30. November 2009 by imoomie.

Wow!  30 days 30 posts! 

The thrill of the finish line,

the letdown that it’s over,

until next year.

What have I learned by posting every day? 

I have learned that…

sometimes I am so over writing about me.

that even when the day has dealt me more than I bargained for I could still think of something good to say.

I found that there were many more days that it was easy rather than difficult.

I learned to look for the “moments” worth remembering and repeating.

I read less books this month which I did miss, although I enjoyed reading others posts.

I watched less television too.

my family was behind me and encouraged me to post.

It’s genuinely been a good month…sigh.

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29. November 2009 by imoomie.

I was pumped up and ready to decorate…until the 15 bins full of Christmas stuff was brought down from storage and plopped right in the middle of the living room.  Accompaning all these bins was the 5 parts to a 12′ Christmas tree.   Suddenly, the only thought in my head was take them back to where you found them!  Make them go away!

I instantly dreaded the transition to Christmas.  One minute the house is orderly and the next the whole house turns into chaos.   Three steps back, one step forward.  It seems that every flat surface in the house is loaded with things that need to find a place in the scheme of things.

We turn on the Christmas music, pour some eggnog in our Christmas cups, sprinkle it with nutmeg and begin to turn the piles of snowmen, santas,  poinsettas, lights and bows into Christmas magic.

Part of the reason we decorate right after Christmas is because I am practical.  If I get all the work done I can enjoy the decorations for a whole month.  Night after night of Christmas lights and ornaments is awesome, relaxing and peaceful.

That’s what pushes me forward… the end result.

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28. November 2009 by imoomie.

In the place where holiday tradition can be found, unfortunately, there are some best laid plans that will never come to fruition  that can be found too…

We find ourselves there sometimes by choice, sometimes by circumstances beyond our control.  I think most would agree that some traditions will be adapted this year to adjust to the economic times, for some that will bring sadness while for others a new found  freedom.

It takes an intentional movement to pull out of automatic pilot and re-think, but don’t you think that it is in these moments that amazing, creative things can happen?  Ultimately, the very thing that brought us some discomfort and sadness ends up making us feel good about ourselves because we have out-thought the situation, we have adapted. , and in the process we are better for it.

For instance, every year I wish for a simplier Christmas…we talk about cutting back on gifts and brainstorm as a family about what we can do different.  Yet, in the end it is easier to do what we always do.  This year like many families we don’t have a the same budget for Christmas as we have had in the past.  My oldest son said to me, “Mom, we always say we are going simple.  Let’s really do it this year.” 

What is that going to look like?  I am not sure yet, but I hope we will take what we have and have the best holiday season ever.  We may not decorate gingerbread houses, but we can bake something else and I am sure we will enjoy being together all the same.  We have a large artificial tree, but we usually get a fresh tree too.  If we skip the extra tree, will it really matter in the grand scheme of things? 

Yes, it is different…it is not our normal tradition but, it will be exciting to see what we will come up with to replace our old way of doing things. 

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27. November 2009 by imoomie.

The festivities of yesterday and the bargain hunting of today have caught up with me…after returning home and having some banana pudding with my family and watching the Survivor that we missed yesterday…I am ready for slumber, okay honestly, I am falling asleep!

I find myself thinking thank goodness it’s Friday and the weekend is coming even though we have been on holiday. 

Go figure…

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26. November 2009 by imoomie.

I guess I got so focused on the logistics of Thanksgiving that I forgot about the warmth of Thanksgiving until I woke up to it today.

So far, these have been some of my favorite things-

My youngest wakes up with the childlike excitement of the holiday all over her.  It reminds me that if she is this excited about turkey, Christmas will be so fun.

My teenagers revert away from teenage mode of operation and want to know why we haven’t turned the parade on yet.

The warmth of our home, literally, as the food cooks and we are gathered and working together in the kitchen. 

The fragrance of Thanksgiving…

The bustling of the neighborhood as neighbors are departing or as their family arrives.  I drink in the pause of everyday life for on this day we seem to have the same united agenda.

 May Thanksgiving hold many of your favorite things!

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25. November 2009 by imoomie.

This is an age old question that is definitely at the forefront of many people’s mind this week…

Have I prepared enough food for the guests that I have coming?  Will anyone go hungry at my table?  Will shame befall me as large empty platters lay awkwardly before us.

For some, it goes deeper…do I have all the food groups?  Does my salad have just the right color combination to make it appealing to the eye.  What if noone likes candied yams but me?

