Prepare Yourself

Last night, instead of preparing breakfast the evening before (Tom had requested hard-boiled eggs), I put it off. When I woke this morning, I had a congested head, an inbox full of emails and my phone ringing off the hook. I didn't want to make the dumb eggs. I would've much preferred to throw some cereal on the table and call it breakfast.

It's pretty obvious that preparing for things we know are coming is the best way to avoid last-minute stress. The Christmas season is here, and I'm seeing a lot of "I'm so sick of wrapping gifts" or "I have no time to bake cookies and attend church programs and clean the house for our upcoming Christmas party". By the time that you hand out the gifts and cookies, go to the church program or hold that holiday party, you almost resent it. Because it snuck up on you, you were rushed and you feel guilty for being behind schedule.

If only you had prepared, right?

This Christmas, take time to prepare for the birthday of Christ. It's much easier to set a baking schedule to be 'done on time', but do you really want this important holiday to approach, with more time spent on baking than getting yourself into a reflective state of mind?

If you call yourself Christian, attempt to prepare you heart for this holiday. Christmas might have connotations of cookies, dinner parties and gifts- but it really is about the greatest gift of all- payment for our sins.


So tell me...
Have you found yourself playing 'catch up' with the season yet?
Do you have a way you prepare yourself for what this holiday is really about?

Share in the comments below!

Cookies, mistletoe, and why New Yorkers clam up in the elevator

1. What is one new holiday tradition you'd like to establish, or one you've established recently, say in the last year or two?
No traditions to speak of yet. We got our first Christmas tree this year, so we put on "Fireplace For Your Home", which is on Netflix. Tom laughed when we put it on, but agreed a few minutes into decorating that it was much better than the evening news playing in the background.

And, the they put the trailer on Youtube. For those who don't take their fireplaces too seriously.

2. It's the second week of December. Have you sipped a cup of eggnog yet this month? Wrapped a gift? Opened a gift? Kissed someone under the mistletoe? Lit a candle? Eaten a Christmas cookie? Seen Santa in person? Watched a Christmas movie or special? Read scripture relating to the birth of Jesus?
I'm partway through my Advent reading plan, and finally setting into the comforts of the season. Tonight we're having a movie night and hot chocolate will be had. Candles will be lit, and a corny Christmas movie just might be on. But... I don't even know where I could find mistletoe, does anyone really do that?

3. Do you think it's better to be an adult or a child at Christmastime? Explain.
An adult! When I was a child I just loved the lights and presents, and that was it. No understanding of why it was such an unimaginable act of love. I will gladly accept the Christmas gift given that night :)

4. It's often said, 'Good things come to those who wait'...agree or disagree? Why?
Agree. We don't know what we want, and oftentimes when looking back you realize how silly that thing was. And you're grateful for how things worked out in the end.

5. What's the last sweet thing you baked? Did you keep it, take it to a party/event, or give it away?
Oh, many many Christmas cookies have been baked, eaten and given away.

6.  This question comes to us courtesy of Jhona who blogs over at The Red House at the End of the Lane. Everyone hop over and say hi to Jhona this week!  Here is her question... "I heard an actor talk about how he makes a conscious choice to talk to people in elevators.  He chooses to connect, make eye contact, and converse. Do you talk to people/strangers when you're in an elevator or any other place where you might have to wait together? Why or why not?"
I work above a bank, so when I get into the elevator I most times will say something like 'going to the bank?" Not because I care, but because I want them to get to the right place (the 2nd, not the 3rd floor). In NYC, we avoid unnecessary conversations. Not because we are mean, but because if you've lived here a decent period of time, you know better. Moving here from rural PA, I wanted to talk to everyone, but after several times of accidentally saying something benign to a crazy or psychopathic person, you decide to keep quiet.

7. Are you on the naughty or nice list this year? What put you there?
I don't believe in Santa, so his list doesn't really apply to me.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I found out that I did NOT miscarry! It was probably a combination of a (very) painful visit from my aunt and wondering why I hadn't gotten a positive yet (after I had perceived many indicators that I was pregnant). So, thanks everyone for prayers and keep them coming. This time though, for my sanity and a clear head in this process. Just because the first two pregnancies happened immediately, doesn't mean the next will. Have to keep reminding myself of that.


So tell me...
Do you have (and where did you find) mistletoe?
Have you watched "Fireplace for your home" yet on Netflix?

DIY Bible Advent Calendar

For this year's Advent calendar, I had 3 goals: Something simple, centered on the Bible instead of candy, that would cost Zero dollars. Plus, as you know, I love taping things to our massive blank wall.

