Nancy Wilson's Blog, page 34

Lizzie and Biscuits

Rachel has written a blog post about unbaked biscuits over at Desiring God, and I thought you might like to read it. It is an excerpt from Fit to Burst, her hot-off-the-press book.

The Here and the Now.

Last year my kids ate cereal for Christmas breakfast. For reals. Cereal. To be fair we had done a Christmas Eve brunch the day before, and Christmas was on a Sunday, so we were in a hurry. But. But. But.

 I started feeling behind on Christmas this year a few weeks before Thanksgiving, because this year I want it all to be smooth. I want to have all my gifts wrapped and done early enough to really enjoy the season with the kids, to keep the house clean, and to make it all feel restful, and smell good. My big goal is that we can stay up late on Christmas Eve, but only as late as we want. Which is probably about 9:30. I am cleaning out closets all over the house and purging toys – getting ready so that there is a home for everything by the day after Christmas. I want to have bins in the right sizes (for legos and such) in the garage ready to be filled. This is all very pipe-dream.

In reality I did make a paper mache snowman with the kids. He isn’t done yet, but he is looking cute. I just don’t know if we will do a gingerbread house, and the sugar cookies I could do without entirely, as well as the caramel, but I suspect a crisp salad doesn’t appeal as much to my children. So my chances of getting out of the season without those things are pretty slim.

But why all this emphasis on getting ahead and getting things together? Oh. Right. Last year my kids ate cereal for Christmas breakfast. The real reason that they ate cereal is that I was too busy puking to make them any food. Shadrach, bless his tiny little butt, was making his early presence felt, and I do the pukes for the first few months of pregnancy. My husband forbade me guilting over the Christmas breakfast scene. He said something brilliant like “Stop it. No. It doesn’t matter. They will be so excited anyways that they will not care.” Good man. It’s hard to know if he was comforting me, or just trying to keep a huge mess off of his to-do list, but either way he was being smart.

Last Christmas I also never made the tree look cute although I spent way more time than ever before lying on the couch looking at it. Titus accidentally jumped into the tree, dragging the garlands into a major droop that no one ever fixed. At some point, I think when it was time to take the tree down – that would make more sense than anything else – the tree spent  an entire day and a half lying on the living room floor. We kept it lit to keep our spirits up. I took a picture – because even blinded by the reek of the presence of food in our house I could see it was funny. Bless yourself with that picture, I have shared it with you. Drink it in.

But the real reason that I have brought this up is that I have been reflecting a lot on what Christmas is supposed to be like. I have celebrated Christmas as a little girl who got rubber bands and bungee cords in her stocking (huge thrill), which turned out to have been more a result of my parents having no money that year and Dad picking some stuff up at the hardware store. I have celebrated Christmas at the homes of Grandparents who have since gone to be with the Lord, and there are strong memories and love of the funny moments with those sweet people. I have celebrated Christmas as a single girl, whose best-friend siblings are all married and busy with their own families. I have celebrated Christmas as a new wife, and as a brand new mother. I have celebrated Christmas as a morning sick mother of five wild-card-fun-time children, who danced around the tree flat on its side. And this year I hope to celebrate Christmas as a more put together (dare I hope?), mother of six.

And while each of us has celebrated Christmas through the years in a number of different situations, it is the very difference that is so powerful. Some of us are celebrating this Christmas while grieving. Some of us are celebrating in the face of loss, in the face of fear, in the face of sorrow. Some of us are celebrating this Christmas with new believers in our families, with repaired relationships. Some of us are celebrating this Christmas alone, looking forward to a time when there are people who want us, need us, and depend on us. Some of us are celebrating this Christmas tired, worn out from the hardest year we’ve ever had. Some of us are celebrating Christmas in awe at the number of blessings that have been poured out on us this year.

But this is the beauty of Christmas. Christmas did not just come to the world once, in Bethlehem. When Jesus came into this world, into that manger, he came for all time. He came came for us this year. When we are celebrating Christmas, we are acknowledging that here, now, we have a savior. We are celebrating the presence of our savior in the situation we are currently in. We are celebrating that our savior did not just come to people once. He came to us all, now.

So I look fondly at that mess of a Christmas last year, and while I would like to throw away all the ornaments and start over, I rejoice. Last year, we had a savior. This year, we have a savior. Forever, we have a savior.

So look around you this year. Remind yourself that your savior came to you here, and he came to you now. Grab all the stuff you can, and throw a party. And if you don’t have any money this year, grab the old newspapers and make some decorations. And if you have money this year, act like it. This is good news people, not old news. This year, like all the years before us, and all the years ahead, we have a savior. And that is the best reason to party that I ever heard of.

