christmastime is here

My friend Allyson recently mentioned that she wished we could always have a tree in our houses. That it adds so much and the lighting is so pretty at night. I totally agree. So we discussed large, large plants/trees that could be up all year. It's true, my house is never quite as pretty as it is at Christmas. And in this picture it actually looks put together. Don't be fooled though...this was just because I had friends coming over for brunch and the house was picked up. Usually all of those Christmas books, ornaments, nativity people and pillows are strewn everywhere. As they are right this minute. But company is always so great because it ensures that at least for one half of a day, everything is put in its place. Obviously I took a picture.

In the last ten days I have been to two cookie swapping parties, attended a favorite things party, hosted a favorite things party, attended a white elephant swap, had a date with Rory to our town's winter block party, gone on a christmas light drive with the kids (ending with Elsie saying, "mom, can we please go home now?" Ha!), and celebrated Advent each night by singing carols by candle light.

And the number of cookies I have consumed would blow your mind. Cookies are my favorite of all the sweets, and this is the season when cookies get top billing. I'm fine with it.

All that's missing from this stunning picture is the snow out those windows! It has been such a crazy year of weather, but I cannot complain. I love it. I have three kids to buckle into the backseat of our jeep, and it takes some patience. Every day of the warmer weather I have thought, "this is fine by me."

In other news, I got a dust buster to suck up all of the random Asian Beetles that STILL are crawling around the house. I feel like I had a good attitude about them in the fall. Even though we were positively plagued with them seven different times. But now that they are out of season, I have had enough and nothing feels better than sucking them up and then plugging the dust buster with a napkin so they can't crawl out again. Anyway, Ivar has discovered A PASSION for dust busting. He cannot get enough. And it made me think, if you still have a 4, 5 or 6 year old on your list to buy for, you really should consider a dust buster. It might seem odd when they open it, but once put to use everyone will realize your present was the best one of all.

our first lucia morning

I knew I couldn't wake Elsie up to be Santa Lucia. Waking Elsie never, ever goes well. So I was waiting in the hall when I heard Ivar say to her in a grumpy voice, "Elsie! You have to get out of here so you can give me cookies for breakfast!"

I made Rory get back into our bed, even though he had already fed the chickens, made his coffee and was reading downstairs. Elsie did finally come out of her room, but did not want to put the candles on her head or put the gown on. I thought this year was possibly going to be a wash until I heard Rory's gruff morning voice, "Elsie. You don't get to eat a cookie if you don't put the candles on your head."

Cookies won.

It wasn't quite the hallmark moment I had imagined, but it still turned out okay. Ivar pretended that he was sleeping and in the end Elsie rose to the occasion.

I told Rory, "I'd give our first Lucia Day four out of five candles."

And then we went to church and they had Lucia Buns from the really yummy bakery in town that is only open on Saturday and Sundays! They were so good and I was pleased to have my first Lucia Bun.

be kind to yourself

Last night when I was up to feed Hattie, I was rehashing a gathering and started to regret how much I had talked wishing I had shut my mouth more often. This happens to me...sort of a later regret for telling too many stories, talking more than listening.

So I put Hattie back down and got out my laptop to write an apology email, ready to write and say I was sorry for...talking so much.

But when I opened my gmail, I found an email from another friend who had been to my house recently. She wasn't at the gathering I was going to apologize for, she had just been over for a play date. And in her email she apologized for talking so much.

Oh women. We are so hard on ourselves. I read her email and was so shocked she would write it. Never once had I thought she was talking too much. In fact, she left and I felt so grateful for the time with her to actually get to hear what was happening in her life.

I sat looking at the new message I had pulled up to write my apology email and decided against it. Because after really thinking about it, I think I was just beating myself up. It's okay that I talk. It's great that I listen. It's fun to be with other people. It's fun to share stories. It's okay to be kind to myself.

