happy new year!

Lamentations 3:22-23 (The Message)

"God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!"

I hope everyone has an awesome New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. We are off to Freddy's brother's house (who lives on our street--I know I say that every time I mention them but I LOVE that he and Tina live on our block!!!) for sushi rolling and cape codders. YUM! Wish my trans-global bff's could be here with us...

Necessary Things

I went and bought 2 new pairs of jeans today with a gift card I got for Christmas. Size 8 instead of Size 6. Ugh. I'm going the wrong way. I know what I need to do--I've done it before and lost 40 lbs. I just can't get motivated...

Good Things

--Christmas pj pants from Old Navy marked down to $6.99 bought on the 28th. ;)
--drinking coffee at 9pm in bed while watching SVU and Criminal Intent.
--not having to wake up early the next day to get the kids off to school.
--$4.99 slippers and new makeup from Ulta bought with a gift card.
--sitting outside eating sushi and miso soup while the kids shoot hoops.
--splurging on a ring from James Avery with Christmas moola.
--Freddy's mom (from Philly) spending the night with us on Christmas Eve. This was my absolute favorite thing about Christmas this year. I'm glad she got to spend it with us. I love my mother-in-law!
--the week AFTER Christmas. I don't know why, but I love it.

Oh, come thou Dayspring
Come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night;
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

REJOICE!
REJOICE!
EMMANUEL SHALL COME!

5-4-3-2-1

Take Time to be Aware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Hays

"Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.

An old abbot was fond of saying, ‘The devil is always the most active on the highest feast days.’

The supreme trick of Old Scratch is to have us so busy decorating, preparing food, practicing music and cleaning in preparation for the feast of Christmas that we actually miss the coming of Christ. Hurt feelings, anger, impatience, injured egos—the list of clouds that busyness creates to blind us to the birth can be long, but it is familiar to us all."

God, help me as the day of your coming speedily approaches. Help me slow down enough so as not to miss it. I want to savor it...relish it...bask in what you did for us. Make it real to me, and my kids.

Well, Freddy and I actually braved the mall yesterday...and Target...and Old Navy...and a few other places. We somehow managed to avoid Walmart, though! It really wasn't too bad. Almost done. I'm trying not to get caught up in it all and keep my focus. But it's so, so hard...

an aside: Freddy took this picture at the Houston Galleria last year. He was just walking around snapping photos when mall security told him to stop. Apparently you can't take pictures in the mall...what's up with that?!?

Mama Love

These boots were made for walkin'...

...and that's just what they'll do, baby!!! Merry early Christmas to me. I have been wanting a cool pair of cowboy boots for a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g t-i-m-e. Ever since I saw Uma Thurman's boots in Kill Bill Vol.2. Well, Freddy and I decided not to exchange gifts this year--we have enough people to buy for. But he walks in the room and asks, "Is it too early to give a Christmas present?" I just look at him like oh no you didn't--we said we weren't getting each other anything! But me being the nice, supportive wife that I am I said, "Give it to me now!!! Give it to me now!!!" I love 'em, dang it! I don't know if you can tell in the picture, but they're brown and pink with light blue stars. I think they go great with my black nail polish and tattooed wedding band, don't you?!?

YIPPEE-YI-YO-KI-AYE!!!

An update--'cause Darla said so!

Freddy and Holly both started running fever last night, but everyone slept through the night and woke up fever (and vomit!) free. Not only that, but I woke up well, too. I was so scared that I would wake up sick, but I didn't. I slept on the couch--after it was properly Lysoled, of course!

HELP ME!!!

So Freddy's been vomiting all night. And let me tell you...it's not pretty. The whole house shakes. Then, Holly woke up about 5:30 and did the same. We thought it might be food poisoning, but I ate what they ate last night and I'm fine. Praise God. Melly is home today, too. She's nauseated and has a headache.

I am SO NOT a nice Mommy when it comes to tummy things. My motherly qualities fly out the window...actually, they go down the toilet. The last thing I want is a stomach bug so EVERYONE TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES!!!

As I was typing this I got a call from the school--Benjamin is sick.

Lysol is my best friend.

Abnormality is the Normality at this Locality

God and sinners reconciled.

---

"We have not inherited this land from our ancestors, we have borrowed it from our children."

--Kenyan proverb--