A Very Merry Christmas

There's nothing more merry than playing all day with the ones you love.  Captured above the kids are amused by a ceiling light show put on by Paul and his new hand powered flashlight, my dear mom is always good for a really practical gift. 

My new favorite tradition is the non-traditional feast of Pilar's tamales, cortido, casamiento, tortilla chips, fried plantains, avocados, pomegranates, and Izze soda.  Not only delicious but allowed me to play instead of slave in the kitchen.

I surprised Paul with an old Battleship game, it was a $1 thrift store find.   I barely won and Paul is still requesting a re-match.

Paul surprised me with a new laptop!  Now we can facebook each other face to face, but playing Battleship would probably be more merry.

Holiday Activity

We've been busy.  Its been fun and tiring, productive and messy.  All the energy and excitement have kids jumping off couches and racing laps around the house.  All the kids jumping off couches and running laps around the house have the parents both joyful and exasperated at times.... but that is just part of the balance of fun.  Besides all our busy gift making (will post those next week) here's what we've up to:

Listened to Christmas music

Went to a book signing for the Twelve Days of Christmas in Michigan with local illustrator.

Practiced our hand bells (note Peter's foot on Clara's foot, a little tap tells her when to ring)

Made cookies with Nanny

And decorated them

And ate them

Redecorated the tree

Got away for a date

Enjoyed Handel's Messiah

Made some ornaments

Dirtied lots of dishes

Watched Barbie's Nutcracker 

And visited Santa at The Henry Ford

I was up at the sewing machine till 2:00 am last night.  Minus the Christmas jammies (I wisely gave up on those last week) and our Christmas cards all is finished and wrapped.  The fridge is stocked and the kids all promised to help do a major clean up today.  The work, activity and buzz, it is exciting is so many ways!  

Stockings

Our stockings are a random collection.  Picked up here and there and only added to when another child has joined our family.  George joined our family shortly after last Christmas but it wasn't until last week that I remembered we needed to add another stocking.

With the scraps from Maryanna's wool coat still laying about me here's what I came up with.  Actually it was the older boys who arranged the scrap snowman, I just did the sewing.

More on our stockings here.  They are fun and simple to sew, so much so I can't believe I actually purchased them in the past. 

    

Thoughts on Heaven

Our ward's seminary teacher, the very sweet and creative Amanda Jones sent out an email requesting us to interview our children's thoughts on heaven why Jesus loves us.  What a joy it was on this snowy Sunday to pull them aside individually and chat with them of scared things.  What a joy it was to hear their unfiltered responses.  Here they are:
James, age 11

"I know Jesus loves me because he died for us and it takes so much love to die for someone.  I read about it in the scriptures and I feel it is true.

I want to go to heaven because it would be a great place to be, I want to feel of Heavenly Father's love and see Him for real, I'd like to live forever in His presence"

I think heaven is a beautiful city, it looks so majestic, almost flame like, words cannot describe it. Like a kingdom of gold with a golden gate and with white horses with golden wings that pull chariots, and resurrected beings with white robes and we are with people we love."

William, age 9

"I know Jesus loves me because I heard about it and I felt his love, sometimes I feel his love when I feel miserable, it is a feeling in my heart that comforts me.

I want to go to heaven so we can have everlasting happiness, It sounds really comfortable to be there.

I don't know what heaven is like, something like a pure white city, there would be animals roaming the streets, there will be all kinds of different landscapes"

Peter, age 6

"I know Jesus loves me because Heavenly Father taught him how to love.  Jesus helped make our earth.  He died and got resurrected so everyone can be resurrected.

I want to go to heaven to see what Heavenly Father and Jesus and all the angels look like because I forgot.

In heaven you could rest and have free time there without any contention.  I think it is clouds but when you are in an airplane it is not visible.  I think it is lots of people sitting on clouds taking naps"

Maryanna, age 5

"I know Jesus loves me because when I was little he told me. Also, when I was born before I came to earth he told me. Do you know why I know he loves me still?  Because I feel him in my heart!
I want to go to heaven because I want to see Jesus again, and of course I want to see Heavenly Father also.

Up in heaven its brown stuff all over and there's people and their names are Heavenly Father and Jesus, I can't remember what Heavenly Father looks like but he is a human and he looks white when he comes down from heaven.  He loves me too.  There is brown stuff in heaven because every picture I see of Jesus there is brown stuff around him."

Clara, age 4

"I know Jesus loves me because I do good things to other people, he loves me because I am a child.

I want to go to heaven so I could eat yummy food and because I really want to meet other children and play with my friends in heaven.

In heaven Jesus and Heavenly Father are there and also Mary, Jesus' mom.  It is a different color place"

Henry, age 2

"Jesus loves me because I want to go to Jesus' house.  Jesus loves me because I love him.  Jesus is white.

I want to go to heaven's house.  

Heaven is green or blue or purple, it looks not like a naughty place, it is a happy place.  I love it and Thomas (the tank engine) is there and Jesus can play with Percy and I can play with Thomas.  I can sing Scripture Power loud for Jesus.  Jesus needs to shoot bad guys.  I need to fly up and fly up like Dumbo to Jesus"

As for me.....

I know Jesus loves me.  In his lifetime he shared many parables that we may learn of his life, love and purpose. One of my favorite is of the lost sheep because just like everyone else, at times I am the lost sheep.  The love of the Savior is both universal and individual, it is unconditional.  The words of Isaiah are piercing with this truth and when sung to Handel's music even more so....Isaiah 40:11 "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:  he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young"...... Isaiah 53:5-6 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all".  I know Jesus loves me despite my imperfections, I know his love is perfect, I know it is his love and life that may perfect us all.

