"There are two ways of meeting difficulties...

  You alter the difficulties or you alter yourself to meet them."
I am having to do some altering...and some of those alterations hurt! 
I am still trying to decide which part hurts worse...the pulling/stretching of the fabric (life),
the new threads (opportunities/circumstances), the seam ripper, or the scissors. 
Some of my seams are so tightly sewn...it is hard to be altered! 
And sometimes...there are marks that are left...
as a reminder of what was once there. 

One of our favorite Christmas traditions...

always brings me to tears at the very end!  This year it has even more impact on me...because I am responsible for the children's program at church.  I feel waves of panic rush in when I think about all the details coming together and whether Joseph will be there or will Mary decide she doesn't want to do it.
Yesterday morning, we did a complete run through with our teen readers, our young costumed actors, and junior singers.  Granted, we were in our junior church area...no mics, no big scary platform, no audience...but my heart swelled with thankfulness for those who are willing to be part of the program (and the support system of other adults)!  I think...it just may come together in time for Dec. 13!  The kids have really done well to learn the songs and sing!  Next week brings our last two big practices...already!  We just started practicing...the first week of October...where has the time gone?  December comes tomorrow...and with it...a whole host of unknowns! 
One thing I do know...people expect certain Christmas traditions and programs! 
So I will do my part...this week's agenda...schooling first...then decorating home and church, cookie baking and  decorating, and wrapping up last minute program details.

It couldn't happen to a nicer person...

This is what was in the box marked clearance.

  Thanks to the girls for breaking the base to their mini-tree...it can fill in the missing section...while I email the company to tell them of the faux-pas.

I started decorating for Christmas...but it is going to take all week...it is a big job...and then...there are... helpers.

The kids are ready to decorate for Christmas...

if only we could get out of our pjs and start moving!  I am kind of enjoying the slow start to the day...and I am trying to keep the formulating "to do" list at bay...we just had a couple big days!  Our Christmas program is in three weeks...costume details to be finished, stable to be painted, boxes to be wrapped...yes, there is a slight panic that threatens to set in.  Our Christmas cantata is in four weeks...and it just hit me...I haven't practiced my solo yet. 
I am thinking it would be wise to just stop...and enjoy the stillness of this warm day.  Ashlynn is coughing and looks a little pale...it is her turn by all rights to get sick.  I am sure that Alisa will make sure everyone is cared for...she has plans..."I have an idea, Mom!" 

The guys are all about hard work...the girls are all about decorating it!

We had some schoolwork to finish up this morning, and then headed out to take Dad some lunch.  The kids got right to work cleaning up the floors for him and then we set up the Christmas tree.  Teddy gets to spend the rest of the afternoon with Dad...just what he needed...a break from the girls!!!

My little cleaners and decoraters...they made brownies this afternoon too!  Soon...I shall sit in my chair with my feet up all day and eat bonbons!

It is so very interesting...

when you watch the news today...they are recapping the Thanksgiving day with interviews from different individuals..."a time spent being thankful for all our family and friends and the things we have". 
The next story begins with cameras zooming in on people that are pushing their way through the doors at various stores reaching, scowling, grabbing, yelling with wild abandon so they can get the best deal...first.  Thanksgiving and Black/Blue Friday...couldn't be more opposite in the whole scheme of things!  But why would satan want us to continue with a grateful spirit?  That isn't part of his plan...and he is able to use Christians very effectively!  What a picture of the sad state of our sinful...selfish...unsurrendered hearts!  We put on the good show yesterday...all the while planning for how we can get more for ourselves...before anyone else can get it!  Yep, satan has this world's system right where he wants it...did you look through the ads in yesterday's paper?  I did!  There are some good deals...but at what cost?!
How about another story?  Yesterday morning, we heard sirens...lots of sirens.  We heard a newsclip about a house not far from us that had caught fire.  On the way to Grandma and Papa's, we drove down the street...the house was a total loss.  We don't know how it started...but we know the family got out safely! 
I wonder...if we could sit down and talk with them today...what would they say?  What is important to them?  Did Thanksgiving 2009 change what is important to them?  I know it impacted me as we drove by the blackened remains of a place that someone called home...they lost their things...but they didn't lose their lives.  I wonder...were they more worried about the cost of the things that were burning inside...or were they more worried about counting to see if all their family members were out.
"What's the worth of this whole world...when compared to one lost soul...there's a reason to count the cost!" 
The reason for this season...Jesus came as a baby...to live...then die on a cross for the sins of the world...He counted the cost...and He paid it...willingly.  He gave His life...He wasn't on earth hoarding up material possessions.  He gave His time in service and teaching and healing...
What a thought!
It is so very interesting to me that we insist on focusing on the things that don't matter...and render us ineffective in our testimony to others.  Christians...people are watching you...and sometimes...you won't even know it!  What is it costing you eternally?

