christmas book basket

The Christmas Story

by Jane Werner, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

The story of Jesus' birth, from Gabriel's appearance to Mary, to Jesus growing strong in spirit and full of wisdom. The text and illustrations are both beautiful!

The Night Before Christmas

by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Corinne Malvern (We have Brian's edition, priced at 69 cents. Little Golden has updated their illustrations to this...we prefer the vintage-style one by Miss Malvern)

Connor giggled this evening, as he read aloud to TJ,

"He was chubby and plump,

a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him,

in spite of myself;"

 

The Animals' Christmas Eve

by Gale Wiersum, illustrated by ? (We also have Brian's edition of this one, priced at 49 cents. I gave my copy to my sister for her boys. Little Golden has also updated the illustrations to this classic, but with the same rhyme. Again, we prefer the old one...if you know the illustrator, please share.)

"In the barn on Christmas Eve,

After all the people leave,

The animals, in voices low,

Remember Christmas long ago..."

A sweet rhyming and counting story. A group of animals remember the events surrounding Jesus' birth in the manger, and the parts some of their ancestors played in it.

 

 

As I checked for our stories on Golden Book's website, I discovered that you can get all three of these wonderful Christmas books in one mini-treasury!

 

(They just won't be 32-ish years old, or have your mother-in-law's inscription on the inside cover, the pages won't be torn and worn, I'm sure they'll be a little more than 49 cents...oh, and the illustrations won't be near as beautiful! Let it be a lesson to all us Mommas, who will one day be Grandmas!)

:: Happy Christmas Reading! ::

getting ready day

. Pumpking Spice Playdough

. Family Construction Paper Turkey (...each feather with a family member's name on it...hmmm, maybe we're the only ones whose Turkey grows so each year:)

. Thankful Tree

...cleaning, cooking, and baking (with a smile and a thankful heart)!

Enjoy your Getting Ready Day, make it one filled with memories of autumn-ish, Thanksgiving goodness!

*** *** ***

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

when you can't go over the river and through the woods

I don't know what it is about this Holiday...maybe it's the fact that I have so many fond memories of my mother hosting our family's Thanksgiving Feasts. Maybe it's the sight of all the lonely, bare trees. Maybe it's knowing that everyone else is getting together. Or maybe it's just the fact that I simply cannot make a Pumpkin Pie as well as my Mother...

...but my heart breaks over not being able to go home for Thanksgiving. My chest tightens just thinking about it, and I actually get angry over the fact that we don't own a church bus (to fit my large, little family in).

Today, as I read Almost Home aloud to the children, something Mary's mother said to her spoke directly to my heart, and made me realize, yet again, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be,

"God weaves families together. 'Tis much like the cloth we weave. When we've filled the whole warp, we must remove the cloth from the loom, even though it settled there so tidily. We cut the weaving, and the pieces go for many different things and to many different places. One lot of cloth may go for waistcoats. Even if those waistcoats end up far and wide, you can always tell that they were cut from the same cloth. If the cloth merely stayed on the loom, how would it fulfill its purpose?"

...to which Mary responded,

"But 'tis such a hardship to be torn apart."

Indeed.

Staying here for Thanksgiving is hard for me. Being away from my parents, my sister and her family, my brother's family, my grandparents...it hurts. But Mary's mother is right. Even though I was weaved together with these people, God made me for something different, and for a different place...so that I could fulfill my purpose, His purpose.

My purpose?

To glorify Him.

How?

Loving my husband who He has blessed me with well. And loving and raising our children who He has blessed me with well. I cannot do those things, and pout and wish to be doing something else at the same time.

So I will stay here, and happily, contentedly love and raise my family to the glory of God. And celebrate His faithfulness to our large, little family...in almost the same exact way my family at home in Cincinnati will be celebrating.

Because I was, after all, weaved together with them.

:: Happy Thanksgiving! ::

on thanksgiving day

While we cook:

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Monopoly, your best Pilgrim Costume, Family Construction Paper Turkey, and a Thankful Tree

Dinner:

. Turkey

. My Mom's Dressing (absolutely NOT inside the Bird!)

