Plans

Message for my oldest child, Courtney:

15 years ago this evening, at 8: 11 pm, I pushed out a small, gorgeous, perfectly formed baby girl with rosebud lips. You weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz and were 19 inches long. Long labor but thanks to our Lord, I was rewarded with a drug-free, all-natural childbirth. And your Daddy was a huge help!

Now, 15 years later, we see an emotionally, physically, academically, and spiritually strong young woman! We are proud of all your accomplishments. We remember each and every one: from your perfect attendance records throughout most of your elementary years (and this past year!), to your academic awards, to your placement in the High Honors level, to your placing in the equestrian competition.
Even more importantly: we see your spiritual growth and your leadership skills in the Youth Group. Stay close to the Lord, my precious daughter....He will never leave you nor forsake you! Put Christ first (I know.....we say this alot! that is what parents are for!) and He will guide you on your journey through this life!

We love you Courtney!!!
Have a fun day!

For today: I am making an ice cream cake from scratch! Carvel went out of business in our area so....I am making her one for the party tonite.
After lunch, Courtney and 2 friends will be dropped off at the town pool for an afternoon of swimming while Claire and I do last minute things for the party. My husband will order the pizza for everyone and I'll put the finishing touches on the cake. The gang of girls will eat on the deck and hang out in backyard playing beachball volleyball and board games in the camper. They probably won't fall asleep until well after midnite....won't matter to Dave and I as they will be outside!
Tomorrow brings: croissants, nutella and melon for breakfast on the deck and then I am heading north to hike a wilderness trail to a gorgeous waterfalls. The trail is new to me. My sister and a friend are going with me.
Dave will bring Claire to a birthday party at a local bowling alley for her good church friend, Marissa. Then he is in charge of making dinner and taking the family pass to the pool for an early evening swim. I'll be home early evening.
Sunday will bring our church obligations and a day of rest and family time.

What are your plans for the weekend??
(I'll post the recipe later for the ice cream cake!)

Weekend Happenings

I hope everyone had an awesome Independence Day! The weather was just perfect this year here in NYS...at least in our area of the state! We were blessed to have full sun, blue skies and no humidity!!

My husband had some much needed work to do on one of the computers, putting in some upgrades, so he did that in the morning while my teen and I battled in out in the backyard with the badminton set. She is getting to be a good badminton player. And it gives us a chance to "play" together....I'll take any thing at this point in her life....she is almost 15 and would much prefer to chat on her cell with her friends or play computer games, or listen to her ipod. It is nice when she wants to do stuff with her "old" mom!

Claire decided to get caught up on some reading for her summer book project (due when she enters 4th grade in the fall). She loved just lying on the deck on the new chaise lounge and reading.
I made a grilled dinner of steak marinated with Italian seasonings, Bacon-Ranch Pasta Salad, 3 Bean Salad, Grilled garlic toast and strawberries. (thanks to my friend Lynn, who treated us with a quart of them when she visited for lunch on Thursday!). After our late lunch/early dinner we all had some "quiet time'. I am enjoying the latest Jodi Picoult book and I finished up a chapter in my Women of Faith Bible Study series I am going through.

Then we piled into my husband's car and went to our city's minor league baseball team game. The stadium is on the campus of a local community college and is just over the river and to the south of us by only about 10 miles. Our team, the Valley Cats, played the minor league team from Jamestown which is in upstate NY, about 3 1/2 hours west of us. The Valley Cats won! And we made history because it was the biggest crowd EVER at a Valley Cats game with 6,630 people there! The game was followed by a gorgeous display of fireworks which lasted 20 minutes. They were fantastic this year. By the time the game ended it was 9: 45. By the time the fireworks ended it was 10: 35 and we were home by 11. We all slept in.
Today my husband finally got the camper inspected....thank you Jesus!
We registered my teen for Soulfest which our senior high youth group is attending this year in NH. If you don't know anything about Soulfest click here.
Our church was gracious and gave us a 30% discount since she can't join the group until late Thursday because of her summer course. Dave registered Claire and I for the weekend pass and we are currently deciding on where Claire and I will be staying. We opted out of pulling the camper to Soulfest...way too much work. Dave and Courtney will stay with the group right at the mountain campsites but Claire and I are most likely going to be in a cottage somewhere or a hotel. The thing I dread is that I have to make the 4 hour trip to that part of NH with the girls on Thursday afternoon after Courtney's class gets out. Dave will need to leave with the church group on Wed. I don't really like driving long distances any longer without both parents. Ah well...it will be a nice "mini-vacation" especially if Claire and I get a place on Lake Winniepesaukee! I have always wanted to camp near there but hey....I'll take the compromise!!

