Hello Out There!

Oh friends, it has been far, far too long. What I thought would be a little Christmas slow-down became an extended blogging break--one, as it turns out, that was necessary for our little family to weather the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our lives: the addition of baby number three! Baby brother or sister is expected to join us in July, but has made his or her presence well-known already via some rather intense morning sickness. I'm happy to report, however, than 15 weeks into this crazy thing, the ever-present nausea seems to have subsided, my canine-like ability to detect and be overwhelmed by nasty odors is waning, and my creative mojo is cautiously peeking out of whatever rock it's been buried under. Hallelujah.

And so here I am. Plus one. Quite excited, but also scared. Wondering how in the world I'll manage three little people without losing my sanity, reminding myself that after two and a half years of joyfully watching my youngest advance toward independence, I am not starting over (even though it feels like it), and yet melting inside every time I think of nuzzling another soft, wrinkly newborn. A few other things have changed, too, since we talked last. My dad is doing wonderfully--miraculously, in fact. Therapies have actually worked to shrink the portion of his brain tumor left after surgery, and he has regained stunning amounts of his cognitive function. It's humbling progress--another reminder than God gives us radically more than we deserve.

Also, after years of saying never, we have become the proud possessors of a minivan. Which seems to mark me in some irrevocable way as a full-fledged mother. It feels like used coffee cups, soccer uniforms, and school release forms should be spilling out of the doors--after all, isn't that what what life is about in a minivan? (As an aside, I had a friend in elementary school who would sell us the crap off the floor of his poor mother's car for pennies during carpool). For now, though, my mom-van smells good and is inhabited by only one Buzz Lightyear toy (I'm going to have strict rules this time around, friends--no crayons in the car!). And Jim gave me a fancy pair of Wayfarers for Christmas, so at least I can make my carpool rounds in style.

For their part, the boys are extremely excited about our new developments. Big Brother has been diligently praying for a baby sister for almost a year now and is both curious and sort of awe-struck about the fact that such a child is finally growing in my tummy (rather obviously, I might add). When we told them (by giving them the shirts in this picture), he looked at me, dumbfounded, and asked: "Mommy, did God tell you that?" Unfortunately, no angels have visited our home this time around, but we are feeling very blessed.

And so, we're back on the wild ride. I plan to resume my regular posting here, and as the inspiration hits, to get back to that project list I was working on--with a few amendments for our newest family member:). Thanks for being patient with me.

And happy Monday to all of you!

M.I.A.

Have you noticed? I've been a bit out of touch lately. I didn't intend to go dark for so long--just to abide by my self-proclaimed manifesto and make my highest priority family, and my lowest priority a long list of do-it-yourself Christmas projects. But then I got sick. And so rest became a priority, and blogging--which has needed to take a backseat to things like deciding where to send Big Brother for school next year--was relegated to the part of my list that just doesn't happen. Until, I suppose, today. I intend for things to go back to normal after Christmas, but for now, I'll just be posting as I can. And maybe next year I'll get to those plaid overalls I was going to make for Little Brother. We'll see.

Our weekend was full of Christmas activity. We saw Santa. Big Brother had carefully crafted a letter for him in advance that included requests for a Yoda action figure and Flynn the firefighting train from Thomas and Friends (I know, simple requests--score). Then he got up on Santa's lap, developed an awe-struck shyness, and finally whispered the words "Buzz Lightyear." WHAT? So now we have to switch things around. Do you know what Little Brother (enthusiastically) asked for? Ornaments. (If you're wondering, we have plenty.)  I love that he doesn't think he needs anything. I wish I was like that. 

We also did some gingerbread construction. With real gingerbread and royal icing, which was a first, and it was so much fun (see links for the recipes). I loved that the whole house smelled like warm gingerbread and that we didn't run out of materials (we always do with the kits). Does it strike you, though, that this doesn't look like a house? That's because Big Brother wanted, instead, to make daddy's building. Which kind of bummed me out because, that particular friday night, I was really excited to have Jim home from work sans beeping and buzzing smartphone. But a nice, boxy building is a lot easier to make out of gingerbread than a little craftsman cottage, so we went for it. 

And the scene became something like this: Jim constructing, with measurements; Big Brother decorating gingerbread men (we had extra dough--good thing); and Little Brother consuming his body weight in candy decorations. 

