christmasING and why it's ok

I love Christmas, I know, we all know this by now, I've been building this up for months and months it seems. I know for some I start too early...sorry. I know for others they don't like the hustle bustle.

I feel like I need to make a case for Christmas.

I actually took a lot of flack for being excited about Christmas. I received various complaints in my exubrant celebreation of Christmas...this is my attempt to answer them as best I can. By the end if you still don't like Christmas, I'm okay with that, but please, I beg you don't rain on my parade anymore. :)


Complaint 1: "It's too early for Christmas."--Okay, okay I'll give some of you this one in my over-enthusiastic-starting-after-Halloween-facebook-counting-down celebrations of Christmas....so there, Scrooges 1, Christmas lover's 0. But look out, we Christmas lover's are about to make quite the comeback. :)

Complaint 2: This one is much like the one the above, only slightly tweeked--"It's not even Thanksgiving" or the reoccurring "What about Thanksgiving, it's a holiday too!" First of all, I want to answer the complaint with a question: How does my Christmas tree being up inhibit your Thanksgiving celebration? For me, my tree only enhances Thanksgiving and gives me one more thing to be Thankful for. Also, just because I start Christmas decorating doesn't mean I leave Thanksgiving out. If I had the money to invest in fabulous Thanksgiving decor, I might. Usually after Halloween, its easier to move from our Halloween decor, into Christmas. It's sort of a practicality...is that word???
Also I view Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years etc...as part of a general holiday season. One is not more important then the other, rather all are occasions for Thankfulness, Joy, and the anticipation of the bright new days to come. :)

So its 1:1...Tied up!

Complaint 3: "Christmas has become so commercial...all about buying stuff." Okay, to this I have a two fold answer. First of all, if you don't like that it's so commercial, don't let it be. There's no rule saying you have to break the bank and spend your entire savings on Christmas gifts. Try something handmade. Christmas is a lovely time to exercise your creativity. Second, and I'm serious in saying, giving gifts for some people is a huge way of showing love. Again, this doesn't mean you have to break the bank. Usually for people that give and receive love by giving and receiving gifts, it really is the thought that counts...get creative.

Uh-oh! 1:2 Christmas lovers are winning!

Complaint 4: "Christmas was originally supposed to be about Jesus and it's not anymore." This is actually one of my least favorites for a few reasons. First of all, historically if we really look at Christmas it wasn't originally about Jesus. It was originally pagan. I'm not saying that I don't love that its a beautiful time to remember what Christmas became over time--a time to remember Christ...but let's get our facts straight. This leads me to my next point...for those of us who want Jesus to be the reason for the season: shouldn't everyday be like Christmas??? Remembering who he is and that he became Emmanuel ("God with us"). I love Christmas songs, particularly ones that refer to Christ as Emmanuel. Think of it...God with us. God with us. God coming into our dark world as light. I just love it. This leads me to my last point in addressing this complaint: Jesus can still be your reason for the season, even if to others He's not.

1:3 Christmas lovers!!!! :) (see, aren't I winning you over)

Complaint 5 (last one because this post is getting too long and I'm already afraid I've made someone mad, even though that's not my intent at all): "Christmas is too busy!!!! All the family party's, work party's, church party's..." This answer is much like my response to Christmas becoming too commercial...don't let Christmas become that busy. You're allowed to say no...even if you don't have anything planned that night. It's okay to stay at home curled up by your tree with cocoa and a Christmas movie. It's okay to take a nap every now and again. It's okay to figure out a different day to celebrate with a particular side of the family. Relax, enjoy, take time for Christmas. :)

This should clench it...1:4 Christmas lovers! :)

Did I win you over yet? (Or just annoy you...sorry)

All in all, I'm just saying I don't understand the Scrooge side of Christmas. Christmas is supposed to be a season of joy and I think, especially as those who claim to know the Source of joy, it's okay to celebrate, to stand in awe, to enjoy the mystery and magic of the season, to give gifts, and to love, and to rejoice in Emmanuel, to give to those in need, and to pray for the grieving, and to rejoice with those who rejoice. It's a fabulous time of year and worth defending (I don't mean that in the "Merry Christmas vs Merry Xmas" way, personally its not an argument I'm worried about).

