Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow?

It's not often that The HesterMan and I have trouble in the communication department. For all our faults as a couple, there is one thing we have always been pretty good at...and that is talking with one another. We have never had to work really hard at how to approach one another with words...formulating sentences..carefully speaking diplomatically to one another. We have had to work really hard at other things, but not necessarily the "gift of gab." (That may be my gift...and his is the gift of listening. Your guess is as good as mine. :))

But our stellar communication skills went out the door recently when I asked Gregg to mail out our Christmas cards. If you have been following my blog at all (and who hasn't!!), you know what a thorn in my side these Christmas cards have been. They shouldn't be like that...but I have made it that way by waiting to the last minute to complete them. Right before we left for Michigan, I laid on my sick throne of a bed, and tried to complete as many as I could before growing faint and weary. (A little dramatic here, but people enjoy drama.) I sealed the last one with a sense of victory, knowing that the postmark would be the day before Christmas, and somehow that gets me in the window of punctuality. I handed the pile of cards to Gregg and said, "These need to be mailed before we leave." I was amazed that he didn't "throw a fit" about going to the post office when we were supposed to be hitting the road momentarily. I chalked it up to the wonderful serving nature of my husband, and moved onto the next task to get us out the door and on the road.

Fast forward a week later, and I am approaching my mailbox at midnight, having just returned from a Youth Event at church. I couldn't remember sending the girls out earlier in the day to retrieve the mail, so I was pretty sure it was still in the box. And boy, was there ever!!!!! In the darkness of the night, I pulled a card out of the mailbox that had stamped upon it, "RETURN FOR POSTAGE." "Oh," I thought to myself, "the stamp must have fallen off this one." Not good, but I will just stick another on it, and beg for mercy from its recipients later. As I reached in to get the rest of the mail, I felt a bundle of mail held together tightly by a rubber band. "What on earth is this?" I muttered in the blackness of midnight. Imagine my "horror" when I realized it was all of our Christmas cards....WITHOUT STAMPS ON THEM. Gregg had followed my instructions to a "t," never noticing that when I had handed him the bundle a week prior, the cards had no stamps on them AND THEY STILL DIDN'T!!!

I wanted so desperately to wake him up when I walked into the house with the bundle under my arm. I couldn't figure out how he didn't notice there were no stamps on these things. I approached our bedroom with the soundtrack of his snoring in the background, ready to shake him awake for an explanation. But it just wasn't worth it. It really didn't matter. There was nothing I could do about now. And who wants to be startled from a deep sleep while being attacked over silly stamps. It could wait until the morning. I was pretty sure I knew what happened anyway.

So, if you haven't received a Christmas Card from the Hesterfamily yet, it may be on its way shortly to a mailbox near you. If you never get one, accept this belated salutation from our family to yours, and know in our hearts that we wished you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

**Hestercouple New Year's Resolution #1- Mean what you say, and say what you mean. If you want him to go to the post office, TELL HIM. This home needs to be an "Assumption Free Zone." :)

Just call me "Oprah"....better yet...don't

Being sick in bed for 5 days gave me some time to think (between those dreaded "Gold" commercials and Sudafed fixes) about some areas in my life that need some work, or fine tuning, if you will. I feel like I have been in a season of being focused on everything else but the well-being of others. Candidly speaking, sometimes I see a need around me and I don't meet it. I think to myself, "Oh, I don't have time for that....it's someone else's turn to meet a need. Let someone else be blessed by serving once in a while." My heart for others has been tainted by my love of self. And I could feel it creeping over me like that dreaded flu bug. At times, I would ask myself, (You know those conversations you have with yourself in your head??....I know you do)"What's wrong with you? Why have you lost desire to meet needs around you? What are you doing with the time God has given you?" The answer to those questions just kept pointing me back to a place of selfishness...and it is an ugly place to be.

Focusing on yourself can lead to a depressed introspective state of mind. Have you ever noticed that? On the flip-side, when you give of yourself, there is little time to concentrate on petty things that can occupy your thought life. God created us to give ourselves away. You and I have only one life. How are we using the days in which God has given us?

Maybe it's because it is the first of the year. Maybe it's because I am turning 40. Maybe it's because I am sick and tired of being motivated to serve myself. But I got to thinking that I really need to challenge myself in 2009 to give away what God has given me...my energy and my resources to meet the needs of those He puts in my life. It is exciting to be part of the action in what God is doing!!! Why on earth have I been sitting on the sidelines???

