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.

To Write Love On Her Arms

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

I have no idea when it started, but I have had depression since at least my mid teens. If I were to go back and really delve into it, there may have been signs long before that. I wrote some about it here.

Today is TWLOHA (to write love on her arms) Day.

Here's what that means to me...

I have written the word LOVE on my arm today for myself, and grieve (just a little) about what could have/should have been while I was in the midst of the hell called depression. And I will thank God for healing.
I have written the word LOVE on my arm today for my mother. Although never publicly admitting to depression, I can look back and clearly see how she suffered.
I wrote the word LOVE on my daughter's arm this morning. And said to her, "Just know you are loved and you do matter." And I encouraged her to make a difference in some one's life today by doing the same.
I have written the word LOVE on my arm today for my sister, my friend Ronne, my blog pal Elaine, my brother, my sweet Granny, my McYaya girls, Angel, Tiffney, my mother-in-law, my Grandaddy, Mike, Linda, my uncles, Sherri, Heather, and sweet Jana. And for every man, woman, adult or child who secretly suffers from depression.

It's everywhere, people. It cannot be denied. And writing the word LOVE on my arm may seem pointless to you, but for those who have been in the grips of depression, anxiety, addiction, self-injury or tinkered with the thought of suicide, they will understand the powerful statement that LOVE makes. It's about validation. Validation is KEY to healthy human existence and thriving.

I will step out of my comfort zone today and express LOVE to someone. I challenge you to do the same. And let's not limit ourselves to one day. Step out and step it up.

My Alma Mater and Buffalo and Chicken

Tonight is the football game between my alma mater (currently my daughter's school) and our rival. Go Rebs! Beat the Buffs! I'm headed to the pep rally to watch Mascot in a skit.

Also, we (the family) has entered (10 times) into a drawing (another fundraiser~geesh) to win a chance to attempt a field goal from the 10 yard line. The prize? Chick-fil-A for a year. Yee Haw!

Now, we should hit the gym and work out after The Captain gets off of work, however, we aren't going. Here's why: We need to be at the football game by 7pm for the Chick-fil-A drawing and possibility that one (or more) of us may 1) Make a total fool of ourselves in front of hundreds of people, and/or 2) Win Chick-fil-A for a year. I can't risk being sweaty for such an occasion.

We should go practice punting. Just in case.

It could happen, ya' know.

God talks. Am I listening?

Already, today has been a sucky day.

And right in the big middle of my pity party, God spoke to me. Well, not in a voice that I heard, but by showing me something.

Let's back up to 8:45 a.m.
I have a file folder full of animosity that I am not proud of. And when I say file folder, I mean that literally. Occasionally, I have to dig into this file folder and when I do, anger rears its ugly head. A phone call later, and I'm seething. I'm ashamed, but it's the truth.

Then a very strange thing happened. I found, in this file folder of animosity, a book. Why in the world is a book in this file? I couldn't imagine.

Until I turned it over and God spoke to me.

Max Lucado's Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear, The Promise of Psalm 23.

Oh. My. Gosh. This is no accident, people. No coincidence.

I'm going to do some reading. And some listening.