Happy Christmas.

Peace Out.

Priceless.

King David, on the future temple,

1 Chronicles 29: 14-17 The Message

"But me- who am I, and who are these my people, that we should presume to be giving something to you? Everything comes from you; all we're doing is giving back what we've been given from your generous hand. As far as you're concerned, we're homeless, shiftless wanderers like our ancestors, our lives mere shadows, hardly anything to us. God, our God, all these materials- these piles of stuff for building a house of worship for you, honoring your Holy Name- it all came from you! It was all yours in the first place! I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface- you want us, our true selves- and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily..."

I got cash from Jim's wallet to hand out weekly allowances to each girl's wallet quickly, in the car, on our way to the Mall. We were about to finish our Christmas shopping, and were having a great day as a family.

We divided to conquer, and to give the girls a chance to choose their gifts for me. As I walked away with Hudson, I heard the girls give Daddy ideas of things they knew I loved, like jewelry, "Daddy, we walked by some things by the jewelry I think Mommy would really like!" and Grace mentioned earlier that day that weeks before we'd bought fuzzy socks, and I wanted a pair too, but there weren't any in my size (we were in GAP Kids, btw...), so she wanted to get me some of those very badly. They were just brimming with sneaky, excited smiles and happiness.

After meeting up again, each girl had a gift box with a secret something inside, and they were beaming with pride at choosing little somethings they knew I'd enjoy, and have taken great joy and care and keeping the contents a secret.

I discovered from Jim later that their wallets, once full, and newly refreshed with even more allowance money, were now almost empty.

They carefully chose gifts they knew I'd love, and the joy in the picking and giving of something special was more than worth the contents of their princess wallets, and their hard-earned allowances.

The money came from our hands. The ride to the Mall was courtesy of us as well. Later, dinner was on us, and the warm coats they bundled up in to go out in the cold- those came from us too. But the gifts came from their hearts, with great joy.

And that makes whatever's in those little boxes priceless to this woman.

We've got a 7 PM date with the TV.

OK, I know you're busy with kids on Christmas Break, and last-minute presents to wrap, and cookies to eat and menus to plan and tables to set....But before you get too far lost in Christmas-Prep Bliss this week...

don't forget to watch the finale of Sing Off tonight!!

If you aren't already caught up, you can see the first three nights online here.

This show was so awesome!

The inner cool-geek in me is absolutely in love with this competition! You just have got to respect how talented these people are, and how hard they've worked! And I love how humble everyone is, and you can tell how much pure joy they have just in creating and performing. They're real rockstars, no kidding! To be perfectly honest with you, I've gone back and watched the performances a couple of times more. The songs have been in my head all week.

My thoughts on the finalists:

First of all, I loved just about everyone, so it was hard to pick a favorite for me this entire time, but:

Nota: They're going to win. No doubt. Totally amazing, and as for the prize- a recording contract- these guys are the best, and most mass-marketable, for sure. You never miss the band.

Voices of Lee: How sweet are they? Totally great! I just loved them- they're super-talented and likable, and I bet Christian labels (who they'd really want anyway) will be interested in them, or in individuals in the group. I love Voices of Lee! Also, I love Alicia Keys, and I loved their cover of No One. Loved it.

Beelzebubs: Oh my goodness!!! How adorable are those guys!! By far they are the MOST entertaining and endearing to watch- and I just want to bake them all cookies, teach them how to do their laundry, and cook them a good home-cooked meal. Right Round was so perfect- I loved the nerds juxtaposed with Rap. LOVED IT.

And can I just say how much I LOVED the SoCals???? I was so sad to see them go! Their Journey medley was so awesome, I couldn't believe they were eliminated that night!

The judges were great- I LOVE Ben Folds- and seeing Shawn Stockman was a great blast from the past, and he had great things to say. I admit, I haven't followed Nicole Scherzinger's every career move- but I can say she has the ability to say something and nothing all at the same time- and I'm positive SNL could do a fantastic parody of her with ease.

Our girls were totally glued to the show right with me, and even went back to re-watch too. We'll be there tonight, on the couch and glued to the finals for sure.

Wrapping.

I thought I'd end the week with a few loose strings and miscellaneous items I wanted to wrap up.

#1: Bone Watch 2009

Yesterday, I heard Bebo


growling at Bacon, and came to find him strong arming his way into taking this puny, old, nasty chewie Lily had dug out from under the couch for Bacon the day before.


And I'd like to point out that sometime around mid-evening on Day 1 of The Chewie Saga, both ginormous chewies disappeared, and I knew Bebo had something to do with it. I never got around to looking for them, and returning one to Bacon, until I saw that ridiculous scuffle over that pathetic tiny chew. A quick review of the underneaths of our living room furniture uncovered the secret chewie booty. Right here, snugly wedged between Bebo's favorite chair and the wall. Note the random candy wrapper.

That Rascal.

Moving on.

#2: On Wednesday we were getting things ready for AWANA, and the girls decided to do a little impromptu photo shoot. I complied, and delighted them with a rare opportunity to use my DSLR. Really, with the strap in place and nothing nearby to accidentally knock it on, it's pretty safe to hand it over. I love to see them wrap their tiny hands around the heavy body, peeking seriously and sternly through the viewfinder, concentrating on finding the right moment to press the button. I always set it to spot focus, and teach them to stand still against a wall, place the square between the faces or eyes, then press it a little to get it to turn red (focus) and then shoot. They don't just click. They think about it- and give ideas to their subjects for poses or when it's time to snuggle and just love on each other. I love that. They each took a small handful of shots. Here's a couple. None of them are cropped- this is just how they shot them (Black and White conversion by me, of course).

Patience took it.

Grace took it.

And I took this one- one of those hold your arm out far, quick snapshots. I didn't crop this one either- pretty straight, huh? I was proud. Almost as proud as I was of my little budding photogs.

#3: On another note, I've continued to burn- and salivate over- this candle, and have decided that if Jim Halpert, Hugh Jackman, McDreamy, and Mr. Darcy (yes I realize that's a mix of fictional and real people)- if they were morphed into one man, who was kind-hearted, gentle, strong, humble, witty, extremely intelligent and in love with Jesus, he'd be a force to be reckoned with. And he'd smell just like that candle.

Speaking of forces to be reckoned with,

#4: check out that bulging tummy and chubby arm combo on my little man...

I came to the realization that in just this past week of posts, every single member of our household, including all 4 pets, has made an appearance, save for Hudson.

Wuv you Buddy.

Christmas in the Slammer

These cookies could get you arrested. I'm not sure how, but, they're so good, it's just wrong.

I'm not kidding.

Now get over here for the recipe, and don't you dare make them without the perfect icing. Make them nice and thick, like, rolled out to a good half inch. You won't regret it.

Spending Christmas in jail would be absolutely worth it.

Mo Money Mo Problems: A Parable

Once there were two dogs. They belonged to six loving people, people who, upon opening their gift on the 15th day of Advent found a gift for giving- not to themselves, but to their sweet little dogs. Truly blessed to give, rather than receive, the people happily handed over the two largest, tastiest chewie bones these dogs had ever seen.


These were much larger than their regular weekly chewies- which are ordinary in size, and are given every Thursday on cleaning day as a reward and prize just for being adorable. These mind-blowingly large chewies were given on a Tuesday, which absolutely threw these pooches for a loop, and it was truly a Christmas miracle.


They were fantabulous.

But with great wealth comes great responsibility. And when given a taste of Life With a Giant Chewie, well, sometimes all it does is create an appetite for more. And suddenly, one ginormous chewie was not enough for the Alpha Dog. And he began to crave ownership of another.


And so this little dog, stronger in will and size, took the weaker dog's chewie for himself.


But there was no joy. Only more unrest. There was no smacking, licking, gnawing. There was no utter pleasure in the tasty, crusty exterior perfect for exercising his doggie teeth, his canine canines, if you will. There was only the intense desire to guard and keep them near and safe.

Sure, he'd heard some ancient Chinese Pug Proverb somewhere, something about if you have two bones and your doggy brother has none, give that dog a bone- something like that. But in this moment, in possession of much, he could only think of himself.

He kept watch over his treasure, and could not relax.


No one could be trusted. Even his People. They might want his precious chewies for themselves- so a little scowl and a growl was dished out to everyone who came near.


When it was time to go potty, he even tried to transport his booty outside for safe-keeping, in the 5 degree winter weather. Yes, he would rather hide his chewies in freezing temperatures- out of even his reach, than risk the chance that they could be enjoyed by another.

And his mother, finally having enough of this ridiculous mirror into the wayward hearts of Man and Beast, swooped in, took one chewie away, and restored it to it's rightful owner, who chewed it for hours, the happiest dog that ever was. And the pup was grateful.

After much reflection, the greedy canine made amends, and the two slept in a heap of snuggles and snores in the sunshine all afternoon.

The End.

Keeping the Ordinary.

I love the ordinary, never planned memories the most.
I love how often you ask me to take your picture, and all the little things we keep because of it.
I love keeping your chapped winter-lips,

and your tousled, just got up from 2 hours of afternoon quiet alone time, reading and creativity, hair.

And I love every one of your little faces when you're trying to be funny, and I love that you demand to see the exposure immediately in camera, and you're so proud of how you look.

And I love that face you give now, Grace, for almost every picture- as a bit of your sweet childness wears off, and you've become aware of how your "picture face" looks, and you're trying so hard to perfect it. I'm keeping a series of "looks" you're working on, and will remember them fondly. You like the closed-mouth, pleasant-and-slightly-serious-dramatic look the most.

And I love that little deal we had last Sunday- where you could watch football all afternoon (wait, that's not a deal- that's just Sundays), and you'd let me shoot endless pictures of you while I worked in Manual and needed a human for experimentation. I like all the crazy faces you gave me, which are not posted here. I like just being in the same room as you. I just like you.

And Hudson, thank you for taking such great naps, even if it meant you weren't there for this little ordinary-keeping afternoon.

Equal Opportunity Cat Show-Off-er

I ♥ Faces Week 49: Pets Only

Say What? It's Pets Week?!

I know some of you have seen this sweet lady recently, but I couldn't wait to put her in the spotlight one more time.... And you know, I've got some more recent shots of our felines and canines from this past week, but this one is just a special memory for me, so here you go.

Here's Penny just days after we rescued her from the shelter. We're so thankful she's ours. What a fantastic addition to our family.

You Know.

I haven't left my house since Sunday afternoon. It's been snowing, and blowing, and Jim (who commutes) wasn't able to come home for 2 days this week. I'm not entirely sure I need to expand on this post.

You know what I'm saying.

Ice Cream from the Deck.

We made snow shakes for snacks today, and Grace remembered every single ingredient, including the vanilla. We take frozen delicacies very seriously here.

Candy Land

If you're one of those holiday, gingerbread house purists, and you saw the below picture and are already shaking your head, there's no need to read on...well, wait, this post includes very cute kids, so you might want to stay tuned in.

In case you were wondering, these kits are TOTALLY worth EVERY penny. If you're terrible at constructing things with your hands, and short on attention span in the kitchen like me, this is the next best invention since those Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses.

LOOK AT THAT! NO BAKING! NO PAINFUL CONSTRUCTION OF A TERRIBLY BUILT GINGERBREAD HOUSE!! It comes out of the box fully assembled- REAL, sweet/spicy gingerbread, solidly put-together, yet not "perfect", so anyone who lives in a hole and may not have seen these at their local discount retailer would absolutely think you did it all yourself.