We hope the only rolls leftover from today...

were the ones in your bread basket!  We are so thankful for the yummy food we shared with Ted's family.  It was a cozy, restful day!
Mom, one batch was just right!  Oh...my...if I would have doubled the recipe!  Thanks for answering the phone yesterday!!!

Hey...cousins...where....are...you?

In a cave...exploring God's handiwork!

We missed seeing our cousins...but they are having fun together as a family! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

These turkeys are stuffed and ready for bed!  We are thankful for the many blessings that God sends our way...and that includes our family and friends!

"I'm not cooking...I'm measuring...Get it right!"

We always need "a snack"!  I am always trying to come up with something different...the same old thing gets boring!  Plus...if it makes a big bowl...maybe it will last a couple days?!  Ha!  Lindsey made a similar mix for our stamping night...perfect!  Golden grahams, M&Ms, mini-marshmellows...covered with white chocolate.  We added some pretzel balls for a salty kick...you know, to stretch it even farther!  But...I tried to use the white chocolate chips...not a good idea...I should have walked back to the aisle of the white almond bark...what a disappointment!  It still tastes good...with large clumps of white chocolate. 

Overheard by the man quietly reading his newspaper at the table next to us in DQ.

"Mom, have you ever been to jail?"  Um, huh, no.  "Has Daddy ever been to jail?"  Uh, no. "Do you know what it is like?"  No, but you know who would know...Uncle Sean...he is a policeman!  "Has his kids been to jail?"  Probably...if they visited him at work.  "Is it hard to get out of jail?"  Yes, but some people have managed to get out.  "How?"  I don't know...they tried many things I am sure.
Change subject
"Hey, someone is having a birthday soon...do you know who?"  Is it you, Mom?  "No, I already had mine...remember?"  OOHHH YEAH!  "Daddy's birthday is coming...what should we do for him?"  Get him a tie.  He would like a king-size Snicker bar.  I have an idea... Hey, Mom, how old is Daddy?  "Um, let me see...born in...that makes him...he will be 34."  But how old are you, Mom?  You are like 59...right?  Well, you are not 98...because that would make you older than a grandma.
Change subject
Everybody done?  "Can I have a sip of your moolatte?  Does it taste like coffee?  Why don't you let us drink coffee?  I drank Mountain Dew for lunch.  You always get a moolatte when we come here...why?"
With three curious children...the subject changes faster than I can keep up with sometimes!  I am still trying to figure out why all the questions about jail...and who let Teddy drink Mountain Dew at lunch...what?!  Don't tell the man at the table next to us...I did!

I can tell it is time for a holiday...

I am not doing very well at doing my job as a teacher today...so it is good there are other teachers here!  Is it time for another break yet?
***A sure cure was found...we used our Book-It slips for lunch, stopped in to see Daddy, hit the grocery store, used our DQ kid's meal ticket for the icecream treat, and popped in on Grandma!  Now that was good for this Momma-teacher and her students!  Maybe tomorrow will include a baking lesson...crescent rolls, anyone?***

"...so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God." Psalm 123:2

A total reliance on God...in the daily walk of life...not just in the valleys low...but on the mountains high!  When my eyes slip...my focus changes...my feet stumble...and my heart faileth within me.  It is easy to obey when you can see concrete evidence that God is at work....it is another thing to obey when you don't know what He is doing, when He is going to do it, and how!  It is faith...It is trust...It is reliance on my Heavenly Father! 
I have been thinking of all the things I have to be thankful for in my life for the past couple weeks.  There are so many blessings.  But today...I am thankful for God's Word.  He sends me encouragement at the right times...as I spend time reading.  I am thankful for the times of rebuke and challenge in my Christian walk.  Today, I needed to be reminded where to keep my eyes...which directs my heart's focus!  My heart doesn't have to fail within me...because He is the source of my strength...therefore, I don't have to fear. 
You know...I feel better already!