Before I close this long post that no one probably made it all the way through, I do want to add this...I understand for some Christmas is painful. It may be the first Christmas without a loved one, or the 1st Christmas without a job, or the 2nd without a job, or a Christmas centered around hospitals and a family illness, and for those people, its okay to grieve in this season and my heart really goes out to you. I think its okay to find Christmas hard to celebrate this year. I've been there in one way or another, most of us have, and wouldn't want to be there again.

To me though, it's all the more reason to celebrate Christmas and look for those in need to reach out to and be Emmanuel to...after all we are the body of Christ...we are those who are to be "God with us" to so many.

Anyway, that was long, but its been building. I hope no one was offended. :)


Merry Christmas!!! :) :) :) :)

communicatING: kids these days....

If your a teacher--watch these. If you are a pastor--watch these. If you are a parent--watch these. If you are any kind of communicator--watch these.

You may need to turn off the music on this page. Scroll to the bottom and hit pause on the Flash player.









I watched these in a psych class I'm in. I loved these. Both of them. 8 books, but 2300 web pages...this should change how teach, how we preach, how communicate, how we create.

Recently my four year old niece proclaimed to the world that she wants iTunes gift cards for Christmas to download apps for the iPad. She's four!!! This made me laugh and made me think. These are the students I will have, these are the kids that will be sitting in classes, and maybe the people sitting pews....pews? Maybe not. I'm not sure what it will look like, but I think it will look different then it does now and it has to.

"It" has to look different in our classrooms and our churches. Students are not getting dumber, they just learn differently. Students get "it" differently.

It's funny but even kids in schools or churches now have more technology and information available to them I ever did at their age (do I feel old or what saying that???).

I'm rambling, but I hope these videos inspire us to communicate differently, and teach differently, and preach differently, and evangelize differently. I hope they inspire us to update (as much as we can afford), to create (in all new ways), to think before we complain about kids and their iPods, gaming habits, and attention spans. An effective teacher-preacher-learner-blogger-writer-thinker-communicator knows their audience and communicates in a way that the audience can understand it. This takes work and willingness to change, but it's worth it.

p.s. I know the intro the first clip is a little dated. Sorry. I feel like that fact is a little oxymoronic.

eatING

Yes, I titled this post eating. This is a step that most of us (myself included up until now) can easily ignore in the preparation of our food.

Dave hunts...everything. This time of year several animals are in season, and pheasant is one them. Last year I made a pheasant for Thanksgiving, but Dave had already skinned it. This year I wanted the skin, so this meant plucking.

I've never plucked anything, so this was a new experience for me. Sorry that I look so greasy, but while Dave hunts, I sleep, so I hadn't really been up that long at the time these were taken.

Here we go!
















As you can see, it gets rather messy. This was only a small amount of the feathers we took from it.


This isn't quite the finished product. I had to soak it to get some of the remaining feathers out. Also, I will add that yes, I gutted it. Dave helped with some of the cutting. This is because he is experienced, but I actually pulled out the actual guts...yes, with my hands. (For all of your sakes, I left out pictures of that...it was gross and it smelled.) And yes, I chopped off the head and feet and excess wing parts.

I really feel I can take on anything in life now. I mean, I've gutted and plucked a pheasant. That has to be some sort of rite of passage. I think this means I've moved into some new phase of life...or something...???

I also have to say I'm glad I'm already married. This can't be an attractive, feminine quality, gutting pheasants.

All told, the whole process took around an hour. It wasn't really that bad, but I will say I'm glad I don't have to do this for every meal. I can't imagine living at a time when that was your only choice. Think about this the next time you buy a boneless skinless chicken breast. :) Or maybe don't...I think that would be better.
:)

I will try and post a picture of the finished product on Thanksgiving. :)

knittING and feltING!!!!

So, October was busy, full of field study in a 6th grade class(which was fabulous, I intended on posting something soon about how fabulous it was), work (which I have now quit, which is also fabulous and I now have time for things like sleep), Halloween partying (as I have already posted, we know this too, was fabulous)...somehow in all of it, I picked up something new. Actually two somethings new. :)

1. Knitting!!!!



Yes, I'm learning to knit. This is my first project and I'm pretty excited about it. I call it my Mr. Tumnus scarf. I secretly want to open an Etsy shop someday called: The Chronicles of Yarnia, and Other Storybook Knits. I would also knit hobbit style scarves, Harry Potter scarves and hats etc....you get the idea. :) I don't know that copyright laws would allow me to actually do that though...something to look into..hmmmm.....


2. Felting!!!



I have actually had felting supplies since June, but haven't made much to speak of. This is my first "figure"...a penguin! :) This isn't the best picture, but overall I was happy with how it turned out.

Unfortunately...



...this is the culprit who got a hold of the penguin and gave it an unfortunate end. The penguin is now missing a wing and has an eye sadly hanging from his head.

I think I could also include felting into my Etsy shop and felt little storybook figures as well. Not that I really have time for any of this...but maybe someday. ;)

Check out some of my fiber, wool, and felting blogs listed on my blog roll. If you click on the one that says "fiberfarm" it takes you to a yahoo page, you then have to click on one of the blog post title to get to the actual, and very creative, blog.

Enjoy! :)

votING and fundING

Ok, ok, so I swore that I wouldn't get sucked into the world of debate and politics this voting season. Yes, I voted, but after spending 4 years in a public university, one grows quite tired of debating politics with people no matter what side anyone in the argument is on....however (I know, any of you who know me, probably knew I could never let a voting season go by without getting on my soapbox about something)there is an issue I see a lot of people uninformed about and its driving me nuts. So, I regress (surprise, surprise.)

School Funding. Particularly tax levies. (Big sigh...and here we go).

Let's first start by saying--I'm going to be a teacher. Obviously, I'm not in it for the money, so I hope that you can all believe me when I say that I care deeply about our education system and its future, and well, it's funding. I think schools need money. I also think though, that throwing money at someting, doesn't always fix it (sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't).

Now, having said all that, I often vote "no" on school levies. Usually on school levies of any kind. Someday, some futre employer is going to read this and not hire me and I may even delete this post when I go to apply for jobs (seriously). I have a good reason for my voting habits though, the reason being: the way ohio funds thier schools (ie property tax levies) has been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court...more then once. I think it's been ruled that way four times, but I'm not sure if that is by the Supreme Court each of those times. I'm pretty sure, its worked its way up the Court System. To read all about it visit School Funding Matters.

I do know this, it has been ruled unconstitutional because of how heavily it relies on property taxes. Also more then one time the deadline for Ohio to change the way it funds it's schools has came and went with no solution found.

This is all hard for me to post because again, I hate seeing programs cut, teachers cut, and even schools closed, but schools have bent back the hand of tax payers by saying pass this levy....or else. Or else, your kids won't have busses, or else there will be bigger class sizes, or else they will have to pay to play. I just don't think this is fair. Even as an educator, I think there has to be another answer and we are asking too much of our property owners.

I really reccomend reading up on this issue before you vote for (or against) another levy. I know that so often I hear people say that voting down a levy doesn't change the system, but only hurts the education of our children. There are certain instances that I agree, however I also agree that by continuing to pass levies, we are saying we are ok with the ways our schools are funded. I think for a healthier relationship between schools and communities, we need a new answer. I know this is all easier said then done, but this battle has been going on for decades now.

I apoloigze if I've stepped on toes. I really was much more on my soapbox then I intended to be. I am ok with people voting for whatever they feel is right, I just want them to be educated about the issues.

Photo Credit: Google Image

hauntING : HardING style...

Every year we have a Halloween party (well, for the last two years, but we are hoping it becomes an annual thing). It grew between this year and last and I hope it continues to.

Here is a little of what went on! :)


Our mad scientist laboratory...




Some of our creative costumers as "Up a creek, without a paddle."




Luigi and the baseball player!



Shrunken heads.... :)




Skelly in his laboratory...




Witch supplies (and scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out who the witch was)...



If you don't show up in costume...well...




Our costume contest winners: Storm and Ironman (Brittany and Aaron) :)



Our Apple Bobbing winner...Craig with 2.5 seconds! We were all very impressed. :)




Our costume...mwa ha ha!



I hope you all had a fabulously haunted Halloween...and maybe next year you can spend it with the Harding's :) (if you can't tell, I LOVE Halloween). :)



All in all, it was a blast and I can't wait to do it again next year.

Now...onto Christmas. :) :) :) :) (Just so you know....I love Christmas even more than Halloween!) ;) "Mwa ha ha!"...will change to "Ho ho ho!" quite soon. :)

shavING

One of my favorite Halloween-ish movies ever. If you haven't seen it, you should....that is--if you can handle it. Mwa-ha-ha! :) Happy Halloween (again)! :)