Great Big Balls

When I arrived at Grandma Barb's to pick up the kids from daycare today, Barb told me the kids entertained her with stories of their wonderful snowman. I barely raised an eyebrow - the snowman is from Christmas Day - nothing new to discuss, right?

"They told me their snowman has great big balls."

I chuckled.

She continued, "Just like their daddy."

We both cracked up.

Christmas Highlights

Yes, I realize it's the middle of January and I'm just now sharing the fun of our Christmas. Yes, I'm still building the website for work, and yes, I am SO ready to get it launched so I can just not work for like - I don't know - two nights in a row or something crazy.

Back to Christmas, this was our first year we didn't have to travel. Oh, the joys of relaxation! And not only did we not have to travel, we didn't have to host. Technically, we did a little traveling, and technically, we had two very-loved guests in our home, but it didn't really count toward holiday stress. My parents came to our house on Christmas Eve day and we lounged. They're so low-key that we didn't have to stress out about cleaning super duty or serving everything to them. We ate great food (we made our first crown roast and it was delightful)! We had a birthday party for the guest of honor, including cake and the "Happy birthday dear Jesus" song. The dads took the kids out for sled rides and gigantic snow-woman building (they named her Crystal). And we thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the children.

Then on Saturday we went up to my folks' place and had a weekend with them, with my darling sister, brother-in-law, neice, and cousin joining us. Dan even got to bow hunt in my parents' woods and shoot a deer, which was the highlight of his holiday.

All season long, whenever anyone asked Miss Breanna what she wanted for Christmas, she said she'd like a purple candy cane. Miss Lillian wanted happiness, and perhaps some candy, too. Needless to say, they received their treats and more and it was all truly magical for these little pumpkins. We spent a lot of time reading Christmas story books for children, and the kids really got into that. In one book, Breanna pointed out that Mary was riding on a beautiful dog into Buffalo-hem. Lillian corrected her that Mary was on a camel. Breanna reminded her that camels have lumps and that Mary's dog had no lumps. Ah, the memories.

Favorite gifts: the jumpolene, the soft babies, and the train set. Way to go, Gramma and Papa. Here they are in the new playroom, trying out the jumpolene, which is mugh bigger than I'd expected, but great nonetheless. Note Breanna's "hat." She came upstairs from the playroom wearing the doll sweater on her head just before Christmas, and when asked what she'd found, she replied with a shrug, "What, my head was cold." We've had a hard time getting her to remove it ever since. And note Grant's socks, er, his dad's socks. DH is finally learning to pick up after himself a little bit.

As a whole, the holiday was delightful. We all enjoyed the relaxed pace, had some time for reflection, and even got some wonderful fresh air. I know we're all feeling mighty blessed.

Reminder about bridges

My wise mother used to remind me from time to time to never burn my bridges. And once again, I was reminded to thank her for sharing that wisdom.

This world seems to get smaller each day. Just this week, I came across someone who I once was extremely tempted to spout off to when he was acting inappropriately. Now, this person has matured into a respectable professional who approached me about donating to one of the ministries I manage. How glad am I for that invisible muzzle?

That invisible muzzle is probably one of my most prized possessions, although it doesn't work 100% all the time. One of my worst traits is my ability to spew some of the sharpest venom without raising my voice. I rarely let it be heard, but it's certainly there and can be harshly cruel, particularly when I see someone doing something mean or greedy intentionally. Because it really is not in my place to judge, I have to work deliberately to overcome this trait.

It's times like this when I realize it's worth the effort. It's also times like this that inspire me to make a resolution for the coming year. I aspire to keep my venom from reaching any other person's ears. Or even reaching a point of developing. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on being thankful for all the good that surrounds us.