The Solution to Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions

It's so peaceful as I'm sitting in my bed under my three four down comforters.  I'm a total blanket person.  When we lived in NJ, we had a duo-control electric blanket which I would turn on 30 minutes before I was going to bed so I could climb into an already warmed bed.  It was sheer bliss.

Sadly, my side of the blanket died before Jacob's ever did (he never really turned his side on!), so we got rid of it.  I miss a pre-warmed bed!

I started Bake Until Golden by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson last night and finished it earlier this evening (thanks to a long wait at Beau Image for my haircut).  It was SO good and I can't wait to try some of those recipes at the back of the book!

Krista's been busy doing school work this week and Michael's been building with his legos and playing with his trains.  In between things, the two of them have been playing on their DS thingys.  Michael loves his work books and can't wait to do the next lesson! He is every teacher's dream come true!


Are you thinking about New Year's resolutions?  I've decided that I need to get back to exercising again after taking off for the last four years.  Okay, you exercise freaks, you can close your mouths now!!! Unfortunately, exercising by osmosis is not really working for me because I continue to expand in places that are better contained.  Very annoying!


But, I'm still debating whether to include exercising on my list of New Year's resolutions since historically, I've always broken all my resolutions by January 2nd anyway.

It makes more sense to make a resolution that's based from the Bible because you know it's true and you're not in control of unresolving it! Like this...

In 2011, I will have peace through God because in John 16:33, it goes “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

See, now I won't be able to break my New Year's resolution.  Brilliant, if I say so myself!

 



 

"I Just Want To Die, Don't You?"

Yesterday I got to read and finish The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson (it will be in my February reviews in Five Star Books & More by The Reading Mom newsletter here on this blogsite).  I started Stars Collide by Janice Thompson last night and hope to finish it later tonight to include in my January reviews.  There are so many great books that I can't wait to get to.  If only I could read more than one book at a time...!

We were about to begin Michael's bedtime routine the other night when Michael informed me he wanted to die.  Yes, can you believe it? I said, "Yes, I can't wait to die either, but why do you want to die?"  And he replied, "So I can ask God how things are made."  

By the way, one of his favorite TV shows is the one on the Science channel called "How It's Made" and I'm guessing he decided it would be a lot faster to just ask God (no commercials either!) when he gets to Heaven!

Like any other child, you just never know what will come out of their mouths! The key is to not overreact or it will ruin the moment.  And just go with the flow! 

I love that Michael already understands that God is the only One who holds all the answers to our questions.  I'm quite certain that God smiles at the things that come out of the mouths of our children!

Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite verse.  If you're familiar with my newsletter, then you know I always end my letter with it.  Here's what it says (in case you're not familiar with it yet...):  

"For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord,' "Plans for good and not for evil, plans to give you a future and a hope."


Can you trust the all-knowing God with your unknown  future?

One Day At A Time with The Reading Mom: Happy Christmas Eve!

One Day At A Time with The Reading Mom: Happy Christmas Eve!: "Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I finally finished Drift by Sharon Carter Rogers. It was suspenseful, but intriguing enough to ..."

Happy Christmas Eve!

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I finally finished Drift by Sharon Carter Rogers.  It was suspenseful, but intriguing enough to make me want to see what's next.  I'll post my review of it on the first Friday in January here on my blogsite under my "Five Star Books and More Newsletter" tab.

I also finished Charles Martin's The Mountain Between Us (a review for February 2011) which had a surprising ending that initially saddened me and then made me realize I had it all wrong! I loved it!!! And now I'm on chapter 3 of The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson (my upstairs book) and I've yet to begin on Jan Karon's Light From Heaven (my downstairs book)!

 I thought you might like to see Michael's mega Lego Duplo creation (using all 4 boxes of his Duplos to make this).  As you can see, he's very proud that he met my challenge to use every piece.  It's a garage for his cars and animals as well as a bakery.  Very random, but very Michael!

Here is Michael with all the animals from his Noah's Ark set and the animals from the Nativity Set worshiping the baby Jesus at the manger.  Ya gotta love it!!!

 By the way, ignore the dates on these pictures.   A little someone (I won't mention names) somehow found a way to turn this function on and I have to figure out how to eliminate it! Here are Krista and Michael with their million dollar smiles.  Pictures of Krista are getting rarer because she's at that stage where she doesn't want her pictures taken. 

