Clothing Required

So, the concerts are finished for another season. Now I am able to focus on getting the household and myself ready for Christmas celebrations. One item that begins in November is baking cookies. A lot. I used to attempt to eliminate one or two, but the girls and Man About The House rebelled, and I'm resigned to this fate of non-stop baking. Today I will finish this project as well.

While working in my ever-so-tiny galley kitchen, I do have the ability to look through my pass through window and watch a movie on our family computer. Usually these are ones I could recite word for word, so I listen and laugh, and yes, sometimes pause from the task at hand. They are always favorite christmas movies, and help the project take on joy and perspective.

I have come to conclude there are two types of people in this world...sports fans and not. opera goers and not. book readers and not. and yes, movie watchers and not. I love the movies.

So I was wondering this morning, as I contemplated my final movie to put in to complete baking season, which would be my favorite Christmas movie? That's a tough one.

First of all, there are the classics...

"White Christmas" (watched probably a hundred times during my pregnancy with Katy...I think she was born singing like Rosemary Clooney) is of course great. Musical, romance, comedy...


"Christmas in Connecticut" offers romance, the essential decorating the tree scene, comedy. Watch the original with Barbara Stanwyk, not the horrible remake.


"It's a Wonderful Life" for years was hands down my favorite. The Man About the House and I watch it each year on Christmas Eve. This one is never on my cookie baking list because it's saved special for that one viewing.


Then there are the comedies, favorites of family watching...

"A Christmas Story"...the leg movie, "Christmas Vacation" (by the way, I am married to Clark Griswold).

But then there are others with a timeless theme...

"A Christmas Carol" (redemption) and "The Nativity Story" (sacrifice, and yes, the point of all of this) are just a few.




There is one other movie that has topped my list since it came out. This has absolutely all of it - comedy, romance, tenderness, classic feel, redemption and sacrifice, and that point in life we can all relate to: a new person coming to meet the family at Christmas.

"The Family Stone".

It's about a new person coming to meet her boyfriend's family for Christmas, and all the adjustments of someone new. This is where we are...it's not just us for Christmas this year! Several images come to mind of fun we could have, and yet we don't want to scare him off...I just hope he doesn't get a nasty throat clearing tick! And by the way, Emma is so Amy from this movie...we all agree.


Of all the Christmas movies I watch, this one is right up there. There are many, many reasons why I love this movie. Have you seen it?


"What's so great about you guys? Uh, nothing... it's just that we're all that we've got."

"Christmas is not "clothing optional" this year - we have a guest."


Let's just say, I can't wait for the kids to come home...

Preparation H

H as in holidays. As I was in the stage of rearing tricks-and-treats children, preparation for the holidays began with costume ideas, sewing, assembling, etc... I miss that stage, but hope it will return (in at least a decade!) as I become the "really cool Gammy with the incredible costume trunk".

No, now preparation begins in November.

I'm alright with that. I have more time to put a lot of thought into keeping Thanksgiving meaningful for my family. I get weary of the marketplace passing over this time of remembrance of the goodness of God in our lives. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me. Do I really expect people lacking in faith to embrace a faith-filled day of celebration? It is more than pilgrims and indians getting together for a big dinner. It is a day to step back. Reflect. Enjoy the blessings of God in our life. And give thanks to the One to whom thanks is due.

So then why do I get exhausted at the idea of preparing for another holiday season?

I must take responsibility for the choices I make. I choose to bake 17 different types of cookies each year. I choose to spend 3 days decorating our home. I choose to accompany choirs and participate in days upon days of rehearsals and concerts. I choose to sew, plan, cook, bake, clean, shop, etc..... I wonder this morning, as it is all about to begin, what would happen if I chose differently?

Would it still be Thanksgiving for my family if we didn't have a big brunch in addition to the dinner?

Would it be a meaningful Christmas if the house wasn't decorated in each room and no myriad of cookies to pull from the freezer?

Would I enjoy the sounds of Christmas if they only existed on the cd's we own, and not the live concerts?


Who knows? But this one thing I do know:

I do all these things to create memories. It's the look on two of my daughters' faces walking in from college to see and smell Home. It's creating new memories for Elly, coming to Opa's house and seeing the Macy balloons. It's the crazy-unbelievably stressful but irreplaceable-week of Renaissance, filled with costumes, hair, music, late nights, drama (people and script), castle up and down moments that all work together somehow. It's the friends by the outdoor fire, reconnecting, laughing, enjoying seeing each other once again. And as it goes later than my bedtime, hearing it all just outside my bedroom window...falling asleep smiling for my almost grown children.

So let Preparation H(olidays) begin. God, grant me the energy, strength, time, and desire to accomplish all these...

It's Alright To Get Crabby For A Few Hours

Last weekend The Man About The House and I were able to spend a few days in Savannah, GA and celebrate 10 years of marriage. We both commented on our need to rediscover the other, and bring that Savannah person back to Sarasota. It's not that "the honeymoon is over", it's been more like "the week before the wedding" lately. Anyone who's been married longer than 7 years understands. My mother and her husband do not count. They just celebrated their 4th. (congratulations again, by the way)



I love this clip because it shows we are NORMAL! In fact, of the past ten years, this season of busy-ness, tears, laughter, hurts, forgiveness, healings...all of it has been my favorite. It shows what we're made of. We've grown and been stretched individually and also as a couple.

It reminds me of a line in the movie A League Of Their Own when Tom Hanks' character tells Geena Davis', "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."

Boundaries

I have been thinking about boundaries a lot lately...


Over Labor Day Weekend the man about the house and I invested our time and money into 4 small grape tomato plants. This is our first attempt at vegetable gardening, and we are enjoying the process and eagerly anticipating the first of our fruits in the next couple weeks. There came a point very quickly in their growth that we added a wire cone to keep them inside and use as a support for their tender stalks - we set a boundary for them to protect them.


This is what I have done over the years as a mother of three. Soon into their rearing, boundaries were established for their protection: stay in the yard, look both ways before you cross the street, wear your bike helmet, do your homework before you play with toys (this became difficult to enforce in high school, in fact I gave this one up!). The boundaries were established to help them grow into fruitful young women, similar to my tomato plants.

Now the boundaries are bigger issues: whose car they get into, no passengers other than family for the first 6 months after getting your own license, living within a budget while away at college, and as of yesterday with one turning 21 - don't abuse this privilege. Be careful. Use wisdom.


It's easy for me to see the need for boundaries in others, but I tend to be blind with my own. This is especially true in protecting my schedule from burn out. I discuss it in a response (it's one of the last comments) on a blog of someone I am newly reading (yes, I made myself vulnerable!). I'm trying to make changes in my life with this one. I want to honor God with my resources and time is one of my most valuable commodities. I'm enjoying a new book by Anne Jackson, "Mad Church Disease". It's about the tendency for people involved in ministry to say yes all the time, whether professional or volunteer. It's inspiring me to make some changes, to produce healthy fruit in my life.


Do you find it hard to say no to people?

Coming Of Age

it's a big world out there...

early snow
big bird
wide-eyed at the world...

pumpkin farms
twirling skirts
a cozy lap in g'pa's world...

sand castles
learning to share
it's a different world...

books
beasts and beauties
in a disney world...

daring to dream
sleepovers and camps
oh, what a world...

dances and games
discoveries and plans
enjoying this captivating world...

poverty and need
language and beauty
knowing there's more to this world...

new focus
new steps
once again...

...wide-eyed at the world.

happy 21st birthday, katy!

Becoming Vulnerable

I have taken a summer hiatus from the blogworld...writing and daily reading. Every now and then I've touched base with family member sites, but that's been about it. However, recently I've discovered some places that I find myself drawn to each day.

