It takes a village

In April 2010, my dad passed away.  Not only did I hurt for myself, but I hurt for my eldest child who would never really come to know him.  She would never hear his words, his stories, the history of how our lives shaped into what they are today.  But out of that pain came an opportunity to keep his spirit alive by presenting Bree with a Christmas village piece each year on her birthday.  A village piece that symbolized bits of her past, my past, her fathers past, and, together, our families past.  I love seeking out a piece each year of what I want to emphasize and what I want her to remember.  So far this is what she has received:

. 

In 2008 we took our first family vacation with my parents, brother and sister to the Outer Banks.  One of our site seeing destinations was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  It was the first and last vacation with Papa so it was only fitting that her first village piece was a very similar lighthouse that holds so many memories. 

 

 

Movie nights, sleepovers, cookouts, camping, recipes, and holidays.  Village piece #2 is a home -  Its where your story begins and a place you can always come back to. 

 

 

 

With my dad passing away 7 months before Bree turned three years old, the third village piece chosen was a church in commemoration.     

 

 

Traditions.  Although they can morph over the years, the root of the tradition is always there.   Village piece #4 is a family tree lot and a family hoisting the all important tree onto the top of the car.  My family rarely had a live tree at Christmas, but it is all Jim knows.  From his days of selling Christmas trees as a child with his family to now as an adult driving out to a tree farm to select and cut down our own tree, the tradition of having a live Christmas tree continues. 

 

The meaning behind village piece #5 is quite obvious.  Not only do I have fond memories of visiting the library as a child, but it has been my place of work, my career for (literally) half my life and practically a second home to Bree.  It was my dad who suggested I apply there while in high school - a piece of advice that changed my life forever.  The village library was a perfect choice for the fifth year because at 5 years old, Bree was officially old enough to obtain her very own library card at her momma's work! 

 

 

 

Village piece #6 - Village Telephone Company

Way, way back in the day, both my mom and my dad worked for the United Telephone Company and that, of course, is how they met.  Without them meeting, I would not exist.  And without the telephone company transferring my dad up here, I would not have met Jim and, therefore, Bree would not exist.  Yes, the telephone company is vital to our family's history. 

 

(that's my mom inside the window - a switchboard operator!)

 

Village piece #7 - the village veterinarian - was given out of sadness.  Our little family lost a beloved pet that year. Willis will always hold a place in our hearts and any stray furry, four-legged creatures that show up at our doorstep will always be fed at this house. 

 

 

And most recently Bree received this village piece: 

 

 

A bowling alley.  Bowling is a beloved pastime not only for my family but for Jim's as well.  There are so many treasured moments of family bonding while bowling for fun or for leagues that we hope to create for her as well. 

 

And there you have it.  Bree's Historical Christmas Village. 

 

What will next year bring? 

 

We'll just have to wait and see. 

Memo to Mother Nature

Can someone please pass a memo along to Mother Nature that it is December 12th, not May 12th? 

 

That it should be cold and snowy and blowy outside, not balmy, humid 60 something degrees outside?

 

That this springtime weather is sidetracking my brain and confusing my plants?!?

 

 

 

 

And even more importantly, can someone pass the memo along to my tulips to go back to sleep?!?!?

 

Roots

I have no shame in saying - I am a crafty person.

 

A lot of what I know how to do comes through trial and error.  Watching and experimenting.  Listening and learning.

 

But crafting - wood, beads, yarn, and more - is also in my blood.

 

 

 

 

From my earliest crafting memories of decorating Christmas stockings with tacky glue and sequins on my sister's bedroom floor...   

 

 

 

...to my most recent and treasured memory of spending a Sunday afternoon beading around my grandma's table, thank you, Lord, for giving me this talent and the family that goes with it. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day means...

 

 Food...  Family... Festivities... Prelude to the Christmas season....

 

  And nothing screams 'The Holidays are Coming!" more than a morning spent making beaded candy canes while watching the Thanksgiving Day parade!

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

When it snows

Snow is awesome.

 

Pre-holiday snow is even more awesome.

 

And pre-holiday snow that that coats and covers and packs so well?

 

There is nothing more perfect. 

 

 

 

Well, not being sick with the stomach bug that's going around would definitely have made this snowy weekend 100% better.  BUT, my wonderful husband came into the bedroom (holding his breath of course) to open the curtains so I could at least see the wonderfulness falling softly to the ground. 

Christmas comes early around here

I have a problem.  

 

I like love to craft.  I live to craft. 

I feel alive when I craft.

 

What's the problem?

