Frozen

This post will not be about the weather, I promise. Because I know, once I start going on and on about how unbelievably cold it is here, with wind that whips icicles through my very soul, someone is going to ask, Well, Nutmeg, exactly how cold is it? And I'm going to have to answer that it has been a high of 36, ok? So, don't bug me as I type this while nestled under three blankets and sipping a steaming mug of cocoa.

Nope. Not going to talk about that. So there.

:P

Today is a frozen-in-time kind of day. The last day of the week before all heck breaks loose with holiday parties and field trips and birthday parties and mom's nights out and nativity parties and another holiday party. And that's just this week. You think I kid.

I do not.

I wish I could say that I am using my time wisely, cleaning and scrubbing and doing laundry, since I will barely have time to pee the next few days.... but, alas, I am not. I ferried kids out to friends' houses, brought some other friends to our house, made hot cocoa, planned out a few Christmas gifts, and yes.. had a steaming hot cup of cocoa, liberally pummeled with whipped cream.

I need this time. To just freeze. To contemplate and take stock of our Advent season. Honestly, I think it is going well. We are keeping up with what I wanted to do, added in a full-fledged Jesse tree, and now our home is being graced with a pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima for the next 8 days. (She came yesterday... perfect timing, no?) While our prayer time was a tad rushed last night, it still happened, and Her presence is a constant reminder of what this season, this time is all about.

So as I frantically gallivant about this week and next, making lists, madly baking and maniacally cleaning~

I will try to freeze... every once in awhile... just to make sure that my focus, and the focus of my family, is where it needs to be.

:)

"Tis the Season Part II

My favorite Holiday album by far!

Enjoy....

:)

Tis the Season....

A note for Little Dear...





















Our Jesse Tree...



















DH's project....























Grandma's love...



















Love for Mama....


:)

Please Pray!

The niece of an old college roommate is undergoing surgery for a brain tumor right now, as I type this.

Pray for success and peace.

Pray for His will and acceptance.

Pray for a miracle.



ETA: From my old roomie's Facebook:

Surgery is done and it seems to be a success. They removed all of the tumor. Recovery may take a while or she may improve right away. Julie is probably with her daughter now. So far so good. It will be a few days before they know if the tumor is malignant or not. Thank you all so much!!

The Scandal of Never Being Scandalous

LOVE this quote from Melinda Selmys' book Sexual Authenticity:

It doesn't help that everyone else is trying to put forward the idea that they are not in the same boat. This is the problem that I have always had with a certain kind of Christianity (...) where everyone pretends that they are shiny, happy, pious people.

The problem with the Pharisee standing in the middle of the market square in his properly tasseled garment, with his hand lifted up in prayer and supplication, (...) is not only that he is drowning his own soul in pride but also that he is drowning the souls of everyone who sees him in despair.

The image of the "whitened sarcophagus" is absolutely perfect: inside, the Pharisee is just as corrupt and worm-ridden as the people he looks down on. His outward perfection is of the sort that people only possess in funeral statuary and eulogies, an ideal that we can only aspire to when we are dead.

So when this ideal is put forth as a living reality, as "being a Christian," it is little wonder that people turn away and say, "No. Not for me. I can't do that." Or, more commonly, "I can't stand those sanctimonious prudes. Why would I want to be like them?" This is the problem with the Pharisees - almost paradoxically, by never doing anything scandalous, they scandalize everyone around them.

Genuine holiness requires humility.

It's a good thing to let others see our brokenness, our humanity. In fact, it is refreshing. Not one of us is perfect. We do not have to live up to some unattainable standard. Our hope rests in Him. Thank goodness for that.

:)

Frivolity

So.... we've been invited to a Gaudete Sunday Celebration by a wonderful couple who moved to the area a few years ago. Even though we have a Nativity Play that day, in which a bunch of families get together, watch the kids stumble through a beautiful rendition of the Christmas Story (and turn it into a comedy in the process...) and then have a pot luck dinner together....
~ whew~
We are bound and determined to branch out, meet new folks, enkindle new acquaintances, and go to this Gaudete Sunday shin dig afterwards.

