So I've missed the last 3 or so episodes of the show and since there's only one left, I decided to finish strong and tune in.
It was Crazytown. My reaction to tonight's episode in list form:
6 Reasons I Had To Admit To Myself That Downton Is A Soap And I'm Not Truly A Patron Of The Arts
1. Suddenly Tom Branson is a yenta, inviting Henry (Hot Car Guy) to throw him in Mary's path.
Why is Tom so boring? Do we really believe he missed Downton after trying America?
2. Mary is stone cold. Ruining Edith's relationship with Bernie by trotting out Edith's secret over morning coffee? Right as they are announcing their engagement? LOW BLOW.
3. Mary admitting that she can't be a "car crash widow" again to Violet in an anguished tete a tete in her bedroom. I almost thought she'd throw herself on the bed and call out to her dead beloved...
4. But wait! She visits his grave! And presses a kiss to it. And wants his forgiveness. (And can I say that I kinda wonder if I'd be the kind of dead spouse who would be like, "Sure, honey! It's fine! Move on!" ? But I'm no Mathew.)
5. Mary calls Henry back, confesses her love, and they are married 5 minutes later. Edith attends the wedding, is the complete bigger person, and seems okay with being the beloved maiden aunt to the three Downton children. If Edith doesn't get her happy ending, and Mary gets to act a fool and commit her own series of indiscretions and ride off into the sunset with Hot Car Guy, it has all been for naught.
6. And Thomas attempts to take his own life? Tucking that storyline in between Mr. Moseley turned Mr. Holland (which was actually a very sweet moment) and Mrs. Patamore fretting that her B&B will be know as a house of ill repute is a lot of ground to cover in 75 mintues.
I imagine I'll have to catch up on the episodes I missed in the next two weeks, and don my Nanny's old mink stole in honor of the last Downton episode March 6. Here's to Downton in all its silliness! TTFN :)
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Grease Is The Word.
The Grease Live Musical was so good I'm still happy about it 2 days later.
I really think the local gyms should create a "Musical Theater for Moms" (With Unfulfilled Drama Dreams) exercise class because I will happily sweat to those oldies.
Things I Loved About Grease Live:
1. The excitement of a live production
2. Ana Gasteyer as the principal. So much goodness.
3. Praise Hands for Aaron Tveit who played Danny. I now know he also played Enjolras in the recent Les Miserables movie and I want to personally congratulate him on being both incredibly talented, artistic and masculine. The storyline of Grease is pretty formulaic and a less-than-ideal roadmap for our daughters and their romantic aspirations, but at the end of the day, GIVE ME A MAN WITH TENDER FEELINGS AND A LEATHER JACKET. Mercy.
4. Julianne Hough totally rose the the vocal challenge of the role. She is so beautiful. Again, blah, blah, blah. beauty comes from within, but really, can you imagine being as blindingly beautiful as the actors who played the lead roles? I think that would be fun for a day. I don't think I'd mind someone overlooking my beautiful soul for awhile.
5. Boyz II Men doing "Beauty School Dropout". That was so perfect. I'll be singing it for awhile.
6. Fox made a very savvy move and cleaned up all the cringe-worthy innuendos in "Greased Lighting" as they rightly knew their audience (women who grew up on Grease) would be watching with their own kids. Upon hearing the family-friendly lyrics, said demographic would download the album and the broadcast and have maybe already listened to the soundtrack on loop and re-watched the musical.
7. The whole "Greased Lighting" dance number. The physicality of that number (look at me using that groovy showbiz lingo) was astounding.
8. The joy of the actors performing at their very best. You could hear the actors whoop a bit in sheer excitement on certain songs.
9. Ending with a live carnival for the final song. I almost thought they'd be able to get Danny and Sandy to fly away in their car.
10. The little sly updates to dialogue, like when Frenchy tells Sandy that "We (women) have to be our own people... like they teach us in Home Ec."
Do I like TV too much? Does it consume a bit too much of my mental energy? Yes and yes.
But Grease Live was a shot-in-the-arm of infectious musical joy and I'll take it.
Did you watch? What did you like about the production?
I really think the local gyms should create a "Musical Theater for Moms" (With Unfulfilled Drama Dreams) exercise class because I will happily sweat to those oldies.
