The first of December is upon us! Describe an Advent Calender
or a special way you count down days until Christmas
When my children were young my sister-in-law gave us an advent calendar for Christmas. It was an Avon product that featured Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus sitting in their cozy cottage over steaming cups of hot chocolate. Santa is looking cheery while checking over the list once or twice. Friendly little critters are gathered around the cottage. Smoke curls invitingly from the chimney. Snow is gently falling in gigantic flakes from the sky and adding to the frosting that covers the roof and ground. I love the little Swedish details along the roofline suggesting that Santa hails from the North Country. Below the picture are 24 pockets each decorated with a pink heart and white Holly leaves. A wee little mouse is the occupant of these pockets. Each day this mouse jumps a pocket (with the help of little hands) and helps the little ones keep track of how many days there are until Christmas. We always start with the little mouse in pocket #24 and move him backward until he arrives in pocket #1. Recently my daughter-in-law asked us why we counted backward. I told her it was because I had five little kids that were always asking, “Mom, how many days ‘till Christmas!”. I would tell them to go look at the calendar and see for themselves. They would soon figure it out and that would be about a thousand less times I would have to answer the question. We’ve counted Christmas this way for about 25 years. At the end of the holiday season I roll up this little calendar made of sturdy cotton until the first of December rolls around once again.
This year I've been participating in a reading challenge called 52 books in 52 weeks. I didn't realize how challenging it would be to make sure I got a book read every week and quite honestly I'm tired of reading.
This weeks top ten is . . . books in your TBR that you'd like to read this winter.
For December I'm finishing up some books I've started:
1. War and Peace
and
2. Broken Things to Mend
I've read three Christmas stories and started a 4th:
3. The Reindeer Keeper
I've got one free Christmas book on the kindle
4. A Country Christmas
I need one more Christmas book to finish out the challenge . . . any suggestions?
5.
As for January, I think I'll take a long winters nap instead of reading a book--and then I'll look at reading challenges (maybe).
This weeks teaser comes from J.R.R. Tolkiens "The Father Christmas Letters"
"Early this month we had a most awful snowstorm (nearly six feet of snow) followed by an awful fog. The poor Polar Bear went out to the reindeer-stables, and got lost and nearly buried: I did not miss him or go to look for him for a long while."
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published October 2004 by Deseret Book Company
ISBN1590383532 (ISBN13: 9781590383537)
About the Book:(goodreads)
Bestselling author Chieko Okazaki sheds new light on the familiar Christmas story in her insightful new book, Stars. In her warm and distinctive style, she shares stories, scriptures, and personal memories of Christmas to testify of her deep feelings about Jesus Christ, the babe of Bethlehem who was born under a shining star. "Christ waits to be born anew in our hearts," she testifies. "His star is in the heavens. Wise men and women seek him still."
Let a star guide you this Christmas season.
About the Author:(goodreads)
Chieko N. Okazaki was the first non-Caucasian to serve on a general board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was a counselor in the general Relief Society presidency from 1990 to 1997. She is the author of several bestselling books and tapes. She and her husband, the late Ed Okazaki, have two sons.
My thoughts:
from the book,
"There are challenges that come at Christmastime--many pressures that crowd into already busy schedules, complications caused by the weather, by colds and flu that come with the season, by the fatigue and overload of too many delightful programs and parties to go to, by money worries about presents to buy from a tight budget. These pressures can also make us feel like soldiers under orders, marching to a destination we didn't chose with a task we do not relish. That's not a very happy feeling to associate with Christmas.
Stars: Reflections on Christmas has affected me profoundly. The book was written with a great spirit contained within it's pages. Sister Okazaki brings her knowledge, testimony and experiences with many cultures together and succinctly explains why our Christmas celebrations are important. I thought about this book often through the holiday season and it had a great affect on my thoughts and actions. I enjoyed my Christmas much more because of the things I learned reading this book. Her chapter on "abiding" was the most touching.
"The word Abide has two meanings: one is to stay, to continue, to wait patiently; and the second is to endure unchanged. Abide is a woman's word; it is a home word. So much of what we have to do is to endure, to be consistent, to rest unchanging, to wait, to stay, to dwell to remain. Abiding is not a flashy or a glamorous quality; it does not make a lot of noise or cause a lot of upheaval. But at the same time, it is not a passive quality. Abiding takes tenacity and integrity and a strong awareness of the power of choices. It is a verb."
Sister Okazaki talks of the shepherds that were "abiding" in the fields. "They were where they were supposed to be. They were in the field. The angels knew where to find them." She challenges each of us to abide, to be where the angels can find us. I found this thought to be very comforting.
Reading this book with an open heart will teach the reader many things as well as inviting a loving spirit into your heart and home. This book by far was my favorite read last Christmas so I recommended it to my book club and so this is my second time through. I enjoyed it just as much and maybe a little bit more.
