{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.

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!

:: :: :: ::

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.