Things I Loved About Grease Live:
1. The excitement of a live production
2. Ana Gasteyer as the principal. So much goodness.
3. Praise Hands for Aaron Tveit who played Danny. I now know he also played Enjolras in the recent Les Miserables movie and I want to personally congratulate him on being both incredibly talented, artistic and masculine. The storyline of Grease is pretty formulaic and a less-than-ideal roadmap for our daughters and their romantic aspirations, but at the end of the day, GIVE ME A MAN WITH TENDER FEELINGS AND A LEATHER JACKET. Mercy.
4. Julianne Hough totally rose the the vocal challenge of the role. She is so beautiful. Again, blah, blah, blah. beauty comes from within, but really, can you imagine being as blindingly beautiful as the actors who played the lead roles? I think that would be fun for a day. I don't think I'd mind someone overlooking my beautiful soul for awhile.
5. Boyz II Men doing "Beauty School Dropout". That was so perfect. I'll be singing it for awhile.
6. Fox made a very savvy move and cleaned up all the cringe-worthy innuendos in "Greased Lighting" as they rightly knew their audience (women who grew up on Grease) would be watching with their own kids. Upon hearing the family-friendly lyrics, said demographic would download the album and the broadcast and have maybe already listened to the soundtrack on loop and re-watched the musical.
7. The whole "Greased Lighting" dance number. The physicality of that number (look at me using that groovy showbiz lingo) was astounding.
8. The joy of the actors performing at their very best. You could hear the actors whoop a bit in sheer excitement on certain songs.
9. Ending with a live carnival for the final song. I almost thought they'd be able to get Danny and Sandy to fly away in their car.
10. The little sly updates to dialogue, like when Frenchy tells Sandy that "We (women) have to be our own people... like they teach us in Home Ec."
Do I like TV too much? Does it consume a bit too much of my mental energy? Yes and yes.
But Grease Live was a shot-in-the-arm of infectious musical joy and I'll take it.
Did you watch? What did you like about the production?
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
2016: Insurance Claims, Winter Doldrums, and All the Social Media Outlets
Hi readers. And by readers I mean-- Hi Mom, Dad, Natalie, Jenny, Missy, and various college and mom friends. :)
It's a new year.
Christmas was a swirling dervish of presents and travel and I'm almost recovered. I didn't rush to put up decorations before the 1st as is my usual practice and I'm proud to report they got back in the attic on January 21st. #crushingit
January highlights:
Sarah turned six, and had three separate occasions to mark the day of her birth-- school cupcakes, a pancake breakfast celebration on the actual day followed by a dinner date with Dad, and a Barbie (TM) Rock N Royals Birthday party that I invited all 20 students in the class to and then promptly stressed til the moment of the party that more than 2 kids would attend. I realize that an unaccepted invitation to at 6-year-old's party is not a rejection of me as a person. I realize that. I do. I really do. (Inner monologue: If only I was better at making friends then more kids would come to my kid's birthday party, UGH, being a introvert is so hard.) Lesson learned: Invite any and all children in your social circle to your kid's birthday party. 10 percent will come. It'll be ALL GOOD. I'll pick up this existential birthday angst up again next January for my social butterfly daughter. The party was an unqualified success-- we did a craft, temporary tattoos, clip-in colored hair and colored hairspray, Barbie play, cake and presents, karaoke and trampoline play.
Pinterest? Can't touch this.
I'm writing this on hold with our insurance company as we changed over January 1 and our three providers are not showing us as insured but BCBS is.
So.... Situation Normal there.
Can I make a confession?
I didn't even watch Downton this Sunday night.
I know.
My people are counting on me.
But it's gotten so.... boring/lame/stale/predictable.
Season recap: Carson is the epitome of all that is good and noble and true in the male species. This speech on wanting a true marriage was pitch perfect. Backstory: his fiancée Mrs. Hughes (who has never been married, but as housekeeper is called Mrs. to disguish her position from lower ranking staff) is sheepish about the (erm) marital act as a late middle-aged woman and fears disappointing Mr. Carson. She asks her closest friend in the house, Mrs. Patmore, to act as go-between with Mr. Carson to discuss his expectations in that department. It's about to get as awkward as a true-love-waits Sunday School lesson in which the male leader likens your "special gift" to a present that only your spouse can unwrap. Which is, yes, very very true, but also skin-crawlingly awkward.
Mrs. Patmore: I see.
Charles Carson: You say she asks if I want a 'full' marriage and the answer is yes, I do. I want a real marriage, a true marriage, with everything that that involves. And I hope I do not ask the indelicate when I send you back to relay this message.
Mrs. Patmore: Don't worry about me.
Charles Carson: I love her, Mrs. Patmore. I am happy and tickled and bursting with pride that she would agree to be my wife. And I want us to live as closely as two people can, for the time that remains to us on earth.
Mrs. Patmore: Well, you couldn't make it any clearer. I'll say that for you.
Source: IMDB
Men, please copy these lines down verbatim and insert them into your wife's
Valentine's Day card that you will be accompanying with a thoughtful gesture that extends beyond the card itself. I want to help you.
Also, I want to convey complete sincerity here, infertility is a delicate subject to approach and I would never want to imply that it is not a serious and emotional struggle that couples face, but they way it is being used in the Anna-Bates storyline stretches one's patience.
Anna finally is cleared any involvement in the death of her attacker, and the minute the couple receive the good news that they are finally free to live their lives again, Anna is all "I'll never make you happy the way you deserve because I cannot have a child and you're just lying when you say you're happy and it doesn't matter."
Since this is a fictional drama, OF COURSE we know that Anna will have Bates' child and OF COURSE it will all be wonderful, so I feel like Anna's character feels a bit one-note when dealing with the complex emotions of infertility.
Anyhoo. Edith finally has a date with a man who is 1) not 70 and 2) is not moving to pre-Nazi Germany, so hooray, Edith. Go on, girl. I'd say "get down with your bad self," but let's not forget her covert pregnancy and the Solomon like push-and-pull between Edith and the Drewe family to raise Marigold.
I won't even bore you with my thoughts on the blackmail Lady Mary plot, except to say I'm over Lady Mary and Lord Grantham is a poorly written character.
Lastly, I have to share my current podcast/IG/Netflix faves:
Netflix:
The West Wing. I heart this series. I watched the first 4 seasons in college and sporadically until it went off the air in 2006. It feels relevant 10 years later. I love the passion of the characters, their flaws and sense of moral unction to do what is best for the country. I wish the politicians on the national stage conveyed the authenticity that the paid actors reciting written dialogue on a TV show do, but that's the way it goes with reality.
IG:
I started following a mom entrepreneur that another notable suggested and I just enjoy her fun, positive style. Plus she sells the cutest Mom shirts. I can't make myself purchase one at $35 a throw, but I'd love if someone gifted me one. (Not that my husband reads this.)
Podcasts:
The blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy, a book-lover's dream, has started a new podcast called What Should I Read Next? The host interviews a book lover and plays "book matchmaking" based on the interviewee's taste in books. I've also been listening to Off-Camera with Sam Jones, a movie insider's podcast with notables like Matt Damon and Will Ferrell. This is also a show on IFC channel. Some of the movie stars are predictably pretentious about THE CRAFT, but many are fascinating, particularly the Damon and Ferrell interviews.
I'm also pleased to report I've used my elliptical a grand total of 3 times and read my bible maybe 30% of the days in January. Self-helpers call this imperfect progress, so I'll be honest and take it.
Have a great Wednesday!
(Oh, p.s. I get to go to Chattanooga with my youth worker friends for the Conclave conference this weekend--Child-free girlfriend/hang out/learning time! Yay!)
It's a new year.
Christmas was a swirling dervish of presents and travel and I'm almost recovered. I didn't rush to put up decorations before the 1st as is my usual practice and I'm proud to report they got back in the attic on January 21st. #crushingit
January highlights:
Sarah turned six, and had three separate occasions to mark the day of her birth-- school cupcakes, a pancake breakfast celebration on the actual day followed by a dinner date with Dad, and a Barbie (TM) Rock N Royals Birthday party that I invited all 20 students in the class to and then promptly stressed til the moment of the party that more than 2 kids would attend. I realize that an unaccepted invitation to at 6-year-old's party is not a rejection of me as a person. I realize that. I do. I really do. (Inner monologue: If only I was better at making friends then more kids would come to my kid's birthday party, UGH, being a introvert is so hard.) Lesson learned: Invite any and all children in your social circle to your kid's birthday party. 10 percent will come. It'll be ALL GOOD. I'll pick up this existential birthday angst up again next January for my social butterfly daughter. The party was an unqualified success-- we did a craft, temporary tattoos, clip-in colored hair and colored hairspray, Barbie play, cake and presents, karaoke and trampoline play.
