Christmas Favorites

The love of brothers & sisters...

Peace and Joy from our family to yours.

May the rest of your 2009 be filled with love.

Starbucks Bounce

A little birdie gave me an early Christmas/birthday gift of a card from Starbucks, so the kids and I took a break today and went for a treat. Thanks little birdie. I got my usual, Reeves got an Izzy Soda, and Brice got “chocwat” milk. Embree wanted to try the Peppermint Mocha. It did look yummy!

Now think about that…Embree+coffee+chocolate+sugar=WOW!!!!

I told her she would be bouncing off the walls. Reeves said, “You know you can’t really bounce off the walls.” I said, “It’s a figure of speech, but I’ve see her try before.” His response, “Well it’s difficult…I’ve tried it before. I just smacked the wall and fell to the floor!”

BOYS!!!

A poem for Winter Solstice

Today is Winter Solstice (12:47 pm, Dec. 21, 2009). I got up early this morning and sat in the dark, quiet house, trying to free myself from all the stress of this coming week…trying to feel a soft darkness and quietness inside as well. I have found myself struggling for inner peace in the past few days. Actually I’ve probably been searching longer…as I recall that the mantel in the dining room is decorated with the word, as are our family Christmas cards. When the kids sometimes ask what I would wish for if I could wish for anything I often say world peace, and I do wish for that with all my heart, but I think I need to follow the old song. “Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.” And peace on Earth can’t begin with me until I feel peace in my heart. My prayer today, is the peace within myself to guide my actions to create peace around me. If you are reading this, I wish it for you as well. Happy Winter Solstice. Peace.

Winter Wishes

By Ray Cruz

December 12, 2001

Let the first snow of winter
Cleanse the wounds in your heart
From conflicts and hardships of the year.

Let the heavenly showers
Clear the air and freshen your view
Of the world around you.

Let the brisk sounds and scenes
Of the holiday season
Pace the rhythm of your step.

Let your soul be uplifted
With the sparkle of children
Enjoying the surprises of winter’s antics.

Let your heart be filled
With the peace of an infant's succor
From her mother's breast.

Let peace in your heart
Free you from doubts and fears
And spread your warm feelings to those near to you.

Let peace in your heart
Open the door to love
And reveal the true delights of the human experience.

Let there be peace on earth,
The purest peace of innocence,
And let it be born in your heart.

Santa’s Helpers

I’m not usually the sappy type…maybe I’m overly tired with everything that’s going on right now…but someone sent this to me this morning and it brought a tear to my eye. Wish we could all bring ourselves to feel this way all year.

Happy Dec. 10!

*Adventure With Grandma*

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit  her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I  fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go?  Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous, cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends,  my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker.   He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs.Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes," I replied shyly. "It's.... for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote on the package, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" --Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the tag tucked inside: $19.95.

He who has no Christmas in his heart will never find Christmas under a tree.

Changes in blog access

Due to some privacy issues that have arisen, I am closing this blog to the public. If you were on my regular list I have sent an invitation to you to become an approved reader. If you received posts via email, I have retained that list but I am unsure if the changes will affect delivery. If you receive today's post via email, please let me know so that I know it's working. If you wish to become a reader and need assistance or want to recommend someone who would like to be come an approved reader, please email me at jfgambill@gmail.com.

Thanks! Have a nice Tuesday!

December Giving posts

Our December giving project is well underway and the kids are enjoying it. This week is dress rehearsal week for THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. I am directing, Embree is on the stage crew, and Brice and Reeves are both in it (so Dad is a kid wrangler!!). Needless to say, I have had no time to post blog entries. I’ll be posting updates on our giving project, and pictures from this week’s adventures next week…when I can breathe again! What ever happened to stringing popcorn and making gingerbread cookies?????

Have a great week!

December Giving - Day 3

Today's gifts (December 3)

My clever cousin, Heather, is putting together a book for my grandparents with submissions by all the great-grandkids.

The kids worked on their pages today as their gift of the day.

Reeves chose his favorite poem and drew a little picture to go with it.

Brice shared a bear collage he made recently...

Embree created her own photo picture...

December Giving – Day 2

Our second day of giving. I suggested that they give each other permission to borrow something of the other’s that they seldom share. Both said that they didn’t care to borrow anything of the other’s. So much for that idea…so they were on their own to think of a gift.

Reeves decided to sing Happy Birthday to his great grandfather (93).

Embree and Reeves attend a combo science and sign language class on Wednesday evenings. They made colloids – gum drops – out of Jell-O gelatin and water. They were cool. Of course, because they were made of gelatin, Embree wouldn’t eat hers. She gave one to a friend and one to Reeves. This, she counted as her gift. Ok, it was 8pm and she was desperate to check off the assignment. Got anything laying around you would rather die than eat…give it as a gift!!! I admit, before now, she would have thrown it in the garbage rather than share it with her brother…so there was generosity in her gift.

This is going to be a learning experience for all of us! I know they will both benefit from this experiment if we stick to it.

Until tomorrow…

December Gifts – Day 1

The kids and I started our 25 days of giving yesterday (Dec. 1). I think it was more difficult for them than they thought it would be. They are still focused on buying and giving material things as gifts. But, by the end of the day they both were able to do something nice…though it seemed like a checklist. I have faith that it will get easier and more sincere over the month.

Embree: Helped Reeves find his new bird ornament after we got home late last night and the cat had ripped all the feathers out and mutilated the beak. She helped so willingly, then asked if she could count it as her gift. Ok, so she actually was nice to him about it…so yes, it counted.

Reeves: Put off his gift until bedtime because he couldn’t think of anything except giving away a toy. He gave everyone in the family a big hug before bed. It’s a start.

It’s hard for kids to think of giving at this time of year when they are inundated with so much that encourages them to ask for things. So, today we’ll start with things. I’m going to ask them to allow the other to borrow something for the day that they don’t normally share. We’ll see how it goes!

Sticks and Rocks

Ever since  I was old enough to need to shop for Christmas gifts, I have shopped Black Friday with my Dad and sisters. Some years it’s just me and one other person. Other years all four of us get up early, grab coffee, and hit a couple of stores. Sometimes we don’t buy very much. When the kids were very small, and into actual toys, it made Christmas a bit cheaper.

So last night I decided to hit the Toys R Us sale at midnight. Then I was going to go to Kohl’s at 4am and Walmart at 5am. Before the sale papers came to my door yesterday morning, the kids’ lists were short and almost complete. Then I started looking through the ads and feeling that frenzy to make sure my kids had the best holiday possible by buying them lots and lots of stuff.

I admit it, I let the feeling get to me this time of year. Christmas is one of the special times I remember growing up. We had such a great time that I get depressed when I can’t be with my family at Christmas. I want my kids to have that same thought when they are grown. So, I hesitate not to buy something they want or I wonder if we have enough for them each year…even when the space under the tree is piled high and stockings are so heavy they can’t be hung.  THEY NEED MORE STUFF so they’ll love Christmas as much as I do!!!

Then I look back at my childhood Christmas memories. We got stuff, don’t get me wrong, but we got a few things and a stocking. I remember a few of my favorite things, but not the bulk of the list over the years. What I remember is that we always got a family game as a gift and my parents would let us open it on Christmas Eve after church. We’d play a round while we sipped eggnog that my mom made and nibbled cookies that we had helped decorate. Then we’d set out something for Santa and head to one of my sisters’ bedrooms to camp out on the floor together and wait for morning. (This was such an important tradition for my youngest sister that she made Todd do it the first year he was with us!).

The next morning, after gifts, we’d eat a huge breakfast with my mom’s cream cheese bread hot out of the oven, get dressed and visit both sets of grandparents before the day was over. December 25th is my birthday, so I’d have at least two cakes and two or three rounds of “Happy Birthday to You” before I went to sleep. Revelation…MY MEMORIES DON’T REALLY INVOLVE GETTING STUFF!!! (I know, they involve food…that’s another blog post entirely!)

So, back to last night…I actually did drive to Toys R Us. (1 hr to get there and get into the parking lot). I walked up to the line (which only had about 200 people when I got there, but was stretched around the building within 15 minutes). I stood in line for 20 minutes or so and all those memories from my younger days started running through my mind. I realized that the ONE toy I was in line for was for my youngest…who didn’t even ask for it…who doesn’t care whether he gets a new train set, but would rather I just sit down and play trains with him and the old set. I realized that the reason I wanted to be there was to be with my family…but I was alone.

Then I started thinking about my recent blog posts about the “gimmes” and my kids’ consumer mentality. I looked around and found myself in the midst of the very thing I want to eradicate in their lives. I was suddenly embarrassed to be there…so I left. I just left and drove home. The further I got away, the better I felt. I climbed into bed and slept soundly and there wasn’t a package hidden away anywhere in house! There were no impulse, guilty purchases or toys and junk grabbed because there was a limited number available.

This morning, I ordered a slightly less fancy, slightly more expensive train set for Brice online. He’ll be thrilled. The kids will have plenty of Christmas. After all, they are lucky enough to have generous grandparents and aunts and uncles. But I’ll make sure that our December is about giving and sharing and playing. So, I’m back to my theory of giving sticks and rocks this year. If Santa brought sticks and rocks I bet they’d play with them…and I bet they’d always remember that Christmas!

