O Come Let Us Adore Him

Second in the Nativity photo series.
This has been our Nativity set since we were first married, 15 years ago next week.


I still love the muted colors, and the light it casts. This year it's been moved to the top of the armoire in our bedroom. Guests who stop by usually throw their coats in there, and it's right off our main hallway, so I like having a bit of Christmas there too.

~with flash to show details

Let's not forget Lucy

It's tradition for us to leave our christmas lists in our stocking for St. Nicholas to find. In return he'll leave us an orange, some peanuts, perhaps a candy cane, or some other small treat. Oh, and of course a toothbrush...St. Nick and Easter Bunny are always wise to leave us each a new toothbrush.



Anyhow, we realized at bedtime this evening, that all the kids had a list prepared except for Lucy. We had fun interviewing her about what she was hoping the man in red might bring. Of course she said "yes" to everything. We were all in stitches.



Lucy, would you like a new baby doll? ..."YES!"
Would you like some clip-clop shoes? ...."YES!"
How about a pet buffalo? ...."YES!"

Too cute. (Let's pray he doesn't bring the pet buffalo.)

On the feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6

God of joy and cheer,
we thank you for your servant,
the good bishop Nicholas.
In loving the poor,
he showed us your kindness;
in caring for your children,
he revealed your love.
Make us thoughtful
without need of reward
so that we, too, may be good
followers of Jesus.

From All Through the Day, All Through the Year: Family Prayers and Celebrations, by David B. Batchelder,

2nd Week of Advent

(A continuation of prayers/reflections for Advent...not my own, but borrowed from our parish library. We're reading ours with breakfast prayers, and it's been nice. More to follow for next week.)

Sunday
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, and save all the nations.
Monday
Mary and Joseph traveled with many different people on their way to Bethlehem. They were kind to all.
I will be kind to all I meet today- and in a special way to someone I do not like.
Tuesday
Mary and Joseph were very tired at the end of the day because travel was uncomfortable and hard.
I will help my parents with some chores to give them time to relax after a hard day's work.
Wednesday
When Mary and Joseph reached Bethlehem, they were pushed and pressed by the crowd. They stayed calm.
I will keep calm and not lose my temper when I am pushed or treated rudely.
Thursday
Joseph tried for Mary's sake, to find a clean, comfortable place to stay.
I will honor Mary in a special way today by being cheerful. I will pray the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary.
Friday
Joseph went from door to door, but in every place he heard "No room!"
I will make room in my heart for others and will try to show special love for someone who seems lonely or unhappy.
Saturday
Mary felt sorry for those who had no room. She knew they would like to have helped.
I will ask Mary to help me make room for Jesus in my heart by doing what he wants me to.

O Come Let Us Adore Him

(1st in a series of Nativity photos)
As I continue to unpack a few last decorations for the Advent and Christmas seasons, I'm finding that I've accumulated a handful of Nativity sets over the years. Several of them stay out year round, and some make their way out of the boxes only for a month or two. It's a shame really, to keep them hidden away, so I thought it would be fun to share some pics of a few of them over the next couple weeks.

Here's the first stop on our photo-tour. It's new for this Christmas, a Mother's Day gift that John and the boys picked out while the girls and I were spending a day out together. I was flabbergasted to receive it...certainly nothing I could have ever asked for. But I LOVE it! I've kept the large Holy Family figurines out on the armoire in our bedroom year-round, but was excited to bring out the large Sanctuary and animals. I moved it to the top of our old pie-safe in the kitchen and adorned it with a few evergreen trees and white lights. It's difficult to tell from the picture, but the Sanctuary is over 2 feet tall, and statues are close to 16 inches. It glows beautifully through the evening, and provides a perfect focal point when we gather in for meals.

This photo below (taken with a flash) shows a bit more of the color and detail.

a bit misleading...

Thought I should explain, just in case you hear my boys mention something about this...

Charlie came rushing over to me excitedly today, reminiscing about our family Thanksgiving party last week. "Mom, remember the gun party we went to? and that one big guy shot me in the eye?"

It's true, but you're not getting the whole story. You see, John's family has grown in numbers so that we reserve a hall to celebrate the holidays. This Thanksgiving his sister rented an old school house that provided plenty of room in the basement for the family to gather and enjoy the meal. In addition the entire main floor was empty for the kids to bring along their nerf guns (and there were MANY), jumpropes, and other fun toys to keep them entertained and burning off some of that extra energy. It got a bit rough at times when the older boys would join in. Hence...the "gun party" and being "shot in the eye."
Really...it was a "G" rated party, I promise!

First Week of Advent

(btw~My advent wreath isn't near this pretty. I aspire to have REAL candles someday. For now, it's felt fuzzy candles with fake flames for the tiny fingers who like to grab.)

With the help of our parish "librarian" I found this great little advent calendar of prayers/reflections to share daily with the kids.

Sunday
Prayer: To you, my God, I lift my soul. I trust in you.

Monday
Mary and Joseph lived happily at Nazareth, doing their daily work with joy.
I will do my daily work well today, and with joy- for God.

Tuesday
Joseph received the order from the Roman ruler to go to Bethlehem and register. He obeyed the order and got ready to go.
I will obey my parents, teachers, and others in charge of me.

