All is Calm.....

No, I am not starting to blog about Christmas quite yet, though I did see a house last night that had a huge Christmas tree in their window while they had illuminated jack-o-lanterns and were handing out candy on their porch to trick-or-treaters. Crazy.

November is here, and I have this welcomed sense of calm today. The hubbub of Halloween is over. Football season is done for us. The "newness" of the school year is gone and the kids are settled in to their new school routines. Mid-term exams are taken and graded, and my courses are smoothly sailing toward conclusion. November, to me, is this four weeks tucked into the fall that often gets glossed over on the way to December.

But, let's stop. Let's not get caught up in racing toward Christmas, in buying into retailers' desire to have us frantically shop and spend money over the next 8 weeks in preparation for Christmas. I have been really convicted about this during the past couple of years........we have this amazing holiday celebrating the bravery and fortitude of our forefathers. Celebrating their willingness to do whatever it took to secure religious freedom. Embracing a new land. Reaching out is kinship to people who were very different from them. Thankful for God's faithfulness in bringing safety and pouring forth a bountiful harvest. Now if that isn't something to reflect upon and celebrate, I don't know what is.

Last year, I started a tradition here on my blog of taking one thing or one person that I am thankful for, and writing about them here, a different one for each day of November. And I want to continue that this year. For one, I think that an attitude of gratitude needs to be intentionally cultivated, especially in the me-focused society in which we live today. For another, it just forces me to stop and take inventory of the many, many ways that God blesses me......that I often overlook and take advantage of and just don't actively appreciate.

For today, this first day of November, I am thankful for Barb. Barb is the principal at my kids' school. She is a wonderful principal, the kind of woman who meets every child at the front door every morning, greets them and their parents by name, and exudes this warmth and caring about her in every interaction. Not only is she a skilled and exceptional leader for our school, but she is an outstanding personal role model for the children. And I count her as a personal friend whom I admire. Today, Barb is culminating years of hard work and is defending her doctoral dissertation. She has already raised her own children, but she continues to learn and challenge herself and set new goals. And she is willing and always searching for ways to use her experiences to challenge and model for those children in her care. Barb, thank you for your tireless optimism and the energy you devote to loving and nurturing Kennedy and Hayden, as well as all of the children at Brown. I am praying that all is going well for you today--that God is granting you quiet confidence and clarity of thought and word--and that we will soon be able to say "Congratulations, Dr. Barb." And it takes a special woman to dress up as a life-size red crayon one day and stand before a committee to defend her doctoral research the next.....you go, Lady!

You Know It's Halloween Night When.......

......when kids start knocking on your door even before you have had a chance to sit down to dinner.

.......when you start out trick-or-treating on a nice clear night, and by the time you are finished, it is pouring rain and you are soaked!
.......when the neighbor kids are so excited and act as if something has truly possessed them!
........when your puppy is so excited about all the kids around that she practically pulls you through the neighborhood!
........when you have more candy in your house on this one night than the whole entire year combined.
........when it is just a great night to be a kid.......and pretty fun as a parent watching your kids, too!
..........when you are so tired from all the festivities that all you can do is fall into the chair and exclaim "Thank You, Lord, it's over!!!!!!!"

Halloween, Past and Present.

Today, I am a bit nostalgic. I received an e-mail from my childhood best friend yesterday, and it really sent my mind back to our days of trick-or-treating. What are some of your fond memories of this fun holiday? Some of mine include:

Trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with friends....especially being sure to stop and Charlene and Deveer's house, because they always gave out the full-size candy bars and packs of gum!

School parties.....walking to school with our costumes on and the excitement at school as we paraded around.......we even walked down our mainstreet in town with our costumes on.

Special visits to our grandparents' house, who both lived outside of town....they always loved to see us in our costumes and had special treat bags for each of us.

This funny photo I remember of my sister and I dressed as matching bunny rabbits for Halloween....I think we won a prize for that, didn't we, Mom?

After trick-or-treating, my sister and I dumping our pumpkins out on the floor and spending over an hour sorting it into categories......candy bars, suckers, licorice, hard candy......the Almond Joys always went to mom, and Dad always tried to get our KitKats.....

Seeing all the neighbor kids come to the door.....we lived on a main corner in town so always got hundreds of trick-or-treaters. I remember years when we would run out of candy so my parents were scrounging around in the cupboards for sticks of gum, packages of raisins.........anything to satisfy the troops!