So...I want to propose this challenge to you. This is what I have been thinking. I wonder if you would join me in meeting the needs of one person every week in 2009. Here's what that means: Simply looking around you and serving someone that God has placed in your path that week. It could be absolutely anything. There are no limits. There are no criteria. It may be making a meal for someone. It may be taking an elderly neighbor out for dinner. It may be calling someone you know who has been struggling with something big in their lives. It could be watching a couple's kids, just so they can reconnect with one another. Absolutely anything!! God will make it known. And when you are done, you will have served in 52 different ways!!!!! How cool is that???!!

I so want to do this!! And I would love to have the accountability of others doing this around me. It would be so wonderful to share in the excitement of serving!!! I have also thought about keeping a journal for the year....not to record "look what I did" but "look what God did!" With my poor memory, it would be a helpful tool.

Maybe you don't feel like you are struggling with "me-itis." If so...disregard. But if you can relate to anything here that I have shared, and you would like the challenge of sharing the gift of serving with a few others, you can simply comment right here. And together, we can be the hands and feet of Christ in a new and unique way!!! Will you join me?

Merry, Merry Christmas to you!!!

THIS wasn't on the "to-do" list!

I've been in bed for the last three days. Totally unexpected. I hadn't made room for this on the still ever-growing "Must do before Christmas" list. There was no lee-way, no give nor flexibility, no room for sickness on the to-do list. I had successfully arranged things that must be done down to the minute before we celebrated Christmas with my extended family, and now my "well-designed" plan has been foiled. Of course, the Christmas cards are still untouched, the Christmas cookies I made to give our neighbors still lay wrapped on the counter...and I am totally embarrassed to admit this, but I have a few more gifts yet to buy. I am in no shape to do any of these things. I am in really no shape to be writing either...but it is 2am...and I am tired of the tv.

Speaking of the tv, have you noticed how much you pay attention to cold and cough commercials when you are sick?? Man, there are A LOT of options out there!! I lay in my bed, looking painfully at the television screen, wishing I could somehow "will" the medicine to me. I know I am too sick to move from my bed to go out and get some. Which lends these thoughts....Why don't they allow some sort of delivery service for OTC meds?? If I can call and have pizza delivered in as short as 45 minutes, why can't someone bring over some Sudafed???

Some people swear by Nyquil. I know my husband does. I am so jealous of him when it comes to that. I can't take it. It has just the opposite effect on me. Although he rarely needs help in the sleep department, I can't take Nyquil because it makes me have a night of very restless, in and out of consciousness, very strange sleep. I would be an absolute fool to take it. Same goes for Tylenol PM. Whatever common ingredient that is in these things, I cannot have. I can't have caffiene after 4 pm either. Oh why, oh why must I be me????

We are supposed to celebrate the Hesterfamily Christmas this morning. Oh, how I wish I was healthy!!! My girls deserve a healthy mom to share in the wonderment of Christ's birth. Instead, I will sit on the couch with a blanket around me, incredibly scary hair, red nose, sunken eyes, more pale than normal skin, and force a smile as they open their gifts. They will want to hug me afterwards, but they can't, because we are SO MORTIFIED that anyone else in the family will get this bug. I cannot tell you the amount of times I have attempted to squeak out "Wash your hands" from this bed. I know Gregg has been singing that song into the ground too since Friday morning.

As I write this, I have decided that I am going to make an appt to see the doctor today. How I wish they still made house calls!!!! Although, if they did, my sick mind would probably encourage Gregg to clean the house before the doctor got here. And that would take a lot of work, because I have noticed that the girls have used this "down time" to do everything but pick up after themselves, make their beds, etc. I think it has been a little vacation for them to have me sick. Now, don't get me wrong, they are incredibly sympathetic to my plight. But I wouldn't be surprised if they have enjoyed the break from "me" a little bit.

I realize I have been a little wordy in the wee small hours of the morning. Be thankful you are only having to read this, and not hear it yourself. My voice is not my own. Come to think of it, my head and my sinuses are not my own either. I would gladly trade back what I had. Spending this time in bed has only confirmed the obvious to me. I enjoy interaction with people, I miss hearing from my friends, I miss talking with my sister everyday, and I haven't been able to use my allotted 5,043,403 words a day like I normally do. Thus, this incredibly long post at a ridiculously early hour in the morning.

Random thoughts:

-My husband has been very patient with me since I have been sick...a lot more patient than I am to him when he is sick. Why is that??

-I am amazed at the about of "Gold" commercials on tv. You know, "Send your miscellaneous pieces of gold you have laying around, we will melt them down, and send you a check for them. We will even give you an envelope to send them in." First of all, who has that much gold laying around?? And would you really take a risk and send it off in a envelope that's contents will be obvious to any hand that touches it? Maybe it is just me and my sick mind, but this seems outrageous to me.