Wednesday
Mary got their house ready and began to pack what they would need for the trip. She did so without complaint.
I will not complain today, even if I must do things I do not like.

Thursday
Mary and Joseph traveled by donkey.
I will be happy with the things I have and will not ask my family for more or better things.

Friday
Mary and Joseph ate the food of the poor on their journey.
I will eat healthful foods today rather than those that are not good for me. I will thank God for the food I have and pray for the hungry.

Saturday
After traveling all day, Mary made Joseph a meal, and he found her a resting place.
I will do something special to bring joy to my parents and family today.

I'll update next weeks prayers before Sunday. Check back...

best of intentions...

There I go again, disappearing for a few days. I wish I could say I was up to something really crazy or mischeivous, but alas, I was just consumed by the events of ordinary days. Well mostly. There was Thanksgiving (2 full meals!) on Thursday, All day (19 hours to be exact!) shopping on Friday, and our Gourmet Club dinner on Saturday. Sunday (ah, rest!) rang in the first day of Advent and a nice day to put out the Christmas lights and get a few of the decorations out. Monday I was back to work, and still getting out more Christmas decorations in my spare time, which brings us to today...still more christmas decorating. Oh, and did I mention a mild stomach virus is working it's way through our home, one little trooper at a time. Fortunately it's mostly belly aching, with not much actual "activity" and only mild fevers that seem to run it's course pretty quickly. So far 7 have been hit. (Thank goodness it is VERY mild!)
I'm tackling christmas decorations in small bits this year...one dusty shelf or nook at a time. I'm quite glad to report, that I'm nearly finished with the decorating and the shopping. So now I can breathe, and spend my time doing what's meant to be done this Advent season...waiting and anticipating the coming of our King.
I came across some great little daily prayers/reflections for Advent. I'll try to post them early each day or perhaps weekly, if you're interested in sharing them with your family. We'll be saying ours at breakfast time...the only meal we can all be together.
In putting out the decorations, I've also come to the realization that I've collected quite a few Nativity sets over the years, and will try to share pictures of some of those in the days ahead.
Peaceful night everyone!
~jamie

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving, a prayer of thanks to our Lord…

Dear Lord, I thank you for the gift of my husband and our marriage covenant, and for the 10 beautiful children I hold in my arms, and the one I can hold only in my heart. I am thankful for family and friends and a warm home. For the means to provide even when ends sometimes don’t quite meet. I am grateful for the tears, and the tantrums, the homework and the laundry, the cleaning and the dishes, the sharp torturous pain of stepping on a Lego or Barbie shoe in the middle of the night. For accidents, and on-purposes. For dancing at dinner time, for kissing ouchies, and mending holes, and swatting away spiders, and tucking in tight. For bad dreams, warm beds, a dusty home, and stacks of papers that I’ll go through tomorrow. For all these things, I’m grateful.
But most of all Lord, I thank you for the gift of your son Jesus, who’s suffering and sacrifice is our salvation.

what's cookin?

T minus 2 days and counting until the Holiday feasting begins. Have you pulled out all your recipe cards, and started your last minute grocery list? It's been 8 years or so since I've prepared the big Thanksgiving meal for our then tiny family and my parents. I can't remember now why we broke from tradition that year, as typically my mom prefers to cook for the main event. Anyhow. Our Thanksgiving plans are pretty much the same each year, with lunch at my parents' house, and on to dinner with John's family. He's one of twelve, so renting a hall to accomodate everyone has become the norm. My mom still prefers to cook the whole meal...or at least claims to. So, I've offered to bring a pecan pie for lunch. John's side is more of a carry-in, where each sibling is responsible for some part of the meal. This year (feeling a bit guilty) most of the traditional sides were already spoken for, so I'm bringing a vegetable tray, and dinner rolls. (Shamefully simple, I know.) I've already pulled out a couple extra recipes though for things like pumpkin muffins, sugar coated pecans (doesn't that sound yummy to crunch on?!), and I'm hoping to make chocolate truffles for a get-together this weekend. Oh, and since I'm rolling out pie crust, may as well make a pumpkin pie too, right? Yep. Looking forward to tomorrow night this time, when the house is filled with the aroma of baked goods. It has my mouth watering already. Mmmm...can you smell it?
So, what's cookin' at your house?

Whew, I made the cut.

Isn't it nice to be on someone's list. Well, depends on the list, I guess. Charlie brought home his little Gratitude Turkey from religion class this Sunday, and I'm happy to report I (well, WE, as in the whole family) made his top 4 list of things he's grateful for...right up there between Star Wars things, Indians with Mohawks, and his cousin/religion teacher Averie.

Oh yah. Bring on the pie.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and those on your "list."

pray for me

Or perhaps...pray instead to the family members I've coerced into listening.

I'm heading out to the studio shortly to broadcast my first show on Radio Maria. (88.7 fm here) or listen live online from 11:30am to 12:30. Our pastor, Fr. Rick Nieberding is kind enough to join me for the first half as I get a feel for how things work. He has his own show on Monday mornings from 10-10:30 called "Living the Lectionary."

Feel free to call in with questions, comments, thoughts...anything to give me a moment to catch my breath (ie. shut me up!) I'll be giving the call-in number on the show.
Have a blessed day all!