“If you aren’t on the nice list by now, it’s probably too late. Sorry.”

CHRISTMAS EVE’S EVE LAMENT

“The gift shopping’s finished,

The wrapping?  Just some.

The menu is planned,

Grocery shopping?  Not done…

The house is all ready…..

but I’m in projects knee deep;

Oh, please, may I…please, can I,

add some days to this week?”

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTMAS 
Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year
JESUS is an ever present help.

Santa fills your stockings with goodies
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited
JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, What’s your name?”
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name,
 He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows
 how many hairs are on our heads.

Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly
JESUS has a heart full of love.

All Santa can offer is HO HO HO
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says “You better not cry”
JESUS says “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.

Santa’s little helpers make toys
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It’s obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.                        copied

And one more to smile on…..

There once was a little boy who loved to sit and listen to his grandmother tell him stories from the Bible.  He paid very close attention, and drank in all she taught.  One  day he came up to her as she was washing the dishes and said, “Grandmother, can I ask you a question?”  Drying her hands, she looked at him and said, “Of course you can.  What would you like to know?”  “It’s about the Christmas story, ” he said.  “I was just wondering which of those virgins is the mother of Baby Jesus?”  She thought surely he must have misunderstood something she said, and was about to explain it again when he said, “Is it the Virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?”

I had big plans for today.  So much to do…and time is not going to stop for me.  However, my body would not cooperate with me today, so, I’ve spent it on the couch instead.  To pass the time, I’ve taken a little trip through the Internet.  Somewhere along the way,  I ran across these old ads.  I thought they were a hoot!  Couldn’t get away with running some of these today!  Enjoy!

Remember the days when you would gather your extended family and go look at typewriters?  🙂

Already wrapped in a beautiful gift box for your convenience!  Now, will someone please unwrap Santa?

I sincerely hope Mom and Dad don’t expect all 5 boys to share just one bike!

Have you ever tried to iron while sitting?  Could be why the Rid-Jid company went out of business so soon!

I would have been happy with one of these.  Wait a minute!  I HAD one of these!  Really!

We had a big white Plymouth Fury…but I don’t remember ever getting this excited about it!

So glad these went out of style before I was old enough to wear them…I’m afraid my OCD tendencies would have run wild trying to keep the seams straight!   But, cute shoes!

Two front teeth?  That’s all?  Sure?

I can assure you this would NOT be a beautiful way to say ‘Merry Christmas” at my house.

And remember…”Always use Christmas Seals.”

May I introduce you to my youngest son, Ian.

Handsome fellow…if I do say so myself. With a ‘million dollar smile’.  Literally!   But, the year following his birth was one of the hardest of my life.  I was thrust into a situation for which I had no understanding, no information, and no plan.  Quickly, I had to do all of these things to take care of this little boy who was born with a cleft lip and palate.

After his first surgery, this was my first glimpse of my baby’s face…

And, by the time we left the hospital in NC , 3 weeks later…this was his beautiful face…

This was only the first and there have been many, many, many surgeries to close fistulas,  graft bone, implant teeth, move jaw, straighten nose, and on and on and on.  He is now 28 years old, and in the next year, he will again undergo some more corrective surgery.  This will be either 14 or 15…I lost count around # 10.

Can you imagine how much we have spent on this face and mouth?  We begrudge not a penny, and thank God we had good insurance.  As hard as it has been to see him suffer, he is still a mighty lucky and blessed young man.  Even though this was traumatic, and painful…he was blessed to be born into a family who had the means to take care of his needs.   He belonged to a family that could find the best doctors, who could track down information, who could meet the needs as they arose.  And, he was surrounded by family and school mates and church family that loved him as he was and pulled for him all through life.

There are many, many children in this world who are not so fortunate.  They face banishment from their villages and their families.  Some are left to starve to death.  Others are quickly drowned so that no one will see the shame they believe was brought to their family.  It breaks my heart.  It is so sad that there are those who just don’t know that a face is not who the child is….that he there behind the defect…and he needs love and comfort.  But, also, most of these people know that there is nothing they can do to help their child.  There is no help where they are.  Maybe they don’t even know that the defect can be fixed.

” Unlike many charities that do many different things, The Smile Train mission is focused on solving a single problem: cleft lip and palate.
  Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache.
  The good news is every single child with a cleft can be helped with surgery that costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes.
  This is our mission:
    -To provide free cleft surgery for millions of poor children in developing countries.
    -To provide free cleft-related training for doctors and medical professionals.
  Until there are no more children who need help and we have completely
eradicated the problem of clefts.”      from www.smiletrain.org

“Over the past ten years, we have provided free cleft lip and palate surgery for hundreds of thousands of children.

These children were suffering not because they were born with a cleft, but because they were born too poor to ever afford surgery.”

“Being born with a cleft in a developing country is truly a curse. In fact, every baby born in Uganda with a cleft is given the name Ajok which means literally, “cursed by God.” And no one knows how many newborns with clefts are killed or abandoned right after birth.

And the ones who are lucky enough to find a Smile Train free cleft surgery program, not only survive, they thrive. After a 45 minute surgery hands them back their future, and a second chance at life that they never Thought could happen.”   www.smiletrain.org

Friends, this is such a worthy charity.  I shudder to think of what my own child’s life would have become if we were not able to have the best medical care possible.  Every little bit helps.  Even though we have spent many, many, many thousands of dollars on Ian…through Smile Train, a child can have the cleft surgery for $250!

Gifts may be given in honor of someone or in memory of a loved one.  They accept any amount and will send a card to the recipitent, if you so desire.  We really don’t need more trinkets and baubles and bangles.  We have enough of everything we own to last a life time.  These sweet children will have nothing if those of us who care do not help.

Please go to www.smiletrain.org. for more information.

