The Christmas Marathon

I heard someone refer to this season as a Marathon early in December and I cringed. I have this ideal of simple, basic celebrations that are restful and easy. But the truth is that sometimes this season does get to be more of a marathon than we want it to be. Factor in out of province travels and things get even more complicated! However, our family did find great times of joy and rest, times that were meaningful and helped us to reflect on the reason for our gatherings and celebrations. The marathon doesn't have to get the best of us!! Here are some photos of our Christmas week...
A pot luck in the Bethany Cafeteria...even Syd joined us!
Special friends!
Only a few people reading this blog would know what my mom looked like... but this shot of my sister Lisa should give you a pretty good idea! Although my Memere looked into my eyes on Christmas Eve and said I had the same eyes as my mom.. made me misty!
Christmas morning with a two year old, what fun!
Special friends and neighbors, a quick Christmas day visit.


The annual game of hot potato/gift exchange with the cousins..
We spend so much time snuggling those babies when we're in Winnipeg!

Sydney's favorite Christmas things

1-my favorite thing about christmas is that Jesus was born!
2- my second favorite thing about christmas is that everyone is happy and joyful!
3-my third favorite thing about christmas is that there is lots of sales and it is awesome!
4-my fourth favorite thing about cristmas is that i get to see my family.
5-my fifth favorite thing about christmas is giving not receiving

hope you all have a good christmas

an Attitude of Gratitude

Ever have one of those weeks? and then you have a break or a weekend and you are renewed, invigorated and ready for any kind of challenge? Well I did and I did... and I'm sharing it with all of you! I'm sharing because its fun and I enjoy this blogging thing more and more (mostly as I hear that you're reading and enjoying!), but also and primarily because its a good exercise to remind myself of all the fabulous and wonderful things that happen in day to day life.. unfortunately, I'm more of a forgetter than rememberer. I'd like to always have an attitude of gratitude...

So, the awesome and very welcome weekend started out with my birthday on Friday. I don't feel so bad advertising it here since its on facebook and all of the whole world knew and wrote on my wall or messaged me that day! I even had some great phone calls, including my brother in law Ted doing a Marilyn Monroe impression! The day started out with one of my coworkers calling from Saskatoon asking what I'd like from Starbucks... what a great beginning.

That evening, Sydney had a Christmas party with some friends, and we had a few couples over... much fun, including a cake that my daughter baked.

Saturday was a stay at home day.. got some cooking and baking done and not much else.. I took a photo out of our dining room window, winter is so pretty here. That was also the day new photos found their way onto the blog and a new layout appeared! Everyone else in the family was out and about, but I was quite happy to stay in!

Sunday, Sydney was the first up in the morning, getting ready to get out the door and go across the street to church for the final practice for her Christmas play. (that is such a treat - we used to be late for church every Sunday and then we'd have to walk from way back in the parking lot.. further than we walk now!) She and Lauren did an outstanding job in their duet!

We came home quick after church, making sure the chili we'd gotten ready for guests hadn't burned down the house in our absence. All was well and we had a great afternoon of visiting, soccer watching (the guys did!) and enjoying the little ones. I especially enjoyed the young girls that were over as they played with our meagre toy offerings and our little Jesus' and mangers... these Christmas items continue to find their way out of the box every Christmas even though my kids are beyond the age.. it was heartwarming to have little people playing again!

Sunday night brought our family's Christmas eve celebration - we're reinventing some traditions and this was the night for the things that used to happen on Christmas Eve... we enjoyed a fine meal of broth and tourtiere, a devotional prepared by Owen.. (well, read out of an Advent book!) and then some home videos. But first we opened a couple of presents, and I was very surprised to get this awesome shirt from Jilly. (You're one of my "...", too, by the way, Jill!) The home videos were so much fun, from two year old Sydney not understanding musical chairs, to my nephews' first hockey game, to Brendan's karoake rendition of R-E-S-P-E-C-T. We all laughed pretty hard!!

You know, the great weekend didn't quite end with the almost-Christmas-Eve night.. Today brought much to be thankful for too. Sheryl, our friend from Bethany, came over for a tea party, DDR, and karaoke with Syd. And, I had some great news at work today, I'll have a new role in January which is very exciting and seems to be a great fit.

So there you have it... I've exercised my remembering muscles and you've had a very significant glimpse into our days here in Hepburn!

Advent

Beginning to understand a bit about Advent has changed me. Or at least it has changed my understanding of the season and my ability to focus on celebrating the birth of Christ rather than the many things competing to be celebrated instead. If there is one person I can thank for opening up the season of advent to me, it's Mary Reimer, giving a one time Advent 101 session to the MOMs group back at Fort Garry MB in Winnipeg. She encouraged us young moms to do fun and creative things to celebrate Advent with our little ones... I still treasure the little puppets we made, and memories of acting out the manger scene for dinner guests! One year, Brendan made us a candle holder with space for 24 candles - we faithfully lit one every day, (well, almost every day!) using alternating sides of the holder - a visible reminder of the anticipation and building of the season towards the single white candle in the centre, a symbol for the holiness and specialness of Jesus' birthday.
This season, for some reason I find myself poring less than usual over scriptures and seasonal songs and books, and I've been reflecting on images instead. The image below has been speaking to me for a couple of weeks now. (And I want to give proper credit for where I found it, so note that below too!) I guess its the advent display in a Catholic church in Maryland. Or at least it was during one of their advent seasons. It caught my eye immediately, because it wasn't a wreath, which is such a frequently used advent symbol. Its altogether different, yet the elements represented in a wreath aren't absent... the light is captured, the life symbolized in the greenery is still present in the poinsettias.

I might post later in the season on some of my insights as I've come back to this image over and over. I might also ask the young lady I've begun to mentor at Bethany if I can share her thoughts, for they were very insightful too. But for now, I'll leave you with the image and no commentary in the hopes that you'll find something of value here.

update after originally posting: I talked to my sister Karen, who said I should offer at least a little clarification on why this 'image' is a meaningful one. So here goes.. a little interpretation:

Advent celebrates the coming of Christ in more than one way .. in fact, perhaps three ways (just like there are three banners...); Christ came to earth as an infant, Christ comes into our lives (our families and our homes) when we invite Him, and Christ is coming again someday..in fact the very word advent communicates themes of coming, of waiting, of preparing, of anticipating. Each banner, at least to me, does an amazing job of subtlely communicating one of those 'comings'....



found at 'google images', with the following text attached:
Advent paintings with Christmas silk "chandeliers"
Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, Potomac, Maryland, 2000
Painting on silk, center painting 18 feet x 5 feet, side paintings 8 feet x 5 feet
Juanita Y. Kaufmann

It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas...

Everyone has their traditional treats... one of ours is Tortiere, especially at Christmas. (Some people spell it tourtiere, but it's definitely pronounced Tortiere!) If you're not familiar with it, its a French Canadian meat pie, and lots of people really like it alot. Owen is one of those people. Some people think its boring and bland... Actually, I might have been one of those people if the tradition of tortiere being a Christmas must wasn't deeply embedded somewhere in my head!



I usually make several pies each year, some for us (definitely on Christmas Eve!) and some for friends. I haul out the recipe my Memere wrote out (not a standard recipe, either, she wrote it out as if she was standing beside me giving directions; now mix it with a fork... while that is boiling, check on the meat... don't put more salt until you taste it..!)

Alas, my secret has always been that Bren's mom makes my pastry. When it was getting to be the season, she'd get out her mixer and Voila! I'd have pastry in my freezer, ready to be rolled into pies whenever I wanted. So, I was intimidated at having to make my own pastry. One more thing on the list of things to do at this time of year and I was thinking it was one too many... I had decided to buy Tortieres from Praire Meats in Saskatoon. (I heard that the owners are a French family; they should know how to make a decent meat pie!)



My awesome husband, upon hearing my dilemma, declares: "Well, how about if I make the pastry for you? " (We are a pretty good team!)



So today was the day, and he did make a wonderful pastry (afterward he announced that it'll be the last time!).
The results of our labors!

Competition

This is for the quirky questions file.. why is everything a competition?!? Especially when you're male?!?

Source of the question: supper conversation.

Brendan: Did you put jalapenos in the quesadillas?
me: No, the kids don't eat them as much when theres too much spice.
Brendan: bah! I'll make more.
me: why? theres plenty here...
Brendan: You just can't stand the heat! I can eat more jalapenos than you anyday!
me: how is this a competition? did I miss something?
Brendan: (now chopping furiously) no, I'm just saying... I can eat more hot stuff than you can... do we have any cayenne pepper?
me: ...huh?


Brendan: (later, now eating his own 'improved' quesadillas, after the rest of the family has practically finished supper) Son, did you try one of these that I made? I bet you can't stand the heat!
young Brendan (aka Owen): (pulls up a chair) Bring it on. (note: he's already eaten a full meal.)
Brendan: how many can you handle? I've eaten 3. Look, your mom's eyes are watering just from eating those little pieces of chicken I left in the pan!

... I'm sure that is enough for you to get a good glimpse of the supper 'competition' in our house tonight. Am I strange to think this is strange?!!??!