Advent Thoughts

It's been the most Adventy Advent I can remember.

Advent is a time for preparation for Christmas, so you might think this means I have more of my Christmas shopping/wrapping/baking/mailing/crafting stuff done than usual.  Believe me, I don't!  I'm further behind than I can ever remember being!

No, it's been a time of interruptions. Minor illnesses. Car repairs. Health scares.Overflowing toilets. Crises and sorrows, large and small - not all of them mine.  Opportunities. 

Chances to let go of my organizational strategy and stop for the Child Christ plucking at my sleeve.

Chances for release from the tyranny of the "perfect" Christmas with one little thing missing.

Chances to focus on the One coming and see His face in my friend, in my spouse, in my own dear children.

Chances to live lovingly in the present.

Happy Advent!

Fun in New Jersey

 Last weekend I took Choclo and Oob up to see Mumpy and Pa.

What a fun trip!

Pa had gotten a pair of little remote control helicopters for the boys to play with.

We also spent some time playing and building with dominoes, and making Christmas decorations for their house.

That second picture is all of us drawing Christmas and Advent things. We all like to draw, and most of my drawing skill is stuff my Dad taught me about perspective and line.  He still draws much better than I do!

Speaking of art skill, when I was up in Mom's office, I saw this painting by my sister!  I just love the tender expression on Our Lord's face!

We had a lovely time.  We even got to explore their attic and take down their nativity set.  I wish I had taken a picture after I set it up!

It's a set that my parents made together while doing a ceramics class when I was young.  The pieces are large and white, glazed in mother of pearl - very beautiful!

They also had gotten a little gingerbread train kit for Choclo and Oob to do.  Since I had just rushed through 4 days of gingerbread madness, I thought that was pretty funny! 

But the kit was great!  Instead of a 3d train, each kid made their own 2d train, and we used the leftover parts to leave a sweet message for Mumpy and Pa!

Return of the Crowned Crane

 From the trip to the Botanical Gardens last week: I loved the crowned crane topiary, and I had to get a picture of Oob with it.

If you were reading this blog 7 years ago, you'd know why!

Oob went through a phase where he looked like this:

Fortunately, his hair settled down (eventually).

Choclo still looks puzzled by the coincidence!

Can you pick out which crane is Oob?

Gingerbread! Part 2

But wait, we had one more gingerbread project! 

Zorg and Leena made this museum.

From left to right on the wall, they made a mosaic, an Egyptian sarcophagus (dipped in chocolate, the best kind!) , several mounted specimens of gummy bears, fish and sharks, and a set of fully toothed megalodon jaws surrounded by sharks.

On the floor we have a copy of Rodin's The Thinker, the Hope Diamond, a meteorite, and some interesting mineral specimens.

 At the party we had nine houses to be judged, our best turnout yet!

Choclo got an Honorable Mention, and Klenda took second in the Individual category.  Zorg and Leena's museum and our castle tied for second in the Family category.  






First Individual was the treehouse on the bottom left of the picture above.  Very impressive!  Tree houses are hard!

First in the family category was a lovely church with the best stained glass windows I have ever seen (in gingerbread!).  That's it in the front right of the picture on the right.

The party was so fun, and it was so great to see all of our friends!  I'm sure we'll do it again next year!

 And, of course, after the party...

Gingerbread! Part 1

 Pictures as promised!

This year Oob and I worked together on a castle.

I was going for authenticity and elegance, he was going for maximum candy adhesion.

I think he won. Particularly when you take into account the candy that ended up on the inside of the castle.

It was a lot of fun doing it with him, though!






Klenda did a general store with tons of cute details..

I love the kitten!

And the wood pile.

Actually, I think it's the best roof we've ever done, too.

 Choclo did a house full of kids playing hide and seek in the bushes.

A fisherman's family lives here, you can tell!

Poem of the Week: Second Sunday of Advent

Annunciation

Salvation to all that will is nigh;
That All, which always is all everywhere,
Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear,
Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die,
Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie
In prison, in thy womb; and though He there
Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will wear,
Taken from thence, flesh, which death's force may try.
Ere by the spheres time was created, thou
Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Brother;
Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou art now
Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother;
Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room,
Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb.

By John Donne (1572-1631)
HT: Journey with Jesus
Illustration: John Tissot

Gingerbread Crazy

Are we really only 6 days into Advent?  It feels like we must be at Gaudete Sunday by now, probably the consequence of three straight days of gingerbread (4 if you count the cookies).

None of which I can show you because they are for the co-op party/gingerbread contest happening Monday, but after that, there will be many pictures, I can promise you!  The pictures now are from a project I did a few years back called "Bethlehem Means House of Bread."

The tricky bit is that I am taking Choclo and Oob up to see Mumpy and Pa this weekend, and we won't be back until Sunday evening, so the gingerbread needed to be essentially done before I left today, which it is. Phew!

It's less that everyone needs help with actual gingerbread, and more that the logistics of providing undisturbed space for 4 gingerbread projects to cool/dry/continue to exist do need my help.

Also, having made some gingerbread in the past, I am veritable font of useful advice on which bits to glue on first, and what to do when your masterpiece cracks, breaks, bends, or is bumped/touched/eaten. 

If I had to give a single piece of advice it would be: decorate the walls before you construct the house!

Advent in Two Minutes

Loved this from Busted Halo!
Don't forget their online Advent Calendar!

Wordless Wednesday: Botanical Lighthouses

Packing on the Fun

 I ended up needing more body butter, so I got more ingredients from Bulk Apothecary.

It turns out that they ship things very quickly (a plus).

They also ship things cushioned by those cornstarch derived, water dissolving, packing peanuts (a huge plus!).

Choclo and Oob knew exactly what to do: you dip a peanut just a bit at a time in a bowl of water, then stick it to a dry peanut.

They were mostly interested in making giant robots, strange spiky balls, and letters, but the possibilities are endless!