The Mystic Paper design team has been given the month of September off, in order to wait for all the Christmas goodies to come in.  (In other words, I will be working on Christmas projects in October!  Yikes!)

In the meantime, I have whiled away the extra hours this month with numerous commitments, all enjoyable, yet undeniably chaotic!  There is no doubt we are in a busy season of our lives, and I’m trying to do more than just hang on for the ride:  I desire to not just live in and treasure every moment, but avoid the attitude of ‘looking ahead’ to (what? The next season of life that might be different but will most likely just be busy in a different way?) the future.  You know what they say- “Today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present!”  But of course, that’s stupid!  It’s called a homonym, people!

But, I digress.

Just ‘looking around’ on the computer last night, I couldn’t help but notice the title of the article.  DREADFUL PAST DECADE… Not much room for interpretation there… and here I thought this past decade was pretty OK, silly me.  ’Bad?’ the first line of the article quickly interrupted my positive train of thought ‘You thought the first decade of the 21st century was bad?  It was worse than that.’  Sheesh, I thought, SORRY!

As I read the article, I was reminded of the hardships our state and country had endured.  (September 11, a decade bookended by war, economic hardship, natch.)  But the article did offer some balance, reminding readers of victories we had all shared.  (Elisabeth Smart returned to her family, medical breakthroughs, the flight into the Hudson, real life-changing stuff)  Despite my best attempts at joy, my mind began to play along, looking at the victories and hardships of my and Matt’s last 10 years:

3 Beautiful babies, growing up healthy/3 little ones, lost before birth

A new house we love, continued employment/watching others face difficult times, and setbacks

An amazing church and church family, stronger than ever/ built up slowly on the ashes of a failed church plant

You get the picture.  But I’m not sure the person who wrote the article gets the BIG picture-  A decade is simply a decade.  It is an invented way to mark a segment of time.  In and of itself it has no power, but the passage of time does have a tendency to shed light on a few basic truths…

The BEST of decades can not bring anything but fleeting happiness to anyone outside of Christ, the source of lasting Joy.

The WORST of decades can not shake anyone resting in the promises of Christ, our source of Peace.

At midnight on December 31, there is one thing we can be sure of: 10 more years of our lives have passed.  We have no way of knowing if these last 10 years were 1/9 of our life, or 1/3.  Either way, time marches on, and not a moment of this life is to be wasted on anything outside of the eternal!

Ephesians 5:15+16 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil”

To be thankful implies that we are saying ‘Thank You’…  Instead of the gifts, let’s focus on the Giver of every good thing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jenna

1. I am a Christian, saved by grace through no merit of my own. Believe me.

2. I have lived in the Valley of Arizona my whole life, primarily in the same 2 mile radius, except for 2 years when I lived in East Mesa.

3. My earliest memory is just a moment of my 3rd Birthday party at McCormick Railroad park. I also have a very early memory of being in the bathroom at Faith EV Free church with Jody  and she had some Bonnie Bell type lip gloss and she got a smudge of it on my dress. The dress was a light green gauzy fabric with pleats and a white collar.

4. My Teachers in elementary school were: (At Pomeroy Elementary) Miss Horner and Miss Adams, and (at Booker T. Washington Elementary,) Mrs. Blumell, Miss Nelson, Ms. Petticrew, Mrs. Larkins, Miss Simon and my Mom! My mom was my teacher all through Jr. High. Let’s see if I can remember all of my High school teachers…Mrs. Yarbrough, Miss VanDyken, Mr. Nelson, Mrs. Mehan, Senor Servin, Mrs. Templeton, Mr. Adams, Mr. Uitermarkt, Mrs. Schoene, Mr. Yuskis, Mr. Hazeu, Mr. Barnes, Mrs. Wilke, Mr. Benson, Mrs. Lynch, Mr. Haagsma, and (aargh!) I can’t remember my 10th grade science teacher…she only stayed one year.

5. All through Junior high (and through part of high school) I kept journals. They are pretty hilarious to read, very emotional of course. I think it was a great outlet for me, as I wasn’t in school ‘chatting’ with people every day. I no longer journal, but I don’t feel badly about that, I’m glad I have other outlets to talk to about my feelings.

