This, too, shall pass

I wish I had a post filled with all the fun December happenings and projects and baking we've got going on. But life around here looks a lot more like this these days:

That's one very feverish little girl. Peter was only a little bit sniffly here. Helen was febrile for a full week. She got better and then Daddy was sick for a few days. I was hopeful that the rest of us had escaped, but Caroline is now running a fever. Peter and I are the only ones left. I'm waiting for the next victim.

I'm exhausted. I called a good friend whose children are mostly grown. I'm sometimes reluctant to reach out in need of advice, but I needed her shoulder and I really needed her perspective. She did not disappoint. She reminded me to look for tiny blessings, to make lemonade out of lemons, as she puts it. This a chance for pajama days and movies with popcorn, an excuse to decline social obligations and take care of all of us (myself included), an opportunity to really be with my littles and enjoy them. And perhaps, she told me, the real blessing from this will come several years from now, when my children are mostly grown and I get a phone call from a young mom in a similar situation and I am reminded of how precious and fleeting these long days are.

I am taking my friend's advice. I'm giving myself a big ol' serving of grace and freeing myself from the expectations I had for baking and crafting and running around and partying. And I'm thankful for so much. Caroline was perfectly healthy until the afternoon after her last day of school. She would have been devastated to miss any of her performances or parties. (I need to post about some of those things next - much more upbeat and fun.) Helen is back to her crazy self. Peter is so soft and snuggly and smiley. They are healthy, despite little fever viruses. The Christmas tree is decorated and Christmas TV shows abound. Christmas cards keep coming in the mail. I love Christmas card season. Helen calls says the nativity angels are fairies. I had the most wonderful conversation with Caroline this morning about Jesus's birth - the coming of our Redeemer.

I keep hearing my grandmother's voice telling me, "This, too, shall pass." And I know it will.

"I've made a huge mistake." *

Well, that might be a little bit dramatic. Maybe a small mistake. I've been looking back through some of my posts here and have realized a few things:

• A lot happens and changes in a year and a half.
• These days are precious and very short.
• Even mundane things like playing on the floor with the dog and laundry piles as tall as a small mountain become treasured memories when recorded in a meaningful way.
• Posting pictures on Facebook doesn't take the place of writing down my thoughts. 
• I'm sad that I haven't deliberately journaled the last year and a half of our lives with pictures and words.

It feels awkward to start this again after neglecting it for so long. I think I'll just skip trying to catch up. I'll start with three of my favorite things: the kids.

*Please tell me you love Arrested Development as much as we do?

Happy New Year!

From January 2010

We had a very quiet celebration at home and got two of our New Year's Eve kisses a little bit before midnight. It was perfect.

Every year, Kevin and I have a champagne toast. And every year at midnight we are bewildered as to why we choose to toast each other with a beverage we just do not like. There. I publicly admit it. Next year we're toasting with Blanton's or Disaronno or even Lorina. Remind me next year.

2009 was a fantastic year for us, full of change and adventure. I wish I could eloquently write about all God did for us last year. I see His work in so many little aspects of our year together and I am incredibly awed and grateful. We are eager to see what He does for us in 2010!

The past couple of weeks

So we hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year and I took no pictures the day of. I did remember to get some photos of my floral arrangements the next day. I really enjoyed decorating and being hostess for a day. I told Kevin I may not be the greatest housekeeper, but I can set a nice table!

A couple of table decor tips:

• Pick an easy "theme". Mine was lime green and brown. I love lime green and brown was the perfect fall contrasting color. Then I just looked for lime green and brown things - flowers, napkins, placemats, etc.
  
• Use scrapbook paper for your placemats. It's cheap, easy, customizable, and disposable. Think of all the options for birthdays and other holidays...
• Fresh citrus can freshen up and fill in any floral arrangement. I used little key limes cut in half. Lemons and oranges work well, too. You can either leave the fruit whole or cut it in half. Get some wooden picks from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. (Some picks also have wires on them so you can wire the fruit into your holiday wreath.) Jab the pointed end into your fruit and the other end into your arrangement or wreath. It will look pretty for about a week.

Just call me Martha!

Since Thanksgiving, we've been decorating (slowly) and gearing up for Christmas! We've got several fun things lined up. I just have to remember to take lots of pictures!

Deprogramming

This week has been a week of recharging - a deprogramming of sorts. Caroline has "summer break" from Mothers' Day Out and music class is on a short hiatus before the summer session starts. So that was good enough reason to cancel any other "things" on the calendar. I feel like we have been going, going, going since summer began. And most of our activities were fun things - lunch dates, plate dates, swim dates. But it was time for a break! I am so thankful for this lazy week! From one of my favorite Psalms:

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
-Psalm 16:9

On to some sewing show and tell...

I love bringing dinner to families who have just had a baby. And I usually make a special gift set for the new arrival - an appliquéd onsie and burp cloth. I was really surprised when a recent recipient called and commissioned 3 gift sets. All 3 were for boys. I hope these designs are cute for little boys. And I can't believe I'm going to get a little "mad money" from this fun project

Birthday party, Father's day, and a funny

Caroline and I went to a little birthday party last Saturday. It was at a gym for kids. There were all kinds of miniaturized gym apparatuses for the kids to climb on. It was great. The best thing was this big bouncy air thing. Caroline loved it. So fun.