Dad, I found it and read it again and again! Thanks for sitting and sharing with me on Saturday morning,

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."        I Cor. 10:31


Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow concerns of life are not ordained of God; they are as much of God as the profound.

It is not your devotion to God that makes you refuse to be shallow, but your wish to impress other people with the fact that you are a spiritual prig.


Be careful of the production of contempt in yourself, it always comes along this line, and causes you to go about as a walking rebuke to other people because they are more shallow than you are.


Beware of posing as a profound person; God became a Baby.

To be shallow is not a sign of being wicked, nor is shallowness a sign that there are no deeps: the ocean has a shore. The shallow amenities of life, eating and drinking, walking and talking, are all ordained by God. These are the things in which Our Lord lived. He lived in them as the Son of God, and He said that "the disciple is not above his Master."

Our safeguard is in the shallow things. We have to live the surface common-sense life in a common-sense way; when the deeper things come, God gives them to us apart from the shallow concerns.

Never show the deeps to anyone but God.

We are so abominably serious, so desperately interested in our own character, that we refuse to behave like Christians in the shallow concerns of life.

Determinedly take no one seriously but God, and the first person you find you have to leave severely alone as being the greatest fraud you have ever known, is yourself.

~My Utmost for His Highest, "Shallow and Profound", Oswald Chambers

**After spending time with my Mom and Dad around the table Saturday morning...I have been slapped in the face repeatedly with these thoughts.  It is easy to see illustrations of this all around me...but do I see it in myself?  I was then reminded of the same thoughts in church yesterday through the preaching of God's Word.  I am thinking that there may be some areas of this to deal with in my life!**

Light Up the Park Parade

Every year, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, there is a lighted Christmas parade that goes right by our church.   It was a balmy evening with no choir practice...so we made it a family outing.  We had a perfect place to park...along with the rest of the Park citizens!  It was fun for the kids...our favorite...the firemen reindeer pulling the sleigh...but my camera doesn't take pics of moving lights as you can tell below...even walking was too fast!  It made me laugh...throwing candy at masses of people in the dark...but the kids filled their pockets full to overflowing!

Don't worry...we stopped at the van to empty everyone's pockets before heading into church...we smelled minty fresh from the candy canes!

Adding to the family...

...by celebrating with a beach themed bridal shower...for another wedding!Sara and Carma threw a shower for Lindsey...Uncle James' girl

on Saturday afternoon.  Good food and lots of presents to help Lindsey and James set up their new home.

I didn't get the memo on using pinks and browns for the wrapping...yep, our bag was the bright, Christmas-green colored one...with some Christmas stuff, of course!

Ain't God Good To Give Us So Many Blessings!

Undeserving... that's what we are.

 
We ought to thank Him, love, and praise Him...

A little more today...A whole lot more tomorrow!

The turkey did its job...well!!!

How long will this take us to make with glue all over our fingers?Craft time with Mom= lots of laughter with a cup of coffee and a piece of pumpkin dessert while the men solved the world's problems and slept and the kids watched a Christmas countdown special...all the parts of a Thanksgiving holiday with family...just a week early!  A blessing that we all needed!

Grammy and Grampy are here...and that makes us...happy!

These pics were on Grammy's camera from our visit in WI.  We smile alot when we are with them!  "So...that is who our company is?!"  Yes!  Were you surprised?  "Yes, but why didn't you tell us?"  "Cause I am smart...and you got your schoolwork done!

"Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"

All the kids have been singing this song in their Bible time...or maybe one is supposed to be singing it for class and the others are joining...either way...I have been singing it all week too!  So yesterday, we started listing all the things we are thankful for and added them to our table centerpiece...A Thankful Tree!  We have listed all the easy ones...food, clothes, bed, and such...now we are having to think beyond the basics and focus on the goodness of God!  He is good...all the time!

