My FANTASTIC Saturday

On Saturday my dear friend Lisa and I had our traditional Christmas brunch at Wild Fork & pedicures at Marilyn Ihloff. I look forward to it so much every year... last year we broke tradition and went to Branson for the weekend (which I highly recommend the weekend before Christmas... NO ONE was there and the shopping was amazing). We both had the buttermilk pancakes (mine with blueberry) and shared a side of bacon. Have I ever mentioned I have a true love for bacon? I don't let myself cook it very often, but when I do, I'm in heaven.

Anyway, over brunch Lisa decides to ROCK MY WORLD and tell me she's definitely moving to Houston in the spring for her job. I've known for a long time that it was a real possibility, but the fact that it's going to happen just hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately started getting all verklempt, and she was telling me to stop it, and I was trying to hold it together in a nice, quiet brunch atmosphere. I called her a few expletives (all in jest, of course), and we had a good laugh. She reminded me that because her family lives here, she'll be coming back to town all the time, and we decided we can watch fun shows like the Bachelor via Skype. That would be hilarious. I'm trying to picture us attempting to time our fast-forwarding so we're watching the same segment at the same time. Those of you who have been to my house & watched TV know I'm not the best with the remote. I'm a little trigger-happy.

Okay, so you're probably wondering why I titled this post as fantastic when I just described learning that one of my best friends in the whole world is moving. Well, any time I can spend with Lisa is fantastic, despite any kind of earth-shattering news. It was just a good morning full of good food, good company, and good pedicures.

NOW, on to the next segment of my day. I left Utica and drove to my brother-in-law Travis's house. He had told me to stop by because he had a project he needed help with. I thought he was needing me to help him with a Christmas present for Jason or something. Well, when I arrived, he told me we were driving somewhere and that I was getting an early Christmas present. Exciting!!! I don't think I've ever experienced an early Christmas present, and let me tell you, the anticipation was killing me.

We drove a couple of miles to a strip shopping center, and I parked. We walked by a few different stores... a pizza place (no, that can't be it), Southern Agriculture (a present for my dog??), a cell phone store (but it wasn't my carrier). Finally, we walked into Steve's Sundry, a long-time Tulsa bookstore. I'd never been in there before and was curious as to why I was in there today.

A man greeted us and asked if we were there for the book signing. Travis said yes. I looked at him like, 'What???' I don't have time to read. Does he think I'm a reader? Then he asked if we had a copy of the book. Travis said no, that we needed to buy one. So we walk up to the counter, and he purchases "The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl." Then it hits me.... Pioneer Woman, my favorite blogger of all time, is here in the store, and I get to have her sign her new cookbook!!! Those of you who are PW fans can understand my complete and utter disbelief. She has the most fantastic site, and I really have enjoyed making her recipes that she has online.

Long story short, we waited for a little while in line, and then I finally got to meet her. She's this tall, thin, gorgeous woman with a beautiful smile and really great hair. I, of course, have just been at brunch where I nearly cried all of my mascara off my face, and I have some serious sinus pressure to boot. So, mind you, I sound like a toad and look like a puffy marshmallow face. She, of course, didn't seem to notice, and we chit chatted about how much I'm looking forward to making her chocolate sheet cake, and she replied that I really ought to because it will change my life forever. I'm sure it will.

Here's a picture of gorgeous Pioneer Woman with Becca, the sinus-y balloon face whose eyes look like she's been in an ultimate fighting match. :)






So thank you, Lisa, for a wonderful Christmas tradition that I cherish and look forward to every year. And thank you, Travis, for being one of the best gift-givers I've ever known. You rock.


Pictures of the Christmas Train adventure coming soon!

Great devo for today

I received this yesterday from my daily email from Proverbs 31 Ministries... it's a good one.

A Gut Honest Look at Love
17 Dec 2009
Lysa TerKeurst

"…if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

As the holidays approach, I have to be careful about developing an overly ideal view of love. Sometimes I'm guilty of setting the expectations so high of what a 'love filled' Christmas should be that it dooms me to feeling disappointed and grumpy. Ever been there?

Well, this year I am feeling challenged to look at love a little differently. I don't want to repeat a habit that I've had from the past where I expect unrealistic things from those I love. I used to hold out the little cup of my heart to my husband, "Will you fill my empty spaces? Will you do that one really romantic thing that makes me feel like I'm the most terrific and special wom an in the world?"

Then I would hold it out to my children, "Will you fill up my empty spaces? Will you do something that makes me look really good as a mom so I'll feel a little more validated?"

Then I would hold it out to my friends, "Will you fill up my empty spaces? Will you provide something today that makes me feel more included and significant?"

Maybe Christmas is an odd time to consider such things.

Or, maybe this season celebrating Jesus is the perfect time to hit the reset button on my sometimes frail heart. Love is a tricky thing. Our hearts were created to crave it. But misplaced expectations from love can wreak havoc in a person's heart.

