Happy birthday to my husband!

Today I celebrate my husband – it’s his birthday!

We’ve known each other for 17 years. We’ve been married for 13 ½. We’ve made it through struggles, career changes, two children and a bit of life. We’ve grown stronger together as we continue to learn about one another.

My husband finally enjoyed the best Cubs win ever ... and his birthday was all the sweeter for it as he received some memorabilia.  

We met directly in-between our January birthdays. I was so young when we met. But, I remember those days fondly. He’s put up with me, cared for me and challenged me. He’s called me out if I needed it, and he’s encouraged me when he saw how much love I poured into a hobby that became my business.

I love how we fit together and how he has turned out to be the best father. I love how he plays girly things with our daughters. I love how he is so particular about his coffee. I love how he takes care of our garden. I love how he gets me gas so I don’t have to go out. I love how he takes over family videos … because I am terrible at them. {Ask me all day long to take pictures, but never ask me to do videos. Trust me.} I love that he took a risk and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.

Last night, my brother, sister-in-law, mom and dad came over for a Christmas/birthday celebration. It was so much fun. I love, love, love making food. I made bread, (almost like Panera) macaroni and cheese, a citrus salad and roasted Brussels sprouts. My sister-in-law and I made the dressings, too. She and my brother brought over scrumptious French desserts from this place. The croissants, tarts, brioche, pies and macaroons tasted just as wonderful as they looked! And they left the leftovers for us to enjoy!

Brussels sprouts with an olive oil, apple-cider vinegar, bacon and onion dressing.

Macaroni and cheese ... an incredible midwest comfort food staple.

Delicious pastries from Ambrosia.

More dessert-y goodness from Ambrosia.

Sharing a birthday month means we get a joint celebration. One of our gifts included loose-leaf tea, Colectivo Coffee and Sasha's dressing.  We've had Colectivo Coffee up in Milwaukee often and also at the Firehouse Depot in Harvard.

A dear friend had joined us for dinner the night before and brought some delicious pizza, good conversation and a few fun toys. The girls and John enjoyed putting together this project. We stuck in a can and enjoyed the robot bug buzzing around on our coffee table.

The girls got up early, made John breakfast in bed and then woke us up to the tune of Happy Birthday with the sweetest little girl voices ever. They built model planes out of wood and painted them for him, too!

A birthday breakfast in bed, complete with a painted card, peanut butter toast and a bowl of oatmeal with a side of fruit:) 

I am so blessed to call this man my husband. Happy birthday, love!

January is a great month for birthdays, dear! Wishing you a fabulous year number 47!

Christmas Light

I have several friends who have lost loved ones and for whom this season is not as joyful as it might be for others. Many of my homeschooling friends are mourning the loss of a sweet eleven-year-old girl who passed away the day before Christmas Eve. Though I do not know them personally, so very many of my close friends have grown up with her, taken care of her and watched her grow up. Her name? Faith.

She was a little girl of great faith, and so her name is fitting. Her family and her friends have been writing about how they find comfort in the knowledge that they will see her again.

Several of my friends mourn their mothers, some their wives, some their children.

And, yet, there is a Light. It might not shine as brightly, but it is there ~ the memories, the spirit of joy, the faith, the light … it lives on in those who are left behind.

We have been preparing for the birth of the infant Jesus. We have been traveling the road with Mary and Joseph. We have been opening our hearts to those in our family and those outside of our family. We have been seeking the Light. We see lights on houses, wrapped around branches and sitting on window ledges all across the continent.

Lights in our town.

Lights in the next town over.

On Christmas Eve my girls look forward to Mass, the lit candles and seeing baby Jesus lying in the manger. There is such an innocent wonder about that ~ an innocent and unwavering belief. It melts my heart that they get excited to put baby Jesus in our nativity on Christmas Eve. It is a great joy to light the white Christmas candle on our Advent wreath. But that joyous birth is intimately entwined with the crucifixion story, for, though this baby was born to teach us how to live, this baby also was born to die. As I think of so many friends and family who are hurting this day, I cannot help but think about the hope that Christmas brings.

There is a childlike innocence to faith. There is Light and there is happiness. As we get older, there is dirt along the road, the dust gets in our eyes. The Christmas story begins to be less about the joy and more about the painful road to the cross. Our faith may wane as we face trials. Our faith might suffer doubt.  We are in good company. Didn’t the Apostles have their doubts after the man who turned water into wine and who healed the sick and raised the dead allowed himself to die on the wood of the cross?

But the tomb was empty, and faith was stronger than doubt. 

This baby brings joy and happiness and light. 

The calm of Christmas Eve Mass.

The nativity story is integral to the crucifixion story ~ and, most importantly, the Resurrection story.

We are called to be the light for others as much as we are called *to* the light. Let your heart be still this day. Light a candle. Watch it flicker and feel the warmth radiate. God is close. He holds you near.

A neighborhood near my parents' home lights several hundred luminaries throughout their streets on Christmas Eve. What a beautiful way to work together to remind us that the Light is both physically and spiritually present. It doesn't matter where you are in this faith journey ... the light begs each and every passerby to stop and look at the wondrous undertaking. We stand in awe. And, for me, this light brings hope. 

Wishing you a blessed Christmas.

Our white candle for Christmas morning.

Speaking of the Light, my neighbor brought us this beautiful rose bouquet in the middle of the -6 degree (high for the day) weather. And a friend since childhood gave me these Lularoe leggings. There are candles and flames all over them! She was so thoughtful! They are perfect! I am so incredibly blessed by all of the many men, women and children who are a Light for me! 

I am so thankful for our neighbor who brought this gorgeous rose bouquet in the midst of subzero temperatures.

My friend was so thoughtful ~ she said she thought of me (obviously my Light posts), when she saw them!

Light, snow, confession

Light comes in different forms. Sometimes it burns brightly. Sometimes it is dim. Sometimes you can see it only with the help of the shadows. Sometimes you find your own light in the reflection of someone else’s.

As humans, we are full of fault. We make mistakes – we stretch ourselves too thin, we don’t make time for the things that matter and, as a result, it shows in the way we interact with those closest to us. Sometimes it shows in the way we look at ourselves.

I have a confession. Every Advent, we wrap up our semester the first week of December so that we can focus on baking cookies, making gifts, reading Christmas/Advent stories and just enjoying the time together.  This year I didn’t finish the semester on time. We still are reading stories and enjoying Advent, but school seems to be ever-looming overhead.

Still, we take the time to enjoy the little things.

These pictures are from the snowfall the other weekend.

Our Advent wreath, four candles lit, with the oil lamp we have added this year.

A family tradition: paper snowflakes ushering the new snow hang from our kitchen lighting.

My family getting ready to explore the woods after and during the snowfall.

The stream/river by our home.

On our way back from the woods.

The lovely bright berries on the snow-covered branches.

My youngest, making a snow angel ~ the joy of making things new again!

I was content with just shoveling our driveway and playing in our yard, but my husband wanted to go out exploring. We traipsed through the woods and looked at the wetland area with a completely new perspective.

I took the opportunity to talk with my children about the miraculous change: the fall brought beautiful, rustic colors, but when the leaves fell to the ground, the earth looked a little dirtier and the once glorious, lush branches then looked dull and barren. When God painted over the tress and brittle leaves with his impressive brush full of winter-white snow, the darkness was washed away. The blanket of white illuminates the world with a freshness that can only be obtained with that first snow.  It was beautiful and blessed.

As a Catholic, Confession does this for my soul. 

Spending time looking at our own faults is incredibly humbling. Reading an examination of conscience is sobering. Just when I think I might have a handle on life, I realize I still am so far away. Confession gives me the ability to recalibrate. My soul feels lighter the moment I walk out of the confessional. Saying the words out loud brings what once was hidden in darkness into the light.

At a recent event I photographed, a combat veteran whom I admire talked with me about unfathomable grace and the power of a strong prayer life. I admire this man in so many ways, but on those occasions where we start to have deep conversations of faith, he brings a light ~ that light both inspires me and reveals darkness. I am thankful for all of the many people who hold me accountable. I also am thankful when my soul feels fresh. I am thankful for the snow.

Thriving, a Focus on the Light, a Small Giveaway

Since I am focusing on the Light this Advent season (if you missed Filling the Empty Vessel, read it here), I was inspired by a segment on the Today Show.

Hoda Kotb pretended to be a meter maid and gave “tickets” to unsuspecting car owners. Inside the “ticket” envelope were tickets to concerts, ball games, orchestral events, etc.

Many unsuspecting people were understandably upset until they opened their “ticket” and discovered that they were, in fact, gifted with tickets.

What a great light in someone’s day!

Bringing that light can add some joy to someone’s life. Some may argue that it is only happiness for a moment, but I think it offers a little more. Perhaps that happiness might be fleeting, but a stronger component of happiness is hope. I recently was paid more, yes, *more*, for a photo shoot that I did. I didn’t expect it. It was an incredible blessing to our family, particularly around the holidays, and it made me smile. Opening the card brought me happiness, but that feeling of goodness and generosity continues to encourage me and inspire me. It begs me to do something for others, and it gives me hope that I am where I need to be.

I’ve been following Matthew Kelly’s Best Advent Ever through Dynamic Catholic. If you aren’t familiar with his writing, I’d encourage you to check it out. More on that later. I’ve followed him for years, and every time he comes out with a new book, I admit, I get a little giddy. They never fail to force me to evaluate the way I live my life.

Also, as I am working on thriving and focusing on the Light this Advent, Kelly’s new book, Resisting Happiness, fits right in. How often, during the hustle and bustle of the Advent and Christmas season, do we lose focus and become so consumed with all that we have to do instead of focusing on the true meaning of Christmas? How many times do we put up roadblocks to happiness? How many times do we push aside the things we know will truly make us happy, in favor of something that might make us happy for the moment?

I try to give my children opportunities to serve. I’ll be honest, I could do a lot better, but we try to focus on smaller things ~ making cookies for neighbors, crafting homemade presents for friends and family, donating toys for those less fortunate, the Advent giving tree at our church, being kind to those we pass on the street, handing a coffee or a meal to someone shivering with all of their possessions on the Square, inviting those whose families are distant to our home - especially around the holidays. As I am sure you know, the greatest gift is how strangers often become life-long friends after one small act of kindness.

I am working through Truth in the Tinsel this year and reading Ishtar’s Odyssey every night with my girls, and I truly hope that the connections we make in our family story time and Bible reading with the smaller things that we do throughout the year allow them to see that they are the light – no matter how small.

I’ve added some photos from our Truth in the Tinsel crafts because what brings a light to my life and happiness in my heart is watching my girls grow in their relationship with Jesus.

Making the Light of Baby Jesus stained glass project.

Creating a crown for our Baby Jesus.

Crafting materials surrounding our oil lamp.

This is one of my favorite ornaments, given to me by a mom in our homeschool group. I love putting it up in my window so I can enjoy the light coming through.

Zechariah's mouth being "closed" when he didn't believe that Elizabeth would give birth to a son.

The angel Gabriel.

Applying some "light" to her stable.

The finished product ~ love the light shining above Baby Jesus. Craft from Michael's, but I forgot to save the box, so I don't know where to point you for this foam craft.

OK, so as I think about what makes me truly happy, I am giving away a couple of copies of Resisting Happiness. On Wednesday, one lucky commenter will be chosen at random to receive the first book giveaway.

What do you need to do? Matthew Kelly asks us in chapter 2 of his book to think about what really makes you happy. I am not going to ask you to do anything crazy and soul-searching ~ but I do encourage you to take some time to do that. Comment below the post with one (or two or three) thing that makes you happy. That is it.

Happy Advent, friends ~ thrive, be the light, and find what truly makes you happy.