Aud's Odds

It's officially the Christmas season at our house. We finally put up our Christmas decorations today. Life has just been to busy. I debated digging them out and putting them up at all. But now that I've done it, I'm glad. It makes the house feel so cozy and festive. I feel like I can breath a big sigh - the house is clean, the decorations are up and the presents are wrapped. Ahhhh!!!! Feels good to be done. I called my mom today and she was cross country skiing with Nathaniel and Amanda. It made me miss my family. My mom was skiing with one pole so she could talk on her cell phone, with intermitten yells at Amanda to, "pull with her arms more" or "No, cross country skies aren't made to go down hills". Nathaniel was skiing on the bleachers at the park and at one point Panda, the dog, stole my mom's gloves. Stuff like that makes me miss my family and all of their quirky personalities. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful family. And ...

My dad is a baker. He bakes cinnamon rolls, rye bread, and limpa bread. He devotes whole entire days to baking and stocks the freezer with bread that will last for months and months. I've always watched as he baked, but that's it. Dad loved baking and so he did it alone. I must have picked up something just from watching though because yesterday I baked 35 dozen cinnamon rolls and they all turned out great. The youth group sold them for a fundraiser for the missions trip to Mexico. I offered to bake not really sure of what I was doing, but thanks to my dad, baking was in my genes, it came naturally, and it was actually a lot of fun. I don't think I'll take up baking in bulk on a regular basis. But at least I know I can do it. So the legacy of Carlson cinnamon rolls continues under a new name "Ross"

Was there ever winter in the Garden of Eden? I just can't picture it; Adam and Eve walking through the snow with nothing on and not considering clothing. The Bible says that Adam and Eve were naked, so the weather had to be warm. So were there seasons in the Garden of Eden or was the weather always the same? Did the change of weather come with Eve eating the fruit? Is winter the result of sin entering the world and God punishing Adam and Eve? Does cold and snow go right along with pain in childbirth and thorny ground? I may be way off base, but then that's legal when you're contemplating something. I don't know the answer, but I'd like to so maybe I'll ask someone who knows more than I do. Either way, winter is cold and miserable and seems like a bit of a punishment to me. I can't wait until spring!

"jimmy-rigged" What does that mean? Did Jimmy do it? No, I'll tell you who did it. It was the mechanic that fixed our truck for free. He added extra switches under the cigarette lighter to turn on the wipers. And I don't think his name was Jimmy, based on his nationality. He was Hispanic. (like Amanda) I'll tell you what else is "jimmy-rigged" - ME. I'm jimmy-rigged. The way my body works, has tell tale signs of jimmy rigging. I'm not sure why, but if I do this, and tweak that, and stand up straight, and roll my foot on a golf ball, and sit this way, and avoid eating that, and drink plenty of water, then my body works great. But if I don't, everything falls apart. The thing is, doctors don't know why it works that way. They never have. When I was 9 I had a short leg, why? who knows. I also got lots of headaches and so I wore a baseball tied on the front of my pajamas so I wouldn't sleep on my stomach at night. Now that sounds like ji...

Pain brings strength. I've been thinking about that concept a lot lately. I've always loved strength. I love feeling strong, doing things that take strength, feeling capable. However, I'm also not a huge fan of pain. But I don't know if true strength can ever really develop without pain. Body builders work hard and push through pain in order to gain muscle or strength. Runners run longer and harder in order to be stronger runners. They must feel some degree of pain in order to develop any level of strength. This isn't just true for athletes. Scholars, scientists, all those brainy people must study and go through the pain of diligently applying themselves in order to see growth or develop strength in those areas. I think this concept is true in everyday life as well. Pain is a definite part of life. We don't wish for it, but it's always there. It comes in so many different forms, physical pain, emotional pain, mental pain, financial pain, spiritual pain. Pai...

It's a snow day! I know I put an exclamation mark after that but I'm not sure if I'm feeling that exclamation or not. If I was in 3rd grade and I got to stay home from school and sled at Blairtown Park I might be feeling that exclamation point, but I'm not. So, let me rephrase that. It's a snow day. Just plain and simple. It's a matter of fact. I have had very relaxing morning but now it's getting close to noon and I wish it was nice enough to get out. But it's really not. There has been freezing rain since 6 a.m. so it's slick out there to say the least. Unless it warms up a little we won't be going out at all today. So here goes a slow Saturday indoors. I'll probably do some crafts, clean a little, read my book, "Kite Runner"(if you're looking for a good snow day book to read I highly recommend "Kite Runner") watch a movie with Jadon, maybe take Maya for a walk. That's about it. I guess for the Type ...