Christmas, in new ways, this year.

Christmas, this year, was different.
Christmas, this year, was smaller than other years.
Christmas, this year, was still as beautiful as it ever has been, but for different reasons than years past.

My little family didn't have many places to rush to this year.  We didn't have houses so completely full of people that we all felt overwhelmed or unable to visit with those people who were filling said houses.  I know that I felt comfortable, and pleased, and blessed to share my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the people who I did get see and visit with, though I did miss those who were unable to celebrate with us, too.

After a trying 4 pm mass on Christmas Eve for my well behaved and mannerly tired and cranky children, we went to my maternal grandparents' house for a traditional (to us) dinner of kielbasa,  potato salad, ham, and baked beans. :) Oh, so good. We've been eating this meal on Christmas Eve and also on Holy Saturday for as long as I can remember. I wonder if it tastes so good because we do only eat this twice a year?  Either way, yum-o. We spent the evening there and it was lovely. It was quiet because some family members couldn't make it, but still, it really was lovely.

We "did" Christmas morning at our house with our children who were so very excited to wake up to a few presents and a trampoline! (Which, btw, has saved my couches and them from my admonitions in the short time that it has been in our house.  It looks ridiculous in my living room and will eventually get moved, but gosh, it's a brilliant idea [Thank you Aunt A and Uncle K for being brave enough to do this first!] and child energy steal-er. win. super win.)

Then we went to my mom and dad's house for brunch with my immediate family. We spent time together, all of us: my parents, my brothers and my sister-in-law and their son, my husband, and our silly littles. It really was relaxing and fun to just be. to not rush. to just visit and laugh with each other. to be. together. Yes, together. We don't often end up together, not all of us at-the-same-time-in-the-same-house-in-the-same-room, because we seem to have crazy lives, but when we do find the moments to be together, and I allow myself to soak them in (them: the moments, them: the people), they (the moments) can be wonderful (because of the people).

Our late afternoon/evening was spent with my husband's family.  Fewer people were part of that celebration than usual, but again, it was still wonderful.  It was also calm. Oddly, calm is a relative term as there were 11 beautiful children running around and full of Christmas! What I found to be so very beautiful, this year especially, is that I don't just view them as,  "my husband's family" anymore. They are just another part of my family. They are just my.family.too.  I love this. They are a part of the whole that I call family. His sisters and brothers-in-law are just that, my brothers and sisters. They are just mine. They love just me. I love just them.

My family, in it's whole.ness, is messy.  Even in the messy (and there is much mess), it is still beautiful. and it's mine. all mine. and for this gift, the gift of my whole family, I am thankful. I know that I am blessed.

I learned, in new ways this year, that family can't always be all together. For this reason or that, every single person can't show up to all of the places all of the times. Sometimes family members find themselves apart because of sickness, or because of weather, or because of the many miles in between, or perhaps, because of conflict.

I learned, in new ways this year, that if family members are apart, to accept the distance and love from afar.

I learned, in new ways this year, that it's also about being able to make the choice to love those in your presence more deeply. More fully. More gracefully.

I learned, in new ways this year, to appreciate those in front of me in ways that I hadn't previously.

I learned, in new ways this year, that my darling children and my husband can bring me Christmas Joy not just on Christmas day, not just during the season of Christmas, but on any of the days. on all of the days. I just have to choose to see it. To see the joy. That's the secret, I think. The choice, the seeing. The act of choosing, and the act of seeing. When I do choose, and when I do see, I am overwhelmed with grace.

Be overwhelmed with grace.
Blessings! and Joy!
nIcole mArie

for you and your families, this:

(Picture taken at the Pittsburgh Oratory Chapel)

blessings and joy and so.much.grace for you and your families this new year.

nIcole mArie

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you, on the 6th day of Christmastide :) 

In your reality, 
see. 
know. 
feel. 
and live. the Christmas joy.




I'm working on a blog about our Christmas day, but wanted to share a "Merry Christmas" with you right now :) 


Blessings! and Joy!
nIcole mArie

Saint Nicholas Day Cookie Exchange

We celebrate Saint Nicholas on December 6th.  As a kid, he would come and fill our shoes with little candies each year.  We liked Saint Nicholas a lot :)  I wanted to make sure that my little family celebrates Saint Nicholas, too, so these are a few things that we do each year (so far).  

Saint Nicholas brings our children pajamas -- these are their "Christmas Pajamas".  Did you get those when you were a kid?  I did.  I loved them.  I thought that it would be cool for Saint Nicholas to bring the 'jamas the kids get to wear for Christmas.  

 He decorates, too,  and gathers all of the Christmas story books. 

