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Scents and sensibilities (& travel advice for moms of babies & a surprise giveaway!!)

A thousand years ago ~ or so it seems ~ I was anticipating The Best Christmas Ever, the first one with our first-born daughter.  Though she was only four months old, Christmas was magical again, something that was missing without children around.  

I re-imagined Jesus as a swaddled, manger babe, angelic choruses and Bethlehem star, men wise and bearing gifts or shepherds humbled and astonished.  

Intertwined with such romantic notions were Santa pics and miles of traveling, first to my in-laws for a night and then to my father's house for the same.  I couldn't wait!

Days before we were set to travel, Rachel got a cold.  I didn't think much of it--December is the Season for cold and flu, afterall--so we packed up our car and went over the river and through the woods to Noni's house.  

Just like every other new parent, we quickly learned that a baby worsens as night unfolds, the darker the hour, the meaner the symptoms. 

At bedtime, family scattered throughout my in-laws' home; Rachel's pack-&-play was set up in the dining room...where both of us would eventually spend the longest Christmas Eve of All Time.  Me, trying to console (and keep quiet) a pitiful child, her, in obvious pain and distress, unable to breathe, sleep or settle down. 

It was miserable.

The next day included a wonderful Christmas feast, presents to the overflow...and a three-hour drive to my father's house.  I was the Grinch before his heart grew three sizes.

After another sleepless night, we realized we couldn't wait until we got home to see our pediatrician, so we set about to find one in my hometown.  My childhood physician had long since retired, but we were able to locate a doctor willing to see us the day after Christmas.  We would've paid anything to find relief for our baby girl (and we likely did).

Long story short, ear + upper respiratory infection = prescription + baby Tylenol.  Bet most of y'all saw that coming.

Through all the inconvenience, frustration, and empathy for my sick baby girl, I learned something of value that first Christmas; something that would serve me throughout my children's infant-elementary years:

Always travel with my medicine cabinet in a Zip-loc bag.

What did I include?

• Age-appropriate Tylenol.  Acetaminophen can be used for children as young as six months (maybe younger under a doctor's care) so that's why I chose it over Ibuprofen.
• Nasal aspirator (aka snot sucker).  I always felt like I was sucking out their brains when we used it, but it was the lesser evil of a child who obviously needed help.  This is probably when I discovered the truth of "This hurts me as much or more than it hurts you!"
• Medicine dropper.  For littles, it's necessary (and the grandparents didn't keep one on hand).
• Age-appropriate decongestant.  Funny, but I never stuck with one thing; whatever a doctor or friend referred.

and when they got a little older (two-ish),

• Vicks VapoRub.  I was likely conditioned from childhood that Vicks VapoRub was a NECESSARY remedy for cold symptom relief; there is no other scent on the planet that better reminds me of TLC. 

And I'm not alone in that; if you look at the Vicks VapoRub Facebook page (and I hope you'll LIKE it while you're there!!), fans frequently reference its feel-good scent and nostalgic appeal.

Which, in turn, makes me think about the scents of this season.  My favorites?  Freshly cut Christmas trees, soup simmering on stovetop, cookies fresh out of the oven and savory turkey and dressing.  Mmmmmm, all! 

Your turn:  What are your favorite scents of the Season?  The aroma that spells comfort, home, peace, holidays?  DO chime in with what and why!  For fun, I'll choose ONE commentor to receive their favorite DaySpring product, $50 or under. 

UPDATED:  Congratulations to Tiffany and Christina who will BOTH receive their DaySpring wishes!!

(From me, not sponsored by DaySpring.  Click the DS Christmas logo in my right sidebar and let me know what you'd like if you win.  Entry deadline for giveaway is 11:59 EST 12/30).

 (Thanks to Vicks VapoRub for inviting me to share my thoughts through the Cough and Cold Season!  I'm actually having a LOT of fun telling stories and sharing memories through their Winter blogging campaign!!)

♥ peace, grace, joy & love ♥

Merry Christmas and joy-filled wishes from our family to yours.

~♥ Robin

 

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12 Pearls of Christmas

Have you been following host Margaret McSweeney's 12 Pearls of Christmas devotionals?  Margaret and her team invited some of today's most beloved writers (Tricia Goyer (I love her!), Babbie Mason,  Suzanne Woods Fisher...and me on Christmas Eve!) to submit their heartfelt stories or devotionals to challenge and inspire all of us to think on Kingdom things during the Christmas season.  

Catch up on the series if you've missed it, and enter daily to win a beautiful $450 pearl necklace and earring set. 

The prettiest ugly sweater of them all and a testimony to love

It was a Christmas gift to my husband the first year we were married, discovered under a pile of marked down sweaters at the Pawleys Island Men's Shop, circa 1987. I thought it was a wonderful gift.  I knew he needed a larger size, but I liked it so much I vowed never to dry it so it wouldn't shrink.  God love him, the man wore it at least once in spite of the snug fit.