They have no idea...

and it is working beautifully! 
Won't there be a big surprise when they answer the door tonight!  Hee hee hee
I like surprises...and grandparents coming without children knowing...is a big surprise!  And it is easier on the Mom/Teacher...if she can keep the surprise!

We are counting them!

We are thankful for how God provides and cares for His children! 
Over the last two weeks, we have seen Him care for Whitney and her family.  She is doing well and is responding to the treatment she has been receiving.  As we visited last night, I marveled at the grace that God has given this little girl...grace to handle sickness, numerous treatments, countless surgeries, uncomfortable conditions, and fearful times...  She does not have to have her hands tied down, as is the standard operating procedure, to keep her from pulling out the tubes that help her breathe.  She is alert now...and she is coping with the discomfort...knowing that this is what she has to do.  We continue to pray on their behalf...it has been a long two weeks...and the vigilant watch continues. 
Each day that the Lord gives us...is a blessing!

Books...Books...Books...and dvds

I remember Cranberry Thanksgiving from when I was younger...the funny beard on the captain.  I love finding "the good old books" that we heard at storytime at the library.  I remember going with Aunt Gail.  I remember listening to her read to us.  Those are wonderful memories...and I love sharing them with our children!  We spent a couple hours at the library on Saturday...the kids love to work on the computers since there are different learning games!  I got to look at some neat things and enjoy a quiet moment too.  We now have a pile of books to read for Book-It...and a couple movies for when it gets too cold outside!

How Come...?

44 degrees in autumn feels so much colder than 44 degrees in the spring?  I am thankful for the warmth in our house...and my pink fuzzy slippers...and blankets...and my sweater...and a new microwave to heat up my coffee! 
It is official...we have entered the holiday season!  The house smells like Yankee Candle Holiday Bayberry (MMMM, thank you to Aunt Sara's birthday giftcard to me) and sounds like A Quiet Christmas (thanks to Dave M's talents).  With the twenty degree drop in weather, a turkey in the fridge, the bare trees, the overcast skies, and a pile of Christmas cookbooks...I'd say it feels more like November!

"I didn't know that was bad, Mom!"

I sometimes wonder what people driving behind us think of us!  "Poor lady...her children look like they have issues."  OR "Too bad that lady can't control her children...are they...ooooh, they are...hitting at each other."  Today...I had two girls spazzing out and pretending we were being chased by something.  (Sorry, Mr. Big Yellow Truck Driver...if you could hear them...it would have made sense?!)  After being more than squirrely about that big truck (or whatever it was) that was behind us as we were driving down the road, Ashlynn said she was "ready to go home and make some martinis".  I think I gave myself whiplash as I looked up into the rearview mirror and said,  "Huh? What are you going to make?"  Yep, she said what I thought I heard.  After explaining in a controlled manner, with carefully chosen words so as not to cause further outbursts, that those are not anything we would being making or drinking at our house...I honestly wondered if one would indeed lessen the panicky feeling I was having.  "Mom, I didn't know they were bad."  Where do they come up with this stuff?  Why did she not want to make a slushie?   What if she says this at church or in front of her grandparents???  (Consider yourself forewarned now!) 
The reality check for me came as I filled Ted in on this little exchange..."Uh, Kari, you let them watch the Food channel...what's her name has shown how to make those..did you forget about the whole cocktail incident with Alisa?  And you think that is a safe...channel for them to watch...!?  Now what do you think?" 
"I think I need one?"

Psalm 34

"I will bless the Lord at all times:  His praise shall continually be in my mouth..."
This is the passage that our devotions came out of this morning...what a way to start the week!  When I focus on the Lord..."seek Him, and He hears me...He delivers me from all my fears!"  It doesn't say He removes those things that cause me to be fearful...He tells me where my focus is to be and that He is near and hears me.  What a wonderful reminder for a new week!  I have the opportunity...and responsibility to bless the Lord...and be glad!  I also have a few things that I have to make sure I obey, as I am reminded as I read the following verses:
Trust in Him
Fear the Lord
Hearken unto Me
Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile
Depart from evil
Do good
Seek peace and pursue it
Have a broken heart and contrite spirit
...living righteously takes a surrendered and obedient heart...and it isn't always easy!  It is a daily surrender. 
But because He is the Lord...and He has redeemed my soul...I have a reason to "...be glad...maginfy Him...and exalt His name..."

Ah...Saturday...

always brings time for reflection and for relaxation from the normal schedule of the week...well, I mean for the kids and I.  There are peaceful sounds of play amid the background of the washing machine touched with the aroma of coffee.  We will have to make a trip out...later...and I am thinking I need to pick up a can of spray whipped cream!  Thanks to a friend...hot chocolate will never be the same without it! 

This picture reminds of the sweetness that comes when you take time to spend it with a friend...doing nothing...but sharing some time!  So often, we casually say...If you need anything, call...but do you notice...people never call?!  So why do we keep saying it?  Does it make us feel good? 

I think we are going to be surprised when we stand before the Lord and He asks us the "Why did you do this?" or "Why did you not do this?  You said...you cared...you were to be My Hands and Feet while you were on earth!  I gave you an example to follow...why didn't you follow?"   Well...we splutter...we did our part in letting them know we would help.  I can't be responsible that they didn't let me know.  After all...I have things to do!  So we then we throw out the phrase we're praying for you...did you...really?

We say things...so often...so flippantly...knowing that we will never do anything about it...'cause they didn't ask or they didn't let me know.  Hello...they aren't going to!  What about putting yourself in front of their cup of cocoa...what are they going through?  What would be my concerns?  What would help me most?  What would I want my friends to know?  Am I adding to the weight on their shoulders...in my actions, lack of character, insensitive words, and lame excuses?  I know we can't make people accept our invitations and acts of kindness...but we can put ourselves behind their cup of cocoa and offer to make it even sweeter...with a simple can of spray whipped cream!

When we are in a valley...that is the best time to reach out to others...in unselfish love and pure motives...a servant...just like our Lord Jesus Christ!  We don't always know exactly what to say or do...but God shows us each step of the way...

So the next time you flippantly say something in the context of caring...

think first...

because God sees and hears all...He can't make you keep your words (well, He can...you understand my point..?), but He will hold you accountable!

Provision

I have seen the Lord's provision this week in the little things! And He had provided before I even wrote about the happenings on this blog!
Remember back last January...when we suffered a break? Our 15 plus year old snowman tree broke at the base. God sent me a new tree..."out of the blue" through a friend that was wondering "if I could use it for anything?" I was going to "make do" because that is just "an extra" that is over and above what we need.
Do you know...God takes care of us like that each and every day! Often...we are too busy looking at what we don't have to notice His daily provision for the needful things. Or we are whining that it isn't enough or the brand that we like. I am convinced that He sent this big...little extra to say,"Kari, trust Me, I know what you have need of...and I know your little unspoken desires too. I've got everything under control!"
And then...He provided again. Remember the hair dryer that sparked and smoked in my hand? My friend read the post...laughing that we would sell a left arm for a new coffee pot. She asked me if I had gotten the hair dryer yet...No..."Well, don't! I bought two several months ago...they were on a good sale and with my discount, I paid less than $3.00 each. I bought two...just in case I needed a gift or mine quit or..."
I know that God knows everything...everywhere...all the time...BUT to think that He directed a friend months ago to meet the needs of the present...overwhelms me! We know in our heads that God sees the beginning from the end...
BUT do we really allow our heart, mind, and soul to find daily peace in that wonderful truth? It is one thing to say...it is another thing to do.
God sent me reminders of His provision this week...because in my fear and weakness...I begin to wonder if He still remembers where we are.

***God has also provided me with a live in "handy-man" who found that the problem with the coffee pot was an emergency that could not be fixed! Even heating elements burn out...after much use! Don't worry...no body parts had to be sold...and it has been warm enough here to keep the heat down!***

"Just click your heels together three times and say...there's no place like home..."

Especially on a Friday night...cuddled up on the chairs and couches watching The Wizard of Oz! A classic for all...we will see how long everyone will stay awake...Daddy and Chevy are already out!
My favorite character is still the scarecrow! "How can you talk if you don't have a brain?" I don't know...but some people without a brain do an awful lot of talking...don't they? "Yes, I guess they do."
I laughed out loud at this and the kids wanted to know what was so funny..."because there is alot of truth to what the scarecrow just said!" But Mom...everyone has a brain. "Yes...yes they do." And to myself I thought...it is shameful that we don't use it more often when it comes to keeping our mouth shut or opening it at the right times.
This movie makes me smile...it is making others sleepy! They don't make movies like this anymore!

