Life Strikes...

Happy New Year! We trust your Christmas and New Year celebrations were full of joy, peace, reflection, laughter and that new memories were made. Both of us had wonderful celebrations with our families.

When we last blogged we committed to you the reader and ourselves that we would resume writing today. Wouldn’t you know that in the last week life hit both of us in very normal but nonetheless a little overwhelming ways which left both of us feeling ever so exhausted and our brains a little on overload. So, for this week we are blogging about ‘nothing’, however, do not give up on us! All is coming back to normal whatever ‘normal’ means, and we will be back in business next Monday with whatever topic is in the forefront of our minds.

For today we leave you with this one thought, that as women we all know but do not always remember…Do not give up on those resolutions you made for 2011. If you blow one or all of them today it is not the end of the world, tomorrow is a new day and you can start again!

See you next week!

Donna and Lisa

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Recently I was asked to share my favorite Christmas memory. That is a hard question for me because I have so many fond memories to choose from! I have so many fond memories in the big filing cabinet in my head labeled “Christmas” that if I label one as my favorite I fear it will diminish the special meaning of the others. With each year new memories are made that expand the files in that section of my brain and my heart.

Today I am choosing one special memory from my childhood. I believe it would have been my tenth Christmas. I did not grow up in a wealthy family but I never thought of us as poor in that we always had food, shelter, clothing and educational opportunities. This particular Christmas, even though young, I knew money was tight and that my parents made sacrifices to give the very best gifts to their children. Growing up my parents had the tradition with us children of opening presents on Christmas Eve. This particular Christmas Eve after eating way too much and opening presents, my brother, cousin and myself all decided to sleep by the tree. In the middle of the night, which technically would have made it Christmas morning, my dad came in and woke all of us kids up telling us we had to look out the window. Thinking maybe we were going to see Santa on his sleigh being led by Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (my favorite childhood Christmas movie), I jumped up with excitement as to what my eyes would behold. Instead what I saw was something so awe inspiring that in many ways it changed my heart forever. There was the brightest star I had ever seen and quite frankly have not seen one like it since. It literally lit up the sky. My dad told us we would only see this star on this night and it was the same star that was shown to lead the wisemen to the stable where in a manger lay a baby. A baby born of a virgin birth who came to grow to be a man who would make the ultimate sacrifice for all of us and that included me. I had already made a commitment by that age to a lifelong relationship with Christ but there was something about that star that stuck with me and every Christmas since that memory has come back to me. You see that night looking at that star Christmas took on an entirely different meaning for me. While everyone else went back to their slumber I laid awake reflecting upon what my young heart knew of Christ’s birth and I hungered to know more. At that point I knew that I never wanted to turn my back on what God had in store for my life. I am quite sure there are scientists out there that would tell me that was not “the Star of Bethlehem”. There is also the chance that my dad, trying to make Christmas a little extra special for us children that year, just happened to see a bright star and “use it as a teaching moment”. Who knows? Whatever it was I am eternally grateful that my dad chose to wake us up and tell us it was the “Star of Bethlehem” giving us the reminder of what Christmas is all about. I am even more eternally grateful that my heavenly Father chose to send his only son to come to earth to make that ultimate sacrifice for me, for you and for all mankind. What a perfect gift.

I pray a wonderful and fun Christmas for anyone who maybe reading this. That this year through all the busyness that you will see that “Star” and be reminded of everything you have been given.

With Christmas being my all-time favorite holiday, I have so many wonderful memories, but there is definitely one magical Christmas that I will remember always.

I was about 5 or 6 years old, and was beside myself with Santa Claus that year. I was so excited, in fact, that I couldn’t sleep. I ended spending most of the night in my parents bed, popping up every 30 – 40 minutes claiming that I could hear “that little fat man” and his reindeer on the roof. If I couldn’t hear Santa, then I was asking my parents when he was coming. I just couldn’t wait to see what he had left under the tree for me, and wasn’t about to let him sneak without a little peek!

