CHRISTMAS POST, POST CHRISTMAS

A little late, I know, but here's the run down and pics from Christmas for our family.

We spend Christmas Eve every year at my Nandy's house with my dad's side of the family. This year was especially exciting because my Aunt Karen and her twin boys, Christian and Christopher, have just moved here from Georgia. My cousins are thirteen years old, and Bennett ADORES them. Over the holidays, Michael had them and my brother, Joseph, over for a Wii/X-box/pizza fest. I'm excited to have these boys in town as role models and examples of godly growing boys for my own little buddies.

On Christmas morning both boys actually slept in, something I don't expect to last too many more years :). Bennett was excited to see Santa ate all but a few crumbs of his cookies, and couldn't believe the huge tub of Thomas the Train stuff Santa brought him and Jasper this year ("Santa" got a STEAL on the box at a consignment sale last summer). Jasper was mostly a bystander this year - he really didn't care much about opening or getting presents. I thought he might get into it more this year, but he's still my easy-going little dude, happy to observe and take it all in.

After opening presents at our house, we headed over to Poppy and Mimi's house for the traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls, and then everyone loaded up in their cars to head to Christmas day with my mom's side of the family.

My Grandpa and Granny sold their house (the only house I've EVER done Christmas morning at!) and moved into a retirement home this past year, so we had Christmas at my Aunt Julie's house instead. We ate lots of food, hung out with family, played games, and watched as Bennett and Jasper's antics entertained us all (a lot of wrestling, play-acting, hiding, etc. was involved).

(I forgot to take pictures!!)

After Christmas, we traveled to Searcy to see Papa and Nanna and stayed through New Year's. It was rainy and cold pretty much the whole time we were there, but my in-laws are such wonderful hosts - they kept us stocked with more food than we knew what to do with, a lot of toys and fun for the boys indoors, the traditional poker playing at night, and a date night for me and Michael the night before we left, which we used to go to a good Mexican restaurant outside of town, and the new Chronicles of Narnia movie. It's fun for me to watch Bennett and Jasper grow closer to their Nanna and Papa every time we visit. We live down the street from my parents and they see them all the time, but we only get to see Michael's parents twice a year. But that doesn't phase my boys at all. They love both sets of their grandparents so much, and love seeing them every time we go.

Things to note strictly for myself about the 2010 Christmas season that I'll want to remember someday:

*Bennett is still obsessed with the blow up "snow globes," as he calls them, and begged to drive or walk by them multiple times every day.

*Bennett knows all the basic Christmas songs now (the fun, kid ones) and we had a lot of fun having sing-a-longs in the car.

*Bennett understands the "reason for the season" this year and has a working knowledge of the Christmas story.

*Jasper ooohed and ahhhhed over presents that caught his eye this year. He's such an easy-going, easy-to-please little guy, and it was so fun giving him toys this year and watching his little eyes light up.

*Jasper LOVES going outside. The kid would camp out and live in our front yard if I let him. It's been fun so far the winter to bundle him up in layers and let him loose. :)

*It has been thrilling to watch Jasper WALK everywhere, saying hi to people, playing, running around, opening presents, etc. I still don't take a single step for granted. It still amazes me that my baby is walking. Thank you, Lord.

*Both kids have been FAR less sick than in previous years, which has been SO nice. It's already January and they've had two colds each (although I suspect Bennett actually had the croup at one point, but not positive about that). I am SOOOO thankful for this!

And there's all you ever wanted to know about our Christmas in a single blog post.

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING

1. Those dryer balls they sell at BBB, insisting they replace dryer sheets and prevent static cling just as well? False. They do nothing more than jumble and bang around making loud thumping noises, threatening to wake both your children up from their naps. Grrrr, I say.

2. It's funny, and yet not, all at the same time to get your latest rejection letter from a literary agent which says, and I quote, "I did not have sufficient enthusiasm for your work to pursue representation as an agent at this time." Ouch. Good thing I kept my day job...uh, I mean...

3. Marble Slab ice cream tastes just as good now as it did when I was in high school (took Bennett last night for the first time - he was a big fan).