Here's the kicker, though. The dress is swank casual. Sounds uber-awesome, huh?

I just have no clue what that means.

The hosts were kind enough to reveal that the male counterpart would be sporting a smoking jacket, and that the other men invited were encouraged to bring along cigars and pipes and such. DH threatened opined that he may just go to the thrift store and see if he could rustle up a white suit.

Personally? I think he needs to be kept very busy for the next few weeks, and thus very. FAR. AWAY. from any thrift stores. A-hem.

Now.. as for the women in the group? And their swank attire? Um... yeah. Hmmm.

I was thinking along these lines...(not being the holiday dress kind of gal) and maybe pairing it with a print scarf or top or funky vest.

Or maybe this?

But certainly not this. (a little much for my crowd... and my mama-shaped body)

Come on fashion gurus... help me out.

:P

WTH?

We awoke to snow pouring from the sky this morning. Yes, it is snow, not rain. And that shot is the best I could muster in my pj's before becoming seriously frozen solid to the spot. I think it was 37 this morning.

Not that snow in December should be all that surprising. But snow in Texas during any time of the fall or winter is usually precipitated (heh heh) by days and days of newscasts about sand trucks and school delays and such.

This one snuck up on us with no warning whatsoever.
















And here is the aftermath. Maybe about 1/1000th of an inch. And that's if we're lucky. No need to praise my amazing photography skilz. I'm all about variety, apparently.

:P

A Nutty Thanksgiving...

.... in pictures....

:)

































































































































:)

Our Fridays

Rain patters on the shed roof outside our second story window. I groan and roll over. Little Love was placed back in her bed an hour ago, and the house is still.

Moments later, a little voice is at my ear. Time to get up, Mama. I push my head up and encounter the eager eyes of Little Boo. The one who begged for the day off from school so she could "sleep in"... now waking me up at the exact time I usually get her up for school. I whisper that she should go rest in bed for awhile.

We drift back to sleep and awake an hour later.

Such is the beginning of Fridays at the Nut House.

Today is the day where school is light. We get the basics done and then grab an early lunch and head out to noon mass. After mass, we go to the cappuccino bar with some other families and get drinks while the kids run around the University lawn. It's a lovely end to our week, and something my kids look forward to eagerly.

The little girls are not signed up for the 5th day of school each week, they normally go Mon-Thurs, but lately have wanted to spend this extra day with their teacher, when the younger 3 & 4 year olds are not there. This week, though, has been a bit much for my Little Boo. She needs a break. And we are happy to accommodate. Especially if it means an extra hour of sleep.

:)

This rainy Friday our rhythm will be a bit slower. Rain tends to inspire ponderous thoughts and grand intentions... all beneath a warm blanket and mug of coffee. I hope to get some more cleaning and organizing accomplished. We are in desperate need of some household essentials, (remember: nothing says "I Love You" like plenty of toilet paper!) and I do believe that tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are in order for dinner. Everyone needs showers, and the boys need hair cuts before the holiday.

But... we may have to wait until tomorrow for some of these tasks.

Today I will be content to have us all under one roof, busy in our own lives... together.


:)

Thankful Thursday!

~Early morning Little Love snuggles under soft downy sheets.


~Rich smell of coffee brewing, promising a respite from the cares of morning.


~That time with DH as we sip coffee and plan our day... and then continue with our work, he upstairs in his "home office", me downstairs with the madness of schooling children.


~Free homeschool gym classes from our Rec Center... kids can romp and yell and play, adults can chat and smile.


~Plans of family arriving from the west. Cleaning and scrubbing and baking. Working out my cares and worries with vacuum and mixer. Focusing on the here and now.


~Because it all is so deserving of thanks.













:)