Millefiori

I tried my hand at Millefiori. It was fun - but I'm not really good at it. There is definitely a learning curve. I am home alone, as I have the flu, so I am bored. If I am bored, guess what? It's only polite that you are bored with me. My family went to a semi-formal dinner dance tonight. They looked really nice. I couldn't get my girls to wear the new bracelets I made for them. They say they didn't match their dresses, but I suspect they just didn't like them. But they were very polite about it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day. I am planning my new year's resolutions for 2010 (do you say twenty-ten or two thousand-ten?). The first one is to get better at Millefiori and the second one is to get better - period.

Be blessed dear ones!

The Sweatshirt - Part II

Phone call #1 went like this:
Caller: "Hi! I saw your son at the diner tonight. Oh my goodness, he got so big, I would have never recognized him if it weren't for his name on the back of his sweatshirt."
Me: "Was he behaving?"
Caller: "Yes, of course, he and his friends ordered whipped cream with their french fries and flirted a little with the waitress, it was cute. He's a cutie. It was all in good fun."
Me: "Thanks for calling."
Phone call #2 went like this:
Caller: "I just had to tell you I saw your son leaving the diner tonight. Actually, he held the door for me. I wasn't sure it was him until I saw his name on the back of his sweatshirt."
Me: "Was he behaving?"
Caller: "Yes, of course, he's a cutie."
Phone call #3:
Me: "Hello, was my son behaving?"
Caller: "Oh, you're so funny. Do you always answer the phone like that? I did see him at the movies, he was with his friends and of course, he was behaving. I like his sweatshirt."

When my son got home, before he even got up the stairs, I said, "Really, whipped cream with your french fries?" To which he replied, "Uh . . . huh? How'd you know?" To which I replied, "I'm watching you son." And every time he walks out the door I hand him his sweatshirt as I kiss him good-bye and say, "Don't forget son . . . I'm watching you." So, if you ever see him, just remember, I'm in the phonebook.

The Sweatshirt - Part I

My son bought a sweatshirt from school with their logo on the front. It's a navy blue "hoodie." He said, "Hey, Mom, wouldn't this be cool with my name on the back?" I said, "Yeah, let's go to the store and I'll buy some iron-ons and do it for you tonight." To which he replied, "Really? You'd do that now?" To which I replied, "Yeah, let's go." We hopped in the car and off we went. He picked out tall white letters. When we got home I laid them out, got his approval and ironed them on. He put the sweatshirt on and I took a picture with my digital camera and showed him how the white letters looked on the navy blue background. He came over and gave me a hug and said, "Thanks, Mom, you're the best." (Okay, he really didn't say I was the best, that was a little creative license. But I know he was thinking it.) He wasn't even suspicious and I didn't even feel a little bit guilty. 2 hours later he went to the diner with his friends and then to the movies, wearing his new sweatshirt with his name in large white letters across the back. Before he got home I received 3 phone calls . . .

. . . to be continued . . .

Can You Hear Me Now?

I am reading a very good book called How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. The book gives practical advice on how to talk to kids. There are even comic book like illustrations to show parents how to be heard by your children. I read this book many years ago and felt it to be helpful. (By the way, my kids never had a problem talking, just sayin'. . .) I am re-reading it as teenagers have . . . um . . . er . . . selective hearing. Just like the book suggested, I have given my full attention, acknowledged with a word and named the feeling. I have given choices, stated my expectations, shown my children how to make amends and taken action. I have given praise. I have bit my tongue. I have said just the right words. I have use alternatives to punishments. I have said it all. And guess what? My kids still aren't listening. I have decided that actions speak louder than words. I don't care if the punishment doesn't fit the "crime." I don't care if their little feelings get hurt. I don't care if they go hungry for a few days.

I shut down my kitchen until their rooms are cleaned. Case closed. No car, no electronics and no food until all 3 bedrooms have passed our inspection. Can you hear me now??

The Great Ornament Exchange - Part IV - The End

All I could think was, "All that work, all that time, all that money, for what?" I ended up with a cheap, tacky ornament. I stressed myself out and bored my husband and my kids to tears. I was not happy! But, I knew at least one lady who was happy - she got an ornament that was worth $35.00! When I got home I threw the angel in the garbage can. We have a metal can and when the angel hit the bottom of the can it made a loud ping sound. For some reason that sound kept ringing in my ears. Augh - I knew God was dealing with me and I didn't like it. I took the angel out of the garbage and set her on the table. My son said, "Mommy, you're lucky, you got the best ornament!" I wondered what he liked about her? Her wings? He was only 5 for crying out loud! Little by little I began to see my prideful behavior. It was not about being a happy giver, it was about getting the perfect ornament for all the wrong reasons. I hung the angel on the tree (okay, so it was in the back against the wall where little boys couldn't stare - I was tempted to make her a little velvet jacket). I learned my lesson and frankly, I didn't want to be reminded of this incident ever again. On Christmas morning I was concentrating on my 3 little angels and the joy of the celebration. Much to my surprise, my kids wanted me to open the first gift. They handed me a clumsily wrapped box. Such happy givers! I opened the box and in it was an identical blown glass Christmas ball from Italy! The last line of The Three Trees came to mind: "The next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you." Every Christmas when I put my Christmas ball from Italy on our tree I am reminded of the The Great Ornament Exchange, my pride, my angels and the happy ending. The End.

The Great Ornament Exchange - Part III

I knew in my heart that I was going to end up with that Dollar Tree angel with the big . . . um . . . er . . .front. God was dealing with me for some reason, I could feel that, but I didn't know why. I did not want that tacky ornament! After some prayer and food and fellowship, which was sweet (was I a little distracted??), we all sat down to read a story called The Three Trees. That's when the ornament tray came out. We each took an ornament off the tray. While the book was being read, every time the word tree was mentioned, we had to pass the ornament to the person on our right. I figured if I played this well, I could end up with a good ornament. My strategy was to take the angel because there were about 17 of us, how many times could the word tree be in one children's story? Much to my surprise, by the time we were only 1/2 way done with the book, I had that angel back in my hands. I began to worry and count and track ornaments. Some ladies were tearing up over the story (what story?) and not one of them were even concerned about the ornaments or the treasured blown glass ball from Italy as it passed through their hands. The second to last page had tree 5 times which brought the angel back into my hands. One page left - I felt sure tree would be mentioned again. The last page, the last line of the book reads: "The next time you feel down because you didn't get what you wanted, sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you. The End." So, yeah folks, no tree, I got the angel . . . To be continued . . .

The Great Ornament Exchange - Part II

"It's perfect! What do you think, family?" My kids were little then, 9, 7 and 5. My 9 year old daugter said, "It's beautiful, Mommy. Can we go to Italy someday?" To which I responded with a pat to her head and a, "Sure sweetie." My 7 year old daughter said, "It's ugly." To which I responded by sticking out my tongue. My 5 year old son said, "Do they sell baseball gloves here?" To which I responded, "Maybe Santa will bring you a glove." My husband said, "Here's $4.00, buy it." To which I responded with open palm, "Thanks sweetie." I bought the ornament with delight. I couldn't wait to go to my Bible study. I couldn't wait for the "ooohhh's and aaahhh's" over the blown glass ornament from Italy. I couldn't wait to give my ornament away. That was the best part, the giving, not the receiving. God loves a happy giver. I am a happy giver! I even bought a $2.00 gift bag with matching tissue paper to put the ornament in. I arrived at study with anticipation. Much to my surprise we were to place the ornaments on a tray in another room so no one knew who gave which ornament and we weren't suppose to tell . . . hmmm . . . I don't know how I feel about that . . . I mean I went to so much trouble . . . and on that tray was a (I can barely say it) a Dollar Tree angel. Not just a pretty angel but an ugly angel made of some kind of metal that was pitted. An angel that was . . . how do I say this . . . well endowed (and I'm not talking about the wings) . . . To be continued . . .