4. Making returns after Christmas is a pain in the patootie.

5. One large trampoline + safety net enclosure + one four-year-old high-energy boy = endless fun and excitement, and one extremely happy mama.

6. Bennett weighs 40 lbs. and is four years old, so he sits in a big boy booster seat in the car now. CRAZY. He looks so big and grown up back there when I look in my rearview mirror; sometimes it makes me want to cry.

7. The next BFHP (Big Fat Hairy Project, in case you forgot or are unfamiliar with the terminology) I'll be tackling is a doozy. I'm going to paint our kitchen cabinets, as well as adding knobs and drawer pulls, and a backsplash. Dude. I'm intimidated and feeling a hint of a twitchy eye coming on just typing this. But I'm not starting till February-ish, and I'm going to take my time and do it right. I already have it all in my mind's eye and I like what I see, my friends. It's sure to be a great success once it's all done...it's just a matter of actually doing it.

8. Michael will be absolutely, positively finished with his grad school work to become a school administrator in mid January, and finishes up his principal internship this semester. He got his masters a couple years back, and he's been taking classes for five years. I'm so proud of him and the work he's done.

9. Just so you know, when a Starbucks truck pulls into the main parking lot to unload supplies, they effectively block in every single car in said lot, forcing all customers to stay past closing time. Fun if you're with a friend, so it's a forgivable offense. I imagine most others would find it quite annoying.

10. A Christmas post is in the works, albeit quite late, so stay tuned. Better late than never, eh?

THANKFULNESS

Ever since the "Greater Things" campaign our church did, God has greatly, richly blessed my life with a renewed heart and perspective on thankfulness. I won't be able to do it justice here, but I'll try my best.

For months - almost a year, really - I felt discontent, mostly materialistically. I'm ashamed to say it, but I had that "bigger is better" mindset for a while, and though I didn't want to feel that way and didn't like it that I did, it still cropped up regularly. Michael and I batted back and forth (I submit and clarify here that it was me doing the batting, and Michael doing the patient listening, wondering what had me on edge this time), talking about plans for the future: more kids? a van? bigger house? On and on, and I had a hard time feeling thankful for what I had (ugly, I know, but I'm keeping it real, here). Somehow, for the first time in my life, I got caught up in the "American Dream" mindset, and it really squashed my contentment in the blessings God has given our family.

God has miraculously changed my heart and renewed my spirit of thankfulness. God really does reward and bless those who give, and those who choose to put Him first. Michael and I recently read a book called The Blessed Life by Robert Morris, and we both highly recommend this book. Awesome perspective on sacrificing and giving to God and the way it can change your life and your perspective.

My refreshed outlook began really simply and subtly, when I was at the grocery store with Jasper one morning. I'd already decided to make a gingerbread house with the boys this year, and when I saw a pre-made kit with everything included, I knew it would be quicker and easier than making it all from scratch and buying our own candy and frosting. So I plunked it down in the basket and off we went to pay for the stuff in our cart. As I went up to the register and started laying out our items on the belt, it struck me harder than ever before: I am blessed. My family is so blessed. On any given day, I can make a trip to the store and buy just about anything and everything we need/want, and not think twice about it, including the gingerbread kit.

This thought process continued as Bennett and I were decorating the Drippy Gingerbread House a day or two later, and I felt even more convicted. Cliche as it may sound, it's absolute truth that there are children around the world who don't have the "luxury" of shoes or food, let alone a closet full of toys and the gift of celebrating Christmas extravagantly.

There are completely different cultures right down the street from my neighborhood and some of my friends' neighborhoods, that are poverty-stricken, or dirty, or uneducated, and I so rarely come into contact with them, and my reality had slowly turned into something that isn't reality at all. A reality where everyone should be able to afford a $200,000+ house, and a beautifully landscaped lawn and a flawlessly decorated interior. Where people should have two nice, newer cars, rooms full of toys and gadgets to keep us entertained, the ability to come and go as we please, perfectly groomed children, and essentially whatever our materialistic hearts desire.