Around 6:00 Christmas morning I heard them. Loud and clear I heard jingle bells and a very muffled “Ho, ho, ho!” I jumped out of that bed faster than any kid and went running down the stairs.

Right in front of my very eyes was a giant red Santa suit with a sneaky Santa Claus creeping around our Christmas tree. I watched in awe just until my mom had woken up my sister and showed her our special visitor. Then he turned around, gave a quick wave, and ran out of the garage door.

A few minutes later my aunt and uncle came in and I was quick to give them every single detail of Santa’s visit to my house.

Having experienced this very special and magical event, I believed in Santa Claus until I was almost 12. My friends had long since given up on the big guy, but I had seen him, in my house. And I knew he was real.

This year my three-year-old daughter is super excited about Santa. She wants him to see her room! And she’s positive that he will love our Christmas tree. I cannot wait to watch her on Christmas morning and see the same magic that Christmas morning brings. We are definitely focusing on the true meaning of the Christmas season, but Santa just adds an enchanting element on Christmas morning.

That Christmas will always be special to me. And I am forever thankful to my sweet uncle who helped make that morning absolutely amazing! I still toss and turn on Christmas Eve. My husband tells me I’m like a little girl that night. I can’t help it. It’s my favorite!

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and also a Happy New Year. We have decided to take a little break to enjoy our families and to really focus on this special time of year. We will begin posting again on January 24^th, 2011. Have yourselves a merry little Christmas!

Reaching Out

If you have been following our blog for the last three weeks you know that Lisa and I have written on various aspects of the Thanksgiving/Christmas Season. Each week we have tackled the topic of our own personal stress, emotions or physical toll of the holidays and have ended our post with the idea that we cannot lose sight of what this celebration is really about. As I am writing this there is a song playing on the radio titled The Best Gift of All. The message of the song is that the best gift of all is Jesus, not just for Christmas but through the year. Call me emotional but I have tears in my eyes when I hear that. The tears are twofold. They are tears of thankfulness that God loves us so much that through a young virgin girl centuries ago he gave us the miracle of Jesus who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. It is the one true thing in life that is free, all that is required is to trust and believe. I have experienced evidence over and over in my lifetime of the result of finding my faith, trust and hope in him. My tears also fall for those who have chosen to reject the gift so graciously given to us by our creator. They enjoy the time off work, parties and gift giving but do not truly understand or believe in the very thing they are celebrating.

What a perfect time for me to show people Jesus, the one whose birth we are celebrating. Does that mean I wear a sandwich board, stand on the street corner and condemn to hell those who do not believe? Absolutely not! It means I show them Jesus through my actions and attitudes, through kindness, grace and giving. It means that instead of condemning I show Gods grace and love simply by loving unconditionally and praying daily for them. Do I do this just at Christmas time? No it is how my life should be conducted at all times through the year. Have I attained perfection in doing this? Well I would like to answer a yes to that question but I admit I have blown it at times, but what is so awesome about having a relationship with God is that he forgives and understands when we get so caught up in ourselves that we temporarily forget. That my friend is grace.

So along with all the fun celebrations, the laughter and joy of Christmas morning I must keep in the forefront of my mind that this is really about the most wonderful gift that is available to all people, no matter your race, whether you are male, female, young or old. That through rough economies, change of life and some of the boulders in the road that God, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always there to bring me peace and give me the tools to keep moving forward in this journey we call life. My desire is that during this season and throughout the whole year those who I come in contact with will be able to see evidence through my actions of what a relationship with God truly is. That it is good. It is safe. It is free. That it brings joy and peace like no other. That you can get through anything when your dependency is on him.

I pray joy and peace to each of you during this most wonderful time of the year!

As I glance at my calendar, I can tell already that this week is full and will be busy. Isn’t that just the way the holidays are? We allow ourselves to pack our days, nights, and weekends full of festive activities. For the most part I love it! I really enjoy spending time with my friends and my family, but it can be overwhelming too.