-My husband did go get me some medicine and it has been a huge help. I am grateful for that. But I still need to go to the doctor. This is lingering too long. And my energy level is near empty.

-And for those of you who care, this is my 200 post of 2008. Kind of a neat milestone. I enjoy this hobby of mine, and I hope at times, you do too. Merry Christmas, dear ones. Merry Christmas.

Check Out Time is Promptly 2:15pm

I don't know about all of you in the great blogosphere, but it has become very apparent around here that the Hesterfamily is shutting down for Christmas Break a little too early. I have had an enormous desire to keep my girls home from school...call them in sick every day....just to have some extra time with them. I want to make cookies with them, wrap presents with them, play endless hours of the Wii with them, spend lazy stretches of time watching old movies with them, sip hot chocolate with them, and maybe even get them to help me with those Christmas Cards that haven't gone out yet. But alas, we still have so much left to do in the obligations of school department...and we get out tomorrow at 2:15. I just cannot wait!!! I feel so celebratory, I want to throw a gigantic party for our family and all our school-aged raising friends, who just might be feeling the same way we do.

Gregg and I have been trying to hide these early "checked out" symptoms from our girls...but I don't think it is working very well. We didn't want them to be infected by our contagion. Yet, we have been seeing signs as if they have caught the bug too, despite all the whispering, sighs, wimpers, and groans we have been making apparently not too privately. Guess it has been pretty obvious that we have wanted to officially call it quits in the effort arena of tasks and "to-dos" as well.

Since evidence shows with all high probability the girls have mentally "left the building," it has been difficult to challenge them to stay afloat until Friday at 2:15. It all comes down to the proverbial "Do as I say...not as I do" in reference to the behavior they seem to be witnessing in their parents. If Faith were to check out academically now, there could be huge ramifications for her come January. We don't want that for her...but we are having a hard time fighting this ourselves. How can we honestly expect it out of her? Hopie is another story. She can check out at this point in her academic career and not pay too strongly for it. Wish we could all be sitting in that catbird seat.

How about you? Where is your family sitting when it comes to anticipating Christmas break? How have you held the reigns in keeping your family task-oriented when everybody seems to be saying "Check, please!"

Wii can't get enough

I have recently developed the ability to play the banjo, flute, and tuba all within a matter of minutes. Now, before you start thinking I am a musical protege' (like you even would), I'll share a little "ancient Chinese secret" (remember that commercial from the 70's??) with you. The girls got Wii Music this past weekend from their grandparents for Christmas, and we have been playing it ever since. I am moved to tears as I listen to them play "Please Mr. Postman," "Locomotion," and "Wake me up before you go-go." (That song is the one that produces the tears...yuck..yuck..and triple yuck!!) Not only that, but I have conducted my own orchestra (what an arm workout!) and played the hand bells with Hopie (more of a wrist workout here). This is just so much fun!!!

The girls have recorded their own CDs and created their own CD jackets. They are so adorable!!! Watching our large collection of Miis participating in various forms throughout the game is absolutely hilarious!!! I never knew our Miis had so much talent!!!

So, if you are looking for a last minute Christmas gift for the kids, you really should try Wii Music. I have been pleasantly surprised with the reaction the girls have had over this latest game in our collection. (BTW, our Wii collection is very limited. Donations can be made right here on the blogspot. :))

Smile and say "Cheese"

You must know that I am behind in everything I am compelled to get done before next Thursday. There is no reason on earth I should be sitting with my laptop except for the sheer excuse of procrastination. I have a "to do" list a mile long, and just when I cross something off of it, another task mysteriously tacks itself to the bottom. It will not stop growing!!

I haven't sent a single Christmas card yet. Not even sure where they are right now. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?????!!!! I used to be so dedicated to this. I would spend hours formulating the right words and message to send in our annual Christmas letter. I would buy the girls matching Christmas outfits....make an appointment at a nice professional studio and have the Hesterfamily Christmas picture taken. Now, I find my mind drifting to questions of "Is it worth the headache? Can I really tolerate arguing with my girls over what they are going to wear...how I want their hair to look...if one has food in their braces in the picture...if they have both showered recently, etc." One of my girls nearly refuses to have her picture taken. Oh where, oh where did their "complacent" toddler years go??

