Monthly Archives: December 2008
Under Consideration
This site is part under construction and part under consideration. It’s a test. In the meantime, visit my main site: www.TanyaDennisBooks.com. It is in desperate need of an update, so be patient over there, too. The tentative plan is to move all that over here, new and improved, but … well, we’ll see how I like this place.
December Ellie-isms and Zach Attacks
Ellie, while holding an angel high over the Nativity, Thomas and other train friends: “Attention, engines and people! Behold, a savior has been born; He is Christ the Lord! Engines and people! Sing ‘Glory to God in the highest!’”
Zach: “Wow, Mom, dogs REALLY like milk! Wait — that’s a cow.”
Ellie: “Um, Mom? I was trying to listen to you read that book, but the Christmas tree is so big and beautiful, and it sticks up above the top of the book. So I decided to look at the tree instead of looking at the book. I hope you don’t mind.”
Zach: “Let’s play Under Britches!”
Translation: “Let’s play London Bridge.”
Zach: “RUFFA-BUM-BUM!”
Zach repeatedly shouted this all month in a very manly voice (well, as manly as a three-year-old can). “Little Drummer Boy” is by far Zach’s favorite Christmas song.
Zach: “Mom, what are you doing in here? You know this is Daddy’s fix-it shop – right? I don’t think he would want you in here, ’cause you don’t know how to fix anything and you might get cut and I don’t want to see your guts.”
Ellie: “There’s a bug in my room! C’mon, Mom.”
Zach: “I got the scissors. Everyone got your sharp stuff? We’ll cut that bug!”
Me: “Wait – what?”
Ellie: “Mom, you get a paper towel. Me and Zach got the scissors. Let’s go, brave people! Let’s go get that bug.”
Zach: “Brave people to the rescue!”
Ellie: “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here ’cause this is vacation and I’m a vacation girl.”
Zach: “It’s aggrieved!”
He shouts this whenever he and Ellie agree on something.
Zach, upon seeing my new guitar: “Wait, Mom! Don’t touch anything.” Three minutes later he returned with his drum. “Are you ready to rock? Let’s jam!”
Mama Loves: Baptisms
When I first started Mama Loves, I told you you don’t have to be a mama to participate. Today is proof of that. Today is also kind of a Sunday Morning Leftover a la Spaghettipie.
Mama loves baptisms.
It’s not really the baptisms themselves, but the proclamation of salvation, the sharing of testimonies, the undeniable evidence of lives changed through the power of God’s grace. I weep every time.
A few weeks ago our church hosted a baptismal service. Twelve people, from age thirteen to seventy, shared their diverse testimonies before our pastor dunked them. One girl asked Jesus into her heart when she was four and then dedicated her life to Him at church camp. Immediately after her came a former drug addict and club owner who asked God for salvation in a crack house. The contrast startled me, but I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. This man, after sharing his testimony of how God drew him out of his addictions and toward a new life, reminded us that the grace that made it possible is the same grace that saved the young girl who preceeded him. He said:
“Understanding the truth of God doesn’t lead to an encounter with God; it IS an encounter with God. All testimonies are the same.”
As a young believer I wished for a more dynamic testimony. I wished I had made more mistakes before meeting God so that I could wow people with God’s fathomless love, His limitless forgiveness. But what this gentleman said is so true! We may think some testimonies are simple or dull, they don’t have enough drama, but every testimony is amazing. Every story of salvation is a miracle. They are our stories of passing from death to life. What could be more dynamic than that?
This is why I love baptisms. They remind me of the grace shown me and how that grace grows old and never runs dry. How awesome that God can reach so many different people in so many different ways! And to be able to share that publicly with others? My heart overflows.
If this is something you love too, you gotta check out Heidi’s post on Faces. It made me … well, weep. You know those happy cries Ellie talks about? I love it.
Your turn. What are you loving this week?
December Ellie-isms and Zach Attacks
Ellie, while holding an angel high over the Nativity, Thomas and other train friends: “Attention, engines and people! Behold, a savior has been born; He is Christ the Lord! Engines and people! Sing ‘Glory to God in the highest!’”
Zach: “Wow, Mom, dogs REALLY like milk! Wait — that’s a cow.”
Ellie: “Um, Mom? I was trying to listen to you read that book, but the Christmas tree is so big and beautiful, and it sticks up above the top of the book. So I decided to look at the tree instead of looking at the book. I hope you don’t mind.”
Zach: “Let’s play Under Britches!”
Translation: “Let’s play London Bridge.”
Zach: “RUFFA-BUM-BUM!”
Zach repeatedly shouted this all month in a very manly voice (well, as manly as a three-year-old can). “Little Drummer Boy” is by far Zach’s favorite Christmas song.
Zach: “Mom, what are you doing in here? You know this is Daddy’s fix-it shop – right? I don’t think he would want you in here, ’cause you don’t know how to fix anything and you might get cut and I don’t want to see your guts.”
