Give Thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

May your cup be overflowing today!

GIVE THANKS

Give thanks with a grateful heart,
Give thanks to the Holy One,
Give thanks because He's given
Jesus Christ His Son.


And now let the weak say "I am strong."
Let the poor say "I am rich."
Because of what the Lord has done
for us
Give thanks.

Out of the Crate

This morning John and I were sitting in the van, waiting to go into the grocery store. One of my favorite songs was on the radio - Mighty To Save.

I used to sing that song to him every night while I rocked him to sleep, and he knows the whole chorus by heart. We were rockin' out in the car singing, and he asked, "WHY did Jesus conquer the CRATE? Was it Chester's crate? What did He do to it?"  (btw, Chester is our dog...)

I laughed and told him that the Jesus conquered the grave,  not the crate. "WELL, " he proclaimed, "I heard that song tell me that he conquered the crate, and that's what it TOLD me."

Ok, three and a half year old. Whatever you say.

The crate, the grave, call it what you will. But either way, Jesus conquered it. My saviour? He is Mighty To Save.

Click HERE and listen to the song for yourself. I promise your day will be a little brighter if you do!

The Best of Times, The Worst of Times....

I'm talking about shopping on BLACK FRIDAY!!!
It's such a pain to shop early on Black Friday. The crowds, the early mornings, the lines that wrap around a store 18 times.......
But it's a tradition with my mom and sisters. And the deals -  OH, THE DEALS!!!

My sister send me a link to Black Friday ads. I've googled this a millionty two times, and this is the best link I've found.   http://www.2009blackfridayads.com/

What I learned this week? The sales this year are even better than last year!
There are some great deals!
Check out the ads at ToysRUs, Walmart, and Target.

I'll be heading to ToysRUs for the $39.99 digital camera, and the $29.99 Leapster. Amazing prices! They also have $10 Nintendo DS games.

By the way, has anyone scored big by finding those silly ZhuZhu pets anywhere? I bought the funhouse and a hamster on ebay a few months ago, and paid more than twice the price. Now I'm kickin' myself.

Do you head out early in the morning to shop on Black Friday? Where do you find the best deals? Have you found a better website listing ads? Do you skip Black Friday shopping altogether? Dish. I wanna hear all about it!

To read more about what others have learned this week, visit Jo-lynne at Musings of a Housewife!

Oh Break My Heart

It's a sad, sad night......

Tonight my story will probably make anyone reading this think I am a terrible terrible mother :(
Let me rewind first, back in time.....
A few years ago, Clara asked me if the Easter Bunny was real. Not really thinking, I told her no. At the time, both her and Emma believed. They were sad, and couldn't believe the news. I asked them if they really thought a 6ft tall, live bunny bought gifts, hopped into our home, and filled their baskets. They sat with a glazed look, and admitted, "we just never thought about it like that."
Well DUH - of course they didn't - they were little kids!
After a few sniffles, Clara said "I wasn't ready for you to tell me that."
Well break my heart, why doncha.
I felt bad, but it didn't seem like that  big of a deal - we'd never made much of the Easter bunny, since it really has nothing to do with Easter.

It should have been a lesson learned, RIGHT? RIGHT???

Tonight, Emma lost a tooth. Of course being 11, she long since stopped believing in the tooth fairy. When Clara, (who is only 9) saw the tooth, she said "Momma, is the Tooth Fairy REAL?"

Now this was the point at which I should have paused, and remembered the Easter Bunny incident.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.....

I am dumb. And forgetful. And stupid.
Because I looked right at her, and said "NO HONEY, SHE ISN'T REAL."

She stared at me, waiting for me to say "tricked ya!"
Then she put her book in front of her face, and cried.
I just about cried with her.
But honestly - I thought she WANTED to know. Yeah I know - stupid me.
As I tucked her into bed, she sadly whispered, "It was a fun thing to believe in...."
AND SHE CRIED HERSELF TO SLEEP.

Hearing her sobbing after I left the room just about broke my heart.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Let me know when my Mother-of-the-Year Award is ready.

Endurance

Have you heard of the Iron Man Triathlon?
Yeah, those crazy people that swim a few miles, then bike 112 miles, and then run a marathon.
Nothing less than insanity.

And my bother-in-law completed it this weekend.

We went down to Wilmington to cheer him on a few days ago. I couldn't even believe he entered the race. He only started training for it a few months ago. We were there when he finished his bike ride, got off the bike, and started the marathon. It was amazing to see him, and all the others that were competing. I mean, my legs and feet hurt when I've been shopping too long, for heaven's sake.

There were men there that must have been in their early 70's. I watched as they finished their 112 mile ride and started running. I don't know how they managed to not collapse right there. But they just kept on going.

No one forced them to keep going, they chose it. And what an inconceivable choice - at least to me. They knew that 26 miles were still ahead of them, and they didn't have to finish.

But there were hundreds of people cheering them on. And for most, there were probably a few special people there cheering just for them. As supporters, we couldn't run for them. We couldn't pick them up and carry them - they had to do it alone.

Seeing this race really moved me, and I've been thinking about it for the past few days. It's such an amazing lesson in endurance, and determination. So much like life..........