God proclaims in 1 Corinthians 13:8 that love never fails. And in the quietness of my heart that verse makes me squirm a bit. I see love failing all the time. Or do I?

If my only view of love is what it will give me, love from others will fail me every time. It's not that love fails. It's that o ther people were never meant to be my God. Even a great husband, wonderful children and a thriving ministry can never truly fill me up, right all my wrongs, and soothe those deep insecurities. Not at Christmas. Not at any other time of the year.

No, I can't read 1 Corinthians chapter 13 with eyes hungry to see what love should give me and then demand it from those around me. I should read those steadfast Scriptures with the realization that this is the kind of love God gives to me. And this is the kind of love I can choose to give to other people.

I can choose that my love will be patient. My love will be kind. My love won't keep a record of wrongs. (Ouch - that's a hard one, right?)

I can choose that my love will protect and persevere.

And I can choose to lay the cup of my heart at Jesus' feet and stop twirling, twirling, twirling...hoping- demanding- that those around me do things for me they were never meant to do.

Interestingly enough, when I read 1 Corinthians 13 again this morning I found an odd yet perfect verse toward the end of this chapter. "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me" (verse 11).

Yes indeed. How funny I never connected that verse about putting away childish things with 1 Corinthians 13 - known as the chapter of love. Oh how we have the propensity to grow in other areas while keeping such a childish, selfish view of love.

Love isn't what I have the opportunity to get from this world. Love is what I have the opportunity to give. And I guess there's no more appropriate time to remember this than Christmas.

A different kind of Christmas

I'm REALLY getting excited for Christmas. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely one of my favorite holidays, and I've always looked forward to it, but there's something different going on with me this year. I remember last year being a little less than thrilled... I was 4 months pregnant, already having lots of back pain and looking like I was about 8 months along, chasing around a 15-month-old, dealing with extended family drama, and travelling to Nashville while my husband had to stay here. Not exactly my idea of a picture-perfect holiday.

This year it's a different story. I'm forced to get back to the basics of Christmas traditions as I teach them to Emerson. She's completely enthralled with her Little People nativity set, and I've tried to come up with 30-second renditions of the Christmas Story.... not completely successfully, but she's kind of getting it. And being in the car with her this time of year is an experience. We have to play Christmas CDs, and she's obsessed with Christmas lights. Even in broad daylight, she's asking, "Where's the yights, Mommy? YIGHTS!" That sparks another 30-second attempt at the difference between day & night, sun & moon.... it's those times that I need my husband's science geek brain.

My one complaint about this time of year? Christmas shopping. I've come to accept the fact that I HATE crowds & slow traffic. I'll never forget last year I was trying to find a parking spot at Macy's, and someone's reverse lights came on just as I was about to pass their spot. I quickly stopped and was going to back up so I could let them out & get their spot, but I realized the guy behind me wasn't about to budge. He wanted that spot. I actually opened my car door, leaned way out so he could see me, and I made the 'rocking baby' motion so he would know I had a baby with me & would understand that a close parking spot would be fabulous for me. You wanna know what he did? With his wife & two teenage kids in the car, he literally mouthed the words "I don't care" to me. I was stunned. There's nothing like a parking lot to bring out the worst in people.

Anyway, bad mall experiences aside, I'm counting on this to be one of the best Christmases ever! We're going to the Christmas Train in Dry Gulch on Friday night with Uncle Travis... I'll post pics, I'm sure. Enjoy your day!

My sweet boy

Weekend funnies

Yesterday morning Emerson woke up and immediately started crying. I went into her room, and she was sitting up in her big-girl bed in her footie jammies with a big string of snot sitting on her upper lip. She look at me through her tears and asked, "Mommy, why is my nose crying?"

Tonight I was breastfeeding Jax (who turns 8 months old today, by the way) and when he was finished, he looked up at me, grinned a full grin with his 5 teeth showing, laughed, clapped his hands 3 times, and reached up and pulled my hair. I laughed out loud which caused him to laugh even harder. Fun times.

Nativity creativity

Emerson received a Little People Nativity set for Christmas from my parents (we did our gifts on Thanksgiving day with my side of the family since everyone was in town). She's been fascinated with it ever since. We put it on the bottom shelf of the entertainment center, and it's right on her level. Usually 3 to 4 times a day, she'll walk over and begin reciting the cast of characters. Today she asked where Baby Jesus was, and after a frantic search through the house, we discovered the Christ Child in Jax's highchair. I have no idea. She must've shared the Savior with her brother over lunch.

Anyway, back to the Nativity set. With Jesus back in his rightful position in the stable, she identified Mary as 'Mayee' and Joseph as 'Jo-fuff Angel Daddy.' Wow... just like that, Joseph has joined a hip-hop group. Then she started counting the wise men, but referred to them instead as God Men. One God Man, two God man, THREE God man! I've noticed all three of the wise men are different nationalities, but I think I'm gonna leave that one alone for now.