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve! I never finished decorating the mantle, putting out the stockings, etc.  Oh well.  I'll have less to clean up in January now, right?!?  Tonight after the service, we're going to open presents because tomorrow, we'll be busy hanging out with all kinds of people! 

So, Merry Christmas!!!


Isaiah 9:6 "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

4 Things I Love About You

Today, I was woken up by our new 4-year old who exclaimed, "Look, mommy! I have a Thomas game on my DS!" And because of the game (thank you, Jacob) Michael wasn't even interested in opening up any of his presents! I told him that because it was his birthday, he could play his DS (20 minutes at a time), but after his birthday, the DS is only available when I'm in a meeting or on a long road trip.  Later on in the morning, he was putting together his puzzle and he told me, "I don't really need to play with the DS because I have my legos and puzzle!" Now that's music to my ears!

It's hard to believe that 4 years ago, Michael arrived in our family with the limbs of a scrawny chicken (thankfully, he did have little chubby cheeks so that made up for those skinny little legs).  But we loved him and thought he was the most adorable baby boy ever!!!

My pregnancies have always been met with doubt, denial and then shock.  Yes, and in that order, too.  See, part of the thing is that I've never had the throwing up factor that comes alongside with most pregnancies.  There's no clue except for strange patterns in my cycle and that is normal when I'm under stress anyway and being tired (which can be normal when I stay up too late which happens pretty frequently).  And both times, I was under stress (some deadline or something of that nature!).  

My sister was the one who urged me to get a pregnancy test when we discovered Krista was growing inside me for about 3 months.  And then 9 years later, my friend Un encouraged me to get the pregnancy test when we found out about Michael when he was nearly 3 months, too.

And, every time, I was definitely doubtful, a little in denial and then flat out shocked that I was pregnant.  I don't know why, but I just am! It takes me the entire 9 months (actually 10 months) to get used to the idea I'm having a baby (hey, I'm a slow learner!) and then I'm ready! 

I'm a BIG fan of epidurals.  In fact, when they were preparing to put the IV in, I immediately asked for an epidural first.  Go figure, but  I h-a-t-e needles.  Especially when I can see them.  My veins are always MIA because of my eczema and I always have a list of questions for the nurse who's in charge of finding my veins (how long have you been up now?  How long have you been doing IVs?  Is that the smallest needle you have because I need the super small one! Are you tired because if so, I need another nurse to do this!).  Yep, I admit that I'm a big wimp when it comes to needles and the pain they inflict.

To me, the worse part of the pregnancy and delivery is the blood work requirements and the IVs and some post delivery issues which I will not go into...!  

But enough of this pregnancy walk through memory lane....
  
Michael Christopher Lee is our favorite son.  He just is (when you hear his little voice and see his cute little dimples, you'll understand why!).  I love how sweet and cuddly he still is.  He loves to be held, read to, and snuggled under the blankets with me.  

I love his tender heart for the things of God especially when he says in a voice of awe, "That's from God's Holy Word!" His prayers are the best!

I love hearing him talk (he has so much to say.  I think he gets it in the genes!) and watching him build with his Legos, Tinker Toys, Thomas the Train tracks, working on his puzzles or drawing his pictures.  He loves to draw and use tape.  Lots of it.  

But most of all, I love his hugs and kisses.   He loves with a pure heart and he's a quick forgiver.  I love being Michael's mommy.

Psalm 127:3 says it best from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible: "Children are a blessing and a gift from the LORD."

Good Night! 

The Last Supper

I've been struggling with laryngitis for the past couple of days.  Today, I could barely squawk.  When I gesture and point frantically to my throat, 95% of everyone who knows me seems to casually remark that it must be because I've been talking too much.  Now why in the world would they come to that conclusion?!?

I'm trying to reserve my voice (though Krista commented tonight that I'm still talking even when I can't and I confess I am!) for tomorrow.  It's Michael's BIG day because he turns...four years old!!! 

On his last day as a three year old, we heard thunder (the angels in Heaven are playing the drums in the worship band!) and experienced torrential downpour while we were in Arcadia and then later again in Japantown.  He tasted his first cream puff today and had yogurt from Yogurtland after lunch.  He drew a track and some trains while waiting for his last "supper" as a three year old (chicken tenders at Blue Stove). 

Lately, he's been telling me he wants to be 100 years old.  I have no idea where he gets these random thoughts, but in tonight's devotions, there was a picture of Abraham when he was nearly 100 years old.  Michael decided rather quickly that he just wanted to be 10 and not 100 now!