Kindle Edition
Published April 22nd 2011 (first published February 15th 2011)
ASIN: B004XR50K6.
literary awards: (2011 IPPY Gold Medal Award Winner--Best Regional Fiction (2011), Midwest) .
About the book:
Katherine Arthur's mother arrives on her doorstep, dying, forcing her to relive a past she wanted to forget. When Katherine was young, the Arthur family had been affluent city dwellers until shame sent them running for the prairie, into the unknown. Taking her family, including young Katherine, to live off the land was the last thing Jeanie Arthur had wanted, but she would do her best to make a go of it. For Jeanie's husband Frank it had been a world of opportunity. Dreaming, lazy Frank. But, it was a society of uncertainty—a domain of natural disasters, temptation, hatred, even death.
Ten-year-old Katherine had loved her mother fiercely, put her trust in her completely, but when there was no other choice, and Jeanie resorted to extreme measures on the prairie to save her family, she tore Katherine’s world apart. Now, seventeen years later, and far from the homestead, Katherine has found the truth – she has discovered the last letter. After years of anger, can Katherine find it in her heart to understand why her mother made the decisions that changed them all? Can she forgive and finally begin to heal before it’s too late?
My thoughts:
I think I may have chosen the wrong time of my life to read this novel. My heart is so tender from the recent loss of my mother and father-in-law that I couldn't bear to read all the hatred and anger contained in the pages of this book. Time with your loved ones is too short to spend it hating each other and becoming bitter because one lacks the ability to forgive. I'm glad there was resolution at the end of the book, but it was awful wading through all the anguish to get to it.
After my dad passed away we got together to clean out the garage. In a dark dusty corner I found a treasure, two of my great-grandmother's quilts. Sadly they had not been stored but left laying on the floor. They were tattered and filthy but I gathered them and took them home to see what could be done with them. Grandma was a quilting legend, in fact I can't remember a time when I visited her home when she wasn't in some stage of the quilting process. She kept a bag of scraps next to her chair. She would use a template and cut shapes from these scraps of clothing. After cutting the shapes she would hand sew the quilt blocks together and then add the sashings. My grandmother did not own a sewing machine. Once the quilt top was together the frames would go up in the living room and the quilting would begin. My grandmother died when she was 94 and I remember her quilting up to the time she died. I once took a workshop where we sewed a quilt block together by hand. My intentions were to emulate my grandmother and have at least one quilt that I had hand sewn. I made one block. It is hard work and very tedious. I gained an appreciation for my grandmother's sewing skills. Well back to the quilts. They washed up nice, I got the dust and filth out of them. One was in fairly good shape so I kept it for myself. The other was so tattered along the back and the edges but I did manage to salvage enough blocks that the great, great granddaughters in our family could each have one. We had a craft project at a reunion where the girls made wall hangings featuring the blocks.
my youngest daughters wall hanging
I had four blocks left over and put them away in a drawer. Recently with my mother's passing I acquired many treasures and made a guest room featuring these items. One day I was looking at the bed and thought I'd like some toss pillows on it. The idea came to me to use the quilt blocks for the pillows so for Friday Night Sew-in I made 4 pillows.
My daughter wanted the quilt block from her wall hanging made into a pillow
the 3 pillows I made for the bed
The kids are calling my guest room "the memory room"
the second salvaged quilt of great grandmothers lies across the foot of my mom's bed,
the peach quilt was made by mother-in-law as a wedding gift to me.
The quilt squares feature Dresden circles that were hand appliqued
a macro-shot of my grandmother's quilting stitches, can you believe how tiny they are?
the pillowcases are hand embroidered by my mother-in-law
next to the bed I have re-purposed the bassinet that Mr. J made for our babies.
It holds quilts that I have made and others have made for me,
as well as serving as a nightstand
that top quilt took me 9 months to make using a needle punch
and I have never used the quilt because it was so hard to make!
On the other side of the bed is my grandmother's treadle sewing machine.
Believe it or not, I actually learned to sew on this machine!
We used it in our home for many years before we got an electric one.
grandma's treadle
atop the sewing machine sits the "generations" figurine from "Willow Tree"
it features three generations of women with a quilt.
The figurine rests on another of my grandmother's quilt blocks.
treasures taken from the drawers of the sewing machine cabinet
some of my mothers treasures
a duplicate of an ornament from my mothers casket piece
some artwork that I made
a pillow I made when I was 12
the plant stand was my grandmothers,
the arrangement was made by my daughter for my dad's funeral.
It features his hat and gloves.
this photo of my daughter hangs in the room,
I like the vintage feel of it and I think it goes well with everything else.
I also managed to fit my dad's curio cabinet in the room
I filled it with some beautiful glassware
some of it is mine
some of it is my mothers
and some of it comes from my grandmothers
my dad's curio cabinet (he filled it with Ty Beanie Babies)
my friend gave me this little block when my mother passed away this month.
I thought it was made to be displayed in this room.
I enjoy this warm and inviting room as well as all the memories that it houses.
These chapters represent a time of healing for the characters in the novel and for the Russians. Kutuzov is honored and given many medals for his service. But the Tsar for some reason decommissions him because he feels he needs another man to wage the new war, the war that will bring Russia to Europe. (I hope Tolstoy isn’t sticking around for that one!). So Kutuzov, after serving long and hard for 7 years gets a much needed rest. The residents of Moscow return and begin to rebuild. One interesting thing that I had never thought of was the dispersal of goods after a takeover like that. Government officials were appointed to gather all goods and disperse them in equality to Moscow residents. It would have to be done or there would be fighting among the city residents. Another thing of interest is that a government official visited with residents and reviewed their landholdings and losses and helped them figure out how they could best recover financially. I had never thought of the terrible logistics of putting an occupied city back in working order before reading this novel.
It is also a time of healing for Mary and Natasha. The Rostov’s have returned to the country and Mary and Natasha have remained in Moscow comforting each other in their grief over Andrew. Mary is busy running the estate and being guardian to orphaned Nicholas. Natasha is not doing well; she is succumbing to her grief.
Pierre has also returned to Moscow. His house has been partially burned but he takes up residence in the unburned portion. He is very ill and suffers for a time with his illness. As he is nursed back to health Pierre realizes how much his life has changed since his experiences in the war. The biggest change in Pierre comes from the peace he now feels because of his faith in God. As Pierre heals he begins to associate with others doing good works and being of assistance. Before the war Pierre was not well-liked by his peers. This new Pierre is very likeable. Many people are found saying nothing but good about him. Pierre realizes that for the first time in his life he is truly happy.
One day Pierre calls on Princess Mary and becomes reacquainted with Natasha. Over the course of several weeks and several visits Pierre and Natasha realize they love each other, Pierre realizes he has always loved Natasha and no other. Natasha’s grief slowly disperses, “something hidden unknown to herself, but irrepressible, awoke in Natasha’s soul. Everything: her face, walk, look, and voice, was suddenly altered. To her own surprise a power of life and hope of happiness rose to the surface and demanded satisfaction. She no longer complained of her position, did not say a word about the past, and no longer feared to make happy plans for the future. She spoke little of Pierre, but when Princess Mary mentioned him a long-extinguished light once more kindled in her eyes and her lips curved with a strange smile.” Ahh, it is good to see bright, irrepressible Natasha peeking out again.
I can’t remember all the details but when Pierre met with the government official over financial recovery Pierre decided to let go of all his properties except the property in Petersburg. Prior to his visits to Natasha Pierre had already set plans for moving to Petersburg. The night before his departure he calls on Princess Mary to proclaim his love for Natasha and his desire to marry her. I’m not sure why he didn’t speak to Natasha about this. Mary relays the message to Natasha, who is beside herself with joy and grief at once again finding love but also being separated from the one she loves.
And that is where book 15 ends—lovers separated once again. Does anybody ever get together in this book?
I doubt you are as excited as I am but there are only 4 more posts until I’m finished . . . . hallelujah!
and here is a little music video featuring Natasha and Pierre.
Back in the day when I was still going to the prom long dresses were in style so when it was time to shop for school dances mom would take me downtown to the J.C. Penny store and buy me a pretty dress. The problem was that the dress was what we called "Sunday Best" and I would continue to wear the dress to church following the dance. So that kind of took the special feeling away from the dress and made it feel a little too ordinary.
I was young, and excited to be going to my High School Prom. I was going with a good friend of mine that I liked really well. We always had fun together so I knew this would be a fun evening. When I told my mom I was going I also asked if I could have a "special" dress. Well mom knew what I meant so we made a trip "over the mountain" to the big city where she took me to a dress shop that carried formals. She let me try on dresses to my hearts content. I have always loved fabrics, and design, and sewing so this was a real treat for me. My favorite dress was a black velvet. The dress was lined with pink satin with pink satin piping around the neckline and across the empire waistline. The bodice was machine embroidered with exquisite pink rosebuds that stood out starkly on the black velvet background. I WAS IN LOVE!!!
Mom brought me down to reality. The slit in the back of the dress came up to just where my butt cheek came down. That was the least of the trouble because mom could fix that with some slip stitches. What she could not fix was the backless dress and the wide, too low, neckline. I was crushed and somewhat sulky when we returned home without the formal. What we did take home was 4 yards of black velvet, and 4 yards of pink satin--and a promise from my mom that she could produce for me the dress I loved in a modest form that would please my parents.
Mom had magic in her fingers when it came to sewing. She delivered on her promise. Mom contacted a friend of hers who had a daughter that had an embroidery machine. She embroidered those exquisite little rosebuds into the velvet. My mother then lovingly created for me a modest version of the dress I had fallen in love with. I WAS IN LOVE!!!! Not only was I totally in love with the dress but I also loved my mother for taking the time and energy to satisfy my wants but also taking care to see that I was dressed appropriately. Now that is true mother love.
Me and my date at the prom
I still have the dress that mom made me for my prom