I feel a self-induced pressure to get these Christmas cards out. Because we don't have the time nor energy nor patience nor unanimous desire to get our family's picture professionally taken, I had to search through the pictures we have recently taken on our own. Certainly, there would be something there we could use. Nothing...nada...zero...zilch...zippo...naught...that is, except for the one picture we had taken together on the BIG GAME DAY. (The Ohio State/Michigan game, if you don't live here) That is all we have!! And in that picture, Hopie is wearing a hat on her head!!!! Hardly anything comparable to what we used to send. Maybe people will get a chuckle out of the picture. Maybe people will take pity on me as a mom and realize I try...but I just can't win all my battles when it comes to daughter-rearing. Maybe they'll read my blog and this will be a head's up to them on the "less than quality" photo they will be receiving in their Christmas card this year. But, maybe, just maybe they have their priorities in line with that of our Father, and realize that it just doesn't matter what photo you stick in the card. They just want to see how much your kids have grown...and not so much how you have. :)

As much as I feel inadequate about my own portrait pickle, I must share how much I have enjoyed the pictures we have received in the mail thus far. They are beautiful and I marvel at the ways in which you were able to pull this off, fellow mothers. Maybe after all the craziness of the season is over, (that craziness is a topic for another post, I fear) we can schedule a breakfast or lunch together and you can tell me how best to accomplish this huge feat for next year. But whatever you do...please do not use the words "smile" or "say cheese," when we get together. I would so appreciate it.

Raking up the Leaves

I've been going through a little bit of a book rut lately. It has been a while since I have enjoyed the pleasures of reading a book I just cannot put down. And when I say "awhile," most of you might define awhile as one or two years. I define it as one or two months. I have a love/hate relationship with "can't put them down" books. I love to read them, start "sneaking" around for opportunities to digest them, and then I hate when I finish them. It's kind of like the anticipation of going on a date with your husband, and then feeling depressed when the date is over. The analogy may be a stretch...but it fits for me.

Last week, while searching the shelves of our library for a good book, I stumbled upon a "debut author" by the name of Nicole Baart. Without knowing a thing about her, I thought I would take a chance (I can be somewhat close-minded when it comes to an author I have never heard of) on the book and at least read the first couple of chapters. Before I knew it, not only had I read the first couple of chapters, but I finished the whole book. I LOVED IT!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!

After the Leaves Fall strangely took me back to my college days at Western Illinois University and the dating years of my husband who was going to Iowa State at the time. Nicole does such a wonderful job of capturing the thought processes of a 19 yr. old college student. Her writing made me visualize my dorm room once again....living on campus...struggling through certain classes....the unknown of your future...the mystery of men....giving your heart away, etc. And she doesn't stop there!!! Thankfully, I just got my hands on Book 2 entitled "Summer Snow," which is a continuation of the first. I cannot wait to dig in!!!!

I have read offerings from debut authors before, and I have to say I couldn't find a single clue that indicated Nicole had never published before. After the Leaves Fall flowed very nicely from chapter to chapter and had just the right amount of "unknown and suspense." This book would gladly receive my "no money back" guarantee. :)

**PS- I just want you to know I am aware this post is not quality writing by the Hesterwoman. In the midst of trying to write this, I have had to break up an argument between my girls and answer my youngest's many questions about kitty liter. I hope you can accept my apologies. :)

Jon and Kate plus 8= Nagging Wife

Maybe it's just me. But I cannot watch Jon and Kate plus 8. I cannot handle how demeaning Kate is to her husband. Am I alone in my observations?? I gave the show a shot a few years ago before it became the "sensation" it is today. I think it was coming on after one of the Hesterfamily's favorites, "Little People, Big World", so we just continued watching. I felt increasingly uncomfortable and uneasy in the ways I saw Kate interact with Jon. She seemed so hard on him...so belittling. I know it must be incredibly difficult to raise 8 kids. I mean, I only have two, and there are days when I just feel so very inept. But I couldn't bring myself to watch it again, because as a woman, I have to keep myself in check in the Respect, Honor, and Value Department of my marriage. Authentically speaking, viewing a relationship like Jon and Kate's isn't healthy for me. I was Kate (minus 8) in the formative years of our marriage and I caused a lot of damage. Being around that behavior is just too much of a temptation, and my husband doesn't deserve it. We both thrive in our relationship together when Proverbs 27:15 is not present. Been there...caused destruction with that.

I noticed recently that Zondervan just published an autobiography of sorts from the famous 10 pack. I have to admit I was surprised at this. Not that Zondervan would promote such a book, but that Kate would want them to. As much as this pains me to say...and I will appear very judgmental for doing so (I hate this, I am so sorry!!)...but I had no idea that Kate was a Christian. I didn't see anything resembling Christ in her relationship with Jon. Yes...I know it is TV....I know that I haven't followed it at all, so I should be keeping these thoughts to myself, even dismissing them, if you will. Yet, it seems like there should just be some hint of Christ between the two of them. Maybe TLC cuts out all the positive things Kate says about Jon. Maybe their relationship is a lot more interesting when there is disrespect and negative comments made. And I must admit that I don't know much about Jon. Maybe he is equally at fault. Maybe he is exactly that way to her and they both need to work on it. Since it has been so long since I have watched it, maybe her attitude toward him has improved. Maybe she is learning to love and respect him as the head of her incredibly large household. And just maybe I am looking at this too literally. After all, it is simply just a television show, right?? Or is it??

