"My beloved is unto me as a bundle of myrrh." Song of Solomon 1:13
December 20th, 2007 by Aubri
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We don’t get much Tex-Mex in Nebraska so I’ve figured out how to make Tex-Mexaska. Here are my enchiladas accompanied by frijoles negros and spanish rice. Also, homemade salsa made by a Nebraskan. Yum!
December 20th, 2007 by Aubri
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Phil’s at it again. He set up his little brewery in the garage to keep a warm. He tries to get me to sit with him by telling me it’s a cozy 50 degrees out there. I stay in the house and decide I’ll sit with him when he’s finished, inside, and drink what he’s brewed in our 50 degree garage.
Please note the crazed look in his eyes. It’s not from the propane, but the Nutty Bar he’s stuffing his face with. It’s a sickness, he can’t just eat one of these, one pack that is, it must be 3, or 4 if I don’t see him sneak off with another. I fear I’ll loose him forever to little chocolate covered peanut butter wafers.
December 11th, 2007 by Aubri
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Yesterday we went to the park to do some sledding , or “sleigh riding” as the folks here call it. I was excited about how often they talked about riding in horse drawn sleds around here and couldn’t wait for my turn to dash through the snow in a one horse open sleigh, but alas, I was confused. I had a hard time making myself go face first down this hill on my stomach, but mean old Phil pushed me. I decided it was fun after that and didn’t have too much trouble the next time.
December 10th, 2007 by Aubri
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In addition to our tree, I’ve managed to put up a few other things Christmas in our home. Here’s the wreath I made all by myself.
An “Our First Christmas” ornament from Jud and Eugenie!
And now a word from Pastor Hale on what Christmas means. (Phil was asked by the local paper to submit a short message on this subject. He’s gonna be famous with all 9786 people in the county.).
An Unremarkable Christmas
Mary had a strained relationship with Joseph, because it took an angel from heaven to convince Joseph not to ditch his pregnant fiance. The first Christmas was not a trouble-free or cozy get-a-way. Traveling to paying taxes is not glamorous or inspirational, but that is the only reason we sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Not only that, Joseph was at his wits end trying to find lodging, but was unprepared and out of luck. The wise men had a star to follow, but they were mostly clueless as to what they were doing. They were so confused they went to Herod, the wicked baby-killer, for advice on what they were looking for. Their journey was no cakewalk, it included struggles and detours. Finally, the shepherds in the country heard the angels sing, but they knew about tending animals, not peace, goodwill, and other profound concepts. They must have been perplexed—what learning or education did they have to understand the greatest news ever told? Why did the angels only tell the dull and ordinary shepherds what Christmas is about?
The story of Christmas is the story of normal, everyday people searching for relief and comfort from their commonplace struggles. The ordinary circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus tells of God’s mercy to lowly and humble people. A miraculous baby was born among stressed, troubled, and mediocre people, in an unremarkable way. At the first Christmas, the remarkable was ordinary, to show us that the ordinary can be remarkable.
