2008 Through the Rear-view Mirror

Got this idea from a great bloggy buddy, Miss Laurel Wreath. I love the concept of beginning anew by reviewing the past. Check out her Looking Back So I Can Look Forward post… very insightful!

Here’s my version:

January – KISA and I made a Big Announcement concerning starting a REVOLUTION here in Florence, SC.  Our lives have been turned upside down, but it’s all good… because we are upside down for Jesus, and THIS CITY!

February – Got in a car accident.  But I also got to drive around in a Caddy for a month!  There’s always a silver lining…you just have to look for it!

March – After a terrible winter of colds and flu, Em and I were diagnosed with that Nasty Little P Word.  I am definitely praying for better health this coming year!

April – Sweet little Paola joined our family. It didn’t take much discussion to arrive at this decision, and I strongly recommend sponsoring a child with Compassion if you haven’t already!

May – My little Jacob honored me on Mother’s Day with this guest post.  I also posted a lot about the book I was reading at the time… Crazy Love.  Definitely a must read!

June – School was out and we were off to Ocean Isle!  Had an awesome vacation time with family there.  I also decided to start this little thing called Mary Spirit Monday.

July – I overheard a really neat (and very challenging) conversation at Chick-Fil-A.

August  - I hosted my very first blog party celebrating over 100 subscribers.  Just so you know, I’m still honored by my readers!! Thank you so much for caring enough to put up with my rants and raves on a regular basis!!

September – Revolution Church launched our first LIFE Group.We’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ ever since! I gave God the praise for this in a Thankful Thursday – Numb3Rs Edition.   My Jedi and I also celebrated birthdays.  Tons of fun!

October – I gave away an awesome CD, and discussed my plans for Halloween in a Trick or Treat post.  I also OFFICIALLY became a “pastor’s wife”! (Now that’s SCARY!)

November – Crazy Month!  On top of an Ode to John Denver, and a HSM 3 Review, I also blogged about our Family Night traditions and joined a Reinventing Christmas Carnival.  Now that’s what I call variety!

December –  We decorated for Christmas, and had a Birthday Party for Jesus.  I was also privileged to have Jacob, Emilee, and Samuel take turns as guest bloggers, sharing their letters to Santa.  (I should mention that Sam DID get his “orange gun”, and thanks to extended family, Emilee got MOST of what was on her marathon list!  Jake was extremely happy that Santa came through with his EXACT wishes, and nothing was broken!)

I love the fact that I can use my blog as a journal to reflect back on my life.  What a journey!! I am super excited about 2009!  So much so, that I’ve decided to join Laurel for her New Year’s Meditations.  Click the link, or the button below to find out more details. 

I’ll be posting my list on Monday, January 5, but I’ll leave you with a sneak preview:

Here’s to FEELIN’ FINE (Spiritually, Physically, and Emotionally) in 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y’ALL!!!

Happy Birthday, KISA!!!

 

33 years ago today the world was blessed with a very special life. 

Almost 19 years later, heaven saw fit to bring that life into mine, and I have never been the same.

 

THANK YOU JESUS for the precious gift of this man and his love! 

Thank you for sending my Knight In Shining Armor to rescue me!!

Thank you for the beautiful children we share, and the awesome father that he is to them.

Thank you for Christopher Lynn Reeder!!!

 

I love you, KISA!!

And I pray God’s richest blessings upon your life today, and always!!

I’m SO VERY PROUD of you!!

 

I’ll Light a Candle for You

Hey Y’all!

This is your virtual singing Christmas Card.

Play the music box below, and read the lyrics as you go…

 

Light A Candle (Joy Album Version) – Avalon 

Light a candle
For the old man who sits staring
At a frosty windowpane

Light a candle
For the woman who is lonely
And every Christmas is the same

For the children who need more than presents can bring

Light a candle
Light the dark
Light the world
Light a heart or two
Light a candle for me
I'll light a candle for you

Light a candle
For the homeless and the hungry

A little shelter from the cold

Light a candle
For the broken and forgotten
May the season warm the soul

Can we open our hearts to shine through the dark

Light a candle
Light the dark
Light the world
Light a heart or two
Light a candle for me
I'll light a candle for you

And in this special time of year
May peace on earth surround the sphere
And teach us that there's a better way to live
Every thing that burns
We must somehow learn
That loves the greatest gift
That we could ever give.....

