Traditions

What a great time of year to talk about Traditions.  I'm a firm believe that Traditions only happen if you create them and keep doing them.  I would gather that most of us have great memories from our childhood based on traditions - no matter how silly they seemed!

First, I thought I would share our current traditions for Christmas time.  On Christmas Eve, we normally go to my parents and attend the Christmas Eve Service at my brother's church.  After that, we gather at my parents for snacks and laughs.  Growing up both Darryl and I opened one gift on Christmas Eve and we are starting that with the boys this year - they have one gift to open :-) .  Christmas morning starts with some special food.  From my family tradition, we have Eggs, bacon, and toast than, from Darryl's side, we have cinnamon rolls and Orange Julius.  It is a very yummy breakfast!!  We also open stockings Christmas morning  - usually just before breakfast.  We aren't allowed to do anything else until all the dishes are done from breakfast - granted, now my mom has a dishwasher so their isn't near the wait that there was when we were growing up!.  Finally, we get to open presents and we follow my family tradition - we open one at a time - it is not a free for all.  It makes the morning last so much longer and you get to watch everyone else receive those special things too! 

Second, I wanted to share some traditions we are starting this year.  I already mentioned the Christmas Eve gift.  We are also going to start reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the boys before bed on Christmas Eve.  What a perfect story for that night!!  Than, we will also add reading the Christmas Story on Christmas morning.  I should clarify that my dad read the story often on our Christmas mornings too but as adults, we don't always take time to read it.  We want to make this an important part of the morning for the boys, though. 

Third, we've been doing a lot of thinking about Christmas and how we can instill into our boys the true meaning of Christmas; teach them about giving back; and yet still have the excitement of receiving gifts too.   I did a little research on where the "gift - giving" idea came into Christmas and was surprised to learn that it really came into play during the Victorian Era but the idea was being done as far back as before Christ's birth.  During the Victorian Era, people where filled with friendliness and Charity and gift giving goes hand and hand with that so gifts were given to show kindness.  They didn't just hand out a pile of gifts though - they did things like a Cobweb party where each person was assigned a color and than shown a room with different colored yarn strung through the room.  They had to follow their color to find their gift.  This is just one example.  It wasn't until the 19th century that Christmas met with commercialism and merchants took full advantage of pushing the idea of gifts.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing away with gifts :-)  I think it is fun to shop for my family but I just wanted some back ground on this!  So, here are some of the ideas we are planning on incorporating over the next few years (many of these ideas I shared in a post here):

To Teach The Real Meaning of the Season: Taking an idea from here, we will be doing a the Jesus tree next Christmas.  I plan on picking up a small tree for the dining room to use for this and we will use the lessons on the names of Jesus for our family devotion time.  I look forward to making this more in depth each year as the boys grow and eventually having each of them do research to talk about the different names.  There are also some teaching units I want to use in the coming years that focus on Christ birth so that the many of our lessons will revolve around the Christmas story. 

To Teach the importance of giving: We will be doing two shoe boxes next year for Samaritan's Purse.  I plan on doing one for each of my boys.  We will do a box for a boy that is their same age group so that they can pick out the items for the box.  Who knows, in years to come, we may have the means to do more than just those two.  We will be doing goodie boxes for our neighbors.  We'll back some goodies and maybe include a small gift but I think it is good for the boys to walk to the neighbors (with us of course!) and say "Merry Christmas" and give something away.  Another thing we will do that is also fun - is go light hunting.  Once we find the best of the best, we'll come home and write Thank-yous. 

To Count Down to the Big Day: What better way to build excitement than to count the days?  This is where the "just for fun" stuff comes into play.  Again, I've stated some of this before.  I want to incorporate the "Elf on the Shelf" game.  I'm also working on a better book list based on the two blogs I follow to do a book a day for December along with an activity for each book.  We love to read so I think it would be fun for the boys to have a book to unwrap each day as a surprise for the day.  I also am planning on making some advent bags - if I plan well enough, I'll make them big enough to put the books in too - so we can open the bag and take out a small gift each day and maybe have an activity we can do each day. 