We also are getting some needed chores done as I will be out of town all day tomorrow.

So...enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Come back Monday for the July issue of Marriage Monday....my topic will feature many pictures!

Today is.....

NATIONAL BOMB POP DAY!

Remember these?

My oldest daughter, when she was about ages 4-6, would clamor for one of these every evening when the ice cream truck would "ding-a-ling" throughout our neighborhood enticing all children to beg for change. She is now almost 15 and getting bomb pops is no longer cool (no pun intended!).
My 9 yr old still clamors for something from the truck but it is usually for something chocolate. Prices have gone way up......we limit this activity to once a week (or less).

SO....if you hear the ice cream guy or gal in your neighborhood tonite.....dig out the change and splurge on a Bomb Pop!

For a super easy dinner recipe, scroll down.

Scroll down a bit more for the Thanks Tank list.

Why a Daughter Needs a Dad

Today we celebrate Father's Day!
This is my husband, the daddy of 2 beautiful daughters whom he spoils, disciplines (sometimes!), laughs with, loves.
He endures endless dance shows/orchestra concerts/musicals/poetry readings/open houses/teacher meetings/sunday school presentations/help with computer problems/art shows/math fact quizzing.
He teaches them Biblical truths. He trains them in character issues.
He dances with them.
He prays for, and with, them.
He plays with them.
He provides transportation for them to their endless playdates/youth center activities/school events/church events.
He camps with them. He hikes with them.
He reads with them.
He is one awesome Daddy.

The following thoughts are taken from a book entitled "Why a Daughter Needs a Dad" by Gregory E. Lang. Any words in blue are mine. ENJOY!
And thank the Lord for your father, your children's father, your Heavenly Father.

A Daughter needs a dad......

• to teach her that her value as a person is more than the way she looks

• who will always have time to give her hugs and kisses

• who will not punish her for her mistakes but help her learn from them

• to teach her to respect others even if it goes against our values as a family/Christian

• to teach her that she is equal to her husband, yet different
  

• to make the tough decisions for her until she is able to make them for herself

• to tuck her in at night

• to teach her that respect is to be earned, as he has earned hers

• to teach her the difference between discipline and punishment

• to help her try again when she fails

• to give her the gentle pushes that help her grow

• to teach her the difference between blind obedience and cooperation and why cooperation is the better method

• to hold her as she cries

• to carry her just because she wants to be carried

• to teach her the joy of serving others

• to teach her how things work

• to teach her how to change a tire and check the oil

• to fix her favorite things

• to show her that true love is unconditional

• to tell her all she needs to know about boys

• to teach her how to recognize a gentleman

• to stand with her on the day she marries.....

• to teach her to spend responsibly, save for a rainy day, and give with a generous heart

• to teach her to attend church regularly

• to teach her to waltz
  

• because without him she will have less in her life than she deserves

• to teach her the Love of her Heavenly Father
  

Today is:

Flag Day
By Presidential Proclamation; honors and celebrates our flag, our country, and our heritage.

…NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2008, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 8, 2008, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by flying the Stars and Stripes from their homes and other appropriate places. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America."

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day (US)
A United States federal holiday commemorating the men and women who have died in military service to their country.

The day is also celebrated as the traditional start of summer with BBQs , picnics and parades.