6. School stuff has always come relatively easy for me, with the exception being spelling and grammar. Spelling I have improved in as I’ve trained my brain while typing (spell check detractors be darned!) but grammar…I don’t know what it is, I can not get it to stick, it’s literally like there’s an invisible screen in front of my face, I hear the words, but they don’t penetrate my brain! I like to think I write intuitively even though I don’t know all the ‘rules’, but there are probably people out there that would beg to differ as they read my blog!

7. Same topic, new fact: In 10th grade (Miss VanDyken) I got a 47% on a grammar test (prepositional phrases, apostrophes, both my achiles heel) and was allowed to take a re-test after Christmas break. My mom bought me grammar books, I truly studied them…and I was able to raise my grade to a 51…and ½! I am laughing as I write this, because believe it or not in my10th grade year I was very shy and reserved ( remember, I hadn’t been in school for over 3 years) and Ryan O’sheel asked me how I did on the retest. I was in Mr. Nelsons math class, and I start spouting off, about how stupid the whole thing was and the fact that she gave me a WHOLE extra half a percentage, “So that
means I only got an F minus, MINUS”. Half the class started laughing in shock because it was probably the most words they had ever heard me say, but it was my chance to really show my personality!

8. I have an embarrassingly active imagination, I have to work very hard to keep my thoughts in check. Occasionally I’ll burst out laughing at absolutely nothing, and have to explain the joke that’s in my head to the people in the room, or talk my way out of it if it’s too embarrassing. A common refrain in my house while growing up was ‘oh, Jenna’s talking to herself again!” Was it that obvious?

9. My major pet peeve in life is smacking noises while someone is chewing. It is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I have had to move in restaurants if I’m sitting next to someone who is chewing with their mouth open. I have trained my children to NOT do that. Other pet peeves that are in the more temporary category are those ‘hangy-ball’ things men put on the back of their trucks, and blogs that play music when you visit them.

10. I truly think that if I did not have Christ in my life, I would be very limited in what I could do. I have a few borderline phobias, I hate flying, the dentist, rodents ( I have night mares about encountering rodents…like when was the last time I saw a wild rodent? Well, I can’t look at pet rodents, either….), roaches…I feel sometimes that through freedom in Christ I can just ‘deal’ with a lot of things that threaten to frighten me. Cuk-cooo!

11. I am married to Matt who I started dating when I was 16 and married him at 18. I have never even held anyone else’s hand. (Nerd!)

12. I enjoy meal planning and cooking. I know this probably reveals my unhealthy love of food, but what other part of adult life is as fresh and unpredictable as food? Let’s be honest, there’s not that many surprises in this life, but there’s always something new to try for dinner!

13. For ages, the only food I would not eat were Baked Beans. Now, I have started to appreciate them a bit. I am still not a fan of garbanzo beans, or really whole beans in general (what’s the deal with Rachael Ray’s affection toward cannelloni?), but considering my new found like of sushi, there’s pretty much nothing I won’t eat. In America.

14. I have been pregnant 6 times.

15. I have 3 children-Jonathan, Noah, and Eden. It amazes me every day how unique they are, how funny and fun they are, and how in need of a savior they are! Jonathan is very much like me (scary!) and Noah is so much like Matt in every conceiveable way. It is too early to tell what Eden will be like, proably a mix of both, since she is the youngest…

16. I love to do paper arts and crafting. I like making things look older than they really are and antiquing my crafts.

17. I really want to and I know I should be more devoted to scrapbooking my pictures, especially considering all the materials I have, but I have a hard time not getting really bored working just in 12×12 format.

18. I love to paint the walls of my home, I know it is crazy and messy and labor intensive, but to me it’s worth it. I also use a lot of paints in my crafts. Love paint!

19. I have joined several women at my church in trying to get up earlier and giving the first hour of the morning to God and prioritizing our day. I am left with but one question-what good is getting up an hour earlier if I am a mess by 12 o’clock?

20. I have a goal this year to be published in an art magazine. I also am going to ‘throw my hat in the ring’ and try out for (up to) 2 design teams.

21. I have a genetic disorder called MTHFR. Unlike in comic books, genetic mutations are BAD! Sorry, Mr. Howlett.

22. Sort of embarrassing to admit, but I really enjoy reading children’s fiction. I have read many of the Newberry award winners, and continue to do so as winners are named each year. I have grown tired of picking out adult books at the library and having them be boring or full of sex scenes. I don’t have time to read MUCH fiction, I mostly read books recommended to me by my mom.

23. I enjoy challenging myself and learning about new things, and how to do new things and trying them. I admit I have little patience for people who automatically say, “Oh, I can’t do that!” How do you know? And seriously, what’s the worst that could happen? Seriously?

24. I honestly don’t know what the draw is, I wish I could break it, but I love American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. I get excited when they start (so does my husband, about AI) and a little sad when they end. Not proud!

25. It was hard thinking of 25 things about me, I wish I had been tagged when I only had to think of 7!

Matt and I have been busy with many things, however. We hosted a Discovery Dinner on the 6th, and have completely cleaned out and remodeled (moved furniture) the office, and are in the process of doing the same to the garage as well. When I say ‘we’, I mean ‘Matt’ while ‘I’ run interference with the kids, but that’s totally cool. Matt has really outdone himself. I was in charge of condensing/disposing of our paint supply in the garage. I think Matt summed it up when he looked at all the cans and said “somebody likes to paint!” Yes, I do, and since I plan on repainting the boys room, our bedroom, and the purple playroom this year, I need to make some room in the paint cabinet! Just…kidding?

The biggest highlight related to art in the last few weeks is an e-mail I got from my Aunt Debbie, my Mom’s sister. She had been meaning to write to me about my failed abrupted attempt to join Mystic Paper’s design Team for months…Her comments were surprising and much appreciated…Here is an excerpt:

I know all about how much of your heart and soul you put into your creations because I feel the same way with the things I create. And I know the pain of the rejection and how when they reject your creation it feels as if they are rejecting you. Being artistic is a wonderful gift and can bring such pleasure, and at the same time it is also sometimes a curse, because it can also bring pain. (ok maybe I am being a little over dramatic there, maybe not PAIN but it can HURT. I wanted to tell you that you should be really proud of yourself, that you went for it and gave it all you’ve got! That you didn’t let the fear of rejection stop you from trying and for that– – KUDOS to you!!! (Many times I let the fear of rejection stop me from going for things that I really wanted) So good for you for putting your fears aside and going for what you wanted so badly! Very few people get recognized or “win” their first time trying for anything, no chefs, no singers, no actresses or actors. Book writers-authors, usually have to send their manuscript to every publisher they can find an address for and still may not get a nibble or an offer. Jennifer Hudson got rejected on American Idol and went on to win an Academy Award! Well you get the jist of what I am saying, you just have to brush yourself off and keep trying.

Wasn’t that sweet?! Thank you, Aunt Debbie. She goes on to share another opportunity to join a Phoenix-based national design team, which, unfortunately, I realize is not right for me. It involves a lot of stamping (I own literally one stamp), and a lot of travel. But the encouragement is much appreciated, and there are a couple of similar opportunities I want to try for this year. Knowing there are people out there cheering for me is a wonderful encouragement!