Isn't it interesting how when we're young, we can't wait to grow up but when we're finally grown up, we wish we were young again?!?  Actually, I'm glad I don't have to re-live my childhood, being stuck in my ugly stage F-O-R-E-V-E-R as a teenager, having PE, homework, exams, etc.  I wouldn't mind re-living my college years again, but that's about it.

I so love my stage of life right now! I love being a mommy to my two children...on most days! I love watching Krista blossom into a lovely teenager (I'm glad she's bypassed the UGLY and awkward teenage years.  I have no idea where she gets her gracefulness from!) with her classic sense of style (unlike me and we are definitely not going there right now).  I still long to sleep in, finish a project in one sitting, read uninterrupted, etc. but all those things will happen too soon.  So I'm savoring motherhood and I'm grateful for the memories we are making every day as a family. 

Finally! I love that my voice came back enough for me to give Michael the blessing (even if I sounded like a frog with a mouth full of gravel), pray with him and give him a final "I love you!" hug and kiss before putting him down for the night. 

I was praying for contentment today because it's so frustrating not being able to talk!!! Besides being tickled to death and having no access to electricity, indoor plumbing, my GE washer & dryer (I love those machines!!!) or running water, to me, I consider not being able to talk at will sheer torture!!!

But the words of the apostle Paul keep echoing in my head...

"Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am."  Philippians 4:11 (Amplified Bible)

So, in the event I can't talk again tomorrow (eeks!), I'll take it as a sign from God that I need to stop interrupting while you're talking and to learn to be contently silent! Again.  Even if it kills me.

And it might!

Ostentatious Oompaloompas Oogling Ordinary Oropendolas

I love unique titles, so I thought i would give you a fun tongue twister with some of my favorite "O" words (not that I've used the word "oropendolas" lately!)!

I've been in a "random" mood all day, so don't expect this blog to be cohesive at all times!


Yesterday when I was going through the books I finished reading lately, I forgot to add Kim Vogel Sawyer's Courting Miss Sawyer to the list.  If you're a fan of historical fiction, then I think you should add it to your reading list, too! Oh, if you didn't already know, Borders in Newbury Park is closing and all the faith-based fiction books are 40% off.  Happy Shopping!


I learned an important lesson today.  Chicken stock from the can is not the same as making your own chicken soup (I love making chicken soup from the rotisserie chickens from Costco!).  Bleh.  I decided soup was what I needed for my throat (lots of coughing last night), but my taste buds were extremely disappointed.  Plus, a surplus of pepper doesn't help either.


I finished a book with this warning on the front cover:  "This book will break your heart."  Where the River Ends by Charles Martin is a powerful love story that had me crying like a baby.  I was so proud that I hadn't shed a tear as I was reading and then I got to page 343 and lost it.  So much for trying to prove the warning wrong.

This morning, Michael discovered my new laptop (an early Christmas present from Jacob).  When he found out that Jacob had given it to me (it's actually not just mine but it's for the entire family), he decided he would work on a "project" writing a note to daddy.  I don't know what the note said, but I love his heart! 


The other day, it was really foggy.  Michael was so alarmed when he looked out the garage that I heard him exclaim, "Call 911! There's a fire out there!" Thanks to recent episodes in a Fireman Sam DVD, he's been overly concern about our house burning down.  While driving back from school another day, he saw smoke from someone's chimney and was sure it was burning up.  He wanted my phone so he could call 911! My life would be so boring without my children!

Lately, we've been talking about Jesus being the light of the world.  We love looking at everyone's Christmas lights and what better way to use their brightness at nighttime as an illustration to help Michael understand the contrast between light and darkness.

In John 8:12 (I like how the Contemporary English version puts it), Jesus says "I am the light of the world! Follow me and you won't be walking in the dark.  You will have the light that gives life."


The world attempts to hide the true meaning of Christmas by distracting our children with presents, Santa, Christmas lights, candy canes, etc.  And while these are part of our Christmas memories, I want to make sure my children see Jesus in all these things.  What the world intends to use to distract, I want to use them to point back to Christ.  That's why I love books like The Parable of the Christmas Tree, The Story of the Candy Cane, "J is for Jesus (a upside down candy cane is on the front!)", etc.

Let's make sure it's all about HIM.







 

All I Want For Christmas Is My 8 Hours of Sleep...!