I have several goals this Christmas. One, as I’ve mentioned before, is to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, and make sure that my three year-old understands as best as she can that we are celebrating Jesus’ birthday. Another goal that I would like to achieve this year is to remember those outside my “circle”. I don’t know about you, but I have neighbors that I barely know. Granted, we just moved into our neighborhood, and just yesterday another family moved into a house on our street, but what a great opportunity to reach outside my safe group of friends, and allow myself to reach out to those around me. I know that all too often I turn inward during December because there is so much to be done for me and for my family. But, who am I missing on the outside? Who is hurting around me? I’m not saying that I’ll be inviting each neighbor over, one by one, for dinner. What I will do is make up a plate of cookies and deliver them with my family, making sure that we spend more than a “hi” and “goodbye” with our new community.

Yes, this is the “most wonderful time of the year”, but it’s arguably the busiest time as well. When we get busy, relationships around us can suffer. So, this year, I’m determined to look outward and be Christ-like, not only to my loved ones, but to those around me. Maybe a few new friendships will develop over a plate of tasty Christmas treats!

Let the Holidays Begin!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go! Oh, the trees, lights, music, shopping, giving, baking, parties and joining in celebrations with family and friends. The Manger. It is Christmas and to quote another famous song it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

How I love this time of year. I do have to be careful in that like I wrote about a couple of weeks ago I can let that “list” take control which results in missing the wonder of all this time of year has to bring. I can also be known to get so involved in that “list” that I ignore my own personal health maintenance. I am a healthy person and very rarely get sick but almost always I get some little something during this time of year because I pay attention to every detail of the season except my own personal health. Can anyone relate? Exercise time is shortened and the calorie intake increased. Not intentionally of course! I have a healthy balanced diet but let’s be real those scrumptious dishes are sometimes just too good to pass up. Sleep patterns change. Thoughts of what needs to be done can interrupt that precious time. All of this is a bad combination for this girl! So this year I have set a goal to do it differently. Keep my daily routine the same. If something is not complete by bed time move it to tomorrow. I can still enjoy those holiday dishes but the key word is portion control!

Along with all the practical things we can do to enjoy our holidays and keep ourselves healthy I honestly believe the key ingredient is to keep our focus on the real reason why we are doing all of this. Part of keeping my “daily routine” I mentioned above is not ignoring that time alone with God. When that is part of the equation you cannot help but remember what and who we are celebrating. I find when I start my day that way all the other things fall into place. Peace comes to my soul and rest to my body which is beneficial in staying healthy.

I love Christmas time! It is definitely my favorite time of the year, for several reasons. I love the warmth that overwhelms the house when all of the decorations are up. I love the wonder and excitement that has always been, and I’m sure will always be, a part of this time of year. My husband and I love Christmas so much that our anniversary is December 17^th. This year is going to be even more fun! We now have a three year old and a one year old, and one can’t help but caught up in the bustle of the season!

And yet, I can’t help but sit back and wonder why. Don’t get me wrong. I put every single decoration up in my house in two days, and it only took two days because I had the girls to deal with on top of the decorating. And, as I write, I’m surrounded by Christmas music, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, the Christmas tree, the mantel with our stockings (hung with care, of course), my beautiful Christmas Village, and my Nativity. But is this what the season is about? It’s what we’ve made it out to be, but this Christmas I’m determined to model to my daughters what Christmas is really about.

I don’t want to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas that I forget, and neglect why we celebrate Christmas. It’s so easy to let the “list” that Donna mentioned run our day-to-day schedule. And then Christmas day comes and we have not done anything to celebrate our Savior.

So, rather than running myself ragged from party to party, trips to the mall, and allowing myself to get lost in Target late in the evening, I’m going to spend quiet nights at home with my family. I’m going to enjoy hot chocolate and The Polar Express with my daughters, and I’m going to take time every day to talk to the girls about the Christmas Story so that they know that Christmas is not about Santa Claus and presents, but about the greatest gift of all time.

Happy Holidays, dear friends.