The Great Ornament Exchange - Part I

Each year my ladies Bible study would do an ornament exchange at our Christmas party. I had been with this study for a few years but never was able to make it to the Christmas party. I always felt bad for missing out on a good time with the sweetest ladies on the planet. So, this particular year I was able to attend and I knew that I wanted to buy the best darn ornament I could find for the exchange. Somewhere along the way, searching for the perfect ornament turned into a mission. I dragged my poor family to craft shows, department stores and specialty stores. I searched through catalogs and even considered making my own ornament. During our 5th trip to the mall my husband gently told me he and the children would be in the food court eating cookies and ice cream while I continued my quest for the best ornament. The kids were unhappy, my husband was bored and I was stressed out. But I couldn't stop until I found that perfect ornament. Finally, I went into Boscov's and in the beautiful Christmas department I saw the perfect ornament. A beautiful, blown glass Christmas ball made in Italy. I had to get it! I ran to the food court and made my family come with me. I exclaimed, "Isn't it beautiful!" My husband pointed out that even though it was indeed beautiful, it was over the $10.00 gift limit. In fact, it was $4.00 over the limit even though it was marked down 40% and I had a 15% off coupon. Oh, what do I do???? To be continued . . .

I Believe

I love believing in Santa Claus. I love believing in something that is impossible and believing that someone I never met loves me and cares about my deepest desires. I love watching children believe in Santa Claus and how children are so willing to believe and trust and expect the impossible. I love how children accept the improbable and the invisible. That's why I wanted my kids to believe in Santa Claus for as long as possible. One year the boy up the street told my son that Santa Claus wasn't real (I never did like that kid) and that his parents bought the gifts. My son asked me about this. I said, "Son, it's like this, if you don't believe in Santa Claus, he doesn't come. Then, daddy and I have to buy all the gifts. So, you have a decision to make." Later that day I heard my son talking to his sisters in an excited voice. He said, "Listen girls, you better believe in Santa Claus because if you don't he won't come and then mommy and daddy will have to buy the gifts." Awww, I thought, bless his little heart for caring that we may struggle buying gifts. Then I heard the rest of the conversation, "You know that mommy and daddy won't get us all the cool stuff that Santa does. So you better believe!" So much for his concern about us. But, that's not the point, he believed for another year and I loved that. For me, it makes believing in Jesus a little bit easier. Jesus is like Santa Claus in that He wants to give us the desires of our heart. Jesus loves us and what He did for us on the cross was improbable and impossible, yet it's true. The free gift of salvation is ours just for believing. So, do you believe?

My Bad

Thanksgiving food shopping can be daunting. Over the years I've developed a few skills to help me survive. However, I made a few mistakes this year. First, never go to your local grocery store where people know you. (But, if you must, never go in your sweats and do take time to put on lipstick.) This year, instead of going to my regular grocery store 10 miles away, I went to the local grocery store 3 miles away. That was the first mistake. We've lived in this town for 23 years so we pretty much know everyone who works and shops there. When I go food shopping, I don't go to have fun. I go to get the shopping done. It's nearly impossible to get the shopping done when in every isle someone knows you. My husband offered to come with me and I said, "Sure." That was the second mistake. My husband likes to have fun no matter what he does or where he goes. This was a bad combination. Second, never make eye contact with anyone and always pretend to be reading your shopping list. This year I didn't make a list nor did I tell my husband not to make eye contact. That was the third mistake. He talked to every single person he knew and a few he didn't know. Third, if you must talk to someone, never, never ask them how they're doing. I didn't tell that to my husband either. Mistake number four. So, 3 and 1/2 hours later when we were finally checking out and my husband was chatting with the cashier and he said something like, "Well, that was fun," is it any wonder I threw a tomato at him?

Mama Cried Wolf

So, one Christmas about 10 years ago my husband and I decided that our children didn't need so many gifts. In fact, they didn't need anything. Every little thing they wanted, they pretty much got. It's not as if they got everything just by asking, we made them earn what they got, but they are resourceful kids and smart too, so, it was only a matter of time before they got that desired item. We told the kids how very fortunate they are. We told them they would be getting very little for Christmas. We told them to pick out gifts for Toys for Tots and for Operation Christmas Box. We told them to be happy with what they have. We told them the real reason for Christmas was to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We told them to count their blessings. We told them about homelessness and world hunger. We told them about soup kitchens and shelters. We told them about a family in town that we would be buying gifts for because the dad lost his job and the mom was sick. We told them it is better to give than to receive. So on Christmas morning when they saw their little stockings stuffed to overflowing and a pile of 4 carefully selected gifts under the tree for each of them, they flipped out! I think they thought they were going to get an orange and a dime on Christmas morning. They were the 3 most thankful kids I'd ever seen. It makes me cry to think about how happy they were. So, as this season approaches and I tell them not to expect much under the tree, as I do each year, they just smile and nod and say, "Sure Mom."