A Resurrected Tradition

As promised I will post the outcome of tonight's adventure. This was my status update on Facebook this morning (Saturday, December 21, 2013) :

Tonight I will be doing the unthinkable. I will be allowing my children, to once again, create a gingerbread house. Now, for those that do not understand...I may be great with cookies, but gingerbread houses have been my undoing. Our last experience was, for lack of a better word, tragic. (so much so that I swore...NEVER EVER to attempt one EVER again) I will NOT however be doing this alone. We have enlisted a couple who are highly trained and apparently very successful to assist. If you would just pray, my children are, as you can imagine, suffering from PTGBHBS (Post traumatic gingerbread house building syndrome). Pray that tonight's experience will redeem this Christmas tradition for the Engel boys. lol!! Off to purchase some supplies! (After this evening I promise to update in a blog - that will explain any of the gaps in this status update). ;P

What some do not know, is that last December, I was experiencing pre-menopausal symptoms. I didn't realize what was going on. This particular day, this day of gingerbread house disaster story was indeed my undoing and my reason for getting help. (You can read about some of this experience here: What Do You Call An Old Chicken)

It was December 10, 2012, I remember the day like it was yesterday. We had 3 kids and 5 gingerbread houses to build. I had every supply neatly organized, each boy was patiently waiting their turn to decorate. One bag of icing (which clearly is not enough) and several cute candies to place on each house. I put together one house, gave it to the Shane and started on Kyle's house. While I was trying to put Kyle house together Shane's house collapses! I put Kyle's house on hold and attempt to fix Shane's. In the meantime, Brendan sits patiently waiting. While trying to fix Shane's his candy that he meticulously placed starts falling off the roof of the house. I give him his back and attempt to fix Kyle's. This went on...way to long. Finally finished building Brendan's and Kyle's fell apart again..with almost all candy on them. I still promised two more houses, but after all the repairs. I had no icing! UGH!

At some point in all the chaos, I cry out..."I PROMISE YOU....WE WILL NEVER EVER BE DOING THESE EVER EVER AGAIN!" "I HATE GINGERBREAD HOUSES!" I had to walk away from the table a few times. Here was the result:

OK, I know it doesn't seem awful, but that is because my boys are adorable and I love them and they are amazing...but this was pure torture for me! I let my kids eat whatever they wanted immediately after this picture. I wanted nothing in my house to remind me of this. About an hour after all of this, as I was still cleaning up, I saw out of the corner of my eye, my son Brendan running away. I went to him and calmly asked..."What's the matter honey?" I noticed that he was crying. He said..."I'm so sorry Mom, I am so sorry!" What in the world! It is okay honey! No matter what it was....tell me what happened! I went real close to him and he hugged me. I was worried, I didn't know what happened. He finally walked out and showed me that one of my dining room chairs was broken. He said he was standing on the side of it and the leg snapped in half.  Calmly and lovingly I held him in my arms and said.."Hey, its ok! It's only a chair sweetheart! It's just stuff...don't worry about it!" It was that moment...that very important moment that caused me to call the Doctor the next day. I just flipped out like a mad woman over a gingerbread house that kept breaking...and now (like Jeckyl and Hyde) I was calm as a cucumber over real furniture! Something was desperately wrong with me. We laughed through tears...and I decided...promised...pledged NEVER to attempt these things again!

Tonight, I will be observing as some of the masters of Gingerbread House Building attempt to redeem this Christmas tradition that has tragically died in my house. I'll return to post pictures and write an update!
          ______________________________

I'm back (Monday, December 23, 2013)! I had to wait until the competition was over. Our friends had people vote on their favorite...and posted all 8 of the gingerbread houses that were completed by their 5 children and my 3 children.

Well, I must confess...this year's gingerbread house building and decorating was amazing. I didn't have to do one thing except operate in my love language...words of affirmation. I can do that. I'm not gifted in the art of gingerbread house building, but I can encourage like nobody's business.

The Reynold's family were all prepared (you can tell they were experts). Long table with plenty room for 8 children, bowls filled to the rim with every candy you can imagine and graham crackers...lots of them. Both families contributed to the candy stash as well as the royal icing. (Although...we had WAY too much of both - better to be prepared!) Last year...I ran out of icing that was given to us in the kit...very frustrating.

So here are the results. I'm proud of my boys. They operate in a deficit because I don't really do much in the craft department with them. However, they were amazing! They went right to work...without any touch of adult hands...whatsoever! Not only am I proud, I'm also VERY THANKFUL!

Brendan's Gingerbread house and yard! 

This was Kyle's mobile outhouse. (one side of it) 

Here is the entrance to Kyle's mobile outhouse. That's a nice place to go potty I think!

And finally my Shane...A Christmas castle!

I'm pretty sure their favorite part was knowing they accomplished this tradition that we all thought was dead forever. They did it on their own and then they got to eat as much as they could when they were done! Besides the smiles on their faces, the joy in their hearts and the fellowship with some awesome friends...for me, I enjoyed watching them be creative and then eating it...so I didn't have to bring it home!

I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I've decided, promised, pledged that I will allow my boys to do this again next year! Truth! They had a great time..from picking out the candy, to building and eating it!

Christmas! We have so many wonderful traditions around this time of year: our advent calendar, cookie backing, reading stories, hanging ornaments and retelling every story that goes with each one, seeing Christmas lights, watching movies and I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting to mention. So now, thanks to our friends who encouraged me to give it one more try - we celebrate a resurrected tradition! Merry Christmas to you and may you all enjoy the traditions of your family during your celebration of Christ's birth!

Christmas Heritage Part I

Starting the day after Thanksgiving we begin our series of traditions for Christmas or the Advent. I'm not sure why this part is so important to me, perhaps it is because I lost my parents at a young age and it was challenging to hold onto traditions. Nonetheless, they are important, whether they are passed down from generation to generation or not, these are the memories I know my children will hold dear.

It starts with the trimming of the tree. Since Mike and I were married in December, for my bridal shower my friends and family showered me with a wishing well full of ornaments..special ornaments, and every year on our anniversary, we would purchase one as a memory. Our first tree was beautiful, it included all those ornaments, plus all the ones Mike had received every Christmas since the time he was born. His Mom made, or purchased an ornament every year for him...so he had a box of 25 ornaments plus some special family heirlooms to hang on our first tree.

The point is, every ornament has a story and every year those stories are told. For example, I have always loved music...so my mother-in-law hand made our wedding favors (like the one above) and included instruments. I loved being able to give an ornament as a wedding favor...every year I have a friend tell me she has hung her ornament on her tree and she prays for us each time...that was 21 years of hanging that one ornament and praying for my marriage. Pretty amazing.

Then throughout the years we've received some pretty special ornaments from friends and family, I can still tell you (even when they are not labeled with names) who gave each ornament to each person.

Some were from my students from when I was a teacher, so many of them now are ones that my children have made and it is so much fun remembering the stories behind each one.

Some brought tears to our eyes this year because of loved ones that have gone and won't be here to celebrate this year. But in the end, it is precious to recall the special people and moments in our lives..much like laying down of stones to remember our past and what God has done. Every year a different child get to place the angel on the top...this year as you can see from the first picture..it was Shane...they consider it such an honor. :)

Ahhh, the finished product. My favorite part is when we all come in from looking outside our window and we sit down in the peaceful room and there is always a hush of awe...I love that part. If I could capture that in a little time capsule I would. Quietly listening to the VonTrapp Family singers or Bing Crosby as we stare at the tree...it is beautiful.

 The other traditions that we have are just as fun...we try to read a Christmas book every day,

 Do a fun little Christmas devotion, and yes, there is the musical advent calendar. I think this might be on its last legs. A precious family gave this to us when it was the twins first Christmas. We have used it ever since...it kind of drives my husband bonkers because the sound quality is really shot, but we love it!