The first-born, age 14, known as drama queen & bookworm


The baby, age 9, known as boochie-girl & dancer

It is the greatest honor for me to be these girls' mom.
I cannot imagine my life without these blessings from God.

Today is the National Day of Prayer!

Please keep my husband and his group of middle schoolers in prayer as they intercede for the Capital Region/suburban area where we live, tonite.
Head over here to see the specifics of what they are doing!
Thank you!

And...how will you spend the day...what will you prayer for?

Easter Traditions

I love Easter! It is my most favorite holiday. I think mainly because of the meaning for us as Christians. No other religion can say that their God rose again from the dead, and is coming back for His people! Halleluia!

Although this is my personal favorite holiday, my children prefer Christmas. We actually have more traditions as a family at Xmas time but I do have a couple of traditions at Easter that I would like to share with you.

• Decorating for Spring/Easter. This begins just after Valentine's Day. I actually prefer Easter to be in April as it is still "late winter" here in the capital region of NYS when Easter is in March. The sun is out but it is not a warm sun. We decorate by putting away all the winter stuff and cleaning and putting out the early spring stuff. Things like:

1. Pussywillows and forsythia (silk) in a tall milkcan for my porch. It looks so pretty sitting on the front stoop under our Easter flag.
2. Wooden signs that say "welcome spring" or have spring flowers on them. I have 2 in my living room/entry way and one in my dining room. They are so cheerful for the months of March and April.
3. A small egg-shaped bowl filled with pastel colored (plastic) Easter Eggs that are speckled. I paid a hefty price for them at a specialty store because I don't like the kind that are mass marketed like those plastic ones people fill with candy that are so prevalent in every discount store. Mine look real but are pastel colored to match my living room colors of dusty rose, sage green, pale peach, and light sky blue.
4. A wicker Easter basket filled with wooden speckled eggs for our dining room table centerpiece. This stays up until May 1st. Again, I paid more for these eggs but they are gorgeous! They are cream, sage green, colonial blue.
5. Spring scented candles like honeysuckle, lilac, and clean linen are in my living room, kitchen, and family room. I simply put away the cinnamon, balsalm and pumpkin ones for autumn if there is any wax left. I store them in a top kitchen cupboard with other Autumn/Xmas items.
6. Spring welcome mats for the kitchen door and front door.
7. Basket of Spring/Easter themed books for our "reading outloud" book bin in our family room.
8. Fresh, new curtains for the kitchen window.
   

• Baking Chocolate Crosses: this is a fairly new tradition. I received the recipe for Chocolate Shortbread Cookies from my sister Joy. They are awesome and look great in the shape of crosses. Of course they don't last long in our cookie container! We bake them together the day before Easter unless we are going away for Spring Break. (this year Easter is early so we are not going away as we have school on Monday....last year I made the cookies for Palm Sunday weekend). I will be posting the recipe on Tuesday for anyone who wants to copy it.

• Easter Baskets: this is my favorite part because my love language is gifts and I love to give tiny gifts for my daughters. My husband and I used to exchange new Christian books but we have decided to take the focus off gifts and concentrate more on the Scriptures, etc. We have never taught our children that there is an "Easter bunny" who leaves baskets for the same reason we've never told them there is a "Santa Claus". (we don't like to lie to our children). So...we started the Easter basket tradition when they turned 1 and have talked about "new life" happening in the spring via picture books about baby animals being born in spring, birds eggs, the "born again" message found in John 3. We tend to fill their baskets with small items such as peeps, a chocolate bunny, a new Bible or Christian fiction, new novel for whatever collection they are into at the time, new earrings or necklace, sometimes a small stuffed animal like a duck, bird, bunny. This year the 9 yr. old is getting a Webkinz as they are all the rage.
  

• The Easter Story: we read all the parts of the Easter Story from the Gospels during Holy Week. The nite before Easter, we read the Resurrection Story. We remind them about why Jesus was crucified, what it all means, etc. We remind them that getting baskets is not the real meaning but it represents for us "new life" by giving some new items.