I'm losing my voice, so it's a good thing I can blog (you know, I gotta get in my 25,000 words a day...verbally or non-verbally!


We've had company over everyday since the last time I blogged and I've been only able to finish Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota by Tracey Cross (aka Tracey Bateman), The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen and When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. 


Now, I'm on chapter 6 of Where the River Ends by Charles Martin (I still think he and his wife should be cover models of LL Bean or Lands End or something like that!) but I'm so tired from staying up way too late a few nights ago (reading) that I may actually get to bed at a reasonable time tonight!


Last night I totally lost my voice (after 10pm) and this morning, I could barely speak! But after prayer, gargling with salt water (I know it's gross but it's very effective!), 4 Clementines and a honey lemon drop later, my voice came back! And just in time for me to teach Michael's Sunday School class this morning! And to top things off, I had a wonderful mother (thank you, Denise Wood!!!) who volunteered to help in my class (which helped tremendously with our painting craft)---definitely a God thing!!!


Our Bible verse for the 3's class is exactly how I feel after reciting it aloud and thinking of my sweet little kids marching around the room using their hand motions with this verse! 


Psalm 100:2 "Worship the Lord with gladness!"


He alone deserves our praise!!! 

Why Read When You Can Snuggle Under The Blankets And Watch Diego?!?

This morning while Michael was playing with the nativity set, I got to start The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund.  The story was captivating! It's inspired by the real-life story of John Bunyan's wife Elizabeth who stood by him during trying circumstances.  I didn't get too far before Michael needed some reading time with me.  Then we played with his numbers flashcards followed by a drawing and writing project (he's really into spelling every word he hears these days!).  I'm so amazed by his hunger for learning and his passion for numbers and words.  Sometimes my brain gets exhausted keeping up with him!

But the best part?  It was hands down getting to snuggle with him under the blankets (he declared he was tired this morning after keeping us up all night! How ironic is that?!?) while watching Diego together.  I love that he's so cuddly! I'm enjoying it while I can because I know it will be too soon when he's past the snuggling-with-mommy stage.

Cherish these moments.  In a blink of an eye, everything can change so quickly.  It can be a life-threatening disease.  A sudden death.  An accident.  And during this busy season, take the time to...Breathe.  Play.  Hug.

In the Amplified Bible in James 4:14, we're reminded about the brevity of life with this verse, "Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]."

So make the time to let your loved ones at home (and those away from home) know you love and appreciate them.  Be authentic in your relationships.  Explore ways to bless others with random acts of kindness.  Go out of your way to reach out to someone at church you don't know.  Don't just stay on the sidelines watching other...Participate and be a part of the action, too! Go M.A.D. (Make A Difference)!!! By the way, that's not original---that's from years of listening to Ron Hutchcraft (I love that man and his passion for Christ and kids!!!) when I was in radio.

You get the idea, right?  GO!!!

P.S.  Tonight I finished The Preacher's Bride.  You'll find a review of it in my next edition of Five Star Books and More newsletter here on this blogsite on the first Friday in January.

'Tis the Season to be Busy, Fa-La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La

This is what happened since I last blogged...

1.  Started Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer (book 1 in The Daughters of Caleb Bender series) on Friday night morning at (3 am-ish).  Baked 48 mini gingerbread cupcakes, double batches of Molten Lava cookies, Peppermint & Chocolate Chip Snow cookies, tried out a recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Fudge... one more big batch to go on Wednesday and then I'm done with baking for a while!

2.  Missed the 6:30 am alarm on Saturday am, so we didn't arrive to help out at the LOMSAA yard sale (thank you, Archer family for hosting and prepping!!!) until 8 am-ish.  Having to clean up and box everything away afterward reminded me of why I wish I was allergic to yard sales! They're a lot of work for very little return...

3.  Wrapped all the gifts---Krista left for the birthday party (Happy Belated Birthday, Katarina) with the Biseras (thank you!) and I left for my MOMSnext White Elephant Christmas Party at Yvonne Groen's gorgeous home (she's the Hostest with the Mostest!").  Okay, it was SOOOOOOO much fun!!! And, thanks to my sweet Beth Sharma (who strategically stole back my cute set of mugs which was originally stolen by Julie Taylor...teeheehee!), I left with those same mugs (naturally, I need another set of mugs like I need a hole in my head, but they were so stinkin' cute!!!).  Ahhhhh, sweet justice for me but not for Julie (check out those cows on ebay or google cow collectors and I'm sure you can get your money back...easily!!!)...

4.  Picked up Krista, Lauren & Chloe from the party after nearly going to the wrong house to get them (thank you, Andrea Armstrong!!!)...

5.  Stayed up til 1 am-ish to talk about the party before going to sleep (a victim of burning eyeball syndrome again!)

6. Lost my patience with Krista (three days of dishes piled up in both sinks is very annoying!)

7.  After an AMAZING Christmas program at church directed by our new Worship Arts minister, Sandy Howell (oh, I'm sure I got her title wrong but you can look it up at http://livingoakschurch.com/!), we had a nice lunch together and ran some errands.

8.  I worked on stuff for school throughout the weekend beginning Friday night and am now definitely counting the days til Christmas break begins...!

9.  Jacob took Krista for cotillion while I stayed home with a cranky and fussy little boy (his nose is STILL running!) who was probably over tired as we all were.

10.  Lost my patience with Michael after blowing his nose about 20 times in between trying to help him spell words, make a card project, work on a puzzle... aka Bad Mommy Syndrome.

11.  Looked at the flowing laundry baskets and have plans to do laundry tonight after peak hours (did you know you save money when you run the dishwasher or your washing machines after peak hours?!?)

12.  Witnessed LOMSAA's first Script's Spelling Bee (congratulations Hannah Reagan!!!)

13.  Ran errands at Target

14.  Read to Michael this morning and fed him lunch.

15.  Finished Paradise Valley this morning  and am ready to start Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury...finally!

Last night, I was convicted of my impatience with my poor children! It happens when I've over extended myself and I'm reminded by God that He's called me to be a Mother and not a Shrew to my children!

You know what's running through my mind, right now?  The verse in Psalm 46:10 (Ampified Bible version), "Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!"

I think I need to do that!

8:37pm:  I finished Unlocked tonight.  What an amazing book!!! You don't even need to read my review of it in January to know that it's a phenomenal story (about the power of music for a boy with autism) from Karen's heart to yours!!!

"Mommy, May I Stay Up All Night?" And Other Outrageous Things Children Say

This week so far has been crazy busy (scary, because it's not even over yet!).  I think Michael has been feeling the effects of it because I notice he's been pushing the limit this past week.  Yesterday morning, he didn't like me telling him to not turn on the fan in my room.  So he went downstairs.  I followed him and didn't see him from the stairs.  So I did what every mother has been known to do...

Me:  Michael, where are you?  Silence.  And then, he pops out from behind the tree and says this...
Michael:  I'm hiding from YOU! Okay, now.  We had a nice little conversation about attitude adjustments and a warning about inappropriate behavior and making poor choices which lead to reminders... 

Here's more crazy things I've heard from Michael this week...
"Mommy, I'm not hungry for that lunch.  I just want to eat these cookies for my lunch."  Step away from the cookies, Michael.  Three is enough!

" Why can't I open this present now?  It's Christmas today."  In your dreams!

"Why isn't it Easter now, Mommy?"  It's not even Christmas yet and you want to know why it's not Easter?!?

"I didn't know I did a stinky.  It just came out!" This is a classic case of NOT listening to your body.


Yesterday, Michael told me this in the car..."Mommy, I'm so wide awake that I want to stay up all night.  Can I?" Hello! You wish! And what do you think I said?!?  Me:  "Not tonight, Michael.  But you can ask me again when you learn to use the bathroom yourself, okay?"  Unfortunately, this was NOT motivating enough for him to even desire using the bathroom himself.  Oh well!

You know, what comes out of our mouths can be a pretty clear indicator of what's going on inside us.  I love how the Amplified Bible phrases Luke 6:45, "The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks."

Have you gotten a heart check lately?

The Cookie Monster Lives At Our House

Recently, we learned that you cannot turn your back on Michael when there are cookies nearby.  I was out at a meeting, Jacob was probably upstairs studying while Krista was with Michael downstairs either chatting online, doing homework or something.  Michael single-handedly polished off nearly an entire tin of cookies himself (the Danish cookies from Denmark that have three cookies per liners)!!! I think he's trying to make up for all the lost years when he was allergic to everything made with dairy, wheat or eggs! I asked him how he felt after eating so many cookies (I was expecting his stomach to be hurting or something!) and he replied, "I feel good!" Mercy! Apparently I better teach Michael about the sin of gluttony and soon, too!

Yesterday, I was so busy baking cookies for the teachers and kids at LOMSAA (I think I made about over 12 dozen cookies) that I didn't have time to read.  At all.  Which is not a good thing because I get cranky! What a crazy day! I made 8 posters (4 foam posters back and front) publicizing our LOMSAA garage sale at 817 Capitan Street in Newbury Park this Saturday, Dec. 11th from 7am-12 noon and finished after midnight.  The smell of Sharpies all night was very offensive to my olfactory receptors! And, I successfully killed my four new KING SIZE Sharpies after all the coloring and outlining on the posters.  Just lovely.

Two days ago, I finished Nightingale by Susan May Warren.  It was a very intriguing story which I'll share about in my January newsletter here on this blogsite.  I finished it and started on Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio by Serena B. Miller.  Thankfully, I had a little time to finish it earlier today.  Now I am on Drifter by Sharon Carter Rogers (my upstairs book) and I've got to tell you, so far it's really creeping me out! So, obviously, that is one book I'm not reading before I go to bed!!! My downstairs book is Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota and the only progress I've made is sticking a bookmarker in the book for when I actually start it (which hopefully will be after I finish blogging)!

All day, Michael has been begging me for cookies.  Can you believe that?!?  I think he's had his quota of cookies for the year after inhaling that tin of butter cookies! But, apparently, his stomach has forgotten and he longs for those white chocolate chip cookies.

Wouldn't it be great if our souls longed for God the way Michael yearns for cookies?!?  Look what the psalmist David says in Psalm 42:1 from the NASB, "As the deer pants for the water brooks,So my soul pants for You, O God."

So what are you panting/longing for these days?

"Is Today Christmas? I'm Ready To Open A Present...!"

A three-nearly-four year old little boy has been patiently waiting to open his gifts (as you can only imagine!).  That's why I use A LOT of tape when I wrap Krista and Michael's presents (you'd have to be Houdini to even find a non taped seam on those packages!).  It's for the just-in-case moments if I'm not there when Michael decides it's Christmas Day! Plus, I find it highly amusing to watch Krista try to figure out how she's going to open my excessively taped packages!

For the past couple of days, Michael has been busy creating Christmas cards with non-Christmas themes.  He loves to draw rainbows (they're actually pretty amazing!), pears (he loves Asian pears!), the coffee buns from TuttiFrutti (they're pretty good replicas of them, too!), himself or our family (think round heads with over-sized eyes on smiley faces and long lines for legs and arms...very alien-esque!) and the word L-O-V-E written somewhere randomly!  After his drawings, he picks a crayon for me to use so I can label his drawings for the recipient. Then he picks the recipient and figures out how to get his Christmas card on the package without messing up the bow! He still occasionally draws with his "scribble scrabble" style (swirls of crayons going crazy on a piece of paper!), but he's finally beginning to draw specific things now that he's getting older.  Getting indescribable artwork is another reason why I love being a mommy!

Yesterday was our annual Women's Ministry Christmas Tea at Living Oaks.  It's an AMAZING production put on by Karen Bruni.  Jacob had to study for his midterm, so I brought Michael along with Krista and I.  I wish you could have seen all the tables! Andrea Gillingham was our table hostess and made the table so beautiful with her artistic flair and lovely China settings.  Michael sat in my lap as our butlers (Frank Gillingham, Todd Yamasaki and Michael Sutter gave us the best service!) brought out the food.  Michael wasn't interested in the sandwiches because he was waiting for dessert...particularly, my mini gingerbread cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting swirls sprinkled with crushed candy cane.  That morning, he was my taste tester and happily ate three in one sitting (they didn't have the frosting on yet) for quality control purposes, of course.  He had watched me decorate them once I brought them to church and wanted to have one then because in his words, "I didn't have one with the frosting and candy canes yet! Can I taste one to see if I like it?  I like cream cheese with the sugar!" Who doesn't?!?

Last night, I turned off all the lights except for the Christmas tree lights.  Ahhhhh.  It was a wonderful day being with the kids and our friends.  As we celebrate this holy season, let's remember to look around us and take time to savor the moment in the midst of all the parties, shopping, decorating, baking and planning.  Let's celebrate Jesus and look at the world around us through His eyes.  What do you see?  Do you see the person that's hurting because they're lonely even though they're surrounded by people?  Or because they lost a loved one and having to celebrate Christmas without their loved one is reminding them of their loss yet again?  Or maybe their hurt is because they're unemployed and are worried how they're going to give their kids a Christmas to remember.  They may have just received news of terminal illness in their family or even been diagnosed themself.  Christmas is a joyous occasion for so many of us, but yet, for some others, it's one steeped in pain, loneliness and hurt. 

The question is...what can we do to reach out to those around us?  In the Amplified Bible, Philippians 2:4 reads:  "Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others."  Do you notice how it doesn't have a clause saying, "If you're not too busy with Christmas shopping, activities, etc. then..." before the verse?!? 

Hmmmmmm....so, what are YOU going to do about it?

Thank You!!!

My pictures for our Christmas cards FINALLY arrived (WOO HOO!!!) and I just finished stuffing them into all the cards that have to be mailed.  Whew! I'm thankful I made my deadline for getting these cards out before 2011!!!

Thank you for responding and commenting on my blogs! They make me smile :o)

It's 1:20am so I'm going to say Good Night!

The Boy With the Bladder Control of a...Gnat

I've come to the realization that Michael has the bladder control of a gnat.  Sigh.  In the span of about two hours, Michael used the toilet twice (after much urging from me) and had an accident shortly after (I confess I was involved with writing out Christmas cards while he was building with his Lego Duplos and forgot to ask if he needed to use the toilet.  Again.). After calming him down, I showed him how easy it was to clean up the liquid (thank God for my Clorox Wipes!).  I gently told him to "listen to your body" (by the way, how can I translate that better in aged-appropriate language?!?  I know he was probably thinking...I didn't know my body could talk or What does my body say?!?) and "try to hold it in while going to the toilet." He replied, "But I just forgot to think about it!"  I know.

Once Michael gets toilet trained, I'm wondering if my life will revolve around getting him to the bathroom every 30 minutes or less.  Can you imagine the impact it will have when we're out in public like at the mall, the grocery store, restaurants, etc.?!?  Public restrooms are just GROSS! This is why I had Jacob order the "Travel Potty" from Amazon.com.  I've yet to open it because I'm not brave enough to leave the house in just training underwear (that do diddly-squat anyway)!

I finally got to finish More Than Words by Judith Miller and A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston.  Those are for my January 2011 newsletter.  But last night, I read Do You Know Who I Am? by Angela Thomas (I love her!!!), Good Manners for Today's Kids by Bob & Emilie Barnes (another author I love!), 100 Bible Verses by Robert J Morgan, Coping with Chronic Illness by H.Norman Wright and Lynn Ellis and God Loves Single Moms by Teresa Whitehurst.  Look for these reviews in my December newsletter which I just finish posting on my blog (click on the tab that's labeled "Five Star Books and More") with pictures and all.  Thank you, God for technology!!!

A BIG shout-out goes to my cousin Jason who showed me how to get tabs on the blog making this part blog and part website.  I call it a "BlogSite." He's brilliant.  I'm not.  I can say this because I spent an hour going over the tutorials on how to make tabs, change the HTML, etc. and still couldn't figure it out.  It might as well been written in Swahili, which at this moment, I'm not even quite sure if it's a written language or just a spoken language/dialect... 

Lack of sleep will also rob you of brain cells.  I'm the poster child for that fact.

Two days ago I forgot to tell you I started reading Nightingale by Susan May Warren (my upstairs book).  But I've barely been upstairs other than to run in and out of rooms so I didn't get back to it.  This afternoon I got to read some more and I'm finally up to chapter 17.  Hopefully, I'll finish it after I'm done blogging.

I'm amazed by God's grace.  For some unknown reason, the week of my newsletter deadline (it must be sent out by the first Friday of the month) is always so hectic and crazy! There have been many times when I didn't think I would make it.  I've been tired, toilet-training (is so not for wimps), blowing a little nose every 20 minutes (or so it seems!) and doing a bunch of other mom stuff.  But God ALWAYS comes through!!! I'm constantly blown away by His GRACE.  I finished writing 90 Christmas cards in the last two days and read a few books.  Tonight I lost all my images that I had painstakingly downloaded onto my blogsite for my newsletter fiction reviews.  I'm not sure how it happened, but I started all over again and finally got everything in.  And it's only 11:12pm! It's a total GOD THING!!!

That's why the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 speaks to me.  I like how the Amplified Bible puts it... "But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!"

Amen and Amen! I pray that God will shower you with His grace as you go about in your daily life.  I'm so grateful for God's grace, aren't you?