When Heaven Touches Earth

It's not that I haven't had anything to write lately.. But that I've had too much to write.. In the past week, I've developed a marketing plan for K-mart to become a real competitor of Walmart, for Sixflags to rebound in it's industry (neither of these things did anyone ask me for or is paying me for but I'm sure I'd give it free to anyone that was willing to listen to me). I've tossed around ideas about heaven and contemplated if I'm focusing my life in a direction in which Heaven will feel like home to me. I've dreamed up different paths our church should take and wondered which path would be God's favorite and I'm working on a new mom blog with one of my favorite people, and I'll be sharing that with you soon. But as you can see, none of these things go together so every time I sit down to write about them, I find myself typing, deleting, typing deleting.. Not knowing where to start..

But, there was a moment tonight that I would like to freeze in my mind forever.. The girls beg to sleep with each other all week. We only allow them to do that on Friday night because they giggle or fight,depending on the Friday night, and they keep each other awake. This works out nicely on a night when we can sleep in the next day so on Friday nights, we throw them in there together and let them keep each other awake. Before I came to bed tonight (currently laying in bed, got to love a laptop)I went to check on them and saw this..


It's funny to me that sometimes we go through life making it so much more complicated than it has to be and waiting for that one huge moment. Yet, it's moments like these that I look at my children and it takes my breath away and I know that I've caught a glimpse of Heaven.

Blessings,

Dana

Disney Planning Post-- Part Two--- Things I'm glad I took

I'm definitely not one to think that stuff can make you happy but I do think there were a few things that made this trip go smoother and so I thought I'd throw out a few suggestions.

I realize that this shows how anal I can be. But keep in mind that the last trip we made to DW, I took our 18 month old straight from the hospital where she had been under 18 hours of observation with fluids for a stomach virus which the doctor assured me would "make her as good as new" and totally ready for DW. HE LIED!! But anyway, it was so rushed that I forgot her shoes and had to stop and buy shoes on the way there. And not that taking a stomach virus along to DW with you isn't stressful enough, it was even more stressful because I was in no way prepared for that trip. But more on that later. For the record, no one is paying me to advertise these items. I just really like them. But, where I could find it, I included a link to Amazon.



Our electric cooler



The rooms at the Value resorts do not include refrigerators. You can have one brought to your room to use for $10 a day. Or, you can buy one of these for around $100 and it'll pay for itself in just a couple of trips. Adam's mom got us this for a gift several years ago. It made many youth ministry trips and has served to stock drinks in our spare bedroom when we've had guests. It has been used A LOT and is still working as well as it did when we got it. Plus, it also has an adapter that plugs in in the car so you can go ahead and stock it and keep stuff cold on your way there.

*A Backpack for me-- Disney World is one of the few amusment parks that will allow you to bring food into the park. They will even allow you to bring in a soft sided cooler (I didn't go through that trouble since there are plenty of places that the meal plan can be used inside the park). However, I took a backpack with things we might need in it, including: water bottles, camera, some high protein snacks in it, a first aid kit, pull ups and wipes, hand sanitizer, a dollar umbrella from the Dollar tree for each of us and etc.


These handy Eddie Bauer backpacks that I found at Target for 13.99








I know what you're thinking.. I too once turned my nose up at the the thought of these things and remarked that I would never put my children on a leesh like an animal. But that was before I actually had children and knew that they could actually act like animals. And as a man said to me as he walked by and saw my children enjoying their freedom and me, enjoying their security, "Those things are totally kosher now"! Plus, these have the added bonus of the marker board and markers so, on the car rides and the rides on the trolley, they had a built in activity. I filled these with Disney coloring books and crayons and sticker books along with their own personal booklight and tied them on the car seats in front of them for the ride there and it kept them entertained for several hours of the trip. I even got a very impressed exclamation from Emma, "Mom, you're are so totally prepared"! And, it kept our van all tidy and neat which makes for a much better trip for me!



And speaking of crayons.. I searched high and low for this thing... I knew that someone had to have had the idea before me and I finally found the 8 in 1 crayon made by Alex at Learning Express.