Donald Miller is among my favorite authors. I enjoy his fresh view of how he lives his faith, politics, friendships. Through his website I have been introduced to Anne Jackson and Sarah Markley. I am amazed how these two women let it all out there, and in response people reciprocate. Perfect strangers telling each other deeply personal things. I've also thought about sending my secrets out into the vast web of the internet, and yet stop short. Why would what I have to say matter to people I don't know?
Over the past few years I have seen myself reverting back to my safety net. As an introvert I rarely risk entrusting who I am to people. Only my closest friends have seen me as I am deep within. Is that the way it should be? I'm not sure. We all know people who say everything that pops into their mind and emotions. Frankly, those people tend to annoy me. Do we want to be the plumber guy? I don't think so....

But I think I swing the pendulum the other way. I need to become more centered and try to trust people. Recently I attempted to ask a group if they are someone who risks vulnerability. I think it's funny only 2 people even answered that question.

Maybe I'm not the only one who finds it difficult to remove the masks we use to protect. What do you think?

Praise You In This Storm

65th Anniversary of D-Day



God bring them safely home.

New Clothes For Easter

Don't you love little girls in their new Easter dresses? As a mother with three, it was fun to take them out for that special new spring dress. (albeit, maybe my memory is fading on the fun part since they are all practically grown up!) My mother used to make sure I always had a purse to match my shoes, thanks to her grandmother's emphasis, and there were a few years a hat came along to the days' festivities.

There came a time when I had more voice in what to wear for this annual shopping excursion. I vividly remember my favorite Easter dress as a young girl. My dad had taken me shopping to a little children's clothing store in the Deerfield Commons. That was a big deal, because it wasn't Sears or JC Penny's. I found a pink dress with short sleeves. There was a white peter pan collar and cuffs, with white daisy buttons down the front. It was the perfect dress for this 8 year old in 1974.

These memories have caused me to wonder what I'm going to wear for Easter this year. I've actually been thinking about it through several sources. I tend to revisit favorite books from time to time, like getting together for coffee with an old friend. Lately, I've reread Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller. He has a chapter where he discusses why being naked is the point in the Garden of Eden. He wrestles with the idea of why this is stated so many times... that Adam and Eve are naked, and the first thing that happens after the Fall is they finally realize this. He then says this: "Man is wired so he gets his glory (his security, his understanding of value, his feeling of purpose, his feeling of rightness with his Maker, his security for eternity) from God, and this relationship is so strong, and God's love is so pure, that Adam and Eve felt no insecurity at all, so much so that they walked around naked and didn't even realize they were naked. But when that relationship was broken, they knew it instantly. All of their glory, the glory that came from God, was gone." (pp. 70-71)

I've been thinking about this a lot; how what we lost in the garden wasn't just our innocence, but our security. I agree with Miller...we finally realized we were naked and ran from God. Yesterday I was reading Mark's account of Christ's passion with The Man About The House, and there it was...more nakedness! At Jesus' arrest a man was following in a garden named Gethsemane. When he was seized as well, he fled naked, leaving behind all his Passover clothes (Mark 14:51,52) I can't figure out if he was more afraid of the soldiers or identifying with Christ through his suffering. Either way, he would rather run around town naked than stay with Christ.

And so I have been asking myself what do I try to put on to cover my own nakedness, not just with God but others as well. Do I really clothe myself with strength and dignity (Is. 52:1, Pro. 31:25), compassion (Col. 3:12), humility (I Pet. 5:5)? Or is it easier to try and put on accomplishments, talents, society, praise from others? Paul talks about how we are clothed with Christ's righteousness if we truly acknowledge and embrace our need to be clothed by God. Just like Adam and Eve, God will clothe us. I like the way Isaiah says it best: "For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness...as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

In His passion, Christ's clothes were divided in a craps game. He received new clothes for the grave, but he left them behind in the tomb Sunday morning. Today he wears "...a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest." (Rev. 1:13)

I have concluded the most important thing to wear for Easter is not what I feebly attempt to cover up, but what God has clothed me in...Christ's righteousness.

