What Is It Really About? - In The Family

***Farm Hunting Update:  Well, we spoke with the mortgage company yesterday and everything is good to go except for the appraisal.  Since we are getting a VA loan we don't have a lot of control over that.  We should hear something within the next week.  Once that is done we are heading to closing!!***

What Is It Really About? - In The Family

Today brings a close to our series on determining and applying your family's purpose for Christmas.  We have looked at how to apply it in your home, and in your community, and we conclude by looking at how to apply it within our family.

Applying our purpose within the family is often left in the dust during the holiday season.  We get caught up in doing things with our family, but we forget to do things for our family besides buying gifts.  And while gifts are definitely a way to give, there are so many other ways and opportunities that, to just stop at gift giving is a waste.

How you apply this principle will be very different for each family because each family member has different needs and desires.  But the goal is to make yourself more aware of opportunities that come up.

One thing William and I try to do is watch closely for any child needing extra attention.  We have a belief that if a child feels they need more attention, then they do.  It might not make sense to us as maybe we spend all day, every day with them and we feel like we show them tons of attention, but if they think they need it, then they do for one reason or another. 

So we watch the girls for clues that they need more attention.  Some of the clues that I have noticed is that they pull away when someone else is being praised (there are heart issues that cause this as well, but either way it demands more attention).  For kids that are around elementary school age they may try to sit in your lap or cuddle more often, sometimes even seeming to behave in a way that you don't think is appropriate for their age.  Sometimes they just come right out and say it!!

It is easy for us to get caught up in all of the activities, be it good activities, and leave family members feeling left behind.

Make a point each day to show your children and husband that you are thinking about them.  For my family, this usually involves touch, be it a back rub, snuggling on the couch or just talking while I gently touch their shoulder. 

I am not a very touchy person so I have to make an effort to do this since it is not my natural response.  Yet it seems that everyone else in my family is naturally touchy!!

Get enough sleep!!  Nothing ruins a fun time quicker than tired parents or children!!  I know that it is hard to stay on your regular night time schedule, but it is important to try.  Fatigue also causes your immune system to slow down and you want to keep everyone healthy!!

Now, this one is hard for me, but we try and continue eating right.  I know that we throw in some special treats and meals and that is a-okay!!  But don't make it an everyday occurrence as you will end up with a sluggish family and a bunch of tummy aches.

Slow down and notice all of the love letters that the Lord leaves you and your family throughout the day.  If you will just take the time to look for them, you will be amazed at the many ways the He has put in place to remind you of His presence.

My final tip is one we have talked about before, but is sooo important!  Make sure your family maintains individual time with the Lord each day.  If you are too busy for this, then you are too busy!

My family is one of the greatest blessings that the Lord has given me.  I hate to think of them feeling devalued because I become too busy to deal with or bless them.  So begin each day with a song (my favorite way to wake them up!!) and a prayer and end it with a kiss and a prayer because each day with our family is a gift.  And that is one gift that we want to appreciate and treasure daily!!

What Is It Really About? - In The Community (Part 2)

***Farm Hunting Update - Cold Feet!!  That about sums up the last couple of days for me.  Lately when I start thinking about what we are doing, I almost can't breath!  What in the world are we thinking leaving the safety of our little house here?  Leaving our neighbors, friends, doctors, pharmacy, grocery store, dentist??!!

I have found myself thinking "Oh, maybe the appraisal won't go through!!  Then we don't have to move."  Shame on ME!!

God has a plan and with that plan, He provides the strength.  Not only to get through the process (which involves a lot of waiting and unknowns, which I DON'T like!), but He will also provide new doctor's, new grocery stores, and the knowledge we need to raise our family where He leads.

So I am taking a lot of deep breathes lately!!  And a lot of praying!!***

What Is It Really About? - In The Community (Part 2)

Before I so rudely got sick and had to miss a day, we were looking at how to celebrate our Christmas purpose in the community.  Today I want to show and tell you about our Christmas Kindness Countdown.

I got the idea somewhere in the wild blue yonder of the Internet several years ago.  Some people call it Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. 

My brother teased me last year when I called it that because he said it wasn't so random when I planned it a couple of months in advance!  Gotta love advice from little brothers!!

Anyway, it is an advent calendar of sorts.  Each day we go and pull an activity card.  On the card is listed a way that we can serve the community.  Here is a picture of last year's:

We cut little borders out, glued them on the cute brown bags and put in a card.  The card contained a verse and listed something that we wanted to share with the community that day.  The cards we used last year looked like this:

So every morning, during breakfast, one of the girls would pull the card out for that day, and read the verse and activity.  Then sometime during the day, we would go out together and serve in whatever manner listed.

This year, being that we are in the middle of packing and moving, I needed a countdown that was easy to move.  We talked and thought, thought and talked, looked on the Internet at ideas, and thought and talked again, and this is what we came up with:

We took two 12 X 12 pieces of scrapbooking cardstock paper, attached them with ribbon and the added the small pockets.  The pockets were cut from patterned scrapbooking paper and then the girls and I hand-sewed them onto the brown base.

Our stitches are no-where near perfect, but we had a good time doing it and I know that ever single stitch that went into it was full of love and excitement about serving our community!

The next thing you do is make a list of 24 activities that in some way or another serve your community.  Most of ours cost little to no money, but there are some that we have had to save up for in order to do. 