• Attending Easter Service: this is huge tradition for us. We love our Easter Service. We get dressed up in new clothes usually and then go out to eat with my sister Joy, who is a single mom, and our nephew Luke. Joy usually chooses the restaurant and makes the reservation. We used to go to the same one but this year we are trying a new place in Lake George! Sometimes, the years have we have vacation plans, I cook a big ham dinner and then we spend the rest of the day packing the car, etc.
  

Those are our main traditions. What are some of yours??

Sunday Scriptures

A "tradition" I like to do in my personal devotional time, in the 2 weeks leading up to Easter, is reading as many Scriptures as I can that talk about Jesus' Sacrifice, the riding into town on a donkey, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the arrest/crucifixion and of course the Resurrection! Now that I am a mom, I like to read the stories in the different Gospels to my children and explain just how wide and how deep God's Love is for us and what He did with His Son, our most Precious Gift. (during this coming week, I will be posting about how I first taught my girls the difference between the way the world celebrates Easter and the way born again Christians celebrate this most Holy of days...come on back for a visit and leave your ideas about how you teach your children the meaning of Easter).
Today I am in Isaiah 53: 4-6. I am taking the verses from The Soul Care Bible, New King James version.

"Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
and by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned, every one, to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity
of us all."

Jesus received punishment from God. For our sins. So we could have peace.
We are healed. Jesus was wounded. We have hope because He carried our sorrows to the Cross. No one will ever love us the way Jesus Christ loves us. He gave His Life for us! All we need to do is accept Him, believe Him, and confess our sin. We can be forgiven and set free! Do you accept Him today?

Here is one of my favorite verses from a traditional hymn by Watts, that we often sing in my church:

"See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down;
did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?"

Traditions: Part 4

Well, it is the weekend before Christmas and yet another tradition in the T-----household will take place. When our oldest daughter was about 2, we decided to start celebrating Jesus' birthday with something "hands-on" for her to grasp the true meaning of Christmas. She knew the nativity story, in the way that most toddlers learn it: playing with a nativity scene, listening to a toddler version of the Luke 2 version, watching "The Little Drummer Boy" video. But we wanted something else so we decided to bake a birthday cake (8 x 8" pan) for dessert on Christmas Day. She helped me stir up a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and we wrote in red "Happy Birthday, Jesus" and put one candle in the middle. She got to blow out the candle after dinner that afternoon. Well, after her little sister was born on the 21st, (3 years after we started this tradition), we decided that since we now had a baby born so close to Christmas who would most likely want a cake for her birthday, we would have to think of a different dessert. We came up with brownies which actually turned out to be better because none of us really like cake anyways! So.....from 1998 until this year, we have done "Happy Birthday, Jesus" brownies (my own chocolate brownies with "snow"). The four of us have always enjoyed this and each girl always has had a job to do in the preparation of the "Jesus" brownies as they call them. (and Claire, not liking cake either, always chose cookies from a local gourmet bakery for her birthday on 12/21). All was well with the world.
Until.......YIKES! This past summer, our wonderful local gourmet bakery went out of business. Which means no more cookies for Claire's birthday. She is easy and decided she wanted "make your own sundaes" for tonite but for her birthday party with her 6 best friends tomorrow she wants......you guessed it....brownies! (and how can I disappoint my just-turned-9 year old with the gorgeous blue eyes??) SO.....I told the girls I was NOT baking my special brownies 2 times in one week. (not to mention the 2 batches of cookies I have already made this week and the pound of fudge I need to make on Sunday afternoon). I decided to browse in my cooking magazines I receive each month. And.....we now have a new "Happy Birthday, Jesus" dessert: Mint Chocolate Pudding with Raspberries! YEAH.
And it couldn't be easier. I had to buy a box of Jello brand Mint Chocolate Pudding mix. I will make it Monday late afternoon with the girls (after my parents leave and before our Christmas Eve service begins). I will dash out to the grocery store tomorrow after the party and pick up some fresh raspberries (the pudding comes with little green minty sprinkles or candy thingys). I figured the raspberries would look pretty on the pudding cups, even though I am the only one who will eat them! ( I dread to think of the price though...not exactly raspberry season up here in capital region NY!) I am just happy that the girls still insist on the tradition of singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the candle and reflecting on the fact that He is God's greatest Gift to us......and I am praying they take this tradition in to their own homes someday for their own children. And isn't that what traditions are all about?

