The Week Before Christmas

It's the week before Christmas and all through the house...delightful smells are wafting from the kitchen, plates of cookies and baked goods are appearing, colorful packages are getting wrapped, Christmas cards are arriving every day from near and far away friends and relatives.

Even though December seems to be so busy, I'm very thankful for this season. For without Christmas and the baby in the manger, there would be no salvation, no present joy, no future hope.

On Saturday morning, a friend from church invited me, along with 20 or so other women, to an open house Christmas brunch at her house. I was a little anxious that morning, worrying and fretting about a future unknown. God spoke to my heart about my anxiety and ministered to me through His Word before I even got to the brunch. Then He further blessed me during the morning by surrounding me with so many wonderful godly friends. One of those friends shared a verse that had meant a lot to her and as she shared it, God reassured me of His love and care. The verses she read were: Deut. 33:26-27 ~ There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms. I'm happy to say, I'm no longer worried about that future unknown. I KNOW God will take care of me. He always has and always will.

Last weekend, our Living Nativity ran for 3 nights: Friday, Saturday & Sunday. My mother, brother and sister-in-law came down to walk through on Sunday night. Mother had been here once many years ago, but wanted to come again, so asked my brother and his wife to bring her. Andy and I went through with them. My heart is always touched with the message of salvation, seeing it portrayed in dramatic fashion. What a beautiful story.

I worked in the office all three nights from 2:00 - 8:00 pm, except for a 2 hour break on Sunday when I walked through with Mother, Wendell & Rita. Andy didn't get home on those nights any earlier than 11:00. We were a little sluggish on Monday, but we went to work anyway.

On Monday night, Andy drove to the airport to pick up Beth, a missionary friend who stayed at our house for a couple of days so she could visit some friends here in this area. She was stuck longer than expected in Chicago because of snow there, but finally arrived here around 12:30 am. I'm not sure of the exact time, because I didn't wait up, but was sleeping soundly when they got home.

I was a baking/cooking fool on Tuesday. We were having an office staff party on Wednesday which I organized. I made 30 turkey and cheese sandwiches, wrapped them in foil to be heated up for the party. I also made a batch of toffee oatmeal cookies. Then I had agreed to make a meal for a young mother who had just had a baby, so I made 3 loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread and a pan of baked ziti. I was able to deliver the ziti, a loaf of bread, a dozen cookies, and a salad that afternoon, with the added bonus of holding that little 2 week old baby. There's nothing like a newborn!

Our Wednesday staff party ended up with between 25-30 people. A few weeks ago, I asked the pastors if they wanted a party this year. They enthusiastically said yes! Then I asked if they wanted to exchange names. All the men again were enthusiastic in saying YES. I thought it was interesting, though, that leading up to the party, the guys were asking me for hints as to what they should get for the person they picked. Then yesterday, the day of the party, there were about 3 or 4 of them that came to the office to ask if I had any wrapping paper! Well, fortunately for them, I did! And it was pretty funny, I think, to see how many packages there were on the pile with the same kind of wrapping paper. We had a very good time with the food and presents. I feel very blessed to be able to work with such fun and good people.

Then today another dear friend invited me to her house for lunch. What an honor to spend a wonderful hour and a half with her. She is very talented and creative and served a tasty and delicious lunch, as well as provided an oasis of relaxed fellowship in the midst of a busy week.

Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I will probably work several hours, then we have 2 Christmas Eve services. On Christmas Day itself, Andy and I will be by ourselves. Our family plans to get together the day after Christmas at Amy's house with all the kids and grandkids. Should be fun!

Grandkids are the Best

Last weekend we had 4 children join us while their parents took a trip to California. I think we have the best grandchildren in the world. They are fun, obedient, happy, helpful and cute.

Andy and I left NJ at 2:00 pm on Thursday afternoon and headed on over to PA. C & C were already gone, but the children were with their other grandparents. So we made the transfer, packing all their stuff in C & C's van because all those car seats and kids wouldn't have fit in our car. And so our adventure began.

We got back to our house in time to throw some pizza in the oven - thanks to Trader Joe's! All of us were hungry enough to finish off 3 pizzas, even though they had spinach on them. After dinner there was still time for wrestling with Poppop and reading stories with Grammy and eating ice cream with everyone. The kids all slept in the upstairs apartment - nice and cozy.

On Friday morning, Dawn & Kira came over to stay with the kids for an hour while I went to the office to do my emails and a few things to prepare for my helpers who were covering for me. When I got back home, the kids and I went outside to pick up sticks from the driveway and yard. The recent windiness had made a mess out there. The kids all worked diligently and happily, even 2 year old Asher. In the afternoon, I had to go back to the church to do a few more things. Andy came home for lunch, so when he was ready to go back to church, we all went with him. He had the kids help him with a few projects around the Nativity site - cleaning up trash, etc. while I did my office work. Again, they were so helpful and eager to do whatever we asked them to. They enjoyed playing in the gym and Andy took them on rides in the golf carts that we use for handicapped/disabled people who visit the Nativity. The rest of the day was spent in fixing dinner, eating dinner, watching some Andy Griffith reruns, eating ice cream, getting ready for bed, reading more bed time stories.

On Saturday morning, I fixed blueberry pancakes for the kids. Andy had to leave early in the morning, but I asked him to come back home around 9:00 so I could make a run to the store. When I got back, I made a baked ziti casserole that the kids could have for their dinner. Dawn & Kira came over around lunchtime to hang out with us, then stay with the kids again while I went to the church to "man" the phones on the first night of Nativity.

I got to the church around 2:00 pm, then was fairly busy with providing help to different workers: running copies, checking the signups, taking calls. Around 6:30, the phones were quiet and things were running smoothly, so I decided to walk out to the lobby to check how things were going. I talked to a few people and started feeling a little funny. On my way back to the office, the room started spinning and I was feeling even funnier - not funny ha,ha, but funny strange. When I got in the office, I put my head on my desk, but things were still spinning, so I actually lay down on the floor. That helped but I could tell things were not going to improve, so I groped in my purse for my phone and called Andy to come to the office quick. He did and took one look at me and decided I needed to get home. He had to practically carry me out because my body was so weak and woozy. He got me home and in the house, but I no sooner sat on the couch than I had this awful feeling that I was going to "lose my lunch." I put my hand to my mouth and Andy quickly ran to the kitchen to grab a bowl. Oh, I don't know when I've felt so bad. It was pretty embarrassing to throw up in front of the kids. I think I felt worse from that than actually...well, maybe not. Both were awful. Thankfully, Dawn was still there, so she took the kids into the other room and they prayed for me. See what I mean about the goodness of those kids? They were scared for me, but still empathetic enough to think of me above themselves and their own comfort.

Dawn took care of getting the kids ready for bed while I lay on the couch the rest of the evening. My head hurt so much that even if I turned it to look at someone, I felt like I was going to throw up again. Well, whatever it was, it hit me hard and fast, but by Sunday morning, I felt almost back to normal. I was still somewhat tired and weak, but my head and stomach felt fine. I didn't go to church, and Christian's parents came to get the kids. I took it easy all morning and afternoon.

Then that evening, I felt good enough to go back over to the church to enjoy the Nativity with Dawn, Tommy, Kira, Amy, Ricky, Chase, Joanna & Katy. I didn't actually walk through all the scenes since it was so cold and windy, but I enjoyed seeing them all at the beginning and end.

The rest of the week has been lacking in drama which suits me just fine! I suppose it's good to sometimes feel sick so we can appreciate our good health when we have it. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word...It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. (Psalm 119:67, 71)

Much to be thankful for

Wow...we just completed a full and busy Thanksgiving weekend. Wednesday evening saw us attending a Thanksgiving Eve service at church. Our current pastoral intern led the service. He had a band of young people lead the singing, then he did a short devotional, sharing verses from Psalm 106:1 & 2 & Psalm 107:1, 8, 9. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things (Psalm 107:1, 8-9). I liked his emphasis which was how appropriate it is to have an attitude of thanksgiving going into the Christmas season. Isn't celebrating the birth of Jesus something to be grateful for!

On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, I spent the morning in the kitchen, making a batch of dinner rolls, a cherry pie and a batch of cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies. We left the house at 2:00 pm, riding with Andy's mom and dad over to Andy's brother Dan's house. Andy's 2 brothers and various of their children were there. It was a smaller crowd than usual. None of our girls and families could be there but were occupied either with their own family or their in-laws. (No pictures because I forgot to take my camera.)

