Wednesday Already?

I think I lost a day and a half this week. It has been crazy trying to get things in line for next week, and overwhelming.

The good news is that while I still have to do today's reading for the 90 Days in the Bible reading, I am not behind. This is HUGE considering how little solid sleep I am getting. Monday is looming pretty heavily in my mind, and leaving me zapped. Reading the first third of Exodus yesterday certainly helped. I was so encouraged as I read how God worked so clearly on behalf of the Israelites but that it appeared to get worse before it got better, and that it was not instantaneous, but a process, and even though the deliverance was tremendous when you read about it, it probably was not tremendous from the perspective of sitting on the banks of the Red Sea watching Pharoh's army approach. Our perspective is limited, we do much better to focus on God first rather than staring at our circumstances and asking God over our shoulders if He has seen this.

One of the reasons I chose to sign up for the 90 Day Challenge was because I was struggling with my daily Bible reading, it has been terrible. But one thing I know is that once I get on track, the more I read, the more I want to read. The more I read the Bible the more alive it is and the more it draws me in, the more I feel God speaking to me specifically! It is like a beautiful and blessed upward spiral! Therefore I thought that this would be an excellent way to get going again.

Plus, there was the Nudge. You know the one. Except in this case it was more like a firm shove.

Are you reading along? How are you doing? What is God teaching you?

Getting Ready

This week is mostly dedicated to getting ready for next week. In exactly 1 week from now Miss Pear should be out of surgery. Praise the Lord. On one hand it is so helpful to think in those terms. On the other hand I am looking for my fast forward button for life. (Some how I was not issued one.)

We are planning on keeping a regular routine through Thursday complete with schooling (not that it is hard, math is basically games, writing is fun with the coloring page on the flip side and reading is clicking nicely and is rewarded with a scratch and sniff sticker). Friday is pre-op day at the hospital.

Amongst that, in my regular baking and cooking times, I am stocking up, preparing, doing what women for generations have done before me...stocking the pantry, cupboards, freezer and wherever else I can stick stuff!

Today I made 2 of the small batches of Baking Mix from More With Less, and the Apple Crunch Granola from the same book, also in a double batch. The kitchen looks like something exploded, but my MIL sent us upstairs for naps while she cleans it. When she visits it is like having kitchen fairies! (She says it is because I make yummy meals and she likes to help).

I alternate between being the model of efficiency and the model of a flood. Yesterday was terrible as I was on the verge of tears all day. Today is better.

And for those wondering, I am on track for the Bible in 90 Days challenge with just 2 chapters left in today's reading. Praise the Lord!

Multitude Monday 12

113. That God makes all things new, and gives second chances.

114. A sweet family.

115. That we are close to an excellent children's hospital that we will spend most of next week at.

116. That even though Miss Pear will be at the hospital for open heart surgery, it is preventative, to make sure she stays healthy. As hard as it is to write that, many families there would love to trade places with us.

117. A wonderful Christmas season where Miss Pear understood so much more and Baby was enchanted with everything.

118. That God is with us throughout this and He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

2010 Goals

Setting goals at the end of December seems odd this year as very little will happen in January aside from caring for my family, in particular Miss Pear as she has open heart surgery. I anticipate that one of the hardest things to do will be to keep my 2 girls from climbing all over each other as they play and cuddle once the patient feels on the mend, our 2 girls love each other.

Nevertheless, here we go:

Scripture - read by myself daily (yes, I am terribly embarrassed to have to say that I have struggled in this area)

1. Read the Bible in 90 Days from January 1 - March 31.
2. Pick up Reading at that point using the Discipleship Journal Book by Book plan.
3. Get back into the early morning quiet time routine! (Baby is finally settling down at night and for the last couple nights is just getting up for 1 soaked diaper as opposed to multiple tangled in my crib wake ups, but still wants to nurse between 5 and 6AM so I put her back to sleep for a but more, but once we are all recovered this would be the way to get up early to read and pray). I have no delusions of starting this one before February at the earliest.
   

Scripture with the Girls

1. Continue Breakfast Bible Time
2. Add tea time Bible reading using Draw to Learn, The Life of Jesus.

School Time

1. Continue in this area with the subjects we have started, finishing Saxon Math K by August. (we are already a month behind with stuff happening, and I anticipate missing most of January).
   