Ellie: “There’s a bug in my room! C’mon, Mom.”
Zach: “I got the scissors. Everyone got your sharp stuff? We’ll cut that bug!”
Me: “Wait – what?”
Ellie: “Mom, you get a paper towel. Me and Zach got the scissors. Let’s go, brave people! Let’s go get that bug.”
Zach: “Brave people to the rescue!”
Ellie: “I don’t want to go home. I want to stay here ’cause this is vacation and I’m a vacation girl.”
Zach: “It’s aggrieved!”
He shouts this whenever he and Ellie agree on something.
Zach, upon seeing my new guitar: “Wait, Mom! Don’t touch anything.” Three minutes later he returned with his drum. “Are you ready to rock? Let’s jam!”
Relinquishing Control: Part Deux
If you missed the first part of this struggle, click HERE to see my progress thus far. That post focused on Christmas decorating. Today is another kind of decorating, but with cookies. Observe.
My Christmas cookies:
And Ellie’s Christmas cookies:
It was another day of me continually biting my tongue. I really want her to enjoy cooking – and she does! – but I also really like things the way I like them. Thank God He gives me the grace and wisdom to keep my mouth shut and just let her play. Watching her put pink and purple on Christmas cookies was tough for me. Then she pulled out the dragees which proceeded to roll all over the kitchen and hide in crevices yet to be discovered. The biting continued. My back even started to tense.
But then I looked at her face, how proud she was of those ugly little cookies …
… and then I realized how she’d already eaten half of them anyway and wondered why in the world I cared.
Sometimes I get so focused on the details I risk missing out on the really important stuff. I’m glad this time I caught myself before missing out, another memory to be treasured.
The best Christmas gifts
I did get a couple goats this year. That was super cool, but this … well, this was the best gift ever: having my whole family together.
A Christmas Miracle
Hey, all! I’m still around, just not around here. I’ve got a number of posts ready and waiting in my head, but I’m too busy celebrating a Christmas miracle to write them down. It’s difficult to believe, but in less than twelve hours, all my siblings will be under the same roof. This is the first time in almost eight years!! Furthermore, this is the first time in ten years that we’ll be together for Christmas. How cool is this?! I’m thrilled and therefore not blogging. I’ll be back, hopefully sooner than later, but as always: family comes first and, no matter how much I treasure all you bloggy friends, real life is way more important. In the meantime, get ready for some great stories.
Mama Loves: Best Friends
I’ve learned that many things about life are double-sided. The same things that drive me crazy are things I love, or causes of things I love. For example, I love that my husband is brilliant and assertive … until those wonderful features are used against me, as in interior design. I love that Ellie observes everything and notices the tiniest details … until that perceptivity makes me late or forces me to be more patient than I like. Today’s Mama Loves is in the same boat as these.
Mama loves built-in best friends.
Ellie and Zach are just seventeen months apart. Friends who are now having children close together ask me how I did it, what system I used to keep track of an infant and toddler at the same time. I honestly answer “I don’t know.” I remember very, very little of Zach’s first six months. It’s all a sleepless blur of changing diapers, feeding mouths, ear infections and food allergies. It is really tough having kids this close together! I would never recommend it … until they become best friends. That’s where we are now.
As I write this my two hyperactive preschoolers are sound asleep in the same bed. They love each other so much! And I love seeing that. Zach admires Ellie and will do anything to make her laugh. Ellie adores Zach and will fight off an army to keep him safe, not that he can’t fend for himself or won’t attack her the second all is well, but the love is there. We have our moments (hours) of chaos when they’re chasing each other, tackling each other, stealing from one another and all that typical sibling angst. But more often than not, they are very best friends. He plays princess Polly Pockets and she plays football. She joins him in demolishing block towers and he plays “sweetie” (their version of babydolls). Even pirates. It’s beautiful and I love it.
If you’ve written about the good side of life recently, link up. Get all the details of this weekly habit of positive thinking HERE.
We Can’t Let This Bank Fail
A few of my recent posts have encouraged you to support causes around the world. From Africa’s AIDS epidemic and starving orphans to freezing children in Tibet and exploited and women and children all over the globe, there are many who need assistance. I don’t want this blog to turn into a fundraiser for one cause after another, but I do want to make you aware of the things that burden my heart and the opportunities we have to help. Some are closer than you might think, even as close as the house next door.
- More than 35 million Americans, including 12 million children, either live with or are on the verge of hunger. - USDA, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006
- The number of families coming to churches and food banks trying to get help to feed their families has increased approximately 20 percent. - National Anti-Hunger Organizations, 2008 Blueprint to End Hunger
- In New Jersey alone, an estimated 250,000 new clients will be seeking sustenance this year from the state’s food banks. – “No Food on the table,” By Judy Peet, The Star-Ledger, Oct. 23, 2008
While I often tell people I’m from New York, I actually live in New Jersey. (Oh, I cried the day I had to tag my beautiful vehicle with those distinct plates, but that’s another post for another day.) In the four years I’ve lived here, I have learned to love it. Now this state that has become my home is facing a hunger crisis, and we’re not alone. Food banks across the nation are struggling to meet the needs of their clients.
