New Year's Eve 2009

Let me see if I can sum up our little three-day vacation to the mountains in a few words:

rain, three kids with cabin fever, rain, rain and more rain

So, we came back yesterday, a day earlier than planned, and spent today unpacking wet clothing, getting laundry caught up, and cleaning the house left in disarray from a rather harried exit on Monday morning--so chaotic was our departure that I forgot to lock the front door!!!

And now, here I sit at 7:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve, neighbors gearing up for a loud and wild party next door, kids already tucked in bed, husband at church for Revelation reading, and Karen Carpenter's voice ringing in my head: "What are you doing New Year's Eve?"

Well, I'll tell you. I'm going to be working on Junior Church preparations for Sunday, thinking about resolutions I should make but don't want to, and eating a large plate of nachos because, undoubtedly, one of those resolutions will be something to do with eating less of the things I love and more of things I don't.

I hope your New Year's Eve is shaping up better than mine! In any case, have a wonderful time. By the way, I'm not complaining; just thinking that perhaps when Karen Carpenter sang that song, she was envisioning something more romantic for her New Year's Eve than this one.

Our Christmas in Pictures

Before we leave for a three-day trip tomorrow, I want to post a few pictures from our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations.

We did something new this year--a special Christmas Eve breakfast, just the four of us.

On the menu: Mom's Sticky Rolls, Cheese Quiche, and Watermelon (This is the first time I've succeeded in making my mom's rolls here in Brazil. They were perfect!)

Happy, hungry boys!

Nathanael's delicious and beautiful apple pie

Playing a game of Trouble together. Guess who won!?!


We attended our church's candlelight service on Christmas Eve.

Micah and I on Christmas morning

Waiting to open his stocking (which appears to be a plastic bag). He did have a real stocking!

Aunt Jane's "festive" socks

A sad boy who doesn't understand why he's been handed all these gifts and then must wait until his "turn" to open them one at a time.

Brothers by the tree at Mimi and Pawpaw's.
We had a wonderful Christmas together!

(Well, I have to get up in five hours to finish packing, so off to bed I go. Hope you enjoyed these pictures from our family Christmas.)

The Twelfth Post of Christmas: Christmas Greetings

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Eleventh Post of Christmas: The Great Light

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

Isaiah 9:2

All is well.

All is well.

Angels and men rejoice!

For tonight darkness fell into the dawn of Love's light . . .

The Tenth Post of Christmas: Mary and Martha Stewart

I needed to be reminded today; I needed to know what it's all about. As I rushed from room to room clearing the clutter and cleaning, making a mental list of all I needed to do today . . . clean house, make guacamole and sour cream for tonight's taco dinner at Aunt Jane's, make cinnamon roll dough to leave in fridge overnight, wrap gifts, catch up on laundry, plan Junior Church . . . I needed to be reminded.

And one boy wanted to decorate cookies, make snowflakes, "help" clean, and wrap presents. The other one needed attention. He had a runny nose, cough, and fever. He was grumpy and demanding, and my voice was getting more and more shrill as the hours ticked on . . . and my back ached . . . and I needed to sit down. I needed to be reminded.

What is this all about?

"Lord," I said, "I'm doing all this TODAY so I can relax and enjoy You, and the kids, and my husband on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! If I can just push through today, everything will be ready--perfect!" I needed to be reminded, as I snapped at the kids and turned on the TV. Yes, I needed to be reminded.

And then, He gently caught my attention and said, "Enjoy Me now! I'm here in your house -- whether it's a mess or a Martha Stewart magazine. I'm here in your heart -- whether it's calm or chaotic. Your house doesn't have to be perfect for Me to dwell here. You don't have to be perfect for Me to dwell within you. Enjoy Me now!"

And I laughed at myself and rolled my eyes. I'd done it again--chosen to be Martha over Mary. Chosen to do instead of be. Hadn't I cleaned the living room and seen the Jesse Tree there? Hadn't we traced God's footprints night after night in expectancy of His arrival? As I stared at the images hung on a scrawny limb, I saw Adam, Eve, Noah, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Jesse, David, and the others . . . .


And it strikes me that for thousands of years, they waited for the Messiah to enter this world. And God waited, too. And as He waited, He used men and women who had faults, committed sin, and made messes to slowly work His perfect plan for redemption. He didn't wait so that mankind could straighten everything up, make all the preparations, create the picture-perfect venue for His entrance. No, He came right smack in the middle of the mess. He came amidst a girl's cries in a dirty, smelly stable with cold stone floor and animals about. He came because, as hard as we try, we can't sweep away the stains of sin on our earth, our homes, or our very own hearts.

I needed to be reminded.

I needed to be reminded today what we celebrate tomorrow and forever . . . .