Fit to Burst with Birthdays! Giveaway!

Guess what! Yesterday was my birthday (it was bound to happen sometime), and today is the day where I get ready for the twin’s birthday tomorrow. I’ve still got to talk them onto the same page about their birthday dinner. They have a lot of ideas, my favorite being Butternut Squash soup for all the boys, and Sloppy Joes for the girls. It is a good kind of crazy around here.

Bekah told you all a while ago about my new book which is pre-releasing in time for Christmas (at least for USA folk), but I thought my birthday would be a perfect time to do a little giveaway! It will not be in from the printers until December 7, and they can ship it off to you then. International shipping is not a problem, but it will take longer due to oceans.

Anyway, I thought I’d give away three different prizes, but all the same. Each winner will get two copies of the book, one to keep and one to share. Or two to share and none to keep. Or two to keep? I don’t know. The distribution of the prize will be left in your capable hands! Just leave a comment to enter, and I will do the drawing on Friday!

Sometimes people ask me about how I manage to write with so much to do at home. I never really know how to answer that because I do, in fact, have a lot to do at home. The answer is really that I don’t spend time thinking at the computer. I think and talk to people as I do other things. The content of the books make this possible, because what I write about is what I need to deal with. Sometimes something provokes a thought that needs to be fleshed out. Sometimes I realize some way that I have been stinking it up, and sometimes I don’t like something that comes up and need to work through why. But all this happens while I am folding laundry, doing dishes, at the store, cleaning bathrooms, or what have you. I never sit at the computer and think. I think while I live, and then periodically write.

I agreed to write this book while I was preggers with Shadrach, and the initial plan was to do it earlier. But, writing for me has to squeek in somewhere, and the somewhere just wasn’t showing up. I got the emailed contract after dinner one night when I had crashed on the couch and was talking to my husband. I got the giggles when I read it. Yes! I should write up a little something about how easily this is all going! Because I am struggling to complete a thought in a conversation with my husband! Yes! Let me try to bless others with some of this insight!

My husband offered to blurb my book for me, even though I had yet to write it. “I don’t know how she managed it, but this book reads as muddled as I feel!” We had a good laugh about it all, and then I said I needed more time. Turns out writing for me is like being stuck in traffic. Sometimes there is no way to go anywhere, and then you either get moving with the other cars, or you decide to go ahead and drive on the shoulder.

Fit to Burst is a little bit of shoulder driving. But, thankfully, at last, we got somewhere!

Fret Not

If you are at all prone to fret, worry, or get anxious over life and the stuff in it, here are a few reminders for you to keep you out of the fret mode. Who wants you fretting? I guarantee you it is not God who is planting worries in your heart and mind. So here are five reasons not to fret, besides the obvious reason that God does not like it.

1. It’s not pretty. Ugh.

2. It’s not fun to be with.

3. It is not trusting God.

4. It is not setting your mind on things above, but setting it in the wrong place.

5. It’s fruitless, like chasing your tail. (Like fretting over fretting over fretting…)

So how can you get out of the fretting cycle? Do these things that God likes.

1. Ignore the worrisome suggestions. Change the subject!

2. Do your duties.

3. Be grateful (i.e. count your blessings).

4. Laugh. Delight in God’s goodness around you.

5. Listen to God instead.  He says He will look after us far better than we can look after ourselves.

 

Phew!

So Mom promised you a picture of my table . . . and here it is. She also suspected that my table was going to turn out to be an elegant sort of a situation, so I’m just going on record to say that I am using a canvas dropcloth from the hardware store as my tablecloth. Things can be only so elegant when you’re rockin’ the drop cloth.

I decided to do the obligatory cranberry jello in individual glasses this time, and slap some stickers on the side so that they could double as place cards. However, I’m beginning to have the vibe that they look like small scented candles rather than anything edible. Cranberry jello scented candles. On the other hand, I don’t care.

At this point I’m ready to sit down and have a glass of wine with my husband before bed! I have a 25 lb. turkey sitting in a buttermilk brine, I’ve made about 2 gallons of turkey broth to use in everything tomorrow, the cornbread is drying out for the dressing, the pie crusts are in the fridge, the spinach dip and deep fried cashews are ready for the Axis and Allies festival before dinner, and I don’t remember what else I got finished but I’ve crossed everything off my list that had to get done yesterday and today! Best of fun to all of you tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know you all are busy getting your tables set too, and I wish I could sit you all down at mine. Crazy isn’t it? I decided to go busy rather than elegant because it’s Thanksgiving, and we are so grateful for all God’s crazy blessings on our family. The left has no chairs because there is a long bench pulled up on that side which will seat a bunch of kids. And the two highchairs are not in the picture either. We are actually down in numbers because Bekah is cooking up a Merkle Thanksgiving at her house, and she will post up a picture for you as well. I am thinking her table will be more on the elegant side. Well, I must get back and figure out the wine glasses. Tomorrow is kitchen day….Heather’s bringing her plum port molded jello and her spinach dip and veggie tray….Rachel’s making rolls and pies….I’ve got a couple of turkeys to pop in the oven and ten pounds of potatoes for Doug to peel (smile) and a few more odds and ends. May God richly bless all your tables and the faces around them!

A Femina Shopping Spree

A Femina reader ministering with her family for a few months in Russia has offered you a sweet deal. She has designed and sells an Advent Bible Study guide for kids as well as other resources that might interest you. If you’d like to look at their products, the link is here. Click on ‘Christmas Resources’ on the top right to see what they have for Advent. They are offering you a 50% off coupon code: ‘halfoffholiday,’ so take advantage!

We would like to invite any of you who sell Christmas or Advent products or resources to leave a comment at the end of this post with a comment describing your goods as well as a link to your site. We can have a Femina readers’ shopping spree right here!

Santa Who?

A college girl once told me that her little sister had asked her if Santa was real or not. Being an honest Christian, the college gal didn’t want to lie to her little sister, so she told her that Santa was make-believe and not real. So her little sister followed up with, “So is Jesus real?”

This just illustrates the point that we should not lie to our children thinking that it will make Christmas more fun for them.  Christmas is not about Santa. I grew up with Santa and my husband didn’t. I can remember as a little kid looking all around my bedroom for the elves who were watching me and making that list. And I remember asking my parents how come there were so many Santas around town anyway. I don’t remember ever having the “news” broken to me that Santa was make-believe. We simply out-grew it. My parents always made Christmas spectacular, and, in spite of the Santa thing, I always knew about the real Christmas as being Jesus’ birthday.

At Doug’s home, Santa was not welcome at their Christmas celebration. (In fact, he still thinks it’s a stupid story!) When he was a little kid, he and his younger brother were watching a repairman do something at their house. The repairman asked the boys what Santa Claus had brought them for Christmas. “Nothing,” replied his little brother.

“Nothing?!”  the shocked repairman asked. He must have been wondering what kind of house he was in.

“Christmas is Jesus’ birthday,” was the matter-of-fact reply, as though this guy must be from another planet. Of course Doug’s parents gave the kids gifts and filled their stockings, but these were never attributed to Santa.

We did a similar thing as our children were growing up. The celebration was about Jesus and His birthday, and we all gave gifts to one another to celebrate. There was never any lying to our children about Santa or elves or Easter bunnies or tooth fairies. We told them plenty of stories, but they knew when it was a story, and when it was real.

The Christmas Story is real, and it’s not been called the Greatest Story On Earth for nothing. The principle is not that we can’t tell our kids wonderful stories. We can even tell them the Santa story or the Father Christmas story if we like, as long as they know what’s real and what’s not real. We should never leave them confused about when we are making up stories and when we are telling them the gospel truth. Gospel stories are full of wonder, and we never have to break the news to our kids that they aren’t true.

Snowmen, naturally.

The other day I told the twins to pick up all the coats that they had dumped out in the hall (I know… this reminds some of you that I haven’t done that post about the entrancing topic of the dresser-free lifestyle, but ignore that). So anyway, as they start to do it Chloe cheerfully shouts out, “Many hands make more work!’

I loved that little insight. Many hands make light work, but many hands also make more work for the many hands to make light of. It’s a cycle. This funny misquote came at a time when I had recently had a few conversations with people about the amount of work required with different numbers of children, so it prompted me to think a bit more about this whole topic.

Truthfully, I do sort of laugh at myself when I remember the early days. I can remember when Lina was born that I was shocked (shocked!) by the dramatic uptic in laundry needs. There were things that needed to be stain treated, there was a lot more laundry all the time. But now, with Shadrach fresh on the scene, I can honestly say that I haven’t noticed any change in the laundry at all. None. I know he is contributing, but I already live under a regime of three loads a day or die, and since he can spread his laundry needs out into those three loads, nothing seems different. Even he can not require a full load to himself every day.

I know that some of you out there are far ahead of me in number of kids, or ages of them, experience, and technique. But, having six children has taken me into the kind of territory where new mothers say they are tired, then qualify it. They say they are busy, then say they don’t know how I do it with six. They feel swamped with three, but they hasten to point out that three is not very much. They feel constantly like they have no excuse for this. Other people have more to do, less sleep, and appear to be handling it all with ease, or at least with easier.