Yikes...three posts in one day...yes, we are doing our schoolwork!

I just had an idea and it was a blessing to the family...and I thought maybe you would be able to use it sometime! Find someone to reach out to...needs are all around us! We spent time with the parents of Whitney the other night and I wanted to do something for them as they are at the hospital 24/7. What to do, what to do...flowers, balloons, plant, candy...none of that is very helpful.
Thinking...thinking...home-made! They are probably tired of vending machines and fast food/hospital food...not sure if there is fridge accessibility...

Idea...fresh fruit, homemade muffins, homemade granola bars, and Chex mix...tied up with a bow and a card.

When I delivered it yesterday and spent some time with Mom...it was exactly what she needed! She was holding a candybar when I walked in telling her sis-in-law that she really shouldn't eat it, but she was hungry..."I'll probably gain 10 pounds with all this sitting...and I get hungry!" It was too funny not to laugh out loud. It was a huge blessing to her to see fruit and Chex mix!

It was a blessing to me and a reassurance to me...when God puts something on your heart...there is a reason...so...DO IT!

Seeing the humorous side of...

what's wrong with this picture?!
This is the third appliance to quit working in two weeks...familyroom t.v. (No big deal...brought up the t.v. from downstairs...won't replace, have you seen how much tvs cost lately? Yikes...no big, old, cheap models...all flat screens!), hair dryer (No big deal...just scary as it spit and sparked in my hand...thankfully, hair did not catch fire and not a pricey object to replace), coffee pot (BIG DEAL...will sacrifice heat, gas, left arm to replace!).

At least we were warned before the finale! Ted took it to work to see if it is fixable.

One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency! A.H. Glasow

For two mornings in a row, we have had the breaker trip for the kitchen circuit. Ted put it together this morning, when it tripped again, as he made the morning pot of coffee. Problem! If the coffee pot is not working properly...Emergency!

That's my guy! I married a leader...and it shows in many areas of life...even in the kitchen!

Now the test will be...can he fix it? or will he replace it? You don't mess with a man's coffee...especially when he depends on it to get his wife moving in the morning!

I love seeing things like this in our livingroom!

I ran upstairs to warm-up my coffee after getting the kids started on their schoolwork. The normal routine...I go down and get everything ready and then holler (maybe call or beckon loudly would be more feminine..but depending on what they are doing and where I am standing...nope, holler is the best word!) up the stairs..."School time!" and they come running.

When all the morning responsibilities are done, they usually have 20-30 minutes to play together...some days...nicely...some days...not! sigh Today...it was nicely!

"The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach." Lin Yutang

I don't know anything about the man (or woman?) who said this...but it is well said! I am finding more and more each day that contentment comes from a thankful heart to the Lord. I sometimes look around or hear what others have scheduled or plan to do and think, "Wow...I am a bad Mom for not doing this or that and running here or there and signing us up for a whole list of things." And then the Lord quietly reminds me...with scenes of this morning...that we are doing exactly what we need to be doing at this point and time...and there is an air of contentment in our home...and it brings great comfort!

Lord, may I daily seek to be content with what You have called me to do, with what I have...take away those desires for things beyond my reach...and let me be able to be a Godly example to our children!

"This Is My Father's World"

I listened this morning as Ashlynn sang this song. I was struck by the strength with which she sang the words...her innocency about the daily happenings in our world...she sang out of a simple, child-like faith. I was struck by the truth of the words...that we, as adults, have forgotten in our fear of the decisions that are made in Congress, enemies that seek to destroy from within our country, choices that have found us wondering how we will make it financially...
Where is my focus? Where is my faith? What/Who am I trusting in?
I am His child (I have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!)...I know how it ends (God tells us in His Word!)...He is my Father (He loves me!)...It is His world...He is in control!

This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget
That tho the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world! The battle is not done;
Jesus who dies shall be satisfied, and earth and Heaven be one.