Some examples of our activities are

1. Drive through your neighborhood and pick 4 houses to stop and pray for.  Then sneak up to their door and tape a Christmas Kindness card and candy cane on it.
2. Write a letter to a US soldier serving overseas.
3. When you are eating out leave an extra, extra large tip along with a Christmas Kindness card.
4. Make a dessert tray for Daddy to bring to work and share.
5. Go to Dollar Tree and tape 5 baggies somewhere in the toy isle.  Each baggie should contain $1 and a Christmas Kindness card.
6. Gather food for a food pantry and deliver.  Call ahead and see if they need any help sorting.
7. Bring a $5 Starbucks gift card to a Salvation Army bell ringer.
8. Collect food and various products for the local animal shelter and drop them off.
9. Write a letter to the local police department thanking them for their work.
10. Buy 10 Starbucks $5 gift cards and hand them out at the mall to random people.

There are many more that you can come up with, the list is endless!  If you have not had the time to save money and can't do some of the more costly ones, keep your activities within your current budget.  There are so many ways to serve that you can always come up with 24 to fit any budget.

This year our cards had to be a bit smaller so they look like this:

We don't have the room to write the verses out, so we will be looking them up!

One tip that I have learned over the years is to really plan which days you want to do each activity before you stick them in the calendar.  If you have plans all afternoon one day, you might want to do one of the activities that takes less time.  If you know you will have a large expenditure that week or need more time to save for some of the more costly activities, schedule ones that cost little to nothing.

I have also started keeping a master list so that I know which activities are coming up!  This helps with the budgeting and time planning too.

Last year we were blessed so greatly by doing these activities.  When we went to the mall to hand out the Starbucks cards and I was amazed at the kindness that a little $5 gift card brought out in others.  After people got over the initial shock of realizing that we wanted to give this to them, expecting nothing in return, they would often share things about their lives with us.  They always went away with a smile and a prayer of blessing.

Another one that was really neat was when we gave the Starbucks card to the Salvation Army bell ringer.  We actually had a lot of trouble finding a bell ringer to give it to.  There was not one at our local grocery store, we drove around the local outdoor mall and could not find anyone.  Finally, driving back home we had to stop at the store.  Then we saw someone there.  She was definitely NOT there 10 minutes before, but we parked, prayed that the Lord would use the gift in the way He saw fit and we took her the card. 



She started to cry and thank us profusely for the gift.  We then went into the grocery store to pick up what we needed, checked out and headed to our car.  Our entire time in the grocery store was not more than 10 minutes.  When we headed out, she was no where to be seen.  The red bucket was gone along with any trace of the lady.  We joked that the Lord transported the person that He wanted to receive the gift from another location!!  :)

You see, in my experience, I have found people receive in different ways.  Sometimes others receive our service in kindness and thankfulness, like when we handed out the Starbucks cards.  Other times people receive it with hostility, or they refuse to receive it at all. 

But you see, our task is not to make them receive it in one way or another, it is just to give and serve all for His glory.  Our reward is not in the smiles and thankfulness of the people, but in the knowledge of the fact that our Saviour can look down on us and say ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Matthew 25:21.

Sicky :(

Good morning!

I just want to let you know that today's post is going to be postponed until tomorrow.  I have not been feeling well since yesterday afternoon, so I am going to get all rested, feel better and get back tomorrow with the second part of the Community post!!

See you then!

What Is It Really About? - In The Community

***Farm Hunting Update:  2 weeks and 2 days until closing!!! ***

What Is It Really About? - In The Community

Yesterday we looked at what we do in our home to fulfill our purpose of the Christmas celebration, today and tomorrow we are going to look at what we do in the community.

Are you frustrated with the government lately?  Politics in general?  What about the direction that our society is headed?  Wanna change it, but feel like it is too large of a task?  Don't despair....Share!!! 

Do you want to teach your children that it is not "all about them"?  Do you want to teach them to serve others?  Show them how it is done!!!

Sharing what God has done for us with the community is one of our greatest blessings at Christmas time.  It takes so very little from us to make a huge impact on someone's day and even their life.

How do we do it?  Well, today I am going to give you some ideas of things we have done in the past, as a family, to serve in the community.  Tomorrow I will share with you our Christmas Kindness Countdown!!

So, in looking to serve outside of our home, the first thing we saw a need for was to NOTICE PEOPLE.  Let's begin with that one!!

• Notice people!  Slow down and notice all of the people that you walk past.  Make sure you smile at them and say hello.  Though, contrary to popular belief, the suicide rate drops in December, the depression rate increases.  People feel stressed, losses are more profound, and many just feel like they don't matter.  Smiling and acknowledging everyone you pass is such a simple thing, but it can make such a huge difference in someone's day.
• Pack up several Christmas Survival Kits and keep in your car to hand out to people on the street corners asking for help or money.  Some of the items I suggest putting in there are cheese crackers, a blanket, loaf of bread, peanut butter, plastic knife, protein bars, a special Christmas snack, a Christmas card letting them know you will pray for them (and make sure you do :)), dried fruit, and the like.  You need items that do not require refrigeration and can be opened easily.  Some people will not have can openers, so if you include any canned items, you might stick a can opener in there.
• Make a point to look around as you go about your day and find people who might need your help.  This can be opening a door, loading their groceries, reaching a can on the top shelf, or unloading their groceries onto the checkout counter.  You will be surprised at the opportunities that God gives you each day to help people when you actually take the time to slow down and look for them. 
• When you make donations, make them good!  Our family worked at a crisis center in October and we were given the task of sorting through the donated clothing and food.  Boy was that a lesson in how to donate!!  It was GROSS going through some of those bags of clothes that people dropped off.  If it has huge stains on it, you might just think of recycling the material for a project.  No one wants to wear your hubby's old t-shirts with giant yellow stains running down the armpits!! Sorting really convicted me to be a better donor with my clothing and food.  I mean, do you really want someone to eat green beans that expired in 1990??!!
• Tip like you care.  When you go out to eat or to pick up that slushie at Sonic, tip the people more than is customary if you can.  There was one day we went to Sonic during happy hour and all got their half-price sodas and slushies.  My total was around $3 so I paid $8.  The lady that was helping us was so shocked at the $5 tip!  She told us that we would not know how much she appreciated it.  Now, if I had not tipped her that $5, I am sure I would have spent it on various things that don't matter.  How much better to use it and change someone's day??!!

