Gratitude

I read this quote somewhere. I played with it in photoshop, had it printed, and wrapped it up as a Christmas present for Andrew. It will hang in our kitchen, eventually.

My husband is starting his own business. It's a business that has its slow time during the winter months. To say there wasn't as much in the budget this Christmas as in previous years would be an understatement. I really love giving gifts and baking and traveling and decorating . . .  oh, and eating out. As we worked on the budget, my heart got all twisted and upset and kind of angry at the thought of having to do without.

We worked really hard and stayed mostly within the budget we set. I was creative with gifts and decorations. Grammie gave the kids a little extra so they didn't really notice the pinch. God provided Andrew with a couple unexpected jobs.


We spent some time with some relatives who are wealthy. They can afford to pay someone to clean their house, do their laundry, decorate their Christmas trees, get hair and nails done for every social event. I struggled with the idea of spending time with them. I didn't want my heart to be envious. It turns out we had a wonderful time. Having loads of money doesn't mean your life is perfect.

The pinch also allowed me to have some conversations with the kids about Christmas, and Jesus . . . and what Christmas is really about.  We also talked about the relatives and their arcade room, their media room, and the play room . . . and where true happiness comes from. Those things are very, very fun, but they don't satisfy the longing of our hearts.

God has blessed us in unimaginable ways. I am truly thankful for all we have. The above quote is true. Our Christmas was definitely enough, and for that, I am grateful.

xo
amanda

Christmas 2012

Oh, the fortune cookies.

Tissue Paper Pom Pom Ornament Tutorial

I fell in love with these feather ball ornaments from West Elm, but I'm sure not going to pay $9 for a Christmas ornament, especially when I want a bajillion of them. Then I realized that they looked kind of like the Martha Stewart tissue paper pom poms that are so popular right now.  I decided to make a mini version to hang on my Christmas tree.

I had some white tissue paper with silver glitter specs (who doesn't like glitter specs?) leftover from last Christmas. I also used some string, a ruler, and twist ties. You could also use ribbon or wire or whatever else you can tie with in place of the twist ties and string.

I cut 5 pieces of tissue paper into 4 inch by 10 inch rectangles, stacked them up, and began folding them accordion-style. I made each fold about half an inch wide.

Once the accordion is finished, secure in the middle. Make sure your knot is along the folded edge, not the flat edge. It will make for easier hanging. Then cut the edges so that they are pointy. You could also do a rounded edge.

Then begin unfolding, poofing it a little. This is a great tutorial with a video better explaining how to "poof."

 

I tied a loop with string to hang it up with. You can use anything, ribbon, string . . . or just stick an ornament hook right on your twist tie (or wire, or ribbon).

 

I've only made three, (four if you count the purple, blue, and pink striped one I made for my daughter), but I plan to make a whole set to hang sporadically around the tree.

 Merry Christmas!

amanda

Christmastime

I love Christmas.

I love everything about it.

I love the atmosphere of people, expecting. I love the crowds, and the lines. I love the baking and the eating! I love the giving (and the receiving)! I love the music! I love that family finally finds time to get together.

I LOVE Eva's purple dress.

It's Christmas Eve. My house is full of sleeping people . . . my four babies, Andrew, his mom, and my brother. My parents are sleeping in a nearby hotel due to my mama's allergies to our pup. I can't sleep. I'm kind of taking in the quiet . . . it hasn't been quiet here in days. I'm staring at our beautiful tree that has way too many presents underneath it (thanks mom and thank you, God for blessing us with the ability to buy these things).

I'm enjoying the porcelain nativity set that my Grandma made so many years ago. When she downsized, she gave it to me. It's so special . . . and yes, there are a couple lego men visiting the baby Jesus.

I'm wishing we had done more to teach our kids about Jesus this season and I wish we would have taught them more about giving. We did have them go through their old toys and picked a couple things that another child would enjoy. Andrew and I called around and found some families that needed Christmas presents. That night we prayed for the little girl with kidney failure who would receive Eva's baby dolls and stroller. We also prayed for the family with the boys who would be getting a new Diego adventure set and a roaring T-Rex. We prayed that their dad would get work soon (and also explained to Eva that being fired doesn't literally mean you're burned up.)

I had really wanted the kids to get each other presents, to take a specific amount of money to the store, pick something out for one of their siblings, and wrap it themselves. I wanted them to experience the joy of giving, but we didn't get that far this year.


Thank you Jesus for an amazing year and an amazing life. Sometimes I feel like we have it too good. You are so good to us. I pray that Andrew and I would would have Your heart and that we'd never be ungrateful. I always want to look to Him and trust Him with everything . . . and not care what the world thinks of me. Thank you, Lord, for sending us your Son, because I am imperfect without Him.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.

Tree

While decorating the tree in his room, Micah went to place another ornament on the same section of tree where all his other ornaments were hanging. I suggested he put the ornament on the other side because there were already so many so close together. He told me they were having a party.