Life... an Occasion!

"I've been here, there, and everywhere," wrote one of my favorite bloggers, and I thought how lovely that sounded, and how I would like to write that to you and tell you of the places I've been that have kept me from being here.

But, in my case, that's only wishful thinking.  What's really been happening is that I have a few too many irons in the fire [plus, add a few "irons" that are only roadblocks in my own mind], a tad of allergy-or-something-crud that has been trying to beat me down for a few weeks, and we have been [until last Thursday] "one car down" from our usual parking lot -- causing us to be running here and there a little bit more than usual to accommodate everyone's work schedules.

I've got a few items that I really and truly just need to check off on my December calendar before I can move forward.  I have to say, this makes the rest of the month [and Christmas shopping] feel a little like the proverbial "other shoe" waiting to drop.

And then, a few days ago, when I least expected it (snuggled on the couch watching "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium"), I heard this:

"Your life is an occasion.  Rise to it!"

Rise to it.  Meet the challenge, in other words.

So, I am really trying.  Also, trying not to let that "dangling shoe dread" get to me -- because that's not usually my style.

Baby steps.

The tree is up, thanks to my girl.  It is as lit as it's gonna get, and I'm good with that.  I am reminding myself - as should you - that comparison is the thief of JOY.  My house at Christmas is not now, nor will it ever be the same as anyone else's house at Christmas.  We each do what works for us, and at our own pace.

Right now, that = one lit-only Christmas tree + simple holiday decor -- and JOY. [*wink]  This year, I have really let the decorations lead me instead of me leading the decorations.  I used to decorate for Christmas by pulling everything out of the storage boxes and finding a place for it.  NO MORE.  Now, I only grab what speaks to me, and usually I have already planned a place for it.  I've been waiting for a bright-shiny day to take some pictures around here, but that just hasn't happened.  This week promises to be a little slower schedule-wise, and so I'm hoping for that sun.

In the meantime, I'd like to recommend these great blog posts by some of my favs.  They'll help you keep things in perspective  -- you know, just in case the season is getting a little out of control for you.

*When You Need to UnDecorate for Christmas

* The show must go on. But at what cost?

Flutter By, Butterfly!

The other morning, I stared out the kitchen window at our back yard.  I love our back yard.  I love how over the years it has become enclosed by green.  I won't try to pull the wool over your eyes... there are weeds, and plenty of them.  But, there are also little areas that we've planned out and nurtured -- like the trio of Cleveland Pear trees that we planted strategically so that we couldn't see into our neighbor's yard... long before the trees were tall enough to block anything.  These days, the healthy leaves provide a beautiful screen!

And then there were the butterfly bushes... another trio.  Two white, and one a shade of purple.  I always knew they attracted butterflies to our yard, but I never realized how much -- until this year.  You see, last winter was the last straw for our butterfly bushes.  They made no appearance this year.

... and neither did the butterflies!  I thought about the fact that it was early July, and I hadn't seen one butterfly in our yard this year!  Not one.  I made a mental note that those butterfly bushes had to be replaced.

Hours later, I stood at the same window preparing dinner, and couldn't believe my eyes!  A beautiful butterfly was fluttering around my pot of marigolds.  Marigolds are a humble flower, but one that will always be beautiful to me.  I recall styrofoam cups of marigolds each Mother's Day -- a gift that the church Sunday school department helped us prepare for our moms.  And then, as a young wife and mom, I remember planting marigolds because they were easy, and hearty, and dependable for a new gardener.

I guess I'm a little sentimental about marigolds!

Even today, they do not disappoint.  My hubby planted a big pot of them on our patio, and it was there that this fluttering beauty decided to land for a photo shoot.  I would've dead-headed the flowers for you, but I wasn't sure the butterfly would wait.  I knew you'd understand.  *wink*

Musical Moments of JOY

Life often speaks to me in moments of music.

Here are a few that I've experienced lately:

* singing the ABC song with a favorite little guy [under two] and hearing him say the next letter before it comes out of my mouth.  I'm thankful for the time his sweet mommy spends with him!

* singing "Jesus Loves Me" with another small, sad friend and loving that moment when he wasn't just listening to me singing, but he was singing with me.  I love the thought that he took comfort in singing those words while he waited for his Mommy to return.

* singing "When We All Get to Heaven" during a visit with my Great Aunt as she wondered about those she would be reunited with in Heaven someday ~ "what a day of rejoicing that will be!"

How does music speak to you?

The Day After...