Thank you Learning Express for saving me the headache of searching the car for crayons. Definitely a worth while investment at $2.99 a piece.



These neat water bottles with filters by New Wave Enviromental







I got six of these, and wrote our names on them. This way, we didn't have to haul a bunch of bottled water and, we could carry the bottles empty until we needed a drink. Then we would fill them up anywhere we wanted. Plus, they are made out of corn and are biodegradable.



I also went to the Dollar Tree and stocked up on glow sticks and necklaces and cotton candy. That way, when they asked for those things in the park, I could pull them out of my backpack and save myself about ten bucks. I also took our own princess dresses and equipment to do do fancy hairstyles because the Bippidi Boppidi Boutique is expensive and takes a lot of time.



Since we're already talking about the things that I took on the trip that were helpful, I'll go ahead and include the things that I was wishing I had with me but didn't.  Really, there are only a couple but if I ever go again, I will be investing in these two items:

The Combi Flare Stroller



I took our sit and stand stroller.  And while it was nice to have a place for both of them to sit, I don't think they both ended up in it at the same time more than twice.  I think a big stroller would be necessary if you have more than one child that isn't walking but, I think it would have been a lot less work for us to have a single, compact, lightweight stroller.  Because, though I love my sit n' stand and it fits just fine in my van, it was pretty big to be getting on and off Disney World's transportation.  And we were waiting for the trolly one night and I saw a guy walk up with this stroller, take a baby out of it, hold the baby in one arm, fold the stroller in the other and then throw the strap over his shoulder in all of about three seconds.. I don't think I've ever been so envious in my life..  If I had known that this thing existed, it would have been my travel system with the girls.  The stroller weighs 11.5 lbs.  But will hold up to 55 lbs.  It has a longer handle than you normally find on a compact stroller.   It folds super small and has a strap to hang it on your shoulder.  And even with being so compact, it still works with an infant carrier. 

And last but not least:
The Stroll'r Swivel'r






Our friends Susan and Tony and their two kids live in Lakeland Florida. They met us for a day in the Magic Kingdom. Susan had this handy little hook on her stroller and it held their backpack totally keeping it out of the way but making it very accessible when she needed it. I was a little aggrevated at myself on this one because it seemed like something so easy and inexpensive that I totally missed. I will definitely be investing in one of these soon.

I have one more planning post to make about a couple of things I would do differently. Please e-mail me with any questions that I might be able to help with. I love this stuff and would totally get a job planning these trips if I could figure out how to do that from home.

Blessings,
Dana

Disney World Tips-- Part 1 things I'm glad we did

I must admit, that when it comes to spending a fairly large amount of money on a trip, I am pretty particular about the planning. And after our disastrous trip to Disney World last year, I was on a mission to get two trips worth of fun out of one trip. So, I read everything that I could get my hands on to make our trip just a little bit more magical. And though there were a couple of glitches along the way, it was nothing compared to the trip last year. But, I will spare you and save the vomit stories for later. And instead, I will share the info that I learned in planning our trip so that maybe, I might spare someone a bit of work in research.


Things I'm glad we did:

Stayed on Disney Property:
We stayed at the All Star Music Resort. This time of year, the rooms are at a low rate of $69 dollars a night. I was a little concerned with my sheet snobbiness that I would be disappointed with the sleeping accommodations but I was pleasantly surprised to see that we had Sealy Posterpedic beds and the sheets weren't luxury but, sufficient. I did take my own sheets just in case but didn't end up using them. Staying on site also entitled us to the Extra Magic Hours. The parks rotate opening one hour early and staying open three hours late for only resort guests. I planned our days in the parks according the extra magic hours at night. We cleared out of the park during the middle of the day when the park was the busiest and went back to the hotel for naps so that we were well rested for the night time fun. And, flashing my card to show I had access to be in the park made me feel like a VIP :). Staying on property also entitles you to Disney's bus service that runs at least every 30 minutes and drops you right off at the park's gate. So much better than trying to find our own way around, wasting our gas and time trying to find a parking space.



