I have been so derelict in posting. I'm sorry if you've been popping over to see my recipes or meal plans and have got nothing but bupkis. We've been having a season of absolute craziness here. We kind of hit a wall financially, and it was bad enough to make us panic momentarily...but God is so good, and He provided a second job for DH. So he has tacked on another 22 hrs + to his already busy schedule, and we have all had to make some big adjustments to our schedules. But we'll be able to make our bills and still eat, so we're very thankful.
I've also been busy with planning a special Christmas party for the ladies at church. We'll be having a traditional tree trimming party that should be a lot of fun. Yesterday, I made a bunch of those cinnamon applesauce ornaments that we've all been seeing on pinterest lately. My house smelled so cinnamon-y that it was almost too much. Almost. But word to the wise...if you are going to make those suckers, make sure you use a really good non-stick pan. A pizza pan works well. The ornaments I baked on that came out great, but the ones that I put on my cookie sheet...not so much. They got stuck in a serious way. By the way, I am now in the market for a new cookie sheet. LOL :)
In getting ready for the Christmas season, the church is also busily preparing for our annual Candlelight service in the park. Every year the church rents out the park on the beach and does a special outdoor service. The community really seems to enjoy it, and we end up with a few hundred people attending. I think that is pretty good for a little church of 50. We've had some big changes since we put this shindig on last year, so we have been restructuring a bit. That means new responsibilites for some, and more responsibilties for others, but I am confident we can pull this off well. I am, however, trying to figure out what to do with my kiddos during that service. They are so little that they really can't be expected to sit still very long and certainly not be quiet for a somber service. I'd prefer to keep them home but I am very much required to sing with the team, and my family is a little too far away to come out and babysit. And, really, who else can you ask to babysit on Christmas Eve? It's a dilemma. I may have to sing the first part of the service and then drive them home. DH would have to hitch a ride home after the service and he'd have to set that up in advance...I wonder who we could ask. See? I have had quite a bit on my mind, but I digress.
I have also been busy planning activities for my little ones for the advent season. They are already so excited about Christmas, and I want to make it as special as possible. I am sure that leaves you wondering; "what does a Pastor's family do about Santa?" Well, let me tell you what we do. DH and I have come straight out and told our girls that pretending that Santa Claus comes to our house on Christmas Eve is a really fun game people play at Christmas time. We still do all the regular Santa-related activities, like going to see Santa and having a picture with him, putting out Christmas cookies, and watching holiday movies, but we're honest about it. We avoid lying to our kids, but we don't want to rob them of the joy of pretending either. It's a delicate balance, and every once in awhile we have to slip in a gentle reminder, but our kids are quite happy with knowing it is a game.
Hmmm...what else can I slip in to this very hodge-podge post? Oh yeah, meals. We were out of food earlier this month, and had no prospects of getting more any time soon. But a lovely caring person (okay it was my MOM!) shared out of her own pantry and got us through until we got a paycheck. It has still been very lean, but I am thankful for Mom's generosity that ensured my kiddos were well fed. I am also very thankful that this should be the last month that things get that lean. Hooray for hard-working husbands and a God that provides.
Now that I have caught you up, I will try to be more diligent in working in some time for blogging. I will feature some of the things we are doing for the advent season, and definitely the meal plans and special recipes we are using.