2. Add in Catechism
3. Find a way to include Baby more as she drops her morning nap, or at least keep her entertained. (Would love any ideas in this area!)
4. Have the fall plan mapped out by the end of June (I am thinking of adding History Read Aloud and the Rod and Staff Reading).
   

Pantry - in the past year and a bit I have learned the value of a well stocked pantry as Baby was born, had meningitis, hip dysplasia and treatment for a cyst in her mouth and Miss Pear is going to need open heart surgery, and Mr. Pear's company issued a pay cut to all employees effective the very next pay check. Basically, life happens and we live in California, great reason to be more prepared in this area. However, I want to be more intentional about this, and more organized. So I have a plan.

1. Try 1 pantry meal a week (even if fresh stuff can be substituted, if it can be made solely from the pantry it counts.) Please share your favorites with me!
   
2. Make a binder of pantry meals.
3. Have the ingredients on hand for those meals.
4. Explore various pantry substitutions.
5. Continue to stockpile via coupons, sales and Costco. Try online source (yes, I picked one out to try, but will not point it out until I have actually tried it).
   

General Kitchen Goals

1. Continue to cook through More with Less and Extending the Table (yes, this was on the list last year, but we got sidetracked!)
2. Keep an updated list of meals that are prepared in the freezer.
3. Update, clean out, and reprint my recipe binder.
4. Can again this year making more salsa, fruits, and tomatoes. (Remember to start when Roma tomatoes first appear on sale early spring).
5. Begin formal kitchen time with Miss Pear where I let her try more and do more. (What could a 4 and a half year old take the lead on and make mostly herself with help?)
   

Household

1. Get back on my cleaning schedule
2. Finish my started sewing projects
3. Find a way to sew at least a little bit 2 or 3 days a week - goal: half hour windows.
   
4. Crochet 2 baby blankets for babies being born in February and May (pink and blue respectively).
5. Figure out downstairs window treatments.
6. Paint our room.
   

Reading - Get through some of this to be read pile before it tips and buries us all! Actually, my goal is to finish one spiritually significant book a month, even if I don't necessarily agree with it (i.e. no more saying it annoys me and tossing it back in the pile, if I really cannot read it, get rid of it!)

I think that is it, but as the year goes on this list seems to always change a bit. However, this is a great place to start!

Do you have any ideas or recipes to help?

What is on your list this year?

Bible in 90 Days - Day 1

Day 1 and we are on track! Today's reading was the first 16 chapters of Genesis and it took approximately 45 minutes to finish it, which was excellent in my opinion, I expected it to take over an hour, but the shorter time could be due to being very familiar with the material. While this is not my first time reading the Bible cover to cover, it is the first time over such a short time period, and some parts are always more familiar than others.

One of our questions in the email today was to consider what Eve's sin really was. My first thought was that she disobeyed, but it went deeper than that. I think her biggest sin was doubting God's love for her. I think I commit the same sin, but often in the form of, "I am rock confident that God can do it, but doubt that He would do it for me." I confess this as sin, and have sought the Lord on it.

It helped that the Lord was clearly showing His love for us. We told Miss Pear about her surgery today, and while it was very hard, she handled it better than anyone so far. Her biggest concern was if she could take her teddy with her and if we would be there with her (yes, yes). Afterward, when I was struggling to keep it together God gave me this huge sense of peace.

So, yes, He can do it.

And yes, He will do it for me too, I am not excluded from His blessings.

If you would like to join in the Bible in 90 Days head over to Mom's Toolbox, and on this post there is a link to download the reading schedule.

Cover to Cover, 90 Days

I know, I said I was taking a bloggy break, I had started my Christmas Break to focus on what is important, but during the start of the girls' naps when I was checking email and reading a few blogs something caught my eye, and I felt The Nudge, you know, the one that is God basically saying, "I hope you are paying attention, this is important." And because I bend to God's schedule, not the other way around, we interrupt this bloggy break for something important.

Mom's Toolbox is hosting a Bible in 90 Days Read Along, starting January 1. Today she is asking if we are in, and is asking us to explain why.

Well, the key reason I am in is because God said to.

