Day 361: 12/28/13- Christmas on the Dandi Farm

Day 361: 12/28/13- Christmas on the Dandi Farm 
New Thing: Christmas on the Dandi Farm
Inspiration: Dad, Andi, Maddie, Ken and D.          
Time: A very fun day
Bottom Line: It's a Dandi!   

He put it together and everything-and branded his initials on it. Classic DTD.

Reflection: Christmas fun at the Dandi Christmas Tree farm (a.k.a.- Dad's house). He and Connie got me a new hive!! It's all the buzz. Thank you guys, I love it!

Day 359: 12/26/13- Christmas in Reading

Day 359: 12/26/13- Christmas in Reading
New Thing:  Christmas in Reading
Inspiration: Connie, Randal, Kim, Andy, Ken and D.      
Time: All to brief
Bottom Line: Family fun

Reflection: Today we braved the snow and the crazy traffic to be with the Reading branch of the family. It was very brief, but it was so nice non-the-less. Love you all!

Day 358: 12/25/13- Christmas!!

Day 358: 12/25/13- Christmas!!
New Thing:  Christmas 2013 
Inspiration: Jesus    
Time: All day  
Bottom Line: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." John 1:1-5

Reflection: Opened presents. Celebrated the Eucharist, relax with family, celebrate the birth of our Lord! Peace on earth indeed.

Day 357: 12/24/13- Christmas Eve Surprise

Day 357: 12/24/13- Christmas Eve Surprise   
New Thing:  Christmas Eve Surprise   
Inspiration: Annie, Ali, Doug, and Mom   
Time: A few hours
Bottom Line: Surprise!

Reflection: Christmas Eve! Before I went into the six services of Christmas Eve (all beautiful), we had a visit from Ali (in full elf costume, complete with a musical dancing hat), Doug, and Mom. That would have been fun enough, but the fun really took off when our friend, Annie, showed up as a surprise for Mom. She was beside herself and we all had delicious BBQ to celebrate. Nice!  

The moment of surprise!

Day 354: 12/21/13- Elf Party

Day 354: 12/21/13- Elf Party
New Thing: Matt and Alicia's Elf Party
Inspiration: Matt and Alicia, Elf
Time: A few hours
Bottom Line: Hello my name is Buddy! What's your favorite color? 

So, this picture of Matt was taken at a totally separate time, but it just seemed to perfect to pass up.

Reflection: Matt and Alicia had an awesome Elf themed party. We had a blast and watched one of the best Christmas movies of all time.  

Day 344: 12/11/13- Decorate the 2013 Raining Christmas Tree!

Day 344: 12/11/13- Decorate the 2013 Raining Christmas Tree!
New Thing: 2013 Christmas Tree Decoration
Inspiration: Christmas
Time: About an hour           
Bottom Line: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. 

Reflection: Yeah!! I am such a sucker for Christmas! 

Day 20: 1/20/13 - Wear a Tie

Day 20: 1/20/13 - Wear a Tie       
New Thing- Wear a Tie       
Inspiration: Well, I have never worn a tie...so...inspiration!        
Time: Most of the day        
Bottom Line: Lookin' Sharp!

Reflection: Today, I decided to dress up to have Christmas at Ali & Doug's house and wore a tie the whole time. Yep. It was more comfortable then I would have imagined. I tried to make a cool knot called "The Trinity Knot" but I could not manage it. So, normal knot it is thanks to Ken!

Day 6 1/6/13 Epiphany Bonanza: Blessings, Bonfire & Beautiful Poetry!

Day 6 1/6/13 - Epiphany Bonanza: Blessing, Bonfire & Beautiful Poetry!  
New Thing- Chalking Our Door, Searching for Christ, Listening to Poetry, and Burning Christmas Trees..for Jesus!   
Inspiration: The Feast of the Epiphany, Bishop Paul, St. David's, Anne Kitch, Matt  
Time: All Day
Bottom Line: The light of Christ has shone brightly in our life today!

Reflection: Today was the Feast of the Epiphany! You may remember that we have some fun ways of cerebrating this Feast in our family (as see in this post, this post, and this post). Well, today was another spectacular day of witnessing Christ's Light in being revealed to the world. 

