"You can make anything by writing."

-- C. S. Lewis


Sunday, December 9, 2012

December at Our House

It’s been a peaceful December for our family so far. We’ve been having some lighthearted, affordable fun through our new family tradition, the advent calendar…

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I have always wanted an advent calendar, and for the past few months, I have been scouring Pinterest for cheap, easy ways to make one. But then I found this one at Michaels on Black Friday. I used a couple of coupons and got it for about $12. Then Ryley and I spent an afternoon painting it how we wanted it.

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I’m pretty happy with how it turned out! I think the little drawers are adorable. On to the fun….

So Day 1 was meeting our friends at the Plains Conservation Center for “Christmas in the Soddies”….

The girls had to wear bonnets, of course!

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It was such a fun morning with good friends!

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On Day 3, we made special hot chocolate with “cookie-cuttered” whipped cream:

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It didn’t turn out quite as well as the pictures on Pinterest implied! But it was still fun….and delicious!

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On Day 6, Ryley performed with the choir in her school’s winter concert:

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The guy in the blue baseball cap really irritated me. As did the families who were talking. I even shushed a few of the parents around us.

On Day 7, we made candy cane milkshakes! They were delicious!

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And on Day 8, we drove up to Georgetown for their annual Christmas Market. I have wanted to go for several years. What a hit! So much fun, albeit chilly!

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I love this picture:

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What a fun day!!!!

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I have really been working hard at becoming a nicer person this Christmas season. I get so easily angered and annoyed…by traffic, by co-workers, by customers, by people’s Facebook posts, even by my own daughter sometimes….  :-(

I seem to have a very short fuse these days. I know that I can come across as snippy and unfriendly. Honestly? Sometimes people make me soooo mad! Anger flares up in me like fire before I think about what I’m doing or saying, and I spit out mean words like nasty venom. It’s made me an extremely unpleasant parent, spouse, co-worker, etc.

So I am trying to be friendlier and more proactive in showing Christ’s love. Since making this resolution, I , of course, have found soooo many reasons to be angry/hurt/irritated by different situations.  I’ve actually had a lot of awkward issues come up in the last couple of weeks where I felt extremely vulnerable…like I was being walked on, and though I knew I needed to, I felt guilty for standing up for myself. I hate confrontation soooo much. I had to dig really deep to find my PR skills and ask God to give me grace and wisdom with each situation so that I could respond firmly, yet in love, not in anger.

But it all comes from a place of ugliness in my own heart. I am coming face-to-face with my own need for Jesus. What is standing in the way of His light shining through me? Why am I so afraid of becoming vulnerable with people? It’s as if I shut them down before they get too close.

I know these are disjointed thoughts, but it’s where I’m at. I also know it’s not possible in my own strength; only Jesus can diffuse my anger and replace it with His peace.

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On a good note, the last story I wrote for Good Catch Publishing won their monthly story award! I’m so excited that they liked it. I wrote it for an amazing lady in Kodiak, Alaska, and it’s about how God healed her after having two abortions.

If you’re interested, you can read it here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Good-Catch-Publishing/91586751389?ref=ts&fref=ts#!/notes/good-catch-publishing/december-catch-of-the-month-giving-up-the-helm/10151398303653268

 

God is so good. I hope you’re all having a pleasant December. Thank God for Jesus, the absolute greatest gift of all! :-)

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