Requested a connecting room to my parent's room:
This was so helpful because the girls could run back and forth to their hearts content. Much better than having to go outside to run back and forth. IMPORTANT! THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADJOINING ROOMS AND CONNECTING ROOMS. ADJOINING JUST MEANS THAT THEY ARE SIDE BY SIDE. CONNECTING MEANS THAT THERE IS A DOOR BETWEEN THEM ON THE INSIDE. If you want that feature, I would recommend calling and talking to someone on the phone and making sure they know you want to be able to go back and forth without going outside. I also requested rooms far away from the lobby. This gave us quite a walk to catch the bus but the closer buildings are also closer to the pool where there is a lot of noise and I wanted to insure the ability to get a good nap.


Used the Disney Meal plan:
I'll say up front that I think if you worked really hard at it and did some of your own food, you could come out cheaper. But for us, the meal plan was the way to go. We ate like royalty and for me, one of the most stressful things about vacation is feeling like things are adding up as we go along. The meal plan is 39.99 per night per person a day and it includes 1. Table Service meal 1. Quick Service meal and 1. Snack per day. Our meal at Cinderella's Royal Table was 253 dollars for five adults and one child (chloe was free). I would have had a heart attack if I hadn't known it was already taken care of. A quick service meal for four adults one night was $84 (the kids shared). Since the character meals were such a big part of our experience, I wouldn't change the decision to go with the meal plan. Though we paid more up front, we spent less than $150 on the whole trip, gas and meals on the way included. If you count the energy we saved not being at home, that will come in under budget for the week. And, I wasn't scared to look at my checking account total when we got back home. If you are really interested in the bottom line figures, here is a great post on the Breakdown of the Disney World Dining Plan

Took advantage of the fast passes:
For further information, read about the Disney World Fast Passes. The site I just linked you to explains it real well so why do it double time.  So let me summarize by saying, you'll want them, you'll use them, you won't regret it. 

Scheduling of the Royal Table Dinner:
This happened completely by accident but the only reservation left for Cinderella's Royal Table was a very late one at 7:45 p.m. Since, the ending ceremony and fireworks were at 8:00 p.m., this gave us window seats to the fireworks as well as the dinner show with the fairy godmother and the mice. NOTE: Cinderella's Royal Table dinner includes a photo session with Cinderella and a show with the fairy god mother. It does not include dinner with all the princesses as the breakfast and lunch does. You will also read about this in my hindsight's twenty twenty section.





Made reservations for the character meals:
This is a great way to get to see the characters without having to wait in line. This time, we ate at Cinderella's Royal Table, Hollywood and Vine and Chef Mickey's. I had been told that Chef Mickey's was the best character experience and it didn't disappoint. All of the classic characters were there except for Daisy Duck. These dinners book out quick so make your reservations early. To make sure you don't miss the opportunity to see your family's favorites, I'm linking you up to a listing that tells where each character can be frequently found. Disney Character Appearances



Made friends with the Disney World employees:
Chloe's favorite princess is Snow White. Since Snow White wasn't on the schedule of character greetings, I was on a mission to find Snow White after a show or parade or something so Chloe could have her picture made with her and Emma could get her to sign her autograph book. We asked an employee where we could find Snow White. He sent us to the City Hall at the front of the park. When we got in the City Hall, they made a phone call. A few minutes later, Snow White met us in the flower garden next to City Hall for our own little meet and greet.




Making friends with the Disney World employees also earned us a spot as the "First Family In" in the "Play House Disney" show. Certificate and front row seats to boot. It's also the thing that covered my ignorance on the connecting/adjoining room issue. The guy at the desk nicely switched things around for me without a problem. In Short, the Disney staff is awesome and it can't hurt to ask.

---And the most important thing we did----

Took two extra set on of hands:
It's Disney World.. Lot's of miles + not a lot of sleep + plus live action cartoon characters = Crazy Children. Plain and simple. Man on man defense is not good enough. But, a 2:1 ratio worked quite nicely. Thank you mom and dad for tagging along and going along with my anal plans that included all the kiddy activities without a single complaint. I totally had my cake and ate it too.


Since this post has gotten quite lengthy and I'm severely lacking in sleep, I will come back with a Part 2-- Things I'm glad we took soon.

And may your night be magical and may your prince always kiss you goodnight.