Pinterest? Can't touch this.
I'm writing this on hold with our insurance company as we changed over January 1 and our three providers are not showing us as insured but BCBS is.
So.... Situation Normal there.
Can I make a confession?
I didn't even watch Downton this Sunday night.
I know.
My people are counting on me.
But it's gotten so.... boring/lame/stale/predictable.
Season recap: Carson is the epitome of all that is good and noble and true in the male species. This speech on wanting a true marriage was pitch perfect. Backstory: his fiancée Mrs. Hughes (who has never been married, but as housekeeper is called Mrs. to disguish her position from lower ranking staff) is sheepish about the (erm) marital act as a late middle-aged woman and fears disappointing Mr. Carson. She asks her closest friend in the house, Mrs. Patmore, to act as go-between with Mr. Carson to discuss his expectations in that department. It's about to get as awkward as a true-love-waits Sunday School lesson in which the male leader likens your "special gift" to a present that only your spouse can unwrap. Which is, yes, very very true, but also skin-crawlingly awkward.
"Downton Abbey: Episode #6.1" (2015)
Charles Carson: Tell her this, Mrs. Patmore. That, in my eyes, she is beautiful.Mrs. Patmore: I see.
Charles Carson: You say she asks if I want a 'full' marriage and the answer is yes, I do. I want a real marriage, a true marriage, with everything that that involves. And I hope I do not ask the indelicate when I send you back to relay this message.
Mrs. Patmore: Don't worry about me.
Charles Carson: I love her, Mrs. Patmore. I am happy and tickled and bursting with pride that she would agree to be my wife. And I want us to live as closely as two people can, for the time that remains to us on earth.
Mrs. Patmore: Well, you couldn't make it any clearer. I'll say that for you.
Source: IMDB
Men, please copy these lines down verbatim and insert them into your wife's
Valentine's Day card that you will be accompanying with a thoughtful gesture that extends beyond the card itself. I want to help you.
Also, I want to convey complete sincerity here, infertility is a delicate subject to approach and I would never want to imply that it is not a serious and emotional struggle that couples face, but they way it is being used in the Anna-Bates storyline stretches one's patience.
Anna finally is cleared any involvement in the death of her attacker, and the minute the couple receive the good news that they are finally free to live their lives again, Anna is all "I'll never make you happy the way you deserve because I cannot have a child and you're just lying when you say you're happy and it doesn't matter."
Since this is a fictional drama, OF COURSE we know that Anna will have Bates' child and OF COURSE it will all be wonderful, so I feel like Anna's character feels a bit one-note when dealing with the complex emotions of infertility.
Anyhoo. Edith finally has a date with a man who is 1) not 70 and 2) is not moving to pre-Nazi Germany, so hooray, Edith. Go on, girl. I'd say "get down with your bad self," but let's not forget her covert pregnancy and the Solomon like push-and-pull between Edith and the Drewe family to raise Marigold.
I won't even bore you with my thoughts on the blackmail Lady Mary plot, except to say I'm over Lady Mary and Lord Grantham is a poorly written character.
Lastly, I have to share my current podcast/IG/Netflix faves:
Netflix:
The West Wing. I heart this series. I watched the first 4 seasons in college and sporadically until it went off the air in 2006. It feels relevant 10 years later. I love the passion of the characters, their flaws and sense of moral unction to do what is best for the country. I wish the politicians on the national stage conveyed the authenticity that the paid actors reciting written dialogue on a TV show do, but that's the way it goes with reality.
IG:
I started following a mom entrepreneur that another notable suggested and I just enjoy her fun, positive style. Plus she sells the cutest Mom shirts. I can't make myself purchase one at $35 a throw, but I'd love if someone gifted me one. (Not that my husband reads this.)