By the time we got the roof on, our little sugar shark was beginning to crash, so we postponed further work on the building, put on pjs, and went on our annual drive around town to see the Christmas lights.    Our night was not without chaos and whining--in fact, these days it often feels like my two and four year old are bent on driving me into the loony bin--but it was sweet. And we were together.  

Construction resumed on Sunday afternoon, and you know, gingerbread Ponce City Market ended up pretty well, by toddler standards. Although I don't think I would be going too far to say that we're thankful that Jim is not the guy in charge of construction. And that the real tower isn't being held together by egg whites.  

Happy Thursday, friends!

DIY: Names of Christ Advent Countdown

So, Advent started today. Which means that it's a bit late for me to be passing an Advent countdown idea along, but because this one is very much in the spirit of my hoped-for, calm December, I want to share it with you along with this message: there is no rule that says you have to start celebrating on December first. Why not count down the last two weeks? As far as I'm concerned, every member of our family benefits from every new day on this calendar. One would be enough.

The idea of a names of Christ Advent countdown came from Kirstin of Kojo Designs, via I Am Momma Hear Me Roar. I read about it on Delia Creates, where Delia transformed the look of it with her own natural aesthetic. My version is simpler, quicker, and definitely less beautiful. What's important, though, is the concept: Each day, the children open an ornament marked with one of the many names that the Bible uses to describe Jesus. On our ornaments, I added a verse that we read together--the verses provide context and start a conversation between the four of us about what each name means. This morning, our ornament said rock, and I was thrilled to find that the analogy resonated with the boys. We talked about how a rock is strong, solid, and unchanging--and the boys kept mentioning it all day! Little Brother, who is always trying to assert his big-ness, called to me from the backseat about mid-morning and said (in his unusually-deep-for-a-two-year-old voice), "Jesus stand on de rock and say NO, NO!" Hopefully its obvious that he got his stories confused--but at least he remembered the association:).

Our ornaments are Christmas-themed wooden cutouts from Michaels (they're on sale now for $.14 each), covered with acrylic paint.  Each one is wrapped in a brown paper bag on the mantle, and as they open them, the boys get to hang them on a miniature tree in their playroom. We're using mini clothespins to attach the ornaments, but had I been taking more than an hour to put this together, I would have drilled little holes into them and hung them with hooks. Wonderfully, the ornament collection can be saved for next year, so perhaps we'll upgrade them for 2012.

The best thing about a names of Christ Advent celebration is that the entire family is learning, and with every passing day, we're cherishing the coming Savior more. Although I loved the idea of our Advent activity calendar last year, I have to admit that it only added bluster and busyness to our month--and left me feeling guilty for not accomplishing so many of the plans on our list. The names of Jesus, on the other hand, just invite us to pause and relish the gift we've be given. One day in, the change is already giving me a feeling of relief.

Just in case this idea appeals to you, too, I thought I'd provide the names we used and the corresponding verses. You could just as easily use this to prepare your family for Easter, or as a family devotional (if you do those, hats off to you). Honestly, looking them all up was a powerful exercise for me--the list of names in itself is enough to take your breath away.

24 Names of Christ for 24 Days of Advent
1. Rock - Psalm 31:2
2. Word - John 1:1
3. Shepherd - John 10:11
4. Refuge - Isaiah 25:4
5. Savior - Luke 2:11
6. Servant - Philippians 2:7
7. Light of the World - John 8:12
8. Prophet - John 6:14
9. Son of God - 1 John 4:9
10. Bread of Life - John 6:35
11. Stranger - Matthew 25:35
12. Morning Star - Revelation 22:16
13. Son of Man - Luke 19:10
14. The Vine - John 15:5
15. King - Revelation 11:15
16. The Life - 1 John 1:2
17. Lamb of God - John 1:29
18. Wonderful Counselor - Isaiah 9:6
19. Creator - Isaiah 40:28
20. Alpha and Omega (Beginning and the End) - Revelation 22:13
21. Lord - Acts 2:21
22. Prince of Peace - Isaiah 9:6
23. The Way - John 14:6
24. Emmanuel ("God with us") - Matthew 1:23
And a few I wish I'd included: Lion of Judah, Living Water, and Redeemer. 

I hope this activity will bless your family as it seems to be blessing mine.  Have a wonderful weekend!