I think as women, this is an area in our lives that is soooooo weak. For some sinful reason, we can be naturally contentious, inherently belligerent when it comes to interacting with husbands. We can be so devoid of love and honor. We have no idea what it is like to listen to us day after day, week after week, year after year if we speak disparaging words consistently to our men. Then we wonder why they don't receive us like we want to be received...we question why they aren't "Knight in Shining Armor-like"....we demand better treatment all the while reciprocating their attempts with more combative and hostile words.

Do I get this right all the time?? Absolutely not. Do I let Gregg and God down by reverting back to my old ways? Sometimes, yes. But I will tell you that my relationship with Gregg is more spiritually intense (good thing), my love for him is deeper, and my heart for him is more grace-filled, since I got the message that God was so desperately trying to communicate to me in 1 Corinthians 13:4. And as a result, Gregg's love for me is completely different as well. I am telling you with all sincerity, if you are struggling with this in your marriage, God wants to help. He wants to teach you what it means to be your husband's cheerleader, his encourager, his Number #1 fan, his safe place of refuge after a really hard day. You cannot imagine the difference it will make in your life. Your marriage will not look the same. It will change so much for the better, it will be hard for you to remember what it was like before. You, your husband, and God will rejoice in the newness!!! It feels wonderful!! Just try it!!

Maybe, I need to give Kate another chance. Maybe I have been too hard on her. Maybe you can relate just a little of what I have talked about today. If so, know that I have been there, and I am cheering you on as you reevaluate how you love your husband. Think of it like this, "You and Hubby plus God= Great Marriage." Now that is a show I would love to see on TLC!!!

We interrupt this program to let you know that......

The Hesterwoman has parked herself firmly on "Writer's Block." Please send a tow truck, a policeman, a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, or something!!!! Let's move her on out of there!!! She's taking up too much space!!

It's a beaut, Clark!!!"

Gregg and I have very limited experience when it comes to cooking a turkey, but this Thanksgiving we were able to pull it off quite nicely, I think. But I must admit I had visions of this scene from Christmas Vacation, before we pulled the turkey out of the oven.

By the way, my sister and I were just talking the other day about this movie and how funny it still is, even after seeing it, oh say, 57 times. It has become a contemporary Christmas classic....maybe not the same caliber as "It's a Wonderful life"...but pretty darn close.

A hunger for the "Old America"

With the recent soundtrack of "hope" and "change" in our country and the quest for a "New America," I must be among the minority who would prefer a restoration of the "Old America"- a time of drug store soda fountains, fishing in the old watering hole, barber shops, playing baseball in the street, riding your bike without a helmet, Boy Scouts, family picnics, and playing checkers with your next door neighbor. My heart longs for a simpler time of life, the one in which my parents and grandparents unknowingly enjoyed. But I know that will never be. My girls will never know what it is like to ride your bike to the local grocery store without fear of being abducted. They won't know the joys their daddy had as a child when he was gone for hours upon hours, just fishing by himself at the village pond. But they did get a sampling of life in the "good old days," when we visited the Ohio Historical Society's traveling exhibit of "Norman Rockwell's America" this past weekend.

We had the unique pleasure of walking through 15 life-like re-creations of some of Rockwell's most famous paintings from the Saturday Evening Post. In amongst the displays, the Society had people dressed up in period costumes to help enhance the exhibit's "realness," and add life to the ongoing story in which Rockwell is so famous for communicating through his art work.

At the end of the exhibit, we were lead to a room with framed replicas of all the covers Rockwell did for the Post. This was incredibly moving. I gazed at the pictures, while standing near my Dad, step-mom Linda, and my Grandma. I knew they were able to identify with the images they were seeing. Those images were taking them back to a place in time which was very familiar to them. My eyes filled with tears at a couple of the paintings. I wondered if they prompted emotion out of others as they did with me.

I'm curious if Norman Rockwell ever realized the contribution he was making to our culture with each painting he created. Did he know that his work would be used as evidence that our lives as Americans were once simplified and somewhat effortless? I am grateful for the opportunity to expose the girls to such a country as this once was....even if they find it difficult to find traces of unpretentious living in the Twenty-First Century.