A significant improvement upon last year, I think...

So if my first New Year's Resolution were to get a good family picture in just one take, then I do believe I am on the ball.

Last year:

This year:

Hopefully this is a sign of many fulfilled resolutions to come!

Gasp! She blogged!

All is calm, all is bright. I can thankfully say that now that Christmas Day has come and gone. Every year I try to keep the chaos to a minimum. Every year I think I've got things better organized. Every year I collapse on my sofa on the eve of Christmas Day and take a deep breath. "I did it" is all I can think. Pitiful, isn't it? I want to say that all my running around brought me closer to Christ; made my Christmas more special. But it isn't in the frosted cookies or the gifts delivered or the carols performed themselves that I find myself closer to Christ. Instead I find it in the happy faces of my family and friends who appreciate what I do. Going from utter unwrapping craziness to complete quiet and reverence as we kneel to pray as a family on Christmas night brings me closer to Christ.

A friend of mine recently lost her brother to the war in Iraq. Here is a woman who gives and gives. And gives. I think her life must feel like chaos sometimes,too. When I lost my mother and again when I went on bedrest with my 3rd child, she gave to me selflessly. I had the opportunity to serve her family on Christmas Eve this year. But it was difficult for me to keep my mind off the long list of minute details I needed to take care of for my own family. And those thoughts of "why did I say yes to all this stuff this year" creeped into my mind as it often does around Christmas Eve. Then it hit me, that if someone benefits from my craziness then it's all good. I may not feel the calm and bright until after Christmas Day has passed, but the loved ones around me are feeling it throughout the season, in part because of me and my habit of always adding one more thing to my plate. I am not justifying or condoning killing yourself off every Christmas. But I know that my memories of Christmas are all magical, because someone has given willingly of themself to make happiness happen.

I guess that getting swept up in the mayhem can be sort of a trade-off or reward. I feel satisfied today. I feel like I got what I needed to out of Christmas after all. There is a feeling of peace that envelops our home, and I am thankful for it, no matter how much work it took.

Woman to Woman: Infertility and recurrent loss

Today's topic is going mean so much more to some of us than others. Infertility is one of those issues that you may not know how to respond to if you don't have any intimate experience with it. When your body works and another woman's does not, you may feel guilty around them, or you may wonder how it is that God's greatest creation - that which was intended for multiplying and replenishing His earth - can have so many flaws that poise such great mysteries. You may not know how to comfort them. You may have a desire to find some common ground with them, only to realize that one or two miscarriages pale in comparison to their muliple losses. There are women who spend most of their adult lives trying to conceive just one child while others only need to glance in their husband's direction to get pregnant. I know just from watching others deal with it, that infertility is one of the most most heart wrenching challenges for women. And I have a few MOFS, as well as a cousin, who could go into much more detail about that then I. I've personally invited some of them to participate in today's topics, and as they add their links below, I'll be pointing them out... because they will say what I cannot. They know what I do not and never will know. It is important for us to hear the personal thoughts of the women who've got real experience with this. It may be the difference between us helping or hurting someone who'll need us to lean on and to understand, at least to an exent, the heartache they feel.

I went through a few of MOFs blogs and found (with their permission):
Olivia: http://addingonemore.blogspot.com/2007/03/sorry-so-boring.html
Jennifer: http://lordsofthemanor.blogspot.com/2007/09/supporting-grieving-process.html
Rachelle: http://teachergoingmad.blogspot.com/2006/12/happy-blogoversary-to-me.html

I'dalso like to point out below the links to Darci, Dawnyel and Alaina who participated in Woman toWoman because I begged them to share their experiences :)... and to everyone, thanks for putting yourself out there. I know it's not easy.

Be sure and visit my co-host, Morning Glory, for more posts on this topic.

So here's the thing...

My life is chaos right now... organized chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Between selling our house, building a new one, and some family issues that really need my attention, I've been strapped for time and void of blogging fodder. I apologize for the memes I've dodged, the awards I've not passed on and the project I backed out of (sorry Karen). I am thankful that I am still thought of because I know this break will not be permanent. I may even post here and there. But the next few months will be tough... so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers if you have them to spare. :) In the meantime I hope you'll all still keep in touch. You can email me anytime!

Our "last" Woman to Woman (until further notice) will take place this Tuesday, November 11. The topic is infertility but I would also like to invite any bloggers who've dealt with recurrent loss to join us as well. And if you want to participate and do not have your own experiences to share, but have lended support to others who've struggled with this, we'd love to hear from you, too.

I'm sad that Woman to Woman has to be put on hold. When I began blogging I quickly discovered how much I love to write about womanhood and all it entails - from serious issues to those of a more lighthearted nature. Woman to Woman has allowed me to see how others embrace their womanhood. I've learned so much from this project (as has Morning Glory) and I mean it when I say that it will return! As long as none of you go anywhere, I'll keep you posted as to when. :)

See you Tuesday!

Heads up!

Cotton Spice Blog has a great last minute gift countdown going on right now (through November 17th). Go check it out, there are tons of great tutorials for handmade goodies. I'll have a tutorial up on her site this Saturday for my Whimsy Wipes. :)