Gift Giving: We will still do gifts without a doubt.  What is more fun that letting a kid look through the Toys-R-Us Christmas book and picking out things they like?  Or seeing their faces (or my face for that matter - I love gifts too!)  What I do want to do though, is encourage my kids to also be creative in the gifts that they give - to pick out things for family because it is something they know they will love.  I guess, to teach them that it REALLY is just as much fun to give as it is to recieve, especially when you take time to think about what you are giving. 

Yes, those are lots of ideas but, a lot of the items double up or take just a few moments each day and yet build so many memories!  AND I plan on having everything made for all projects for December by the end of July so that we can just have fun in December.

So, what are your tradtions?  Do you have one tradition that you love?  Enjoy your Christmas and make lots of fun memories to look back on for years to come!

Weekly Song - "I need a Silent Night"

Sunday, someone at my church sang this song, "I need a Silent Night" by Amy Grant.  I loved it when I first heard it last year but really haven't heard it much this year and had forgotten about it.  It is just such a great reminder of what we really need during the busy season.  I know that I planned for a less stressful holiday season but somehow, that didn't happen.  (I think I've talked about this a few times already) One thing I will be adding to next years planning list is this song - it will be my "theme" song that I think I'll listen to each morning to remind myself of what is really important!!

Scroll to the bottom of the blog and listen to this song (make sure and pause the other player) and while you are there, take time to listen to other Christmas songs too!

Happy Birthday Nate!

 Nate was born on December 22, 2009, 14 months to the day younger than his big brother!  He was so tiny!! Yet, he really wasn't - he and Josh were about the same size.

 Doesn't he look so adorable ???

He was the perfect Stocking Stuffer LOL


An now?  Look at how much he has changed!!

Nate loves cars, trucks, and anything that his brother is playing with at the moment.  He is starting to enjoy playing by himself and is figuring out all of the toys around the house.  He sleeps through the night and takes one 2 hour nap a day (like clock work).  He loves feeding himself but still enjoys his bottle too.  Nate is walking but still crawls when he really wants to get around.  He is always happy and has a smile on his face most of the time. 

We are truly blessed with this little guy in our family!!!

Happy Birthday Nate!

Too Cute Not to "Toot"

Isn't it amazing that Christmas is just a few days away?  I love the holidays and work each year to try and make them relaxing and enjoyable.  I started out strong this year but the last week has been down right crazy and out of control.  Making notes on how to not let that happen next year!

I thought I would start this episode of "Too Cute Not to "Toot"with a great new food blog that I found recently. What Megans Making has some great looking recipes  such as:

Cranberry Relish

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

She offers tons of cookies and "sweets" recipes plus many others.  I don't often hook up with food blogs but she seems to have a lot of ideas we would actually enjoy.

Since I started out with food . . .how about this great recipe for Chicken Pot Pie from craftomaniac.

I really like these tree picks that A Glimpse Inside shared this week.  They look so pricey but are so easy to make.  I think they will make a great addition to my tree next year!

This is such a cute idea for a little Nativity set - I think it would make a fantastic gift for a Sunday School Teacher or a Pastor's family.  Craftily-ever-after gives a great tutorial.

I never did post pictures of my porch, mostly because it didn't turn out like my vision and a little because I never get a chance to get pictures!  With that said, I do already have ideas for next year to make it better and it includes some crafts.  I saw this recently at That Village House that would look awesome with the other ideas I have - now my mind is working on how to make it waterproof (she used cardboard boxes and wrapping paper . . )

That is it this week.  I've seen tons of ideas but with holiday things as well all of the latest with my sister-in-law I haven't had as much time to search blogs as I normally do for great ideas.  I'm looking forward to things slowing down a little come January, as they usually do, so I can catch up on lots of things and get back into a more normal routine!

Update on Nora

I thought in this post, I would copy info from my brother Jeff, my sister-in-law Nora and my niece and nephew - all who have written some informative and even encouraging posts as they walk this journey. 