I started by making small, medium and large envelopes out of wrapping paper. I placed them on the wall in the shape of a tree, and decided to print some bible verses to place inside to be brought out each night.

I found an advent calendar on Pinterest from A Girl and Her Blog, that I will likely model next year (I was too stubborn to throw out the envelopes I already made). I did use her free printable verses, but found they didn't work well on my printer. I just retyped them on my own and used the holly image.

Also, I decided to swap out some of our postcards for Christmas cards, since we had started receiving them in the mail. When do you mail your Christmas cards? I think we've officially given up on ordering some custom ones, as they would need to be mailed this week. Right? Any (last minute) suggestions out there?

 I'm all about making a holiday tradition, and this is one that could easily be carried over every year. Maybe next year I'll concoct some 'sturdier' version, since this might not last long without tearing or getting wrinkled in my closet.

So tell me...
What is your home holiday tradition?
Have you ever made a Advent wreath (or other holiday craft)? If so, link it up in the comments!

One Lovely Blog Award

Guess what? I was nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award! Angie, who is a "self-improvement junkie and Seattle lover" has nominated me. She writes over at Chasing My Halo, and you need to pop on over and see why we all need to live in Seattle, root on your favorite football team, and throw awesome themed parties. Now it’s my turn to share the love. Thanks Angie for making the internet a nicer place :)

 THE RULES

– You must display the award logo at the top of your post
– You must thank the person who nominated you and leave a link to their blog in your post
– You must add these set of rules to your post so that your nominees will know what to do
– You must add 7 facts about yourself into the post
– You must nominate 7 other blogs and leave links to each of them in your post
– You must let the people you have nominated know that they have been nominated
– You must follow the person back who nominated you on Bloglovin’ and GFC (if you have one)


7 FUN FACTS

Moving far away has never been a hard decision, but I always say goodbye to the apartment/house when locking up.

I always put on my left sock or shoe first.

We've taught our cat to play fetch. Her personal best needs some improvement, but the 7 mouse returns in a row is pretty good though, right? Follow me on Instagram because you know a video will be up when we catch her in action!

I've always had dreams where I am running (for enjoyment) and (in my dreams) I'm actually good at it. Only in my dreams, of course.

I had no clue what I wanted to major in. I chose Travel and Tourism, despite never really having gone anywhere before then. Then once I met Tom I started to travel. Interesting how that turned out, right?

Twitter is a little intimidating to me, but I vow to figure it out before we hit 2015!

Most of my 'nominees' below are from the amazing Northeast Bloggers Network, where I learned so much this past year. If you live in the Northeastern US, click over to become a member!


MY NOMINEES

Kelly @ A Lovely Life, Indeed, a blog about travel and love and married life. Whenever she writes about living in Boston, I want to drop everything and travel north for the weekend. To keep up with her travels, follow her on Twitter and Bloglovin'.

Rachel @ Can't Google Everything, a blog about life, fashion, photos, recipes and more. I love her creative crafts and activities, and I'm not even a toddler. To see what fun she comes up with, follow her on Twitter and Bloglovin'.

Reesa @ Mama Lew, a blog about her recipes, product reviews and giveaways- and how to take the stress out of parenthood. To see what awesome products and places she's been trying out with her family, follow her on Twitter and Instagram'.

Suheiry @ Suheiry, a blog about fashion; home decor; recipes; DIY; and travel in and around Northeast PA. I hail from NEPA, so I love to see posts on what's going on in and around Scranton, as well as her beautifully designed posts. To keep up, follow her on Twitter and Bloglovin'.

Pinky @ P!nk Persistence, a blog about keeping things light and PINK, because life's too short to be anything but happy. To see all her hilarious posts, follow her on Twitter and Bloglovin'.

Amanda @ Serenity Now, a blog about showcasing creative projects and providing realistic inspiration...on a budget! To see all her gorgeous projects, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.



Okay all you bloggers, pass it on!

Gearing up for cookie baking and finding a community online

1. What is something in your life right now that feels a little 'hodgepodge'?
Scheduling everything has been a lot more stressful this year, since we've been travelling so much these last few months. I'm glad to be back home, for the entire month of December, and most of January. Of course, Tom did book a trip for late January... (but that isn't a surprise really, is it?)

2. What does 'peace on earth, goodwill to men' mean to you?

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14

This was the proclamation to the shepherds that they were to travel to see the newborn king. The first statement- Glory to God in the highest- is oftentimes skipped over. Decorations and songs only reference the peace and goodwill, and act as though it's something humans possess, the ability to be 'better people' during the month of December. The gift of our savior being born to save us from our sins, what a blessing we don't deserve. And, it's all for his glory, not our own.

3. Which edible treat are you most looking forward to sampling this December?
My mother's monster cookies, which are a holiday tradition. I posted the recipe in October, and last time I made it I got 50 dozen from it, making it the perfect cookie to make in bulk and gift to coworkers, church friends and neighbors.

4. It's that most wonderful time of the year...do you agree, and if so why is it so wonderful?  If not, when is the most wonderful time of the year?
Wonderful? I suppose you could say that, when we drove to visit my mother for Thanksgiving, I was in awe of the beauty of the snowfall. Who doesn't love the first snowfall (that is, before the snowplows come out to play)?

5. What was the last word you looked up in a dictionary (actual or online)?
Bae. Who came up with this? And it sounds like someone forgot a syllable or two when it's spoken. Well, you can thank Pharrell for this one.

6. Besides a Christmas tree, what is your favorite thing to decorate this time of year?
I made our own advent calendar this year, and a post will be up soon about it.

7. Share one thing you've learned (about yourself, people, or anything at all) in the Wednesday Hodgepodge, or through blogging in general. 
I love the Hodgepodge community. Not everyone who participates is a Christian woman, but it's nice to have an audience that appreciates hymns, verses and the 'less-popular' ideas that I find hard to write an entire post about. But, that's not to say I haven't delved into Christian holidays. Namely, these preparing for Holy Week and Easter posts. And you'll see a recap of the events leading up to Christmas, like I did with the Holy Week post.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I believe I may have miscarried? I hate saying that, but I have an appointment today and again Monday to find out. If we did miscarry, I would need to be put on Lovenox before conceiving, since I didn't make it to 4 weeks this time, when I made it to around 7 the last two. I know what a miscarriage feels like, and this was a somewhat 'easier' version of that. Pray for us, this was too early to get a positive, but it is still important. Not just because it was a baby, but because we need to know what to do in terms of the Lupus APS showing up with each pregnancy.

A bowl of bacon, my take on Thanksgiving sales, and peeing on sticks.

1. Besides U.S. Thanksgiving, it's also National Game and Puzzle Week...what game have you played most recently, and who were you with? Have you worked a puzzle of any kind in the past week?
Blokus.  We love this game, and if it weren't for the fact that I'm carting our luggage around NYC today in the rain/snow, I'd be bringing it with us. We splurged on it while in Seattle ($27 for a board game!?), and haven't pulled the trigger since. Board games have gotten way expensive in the recent years. 

2. What is one place you were thankful for this year?
Emergency room. I've gone there a few times, and each time I'm glad we have a place to go when we have something go wrong. Don't know what I'd do had I just needed to 'make it through the night' to wait for the shared doctor with the rest of  my neighborhood in the morning.

3. Take a nap, watch football, go for an after dinner walk, or hit the stores...which ONE is on your must-do list for Thanksgiving day? For those of you playing along who aren't in the US, answer as it relates to any big holiday meal.
Hit the stores. We don't buy Christmas gifts though, opting instead for more expensive items that we hope to get on sale. 2 years ago we bought our TV for $200, and last year we bought winter coats. This year, we don't really need anything but I know we will be picking up some holiday decorations.

4. Besides Thanksgiving, what's your favorite home cooked meal?
Wedding chicken. I sent this recipe to our caterers for our reception, and it was amazing. And, since it came from Internet, I can recreate it.  Check out the "stuffed chicken breast with parmesan and basil filling" recipe at www.dishingthedivine.com

credit: http://www.dishingthedivine.com

5. What product from an infomercial would you most like to own?
NOT the Aeroknife. I hate that thing. It scorned me. But, the As Seen on TV Perfect Bacon Bowl does seem ridiculously wonderful. A bowl made of bacon. I didn't know I wanted one until I saw it existed.

6. Christmas shopping? Have you begun? Finished? Will you shop on Black Friday? How do you feel about stores opening on Thanksgiving Day? What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?
I'm done with gifts for the women, but not with the men. Tom needs to help out here, since I've no clue about what men really want. As for stores being open on Thanksgiving Day, I'm not going to be up in arms about it. My mother is working Thanksgiving, and we plan on having dinner Saturday. Being a nurse, she's never been guaranteed ANY holiday off, and I grew up understanding this. If you take a job working in retail, this shouldn't be a shock and will likely be an expected job duty.

Black Friday hasn't always been popular either. Wiki states that the term was 'coined' in Philadelphia in 1961, where a public relations newsletter from 1961 stated "Resulting traffic jams are an irksome problem to the police and, in Philadelphia, it became customary for officers to refer to the post-Thanksgiving days as Black Friday and Black Saturday. Hardly a stimulus for good business.." But people got over it. They just didn't drive or go to the stores/downtown on that day to avoid the crowds. Since the whole 'stores open on Thanksgiving' controversy only began 3 years ago, we haven't grown accustomed to it just yet. Give it time, and we'll adjust. Capitalism isn't a beast anyone can tame.