• Wear a smile when you go out!  This is another one of those things that sounds so simple, yet can have a huge impact.  Smile in the car when you are frustrated with the driver in front of you, smile as you wait in long lines at the checkout counter, just smile everywhere you go during your day.  The benefit it two-fold.  First, you seem more approachable to people and a smile can calm a situation down quickly.  Second, you help yourself!!  Remember the saying "Fake it 'till you make it"?  It's true!!!  So put on that beautiful smile of yours and share your joy with others!!
• Pray. Pray for your community and leaders.  Pray for your faith community and leaders.  Praying for someone is the greatest gift you can give!!!
• Participate in sharing/giving programs.  There are many Angel Tree, Adopt-A-Family, Christmas Shoe Box and various programs out there.  Pick one (or even two!!) and participate!!  Go shopping as a family and pick out gifts for the child or family that you chose to sponsor, pray over the gifts and turn them in!

As you go about your day today, take time to share the Lord and all he has blessed you with throughout your community!!  Tomorrow, I will show you our Christmas Kindness Countdown and give you some ideas on how to make your own!! 

What Is It Really About? - Around The Home

***Farm Hunting Update - Nothing new to report on the farm front!!***

 

 

What Is It Really About? - Around The Home
(You can find this weeks Menu Monday post at the bottom of this one)

 



So we talked yesterday about our family's purpose in celebrating the holiday season. 

1. Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving for God's willingness to come to earth and die a horrible death so that I might have eternal life.  Thanksgiving for the opportunity to serve Him and glorify Him here on earth.  Thanksgiving for the many blessings that He so abundantly bestows upon us.
2. Sharing - We focus on sharing the above mentioned things with others along with love, joy and peace.
3. Focus On Our Family - Embrace the opportunities of the season to spend time pursuing each of our family members and our family unit as a whole.

Now let's look at how our family does this around our home:

• Plan family activities during the season.  We will bake together, watch movies together, read books together, etc.  We usually make a schedule where Monday is baking day, Tuesday is movie day, Wednesday is craft day and so on.  When we bake or make a craft, we try and make enough to share with at least one other person or family. 
• We are very reluctant to commit to activities that don't at least involve 2 family members as our time is precious and focusing on our family is very important to us.
• Observe advent as a family.  This includes a Christmas hymn each night, Bible reading and story.  Get the supplies and make your advent wreath together.
• We usually go and cut our Christmas tree down at a Christmas Tree Farm together the day after Thanksgiving.  What fun!!!  We walk around for a couple of hours until all of the trees look the same and then pick the "perfect" tree!!

• Wrap your Christmas books and put them under the tree!  You can open one each evening beginning Dec. 1st (If you don't have enough books, just rewrap some!  They love hearing them over and over!)
• We go a little crazy in the decorating department!  We do this using what we have or making things together.  Last year we did our living room and tree all in homemade Christmas ornaments and decor from nature!  It was really fun to make it all together and even more fun to look at each day.  This does not have to be expensive at all!  It definitely does not look pretty to everyone, but boy howdy do we love it!!

•  Try to have other families over whenever possible.  It is always a blessing to serve others at our dinner table or even to just sit and visit in the living room.  Take time out to share your life with others and to serve them in your home.
• When you decorate your tree, have a little family party!  This year we had finger foods for dinner and ate in front of a roaring fire in the fire place (or course, we had to turn the A/C down really low to get it cold enough in the house so we did not melt :)).
• Hang on to your Christmas cards!  We have saved our cards for over five years.  It is so fun to go back through them and look at everyone's pictures, read them and pray for the families. 
• Try to have a caroling party!  This is an easy way to share with your neighbors in the Christmas season and involve your family and friends.  Invite a few families over and ask everyone to bring a finger food to share.  Eat and fellowship and then practice singing through about 2 Christmas carols that you all know.  Now head out!!  Ring the bell and start singing!  We have had great reception when we have tried this and a great time!
• On Christmas Eve, we have a Jesus birthday party.  The girls and I bake and decorate a cake, we sing Happy Birthday Jesus and blow out candles.  Then we listen to William read the Christmas story.  Our reasoning behind this is that on Christmas Eve, everyone begins to get really excited about what Christmas morning brings.  This is time to slow it all down again and bring our thoughts and focus back on Christ and the gift that He gave us.
• Take a trip driving around town together and look at Christmas lights.  Pack some hot chocolate in a thermos, some snacks and a little Christmas music and go look in wonder at the beautiful lights!!

• I have told you that we don't do gifts, but we do have a little visit on Christmas Eve from an "elf." He sneaks into the girls' room and leaves them each a new pair of pajamas!! It is a fun tradition that we all look forward to and it makes for nice pictures Christmas morning!
• Once the kids are out of school, plan a pj and movie day!! Go through and watch your favorite Christmas movies all day long!
• Take time to play games together!

• We usually give up gifts in lieu of taking a trip. Our girls know that we take a trip, but they don't know where we go each year. The first year we did this we found a cabin a few hours north of us. We had seen pictures and knew that when you drove up, there was a large fire pit surrounded by totem poles. In August, William began telling the girls a story at bedtime, once a week, about a group of sisters who went on an adventure. Each time he told the story, he would describe one aspect about the house. It was such a treat for them to drive up and see the house that they had heard about for months in his story!! (we could only do this that one year, after that, they were on to us!!)

