Monday, December 10

Today is the 10th day of Advent.  It is flying by which makes me sad because I am really having a good Advent.

What makes this Advent any different that any other?  I believe attitude.  Things are different for me this year and I am not sure why but my priorities are changing and I am taking a good, long look at my habits and seeing where some changes need to be made and I am making a plan to change them.  I am not looking long term, though, I am looking one day at a time.

The first thing that I have changed this year is shopping.  I decided that my gift giving would not require me to enter a mall, buy wrapping paper or find the scotch tape.  That decision has made me infinitely happy.

My husband and I do something a little different for each other and we have done this for a couple of years.  I buy what I want and he buys what he wants -- with a limit, of course -- and then we open each others gifts.  Silly?  Yep.  But it is fun and we usually buy online so we don't wrap, we just stick a bow on the shipping box.

I have multiple health "issues" -- they sort of all build on each other -- it is like skipping a rock across water and the ripple effect that occurs.   None of these issues are life threatening yet but could be when I get old.  Hahahahaha -- she laughs maniacally.

So, I was reviewing how I spend my time.  The majority of the time I am sitting with my computer on my lap.  I complain I have no time for exercise or devotions.  I am my own worst enemy.  So, I decided to make a mental list of the things I want to do that I feel like I don't have time for and this is what I did.

I let my computer battery die.

??? you say?  Well,when I get up I make a cup of tea and then plug the dead computer.  It takes a while for it to recharge so I take that time to read my devotional and start my day in prayer.

The devotional I am using is called "Jesus Calling".  It is a collection of dated, daily devotional readings.  I need to do more but this is a start.

The next issue is exercise.  My knees are bad which is in turn making my ankles bad.  I need to exercise.  I have a little peddler that I sit in a chair and "ride" so I after I got up this morning and read my devotion I limped upstairs to ride the "bike".  I am not even thinking about tomorrow, I accomplished it today and that was the goal.  Living one day at a time -- I understand it is a good thing to do.

I am reading a book by a favorite author, Jennifer Chiaverini, titled "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker".  I am not enjoying it.  It is a lot of military history and I am finding that boring.  I won't give up on the book, it will be the last of my challenge for the year, I think.  I might manage to squeeze in another offering in the Made In Savannah series -- the new book #11 but they are easy reads.  I am also reading a book recommended by my granddaughter.  It is part of the I Survived series and is titled "I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967".  Yes, it is for ages 9-12 but I don't mind telling you it is well written and more than a little scary.  Not something I would have picked up at age 8.

A few months ago I tried "keto" with my daughter and managed to eliminate sweets from my diet.  I have a huge sugar craving -- maybe not a true addiction -- but a definite preference.  I decided to introduce a few cookies back into my day and bam! will power gone and the sugar taking control again.  I need to work on that so starting today I am fighting the urge to grab a handful of Hershey kisses as I walk by the kitchen.  Again, one day at a time.  See if I can get through today.  I bet I can!

Ok, my allotted computer time is up, my second cuppa is gone and now I am off to the kitchen to deal with dinner early.  That is another bear I need to wrestle -- food prep.  Let's see what I can come up with today!

Have a wonderful day!

Sunday, December 9

Today was the second Sunday in Advent.  It was a good day, the sun came out and everybody felt pretty good.

Here are a couple of pics of our Advent set up.

our wreath and our devotional book

closer picture of the book

building our creche -- I think we are a little out of order

For our devotion we use the Advent series of the Little Gospels.  It is part of three collections of devotions used by the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  It is just a lovely little series.

Today's candle represented faith.  We talked about Mary and the Angel coming to visit to announce that she was going to have a baby.  We sort of decided that Mary must have had the most faith of anybody in the world -- I mean, think about it -- you wake up and there is an angel in your room -- one you can see -- and talk to and you are told you are going to have a baby that is going to be the most important person ever --- and you are 14 years old, well,  she must have had faith beyond measure.

It was a good day.

Saturday, December 8

Today is the 8th day of Advent.  It was a rainy cold day here in the Fort.  I ventured out for a little while but after about an hour I was ready to get home.

I got a little bit accomplished -- planned my dinner for tomorrow, wrapped some packages, went grocery shopping and watched some John Lennon videos on YouTube.

It is hard to believe it has been 38 years since he was killed.  He was just a year older than my daughter is right now and three  years younger than my son.  Time is so strange. 

Today was my cousin's burial.  I didn't go but I was there in spirit.  It is sad and what a gloomy day for the event. 

Tomorrow is the second Sunday in Advent.  I love lighting those candles. 

It is time to call it a day.  Have a good night and I will see you tomorrow.

Friday, December 7

It's the 7th day of Advent and what did the day hold?

One sick kid with a very runny nose

One dishwasher full of broken glass

One painful wrist -- am I having a stroke? No time for that

And a dismal, dreary, rainy, icky day.

Have a wonderful evening! I am having tea and a Christmas movie -- and some aspirin.

Thursday, December 6 -- The Feast of St. Nicholas

Saint Nicholas of Myra^[a] (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343),^[3][4][b] also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of the ancient Greek city of Myra in Asia Minor (modern-day Demre, Turkey) during the time of the Roman Empire.^[7] He is revered by many Christians as a saint.^[8] Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.^[c] Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, and students in various cities and countries around Europe. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints, and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus ("Saint Nick") through Sinterklaas.