Light a candle
Light the dark
Light the world
Light a heart or two

Light a candle for me

I'll light a candle for you!

Love,Susanne

Saturday Seven – Sam’s Version

In keeping with the past couple of weeks, I must complete the trilogy by posting Sam’s wish list/letter to Santa:

Sam’s Wish List 2008

1. Orange Gun (Nerf?)

2.  Power Ranger Toy

3.  Bob the Tomato

4.  Larry the Cucumber

5.  Dinosaurs

6.  BumbleBee Toy (Transformers)

7.  Hulk Hands

 

Dear Santa,

I want to see the dinosaurs.  I love bunnies.  I love Bob and Larry.  I really, really, really, hope you will bring my orange gun.  Will you bring Rudolph to my house?  I like his shiny nose.  I love you.

Your Dude,

Sam Reeder

I promise I wrote EXACTLY what he dictated.  Could you not eat him up!?!?  I sure could! ;-) 

He also wanted me to share his favorite song (of late) with you, today.  He loves to sing and dance along w/ our pal Harry on this one!

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Harry Connick, Jr.

By the way, St. Nick DID come to our house!! We adopted a new kitten (yes, even after the last experience, we did it again!), and named him St. Nicholas (Nick, for short).  He is so precious and playful, and despite a little cold, he is VERY healthy!  The kids adore him, and he has brought much joy to our family.  I guess we named him well! ;-)

Say Hi, Jolly Old St. Nick! ;-)

Reinventing Christmas Progress Report

Okay, so I am FINALLY getting around to posting my report!  (Sorry for the unintended blog-break!) We’ve been super busy, and we’ve still got a lot going on, so I will try to be brief.

I’ve already told you about our Operation Christmas Child Shoe Boxes, here.  So I’ll move on…

Last weekend the Revolution Kidz participated in a Cookie Swap and a Birthday Party for Jesus.  One of our friends and fellow Revolutioneers organized the whole she-bang and even hosted everything at her house. (Thanks SO MUCH, Dawn!!)  Each family brought a couple dozen fresh-baked cookies over on Saturday, and we boxed them in beautiful boxes, while the kids decorated cards to go with each box. Then we loaded up in  THREE VANS and took them out to friends and family who are “shut-in” during the holidays.  When we delivered the goodies, we also showered them with Christmas Carols.  You should have seen those eyes light up!! …both theirs and ours!  Then on Sunday, we all gathered together for a wonderful meal of BBQ Chicken and delicious sides, and had an awesome time of fellowship as a church family.  After dinner, we gathered around the Nativity Scene in the front yard, and the kids had a neat little interactive devotional about what Jesus wants for his birthday.  I bet you can guess… that’s right!! YOU AND ME!!  Then we placed the candles on His birthday cake, and sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus.  It was so special, and really helped us to remember the REASON for this season!

Today we are going to take a toy inventory.  I found an article in my Family Fun magazine last month that suggested a fun way to get your children to donate older, well-conditioned toys that they no longer play with, to charity. It’s a concept inspired by a Native American tradition known as a “potlatch ceremony” in which the clan leaders would “gather the villagers together for a feast… and give away as many treasures as possible.”  Considering our Christmas Around the World theme this year, I thought this would fit in quite nicely.  So as soon as I finish this post, I will give each child a “treasure bag” to fill with loot from the playroom.  Tomorrow we will box them up and take them to the House of Hope. (Thought it would be a neat way to encourage them to clean up/out some of their stuff…I’ll let you know how it goes!) ;-)

Speaking of our Christmas Around The World Family Night theme, I thought I would post a PDF of all the plans/activities we’ve done each week.  (We’re a bit behind schedule, so to make up for lost time, we will be going to France tonight, and Africa on Monday!)  You are more than welcome to adapt these to your liking by taking out or adding activities according to your family’s preferences.  (Not every family is made up of “movie buffs” like ours, so you may want to delete that option completely!) HERE YOU GO !! Consider this my Christmas Gift to you, whether you already have an established family night, are just getting started, or haven’t yet begun, this should help you with some ideas.  You could always save it til next Christmas, and already have the month of December planned out!  Talk about your de-stresser! ;-)

Well, there it is.  To borrow a phrase from Fox News, “We report. You decide”.  How are you deciding to reinvent Christmas this year?  Leave a comment…I’d love to hear it!!

And The Winner Is…

Thanks to everyone for participating in my

 CWO Cafe Holiday Expo Giveaway

My KISA has once again come to my rescue

and provided a random number generator to choose the winner.

See why I love him so?!?!

So who is LUCKY #13, exactly? 

None other than

SHOE MOMMA

better known as

The Little Old Momma Who Lived in a Shoe!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Both Harry and your “smellies” will be on the way soon!!

Don’t forget to check out this week’s TOUR OF HOMES at the Cafe’…

and next week’s RECIPE BAZAAR… YUM!!

Happy Weekend, Everybody!

Friday Twelve - The Divine Miss Em

So I shared Jake’s Christmas list with you last week, and it’s only fair that I give our Little Princess her due. 

Be warned. 

If Jake wanted Santa to SPECIFICALLY know EXACTLY what he wanted (they get THREE GIFTS from Santa… e.g. gold, frankincense, and myrrh), Emilee left the door WIDE OPEN. 

(Maybe a little too wide?)

My Christmas List – By Emilee

1.  HSM #3 Sound Track CD

2.  Gamecocks Cheerleading Suit that fits, Size 12

3.  A New Bike

4.  Twister Moves - HSM 2

5.  Mario Super Slugger for the Wii

6.  Wii Game – Bolt Z (that “Z” is supposed to be a lightening bolt)

7.  Nintendo DS + one game + accessory kit

8.  Marshmallow gun

9.   My own iPod

10.  Stylin’ Studio

11.  My own laptop

12.  School work stuff (to play school/teacher with)

Thanks Santa for how you give!  I love you!!

That’s our girl!  She doesn’t want much, does she?

As my Daddy always says, “It ain’t much if you say it fast!” ;-)

Happy Friday Y’all!! (Only one more left ‘til Christmas!!)

Rottenness Has Beset My Fair Kingdom

I was hoping to post my Reinventing Christmas progress report today, but unfortunately I’ve been taken by an nasty little stomach “dragon” of a fearful sort. 

Me hopes to be back to my normal princess self upon the morrow.

An Evening With Santa

For Family Night last week, we attended the ACS Children’s Christmas Party at FunDayGo.  This was my first visit to Florence’s premier indoor playground, and it was awesome!!  The kids had a blast running around to the different inflatables; climbing, sliding, and climbing again!

Pizza and drinks were provided in the party rooms, and Santa was there!  Everybody got a chance to get in line and sit on Santa’s knee.  Afterwards, the children were given a candy cane and a complimentary polaroid of their visit with Old St. Nick.

 

 

 

Even I was able to get in on the “Santa Love”. 

Wonder if he’ll take me off the Naughty List, now? ;-)

At the end of the party each child was given an age-appropriate gift.  Very cool!  Em got a Target Gift Card, which is perfect as she loves to shop!  Jake got a LEGO Sports Car kit, and Sam got a Laser Gun.  All three are quite happy with Santa already this year!

On the way home, we made a quick stop for some Chinese takeout (kids were way too excited to eat much at FunDayGo), and came home to have our next Christmas Around the World devotional. 

You guessed it. We were in China this week!  We focused on the Christmas tree, or “Tree of Light” as it is called by Chinese Christians, and talked about how we are to “let our lights shine” for Jesus each and every day.

To top it all off, I surprised them with a copy of Kung Fu Panda, and we watched the movie before going to bed. (Cute flick, by the way…w/ a great message! – I just love Jack Black!)

It was a great evening, full of surprises!

It was nice to see you again, Santa!!  We’ll be looking for you in the sky as we travel home on Christmas Eve!

FYI: I am planning to post details about the CATW Family Nights tomorrow in my Reinventing Christmas progress report.