Here is the description of this Holy Day from my previous posts by James Kiefer:

"Epiphany" is a word of Greek origin, related to such English words as "theophany," "phenotype," and "phenomenon." It means an appearance, a displaying, a showing forth, a making clear or public or obvious. On this day, Christians have traditionally celebrated the making known of Jesus Christ to the world.Several events have been thought of as special instances of the making known of Our Lord, such as: His birth; the coming of the Magi; His Baptism; His first miracle at Cana. Current majority usage, at least in the West, celebrates His birth on 25 December, the coming of the Magi on 6 January, and His Baptism on the next Sunday. On the following Sundays up to the beginning of Lent, we remember Our Lord's public preaching of the kingdom, particularly the earlier stages of that preaching when opposition had not yet crystallized. On the Last Sunday after Epiphany (the Sunday before Lent), we commemorate the Transfiguration, the climax of this first phase of our Lord's public ministry. Today, then, we commemorate the visit of the Magi, a token of the day when all the peoples of the earth will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, God, and Savior. The visit of the Magi is recorded in the second chapter of Matthew.

To begin with, we chalked the doors both at church and at home. Epiphany is a traditional time for house blessings. Normally, it is a blessing that is done as an annual renewal for dwellings or places of worship and an inscription is written in chalk over the main door. (You can find the liturgy that we used at my previous blog post linked above.) Along with our blessing you may remember our little wise-men tradition (with thanks to Anne Kitch and family) that involves dressing up as the wise men (in crazy costumes) and going in search of the Christ Child by following a set of clues. We hid all of the pieces of D.'s plush Nativity in different places of the house and then the three of us got dressed up to go on the hunt after I read the story. Jesus was found on the cross in our upstairs prayer-room.  We all said prayers together to thank God for coming into our midst--even in the form of a young child found in a manger or a crazy little family.

The Wise Men

Reading the blessing and holding the chalk at the ready.

Later in the day, we all took part in the second annual St. David's Christmas Green Burn!!! You may remember from my previous posts that one of the oldest Epiphany traditions is to burn all of the Christmas greenery in a large bonfire. It symbolizes the coming of the light of Christ into the world and being manifest in our lives and the star that led the three wise men to Jesus. This year it was even bigger and we had over 100 people there, burned almost 70 tress in a huge pyre and feasted on chili and smores. It even ended with a marshmallow fight. This might be my favorite event all year!

"Dear God...what have they they wrought?!"

Last tree- look at the flames behind us!

Last tree thrown on by Matt and Hillary

Finally, the newest tradition came to the clergy as a suggestion from Bishop Paul. It was to listen to T.S. Eliot reading his poem "The Journey of the Magi". It was beautiful and as the Bishop writes, "the last stanza takes us from the tinsel to the coming journey, as we now move from tree to cross." Here it is for you to enjoy:

Day 5 1/5/13- Philly Party People!

Day 5 1/5/13 - Philly Party People! 
New Thing- New food & fun with great friends  
Inspiration: Rob, Marcella, Morgan & Brooke 
Time: Afternoon & Evening
Bottom Line: Twelfth Night and BBQ- Sweet!

Beautiful Poster Created by Host Robert Berry

Reflection: Today the family ventured into the city where two of our friends were having parties. The first was a "Twelfth Night" party hosted by our dear friends Rob and Marcella. Twelfth Night celebrates the last day of Christmas and the Even of the Epiphany which we will celebrate tomorrow. At the pub, I tried "Philly Cheeses Stake" Spring-rolls which I did not even know existed, but was very happy to be antiquated with them. 

The second party (dubbed "Morgan's Meatfest" by the host) was a BBQ extravaganza given by Morgan and Brooke. There was a fantastic spread including Virgin Coquito which is known as Spanish eggnog.  It is made with egg yolk, coconut milk, coconut cream, sweet condensed milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves--and it is SO good.

I love having friends who throw themed parties with cool names and delicious new foods! 

Day 372: 1/7/12- Burning the Christmas Greens- Epiphany Burn!

Day 372: 1/7/12
New Thing: Burning the Christmas Greens- Epiphany Burn!
Inspiration: The Feast of the Epiphany, St. David's 20's & 30's Group              
Cost: $0    
Time: Three Hours                 
Bottom Line: Burn, baby, burn!

Hillary by firelight

Reflection: Hi all! I will get back to the 2011 year in review tomorrow after I write about this fun night we had at church. One of the oldest Epiphany traditions is to burn all of the Christmas greenery in a large bonfire on what is known as twelfth night. It symbolizes the coming of the light of Christ into the world and being manifest in our lives and the star that led the three wise men to Jesus. So, for our first ever 20's & 30's kick off event, we had a huge Christmas tree burn on the church grounds. It was the safest version of this that I had ever attended since I am use to a high pile of trees in some one's cornfield. But we had both permit in hand and the local fire department present to make sure we didn't burn down the almost 300 year old church. The weather was absolutely perfect (it was 65 degrees today!) and the moon was almost full. We also had 30 trees, some of which were huge! It was truly awesome and mesmerizing to watch since the dried out trees would burn in a matter of minuets in a ball of fiery glory. We even had cars honking at us from the far away road. Here are some shots (with thanks to my co-leader, Matt):

Trees in waiting

Matt taking one to the pyre

My turn

love it!

Day 368: 1/3/12- Make Gingerbread House/ Top 3 Weird Holiday Related Posts from 2011

Day 368: 1/3/12
New Thing: Make Gingerbread House/ Top 3 Weird Holiday Related Posts from 2011           Inspiration: 365 Alive, Christmas            
Cost: $10ish    
Time: About an hour               
Bottom Line: On the 10th day of Christmas...we made a gingerbread house.

Reflection: One of the things about Christmas that I think can be lost in the secular realm is that Christmas is indeed a 12 day season. So, in our house we try to do Christmas stuff for as long as it lasts. Today, we continued our celebration by making a gingerbread house from a Trader Joe kit. We made the icing, stuck the pieces together, and had a ton of fun putting the candy decoration on. It turned out really nicely, but the next day I caught D. eating all of the candy off the house. She was WIRED for the rest of the night. No sugar for her again until she is 21 years old.

Now, back to the reflection of the year. One of the fun things about this year was discovering how many strange holidays there are in every month. Who knew that there was a whole month dedicated to pomegranates? Here were some of the most fun ones:

1. Day 237: 8/26/11-New Thing: Celebrate American Artiest Appreciation Month by Making an Artist Trading Card   - There was never a doubt for me who was my favorite American artiest--Ali W. Wilson my little sister. I love her vision, style and use of color. Her subject matter is always very spiritual and touching. I celebrated her talent by making an artist trading card in her honor. Thanks for making the world a little more beautiful, Ali!
2. Day 210: 7/30/11-New Thing: Celebrate National Share a Sunset with Your Lover Month-On this holiday, Ken and I climbed up on our roof and shared the sunset together. Super romantic.
3. Day 208: 7/28/11-New Thing: Voices from the Past and New Ice Cream- July was National Ice cream Month and I took it very seriously trying tons of new flavors including this day's new one: chocolate banana. This post also had a story about finding a tape that my sister and childhood best friends had made together many years ago. More important than those childhood memories, however, was the song "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys which was featured prominently on the tape.

Day 364 (some how I misnumbered- how disappointing is that?!): 12/30/11- Christmas At Dad & Andi's

Day 364 (some how I misnumbered- how disappointing is that?!): 12/30/11
New Thing: Christmas At Dad & Andi's                  
Inspiration: Dad, Christmas          
Cost: $??   
Time: All day             
Bottom Line: A very, merry final Christmas.

Reflection: Ken, D. and I piled into the car today to have our Christmas celebration with Dad and Andi out in Boiling Springs. I think what I appreciate most about my family is the way we can all sit around, laugh, talk, and tell stories for ever. We are definitely the kind of family that has our back-catalogue of remembrances named and filed, ready to be shared again and again. I love you guys. 

Day 359: 12/26/11- A Very In-Law Christmas

Day 359: 12/26/11
New Thing: A Very In-Law Christmas                 
Inspiration: Christmas         
Cost: $???   
Time: All Day            
Bottom Line: Over the river and through the woods...

Reflection:  Today was rounds two and three of our family Christmas visiting. It was the in-law day and we traveled to the Reading area to first visit Bill and Jean and then to Connie & Randall's. As always, we were greeted with great food and lovely generosity at both houses. Thanks to everyone--we love you!

Day 358: 12/25/11- Christmas!

Day 358: 12/25/11
New Thing: Christmas!                 
Inspiration: Christmas         
Cost: $???   
Time: All Day            
Bottom Line: God rest you merry, gentlemen/Let nothing you dismay/Remember Christ our Savior/Was born on Christmas Day; /To save us all from Satan's power/When we were gone astray./O tidings of/ comfort and joy,/Comfort and joy,/O tidings of comfort and joy!

Reflection: Merry Christmas, Everyone!! I have to say, I am such a sucker for Christmas. Theologically, the Incarnation is truly awe inspiring. What, other than eternal salvation, could be a more loving example of God's grace? But I even love some of the the more "secular" trappings of the seasons: the lights, the music, the movies. In fact, D. and I even watched one of my favorite Christmas movies today: A Muppet's Christmas Carol. We both loved it. We also had a lovely Mother/Daughter Christmas morning service at the old church after opening our stockings. It was a wonderful way to celebrate God's comining to dwell among us. God bless us, everyone!

Day 357: 12/24/11- Christmas Eve at St. David's and New BBQ Tradition

Day 357: 12/24/11
New Thing: Christmas Eve at St. David's and New BBQ Tradition                 
Inspiration: Christmas Eve         
Cost: $50ish   
Time: Several Hours           
Bottom Line: I bring you glad tidings.