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Holiday Greetings

Giving Thanks, Part 2

So, my family members are all aware of all the things and loved ones we HAVE in our lives. Gratitude is good. Gratitude for the little things that don’t cost money is even better. We all seem to have that covered at different levels and we are working on getting better at recognizing how blessed we really are at this moment.

Moving on…how can we help others who need it? How can we put aside our own desires, even our own needs, to help friends, family, even strangers who need us?

That was our challenge today and it was a hard challenge. First responses by both of the big kids was to donate money to charity. When pushed on where that money would come from both thought it would come from Mom & Dad. Neither was really willing to give up their own allowance for this. So the challenge then became something  they could do for others that didn’t require money. That was a hard one too. Here are some of their ideas:

Have a lemonade stand and give the money to charity. (Mom: “Where do you get money to buy supplies?” Kid: “You?”)

Give away my socks. (Mom:“What would you wear?” Kid:”You could buy me more socks.”)

We finally got around to volunteering. Embree offered to rake a neighbor’s leaves and Reeves offered to clean her cat boxes.

I don’t know if I need to work on my kids or on myself. I am shocked at how little they could think of that actually required a sacrifice on their part. Have I been that poor a model? I thought I was generous and compassionate. Maybe I’m not enough of those things. Maybe I need to make a concerted effort to exhibit those qualities in a more overt way to the kids.

I think we will spend December concentrating on giving. Each day we will give a gift; tangible or intangible. I will not walk by a Salvation Army kettle without dropping something in, even if I’ve denied the kids their favorite treat because it’s too close to Christmas or too far from pay day. I will look for ways to help and ask them to join in. Some days may be difficult. Some days WILL be difficult, but something as small as helping a sibling clean up or waiting for the mail carrier just to say thanks will do.

I’ll report our progress. It should be interesting!

‘til then…

Giving Thanks

This week we are trying to focus on the parts of our lives for which we are thankful instead of the myth of happy Pilgrims and Native Americans embracing in a big group hug. Don't get me wrong. I love Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, when we take out the misconceptions and stereotypes and focus on actually giving thanks for what we have, then it's the happiest, most relaxed, most meaningful holiday for me.

For example, we had a huge Thanksgiving potluck at our homeschool co-op on Friday. It was the biggest, yummiest spread of brown food one could ever hope for on Thanksgiving. Most importantly we all (20+) sat around one large table and just enjoyed each other's company. There was no anticipation of presents to open as on Chirstmas, no trick or treating, no Easter baskets...no gimme, gimme feelings. Then each kid got up and gave a brief presentation for Kentucky History. That's it! It was relaxed and fun and lovely. I found myself looking around thinking how lucky my family is to be a part of this extended family group. So many friends and so much love there.

Tomorrow and Monday I get to spend time with all the kids and adults in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. That's another group that makes me recall just how lucky we are to have so many friends and so many opportunities in our lives. Watching kids (and adults) blossom on stage, listening to excited actors explain their creative ideas, being able to step back and allow a cast to take the reigns of their show that last week...that's special and makes the time it takes worthwhile.

Of course, there are our moms and dads, brothers and sisters, aunt, uncles, grandparents, cousins, in-laws, birth parents, friends, pets, and complete strangers who smile as they walk by who fill our lives with love. We don't get to spend enough time with them, but they are always in our hearts.

We have a home, food, shelter...even decent health care...and the occasional splurge on eating out or new toys. We have so much and want for nothing.

Today we are thankful for all we have...tomorrow we move on to what we have that we can give to make others' live better.

Jeannie: I am thankful for my three beautiful children, even when they are loud and dirty and picking on one another!

Todd: My Wife

Embree: My family because they care for me.

Reeves: I am thankful for my cousins and wish I got to see them more often.

Brice: He is thankful for "Juice"

Happy Thanksgiving!

On the farm with the Embrees

We visited our friends, Josh, Lovell, Peyton, and Jared Embree in Schwenksville, PA the first weekend in November. We visited with a friend of their's on a working farm. We fed horses, gathered eggs, fed the cows, and went on a real hayride...real wagon pulled by a tractor with actual hay! It was a beautiful fall day and a wonderful way to spend time with people we love.

Fun in the park

Theresa and Josh joined us for an afternoon in the park...a beautiful afternoon.

Pumpkin Study

For our Autumn Nature Study series, we studied pumpkins. We went to the pumpkin patch and picked our own, then brought them home to study. We examined the outside, thumped them, weighed them, sketched them, then cut them open.

We examined how the seeds were attached to the flesh by the gooey, stringy matter inside...sort of like an umbilical cord! Embree was not impressed!