If you follow MY PHOTO BLOG, you've no doubt already seen my Thanksgiving photos.  People really did show up to grace that table.  I was really happy with the way it all came together -- thus all the photos, but... it was really just a representation of all that is beautiful and lovely in my life.

Those "grateful lists" that I've been making for October and November seem almost trivial now that I have had two days surrounded by those I love.  Not trivial as in I didn't really mean it.  Trivial in the sense that there's nothing like literally sitting in the the midst of and basking in the glow of everything that is good in your life. This Thanksgiving really seemed to be that.  Just stopping mid-bite and realizing that this life, these people are what it's all about for me.  Thanksgiving Day has a way of making all the stuff  fade into the background, showcasing the important... the "things" you truly could not do without.

Today?  Today is all about sleeping in.  No "Black Friday" for us.  Probably a crock pot full of chili.  Our "day after" has always been more about recovery(so to speak) than kicking off Christmas with a bang.  Christmas comes slowly around here.  That's not to say that I won't start bringing some decorations out from their resting places today -- but... no expectations, you know?  The tree waits until the first weekend in December.  That's just how we roll.

In recent years, we have learned to do what works for us rather than trying to keep up with anyone named Jones -- and most of all, to do what we do with GREAT JOY!

I hope that wherever this day finds you, that you are also living with GREAT JOY.  'Tis the season!

When Life Gives You Too Much Spinach...

... make a spinach quiche!

My kids thought I was out to get them for sure, but I just HAD to find a way to use up all of the spinach that I had purchased for a little salad bar at the graduation party.  Granted, it might not be "salad" to you, but at our house, it is the salad green of choice (mostly).  We don't have anything against other greens, but spinach seems to stay nicer longer at our house.  Therefore, it was what I chose for the party -- for better or worse.

My kids would tell you "for worse," because now I had to think of ways to use it up.  We couldn't consume it fast enough by just eating a little salad with our dinners.  I decided to cook it all down, and make a spinach quiche of some kind for dinner.  I chose a crustless "Impossible Spinach Pie" recipe that I found HERE. I changed it up just a bit by adding a few strips of leftover bacon, cooked and crumbled.  It was delicious.  I loved it.

My husband was kind (though cooked spinach is not his favorite) and was ?glad? (I think) to eat it knowing I was being thrifty and using up what we had on-hand.  The kids?  Not so much.  While we eat raw baby spinach, cooked spinach has not really been in our repertoire -- if you know what I mean.

Here's the recipe with my variations.  Of course, all credit goes to Cooks.com, and to Bisquick before them. Once upon a time, I was a card-carrying member of The Bisquick Recipe Club.  I saw a million variations of this Impossible Pie idea.  I'm sure the recipe originated with Bisquick.

Impossible Spinach-Bacon Pie

{* my variations}

10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, chopped*, and drained

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 handful chopped green* onions

4-6 slices bacon*, cooked and crumbled (I used pre-cooked)

1½ cup milk

3 eggs

¾ cup Bisquick baking mix

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 375F.  Grease pie plate.  Mix spinach, cheese, onion, and bacon in plate.

Beat remaining ingredients until smooth.  Pour into pie plate.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool five minutes before serving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, I'm thinking a lot about friends far and near who are experiencing hard times in one form or another, be it health issues, financial issues, kid issues -- or a combination of them all.  As I write this, I just received an e-mail from a blogging friend who said she prayed for me today.  I've never met her, but we enjoy a sweet on-line friendship, and I am ever-thankful for her friendship and yours, friends.

Life is hard, and let's be honest.  It gets harder every day.  This world is so messed up on many levels -- and you all know we could go on and on about that.  It could really drag us down if we let it.  I don't know about you, but I choose to look for the good.  I choose to find the joy.  I choose to make Spinach Quiche... when life gives me too much spinach!

Now, go forth and encourage one another.  Pray for one another!

Oh, and eat your spinach!  xo

Hello Rosemary!

It gives me a significant amount of JOY to think that something (anything!) could be alive and growing on my kitchen counter-top in January.  It's Rosemary!  In past years, I've brought Rosemary into the house when it got cold, and she quickly shriveled up and dried died!  Last year, she was totally forgotten outside -- in the mildness of our 2012 NEOhio winter.  She survived.

This year, I gathered up my Gram's old speckle-ware soup kettle that holds that same surviving Rosemary plant, and brought it in the house before the chill of winter could get to her.  She has been perched in several spots around the kitchen, and watered, but not really evaluated -- until one day, my hubby said, "There's all kinds of new growth on this Rosemary!"  Huh, wha...?

I moved her over to the counter to get a better look -- and it's true!

The normal tough, spikey leaves have (in their newest growth) kind of gone out of control in tender, wispy, crazy curls!  Then it occurred to me that before Christmas I gave her a hair-cut.  You know -- just a little trim that I hoped would have her looking miniature Christmas-tree-ish.  It was kind of a fail.  But -- I'm thinking that's what encouraged the new growth.

Actually, I just gave it another "haircut," and made Honey-Lemon Chicken with Rosemary -- one of our favorites!

I'm lovin' having the Rosemary around! It's great to have it up on the counter where it gets brushed up against as we cook and do dishes!  Oh the fragrance!

Rosemary.  The fragrance of JANUARY.  Who knew?

Wearing JOY

The other day, as I headed out the door to do errands, I put on my bright yellow goose-down vest.  It was just right for the day.  One of my first stops was Target.  There's a Starbuck's inside the front of this particular store, and windows look out towards the parking lot.  As I walked up to the store, I noticed two women sitting in the Starbucks, and, well... you know how it feels when you think someone is talking about you?  It felt kind of awkward, because they were both staring directly at me with big smiles on their faces.  I was dying to check my pants to see if I had forgotten to zip or something.... and then, I remembered what jacket I had worn.

The yellow one.

I picked it years ago.  My mom asked what my hubby and I wanted for Christmas, and I told her vests.  My hubby picked navy, and I wanted yellow.  It was so cheerful, and such a surprise -- I just couldn't resist!  It screamed happiness and JOY to me, long before I had really even given much thought to living JOYfully.

As the realization hit me, I relaxed because... this actually happens a lot to me when I wear my vest.  When I WEAR JOY, people notice.

And that's not why I chose it,

but,

on the other hand... why not be a poster-child for JOY?  Not just when I'm dressed in sunshine-yellow and feeling good, but always.  Because it doesn't really matter what I'm wearing.  There are always people watching, and I have much to be JOYful about.

As I got closer to the storefront, I looked intentionally towards those women... and smiled... JOYfully.

Autumn JOY

On the way to visit my parents, I drove through rain on a dreary morning.  By the time I arrived twenty minutes later, the rain had stopped, but the dreary continued.  However, during my visit, the sun appeared, and when we looked out into the backyard, our eyes met a beautiful sight.  The sun was shining brightly through the golden leaves, and it was nothing short of breathtaking.

I hope that you are taking the time to enjoy this season of God's creation, and making time to put the JOY in each day.  Some days, JOY comes easy... and other days you might have to look harder.  No matter how it comes... make time to find it.  It will change your outlook on the day.

I found JOY in the golden brilliance of God's creation.

Today, I am thankful for:

1. JOY in unexpected places

2. pumpkins of all shapes and sizes

3. blue sky & sunshine

4. several blue jays in the yard

Thought: God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?"

~William A. Ward

JOY Hangs Around Here

When we were in Charleston earlier this summer, my sweet hubby (remembering one of my favorite words: JOY) bought me two stone pendants.  Each had the word "JOY" on it, and each had a hold drilled all the way through it for hanging.  I've been thinking about what I could do with them.

The other day, I went to Michael's, and got thin leather cording, and some coordinating beads to match the purple medallion.

I'm pretty proud of myself.  I know it's only "beginner" level as far as jewelry-making goes.  But, my goal was to create something that I'd actually wear --not to master the art of jewelry-making.

My one frustration (me being a bead-novice and all) was that when I got home, and unstrung the beads, I realized that not all of them had the same size hole in the middle.  Therefore, even though I had picked a very thin leather cording, only about 2/3 of my beads would fit.  (Have you ever had this happen to you?)  I had to adjust my plan a little bit.  Even so, I'm happy with the result.

On Sunday, I wore my new necklace to church - along with a big smile.  (You have to smile when you have JOY hanging around your neck!)

I might have to try the blue stone next... I'm wondering if I should make the same thing... or do something different?  Perhaps a keychain?  Ooooh, yes.  I like that idea.  If I follow through, I'll keep you posted.

Coming up for us this week:
Tuesday = "Connections" day for new freshmen (mandatory attendance)
<you can read about last year's adventure HERE.>
Wednesday = First Day for all other students.

*heavy sigh*  The end of an era for this (former homeschooling) mama.  I think I will probably cry hard for a few minutes, and then I'll be good.  Pretty much planning on that.

It'll sure be quiet around here!  Are your kids back in school?

A New Kind of Trust

Pittsburgh, the hills of North Carolina, Boston, Toronto, Philadelphia... our kids have taken summer ministry trips to these places.  We have willingly sent them off, and they have been more-than-willing participants!  Each year, our daughter (in particular) can hardly contain her joy at the thought of working with this team!  She is always SO EXCITED to go!

This year, the trip is a little different.  And I don't know what I was thinking... Somehow, I thought this one would be easier.  Afterall, we're just sending our girl to the other side of our fair city.  She will be minutes away at any given time.  Literally.  I guess I thought my heart would be at peace knowing that she is so close to home.

And for the record, my heart is at peace -- but, here's what I wasn't prepared for:

• finding out that the ministry that the team will be associated with this week will be (basically) at the end of the street we USED to live on.  I have not spoken of it here, but the move to our current home had a lot to do with the fact that I spotted a drug deal going down in our very own driveway.  As the SAHM of a 2 and 6 year old, I no longer felt safe in my own home.  That's the neighborhood where our daughter will spend a good portion of her week.
• reading (the morning after we dropped off our daughter) of a crime linked to the very street where our daughter will sleep each night this week.

Am I panicked?  Absolutely not.  However, I would be lying if I told you that I don't think about it a little. Obviously the ministry leaders are aware of the things that go on in the neighborhood.  Obviously, the team leaders are taking every precaution to care for our kids.  And obviously, Satan is using this as a scare tactic.

Well, my God is bigger than all of this.  He's the one who I am turning to with my doubts.  And he is the one who is encouraging my heart.

Don't tell God how big your problems* are.

Tell your problems* how big GOD is!

*substitute the word "worries."

Hydrangea Joy

This morning, I looked out my window and realized that while we were on vacation, the hydrangeas had started to bloom.  I love our hydrangeas.  They're just white, although someday, I'd love to get the blue variety.  One of the reasons that I love them is that since putting plant supports around them a few years back, we have done nothing but smile at them and cut them back in late fall, and they grow like crazy.  A friend's husband once asked me what our secret was, and I told him... IGNORING them.  We're really all about survival of the fittest in our garden.  We don't pamper.  We don't feed.  Good heavens, we hardly WEED!

Well, back to my story... I looked out and saw the hydrangeas, and knew I had to have some in my house.  I wanted a good sturdy vessel for them so that the mop-like flower heads couldn't cause it to tip.  My creative juices started flowing.  In my dish drainer sat a large applesauce jar rinsed out and ready for the recycle bin.  I grabbed a piece of sturdy scrapbook paper, and trimmed two pieces that would meet in a band around the applesauce jar.  Then I headed outside to collect hydrangea stems.

What an easy project!  I'm kind of liking this applesauce vase.  Filled with water, it is nice and heavy.  For now, the paper is just taped, but I'm thinking I may decoupage it on, so that water won't damage it.

Did you do something creative today?

Was it a big project, or

just something simple, like mine?

All I Ever Have To Be...

...is what God made me.

Any more or less would be a step out of His plan.

I love these words (adapted) from the song "All I Ever Have To Be" written by Gary Chapman, and sung by Amy Grant.

But, (news flash) I am human -- and in case you haven't recognized it yet today -- SO ARE YOU!  So, if you're like me, you may be thinking:

• how easy it is for a stay-at-home mom to question those years of staying home, and think only of where her family might be (financially speaking) if she had gone to work.  
• how easy it is for a relatively new blogger to stare at her stats and wonder if/when she will ever be able to be a money-making blogger, because every penny counts these days.
• how easy it is for a blog-follower to read all of her favorite blogs, and compare herself to others -- her home to other's homes -- her menu plan to other's menu plans, etc.
• and, how HARD it is to remember that:

I'm not here to boo-hoo about blog stats or my home.  I blog because I love it, and if God someday provides income because of it, I will thank him for it.  But until then, I plug away, and just share what's on my heart and mind (sort of like this, today).  I also love my home - no complaints there.  But does anyone out there, like me, sometimes just get in a "funk" and feel like you're not really keeping up with those Joneses (sorry Joneses) -- you know those people that we're not supposed to compare ourselves to?  Yes?  No?  

If yes, then you're in good company.  Well, you're in MY company -- you be the judge.

K, so this (remember) is not a boo-hoo post.  It's just a reminder to YOU (yeah, I'm pointing at YOU!) - that all you ever have to be is what God made YOU!  

What if that song said, "All you ever have to be is what God made Matilda!"  (Sorry Matilda, I'm really not trying to pick on anyone today!)  Ladies, do you catch my drift?

If God "checked in" on Google Reader each morning, I wonder if he'd say:

Jill - you go girl!

Donna - right on Target!

Nancy - doing what I urged her to do!

Sally - trying to be someone she is not... sad case.

You are uniquely YOU.

How can you compare that to anyone else?

It's apples to oranges, so to speak.

Go forth,

and be all the YOU

you can be!

Weekend Thoughts

The simplest things can bring us JOY if we will only allow it. That's right allow.  Nobody but YOU can determine how much JOY you derive from an encounter, an experience, or a simple gift.

Fragrant melted wax (vanilla hazelnut mocha to be exact), and a reminder of JOY from a friend are little touches around our home that bring me JOY.  They are gifts that remind me how much I (and my family) are loved and cared for.

Sometimes I pray and ?TRUST? God for something (like passing scores, or plans for the future), and then am surprised when he answers with a "yes."   Am I the only one who does that?  Mmmhmm.  There's a reason "TRUST" is my word for 2012!  It's something I need to work on.

Many mornings I watch as the sky grows light, and a pattern of clouds forms, and I wonder at God's amazing creation, and at the grace he bestows on me -- allowing me to be a part of it all.  Experiencing JOY.  Learning TRUST.

Allow yourself to experience JOY today.

Let yourself TRUST God -- who has your best interests at heart.

See God in the miracles that surround us every day.

Psalm 91:2

“I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:

my God; in him will I trust.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Head over to the Weekend Wrapup Party

at Tatertots & Jello,

and enter to win a Project Life binder,

the coordinating core kit,

and any 5 packages of the Photo Pocket Pages that are currently available

-- courtesy of Becky Higgins.

Some "Joyful" Thoughts

"Be joyful always;

pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
I Thes. 5:16-18

A sweet reminder from a dear friend...

I was also reading James recently, and felt a little (okay, a lot) convicted

when I read verses 2-8 of chapter one.

This is sometimes hard to swallow, but it is from God's Word

-- so let's swallow it together:

 {Red notes are handwritten sermon notes from the margins of my Bible.}

James 1:2-8

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers,

whenever you face trials (inner moral conflicts) of many kinds,

because you know that the testing (proving) of your faith develops perseverance.

Perseverance must finish its work

(never completely finished, just a "stage" completed)

so that you may be mature and complete ("perfect"), not lacking anything.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,

because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea (getting nowhere),

blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

#1 ooh! Convicted! ~ "when he asks, he must believe and not doubt"

#2 ooh! Convicted! ~ "That man" (who asks, doubting) "should not think he will receive anything from the Lord."

Do you always ask believing?  I'm going to go out on a limb here (they say that's where the FRUIT is!), and tell you that sometimes when I bring a concern before the Lord, I'm bringing it because I've exhausted all of my own efforts.  So, in essence, I'm saying: "Here it is Lord.  I'm finally bringing it to YOU because I can't seem to do anything about it, and therefore, it must be HOPELESS."  Wow - that's pretty magnanimous of me, huh?  Yep.  These verses convicted me for sure.  At that point, I don't think I'm really believing that God can do anything about it either.  Another lie fed to me by you-know-who.  (And, can I just say: one that can really suck the "joy" out of your day!)

I've got some "big ticket items" on my prayer list lately, and I'm just going to hand them all over right now.  I don't think God wants me to exhaust my efforts, and then give everything to Him.  What do YOU think?

Color Therapy

Monday was just black and white.  Well, there was gray - come to think of it.  And a little bit of the blues.  And it's not just me.  I've seen it on other peoples' blogs.  It's in the air.  Winter Blues.

My word is JOY.  Not BLUES.

Nevertheless, blues is what I've got.  I need some balance - some other colors.  Are you with me?  Here {from the archives} is some COLOR.

Red.

Orange.

Yellow.

Green.

Blue. {Can we agree that we've got "the blues" covered?}

Purple.

Pink.

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable,

and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.

Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Philippians 4:8 [New Living Translation]

Forecast: JOY

Jan. 25 UPDATE:  I'm linking this particular post to "Good Life Wednesday" over at A Beach Cottage.  Sarah, thanks for a chance to share "the good life!"