John Thomas came to stay today,

To explore the house and pet and play.

First, he spotted the garland shiny

It wrapped round and round that boy so tiny.

 Soon he had enough of that stuff

Now he wants to play…and rough!

Here comes Finn, see him run

He only wants to join the fun.

OK Finn, be on your way

There’s more we want to do today.

We snacked and rocked and took a nap

All the while in Aunt Tonja’s lap.

Awwww, Mommy’s here…time to go

Buckle up…..now there you go!

Come back soon…we’ll play again

Until then…be sweet, Little Man.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.  I am not fond of cold weather.  I WAS NOT created to withstand the onslaught of icy wind and freezing temps!  I don’t mind having to wear a sweater, BUT, to have to wear cuddle duds, t-shirt,sweatshirt , knee socks, jeans and a cape is not my idea of being fashionably attired.  And, then add ear muffs, and gloves…and you pretty much are rendered incapable of movement…much less ‘power shopping’.

I know…it’s really not pretty, is it?  But, it was 16 degrees, friends.  16 degrees!!!!!

We left Dothan on Monday morning in the very cold weather in Dothan, so we were sorta prepared for what was coming.  But the promise of fun and laughter, and time away with my sister, was overpowering.  Now, she has a broken foot…and has been wearing a big ole cage type boot on her foot.  So, I gracious offered to drive and let her rest her leg.  I sure didn’t want her holding me back when I got to the stores!  🙂  But, no-ooooo…she showed up at my house in her year old Volvo and shoes on both feet.    Yes…it still beeps when you are withing sight distane of any other vehicle.  Yes, it’s still supposed to stop if it gets close too close to another car…but one time, it didn’t. The great and powerful, invincible Volvo was a little down on its game.  We stopped at a big barn-type store (Sikes and Kohn) to peruse the shoes.  Let me just say that they had done a wonderful job of stocking their store with the shoes that make girls giggle with glee and swoon with silliness and start  a shoe trying-on frenzy!  6 boxes made their way to our car!

Well, getting back in the car, heading on our way, the year old Volvo started sending us a message.  “My tires are feeling a little flat!”  I told Joy it was just a cruel joke and to just drive on.  She did…but it sent us another message that said, “I TOLD YOU I’m feeling a little light in the rubber!”  So she stopped and called someone who knows most everything there is to know about anything you would need to know.  And, he said not to worry…check it at a gas station when we get to B’ham.  I told her again that it was because of the cold.  I know these things.  Really.  We made it on to our destination safely and missed the turn off we wanted to take…so we took the next one.  And, do you know what was staring us in the face when we got to the bottom of the exit ramp? 

And that was our first stop!  They were happy to check the tires.  They said the cold was the culprit!  That was NOT news to me.  But, the wonder car was, indeed, not holding his air.  4 pounds low in 1, and 5 pounds low in the other 3.  They were happy to give us aid and soon we were on the road to our first shop!*****Isn’t it amazing how God watches over us even when we don’t realize it?  We prayed, as we always do, before we left Dothan.  We asked God to keep us safe and station His angels around our car to protect us.  Obviously He did…and obviously He decided the car needed to be seen about.  We didn’t just ‘miss’our exit, it was closed to us by our Father.  And, because He loves us and knows that we are not always the wisest ladies when it comes to car maintenance versus shopping…He led us straight to the dealership and a man who was very happy to stop his work and be our hero.  Isn’t that just like a loving Father?  Isn’t it wonderful to know that wherever you are and whatever you do…He is going before you and preparing the way? Always leading us to what is good for us.  I love Him so!*****

And, so the shopping began.  All the top spots…the Summit, Homewood, Patton Creek, and a few in between.   We hurried from the car to the store and back to the car.  None of that leisurely strolling.  We stopped about 4:00 and headed to PFChangs.  How nice to sit quietly and eat and rest our feet!  We decided we were quite revived when we finished…and since we were at the Summit, anyway, made a quick stop at Pottery Barn.  Did I mention that it was cold?  Very cold. This is the fountain in front of Pottery Barn.  Isuffered in the cold just to take these pics for you!  🙂 

And, then, to the motel, get our things to the room, and crash!  Whew!  we were tired!  And glad to have some covers to get under and warm up!  Just a little bit later, Ian came over to the motel to visit.  It was so nice to sit and talk with him and hear about his new job.  He is blessed and happy and enjoying his life. 

Next morning we set about our appointed rounds…and then backtracked to a couple of places, grabbed a sandwich, and headed home.    We talked non stop there and back, and enjoyed the time together so much.  We made it back home about 8:00.  And, today, I am tired!

This morning, my friend, Lucy Jane, came over to make cookies.    She opened and poured…

and stired and cracked and mixed.

Unfortunately, we had to take a do-over with the egg!  We used this funky pan I bought last year after Christmas…I don’t know why.  It is made of silicon.  I scoop a small amt, and Lucy would press it into the pan.  After I went back over them…into the oven they went.  I was a little concerned.  I had never used one of these silicone pans before.  AND, the recipe on the back of the package say to roll these out and cut with a cookie cutter.  It doesn’t say anything about using a baby gingerbread pan.  But..I’m a rebel…and don’t mind living dangerously when the situation calls for it.

Out they come…smelling sooo yummy!

During the wait for the cookies to finish, she played with my scarf and these 4 little stools.  9 minutes can be an eternity to a little one!   You put this on the cookie sheet…and when they come out, we had to wait about another 10 minutes for them to cool!  And here’s the finished products.  A perfect sized to pop into your mouth for one bite!

Now, I’m heading to bed…fighting an allergy to something.  And, I’m keeping sweet John Thomas tomorrow.

Three days spent with people I love.  Nothing could be any better..such a sweet gift during this Season of Love!