December Manifesto

I've been thinking a lot about Christmas these last few days. Reviewing in my mind the spirit of the season as it exists in our house, and wondering how I can set a better tone this year. Don't get me wrong--Christmas is always sweet, warm--magical. But it's also busy. And it brings financial stress, and fear of disappointing family members (living in the same city as most of our family is a huge blessing, except when everyone wants you around in the same moment). It's ironic, but not surprising, I guess, that anxiety is the most pervasive at the very time that we are celebrating the coming of a rescuer from the need to merit our own worth.

I've also been reevaluating Growing Home--asking myself those questions that you do when you're sort of wondering "what's next?" and you're trying to ferret out the right direction. I remembered that when I came up with the name of this blog I imagined "growing" not so much as an adverb, but a verb. The idea was that I would share here the things I do to grow a sense of home around our little family. That's vague, I know--but what it means to me is that the things I make or do with my children are purposed to bring beauty, grace, and joy into our family life--even when that's just bringing an aroma of creativity to our surroundings. Using my gifts to bless my children is my way of giving them certainty that they are treasured by God and by their parents, as well as nudging them softly to step out and marvel at the great, wide world. It's really what I see as my mission as a mother in this season.

But I feel like I've been fairly distracted from that goal lately--and preparing for Christmas the way I usually do--rushing and worry interspersed with schizophrenic moments of sweetness when we talk about the "real" meaning of Christmas--is not going to help. SO, we're going to try to do things differently this Advent.

We're going to snuggle a LOT. We're going to love each other by making some gifts and we're going to love each other by buying others. We're going to make cookies and plant paper whites and donate toys and decorate as we are moved to, but NOT because we've made a list of rules for ourselves. We're going to talk about Jesus a lot and we're going to sing and dance every time we have the inclination. And where I have margin to create, I'm going to focus my efforts on finishing what I've started for my family--like long overdue roman shades and that elusive teepee--rather than a panoply of new gift ideas that will keep me up past midnight every night of December.

I hope you'll see that life in our little home is a little less productive, and that catching the beauty in the mundane, daily moments happens a little more frequently. Like this, for example: who knew that sunset on the railroad tracks was so breathtaking?

Have a wonderful Thursday.

p.s. These pictures came from a trip to one of our favorite local spots: the "big, big bridge" at Westside Provisions District. On special summer nights, you can find Big Brother and I here with bowls of ice cream and a pile of library books. The very best moments are when the train actually comes.  

Thanksgiving

Welcome back, friends! Did you have a happy Thanksgiving? Ours was full in every way--packed with activity, packed with family, and absolutely overflowing with good food. Usually, my parents host Thanksgiving for my entire extended family and many of our in-laws (I think we had 26 at the last gathering), but this year, things were a little different. After such a poignant few months, we were all anxious to shift to a more intimate group and really treasure our time with my dad and my grandparents, who've also been sick. My cousin and her husband graciously hosted, and my dad's first cousins and their family flew in to spend the holiday with all of us locals for the first time that I can remember. It was a really sweet time--made sweeter by all the kids, who adored spending time together. I have three first cousins (who are sisters--hopefully you've forgotten that I'm an only child:)), and between the four of us, we have NINE kids under the age of five. And there always seem to be more on the way.

Gone are the days when the four of us and our husbands used to luxuriate over full plates and multiple bottles of wine at the "kids" table on Thanksgiving, but it's a blast to see our little ones loving each other so much. Big Brother came home from school today and said that he wrote a story for his classmates about playing with his cousins.

We did lots of other wonderful things over the break, too--although I confess that I barely used my camera. Apparently, I needed a breather on all fronts. Jim ran the Thanksgiving half marathon for the second time and found it vastly more fun after a real training regimen.

The boys and I, together with Nene (Jim's mom), bobbed and weaved around Atlanta, trying to catch glimpses of him while avoiding blocked streets, and thanks only to GPS, made it to the finish line in time for Big Brother to jump in and run the last 100 meters or so.

We also made it up to the lake for the weekend with Jim's parents and mine (huge victory for my dad).  For the first time in several years, Lake Burton was lowered for the winter, leaving beaches of red clay and stone under all the boathouses and docks. It's a really different look than the the lush, mountainous green we're used to, but it made for cool adventures--like beach fishing. 

We all got really used to having Jim around and found today's return to the routine a bit sad. But we're thankful to be embarking on a new and glorious season. As I sit here, a brand new fir tree is stretching its limbs in my living room and filling up the house with the smell of Christmas. And we read the story of the shepherds for bedtime (from Luke 2, as interpreted by this storybook Bible). It ends like this: "This baby would be like that bright star shining in the sky that night. A Light to light up the whole world. Chasing away darkness. Helping people to see. And the darker the night got, the brighter the star would shine." I'm thankful, today, to be looking forward to a whole month of deep breaths as we remember this Savior.