• One night, usually the week before Christmas, we have my brother, and Mimi and Grampy over for a gingerbread house decorating contest. We call it gingerbread houses, but it is really graham crackers, some really, really stiff icing and tons of candy! We usually have 60 minutes to construct and decorate using what supplies are provided and then we vote for the top one. This is really fun and we always get a chuckle out of looking at what we all come up with.

• Don't try to make everything perfect.  It is not worth it and probably won't happen!  Just enjoy your family and soak in the blessings that God has given you.
• Never, ever, EVER get too busy to spend time with the Lord each day.  If you find that you are running out of time, or are too tired, or whatever your excuse might be, change your schedule.  There is no way to have a heart full of thanksgiving, love, joy and peace and be ready to share it with the world if you are not spending time with the one who fills your heart with those things. 

Several people have asked if we do "Santa" and if so, how do we explain that to the girls. We do Santa, but instead of gifts he fills the stockings that they get on Christmas morning. When we first had children, a concern of ours was how to deal with Santa. It was a fun part of AcCOWntant Willie's and my childhood, but we had heard stories of children questioning the existence of God when they found out that Santa was not real. 

What we decided to do has worked well for us!  We tell the girls that Santa stuffs their stocking, but usually around age 5 (earlier for some), they ask if Santa is real.  When they ask that, we ask them if they really want to know the truth.  Two of the girls said nope! And we went on until the next year when they would ask again. 

Once they say that they want to know the truth, we tell them.  It is funny, because knowing the truth never affected their excitement or the fun they have seeing their stockings.  In fact, DD #2 sighed a huge sigh of relief and said that she was so happy to find that out!  Apparently it had always scared her to think that some man came down our chimney and into the house while we were sleeping!!

This is a very personal decision that each family needs to make, but that is how we handled it. 

So, if you don't have one already, how about sitting down and making a schedule of family activities!!  If you work and don't have time to do elaborate things during the week, don't fret!  Just plan things like having dinner as a picnic sitting in front of your Christmas tree, or perhaps learn a new Christmas song together.  Make a plan so that you can capture special moments while focusing on your family!!  How do you bring Christmas into your home?

Tomorrow we will begin our two day talk on how our family brings the purpose of our Christmas season to the community.  See y'all then!!

Menu Monday

Monday Breakfast - Whole Wheat Banana Muffins/Eggs/Melons
Monday Lunch - We usually meet my mom for lunch on this day!
Monday Dinner - Sandwiches/Fruit (We have deep cleaning as a family after dinner on Mondays. We have found that if we all work together, we can get it done in about 1 1/2 hours and then we have a special "clean house" dessert!!)
Monday Snack - Mix of nuts, seeds and chocolate chips

Tuesday Breakfast - Eggs/Whole Wheat Biscuits/Hash Browns with Peppers/Citrus Fruit
Tuesday Lunch - Baked Potatoes/Steamed Broccoli/Cheese
Tuesday Dinner - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (set aside extra ground turkey or beef for tacos tomorrow and extra sauce for Friday's dinner)/Green Peas/Salad/Garlic Bread
Tuesday Snack - Sonic Happy Hour Run for Slushies

Wednesday Breakfast - Whole Wheat Waffles/Peanut Butter/Strawberries
Wednesday Lunch - Soft Tacos (made with meat from last night)/Tortilla Chips/Salsa
Wednesday Dinner - Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup/Homemade Bread
Wednesday Snack - Peanut Butter Balls

Thursday Breakfast - Cinnamon Bread/Cream Cheese/Strawberries
Thursday Lunch - Sandwiches/Fruit
Thursday Dinner - Crockpot BBQ Chicken/Steamed Asparagus/Corn on the Cob
Thursday Snack - Peanut Butter Balls

Friday Breakfast - Yogurt/Granola/Fruit/Nuts
Friday Lunch -Pizza Wraps/Red Pepper Strips/Salad/Organic Chocolate Bar
Friday Dinner - Boil In A Bag Omelets/Fruit Salad/Toast
Friday Snack- Popcorn with Fresh Mozzarella

What Is It Really About? Part 2

***Farm Hunting Update - AcCOWntant has been making a lot of progress on getting our current home ready for renters!  He has been trying to do at least one thing on it each evening and I can definitely see progress. 

 

Also, DD's #3 and #4 decided that they want to decorate their new room in horses, so I will keep you updated as we work toward designing and implementing their dream horse room!!***

What Is It Really About?  Part 2

If you read the previous post, you know that this is part 2 in the series "What Is It Really About?"  If you did not read the previous post, then, this is part 2 in the series "What Is It Really About?"!!  (I am pretty funny early in the morning!  And it is REALLY early in the morning!!)  You can read the first part here:  Part 1

Yesterday we talked a bit about evaluating your holiday season and making sure you knew the purpose for your family.  Every family will most likely have a different purpose, even if they have the same basic beliefs.

Christmas 2009

I do want to clarify one thing.  Gifts are not bad.  Buying presents on Black Friday and diving into the stores to locate that one perfect item is not wrong.  It just does not line up with our family's purpose, and we don't particularly enjoy it!!  As a family, we have chosen to travel a lot during the year and on Christmas day instead of gifts and that works best for us.  But, just because it is not what we want, does not make it wrong or bad!!

Okay, now back on topic!!  Yesterday I left off where AcCOWntant Willie and I were working on nailing down our purpose and looking to see if our actions supported that purpose.  We talked about celebrating the birth of Jesus and what that really means to us and this is what we came up with and the way we work it...