Blessings,

Dana

Sad, sad, sad... How did I get here?

I had to take a break from the Disney World posts to share a sad, sad realization that I have come to.

Here recently I have found it has become increasing difficult to deny the fact that I'm an adult. For so long, I found myself in situations when I was buying or selling a house, making a decision about a preschool, purchasing life insurance, spending the night in the hospital with my child, wearing the vomit that put my child in the hospital, and etc, there has been this overwhelming feeling: "I really don't feel like I'm old enough to be handling this, shouldn't my mom and dad be at least watching over my shoulder to make sure I'm doing it right"? More recently, those thoughts have shifted to, "how did I get to this place". Very recently, a conversation that I had with Emma drove the point home and I declared it official. I AM OLD. There is no someone that is 70 being older than me. No Freshman or Senior status. We all have to feed our kids, pay the bills and be concerned with what's going on with our government. WE-ALL-ARE-JUST-OLD. Deal with it and move on. In a way it's a liberating realization as I no longer have to fear getting old. But, this conversation deemed it official and that there is no turning back.

I'm pretty certain that I should be in therapy over the fact that I find it liberating to be self-deprecating the way I do but there is something so freeing, to me, to know that I've set low expectations of myself. Like I said, "in need of therapy". But, none the less, I shall share one of those stories that I really should keep to myself. But hey, life is nothing if you can't laugh at yourself right?

Emma was supposed to dress up for career day at school the other day. Now, even though I would never choose another path for myself, I put up a strong resistence to Emma simply wanting to go as a mother. Now don't get me wrong, I think the job I'm doing is the most important job I'll ever do. But I found myself tossed around in the throws of wanting so much more for my child than what I am. This really isn't the sad part. It actually was very sweet. So after offering up every career that I could think of, every costume in our dress up box: doctor, dancer, teacher, pirate... She was set on being a mommy. So we decided that this would be the one exception that she would be able to take a baby doll to school. And then came the decision of what to wear. And this is how that conversation went.

Me: Now, we must figure out what you will wear. We could grease your hair up, put on a pair of yoga pants that you really shouldn't be wearing and send you barefooted.
Emma: [Looks at me in her typical, come on mom look] Hey, can I wear one of your fancy dresses that I use to dress up in?
Me: NO
Emma: Why not?
Me: because they are not dresses, they're night gowns (IE lingerie)
Emma: Oh, well then why don't you ever wear them?

GRREAT... I'm that mom.

And, to add insult to injury, she wouldn't even wear an apron saying, "why would a mom wear an apron? That's what a cook wears".

She settled on a simple shirt with a feux camisole underneath, a pair of blue jeans and tennis shoes and a non-greasy ponytail. Which I must agree was so uninterestingly me. I guess I've managed to pull it off well enough to make her want that life. I have a sneaky suspicion that she has no plans of wearing an apron either but, is quite certain that she'll wear tons of fancy night gowns. I was too, when I was six.

Blessings,

Dana

Home Sweet Home

Though Emma wants to live in the castle.. of course.

We're home from a wonderful trip to Disney. Lot's of catching up to do. I hope to get a full post done soon . But, as of now, I'm finding it quite difficult to write this post with Chloe in my lap as she started with a runny nose and fever just a soon as we got home and wants nothing but for me to hold her. I am thankful that God honored my request that He keep Emma and Chloe well for the trip though next time I'll put in a request for Adam too since he discovered the nearest Quick Care for his case of tonsilitis. Either way, it was a much better trip than what we had last year.. More on that later...

Here are a few pics for the time being. I'm still trying to shuffle through the 500 pictures that I took to see which ones make the blog cut. Some fun stories too.. I took my old camera and the kit lens (which in my opinion is pretty much the equivalent of poo poo) because I didn't want the stress of carrying around expensive camera equipment. Next on my list of camera equipment that I want is a nice telephoto lens but since that would cost more than the whole trip to Disney, that will have to wait until I win the lottery.


Blessings,
Dana

Finally, Christmas

Wow, has it really been a whole week since I was last here? Well, I have to admit that our holiday traveling kicked my tail and it has taken me forever to get our lives back in order. Now it's time to start working on our taxes and though they don't have to be done for a couple of months, I know that it will weigh on my mind until I get them done so I might as well get it over with. But I did want to make record of our Christmas before Easter gets here.

I thought I would start by telling you about the philosophying our oldest did about the season:
Emma has really started questioning the Santa thing. The Santa issue has always been something I haven't been completely comfortable with. I've heard stories about children that were furious with their parents when they found out "the truth about Santa". One of our friends son's told a friend, "Santa has to be real because my dad says he is and my dad would never lie to me". I've heard of other's making a connection with God about it. All those stories really make me uneasy. But, we also don't want our kids to be the kids that ruin it all for the other kids. So, our compromise has been to play along with the legend but not really put a lot of emphasis on it. I can't bring myself to out right lie to them so when Emma has asked questions, I always just sort of play it off and ask her what she thinks and let it be whatever she wants to make it. So, she asked the question, point blank, "mom, do you think Santa is real"? In response, I said, "well, what do you think"? She replied, "I think he's real but I don't think I buy the flying reindeer part". I chuckled a little and then we talked a little bit about how there really was a man named St. Nick that took presents to families who couldn't afford them and sometimes when stories get told over and over again, people make up their own versions but even if the story that we've always heard isn't exactly right that it's still okay to believe in the goodness of the story. So, I must admit that I was feeling pretty smooth and thinking that I was about to make it through 2009 still in the running for the Mother of the Year award. I hadn't totally robbed her of childhood fantasy but I didn't lie to her either. I even brought in a lesson about goodness and she was seeming to be putty in my hand. Points for mom! But then, we woke up Christmas morning, did their stockings and then their present and Emma looked at me and said, "I don't think Santa brought the gifts or the stocking". I looked at her and nervsously said, "you don't"? and she said, "no, I think he just came for the cookies"!! GREAT, now I've made Santa a selfish man that comes to take and be a glutten! Is this a product of me overthinking things? I would say so. Will my children need therapy for my tendency to over analyze things? Most likely, yes. Points deducted, trophy denied. Maybe next year.

And since I have the need to try to keeps things as even as possible between them so that one of them won't think that one is more important to me than the other (yes overanalyzing things again). I'm going to tell a not related to Christmas funny from Chloe. She went to Adam with a pack of fruit snacks and said, "Open these". to which Adam replied, "Excuse me? What's the magic word"? Chloe's response, of course was, "Abracadabra". Needless to say, she managed to get the fruit snacks opened without saying please.

I'm going to post my smugmug gallery. Most of the pictures have a description under them and that will save us all some time.

But here was the general plan:
We stayed here for Christmas and then travelled to Alabama on Sunday and were there for New Years. Chloe seems to be taking after me and doesn't do well out of her own bed. She had night terrors 4 out of 6 of the nights we were gone. It has only happened twice while we are at home and it seems to be on days when she doesn't have a good nap so making sure that kid doesn't get over exhausted is now a top priority! Other than the night terrors, it was an absolutely wonderful holiday season. I prepared our meals ahead of time and since Christmas was on Friday, we had three straight days of play. We had puppet shows and scavanger hunts, made a birthday cake for Jesus, made cookies, went and served food at the mission and handed out the cookies. We had a sleepover upstairs and just really soaked each other up. We had a wonderful time visiting our families. And somehow, even with my insistance that we wanted to cut the gift thing down, I'm still trying reorganize and find a home for all the presents we brought home. And, with all the money that we got from Christmas and was saved from birthdays throughout the year, we will be making a trip to Disney World next week and it only costed me $300 out of my pocket! Woo Hoo!

Disclosure: It is very difficult for me to play both the role of photographer and mommy while Christmas presents are being opened. My sister was taking the pictures at my moms and that is why there are a lot more there than there than when we were opening gifts at Adam's parents. Thanks Denise!
And now, our CHRISTMAS PHOTOS:



We also made a little detour on our way home and saw our friends George, and Jay and Sarah Jane and though I did somehow miss getting a picture of the kids, I never miss the opportunity to get a baby bump. You can see those pictures over at Jay's blog.