But the truth is, there are people (our neighbors on our street included), whose children wear clothes with holes and stains in them, who don't have the time or energy to even hang Christmas lights (a. because they can't afford them and b. because they work two or three jobs, and the last thing they're thinking about is hanging little lights outside in the cold).

There are families who are split apart by divorce, by the lies of the enemy, by financial ruin, etc. etc., as our own little family thrives and grows.

There are people, like the woman who was in front of me at the check-out line in Target the other day, who have to count up their food stamps or whatever government help they receive, to get food, or presents for their children for Christmas. I watched this woman as she had to return two items to the cashier when several of her stamps didn't work for some reason. She was angry and embarrassed and started yelling at her son to hide the sting of her emotions, and I felt so sad for both of them. I've never known that kind of humiliation and dependence, and I most likely never will.

The truth is, there are people who are hurting because they don't have enough, and also people who have far less than I do and are far more content and happy than I am (and their children, too), because they have learned what it truly means to live with the joy of the Lord, and to live well within their means.

Because of the circumstances God has placed me in recently, and the things He has shown me, I am more thankful and glad for our cozy little home than I have ever been in our six years of living here, where our family of four is closely knit together, where our run-down little neighborhood has turned out to be a gold mine of witnessing for Christ and ministering to children from broken homes, and where we can fill it with the joy and laughter of the Lord because we are living well within our means in a way that honors God with where we are in life.

I am counting my blessings that Michael and I are able to go on dates when the urge strikes, that we can help others when God tells us to, that Bennett can go to the school he is at, that we can buy Christmas presents for our loved ones without stress or worry, and yes, that I can make a spur of the moment gingerbread house purchase at the grocery store.

How blessed our family is. Thank you, God, for your faithfulness and the way you have cared for me and mine. And thank you, thank you, for softening, changing and enlightening my heart about what is truly important, about what really matters, and about what is real and lasting.

THE BOYS

Some recents:

Christmas outfits

(sepia)

You know it's winter in our neck of the woods when we've taken the annual "Trash Can Leaves" pictures. Oy vey. (Scrubby baths had by all!)

EEK! I L-O-V-E this picture of my Jasper John!

DRIPPY GINGERBREAD

If you've been reading my blog over the past several months, you know I've developed a crafty-type itch lately. This itch manifested itself into a burning desire to make our own gingerbread house this year...from scratch. BaHAHAHAHA!! How quickly we lay our best intentions aside for more convenient and cost effective plans! :) Enter in the Walmart pre-made gingerbread houses, candy, frosting and base included. A brilliant idea (or so I thought)!

I've never claimed to be an artist, and it's a good thing, because this was the first gingerbread house I've ever decorated (Bennett has been BEGGING for one), and it turned out RUFF. So ruff, I can't even bring myself to spell the word properly. R-U-F-F. The candy kept sagging and pulling down the sides of the house, the icing dripped all over the place, and the poor little reindeer kept falling over. Bennett accidentally snapped off Santa's head (hee) and he had to be glued back together with a little frosting. And the whole time I worked (took a while), two little fellas who shall remain nameless, shamelessly pleaded for the candy pieces I was supposed to be using to decorate, and planting their grubby little fingers in the middle of the icing.

Originally I had every intention of adopting "The Night of Gingerbread House Decorating" as a yearly Christmas tradition...think hot chocolate, Christmas music playing in the background, frosted little noses, laughter, a beautiful gingerbread house to gaze upon for the remainder of the Christmas season, etc. etc....again I say, BaHAHAHAHA!!

I'm now rethinking that idea, although I'm glad we have another new experience under our belts (good for the brain synapses and all, ya know). I've included a few of the drippy gingerbread pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Happy faces all around...before I knew what I was getting myself into. :)

Giving the "Mommy Look" after being asked a baJILLION times for "Just one more M&M, mom, pleeeease?" He was quite intimidated and frightened by my fierce, animalistic wrath.

The Pitiful Drippy Gingerbread House

So there you have it, another Christmas tradition flushed down the toilet before it even really began. If anyone has good tips on how to make one of these things actually look pretty, I'd love to hear them, just in case I attempt the craziness again next year.