Giving Thanks

Last week we blogged about the stress we put on ourselves while preparing and anticipating the upcoming holidays. So now we are on the homestretch. It is Thanksgiving! There is the family sitting around the table sharing good food and family stories that bring uncontrollable laughter. Then later on in the evening everyone sitting around the family room eating leftovers while watching football or that favorite Christmas movie to start off the “countdown”. (Ours is It’s a Wonderful Life). Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for. My life is not perfect and there have been a few curves in the road but even so God has always been there to help me maneuver those curves and has blessed me tremendously. I am so thankful that every year I get to experience the scene mentioned above. He has given me a wonderful family. Great lifelong friendships. I have never had to go without shelter and food. He has given me good health. I am thankful to be a citizen in a country where I have the freedom to express my belief and dependency on God, own a bible that I have the ability to read every day and attend church weekly without fear.

I am very excited for you to read Lisa’s thoughts today. She is going to share with you an amazing miracle that could only come from God, one that makes Thanksgiving even more special for her and her family. I know your faith will be built as you read her story. God blessed me by giving me the privilege to be living here and witnessing firsthand the miracle that was a result of many prayers poured out to God by Lisa, her husband, family, myself and others who call them friends. Nothing builds your faith more when you get to witness your prayers answered. I say with joy and excitement that I am glad I get to add this to my list of things I am thankful for.

I pray the very best for all of you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It’s 12:30 AM. I’m awake because I just got done rocking my baby, who’s quickly becoming not a baby.

As I looked over at the clock in her room, I was brought back a year ago, when I was also awake at 12:30 AM, but for a very different reason. Just one year ago I was wide-awake.

I’m sure many of you have heard this story so many times that you could give an accurate account, but on this particular night I saw God move in ways I had only ever dreamed.

So humor me once again as I share what I am truly thankful for, and bear with me, this is a little long, but written from my heart.

I was sound asleep in my hospital bed, which is almost unheard of. My one day-old baby was safe in the nursery, and would be brought to me shortly. When the door opened, I was not at all surprised, but I was shocked when the nurse who came in was the NICU nurse, and came without my baby.

She began to talk to me about routine blood pressure monitoring and that our baby girl was showing some irregularities that were now being monitored in the NICU. She talked about something being wrong with her heart, the cardiologist would take scans in the morning, and that she might need heart surgery.

I wish I could tell you everything she said, but at that moment all I could do was fight back the tears. My heart was breaking for a little girl who I had only known for a little over a day, but had loved for almost a year.

When the nurse left, I broke down. My husband did his best to hold it together, but even his voice began to shake. We called our parents and some of our friends, and knew that we prayers were being prayed for our baby girl. And then my husband prayed while I cried and agreed with him.

Walking to the NICU to see her was surreal. I remembered a comment that I had made a few months ago when we had attended a funeral for a baby girl who died of a heart condition. It was something along the lines of hoping that we would never have to be NICU parents. And here we were, washing our hands and walking over to see our little girl with all kinds of wires and machines all over her.

I held her and rocked her and prayed for her. While we were there her, there were no blood pressure discrepancies. We left her and tried to sleep. But I could not. And all I could focus on were these words that kept repeating in my head:

He is
He was
He always will be

Even when it feels like there is no one holding me
Be still, my soul
He is

This is “He Is” by Mark Schultz. It was almost as if the Lord was whispering to me, “I am here, I have been here, and I will always be here.”

A few hours later we made our way to the NICU again. But this time we walked with an amazing sense of peace. Once again, her blood pressures were matching up. They had not seen any discrepancies since she had been in the NICU, which was a good sign.

I did fall asleep, and slept peacefully. And then some nurses came in the room. I was groggy and my eyes were swollen from crying so hard, but I could hear one of them saying, “We have someone here, and she’s a hungry girl.” My eyes welled up once again and I thought to myself, “You’re in the wrong room. My baby’s sick and she can’t come to me.” But then I looked over, and there she was. No wires, no machines. Just my wide-eyed baby girl.