Okay, done.

Okay, maybe there is more.

There were many a year that I read the Bible cover to cover in the course of a year. And that was great, but it sucked to wait until September to hit the Gospels. Then I had kids and stuff got a bit crazy, I threw out the calendar to read wherever I felt led, and then just started reading a Psalm and and a Proverb a day and another chapter (alternating between OT, OT Wisdom, Gospel, Epistle), before finally just reading wherever I felt led. And that kind of worked but I have found I am not reading as much as I would like to. So this sounded like an excellent way to kick start my reading routine again.

But let's be honest, the second biggest reason for taking on this challenge is the fact that our 4 year old is having open heart surgery January 11. (Before you panic, she is very healthy and her aortic valve is currently healthy, but that will not remain the case without surgery). At first glance this could be a reason NOT to do this, after all, when will we have time? But that is why I need to do this. Without the accountability, the encouragement, my Bible will sit, or it will be picked up for only a chapter at a time. But this is the time when I need to all but drown in the truth and comfort of God's word. When I know I will need God's word more than ever. When my time will be crunched more than ever. When I will be at the end of my mommy rope more than ever.

And so I am signing up for the challenge.

Read the Bible

Cover to cover

90 days

about 4 times my previous rate

Will you join us?

How often do you read your Bible? Is there a schedule you like to follow? Do you have a favorite book of the Bible? (Current Favorites: OT - Haggai, Micah; Gospel - John; NT - Ephesians) Do you have a Bible Reading goal for 2010?

We will now resume our previously scheduled bloggy break (but will read any comments joyfully).

Merry Christmas

We are eagerly awaiting Christmas, such a joyous celebration! Our church has an informal Christmas Eve service of Christmas hymns and scripture reading with a short message that we love, and it is early enough for little ones, but late enough for those who have to work that day. This year we are waiting for Christmas morning for presents, with the plan being stockings, cinnamon buns, and then presents (with lots of coffee worked in!) We love a quiet day just us.

Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day) we have friends over for supper...and the next day we have Boxing Day 2 and do it again because our house is not big enough to do it all at once.

It is crazy and delightful!

So in light of that I am starting a Christmas break today. There is lots of baking and cooking to be done, and Christmas stories to be read.

I wish you a joyous Christmas and Christmas season, and may the Lord bless you.

(I anticipate being back in the new year as my husband has the week between Christmas and New Year off work!)

Christmas is Coming

...in my heart it might as well be Christ is coming!

I love the anticipation of Advent, the preparations, the present wrapping, the baking, the excitement, the fun. But most of all I love how our hearts begin to anticipate, we not only anticipate Jesus' birthday, but also I think the longing in our hearts activates and we begin to anticipate Jesus' second coming.

The presents are all wrapped, just 2 needing ribbon and one to be gifted the day after Christmas needing my attention. Cookie baking will be done today leaving only a slice or two and the logs to be done. Of course I will be making 2 double batches of cinnamon buns, but there is time for that still.

It is busy, it is fun, it is chaotic, and I LOVE it, and pray that each part will be about celebrating the wonderful gift of Jesus.

Thinking in the Season

When I was little I loved the fairy tale of the little elves who would build the shoes at night, and the variations of that. Now I long for the mommy version...when the cupboards would miraculously fill themselves with no shopping trips! Wouldn't that be a fun miracle?

Can you tell we were at Costco this morning?

My mother-in-law arrived for Christmas on Saturday, and is here for 5 weeks. We did have a tough moment, or at least I did when she arrived and I realized how close Miss Pear's surgery is, that at the end of this visit the surgery will be done and we will be in recovery mode.

I am very pleased to say that I am done all shopping for December except for a couple runs to Henry's for fresh milk, fruit and veggies once the end of this week to get to after Christmas and once before New Year's Eve. I will be taking my MIL to Target this afternoon for her to pick up a few things, but I am done Christmas shopping (the Amazon order arrived this morning), and am done the big Costco grocery shop that always makes me a bit crazy.

It is a wonderful feeling to know this! To know that I will not be braving the grocery stores next week right before Christmas.

Now we can focus on the fun stuff like wrapping presents and baking!

This and That

We still have the ick. You know it is bad when my husband says that I am staying home while he takes Baby to her follow up appointment from having her cyst removed!