Meet Ginger

UPDATE: A couple hours after posting the entry below, Ginger took a turn for the worse. I rushed her back to the vet, but there was not much that could be done. She was put to sleep around 5:30 pm. We'll miss you, little Ginger-girl!

************************************

One morning last week, my KISA woke up and told me that he’d had a dream that we had another baby. I believe my response was: “That’s not a dream Sugar, that’s more like a nightmare!”

Well, what can I say… Nightmares Dreams come true!

I’d like to introduce you to our “new baby”.

This is Ginger. Our American Short-Haired, tortoise-shell colored, calico-type kitten!

I know what you must be thinking… after this post, how could I possibly okay with having another cat in the family?!?!

Well, it’s simple really. You see, our dear Hallie left us on the day before Thanksgiving. We’re not sure what, but something (dog? possum? raccoon?) attacked her… and she didn’t make it.

The grief of my children was more than I could bear! I guess you could say that my compassion for them outweighed any “negative” feelings that I may have had for my nemesis…our Pretty Little Hallie Cat.

SO…

Chris and I decided that for Christmas this year, we would get the kids a kitten.

We’re on a tight budget, and we wanted to do something “special” that would give them lots of memories. This was perfect! We decided to do it early, to give the baby a chance to get acclimated to her new digs before all the hustle and bustle of the season takes place.

On Friday we both put out feelers on Facebook and Twitter to find out if anyone knew of any kittens that needed a home. A sweet friend from elementary school (isn’t FB just the greatest?) messaged me on Facebook to let me know that the local Humane Society would have three kittens up for adoption, at a pet store in town, on Saturday.

WE WERE *SO* THERE!

Being partial to calicos and girl-cats, it was perfect. We had a couple to choose from. Both were just as sweet as could be, but there was something about the littlest one that called out to me. Something that said “I need you”.

We adopted her.

We got all the “equipment” we needed right there at the pet store, and headed for home. On the way, we debated what we should call her. I was thinking “Jingles” or “Noel”, but neither seemed to fit. After much deliberation, and many other suggestions, we decided on Ginger (short for Gingerbread). If you look really closely in the pick, you will see reddish brown stripes in her fur… most distinguishable around her face. They are the color of Gingerbread.

I wish I could say it’s been smooth sailing, but I can’t. She’s a bit of a finicky eater. In fact, the only thing I can get her to take is CatMilk (made by Whiskas). Yes. You read that right. You can now buy kitty milk at your local Wal-Mart store! Who knew!?!?

It’s a good thing though, because I have literally tried everything else I can think of. I even scrambled an egg for her!

I took her to the vet yesterday, just to have her checked out for my own peace of mind, and he said she looks great. She is about 7 weeks old ( much younger than the papers from the shelter stated) and purrs like crazy. He is treating her for an intestinal parasite (apparently common in shelter kitties) and believes she will come around, soon. We can already tell that she’s gained a little weight (you could feel every rib when we first brought her home) and she seems to love it here.

In fact, she is spoiled rotten. All the love and attention that she got over the weekend have definitely turned her into a lap cat. Or maybe I should say “belly” cat. She loves to sit on Chris’ belly while he watches TV or toys around on his laptop. It’s so cute! ;-)

So if I’m not around much this week, you’ll know why. Just like all new babies, this little one is taking up a bit lot of my time.

And don’t tell anyone I said this, but I think I may be falling for her…

Just call it a Christmas Miracle!

Guest Blogger: Jacoby the Jacobite

Not going to share my usual Friday Five today, but Jacob will share his Christmas Three. 

The kids know they get THREE gifts from Santa.  (Inspired by the THREE gifts the Wise Men brought to Jesus.)  As they were making their lists on Monday night, I encouraged them to write as many items on the list as they liked, but to remember that Santa would choose THREE to bring.

Jake did Santa’s work for him. 

Me:  Jacob, you only have three things here.  Is that all you’re wishing for this Christmas?

Jake:  No, ma’am.  There are some other things I want, but I don’t want Santa to have to pick.  I want him to know EXACTLY what I want him to bring!

(Out of the mouths of babes!)

