Taking a break...

This week has been crazy so far. It's Lo's last week of school before the break and it is filled with tests, papers and finals galore. Plus I am having a little Christmas gathering this Friday for my small group girls, which requires a little setup. Then there are those last minute gifts that need to be sent out. Random doctor appointments. As per my pathetic norm, I am not doing Christmas cards again this year because I am full of fail and always seem to think of this when it is too late. So with all of that said, I think I am going to take the rest of the week off and the beginning of next week.

 

So I wish you all a wonderful rest of the week and pray next week starts out incredibly. TTFN :)

Inner Jukebox...

a humorous sampling of the childhood albums
stuck in my head that play on "random"

Back when I was a kid, I used to hang out at this pool hall and shoot pool. In the afternoons, when things were usually quiet because most people work, the jukebox would be quiet also as there was nobody there to put coins in it.  The interesting thing about jukeboxes, is that when all is quiet and no one has played anything recently, it will pick a random song in its library and just start playing it as if to say "Hello, I am still here!" On some occasions this can be quite startling, as you go from quiet to Metallica's "For whom the bell tolls" in nothing flat.

Lo in a nutshell...

Lo

The thing about being "shiny" is that at any moment you can have a hundred ideas float through your mind but not be able to hold onto a single one. In fact, since I have decided to really try to make a go of this blogging thing, I have been thinking daily about what I should post but keep forgetting to write down these brilliant ideas. So this morning, tea in hand, I sat down to write a post and then my mind went completely blank. This caused me to look over to the only person in the room, Lo, and ask "What should I blog about?" and she jokingly replied "Your amazingly fascinating daughter." Then she proceeded to give me some real examples of things I could write, but the original suggestion stuck (much to her dismay).

and a box with little doors...(do I really need to say it? continued)

The Advent Box and the first 4 days of fun!

So we've made it!!!! The end is in sight!! I appreciate those of you who have followed this little series of posts. For day 1, go here. Today I bring you my favorite Christmas time tradition...The Advent Box!

 

I was blessed to find this beautiful box when Lo was around six.  What is the "Advent Box" you ask? Well, it is actually called an "Advent Calendar" and it is a special calendar used to count or celebrate the days in anticipation of Christmas. The actual days of the Advent season may differ but for us it starts on December 1st, because the box starts on December 1st.

 

Now even though this box is a tradition for us, please remember what I said at the beginning of this unintentional blog series, we are not a "This is how we've always done it" kind of family.  In fact, we are a "learn and adapt as you go" kind of family. So with that said our calendar has changed many times over the years.

 

When the kids were younger, I would fill it with candy, one item for each kid (glad I only had two).  Then as they got older and seemingly more cavity prone. I switched to toys!!!! Now the doors are small and only hold those real small cheap gum ball dispenser size toys and the kids had to trade off days.  But Kenny being much older and having no need for the toys started giving them to Lo.

 

Then one year after finding all those cheap toys lying around broken, I decided to try something different, alternating between candy and gifts. By the way the toys were always Christ focused, you can get tons of little what-nots at Family Christian Bookstores.  Since the gifts were bigger that year, I ended up putting little tags in the box that would correspond with gifts placed in a basket.  That year the gifts included a Christian Christmas Music CD, DVDs from the "Love's Long Journey" series and so on. That was good year, but a little expensive...lesson learned.

 

This year I money is tighter so instead of candy and gifts I have opted for "Things to do". This has been so much fun so far! We have had cards saying "Go look for Christmas Lights" and "Christmas Coloring Books" (BTW, this is why I needed to go color on Tuesday).  And don't worry if you are saying to yourself "How am I going to come up with 24 things to do?" because I found this blog full of Advent Calendar ideas, they have pre-made printables, saving me my much needed brain power.  If you are interested in them check out http://www.thepetitcadeau.blogspot.com/2012/11/countdown-to-christmas.html or if you are one of those crafty types with plenty of brain power, you can come up with your own.

 

Now, There are two things that have always remained the same and I repeat every year. First, is that I fill the box with bible verses pertaining to Christmas and the prophecies that spoke of Jesus Christ's birth.  I was worried this year as my laptop was stolen over the summer and my backup was damaged in the burglary so I was kind of stressed about having to recompile all those verses but "praise the Lord" for Pinterest! Bet no one has ever thought of saying that ;-)  Ask or in this case, Search and you shall receive! And I found another wonderful blog complete with verse sheets...Yay for modern technology! So if you are strapped for time and figure why do extra work, check out this link http://happyhomefairy.com/2010/11/30/bible-verse-advent-cards-free-printables/ and it is also a pretty neat blog as well.

