Christmas Tour

 Here are a few pictures from the three Christmas Tour performances.  They performed for a local light up, a nursing home, and a local Camp for kids with life threatening health problems.  It was a fun run of Christmas Tour!

Seven Quick Takes

1.  Jesus is the Reason for the Season but you wouldn't know it from looking at what my family has focused on so far.  I'm hoping to repair that eventually.  We are still steeped in theatre triple time--A Christmas Story (last weekend), Christmas Tour (last weekend), and Annie, Jr. (show next weekend).  When the kids were younger and we were less busy I did SO much Advent type things--we did a Jesse tree, we read advent devotionals, made advent lapbooks, and talked and celebrated all over the place about the real reason for Christmas.  I'm hoping those lessons are sustaining them through a very secular Christmas season for us so far.  Even though we've been doing "Christmas" things since October, it hasn't felt much like Christmas for me.  My to-do list is just too long and the days are too short. We haven't even been to church much.   I'm holding on until December 16 though when everything ends and we can just BE!  And we can do Christmas like it's supposed to be done.  I have only bought one gift and am strongly considering not doing a Christmas card this year.  I just figure if it ends up being a priority and something I want to do then I'll do one, if not, I won't.  I hope to make Christmas cookies once everything is done too.  We'll see.

2.  I just read this..."I taught my little ones and big ones that Advent is when we get to stop being productive and Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room to come to us. We prepare room in our hearts and wait for God by finding some time each day of Advent to Be Still." - this morning and it spoke to my heart.  I'm looking forward to the moment when I can stop being productive.  This quote came from Glennon at Momastery.  She is full of wise words and the rest of that post was about Being Still, Being Loved, and Being Love to someone else.  So simple, so true, so powerful.

3.  Another quote I came across recently, also really spoke to me.  Pope Francis said it referring to churches but I felt like it described how I feel sometimes--

"I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security."

I spend a lot of time in the "world" and lately haven't spent much time in church.  Loving and spending time with people who don't know Jesus can leave me bruised, hurting, and dirty....but those are the people who need the love of Jesus the most and need to know they are loved and not judged.  

4.  I have always lived a busy life, I like busy, I like productive, I like to go and do and go and do some more.  If I don't have enough going on I will find something more to do.  With all of that said...these last 6 weeks or so are about to do me in.  I have never been so busy and I'm soooo done!  I can't be done yet though.  Grace and Joe have 5 more performances of "A Christmas Story," this weekend.  Hannah has to be at 3 of those shows to work backstage but also has 2 Christmas tour performances that coincide with two of the Christmas Story performances.  Oh, and Grace has to be at a dress rehearsal Saturday morning for the church Christmas pageant that will be on Sunday night.  I'll be at 2 or 3 Christmas Story shows, one Christmas tour performance, dress rehearsal and the Christmas pageant.  Thank goodness Grandma gets here Friday night to join us in all this crazy fun.  

5.  This week we have been hunkering down and hitting the books HARD.  My goal is to have the girls completely done with Segment 1 of virtual school before the end of next week.  This has meant a whole lot of work on Hannah's part specifically but she is committed as well.  She has done so much this week that her teacher actually texted and offered to exempt her from two assignments so that she could finish even sooner.  Grace just has a segment exam left and a few keyboarding assignments.  We'll have a light school week next week and then....Christmas break!!!  Woooooohoooooo!!!

6. I am reading a book all about Operation Christmas Child and how it began.  I have filled shoeboxes for kids every year for about the last 20 years.  It is one of my favorite things to do at Christmas.  I have had the kids help me in the past but many years I just do it myself.  This year I gave one box to Hannah and one to Joe (Grace was at a friend's house) and we went to Target and I let them make their own decisions about the box and pack it up.  They really got into it and were really blessed by thinking of and giving to someone other than themselves.  That's what it is all about.  

7.  I'm all out of words....hard to believe I know.

Joe...Light Up Dominick the Donkey

Hannah...Light Up Every Christmas Carol Ever Sung

Joe singing at Light Up Nuttin' for Christmas

Grace Singing at Light Up Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree