Sledding+Zoo+Dinner+Movies=Happy New Year!

Generally, we like to keep our New Years' celebrations pretty simple. Quite frankly, our attire of choice for this holiday is not a sequined party dress and tux, but rather comfy PJ's and slippers. Rather than be at some big club downtown counting down the final days of the year, we typically like to be at home or at the home of friends and family, playing games, snacking, and enjoying time with loves ones. The one exception was on our honeymoon, where we spent New Years' Eve 2000 on a sunset whalewatching cruise in Hawaii followed by a gourmet midnight buffet. OK, so I could handle that again in my lifetime....but this year is all about comfort and relaxation and just our little family. Today included some sledding followed by a winter trip to our little local zoo. Some people think it quite strange to go to the zoo in the winter time, but on the contrary.....we LOVE winter trips to the zoo! The animals are more active (though a small number of them like the wallabies and flamingoes are off exhibit during the snowy months), there are very few people there, and IT's FREE admission! Today, we especially enjoyed watching the pelicans (new to our zoo), a little river otter, the bears and cougars, and the sloth. And a favorite is always the Kimodo dragon. After that, we enjoyed an early dinner at Outback Steakhouse.....mac-n-cheese for the kids, prime rib for Matt, and a steak and crab cake for me. So yummy. Now, we are home and making a few small snacks, getting ready to watch a movie and settle in for our cozy little celebration. For us, we'll watch the ball drop, put on our fancy hats, and welcome the new year in with a glass of sparkling white grape juice, a kiss, and banging a few pots and pans......just the way we like it! Happy New Year! What will YOU do with Jesus in 2008?

Christmas Glimpses.

Splendid Sunday.

What a wonderful day we enjoyed! We started out at a very inspiring and convicting church service at a great church called CrossRoads, that is pastored by a brother of one of our friends. His main question was so convicting and motivating, and one that I think we all need to ask ourselves: What will I do with Jesus in 2008?

We then enjoyed a great meal and fellowship at our friends' home afterward.....what a special time we enjoyed. The food was spectacular (peach chicken, potatoes, salad, and pretzel dessert--Thanks, Marcy!) and the friendship was so good for the soul. The kids enjoyed playing with friends and taking a walk out to the old tire swing at the back of their property. We didn't even notice that the day had flown by until we looked outside and it was getting dark!

We had leftovers for dinner and are settling in for some games (yes....Sorry) and a movie. Thanks again, S. family, for a blessed day....we look forward to returning the hospitality very soon!

What We've Been Up To.

These days have been so relaxing. We have done a lot, but it has all been really low-key and done at our leisure. Some of the highlights:

-->Sleeping in past 9:00 each morning....my husband even slept until nearly noon on Wednesday!

-->On Thursday, I spent the afternoon with my daughter and her GirlScout Troop making Christmas ornaments and very cool paper snowflakes.

-->Doing as little cooking as possible! Today, we enjoyed a meal out thanks to a gift certificate.....gotta' love a free meal out!

-->We have played 1,001 games of Sorry.....and my son cries (yes, cries!) every time that he doesn't win.

-->I got to crop all day on Friday....got 2 sets of ATCs done for a swap, and finished several scrapbook pages. Enjoyed meeting a few new cropping friends and had a yummy Mexican dinner (yes, out!).

-->We took the kids up to the gym today to play.....softball, basketball, soccer and--most importantly--a rousing game of dodgeball.....my son cried every time that he didnt' win! Do you sense a theme here.....he comes by his competitive streak quite honestly! We ended the game with a "Go, Family!" cheer! The kids loved it!

-->We have watched several movies.....saw "WaterHorse" with the kids on Thursday night, and thought it was really cute; we have also watched Peter Pan II, National Treasure II, Ratatouille, Robin Hood....and many others.

-->We basketed up over 20 books that we will bring over to the pediatric unit at the local hospital on Monday. These books were donations from some of my college students, the first graders in my daughter's class, and some artist from SIS on-line groups to which I belong....what an amazing way to spread some joy to some kids and families who are in the hospital over this time of the year. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, to all who donated to make this happen!