First, from Brittany, my niece:

Today we found out that my mom, Nora McMaster, has stage three lung cancer. She has never smoked in her life, so you can imagine this was a shock to our entire family. On December 29 she will meet with her cancer specialist and her surgeon ...who will be responsible for removing part, if not all, of her left lung. We know that God is in control, but we also know that this will be a hard battle for all of us to face. We ask for your continued prayers and support throughout this time. Any comments of encouragement you wish to leave on this wall for Nora would be greatly appreciated and I know would help her get through the rough days ahead

Than, my brother has posted the following:

Thank you all for your prayers. Nora had her biopsy on the mass in her left lung, and the doctor told us after the procedure that she has stage 3 lung cancer (we are still dealing with the shock that, of all places, its in her lungs when she has never smoked). Next week, on Wednesday, Dec. 29, we have our first appoi...ntment with both the oncologist and the thoracic surgeon so they can prepare the plan of attack

as well as this

 Looks like treatment will involve chemotherapy, radiation, and the removal of at least part of a lung. God has been wonderful in directing us to good doctors who are being proactive and thorough, and He is continuing to do so by giving her the same oncologist that treated Lance Armstrong. Our God is awesome and is gi...ven her the best that there is! Please continue to pray that God is glorified as we walk this road

And Nora wrote this:

 just got home from the biopsy (still loopy from drugs)....The dr has informed us I have stage 3 lung cancer. They have made an appointment with a thorastic surgeon and an oncologist(one of the best in the world, he was lance armstrong's dr) next wednesday..I know God is in control, thank you for your continued prayers

And finally from my Nephew Brandon

 For those who dont know, my mom cancer is stage three, and will know have to be endure chemo, radiation, and eventually surgery to remove part of, if not all of her left lung.........

I felt the need to share each of those so that you have the "story".  Pray for each one of them as they walk this road.  I will continue to post updates as we learn more after her next appointment.

Again, if you would like contact info for Jeff and Nora please feel free to let me know.  I know that they would appreciate prayers, cards, and any other encouragement.  Nora enjoys reading, decorating (so magazines she would enjoy!), and Coffee

Thank you!

What I'm Reading - for fun and my challenge!

 Francine Rivers is a great author, at least from what I've read.  My mom passed this set on to me to read and just warned me to make sure I had plenty of time to read because I wouldn't be able to put them down and she was right.  The books cover the story of several generations of one family and how the hurt and bitterness just eats away until one person is willing to try and bring everyone back together.  I would highly recommend this set of books to anyone.  When I finished, I wished there was one more book just to keep reading about the family yet, the story was finished. 

 Women Leaving the Workplace was one of the books I wanted to read by December.  It was given to me by my pastor's wife before I quit work but when my husband and I were making the decision for me to stay home.  It is on older book - and the info is quite dated.  The income amounts, cost of living comparisons, etc are extremely low compared to today's society BUT the concepts are the same.  I will say that the first chapter or so actually discouraged me and I already stay home.  Larry Burkett did make some very good points though, especially the fact that both spouses need to be on the same page for it to work to live on one income.  He also gives ideas for work to do at home but, honestly, many of those are out dated as well.  Would I recommend this book?  I'm not sure - it isn't a bad book by any means but rather, because it is out dated, I know that there are books much more current on the same topic and would be more applicable for someone to read.

 Sorry for the sideways picture - for the longest time, pictures didnt' have to be flipped before uploading them and, apparently, they do now!  This was my last challenge book.  I was dreading this one the most because I had started reading it this summer and couldn't read it - I thought it was boring.  But, when I came back to it and reminded myself that it was a memoir, not a "story", and I read it that way - it was actually very interesting.  It is about a guy who is put into a prison which also housed the last leprosy patients in the US at the same time.  His crime had to do with check kiting - but he spend a year there and learned much about himself and those he was in the prison with as well.  I did find this story intriguing but, I have to say that there is some pretty bad language in this book -as he writes, he does use the "prison talk" that the other inmates use so it could be offensive to some of you to read. 

