Advent Begins Today!

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This year we are planning on incorporating The Advent Book into our evening Advent celebration. My sister and her family have been using this book for years. This is our first year (Thanks, Mom!) with this book. It is a beautiful volume (read: expensive) that we expect to enjoy for years to come. I do know that Janna was able to find it at her library, so do look for it.

Tonia has posted about Advent today with lots of good links. Joanne has written as well, including a wonderful set of bookmarks for evening readings that I will be tucking into our Bible by our book and Advent wreath.

I know that there are traditional colors for the candles that many people use. I just made our wreath out of a variety of materials and candles--even the ones from trying to do Advent before. I knew it might not all happen if I waited until I got it all perfectly together! In other words, you can do Advent yourself, just use what you may have on hand. I think it is more important to focus on Jesus' coming than on what everything looks like, although I do try to make it look nice. :)

With A Grateful Heart

We spent our Thanksgiving with most of the family. I wish it could have been all, but I am thankful that we will all be together for Christmas this year. I am so excited as everyone is coming to our home then.

For Thanksgiving this week my mom, dad and stepmom all came over. My dad and stepmom live across the state, so it was nice that they took the time to drive up here to spend the holiday with us. I had most of the things that could be done in advance ready before they arrived on Wednesday.

We spent Thursday rather leisurely and doing the cooking and dish washing as it came along. (Mostly, I cooked and others washed.) Yesterday I spent a few hours shopping with my dad and stepmom while my mom watched the boys and Sweetheart worked. (Poor Sweetheart!)

I came home early and got things ready for Pumpkin's Happy Birthday. I had borrowed a truck-shaped cake pan to bake a cake for The Boy Who Loves All Things With Wheels. Yes. Um, as it cooked, it poured out over the edges of the pan all into the bottom of the oven.

I ended up cutting the cake into squares, putting pieces in little, individual pedestal bowls, putting frosting on each piece, then topping each one off with ice cream and whipped cream. Pumpkin got his served with star sprinkles and three candles on top.

Luckily, he never knew I was ever considering a truck-shaped cake for him and so he was thrilled with what he got. Everyone gathered together again for a dinner of turkey soup, cake and ice cream, opening presents and a movie. Pumpkin was thrilled with everything, including watching "Polar Express" while sitting between his Daddy and his sleeping Grandpa. A good time was had by all.

Happy Third Birthday, My Sweet Boy!

By the way, isn't the pumpkin-that's-not-a-boy in the pictures above the neatest pumpkin ever? It doesn't even look real. I don't know what kind it is, but I got it at the farm just before it closed for the season.

I'll be saving those seeds to plant next spring for sure!

Everything Books

Sorry, the link in the earlier post was working. Here is the link in which I wrote about making and using my Everything Books. They probably could be better organized, but I just often choose which page to write on based on the picture I like that day, or whatever one seems suited to the occasion--like the pie picture for Thanksgiving.

I just use blank spiral journals/sketchbooks/scrapbooks. They are called different things. I just don't do well writing on a bunch of lines myself, so the unlined pages work best for me. I like the spiral notebooks because they lie flat when I'm writing, though I have a small Moleskin blank book I decorated and keep in my purse. Boy, does that come in handy!

I've started books that only have a few pages with pictures that I add to as I go along. But I have one book waiting to be used that I filled with pictures when I was purging a stack of magazines. There's no set method. Just do what feels right for you. There is no perfect method or book. It's just what works for YOU!

I probably have ten journals sitting in a pile that rarely get written in, simply because of things dumb like lines that are too close together, covers that constantly seem to close on me, paper that I don't like the feel of as I write. I rarely use ballpoint pens and prefer ink, but certain papers don't allow for smooth writing. Even as I type this, I know it sounds silly. But I also know that if I don't like the set up, I won't use it. Finding something that works FOR ME has made all the difference. Now, I write in them all the time and finally have a place for all the little random things I would otherwise lose.

If you follow the link, it'll go into more detail and there are more pictures to see.

That's all for now. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We did here. Blessings to you and yours!

Love,

Kimberly

Thanksgiving

Three years ago, I really planned out everything in great detail for Thanksgiving and blogged at it here.

Last year I wrote out my lists in one of my Everything Books and posted about it all later.

This year I started a new page in my book. I was glad though to have the old page to refer back to or else I'd have forgotten the cranberries completely! The list has been simplified over the years to just what's in the pictures above. I'm just waiting to hear who all is coming and to set the time for dinner accordingly. Once that is done, I'll be able to do a better timeline for the day itself.

If you've purchased a frozen turkey, you might want to check and see if you should start defrosting it today like I needed to. It takes several days for those big birds to thaw!

What are your holiday plans? I always love to learn what other people do!

Quiet Days

Blogging has reached a lull. When the boys are awake, I am attending to them. When they are asleep I am busily working away on Christmas gifts. I'd love to post pictures of some of the things I'm working on, but too many of the recipients read this. So, we're doing fine here, just can't post much without giving away suprises!

Listen.

"Listen to your life.

See it for the fathomless mystery that it is.

In the boredon and pain of it

no less than in the excitement and gladness:

touch,

taste,

smell your way

to the holy and hidden heart of it

because in the last analysis

all moments are key moments,

and life itself is grace."