 
So, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

In the parochial schools here it is a very common practice for the children, on December 6, to put a shoe in hallway and sometime during the day the shoe is filled with goodies. 

This is what it looked like today.

 And then, at home, there was this

What a great way to enjoy that candy cane that was left in the shoe.

 

  

Wednesday, December 5

Today was a quiet, unproductive day.

It was my son's birthday so we kept Granddaughter #3 so he and my daughter in law could have the afternoon out.

Then we picked up the Bean, had some dinner and I am now bushed. 

I have to say I am having a wonderful Advent -- having done the shopping and decorating early, I am able to just enjoy the lights on the houses, the music in the stores and the television program.  Unfortunately, I am also enjoying a little too much candy as well. 

I took a break from making Christmas cards and made my son a birthday car and here it is--

Tuesday, December 4

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

This is one of my favorite hymns during Advent.  It is a bit haunting and a bit sad.  The emotions of Advent sort of run the gamut -- there is excitement in the anticipation of the birth of the baby Jesus and there is sadness knowing that Lent is just a few months away.  Of course, we all know the ending is a happy one but there is joy and sorrow all along the way.  

The quiet time of Advent gives us time to reflect on the season, what is to come and what it all means to us.  It is a bit overwhelming, in a way.

But, Advent doesn't have to be all quiet and thoughtful.  There can be fun times as well.  And a bit of silliness.  

Here is a good example of that silliness.

ok, a little dark but there IS an antler there

Randolph the red nosed Subaru

 my own reincar housed in my reincar stable

 !

I had promised the Bean a couple of years ago that I would transform our car into some seasonal creature -- if I could find the pieces.  Well, much to my husband's chagrin, I found the pieces so here we are.  We are a big hit in the school pick up line!

Monday, December 3

The weather is turning colder this week.  It is beginning to feel more winter-like.  The weather reporter even said something that sounded vaguely like "snow" but doubtful for us.

We had our first Advent Sunday supper last night and all was well.  Bean read the scripture and I was so proud of her, she only hesitated on two words.  She wasn't a fan of the candle though, for the first time she seemed leery of the fire.  I tried to find LED candles but somehow that doesn't seem right and all the reviews on the ones on the internet were not good.

We opened the advent calendar that Mary sent and enjoyed that and she opened the little advent calendar with drawers filled with candy.

It was a good evening except for one thing.

I got word yesterday afternoon that my younger cousin passed away the night before.  It wasn't unexpected and considering her plight, it was probably a blessing but it was still hard to get my head around it.  I hadn't seen her or spoken to her in years -- we drifted apart as so often happens after kids grow up and move on with their lives.  However, I still feel a loss.

Penny, me and Diana

RIP Penny Gail -- you will be missed.

First Sunday in Advent -- December 2

Today is the first Sunday in Advent.  We have a tradition in this house that there is the lighting of the candle(s), followed by a simple meal and reading of Bible scripture.

We also start opening our advent calendar that my friend Mary sends us.  She is so special and so thoughtful -- I just love that she does this every year.

All the decor is done, the shopping is finished, the meal is planned, the scripture set out.  I am excited.

The first candle is purple -- it is the candle of Hope to remind us that Jesus is coming.

The scripture we will read is Romans 15: 12-13.

The church will be beautifully decked out this morning and the message will be clear.  The message of hope. 

I just love advent.

Advent

Advent -- The arrival of a notable person, thing or event.

For Christians today is the beginning of the Advent season -- the 24 days before Christmas.  It is a quiet time, a time of hopeful anticipation.

When a person says "advent" the mental picture that comes to my mind is a night scene, a big, dark sky with lots of stars, a shepherd with his sheep -- it is quiet but there is a feeling in the air that "something" is going to happen.

I love the quiet reflection of the time, I love the feeling of growing anticipation and I love the feeling of gratitude that comes with knowing how blessed I am all because of that little baby in that hay.

Advent -- lighting the candles, building the creche, being thoughtful about how the birth of a little baby has such enormous impact on the whole world.

I love everything about it.

Bye Bye November!

Well, I missed October completely and now November is gone.  How can this be?  I simply don't know where the time is going. 

This week has flown by as I had a dentist appointment to finish my root canal re-do on Tuesday. 

I had little Emily on Wednesday for the day.  It was fun but she was so sleepy! She went with us to get Caroline from school but her Mom and Dad arrived at the school to pick her up so she didn't get to visit with Caroline.  Well, another time.

Yesterday I did a bunch of cleaning and getting packages off the porch.  I really hate that I can't go into stores (except Target) and find what I am looking for but it is so frustrating that I just succumbed to online shopping and it has all arrived and I am actually relieved.  I am taking a new approach to life -- it is called "don't make things harder than they have to be". 

I am joining Karen of Pom Pom Ponderings in a challenge to post everyday starting tomorrow.  It is in celebration of Advent.  I love Advent.  My favorite time of the year.  I love the quietness of the season, the time of reflection and gratitude.  I don't know what all I will have to say everyday for a whole month but we will see. 

Today -- well, let's see.  I am not sure what today holds yet.  I do know there is a Girl Scout meeting this evening and it is Friday! Hopefully it will be a good meeting and we can plan for our Christmas party coming up soon.

So, on that note, I am going to bid adieu to November by continuing to clean today, hopefully go buy some wrapping paper for gifts, maybe head to Target -- oh, I am so optimistic -- my knees need to loosen up before all that activity! Haha!

See you tomorrow!