. Mashed Potatoes *and* Gravy

. Sweet Potatoes

. Green Bean Casserole (add 1 Cup Ranch Dressing to this)

. Corn

. Rolls

. Cranberry Sauce (not sure why...Tradition, maybe?...I'm the only one who eats it!)

. Iced Tea

Desert:

. Pumpkin Pie

. My Grandma Dutchie's Pumpkin Roll

. Coffee

 

When it's over:

Elf ...and boxes, boxes, and boxes of Christmas Decorations (to be put up the next day)

*** *** ***

How does your family celebrate? Do you watch the parade? Gravy, no gravy? Apple Pie instead of Pumpkin? Do you also spread Christmas Cheer by singing loud for all to hear?

:: Happy Thanksgiving! ::

the blessing of tyler

You were a surprise blessing, it's true!

Even bigger than the surprise of your coming, was the blessings that you brought upon us, long after you were born. Looking back, I see God's hand in it all.

When you were just six weeks old, your Daddy left for Afghanistan. I would have had my hands full with just your big brother and sisters...but God saw that even though my hands would be more full, my heart would be as well (though broken...Daddy being gone). You were able to fill an empty place in my soul, that I'm not sure would have been able to be filled by anything else that year. What a blessing!

As you've grown older, the friendship that has formed between you and Connor is like nothing I have ever seen. The two of you speak your own language. You complete each other. You are Best Buds, and Partners in Crime. To think that Connor would not have that, or that I would not have seen such brotherly love with my own eyes, between my own sons... What a blessing!

A life lesson like no other. The daily opportunity to practice patience and selflessness. You are firm. You stand your ground. But you need me in ways that none of your siblings have yet to need me. A volume of books on parenting would not have been able to teach me what you have been able to teach me. What a blessing!

Joy! Your sense of humor...your laugh...your impersonations...your questions...your silliness...your love of Hank...your singing...they could make the most unhappy of people smile! What a blessing!

Happy, Happy 6th Birthday Blessing #4,

Tyler Joseph.

We love you very, very much

You are handsome, and smart, and full of (good) life!

Love,

Daddy, Mommy, Kylie, Korinne,

Connor, Wessy, Ben, and Baby Judah

i'm tired

Yes, A Month of Thanksgiving has turned into A Week of Thanksgiving. And, I am OK with that. Thank you, Sheri, for the suggestion. I really had intentions of trying to play 'catch up,' but I'm just too tired for that.

I thought I'd just put some thoughts down this evening.

Baby Judah is finally feeling better. So much so, that at midnight last night, he was ready to get down and play with his blocks. I did not let him, which made him quite angry. Which made me realize how quickly he is turning the corner from infant to toddler.

I already have 2 toddlers.

Have I mentioned I'm tired?

The election is also wearing me out. I did just listen to the new FL Senator speak, and I say he should run for President in 2012. I also told Brian he should run in 2024. But he just laughed. (This will be the extent of political talk on this blog)

I made Lazy Southern Chicken tonight, and thought of Sara...not because she is lazy, but because she gave me the recipe. Brian mistakenly bought Garden Herb Ritzseszes (clueless on how to make Ritz plural) crackers for the topping, but it ended up tasting really yummy! Yay for cooking mistakes!...if you call Lazy Southern Chicken cooking...which, I do (but you probably do not)!

This morning we read about Jesus as a boy. The kids wondered aloud what Jesus meant by, "I was doing my Father's business..." And I realized how much my children understand about the bible, and it makes my heart happy. That part of my day did not make me feel tired. It made me feel good.

We are also a little over half way through The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and I just have to say that I love Elizabeth George Speare. We also read a neat little book called North American Indians, and I learned a lot from it. The pictures were beautiful.

After Quiet Time, I went over all 4 schooling children's math videos, then I hung out at the table with them, while they each completed 2 pages. While Wesley drew capital Es over and over, insisting he was doing Math. OK. He was still. So OK.

Which brings me back to Judah (not sure how). Who I am now nursing for the second time tonight. And it's only 10:22PM.

So, I'm going to call this a post. I will probably delete it tomorrow. But here it is tonight!

Sleep well Blogland. I know I will.

Love,
Kathi