-->Tomorrow, we will begin our search for a new church. We are going with some friends to their church, followed by dinner and fun at their home afterward.......we are praying that God guides us to just the right church for us, a place where we will grow and be used to help others grow, too.

It's {NOT} Over!

As a psychologist who has worked with many clients and families in therapy, I am all too aware that not everyone experiences joy during the holidays. For many, the holidays are painful and lonely and full of despair. This year, I think of one of our friends who lost his teenage daughter in a tragic July car accident; this is his first Christmas without her. I think of a coworker who is experiencing her first Christmas without her husband, who suddenly divorced her without explanation. I think of children who are sick and in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments, just to stay alive for another year. So many are going through real pain, and the holidays can magnify that pain. And for most of us, there is a little bit of a natural let-down after Christmas. All the gifts are opened. The Christmas tree is beginning to droop and drop its needles. The Christmas songs are all but gone from the airways. The snow looks grey where it looked sparkling white in the days leading up the Christmas. It's normal to feel a bit of disappointment after Christmas.

I was talking with some moms at my daughter's Brownie meeting yesterday, and we were discussing the job of taking down all the decorations and passing them away for another year. One of the moms said that her tree and decorations were already packed away. What she said struck me:

"When Christmas is over, it's over."

This was such a sad statement to me.......and one that couldn't be further from the truth. From my perspective, Christmas is only the beginning of the celebration! Hope was born at Christmas time, hope for an escape from eternal death and sin and judgement. So when the day of Christmas comes and goes, that is only one of the first pages of an amazing love story that won't end until we who love Jesus are in heaven for an eternity with Him.

So, although we throw out the tree and pack the decorations away, the hope of Christmas is not over! The celebration and joy and kindness and generosity should continue the entire year through, as we grasp the amazing sacrifice that that little baby born in Bethlehem came to make. Joy to the World.....the story isn't over!

Meet Midnight and Mack.

The major event of today was going to VIPets to pick out the kids' hamsters. Talk about excited!! We looked at several different types--dwarf, teddy bear, plain--and ended up with two adorable black teddy bear hamsters. So after picking out all the food, chew toys, exercise balls, etc. that you NEED to have hamsters, we brought the new boy and girl home. Kennedy's is a little girl hamster named "Midnight", and Hayden's is a little boy hamster named "Mack." Of course, we were home all of 5 minutes when my son ran into the kitchen yelling that Mack had gotten away and hid under the chair....what did we get ourselves into?? Seriously, they are very gentle and lots of fun to play with and watch......and how wonderful to be able to make their Christmas wishes reality.

We also had my 6-month-old niece, Sam, here today, so it was lots of fun to have a baby in the house. She is at that fun baby stage where she laughs, smiles, coos, watches everything going on around her....and thinks the game of "Peek-a-Boo" is the best thing ever! My husband even made the comment that he missed hearing those little baby sounds around the house......so I still see a glimmer of hope to add another little one to our family! We also cleaned up the rest of the Christmas mess, and got the house back in semi-organized condition.........NOW, where, oh where, do we put all this new stuff?

Unto Us, A Child is Born!

And His name shall be called.....Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

This was the scene at our home this morning as the kids' anxiously awaited gift-opening time. Since I stayed up until 3 a.m. finishing the wrapping, I was very thankful that they slept in until almost 9:00 before begging us to come downstairs and get the festivities started. So, after getting the steamings cups of cocoa and coffee ready, we dove into the stockings.