Her appointment went well. The spot the doctor cut the cyst out is still a bit swollen which could just be from the surgery or it could be that they aggravated the mucus thingie next to it so he wants to see her in March.

I just read the most ridiculous thing, a scientist said that it was better to buy a tree each year than have an artificial one, and part of his reasoning is that an artificial one is only used for a few years and then tossed in the land fill. We have an artificial tree, this is the 11th year we have put it up, it still looks like new. So I have to question part of his assumption.

Then again, my brain is so foggy that maybe it makes sense. Who knows, I studied physics, not climatology and carbon footprints.

I was going to write about some of the special blessings God has given lately, but I cannot think how to phrase them to give the Giver justice, so I will save the details and just say this: Our God is Tremendously Fabulous!

Sometimes It's Okay To Take the Day Off

This is what my husband tells me. Actually yesterday he told me to call in sick. SUCH a comedienne.

The ick has turned into full blown sinus cold for me and cold for Baby. Miss Pear is on the mend after being knocked flat for 2 days last week and Mr. Pear is avoiding the ick, but is run down (one could blame that on work lately...it would make anyone sick as of late).

Therefore we are taking it easy this week, just not necessarily by choice.

Yesterday when I thought my head was going to explode I laid there listening to the rain, a rare pleasure in Southern California and thought how good God was to not only send us much needed rain, but on a day when I can really enjoy it! I was also thinking about the blessing of God putting me in the little family I am in because when my husband came home last night he took over and sent me to bed, and Miss Pear and her sweet efforts to nurse me with her play doctor kit.

A book quote came to mind on the weekend when I was talking to a friend and I cannot remember the source, but the quote is, "life rarely goes as planned." And that is very true, but I realize now that it is not about life going as planned, it is about how you handle life going off kilter and Who you rely on.

Standing Firm, Hanging On

It has been a weird week where we all have a bit of the ick, but we are hanging in there.

It has been a weird week because it occurs to me that some people are just waiting for us to fall apart, almost like they begrudge the fact that we are handing this crazy time, which is only by the grace of God. I caught on this morning when someone actually gave me a firm verbal shove towards the direction of breaking down. It felt like they were disappointed because I was not a sobbing mess telling them how wrong we were to move so far away and it is too hard, we just cannot do it, and oh it is not fair. That would have made them happy. And they would have gloated but offered no real help, just said that if we were closer.... It was someone I thought I should be able to rely on, a close family member who does not live near us. And it was a shock.

Is it so strange to be able to stand firm in the Lord when the storms swirl?

Is it so disappointing to know that we are not a mess?

Why do we no longer encourage each other (actively) to be strong in the Lord?

Why do we seem to spend more time either being neutral or undercutting rather than speaking blessings and kind words?

I just don't understand.

Maybe it has just been a long week and I am tired.

Maybe the Lord has changed us so much since we have moved here 10 years ago that our families no longer recognize us.

Don't know.

But I do know that He is the only one keeping us going right now.

Advent Wreath Resource

On Sunday night we were invited to friends' church for their family Advent event, which focused on getting families prepared to lead the advent wreath lighting with a small devotional, 3 excellent crafts for the kids and a pizza supper. It was wonderful!

The key reason we are using an advent wreath is to focus our hearts and minds on the true meaning of Christmas. So often it is easy to get caught up in the craziness of this season that we lose track of the important stuff. The WHO, the WHY!

At breakfast time we are sticking with our usual Bible reading of one chapter of the Gospels.

At lunch time, once the table is cleared, we are lighting the appropriate candle(s) and using this guide. (lest you think we are spending boat loads of time, yesterday the candle wax barely started to melt before we were done and blowing it out as we headed for naps!)

And at supper we are lighting the advent wreath and reading from our devotional Good Tidings of Great Joy: The Birth of Jesus the Messiah (William Barclay Library).

It took us until Wednesday to figure this out, but at least we did figure it out and we are moving forward this year. I feel quite victorious after a few years of good intentions not paying off and my efforts being thwarted.

Check out this post for a bit more on how they do their advent wreath. (This is where I found the link to the guide we are using.)

Already I am finding that this is easy to do because the planning is done, we just read for that day, it is not taking a lot of extra time, it is allowing us to bring scripture to the lunch table (a goal we had been working to), and it is truly helping to keep us focused on Jesus and not the baking/wrapping/mailing lists!

If you do not have an advent wreath this year, let me encourage you to put one together with what you have, it is such fun and so encouraging! Just be sure to keep your candle wicks trimmed for safety! :-)

So, who else has an Advent Wreath this year? What do you do?

***********

After I finished this post up I read Ann's post called What Advent is Really all About, good reading.

And then I found this post called What is Advent?

Twelve Days of Christmas

Sometimes it is hard to tell at Christmas what honors and points to God and what is our cultural surroundings. For a long time I did not realize that the Twelve Days of Christmas represented different deep truths about God, and I was missing out!

First off, let's just go ahead an listen to the version of Twelve Days of Christmas that I love and tickles my funny bone because I have to get this out of my system first:



(Thanks Donetta! Her review is here.)

How come when my rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas falls apart it never sounds this good?

This year we are going to do something special during Advent with the Twelve Days of Christmas. Actually I am hoping to do it twice.

When this beautiful Christmas Carol was written way back when it was, at least according to legend, written to teach children 12 basic tenets of the Church and was written with the symbolism of the church waiting for her groom, recounting the gifts of the suitor.

With that in mind, here is my plan:

We will be reading: The Twelve Days of Christmas and will sing along.

We will be learning the twelve tenets we read and sing about which can be found detailed here at the bottom half of the post. We will focus on one each day, reviewing the ones that came before. While I have no delusions of my 4 year old memorizing the Ten Commandments, the apostles names, or the Creed this year, I do hope to work towards that.

And we will color that days coloring page from the Twelve Days of Christmas Coloring Pages.

We are starting this week after nap time and I am hoping to go through it twice before Christmas as our after afternoon reading.

We will see how it goes, but I have to tell you, I am hoping for a new family tradition!

Do you know of other great links for the Twelve Days of Christmas?

Finally, An Advent Wreath

I have always loved the idea of an Advent wreath, but each year my plans are thwarted. Either the form is sold out, I think of it too late, or the ones I love are too expensive or large for our small table. Plus there is always the safety issue, and most are not safe with little ones and a small table where they can reach a lot.

Last year I mapped out a rough plan for an advent wreath that would fit on our table and be to our liking. Once again my plans went awry, and it was clear that if we wanted an Advent wreath this year I was going to have to make one with what I had on hand and be creative.

Step 1: I checked my gift wrap stash and found purple tissue, pink tissue and silver wired ribbon that had last served as hair bows.

Step 2: Checked my candle supply and found white tappers and white tea lights...excellent, we are on a roll!

Step 3: Grabbed a candle holder from our wedding to hold the Christ candle.

Step 4: Went to grab the 4 tea light holders only to strike out. What? Where else could they be? We scour the likely places and strike out again! This will never do.

Step 5: Stop and think hard. In the mean time grab the glass plate I knew would be perfect and fit on our small table.

Step 6: Grab 4 quarter pint canning jars....uh oh, there are only 3 empty...ask Miss Pear if she would like a fruit cup for snack. She reminds me that we are making the advent calendar, and I tell her that unless we have another empty canning jar we are not. She grins and eats up.

Step 7: Wash 4th quarter pint canning jar that you made your daughter eat for a snack (keeping in mind that it is her favorite snack).

Step 8: Cut tissue paper and wrap it around the jars, secure with ribbon, insert tea lights. Wrap ribbon the Christ candle and place everything on the plate.

The results will be as follows:




Finished just in time for the night before Advent, and sitting on the table when we got home from Church on Sunday to light the first candle.

Can I tell you how thrilled I am for a make do with what you have project? In my Christmas serving ware I have some small glass Christmas trees which I will be placing amongst the jars in place of the evergreen boughs to remind us of Christ's undying love for us.

Each night at supper we are lighting the appropriate candles and reading that day's reading of Good Tidings of Great Joy: The Birth of Jesus the Messiah (William Barclay Library), our favorite Advent devotional.

What does your family do in this time leading up to Christmas? Do you celebrate Advent? I would love to hear the details!