- At the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), requests for food have gone up 30 percent, but donations are down by 25 percent. – CFBNJ
- Warehouse shelves that are typically stocked with food are bare and supplies have gotten so low that, for the first time in its 25 year history, the food bank is developing a rationing mechanism. – CFBNJ
The falling economy has been tough on everyone. We’ve felt it in our pockets and our security; you may remember my husband’s company went bankrupt just a few months ago forcing us to enter an already saturated job market. And there are few signs of things getting better. Neighbors are hungry. If you can help, please do.
Find your local food bank. See what you can do. Every little bit helps. When you’re hungry, even the smallest morsels can seem like a feast. If you live in New Jersey, click here for anti-hunger charities listed by county. If you’re not in Jersey, check your yellow pages, your church or even your grocery stores. Somebody somewhere will be happy to direct you.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
- Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV)
A couple memes
Dale over at Pyretic Ponderings tagged me in a 6 Things meme. Since I’m all in a Christmas-y mood, I thought I’d also tackle Kellie‘s meme today. Here goes.
6 Things I Value:
Faith, Grace and Mercy (I’m counting them as one thing, the opposite sides of the same coin.), Forgiveness, Truth and Authenticity (again, two sides of the same coin), Family, Fellowship
6 Things I Support: (This wasn’t in Dale’s meme, but I’m adding it because the things I support stem from what I value, but they are not the same.)
Adoption, Missions, Bible Translation, Small Government, Stay-at-home Moms, Lifetime Discipleship
6 Things I Do Not Support:
Gay Marriage, Polygamy,
Abortion, Full-day Kindergarten, Divorce, Busyness for the sake of looking or feeling important
6 People I Tag: Karen, Sarah, Lauralin, Kelly, Monica and You.
And now for something much lighter, a “Getting to Know You” meme about Christmas.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Usually wrapping paper, but occasionally I’ll find a really, really cute bag and have to use it. I have a bit of a wrapping paper fetish. I hit The Container Store the day after Christmas almost every year.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
I prefer real, but also have an artificial for practical reasons, like the years we’re away from home for Christmas and don’t want to leave a giant fire hazard in our empty house.
3. When do you put up the tree?
The first weekend of December.
4. When do you take the tree down?
January 6th: Three Kings Day
5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes. Love it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I don’t know … just being with family was/is always my favorite part of Christmas. I don’t really remember the gifts.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
My husband. No question.
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Myself…(Just kidding!) (Sort of)…The kids.
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes! I have the Willow Tree set and I LOVE it!! Rick gave me different pieces for my birthday and Christmas the last couple years — first the Nativity, then the creche, the shepherds and the wisemen. It’s very classic, monochromatic and none of the characters have faces. I like that. Simply gorgeous!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Christmas cards? What are those? Just kidding. I mail them, but sometimes they don’t get out until January … or June or July.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A giant Tazmanian devil mug that reads “It’s my way or it’s wrong.” Yes, a lovely reminder of my controlling tendencies. It has since become my husband’s favorite soup mug.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Oh, this is tough ’cause most of my favorite movies are Christmas ones: The Sound of Music, The Family Man, Christmas Vacation … all three of these are traditions in this house. We watch all of them at least three times each between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I’ve been getting better about this! This year I started in June. I found a great close-out sale and stocked up. With the exception of stocking stuffers, I was finished before the end of October. Normally, though, I start in mid-October getting pretty serious the week before Thanksgiving. It’s not about being organized; it’s about hating shopping and crowds that much.
14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes.
16. Lights on the tree?
Just like I prefer a real tree, I prefer white lights. However, our artificial tree is pre-lit with colored lights.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Almost always. We alternate between my husband’s family and my family, so the question is not whether we travel, but how far. Is it a day-trip or a week-long vacation?
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Who’s Santa? *wink* Um, let’s see … Donner, Prancer, Nixon, Vixen, Rudolph, Clarisse, Clinton? Okay, no.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We do one gift on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we read Luke 2 and pray, then open the rest of the gifts.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
I love it all! I can’t think of a single thing I don’t like about Christmas.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Red. My favorites are classic ornaments, shiny and bright, but we have an ecclectic collection of ornaments and decorations, some from my childhood, some our kids have made.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I already told you about the livestock … the only other thing I want is for my family to enjoy the holiday in all its wonder! This truly is the best time of the year, and I don’t want us to rush through it only to realize we’ve missed the very best parts. Christmas is like parenting: you could miss it if you blink.
