enjoy!

chocolate-faced naps.

glittery snowflakes.

twinkling lights and greenery.

gooey goodies.

oh, yes. it still very much Christmas here.

the presents may be gone.

but the PRESENCE lingers.

everything is a reflection of HIM.

all of the sweets and smells.

every bit of wonderfulness.

created by HIM.

i hope you are feeling it too.

enjoy!

see

“let each of us leave his house empty so that we may see our Master wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger…the table of this altar takes the place of the manger. and surely the Master’s body will be lying on this altar.” ~st. john chrysostom

making spirits bright

sprinkles of sugar and cinnamon on bunelos. tiny marshmallows in warm. soothing drinks. chocolate dove snowflakes. twinkling lights. a little bit of sewing & crafting. a rainstorm. rainboots and umbrellas. red and green rugs to keep the mud at bay. a kitty who likes to sit in my lap when i am on the computer….a first hat completed….even with the gauge a bit off on the brim….oh, yes, i am feeling the Christmas spirit tonite. God is good and all is well on this fourth sunday of advent.

so tell me…what’s making your spirits bright?

firstborn

yep. that’s my baby.

the farthest one…

so big and tall.

and bald.

looking so grown up.

gone for 5 days at a training academy. putting out hazardous materials fires. climbing down four-story high buildings. trying to decide just what he wants to do with this one life that God has given him.

this is serious stuff.

it’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

proof that homeschooling kids aren’t un-socialized. un-successful. societal outcasts.

while he was away i received a certificate in the mail stating that he had passed his high school exit exam.

with honors in mathematics.

boy was i proud.

proud of him and proud that finally some fruits of this long. laborious. journey are showing forth.

he was trouble.

and while i knew that this business of growing men doesn’t happen gently:

sometimes i think my husband is too tough. and i am too soft.

so i enlisted the help of another mother.

one who knows all too well the pain of watching a Firstborn Son treading along the path to manhood.

the Ultimate Manhood.

beneath the weight of a cross. bloodied. beaten and bruised.

this is serious stuff.

this martyrdom of mothers and sons.

and people striving to be who they were created to be.

it is not something to be taken lightly.

and the older i get i cannot help but stand in awe at the God Who deemed me worthy to lead souls to Him.

the souls of my children. and husband.

what an honor.

do i measure up?

hardly.

do i cringe under the weight of this immense cross?

this immense burden?

of course i do.

but i wouldn’t have it any other way.

this is what i was created to do.

the martyrdom of motherhood.

dying to myself to do that which God has pre-ordained.

vocation and dedication all wrapped up in a gift.

tied with love and sealed with a kiss.

it’s what Christmas is really all about ya know.

The Firstborn…not mine. but hers.

but in a way, yes, mine.

and yours too.

all of us.

His children.

not worthy of the Real Gift.

but nevertheless He gives.

happy weekending, friends.

hope you are truly enjoying ALL of the things He gives.

yarn along::the first

first time joining the fun at ginny’s.

first hat. a santa hat. the free pattern is here.

first time in this this space in a while.

the books:

the voices of Christmas. we really like this one. each person tells their view of the Christmas story from their own perspective.

how many miles to bethlehem. aside from the fact that the Blessed Mother *gasp* has short hair and head uncovered. (which apparently matters to small Catholic children). this is a lovely read as well.

hark! a Christmas sampler. tommy de paola and jan yolen. need i say more?

anyhow…

happy knitting. happy reading. happy day 18. is it really almost Christmas?

my how time does fly.

misplacing Jesus

i had them all in a box. the baby figurines for Christmas morning were in the same box as the wise men. so that the natural progression of adding the “characters” at the appropriate time could occur of course.

only i don’t know what i did with that box.

and to this day my over-tired. over caffeinated brain is still puzzled how i misplaced Jesus.

not just because He was supposed to be the reason behind all the hype. the praying. baking. the stories. the crafting. the cleaning. the cooking. the lights. etc. 

but because what kind of good Catholic mother loses baby Jesus. 

but then it dawned on me that it happens to the best of us.

“Your father and i have looked for Thee with sorrow”. mary’s words to her lost Child. they spoke to me from my missal.

and then i looked at the manger in the chapel.

He was there. they hadn’t forgotten.

so though the mangers at home remain empty i am leaving them that way for now. as a reminder of sorts. first for me: to keep looking. like mary did.

and finally it is a reminder to quit trying to put limits on Someone so vast and eternal by squeezing Him into one day. i should know better than that by now.

emmanuel. God is with us.

not just on Christmas morning. but always.

and most especially in the Holy Eucharist.

so what of  this dance of misplacing Him and finding Him? it is something i have done my whole life. and so it will continue i am sure. until my last day. when i will see Him face to face. Judge. Redeemer. Friend.

i hope He forgives me.

sweet

packages tied up with string (cotton yarn).

kitties who love cottage cheese.

morning sunlight. and the way it makes things look so sophisticated and elegant.

the roses in my mother’s sleepy december garden.

my new striped socks. and favorite red shoes.

a rosemary tree and red chrysanthemums.

a little girl who stole my sweater. with cheeks almost the same color as the flowers on it.

peppermint bark.

hope your Christmas is filled with lots of sweet things too, dear friends. may the sweet baby Jesus bless you all during these next few days. and always.

’tis the season

to make up ridiculous rhymes like: matching dresses and kitchen messes. homemade gift tags and barf bags.

i had a few others in my head. earlier. when i sat down to write a blog post. and then realized that just because it is Christmas vacation, i am still required to cook my family dinner. so i had to get off this thing.

and then i had a sick little boy to tend to. he started throwing up after we got home from mass yesterday and continued to do so every time he ate a cracker. or drank a sip of water. which happened to be about every hour. hence my thoughts on barf bags.

the best laid plans always come to a halt when someone gets sick. and i. ever the pessimist. am waiting to see who the next victim of this messy stomach virus is going to be. is it terrible to hope it skips me? because i’ll happily hole myself up here at home. and sew. read. bake and snuggle for as many days as it takes for us to get over this. i just don’t want to be the one barfing. i prefer the handmade gift tags part….

the tree pattern taken roughly from here.

and last, but not least: to all a good nite.

🙂

merry

i am home alone. i was supposed to get up bright and early and head out to finish my Christmas shopping, but i couldn’t bring myself to leave until i took a few pictures and did some sewing. i only have a few projects on my list: some more wool felted lambs, winter/Christmas pillowcases and a joy banner. i have been keeping it simple. focusing mainly on doing things with the kids. i am done decorating. and this week will be spent doing our baking and tying up a few loose ends on some homemade presents.

somehow i can breathe a little easier knowing that we have a break from school.

all in all i am feeling rather merry on this very sunny. warm. saturday morning and i hope you are too!

adjectives

warm. toasty. sweet. glittery. bright.