Traditions: a Part 3 update!

We did it! My daughter agreed to look online with me due to the approaching storm, a huge paper to write for Honors English and a weekend jammed packed with little sister's 4 performances and relatives!
We typed in Boston Red Sox ornaments and up came the perfect stocking stuffer for Daddy!
She chose the above ornament for her 15th gift to daddy, carrying on the tradition of giving him something he will love. David Ortiz is one of Daddy's favorite Red Sox players and...since they won the world series again this year...well.....makes sense!
Now if it will just get here in time for Christmas......!

Traditions: Part 3

I have posted some traditions that we do as a family at my house during December. We have done St. Nicholas Day, the tree decorating followed by the movie "It's a Wonderful Life' with hot cocoa and the first batch of fudge or cookies. Now we do another tradition that is always a surprise for Daddy. It involves my oldest daughter, Courtney and I. I began this tradition when she was just 5 months old. I was on a year long maternity leave and decided to do some Christmas shopping in a small town in the mountains near us. I held her up to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and she grabbed at a cream-colored heart with a red velvet 'hook" and the word "Rejoice" written on it in black. I decided right then to begin a tradition of my oldest buying daddy a special ornament for each year. Something that has special significance to something that happened or that we experienced together as a family or with the two of them. This year we haven't decided yet....or I should say, I haven't had a chance to take her out with me....a high school honors classes student has very little time for shopping. She does have an idea of what she wants to get so....it might mean going online this weekend and paying a little more for shipping but......we will keep you posted!
The following is a list of ornaments that she has given her daddy in his stocking since 1993:

• 1993: heart that says "Rejoice"...we rejoiced at her birth in July of that year!
• 1994: a computer (he is a software engineer!)
• 1995: Disney Dalmations on a heart (they watched the movie often that year as she was really into "101 Dalmations"
• 1996: glass tree (because she thought it was pretty)
• 1997: a teddy bear daddy wearing a red scarf (because he still has a red scarf that his mom made years ago and he still wears it!...that year, he bought me the same ornament only it was a mommy bear)
• 1998: a gingerbread house (because she made a real one in kindergarten that year)
• 1999: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (one of our favorite animated xmas shows)
• 2000: Veggie Tales (Bob & Larry on a sled...because her baby sister was really into the videos and we all watched them ad nauseum!)
• 2001: a special patriotic one in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy..because we are NY'ers these little ornaments were everywhere!
• 2002: Snoopy (because they enjoyed watching the Charlie Brown xmas show together)
• 2003: Cat in the Hat (because her little sister was really into Dr. Seuss books and we had to read one every nite! we even memorized one...but that is for another post!)
• 2004: a moose (because of our trip to Maine (twice...once in July, once in Oct.)
• 2005: a glass icicle of red and silver twirls....simply breathtaking..she says she chose it because it was so gorgeous.
  
• 2006: a pink Victorian dollhouse (because he has been making a real one for Courtney ever since she turned 7 and it still isn't done so she figured this would get him going on completion!)

Check back in sometime to find out what this year's surprise ornament will be!

ST NICHOLAS DAY

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

My daughters woke up this a.m. and first thing they did after getting dressed for school, was check their wooden shoes by the front door! Of course they don't believe that St. Nicholas came in during the night....but...we keep the tradition based on the legend that I described in my post about the St. Nicholas book we read together. Courtney was at the youth center all evening, decorating it with Christmas decorations for her weekly life::group meeting so she missed out on reading the book. Claire enjoyed listening to the story for the 4th time and she then took a turn reading from our poetry book about St. Nick. Of course, instead of having fruit and cookies for an after school snack, they will dive into their chocolate coins! A fun tradition.....with more to come.......

