an advent sucker tree.

A year ago I took my first Jessica Sprague class teaching me the basics of digital scrapbooking. That class empowered me in ways I never could imagine. There is something so thrilling about learning something completely new. I remember moments in that class when I would yell at my computer asking it boldly why it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. But then, when I figured things out, and when I really was learning, I would hoot and holler at my computer while doing a happy dance, so proud of what I had learned.

This whole experience of trying and then trying again and then trying some more until I finally 'got it' has led me to other things that I want to try. Like sewing.

Last month there was a quilting retreat at Camp and I was inspired. There was a woman there named Mary, and we talked for a bit and she insisted that I borrow her Bernina machine sometime. I thought she was just being kind and generous. She was, but she was also very serious. So I borrowed her machine...but I couldn't remember how to thread a bobbin from my 7th grade home economics class. I called her to return the machine and as soon as she heard I hadn't sewed anything yet she invited me over to her house for a special lesson. She showed me how to load my bobbin and thread my machine and I went back home with her Bernina and a bit of sewing confidence.

The project I had in my head to sew was an advent sucker tree, counting down the days until Christmas. I had an advent sucker angel growing up, eating one sucker each day until Christmas. It was my own personal decoration and filling it up with suckers was my own special tradition each year.

I made my own pattern out of a grocery bag, cut my felt with kitchen scissors (I now have sewing scissors) and sewed the ribbon on, picking my foot up every once in a while to leave a gap to tuck the sucker in later. (How impressive is my use of "foot" back there?!! I'm learning sewing lingo!)

When I finished my tree I was so stinkin' proud! I called my mom immediately to tell her the happy news. And then I decided to make four more trees while home over thanksgiving so I could give one to each family in Rory and my families. I gave a tree to my niece Ruby when we were home over Thanksgiving. I told her, "Ruby, I have something for you." And she responded, "For me? For me?" "Yep. It's right here behind my back." She peeked and I announced, "It is a sucker tree for Christmas!" And she began jumping up and down, arms flailing, "FOR ME! FOR ME! IT'S FOR ME, MAMA!!!" I turned to her her mom and said, "This is why I learned how to sew."

And tonight I got a call from Mara and Sonna, my nieces in Montana who just got their tree in the mail today. I told them I sewed the tree myself and Mara asked, "with a machine?!!" And I was so proud to say, "Yep. With a machine. I just cut out the green fabric, sewed on the red ribbon, sewed it up like a pillow and stuffed it with fluff. And then I put suckers on it." Sonna then asked, "you make the suckers?" And I told her no. But it made me think, if I can sew, surely I can make a sucker. Add that one to the list.

weekend winter wonderland

A few days after our 10 year high school reunion, Heidi called me and said she needed something else to look forward to...Christmas was to far away and her husband Tim isn't coming home from Iraq until March. So we scheduled a girls weekend to Okoboji Bible Camp, the perfect halfway point between our two homes.

It was a nicely timed weekend, as this week Heidi's daughter, Joy, figured out how to use her poo as carpet art. We brought our own food, went for a few winter walks, looked through a box of our high school memories (notes we wrote, pictures we drew), talked and prayed and played on the camp's tire swing. My abs hurt from so much laughing and my heart is full.

yes, please.

I remember when my parent's dropped me off at the airport before my semester abroad in India. My dad said, "Just remember, wherever you are, that's where you're at." And I thought it was such an odd thing to say. He went on to explain that no amount of homesickness or wishing to be somewhere else would do any good. It's okay to feel those things, but don't miss what you're experiencing because you're wishing to be somewhere else.

I can't tell you how many times I repeated these words of wisdom while I was there. There were horrifying things we were confronted with: slums and sickening poverty, child labor, bride burnings, a caste system that convinced human souls they were lower than feces. But I never wished to be out of that country. I loved India. I loved the people we met, and the brand new experiences we lived fully every day. I never wished my experiences away and now I look back at those extreme highs and lows in India as some of my most formative experiences that shaped who I am today.

The words above are available for print on wrapped canvas and I love everything about it. It's sort of a different spin on Dad's words of wisdom, but holds the same security of being right where you're supposed to be.

Anne Lamott

Isn't this thought humbing? In a hundred years from now, most every person we know at this moment will be gone (unless they are a baby now and end up being one of the few who live past 100, of course).

I think this quote is especially sobbering when thinking about the process of passing on the faith. If in 100 years there are all new people, and if 100 years ago, there was an entire different group of people, then the importance of every single person serving as a faithful storyteller of the gospel from one generation to the next just can't be underestimated. It actually blows my mind that God entrusts human souls with such an enormous responsibility...to tell the story of Jesus with conviction, with belief, with joy and with sorrow. And that with the Holy Spirit, this holy story takes root in some human hearts within every generation.

This is my favorite topic lately. I have been holding and planning retreats based on this theme of passing on the faith. And the stories I have heard from faithful storytellers are so real and honest and true. I've heard absolute miracle stories. I've heard redemption stories that came on the heels of dark valleys. Our God is alive and living and moving, from generation to generation, and he uses us, like little threads from one generation to the next to spread His good news of Jesus Christ. Just think of that. He takes us way more seriously than we take Him.

abc book

My mom had this super fun idea to make an alphabet book for her five grandkids using pictures from our family to show things that begin with each letter. My brother has three kids and my sister has two kids and the five kids span five years of age: Penelope is 1, Sonna is 2, Simon is 3, Mara is 4 and Claire is 5. One, two, three, four, five.

We worked this weekend picking our digital papers and lettering and these are my first two pages. The picture of Simon in the doll bed was a hysterical morning at my parent's last thanksgiving when apparently he got out of his bed and couldn't find it again, but found this doll bed and fell back asleep! I still laugh out loud when I see that picture. And Claire had a similar experience when she (at her own house) fell asleep in Betty-the-dog's bed.

I've got fun pictures that mom has gathered for all 26 letters and I'm so excited to put it all together. I'll keep you posted!