We examined and drew the seeds



Brice was determined to put the pumpkin back together!!

Then Reeves was in charge of roasting the seeds...one of his favorite snacks.

Embree was tasked with roasting the flesh...

Finally, we used the roasted pumpkin to make cookies. A fun day!

New Pet...yet another one!

Embree wanted to introduce her new pet (and her new haircut!). Enjoy.

The Lesson

Brice has begun to really enjoy playing with trains. You know, the kind they set up at bookstores in the children’s section so homeschooling mom’s like me have plenty of uninterrupted time to make unintended purchases? Anyway, Reeves had a set of trains when he was younger, but they’ve long been packed away in the attic and his train table has been used as a surface for each Lego creation of the day. Today, without asking his opinion, I loaded all of his Legos into a huge shallow plastic bin that he can slip in and out from under his bed. Then I moved the train table into Brice’s room and set up the trains. I simply told all the kids, “I think it’s time to get the trains out for Brice…he’d love that.” Reeves helped me load his Legos into their new home, helped me move the table, helped me set up the track, and has been playing with Brice now for about two hours. Never, never did he ask why, or ask what did he get for giving up something he uses on a daily basis. He just did it and he’s enjoying it, and he’s teaching his little brother how to be a beautiful human being. Today’s lesson was for me…sometimes a simple act by a child can stop you in your tracks and make you ask yourself, “Can I possibly live up to that?”

Nature Study: Golden Rod & Wooly Worm

This week's nature study was the Golden Rod (Solidago altissima) , one of our favorite fall flowers and the KY state flower. We drove to the nature trail at Great Crossing park and walked a little ways until we found a stand of them ready for study. Golden Rod are composite flowers, meaning each spray of gold holds hundreds of individual flowers. We studied the taxonomy of the plant kingdom earlier in the day and put our new knowledge to good use when we discovered that while the golden rod spread seeds on the wind, they reproduce by rhizomes on the roots as well. This makes a patch of golden rod clones of one another. Cool!

We always get a little more than we bargain for...we ran across a huge lichen we've yet to identify...any ideas?

Of course we played a bit!!

And we came across a Wooly Worm!! Growing up where the annual town event is The Wooly Worm Festival, I didn't think much about it at first. However, this appears to be the first time the kids have run across a "wooly bear." They all enjoyed having him crawl up and down their arms. We brought him home to see if we could coax him into a pupa and watch the metamorphisis to moth...but after a little research, we discovered that the Wooly Worms buries itself in the ground over the winter and emerges as the Isabella Tiger Moth in the spring. The cold is a must to jumpstart the transformation, so he'll have to go back out into the garden. Maybe we'll meet him flying around the front porch light in April!

We found a cool lychen

Fall at the Farm (Oct. 5 & 6)

The leaves were gone on many of the maples, and just beginning to turn on other types of trees. My guess is that this coming weekend will be gorgeous. It was still nice to be in the mountains, in the rain and fog. We built a fire and stayed close to the homestead all day. We were visited by a young Jack Russell Terrier who was obviously on the move. He'd been shot through the front right paw, but it appeared to have exited the back of his foot and was healing ok. We took him to animal control near the farm so they could post his picture and see if he'd been micro-chipped. We called back after leaving to come back to KY. He had no chip. We'll give his owners a bit longer to find him, then Todd's promised Embree we'll find him a home. He's precious...anyone need a new dog? I have a feeling home will be Georgetown if he isn't careful!! Happy fall everyone!!

ZZZZZZZZZZZ

During our latest visit to the farm Embree decided that Brice should sleep with her. It was his first slumber party!! He went to sleep patting her on the shouldar. Reeves didn't seem to mind having his bed ALL TO HIMSELF!!

Sweet Boy

Just wanted to share this picture of our sweet boy!

Wild Kitties

We've found a treasure trove of wild kittens in the privet hedge behind KMart. It's now a nightly must to see them. This is one reason Embree has so many pet items in her purse. She's prepared for anything!! There are two kittens that actually run out whenever they hear us pull up. Embree has touched them a few times, though they are skittish. One night we saw a pack of 5 big raccoons just hangin' with the cats and sharing their food (someone from the Humane Society s feeding them). I think the goal is to eventually catch a couple and take them to be spayed, then release them back. Embree's in heaven when we are there!

Nature Study: Tree Scavenger Hunt

We walked to campus on a tree scavenger hunt...the kids enjoyed finding everything on thier lists, plus a few extras!

A tree with needles

Lots of large acorns

A leaf larger than Reeves' head!

A tree with smooth bark

A leaf larger than Embree's hand

Needles

A tree with fruit

Rough bark

A leaf smaller than Embree's hand