Blue homespun and the bend of my breast
keep warm this small hot naked star
fallen to my arms. (Rest. . . You who have had so far to come.)
Now nearness satisfies
the body of God sweetly. Quiet He lies
whose vigor hurled a universe. He sleeps
whose eyelids have not closed before.
His breath (so slight it seems
no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps
to sprout a world.
Charmed by dove's voices, the whisper of straw,
He dreams,
hearing no music from His other spheres.
Breath, mouth, ears, eyes
He is curtailed
who overflowed the skies,
all years.
Older than eternity, now He
is new. Now native to earth as I am, nailed
to my poor planet, caught that I might be free,
blind in my womb to know my darkness ended
brought to this birth
for me to be new-born,
and for Him to see me mended
I must see Him torn.

("Mary's Song" by Luci Shaw)


Thank you, Lord, for reminding me today . . . for catching me up short so I could see, and in my seeing, celebrate. Welcome . . . welcome . . . .

The Ninth Post of Christmas: Friends and Festivities

Keeping Christmas is good, but sharing it is better. -- Arnold Glass

A few special times we've shared with friends this month . . .

Homeschool outing to a mall where they decorated wreaths, rode a train, and ate lots of ice cream.




Annual Christmas party with close family friends. Decorating cookies and playing Christmas bingo have become traditions at this party.

Church staff Christmas brunch.


Finally, last night we attended the annual Christmas concert featuring the Sao Paulo Lyric Choir and the Sao Paulo Symphonic Orchestra. The music, traditional Christmas carols in Portuguese and English, was truly gorgeous, and the venue, an old train station converted into a concert hall, was incredible. Two hours in heaven! Thank you to my brother-in-law, a tenor in the lyric choir who went to great lengths to get us (and 70 other church friends) tickets! A wonderful way to usher in these next few days of celebrating Christ's birth.

I'm holding a little friend who sat perfectly through the entire concert which ended at 11 p.m.!

The Eighth Post of Christmas: Bakers Baking

Cookies and candy and pies, oh my! What is Christmas without delicious sweets and an extra five (okay, ten) pounds? In general, I don't enjoy baking (requires too much patience), but Christmas baking is something quite different. I spend several days in the kitchen making cookies, candy, bars and other treats and genuinely find it delightful. The kids flit in and out, helping here and there, but mostly looking for an abandoned beater or bowl to lick. But this year I have a confession to make: Due to dietary issues (i.e., already gaining my 10 pounds), I've placed a moratorium on holiday baking in the Fawcett household. We did, however, bake some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip bread to give as gifts. And by "we," I mean Nathanael. The recipe can be found here. After the loaves had cooled, we placed them in clear bags, tied them with ribbon, and added a large jingle bell. The loaves freeze well so anyone who doesn't want to eat their loaf right away, can save it in the freezer. Here's a look at the final product:

Merry Munching!

The Seventh Post of Christmas: Great Christmas Reading

Some of my most cherished times during the holidays are evenings when supper is cleared away, Christmas lights come on, candles are lit and we all snuggle up on the couch to read a Christmas book from the crate kept beneath the tree. Each year I add one or two new books to our selection. I adore children's books, so I started the collection before we even had kids--actually before we were married. And every year we read and re-read these beloved family treasures.

I can't attest to their value as great literature, but they are meaningful to us because we've read them together. Some were gifts, others garage sale finds, some from childhood (his and mine) and others straight off the bookstore shelf. No matter where they've come from, they've brought us joy because they've brought us together night after night, year upon year. They are shared experiences--memories made. We'd like to share a few of our favorites with you and hope you'll tell us about some of yours.

Christmas Day in the Morning, Pearl S. Buck (A heart-warming tale of a boy who comes to understand the sacrificial nature of love in giving his farmer father a special gift on Christmas.)

Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas, Holly Hobbie (We love Toot and Puddle! Beautiful illustrations.)

An Orange for Frankie, Patricia Polacco (Wonderful illustrations and poignant story.)

Bethlehem, Fiona French (Stained glass-style illustrations to the New King James' text of the birth of Christ. Wonderfully reverent.)
Good King Wenceslas, John M. Neale and Tim Ladwig (The text to the traditional carol is cleverly illustrated plus historical notes in the back. Great for young knights in training!)

Who Is Coming to Our House?, Joseph Slate (The animals in the stable prepare for a special guest. Simple, sing-song text, but gorgeous illustrations!) The Little Drummer Boy, Ezra Jack Keats (We have several books based on songs, and this one is a favorite of mine with Keats' unique and vibrant illustrations.)

The Snowy Day, Ezra Jack Keats (A Caldecott winner and wonderful wintertime story!)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Robinson (I get something new out of this rich story every year! A timeless chapter book for the whole family.)

Then, some evenings, the best stories are the ones from our own childhood--no illustrations, just the pictures we paint with words . . . Stories about sisters stuck in snow tunnels, iced-over basketball courts for skating, exploring the frozen forest behind the house, snowmen and angels made in fresh Iowa snow, Mom's hot chocolate with toast to dip, blizzards and canceled school, secretly opening the presents and then taping them shut again . . . Children never tire of these kinds of stories, too!