Friday was a big day. I had decided that I didn't want to make a turkey this year, especially since we would be having turkey on Thanksgiving Day. So one of the girls suggested a brunch. Everyone arrived around 10:30 and as soon as food was warmed and put on the table, we sat down and partook of a scrumptious feast. There was French toast casserole, apple crisp, fruit and dip, 2 quiches, sausage & bacon wraps, and various juices and drinks.

Christy and Christian recently obtained a new camera so after we ate, we assembled for our annual family pictures. She got some great shots, too.Then we had to take a family hike, also a holiday tradition. This time we drove up to Smithville Historic Park in Mt. Holly where the trail meanders along the side of a lake and onto a floating boardwalk across the lake. There were lots of Canadian geese on the lake as well as 3 great blue herons. The kids enjoyed picking up leaves and branches and just being together as cousins and family.Dawn stayed back at the house so Kira could take a nap. She wasn't feeling well, although we didn't realize that until later in the day.

When we returned to the house, some of us played games, others visited, and the little ones had stories read by Grammy.For dinner, Andy went and got panzarottis for everyone. He was a hero!What a day. Everyone went home happy, except maybe Kira. Poor girl, she tried hard to enjoy herself, but was so exhausted, she couldn't keep her head up.

On Saturday, I was pretty worn out myself. My goal was to go grocery shopping and clean the house. I skipped the shopping and stayed home all day. I did get the house cleaned up, but took my good old time about it, stopping many times to rest and relax, even taking a nap in the afternoon.

I couldn't help thinking how blessed we are to have such fun times with our family. Andy and I know many situations in our church of people who come from dysfunctional situations, are divorced under hateful conditions, or don't have wonderful memories of loving family times. My heart hurts for them and helps me be even more grateful for what I enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

We were planning to have C & C's children for the weekend, but their trip had to be postponed to later in the month. Andy and I knew the kids were so excited about coming here, so we decided to have them over for a day of fun. So we checked the weather forecast and decided Friday was going to be a very nice day. Andy worked on Tuesday so he could take Friday off. I took Tuesday off and worked extra hard so I could take Friday off, too.

On Thursday we left home around 4:00 after work and drove over to C & C's. We enjoyed a delicious dinner made by Christy, then packed up Grace, Aiden, Naomi and Asher into their van and came back to our house. When we got here, we settled down for the night in "their" room upstairs. I have a book of stories by "Uncle Remus" that I started reading aloud to them. They were giggling over the antics of Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, and Andy fell asleep on the floor. It brought back memories of reading to our own daughters when they were young. I'm not sure it was such a good tonic for producing sleepiness to their eyes, but it always worked wonders for Andy!

After feasting on blueberry pancakes for breakfast the next morning, we got ready to go to the shore. Dawn and Kira came over and we drove down together. She actually had to drive separately because the van couldn't fit 3 adults and 5 children. Both the van and Dawn's car had cassette decks in them, so we raided our basement for story tapes to listen to on the ride to Ocean City. This also brought back memories: listening to story tapes on long car rides.

It was a beautiful day: bright sun, cool but not cold. The kids played on the beach all morning. Andy and I mostly stayed behind a sand dune that gave some shelter from the wind, but the kids didn't seem to mind and were running and playing as if it was summer.

King & queen of the mountain!

The sea was rough, but the sky was a gorgeous blue - a perfect day to be there just enjoying being alive.

I think Kira must have been the funniest. She would flop down on the sand, right on her face and move her hands around like she was swimming!All that play made us hungry, so we left the beach at 11:45 to head for the boardwalk and Mack & Manco. Their pizza is the best. We ordered one pie, but it was quickly devoured, so we ordered another one. Wow! We finished that one, too.After lunch, Dawn decided to leave with Kira so she (Kira, that is!) could get a nap. The rest of us stayed and walked the boardwalk. It's amazing to observe how the kids can occupy themselves with something as simple as walking the boardwalk. Some of the boards in the boardwalk had recently been replaced so they looked newer than the older boards. The kids made a game of trying to jump from each new board, some of them being close together and others very far apart.

We also went into a couple of stores that were open. We found a shell shop and each of the kids picked a shell they liked for Grammy to buy them. We were looking for a hermit crab to replace theirs that had escaped, but it's not the season for them right now. And a trip to the shore would not be complete without stopping at Shrivers. We bought some fudge for "Christy" who graciously shared with us that evening after dinner.

