Tag: holidays
An Advent of Joy
“Happy birthday, Baby Jesus!” I whispered to myself through clenched teeth. Of course, while the words were pleasant enough, the tone inside my head was considerably…not. This is supposed to be the joyful week of Advent, I thought. But if these children keep bickering on […]
Christmas Past: The One Where God Used His Powers
Maybe it’s the fact that our second kid in as many weeks is down with a nasty stomach bug. Or maybe it’s that in 10 short days, we’ll be celebrating Christmas with my parents, siblings, sibs-in-law, nieces and nephews. Actually, I guess you could say […]
An Advent of Love
This week, we light the second candle on our Advent wreaths. To the Hope we found last week, now we add an Advent of Love. Love of the Father who sent us His Son. Love of the Son who humbled himself to be born into […]
A Million Little Thank Yous
Do you ever get so concerned with the big picture that you miss what is right under your nose? I know I do. Especially around the big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, we moms have a tendency to think big all the time. We need […]
Talking Turkey: Planning & Timing
One more week until Thanksgiving and I can’t wait! I love to cook and can’t wait to host our family again this year, but without two things in particular – planning & timing – I’d be lost. But that’s the question, isn’t it? It’s one […]
How I Host 40+ People for Easter
If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be happily hosting 40+ people for Easter, I would’ve questioned your sanity. However, for the last several years, that’s exactly what I’ve done! Since living here in Jacksonville for the past 15 years, we’ve had […]
Adios, Winter Break!
It is official, winter break is over. The kids went back to school this morning and my house is finally quiet again. Cue Andy Williams and sing with me now, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Don’t get me wrong, though! I love […]
Wait. I’m supposed to WHAT in joyful hope?
This is it, kids. We are in the final countdown and Christmas will be here one week from today. Baby Jesus will be in the manger. Santa will have visited. And your family room will be strewn with all manner of wrappings and trappings and […]
5 Ways to Counteract the “Gimmes” with Gratitude this Advent
To paraphrase the brilliant Jane Austen, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a modern child in possession of everything (s)he could possibly need, must be in want of more.” This is true whenever grandparents come to town, when their birthdays roll around, and most […]
Oops! Pardon me, but my Grinch is showing.
So, heyyyyyyy…it’s still November, yes? I thought so. And, yeah, I get it that I only have about 4 more days to stand on that particular leg of my argument. But hear me out, OK? IT’S STILL NOVEMBER AND IT’S NOT EVEN ADVENT YET AND […]