Traditions: Part 2

One of our favorite December traditions is celebrating St. Nicholas Day on December 6. My daughters have owned real Dutch wooden shoes since the Christmas of 1999. My in-laws had traveled to Holland and purchased them from a man making the shoes in front of them. They chose green ones for Courtney, my oldest, and red ones with yellow designs for Claire. Each year on the evening of Dec. 5, the girls put their wooden shoes by the front door after listening to me read the true story of St. Nicholas. We have not lied to our children and told them that there is a Santa Claus. Nor do we disrespect any one who does allow their children to believe in Santa. My husband and I decided early in our marriage, before we even had children, that we would not lie to them about such traditions like santa, the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, etc because we didn't want them growing up wondering if the other things we were teaching them was just lies. Things like Jesus being our Savior and dying on a cross. Things like a man being resurrected from the dead to live again. Things like Satan/demons. We are teaching our daughters the Truth, based on the Bible, about what Christmas really is. We are also teaching them that YES, there WAS a man who was an awesome person who was later "sainted" and that is where the tradition of the secular "santa claus" came from. It originated in Europe and the legend of santa claus was brought to America from the Germans.
The books we used were always from the town library. However, about 4 years ago, I discovered a new book (c. 2003) called "Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend" by Julie Stiegemeyer and illustrated by Chris Ellison. This is a book I highly recommend for all families of children....no matter what the age. The book is most appropriate, if reading aloud, for ages 4-adult. There is a glossery of terms in the back of the book. Some of the words that are defined are: Asia Minor, dowry, Lycia, Myra, pastor, Paul, Saint. Many children don't know that the present day country of Turkey, was once called Asia Minor. (they do cover it in some social studies classes in public schools but many schools do not).
Quick summary of the book: Nicholas was a pastor in 4th century Lycia. He knew of a man who could not afford a proper dowry for his daughters to get married. Because of his generosity and kindness, he prayed about how he could help this family. One night, he left 3 bags of gold on the floor of the man's house. Now the daughters could get married. Tales of his generosity spread throughout the land and he became known as Father Christmas. People continue to give gifts at Christmas time to share God's love and show kindness to others. The end of the book talks about God's greatest gift of all; Jesus. There is a note to grown-ups in the back of the book by the author. She goes on to explain that her book is somewhat fictionalized but that Nicholas really was a historical figure who lived in the 4th century. He was bishop of Myra, a city in Lycia. The people there had already heard the good news of Jesus from Paul the Apostle (as recorded in Acts 27: 5-6). Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia. The legends about the North Pole, reindeer that fly and giving gifts all over the world on Christmas Eve were created to enhance his story. But his generosity is based on historical fact. The part about giving money towards the girls' dowries is believed to be factual. His feast day (the day he died), is December 6th. Many families observe this day by having their children put shoes by the door when they go to bed on 12/5. When the children wake up they find gold-foil wrapped chocolate coins. (for my daughters, I buy the chocolate coins found in the kosher food section of the local market and a couple of little gifts like nail polish, barrettes, earrings.)
The significance of St. Nicholas for people today is that "his response to God's great love for us in Jesus was to care for other people. His kindness and care for children are modeled every time we give a gift out of love."
So...on Dec 5, my girls will put out their wooden shoes, now much too small for them! They will hurry down the stairs before school on Dec. 6 (this coming Thursday!) and shout with delight at their chocolate coins and nail polish. And we will thank God for men like Nicholas who faced persecution as a Christian, who was imprisoned for being a Believer, and we will thank the Lord for his precious Son Jesus who shows us how to be loving and kind.
Another good book about St. Nicholas: "A Gift From St. Nicholas" by Cristine Bolley and illustrated by Bruce Eagle. It is written in poetry style and is like a "letter" from St. Nicholas to all children. (perhaps I will post the poem on another day!)......right now....it is off to yet another Dec. tradition: curling up together in the family room, all 4 of us in our cosy jammies, eating a couple of first batch xmas cookies (thank you Courtney for baking them while I gave Claire a bath!), and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" dvd before falling into bed.
Traditions....aren't they great??

