Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Updates and Ramblings

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to let you know that I'm meeting with my writing coach today and super excited about it. :)  I've been working on some writing (with more commitment than usual) since January of this year and am hoping (someday) to get published.  Even if I don't, it's been lots of fun.  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be personally coached by a local published author! :)  I'm hoping to get some inspiration today, as I've been a bit stumped on how to work through some plot issues.  I'll keep you guys filled in on how things go. 

Have any of you ever started panicking about the Christmas season in October? :}  I definitely am this year.  I can already feel the walls closing in.  Sometimes I would love to go back to being a kid, when Christmas was all about fun and family and presents and the birth of Christ.  Now, as a mom, from November on it just feels like a mad whirlwind.  I noticed this even more last year with my oldest daughter starting school.  Besides running her back and forth, we had our first school Christmas program.  This year, it may be even more involved because she has a part in the school Christmas program (she's the calf at the manger in Bethlehem...isn't that cute?  Not a role I would have chosen, but whatever floats your boat, I guess).  :) 

Not only do we have the school Christmas program, but my three girls and I are going to be involved in our church Christmas program (I get to be Mary this year, and the girls are going to be in a group of children that visits the manger).  Then, of course, there's Thanksgiving and Christmas tree cutting.  And this year will be even crazier because my brother is getting married the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I have some Craigslist and eBay sales I was hoping to make in time for Christmas, and...well, you get the idea.  I'm kind of feeling like it's the calm before the storm.

I'm a little worried about my brother's wedding, because he and his fiance asked me to sing "At Last" as they walk out (the song originally sung by Etta James).  I love the song and am honored to be asked, but I'm more of a classical musician (not formally trained or anything).  I've sung along with Etta on Rhapsody several times, and I'm just hoping I can get enough soul into it without sounding silly or forced.  If you think of it, I would appreciate your prayers.  I want it to be just perfect...I only have one brother, and I'd really like this to be a special gift for him and his wife.

The other reason I'm nervous about the wedding is that all three of my daughters are going to be flower girls...including my 2 1/2 year old. :}  Of course, it was so sweet of my brother and his bride to ask.  My youngest is just such a wild card...it could be rather interesting.

Anyway, I'm trying to just take one day at a time and make things as smooth and stress-free as possible.  I get so uptight about little things.  It doesn't help that I try to do everything on my own without asking the Lord to do things through me.  I do love this time of year, too, in case anyone thinks otherwise.  Well, I could do without Halloween.  My girls get scared easily, and often times a trip to Wal-mart results in bad dreams all week (have you seen some of the nasty stuff the stores have?).  But I'm rabbit trailing. 

My goal this year is to not get so caught up in the bustle and craziness that I forget to be thankful for my country, my freedoms, and all my many blessings as I celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.  I want to remember the true reason for Christmas, and not be afraid to say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays".  And I want to not get so uptight about having perfectly behaved little girls or a flawless solo that I forget the real purpose of my brother's wedding:  the celebration of two lives becoming one and the addition of a very special woman into our family.

Anyway, now that I've rambled for way too many paragraphs, I wanted to let you know that I'm hoping to do a blog post soon about my yearly Christmas Barbie Craigslist project (more on that later).  Oh, and while I'm on the subject of Craigslist, the Craiglook site that I have as a link on my blog is no longer connected to Craigslist.  Apparently Craigslist wants to stay more local and wasn't too thrilled about the Craiglook site.  I'm pretty bummed...I found a lot of great deals through Craiglook.  Now the site is called Claz.org and showcases classified ads instead of Craigslist ads.  Just thought you'd like to know.

Well, I've got to get ready for my meeting.  Have a great week! 

No comments: