she is our tree.

{and side note:  why she?  there is no way our tree was a he.  but why was she a she?  at preschool i very intentionally refer to the random animal or baby doll as “she” and i love seeing kids’ heads snap my way in surprise.  ahhh, yes.}

but she, our tree, is finally down.  well, moved to the front porch.  free of adornment and lights, out of the house. not until a few days ago did i feel really ready to take it all down.  i’m not sure why.  usually i can’t wait to clear the corners of the cluttered joy, the reminder of plenty.

there are layers to it, i’m sure, mixed with a dabble of plain laziness maybe.  but one thing is that i did almost nothing to set this tree up.  the kids decorated it.  with their own box of ornaments and then a family box, the tree was dressed while i sat by with our traditional foods and drinks.

and it was pretty.  dillons, our local grocery store, you did us well.  a cheap and beautiful fir tree.

and perhaps mostly, the tree coming down means the end of this season.  and in the words of our pastor and friend, [with the end of christmas] we move from a season of waiting to a season of action.

i like the short days, the cold weather which pushed us to use the oven more, light candles more, wear layers of clothes more.  i like the built in “something to look forward to,” where the world around us suggests we should be excited for what is coming.

maybe the season of lent can be that for me.  after all, if i want to be motivated by built-in joy and the mystery of the old stories, then easter seems like the one to go for.  and there is plenty in this world to get fired up and active about.

i’ll work on that.

well, in the plans today are cupcakes in dr. king’s honor and a walk over to bethel college.  the younger two kids and i are cuddled on the couch ready to watch a movie.  naomi is asleep, jerry is at work along with all other public school teachers {grrrrrrrrrrr}.  i’ve given in to the fact that i really do have a cold.  today i plan to get over it.  really, there is goodness.  great goodness.

we’ve had some good conversations on the fact that dr. king would be 83 if he was alive.  that’s not that old!

a word of wisdom from my eldest:

you know, most adults should realize that this [his death] happened in their lifetime.  it seems like that should make a difference.

yeah, it seems so.

it was the year for snow globes.

at home and preschool.

sheepishly i acknowledge that these were most definitely “temporary” tokens of love. they weren’t sealed tightly, the water will surely get old, and maybe the items inside will turn moldy? but, oh, they were fun to make.

trinkets and glue guns and glitter and vintage ribbon.

she still sits on my living room table…

and she makes me smile. of things from way back when and of life today. silly joys.

i’ve seen these on line for quite some time…i thought they were made with glow in the dark paint…but then i found some made with glo sticks!  i don’t know if they’ll last minutes or hours…but they are fun, fun, fun!

fabric strips knotted on each end, masking tape, baby food jar (and kids who love to eat peach baby food…though they never ate baby food as actual babies!), and glo sticks.

cut the glo stick open (i used a knife), pour some of the glo stick liquid in the jar, close up the jar, tape over the lid/jar seal to prevent leaks, tape the fabric strip handle on (the knot will keep the handle from slipping out), shake and light up the night!

we are storing this made one in the freezer and that makes a cool effect while the frozen liquid melts too!

we’ll take a night time walk tonight as part of our new year’s eve festivities…glo stick lanterns are coming along!

happy new year, all!

updated: and so, if you wish to view this in movie form, here you go:

:: :: :: ::

here we are, waiting and preparing for christmas.

it’s not always tidy or friendly, but it is colorful and real.

and not for a moment should we take anything for granted.

the novelty of a netflix fake fireplace wired to our tv didn’t go without commentary on the abundance it signifies.

we remain immensely grateful for our community big and small.

we’ve walked in the dark with flashlights and played homemade games.  we’ve fought with each other and yelled things we shouldn’t have.

we’ve been graced with gifts, some intentional and some of the white elephant sort.

our advent boxes are opening one by one.  a favorite has been the “sunday sodas” where we share a few bottles of old timey sodas.  simple joys.

we’re making things and eating things and most of us have burns on our fingers from the glue guns.

we had our church christmas program and our last sunday school of 2011.  i’m eager for pictures…since i didn’t even get one taken.

i did a run of preschool christmas programs which were as sweet as the sweet children involved.

and  we move into a couple of days of waiting with not much to do remaining deeply grateful for the promises of joy.

it’s been a slow blur of busy-ness.  slow because there are plenty of moments of near boredom in the midst of long, long to-do lists.  balance, i say.

we’ve lit candles, made snowglobes, opened the advent boxes, read, visited martha, orchestra concerts, music class concerts, repaired a ukulele, reminded ourselves to notice christ around us.

jerry and i are heading out for an overnight while the kids spend the night on the farm.  they are already looking forward to it being “so cozy” with “such good food.”  when we return we’ll hit the 4th sunday of advent with enthusiasm, including getting all the costumes out and ready for our church christmas program.  from our house we’ll have a joseph, a donkey and a sheep.  i’m saying goodbye to mr rob, my co worker since fall 2009.  it’s a bit like one of the downward goes on a roller coaster that i might not want to do again.

but in it all, blessed be.

even though we’re nearly smack dab in the middle of advent, i still have thanksgiving pictures waiting in the wings (or the “flagged” portion of iphoto).  it seems like ages ago. both spontaneous gathering and carefully orchestrated meal seemed to make up our time.

i think the cupcake turkey was the most spontaneous happening of my thanksgiving.

the relish tray, creamy corn, sweet potatoes and cranberry salad was not spontaneous.  i used the same recipes that have been used my husband’s whole life.  it is always kind of cool to step into the family history that i wasn’t a part of.

good thing i had a helper dressed up as a chicken.

and for those moments when adults aren’t hungry, but kids are (because they don’t totally overeat to the point of stomachs hurting), if i take the time to make mini snacks, it really seems to go better.  i should remember that.

and aside from all the little snacks, games played, conversations had, there was the gift of space.  this is a quick photo i shot on a family walk…everyone in their own space…at their own pace…

…finding their way home.  happy thanksgiving 2011.

we celebrated micah’s tenth birthday with school friends, church friends and family.

we had 4 school friends over after school. they made marshmallow shooters, played football, and finished the party off with pizza and an episode of macgyver projected on a big sheet in the hay loft.

they are such nice boys.  and a special thing for me was having known four out of the five of them as former new creation preschoolers.  : )

oma and opa came down for a visit, nana and papa and uncle marc came over, and two of our favorite little people stopped by for lunch after church.

a boy of ten.  man.  still my pretty bright eyed boy.

so, i drank coffee too late in the day which meant i couldn’t sleep (a first for me!), so i stayed up and made martha movies instead. here’s what we’ve been up to: