Catching Up After Holiday Minor

We are, once again, company free. I want to share some of what has been going on since I last chatted you up. We had Thanksgiving late, of course. It was Thanksgiving with the Christmas decorations up, so I am going to call it Holiday Minor. My in-laws were in town to share it with us. We had way too much food and lots of fun.

I had quiet times with my dogs. Actually, I was reading one morning before I left for an appointment and my dogs just kind of joined in. My husband snapped a picture. I thought it was so funny. Maggie's foot is resting on my bible.

We had my father-in-law's birthday. I did not make that chocolate cake, btw. It was so good! There is a puzzle in the background on a table. We got that in honor of Grandma Knowlton who passed in March. She LOVED puzzles. I bought it just before everyone got here. I don't have much experience puzzling, so I thought a 2000 piecer was a good idea. Let's just say that it was an idea.

This night we went to look at Christmas lights. I think this sums up where I live.

This is a saguaro cactus covered in Christmas lights. When you live in the dessert, you adapt to everyone’s idea of Christmas. We definitely try.

This is what it looked like when we tried to get my in-laws back up the mountain. We were an hour and a half from home, and thirty-four miles from our destination. It didn't even start to snow until thirty-five miles out. We sat right in that spot for two hours before they closed the road and made us go back home. So, we had company for another day. It worked out perfectly.

There ends Holiday Minor. I will post Christmas (Holiday Major) decoration pics, tomorrow.

Hey, Look Where You're Going!...at Exemplify

I remember sitting down one night several years back. I was on the floor beside my bed, facing the window, and came before God in prayer. The tone was completely serious as I asked Him for the answer to two questions. I wanted to know if I should go forward with an accountability partnership with Susie, and if I should go out on a date with Ralph.

With all the humility that I could muster (not much), I pleaded for an answer to my question while reminding God that I was on a very specific timeline. In fact, I told Him that I needed to act as soon as we were finished talking and, on that note, I appreciated His full attention and participation.

By the end of that three minute conversation, I felt God telling me that Susie was a no, and Ralph was a yes. Two months later, I found out that I had my signals crossed. Susie was a yes for many years, and Ralph should have been a no from the get-go...

To read the rest, join me over at Exemplify's Devotional Channel.

Talking Christmas Traditions with Exemplify

As promised, I am participating in Christmas Traditions on Exemplify’s Family Channel. Thanks to Andrea who is our host. She also hosts Caffeinated Randomness on her blog (yes ladies, it is back on!) Under Grace and Over Coffee. She is funny, Canadian and has the cutest little dog. Enough said, thanks to Andrea.

It seems as though this holiday season is going to be one big holiday. Who can argue with that? It starts with giving thanks and ends with the best birthday, ever! I can honestly say that my husband and I are not fully formed when it comes to family tradition, though. It seems that each year brings a new circumstance, and new geography.

More than not, we get Thanksgiving alone together. This has made it into something unique. This year hubby made breakfast, and because of this it is my favorite breakfast. We sat down and read scripture after breakfast and prayed thanksgivings.

Ever prayer, every word all comes back to the same thing when you give thanks. The only reason that I have to be thankful is my death and new life in Christ. I don’t deserve it, and that is why I am thankful. Every gift and blessing comes from Him, alone. Can I get a witness?

So, we started the day with that on our lips.

AND, while I am on it…how wonderful to sit over breakfast with the man who God declares as mine! And, pray? Be still my heart. There is nothing more handsome than that.

Then, I cooked a special but non-Thanksgiving sort of meal. Mind you, Thanksgiving is tomorrow for us. My in-laws are officially coming in, so we delayed it. You guessed it, your week last week is my week this week.

Last night, I made the bread and cornbread for the dressings which I will make today. I also made the pie crusts, and did the obligatory jello salad. After I started making my own cranberry sauce last year, I could not get enough. I love to watch them pop out of their little skins…perhaps, an analogy for Thanksgiving dinner. So, I did that last night, also. Oh, and the turkey is brining its little heart out.