What a blessed time we enjoyed. Highlights included my son FINALLY getting the "marble machine" that he wanted. We bought him a really cool set called Quadrilla, which is basically a set of wooden structures that allows you to build different tracks for marbles to go on. Very fun and educational to boot. And, for my daughter, a life-sized tiger and.....YES, we ended the morning with both kids unwrapping hamster cages. We will go to the pet shop tomorrow to pick them out. I guess her Christmas wish did come true! What a joy as a parent to have in your hands the power of making kids' wishes come true! And, my husband surprised me with a gorgeous Relic watch, gifts cards to Barnes and Noble, Beaners, and iTunes, as well as a pre-paid VISA card. This is all after we agreed that we weren't getting gifts for each other. But, I guess we're even....I got him one of the new iPod nan0s that plays movies.....so much fun to see his surprise.
Most of the day was spent playing with the new toys, including lots of games and puzzles....my favorite is the new COLORKU game, which is basically a Sudoku game played with colored marbles.....I have mastered the "easy" challenges, so on to the intermediate! And many, many, MANY games of Dart Tag with the new Nerf set. This is the gift that my son picked out for my daughter, but we all know that he really wanted it for himself....we have all enjoyed it so much as we run around the house, hide, and shoot at each other










Ruby has the right idea....we are settling in to watch a few Christmas movies and relax in front of the once-again bare Christmas tree. All is peaceful and we are filled with Christmas memories of another year nearly past. We are looking forward for a week of relaxation, play, and together time as we await the start of 2008. Merry Christmas, and may the birth of Jesus be more real to you and yours today than ever before. Happy Christmas Night!

The Night Before.

Twas' the night before Christmas.....the stockings are hung and filled; the kids (and husband) are tucked snugly into bed in their new Christmas jammies after our annual reading of "The Night Before Christmas." The puppy is snoozing in front of the lit tree. We have arrived home from the extended family parties, glad to be home for the next week. Last minutes presents and groceries purchased. We have enjoyed our traditional Christmas Eve floor picnic of our favorite appetizers--clams, shrimp, artichoke crab dip with bread, fried mozerella, bacon-wrapped chestnuts. We have told the Christmas story to keep us focused on Jesus. We have had our annual birthday party for Jesus, complete with singing and a birthday cake with candles. We have upwrapped our Christmas stacks (a new tradition this year) and the kids have snapped many photos with their new cameras. All is quiet. Ruby is snoozing at my feet. Just a few more gifts to wrap. A sappy Christmas movie on the TV. Merry Christmas Eve to All.....keep your eyes on Jesus, the One whom we celebrate. Lots of photos to come after all the festivities.....

Over the River and Through the Woods.....

......to Grandmother's house we go....we are off until Monday. Two family parties, and then we will be back home for Christmas Eve. The kids' school parties are done, the car is packed, and off we go....enjoy these last few days before the big day......

Yarn, Buttons and Sparkles=Projects.

I have been loving having some free time to work on some creative projects over the past few days. Sometimes, although I love my career as a professor and feel that it is one of the ways that God has called me, I think that it would be nice to be able to create art for a living. Maybe one day, that dream will come to fruition somehow, but for now, I just try to squeeze as much creative time in as possible.

Here are some peeks of what I have been working on. Over the weekend, I stopped in GapKids to pick up some clothes for my kids. They had the sweetest tree decorated with colorful balls of yarn. It totally inspired me so last night, I stayed up past midnight wrapping colorful yarn around foam balls. And this is what they look like on our increasingly colorful tree (all inspired by the colored lights picked out by Hayden!):













And these are my rendition of the button trees that have been floating around on scrapbooking sites. Most of the others use a foam core, but I picked some bronze tin trees at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 price and covered them with random buttons. I love the finished product--one is for me and one is a Christmas gift for my good friend. So Becky, if you are reading this, one of these will soon be on its way to you, along with a belated birthday gift that I will keep a surprise!



















I'm loving making some gifts and being creative and embracing handmade. I am also working on several sets of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs), including a gorgeous set of The 12 Days of Christmas theme cards that I am creating with 11 other women from across the US and Canada. When I get all the cards, I will post a photo, because they are truly works of art and so inspiring. I figured out a cool way to display them today, so I am checking my mailbox everyday to finish the set.

And, to end this post, a funny conversation between myself and my son 4-year-old son today. We were Christmas shopping at Best Buy and, as we arrived home, I couldn't find my small orange wallet (I know....only I could misplace a BRIGHT ORANGE wallet.). So, I drive the 15 miles back to Best Buy, but they didn't have it. So right there in the parking lot, I tear my car apart and end up finding it in one of the shopping bags.