It comes with plenty of candy and frosting (which tastes really good btw, and is the only thing you have to "prepare", using your hand mixer- they even include the bag and tip). All for $8. Merry Christmas, and Good Night, that's a good deal.


Then all you need to add is cute kids,

a blizzarding day,


and some imagination.
Yes, you're getting a view from every angle.
I include this one only because Grace is unintentionally making a Zoolander face.

Ooooh, you can just tell he's going to be trouble...

We did this yesterday...and by this morning....

He employed his 2 year old self-control enough to not destroy anything, but to merely sneak a couple harmless pieces that surely wouldn't be missed. This, naturally, was done while I was in the laundry room.

I admire his keen sense of reasoning and his desire to seize the proper moment.

Fireside.

I bought this candle a few weeks ago- and it. smells. amazing. It's smokey and rich and definitely similar to a fire- also smells a lot like a man. Like a good-smellin' man. Now, my man smells good. And I'm madly in love with him, and I don't care who knows it. But, after the first time I lit my Fireside candle, I was ooohing and aaahing over how good it was, making elaborate noises while I emphatically smelled it in, and Jim informed me that this must be what Jim Halpert smells like. Have mercy.

OK, Honey, Now I Know We Talked About this Last Night...

But I wanted to make sure, in case the Facebook status wasn't enough, and me cornering you in the kitchen surrounded by the soft glow of the Christmas lights last night wasn't enough, I just want to make sure every base was covered, with this most-important list of mine.


This is a real list, now, not that dream list. I know I'm dreaming to think I'll get all 3...one's nearly in the bag, one's a little longer shot, the last one is....a Christmas miracle indeed, but I'm throwing her in there just in case.


Honey, all I want for Christmas is you,

...and

One of these...



And I'm no equipment snob, but we've talked this over, and I'd love one of these, and you know she'll need a new lens, and if this little impossible dream of mine comes true, I'm happy to tell you which one. OK, I know it's not happening this month, but there you go. I think our blessed year of unemployment and being so responsible has brought out a little of my frivolous side... Thanks for supporting me so much, I really love you.And one of these...But it's got to be Zebra, or I'm takin' it back!

Patience,

Happy Birthday, Patie Belle. You are everything that is sweet, and adventurous, and wonderful, and more. Happy 5. You've certainly waited long enough for it.

Without Us

Grace was a late walker. She's always been a cautious child, which is truly a blessing and a curse. You can imagine.

So she was a late walker. She was a happy, contented baby, thrilled to chill on the floor, where it's safe. So we helped her figure out the whole 2-legged thing, assuring her with every little baby step, that life was better off the floor.

One day, she just did it. She threw caution to the wind, got up, and walked. Ran even. She was over 19 months old, when she got the revelation. But from day 1, she was off, and running.

While we were patiently waiting for her to take the vertical plunge, we learned all kinds of ways to help her learn to walk. How to hold her to steady her- by holding her forearms, not by grasping hands- so she can use the best posture, not keeping her arms in the air, but keeping them down where they'll be when she's flying solo, one day.

We learned to slowly weaken our grip on those chubby arms, as she gained confidence, so that gradually, she'd just one day not need us at all. And then, for a while, as she walked on her own, we knew to stay near, in case of a fall- to catch her if she needed it, but to also let her feel the sensation of falling, to know what caused it, and how to correct it later.

And one day she got it. And she was ready to run. And the occasional fall was well worth the thrill of the chase.

And as I held my first baby's arms, teaching her all these things, I knew quietly in my heart that this was the whole of parenthood.

To support, guide, teach, and believe in her with love and patience every day, slowly easing our own grasp as she grows. To never hold on too tight- handicapping her- making her journey much harder to conquer.

To keep daily before our eyes the goal that one day, she'll walk, run, and dance confidently, without us.