What fun times.......I understand to some extent why some Christians struggle with Halloween, but in our family, it has always been a time of fun and candy and dress-up......a purely innocent time.

It is fun to pass some traditions on to our own kids, isn't it? How fun it has been to take my own kids trick-or-treating and help them pick out and make a costume and see their excitement as they look through their treat bags.......it is about play and fun and imagination.....and that's what we keep it about. We are always very careful to stay away from violent or gorey costumes, and no witches or that kind of thing......I respect others opinions and what they choose for their families, and we choose to celebrate the holiday while protecting our kids from the more evil connotations associated with it.

Here are a few photos from the last few days......pumpkin carving and Grandpa and Grandma M's, trick-or-treating through the university dorms last night, the Halloween parties at school today.....more trick-or-treat photos from tonight will surely follow. Until then, this Mommy is tired and needs a rest before the big festivities!

Where in the World......

If you are a regular reader here, you know that I have recently made some changes of format. One of those changes was adding the world map to this site to allow everyone to see where people come from to gather around Table Scraps. How cool is it that there are readers here from many different states......and HOW EVEN MORE COOL is it that PearlMaple joins us from way over on the far west side of the continent of Australia! The internet--though having many potential dangers--is also such an amazing connection tool...

It is my goal over the next year to see if I can get visitors from every continent......well, OK, maybe Antarctica would be a stretch.....but hey, there are researchers and photographers who live and work there! So, if you have friends around the world who you think might enjoy this site, please spread the word...........today, I am very thankful for this technology that connects friends new and old. Enjoy your Monday.

Heart at Home.

LAst night and today, I attended a conference with some of my girlfriends. The conference was a Christian mother's conference focused on the amazing calling of motherhood. It was a time of relaxation, laughs, great blessings, and being challenged. The big truth that I walked away from was this reminder: The work that a woman does at home as a wife and/or a mother is more important than any other ministry to which she could give her time. So often, I can get caught up in leading this group and being involved in that ministry and helping my kids' teachers at school, that our home--creating a safe and nurturing haven for my family--gets only leftovers. That needs to change. Starting today, I am asking God to help me discern how I devote my time to outside causes. I am going to limit my time working in church ministry for the next year so that I can focus on my biggest ministry calling--my home. There are so many things that can pull us away from home--even things that are in themselves very positive and God-honoring--but I want to be more intentional about nurturing and creating and sustaining our home life.

Tonight, the kids are at Grandma's and I am just enjoying watching a couple of movies and just enjoying some down time.....tomorrow brings our annual pumpkin carving day with my in-laws, and it is always a very fun and festive time.....I'm sure lots of photos will follow. Pleasant dreams and for all you wives and mothers out there.....never discount how crucial your role at home is.......and how much your husband and/or kids need to be there fully present.

BINGO!

We just finished up a rousing family game of Bingo, enjoyed by all.......I now realize that there are lots of important lessons to be learned by playing Bingo. Two of these important lessons are:

**The kids can work on their number recognition skills**
**The husband can work on patience while the kids work on their number recognition skills**

Today was just an everyday Wednesday with lots of little blessings. Things like:

*Time volunteering in my daughter's first grade classroom*
*Sharing a Happy Meal with my son after picking him up from preschool*
*Browsing the aisles at Target....and getting out with spending only 20 dollars*
*Playing games with the neighborhood kids after school*
*Savoring the first couple of chapters of Ali Edwards' LIFE ARTIST. So inspiring and liberating*
*A crispy Diet Coke with just enough ice*
*Quiznos for dinner after karate lessons*
*Watching part of Alice in Wonderland with my kids*
*2 chapters of the original version of "The Adventures at Pooh's Corner"--written in original English and so charming*
*Listening to my kids speak to Jesus before falling asleep*

Happy {Hambly} Monday.....

Has anyone been there? I have drooled over the delicious art supplies on the Hambly site....I have filled my "e-cart" several times on this site, only to empty it....and refill it the next day......only to empty it......for all you scrapbookers, you know that one of the hottest new lines of supplies is Hambly. This stuff is so beautiful and adds such class and artistry to layouts. While I have admired Hambly, I have never actually owned a piece of paper or the rubons or the transparencies....until yesterday, that it. The mail lady, bless her soul, brought me this.

It was a very "Hambly" Monday. I love you, mail lady!