Temperatures, cold!
Snow likely.  Flurries likely.  Isolated and scattered snow likely.
Sun?  Not likely.
That's our weekend forecast.

Sounds like a good weekend for soup,

and snuggling on the couch with lots of blankets,

and movies.

Gray with six more days of gray is what they are forecasting (if you look at the weather forecast picture-charts).  You get the general idea.  If sun is anywhere in the picture, it is behind clouds.

Sometimes when the "big picture" doesn't seem especially JOYful, you have to look deeper to find little pieces of JOY.

I was at the grocery store yesterday, and saw these:

and I was supposed to resist them, HOW?

They screamed JOY to me.

I think it was their vibrant color.

It could've been the "$2 off" coupon...

Either way, they are on my kitchen counter,

and I'm pretty happy about that!

UPDATE:  Here comes the sun!  Don't ever complain about the weatherman being wrong!

Lisa is so sweet.
She just linked me up over on her blog!  Check it out!

JOY ~ I found it!

So, remember that I said, "I'm looking for something that will be a tangible reminder of my word for 2011?"  Well, I found it.  Shortly after making that comment, I discovered this at Dayspring.

I felt a little guilty - as I always do making purchases after Christmas --when I've just received so much.  In this case, though, I knew it was for a good cause - and it was on clearance. (Sorry, I just had to add that.  It makes my hubby happy, and my mom proud!)  I know that this plaque will go a long way in reminding me of what I want this year to be - full of JOY.

For those of you who have a word for 2011, what are you doing to keep that word at the forefront of your mind?  I don't want to lose track of my word.  Do you?

Choosing JOY

And my word for 2011 is... (drum roll, please)  

J O Y

Do you love words?  I DO.  Through the Christmas 2010 season, the word "JOY" has shown up over and over again in my life.  Most of the time, it was delivered by fellow-bloggers who had great things to say on the subject, things that I really took to heart and tried to apply in my own life.  It showed up in lots of other places too.  It was interesting to see the JOY that was all around me if I was just more aware of it!  I gave a lot of thought to what brings me JOY, and what robs me of JOY.

So, why not carry on with the idea for 2011?  I want to be intentional about the way I live, and the way I react to life around me - and that doesn't just have to be at Christmas-time, right?

In the mean time, I'm looking for something that will be a tangible reminder of my word.  I'm keeping my eyes open, so I'll let you know what I come up with.

Check this out. (Love it!)  
Our Friend, Ali Edwards has another surprise up her sleeve.  Actually, it's no surprise that she has come up with another creative idea.  This one is all about WORDS.  You can read about Ali's idea HERE.

December 22nd ~ JOY

I've been reading a lot this year about JOY.  Specifically about things that bring you joy vs. things that rob you of joy.  As a result, I've been trying to recognize those things in my life as they relate to the Christmas season.

For example: one of my least favorite seasonal tasks is putting up the Christmas tree.  It is a frustrating process for me, at best, and I have come to realize - robs me of some joy.  My daughter is usually glad to do it, as she is the one most excited at the thought of the tree.  So, I am glad to hand that task over to her - and have learned to keep my mouth shut if she doesn't do things just the way I would.  Afterall, it always turns out beautifully, and I wouldn't want to be the one to rob her of her joy.

And then...I really wanted to make iced cut-outs this year, but wasn't sure if I'd have the time.  When I was at the store, I noticed the Pillsbury rolls of cookie dough, and couldn't help but think that those would make the process much easier for me.  So, I did a nice thing for myself.  I bought three rolls.

I rolled the Pillsbury dough out, and got started with the cookie cutters.  My daughter soon took over, and we worked as a team rolling out, cutting out, putting the cookies in and out of the oven.  It was kind of awesome, actually.  I love it that she is old enough to really participate in the process without a lot of chatter about the "how to."  We just quietly work side by side.  When all of the baking was completed, and the cookies had cooled, we got my son involved. He and my daughter got all of those cookies iced and decorated.  It was a nice stress-free process.  There was much laughter (and joy!) involved.  And there were rewards at the end!

I'm so glad that I took the time to realize the things that would rob me of joy - and took another route instead.

What seasonal tasks rob you of your joy?

* Do you have a "tradition" that you think you must follow - but it really means nothing to you? 

* Is there a task that someone else in the family would gladly do - if only they knew how you felt about it?

* Do you just need to change the way you do a particular task, and find an easier way?

Praying that you will think about the things that rob you of your joy this season, and consider what things you can do that will bring you joy instead.