And a Storm That Seems Never to Lift

As I greeted new faces at City Church yesterday, my eyes were continually drawn to window. Snow, lots of it, filled the sky to the point that it was hard to see the other buildings around us. We knew that it snowed more here, in a knowledge sort of way. It snows almost every day here, especially this week. It is hard to be cheerful when the gloom of winter weather is literally over your head.

As I watched the deluge of snow outside, I couldn't help but think of this song from one of my all time favorite movies, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. They sing about the months of winter and I am relating big time to the song this winter. So I watched the snow, greeted people, and hummed this song. It brought a smile to my face among the gloominess of the day.

February finds a drift and a storm that seems never to lift.

I hope it brings a smile to your face this cold winter day too. If you want to see the part I am talking about, it is at 2:51. I could not find a clip with just this scene.

A Christmas Card from the Morgans

Oh, To Sleep

Well, I have been up for an hour now. I don't think I am likely to get any more sleep tonight. The 3:00 am hour is becoming far to familiar to my liking lately. That used to be the hour my baby would wake each night. Now it is the hour that I wake up and can't turn off my brain. The last couple of weeks I have been frequenting 3:00, and what keeps me up? It's to do lists and excitement like Christmas morning.

This particular morning was a combination of apartments and shovels. Our team is looking at an apartment today that I especially like. I can't wait to see it and that is what I woke up thinking about. Logically, of course, waking up that early means I have to consciously wait that much longer, good going brain. "Day" dreaming about what this apartment would be like got me thinking about the snow on the steps of the apartment and that it might be a good idea to have a shovel since the owner of the apartment would most likely not be standing there shoveling off every speck of snow during every bit of snow fall. Then I began to wonder if we made sure to keep one small shovel. I deduced that we had not, because we gave them all to a local church that needed them. After that I thought about how a shovel might come in handy as we drive 1200 miles in January with a U-Haul. Then I wondered if a shovel would actually do us any good if we needed it since we have never had to dig ourselves out of a ditch before. So while we wait by the side of the snowy road we could give a mouse a cookie.

After a quick bathroom break, Adam rolled over and said, "You're awake too?" Yes, unfortunately I was. Thank goodness I wasn't the one who woke him up because the poor guy's alarm was going off at 4:00 am anyway. We had the morning to talk, which was nice. Maybe when all the details are in place, and we are simply waiting to leave, we will be able to get a full night sleep again...or maybe I'm just daydreaming again. In the meantime, I am grateful to have a 7 year old who will generally let me take a nap if I need one.

The Marjoram-Ipecac Experience

***This is a public service announcement***

My son cannot eat foods that contain the seasoning: Marjoram!

It will induce vomiting between 9 and 10 hours after eating it.

Thank you!

It has already been a roll with the punches kind of week. Our schedule and routine has been up in the air since finding out one week ago that Adam's grandma was dying. Since her death Friday afternoon we have been busy helping his mom with funeral arrangements. We made posters, drove to pick up Jayne's uncle from college, and last night attended the wake. Adam's parents were kind enough to bring cheese, meat, and bought gluten free crackers for us to have as a snack at the wake since we went there straight from our drive to and from Lacrosse. We thought it was very nice of them and thought nothing of it.

Come 4:00 am we burst out of bed to help our poor vomiting son. Apparently, we have not told them about Jayne's marjoram issue. We figured this out a couple of years ago that Jayne will vomit, usually twice, 9-10 hours after eating food containing marjoram. Generally he doesn't like the taste of it and complains about eating it. This seasoning can be found most often in Italian seasoning blends, red sauces, and sausages like kielbasa and summer sausage. The thing is that salami is fine and we thought that was what we were eating, but no.

So here I am at 6:00 am still wide awake. On the up side I had time to read my Bible devotional, Bible reading, and chapter 7 of No More Perfect Moms, which is ironically entitled "No More Perfect Days". Today has certainly been far from perfect but nothing a nap after the funeral can't fix. We also learned a very important lesson, pay more attention to what our son is eating and also to make sure he knows what to avoid. He is very good about avoiding gluten because he is well informed, but we just don't encounter marjoram as much so we have failed to keep him well informed.

Prepping for Christmas on a Budget

Christmas?! Yeah, I know. You just barely sent your kids back to school and it is no time to be thinking about Christmas, right? Wrong! If you want to spend a small fortune on gift giving for this mega-bucks holiday, do it during December. If you want to do it without breaking the bank, start early.

In my normal world, where I know I am not leaving the country before Christmas, I would be about done right now. We thought we might be leaving in the fall and planned to send gifts from our new home. Now we are leaving after Christmas and I am grasping at straws a bit. I can swing it though and if you haven't started your list yet, you can swing it with me.

One thing to take into consideration right off the bat is why we are giving. If you celebrate the commercial Christmas where Santa brings toys to all the children and we buy each other expensive stuff because it is good for the economy, go ahead and keep it up. If you are celebrating Christmas because of Christ this particular paragraph is for you. God gave us the gifts of love, grace, and eternal life through Jesus. We share gifts with each other to remind us of the gifts that God gave us. Keep that in mind as you go forward with your list. Your gifts should be thoughtful and meaningful to the one you are giving it to.

Now that you have taken a moment to sort out your gift giving mentality, lets hop into the frugal giving tips.

1. Nix the Budget!

What?! I know you are thinking I am going to go hog wild, but that is not what I mean. I receive gifts from people who spend a particular amount of money on me. I tend to get one or two thoughtful gifts from them and then a pile of stuff that was purchased to fulfill the budget. When we went through three years of purging our stuff, those things were the bulk of what we were getting rid of. It adds up over the years. It doesn't make that person feel special, just curious as to where they will put the new doodad.