The nurse explained that every single time they checked her blood pressures, they matched “too perfectly”. I don’t know about you, but those in the medical profession rarely use the term “perfect”. Chills went down my spine and the tears spilled over. The cardiologist would no longer be consulted, and we were all three going home in a few hours.

I wish I could say that this was the only time God healed this little girl, but I would be lying. He has touched her so many times it’s amazing!

She turned one this past week, and I have been an emotional mess. I am in awe and so thankful. We knew she would be our Thanksgiving baby, but we had no idea that she would be our miracle.

Let the Holidays Begin...

As I am writing this I am surrounded by “lists” of all the things needed to be done in preparation for my two upcoming favorite holidays of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we only have forty shopping days left until Christmas! Does that statement make you feel excitement and joy or overwhelmed and stressed? When I was a little girl I loved the countdown to Christmas, it seemed like it took forever to get here! Stress was not in my vocabulary. What was there to be stressed out about? As a child it was all about the gifts, great food, getting to play Mary in the Christmas play at church and no school! So why as an adult is it so hard to have that same exuberant joy about this time of year? Because I am now the one doing all the planning and the perfectionist in me has to have everything done perfectly down to the little detail. The “lists” I mentioned above have to be completed by midnight on Christmas Eve. The problem is that they get longer every year trying to “outdo” what I did the year before. The new recipes, better decorations, more interesting Christmas card, finding the perfect outfit for the Christmas party, etc. In conversation over coffee with girlfriends I find that I am part of a big club, made up of women from all over the nation. We do not have a name yet, however there are certain requirements to claim membership. They are that by Christmas morning you wake up feeling exhausted and are stressing out because you realize there is one thing you missed on “the list”. You have to remind yourself what we are actually celebrating! You do your best to put your game face on for the day but inside you are just glad when it is over and can get some much needed sleep.

So I made a decision. I am resigning from the club. Oh I still have my lists but I have shortened them to be a little more realistic. I will decorate, listen to and sing the wonderful Carols, enjoy the lights and smells. Send out Christmas cards. I will still shop and purchase gifts because I love to give and Christmas is all about giving to others, reflecting upon and giving thanks for the best gift that we have been given. Jesus our Savior. In order to fully resign from this “club” I choose to not allow myself to become overwhelmed or stress out about the little details that only I notice. I am reminded of the scripture from childhood…This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it. ~Psalm 118:24. On the mornings when I rise out of bed and see the “lists” staring at me in the face I will remind myself of this simple scripture and tackle those lists with joy and excitement about the day and upcoming celebration. Instead of my focus being placed on the “list” for the celebration I will instead place it on the “reason” for it. I will attempt to get the list checked off but not at the expense of spending time with my family and be in a good mood while doing it! More importantly I choose to make each day about the excitement of the true reason why we set aside December 25 to decorate, give gifts and have a party instead of the party itself. Would you like to join me?

I am taking on something I have never done before. I am hosting both Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house! I’m super excited. You know what this means? I get to use my good plates and silverware, which I never get to do! My husband’s family, who are all in town, will come to our house for Thanksgiving, and my family, who are all out of town, will come for Christmas. This means that Thanksgiving is basically a one day ordeal, while Christmas will be a one week event.

I am nothing less than thrilled to be hosting the holidays at my house! I love our family, and I know it will be wonderful. Both my mom and mother in-law will “coach” me along the way, but our families hold strong to their traditions. And this is where a little anxiety has crept in.

My husband is amazing, and I love him more than anything, but he can be, well, particular. For example, I am no longer allowed to make the Green Bean Casserole for any holiday because I don’t make it the right way. No worries, his mom is going to make the beans! And along with food, in the back of my mind, I would be lying if I said I was completely confident in my turkey cooking capabilities! I keep seeing the Christmas Vacation turkey exploding in dry bits on my fancy plates.

Christmas will be a whole new experience for us. We’ve been at our house for Christmas before, but we’ve never had anyone with us. I want so badly for our memories to be good ones, just like when I was a little girl. But, I must admit, I’ve got a case of the “buts”. But this and but that. I know in my head that I am probably the only one with expectations in my mind, but they’re there, and now I’m stressed.