Best, Period: Hark the Herald Angels Sing. I mean, come on, if the lines “God and sinners reconciled” or “Born that man no more may die” don’t hit you right in the gut, then your heart might just be ’2 sizes too small’. It is the perfect summation of the TRUE meaning of Christmas, very humbling, beautiful, and it nearly brings me to tears EVERY time I hear it. **Bonus: Both It’s a Wonderful LIfe and Charlie Brown Christmas end with all the characters singing this song. Perfect.
Worst, Period: The Christmas Shoes. There is a blanket ‘worst’ award for any and all songs that bring a child in to sing the last round of the chorus, but The Christmas Shoes is a true dud. It just tries way too hard. I can’t even listen to it. ** The 12 days of Christmas was saved from this dubious honor by the Muppets version with John Denver.
Most offensive Christmas song Lyric: This one was tricky, but I can’t help but roll my eyes when I hear this line from “Here comes Santa Claus”: “LET’S GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD ABOVE, ‘CAUSE SANTA CLAUS COMES TONIGHT!” Um, you’re NOT welcome?
Best Tearjerker, classic Have yourself a Merry little Christmas. Let’s just be thankful Judy Garland insisted on the lyrics being re-written. The new version is sad enough! (sniff,sniff)
Best Tearjerkers, modern I had to get 2 of my favorites on this list somewhere: “Another auld lang syne” by Dan Fogelberg and “Song for a Winter’s night” by Sarah Maclachlan. Gorgeous, both.
Highest number of ridiculous lyrics: Feed the World by Band Aid. Need more evidence that celebrities are in their own little world? Listen closely to this song. After the first verse touches on such depressing topics as the ‘bitter sting of tears’ and ‘bells of doom’, Bono himself offers up this piece of advice: “Well, tonight, thank God it’s them, instead of you!” “Lord, thank you that these people are in abject poverty…instead of me!” (“You’re not welcome!”) It doesn’t end there: “And there won’t be snow in Africa, THIS Christmastime” Really? Is that because it never snows in Africa (though it does, in parts) or because Simon Le Bon said so and ‘no snow’ would somehow disrupt his vision of the perfect “new world” Christmas? Either.

Do you have any additions to this list, or do you disagree? Please feel free to comment-let the debate begin!

There is one thing for certain about this time of year- it always puts me in a crafty mood. I admit, sometimes I struggle with Christmas. No, not the coming of Jesus to reconcile God and man kind of Christmas, I mean CHRISTMAS-THIS kind of Christmas! I won’t start spouting off, but I can’t help but wonder, at what point did we agree to let Christmas take over 1/10th of our entire year? And our entire budget? Just asking.

However, when I am making homemade gifts for the people around me, I know one thing for sure-it came from the heart. I can’t help but think of the person I am making the gift for when i am making it for them. While it is doubtful that I’m saving money, and certain that I’m not saving any time, making gifts, at least a few a year, is really important to me. I give store bought gifts too…I mean, I don’t want to be THAT person, but I hope that people can feel and appreciate the love that goes into their handmade gifts!

I don’t want to post too much of this gift on my blog and give it away, but here is a glimpse of a gift all ready to go or Dec. 25th. I started working on it a couple of months ago. I think it was the first week in September when I bought the blocks that form the base of this project-I ran into a friend, Melissa James, at Michaels that day, and when she asked what I was there for, I quickly said “Oh, some Christmas stuff.” I immediately thought- ‘I sound like a lunatic!’

As I watched Noah entertain himself as we waited in line, I couldn’t help reflect on how much my life has changed personally since the last time I stood in that line. When I voted for ‘W’ in 2004, I was pregnant with Noah, though I didn’t know it yet. Matt was still at Intel, but looking for a new job including interviewing for one in Flagstaff, where we were to travel for an interview that very week. Quite a change from now!

From then until now, well before 2004, and well into the future, God has been and will continue to be in control of my life. There was a time I was convinced I would never have another child, and today i waited in line with two ‘newbies’. Throughout the ’90′s, we thought Bill Clinton spelled doomsday for America, yet here we all are not much worse for the wear. God already knows who will win the election (it was decided a long time ago!), and God has chosen the path He knows is right. It may not always be easy, but we can trust that it is right.

How did I know Mandy would be the one to tag me? For those not in the ‘loop’, this is a fun little game that’s been going around blogs of girls at my church. Well, y’all asked for it, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

20 years ago- I was 9 years old, and in 4th grade. My life consisted of school, Full House, church, friends and family. My best friends at this point were school friends, Jana and Helen, and not to go into too many details, but they were probably not the best friend choices I could have made, especially as I grew closer to Helen over Jana in the years to come. I remember flirting a lot with Ryan (I think the only blonde I ever really thought was cute) until that SCARLET WOMAN Amy moved to town. I was quickly forgotten. This is so embarrassing to admit, but I actually prank called Ryan’s house pretending to be “Amy”. “Oh, you mean Ryan’s girlfriend?” his sister asked for clarification. Served me right, the jealous little brat.
I believe at that point in my life I had come to a very new and immature faith. It was around this time I had been told ( in Sunday school, or something) that we all had sin in our life, and we needed to ask God to forgive us. As a simple, childlike act of obedience, I agreed and prayed that night for God to forgive my sins. While there were teeny tiny evidences of fruit at that time, I still think I was pretty clueless for years to come.

