Christmas Tablescapes: Sit Back and Enjoy

Our church hosts an annual Ladies' Christmas Breakfast the first Saturday in December. For me, it's the way the Christmas season starts. Our breakfast includes about 30 tables, some round and some rectangular, each one uniquely decorated by a different woman with her own ideas and dishes.

The women decorate the day before between 8:30 am and 8:00 pm. I like to go around 6:30 in the evening when almost all the tables are done, and I can circulate with my camera and get close-ups without being obnoxious.

You can see the drama team practicing in the background. They did a wonderful job on a Beatles-inspired musical skit called "Not Just Anybody," which contained a a clear presentation of the gospel written by two very talented gals in our church. Kudoes to Emily and Abby and the entire skit team. Catch it on Youtube!

Now for the tabletop tour. Welcome to my table, which I decked in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" theme after finding a complete set of 12 vintage glasses at Goodwill for $6.

At a store called Tuesday Morning I found a set of 12 cloth napkins that I fell in love with. It was my little splurge ($19.99 for 12, not bad!) and the perfect theme-setting detail. Ironing them took longer than roasting three French hens.

The pear tree you see is small branch I snapped off a tree in my front yard, and I bought a bag of 29 little pears for about $4 at Michael's. I hung them with fishing line. Partridge? Do you know how hard it is to find a partridge? Neither did I until I went "hunting." They can put a man on the moon, but they can't sell little partridges at Christmas? Plenty of pheasants, cardinals, doves, and peacocks, but narry a partridge anywhere.

I had to make a partridge out of paper and colored pencils. (I was thinking about printing a picture of Shirley Jones or David Cassidy, but I used self-control in the corny department. There is hope for me yet.)

I set florist's foam in the "milk maid's" pitcher to hold the tree upright, and arranged pears over the foam to hide it.

The rest of the vignette for the centerpiece:

-12 Drummers drumming: my 20 year-old drummer's sticks plus teeny drum "picks" (Michael's, very cheap)
-11 Pipers piping: my 4th grade son's recorder (cleaned!)
-10 Lords a leaping -- just used the 10 napkin
-9 Ladies dancing-- number 9 napkin
- 8 maids a milking --pitcher holding the pear tree (had it)
-7 Swans a-swimming: a two-piece crystal swan ($4.99) jewelry holder
-6 Geese a laying: Styrofoam goose-egg ornaments ($1.99 for 3, clearance, Tuesday Morning).
-5 Golden rings --the chargers (not new this year) look like rings around the plates, right?
-4 Colly birds--couldn't find anything that coordinated
-3 French hens-- ditto
-2 turtle doves--a dove ornament that says "Hope" (and reminds me of the baby I miscarried in '99. I named her Hope but have never had a keepsake object to remember her by. Not that I need one. A mother never forgets.)

.... and a partridge in a pear tree.

Yes, I could have bought a little fake pine, and added a peacock and saved a lot of time, but the song would be screwed up:

"And a peacock in a pine tree"?

Nah.

Thank the Lord I found white mugs, $1 each at Chesapeake Quality Traders (finally a bright white set--not greyish white or ivory, but bright white--that match my bright white everyday plates). They and my round gold tablecloth have been quite versatile for many themes.

I also bought gifts for my guests, in keeping with the theme and specially selected for each recipient (avg $5): a book by John Piper, a Five Guys gift card, Baltimore Ravens salt & pepper shakers (because "four colly birds," as I discovered through research, are not "calling birds" like songbirds, but are blackbirds in the raven family), a turtle dove ornament, a couple potholders that match the napkins, and a pear candle. Since they were all different sizes and shapes, I didn't put them on the table, but rather in the chairs.

(No one really complains where you place a gift for them, have you noticed?)

Well, now, that's it for my table. Would you like to see others? It's eye candy, I tell ya. Eye candy.


Mary, did you know that your birthing room would someday sit on tables?



































My favorite detail here is the note pad under the fork. Clever, eh? Go, Doris!



































This table in a pink and green and snowy theme made me smile.
Karen and Marybeth are quite the decorating duo every year.


































Aren't these the cutest name cards on the backs of the chairs?



















Traditional beauty.


