ME: Hayden, I think I am seriously going to drive myself crazy.

HAYDEN: Mommy, you can't drive crazy. You have to drive the car straight on the road.

Love you, Buddy. Funny how thin the line between sanity and going crazy can sometimes be!

Snowy Sunday.

What a wonderful snowed-in day we enjoyed. We slept in, stayed in our PJ's, worked on Christmas projects, watched sappy Lifetime Christmas movies, and napped. After dinner, we decorated our tree. The kids enjoyed looking at all the ornaments and hearing the stories about how old they were when each ornament was purchased, which ornament represents which important life experience, etc. We select ornaments yearly for our family, for Matt and I as a couple, and for each of the kids, so our tree really represents our lives. And we have lots of little frame ornaments on the tree with photos of each of our Christmases, so decorating is always nostalgic. The tree decorating, however, did not go without incident this year. One minute, we were finishing up hanging the ornaments ( of course, a lot of them were on the lower branches on one side, making the tree's weight unevenly distributed) and the next.....the tree was laying on top of my 4-year-old son. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt.... just very surprised.....and after the cleanup of all the broken ornaments and loose needles, we are as good as new. The photo below shows a little bit of the shower of ornaments and needles that graced our carpet. None of our important ornaments were broken, and most importantly, Hayden is fine. It is just one of those things to make the night more memorable! Of course, I'm not sure my husband sees it that way, as he spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to secure the tree so it doesn't happen again. Funny, we paid 55.00 for this tree, and we usually try to stay under 20.00. In fact, our first few years of marriage, we purchased natural (unpruned, unpainted) trees from a family in our little town for less than 10.00 (they just cut them out of their yard!), and it was great. This year's tree--which was supposedly a new breed that is soft and won't lose it's needles--has been nothing but problems so far. But it is up and we will hope that it will be fine from here through the new year.

As we were getting out the ornaments, we realized that we threw our lights out with last year's tree (they were so tangled, we decided not to mess with trying to take them off). So, me and the kids headed off to Walgreen's to get new lights. Bonus, they were on sale 4 packs for 10.00. Now, I am typically a white lights woman through and through, but my son was adament that we needed to buy the multi-colored lights. So, in the end, we compromised. I told him we could get one package of colored lights for the tree in the front library room, and white lights for the big tree in the family room. After I got the colored lights on, he was so happy. And I must admit, the color adds a festive touch.

Tomorrow, I will share some of the Christmas projects I have been working on. Until then.....sweet 9-days-until-Christmas dreams!

Blanketed.

We woke up this morning to a fresh blanket of white everywhere.....it looks exactly like the Christmases from my childhood! There is so much snow that church is....cancellled. And with it, the children's program. So, I'm headed back to bed to savor this snow-filled Sunday, and we will worry about the program later. After a few more zzzzz's........

Children Singing.

Today was a very busy productive day, as we get into the swing of the holidays around here. Hallelujah! my grading is completely done, and I can now turn my attention to Christmas and all the fun things we do to celebrate this time of year. On the to-do list for the week:
Monday-->shopping for stocking stuffers; visit to the Critter Barn for their live nativity display and interacting with all the animals
Tuesday--> kids' karate demonstration/Christmas show
Wednesday-->Hayden's Preschool Christmas Tea; bake and decorate Christmas cookies;
Thursday-->Making gingerbread houses with Kennedy's first grade class;
Friday-->run Kennedy's class Christmas party; drive through the light display at our local ball park; leave for my parents' house for our family Christmas

Whew! I have a lot to do before then, but it's a very fun kind of busy!

Today, we spent the morning caroling with Kennedy's Girl Scout Troup at a local nursing home. There is nothing like children singing to put one into the Christmas spirit. Then on to some errands, a mommy-daughter lunch out at Cracker Barrel, and decorating the outside of the house. I never go overboard on lights, but I like to have a few strings of white icicle lights hanging from the porch. I also tied new bows for the wreaths and looped pine garland on the porch. The photo below was about half-way through the process...I had to take a break and warm up because it was very COLD! I will post photos later in the week of the finished look. Tonight was shopping for new week's class party, getting all the supplies for Christmas cookie making.

