Wowza

These are for my parents, and Lil Sis, who is totally missing this!!!



































We've lived here 13 years, and have never had an entire day of snow!





















And it hadn't stopped yet!!
















This is what we saw when we returned from mass...

































Merry Christmas y'all!!


:)

Tomorrow is Christmas...It's Practically Here!

That's how Little Boo greeted us this morning. (Remember, she was the Grinch for Halloween this year.)

:)

In keeping with the theme "Nut House" and in wishing you and yours a very Merry and Holy Christmas... here are some keeping it real moments for your enjoyment:

1. I always make Peanut Butter Bon Bons for the Christmas season. They are saved for this time of year, and no other. It's hugely anticipated by the kids, and dreaded by me. Sticky peanut butter, hot chocolate coating, and many little hands can send me over the edge. I decided to let go of the perfection and let the kids take over.

The end result? Sticky balls of chocolate that look like huge armadillo droppings. Or, to be less eloquent, cow doo doo. I kid you not. Little Boo was in charge of the "coating" part, and when she deemed it sufficiently coated, she scooped up the bon bon and flung it, mess-hall style, onto the tray... and there it hardened.




















heh heh

2. Very awesome friends of ours came by last night and dropped off a cute package of Christmas goodies and a cd of Christmas music. The Christmas music is eclectic, just like our fun friends, and our kids favorites? "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and Bruce Springsteen's rendition of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." I am going insane.
:)

3. The goodies they dropped off were super cute!!
















See how amazingly decorated that little mitten is? (Her 15 year old must have done that one.) Let's contrast it to the Nut House sugar cookies... (what's left of them, anyway)















oh, dear.

4. To keep my inner Martha at bay, our friends made sure to include a few cookies that had markings like... a single swipe of icing in the middle of a gingerbread boy, complete with sprinkles and stars and such oozing out. We think they are the "guts"...
:)

5. When the Dad came to drop the goodies off, I handed him a plate of our Armadillo droppings, and wished them a Merry Christmas.

I know they will enjoy them.

Because they have 5 kids too. And completely understand.

:P

A Quiet Christmas

We have had many busy rambunctious Christmases in the past.

There was this one... where we braved the insane blizzards and set out on our first (of many) 12 hour treks to the snowy mountains of Colorado to spend the holidays with my family.

And then the latest one, complete with our move, wherein we were "homeless" for the holidays, and spent weeks at my parents' home (surprised we are still on speaking terms!) caught the stomach flu, and landed on the doorstep of our new home after the New Year.

Last year, we opted to stay put... for two reasons. First, it would be our first Christmas in our new home, and we wanted to take full advantage. Secondly, our kids were tired of never seeing their friends over the break. Family is loads of fun, but when you return just in time for all of your school friends to go back to school... it's a bummer. So, we regaled the holidays in true Nut House style. We decorated every blessed inch of our new digs, had another family over for Christmas dinner, and visited with many of our friends. It was lovely.

This year is an "off" year for the extended family. Y'all know what that means, right? When the married siblings are off at their in-laws for Christmas, since it is "their" turn to see the kids and grandkids. So, much to the dismay of my kids, we will not be traveling this year either. We will be waiting until next year to fill my parents' home to the bursting, in order that all the siblings and grandkids can drive my parents crazy be under one roof again.

It is a bit surreal, in these last days before Christmas, to be wandering outside in short sleeves and jeans, cleaning up the yard, calling to the kids to put their bikes away... sweating in the kitchen with the fans on, and not packing or driving, or planning outings in the snow. We do have plans for a Christmas morning fire in the fireplace... lows in the 20s... brrr!

Our Christmas dinner will be just us. DH is concerned, his eyes searching mine, to make sure I will not melt on Christmas Day, with the lack of busy-ness and bustle. He knows me well. We shall see. (If you get a last-minute invitation, don't be too surprised! LOL) But I have a feeling I will be just fine. We can do our own bustling pretty well.

:)

We chose this life. And I do love it dearly. I love my family and I miss them. I love my friends and am so grateful to be traveling this journey with them.

I feel so very blessed.

Merry Merry Christmas to you all!

Filed Under: The Less-Than-Stellar Moments of Nutmeg

It's the evening of the first day of Winter Break! Do you know where your liquor cabinet is??


Lessee how Nutmeg fared today. Here are some snippets:

1. The cat scarfed down his breakfast this morning, and then promptly parked himself in the formal living room and began howling and heaving. I came flying in, grabbed the cat, wrestled with the lock on the back door, threw the cat down and yanked on the lock with both hands thus effectively freeing it...

And looked down in time to see the cat vomit all over the hardwood floor at my feet.

My kids learned a new word today.

It shall not be repeated here.