Blessings,
Dana

Is the Winter inside heat getting to your skin?

As I said in my previous post, my cousin, who is a beautician has started a blog with very useful information about taking care of yourself, beauty tips etc. She recently did a post about taking care of dry, winter skin. It reminded me of some household tips that I've learned to help prevent dry skin and other winter problems. Hopefully, I can combine the two and keep my skin soft, all year long.

When we were in West Virginia, and Chloe was born, and it got cold for the winter, Our heat was running pretty much non stop. She started waking up at night but didn't seem hungry. She would want to nurse for a few minutes and then go back to sleep. Since I was also waking with a parched throat, I determined that the gas heat was drying her out and started running a humidifier in her room. It fixed the problem.

Now my mother-in-law is a sleuth for any obscure product that will result in a better well being. Sometimes, she hits the jackpot. For a couple of years, she has been monitoring the humidity in her home. So while we were there, we got to talking about the humidity issue and she gave me a gauge that measures the humidity in our house.

So, after chatting with Lynn and a little further internet research, this is what I discovered about humidity:

If you are waking up with a dry, parched throat, the humidity in your home is too low. The humidity should be somewhere between 30 and 50%. Anything below thirty is too dry and the ideal environment for sinus trouble and anything above 50% is too high, the ideal environment for mold and dust mite growth, also, causes of sinus problems. Ideal comfort level in the winter is 40-45%.

You can get a tool to measure the humidity in your home for around 5 dollars. Here is a link to ONE at Lowe's. Also, you know how the humidity being up in the summer makes it feel even warmer? The same pricipal applies here too. When I keep our humidity level around 40 percent, I can keep the thermostat set on 65 and we may have to put on a sweat shirt but we're not freezing. When I first started measuring it, the humidity was right at 30% and we were keeping the thermostat on 72.

Not only will upping the humidity in your home during the winter save your skin, it will also save on your utility bills!

Here's an easy little test you can do to see if the humidity in your home is low. Fix a glass of ice water. Let it sit for 5 minutes. If condensation doesn't build up on the glass then it's too dry. Now drink that glass of water to help your dry throat!

So what can you do to up the humidity in your home? The most obvious answer is humidifiers. If you have gas heat, I'm not sure if any other option will be powerful enough. It has been freezing here this week (literally) and even at 65 degrees our heat has been running a lot of the time. I have a humidifier in each of our bedrooms and it's still only been around 36-38%. But, on those milder days, here are some small things you can do..

Think about how moisture leaves your home and think about how you can keep it in.

*When taking a shower, leave the bathroom door open and don't turn on your exhaust fans.
*Turn the drying function off on your dishwasher and open it to let the dishes dry.
*Hang up wet clothes to dry.. The closer to your heating vents the better.
*after baths (if it is safe with children) leave the bathwater sitting in the tub.

I don't recommend you stop flushing the toilet but you get the general idea :).

I'd love to hear if these tips work for you!

And for those of you that could care less about my dry skin and came here for pictures. I'm working on getting all of the Christmas pictures into one gallery. If you were with us on Christmas and have pictures, I would be ever so grateful for your contributions.

Blessings,
Dana

Happy New You!

I've said before that I'm not a big fan of New Years Resolutions.. It just seems like setting myself up for failure. However, a couple of years ago, I made a list of a sort of plan of directions and it's sort of become my reminder to refocus on life after the craziness of the holiday season. It's a great reminder to me that as a child of God, there is always something new to learn and for me to become. Soon after I made this list, we packed up and moved across the country and our lives were chaotic for a bit. But, all and all, I think I did incorporate quite a bit of it into our lives, though there is much to strive for still. So once again, here are my thoughts about the direction I would like my life to take as we approach this new year.

My prayer to God is that I will always be renewed. That I will never feel as if I've reached a plateau and that I will always grow enough that I look at myself the year before and think, "what was I thinking"? So far, so good.