 The kids' nativity gets set up under the little tree

 Chocolate coins, candy canes and a rosary in the shoes!  The boys like the big rosaries.  We've started to say a 1/2 a decade at night with our night prayers and I'll eventually work up to a full decade and move on (and move rosary time to a different point of the day).  Max likes to be able to count and follow the beads.  Benjamin, still not so much. I know that there are families who have their children praying full rosaries at my kids' ages, but we are not those families.  

Slow and steady, a little at a time for us! 

 Stockings get hung by the window with care (as we don't have a chimney)

 And our table got decorated by "The Spirit of Chrismas" statue, and two books.

 There are stickers for the Tree for us to decorate it, and the Nativity story is really awesome.  Both from Usborne Books :)

 Grown up nativity, too! Oh, my kids can play with this one, too.  The statues are made of resin, so they are unbreakable.  (sigh of relief).

I also hold a Cookie Exchange at my house every year.  My friends and I get together on Saint Nicholas Day and exchange cookies and hang out and our children play. Last year I was on top of things and had coloring sheets and a Saint Nicholas movie for the kids.  This year, not so much ;)  but I did bake cookies!! I didn't get around to baking last year, and the dough was sitting out as my friends arrived ;)  Luckily, they we kind enough to count me in the exchange anyway.  I love those girls. 

These are just a few pictures of the exchange...

  

I was giggling about how many vehicles were on my street -- there were 13 or 14 moms + kids at my house -- so I took pictures :D 

 And then Grace stuck both of her hands into carmel dip. She thought it felt amazing. I thought it was gross.

So yeah.  Happy Saint Nicholas Day, all!  It's only taken my an entire week to post this. 

hehehe, I still have posts about my birthday and  Las Vegas in October. One of these days...

For now, I am going to enjoy Advent and the preparations for Christmas Day and feeling the Christmas Joy that comes to us at this time of the year.  I hope that you can find this Christmas Joy in your heart always, and not just at Christmas time.  

(and yes, I know that it is not "Christmas time" on our liturgical calendar yet, but I'm not about to rebel against those who are truly joyful right now and wishing others merry and bright.  They are loving, and living beautifully, let's love and live beautifully, too!)

Blessings! and Joy!

nIcole mArie

Messy.Painted.Pumpkins

This is a wonky looking post tonight because I'm tired of moving the pictures around.  The gist is that we made a mess today.  We painted our pumpkins.  It was an adventure.  The littles had a tremendous time, and I found out that I really want to be "that-artist-mom-who-laughs-at-messy-little.people-and-allows-them-unhindered-creativity" I am not. I was freaking out because Max mixed blue into yellow paint. And then Grace dropped pink on the floor, and got some on her clothes.  I was laughing at myself struggling with the mess, so I eventually joined in a bit and painted on paper (as I didn't have my own pumpkin), and then we put handprints on the wall ;)  Perhaps I'll rearrange this all tomorrow.

Until then, Blessings and Joy! nIcole mArie

Oh! 7.42. What a number!

Oh, so I ran 7.42 miles yesterday.  Dude.  :) You can't see my face right now, but I'm grinning widely and quite excited thinking about this.


This is what my smile looks like, both surprised and excited all at once.  I don't look nearly as sweet or cute  :)                              -------->


I dropped all the littles off at my parents so that they could visit and I took off down the hill and into downtown Pittsburgh.  It was a beautiful day for a run!!!!!

I ran through the Strip District and over two bridges and along the North Shore near the stadiums, and down to Point State Park, through PPG Place (where people were ice skating!), and all over the place and finished in Market Square.  As usual, the first 2 miles were tricky -- I don't think my body is fully warmed up until around the 2 mile mark.  That's what it seems like, anyway.  Once I hit 2 miles it seems like I can just run and run and run.  The last mile was rough, and I was certainly ready to quit and was glad that I did when I did.  I didn't realize that I had tacked on that extra .42 of a mile until after the run, and if I had known, I probably wouldn't have run it ;)  I didn't have my google tracks app set up properly so it didn't announce when I reached each mile.  Oh well.

All in all, it was amazing.   I am amazed at what my body is strong enough to do right now.  I ran well over HALF of my half marathon yesterday.  YES!  I am a little sore today, but nothing that some good yoga and stretching can't take care of later...after I clean this house a bit a lot :)

Blessings! and Joy!
Nicole mArie


Also, I'd like to say that I am still raising money for my charity, Women's Choice Network.  I've got $780 more to raise to reach my final goal.  Please consider helping me out today!  You will be blessed abundantly for your generosity and kindness! Visit my fundraising page for details!