blessed beyond measure

Christmas is the time of year For being with the ones we love Sharing so much joy and cheer What a wonderful feelin' Watching the ones we love Having so much fun It was different, this year's Christmas. My first year of feeling it in a long time, and the feeling led to actually living it and breathing it in and as the festivities died down on Christmas day I gazed all misty-eyed toward the heavens and thanked the Lord for this heart swollen with joy. The season was everything it should have been. Both boys singing carols with their classmates at the school's Christmas party, Aden playing a shepherd at the church nativity play, cheering our beloved Golden Eagles basketball team on to an amazing 7-2 start, eating waaaaay more than we should, counting down the days, then hours, then minutes to go-time. Breakfast was yummy, and I applaud the boys for finishing their meal before everyone else even had a plate, then sitting silently while the grownups told stories a...

Hark now hear the angels sing A King is born today And man will live forevermore Because of Christmas day Wishing you the peace, love, and joy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas

My love for food is deep, reasons physical and spiritual and philosophical. There's a post brewing in the back of my mind over food, and I'll get to it. But for now, since it's Christmas and the sweets and savories and cinnamon aromas are enough to make one dehydrate from saliva production alone, thought I'd share some holiday favorites new and old. Overnight Breakfast Casserole serves 10-12 6 eggs, beaten 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 lb. sausage, browned and drained 1 c. Bisquick 2 c. milk 1 tsp. oregano Mix all ingredients together and pour into 9x13 dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, bake at 350 for one hour. Refrigerate leftovers. Pumpkin Bread makes three loaves 3 1/2 c. flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. nutmeg 1 c. oil 4 eggs 2 c. pumpkin 2/3 c. cold water 3 c. sugar Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour three loaf pans. Blend all ingredients together till combined...

It's a strange generation my boys have been born into, so very different than my growing-up years. Never will they have to get creative with the single paragraph of knowledge offered by a real-life encyclopedia volume with actual pages in order to complete a school report. Never will they place a telephone order out of a paper catalog (there are those pages again!) and then hope for the best. This became all too clear the last time they ordered something off Amazon and tracked the shipping progress every. ten. minutes. Eye roll. And rarely will they be surprised by the weather. Our weather apps with their DIY layering and time lapse radar have made us all meteorologists. It's kind of sad, as I can remember many times waking up in the blue house, peeking out the window and my breath catching over a fresh blanket of white on the ground. Part of the wonder and joy of childhood. Well, the paid meteorologists around here missed yet another one, for their predicted passi...

I took a frigid, slow walk to the mailbox the other evening after dinner. The crisp air and winter's profound silence beckoned beyond my ability to withstand, an ability already weakend by the flurry of noise and sensory overload within the walls. A billion stars shouted the glory of my Lord against the deep blue expanse, calling my mind to His giant love for one so small as me. Those rare moments of just Him and me? A burst of abundance in the routine. Then it happened. I huddled the mail to myself, turned back toward the house, and stopped dead in my tracks. Our little home, decorated and lit up to minimalist perfection, was beautiful . I felt it, like a long lost friend I've been too afraid to fight for. My heart in my throat, I felt Christmas . Joy, spirit, cheer, excitement, whatever you want to call it. I'm happy , y'all. Though the difficulties of life remain, it found me. A feeling so all-encompassing that I honestly feel like I'm waiting for som...

This was one long weekend that we made the most of. Here and there and everywhere, traditional face-stuffing togetherness, a little home TLC, and random fun thrown in for good measure. Wednesday night was bowling with the tribe girls and kiddos. We laughed and teased and fussed and cheered and there was much ado in our two little lanes. All the ladies topped a hundred, and we were stoked about it. Most of Thanksgiving day was spent working around the house. The garden, now freshly plowed into its big, beautiful sienna clumps, can rest easy through the winter, primed and ready for whatever snow may fall. Trey and Aden turned the kitchen into an interstate, complete with weigh stations and refueling spots. On the other side of the kitchen, I up and did something I've wanted to do for three years. Cabinet-top garland turned out as magical-looking as I imagined. About an hour before dinner, we all hustled in and out of showers and made it to Nana and Granddad...

Much, much to be thankful for. Sure, it's the holiday to pause and reflect, but isn't it every day that God's blessings flow all over our lives like silky, rich turkey gravy? Because He is so very good . We gathered - Giga, Poppop, Nana, Brandon, and I - with our churchful of fellow believers, hearts surging with pride and hope, as Granddad baptized our boys. And in His perfect timing, the Lord reminds me of why I'm here and how great are His love and mercy. Thanksgiving indeed.

It ran late, but fall has finally decided to join us in shivery air, blazing yellow and red leaves, and the looming promise of gravy. My perpetual goose bumps have reminded me of a small handful of summer memories I had been saving for a wrap-up post. Well, guess what. Here it is. Because late is the new on time. And you can only judge me so much because Aden's jack-o-lantern is still sitting front and center on our porch, spotty black and shriveled up like an orange prune. We remember this past summer as a good one, hot and dry and busy as ever. Full of activity and earth's lavish beauty and together time and bonding deeply. The boys are maturing and it's amazing and scary and frustrating and more fun than I ever realized to (at times) be their friend . Three boys at home all summer together, you never know what will happen. Standing on chairs in sunglasses, singing and dancing. Breaking windows. Vacuuming under the couch. Waking up with your brother...