 

The problem is that I have children who tend to be a bit of a distraction when crafting which leads to projects taking more than the day it should to complete and often times any available surface in my house will look like this:   

 

 

My husband finds that a problem which then becomes my problem when he has to clear a space so we can, you know, eat at a table. 

 

My solution to the problem? 

 

Downsize my craft items!  HA!!  Not a chance!

 

 

Instead it would be much more simple to just remove a closet, take down the header, knock out the wall, purchase cabinets, patch up any wall damage, and create an office area inside the master bedroom that will be reserved as 'Momma's space', right? 

 

Why yes it would!  

 

All in the name of a Christmas gift, of course.

 

The before:

 

 

A perfect chance to get some Father/Son bonding time in. 

 

 

The header that will come down and the ugly light that needed replacing anyways. 

 

The space behind the seemingly pointless wall proved to contain a small problem - a chimney.  Have to look at shallower floor to ceiling cabinets now!

 

The header is removed.  Now to look at faux tin ceiling tiles or other options to cover the holes versus trying to make 30+ year old texture. 

 

Choices, choices.  What color cabinets?  What color countertop?  This is so exciting!

 

And there you have it. 

Stage one of my Christmas gift complete.   

 

A gutted closet awaiting cabinets, paint, hardwood floor, new lighting, ceiling work, and lots and lots of containers to get myself organized.  This could take a while.  But hopefully not too long.  I've got new projects calling my name!

At long last!

Its time!

 

Its here!!

 

I've waited so long!!!

 

It is finally....

 

 

FOOTIE PAJAMA WEATHER!!

 

Oh how the weather has played games with us. 

 

But colder weather is here now and we are loving it!!

 

And the footie pajamas that come along with it!

The Big 8

Gabrielle Elizabeth turned '8' years old this week.  

 

 

While everything is not always rosy and Pinterest perfect between us, I love that head strong, take charge, so much more responsible than I was at 8 years old child more than words can say. 

 

She never ceases to amaze me with her generosity. 

 

Case in point - Gabrielle received her very own bag of mint Oreos for her birthday and, in this house, that's like owning gold.  Without any prompting, hinting, asking, or being told, she shared those Oreos with her siblings.... only once they finished their eggs first of course (hence Holly's seriously grumpy face).

 

More than being the first born child, she is a natural born leader. 

 

Sure sometimes this leadership skill comes across as bossy but then there are times where she sees a need, a problem, a way to make things go smoother and seizes the moment.  The morning of her birthday proved no different.

 

After breakfast, I started rushing about getting everyone and everything ready to head out the door when I peeked into the living room to see this:   

 

I hadn't had a chance to change Holly's diaper or clothes for the day yet so Bree, without hesitation, picked out an outfit and started the process for me. 

 

That is one special 8 year old right there. 

 

 

 

Which is why that evening I treated her to dinner out at the local Chinese restaurant - her "favorite".  And by "favorite" I mean that she doesn't really like the Chinese part of the food.  To her its all about the shrimp, the sugar donuts, and...

 

 

... the fortune cookie.  Her fortune read:

 

Hard work pays off in the future, laziness pays off now.

 

My fortune read.....

 

 

Hmmm.... That's UN-fortunate for me - an empty fortune cookie. 

 

Bummer.

 

What did Gabrielle want so very, very badly for her birthday and that we were more than willing to give her?    

 

 

Happy Birthday, Gabrielle! 

May this be your best year yet!

What I'm reading this week

Happily Ever After

My journey with Guillain-Barré Syndrome and How I Got My Life Back

 

 

Dust jacket reads:

 

At the age of twenty-six, less than three weeks after giving birth to her first child, Holly Gerlach noticed that her fingertips were numb and her legs were weakening. In less than three days, she was paralyzed and could no longer breathe on her own. She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system. She was admitted to the hospital, where she spent two and a half months in the intensive care unit on a ventilator. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, and worst of all, she couldn't hold her newborn daughter. She felt like her life was over as she couldn't be the mother that she had always wanted to be. As the weeks went on, the paralysis began to wear off. And once she was able to breathe on her own again, she started on her road to recovery. With intense physiotherapy, she learned how to use her muscles again and eventually how to walk again. She was determined, and worked hard, and after a long four months in the hospital, she was able to reach her goal of getting back to her husband and daughter. Holly Gerlach shares her inspirational story, where she faced the most terrifying and challenging experiences of her life. The book follows her entire journey, starting with the beginning symptoms, through the many months she spent in the hospital. The story continues on well past her release from the hospital, where she fought to regain her independence and eventually got her life back.