94.9 KLTY

I might not be winning myself any fans posting this about a Christian radio station in our area, but it's been bugging me for over a year now, and it's time to use the ole' opinion section of my blog. :) (And if you're not from this area, you won't know what I'm talking about unless you have this same station in your neck of the woods - also highly possible since this is the largest, most popular Christian music station in the country).

To be objective, I'll start with the pros of the radio station, because there definitely are great things about it, and things I appreciate.

The Pros:

1) It plays Christian music all the time.

2) Their logo says, "It's safe and fun for the whole family." They often have people come on the air and talk about how they don't have to worry about their children hearing bad words, inappropriate lyrics, etc. True, and greatly appreciated.

3) It sounds like they do in fact donate to charities, Christian organizations, etc., and they help people in need, especially around the Christmas season, helping pay bills, find jobs, buy Christmas presents for little kiddos, etc. This is a great help in the community, and a great example to my kids.

The Cons: (i.e. my beef with the station)

1) The BIGGEST problem I have with the station is their advertisements. In the past couple of years, this Christian station has taken on sponsors that I believe are highly inappropriate and completely contradictory to the Christian message. One of their largest sponsors (I'm assuming, since commercials about them are on ALL the time), is a place called SonaMed Spa. Every commercial is about hair removal, waxing, wrinkles and weight loss. The djs are constantly talking about how we all want to look our best (especially targeted toward women), and how we can get rid of the imperfections we don't like about ourselves. They use wording that insinuates we all need physical improvement and aren't at our best unless we pay for these treatments. And like I said, these particular advertisements are on ALL the time, as well as others promoting other specific weight loss programs and powders.

In the past several months, they've also begun network TV advertisements, and many times, the shows that are promoted are morally bankrupt and even trashy in nature.

The real beef I have with these is that a) CHILDREN, little girls in particular, are hearing these advertisements (subliminal messages, *cough cough*) and are subsequently hearing "I'm not good enough,"; "if only I looked like this"; "I need to do ____ to look/feel better about myself"; "The way God made me isn't good enough." BIG PROBLEM. b) Why are we advertising shows that Jesus himself would NOT promote, would not watch, and would not have his name tied to?? c) The last thing our society of women needs is a station who claims to lead in the workings of God Himself, to tell them they aren't good enough and are found lacking. SHAME SHAME on you, KLTY for choosing and promoting such a thing!!

2) Jesus Christ is never mentioned on air, unless it's by a listener. The station itself, the djs, the advertisers, etc. etc. never claim Him directly, and smooth over any mention of Him. There's no talk of His power, of His death and resurrection, of Him being the Way, the Truth and the Life, etc. They do play songs about Him, but the station itself doesn't seem to claim Him in any way, which really bothers me. My question is, why?? Afraid of losing listeners? Afraid of being constrictive, confining and narrow minded? Again, I'm not sure, but this has ALWAYS bugged me. He should be the one we're talking about ALL the time!

Even now during the Christmas season, they don't say things like, "Jesus is the reason for the season." No, their slogan is, "KLTY, the real Christmas station." Wha-?? What does that even mean??

3) The music actually played has become fewer and farther between over the past year or two. On Sunday mornings, they used to play Christian music non-stop all morning long, but now most trips to church are spent listening to more of the same SonaMed Spa advertisements. Yuck. So we turn it off instead of worshipping and being uplifted the way we were hoping. This goes on every day of the week. I get really frustrated trying to get some music in the car the kids can listen to that will build them up and teach them about God, only to find I can't do that when it's so interspersed with false, worldly messages from their inappropriate, far too frequent advertising.

I submit that this station is not "safe and fun for the whole family." And even if it was, where are the hard lessons, the moral lessons, the challenges, that go along with carrying the name of Jesus? We rarely listen to this station anymore. I usually plug in a CD or turn to a different station, either another Christian station, or one that may not be quite as "safe," (I have to screen it myself), but at least it's authentic, eh, rather than pretending to be what it's not.

I plan on writing KLTY an e-mail over Christmas Break. What I'd really like to know is if ownership or management has changed hands over the past 2-3 years, because in my mind, it seems like someone must have come on board and decided the money was worth more than the message. I'd also like to know why on earth they think these things (particularly the advertising) are okay.

In closing, may I recommend 90.9 as an alternative if you're in my area? There's great music, and instead of the ridiculous advertisements that directly contradict the Christian message, there are speakers and inspirational topics. This is the station our family turns to a lot of times when we choose to have the radio on.

My apologies if I've stomped on the toes of anyone who adores the station, but I just don't, and if I'm gonna blog about Oprah, I figure I should blog about this, too. :)

THE PARTY

After his little family party when Bennett turned three, he asked me where all his friends were, and informed me that he wanted a LOT of friends at his four year old party the following year. I'd planned on waiting until he turned five to throw a big bash, but he requested it repeatedly throughout the year, and he loves playing and partying with friends so much anyway, Michael and I decided to go ahead and have a big friend party this year, but keep it as low key (aka. easy on us) as possible.

So Michael booked one of the gymnasiums at the school where he teaches, and requested to use a bunch of their P.E. supplies, as well as the giant blow-up tunnel that all the high school football players run through at the beginning of every home game. We set it all up and planned a sports theme, and off we went. Everybody wore their favorite team jersey or shirt, the kids had a blast running around like crazy people and playing on all the equipment, and a lot of the adults had fun playing too :). Enjoy the pictures!

The Birthday Boy.

Oh, Benito, what a joy and a mess you are!

Some of our favorite people:

Deacon, Bennett's best buddy from school,

and his daddy, Mr. Jake.

Sweet babies! Jordyn and Brinley

Joelle and Jasper.

More best buds: Cason, Bennett and Haven.

Sage, Deacon and Ava. Love them!

Cousin Rylie.

Family and friends.

(And a shout out to two of my long time, closest friends, LB and Molly, who somehow managed to avoid being in ANY pictures!!)

Play time:

Caught in the act!

Cake and presents:

The M&M sports cakes I made at Birthday Boy's request. VERY easy to make, also VERY time consuming to make four of them (which was my idea, being the overachiever that I am).

Someone else being sneaky :).

(except J kept coming back again and again, not stopping until we finally wrapped the cakes up and packed them in the car when the party was over!)

More play time:

One of my very best friends, Terri, pulling the train. :)

Thanks to all who made Bennett's party such a wonderful celebration! He felt so loved and had so much fun celebrating his 4th!

COMING SOON

Coming soon to a blog near you:

1. Bennett's birthday party

2. 94.9 KLTY

3. Drippy Gingerbread House

4. Thankfulness

TA-DA!!

I FINALLY FINISHED my BFHP (Big Fat Hairy Project)!!

The table and chairs, Before and After...

BEFORE:

And after sanding, wood filling, sanding again, priming, painting, painting again, and poly-coating ALL six chairs, the table, the table legs and the three leaves, and re-covering the seat cushions and scotch guarding them (makes my eye start twitching just thinking about it...it really did twitch for four days straight in the midst of this project), it's DONE!!

AFTER:

Six painted chairs waiting for newly covered cushions.

The first completed chair. Whew!

The finished product!!!

(sixth chair is off to the side, and the table is shown minus the three leaves)

I ended up spending $170 total, but after selling our old table and chairs on craigslist for $100, the grand total OOP comes to $70!!! FABULOUS!! However, I must say that there really was quite a massive amount of blood, sweat and tears involved in this project. This BFHP was certainly not for the faint of heart, and probably wasn't the wisest choice for my first really big thing to tackle. By the end I was SOOOO ready to be finished and SOOOO sick of painting. But we have a beautiful new dining set to show for it, which turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself!

Here's a break down of supplies:

Got the upholstery fabric for the chairs from Joanne's, on sale for 50% off. (around $30)

Got scotch guard for the chairs from Wal-mart (around $10)

Wood filler, sand paper, primer, paint, poly and painting supplies from Lowe's (around $30)

Would I recommend doing this yourself? If you have three weeks, an incredibly patient, helpful, supportive husband, and a STRONG desire for a new table and chairs, absolutely, go for it. If not, no way, Jose. But really? $70? Who can argue with that?! And thus ends the saga of my first Big Fat Hairy Project.