Podcasts:
The blogger behind Modern Mrs. Darcy, a book-lover's dream, has started a new podcast called What Should I Read Next? The host interviews a book lover and plays "book matchmaking" based on the interviewee's taste in books. I've also been listening to Off-Camera with Sam Jones, a movie insider's podcast with notables like Matt Damon and Will Ferrell. This is also a show on IFC channel. Some of the movie stars are predictably pretentious about THE CRAFT, but many are fascinating, particularly the Damon and Ferrell interviews.
I'm also pleased to report I've used my elliptical a grand total of 3 times and read my bible maybe 30% of the days in January. Self-helpers call this imperfect progress, so I'll be honest and take it.
Have a great Wednesday!
(Oh, p.s. I get to go to Chattanooga with my youth worker friends for the Conclave conference this weekend--Child-free girlfriend/hang out/learning time! Yay!)
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Let's Get to the 25th Already!
Hi, my name is Melissa, and I was hiding from my kids on the stairs scrolling Instagram.
Monday and Tuesday were filled with moments of discipline for each child as 1) it won't stop raining and 2) that makes for a lot of togetherness and 3) children like to antagonize and 4) it was an amateur move to try to wrap presents for others while supervising children. I wrapped about four in the space of four hours.
We have made it to December 23rd. We are coloring and snacking and movie-watching and paper roll sword playing and I'm in a better place.
Presents wrapped, house cleanish, clothes washed, Santa gifts on-go to assemble.
Now we are twiddling our thumbs, ready for the big day.
Here's a hodgepodge of holiday goodness and fun finds for your time off:
Man in the High Castle on Amazon streaming
This is sci-fi intrigue set in post-war 1960s America in an alternate reality in which the Allies lost WWII and the United States is ruled by Germany and Japan. I don't know where to start here: you can watch it as a couple; each character is multi-faceted and more keeps being revealed; it plays with reality and feels a bit like Lost as it presents possible outcomes and a blurry line between the natural and supernatural. Plus the lead character is really cute and I like his hair. So he's a Nazi. He has Resistance leanings due to meeting a love interest/new Resistance member. And I'm betting he's Hitler's son. We are hooked and eagerly awaiting Season 2.
My daughters in their Christmas program
Shameless Overshare
Our Christmas Letter
2015 At a Glance
It’s always a bit baffling to reach the end of another year at what seems like a breakneck speed. 2015 has been a year of new adventures for our family. This summer, Alex, in a true act of Dad heroism, took us to Disney World for five sweaty, tiring, but absolutely memorable days. We visited each park and dined with princesses, kissed Mickey, and rode our fair share off iconic rides. I’m a self-proclaimed sucker for all things Disney and am campaigning for a return to Orlando for a certain young man’s eighth birthday. In October, we had another amazing experience traveling to Europe following a work conference Alex was selected to attend in Flims, Switzerland. Our parents each took turns manning the battle stations on the home front with the kids so I could join Alex for four days in Paris and on to Amsterdam to meet up with an old friend of Alex’s and stay with his family. It was everything we could have hoped for in an overseas trip-- beautiful scenery, delicious food, unexpected discoveries, and best of all, time together and with friends. I’ve said it was once-in-a-lifetime, but I’m hoping we’ll push ourselves to travel more as the children grow older.
The kids are now 7, 5, and 3 respectively. Jeremiah is a first grader in an autism classroom. He is an affectionate, loving young man who likes to draw, print, bike, and play on his IPAD. Sometimes his noisy sisters overwhelm his ears, but he is the first to give a hug when needed. His mom (without any overstatement) is his #1 fan and as for Dad, Jeremiah adores him beyond good sense.
Sarah is going on 6 this January and bounds into a room with energy and sparkle. She is in Kindergarten at brother’s school and brims over with new information. She loves fashion and crafts. Frequently, she helps Mom create new desserts to try. We call her our cruise director and believe she is the most lovely 5-year-old in existence (all apologies).
Our youngest, Rachel, is the family mascot. 100 percent sass, this little girl selects her outfits (as there are several changes) daily, complete with accessories and makeup-- no lip balm, but red lipstick, please. Not much makes her mom happier than taming her bedraggled hair with a bow and acting as consultant on her sartorial choices. Rachel tolerates too many hugs and kisses and longs to be “like Sarah” in all things, especially big kid school. As her middle name suggests, she is an absolute joy.
