Christmas Slam

Hello world. Things have been pretty crazy everywhere, I'm sure. Let me share a little bit of some of that entropy going on in Dicksonland.

First we had a debate tournament where two of my brothers competed. It was a long day but worth it.

The M.D. of Debate with his very pretty partner

(Left to right) Big D and his partner standing next to the first place novice team for this particular tournament. (Big D and his partner placed second, whoo hoo!) 

Then we have been trying to get our Christmas presents finished and mailed to all of the family that will not be local this Christmas. Of course I wait until the last minute to come up with gifts but hey at least I got all of the gifts done for the immediate family plus most of the local group. I did things backwards this year, because that just makes so much sense.

Oh well. I still ended up with some pretty cute gifts.
My favorites are below.

Bags full of different kinds of "snowman poop" 

We found the idea on Pinterest. The original idea had a box of tic tacs in a little card saying "Heard you've been naughty so here's the scoop, All you get for Christmas is snowman poop". We decided to find 12 different white edible things (one for each kid at our house) and package it like above. This is going to a particularly ornery Grandpa who will appreciate it.

Dressed up chocolate

I took two chocolate bars and wrapped them in plain white paper. I put a fuzzy sock on top of  the wrapped chocolate and decorated it with a piece of ribbon and drew a face on it. This is going to our grandma (who's husband is getting the snowman poop). She also is getting other snowman inspired gifts from the other grandkids in our family. (Hopefully she doesn't read this blog, otherwise I'm in trouble.)
I found another project that the youngest two could do with a little help which I thought was cute.

 

They are handprint snowmen ornaments. So cute!

Wednesday was the last day of my Literary Analysis class that I taught this year. I'm so glad I taught it and would definitely look into teaching it again if I was in a position to do so and God provided the families who would want that. I just won't be for the rest of this school year. 

Something I'll Miss

Today was the last day for a Good News Club. It's hard to look at the kids that you've been with for what feels like a long time and say that you have to move on.

God's moving me on to other things (see my post Crazy Stuff Happening all at Once!). He's also moving the other teachers on to other things. I think it's God saying that it's time for this Club to turn over a new leaf and get started fresh.
We don't always understand why he does what He does but I do know that every single one of those kids know who Jesus is and why He came. Without fail we presented the gospel to those kids every week and even had some of the kids get up sometimes and share the gospel in front of the whole club. It really is cool to have been a part of that.
I love these kids and know that God brought them into my life for a reason and now it's time for me to go. This is perhaps the hardest thing to leave because I know that some of these kids only get Good News Club and that's it. No Church on Sunday, no youth group on Wednesday, nothing. Just me and Brenda, and Mrs. M who they heard talk about God and Jesus for this short time.
I loved the simple but challenging questions they would give to me. I love the noisy boisterous nature of some of them and the timid quiet nature of others.
 It was such a blessing to work with these kids and see some of them go from crazy ADD bouncing off of the walls can't sit still for more than 10 seconds at a time kids, to kids who would actually listen to a story. (Granted they were still the most wiggly ones but at least they were listening). I'll miss some in particular. (I have a soft spot for the "naughty" kids, probably because they of everyone know that they are sinners and need to know that they are loved anyway. Not just by people, who will fail them, but by God, who never will.)
Change is good but it doesn't always come easy.

It's the most busiest time of the year

It usually is busy in Dicksonland and Christmas time is no exception.

 On top of everything else there are presents to get finished, packages to get shipped (hopefully before Christmas), cookies to make, kids to keep fed (what? you're hungry again??), not to mention the decorations to get out and the annual tree hunt (which we still haven't done).

This year I've been feeling the crush of everything else and have had the "hide under the covers I'm not ready yet" mentality one moment and a wholehearted embracing of the season the next.
I like Christmas but it doesn't feel like Christmas this year. There is something disjointed and out of place. Personally I think that the season is turning into another Easter where the focus is on Santa and gifts and things that are fluff. The real reason for the season is drowned out by all of the noise and chaos of the shiny distractions around it.

I wish Christmas wasn't so materialistic and fantastically fake feeling.
I guess I just have to work extra hard to keep the focus on Christ, which isn't new. It just seems like past years it was easier for me to keep that the focus.
Maybe it's the fact that adult life is starting to weigh me down this year. Maybe it's the fact that we didn't get a tree yet and all of those Christmas reminders aren't visible every time I walk into our living room. Maybe it's that I have been way too focused on all of the wrong things recently. (Or maybe it's all of it combined.)
Whatever the reason I hope that I'll kick this funk I'm in and get into the childlike wonder that I remember from past years and be joyful for the real reason for the season.