The plan was to meet Christy half way between their house and ours to exchange vehicles and occupants. But as we were driving up from the shore, we got a call from her. She was wondering if we had left our car key. I remembered taking it off my key ring and laying it on their table before we left on Thursday night. But she couldn't find it. Then I remembered something else. That morning, Andy had been walking around the house with a key, saying he didn't know what it was for. He thought maybe it was for a church van and he had brought it home. Well, you guessed it...it was our car key. He doesn't remember picking it up and coming home with it, but somehow that must be what happened. Poor guy, he must have too much on his mind right now.

So that meant we had to drive all the way back to C & C's house, but it also meant we got another delicious dinner made by her. I felt bad that she had to cook for us again, and at the same time, glad I had bought her that fudge!

There's just something so special about spending the day with children. We had a wonderful time and I hope they did, too.

Oh Happy Day

Some days turn out a lot differently than what you expect when you start out. Yesterday was one of those days. I slept longer than usual because I couldn't get to sleep the night before. But when I finally got up, Andy asked me what I was going to do while he was out all day. I wasn't really very sure, although I did make up a list for myself. It didn't seem very exciting - just kind of ho-hum.

I got my shower, walked 2 miles, started a batch of dinner rolls and a load of laundry. Then I got a phone call. That call changed the rest of my day. Suddenly the sun was shining (it already had been but now I noticed!) and I was excited and energized. Christy called to say Christian was on his way to NJ to do some tree work for friends of ours when the vehicle he was in broke down. Now they needed to make new plans on how he was to get here, so they decided to come together as a family and have Christian drop them all off at our house to spend the day with me! Yeah! Christy and 4 lovely children - what could be better. While they were on their way, Dawn called to ask what I was doing. Bless her heart, she was concerned for my loneliness while Andy was gone all day. I told her to come on over and join her sister and Kira's cousins.

So the day turned out a lot differently than what I expected when I woke up in the morning. But in my mind - it was a hundred times better. Lots of together time with Christy, Dawn, Grace, Aiden, Naomi, Asher & Kira. I got to braid Grace's hair, read Madeline's Rescue to Naomi and Aiden, play with the kids at the swing set, enjoy good conversation with Christy & Dawn and eat dinner together (Andy & Christian joined us for dinner).

Hmmm...how did we not get Aiden in any of our pictures? I'm pretty sure he was here, too.

It's that time of the year

I've been busy...too busy to blog. Time doesn't stand still and if I don't take a few minutes to dash off something, I will forget all that I did that made me so busy.

It seems like now that our house projects are all "done," we should have lots of leisure time to relax and do nothing on our days off. But I don't think it's possible for us to just do nothing. So we've been helping Dawn with her house projects. Last Tuesday, we made over her garden in the front of her house. And yesterday we went to visit Amy and family because Andy still hadn't seen Katy, even though she is already 3 weeks old.

Andy is well into Nativity preparation, spending all last Saturday at the church supervising work day. The remaining Saturdays before Thanksgiving will also be consumed with Nativity work at the church. We jokingly refer to myself as a Nativity widow around this time every year.

Here are some pictures of work that was done on Saturday.
With Andy busy on Saturday, I went over in the afternoon to Dawn's to do some more gardening. On Tuesday we had only taken out the old railroad ties that edged the garden that was there and cut in a new border, enlarging it a little. On Saturday, Dawn and I went to a couple local nurseries and bought some bushes and pansies. We also had time to plant them. She finished up herself with the mulching the next day or so. For pictures of Dawn's garden, check out her blog.

It's such a blessing to be able to go spend time with our girls and their families. Yesterday was a lot of fun. We went to Amy's mid-afternoon - about the time Chase and Joanna were waking up from their naps. They were so glad to see us, especially Andy since they hadn't seen him when I was up a week ago. He wrestles with and tickles them and gets them to giggling and laughing. They actually got pretty wound up! We got Katy up from her nap, Amy put her in the Ergo and we walked to the town park. It was such a beautiful fall day - perfect for playing in the park. We got back in time to set the table and meet Ricky home from work. We ate supper together and visited a little before heading back to Jersey.
It was back to work today, then running a couple of errands before going home, making dinner and baking a double batch of banana oatmeal bread.

The next couple of weeks will give plenty of material for blogging if I just get enough minutes to write about it.