As for us adults, Alex continues to work as a Programmer at Silvervine Systems. His team indicated to me that he is the Eeyore of the group as he is on the look-out for potential problems that could arise in any project. He is a wonderful father to our kids and a supporter in all ways to me as his wife. I’m very proud of him.
I’ve renewed my contract for my 8th year as an at-home Mom and though each year brings changes to my role, I’m enjoying this new stage. I’ve become more involved in the kids’ school, and work with 8th grade girls Sunday school--whom I constantly admonish to be nice to their mothers--as well as teach choir to Rachel’s age group. I blog, attend bible study and a Mom’s group, keep the domestic wheels running, and think wistfully about exercise as I either read or binge Netflix in my off-duty time. We just ordered an elliptical machine, so hello, New Year’s Resolutions!
In closing, we are just plain thankful to have you in our lives and pray this Christmas season and the new year to come are marked by the greatest of these: love.
And from Ann Voskamp's Unwrapping the Greatest Gift December 23rd reading:
"He came as a Baby because He was done with barriers. He disarmed himself so that you could take Him in your arms. God came as a Baby because he wants to be unimaginably close to you. What God ever came so tender that we could touch Him? So fragile we could break Him? Only the One who loves you to death. Only the God who had to come to get you, to free you, to be with you....
Christmas isn't about getting something big and shiny. It's about God's doing whatever it takes to be with us-- and our doing whatever it takes to be with Him. (emphasis mine)
He doesn't care if your list is checked or your halls are decked. He doesn't care if you've spent 25 days preparing your heart or a lifetime far away from Him. He cares about you, about us.
He made a way for us, by his righteousness alone. Isn't that really the best news? I get swept along in the craziness each year, and I always arrive back to wonder seated in our Christmas Eve service-- Son of God, Love's Pure Light.
Merry, merry Christmas, dear friends.
Monday and Tuesday were filled with moments of discipline for each child as 1) it won't stop raining and 2) that makes for a lot of togetherness and 3) children like to antagonize and 4) it was an amateur move to try to wrap presents for others while supervising children. I wrapped about four in the space of four hours.
We have made it to December 23rd. We are coloring and snacking and movie-watching and paper roll sword playing and I'm in a better place.
Presents wrapped, house cleanish, clothes washed, Santa gifts on-go to assemble.
Now we are twiddling our thumbs, ready for the big day.
Here's a hodgepodge of holiday goodness and fun finds for your time off:
Man in the High Castle on Amazon streaming
This is sci-fi intrigue set in post-war 1960s America in an alternate reality in which the Allies lost WWII and the United States is ruled by Germany and Japan. I don't know where to start here: you can watch it as a couple; each character is multi-faceted and more keeps being revealed; it plays with reality and feels a bit like Lost as it presents possible outcomes and a blurry line between the natural and supernatural. Plus the lead character is really cute and I like his hair. So he's a Nazi. He has Resistance leanings due to meeting a love interest/new Resistance member. And I'm betting he's Hitler's son. We are hooked and eagerly awaiting Season 2.
My daughters in their Christmas program
Shameless Overshare
Our Christmas Letter
2015 At a Glance
It’s always a bit baffling to reach the end of another year at what seems like a breakneck speed. 2015 has been a year of new adventures for our family. This summer, Alex, in a true act of Dad heroism, took us to Disney World for five sweaty, tiring, but absolutely memorable days. We visited each park and dined with princesses, kissed Mickey, and rode our fair share off iconic rides. I’m a self-proclaimed sucker for all things Disney and am campaigning for a return to Orlando for a certain young man’s eighth birthday. In October, we had another amazing experience traveling to Europe following a work conference Alex was selected to attend in Flims, Switzerland. Our parents each took turns manning the battle stations on the home front with the kids so I could join Alex for four days in Paris and on to Amsterdam to meet up with an old friend of Alex’s and stay with his family. It was everything we could have hoped for in an overseas trip-- beautiful scenery, delicious food, unexpected discoveries, and best of all, time together and with friends. I’ve said it was once-in-a-lifetime, but I’m hoping we’ll push ourselves to travel more as the children grow older.
