Sisters Chat (Remembering 2011)

Lizzi: We are already nearing the end of 2011, and so I wanted to talk about, and reflect on, this past year.

In general terms, do you feel like 2011 was a good year or a bad year?

Maude: Good year

Esther: It was umm... an interesting year! Hard, good, bad,

Lizzi: Okay, that's fair. :)

What was the hardest part of 2011 for your own families?

Esther: Being separated from my husband for 7 1/2 months... Not having my son be with his Daddy

Lizzi: That would DEFINITELY fall into the hard category

Esther: We are ending the year on a much happy note though!

Maude: That we lived in 3 different places in that 12 month period.

Lizzi: Yeah, that's definitely hard too! I think for me, it would be struggling to adjust to parenting changes with a two year old, and two children. Just having to reevaluate and focus more on discipline

Maude: Yes, the toddler years are tough. It is nice to be coming out of them though. I really can see a marked change in Milton as he has one month left of being 3.

Esther: I can't imagine having two! (though I hope to someday...) I feel like it is rough with one

Maude: Two is fun because it is wonderful to see them play with each other an interact (in nice ways!)

with each other

Lizzi: Very true!

Okay, so what do you feel was the BEST part of 2011 for your families?

A New Rule

Everyone knows the rule Don't buy yourself anything new right before a birthday or Christmas, right?  Well, how about a new rule that I just learned on my anniversary a few weeks back:  Don't EVER give a previously unvoiced opinion on the day of your anniversary!!

As you can imagine, there is a funny/awful story to explain this newly learned rule...

Christmas traditions

This holiday season had me contemplating years past.  I found myself thinking of the Christmas stories I used to stay up reading to my brothers on Christmas Eve because we could never fall asleep.  Oh, the excitement of the childhood Christmas.

A Relationship Meant to Refine

I was not single very long. I got married young and have been within its bounds for eight years. I don't presume to know about the hardships and trials that accompany living life as a single adult. I am sure that as a single person God uses methods to stretch and grow you to which I am unfamiliar. I am not trying to make light of the road that many of you are on, I just wanted to share some experiences from my own journey and the stretching that also takes place from this perspective.

http://www.aubreyreneephotography.com/

Yesterday Was Christmas --by Andrew Beard

The writer for today is my husband Andrew.

It's true. Christmas has come and gone again. That one day never seems long enough. The food that took hours to prepare took a matter of minutes to consume. The presents bought and wrapped are torn open in seconds. I remember as a kid the anticipation leading up to Christmas. The excitement of Christmas morning, the all-day festivities. At our house the afternoons would consist of working puzzles, playing games, and figuring out whatever new toy we had received. This year I have a son who can unwrap his own gifts and so now I have a whole new reason to be excited for Christmas. Yet as I sit here on the day after Christmas, there is one inescapable fact -- Christmas is over and done.

A Christmas Card to You!

Making Buckeyes Together

Maude (left) and Esther (right) preparing to dip Buckeyes.

Esther and her family spent a few days with mine this week.  We had a lot of fun.  We did some "touristy" things, some "local" things, and we just hung out.  But one of the major Christmas baking projects that I hadn't finished was making Buckeyes - so Esther and I worked together to dip my peanut butter balls into chocolate.

You'll Find No "Bah Humbug" Here!

My Christmas tree and fireplace

My favourite holiday is in 3 days and I am SO excited!  The house is decorated.  The Christmas presents have been bought and (mostly) wrapped.  The only thing I still need to do is bake, bake, bake!  I actually got a head start on Christmas baking but either through giving away or eating them ourselves we are out of cookies!!  So with 3 days left I am hurrying to fill my cookie tins in time for Christmas...

Christmas morning breakfast Esther style

Yes, it is true; I will not be making/baking or consuming any cinnamon rolls for Christmas.  No cinnamon rolls for Christmas?! I know, sad right? I just HATE making them.

Tradition!

Fiddler on the Roof is one of my all-time favorite musicals. It is passionate, sweet, and sentimental; I always grieve with Tevye as each attempt to cling to tradition is thwarted and unappreciated. I love traditions and think that they are an important part of a family's togetherness and memory-building experience. But just like Tevye, I think that sometimes (particularly around Christmastime) we can overemphasize traditions' importance.



Yes, have your cookie baking, gingerbread house making, tree decorating, festival going traditions! And enjoy every moment of them, capturing them with pictures upon pictures! But don't place such stock in them that you miss out on other opportunities to love or serve if the opportunity arises. And don't be so inflexible that your traditions can't morph or change: Sometimes a sacrifice in the moment may become a favorite memory later on! :)

The gift of giving: By Tim O'Brien

Our guest writer today is our brother Tim.

The Gift of Giving

                This year, for the first time I learned the gift of giving. That giving presents or time can be such a blessing. To us a lot has been given, so shouldn't we be thankful to give what we can?

Christmas Interview with Mom O'Brien

Maude interviewed our Mom about Christmas:

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
The sights, sounds, smells, tastes and the feelings - of love, peace, and family.

Share some Christmas traditions.
I love to decorate.  I try to get a Christmas fragrance candle.  I enjoy the paper lights I put up and putting up the nativity.  Christmas Eve supper with my family.  My favourite tradition, though, was taking each of my kids shopping individually to buy gifts for their siblings.

What was Christmas like with 10 kids?

10 Years Later!!

Wow. Ten years have passed since the day I was a blushing bride to today when I am a stern-faced grump.  Just kidding!!  I don't think I am either stern-faced or a grump (at least not usually!).

The summer of 2001, we were in love, heading the same direction, and an all-around perfect match but neither of us really wanted to get married and certainly no time soon.  So we decided to wait ten years.  We would keep in touch, live our lives, and then in ten years we would get married... Four months later we were wed!!!

Date night

I have found how beneficial a date with my husband can be.  

Love Remains

My mom shared the following poem with me and I had to pass it on. I have it displayed on the bulletin board in my kitchen to remind and encourage me when I am not in a very loving spirit. Also, as I was Googling the poem and author, I was brought to her blog and learned that she is presently recuperating from a major stroke. Please keep Joanne Heim in your prayers as you soak in her interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:

                                                      What Remains

                                                             By Joanne Heim

If I spend my days building skyscrapers with LEGOs and creating relationships with other moms at Starbucks/MOPS, but have not love, I am only the siren of kids’ ride-on fire truck.

If I have the gift of knowing which child attempted to flush the Hot Wheels down the toilet and which one pushed her sister, and if I have faith that somehow we’ll survive life’s emergencies, but have not love, I am nothing.

Christmas memories by Leah O'Brien

This is written by our dear sister-in-law Leah, who is married to Paul the 7th child of the O'Brien clan.

The Christmas season brings feelings of anticipation, joy, and memories of the past. Christmas is not for a determined age or gender.  The thought of a spruce tree standing in the corner of the room with light bulbs tangled meticulously through the limbs, making the room glow, fills every heart with warmth. Children gaze at the tree that towers over their small frames waiting for the moment that the gifts magically appear under it.  I am quite firm about placing a LIVE tree in our house based on the fact that the house fills with an aroma that smells as if a fresh rain had passed through a dense forest.

Sisters Chat about the "Sounds of Christmas" (aka Christmas music)

 Esther:  Today I thought we would talk about the "sounds of Christmas" (aka Christmas music!)

 Maude:  I'm listening to some right now!

 Esther:  My first question is: what is you favorite Christmas song?

My New Favourite Christmas Decoration!!

I love Christmas and even though I am not much of a decorator I enjoy pulling out the Christmas decorations and sprucing up my house this one time a year.  When we move my regular decorations take up one box but my Christmas decoration take up four!!  And we haven't even bothered opening the regular box these last few moves so when you are used to bare white walls every Christmas decoration seems special.  But this year I have an extra special decoration!

In past years a favourite has been this Santa:

He stands almost 2 feet tall and was bought in 2003 at a Christmas fair while we lived in North Carolina.  I think he is a perfect-looking Santa and the Santa in our movie Summertime Christmas reflects our taste, I think.

Christmas mantle complete!

 I did it! I decorated my mantle.  Mason jars, white lights, holly, pine, and some help of course!

Back to the Olden Days

Some of my sisters and I used to enjoy playing olden days when we were little. We would dress up in long dresses that most closely resembled a pioneer-type era, gather supplies, and head outside to rough it for a few days. We would promise that we would camp out (in a tent) and really live without modern conveniences for awhile. Well, it never lasted through the night. It would start to rain, or someone might have to use the restroom, or a disagreement might disrupt the enjoyment. We would gather up all our supplies and head in, only to make another valiant attempt on another day.

Memory Monday: A crazy Christmas lover

This picture was taken about 4 years ago.  I wanted a "Christmas lights crown".  It only worked if you were by an outlet! 

Sisters Chat (Christmas Treats)

Lizzi: I want to talk about holiday treats today. Either sweet or salty, although I usually tend to just think about sweet! Haha! First I want us to share a general list of Christmas treats (whether you like them or not). I will get more specific in future questions.

Maude: So we just brainstorm a list together?

Lizzi: Yep

Maude: Buckeyes!!

Lizzi: Fudge

Esther: Christmas cookies (like the sugar ones), snicker doodles

Lizzi: Fruitcake

Esther: truffles, eggnog

Maude: peanut butter cookies with kisses on top, plum bread

Esther: Happy birthday Jesus cake

Maude: I should tell my Jesus cake story!!

Lizzi: Yes! You can go ahead

Esther: What is that?

A Homemade Advent Calendar

Growing up my mom would make a construction paper Christmas tree with numbers 1 - 25 on it.  On each day of December leading up to Christmas we would put a sticker on the tree.

Okay, my tree is a little crazy.  When I first made it it looked strange so I added branches and now it looks crazy.  Oh well.

Last year I did the same thing as my Mom.  This year I did something a little different: