Merry Christmas

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

Christmas 'Around the World' Dinner

This year, I'm hosting Christmas dinner. I had been trying to decide what kind of 'non-traditional' foods to serve for Christmas dinner (Mexican, Italian, sandwiches) when I had a genius idea.

Well, I think so, at least.

Why not create a feast of all different kinds of foods and traditions from around the world? Is that not genius?

Oh my gosh...My mind is whirling with ideas. I promise photos and recipes!

Any recipes or traditions you'd like to share that I can incorporate into this special dinner? Hurry!

Weathering The Storm

I have been sick. Tis the season to not have time for that. And on top of being sick, I have been in the midst of a 'storm', grappling with depression. Tis the season for that, too. Sometimes the most joyful time of the year brings not-so-joyful moments. If you've been there, you understand. If not, you are lucky.

Overwhelmed and burned out by my growing to-do lists, I came down with a sore throat and earache. Nice. The combination of depression and illness is dangerous to the mind and body. And everyone around me. Gradually, over the past couple of weeks, I have felt the familiar distant rumbling of thunder. An occasional lightning strike. But nothing too severe. Until yesterday.

Sometimes, in the midst of the storm, I've needed to visit the doctor for a prescription for depression and anxiety. Sometimes all that I need is to release some of the pressure that's building inside of me. Expressing feelings that I can't always accurately convey isn't usually a smart thing to do during the storm, as it can produce more trouble. I wish I knew the answer, but I don't. My defense mechanism is usually withdrawal. Which let me tell you, doesn't make for very fun holidays. For me or anyone else.

Back to yesterday. On the way home from taking my son to school, I came across a cat who had JUST been hit by a car. It was horrifying and devastating. I was the crazy lady in the middle of the street sobbing as other cars just passed by, obviously not near as moved by this as I had been. At that moment, weeks of pressure were released. Previously unable to cry (a GREAT pressure release), only to withdraw, I released...that's for sure! Then I was able to express some of the things going on in my brain to my husband. (Bless his heart. There should be medals to honor such husbands.)

Last night we celebrated a birthday with a friend and I was able to laugh and enjoy myself. Today, although I still have a sore throat, my mind feels better and my spirit is lighter. And my to-do list seems do-able.

Someone else's storm's a brewing... This morning, in the school parking lot, a lady actually rolled down her window and screamed at me. Accusing me of not stopping at a stop sign in the parking lot (which I did stop at), she pointed her finger and screamed at me. In the school parking lot. Falsely accusing me. And honking at me. Meanwhile, I could hear her daughter screaming at her "Mom, stop it!" Two reasons her outburst didn't bother me: 1)I knew I had stopped at the stop sign. 2)Maybe she's in the midst of a storm. That could have been me yesterday. So I prayed for her. And I thanked God that my storm is passing.

Cross Wall Hanging

Look what I did! I originally found the idea here.

I modified the idea by putting a cross in the center instead of letters. This was so simple. And you could make it any size you want.


I used 1/2" thick MDF, cut into 18 x 18 square. They'll do this at the hardware store for you. The entire sheet was 2' x 4' so I got two large squares and some smaller, longer rectangles leftover that I can use for something else.


Sand the edges.
I painted the square, two coats, using craft acrylic black paint.


Mod podge a 12 x 12 sheet of scrapbooking paper to the center of the board. Do this by marking where the paper will go on the board with a pencil. Using a generous amount of Mod Podge and a foam brush, cover area of board where paper will go. Place paper onto board, being careful it's exactly where you want it to go. Smooth it out. Some Mod Podge may come out edges.Make sure all edges are firmly down. Put a coat of Mod Podge over the entire board including top of paper. Do this sort of quickly, as the Mod Podge starts drying quickly.

Don't panic. The Mod Podge dries clear. I used the matte finish. It also comes in gloss.




Place a picture hanger on the back. I painted a cross bought at JoAnn's and glued it to the center using Amazing Goop, which I also bought at JoAnn's.



See how easy that was?


Estimated cost for this project: $6
I already owned the paint, glue and Mod Podge. Those cost about $11 to buy.