The Christmas season for us begins on Thanksgiving day and it is a season of thanksgiving and sharing.  We want to spend time focusing on what we are thankful for, and foremost on that list is the gift of eternal life.  In addition to focusing on thanksgiving, we want to share that gift of eternal life and the gifts of love, joy and peace with those around us. 

We also want to focus on family.  We are given the unique opportunity during this time of year to spend more time and do more things as a family.  There are extra days off of work and school, holiday parties, lots of free concerts and plays, fun activities offered by cities and organizations, and nights to spend in front of a fire sipping hot chocolate and working on puzzles!!

This all culminates on New Years' Day!  On this day we are given the gift of a new year and a new opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

So this being our purpose, we decided that there was a need to look at everything we chose to invest in and make sure it was a wise investment toward pursuing our purpose. 

Now, some will argue that we should do these things all year long, and to that I offer no resistance.  We should do these things all year!  We look at this time as a kind of renewal and refocusing though.  Given the opportunities that our society gives us during this time of year, why not take advantage of them??!!



Free festival put on by a city close by!

I want to share, over the next few days, a few things that we do.  Some, you may find interesting and pull a few ideas from and others you might think we are off our rockers and totally disregard!!

Let's break each day down into a different category:
Monday - Around the Home
Tuesday- In the Community
Wednesday - In the Community part 2
Thursday - In the Family

So pick and choose, but hopefully you will find at least a few things that help spark some ideas for your own family!  And we are always looking for new ideas, so feel free to leave a comment and share what you do!!

What Is It Really About?

***Farm Hunting Update - Hooray!!  They found the septic system.  And guess what??  It is FULL of icky stuff!!!!  I will leave out all of the details regarding the consistency and such. :)  The current owners kindly offered to have it pumped, so we are taking them up on that offer.  Oh yes we are!!  So we enter our new home with 2 500 gallon tanks ready and able to hold our..."stuff."***

What Is It Really About?

Thanksgiving has drawn to a close and the Christmas season begins!  Our family usually begins that season with a day out in the country cutting down our Christmas tree, followed the next day by a family decorating party.  This year we are waiting to cut the tree until we get moved, so we just had a tree decorating party!



Our food theme this year was finger foods!

AcCOWntant Willie LOVES my Christmas punch!

The girls watching as Daddy turns the tree lights on!

Most years our tree takes up the entire window.  Though
this one is smaller,
 she is still a beauty!  This tree holds our homemade ornaments.

We have gone pretty light on the Christmas decorations knowing that in 2 1/2 weeks we will have to take them all down and pack them up to move!




 

This tree is in the dining room and this year is holding
our special ornaments.
  Every time we travel, we pick ornaments up and each year we
 get each girl a special
 ornament, usually with a theme. 

Several years ago, our family decided to give up Christmas gifts and instead leave for a trip each Christmas on Christmas Day.  We have had so much fun going many different places and skiing, hiking, playing together and generally just being a family!  It is something we look forward to each year and really a time that we can just all recharge ourselves and strengthen our relationships with each other.

 

Our Christmas trip in 2007

There have been several benefits to doing this in addition to the ones mentioned above.  One big one is that it has completely cured our "I wanna...."'s regarding Christmas gifts.  One benefit that I appreciate is that I don't have to get out into the stores when everyone is fighting over items, their place in line, etc. 

 

Trip 2009

They do get items in their stockings on Christmas morning, and gifts before Christmas from their grandparents, so don't go away thinking they are soooo deprived!!!  Also, remember that we discuss it every year to make sure everyone is still on board with the arrangement and so far they prefer it.  Of course, DD #4 really does not have anything to compare it to as it is all she has ever done!!

 

Leaving for last year's Christmas trip to Estes Park, CO!

 

Once we cleared away the gift work, we had to figure out how to make the season matter!  How to make it represent what we felt it should.  In order to do this, AcCOWntant and I had to figure out "What is it really about"?

Well, we knew that it was not really about the gifts and such from the get go.  And our standard answer was that it was about celebrating the birth of Jesus.  But what does that really mean?  And honestly, how do you REALLY celebrate the birth of Jesus?  I mean, we have always had a Jesus birthday cake on Christmas Eve to remind us of what we are there for.  And we have several nativity sets that we put up in our home.  But is that enough?

 

Was it enough to acknowledge that it is a celebration of Christ, throw in a few "Godly" ornaments, and give up gifts for family time?  I mean, I say Merry Christmas when I see people in stores instead of Happy Holidays and I try to always throw some money into the Salvation Army red bucket, but again, was it enough?  If it is a holiday celebrating Christ, was I spending a majority of my time concentrating on Christ like I would if it were one of my girls' birthdays or do I spend a majority of the time stressing about parties, food, decorations, cards, scheduling fun activities, crafts, etc?

 

Gingerbread House decorating party

 

For us, we were not doing enough.  And probably we will never do enough.  Because frankly, how do you adequately celebrate the fact that God chose to come to earth in human form, live a human life and die a criminal's death for us?  Just because he loved us and thought we were worth it. 

 

Yes, AcCOWntant and I saw a need for some changes to come around and come around soon!! 

 

I can't wait to share with you what changes we implemented, but I think I will do this a little at a time.  Kinda like a series!!!  I have already written a looooong post today, so I will tell you a little more about it tomorrow, sound good?!?

So, as you go through your day today and you start to look at your family's Christmas season, ask yourself "What is it really about to my family."  Your answer may be very different from mine, and that is okay!  But think about it, we devote around one month to this season and a LOT of money.  So take some time today to figure out what your purpose is and then look at the activities you are investing in and see if they align with your purpose.

