Christmas in Indian Territory

This is the first Christmas where we see Laura's family wondering how they will have a happy Christmas. The despair we see in Laura knowing that there is no way Christmas can happen is heartbreaking, but more so is the helplessness that Ma and Pa seem to have.

***

"After supper that night they washed their hands and faces, buttoned their red-flannel nightgowns, tied their night-cap strings, and soberly said their prayers. They lay down in bed and pulled the covers up. It did not seem at all like Christmas time.

Pa and Ma sat silent by the fire. After a while Ma asked why Pa didn't play the fiddle, and he said, "I don't seem to have the heart to, Caroline." "

"After a longer while, Ma suddenly stood up. "I'm going to hang up your stockings, girls, " she said. "Maybe something will happen."

Laura's heart jumped. But then she thought again of the creek and she knew nothing could happen."

***

As a child, I never understood this despair. We never had much, but if my parents ever felt this helplessness, they did not show it. But, now as an adult and most especially as a parent...I have felt this helplessness. I know Christmas isn't about the gifts under the tree or in the stockings...but it is such a horrible feeling knowing that you can't afford even a few gifts or maybe not even the tree! We have had several Christmases recently where we could not afford a tree and we could not really buy much of anything(including what would be used for mama-made gifts). So, as I read this section or other sections in later Little House books now, I can sit in Ma and Pa's seat and KNOW what they felt that night.

But...there is always a way :-)

***

"She sat down again by the fire and Laura almost went to sleep. She woke up a little when she heard Pa say, "You've only made it worse, Caroline." And she thought she heard Ma say: "No, Charles. There's the white sugar."

***

And then there is the love shown by neighbors and family. Just when one thinks there is no way and that things will be depressingly meager...He provides! How many parents have been blessed by an unknown giver? Someone decides to send a card with money for food, or gifts or they find a bag/box of presents for the children, left anonymously on their porch? This is such a beautiful gift from our Lord. And I think I learn to love Mr. Edwards in this particular section simply for his selfless giving. He is a true neighbor!

***

"It was too big a risk, Edwards," Pa said. "We're glad you're here, but that was too big a risk for a Christmas dinner."

"Your little ones had to have a Christmas," Mr. Edwards replied. "No creek could stop me, after I fetched them their gifts from Independence."

***

The most beautiful, scraggly ol' wild cat :-)

"That was a happy Christmas."

And I don't think it was because they got so very much...but the selfless love shown by one man...makes me think of the selfless love shown by our beautiful Lord.

Lots of love,

Sommer

A Big Woods Christmas

For my first little sharing of favorite Little House Christmases, I am sharing one from Little House in the Big Woods. One of the biggest differences about this particular Christmas (from what I see)is that the Ingalls family is at its most well-off. They have an established home with plenty, both from garden and woods. They are not lacking anything. They are surrounded by family...their immediate and extended family. All are well and really, I'm sure they felt very happy that Christmas.

Despite their plenty...they still had a simple Christmas. The food and love was the most abundant.

This Christmas is one that I've always used to compare the later Christmases recorded by Laura to. So many other Christmases were during very difficult times...and yet, there was still such joy.

So, let me share:

"In each stocking there was a pair of bright red mittens, and there was a long, flat stick of red-and-white-striped peppermint candy, all beautifully notched along each side.

They were all so happy they could hardly speak at first. They just looked with shining eyes at those lovely Christmas presents. But Laura was happiest of all. Laura had a rag doll."

"She was so beautiful that Laura could not say a word. She just held her tight and forgot everything else. She did not know that everyone was looking at her, till Aunt Eliza said: "Did you ever see such big eyes!""

"Laura sat down on the edge of the bed and held her doll. She loved her red mittens and she loved the candy, but she loved her doll best of all. She named her Charlotte."

"In just a little while the merry sound of the bells was gone, and Christmas was over. But what a happy Christmas it had been!"

Lots of love,

Sommer

Christmas Corners

It's Christmas time! What a wonderful time of year! I hope all of my friends are having a blessed and joy filled holiday season.

Obviously we've been quite busy here...or I would no doubt have posted sooner than almost two months since the last post! As usual, I am sorry for the long absence.

With a new home and town, we are having to find new traditions and ways to celebrate the birth of our Lord. It has been a little tough dropping old traditions, but fun too, to see what is here.

Mostly, we've stuck to the home. This year we haven't gone to any local things, but I hope to next year. We did enjoy making candy with our new homeschooling friends and of course have had fun making our traditional Sugar Cookies :-) Christmas music has been playing in the background and decorations have gone up.