The song above is on Andrew Peterson's new album, The Burning Edge of Dawn. If I could buy you all this CD and send it to you for Christmas, I would. It's so good. But since I can't do that, enjoy the song above. And be kind to yourself.

december update

November ended and left the first snowfall. The first snow is always so fun and exciting. I made a great effort to get the kids out each day, which seems to bring a whole lot of drama.  Ivar has serious trouble coping with any fabric that bunches up...you may remember he was only one when he coined the term Sockie Boo Boo, a word that is as understood as any other. He hates wearing socks because of the bumps. He hates when his sleeves aren't completely flat under his coat. And you can only imagine how upsetting snow pants are. My new goal for the winter is to get everyone bundled and outside without any meltdowns. It's a lofty goal

But we are good Minnesotans, so we press on and push through the tears. Even when Elsie insists on wearing her Prairie bonnet instead of a winter hat. We can roll with that.

I taught my kids the game Fox and Goose, a game my mom played with us when I was little. You make an 8-slice pie with your feet and then play tag within the track. If you step out of the track you're "it." So you're either running around the circle or cutting into one of the spokes, and often get trapped. Ivar mostly liked following me and making the track. And Elsie mostly liked pretending she was a kitty "who loves to eat snow." In the end she taught us a game called "Kneel to Kneel" and then we all pretended we were kitties eating snow.

Our house has been in a constant state of christmas clutter. Every night requires a whole lot of tidy time. But everything is getting put to good use. The whole cast of the nativity story has been for many stroller rides, the tree skirt has been found to make great forts and ornaments come on and off the tree all day long. So far only one angel has lost her head, and one glass ornament shattered on the tile. Not bad for eight days in...

My mom has told me that my brother Mat always used to dress me up as a baby. So when I found Hattie like this, I felt very pleased. And made Ivar pose for a picture.

We had our friend Tony from church over for lunch this week and he told about how for a while he was a cowboy in South Dakota in charge of a huge herd of bulls. He told the kids stories of needing to use a lasso..and the kids were thrilled at the thought of a bull stuck in soupy mud. He left and they came down dressed like this, ready to play cowboy the rest of the day.

And the next day was Grandma Margaret's birthday so she and dad came to town to get her free hoagie followed by a trip to the cupcake shop. It was a delicious trip and a great way to celebrate. It's been a good start to our December!

christmas carol cards

I believe it was last Christmas when I was in the car listening to "Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it away..." when I decided it was finally time to make these Christmas Carol Cards. Because that song is the worst. And Christmastime is supposed to be filled with the best.

So I had the same awesome artist who designed my blog do the artwork for ten of my favorite carols, a few that are hardly sung anymore, even in church. And a few that I wish I knew more than the first verse. 

And then when we were waiting for Harriet to come, Rory helped me set up an Etsy shop! What a great use of all that time! You can purchase digital downloads (you print them on your own) of each song individually or as a collection at a reduced price.

I wrote on the site: 

I started making Hymn Cards when I had my first child, wanting to be able to sing the great hymns of faith over him, while having the lyrics visible and accessible. I set them on a stand next to the rocker in his nursery and now he knows 12 songs that Christians have sung for centuries.

These Christmas Carol Cards were created with the same intention. I want my kids to hear the words to these songs, to recognize the lyrics, and to remember my voice singing these sweet carols to them. 

Of course these are not just for moms to sing to their kids. My hope is that they may be hung as art, displayed on a mantel or placed in a frame. Or sung during a personal quiet time, slowing down enough to remember the actual reason we celebrate each December.

You'll notice these Christmas Carol Cards are a bit different than your typical word art. Rather than just a phrase or a sentence, these Carol Cards have all the words to the entire song. That's because my hope is that you read all the words, and sing all the lyrics. These carols are packed with reminders of why we celebrate the birth of Jesus, as well as reminders of the real story we cling to during this season.

I hope you love them like I do. And that you use them, and sing these songs that have stood the test of time. You can find my etsy shop here. The original Hymn Cards, created for kids rooms and nursery's are also in the shop as a digital download set. Happy Singing!