Christmas Shubzda Style........

"Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays"....so true!

Sunday we celebrated with the family like it used to be before Tim got shipped off to Africa and the Bergesons made that two year move to California.

It felt right again and even though we were still missing three family members, we were almost whole again.

The Bergesons...minus three and a half!

The McCauley girls

Pam and Family...almost another!

The Shubzdas

Our favorite part...the white elephant gift exchange.  

The director of the festivities this year was Brooklynn, who has a large dose of Gramma in her!

She commanded the evening and did not miss a beat.  She not only let us know who's turn it was...also selected everyones package.  What a pro...well taught young lady by the original director of events!

Styrofoam snow...the best part of the day!

After I finished laughing I realized I would be finding pellets long after the day was over....like maybe until the Easter bunny arrived.

Our keeper of the beer...a girl after her daddy's heart!

Finley's favortite...a bigger than her size Barbie.

Oh, she is such a girl!

One more year in the books and another fun family day.

Next year when we gather we will have two new babies join the bunch...that we know of!

What that means is more giggles, more hugs, and more treasured memories.

This is my favorite time of the year and as the 25th of December approaches I am sad.  This has been an amazing Christmas season as I have I have been blessed with so many meaningful things to enjoy. I have loved every minute of everyday because even though it has been hectic, I have taken the time to remember that amid the chaos is the true meaning of the season.

I am truly thankful of all of the gifts of this past year.  Hopefully next year will bring as much joy and as many unexpected surprises as 2014 has.

Have I mentioned this before...I love my family!

The Big Run......

This is a disclaimer.....neither of the photos below are people I know.  

These bodies belong to random people along the Dallas Marathon route and I could not resist a photograph.  One has to have to a great deal of confidence to run past thousands of people dressed in a wine barrel or a speedo.....

So, on to the point of the post.

Tim ran a marathon...well, a half marathon.  Thirteen miles!  What an accomplishment!

We went to cheer him on as he crossed the finish line on a grey and misty day in downtown Dallas.

Sometimes in the midst of waiting and watching over 20,000 people run by you get a little bored.

You have to find creative ways to entertain yourself!

Until...finally....there he comes.  Still smiling and still running!

It was a proud mama moment watching him complete this task.  It was the same feeling I get when I watch the family participate in Carry the Load.  It is a goal set and achieved.  

Kids learn from this.

Daddy got lots of hugs from his girls and a medal to show he finished.  

I got pleasure in once again watching one of my kids go beyond what is manageable in the course of the day.  My children never cease to amaze me.  They drive themselves to do things beyond what is necessary.

It was once again another perfect moment in a Christmas season that has been full of surprises for me.  I think it comes for making yourself more present and more aware of what is going on.  My life of living in a blur has slowed as I take advantage of a moment.  What a difference it makes.

I am so proud of my family.

Christmas Buddies........

Another successful Christmas Bunko and another great gift to bring home.

I am in a segment of my life when I have decided to say "NO" to anything I do not 100% feel like doing.  This afternoon as I thought about changing clothes, picking up the mess on the floor in my sewing room, and getting dinner for Sara, I thought how easy it would be to just stay home.  What a mistake that would have been.  I need my friends and there is nothing like a competitive gift exchange, laughter, and hugs to know that getting up and getting out was the right decision.  

I love you friends....and Sharon, I am very sorry about that blanket!

December 1 and DONE!!!!......

I truly think that this is the first time in my life that I have completed Christmas decorations by December 1st.  Granted I started mid-November, but I had a goal in mind.  I was determined to approach the season differently this year...without the hysteria of last minute anything.

Half the fun of the season is the anticipation.   Winnie the Pooh (one of my all time favorites) once said something like "One of the things I like most is eating honey, but it is the moment before you begin that is really the best".  Perfectly stated! Anticipation is everything!

I had help with Christmas prep this year!  That is not always the case.  I think it stems from the fact that I found two additional members to add to our penguin family and that just brought my husband to a place of total commitment!  Oh the joy of a yard full of inflatables....

My joy...unpacking and remembering.  I have had thoughts recently that it would be nice if the holiday decorations were disposable....once and done.  Each year there would be a sweep of Hobby Lobby and it would be all new.  Hence, no crawling up on the attic and bringing down box after box of the same old stuff.  But then I come across the carefully wrapped angel (bone china my mom always reminded me) that hung on my parents tree the year I was born.  Sixty six years ago and nary a chip...that did not come from Hobby Lobby.

There is the bear that hung on our tree the year Matt was born...a gift from my mom's neighbor...another irreplaceable treasure.

My precious first grandchild's first Christmas....a most special year to be sure!!!

And my beautiful Nativity, why would I want to replace this?
Disposable Christmas....not such a great idea after all.  It is those carefully wrapped treasures that we unpack each year.... the reminders, the sense of tradition, and the memories. They are what make this once each year event special.
It is taking time to remember that it is not only the ornaments and Santas that bring so much joy, but the thought that one small baby came and forever changed the world.

This year I am ready to enjoy in a more focused and content manner the anticipation of this most glorious day.  No my shopping is not done, but with the help of Amazon.com it will be!

And while the packages are be shipped I am going to live a little like Winnie the Poo....because it is in the awareness of what lies ahead that we find the most joy.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart".
Helen Keller

He's Back!!!!!.........