We hang the adorenaments...love this too. I wonder if my children will ever get too old for this stuff...I just wonder.

Finally, this is another tradition...baking cookies. This year I only made 2 cookies that I "traditionally" make...the rest were new recipes and I even created my own for one of the cookies. We delivered 8 trays of cookies and sang carols at every door. Next year...Shane really wants to deliver more..not sure how I'm going to accomplish that. We are all out of cookies...its a good thing we have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Eve...we make cupcakes for that.

There are more traditions that we try to hold onto, watching Christmas movies, having Starbucks and looking at Christmas lights and of course more to follow on Christmas Eve..which is why I had to bang out this blog before Christmas Eve...that is a whole blog of its own.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of our very tradition filled season. Family traditions are so important to me. I think partly because I didn't have very many in my family growing up. So perhaps I overdue it in the traditions..but it works for us. I dream that one day my children will do these things with their children and thus the legacy continues.

We always take time to write the things we are grateful for. In years pass we've covered a door with large paper and gave crayons to write and draw pictures throughout the few days before Thanksgiving, we've made Thanksgiving wreaths and boxes and even trees with leaves that we've written things on. This year we've made a Thanksgiving Proclamation. Here is how we did it..it was loads of fun.

First we crumpled up so paper - to give it the "old" look. The more wrinkles the better!

 The question did come up if I wrote on paper like this when I was young in the olden days. (Sigh, Smile)

 Then we soaked it in tea.

 After soaking for a while, we placed them on cookie sheets to dry.

 If we weren't patient enough to let them air dry...well, there are other ways of speeding up this process...

 and it is equally as fun!

 I did mine first to demonstrate how this process is done. Then Brendan wanted to try it by himself.

 He actually did a great joy. Made it look so easy..that Kyle (because he is 10 years old) wanted to try it too. That didnt' go so well. His beautiful paper went up in flames. After the trauma..he said, "Well, I learned a lesson, paper burns very quickly under fire!" Yes it does!

 Just to be sure there was a difference...we compared and contrasted. Then we got down to the business of writing!

 What a fun way of documenting all the things we are thankful for this year. Remembering of course that ...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Don't You Just Love It?

Trimming the Christmas tree, Bing Crosby singing in the living room, the smell of something baking in the oven, going through all of the Christmas books and reminiscing of Christmases past..."Don't you just love it Mom?" says my Brendan as we carefully place those lights on the tree...just so! "What's that Brendan?" "The Spirit of Christmas...it just makes my heart so happy!" says my 9 year old!

Indeed it does. There is something about this day that we have always loved. I love it because it is drenched in tradition (wonderful, joyous tradition) that I know my boys will continue on long after Mike and I have gone. It is just what we do, and we do it well.

In years past, I always tell the story about each and every ornament. This year, the boys are remembering more and more. So in my mind, as I was handing those ornaments to be hung, I was picturing my boys as men, handing those ornaments out and saying these very same words:

"Oh that was for my Mom & Dad's favor at their wedding, you know they got married 10 days before Christmas, way back in 1990!"

"Oh this ornament was my grandmothers when she was a little girl, let's be very careful, it is very delicate."

"Ha! I remember my Mom would always try to hide this one in the back of the tree, but it was very special to my Dad. His Mom had that ornament when she was a little girl!"

"These were the ornaments Mom and Dad would get before they could have children. They got these in Vermont."

"Oh this one was from the Jonases, and this from Mrs. Gorman..my first birthday, I made this in 2nd grade."

The stories go on and on and on! I can't tell you how much this makes my heart swell.

As we trim the tree and listen to the songs play in the background such rich and wonderful conversations are always birthed. Singing...Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Shane says.. "Mom who was Gloria?" or "What does 'pa rump pa pump pum" mean?" or "Why do those boys (Vienna Boys Choir) sound like girls?" Makes me smile!!