 

 In addition to the verses, we have a small painted porcelain nativity scene complete with animals, angels and wise men.  I hide these little figurines behind random doors, starting with Mary and ending with baby Jesus on Christmas. Once we find a figurine we place it in the miniature stable scene.  It is these two things that make this Advent Box my favorite. I think it is because when all is said and done, Christmas is truly about celebrating and remembering my Saviour, Jesus Christ, and what He has done for me. After all that is the reason for the season.

 

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Luke 2:8-11 (NIV)

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.

 

an Elf and a box with little doors...(continued)

Chippy riding our reindeer stocking holder

Okay, so I lied on Tuesday when I said I would tell you about the coloring but alas it still isn't time for that story. My goal for today is to get through our 4th and rather newer tradition, the Elf..."The Elf on The Shelf" to be exact.

So I found "Chippy", that's our scout elf's name, a few years back whilst perusing the many "shiny" things that Barnes and Noble carries. I love Barnes and Noble. If I had my way, I would go their everyday, find a book, a chair and a cup of tea and then sit there and read. Ahhhh, if only... Back to "Chippy", I didn't use him right away, in fact last year was the first time we saw "Chippy" for the entire month of December. Now I realize this may seem like a bunch of commercial nonsense, for many it is and can be, but for us, "Chippy" has brought us so much joy and laughter.

The Pickle, an Elf and a box with little doors...(continued from yesterday)

Yesterday I started blogging about some of the traditions that my family enjoys and today my plan is to share some more. (Go here to see yesterday's blog) So let's get this blog going...

Nummer drei - The Pickle! I love this one, my first husband, Nick, brought this one into our home. Now this is supposed to be a German tradition, however, there are some disagreements and questions as to the validity of who started it and if it is really a German tradition, but I'll let you google that if you want to find out more for yourself. For us it is a way to appreciate the tree and something else fun to do.  I originally thought it was an English tradition since Nick hails from England. Our understanding is that it was a way to appreciate the decorated tree and add to the fun of Christmas morning as for some of my early Christmas mornings consisted of a few minutes of present opening and then a long day of one of my favorite* children's phrases "I'm bored". (*insert sarcastic tone here)

Grandma, Ornaments, a Pickle, an Elf and a box with little doors...

One of my favorites, from Nana to my son.

I love traditions! I'm not talking about the kind that bring stress or the statement "this is how we've always done it" but the kind that you and your kids look forward to every year.  My parents weren't really big into traditions and yet I have somehow become a person that loves the joy that comes with traditions.  I have started a few Christmas-time traditions for my family that everyone seems to love, Nana started one when my son was born and I have actually brought one from childhood that my parents may have unknowingly started.

Serious Thoughts on Proselytizing...

A friend recently forwarded me a link to a video on youtube that was done by Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller fame.  The video was about an encounter Penn had with a christian who gave him a bible after one of his shows.  Penn is an atheist and merriam-webster defines an atheist as "one who believes that there is no deity" (God or supreme being).  I really liked the video and appreciated Penn's honesty.  He talks about "proselytizing" and says:

“I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" 

“I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

This video has triggered so many "shiny" thoughts and since this is my blog, I thought I would share them.  I realize you may not agree with me and I am not asking you to do that, I am simply sharing some thoughts that this video triggered in my mind.  I would like to ask that if you post comments that you keep them respectful. So here we go!

Refrigerators, Wisdom and Bright Sides...

George & the Fridge

Ten years ago my husband, Michael, bought a stainless steel refrigerator. He graciously gave his first wife everything when she left, so he had to acquire all new appliances and this was his first purchase. This fridge had all the bells and whistles, it was a side-by-side with ice-maker and water dispenser in the door. But what caught Michael's eye was the stainless steel! The Fridge was mesmerizing in all its shiny beauty.  I don't know why but I have found that stainless steel appliances are like catnip to men. Needless to say, my husband was smitten with this refrigerator and the Fridge became a part of our lives.

Sadly our family's love affair with the Fridge did not last long. The first sign that our relationship had been rushed and not well thought out was the first night we had pizza.  Michael tried to put a medium sized pizza box in the Fridge. I mean part of the reason for buying pizza for dinner is the ease of it. Order Pizza. Get Pizza.  Eat Pizza. 

Put leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow's breakfast or lunch. It is about as simple as dinner gets.  Alas, the Fridge didn't care about ease. On the contrary, the Fridge had decided to make life a little difficult. We had to rearrange the shelves and the weird movable shelf/hanging buckets on the door (do these things have a name?) all to make the thing fit and if that wasn't enough we had to tilt the pizza box sideways to get it past the weird door buckets and all that was contained in them. This event seriously strained our relationship. Easy pizza dinner became more complicated after this incident as did the love we once shared with the Fridge.

What's the deal with your vision?

My Eye after the Cycloplegic Exam

Those of you that know me personally know that I have been having problems with my vision. Those of you that don't, probably think I am a lousy blogger who never seems to blog anymore.  So for those of you that don't know me or those of you who have asked or simply wonder what the deal is with my vision, here goes.

oc·u·lar [ ókyələr ]

1. relating to eyes or eyesight: relating to, perceived by, or performed by the eye.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with ocular migraines. Though they are classified as migraines they don't come with the typical "brain smashing" pain that comes with regular migraines (is there anything regular about a migraine? I am sorry I digress.)  Ocular migraines are visual aura's that affect the vision in both eyes.  They can include flashes of light, zigzagging patterns, blind spots and\or shimmering spots or stars.  They temporarily interfere with certain aspects of life, like reading or driving but they don't last very long and the condition is not considered very serious.  For the last two years I would get these infrequently, about one every other month.

Should 'Shiny' people blog?

So at the beginning of May, I had this grand idea that I would start this "simple" bible study and I was going to blog my thoughts and then "Life" happened. The last few months have been crazy.  This summer has been filled with fun and distractions.

Fun at work included a domain rename and all the I.T. fun that brings with it. I also brought a new print server online. Plus a plethora of other fun, but I will not bore you with the work stuff.

Fun in ministry included getting a new small group of soon to be sophomore girls and getting to know them (this is still in progress).  A few beach days (oh, I know my life is sooooo rough) and I enjoyed a wonderful week camping at Lake San Antonio with over a 100 high school freshman and sophomores.

Fun at home included having my home broken into and robbed, dealing with insurance, a bathroom renovation, new cement in the backyard and quite a few new health challenges.

Simply 'Shiny' Study

Lately my life has been extremely 'shiny' and I haven't had much free time to blog, however, I recently decided (Friday) that I wanted to go back to the basics and do a simple bible study.  I welcome you to join me.  If you are interested please join me at  http://simplyshinystudy.blogspot.com.

If you are not interested, no biggie, I am planning on posting a weekly 'shiny' blog here.  Please check back this Friday for that.

Until then as the immortal Tigger of Winnie the Pooh fame would say "TTFN - Tah Tah For Now"

Does it matter? Kony 2012

Last night I was sitting on my couch watching TV when my daughter looked at me and said, "What is Kony 2012?"   I responded with "I don't know, why do you ask?"  She went on to say "Three of my friends just posted 'Kony 2012' as their status and have a link to a YouTube video".  So we watched it.  We turned off 'Raising Hope' to watch a 30 minute video that leveled us.  This is the video.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

I am NOT an activist.  I am NOT a band-wagoner.  In fact, I rarely get involved in most things.  I feel that God has called me to focus on my family, my faith and the neighborhood around me.  I have a lot of friends who are oversees missionaries and I am glad they are called to do that, because the fact is I am NOT.  I feel I am called to a mission field much closer, my own backyard.  So why do I tell you this? So that you might understand that posting "Kony 2012" in my Facebook Status shortly after watching this video, is a big deal for me.  And I even bought the "action kit". I went to bed with a plan to get up today and figure out my next step.

Blessed...

There is this chapter in the book of Proverbs, it speaks of a woman of noble character.  As a woman of God, it is what I desire to be and constantly fall short of, but tonight I can't help but think of one verse in particular...

"Her children arise and call her blessed..." 

