The Shieling

Merry Christmas!

Every Christmas things change.  I think I have mentioned that I used to not look forward to Christmas.  That has changed.  Well..I don’t pine for it, but I sure feel the joy and anticipation of the birth of Christ as I never have before.  Before, the commercialism overwhelmed the real meaning for me, and I totally let it bring me down.  How do you feel about it?

This weekend we had an empty schedule so we messed around with decorations.  Pop dealing with the usual outside light predicament.  At our old house we just didn’t have enough juice to feed his hunger for an exterior spectacular.  At the new place, the lights keep going out cause he’s trying to run about 600 feet of light to one outlet.  We have plenty of juice coming to the barn for this.  I kid him, but I realize, as always, it is a challenge to do what he is trying to do.  I am embarrassed to even mention how much we have spent on extension chords.   Ya gotta love these guys that HAVE to light up the world.  You really do.  Have to love them.

Another change.  We went to the Christmas tree cutting down farm this weekend.  We went to the same one last year too and came home then with a much smaller tree than we’re used to.  But, what the hay?  Empty nesters.  I’m ready for a table top.  The kids all walked in last year and said, ” What the heck?”  Wait til they get a glimpse of this year’s.   This year we got a Christmas “stick” instead of a tree.  I dont think you could even call this a branch.  We laughed.  The tree people laughed.  And fun was had by all.

Tree all bundled up from its ride home.

One thing that is sad about the tree farm.  They said that a few species, like the Frazier, which we usually get, all died this past year.  They tried to grow more and they didn’t make it.  They have been continually stressed by the climate conditions and just decided to go north.   ugh.  God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

So, are you ready for the unveiling of our glorious weed?

Jesus would love this tree. So would Charlie Brown.

We do not have a large corner that would be an obvious place for a tree.  Who knows, next year we may put it outside  and just look at it through the window.  That,  of course, would become part of Pops outdoor spectacular.

Last year, I bought a larg’ish nativity scene to put in a stall (where it should be.  Wasn’t that where our glorious Savior was born, anyway?) I lit it up and it looked beautifully appropriate.  But they were lonely.  Or rather, I was lonely for them.  So, I put them where I could see them this year.  In the woods behind our house.

I really wish I could see what you have done to prepare in the way of decorating for this season.  Post on facebook your creativity.

God bless,

Karen

Everyone’s Mom has favorite sayings.  I’m sure my kids can come up with some doozies for me.  I just hope none of them were the doozies my mom used to say.  Mine may be as annoying and silly, I just hope they weren’t the same as my mom.  We have to break the cycle somewhere, right?

I thought about this as I entered the chicken yard a few days ago and saw a broom that had been dragged out into the yard from the Chick-condo and ripped apart.  It looks like a work of art to me.

I smiled to myself the words my mother always used:  “Is there nothing that I can call my own?”  Huh?  Is there anything that is really our own anyway?  I don’t use those words cause I suppose there are many items in my home that no one touches.  My mom had four girls.  She had much to contend with in the way of paw paws touching her stuff. Little closet snatchers she had to deal with on occasion.  I have no girls.  My boys don’t dip into my closet very often.  Maybe now that my barn animals like the same things I like I will insert that saying into my repertoire.

“If you don’t stop crying, I will give you something to cry about.”  I always wondered, if a parent didn’t want to hear crying, why they would do something to induce crying?  That NEVER made sense to me and still doesn’t.

“No, you can’t because I said so.”   I spent years working really hard not to utter the words.   I felt that my child deserved a reason for not doing something so they could better discern their next action.  When I used to hear that, I would think to myself, ” Uh, no, that is NOT a good enough reason.”  But I think as they got up in some teen years when stupid is as stupid does,  I do think I uttered the words.  Rational explanations weren’t working anymore.  And I kinda now understand that  our parent’s “no” should be reason enough.

A few of mine that I have been known to throw out there are:

“If you keep playing with that, it WILL break.”  I have one particular son that can’t keep his hands off of all that is precious.  I guess I could adopt the “Is there nothing I can call my own?”  But I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m not sharing.  I want him to think I share.  I just don’t want him to touch the shared object.

“Fair is a carnival with rides.”

“There is a time and a place.. and it’s not now.”  That was a very popular saying of mine when the boys were teenagers.

My youngest just reminded me that I said:  “No. You don’t know.”  Thar creeps me out.

I would love to hear what came out of your house.  Or what you could be accused of saying.

5 guineas chatting away 2 crows.

Have yerself a super Thanksgiving Saturday.

God bless,

Karen