 

 

I'm going to be quite honest here. 

 

This book just barely meet the "okay" standards.  It is written by Holly herself who is not a writer nor a blogger.  Two sentences back to back will say the exact same thing with very slight variances.   There is a lot of negativity, as I would assume with this disease, and no advice for people currently going through it besides take more medicine.  However, her overall story is inspirational in that we can be dealt a wicked hand and still over come it along with the message of take advantage of your physical abilities because you never know when you can lose them.  I don't necessarily recommend reading her book BUT her story is captured very well in this video and that I do recommend watching.

 

So they say

They say that the best things in life aren't things.

 

So they say.

 

And who are they anyways?

 

Because when I was gifted a ream of this kind of paper:

 

 

I said:

"This is the best thing E-V-E-R!!"

 

And I meant it. 

A Community Dinner

Our little town offers a free weekly dinner that is open to everyone in the community. 

 

You may need the meal. 

You may want the company. 

You may be exhausted from the day and don't feel like cooking. 

 

The reasoning doesn't matter - its all free and open to everyone.

 

These meals are made possible by organizations, churches, or local businesses volunteering to cook and serve dinner.  When I heard there were a few holes that needed to be filled in order to continue this 5 year long tradition, I did what (I hope) anyone would do.  I raised my hand and said:

 

"Tell me what week and I've got your back." 

 

And, thankfully, many people had mine as well. 

 

 

We all worked together pooling our resources, our abilities, and our time to pull this off.  Help came out of the woodwork and kids joined in the effort too. 

 

We did not get an official count for the evening but a church helper said we were on the upwards of serving 120 people! 

 

And we were even lucky enough to have one of those 120 people serenaded us throughout the evening with his amazing talent. 

 

There was no job too big: 

 

And no job to petty: 

 

 

It was a great experience and these are just a few of the awesome helping hands that helped pull off this community dinner. 

 

To everyone who donated, who cooked, who purchased, who took off work, who served, who cleaned, who dropped off children, who made this meal possible,

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Tis the season to be ahead

While I know I will never truly be "ahead" during the Christmas season, I can, however, be as prepared as possible.  

 

What does that mean?

 

It means getting all my Christmas cookie dough made and in the freezer four weeks before the season starts!

 

 

 

 This unseasonably warm weather has put a bit of a damper on my Christmas spirit but I found the motivation to push forward with my Pandora Christmas station and a delicious smelling candle I found at the store today. 

 

Next up on the Christmas chopping block this weekend: Teacher's Gifts

 

 

48 days to go!

A boy and his book

This Halloween Jacob participated in a coloring contest and WON!  He was the proud recipient of a 400 page Transformers Activity Book. 

 

Since the very day he received his prize, it has not left his side.  It goes with him in the car, to the babysitters, to school, and even into the bathroom.  I find him working on it at the breakfast table and most recently I found him this way as well:

 

 

 

He loves his book. 

 

What I'm reading this week

Technically speaking I am RE-reading this book and, yet, it is like reading it for the first time.  With the Christmas season quickly approaching, I have dedicated my time to re-reading:  

 

 

 

Operation Christmas Child:

A story of simple gifts

 

by Franklin Graham

 

The dust jacket reads: 

 

It was a simple idea that became the worldwide ministry of Operation Christmas Child—to minister to children in war-torn and famine-stricken countries.  In just two decades it has inspired everyday people to provide more than 100 million gift-filled shoeboxes to needy children in 130 countries. This beautiful book weaves the moving, God-saturated story of the ministry’s beginning with the soul-stirring, Christ exalting stories of lives that have been forever changed by a simple shoebox.

 

 

Reading non-fiction books such as these, with stories of motivation, encouragement, inspiration, and purpose, are all about perspective.  We are in a constant state of growth in this thing called life and every event, every day, every contact with another human being can give us a fresh perspective to charities such as Operation Christmas Child.  Stories in this book that touched my heart and guided my shopping last year still pull heart strings but take a back seat to a different chapter that I'm reading with brand new eyes. If you pack shoeboxes, but have never read this book, I highly encourage you to do so.  I promise you won't be disappointed.

 

And as the National Collection Week draws near (November 16-22, 2015) and boxes around the world are being packed, I leave you with the words of Franklin Graham:

 

 

So when packers fill boxes, we ask them to pray as they shop, pray as they make selection, pray as they pack, pray as they send, pray as the box is delivered, pray as it is received, and pray as it is used.  That's a lot of praying, but the Bible says "Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col. 3:17).