This line is found in Proverbs 31:28 and tonight I feel blessed.  I am in the midst of a changing season. I have worked with Junior High and High School students for the last fourteen years in some capacity or another, mostly volunteer. However, I have been blessed to have spent the last two and a half years working full time in the 11th and 12th grade high school ministry at my church.  This has been a season of immense growth and joy for me but tonight this season ended.

inside jokes...

I don't know about you but I LOVE inside jokes.  I love the humor that usually is associated with them and the way people look at you like you must have just landed on the earth.  The interesting thing is that inside jokes are not always that funny, especially to those who were not originally there when the joke was birthed.  I mean have you ever had one of those amazing jokes that literally causes you to laugh every time that you think about it?  Then you try to explain it to someone and they stare at you as if you are mad...not angry mad but "Mad Hatter" mad?

My family has a bazillion inside jokes and I am sure that during any given conversation at least one is used.  For example, in my house we call the T.V. remote a "gamote" (pronounced "guh-mote").  This word's origin dates back over 20 years ago, when my son was around one year old and had some problems pronouncing words as do most little kids and we found he could not pronounce remote.  It's a simple story and one that I imagine most people don't find funny or endearing, but it is a word that reminds me of a story that always brings a smile to my face.

My daughter and I have a nightly routine which includes prayers, conversations, jokes, singing, etc.  Tonight I realized that it is chock-full of inside jokes.  Every night my daughter says something that sounds like "schlafe gut" which I believe translates to "sleep well" in German, which is the language she has been taking since she was in 7th grade.  However, when she first learned it, I couldn't remember how to say it and one night said something like "shlaf snaff" and it has some how stuck.  Every night she says "schlafe gut" and I respond with "shlaf snaff".  Then there is the one time that I was texting something to Lo and I went to type "Love Mama" but instead I typed  "Llama" which to me looks like it would be an amazing abbreviation for "Love Mama".  That is now how I tend to sign texts to Lo. Seriously, look at it and tell me you don't see it!

I guess I love inside jokes so much because for me it is more about the shared experience and the laughter associated with it and laughter brings me so much joy.  As I reread what I have written, I realize these are incredibly not funny, but alas they make me laugh just the same.

So what are some of your "inside jokes"?

Facebook, Tolerance & Dr. Pepper

I interrupt my previously scheduled post to bring you...

tol·er·ance [tol-er-uhns] noun

1.  a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
4. the act or capacity of enduring; endurance: My tolerance of noise is limited.

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Wonderfully Complex

I have been told on numerous occasions that I appear to have my own vocabulary or to some extent my own language. I think we all do in some form or another.   It was during one of these conversations that I realized I use a lot of "Obscure Reference Statements" or that I simply allow my "Inner Jukebox" to play on random.  Let's start with the "Obscure Reference Statement".  My family and I have this strange habit of picking up sayings from TV and movies then applying them to everyday conversations.  Here is an example of what I mean by this:

The movie is "Men in Black". It is the scene where the alien space ship has just landed in Edgar, the farmer's front yard. While heading out to see what has just happened the farmer's wife, Beatrice, says "What the heck is it, Edgar?" but she says his name in a sort of slow drawn out slur that sounds more like "eh-ggurr".

Do you love me enough to let me go? (Part 2)

I am continuing a "shiny" train of thought that started with the Switchfoot song "Enough To Let Me Go".  I pondered love, letting go and parenting in my previous post.  But how do my previous thoughts translate to my view of God and the faith that I have?  

"Do you love me enough to let me go?

Do you love me enough to let me go?

To let me follow through, let me fall for you, my love

Do you love me enough to let me go?"

Have you ever wondered how you would feel if you were forced to love someone?  Is it really love? This is the thought that usually pops into my head when people ask me "Why doesn't God just make us love Him?"

Do you love me enough to let me go? (Part 1)

I am always amazed at how music can trigger such amazingly "shiny" thoughts. Recently as I was driving home from dropping some kids off at Forest Home, the song "Enough To Let Me Go" by Switchfoot came on the radio. For me it is one of those thought provoking songs and it is the first verse and chorus that always hits me the hardest. In the song,  Jon Foreman writes & sings:

"Oh, I'm a wandering soul

I'm still walking the line that leads me home

Alone

All I know

I still got mountains to climb

On my own

On my own

Do you love me enough to let me go?

Do you love me enough to let me go?

To let me follow through, let me fall for you, my love

Do you love me enough to let me go?"