Hope you've had an easy return to your routine. Happy Tuesday!

Photographer for a Day

Thanks to the generosity and undeserved confidence of a few dear friends, I did something this weekend that felt a little crazy--I conducted my first photo shoots! I was surprised to find that I loved doing it. The friends involved were all people who are really more like family--I knew they would be honest, and wouldn't feel angry or let down if the photos didn't turn out. But wonderfully, I think they did! What a joy it was to capture sweet moments between families and then to turn the photos into images they will treasure. It truly feels like using a (new, unpolished) gift to serve others. So here's a sneak peek--for you and for them. Thank you, friends, for encouraging me along in this little experiment!

I'm going to have to find some collage templates that don't mess up the composition of images, but hopefully you get the idea. If you're local and are interested in being a part of this little experiment of mine, please contact me at elisabeth@mygrowinghome.com.

Happy Wednesday!

DIY: Holiday Pinecone Balls {A Guest Post for Jame}

We're not hosting Thanksgiving.  In fact, thanks to my generous family, the only thing I'm even contributing to our Thanksgiving feast is a whopping portion of dessert. But with talk of holiday preparation all around me and Advent right around the corner, I've had table decoration on the brain. As well as all things that glitter and shine, and Stacie from Jame, who very kindly invited me to participate in her 50 Things Christmas series today (click on over there and check out the tutorials she's gathered--it's impressive!). So I made the first of what I hope will evolve into a little collection of gold pinecone balls to hang festively over our table through Christmas. And can you tell what they're made of? Styrofoam and plastic spoons!

Yes, the cult of styrofoam continues here at our house--and this time with a fancy gold paint job. Like it's predecessor, the holiday firecracker, the pinecone ball hangs from fishing line so that it appears to float above the table, and I really love the effect. Just one of these makes a fairly glam statement in our relatively boring dining nook--I can't wait to see what three in a row look like. Quite festive, is, I think, the answer. Although these don't have to be a table prop. Jim suggested that they would make fabulous tree toppers, or you could make a little grouping of them in various sizes to sit atop a console or a mantle. They could also be fun hanging from tree branches at an outdoor party--anyplace that you're looking for a bit of gilded pizazz. 

Making a pinecone ball employs much the same method that I used for the DIY holiday firecrackers, with a few twists. You'll need:

Materials

• Clear, plastic spoons. I used two packages of the "Great Value" brand from Wal-Mart (approximately 96 spoons)
• Styrofoam ball (about four inches in diameter)
• Tacky glue
• Monofilament (fishing line) and a brass brad for hanging
• Metallic gold spray paint 

1. Break off the bottom third of each spoon handle.  This is the painful part--I suggest convincing a generous helper to assist you while he's watching television.

2. Begin assembling your ball by sticking a small number of (broken) spoons into the top of your styrofoam ball in a geometric way (don't use glue yet). I began with four and then surrounded them with eight more, staggered so that each spoon in the outer ring fit between two in the inner ring.

3. Once you have a replicable arrangement that you like, remove a spoon or two, and use your tacky glue to place a brass brad, strung with monofilament, at the very top of your ball.

Now use the tacky glue to reattach each of your spoons.

4. Next, use one more spoon to punch holes over the entire surface of the ball in your desired pattern. This will prevent you from messing up already-placed spoons as you move down the ball. It's a little hard to see in my pictures, but if you look closely you can see that the little holes make staggered hexagons that go all around the ball. A pattern like this will make your finished ball look more planned and less haphazard.

Now, use tacky glue to place a spoon in each hole, moving from the top to the bottom of your ball. A wine goblet makes a great place to put it down if you need a break. Once you're finished, let the ball sit overnight to dry completely.

5. Hang or rest your dried ball in a protected and well-ventilated area, and then spray paint with wide, sweeping motions, standing at least 12 inches away from the ball.

Depending on the shade of paint you use and the level of translucence you prefer, you'll probably want to adjust the position of the ball a few times to make sure that the spoons are painted on both sides and that the styrofoam is coated.

Use monofilament to attach the ball securely to a hook in your ceiling, and you're ready for a party!

Thanks to Jame for the opportunity to share with your readers--here's wishing you all a shiny and magical Christmas!