In some ways it is true – I know that I am more capable now. I have more experience, and I am slowly turning into what mothers are supposed to be: the kind of person who probably has burritos in her purse. I have arrived at the phase where your children give you trash with the expectation that you have a garbage facility with you. Turns out you do. I am turning into the kind of person who starts getting ready for things much earlier than my younger self thinks is necessary. I have learned about some things, because I have had to. And I’ll admit to smiling to myself  when a new parent explains sleep deprivation to me. I’ll admit that my husband and I look at each other and wonder when the last time we slept all the way through the night was.

Because there are nightmares and accidents and bloody noses. We wake up for seven different bladders. We are not people who expect to sleep through the night or sleep in on weekends, and that is certainly different. In other ways, I know that what I am doing now is easier. When the twins go to pre-school in the morning, and I am home with only Blaire and Shadrach, I get a little flashback to the old days. Holy Wild. It is a festival of “Look at me! Watch this mom! Read this! Let’s go on a walk! We go on a date????We play battleship??! Here’s the jam, I’ve got a spoon!” all while I am nursing or bouncing an infant. It is very different, and very demanding. When I just have the littlest, I am not a supporter of their world, I am the whole thing. That is a burden that I didn’t even notice I was sharing with my other children, because it isn’t like they were doing my work for me. It is just that when everyone is here, it is like everyone is holding up their corner of the blanket fort. Together we make it fun. Together we make a little world. But when they are off learning, it is back to me as the main pole in the circus tent. It is simply different, and not in a less hard, more hard way. Different mental energy, different physical energy, different everything.

It reminds me of making snowmen.  We are all out in the snow trying to make snowmen. That is the goal, the purpose, the mission. When you are first starting out, it can be pretty rough going. Sometimes the snow is pretty powdery and won’t stick together. Sometimes your mittens are making you feel clumsy. Sometimes those tiny little snowballs are stupidly hard to get rolling. Some conditions are simply hard to work in. It is at this time when you might look over and see some other family with a perfect sphere, chatting cheerfully as they roll, and beyond them is a couple tying on scarves and making cheerful smiles out of gravel. It is easy to think that those people can’t imagine why you are scrabbling around on the ground, soaking out the knees of your snow pants. You might feel really embarrassed that you are completely fizzled out by 10:30 in the morning.

The reality is that while we are all trying to build snowmen, we are not all doing the same work. Same project, different work. I feel like our family is now off of our knees, but now we are struggling, backs against our snowball, snow boots scrabbling on the slick snow while we try to get this bottom snow boulder into the right place. We have a lot more to do, but right now we are absorbed in the placement of the first layer.

The intensity of that first little start is a really helpful foundation for the future. You go through a phase that is a sort of psychological thriller. It is all intensity, all physical. I refer to it fondly as the sweaty eyeball phase. I feel like God gives us this phase to really start training us for the next thing. We need to learn sacrifice, patience, and self control. We need to discover that there is a world beyond ourselves. But then, there is a sort of a window where things might start feeling a little more under control. You might think you sort of got this thing going, and it is pretty easy now. That is the phase where the snowball is now rolling successfully, and growing, but it has not yet gotten so big that you are slowing down, or getting exhausted.

You can’t stop right here, because you are supposed to be over there, but you can tell that it is going to rest somewhere soon. The foundation is getting set. You will not have the strength to move it after this. And that is a different kind of pressure. This is the phase where God brings us to our knees as we see these little people as individuals. As people whose life stories are being written, by us. We see ourselves as the childhood makers, and we see for the first time, how short this time really is.  It is easy for a sense of crisis, of panic, of insufficiency to set in. Gone are the days where clean clothes and clean diapers and food are enough. Welcome to the days where you are befriending your children, counseling them out of grumpiness, praying that they will feel guilt over the lie you are pretty sure they told you.

I know that there are more struggles, and more challenges after this bottom snowball settles. I know we will go through different phases – different kinds of formative years. I know that the unique challenges of each different phase are here because they are hard for us, and good for us, and because we will need what we have learned through the course of it for the next phase of construction.

 

 

Fit to Burst!

So have you been thinking that Lizzie has been slacking off a bit lately in her posting? Well, it turns out that she had a good excuse. The rest of us however, not so much.

Anyway – here it is! Her new book! Ya-skippity-hoo just about sums it up. I haven’t read it yet myself – seeing as it’s still at the printers – but Lizzie and I talk on the phone a lot (as it turns out) while we’re mopping floors and folding laundry, and she read me snips of it as she wrote it. Lots of snips. So I can tell you very confidently that this is seriously good stuff.

This is a limited time “soft release” which means that the real thing (with blurbs on the back) comes out in January, but you can get an early copy by Christmas if you order by December 7. There are only a limited number available, so jump on this one!