No one can run our race for us. Sometimes the path takes us places we'd rather not go, and the road ahead is still so very, very long. We don't know exactly what's ahead, but God does. He knows we should finish. Sometimes we choose to stay put, because we can't fathom going on another mile. And then we hear our faithful friends and family, our "supporters," cheering us on. I can't imagine competing in an Iron Man without anyone supporting me and cheering for me any more than I can imagine running the race of life without faithful, godly friends and loved ones by my side.

How determined are you to run your race well? To hear "well done!" when you finish?
The more time goes on, the more I realize that my race takes purposeful training. Sometimes it hurts to take an inventory of exactly what my "training" consists of. Shopping, reading, talking on the phone, reading blogs, browsing the internet.........  ok in small amounts, but not really getting me the results I want. I'm not going to turn into a woman of grace, perserverance and wisdom all of a sudden.

Sometimes it seems as if I'll never finish - never become that woman I want to be, never make it through the desert spell. I'm sure my brother-in-law must have felt a lot of those same feelings during those 12 imcomprehensible hours.

But he did. And I will. It's His plan for me - and I know it's a great one.

Reverse Blessings

Sometimes I'm quick to learn a lesson. But usually it's weeks, months, or years before I manage to catch on.
Tonight I was cleaning the kitchen, and trying to rearrange some things in my tea cabinet. Yes, I have a whole cabinet just for tea and tea treats! Anyway....
While I was putting everything away, I realized it's been a few weeks since I had someone over for tea, and thought back to the friend that I brewed the last pot for.

She had come over to help me with something that I just didn't know how to do for myself, in the midst of her crazy, busy day. After the work was done, we sat and had a simple tea party. I brewed two of my favorite teas for her and her sweet little girl, and put out a few cookies and fruit. The scones I'd frozen ahead of time didn't bake up well, so there was nothing special I'd put out, and I'd been wishing that I had something nicer for her. We chatted and relaxed, and she said "Really, you didn't have to go to all this trouble!"
"Oh no," I protested. "I love to do it!"
"I know,"  she smiled. "That's why I let you."

I have no idea why that didn't resonate with me the second she said it. But the more I reflect on that simple, gracious statement, the more I appreciate it.

I was trying to do something nice for her because I appreciate her. But she did something nice for me, by letting me.

What a great, simple lesson - Bless someone else by allowing them to bless you!

So, this has got me thinkin', (oh, no!) about some stuff that I need to change.
I'm not one to readily accept help. I tend to live by the "put on your big girl panties and deal with it yourself" motto. There's a time and a place for this, but it's not ALL the time. I enjoy helping others, so why shouldn't I give my friends an opportunity to do the same?

How about you? Do you allow people to be a blessing in your life? Do you accept help? Do you have friends that let you do things for them, because they know you will enjoy it?

Well, that's what I've learned this week. To read more of "What I learned This Week," visit Musings of a Housewife!

The Beginning of the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I started Christmas shopping today.

Unintentionally.

I tried  to find a cute sweater for John for picture day, since the boy has grown out of everything he owns. But I ended up in Aeropostale. John pulled tags off of shirts, harrassed customers, dumped a dozen pairs of sweatpants on the floor, and misplaced all the sale signs. I went hog wild bought Christmas gifts for Emma. Can you beat $5.99 t-shirts?

When Emma was a toddler, and Clara just a baby, I felt like all the Christmas gits were getting out of control. So for many years, (until last year, actually) we had a three gift limit. Santa Claus would leave one big gift, and Mommy and Daddy would give each child three gifts - one for each of the three gifts that the wise men brought to baby Jesus.

In the beginning, it was tough. I had to get over the nagging feeling that giving my kids only three gifts (technically 4, since Saint Nick has yet to actually pay for something out of his own pocket) was mean. I was almost embarassed to tell anyone what we did. But you know what? It made things so much easier! They still got little prizes in their stockings from Santa. But it forced me to really think things through before making a purchase. The kids had happier Christmas mornings. They loved what they were given, and they weren't crabby or exhausted from opening too many gifts. Ryan and I felt content too, knowing we hadn't gone overboard.

Since the girls have gotten older, I did away with the three gift tradition last year. Emma only wanted clothes and music, and I couldn't see giving her only 3 shirts. I still stuck to a budget, but the shopping was actually harder for me!

Now I'm sitting here, looking at the purchases I made today for Emma. So far, three t-shirts and a zip-up hoodie. I don't even know what else I'll be purchasing for her, but I DO know that I miss the three gift limit. I guess it makes me feel like I'm falling into the trap of excessiveness again.

The excessiveness at Christmas frustrates me. It seems almost everyone I know goes nuts with the amount of stuff they buy their kids. Electric scooters, game systems, cell phones - you name it. (Don't EVEN get me started on the "kids with cell phones" thing!)

So I wonder, when does it stop? What's next??

For the 11 year old with the iPhone - what's expected next? And what happens when these kids are in the "real world" one day. What exactly is it that they'll think they're intitled to? And what is it teaching them, to surround them with hundreds and hundreds of dollars of gifts, when there might be a child in their class that doesn't have a warm coat? Now I'm rambling....

SO. How about you? Do you find ourself going "overboard" with your kids at Christmas? If not, how do you keep yourself from buying too much "stuff"? I'd love to hear about it!