Reflection: We started a new Christmas Eve tradition today. Since I never have time to cook on CE (what with it being one of the two biggest services of the year), I normally just get a pizza. This year however, I decided to mix it up and try out a BBQ feast from Jimmy's. It was amazing and I very wisely ordered enough for all our family guests. It could not have been easier--all I had to do was pick it up after making a pastoral care call and then enjoy a delicious pre-church meal.

Christmas Eve was pretty unbelievable at St. David's. I was blessed to celebrate at the 4:00 and 11:00 at the large church and the later had 900 people in attendance! I have never seen a crowd like that. The music was unbelievable and I'll never forget it. What a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior!

Day 356: 12/23/11- First Christmas Family Gathering of the Year and Visit to Gram

Day 356: 12/23/11
New Thing: First Christmas Family Gathering of the Year and Visit to Gram                
Inspiration: Christmas          
Cost: $??   
Time: All Day           
Bottom Line: I do love the fam!

Reflection: Today, we all went up to North to visit Mom, Ali & Doug for Christmas. We actually have 4 family visits to make over the holidays, so we have to start them early this year. As always, the presents were amazing (seriously, thank you guys again) and we only stopped laughing when Delia threw a tantrum.

There was a pretty somber part of the day, however. Ali, Mom and I went to visit my Gram who has been in a nursing home for the last three years following an onset of severe dementia caused by brain damage during a stroke. She was able to receive communion and oscillated between being happy and very agitated. It was good to be with her, but is always very sad to see her in this sate, so unlike the strong woman I remember. I will continue to pray for peace for her.

Day 355: 12/22/11- Winter Solstices Yoga Advent Spiral

Day 355: 12/22/11
New Thing: Winter Solstices Yoga Advent Spiral                                   

Inspiration: The Winter Solstices, Amy, Advent         
Cost: $0   
Time: About a hour and a half          
Bottom Line: An amazing practice

Reflection: Today is the winter solstice when we enter into the longest night of the year and start our journey back to the light. To celebrate, my yoga teacher, Amy, set up an Advent spiral on the floor of our practice space. An Advent spiral is a large path (like a labyrinth) created of pine greenery which made the room smell amazing. In the center stands a large pillar candle, lit. Outside of the spiral stands a tray with several small candles. One person at a time carries an unlit candle into the center of the spiral and then lights their candle from the large central candle symbolizing the Light of Christ. On your way out of the spiral, you are invited to leave you candle on the path and by the end of the meditation, the whole spiral is glowing with people's lights. Then we went through our yoga practice around the spiral.

It was so beautiful and a powerful reminder of the light of Christ which shatters all darkness and is about to be born at Christmas.

Day 354: 12/21/11- Send Ken Flowers

Day 354: 12/21/11
New Thing: Send Ken Flowers                                  

Inspiration: Ken        
Cost: $ (A lady never tells)   
Time: About 10 minuets         
Bottom Line: A little bit of luck and love.

Reflection: I decided to surprise Ken and sent him a lucky bamboo plant as a token of my love and appreciation for him. He always holds down the fort during these busy church seasons and I love him for it. Thanks, Ken!

Day 351: 12/18/11- Ann'e's Baptism and St. David's Pageant

Day 351: 12/18/11
New Thing: Ann'e's Baptism and St. David's Pageant                               

Inspiration: Ann'e, St. David's, Jesus        
Cost: $0  
Time: All Day      
Bottom Line: Yeah, Ann'e!!

Reflection: On this blessed Sunday, one of our family friends, Ann'e, was baptized in the beautiful old church! We had a sweet little ceremony with her family and the Holy Spirit truly moved. It was such an honor to help welcome our new sister into the family of Christ. Congratulations, Ann'e!

Following the baptism and fun lunch, it was time for the St. David's Christmas pageant. They hold three of these each year, all with live animals. It was really impressive. D. was one of the children who brought up a "manger gift" to the Christ Child. Once in place, she promptly sat on a bale of hay to watch the sheep-her favorite animal.

Day 350: 12/17/11- "The Nutcracker" Ballet

Day 350: 12/17/11
New Thing: The Nutcracker Ballet                             

Inspiration: Connie        
Cost: $0 (Thanks to Connie!)  
Time: Several Hours     
Bottom Line: Stunning.

Reflection: Today, D. and I were treated to an amazing afternoon of culture and imagination by the generous Connie. We all went to see The Nutcracker with music performed by the Reading Orchestra. Not only was the performance wonderful, but we had box seats! D. was absolutely memorized and has been talking about it ever since. Honestly, it was just perfect. Thank you, Connie!

At the show.