The kids are now 7, 5, and 3 respectively. Jeremiah is a first grader in an autism classroom. He is an affectionate, loving young man who likes to draw, print, bike, and play on his IPAD. Sometimes his noisy sisters overwhelm his ears, but he is the first to give a hug when needed. His mom (without any overstatement) is his #1 fan and as for Dad, Jeremiah adores him beyond good sense.
Sarah is going on 6 this January and bounds into a room with energy and sparkle. She is in Kindergarten at brother’s school and brims over with new information. She loves fashion and crafts. Frequently, she helps Mom create new desserts to try. We call her our cruise director and believe she is the most lovely 5-year-old in existence (all apologies).
Our youngest, Rachel, is the family mascot. 100 percent sass, this little girl selects her outfits (as there are several changes) daily, complete with accessories and makeup-- no lip balm, but red lipstick, please. Not much makes her mom happier than taming her bedraggled hair with a bow and acting as consultant on her sartorial choices. Rachel tolerates too many hugs and kisses and longs to be “like Sarah” in all things, especially big kid school. As her middle name suggests, she is an absolute joy.
As for us adults, Alex continues to work as a Programmer at Silvervine Systems. His team indicated to me that he is the Eeyore of the group as he is on the look-out for potential problems that could arise in any project. He is a wonderful father to our kids and a supporter in all ways to me as his wife. I’m very proud of him.
I’ve renewed my contract for my 8th year as an at-home Mom and though each year brings changes to my role, I’m enjoying this new stage. I’ve become more involved in the kids’ school, and work with 8th grade girls Sunday school--whom I constantly admonish to be nice to their mothers--as well as teach choir to Rachel’s age group. I blog, attend bible study and a Mom’s group, keep the domestic wheels running, and think wistfully about exercise as I either read or binge Netflix in my off-duty time. We just ordered an elliptical machine, so hello, New Year’s Resolutions!
In closing, we are just plain thankful to have you in our lives and pray this Christmas season and the new year to come are marked by the greatest of these: love.
*
And from Ann Voskamp's Unwrapping the Greatest Gift December 23rd reading:
"He came as a Baby because He was done with barriers. He disarmed himself so that you could take Him in your arms. God came as a Baby because he wants to be unimaginably close to you. What God ever came so tender that we could touch Him? So fragile we could break Him? Only the One who loves you to death. Only the God who had to come to get you, to free you, to be with you....
Christmas isn't about getting something big and shiny. It's about God's doing whatever it takes to be with us-- and our doing whatever it takes to be with Him. (emphasis mine)
He doesn't care if your list is checked or your halls are decked. He doesn't care if you've spent 25 days preparing your heart or a lifetime far away from Him. He cares about you, about us.
He made a way for us, by his righteousness alone. Isn't that really the best news? I get swept along in the craziness each year, and I always arrive back to wonder seated in our Christmas Eve service-- Son of God, Love's Pure Light.
Merry, merry Christmas, dear friends.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Sending Christmas Cards in 50 Simple Steps
I just sent my second batch of Christmas cards. I placed them on my lap as I pulled up to the post office box and took a picture. I was about the ponder filters when I realized there was a nice lady waiting patiently behind my car.
I'm having a little sit-down with myself about this, promise.
I started to back-track all the steps I've taken to send these cards, and I present them below for your amusement.
1. Realize it's Fall and High Season for family pictures.
2. Float the idea casually to my husband.
3. Husband readily concedes as he knows this is a lost cause.
4. Price out photography sessions.
5. Contact photographer.
6. Set date.
7. Ponder family attire.
8. Go to Target for "some things".
9. Reschedule session due to weather.
10. Take pictures on a weekday afternoon, i.e. Get kids home, fed snack, repair hair, and clothe in subtle autumnal finery--dressy casual, natch.
11. Curl hair, allow for last minute scarf debate, ponder options for best figure enhancement. Don boots and big earrings.