Don't let her expression fool you--she and I fight over it now; I just don't think our motives are the same.

After my recent fashion post and now this, you're dying to go shopping with me, no?

:)

The Lesson ~ a true Christmas story

The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.
~ Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

Most memories are merely past recollection, but a rare few are

heart branders...

soul-shapers...

the living of which interminably alters the future.

I was just 12 years old when Christmas forever changed for me and my younger sisters:  our mother and father decided to teach us a lesson.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is one Christmas story you will not want to miss.  It's the true story of a friend of mine, the most heartbreakingly beautiful lesson I've ever seen a parent teach a child.  Please continue reading
Amanda's touching account at (in)courage.

My favorite Christmas things

While Christmas is hardly about a thing, I certainly have favorite Christmas things.

My Favorite Ornament

One of three handmade ornaments of my mother's, beaded and bedazzled during her five-year battle with cancer.  It's fraying now and some beads have escaped, but every year this is the first ornament I look for.  Considering I have a hard time choosing among chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, it's remarkable I can actually name a favorite.

My Favorite Nativity

Crafted by my youngest, this set stirs my Mama's heart.  I imagine to the casual onlooker it borders on the side of pitiful, but to me?  It's more beautiful than anything from Fontanini, Willow Tree or the like.

 

My Favorite Santa

We have half a dozen Santas ranging from fancy and gold to just plain homely, but this little fella is the perfect measure of jolly.  

 

My favorite ornament set.

These aren't recognizably Hallmark but I got them over a decade ago, 75% off after Christmas; I felt like I won the lottery at the time.  Five different sizes, shapes and colors, each bears a different word--love, joy, peace, hope...

My favorite tray

Each season, I can't wait to find the Little Apple Girl, painted by Lisi Martin.  She lives in my kitchen throughout Christmas holidays and I'm always sad to pack her away.

 

My Favorite wreath

Two of my three children made these in kindergarten; for the life of me I can't figure out why the third didn't (WHY didn't I help him make one when he didn't that year?).  So many of my Favorite Christmas Things are handmade, no wonder I'm a wannabe!

 

My Favorite Angel

Make no mistake, this kid is NO angel (the tilted halo is your first sign).  But, oh, how I love him for tryin'...and the grin on his face melts me every time I see it.  This makes a perfect "ornament" for gaps in my Christmas tree, too.

 

My Favorite Random Decor

Ornaments in a bowl, who woulda thunk of that?  Well, probably Nester or Melissa or Rhoda, but not me.  Thankfully, my friend, Jennifer, did the thinking for me.  

 

I can't help but link up to Nester's Christmas Tour of homes again this year (on Thursday); it's become an annual tradition!   And already live is Melissa's Christmas Tour.  

Do tell...what are your favorite Christmas things?  

 

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2010

A weekend Chattanooga to-do list: handmade, local, a side of hope (& FREE Chick-fil-A for a YEAR?!)

The holiday season Chattanooga is bursting with so many wonderful, local things to do, it's hard to pick and choose.  If you live in or near the Scenic City, might I suggest a few things on my radar this weekend?

Miss Chatty Crafty & her band of sistercrafters bless my heart; you'll just have to read to see why.  This weekend they're hosting a Holiday Handmade Show boasting "supermegafoxyawesomehot DIY/Indie gifts" for your friends and loved ones.  Oh, how I love a good word mash-up, so this I have to attend! 

 

The Chattanooga Market, named to Frommer's top ten "America's Best Public Markets," is a local offering at the Tennessee Pavilion running Sundays May-December.  This weekend and next, however, it moves inside to the Chattanooga Convention Center.  You'll find over 200 vendors selling their handmades and homemades, from hand-blown glass and art crafted from recyclables, to jewelry and gourmet foods you won't find anywhere else. 

 

Hoops for Hope.  There's no website to direct you to but the Times Free Press featured a great article about it this week.  The event, now in its third year, benefits the MaryEllen Locher Foundation.  Twelve area teams will compete at Baylor, and one thing is for certain:  there will be a lot of pink!  And my lovely part-time employer, Chick-fil-A is sponsoring FREE Chick-fil-A for a year to any sharp shooter who nails a half-court shot during each match-up!  Anyone donating $5 can try a shot, and they'll receive coupons for two Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches with their donation.  Meaning they'll win whether or not they're a winner :).  Added bonus?  My friend Charles will be calling the games today!

* * * * *

Check out Friday's Current in the TFP for more weekend and upcoming ideas in the greater Tennessee Valley (including tonight's Holiday Starlight Parade downtown!). 

Your turn:  If you live in the Tennessee Valley, please share what you're up to that I shouldn't miss; otherwise, DO tell me special holiday happenings in YOUR neck of the woods!!

The panhandler's breath

He slipped in sideways between the closing elevator doors, as if he were late to a meeting; he pressed the "5" without looking.  But it was evening, and baggy pants and faded navy hung on his tall, slim frame...and his stealth entry stiffened the hairs on the back of my neck. 

The corner of my eye had noticed him a few seconds earlier, just after we had parted a sea of clamorous teens.  He was smiling, grandfatherly, standing maybe 30 feet away where the electric shuttle picks up.  Later I would remember thinking he must work for the bus company, which, had I given any thought to, wouldn't have made sense because it's free and there are no employees to help with boarding. 

I had no idea he was watching us, studying us, predator patiently awaiting his next prey.

The four of us were sealed in a four- by six-foot metal tomb.  Tomb--that thought really scampered across my mind.  I wondered if he had a knife in his pocket.  I wanted to protect my son.  Fight or flight pumped adrenaline but there was no where to run. 

Extreme and ridiculous, these thoughts - and more - flashed through my mind in nano seconds.  The Stranger began speaking.

"Yessir, I see you're a family man with your wife and your son here..." and he nodded in my and Stephen's direction. 

"...you see I'm homeless and all I've got..." and on queue, he reached into his left pocket and pulled out two cents, two old pennies blackened with age.  Two cents to his name? I thought and it was all too contrived, too practiced, and I didn't believe a word he was saying.

It was then I smelled it ~ the small space lent itself to that ~ and I doubted my doubt.  His breath. 

It wasn't the scent of alcohol.  His eyes weren't red and his voice didn't waver; his wizened face matched his graying hair. 

His breath was morning's, zoo breath, the pet name I'd given to the scent inhaled when kissing my children awake when they were little. 

He needed to brush his teeth.  I wondered how long it had been since he brushed his teeth.

The elevator door opened and I handed him my leftover pizza as Stephen and I brushed past him, which was almost funny because minutes before I had told my husband if he ate it before I had a chance, I'd cut him (What can I say?  Mellow Mushroom is my favorite).  Tad pulled out his wallet and gave him a bill and the Stranger thanked and God blessed him.

The elevator door closed behind us.  Conflicted, I was relieved.

We got in the car and blurted first thoughts--

"I didn't believe a word he said," mine.

"That made me nervous," my son's.

"I wonder if he'll really eat the pizza," my husband.

In the quiet, we wondered many more thoughts, processing those few minutes, wondering what IS the right thing to do. 

And at the end of the day, this is what I conclude--

It doesn't matter whether or not his story is true;

for an old man to resort to begging strangers for money, he has to be some kind of desperate.  The money my husband gave him will never be missed.  It was a reminder that we've been entrusted with much and given much.  Materially, yes, but more so spiritually.  Loved, chosen, forgiven, redeemed, graced, lavished--every spiritual blessing.   

E v e r y. 

There's a part of me that wishes I would have been brave enough to ask the man his story, made sure he knew he was loved...and bought him a tooth brush. 

But this morning it occurred to me he could have been an angel.  Which tells me generosity, kindness and hospitality is always the right response; because then it's not about you or the stranger or the circumstance, it's about a simple, God-glorifying response.

Did we entertain an angel last night?  We'll never know. 

But it wouldn't be the first time the Breath of Heaven smelled like a zoo.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : 

Linked at the Extraordinary Ordinary, because I just wrote :).  Go...visit...lots of great writing over there.

 

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Great graduation gift ideas (they're hoping you see this list!!)

The most comprehensive list of high school/college graduation gifts for guys and girls I've seen.  And...you don't have to click through an annoying slide show to see everything (don't you hate those?).

Here from Simple Mom, Pinterest or StumbleUpon?  Welcome!
THANK YOU for sharing this on your social networks!
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contribute pennies toward maintaining my blog.  For that, I am very grateful!)

Click for updated list for 2013.

If you're a reader of my blog, you already know my first born and only daughter graduated from high school last weekend.  It is certainly Dickensian milestone, when a family celebrates worthy accomplishment and the culmination of a dozen-plus years of education while realizing, soon, the chickadee will be flying the coop. 

Because there is reason to celebrate, naturally there are presents.  And I know--I know--teenagers love to receive money for a gift, but I despise giving money as a gift.

With that in mind, I published 15 Good and (almost) Perfect Gifts for High School Graduates over at Simple Mom's today.  It was difficult narrowing down my favorite choices so I hope you'll see what made the cut.   If none of those strike your fancy, I thought I'd offer a few more ideas for those of you who a) are in the market to purchase graduation gifts, and b) don't like to gift money either.  

These are in no particular order and I haven't taken time to separate by gender, so scan the list and see if anything jumps out at you.  I've covered the price range from modest to obscene; I'm guessing you're planning on spending somewhere in between :).

(And a little reality check:  in talking with high schoolers, those little inspirational books specifically for graduates didn't make anyone's list....)

1. Anything that arrives in a Little Blue Box (wowza...I found an on-line resale venue for high-end jewelry like Tiffany & Co.:  Portero.com)
2. Dustbuster 
3. Chubbies: The Most Radical Shorts in the Universe. <-- an absolute MUST for college-bound boys.  CRAZY but they've tapped into something...!
4. Cordless Screwdriver
5. Quality umbrella
6. Eagles Nest Outfitters DoubleNest Hammock. (My daughter received one, and though it's not something she'd ever think to ask for, it might just be her favorite gift of them all.  Which is saying something!!)
7. Melamine plate, bowl & plastic tumbler for eating a thousand packs of Ramen noodles :).
8. Laundry Hamper (they have the cutest ones at Charming Charlie's and they're affordable, too)
9. Digital camera or if you know they already have one, a nice case or memory cards.
10. Back-of-door full length mirror
11. Bedrest (husband) pillow. A must-have for comfort-studying :).
12. A deck of restaurant gift cards in their college town.
13. Twin size feather bed or thick Mattress Topper; institutional beds can use the help!
14. iPad or Kindle (the price has really come down!) :).
15. GPS
16. Laptop sleeve.  Most students will need a laptop on their way to higher education; a good protector is necessity.  Talk to their parents to make sure you purchase the correct size.
17. University stadium blanket
18. Stadium chairs
19. Sports watch
20. A quality bookbag (my kids prefer a a Patagonia pack. They've never ripped.
21. An adventure--sky diving, hang gliding, etc., if it's offered in your area
22. College license plate
23. Vibram's FiveFingers shoes (Kids love 'em, parents, not so much.  A bit pricey but most kids would think you're the Coolest Gift Giver EVAH if you gave 'em a pair.)
24. Portable fan (best white noise of all time)
25. Bulletin board and thumbtacks
26. Dry Erase board for door (facing hall, great way to leave notes and statuses for roomies and visitors)
27. Pocket knife (I'd vote for a Swiss Army Knife over a Leatherman tool)
28. Luggage!  A set of luggage is something they'll use for years, whether or not college is in their future; look for sets they can add to, wheels are a must, and although black is the most popular color choice, chose a bright color that's easy to spot in a crowd.
29. A doc in a box!  Go beyond a traditional first aid kit and include a container full of assorted sized band-aids, Neosporin, rubbing alcohol, Benedryl cream, tweezers, scissors, gauze, tape, Advil, Tylenol, cold remedies, Pepto Bismol, etc.  Anything their mama would have in her medicine cabinet!!
30. Cooler with wheels.  Great for tailgaiting, road trips and camping--bet they'll be one of the few with one of these. 
31. Over-sized beach towel.

Be sure to check out my TOP 15 ideas over at Simple Mom--you'll be entertained by the comment thread where a few people disagreed with my choices (a little surprised by the tone in response to a simple opinion post...!)

 What have I left off?  DO shout out YOUR best suggestions!!

  Now is the perfect time to subscribe to PENSIEVE in a reader or by email.  Thanks!!

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Imaginatives will see a snowman's light saber or Yeti's toothpick

As a snow-deprived Southerner who finds kittenish delight in even the slightest of dustings, I understand mine is a short-sided view.  Where I see beauty and wonder and fun, friends north and west of me see dread and danger and imposition.  

I suppose it's a frosty bleached version of "the grass is always greener...."

Our celebrated, much-anticipated first EVAH White Christmas sent me on a photowalk around my yard and I discovered extraordinary coolness had been hanging just outside my bedroom window-- 

Maybe it's the nerdy kid in me, but I would love to see time-lapsed photography of the icicles forming.  

They're gorgeous...

 

And haunting...

 

And stabbity...

 

Remember that scene in Lovely Bones where the very bad guy got his due?  When an icicle broke off a building and impaled him?  That's what I thought of when I took this picture--

...it would've been pretty funny for someone to have taken a shot of me hanging outside my window upside down, but for ego's sake, I'm glad no one saw me!

 

For perspective, I did break off one...

And with hat hair, no make-up on and 12 layers of clothes, I kinda look like the Abominable Snowman from Rudolph holding an icy scepter.  

It doesn't take much to make me happy, does it?  Weather?!  While some find it pedestrian or unworthy of conversation, apparently I had plenty to say about it in 2010 ~

• Walking in thunder and lighting...(not on purpose!)
• My front yard baby rainbow (I didn't even know God made 'em this size!)
• And, yes...snow or the possibility of it :).

Please tell me I'm not the only one--if you've got a weather-related post in 2010, do share!