Making Merry (in the kitchen)

I have been having fun making breakfast in the kitchen recently. This morning I decided that I was going to build a snowman in a non-snowy part of California.

Aren't they cute?

Now I'm not the totally organized blogger who happens to have a camera with her in the kitchen when she starts and takes nice photos of every step of her making the cute little creations of goodness pictured above. No. I did get a few shots of the last pancakes on the griddle and the one pictured above and that's about it. 

Here is what I did. I got up and did some P90X. My mom got up and mixed up some buttermilk pancake batter and got them started. Then she realized that she needed to sign 3 kids up for a tournament before registration closed at which point I jumped in and started making the pancakes. (Always a lot going on at the Dickson household).

Recipe: 

Makes about fourteen 3-inch pancakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

3 Tablespoons butter, meltd

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

(We usually multiply this by 3 at least and when all of the boys are home on the weekends we might do it by 4)

In a bowl mix buttermilk, egg, and butter together until smooth. 

Stir flour, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl until well blended. Stir into buttermilk mixture only until dry ingredients are moisened- leave some lumps.

Heat a skillet or griddle to medium hot. Grease lightly and spoon out about 3 Tablespoons per pancake (I probably did about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter per pancake to make snowmen). Cook pancakes and serve.

For making snowmen start with the center. This guy is a little fat because I was a little too fast in shaping him. 

Start with the center dot and then make arms. I did the head next and then the bottom. After enough bubbles have popped and the edges look like they are developing a skin flip your creations! 

Aww, he wants a hug :) 

Put on plates and decorate with mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, syrup, sprinkles, or whatever you like to put on your pancakes. Have fun! 

Yum!

And It Hits

This is me around this time:

I have Christmas and family to think about and any holiday extras that get thrown in there along with trying to keep up with the laundry plus I'm moving up to Grassvalley in January. Lots to do.

I find that if I focus on all of it at once it becomes overwhelming.

I need to stop and figure out what's really important. It's why I blog. It helps me to pause for a bit to process things.
I love Christmas, don't get me wrong, but it is a little more busy and has a little more 'umph' that needs to happen and sometimes it's hard to want to give that extra 'umph'. (Especially when you have a lot going on already.)
If I focus on the fact that the reason we even have this holiday isn't ultimately for me or for the pleasing of others. It's for focusing in on the miraculous birth that happened because God chose to become a human being and dwell among us. It becomes a little easier to see through some of the chaos and craziness of the season.
He did something that he didn't put the first man and woman through and came to earth as an infant and learned what it was to grow up as one of us. The one who created us from the tips of our toes to the number of hairs we are able to grow on our heads created himself and became one of us.
At this point my head kind of explodes

How can that be? Why would he even want to? How could so much bigness and Godness get itself to fit into our small humanness? 

Anyway that's my thoughts for today. Merry Christmas!

The Most Wonderful Time...

Day 30

I'm thankful for the holiday season.

I love Christmas and Thanksgiving and New Years. I love the fact that the whole country (and many other countries) have decided to celebrate this time of year. There is a magical sparkly-ness to this time of year that doesn't happen any other time. People seem to be celebrating all around whether they are actually celebrating the holiday coming up or just enjoying the benefits of what effect the holiday has on the people and surroundings around them.
People seem more open and friendly. More willing to say "hello" and "Merry Christmas." More willing to spend a minute or two of time talking to a stranger that just a week or two ago they would have passed by without so much as a glance.
I challenge you this holiday season to say hello and smile at a complete stranger, wish them a Merry Christmas.
For those of you up for a level two challenge I would challenge you to hand a tract out to someone and try to spread the message of the gospel to those around you.
You can find tracts at the following locations: http://www.tractplanet.com, http://store.livingwaters.com
Or you can find your own favorite tract resource. These just happen to carry the tracts I like to hand out.
It's perhaps the best time of year to do just that.

Guiding Grace

Day 29

I'm thankful for God's guidance that He gives us.

I'm not such a great planner on my own. Sure I can plan but my greatest adventures have happened as a result of God leading me and guiding me to where I needed to be. It's not always the expected place and more often than not it's the unexpected places that God ends up leading me.