If I had to pick (and I'm so glad I don't!) I would say the next tablescape
was my favorite. The non-traditional Christmas colors were unique,
and every detail oozes time and effort, not to mention enviable talent.






















Crocheted napkin rings to match the china.


















She even embroidered the ribbon. Can anyone say, "Martha's clone"?

















Our senior pastor's wife, the one who started these breakfasts back in the 90's,
decorated this lovely table. As if she doesn't have enough to do. And this year
with a broken foot.

















My good friend Marilyn designed this stunning tablescape.

















Mitzy makes soap. Notice each cute soap bar sitting on the blue glass?
Blue and white is such a homey color combination.


















I do find myself drawn to purple...


And that concludes our 2011 Christmas tabletop tour. Hope you enjoyed it.

Three-Eyed Freak and a Stop Sign Meditation

Yesterday I had a scary episode of getting very, very lost on my way home to and from the dentist's office. It was neither a new dentist nor a new route. I've been going to him for 20 years, and at least 40 times in the past 12 years since we moved to the adjacent county. The place is only 35 minutes from home, but I was coming from my son's school, so add eight. These are highways I know well, backroads I know well, and don't have to think about either coming or going.

But yesterday was different. The late afternoon sun was right in my face, and even with sunglasses, I was squinting. Rush hour used to be only bad heading away from the city, but now it doesn't matter. Stop and go traffic, regardless. I kept one eye on the clock and one eye on the road and one eye on the side mirror for changing lanes when necessary. Wait, that's three eyes! Exactly. I felt like a three-eyed freak in my confusion as I zipped right past the exit I needed.

I was a half hour late (I had phoned ahead from the school, where things got back-logged by a forgetful boy rounding up books) to say I'd probably be 10-15 minutes late, but after that I didn't talk on the phone while driving). The good dentist took us anyway, the boy first, and then me. All I wanted to do was sit and veg, so having my teeth cleaned was multi-tasking in a preferred position.

On the way home, I again got completely turned around. We were so hungry, and Joel wanted something hot but we didn't want fast food. Looking for a reasonably-priced Chinese place was futile. Rather than drive straight up 95, I veered off in search of food in an area I knew well.

Or so I thought. Don't ask me what I did wrong, but I ended up in the inner city. I'm talking blue-light districts. If you don't know what that means, think drugs, guns, hookers, cop cars, knives, pawn shops, pit bulls. My GPS was in the bottom of the console and I didn't have free hands to dig it out. Besides, I just wanted to get the heck out of there. I locked the doors and told Joel we were in bad neighborhoods and I didn't know what to do. No-left turns when I felt we should turn left. No U-ies when I thought I was going the opposite direction. I was not panicked, but I felt really confused.

I wondered, not for the first time in my life, if this is what Alzheimer's feels like. I am not kidding. How could I get from 15 miles south of home, to all the way around the beltway, again?
I mean, I left the dentist's at 5:55. An hour later, I was 10 minutes from his office, having done some sort of weird loop.

"ARGH! Where AM I? What should I do???!!" I muttered from deep within my hollow stomach.

My son piped up sweetly, "Mom, why don't you pray?"

Really? Did he just suggest that I pray? Seriously, even though I had been muttering, "Oh, HOW do I get out of here? I just wanna go home," I hadn't truly offered a conscious prayer. So I prayed aloud, "Father, please show us which way to go and keep us safe." Simple, but peace came.

Then I told Joel to call Dad, who is great with directions. He is not so great at keeping me calm under duress. No doubt he was picturing his wife being carjacked or robbed at gunpoint and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

He gave good directions via Joel, but at one point he demanded I get on the phone and so I did. Little did I realize the phone was upsidedown so he could barely hear me. I was saying, "I gotta drive! I can't talk." But he stayed on the line with Joel and...long story not much shorter, we got home. At 7:56, with a stop at the oh-so-tasty (not) Taco Bell.

Along the way, when I wasn't stressed that is, I thought of red lights and how I have to stop for them no matter what. I mean, as a law-abiding driver, I stop for them. But what occurred to me was that I should use the reminder from the red light to stop and pray and think of Jesus this Christmas. Just stop. Don't run through my to-do list, don't stress over what's coming, just stop and think on Jesus.

I hope not be that lost ever again, but I probably will. I just hope that it doesn't take an hour and a child to remind me to pray to the One who knows where I am and where I need to go.

Hard Times are Coming

I am not typically a doom-and-gloomer, nor am I a Pollyanna type. I think I'm somewhere in the middle, with a decided lean toward the brighter outlook of the future. I might be like that because I grew up around people who thought the world was going to end in their lifetime. The things they said scared me at first, and because those things didn't happen, I started to not believe that Jesus would return in even 500 years.

Most of the time I try to avoid people who drag me down with endless jibber-jabber about the failing economy, nuclear armaments, crumbling families, mindless and ignorant self-absorption in leisurely pursuits, religious persecution of Christians, and the like.

But I am changing. I think I am not as naive as I once was. Not as willing to say "everything's gonna be all right" as I used to be.

Don't get me wrong. Ultimately everything for all believers in Christ, is gonna be all right when all is said and done. But there will be much said and much done before that time comes. Prophecies will all be fulfilled, and all of God's promises to deliver His people. I am not convinced that God's plan is to to keep us from suffering because we are believers. No, there has never been biblical or empirical evidence to show that Christians are exempt. The opposite, in fact, is true, according to scripture.

'In this world you WILL have trouble, " Jesus said, "but I give you my peace, that where I am, there you may also be."

I am wondering how to prepare for the second coming of Christ. I think it's not far off but I have not been living with any sense of urgency lately. God is trying to get my attention. Things will not always be comfy and cozy for me like they are now, physically. Our country is led by a president who seems to be anti-American. Several times I've asked God why He let Obama get into office. I don't trust the man to lead us. I fear writing this, a fear of Big Brother taking our freedom of speech in the very near future if that speech is anti-government. Well, I am not anti-government, I am anti-socialist and anti-big government of any kind. Any entity where the power is in the hands of a few is a dangerous entity.

One needn't look too long at the news to see the anti-capitalist agenda out there.

For now I will say no more. I'm not a political blogger and, in all honesty, tire quickly of politics. I love my country, but am not enamored of lengthy conversations about our flawed system and its leaders. But I do know I need to become better informed, better prepared, and most importantly, better at interceding for the nation, the world, the Church (ie the global church), my family, and all the lost souls who have no clue that Christ, indeed , is coming back.

Father, renew my love for you and the passion to tell others that You love them, you want to forgive them, you want to have a relationship with them here and now and for all eternity. Most of all, help me remember You are coming back. You are!

Hodgepodge Wednesday: Queues, Quests, and Quintessential Beauty

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)

• Yes, most years I do send Christmas cards--about 25-30, and receive about that many. I tape them to the back of the front door, as pictured halfway down this post.

I used to include our family Christmas Chronicle which journaled our year in (lame) poetry. It's been several years since I wrote one, for lack of inspiration, but I might revive it this year.

2. When do kids become adults?

Great question! Hmmm, I'm tempted to ask, "Can I get back to you on that?" so that I might possibly come up with an erudite answer. The thing that keeps coming to mind is that adulthood
seems to be not much as an age reached, but a perspective understood. That perspective seems to include a combination of fiscal responsibility, personal priorities, a sense of gratitude rather than entitlement, and a display of selflessness that includes serving his family, showing up for work when he doesn't feel like it, keeping a commitment even when something more appealing presents itself, and it includes having a quest for purpose and vision about his life.

As for the fiscal responsibility part of maturing, a child nearing adulthood seems to be "arriving" when he realizes that he has to put his own hard-earned money into the ATM before it will spit any out. When he puts more in than he takes out, he matures further. When he pays his bills on time before thinking of any luxuries, he is marked as more mature than when all the bills were paid for him. And when he shares his earnings regularly for the sake of another, rather than thinking only of himself, I would say he has pert-near reached adulthood.

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons?

If you mean the seasons of the year, then no, not much except for the lip color. I wear moisturizer 365 days a year, mascara most every day, usually eye shadow, and some blush. If you mean the seasons of life, then yes, in the sense that I am more careful as I age about protecting my skin. I also drink more water than I used to because I really think it moisturizes skin which , in addition to having good genes, keeps the skin softer and more radiant, which translates to "younger looking."

Boy, I'm starting to sound like an infomercial. Moving right along...

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose?

Brussels sprouts. I used to turn up my own nose at them until about two years ago on a date, when our waitress convinced me to try to them as part of the special. They were fresh, cut in half, drizzled with olive oil, and roasted till tender-crisp and sweet. I had never liked them before (I'd tried them twice) because they'd been boiled to death and tasted like buttered golf balls.

Not that I've ever eaten buttered golf balls. (I tried eating unbuttered golf balls once, but...oh, never mind.)

The secret to liking brussels sprouts is not fixing them the way your mother's generation cooked everything.

5. Gloves or mittens?

Gloves. Mittens are fairly useless since the only time I venture out into the cold is when I need my fingers to be flexible for driving vehicles, scraping ice , shoveling snow , or assisting a 13-year-old man-child up the hill after he has wrenched his knee while snowboarding on one inch of the powdery stuff because he wore out his 7-months pregnant mother by begging her ad nauseum to try his new board in the backyard. I won't mention names, but he is getting married soon.

6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound nicer?

Yes, "queue" is a nicer-sounding word, Joyce, and one of my favorites. Longest queue I've ever been in was for a women's bathroom stall at the Women of Faith Conference in Kansas City several years ago. It was about an hour after lunch. There were 10,000 (give or take 278) women who also needed relief, and there were probably only eight restrooms in what seemed like 14 city blocks' worth of convention hall.

Even though all the mens' facilities (except one) had been reserved for the women, they certainly hadn't been converted for us. You know what I'm talking about.

There really isn't much a woman can do with a urinal. Especially an hour after lunch.
Although, I wonder how many women were sorely tempted to experiment.

At least one woman was, but she didn't yield to the temptation ,and by the grace of God, she didn't mess her drawers either.

She didn't even care that the lock on the door didn't work when she FINALLY-thank-you-LORD, FINALLY got a vacant stall. (She's not sure the woman exiting had fully exited, either, or if she knocked her out of the way whilst the woman zipped up.)

Sitting on that toilet (maybe she didn't even make it to sitting position?) was worth every second of "holding it," considering the alternative. Absolutely. She became a woman of faith in the almighty bladder and in the overwhelming ability to distract one's mind away from her bowels and onto solving complicated math problems such as 10278 divided by 14, x 7, - (14-7) to the 82nd power.

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to in the month of December?

I am eager to attend a parents' luncheon for the December 2011 graduates of the College of Education at my daughter's university. Our precious Sarah, who will graduate with a BS in Early Childhood Ed, has invited my husband and me to this special occasion.

We are so proud of her and what she has accomplished, and grateful that she puts her heart and soul into her studies and her student teaching. Forsooth (does anyone use that word anymore?) I absolutely love that she wants us to be at the luncheon. (That's another sign of adulthood--when your kids are no longer embarrassed to be seen with you, but actually ask you to be seen with them. It's almost worth the price of tuition.)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today I got to do one of my very favorite things in all the world- -have an international guest and a missionary in my home for a meal. My friend Bonnie is home on furlough from Zambia with her roommate/"adopted" daughter Swazi (who is 22). The three of us had lunch on a cold rainy day, and I got to hear first-hand what their lives are like, and felt honored that Bonnie prioritized her very busy schedule to include four uninterrupted hours with me.

It's just really too bad that missionaries have to spend so much of their supposed R&R setting up meetings, raising support, and showing the same videos over and over instead of just resting and relaxing, or reading and rejuvenating. The R&R for missionaries actually appears to stand for "Running and Rallying." But what is the solution?

Bonnie requested egg salad, so I obliged and just had to bake peanut butter cookies with Dunkin Donuts coffee, a treat I've been promising to serve her the whole time she's been gone. PB cookies and DD coffee. Yum!

And hot tea for Swazi, who was having trouble warming up, literally.

Swazi's first impression of America is "it's cold!" Oddly enough, we've been having a warm spell here in Maryland this past week, but today was cold and wouldn't stop raining. Swazi didn't have an umbrella, but I had a brand new polka-dotted one, still with tags on, so I wished her an early Merry Christmas, and she promptly popped it open before heading up the driveway in the pouring mess, all smiles.