 

I can't wait to tell you more tomorrow!!  See y'all then!

 

Where Oh Where Can The Septic Tank Be?

 

Is anyone else still totally stuffed from yesterday??!!  Boy howdy I am!  I am not sure if I will ever eat again! (Well, I am pretty sure I will but let's keep that last sentence in for dramatic purposes!!)

The girls and I spent all day on Wednesday cooking and baking.  We made homemade mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread stuffing, sweet potato casserole, apple pie, 2 pumpkin pies, 2 chocolate pies and a yummy Snickers dip recipe I found on Pinterest!!  Then we prepped the glazed carrots for cooking in the crock pot on Thursday and got the rolls ready to start rising.



Crumbling the biscuits for the stuffing!

Now crumbling the cornbread for the stuffing!
 



Thursday, getting everything out and bringing it to room temperature!  Luckily my brother lives next door, so I had his oven going too!



Getting the dessert table ready!









Now getting the food table ready!

  

Journey was not a lot of help, until it came time to clean/eat the crumbs up off of the floor!

It was a fun day, but boy did our feet hurt at the end of it!  Doing so much prep work the day before Thanksgiving really allowed us to relax and enjoy yesterday though.

So, we had 22 people come over.  My uncle brought a yummy turkey and my cousin brought a pecan pie.  My dad and step-mom brought 2 delish pecan pies, deviled eggs to die for and a ham !  Mom and step-dad came with Mom's famous corn casserole, jello salad, green bean casserole, gravy and the best banana pudding this side of the Mississippi Line!!  :)

Best part of the whole day???  My step-brother and his sweet wife brought their new 1-week old daughter!!  Yes!!  I got to hold a beautiful baby yesterday!!  (I might have totally creeped out my sister-in-law though by asking to watch her change the baby's diaper!  I just love seeing their little legs and feet though and when they are all wrapped up in their blanket and snug clothes you can't see their little cute feet and legs!!!)

Needless to say, we had wayyy more food than we could ever eat and wayyy too much fun.  What a blessing it was to spend the day visiting with family.

Oh man, I bet you are wondering why I have a title about the septic tank yet all I am doing is talking about Thanksgiving and food!!  Well, let me dive into my septic tank drama!  (Oh gross!!  Not literally of course!)

Last Friday we had all of our different inspectors come to the new house, the regular home inspector, the termite inspector and the septic tank inspector.  Mr. Septic Inspector showed up a couple of hours late, so that was not off to a good start.

After poking and digging around in the yard for an hour, he announced that he could not find the system and would have to check with the county for the plans on where it is at.  Okay, a little bump and delay, but no biggie.  We asked the couple we are buying the home from if they would give us a few more days on the contract clause that allows an out if something fails inspection and they said of course!!  They gave us until Wednesday :)

Monday comes around and he calls the county.  Well, the property system was not registered with the county because it was there before that was required, so...no plans.  Okay, another little bump, but again, no biggie!

Tuesday arrives and finds our septic inspector carefully digging  up the yard following the septic lines to find the tank and....he finds it!!!  But there is a little problem.  The lid has been cemented on and he can't get it off.  Mr. Septic Inspector calls us and tell us that the -lenk/leach/whatever it is called- field looks good and the lines look old, but good as well.  The little problem is that he can't get the lid off to inspect the tank and he did not bring the equipment that will allow him to do so. 

Oh, one other little thing, he is going to need to charge us another $75 on top of the $150 we are already paying because this has been more work than he thought.

Okay, so we agree to pay the money and to give him until Wednesday.  We remind him that we must have a report by Wednesday because, otherwise, we are locked into our contract.  No problem!!

Wednesday comes and we call several times and try to speak with him and...no answer!  We leave several messages and...no return call!

Yup, you guessed it, we still have no idea the condition of the actual tank!  We do know that it has not been pumped in about 50 years though!!!  Trust me, with my family of six moving in, we will definitely need to do some pumping!! 

Good news is that at least we know where it is now.  Bad news, there could be a giant hole in the bottom of it and it is all going into an underground cave!

Moral of this blog story.....If you ever come to visit us, don't dig too deep or go spelunking!  You don't know what you might find!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Give someone you love a great big, sloppy, wet kiss!! :)

 

Lucky him!!!

 

Thanksgiving Day Prayer

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.
-Samuel F. Pugh

Let Us Be Thankful - Instilling Gratitude In Our Children

**Farm Hunting Update:  Not much to post today except that the girls and I are the packing ROCK STARS!!!  Check out our before and after pictures!!***

Before



After

Packing Rock Stars!!

Let Us Be Thankful - Instilling Gratitude In Our Children

If you are like most American families, you are looking forward to Thursday's Thanksgiving celebration!  Thanksgiving is a time in which we share a meal...usually a rather LARGE one...with our family and friends and spend time being thankful for all that we have.  Most of us take time to think back over the past year and reflect on everything we have to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday full of fun traditions and has a nice motive behind it, but what about the other 364 days of the year?  What if you don't have family to celebrate with or a home to celebrate in?  Thankfulness always comes easier when our blessings are abundant, but what about when they are not? 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Though we should always be thankful for every blessing that the Lord has given us, whether that is a trip to Disney World or a walk in the park, our thankfulness should not stem from these things.  As Psalm 107:8 says, "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (italics added) This is not dependant on our "stuff."

How do we, as parents, teach our children to, like the scripture says above, give thanks for His goodness and the works He does in others as opposed to just our possessions and circumstances?

Though our family has not mastered it, these are some things that have helped us:

Pray:  This will always be my number one tip in any parenting adventure!  We may not always know the perfect way to cultivate our children for God's plan, but He does!!  Just ask :)

Demonstrate Thankfulness:  Yuppers, this means you!!  Live your own life in accordance with the scripture that calls us to give thanks in all circumstances.  Is it hard?  Yes.  But also remember scripture  tells us in Philippians 4:13 that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  So come on!! You can do it!!

Pray Before Meals:  I know that some of you consider this cliche and I know that it can become a rote exercise. But taking time to thank the Lord for your food is a wonderful habit to have and rote exercise or not, it teaches thankfulness, no matter what is being served.

Teach the Difference Between Needs and Wants:  Teach this concept and teach it early!  It is so easy for children to think that everything they desire is a need. 

Don't Fall Into the "Life is Fair" Trap:  Please don't try and make everything "fair" for each of your children.  This will cause stress and an unnecessary amount of work for you and it teaches your children an unrealistic concept. 

If one child is invited to a birthday party, don't expect them to all be invited.  If one child receives a gift from a grandparent, don't run out and buy something for all of the other children.  We want our children to grow up finding joy in the Lord, not in things.  Teach them to be happy for others.

My two youngest daughters went to a birthday party a couple of months ago and when they got home, they noticed that DD#3's goodie bag had more candy than DD#4's. DD#4 began to complain about hers not having as much, so my husband proceeded to take her goodie bag away, never to be seen by her again.  We, as parents, used this as an opportunity to teach her that life is not fair and the she should be thankful no matter what circumstances she is handed.

Show Them the World Around Them:  It is easy to get caught up in all we have and the way we do things and forget that we are just a tiny part of the beautiful world God created.  There are many ways to do this such as travel, mission trips, volunteer work, etc. 

We volunteered at a downtown crisis center as a family this summer and encountered people from many different ethnic, social and economical backgrounds. I don't want my children to see others with less and think "Oh we are so blessed!  They have so little and we have so much."  I want my children to learn to see others the way Christ sees them and be thankful for them because God made them.

There are people with much more than we have and there are people with much less.  The point is to find our joy not in things, but in the Lord and once you do that, it is easier to give thanks in all circumstances. 

Do Not Allow Unthankful Words:  Our words have power to influence our heart and our heart influences our words.  When words of ungratefulness flow out, it is important to put a stop to them and investigate why they were there in the first place.  Is it a habit they picked up or a heart condition that you need to address?


Too often we fall into the trap of thinking we should teach our children to be thankful because we are so blessed materially, and, we are blessed for the most part.  Though we should be thankful for our material blessing, our thankfulness should not stem from them.  If it does, it becomes too easy to not be thankful when those things are taken away or lost.  We are called to be thankful in everything, in all circumstances. 

 

 

We only have to look around and see the goodness of the Lord in the trees, mountains, sunrise, and the wonderful works he does in others. This is how we can be thankful if we have a home to rest in each night, or a we live in a box.  Our thankfulness does not lie in what WE have or what WE do, but in what HE does!

Menu Monday - Happy Thanksgiving

***Farm Hunting Update - Not much has changed since yesterday :) 





 

 

    Lots of phone calls to make today to get questions answered. We have a lot to wrap up before the Thanksgiving holiday. But.....we searched around and found that boxes are cheaper at Home Depot!!  The packing has begun!!***

              

Menu Monday - Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this week!  I am always overwhelmed with the amount of blessings that we have to be thankful for.  We have a home, food, transportation, William has a job, we live in a country and state that allows us to homeschool, we are all healthy, we have family around us, great friends, awesome church, and an abundance of love. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving week this week!! 

Here is our menu:

Monday Breakfast - Whole Wheat Banana Muffins/Eggs/Melons
Monday Lunch - We usually meet my mom for lunch on this day!
Monday Dinner - Sandwiches/Fruit (We have deep cleaning as a family after dinner on Mondays. We have found that if we all work together, we can get it done in about 1 1/2 hours and then we have a special "clean house" dessert!!)
Monday Snack - Mix of nuts, seeds and chocolate chips

Tuesday Breakfast - Eggs/Whole Wheat Biscuits/Hash Browns with Peppers/Citrus Fruit
Tuesday Lunch - Spinach and Feta Quesadillas/Apple Slices
Tuesday Dinner - Homemade Chicken Nuggets/Mashed Potatoes/Gravy/Green Peas
Tuesday Snack - Sonic Happy Hour Run for Slushies

Wednesday Breakfast - Whole Wheat Waffles/Peanut Butter/Strawberries
Wednesday Lunch - French Bread/ Peanut Butter/Honey/Raw Veggies/Fruit/Yogurt
Wednesday Dinner - Black Bean Nachos/Homemade Salsa (see below)/Tortilla Chips
Wednesday Snack - Peanut Butter Balls

Thursday Breakfast - Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Thursday Lunch - Thanksgiving Lunch!!
Thursday Dinner - Leftovers!!
Thursday Snack - Lots of Yummy Thanksgiving Desserts!!

Friday Breakfast - Yogurt/Granola/Fruit/Nuts
Friday Lunch -Turkey Sandwiches (made with leftover turkey)/Zucchini Bites/Chocolate Milk
Friday Dinner - Potato and Cheese Soup (see below)/Homemade Bread
Friday Snack - Popcorn with Fresh Mozzarella

Today I have two EASY recipes for you that are soooo yummy!!!

The first is salsa.  Homemade salsa is very easy and economical to make. Here is how we make it:

Salsa

1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Tomato
1 Bunch of Cilantro
1 Large Onion
2 TBS Minced Garlic (or more if you like a strong garlic flavor)
1 30 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 - 3 Jalapenos
Juice from Jarred Jalapenos (if you have it and want spicy!)

