Christmas is quickly approaching, and I can't say that I am quite ready yet. Oh, yes, the tree is up and decorated...all the ingredients for the pozole are ready to go, most of the presents are wrapped...but every room sings of "moving day" rather than Silent Night. We have boxes everywhere, the boys' loft is apart, and resting in the hallway, complete with mattress until we can find time to bring it to storage. Such a strange feeling to be packing at Christmas, but hey, I am NOT complaining!! We are SO thankful that we have a buyer for our house/land. When Luis lost his job in September, things looked pretty bleak. We talked of "plan B" in case he couldn't find a job...in case the bank took our house for lack of payment...it got pretty scary for a little bit. Little did we know that God was strategically placing all the pawns in place, knowing full well that the "check mate" was just a few obscure moves away! OK, enough of the chess metaphor. But seriously, our situation had been troublesome for some time now, and Luis and I were praying for God to give us some kind of idea, or plan, to change our financial troubles. Now, if God had told me that Luis was going to lose his job, and we would contemplate moving (again!), I suppose I would have laughed in disbelief, much like Sarah in the old testament when her husband was told that she would give birth to Isaac at the age of 90! But, as I have learned over the years, God knows all the details, and, in His wisdom, doesn't share every "crossed T and dotted i" with us for our own good! Surely we would try to get in on the action, thinking we are so savvy, and make a mess of a perfect, well thought out plan. I am so glad that God is God, and I am not, and he knows exactly how to make the right things happen, even without my help!

It's better to give than receive...

Yes, we all know that saying, but trying to convince two youngsters that truth is quite a task to undertake. Luis got out of work early today, so Josh, Jonathan and I hopped into the car, in the pouring rain, and headed to town to run some errands. Today was payday, so I was hoping to get a few things for Christmas. Money is still pretty tight these days, and we are hoping and praying that all goes well with the closing of our house. We have learned not to count our chickens before they hatch, so we are not spending any money until it's in the bank. But the boys and I ventured out anyway. They have this crazy notion that whenever we go anywhere, they are entitled to get something. It's our own fault, really, as Luis and I both love to surprise them. But "surprise" has turned into "expectation", and shopping with the boys is somewhat less than fun these days. But today, I decided that they needed to do some shopping for others, so Dad was first on the list. We wandered in and out of the very few stores we have here in Hampton, and it was so funny to watch the boys shop. They started out telling me all the things that they liked, wanted, couldn't live without...etc...so I tried to redirect their thoughts. Then they started to pick out things that "Dad would like", which in reality would have been something actually for them. Josh was convinced that Luis needed a money bank that kept a running total of all the coins it held. Jonathan just knew that Luis was dying to have the newest group of hot wheel cars. We finally managed to find something for each of them to get for Luis, and a couple other family members, and we headed home. It actually ended up being one of our best outings in a long time, and we managed to find some really neat gifts, too! I don't think I have rid the boy of the case of the greedies, but it was a step in the right direction!

Sweet tooth

Around the holidays, one of my guilty pleasures are all of the sweets that come with the season. Growing up, my Gramma "D" would always show up with an assortment of delicious desserts, a tradition that I am more than happy to keep alive. The kids and I made this one...it was a bit messy, but well worth it! The recipe was posted in the Island Packet, the newspaper from Hilton Head Island. I thought these cake truffles looked so festive, especially with their red velvet cake center.

Peace Lily

Christmas Lily