Lord, That I May See

because I just love the way the house looks at Christmas! I love the lights and our tree and every ornament. It's my favorite time of year and taking pictures helps me savor everything. Midnight, December 25 and Mommy and Daddy's handiwork was finally finished! I love this tree skirt from my great aunt. "Baby's First Christmas ornaments" were always very important and treasured in my family. Here's Rosebud's, for 2008: Here's Turtle's for 2006: My mother gave us this ornament two years ago, saying that every Christmas tree should have an apple, to remind us of Adam and Eve and the Sin that gave us Christmas. The only bell on our tree. Growing up I loved to hang the bells, delighting in their delicate ringing. The Holy Family has a prominent place on the tree. A long time ago, I made this following styrofoam ornament for my dear Grammy. ( http://thegreatestgiftsofgod.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-love-you.html ) On it is inscribed, in her fine script, my ...

May the Christ Child be in your hearts and homes this Christmas!

Why does Christmas STILL seem to sneak up on you even though you have 4 weeks of Advent! I could use a quick prayer to get this all together! I've been sick off and on for 5 days, and last night, just as I am feeling all the way better, Rosebud comes down with a fever. The poor baby is so sweet when she's sick, but still . . . I've got no food in the fridge, family Christmas Eve and Christmas morning meals to plan and shop for (oh horrors! I have to venture out again!) , Christmas dinner potluck dish to make, Xmas cards to finish, all presents to wrap and 6 dirty loads of laundry to wash,my kitchen is the dirtiest it has been so I can't even think in it -- yes, my husband was so good as to cook every meal while I was sick, but he doesn't really clean ever . . . .:) I'm sure everyone else out there is swamped too! Lets all say a prayer for each other, okay? Good deal? :)

Our front door swag -- which I am inordinately proud of. :) The beautiful new monogrammed stockings that I got from Land's End for the girls -- I am excited because we actually have a mantle this year! Setting up, (or wrecking up?) the girls' nativity set. It's the season of the Light! Making gingerbread cookies! And last, but not least: Doesn't this strike you as rather . . . umm, grotesque ? Good grief, I much prefer it when the white mouse sleeps in the manger . . . .

I get mailings from Food for the Poor, because sometimes I give money to them. ( http://www.foodforthepoor.org ) There is always a little twinge in my heart when I hold the envelope in my hand. I'm tempted to throw it away unopened. But I don't. I open it, make myself look at the pictures, look into the dark sad eyes of the children, read the stories. Sometimes they make me cry. Sometimes they make me depressed. Once I kept one picture of two little children standing in a graveyard watching their mother bury two other siblings who had died of hunger. I kept this picture for a few days and when my eyes fell on it I remembered their story. I remembered when I wanted to forget. This story is one that a large part of me begs to forget. http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/article750838.ece It's one of those stories that made me cry, made me angry, and will haunt me for a long time. To even think back on it now is hard. Especially because I am a mother. But...

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2008/12/mothers-work-model-for-true-work.html She makes it sound so beautiful . . . because it is. ************ Edited to add ~ And here's another: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2008/12/what-withstands-fire-open-letter-to.html

when she was flipping intently through Field & Stream's article, The 10 Best Whitetail Rifles Ever Made: Oh, look, there's a gun! (pronounced "gon") See, there's another gun! Oo, there's a BIG gun! It's like Daddy's gun. Daddy's big, big gun. Ooo, there's a BOO-ti-full gun! (Said about the Savage Lever Action Model 99 .308, a "straight shooter" with engravings of swirls and leaves, mountains and an elk) This is yous gun, Mommy! (Thanks for picking me a nice one!) You like guns, Mommy? I like guns!

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2008/12/finding-christmas.html