Chop your peppers, onion and tomato down in order to make it easier for your food processor.  Place the peppers, tomato, cilantro, onion and garlic in food processor and chop on high.  Once that is chopped well, add as much of the crushed tomatoes as you need to in order to bring about desired taste.  We don't like a strong tomato taste, so we usually add about 3/4 of the can. 

Then add however many Jalapenos you like and the jalapeno juice to taste, chop it all again, and you are good to go!  I add no sugar or salt as I usually use the yellow, sweet onions and I think it sweetens it enough and personally I would rather not add the sugar.

Try new things with the recipe!  Add peaches or chipotle sauce one time and see what you think!!


The second recipe is Potato and Cheese Soup.  Now, I must forewarn you that this soup recipe is VERY easy and VERY yummy, but not healthy in any way, shape or form!!  We don't eat it often, but when we do it is a special treat and we all devour it!!

Potato and Cheese Soup

4 Cans of Cream of Potato Soup
2 lbs Velveeta - Chopped into cubes
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Potatoes
Milk

Boil and cook several potatoes down until they are soft.  The number of potatoes you add is really just a personal choice.  If you like your soup more on the chunky side, add more potatoes.  We like chunky!!  Let them cool and then chop them into cubes.

Pour your cans of soup into a large pot along with the Velveeta and chopped potatoes.  Fill each empty soup can with milk and add to the pot.  Cook on the stove until the Velveeta is melted and add more milk if you like a thinner soup.  Then add sharp cheddar cheese to taste and you are done!!

I usually serve the soup with fresh bacon pieces, sour cream, extra cheese and chives for people to add.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and I pray you have a blessed week this week!!!

Beginning to Let Go

***Farm Hunting Update:  We had the home inspection on Friday and that went really well.  As Dreamer (DD #1) says, it is a real quality house.  The inspector told us that we would be hard pressed to find a better maintained 50 year old home.  The only issue that came up was with the a/c unit in the newer part of the house, but we are asking the present owners to fix the problem. 

 

We are still waiting on the septic inspection. ***

Beginning to Let Go

 

Having lived in our current home for over 13 years, we have a lot of memories here.  Two of my sweet girls were born while we lived in this house and each of the four girls have experienced most, if not all, of their childhood here. 

AcCOWntant Willie and I have spent a majority of our 19 year marriage together here.  We have great friends that live 2 doors down and my brother lives next door (see picture below).  We have had a good life in this home.



Happy birthday welcome in front of my neighbor (Bro!) house

 

When we bought this house we had looked at many, MANY homes.  AcCOWntant walked in the door here and said "this is it!"  I was not thrilled as it was smaller than most of the other ones we had looked at and there was no "Wow" factor here.  But he was certain that this was it, and poof, we were moving in!  In fact, we bought it without even having it inspected!!!

 This has been a great home for us.  In 13 years we have had no major issues with the house.  The a/c has, at times, acted up, but that is it.  And space wise, it has provided for all of our needs.  We love our home.

This past week we went through the storage shed, attic, closets and rooms to try and weed out anything that we do not need to bring with us.  I am pretty good about not hanging on to things we don't need or use, so this was probably a bit easier for us than most, but it was still difficult.



Why does organizing always look so messy??!!

 

What was difficult was not the sorting, organizing, etc.  It was the letting go.  We let go of so much stuff this week through garage sale, donation, trash.  We gave away the first couch that William and I bought (trust me, it was time!!).  We sold part of the first bedroom set we bought together.  I had to say goodbye to baby clothes, baby toys, and Barney movies.  Yes, it was hard, but we knew that it needed to be done.



Moving Sale!



Now we begin the process of letting go of our home.  No, we are not selling it, so we will maintain some part of it, but we won't be living here.  We won't wake up each morning to look out the back window and see the place where many Jedi battles were fought and fairy lands visited.

Baby (DD #4) the Jedi Princess

Bubble (DD #3) the Jedi!

 














We won't see the crack in the wall that has been there since the day we bought the house.  We won't see the playhouse that has been such an integral part of our children's lives. 



Many years ago, some of the girls and our neighbors painting the playhouse!

The spots where we have buried our pets will just become another part of the yard.  Our grapevines will become someone else's harvest.  Our neighbors will become someone else's neighbors.  And our home will become someone else's home. 

As we went through the inspection report on Friday, one of the current owners asked if she could stay and hear the report.  Of course we said that was fine, but the inspector warned her that it could be hard for her to hear someone point out everything that was wrong with the house.  She thought she would be okay with it, so she stayed. 

Each time he pointed out a flaw, she had a story for it!  She shared so much about the home we hope to move into!  Many stories and memories to go along with a broken piece of tile, a stain on the hard-wood floor, even a missing pipe on the hot water heater!!  I realized that they were beginning to let go too and for them, it must be an even harder process since they know that he has a terminal illness and this has been their family home for over 30 years. 

Letting go of things is hard.  But it is necessary.  Letting go of people is harder.  But sometimes we have no choice.  Letting go of life is hardest.  But something we must all face at one time or another. 

But don't fret, because there is an upside! 

Though we let go of some of the things, most of us are blessed to have what we need.  Though we have to let go of people, we don't have to let go of the memories.  And though we must all, at one point or another, let go of this life, we are given the choice of eternal life with God.

Sometimes we have to let go of what we have now, to free our hands up to accept what we have coming.



 

Getting ready to head out.....


 

....on a new....







LIFE ADVENTURE!!!!!