Anticipating February

Well, as many family and friends up north have said recently, "It's already been a long winter!" While I'm aware we don't struggle with some of the same daily inconveniences, we also go into our long throws of daily living and need things to look forward to.

Even though Valentine's Day is a highlight of the month, for The Man About The House and me it really is just an excuse for an extra date. We consider our special day to be our anniversary, October 16. I'm fortunate to know how much I'm loved by he and others in my life on a daily basis, so I am a blessed woman indeed.

At our house, the doldrums are wiped away by the planning of our annual Oscar party. I get giddy anticipating the nominations, trying to take in as many of the nominated movies as possible before the big event, and then of course there is the planning of The Event itself! I'm looking forward to see how Hugh Jackman is going to host--I have very high hopes for him stepping into this spot. Of course, there is the Heath Ledger buzz....and, well, why don't you just take a peek yourself at all the excitement:

The Office

Normally I like to have time to invest in pictures and url links when I post some of my thoughts.

Today is not one of those opportunities...

I watched HBO's coverage of the Inaugural coverage at the Lincoln Memorial. One of my favorite artists, James Taylor, performed with others, and he inspired me to write my thoughts..."Shower the people you love with love. Show them the way you feel." He is the only non-choir concert Garland and I have attended together, and it was great!!

I respect the Office of the President of The United States. It's how I was reared (even during Watergate and Viet Nam as an elementary student). We make it a point in our home to respect the office a person holds and to address them with that respect..."it's not Clinton, it's President or Senator Clinton. It's not Bush. It's President Bush. It's not Obama, but President-Elect....and soon-to-be-tomorrow President Obama." This is one of my primary peeves with our country's media: their dis-respect of the office any person may hold by reducing their reference to a last name. It reminds me of my PE teacher in Jr. High who would call everyone by their last name and leave a feeling of inferiority with his students. Why do we do that?

I am always assessing the stance a candidate holds to before I cast my vote. I think through my choice for an office prior to an election. However, once voting is finalized, and a decision is made by the voters, I still support the person holding the office out of respect.

I did not vote for President-Elect Obama. I have friends and family who did. That's what I love about our country...this process. Tomorrow I will watch the coverage of our country's transition from one leader to another in peace. I will admit that the media nausiates me right now (their love-feast over a man who cannot singly fix everything, no matter who may hold this office)...but I still appreciate the significance of yet another transfer of power.

God, please use our new president to accomplish Your purposes. I will enjoy watching history unfold again.

What Defines Success?

As I have returned from yet another Florida Music Educators Conference, I am in the throws of defining who I am from the perspective of being vs. accomplishments.

I have frequently set aside personal goals and dreams to aide my family's best interests over the past 25 years. I don't regret these sacrifices. I look at the successes of people I went to high school with....songwriter, conductor, television writer, psychologist, agent, and the list goes on, and wonder if I made the right choices for me.

I live in a humble home. I have down-to-earth friends. I enjoy simple things in life. This morning as Laura and I rode to school together, she affirmed me as a person and my accomplishments from her perspective. It meant a lot to know my 15 year old daughter is proud of me.

Today I think success is in how you are viewed by your almost-grown children and the people in your daily life. My 25th high school reunion is this summer. I hope I can remember these thoughts at this moment in time when I meet up again with friends from my youth.

How I spent my time this past weekend (evidences of success!):

Anna, Laura, Lisa...great friends at All-State together

RHS All-State Concert Mixed Choir members taking a break

Dr. Anton Armstrong from St. Olaf's College rehearsing Concert Mixed (Laura is there...see her?)

RHS All-State participants and chaperons at Bern's Steakhouse for dessert

2009 Florida All-State Concert Mixed Choir at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center