~Fredrich Beuchner

Decorating for Thanksgiving: A few years ago I bought this cornucopia basket. This year I filled it with just some of the squash and gourds from our garden harvest. I am thankful for the rich abundance of His grace and the blessing of our harvest this year.

A Personal First

I am done Christmas shopping.

It's a nice feeling.

Now, all I have to do is finish making all the gifts that I've bought the supplies for!

That'll feel even better.

Better get to work!

Words So True

"One of the priceless things that God has lovingly sought to teach me throughout the multi-faceted, ever-changing seasons of motherhood, is to quietly let go and flow with the inevitable upsets that occur in life.

Things we don't and can't plan for, that of their nature replace other things that might be more pleasant and desirable and what we would have chosen if we had a choice.

Turning in and settling down--at home.

Expecting much less of myself and everyone else.

Laying aside any extra and/or measure of perfection in, the do-ings, in celebration of the sweet be-ings just waiting to be had, if my desire is to make it through these times of sickness or sorrow or change, in the soft, gentle way of His grace.

The way that nurtures and gives life, peace and rest, rather than the stress, anxiety, and unrest for everyone, that results if we pull and strive against what is, as though it isn't, wishing it were otherwise. "

****

Jewels wrote these words after several days without power and a time of sickness in her home with she and all (9) of the children unwell. While we are all well here, I wanted to highlight these words for myself as a rememberance for those times when all is not as I would wish. Just thought I'd share them with you as well. Here's the link if you are interested in more.

Dumpling's First Haircut

Before

After

Sorry Grandma, the curls are gone.
I saved some though.

He's still pretty cute to this Mama.

A Present-For Me!

Look what I made at naptime today!

I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but I'd packed up the sewing machine and put it away for a few months--coinciding with canning, now that I think about it.

Well, after Bunco was done Tuesday night I left the extra table up and Sweetheart got my machine back out for me. I'm planning on doing a bunch of Christmas presents on it over the next few weeks. So far I've made a hat for Dumpling, started one for Pumpkin, made myself a bag/purse, a red gingham scrunchie, and now my watercolor pencil holder.

It's far from perfect, but it's just perfect for me! I love taking my pencils with me, but didn't have an easy way to haul them around and seemed to always be misplacing them or having them falling all to the bottom of my bag. Now, I can see each one and easily have at hand which color I want.

I just made it up as I went along, which accounts for the parts I had to redo. That's ok. I'm getting more comfortable the more I try, even if I am becoming really good friends with my seam ripper...

"For this very reason, make every effort

to add to your faith goodness;

and to goodness, knowledge;

and to knowledge, self-control;

and to self-control, perseverance;

and to perseverance, godliness;

and to godliness, mutual affection;

and to mutual affection, love.

For if you possess these qualitites

in increasing measure,

they will keep you from

being ineffective and unproductive

in your knowledge of

our Lord Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 1:5-8

Beautiful Mums from Joanne. Thank you, friend.

Thinking on These Things

Oh, what a beautiful Autumn this has been!

We've had a few light frosts~the end of the garden and flowers, but the temperatures during the days are delightful! Autumn makes my heart sing. I catch my breath just stepping outside, struck by the beauty and wonder of His creation. The leaves could just fall off the trees, but they don't. They reveal such amazing colors~~golds, oranges, reds. I am in awe. Growing up in Arizona, Autumn meant nothing as saguaros don't change colors.

What a contrast to Colorado! Beauty everywhere and lasting so long this year. I am grateful. Grateful for time to just enjoy the outdoors with my boys.

I am grateful for how He has provided so much for our family. All the canning has been a lot of work, but how blessed we are to have an abundance of food~food to enjoy now and to put up for later.

I am grateful for friendships. I've finally made some good friends after living here so long. My home was filled last week with the ladies from my Bunco group. The game itself, I could do without, but the friendships are invaluable. It's so nice to have women who care close by.

I was doubly blessed with friends last week. The Bunco ladies were over Tuesday night and Joanne came over for lunch on Wednesday. She is wonderful. I do wish we lived closer as we are on opposite ends of Denver. She brought over the most beautiful mums, football mums she said, in creme and taupe. They are still blooming and brightening our home.

I also got to visit with Janna on the phone on Thursday. I happened to be just down the road from her when she called me. She invited me to stop by. If we weren't just pulling into the grocery store parking lot and needing to shop and get home for lunch and naps I would have gladly stopped. That's a good friend whose just says come by with no notice!

I am so grateful for my Mom who loves me and my family. She had Date Night with the boys so Sweetheart and I could go out for a few hours together last night.

I am grateful to live in this great country that allows us to have some say in how we are governed. We may not always agree with each other on who should be in charge, but just think of how many others in this world have no choice. I am grateful for the privilege to vote.

I am grateful to have eyes to see, and ears to hear. Eyes to see the smiles, the flowers, the leaves, the beauty of it all. Ears to hear music, praise to Him, laughter, sharing, birds, talking, the joy in it all.

Thank You for opening the eyes of my heart as well. As I pause to give thanks, my heart grows with love. Amazing.