I may plan to go one direction and God opens doors in a totally different direction. 

Totally want to do this now.

Simple (and a little Silly) Saturday

Day 28

I'm thankful for pillows.

Yep. I'm really thankful for pillows.
When I was looking at pillows I found some really nerdy ones.

Can find it on etsy Here

You can find something similar Here

These would make great Christmas gifts. Find them Here

Here is a gift idea for those on your list who are really into sushi. 

This one was just nerdy. Find it Here

Hope.

Day 27

I'm thankful for Hope.

Hope is something that drives us forward. We hope to accomplish things, we hope that things will turn out well, we put our hope in the strength that God gives us, we hope to survive, etc. There are a lot of things we put our hope in and hope for.
If we didn't have hope, how would things get accomplished? If people didn't have hope, how would anything get invented? How would society move forward?
Hope keeps us alive and keeps us moving forward.
It drives our faith forward as well according to Hebrews 11:1

Faith makes our hopes sure (or well founded and solid) and our hopes drive our faith forward. (That is how I read this particular verse.) What do you hope for today? 

Sounds from the Soul

Day 26

I'm thankful for music.

Music a medium of art that we use to express ourselves. People compose it, write lyrics to it, sing along with it, dance to it, and use it as a means of worship.
Here are a couple of ones that I have that I consider more "thanksgivingy". Enjoy!

Here is a link to Andrew Peterson's "Don't You Want to Thank Someone"

The Relationships we are Given

Day 25

I'm thankful for the relationships God gives us.

Relationships are important parts of our lives. They can be family relationships, friend relationships, church relationships, and casual relationships. They all play a part of our lives and help to make us who we are as individuals.
God brings each of these relationships into our lives. I believe that each of these relationships are in our lives for a reason. (Sometimes for more than one reason.)
Some are more challenging than others but it's those ones that I find help to grow me the most. I'm thankful for not just the "easy" relationships but also for the hard ones. They are the ones that have tested and taught me the most.

The Energy We Recieve

Day 24

I'm thankful for the energy that I have been given.

Maybe I have a little too much energy in this shot :)

God has blessed us with many things and the ability to enjoy many things. Today I am thankful for the energy that He has blessed me with today.

Prayer

Day 23

I'm thankful for prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

I'm so thankful that as a Christian I can go to God in prayer at anytime anywhere. I can go directly to God wherever I'm at and in the midst of whatever I'm doing. It's an awesome thing for God to be so approachable and so available all of the time.
 It tells us in the Bible that God never sleeps.

I take comfort in knowing that there is never a prayer that I say that God does not hear because He is sleeping. He even asks us to pray many times in the Bible. Here are just a few examples:

Romans 12:12

Not only does God hear our prayers but He wants us to pray. This is such an awesome thing. 

The World is a Beautiful Place

Day 22

I'm thankful for the beauty that God has given us to enjoy.

Handful of Cherry Blossoms by Larissa D.

Indian Beauties by Larissa D.

Sweet Little Fairy Girl by Larissa D.

Beach Conquest by Larissa D.

Fallen Flame by Larissa D.

Cleansed by Larissa D.

Lady Bug by Larissa D.

We are surrounded by beauty. Every. Day. I'm thankful that God has blessed the world with beauty. I'm also thankful for the invention of cameras which allow us to capture little peices of that beauty.

Fun Friday Take 2

Day 21

I'm thankful for the hilarity of people.
People are just funny. It doesn't take long for me to find something funny that someone has come up with. Like this:

You are looking at a rabbit fur sweatshirt. That's right a SWEATSHIRT. I could see a coat or even a vest but a sweatshirt? Really? And this baby goes for the very low price of $950. Ha!

How about this?

It's called an ostrich napping pillow. (Personally I think it should be called a Kraken napping pillow). You can buy one here for about $100 and look hilarious while you nap. But hey at least you get your nap in.

Just because you need a very special cooler for your watermelon. It's priced at $231 (more info Here.)

A noodle eaters hair guard. For people who can't figure out how to put their hair in a ponytail.  It also doubles as a lion mane for Holloween. When it was available it went for $11.06 according to http://www.luuux.com

You can't walk in this but hey it'll keep you warm :) 

And last but not least: 

Sudoku toilet paper because people need to spend hours in the bathroom. Find this product and more like it here

People are pretty funny. It helps to make the world an interesting place.