The Reason

Sometimes I am amazed that despite all the distractions surrounding Christmas our children get it! 

As soon as our tree was up, our oldest ran upstairs, retrieved my old doll cradle and swaddled one of my old dolls in a handmade doll quilt from my Grandma.

She put "Jesus" front and center -- where he should be.

Have a MEANINGFUL Christmas!

Noodles on our Tree!!!

When we got married, we had a beautiful angel on top of our Christmas tree. She held two lights -- one in each hand. She had a delicate face and wore a fancy dress. She was beautiful.

This is what has topped our tree for 5 years. It is a piece of cardboard, a toilet paper tube, noodles and gold spray paint. 

Emily made it in pre-school. 

The girls ask for this star every year! They could care less about a perfectly decorated tree. They love the homemade ornaments as much as any perfectly manufactured ornaments. 

They make me stop and appreciate contentment.

And a funny little story about our sweet Emily. When she was four, she really got into the Christmas tree. She loved hanging things on it. She loved rearranging the ornaments. Did I mention that she loved hanging things on it? She hung all of her Sunday school projects on it. I thought this was cute behavior until I walked by the tree and saw a foreign object on the tree. It caught my eye. I stopped, not believing that she had hung a PAIR OF HER UNDERWEAR ON THE TREE! Ah, sweet Emily!

Candy Christmas!

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is making a chocolate nativity scene. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Julie, for gifting me a very cool candy mold! We use it every year. It doesn't take long to make and the kids love eating their way through stable!

Feeling of Accomplishment

So yesterday, I realize that if I don't get on the ball, our Christmas packages won't reach their recipients on time. So the kids and I wrap and package. Tape is flying. Paper is cut and labeled. I am frantically searching for boxes the right size, and we are filling empty spaces with crumpled farming newspapers.

We take a little trip to the post office with seven packages.  

We mailed them YESTERDAY (the 19th) and my sister in Quincy received hers today (the 20th). How is that for service??? 

Way to go, USPS!!

All I Want for Christmas . . .

Not too long ago someone asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I am never ready for a question like that. Honestly, I don't want much. I like lots of things, but don't want many things.

After much thought I have finally thought of two things that I REALLY would like. 

First -- a van detailing, for four reasons.
1. I like a clean vehicle.
2. We have children.
3. Our garage is not heated.
4. I dislike the cold.

The other thing is time. Time. That's it! 

I love being with our fabulous children. They are so much fun, and I treasure my time with them. After 10 years of parenting and 4 years of home schooling I have so many unfinished projects and remodeling dreams. Hobbies have fallen by the wayside. My booklist continues to grow. Time alone with that wonderful husband is rare, and shopping alone is a daydream.


I don't think I am the only mom who would love "time." I would be thrilled with the gift of 3 hours a month to do whatever I want with! Is that selfish? Unrealistic?

Sometimes the most meaningful gifts cannot be wrapped with fine ribbons. Sometimes they don't burden the bank account. Sometimes they are just . . . thoughtful.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

I have always thought about myself as a patient person -- until I met my husband. I am convinced that if you look up patience in the dictionary, you would see a picture of his handsome self. In fact, he is the one who alerted me that I am not patient.

When I really think about it, though, he is right. I have trouble patiently waiting while someone is talking without interrupting. And, sometimes I have to take deep breaths and force a smile when two fellow shoppers are completely blocking a shopping aisle with their shopping carts while having a lengthy and casual conversation (major pet peeve!!!). When it is cold outside and our little guy wants to crawl all over the van instead of climbing in his car seat so I can buckle him and I am standing outside in bitter cold wind, well, I feel very impatient.

Patience is a tough virtue. Who loves a wait? Admit it. When you are ready to check out at the supermarket, do you carefully survey the lines and choose the longest one? Probably not!

Ever been to an amusement park on a hot summer day? And wished that the line was longer?

Anyone dread updating their computer, phone or internet service because it would be "too fast?"

How often have you looked forward to hearing the words, "Please remain on the line for the next available assistant."?

Nope. Most of us do not look forward to waiting. We want instant gratification. We want things fast. Life is becoming faster and faster-paced. We have fast-food. We love express lanes. We raise our speed limits. So we are becoming less and less accustomed to having patience. 

There are many ways to start to re-gain patience in your life.


First, identify the times when you have the most trouble maintaining patience. Then, brainstorm ways to eliminate the stress that leads to impatience.

For instance, I know that if we are rushed to get somewhere on time I become impatient. When I plan ahead the night before, the morning becomes much less rushed and I am more patient. 

God has a way of teaching lessons. I can remember a time when I had an appointment to get my hair cut. This was when we only had Emily and I was big-in-the-belly with Megan, and Emily was fortunate enough to get to tag along on this exciting errand. 

Now one thing to note about Emily is that she is rarely in a hurry. She soaks in life and truly enjoys her surroundings. That is great, unless you are running late. And on this particular day we were running late for our appointment. 

I was rushing her, coaxing her along. And, on the sidewalk she tripped and tore her tights and got a bloody knee. I KNOW that if she had not been rushed she never would have tripped. So, instead of being patient with our sweet toddler and being 5 minutes late for my appointment, I had to bring her inside the house, clean up and bandage her bloody knee, change her clothes and comfort her -- and we were 15 minutes late.

I don't think I have rushed my kids to the garage without thinking of that incident, and it reminds me to be patient.

So, if you find yourself becoming impatient in traffic, you might find an alternate, less-traveled route. If you find yourself impatient at stores, you might decide which days are less crowded at your favorite stores, and shop on those days. 

Secondly, take a step back and see the big picture. 
Like I said, my husband has patience to spare! We dated three and a half years before he decided to go shopping for some life-changing jewelry, and five months later we were married. I was ready to take his name long before he asked! Then we waited four years before starting a family. I was ready for babies long before he was. I could not wait, but the Lord taught me (through Matthew) to wait. Just wait and enjoy the season of life that we were in. 

Now, looking back, I am so thankful for our long dating season. We knew each other well when we married. We had been best friends for years and knew each other's favorite foods, knew how important fantasy football was (to one of us!!), and had been prayer partners for years. No surprises! We knew what we were in for!

Looking back, after 10 years of parenting and many more to go, I am so thankful that we had four years to ourselves to enjoy being newlyweds. It was the most wonderful season. 

Sometimes I catch myself wanting to rush ahead to the season when our children are independent enough to leave at home so we can date again. Then I stop and look at the big picture -- in 8 years Emily will be an adult!!! We only have 8 more years to raise her and enjoy her at home. Do I really want to wish away this very special season of raising our children? I will be patient!

It was difficult to see the big picture then, because I was impatient to get to the next stage in life. But God sees the big picture. His timing is different -- and better -- than ours!

Pray that God will help you develop patience. It is a fruit of the God's spirit, so the more God's Holy Spirit is dwelling in you, the more fruit you will bear! This means spending time in God's word, in prayer and in praise. Interestingly enough, when you study the history of the Israelites you discover that when God's people drew close to Him, they won battles and were blessed. When they allowed themselves to be drawn away from God, they found themselves in trouble. It is NOT just a coincidence. Many benefits come from a close relationship with God. It does not mean that life will be without problems, but it means that we have a "personal trainer" -- the Holy Spirit -- to encourage us and guide us. 

Ecclesiastes 7:8

The end of a matter is better than its beginning, 

and patience is better than pride.

Folepi Lights

Life is full of learning opportunities. 

Matthew and I learned something last night. We learned that you should NOT drive an hour and 45 minutes to East Peoria to see the Christmas light display on a Saturday night. You SHOULD drive an hour and 45 minutes to East Peoria to see the Christmas light display -- just not on a Saturday night.

The kids were great on the way there. We left at 5 p.m. and figured we'd be home by 10. We had a great time. Then we got in line for the lights at 7 p.m. and we were 1 mile away from the entrance. 

Two hours later we paid our admission fee and started enjoying the brightly lit park. You read that correctly. We inched 1 mile in 2 hours. Praise God for our wonderful children who made the best of a very boring 2 hours in a van, staring at the same backside of the car in front of us.

And, we didn't get home at 10 p.m. In fact, that was about the time we left Peoria. But another family memory made! Worth it!

We finally made it to the park!!!!!

Megan loved the dinosaurs best! They were neat!

Here's Puff, the (blurry) Magic Dragon.