Today I do pies, dressing (I am a firm believer that it is better the second day), a casserole and the turkey stock…and clean…and finish decorating…and…and…peace, Lord!

A tradition that I will incorporate into our meal, tomorrow, is the Thanksgiving list. It is a list of no less than five things this year that one is thankful for. It is to be shared over dessert, because you don’t need as many hands for that course. We did this growing up a few times and the answers are fun and surprising.

Back to last week. After cooking, the Christmas tree went up. This is a tradition from my childhood. I don’t know why, but it gives a family activity, and slight movement post-gorge. AND, this is where our Christmas traditions begin.

And ends.

We spend the holidays with so much family that we have not had a chance to form our own traditions. I can tell you some of the things that I grew up with, but this exercise has made me think hard on this. It is time we took Christmas over. I will get back to you on this.

I used to love going to church on Christmas Eve and then coming home to unwrap the presents. We did gifts on the Eve and stockings on Christmas morning. Before we unwrapped the gifts, we read the story of the birth of Christ. I have a video of this from an awkward teenage year. I am wearing a hat, inside (much like Debbie Gibson I am sure). I had leggings tucked into my socks, and of course, a pair of Keds. Oh, why do we put things on tape?

One day I will post a picture of my old hair (It was big, Texas style). I show the pictures to my high school girls discipleship group as an ice breaker every year. They actually showed up at my house once after they had spent hours trying to imitate it. It was hysterical.

The next tradition is the holiday meal. It happened at 2ish on Christmas. Most of the time we just felt like rolling out of our chairs and napping on the floor after dinner; but, somehow, we usually made it to a couch or bed. I think of my mother…working in the kitchen all of those years. Sorry, mom. I understand that today and tomorrow I will understand it even more.

It’s worth it, though? Don’t you think?

Christmas pics are coming soon!

Top Ten Christmas Music Pics With Exemplify

Exemplify is kicking off Christmas festivities, today, with the sharing of your favorite Christmas tunes. Kristen, my frieditor (friend/editor/boss), does not just like Christmas in the same way that she does not just like all of her writers or cupcakes. When she likes something it is kind of like us loving something a lot. So, hop over and join in the Christmas fun.

This has been so much fun. I would not search all of this out on my own, but I have enjoyed spending way to much time on it.

In no order, my ten that I could put a finger on…

Hail, Hail To The Newborn King (I think that is the title. We had SO much fun singing this in the praise team last Christmas. I hope that we do it again this Christmas.) – Selah

Jingle Bells by Easter Bloc (This is how you rock a Christmas song.)

Silent Night by Baby Washington (They do it old school. Nice.)

White Christmas by the Drifters (Again, old school.)

White Christmas by Bing Crosby (A favorite. I watch White Christmas, the movie, multiple times during the holiday season. In fact, we watched it/listened to it while we put up Christmas decorations this week.)

Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano (This gives Christmas a little spice. I like it, a lot.)

Rudolph, the Red Nose Reindeer by Gene Autry (Has anyone really done it better?)

Carol of the Bells by anyone really. I have the Roger Wagner Chorale. (It says fancy Christmas to me.)

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Tony Bennett (My husband sings this all Christmas long.)

Baby It’s Cold Outside by Dean Martin and whatever woman that is singing with him, at the time, because there are several versions. (What a flirty little Christmas jingle!)

Thanks, Kristen! I look forward to sharing Christmas traditions on Thursday on Exemplify’s family channel.

What are your favorite Christmas tunes?

AWOL With A Psalm

I have been AWOL.

In fact, I did not look at my email for four days. FOUR DAYS! Some of you shudder at the thought. Let me tell you, ladies, I had my husband to myself for four days. It was awesome and well worth it.

I will have to remember that the world did just fine without my typing.

I am going to post some pictures of what we were up to…Christmas decorating for one. I noticed that I have a very small window this year for it since my in-laws are coming between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This plus all of the other normal Christmas craze meant it was time, and it was so fun!

I thought that I would share with you what my husband and I shared over Thanksgiving breakfast. Since we are meant to be thankful whenever we pray, and in all things, I thought that this was a wonderful reminder of what that means.

Psalm 65

Thanksgiving for Earth’s Bounty

¹ Praise is due to you,

O God, in Zion;

and to you shall vows be performed,

² O you who answer prayer!

To you all flesh shall come.

³ When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,

you forgive our transgressions.

⁴ Happy are those whom you choose and bring near

to live in your courts.

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,

your holy temple.

⁵ By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,

O God of our salvation;

you are the hope of all the ends of the earth

and of the farthest seas.

⁶ By your strength you established the mountains;

you are girded with might.

⁷ You silence the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,

the tumult of the peoples.

⁸ Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;

you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.

⁹ You visit the earth and water it,

you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide the people with grain,

for so you have prepared it.

¹⁰ You water its furrows abundantly,

settling its ridges,

softening it with showers,

and blessing its growth.

¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty;

your wagon tracks overflow with richness.

¹² The pastures of the wilderness overflow,

the hills gird themselves with joy,

¹³ the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,

the valleys deck themselves with grain,

they shout and sing together for joy.

Did your family start your Thanksgiving in any special ways?

God Is Not Like My Grocery List

I sit down today, recording my Thanksgiving grocery list with flourish. Methodically, I put each ingredient on the page, and sit in wonder at the similarities of my paper and the canvas of a masterpiece. This sheet of paper is the beginning of my Thanksgiving spread.

Thanksgiving has been the one holiday that my husband and I can truly call our own. It was not intended to be like that. Our first year of marriage, we were recovering from the wedding, so no traveling then. We certainly had enough food for everyone, though. We ate amongst our wedding gifts.

Our second year, we went to Meredith’s house for Thanksgiving. It was wonderful fun. We were with oodles of her family, and…I didn’t cook. Win, win, win.

The next year, we were back home. This time I thought that I would really outdo myself, so I did the turkey and everything else that I could associate with Thanksgiving…for two people. We ate Thanksgiving for two weeks. I just couldn’t stop my nesting self.

Even when there are only two of us, I want the full spread. My grocery list is where the magic begins. What lies at the end of this grocery list is all mine, manageable aside from human error, and a scrumptious reason for giving myself a gold star.

When I was praying this morning about this upcoming preparation…I should explain, considering that some of you have been preparing for weeks or even minutes. My in-laws are coming in next week; therefore, we will have Thanksgiving late. My husband and I will have too much food on the day of Thanksgiving, but it will be of a different variety than the traditional Thanksgiving fare. That will be fun, too.

So, this morning I was thinking about this song, What Do I Know of Holy, by Addison Road, that has completely touched my heart over the last few weeks.

In acknowledging what I don’t know about God, I can acknowledge it is my struggle. I like knowing where I stand. I like understanding the parameters. I like saying, with certainty, that the outcome will be two meats, seven sides, bread, and three desserts…and a relish tray.

In fact, sometimes I pretend to be too familiar with His infinite nature. I pretend that I can know Him, instead know of Him.

When He gets too new, too unpredictable, I distance myself. My quiet times look like a woman doing the Heisman, holding Him at arms length while I keep running with the Thanksgiving turkey under my arm. Any deeper and I will have to see the new frontier. So, I shield my eyes as long as possible.

I can honestly say that I am on a new frontier. This week and last week have brought their own share of worries, struggles, and frustrations. I am left to say that this life is not like my grocery list at all. I look at God calling to me and saying, “I could be so much more to you. You do not have to control this.” Not easy for the master list maker.

All things point to…God is not like my grocery list.

Do you love the preparation for Thanksgiving as much as I do?