So, without further ado…

Jacob’s Wish List – 2008

1.  An ironman suit

2.  The clone wars wii game

3. Transformers action figure – bulkhead

Dear Santa,

I hope that this year my Christmas gifts won’t get broken this year.  I know that you will tell the elves to be very careful with my stuff to make sure it doesn’t break.  I think that’s all.

Love your friend,

Jake

It may help for you to know that Santa did not bring the RC Helicopter Jake asked for last year, because when the “elves were testing them during production” they were found to be “flimsy and easily broken”.

Those pesky little elves.  Man, I tell ya! ;-)

A Holiday Giveaway!!

My sweet friend, Susan @ Forever His, informed me this morning that The CWO’s Internet Cafe is hosting some AWESOME Christmas events this year!  One of these is a Holiday Expo in which we are all invited to host a giveaway at our blogs and link back to The Cafe.  HOW FUN!?!?

 

There will also be a Recipe Bazaar, at Tour of Homes, and several have already posted about their Holiday Traditions.  You can find out more about all of these by checking out the website. 

I just HAD to get in on this!

Which leads me to the unveiling of the prize(s) I will be giving away here at Truly Captivating.  Because for me, it’s all about the sights, SOUNDS, and SMELLS of the season…

 

This has been a holiday staple of mine since I received it in my stocking as an early Christmas gift about five years ago.  I simply CANNOT do my Holidays properly without HARRY.  To put it mildly, I’m “wild about him”! (It’s okay…KISA knows!) :-)  So… I just have to share the love!

AND…

A  Body Care Gift Set by MARY KAY in Glistening Winterberry.  The set includes body mist, body wash and body butter in travel-friendly sizes and an adorable travel bag.  So you can take it with you and SMELL FANTASTIC wherever you may be roaming this Christmas!

I’ll hold the drawing on Friday, December 12 at 10:00 AM.

So don’t wait!! Enter NOW!!  All you have to do is leave a comment telling me about some of your favorite sights, sounds, and smells of the Christmas Season. 

And don’t forget to hop on over to The Cafe if you want to join in on the fun!

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y’ALL!!

Thankful Thursday – The Faith of a Child

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”  (Matthew 11:25)

And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  (Matthew 19:14)

The beauty of Christmas, for me, is seeing it through the eyes of my children.

During our family time on Monday night, we talked about the way Christmas is traditionally celebrated in Great Britain.  One of the traditions we discussed was the children writing letters and leaving them beside the fireplace for Santa to “claim”. 

As one of our activities that night, each child wrote his/her letter to Santa.  (Okay, Sam didn’t actually “write” his, but he did a great job dictating to Mama what he wanted it to say!)  :-)

After finishing up, we placed them all in envelopes which the children decorated with crayons, markers, and pretty Christmas stickers.  Each child then deposited their letter on the floor in front of our fireplace.

Then we forgot about them.

Yesterday, when my Mom came to visit, we all gathered in the family room to watch The Santa Claus Movie (one of Nana’s favorites). 

There was a scene early on in the movie (during the explanation of how “Santa” became “Santa”) in which the children wrote letters and placed them before the fireplace.  Magically they would begin to sparkle, and be taken up the chimney to be delivered to Santa and his elves. 

At that point in the movie, Jacob turned around and looked at me in wide-eyed wonder.  Then he looked towards the fireplace. 

I could see his “wheels turning” so I said, “Oh My!!  What happened to YOUR letters?”

His face beamed and he replied, “Santa got them!”

Then Emilee chimed in, “Mama, oh Mama, do you really think?…”

And then I assured her that Santa MOST DEFINITELY got her letter. ;-)

Magic.  Pure magic.

Oh I’m not referring to the fact that the letters mysteriously disappeared up the fireplace to Santa’s Castle in the North Pole, but the gleam in my little ones’ eyes, and the bountiful faith in their precious little hearts.

You see, that’s the way our Savior wants us to approach Him. 

…to see Him in wide-eyed wonder.

…to trust him with abandon. 

…to believe Him to oblivion.

That is why I pray for the “faith of a child” today.

And I am so very thankful for my own little children who teach me this truth so well every single day.

 

Be sure to join us over at Grace Alone to share your thankful heart.

Shoeboxes, Turkey, and Birthdays, Oh My!

