Simplicity

I had great ideas for things to post for Christmas. My idea book is full of sketches of crafty items and decorating ideas. They are going to have to wait for another time. And I'm okay with that. I'm content to do what I can and let the rest slide.

This morning I was called in to substitute teach. I was glad for the work, and glad it came this week when my exams are finished. I'm teaching tomorrow, too. I'm sorry for the teacher who is ill, but happy to be in the classroom again.

Last Saturday night my husband and I attended his company party. It was a small party, just the two of us. Many of you know that he lost his job last May. In September he started his own home renovation business. It's been going reasonably well, but slow recently, and he's continued to look for work in his field at the same time. In November I realized there would be no company party this year (not that they are that great, but it was something to get dressed up for and a night out). We had a gift card from a local restaurant and decided that would be our outing. We got dressed up, had a lovely dinner together and came home and watched "The Shop Around the Corner," an old Christmas movie. It was a fun evening, something to anticipate and enjoy.

I'm learning so much about how my actions can alter my attitude, and how attitude can be adjusted by sheer will power. There are days when I could easily sink into despair, full of questions that have no answers. Tears flow easily, and all too often. But most nights, before we go to sleep, my husband and I tell each other five things for which we are thankful for that day - they can be as small as an evening walk together, or a particularly tasty meal, or as grand as being thankful for each other and for our children.

Sometimes, an attitude adjustment is a matter of picking myself up by my shoulders and giving myself a little push in the right direction. And so, I'm finding that all the things I love to do, the crafting and the cooking, the wrapping and the planning are not as important as enjoying the moments. I'm content, most of the time, and surprisingly mellow about just letting life come. It's a good place to be.

Christmas Love

Have you noticed that Christmas is always different? As much as we like to celebrate with the same traditions, sing the same songs, eat the same foods and do the same activities, each year is unique. Children grow. People change. Loved ones pass on. Circumstances alter. And that's the way it should be. Change is part of the universal human experience. Some changes are welcome, others not so much.
Christmas is a season full of high expectations. We want to feel loved and to express love. Some years are easier than others.

I was reading a Victoria magazine from December 1994 and found a quotation by Phyllis Theroux that expresses a way to approach the ever changing nature of years passing. She writes, "Christmas is one holiday I have learned to receive like a gift that varies in size and significance one year to the next."

Receive Christmas, the celebration of Christ's birth, as a gift. What a beautiful thought. I am able to celebrate this season because I have been given the precious gift of life. I want to savour each moment of it, live fully in the present and embrace it, even when life doesn't always go according to my dreams and plans.

"Every good gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, in whom is no darkness or shifting shadow." James

It's been a long week

I've hardly sat down at the computer this week. My husband and I were over on the mainland last Sunday and Monday, then I was busy finishing an assignment and studying for my French Literature final yesterday. It's done! Yeah, no more exams....until next year! Driving home from the exam yesterday I cranked up the Christmas music and was in a festive mood by the time I got home!

Our tree this year is light and airy, or as the nursery we bought it from said, "uncultured." So we have an uncultured tree. The ornaments hang freely, the fresh fir smell wafts from the branches, and it speaks to me of light and simplicity. I'm looking forward to quiet evenings of knitting or reading (or wrapping presents) accompanied by twinkling tree lights and a crackling fire.

Today I'm baking gingersnaps and other things. These aren't a particularly Christmassy cookie; I make them all year long. But they round out a cookie plate nicely and they travel well.  My husband says they are best in pairs.

We disagree over the best gingersnaps. I like the ones that actually snap, with a bit of crunch to them. He, and the children prefer the softer ones which we call Ginger Sparklers. I alternate between recipes, and I notice that it doesn't matter which one I make, they all disappear. And it's not me eating them all (in pairs.)

I hope to put up the recipe on my recipe blog today. (Edited to add, here's the link to the Ginger Snap recipe)

Advent Peace

Peace is sadly lacking in our world. Has there ever been peace on earth? Somewhere, a conflict is always brewing. I think of the angel's message to the shepherds on that long ago Christmas night ..."and on earth, peace among men..."

I'm glad that because of Jesus' birth, because of God's love,  I can have peace in my heart. And I want that peace to extend beyond my personal experience to those I love, to those I meet each day, even in passing.

Paper Trees

I'm studying for a couple of finals. One is done, two more to go. I tell myself, "Lorrie, if you study for 90 minutes, then you can go and decorate the mantel." So I study, then I decorate. And after the mantel is done, I go back to studying and reward myself with a promise to decorate something else. It's a bit piecemeal, but the decorating AND the studying are getting done.

Yesterday afternoon the sun shone. Oh, delight! The sun cast long shadows into the living room and I noticed them on the mantel that I'd just finished. The white paper tree is one I made years ago, but the smaller music paper tree I just made. I wanted a few more trees in my decor but didn't have the time to intricately cut them.

So I cut three trees from a very simple pattern (scratched out on a folded sheet of paper). I stacked them together, and

then I took them over to the sewing machine and stitched them. This photo shows stitching from top to bottom, but it's much better to do it from bottom to top, since it's important that the bottom be level so they can stand. I added glitter to some, but really, I prefer them plain. They are pretty either way.

Time to bring out the Advent Calendar

This year is the first in 28 years that a child has not shared the excitement of Advent with my husband and me. So, instead of our traditional and colourful Advent calendar, I decided it was time for a new, grownup girl's way to count down the days until Christmas.

I saw one on Martha's blog that immediately appealed to me, and I decided to make one of my own. An old picture frame from the thrift store, a piece of thin plywood covered with a suede-like fabric, tags from the office supply store, numbered with a stencil, and upholstery tacks from the hardware store were all it took. And some measuring. Serious measuring. I don't like measuring seriously. I prefer to "eyeball." But I'm pretty proud of myself for doing the hard math for this project.

Then the fun part - finding bits and bobs to hang from the tacks for each day. I have them in a pile on my work desk upstairs just now, but one by one, they will find their way to the calendar. This first one is a rhinestone clip-on earring that my sister-in-law found in Alberta. Its sparkle reflects the anticipation of this wonderful season of the year.

Advent Hope

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, 2009. This year, more than ever, hope has become a beautiful word - a word that signifies anticipation for seeing how God will act, comfort that things will not always remain static, and restful trust in turbulence.

Hope, for me, centers around the presence of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. Hope enables me to laugh in the darkness, cry with release, and most of all, to place my trust in He who created me and loves me.

Hope sparkles with possibility.