2. The thrifty homemaker version of Nutmeg decided to make yummy! homemade! bread! I dumped all the contents into the bread maker and turned it on. The stuff isn't spinning, even though the machine is making all the obligatory noises. I looked around in time to see Sports Fan spinning the paddle to the bread machine in his hand.

The kids learned another new word.

I turned off the bread machine, grabbed the paddle and proceeded to fish my hand into the globs of dough, egg and oil. As I attempted to match up the sides of the paddle hole onto the attachment, I tried not to think how similar this feeling of gloppy wet flour is to the mess I had to handle earlier in the day...

*cringe*

3. Skip on to dinner time. Little Boo is thrilled with the evening's fare of pasta. Without a word, she shovels her food and steps over Little Dear to spoon herself a second helping. DH and I exchanged surprised looks as Little Dear scoots back in her chair to accommodate the contortions of Little Boo as she also decides to ladle a hearty scoop of sauce over her pasta, her rear end deftly placed in front of Little Dear's chattering mouth.

Neither one skips a beat.

I hide behind my glass of wine.

After all, we have a whole 2 weeks of this to go.

:P

Stretching an Empty Womb

Have you ever read Ann? Never? Oh, you are missing out. Go!

She is my salve, my focus, at the beginnings of my days. She truly helps me to see the extraordinary in the everyday. She is a poet, a ponderer, and a farmer's wife. And while I am a newbie to her world and have not participated in any of her online gatherings, I am a humble beneficiary of her thoughts.

Specifically the ones she has been tapping out on the meaning of being a womb for Christ this Christmas.

A dear friend of mine, due with her eighth child in the beginning of February, is living this out in a very real way this Holiday Season. Her limbs are sore, her body aches. She is exhausted and spent. Yet she keeps giving. Her arms reach for the 2 year old, her hands serve up their meals, her feet take her through her day, and her face smiles. When speaking on the phone, I sense the fatigue, but never an ounce of complaint. She is living out her vocation and it edifies all those around her. Her love surrounds. What an inspiration.

God has asked me to stretch in other ways this year.

And I find it comforting, in an odd sort of way, to see Him seeking me out with such a vehemence, to feel His tug and push. It is not easy. At times it is downright painful, and I kick and scream in agony as my will is stretched and my wants are ignored. My focus is shifted, and my time is no longer my own. My thoughts are being challenged, and my generosity is being tested. This labor of love, it's not easy. And I can choose to walk away. But then? Then I will not be what I should. This rebirth will be stunted in me.

The "newborn" I am to birth is not the kind that coos and feeds and smiles with luscious dimples. But it is a birth. There will be joy when I emerge on the other side. Maturity, too, I hope.

And peace.

Peace that this is where God wants me to be. This is what I am to be about. And that is truly a comfort. To rest in the knowledge that no matter what happens, no matter who says what, no matter what anyone in the entire universe may think... I am right with God. I am fulfilling what He set out for me to do.

I have a feeling that it will take longer than just this last week of Advent.
:)

That journey to Bethlehem long ago is symbolic of our short visit here on this earth. We are ever seeking, ever searching. The rooms are full, and we must rely on God. If there are not pains along the way, then we have lost our focus.

And if there is not joy along the way, we have strayed from our path.

But the promise of that newborn, the Most Precious Infant Christ, and Redeemer of mankind, is what helps us persevere.

Here's to a joyous, wondrous Christmas!

:)

The Definition of a Joyous Christmas

Go here.

Bring tissues.

Having followed Michelle through this long wait for her husband, I can barely see the keyboard.

:`)

Convicted

From Danielle's links:

Comes this.


It's always rewarding when I step away from the virtual and immerse myself in the real.

Most days, it's a beautiful place to be.


:)

Christmas Color

A repost from 3 years ago... enjoy!

My color choice for Christmas lights is white. Pure and holy white. It all started with my mom, and her penchant for the beautiful.

My mom has a very artistic eye for decorating. I like to think that while I may not have much in the way of monetary resources, I have inherited part of her artistic flair, and am able to pull off an acceptable decor.

I remember how she decorated the outside of our home for Christmas, every year. A solitary (electric) white candle in every front and side window, and a spotlight shining on the wreath on our front door. I remember how that looked as my dad and I drove up the 500 foot driveway after a trying day of high school/junior high (he, as teacher... me, as student).

It was like seeing heaven.

I knew that once we got inside, the house would be bursting with sound and smell and the hustle and bustle of trying to get 3 other children (which became 4, then 5) ready for dinner. And as the oldest, (and 7 years older than #2) I had no small part to play. All the cares of the day simply had to be left at the door...

Now that warm, inviting feeling of pure white lights encircling and enveloping a home is something I like to re-create for my own house. And I, just like my mom, wrinkle my nose at over-done, over-colored outdoor Christmas displays... and DH laughs at me in much the same way my dad puzzled over my mother's adamant opinions. But our men wisely know their place in these matters, and dutifully hang the white lights, and the wreaths, positioning the spotlights just so. And praise and compliment the effects.