This was one of my favorites -- a team of draft horses pulling a coach. Of course, Emily had to try to classify the type of horse. 

I took this one for Grandma Kathy -- a '57 Chevy. Wish it wasn't blurry.

This was Matthew's favorite. It was pretty cool -- much cooler than the video shows!

This one was another of my favorites, and a hit with Eli. He liked all the motorized vehicles.

Spelling Tests

I love the days that Eli climbs up to the table to join our school activities. He repeats Megan's spelling words for her, and then scribbles on his board and tells me what letter he wrote. 

Enjoying the Last Warm December Day

"Can I ride my tricycle to Grandma's house?" asks Eli. 

I am so glad we took our walk/ride on Wednesday, the last warm day before the bitter cold air blew in. 

I am not a huge fan of winter because I am not fond of cold weather. And it takes so long to get everyone dressed to go out. I do love a great snowfall -- as long as I don't have to be out running around in it. I like to be a winter spectator.

But I do appreciate the change of seasons. I can't imagine life without the beautiful colors of fall, or the grey, cloudy spring days or late summer nights playing outside. 

And I also appreciate the seasons of life! So many great memories from the "season" of college, and the lifelong friends that I made there. Many great memories from the "season" of high school and marching in the marching band. So many great memories from the "season" of being married without children, and learning to serve alongside my husband. And now, so many great times in the "season" of parenthood!

I have learned that, just as the seasons that are dictated by changing weather and the length of days, seasons in life cannot be rushed, and should be enjoyed. There are days when I look at my impossible  to-do list and think, "If only I had more free time . . ." And then I remind myself that too soon the house will be still and quiet and our little ones will be in new seasons of their own. 

And I am content with this season. 

Enjoy the season.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

"We Need to Go Shopping!"

I've heard this sentence a few times today. It has nothing to do with buying Christmas gifts, but it is all about groceries. 

We are scraping the bottom of the barrel here. The cupboards are getting pretty bare, and the refrigerator is virtually empty. Our meals are getting creative. 

Emily, who really dislikes shopping, has asked several times if we can go tomorrow. That's how bad it is!!

Oh, no worries. We have a freezer full of meat, half a gallon of milk, and lots of crackers. And, we are good on condiments. But, the kids are really starting to notice that we need to go shopping.

The sad thing is that we take for granted that there is always an abundance of healthy food in the house. Some families struggle to serve three meals a day. It has been a fun challenge to see what I can come up with, but I have a feeling it would not be so much fun day after day. 

We have truly never felt hunger -- true hunger. We have never prayed for a bowl of rice and beans to feed our children, just enough that they wouldn't feel the pain of hunger. We have never had to make truly tough choices in order to keep our children from the brink of malnutrition. We have been blessed!

Tomorrow, we will probably end this shortage of groceries in our house, and return to a normal loosely-planned menu. But I am thankful that we experienced a few days of a food shortage. I am glad that we opened the cupboard doors to disappointment. We need to be reminded once in a while that we have SO much. And be reminded to give to those who don't.

My cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Proverbs 19:17

LaHarpe Lighted Christmas Parade

Who would have imagined that a small town like LaHarpe could pull off a lighted Christmas parade? This year the weather was perfect for a December evening outside. So we took the family and sat outside as the lighted floats drove by. Just when I thought, "Hallelujah! The Halloween candy is gone!" we go to a parade and come home with enough candy to last until the next candy-filled holiday.

Here are just a few of our favorites. (I need to learn how to take better photos at night. I'll just add that to my to-do list!!)

One of my favorite floats, remembering a special life!

Eli loved all the trucks. 

Christmas Piano Recital

I have trouble getting into the Christmas mood without some good Christmas music. I want to say thank you to this wonderful group of pianists who gave a wonderful recital this past Sunday. Everyone did a fantastic job, and it was wonderful to hear the festive music.

Alfalfa

Ever since the girls saw Little Rascals, they love to do this to their brother in the bathtub. 

Phases of the Moon

It is no wonder the girls are enjoying science so much this year. Looking back on our projects, they involve a lot of sugar!!!

After studying the moon, we created the different phases with the icing on Oreo cookies. We started with a new moon, crescent, quarter, gibbous and full moon. 

They didn't last long.