So I’m way behind in posting about our last Family Night, and we didn’t have one last week due to time spent with extended family.  That being said, I thought I’d catch you up with the goings-on around here. Consider this post a “Family Time Montage”.

Our last family night was on November 21.  Each child was given the assignment to raid their closets (which they absolutely love to do… on a daily basis, even!) and find a large shoebox in GOOD CONDITION.  Who knew that’d be such a chore?

When all the boxes were on the kitchen table, I introduced the Operation Christmas Child mission to the children using this video.  We talked about the fact that the only gifts some children will get for Christmas would fit inside those boxes.  As you can imagine, my children were dumbfounded. 

With all the commercialism involved in Christmas, and the fact that we Americans live in such luxury and decadence compared to the rest of the world, I wanted us to start this Christmas season by understanding what it truly means to LOVE.  And SERVE.  And GIVE.

We then bundled up, left the house, and went out in search of “treasures” for each box.  The kids were so excited.  Sam kept talking about getting Christmas presents for his “little brother’s” shoe box.  (When we got to the store, I instructed them to find gifts for a child their same age and gender).  About an hour later, we were done!  We took our “treasures” to the check out, and then headed home.  (After taking a few moments at the local Chick-Fil-A to nourish our bodies, and get some exercise at the indoor playground). :-)

At home, we filled the boxes, and wrapped and labeled the lids.  One of the gifts Sam chose for his “little brother” was a teddy bear.  He had to give it hugs and kisses for him before he closed the box.  I think he’s got the LOVING part, down pat! ;-)

The following Monday, we took our shoe boxes to the local collection site.  Before loading them in the van, we prayed over each one…that it would be a blessing, and for each child who would receive them.  When we got to the drop-off point, my children were amazed at the large truck being loaded with all of the shoe boxes.  They proudly walked to the table and delivered each box, while I filled out all of the paperwork. 

As we headed back to the car, Jacob said, “Mama, I want to pray for those guys in that truck…that they will drive safely, and that none of the little children’s toys will be broken”.

So we did. 

And I said an extra prayer of thanksgiving to my Father for these precious children He has entrusted me to love and nurture, and asked for added grace and wisdom with which to mother them into His Kingdom.

Fast Forward.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with my Dad’s extended family over at my Mammy’s (his mom) house.  It was the first time in YEARS that my Dad and both of his brothers have been able to be together on Thanksgiving, and it was truly special.  My kids got to play with cousins that we have not seen in a long time, and it ended up being a wonderful day filled with food, family, love and laughter.

Nana and Papa took the kids back to Columbia with them on Thanksgiving Night, and Chris and I came over on Friday to celebrate my Mom’s and my precious nephew Nathan’s birthdays.  Every year, for as long as I can remember, we all come together on or near Mama’s birthday, to decorate her tree.  This year was no different. 

The kids LOVE it because Nana’s tree is SO TALL that it takes a ladder to place all of the ornaments, and they LOVE climbing that ladder while Uncle Buck holds it steady.  After eating a delicious meal of Hudson’s Barbeque, and trimming the tree to the soundtrack of Aaron Neville’s Christmas Album, we sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nana and “Nate Dawg”, and further indulged in ice cream and cake. 

All that yummy food and two days of frolicking made it hard to stay awake on the drive home, but we made it.  Safe and sound.

Saturday, inspired by Nana’s tree, the five of us spent the entire day decking our own halls with merriment.  Despite the fact that NONE… NO NOT ONE! of our strands of lights for the tree were in working order, and I had to take a trip out into the madness known as Wal-Mart, it was a good day.  And I am quite sure that my tired little elves went to bed that night with visions sugarplums dancing in their heads.

Last night, we had the first of four “Christmas Around the World” family nights at our house.  We celebrated as Brits, ending our evening with “Tea and Crumpets” and The Muppet’s Christmas Carol.  (I’ll post more on that later… this has already become a bit of a novella already!)

So there  you have it.  If you’ve been wondering why I took last week off from blogging, wonder no more. 

As the late Paul Harvey would say…

Now you know the REST of the story!

Because We Need A Little Christmas…

Here's the slideshow as promised!