 

2. What Price do You Count?

So you really want to spend a minimum amount? I know some of you feel obligated, I do too with some people. Stop looking at the price you paid for a gift and start looking at the value of it. We often find awesome sale/clearance prices or maybe even something for free. Instead of looking at what we actually paid we look at what the gift is actually worth. If I got a book for free but it normally costs $14.99, look at the $14.99 and give the gift that price mark.

 

3. Consumables Make Great Gifts!

Food, soaps, candles, they get used and then they are gone! The recipient enjoys your gift and it doesn't take up extra space in their home. Win, win!

 

4. Shopping for the Hardest Person.

Do not wait on this one! Always keep this person in the back of your mind. You might still get them a gift at the last minute, but at least you will not have missed an opportunity to get them something that shows you care.

 

5. Someone Wants Something Specific.

It never fails that someone has a gift request. If you want to give them the one thing they want begin looking for it on sale. Our son wanted a specific Lego set for Christmas this year. We found it on clearance at Shopko. Shopko, at least in our area, tends to have crazy stuff on clearance. You just never know what you will find there.

You have my best tips for getting your mentality in the right place. Now it is time to obtain some gifts. Here are some of the ways that I get gifts to give.

1. After Christmas Clearance

It is the best clearance of the entire year! Just remember not to buy things because they cost so little but because they would be perfect for the person you plan on giving it to. A couple extra things for impromptu gifts are ok, but let's not go crazy here.

 

2. Trading

In the past I have done many trades with fellow Etsy shop owners. You never know who will be up for a trade though. If you have a toy, movie, or whatever that you no longer need, there may be someone who is in the same situation and would like to make a trade with you.

 

3. Handmade

Cook, sew, or whittle your way to your next gift. The options for handmade gift giving are pretty much endless. Not only do you make something for less cost, you make something that is one of a kind and may become a beloved family heirloom, or get eaten and that's good too! Just make sure you give yourself enough time to get your projects done. Check out Pinterest for a plethora of DIY ideas.

 

4. Freebies

Yesterday I raved about Money Saving Mom. Last year I signed up for every freebie I could. I got k-cups, tea samples, makeup and more. These I was able to add to small gifts to basically make a little gift basket for people. This year I am doing book reviews for Blogging for Books and Tyndale Blogging Network. I receive a free book in exchange for doing an honest blog review. Some of those books are being gifted forward this Christmas. I share how much I like a book and now someone else will spread the word about it as well.

Do you have some great tips of your own for doing Christmas on a budget? I would love to hear them!

Comparing Ourselves to the Manicured Gardens

[caption id="attachment_19" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis[/caption]

Look at this house. It is beautiful and quaint. Who lives inside? We all will see something different in this house. I see a gorgeous home with manicured gardens. I imagine the people who live there are fairly well off in careers they love. They have exactly the number of children they always wanted and they behave. It is a home filled with love and earthly perfection.

You can look at any home and make assumptions about the situation inside based on the appearance outside. Those manicured gardens and beautiful walls are only shells masking what is inside. Inside this home might be a couple on the verge of divorce or a family who can barely afford the payments of a too expensive home. Who ever it is that lives here, you better bet that they aren't perfect. They are struggling with something just like each of us.

The problem comes when we compare ourselves to the façade. We look at a big beautiful home and compare our lives and situation to it. We are inundated with Facebook feeds that present only the highest highlights of each others lives. We build a façade on ourselves and do our best to only show our best. Then we look at the people around us and think, "Their life is better than mine."

When we compare ourselves to the manicured garden of someone else's life we are being very unfair to ourselves. We aren't even comparing our problems with their problems. We are comparing ourselves to our own ideas of what their perfect life must be like. So, ultimately, we are transposing our ideals onto the people around us and then saying that we are the ones that are lacking. What?! It sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it? But I bet you have done it just like I have.

Let's be real and realistic. I don't want people to think my life is perfect, not that I think anyone does, and I don't want to think your life is perfect either. We all deal with stuff everyday. We each have our own unique frustrations and trials. Let's spend our time giving each other support and love instead of creating ridiculous standards that no one can live up to. Let's live life like it was meant to be, full of love, hope, and support.

If You Give a Kid a Camera

[caption id="attachment_2056" align="aligncenter" width="770"] If you give a kid a camera, he'll capture a Lego man with the longest legs he's ever seen. He'll hear a jingle and notice the dog hopped on top of the bed.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2058" align="aligncenter" width="770"] He will capture a close up picture of the dog laying on Daddy's pillow. Seeing Daddy's pillow will remind him that he has a pillow too.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2060" align="aligncenter" width="770"] He will photograph his pillow. By his pillow he will see his maze ball. He will sit on the pillow and play with it till he finishes the maze.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2057" align="aligncenter" width="770"] When he finishes the maze he will remember that he was taking pictures. He will take a proud and somewhat smug photo of himself with his completed maze ball. When he gets up he will step on his Lego man with the longest legs.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2059" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Stepping on the Lego man will remind him that he has more Lego people he could capture, and he does.[/caption]

The Lego Project

We find every year that Jayne suddenly changes in the last month before his birthday. It is almost like he saves all his emotional growth till the last minute. One of the things that has changed this year is his desire for structure. This led to the Lego project. He wants to separate out all of his Lego sets and reconstruct them. It has been quite a process and we are a good week into it already.

Adam has resorted to painstakingly sorting out the colors down to the tiniest pieces. Jayne on the other hand has decided he would rather just enjoy the fruits of our labor. He has become bored and has decided to just play with the Legos again. Oh well, he is 6 so it is to be expected.