warm blankets  What do you think Rachel?" said Ruth.  Ohh Ruth.  She was always thinking of others.  I loved the moment I met her.  I was new to town and she was the first one to befriend me.  It's like she just knew that I was scared to be here.  But Ruth, she helped me through it and made sure I was comfortable.  If it wasn't for her, I'd still be...well I don't know where I would be.
   "I think that's a wonderful idea Ruth,"  I replied,  "Do you know what her name is....Starts with a M right??...Ma something...."
    "Mary.  I think it was Mary."  said Ruth.
    "Yes, it is Mary.  What a beautiful name." I said.
    "I don't know about that girl,"  added Martha, "I heard somethings about her.  I don't know, something just doesn't sit right with me.
    She was baiting us I just knew it.  But giving it was Martha, a person everyone was scared for cause she knew things about everyone, I didn't say anything.  I just let her comment sit in the air, as did everyone else.  We just sat there, working on our meals, waiting for her to continue with her "insight" into Mary. 
     After what seemed to be an eternity, Ester couldn't handle it any longer, finally asked the question Martha was waiting for.  "Well Martha, What Did you hear?"
     "Well, I probably shouldn't say anything, but alittle birdy told me something...it really isn't my place to say...." Martha drug on and on.
     "Out with it Martha."  Ester demanded.
     "Okay, okay since you guys really want to know and you guys are my best friends and all, I'll tell you.  I heard that she wasn't as good as some people would say she is."
     Ruth not liking the way the "information" was going, I could just see it.  She was going to try to stand up for this women they'd never even met, wasn't she?  Oh no Ruth, please don't, your going to ruin everything.  "Well I'm sure non of us are, right Martha?"  Ruth said it.  She said what some of us were thinking but were too afraid to say.  She is going to ruin it for us!
     "Oh I'm not talking about small things.  I hear that she was expecting before she even married this Joseph fella.  And on top of that it's not even Joseph.  Can you imagine??"  Martha said with a knowing look.
      "Are you sure about that Martha.  I talked to some of the Shepard's that were out there that night and they said that she was a very warm, loving woman.  I think we need to stop talking about this now."  Ruth said looking right into my eyes.  She wanted me to say something, to stand up with her.  But I couldn't speak.  I was afraid of Martha and I had just started to become somebody in our community.  I can't lose that now just cause Ruth didn't agree with what Martha was saying.  It's not like Martha was hurting anyone.  Everyone knows she just likes to talk.  So I just sat there....waiting for someone else to say something.
     "Oh Ruth, I'm only saying what I heard.  And it landed in my ears from a VERY reliable source.  Besides, I don't think we should help her at all.  She got herself into this mess and I think she needs to get herself out of this mess.  I for one am not going to lend a hand at all."  Martha said,  "Mark my words ladies, she is going to bring trouble to our little community.  And that boy of hers, well lets just say that I will not be letting my children play with him.  If that is how she was raised, you can only imagine what kind of person she's going to raise.  There's no family values anymore."
    "Well, I agree with you on the family values. It's lost these days.  I couldn't believe the other day when the family down the street was working on Sunday.  I could have died.  I marched right up to that house and laid into her good.  I don't think they will ever cross the line with that again."  Ester voiced.
     "What on earth could they possible be doing on Sunday?"  Martha wondered.
     "Oh they were outside running around, playing tag or something.  Don't they know they are supposed to be inside worshiping the Lord?  Not running around like crazy people."  Ester said.
     "I can't believe you ladies,"   Ruth said with anger in her voice.  "Here you sit and talk about what everyone is doing and yet you guys don't see what your doing.  Who do you think you are to be sitting there and tell everyone else they are wrong for what they did or are doing?  Don't we all Worship the same God?  I for one am not going to stand for this anymore...I'm going to leave and help that girl.  If she is good enough for the Wise men to go and visit her, then she's good enough for me.  Everyone has made their mistakes and I am not going to judge them for it.  If you'll excuse me ladies.  I have somewhere more important to be.  Rachel?"
    What do I do?  If I go with Ruth, I could be shunned.  If I stay here I would lose the only friend I've really had.  What do I do? 

     How many of you judged someone you've never met or seen?  How many of you were the one gossiping about people?  And how many of you were afraid to stand up for yourself or even a friend?  I can't tell you how many times I've been in each and every situation these 4 women have been in.  And I can't tell you how many times I have been ashamed about the way I acted or what I've said.  My prayer as of late has been for others to see the woman I am now, not the girl I used to be.  And even though I am not even close to being perfect, I hope people see that I'm not trying to be better then them, but to be the best me I can be.  Almost every days I fail.  This Christmas I'm going to remember the reason God gave us Jesus. He sent us a Savior for forgiveness, for love, and well just because He could.  Merry Christmas Everyone!

New Traditions....EEEEECCCCCCCCCCCCCKkk!

My attempt at trying to start a new tradition in our household has not come without it's own struggles.  In my mind we would be all sitting around a fire (if we had a fireplace..which I'm totally scared of, so why I would have that in my Norman Rockwell moment is beyond me.) and we'd be laughing, sharing our deepest thoughts, drinking hot cocoa, and there would be no fighting but only saying a kind word to one another.  Ahhhhh.....bliss.

Sooooo, I guess you could say, it didn't really happen like that.

My first goal was to start doing advent every night.  But to do that we needed an advent wreath.  Well, trying to do this without buying one, I decided to make one. 
"Ohh it'll be great," I thought, "We'll make it together. It's easy, all we need is the plate and I've got the rest of the paper here. Easy peasy rice and cheesy!"

So about 3 days later and several break downs later, we had our "homemade advent wreath."  I loved it.  It wasn't a normal wreath, but it was ours.  I picture that some day, years from now, we will be looking back on it and commenting how much Mommy lost it and laugh at the thoughts of perfection that I tried to establish during this time.

For the last 13 nights we've been doing the nightly readings, singing (which, by the way, Nick only wants to sing is jingle bells), praying, and lighting of our fake candles with our fake flame.  And as frusturating as some nights have been, I've fallen in love with it and I know our kids have too.  Each night they run up to the table when we say it's time to do the advent and they ask what's do I get to do tonight.  They might not hear everything we say, but they have been capturing the beauty that is starting to unraval in the story we read each day.  I love hearing the prayers that each of them say.  Anna goes on and on...talking about those we've never met.  Mason keeps praying for his brothers and sister and his beautiful Mommy, and his handsome Daddy.  Nick keeps saying thank God for the animals or thank God for God...and so forth.  Matt is forever saying...mamamamamamama...dadadadadadadada...blalhslfnaskvit.  And Mike and I fill in the other spots.  I don't want the time to end.  Thanks to those who gave me this idea!

Try it sometime, you won't regret it.  And in replace of my Norman Rockwell moments around the fireplace, is my idea of the madness that comes into our house each night as we attempt to light our "candles." Hearing Nick sing, as low as he can, the words to Jingle Bells.  Anna being the sweetheart, full of life girl that she is caring for those she has never met, and Mason keeping it close to home. (He just got a marshmellow gun...and as fun as it is, we will not let him close out everything we do at the table with a honorary shot.  It's starting to get to us, it scares Matt. And I keep getting hit in the rear end with a marshmellow for some reason.  This has nothing to do with lighting the advent wreath, I just wanted to share this moment that we had.) MERRY CHRISTMAS!!