7. What are you most grateful for that adds beauty to your everyday life?
Makeup. which is shocking to even write (I should've answered this question with family, right?) I never wore it much until after college, I'm only now getting used to the idea of lipstick vs. chapstick. Contouring and makeup brushes are still new concepts to me, but I'm making great strides, thanks to YouTube. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Certain things, like implantation-type cramps last Tuesday and Wednesday, sore breasts (and an "oversensitive nose" as mentioned by my sister) suggest that I might be pregnant, but none of my tests have come back positive yet.

And then this week, I began having monumental breakouts on my chin, cheeks and even a few on my forearm. The last time this happened was when I had miscarried the second time and my hormone levels couldn't figure out where they wanted to stay. And, as I had written in March on this very subject, I will quote myself here: "my skin is just on a angry woman hormonal rampage". Only swap out the "angry woman" with "angsty teenager" since it's not yet to the level of my January breakouts.

So tell me...
Any boardgames that you'd recommend? What do men in your family like for gifts? 
And why are pregnancy tests so expensive?

This Week in Review

Did you all see E.T. phoning home?

My massive finger has only just been unwrapped from it's original dressing, but before it was, there were a ton of "you have a question?" "Eureka!" and "save your questions until the end of class" jokes from Tom.

Fancy new gloves. Showering has been fun. Everytime I come out, I want to say 'put em up, put em up!!' in true cowardly lion fashion.




So, I bookmarked this back in September, so you might've seen it. But, wow. The Amish have the whole barn raising thing down. Only 10 hours to build this barn? Astounding.

Do you have a phobia?

This article from Cup Of Jo had me cracking up! Take a minute to look through the 300 comments, the irrational fears will have you snort coffee out your nose (wait, I think that's one of the fears mentioned...) Of course, I already wrote on my irrational fear of poor knife handling, and we all know where that got me this last Thursday. Not so irrational after all I guess!

Tom found a recipe he likes. Cornbread casserole. He came home with ALL the corn products the other day. Looks like he expects it to be a staple around here, right?

So tell me...
What are your irrational fears?
Are you married to a person who does everything possible to overdose on a recipe they try once and like?

O Thanksgiving Tree..

Short and sweet post today. I cant use my left hand to type due to a knife mishap last night. Ironic, right?
You'd know this of course if you followed me on Instagram ;-)

As November arrived, I found myself thinking about Christmas decorations and dinners already. Realizing it was a tad early for all that, I got to wondering what we could do to make the house feel like Thanksgiving this year, with stuff we already had on hand.

Meet our Thanksgiving Tree.

I drew a tree freehand and kept adding branches until it looked semi-realistic. I was trying to make it perfect at one point, then stopped because we'd be covering most if it with leaves anyway.

I had some maple leaf tealight candle holders, which made the perfect outline for my red/pink leaves. Why red and pink? Because I had the most of those colors and didn't want to spend any money in this quick project.

I drew some veins onto the leaves and we wrote things we were thankful for on them. Things like really good guacamole. God's provision, Dora, and an "easy and uneventful commute".

I was planning on making more leaves, but with slicing my finger, I'm going to just assume the top branches are empty because the wind swept the leaves away. 

Also,scripture and a turkey that live in our kitchen. His name is Butterball.

So tell me...

Are you decorating for Thanksgiving?
If so, link your Thanksgiving decorations in the comments!

Unexpected gifts, why I'm not a feminist and... the 2 week wait?

1. What's something you take for granted, that when you stop and think about it you feel truly grateful for?
I too often forget how blessed we are to have Tom's parents in the same building as us. When we get home from work, they oftentimes have food waiting for us, or have ordered something. With our odd evening schedules, this is such a God-send. Otherwise, we wouldn't be eating dinner until 10pm. They also come spend time playing and taking care of Dora when we are away or visiting my family, and we can always run over for a cup of sugar :)

2. The color brown-love it or no? What's your favorite shade of brown? Most loved something in your home or closet in a shade of brown?
Generally, I'm not a brown person. I guess my favorite thing we have in our house that is brown would be my hope chest. An old piece of furniture that my mother found when I was a kid. Now it houses our towels bathroom soap. Is it still a hope chest if it houses our toiletries and toilet paper?

3. What's something you're looking forward to today?
Returning to bed. Which sounds horrible, but I work a split shift so it's my remaining 3 hours of sleep.