To those of you who prefer the multi-colored hoopla... more power to ya'. Finally, I think it's what one grows up with. Like myself, I think my mother may have preferred the simplicity and serenity of white because life with 6 children (or 5, in my case) under one roof is hardly ever, if ever, simple or serene.

The "colorful chaos" of our lives exists in and around these many children and distinct personalities.

It's all the color I can handle.

















:)

And Then This Thing Called LIFE Got In The Way...

So, yes. I am about to eat humble pie. I'm finding the taste to be quite palatable. Especially when it's become such a staple.

:S


That last post? With all the I'm going to make my kids remember the Saints and their feast days with lots of crafts and baking spiel?

It didn't happen.

First of all, I had quite a few discussions with wonderful friends, the first of whom e-mailed me and talked me down from the ledge. I need to find what is best for our family, she tells me.

Well, duh, I thought.

But then I realized that I was neglecting to do just that. I was seeing what others were doing and comparing. Bad. Very bad. And I've railed against that beast before. What the heck was I doing?

Secondly, I simply did not have time. And why? Because our family activities got in the way. Now, how ironic of a statement is that?

Saturday evening we went to a beautiful First Communion ceremony for the son of new (and becoming very close) friends of ours here in town. Then we had way too much fun at their house, sharing dinner with them and the pastor of their church. (Who we know... since he had been the pastor of our old parish way back when) My kids had an awesome time with their kids, and we didn't get home until after 10pm. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

Sunday was lovely, with made-from-scratch pancakes, tree decorating, and our Nativity Play potluck dinner with 4 other families. No buns or St. Lucy bread. Little Dear corralled the girls and made the crowns all on her own (so! proud! of her!) while I made a cake and put together a vegetable tray for the dinner. The fire was crackling in the fireplace and Christmas songs (both the obnoxious and the bearable) crooned throughout the house.

The story sheets of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe were spread around the house as the various kids picked them up and read them. A few coloring pages were completed. The St. Lucy crowns were assembled and worn. All while some very old, established, Nut House family traditions were fostered.

While I know that my children need to be closer to the saints, and I am determined to find a way, I understand now that that way will be unique to us. Every family is different. Different temperaments and talents. I need to do some more thinking. And breathing. Because, you know? Breathing is good.

:)

Simply Perfect

I've been reading them. The posts that exhort us to keep it simple. To breathe and enjoy the season. To really focus on the Christ-child and His coming.

To prepare our hearts.

And I've listened. I've watched my children and seen their hearts, their boundless joy at the coming season. Their hopes and struggles.

I've seen too, the lack.

The lack of projects and planning. The missing out of feast days and special rituals. I have been so focused on keeping it simple... taking it to an extreme that was not the intention behind the beautiful women who wrote those wise words.... for the sake of my own sanity, that my children have missed out.

I have nothing pressing. No newborns, no morning sickness, no impending trips out of town.

In my quest for simplicity, I have unintentionally abandoned the joy.

My problem is perfectionism.

Huh?

Yes.

My inner Martha Stewart cannot let go of the immaculately clean house surrounding the children who calmly decorate cookies, sharing the sprinkles and icing, never even thinking of flinging frosting across the table... (ahem) and so, I don't bother.

No St. Lucy crown = no celebration.
No Jesse tree = no tradition
No holy cards of St. Juan Diego = no Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration.

And my children miss out on the inspiring stories of how God can work amazing wonders through the smallest, most humbled of humanity.

Sure, we read all the stories, but it has not come alive for them. I realize that it is imperative that they do come alive.

So, starting now, amidst the crazy-insanity that is our weekend, amid the hustle and bustle of parties and baking and gift wrapping, I will slowly uncurl my fingers, take a deep breath, and plan. Paper crowns for St. Lucy. Coloring pages for Our Lady of Guadalupe. Stories taken from beautiful online resources and shared. Home made cinnamon rolls for Sunday, while we decorate our tree and light the pink candle.

It's not perfect. My house will probably be messy. But our life is messy. It always will be. That is something we will always be battling this side of heaven, but it cannot inhibit our joy.

It must not.

Gaudete Hymn

Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born
Of the Virgin Mary, rejoice!

The time of grace has come
That we have desired;
Let us devoutly return
Joyful verses.

God has become man,
And nature marvels;
The world has been renewed
By Christ who is King.

The closed gate of Ezechiel
Has been passed through;
Whence the light is born,
Salvation is found.

Therefore let our gathering
Now sing in brightness
Let it give praise to the Lord:
Greeting to our King.

A Blessed Gaudete Sunday to you all!

:)