Coming Soon........

St. Nicholas Day is December 6! Around our house we have a fun tradition.....come back soon to read about how we celebrate this part of the Christmas season.....

Book Review: One Wintry Night

As a family, we have a favorite book we like to put on the family room coffee table in the winter months. It was a Christmas gift from Grandma M----(my mother) to our oldest daughter in 1998, when she was 5 and my youngest had just been born! We read it every December now as a family, and both girls usually read it through at least once by them selves during the winter.
The book is "One Wintry Night" by Ruth Bell Graham. Illustrations are by Richard Jesse Watson. They are absolutely breathtaking. Ruth created this wonderful and unique version of the Christmas Story by blending a contemporary setting with the history of God's redeeming love. The genre is "a story within a story": Biblical history/truth within a fictitious setting. It is set in the mountains and from the description, it appears to be in the area where the Grahams have lived, in North Carolina.
A summary: a young mountain boy is outdoors, alone, when a sudden snowstorm comes upon him. He takes refuge in a cabin that his grandfather helped build many years before. The woman who lives there gives the boy shelter and food, and attends to his badly swollen ankle. They are housebound because of the blizzard so she spends the hours telling the Christmas story beginning with creation and ending with the resurrection.
This is a fascinating book for Believers who already know the story and for people who only know a few details. It is appropriate for ages 4-adult and is a picture book with chapters. It is a long story but....at our house, we read a chapter or two per night. It is one of our favorite traditions! I highly recommend this book for all families!

Traditions: Part 1

The picture here shows the Mayflower II which sits in Plymouth Harbor and is open for tourists. My husband and I have been on this ship 2 times but have seen it several times as he is from Plymouth County. His great-great- (times 8 or 9?) uncle was on the original Mayflower. The name John T----is listed on the plaque that shows the names of all the Pilgrims who came over on the famous ship. The next year, sailing on the Speedwell, another ancestor from the T----clan came over.(grandfather) So...when I became engaged to Dave, I knew this holiday was going to be an important one for his side of the family.
I am going to be writing about some traditions my family does during the late autumn months of November/December. Each year, during the last week of October, I begin to set out my harvest/Thanksgiving decorations. I don't have many: a corn husk Native American girl, displayed on a shelf in my dining room, a ceramic turkey handmade by a dear friend who lives in Michigan( this year he is sitting on our piano), 3 miniature pumpkins that I keep on a country corner curio in my kitchen, a large pumpkin (decorative) that has "Thanksgiving Blessings" engraved on it, 3 more decorative pumpkins displayed on a shelf in my family room, a pewter bowl filled with pinecones and topped with 3 gourds as my centerpiece on coffee table in family room, a wicker basket of decorative colored maple leaves on my wicker coffee table in my living room and apple/cinnamon scented candles in family room and kitchen. I also have a candle that is scented " and is sitting in a country crock on my kitchen counter. I have a "Give Thanks" cornucopica decorative flag flying from our little front stoop (I replace it with the American flag on Veterans Day) and I have 3 real pumpkins sitting on our front step, placed on a little table on front porch and in yard under our cherry tree. That is it I think for thanksgiving decorations.
Books are big at our house and always have been. When the children were toddlers and preschoolers, I kept a wicker bin filled with books that related to whatever season, holiday or event that was going on. Right now there are a few books about Christian virtues and "The First Thanksgiving" by Jean Craighead George c. 1993 that I bought at Plimoth Plantation the first time we went as a family when my oldest was 6 and my youngest was 1....i DO NOT recommend going there with a toddler....bad mistake. So...needless to say: we went back during Spring break of 2006 and thoroughly enjoyed our selves. Courtney was 12 and Claire was 7...much better experience and we spent 4 hours there. If you ever have the chance to go to Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, MA, do so! I might post something on that experience as well.
Ok, back to traditions: we read the book each year. This year, Claire read it aloud to Daddy on Tuesday evening as they had a nice evening together while I was spending some time with my oldest. The information is very accurate and the pictures look "real". This book is great for ages 6-12.
Another book we purchased when we were newlyweds visiting Plymouth is called "Saintsand Strangers: Being the Lives of the Pilgrim Fathers and their Families, with their Friends and Foes" by George F. Willison c. 1945 and renewed in 1971. Since the Pilgrims are often confused with the Puritans, he writes about that in his preface. George writes from actual essays and letters from the actual pilgrims and had Pilgrim scholars help him with the book. For those of you who homeschool and want an accurate portrayal of the Pilgrims, this would make a great addition to your home library! It is a great read but would be best for grades 8 to adult.