10 years ago- I had been married to Matt for 6 months. I was in my second year of college, my first year at Chandler Gilbert CC. I was working at Bethany Learning Center as an afternoon Kindergarten assistant under Bev Klingaman and Kris Husa. In so many ways this was a great year for me, and in some ways very difficult. I still had a lot to learn as a grown woman (at 19?), a wife, and a believer. I was blessed to have had (still have) a very patient and wise husband who continued to remind me where we need to look when we need answers, and also that not everyone’s walk, or even relationship with Christ is going to look exactly the same. This was something I needed very much to hear, and still do!

5 years ago- Oh, goodness. Okay, we’ll start with the positive-I had just thrown Sarah’s wedding shower, and Matt and I were getting ready for their wedding, as well as Jerry and Christy’s wedding (Matt and Jonathan were in both of those weddings!). We had just moved into a new house that June, that we loved and still love. Our church was finally starting to feel like a church again, and the Maxwells were on their way! I was pregnant for the 4th time with a child I knew deep down was not going to make it. I remember waking up many times from bad dreams, or in utter panic, just terrified and all I could do was pray. Well, by the end of October ’03, the baby had died, been delivered and buried. In November we had a (minor) house fire, adding to the chaos! However, I had a wonderful group of girls in my small group to come around me, (Courtney Burns, Brooke Burns, Tracey Sevey, and Sarah), which was such a help and blessing. There was also no way I could have been LESS prepared to lose this child than I was with my first miscarriage, I also knew that I would have to go through the process again at some point so the doctors could figure out what was wrong with me. (Sick, I know) It was a very difficult time, but Matt and I had much more peace about the whole situation.

3 years ago- We had a little 3 month old named Noah!!! When I first became pregnant with Noah, and the doctors told me there was something WRONG with me, something they could fix, oh, my goodness that is a great feeling! (Another argument against evolution-genetic mutations are BAD, they do not make X-men!) Jonathan had just started his first year of Preschool, and Matt and I were still plugging away at Student Ministries. Other than that, and the stresses of having a new baby, I don’t remember much else except feeling very happy.

1 year ago- Round 3! Eden was 1 month old, and Jonathan had started Kindergarten. Jonathan was on a soccer team with 4 other church kids, which was a blast! Adjusting to #3 was so much easier than #2, I think when they’re 2 years apart there is much more of a rhythm to infancy that is easy to forget after a couple of years! We had taken a year off from Small group and were still a few months away from joining the Myer’s small group…it is amazing how much growth takes place in that environment! It had been many years since we were in a really solid group, and even though we had been attending church and even meeting 1-on-1 with people, it was very evident that growth is meant to happen in that type of group. We are blessed!

Yesterday- Walked at 6 am and it was actually cool outside. I bought a rad Storybook Pumpkin at Sprouts (Pictured) Sold Caramel Corn online to Leala to help out another mother in need. It was a good day, I couldn’t skip it!

Today- Dropped of J-man, ran to Target, Mike Jolly is coming over to fix our drywall (yay!). Cleaned, had a quiet time, cleaned some more, put lots of pictures in new frames, wrote this, picked up J-man, Teriyaki Chicken sandwiches for dinner.

Tomorrow- Dinner with our small group at the Myers, and we’re soon to be starting our new group Bible study. By the end of next week our bathroom should be in working order again. Phew, I am not loving sharing a bathroom with 2 little boys!

Next Year- I have absolutely no idea, I mean that, no plans! I can only hope that I will be thinking of myself less, thinking of Christ more, and somehow, somehow being an instrument to draw my children toward Christ. I can only pray we will all be in as good of health and mind as we have been for these last few months.