To me this knowledge brings me closer to heaven.  I may not know what heaven looks likes, but I have certainly felt it, it is peace.  Though this peace may come and go with the distractions and chaos of earthly living, peace, or a piece of heaven is what I live for. I don't believe it is something we have to wait for death to discover but it is something that can grow in our hearts and then carry us beyond when our mortal life is through, that we may once more return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.  

One thing I am sure of is heaven would not feel like heaven unless I was surrounded by the ones I love.  Here is a little picture of my heaven, as captured last night while all the kids were asleep for our annual sleep over under the Christmas tree.

I will be honest in recording that this scene of "heaven" only lasted a few hours, the rest of the night felt quite the opposite with the dog throwing up all over and the youngest ones repeatedly waking with both laughs and cries.  No doubt we are tired.  

But my greatest hope this Christmas season is that I may find peace, and draw heaven near even through the most troubled nights and noisiest days, that the love Jesus offers may remain still in my heart, not just a day, a moment or season but with me forever and guide me towards heaven.       

      

Day at the DIA

We enjoyed a full day at the DIA this week.  My sister in law's mother, Mrs. Castaing is a volunteer there and was very kind in guiding us on a private tour.  The collection is quite extensive and even after 3 hours we barely scratched the surface.  But Mrs. Castaing was effective in sharing her knowledge at the children's level and also very helpful in seeking out specific pieces we each wanted to see.  

We began our tour at the knights armor because that is what the boys were most excited about.

Next stop was Diego Rivera's famous murals of Detroit's industry.

Maryanna was inspired by Degas's dancer.

We were all impressed to discover Van Gogh's self portrait on display.

William was memorized by the sculptures.

Clara and I often read a bedtime book of poems and lullabies illustrated by Mary Cassatt's work.  We were thrilled to see one of her pieces in person.

We enjoyed a virtual 17th century French aristocrat 3 course meal projected onto a table top.

Peter felt a little creeped out by the mummy and Maryanna wondered out loud about what would happen if it all the sudden came to life, got unwrapped and chased us through the museum.

The stained glass was spectacular.

But when most of us had seen enough Maryanna was determined to find Watson and the Shark (although she called it the "naked guy and the shark").  I insisted the museum was too big and we'd come back and see it another time.  But her determination won and we found our way.  

It is was fun to have Nanny and Poppy come along.  They are always very helpful and seem just as excited about learning as the kids are.  It also helped that I dressed my kids in church clothes, that way they were less likely to run, yell or wrestle among the exhibits.

George was good as gold on my back.

Here was my favorite piece, a collage of reclaimed wood arranged into a landscape - very earthy.

The kids were ready to head home (except for William who is still kicking himself for forgetting his camera).  In the lobby as we were getting coats on Maryanna impatiently called out ..... "I've got to get home so I can paint", and the boys were discussing the possibility of "Santa" bringing a DIA membership.

But what I'm still chuckling about is Henry's observation.  When we got home I asked him what he saw at the museum, he replied ..... "I not see Thomas (the tank engine) mommy, I see lots and lots of body parts".  

It was a great field trip and I feel so lucky to live close to this magnificent collection of treasures.  Thank you Mrs. Castaing for sharing your knowledge and treating us to a culture filled day! 

In the making

We've started making our homemade gifts this week. It has been fun to work individually with each child creating something special for another sibling.  Here's a sneak peek at what Clara is making for George.

The other quilt is still just a pile of squares but I thought it'd be wise to warm up by finishing something small first.  This quilt is mostly out of Paul's old Brooks Brother's shirts but for texture variation threw in some old super soft J. Crew corduroy lounge pants, scraps from a linen skirt  and leftover fleece from James' socks.

Clara helped by arranging the pieces but then she said it was too boring and went back to her Calico Critters under the table.  But when it was time to sew she was happy to push the pieces along while sitting on my lap.

During this time she told me all about the presents Santa brought in the past, what she hopes he brings this year and how strange it is that mothers like to do boring things like sewing.

Yes we're making a little quilt but we're also making memories.

Feeling Crazy

You know the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?  I kind of feel like that right now.

I went to the storage room to get out some Christmas boxes but when I had to move some fabric bins out of the way I thought I should clean them out a bit.  Cleaning them out a bit made me wonder what to do with all the scraps.  So I got cutting, sewing and ironing and in not too much time ended up with 36 10" blocks for a quilt.

Here is the first block that got me so excited the rest just flowed out of pure amusement.  That was exactly the kind of sewing I needed after sweating through the wool coat.

The girls had just as much fun playing with the discarded scraps and arranging the squares.  They liked searching out pieces of the dresses I made them.

I'm not a quilter, I've only sewn one other quilt before in my life, but I know experienced quilters carefully plan their design and colors.  If I was asked about the inspiration for this quilt I'd have to say it was all the scattered and colorful toys (as seen in the picture above) at my feet and around the sewing station.  There was no plan, I just let it happen.

This is a crazy quilt.  Perhaps it was crazy of me to stay up sewing and it is probably crazy of me to think I'll get is completed before Christmas.  But this kind of crazy, fun, spontaneous and creative, energizes me!  And it just may work with this gray sheet I picked up in Ikea's clearance room.