 No need for details.

Tim's home!!!!

ONE YEAR IS OVER!!!

 Nothing but smiles and hugs.

Not even a burnt turkey could ruin this holiday.

Welcome home Daddy-o!!!!!

It Is Beginning.......

Yes, and I do not think it is just me who is ahead of the Thanksgiving curve and looking at Christmas way ahead of the actual holiday.  Pumpkins are loosing their appeal and though we have yet to sit down at the table and state what we are most grateful for this year, from what I have seen on Facebook (the guru of truth), everyone is braced in the starting block, ornaments in hand, ready to 

embrace Christmas full on.

This is what we all woke up to this morning.  

Brooklynn called early to see if our pool was frozen....No thankfully not!!

It was beautiful, short lived but a reminder that we are nearing the season!

After a trip through Home Goods the other day, I simply decided I did not have to wait until the socially correct moment to begin my Christmas holiday.  

Christmas makes us all happy...even most in dire need...because it is during this time that so many choose to actually remember those less fortunate.  Food banks are fuller, Toys for Tots is in full swing, and we willingly give when the rest of the year we seem to just forget there is so much poverty right in our own neighborhood.

So, to the attic I went and I am now in complete holiday chaos.

I intend to do this with a methodical, slow, joyful spirit.  I know when I am at the reverse end of this celebration...the part where it all has to come down...I will not be so joyful!

I think this is all okay.  Jumping ahead to start the Christmas season a little early is not just about the commercial part of the holiday.

We all love the season for there is merriment, celebration, happiness, and a strong sense of love of neighbor.  Maybe that is just what Christ has in mind.  He was the one who at Christmas time brought light into a dark world by His birth. Perhaps as we pull out the trees and holly a little ahead of schedule, if we focus on the arrival of Christ we will find even more joy in both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Possibly with all of the unrest in the world, continual news of ISIS and Ebola,  we are craving that light more than ever.

Just look at the beautiful decoration God had for us when we woke up this morning...and that was surely way ahead of schedule!

"Maybe Christmas does not come from a store.  

Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more."

The Grinch

Privileged.....

I am not sure that privileged it the right word for the encounter I had last night.

Beautiful, touching, emotional...all of these.

When I retired I searched for things, anything that would help me fill the time I had spent in the classroom I was no longer in.  I subbed, I sewed, I shopped, I lunched with friends, and I joined multiple  ministries at church.

I was all over the map looking for fulfillment.  

Sometimes that is how it works.  You try it all and then you narrow it down to what brings you real joy.

Last night I knew things were right.  I had that found that niche and what a privilege it is and will continue to be to serve the church in the Faith Formation program.

My precious second grade class participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation last night.  

It is a huge night.  It is the second Sacrament they receive in the church...after Baptism.

They were prepared, ready, and they understood.  Were they a bit timid, of course.

Our amazing pastor talked to these kids at length before they went to confession and the ceremony afterward was beautiful.

Because we have a priest that truly loves and cares for his church, these kids were made aware of the power of this moment.  It was amazing.

Again, in this month of knowing and counting your blessings, I am so grateful to have been given the chance to work in this program with these children and their parents.

It is a privilege and an honor.  

I know where I belong now.  Sometimes it takes a little searching but God has a plan...

What a beautiful night.

"May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit".

Romans 15:13

Veterans Day......

It is Veterans Day.  I am celebrating the return of my son from a year's active duty in Djibouti.

I am proud of him, and of his wife and daughters who held down the fort here at home.

 Yes, we know the cost of commitment, but we are proud...of two boys who chose this path for themselves. 

I am proud of my Navy sons and my Navy dad.  

I wish I knew more about my dads military story...

many questions you do not think to ask before it is too late.  

Thankful for all of those who "wrote that blank check".

Remembering everyone on this Veterans Day.

It's November!.......

Yes. I LOVE November!

It is the one month I want to put on hold and slowly savor each day.

I do not want to rush through it.

People just seem happier during this time of year.  Christmas is on the horizon....

Oh, how I love Christmas!

I am seriously having to hold myself back...I am dying to crawl up in the attic and start pulling down red and green decorations.  I want to pull out Perry Como and sing "There Is No Place Like Home For The Holidays".

It is that time of the year when everyone on Facebook (except me) is listing what they are grateful for everyday.

I am just going with "generally grateful".

I don't need to list it....hopefully I am learning to just live it.

 I am happy noticing the little things....like my shopping partner, who cost me about $30 more than I should have spent by loading my basket with an array of random things.  So, I have a new brush for the sink, more toilet paper than I really needed, and the kind of mac and cheese that is loaded with yellow dye #2.

 Treasuring the amount of time that I get to spend with these two little girls just makes any day a great day.

Gratitude comes easy when you are taking walks with them.

 They say that gratitude increases your levels of energy, optimism, and empathy.

I agree with that.

I think we could all learn from the feelings we all have during the month of November.
If only we could hold that thought.

Our lists of gratitude should be a daily attitude, not just something we leave on the Thanksgiving table.

"giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father"
Ephesians 5:20

The Many Faces of Princesses..............

 Life is good when you are a princess.....

And are heading out to fill your bucket with LOTS of chocolate!!!

Happy Halloween!