Recently, I had my small group coming over, I had planned the weekend before and had decided that 2 pans of lasagna was enough.  The morning they were to arrive I awoke worried that I had enough.  I was mentally cutting the lasagna in the pan into squares to see how many pieces I would have.  Add, divide, multiply (kids, stay in school).

When do we just go with our instinct?  Confident that we have thought this out while at the same time convincing ourselves we are not going to panic at the last minute and run back out to the store?  That extra trip only blows our budget, our time, our peace.

Naturally, I tend to yield on the light side.  I really don’t like way too much food left over anymore than I want to run out.  I like to play a little game I will call “just right”.  Reminds me of a childhood story, but we won’t go there.

We might as well get this under wraps now.  Christmas is right around the corner and aside from the fact we will be cooking again, I am sure I am not the only one who after completing their Christmas shopping early seconds guesses themselves and buys more.

What’s the answer, I do not know.  Got any formulas for perfect food planning?

P.S.  Two pans of lasagna was enough…13 adult/teenagers and 6 kids.

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24. November 2009 by imoomie.

Picture this…

Cold rainy day, not the first,  but one in a string of many…shiny wood floors, and socks!

As I stood in front of the microwave waiting for my leftover lasagna to heat, I just couldn’t help myself.  The need to glide got the best of me…I wonder where it has been all this time, this need to glide, but there it was all the same.

I ran towards the table, slide, turn around and back towards the frig, slide, hands in the air, this is as fun as I remember.  As I slid I said, “I still got it!” 

My daughter looks up from her desk, smiles and says to my other daughter, who shall remain nameless, “Get a load of this.”

My daughter, the nameless one, comes into the kitchen and says, “Mom, you are going to break your back!” while the other chimes in, “Yea, Mom.”

I don’t know if was the gliding itself or the instant role reversal from my daughters…but I’ve got to say, I was tickled.  Hehehe…break my back, really or I guess I could have poked an eye out. Hehehe.

If today seems a little gloomy, I encourage you to get your socks on and hit the floor.  It will brighten your day and you will be glad you did! 

Oh, and make sure to lift your hands in air and say, “I still got it!”

Just sharing with Emily at ChattingattheSky.com

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23. November 2009 by imoomie.

Pop it,    Lock it,     Pokadot it.

Am I too old to like this movie?

Surprisingly, I enjoyed every bit of  it! 

Perhaps, it was because it kind of struck a chord.

It is kind of a secret, but…

I am a rockstar that longs to go back to my country roots! 

(I told you that this 30 posts in 30 days was going to get interesting!)

Day 23 - Write on!

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22. November 2009 by imoomie.

I like Doritos, I consider them a tasty snack.  Great picnic food.  Not picky…cool ranch or nacho cheese, like ‘em both.

But have you ever noticed that Doritos more than any other chip I can think of, seem to get lodged in your gums?  The nifty little corner of the chip can be painful when stabbed in between your tooth and gum.  It then takes great determination to remove it.

One word…redesign.   Although, if they went to a round chip,it would be a Tostito.  Not the same.

Isn’t it strange?  It is true though.

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21. November 2009 by imoomie.

In church this month we started a series called - Relate.

The topic was “How to be Liked…

How, you ask…

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19(NIV)

 Be quick to listen.  How do you feel about someone who takes the time to listen to you in contrast to someone who won’t quit talking?  Sometimes in conversations there can be an aspect of “one uping” within a conversation.  Take the time to listen instead.

“A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.” Proverbs 11:12(NIV)

Be slow to speak.  This is not just a wise relational choice but it will also lower the chances that you will sin.  The less I talk the more I listen.  The more I open my mouth the bigger chance the blah, blah, blah will come rolling out.  Limit the words spoken to careful, measured and sensitive words.

“A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself, but the heart of fools blurts out folly.”  Proverbs 12:23(NIV)

“He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” Proverbs 13:3(NIV)

“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” Proverbs 10:19(NIV)

 Be slow to anger.  Often anger is fueled by the fact that we don’t take the time to talk.  We silently build a case inside of ourselves until it comes exploding out of us like a volcanic reaction.  I may use others as a sounding board and that may get it out, but it also gets me worked up.  The best thing would be to get the facts, listen and defuse the anger.

“The LORD is gracious and compassionate,  slow to anger and rich in love.” Psalm 145:8

Sometimes I will need to choose between believing the best and assuming the worse.

Our homework was to practice being quick to listen.  

A “talking” fast is a good way to retrain and rethink what comes out of my mouth and helps me to learn to listen.

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