12. Iron two options for Dad's shirt. Iron son's shirt and daughter's dress.
13. Meet Dad at a park and present shirt choices. Realize this is a bit much.
13. Smile pretty.
14. Encourage children to smile pretty.
15. Promise playground time for smiling pretty.
16. Snag one last shot just-in-case. We always need just-in-case.
17. Play on playground.
18. Bribe anxious child with donuts and a promise to come back to park later.
19. Fall out on the couch upon arriving at home.
20. Wait 2 weeks for proofs.
21. Wait an extra day for proofs as photographer's site is down.
22. Drive to pick up CD of finished portraits to get them in my hot hand right now.
23. Obsessively look at sun lit pictures of my offspring like the loon I am.
24. Debate over posting offspring's pictures.
25. Post offspring's pictures.
26. Begin card hunt.
27. Find groupon and order cards.
28. Wait for cards.
29. Receive cards.
30. Frame card.
31. Find inspiration and deep dive into my OneDrive for all family pictures from Christmas 2008 forward.
32. Order said pictures.
33. Order best sibling picture on canvas.
34. Realize it's time to send the cards.
35. Send husband out for pretty stamps.
36. Address and write a personalized note on batch one to my girls' life group.
37. Realize a year in review letter might be nice.
38. Write year in review letter seeking to strike a tone between earnest, self-deprecating, and humorous.
39. Proofread and feel optimistic about tone.
40. Select pretty pens and address second batch of cards.
41. Sign letters.
42. Write personalized notes on cards.
43. Stamp and seal.
44. Drive to post office and drop off.
45. Take obnoxious picture.
46. Chuckle at myself.
47. Count up the money I've spent on cards that may stay on a mantle for 2 weeks and quickly shove such practical thoughts aside.
48. Realize this is good blog material.
49. Blog and import obnoxious picture.
50. Post blog to minister to any woman who embraces the lengths we go to as Good Will Ambassadors for our families.
I'm having a little sit-down with myself about this, promise.
I started to back-track all the steps I've taken to send these cards, and I present them below for your amusement.
1. Realize it's Fall and High Season for family pictures.
2. Float the idea casually to my husband.
3. Husband readily concedes as he knows this is a lost cause.
4. Price out photography sessions.
5. Contact photographer.
6. Set date.
7. Ponder family attire.
8. Go to Target for "some things".
9. Reschedule session due to weather.
10. Take pictures on a weekday afternoon, i.e. Get kids home, fed snack, repair hair, and clothe in subtle autumnal finery--dressy casual, natch.
11. Curl hair, allow for last minute scarf debate, ponder options for best figure enhancement. Don boots and big earrings.
12. Iron two options for Dad's shirt. Iron son's shirt and daughter's dress.
13. Meet Dad at a park and present shirt choices. Realize this is a bit much.
13. Smile pretty.
14. Encourage children to smile pretty.
15. Promise playground time for smiling pretty.
16. Snag one last shot just-in-case. We always need just-in-case.
17. Play on playground.
18. Bribe anxious child with donuts and a promise to come back to park later.
19. Fall out on the couch upon arriving at home.
20. Wait 2 weeks for proofs.
21. Wait an extra day for proofs as photographer's site is down.
22. Drive to pick up CD of finished portraits to get them in my hot hand right now.
23. Obsessively look at sun lit pictures of my offspring like the loon I am.
24. Debate over posting offspring's pictures.
25. Post offspring's pictures.
26. Begin card hunt.
27. Find groupon and order cards.
28. Wait for cards.
29. Receive cards.
30. Frame card.
31. Find inspiration and deep dive into my OneDrive for all family pictures from Christmas 2008 forward.
32. Order said pictures.
33. Order best sibling picture on canvas.
34. Realize it's time to send the cards.
35. Send husband out for pretty stamps.
36. Address and write a personalized note on batch one to my girls' life group.
37. Realize a year in review letter might be nice.
38. Write year in review letter seeking to strike a tone between earnest, self-deprecating, and humorous.
39. Proofread and feel optimistic about tone.
40. Select pretty pens and address second batch of cards.
41. Sign letters.
42. Write personalized notes on cards.
43. Stamp and seal.
44. Drive to post office and drop off.
45. Take obnoxious picture.
46. Chuckle at myself.
47. Count up the money I've spent on cards that may stay on a mantle for 2 weeks and quickly shove such practical thoughts aside.
48. Realize this is good blog material.
49. Blog and import obnoxious picture.
50. Post blog to minister to any woman who embraces the lengths we go to as Good Will Ambassadors for our families.
The End.
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| Fa la la la la, la la la la. |
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