Father's day was sweet. Caroline really gets into presents and cards and "helping". We went to the pottery painting place a few weeks ago so Caroline could paint a mug for her Daddy. Then I had one of the girls in the store help me put Caroline's hand print on the mug. I didn't think Caroline was going to do it - she hates being dirty. But she thought it was so neat once it was on there. She actually pitched a small fit when we went back to pick up the mug because we weren't going to "do hand".

OK - now for the funny. Caroline loves Tigger. She calls him "my dog" or "my puppy" and is always trying to hug him or ride him or play with him. He's just now started figuring out she's fun to run around with. She helps me feed him every day - filling his bowl up with dog food and putting it down for him, saying, "There you go, buddy." Sunday on the way to church she told me she had asked Tigger if he wanted a cookie. I said, "What did Tigger say?" Without missing a beat, Caroline said, "He barked!" Duh - dogs don't talk, Mom! They bark! Kevin and I laughed and laughed about that one!

Flowers, 'fraidy holes, and flashlights

I did a flower arrangement for our Tuesday morning women's Bible study and it was a huge success. And now I get to enjoy it... I love the pink tulips!


Not too long after we were first married, a storm came through Memphis. I told Kevin we needed to decide on a 'fraidy hole. He had no idea what I was talking about. My parents grew up in Oklahoma and were very familiar with storm shelters. So that's what I grew up calling the place where you take cover during bad weather. I remember one visit to Oklahoma when I was little where we all went down to the 'fraidy hole in the middle of the night. My Boompa stood in the doorway of the garage watching the storm blow. Mom said not to worry - he only came down when it got really bad. He didn't come down that night. He was such a funny man.

So we used our 'fraidy hole last night for the first time since living here. I don't, as a general rule, go down to our basement. It's unfinished and kind of creepy and all I can imagine are the huge spiders lurking behind the water heater. Luck would have it that Kevin did a major clean out of some of the leftover junk in the basement a week ago. I have to say that it was quite nice down there (relatively speaking) and I've never been so thankful for our little 'fraidy hole. The whole basement adventure was great fun for Caroline and Tigger.

While in the 'fraidy hole, Kevin introduced me to the most fantastic of all flashlights (our electricity was out for about 5 hours). It's a Sears Craftsman 19.2 Volt fluorescent flashlight. If you don't have one, you need one. Just on the off-chance you need a really bright flashlight. This thing is awesome. It's as bright as the noon-day sun. I'm not kidding. I was knitting by the light of this thing. And not big, bulky yarn - little, tiny baby yarn. Apparently this super flashlight was part of a tool kit I got for Kevin for Christmas. (Yay, me!)

Random facts

Lori "tagged" me to list 7 random things about me. It took me a while to come up with these...

1. I do Sudoku. Often. I love it. I hate when I have to ask Kevin to help me. I'll stare at a puzzle for hours before I do.
   
2. I have recurring nightmares about my teeth being loose or falling out. It's terrifying.
3. I still hold a grudge against our high school valedictorian. He cheated off my calculus final exam.
4. Heaven for me is nothing short of a hot, buttered slice of homemade bread. It's even better if it's French bread.
5. Socks at my house should never go into the washer wadded and inside out. The same goes for most shirts and pants. Ask Kevin what happens if I find them in the dryer that way.
6. If you want to know what I'm doing Tuesdays at 9pm, I'm watching Nip/Tuck. (OK - 9:30. DVR has changed my life!)
7. I have a horrible sense of direction. I am scared to drive anywhere I've never been. I have to have very explicit instructions for getting places.
   

The neverending month

Is it just me or does January drag on interminably? Maybe it just seems long because December flies by with all the festivities and Christmas busyness. Am I ever glad January is over!

Not much to report here, so I just thought I'd ramble a bit.

It is cold. I hate the cold. I'm a summer girl. But I've got a pretty awesome husband who gets a toasty fire going every night. He's got it down to an art. I asked if he wanted his fire-making skills to be featured here on the blog, but he humbly declined.

Our usual shows haven't been on TV, so we've re-watched every season 3 episode of Arrested Development. Funny stuff. If you like The Office, you'd probably like Arrested Development. Oh, and Comanche Moon. That was really good stuff. If you missed it, you can watch the entire mini-series online. Gus McRae is one of my all-time favorite literary characters.

Our church choir is working on the Easter portion of Handel's Messiah. It is beautiful music. The text is taken from Isaiah 53. I just think it's so incredible that Isaiah foretold Christ's life hundreds of years before Jesus was even born! God's plans are so amazing.

Speaking of God's plans... Kevin is waiting to hear from one more fellowship program before making a final decision. Pray for God's guiding hand to lead us in a direction of His choosing.

Caroline is great. She has made these cold and dreary days much warmer and brighter. Here she is, ready to go. She insists on carrying her "purse" (diaper bag) wherever we go now.