4. The word 'feminism' is not new, but it has been generating all kinds of headlines in recent days and months. What do you think/feel when you hear the word? If you're a woman, do you want to be described as a feminist? 
I do not like the word feminist, and not because I'm a down-trodden wife. Feminism is defined as “the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” but this isn't what the Bible teaches. Since the Bible says that women are to be their husband's helper and under the general leadership of men, and that's where I'm going to be. It's not a popular thing, going against secular worldview (or easy, for that matter. I am a woman too and I want to be in charge!) But I won't disobey God's word because of what I want. He saved me, so of course I will follow his word (specifically 1 Timothy 2, 1 Corinthians 14, and Ephesians 5).

Additionally, when that word comes up, it often means abortion. Abortion is not a right. Becoming pregnant and a mother is a gift, and if you choose to end it, that is a choice. Not a right. And while I'm all for equal pay and stopping violence against women I think that we can still try and break the glass ceiling without lumping it in with murdering children.

5. What's something you personally can't eat without making a mess?
Food. Mainly though, crackers, chips, anything that crumbles.

6. When did you last surprise someone with a little gift or when were you last surprised by someone with a little gift? What was it?
My mother-in-law gifted us some 'real' silverware. But I think that was also for her, because she wasn't a huge fan eating with the Ikea silverware that we got for $4.99. Though, I have to say, it's a nice upgrade :)

7. Share a favorite quote, saying, song lyric or scripture relating to gratitude.
Without a doubt, Come, My Soul, With Every Care. I tried to find a nice, modest congregation rendition, but came up with soloists and large men's choirs and some very different renditions (country version, different words, new verses, etc) that just didn't do it for me. But here are the words:

Come, my soul, with every care,
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He himself bids you to pray,
And will never turn away.
You are coming to your King,
Large petitions with you bring;
For his grace and power are such
None can ever ask too much.

When we sang it for the first time, I remember welling up with tears. I was fresh off my first miscarriage and this song perfectly said what I needed to hear. If you sing, you'll know what I mean when I say that this song just fills you up. You feel full afterwards. And, did you know, it was actually written by John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
Two-week wait. We started 'trying' this month and should have an idea if it 'worked' around Thanksgiving. I put the quotes around those words because they just seem so ridiculous. Pray for us, that we're blessed again :)

Great American Smokeout '14

Back when I was young, every adult I knew smoked. Granted, they were mainly farmers, farmers wives and the crotchety bus driver. I mean, if anyone had a (completely bogus "life is just too stressful") excuse to smoke, were you really going to argue with those guys? Rural farmers loved to smoke. Everyone I knew, really. All my siblings and even my sister, who was and still is the most health conscious person I know, smoked.

The Great American Smokeout challenges smokers to stop smoking cigarettes for 24 hours with the hopes that this decision will continue on forever.

The Study That Helped Spur the U.S. Stop-Smoking Movement
The Surgeon General made the announcement in 1964 that smoking was in fact, bad for you, and according to the CDC, "more than 45 million American adults still smoke, more than 8 million are living with a serious illness caused by smoking, and about 438,000 Americans die prematurely each year as a result of tobacco use". This year marks 50 years since that report was first issued.

And then, here I am. 
I've never smoked one cigarette but have trouble catching my breath when walking, reaching for things on shelves and when it's chilly outside. I'm currently fighting a cold (thanks Tom), which I get advance warning of when I feel the congestion starting in my lungs and throat. And every year I come down with at least one cold which leads to bronchitis (always followed by laryngitis), which has severely damaged my voice in the process. I used to be able to sing well and speak without my voice cutting out. Now I find myself having to cough and clear my throat every few minutes and my voice has audibly changed due to loosing it for three weeks in 2010. I sometimes get pains in my chest for no reason where it hurts to breathe. I know it's because I grew up in a dense cloud of smoke for 16 years. Secondhand smoke is not a rumor that was made up to convince parents to quit.

This day means a lot to me.
I know these Smokeout event still take place, but I can't seem to find any stickers or pamphlets being distributed or cardboard cutouts of a diseased lung displayed next to a healthy one. I know that it probably because it's more likely you'd find this event in a school, college or hospital- where I am not. So that means, for everyone else who isn't a school or employed as a medical professional (or sick) you're missing this day as well. So here it is, my plea. Call or text the smokers in your life and urge them try one more time. For their kids, for their health and to hopefully kill this horrible habit. Put it on Facebook. Tweet it and if you're going to try quitting, look for some buddies to do it with you.

So tell me...
Anyone else have family and friends who still smoke?
Anyone grow up in a cloud of second hand smoke?
Anyone taking the Great Smokeout challenge?