Tomorrow morning brings our church Christmas play, entitled "The Rainbow of Christmas." I wrote the play and am directing it, so I am nervous but looking forward to seeing the kids do their thing....then a long, long, LONG Sunday nap!!

2 Years Ago......

.....my sister married the man that God fashioned just for her. I will always remember fondly how gorgeous that December 10th wedding was.....the quaint little church tucked into a small snowy town, how radiant my sister looked in her white fur-lined cape, the holiness of the event. How beautiful my then-4-year-old little girl looked in her green and red as the flower girl/bell ringer.

So, even though this is coming 2 days late, the sentiments are the same.....we love you guys, Kendra and Dan, and are so excited to see what God has blessed you with. Happy 2nd wedding anniversary, and may our Amazing God bless you with many more (by the way, as I was typing "Amazing God" I accidentally typed "Amazing Bod".....so we will just leave it at that!) :).

Almost Done. Almost.

Well, I have one stack of exams and one stack of papers left. By this time tomorrow, I should have all my grades entered into the computer, processed, and another semester closed. Then, on to planning my daughter's Christmas party and getting serious about shopping and decorating. Our poor tree looks so bare, and we are dying to get it all embellished with our ornaments and the kids' creations.

And here's a belated birthday photo to honor my little Sister, Haley Jo, who turned 25 on Friday. Here are some little kiddo birthday kisses across the miles! Love you, Little Sister, and look forward to seeing you at Christmas.

So Behind.

Here it is, the 9th of December, and I am already feeling behind. Here is a photo of our family Advent house, and I wish that I could say that its little doors were filled and we were up-to-the-day with opening the numbered doors. But the truth of the matter is.....only half of the boxes are filled and we have yet to open the doors. The first days of this month have just slipped away from me. I am feeling like such a bad-holiday-mom, but I am hoping that I can make up some lost ground this week. We have a few touches of Christmas around the house, including:

The tree is up and waiting for decorations.

The Christmas nativities are on the mantel, and the kids' nativities are on the hearth for them to play with as they choose.

The Christmas book collection is in the basket next to the fireplace.

I ordered a new stocking for Ruby.

I have started to a buy a few gifts and some stocking stuffers, but I really need to get through this grading first to start focusing on Christmas preparations. Today, we attended a Christmas dessert at the Meijer Gardens....so gorgeous. They have the most amazing display of Christmas trees from around the world.....Denmark, Belize, Mexico, France, Ireland....my favorite this year was from Japan, with its strings of colorful origami birds. We have some delectable desserts and enjoyed some tropical temperatures in the atriums, along with a charming holiday train that circled through the lush plants. If you live in Michigan, you just have to visit the gardens when you can.....you will not be disappointed.

Today also included our final Christmas program rehearsal at church. It went pretty well, and it will be fun to see the kids perform next week. We had dinner tonight at some friends' house, and the kids had so much fun playing with their little girl. Tomorrow brings spelling tests, preschool, and an end-of-the-semester party with some of the advanced psychology students. Time to get back to those papers......

Buried under Piles.....

.........of grading. I'm seeing sentence fragments, dangling participles, and split infinitives in my sleep. I love my career path on most days but at the end of the semester, when students (and faculty) are stressed and the assignments start rolling in, I could easily do without it. But, I'm making progress, and the end is in sight. I need some good "scrap therapy", and it is set to happen on Saturday, when I get together with an online scrap-artist group for a full day of creative scrapping fun.

By the way, we added a reader of "Table Scraps" from Canada....Welcome! It is one of my blogging goals to have a reader from each continent by the end of 2008, so spread the word to your international friends.

And now, happy Thursday night, and back to the piles.........

The Value of Santa Claus?

There are few people or figures as controversial as Santa Claus. Growing up in the conservative Christian church for my whole life, I have heard all of the arguments....Santa is all about materialism. Santa replaces Jesus as the focus of Christmas. Children should be allowed to believe in Santa Claus. Children should never be allowed to think that Santa is real. So where do I stand on this matter?