One of the newest things for us has been lights on the house! Dan and I have lived in apartments all our married life until this year...so we've never put lights up on the outside..well, not even on the inside for that matter ;-) But we both felt the desire to have them on the house...so last Thursday(I know, late...) my dear, sweet, darling of a hubby set them up. We only did the front of the house and they are just a simple strand of white lights...but I LOVE them! I love the simplicity of them...just right :-) I just realized that this shot is a tad blurry..but I still think it gives the feel of the house at night :-)

Of course, it just wouldn't feel like home if we weren't able to put out the little decorations. I've gone about it slowly, but I finally finished putting everything out last week. We are still surrounded by moving boxes and haven't finalized where everything will end up in the future...but I like how most things turned out.

This is our front entry way...we have a large wreath outside on our door, but this little one graces our inside. You can also see a few of our snowflakes hanging from the entry that we made and our stockings(these are the ones that I made a year or so ago) and our advent calendar.

The other thing we enjoyed doing this year(something we have wanted to do since having children) is to take a trip to a Christmas Tree farm and we cut down our own tree. What fun...though it decided to start pouring while we were out there. It is the biggest tree we've ever had and a lovely(though crooked) one!

It was such a blessing to put out all of our ornaments this year. The last two or three Christmases we could not afford a tree or didn't have the space...so this was just sweet!

As you can see, Rowan is loving this. She has been such a good girl about not touching the tree since after the second day of having it. But she likes to look at the ornaments and point them out...especially the Winnie the Pooh ones :-)

The funny thing about this season...it doesn't matter how much you have or don't have, as long as you remember the great gift we received so many years ago and that we never deserved it. And that the love we show others...family, friends, or strangers...is but a shadow of the love God has for us, His children. Too often I feel lost in the busyness of the season...and then one of my sweet children run off with scissors and tape...to lovingly hide one more gift...and it just slows down and the simplicity I love so much is once again seen. The simplicity of love and grace and mercy.

I desire this week to share each day a snippet from my favorite Little House on the Prairie Christmases. These books have always clearly shown me a view of Christmas...well, life really...that I wish to have for my family. Contentment with little, joy in the difficult and love of family...beautiful to me every time I read these books. So I hope you will enjoy my little sharings as we head towards Christmas.

Lots of love,

Sommer

*edited to add: I just changed the poem in my Poetry Corner on the right to suit the season :-)

I AM here :-)

Well, we've been officially moved in to our home for almost two months! Wow...that is just really awesome to say. So sorry for the gap in posting, but we've been trying to settle in and unpack and start back in the groove of school. We've settled in and I think we are back in the groove for school...but unpacked? No, we are still living out of boxes and there are quite a few things sitting in the garage, just waiting to see the light of day once again...such as my sewing stuff! I know it will all fall into place soon enough...so no worries :-)

So what have we been up to? Oh, so much really...

The kids and I enjoyed harvesting the fruit from our Pomegranate tree. We've made pomegranate slushies and plan on making jelly as soon as I get some canning tools. My hubby and I enjoyed a lovely Pomegranate Mojito too...yum!

We've also had a few things repaired and have had a landscaper come out and plan with us about our yards. That has been fun. Though we really wanted to be able to get our backyard and our front yard fixed up right away, we found that we could only afford to do it in steps. So the first step was our front yard and it is so nice to see it coming up green and lush :-)

We are still enjoying our backyard and finding much to appreciate in it...

The sunset just before a storm was coming in. Lovely!

The kids have been enjoying the space in our yard for running, jumping and playing. Liam has been practicing his ball throwing too :-)

We also have been enjoying observing the many birds in our yard...Western Scrub Jays, Mocking Birds, White-Crowned Sparrows, House Sparrows and a few finches. The bird life around this area is amazing! Not to mention the other creatures...Tule Elk, Muskrat, Fox and unfortunately...black widows and mosquitoes! Blech!

Life is falling into place here and we find that each day is glorious. Sure there are things that go wrong...attitudes aren't always happy and frustration occurs, the clutter is occasionally appearing and the floor needs sweeping...but oh, there is such an amazing feeling of joy and contentment...yes, contentment :-)

And, we are finding a little time to dance amidst all the day to day :-)

Blessings,

Sommer

The Day is Upon Us!

Last Monday, we signed the closing papers...Friday, we were told that the keys were ours and the house was officially ours! Such a blissful feeling indeed!

We'd already been packing some, but we began packing in earnest as soon as we heard that and today...I am making a final push to pack up our many belongings. Wow...how does one acquire so much?

We move tomorrow. We hired movers...with 4 kids and a long drive, we decided this was best. I'm so glad we did.

As we get settled I will share more. On top of unpacking, I need to sit down and finish planning out our school year and then get going with it. We will be starting much later than usual but that is okay...we look forward to starting our year in a new home!

I may be a way from here for a few days, but I will be back as soon as can be and I look forward to sharing views of our life again with you:-)

Blessings,

Sommer