Finally, (again sorry for the picture) Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman is actually a book for my challenge for 1st quarter of 2011 but since I had already finished the other books for this year, I figured I would just get started early :-)  When I saw this book come out, I knew I wanted to read it - I've always been a huge fan of Steven Curtis Chapman and was heartbroken when their little girl was killed.  My mom bought this book, unbeknowst to me, and when she finished it passed it on to me!  I really enjoyed reading Mary Beth's story - the book tells her whole story - it was interesting to read about how she and Steven met, to see the history behind so many of his songs, and to read about how his career slowly took off.  Than comes the tragedy in their family when their son accidentally ran over their youngest daughter.  It is heartbreaking to read that section of the book.  I do have to say the last 1/4 of the story is all excerpts (or mostly) from either journals or blogs through the course of the year + since the accident so I found myself skimming that section more than reading it like I did the first 3/4 of the book.  But, even with that, I would recommend this book to anyone to read especially if you are a fan of Steven Curtis Chapman!

A Very Happy First Birthday!!

It is hard to believe that little Nate is almost 1 year old!!!  On Saturday, we celebrated with a big first birthday party just for him!!  The theme was Jungle Safari but at this age, I just do a few little things!

 I made him this Lion cake.  It was so fun and so easy!  I must say though, the cupcakes were very dry - sorry to all who tried them.  I had made two batches and Darryl and I tasted the second batch.  They were awesome!  I was so disappointed when I bit into mine at the party and found it not nearly as good as the one I had tried the night before :-(  Oh well!  (And to think, I used a Paula Deen Recipe - I think I might need to pracitce more hehehehe)

 Of course, Nate got his own balloons :-)  (From my favorite Balloon Store . . . The Dollar Tree)

 A special birthday banner and his "year" in pictures.  It is amazing how much he has changed since he was born.

 I found the 1st Birthday banner at Party City for $1.00.  It was huge - I cute it up and put it all over the house

 The whole gang at the party!  This was taken after our game and lunch.  The game we played this time was the ABC game.  It was so much fun.  Very simply, I wrote out the alphabet on index cards.  For a group this size, I did three sets of cards.  They drew names to form teams; each team than divided up the alphabet cards among themselves however they wished.  Once they were ready, I called out an animal name, like Zebra, and they had to get the cards in order so I could read the word.  In between rounds they had change places with someone on the team so they never really knew who had what cards.  We laughed so much. 

 My sister-in-law, Kelly, got this toy for Nate - it lights up and spins and, as you can see by his face, he was mesmerized (I need to state that everyone was mesmerized by it!)  Notice even China, the dog, is wondering what is going on with that thing?

 It did not take Nate long at all to figure out how to open his gifts :-)  He was blessed with some great toys (lots of cars, his own little barn, and more) plus some really cute clothes.  Notice Josh's face in the background?  Darryl and I got Nate a music box for his crib - it is the same one that Josh has and L.O.V.E.S.  He was a little upset because he was sure it was his.  Even now, he is sitting in Nate's crib since I just hung it up - he hasn't figured out yet that they each have one. 

And, of course, cake.  Unlike his brother who didn't touch his cupcake, Nate inhaled his - it was adorable. 

The hit of the day, though, was this:

Yep, a chocolate fountain.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of it OR the line up to do dipping all afternoon!   It was so incredibly yummy!  My favorite was the pound cake but there was also marshmallows, bananas, and pretzels.  I haven't used my fountain in quite awhile and I'm not sure why?  It is so easy - just melt some chocolate (and add a little oil to make it smooth) dumb it in and turn on the fountain.  The fun begins!  The bonus?  Today, I have a cup of melted chocolate on my counter with a bag of pretzels next to it :-)  All day, I keep dipping pretzels into chocolate.  I told Darryl, I would eat banana's every day if I could dip them in chocolate (I'm not a banana fan!).  So, I do believe, all future parties at the Koll house will have the chocolate fountain! 
The day was just a blast with lots of laughs, great food (If I say so myself), fun times, and just an overall great day.  The boys are both enjoying the new toys today and are both "recovering" from a super busy day.