Here’s the thing. This is my year to do things my way, and although it’s overwhelming, it’s going to be exciting. Plus, this is the year that my mom and my mother in-law get a break!

My point. We put the holiday stress on ourselves. So, no matter what stresses you out during the holiday season, there is something YOU can do about it! Take control of yourself, and like Donna said, remember what the holidays truly are about. Let’s celebrate our family, our friends, and our Savior!

Miss Manners

I have two Ladies magazines that I enjoy reading. I like the recipes, decorating ideas, latest fashion and organizational ideas and short stories. There is also a monthly advice column on etiquette which I always find intriguing and tend to read it first before reading the rest of the magazine cover to cover. Sometimes I chuckle because what is written that month should be just common sense or good old fashioned manners that you would think every parent would teach their child from the time they could talk. The fact that it is asked and discussed in such a public forum means that even in today’s world manners are not taught in every household which I don’t chuckle at but instead find a little sad. On other occasions there are great questions asked and answered by the author that go beyond common everyday manners but are more about etiquette in social settings. I often use those as a learning tool or personal check list if you will to make sure I am using proper etiquette. My goal is not to be a snob but instead to carry myself with class and not be offensive to those around me.

So why may you ask am I bringing this up? Well girls we are heading into one of the busiest times of the year. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then we will wake up and it will be Christmas. I love these two holidays the most because of what they represent, however they can become a little stressful. Actually lets be real they become very stressful which we will blog about on another day.

To answer the question I bring all of this up because sometimes through the busyness and yes stressfulness of this time of the year our manners and/or social etiquette can at times get put by the wayside. We do not do it intentionally we just get on a mission to get the “list” checked off and things get forgotten. Things like saying thank you either verbally or through a simple note, sending in the RSVP to the event you received an invitation to by the date the host or hostess requested, letting the elderly or physically challenged go first in the long line at the department or grocery store. Giving a smile and “a have a nice day” to the cashier who is overwhelmed by that long holiday line. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.

So during this most wonderful but also most busy time of the year and for that matter any time of year lets all take a breath, stop and remember our manners. I assure you that it will make the other persons day and in the long run our day as well.

I’ve heard that what the parents do in moderation, their children will do in excess. I don’t think this applies to etiquette. I know my mother’s generation was taught the appropriate social etiquette, and yet, my generation has not followed in their footsteps.

I don’t know if it’s due to lack of commitment issues, but for whatever reason, it is like pulling teeth to get my friends to RSVP to an event. Perhaps it’s that they do not understand what RSVP means. Just as a refresher, RSVP is French for répondez s'il vous plait. In English it means, “reply please”. Simple enough, right? Maybe my friends aren’t cognizant of the importance of replying to an event. For example, I am hosting a party this weekend and have invited somewhere around 40 of my closest and most personal friends. There was an RSVP at the bottom of an electronic invitation. There was no need to pick up a phone and call me. All that was needed was for my friends to click the link and press the little mouse button on yes or no. The invitation was sent out a week ago, and I have heard back from one person. It’s hard to plan food for my party, not knowing how many people will be attending.

It is also commonplace these days to see the cell phones out all the time. If we’re not talking on one, then we’re texting or checking our email. I just got my first “more-than-a-phone” phone. It doesn’t have Apps, but I can get my email, and it has a keyboard. I’m so used to texting with the number keys on my old phone, that this is amazing! I can see how easy it would be to constantly have my pretty pink phone out. But, let’s remember that when we are with others, it’s time for some face-to-face interactions, and the phone calls, texts, and emails can wait (unless it truly is an important call).

I know the times have changed since Miss Manners and Emily Post were the experts in etiquette, but to me it seems like some things should never change. So, during the holiday season, let’s hang up our phones in public places, and remember to be considerate to those around us, whether they are strangers or friends. Reply to your invitations, and don’t forget the thank you notes. My hope is that I am able to model this for my daughters and instill these ideas into them as they grow into young women.