The main tradition we have at Thanksgiving: we travel to Cape Cod to the family beach house and have a traditional Thanksgiving feast with Dave's parents, his oldest sister and her family, oldest brother and family, younger sister and family. We often have a couple of other guests as well (the parents of Dave's brother's wife...got that?) or an aunt and uncle. This year there will be 24 of us. I have 4 nieces and 2 nephews who are awesome cousins to my girls! So, my in-laws have 7 grandchildren and 1 step-grandchild. We all have a great time. For years, my mother in law has "done it all". Until we aquired the beach house, we would have dinner at Dave's house that he grew up in, which is in a very tiny town south of Boston, about 35 min from the beach house. Now, all the children (4: 2 girls, 2 boys; my husband is the younger boy) take turns cooking. This year, it is Dave's turn to cook, which means I get to help. I sent out formal invitations as that is part of the tradition. I had the siblings all sign up to bring an appetizer. Tradition is: appetizers and wine come out at 11a.m. Dinner is served at about 2:30 pm. We then walk on the beach or play board games until early evening and then have dessert. The sad thing for Dave and I is that none of his relatives are born-again. They will say a prayer (some years) but they have no personal relationship with Christ. Some family members are agnostic or atheist. This year, I put in the invitation that I want each person to be thinking of one thing they are thankful for and we will be taking turns going around the table saying our thanks before my husband prays. We just try to live our faith in ways that will witness to the clan.

One other tradition is that we have driven to Plymouth to gaze at Plymouth Rock and do some shopping. Last year was our last year for that. We decided "been there, done that". We have been on the Mayflower 2 times with the girls, been to Plimoth Plantation 2 times with them and once you go through it, not much changes. There are also thousands (literally) of tourists in town during Thanksgiving weekend and it is very cold this time of year there. Actually, because of the Atlantic Ocean, the whole place is windy all year round. We toured the Mayflower the day after Thanksgiving in 2005 and did the Plantation in April 2006. I recommend doing the Plantation in late spring or early summer.

I like this quote from the beginning of "Saints and Strangers":

"On the American horizon today Plymouth Rock looms like a Gibraltor. In our eyes it has become the symbol of a great faith and a greater hope, a mighty bulwark of freedom and democracy. No landmark on our shores has been more celebrated in song and story."

When I first saw the rock, I said "that's it?"...but....of course over the years it has been moved several times and broken and now it sits in a iron cage similar to a zoo cage, for the thousands of tourists to gaze upon each year.

For us: we have the stories passed down from generation to generation from the Turners....the knowledge that my daughters have such a rich history in that part of Massachusetts is exciting to them. They have shared with their classes over the years, the various stories of the Mayflower, the plantation and photos we have taken. They have even confessed that yes, Daddy's great grandfather broke part of the rock when he was on the team of townspeople moving the rock from one part of the harbor to where it currently lies.
Around our house this time of year, there is much preparation going on for traveling back to Plymouth area. But the greatest thing of all for us is giving thanks to our Lord and Savior for all the blessings He has bestowed on us, for family, for a rich history, and for salvation.