This year, Mike's grandfather is 92 and he suffers from Alzheimer's. He lives with us (or we with him..however you want to look at it!) It was very sweet today. He came up to the table with the boys and waited patiently for his ornament to hang on the tree. He never use to do that, in previous years he would sit and watch, but not this year, he fully participated and it was so precious! We don't know how many years he will have with us, so my boys get to have this memory too: Their great-grandfather trimming the tree with them! Priceless!

And finally, it was Kyle's turn to place the angel on the tree. Every year a different boy gets to place the angel on the tree. I cry a little on the inside, knowing that someday, they won't need Dad to reach the top. Oh Lord, help me to always cherish all of these moments, as I know time goes by so quickly!

The Day after Thanksgiving....2010!

The Best Way To Celebrate...

is with friends! We had our annual anniversary date night with our dearest friends the Bradleys! We are so grateful to the Lord for placing them in our lives. We have been friends for a few years, and these past two years our friendships have just flourished! Mike and I count Don and Linda as family and seriously, when we talked about what to do for our anniversary we didn't have to think but a moment...we wanted to double date with the Bradleys!

So I wanted to show this year and last years pictures, (let's be honest...it is mainly because I'm proud of the fact that I am 57 lbs. lighter this year!) well, because you know, I love tradition!! ;0)

This is us last year!

I find it so funny that we sit in the same spots. Do we always sit that way? I guess so! Oh..and the scarf...that cracks me up! I have got to ditch the scarf next year. But, it was very cold (you know in the 60s) both times!
Then it is as if we don't ever get Starbucks! HA! I can't help it! That is what happens when your husband worked for the company for 8 years! This is Mike and I last year:


Ahhh...after 19 years we are still drinking coffee together!

Before we left for our night out...Pop (our almost 92 year old grandfather) says to me..."Wow, 19 years, you don't look old enough to have been married for 19 years!" That made me feel so good, doubled with the fact that since I homeschool all of my children, a night out with adults is SOOO special...you couldn't wipe that smile away if you tried!

So what do two middle aged couples who are not into drinking or "partying" do when they get a chance to go out (and they live in Volusia County Florida)? They go out to dinner, have coffee and sit in the driveway and talk for two hours. (Hey, the alternative would been to go to Walmart!) We had such a wonderful evening! Thank you Don and Linda for celebrating with us again this year! So, we are on for next year right? I can't wait to see the pictures!

This Is What It Is All About

The shopping, the busyness, the baking, the caroling, the traditions....it is all part of it, but really this picture makes me want to slow down and cherish the meaning of Christmas. It is my goal this year to soak in as much Christmas as possible this year. My children are still young enough to really enjoy all of the traditions (and we have so many) of this time of year! So we decided to add a few new traditions. Like reading a Christmas story every night before bed. Believe it or not I have 16 Christmas books (a couple of them are very long so they take up two nights) and we will end with The Night Before Christmas of course! We are also trying to watch as many Christmas movies as we can...last night we snuggled up for the Alister Sims version (old version) of A Christmas Carol. So here are just a few more things we have done so far and it is only December 5th today!

Here we are making a Christmas chain to count down the days until December 25th! Each day a different person gets to rip the chain and also push the button on our musical advent calendar.

The finished product!

Decorating the Christmas tree is laden with tradition. Each and every one of our ornaments have a story to tell. My husband had a new ornament every year as a child so we continue the tradition and tell the stories of each one every year. It is a great way to pass the memories down from generation to generation.

Here we are at our homeschool Christmas party. The children were able to make their own cookies and decorate them. Twenty seven children play games, singing songs and learning to sign "Silent Night"....what a sweet way to start off the month.

Then we had our annual tree trimming at the New Smyrna Beach Sheriff's office. What a fun time for the kids. They look forward to this every year! This year one of the officers took pictures of them with a Polaroid camera...they thought it was magic! Remember Polaroids!

I pray you enjoy your traditions and remember the humble beginning of our Savior's birth!