Today, I received the Communique, which is the monthly research publication of the National Association of School Psychologists. Typically, this is a publication filled with scientific research and practice information on the topics of learning, schools, intelligence and child development. This issue, however, had an interesting headline that grabbed my attention: CHILDREN AND SANTA CLAUS: The BENEFITS of Belief. Tracing the history of St. Claus, it is interesting to note that he had a strict religious upbringing in Turkey and very much represented charitable giving, goodwill and acts of selfless kindness to others. Santa Claus has persisted in our culture as a larger-than-life legend, and he is often viewed as an icon of our materialistic society.

So how do children view Santa? Research examining children's letters to Santa--yes, people actually do this type of research for a career!--suggests that children view Santa as part God figure, part grandpa, and part social worker/counselor. Further, most children's belief in Santa persists only to age 7. Are these beliefs beneficial for kids? Does this promote deceit and greed and lure children away from Jesus? Or does it promote traits of goodness and kindness and cooperation? Consider the following statement from psychologist Breen (2004): "Teaching children to be less selfless depends partly on the gradual development of cognitive recognition of the needs of others, and children begin to comprehend sharing through similar experiences within the family unit. Many children grasp the symbolic lessons regarding charitable giving and consideration of others from the Santa rituals." Of course, children can also learn these lessons through ongoing involvement in an outreach-focused church, but the argument deserves some consideration.

Ultimately, I think that one of the main reasons why I am OK with my kids' believing in Santa is because it is just plain fun and mysterious and magical. It embodies the magic of childhood. Bowler (2005) stated it this way: "Santa Claus may give children a sense of mystery and wonder, an altered view of the passage of time, a taste of magical thinking, an exercise in imagination, and a chance to practice kindness." And it also gives parents the chance to be part of the magic of the season, if only for one night per year......"on the cheeks and foreheads of every child are invisible marks left by the lips of invisible mothers and fathers who have stolen into their sleeping child's room and kissed them in the night. Santa Claus is the midnight visitor whom parents long once a year to be--silent, benevolent, and universally loved."

On our mantle are 3 different types of nativity scene sets, and we have several traditions to help us to keep our primary focus on Jesus during the Christmas season, for that is the true meaning of Christmas. We sing Christmas hymns, attend Christmas services, pray, discuss the nativity, and have a birthday party for Jesus. But we also leave room for our children to believe in Santa.......we leave peanut butter cups on the fireplace which are always mysteriously gone in the morning, we visit Santa at the mall every year, and we talk about Santa filling our stockings. After all, Jesus adds a lot of the magic to the Christmas season, but what's a little more magic clad in red-and-white to magnify the season's magic.

Santa {or Grinch} Parade.

We are buried in a fresh coat of snow this morning in West Michigan. It appears that winter is here to stay.....so we are praying for a good accumulation of snow for Christmas. The past few years, it seems that we have had a green Christmas with a light dusting of snow at best. Very different from my childhood Christmases which involved many, many inches of snow for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Weekend Highlights included our little town's Christmas parade and a visit to see Santa and his real reindeer. It was fun but IT WAS COLD! The kids started out in festive holiday spirits, but by parade time, they were freezing and grumpy. Thankfully, the parade lasted all of 12 minutes before we could get back in the car and head for our toasty-warm house.

Yesterday involved a quick trip to Central Michigan for our nephew's brunch wedding reception, and then home in time for my local scrap store's annual VIP status. I'm not sure exactly how much you have to spend throughout the year to be considered "VIP" but let's just say......I get an invitation every year! I picked up a new album, some supplies for an acrylic album that I am going to do over Christmas break, and a new supply of basic Bazzill cardstock. I then stopped for some fajitas and a cup of peppermint white chocolate mocha on the way home......a touch of holiday mint is always so yummy and soothing at this time of year.

Today is school volunteering and then hopefully getting some Christmas decorations out to start sprinkling touches of Christmas around our home. Happy Snow--filled Monday.