So without further ado, coming to you from January, 2008:

Ok, I never make New Years Resolutions because I believe that New Years Resolutions are doomed to fail. However, I do make some sort of plan at the beginning of the year that is intended to get me back on track after the holiday season. I guess I believe that since I'm not calling this plan resolutions, somehow the name will help me succeed. Somewhere in my heart, I hold on to the idea that I'm different than other people. Just like all the other different people in the world. Well, as I was making the plan this year (get in shape, get the house organized, you know, the typical) something occurred to me... It's plans like these that keep me from doing the things that I actually enjoy. So, here is my revised plan for 2008.

I'm refraining from numbering because numbers often indicate importance and these are being put down simply in the order that they pop into my head.

*PLAY

* Make a new friend. You know one of those friends that comes into your life and you know that your life is better because of them. One of those friends that understands you without you having to explain yourself. And, it's not even that they love you even though they disagree with you sometimes but that disagreeing with you isn't something that they think to do. They just let you be just the way you are because that is you and they love you. I have a couple of friends like this but they are few and far between and everyone could always use another.

*Be the same kind of friend I've described above.

*Spend time with this friend above (even if it is in an unorganized house) because spending time with people like I've described undoubtedly makes a person better.

* Give more kissles. At our house, kissles are a mix between a kiss and a tickle. When they are given, the recipient squeals with delight and says, "quit kissling me, quit kissling me". Kissles are a favorite at our house for Emma and Chloe shows signs of loving them too.

* take more naps with Chloe on my chest and Emma cuddled beside me.

*have conversations with God like He's sitting in the chair across from me.

* kiss Adam often and sit close.

* laugh until I cry

* praise a lot and criticize little

* take walks... not because I'm getting in shape but because I love the sunshine.

* take time to let Emma (and soon Chloe) help me while I cook and clean. Because doing it perfectly isn't as important as doing it together.

So those are the ones that come to mind right now and I think I'll add to the list as I embrace the things that are important as I embrace an imperfect me. I must go now, I see a child that needs some kissling!

Love from above,
Dana

Christmas Card

Since my spicy Christmas card got such a good reaction, I decided to attempt to make it a tad more Christmasy and send it out. I ended up getting them printed at Target. They were a glossy finish which isn't my preference but much better than the junk I got from Walmart. (Btw, I e-mailed Walmart and never got a response), I dropped them in the mail on Monday so they should arrive soon but, since my Christmas card list increased to over a hundred this year, I narrowed it down some with people that we might lose touch with without them at the top. If you didn't get a card this year, it's not because I don't love you but more likely because I'm cheap!



Oh and if you found yourself getting upset because it says holiday instead of Christmas, let me say that: holiday season in my mind is to include the whole season including New Years and the word holiday actually is derived from the words holy day. Oh, and you should read my post below for a different perspective on the issue.

Blessings,
Dana

Letter About Christmas from Jesus

My father-in-law recently posted this on his blog. I love it. He received it from a friend after writing THIS blog post

And since we all know that I'm never short of opinions, my commentary at the end of course :).


Dear Children,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. . . although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

•1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.
•2. Visit someone in a nursing home... Not just during Christmas time, but all through the year. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
•3. Instead of writing the president complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sends out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family? Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.
•4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
•5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.
•6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.
•7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families
•8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.
•9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
•10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions and words that you are one of mine.
Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember :

I LOVE YOU, JESUS


I must admit that I'm often frustrated by all the griping that goes on by Christians about the world. See here's the thing, if they don't know Jesus, then they don't have much of a reason to worship him or act like him. And if they don't know Jesus, then what is our job? Um, if I'm reading my Bible right, it's not to stay away from them because they are offending us. See this what I've realized, if I walk out the door, looking to be offended, it's going to happen. No doubt. But from what I read of Jesus, if He had worried about not going somewhere because he might get offended, well he probably wouldn't have achieved much.

It's really pretty easy.. If you're offended, don't be. Christianity doesn't offer us a life of comfort. It offers a life with a better way. A way that stands out, a way that makes us look like aliens. But here's the thing, to look like aliens, to look different, well, we have to be around some people that are different than we are.

So let's get off of this soapbox and choose a better battle. Let's pull back out that light that we learned about many years ago. Let's quit just taking it to the neighbors that think like we do and let's shine it ALL over the neighborhood.

Blessings,
Dana