Baby, It's WHAT?!?

I love compilation CD's. I can listen to one type of music by various artists without having to buy each individual CD by each performer. I especially like Christmas compilation CD's. I have several: all Christian artists, all children's versions, Disney, modern songs, traditional carols, etc. Last year I purchased Now That's What I Call Christmas 3, which I like because it's got 2 CD's, one with traditional music by original artists and one with today's artists singing some newer and some traditional songs. It's a nice variety.

The other day, as I was driving to pick up my son from school, I popped the CD in and began listening to the songs. One song in particular caught my attention. I've heard it many times before, but I never listened to it. The song is called "Baby It's Cold Outside" and it's recorded by Dean Martin. Here are the lyrics, for your evaluation (the words in parenthesis are sung by a girl and the rest is sung by Dean Martin):

(I really can't stay) But baby it's cold outside
(Got to go away) But baby it's cold outside
(This evening has been) Been hoping you'd drop in
(So very nice) I'll hold your hands they're just like ice
(My mother will start to worry) Beautiful watch you're wearing
(My father will be pacing the floor) Listen to the fireplace roar
(So really I'd better scurry) Beautiful please don't hurry
(Well maybe just half a drink) Put some records on while I pour
(The neighbors might think) Baby it's bad out there
(Say what's in this drink) No cabs to be had out there
(I wish I knew how) Your eyes are like starlight now
(To break this spell) I'll take your hat your hair looks swell
(I ought to say no no) Mind if I move in closer
(At least I'm going to say I tried) What's the sense of hurting my pride
(I really can't stay) Baby don't hold out
(Both) Baby it's cold outside

(I simply must go) Baby it's cold outside
(The answer is no) Baby it's cold outside
(The welcome has been) How lucky that you dropped in
(So nice and warm) Look out the window at the storm
(My sister will be suspicious) Gosh your lips look delicious
(My brother will be there at the door) Waves upon a tropical shore
(My maiden aunt's mind is vicious) Gosh your lips are delicious
(But maybe just a cigarette) Never such a blizzard before
(I got to get home) But baby you'd freeze out there
(Say lend me a comb) It's up to your knees out there
(You've really been grand) I thrill when you touch my hand
(But don't you see) How can you do this to me
(There's bound to be talk tomorrow) Think of my life long sorrow
(At least they'll be plenty implied) If you caught pneumonia and died
(I really can't stay) Get over that old doubt
(Both) Baby it's cold
(Both) Baby it's cold outside

Now, I have to be totally honest. When I listened to the lyrics my first reaction was, "That's sexual harrassment! This guy's nothing but a predator! How can they play this stuff at Christmas?" So I looked it up and found that the song was written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and was originally performed at parties with his wife. His wife was called "The Mouse" and he was "The Wolf" who tried to get the girl to stay with him based on the fact that "it's cold outside." It occurred to me that at the time these lyrics were probably fairly innocent (I wasn't around yet so I can't tell for sure). Yet in today's lingo this could get a guy arrested.

What did this song say to me? I realized how times have changed. Yes, this song is played all during Christmas (though it doesn't ever refer to the holiday) and throughout the winter months, yet most people haven't really paid attention to the lyrics. I skipped the song altogether once I started listening to it because I found it offensive, yet no one in the 1940's thought anything was wrong with it. The song was composed just 65 years ago. That may be a long time for some, but it's less than a century. Yet our minds decifer this very differently from how our parents/grandparents did. Times are a-changin', and sadly not for the better. We have to be alert to what we listen to, and what our children listen to, because even the golden oldies aren't so golden anymore.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, December 7, 2009...

Outside my window...the sun is trying to peek out from behind the clouds, but it looks like there won't be much success today. It's overcast, which hopefully will keep the heat index down.

I am thinking...of my son's possible solo in church. The children will be singing "Happy Birthday Jesus" and my son E is hoping to get the solo. He has a very sweet voice and loves to sing. It would make me so happy to watch my little boy stand before the entire church to sing.

I am thankful for...my dear friend who stopped by yesterday afternoon. I haven't seen her in a couple years even though she lives just a half hour away. She's hardly ever home, running around doing errands for others or working with her son. It was wonderful to see her again.

I am going...to the post office, then to pick up some stocking stuffers for my kids and presents for E's teachers. I usually have all this done by now, but really all I need are a few last minute items and I'm done.

I am wearing...a purple 3/4" sleeve shirt, jeans and sandals.

I am remembering...the Christmas movies I was watching this past Saturday on Lifetime channel. I typically don't watch this channel because the movies tend to be depressing, but at Christmas they have some very nice ones.

I am creating...nothing today. Too much other stuff to get done.

I am reading...Revelation for morning devotions, John for SOAP devotions, just finished Anne of Green Gables yesterday (what a lovely book!) and hope to get Anne of Avonlea from the library tomorrow. I'd borrowed it before but since I hadn't read Anne of Green Gables parts of it didn't make sense. I hope to enjoy it more now.

I am hoping...to find everything I need this week so I don't have to go shopping anymore other than for groceries.

On my mind...my husband's cousin is going in for her c-section this week. I'm praying everything goes well. This is her third child, and we don't know what it is yet. I'm kind of glad, it's always fun to be surprised. My daughter is due home this Thursday, the same day as the c-section. Makes it all the more exciting.

From the learning rooms...E got 5 B's for his science fair project (Woot!!) and his progress report shows he's doing well also. I'm so thankful.

I am noticing that...the air is filling with the joy of Christmas. You know how everything just feels different this time of year? It's a change, sometimes subtle, but definitely pleasant. It's the reason we wish it were Christmas all year long.

I am pondering these words... "It's always wrong to do anything you can't tell the minister's wife. It's as good as an extra conscience to have a minister's wife for your friend." - Anne of Green Gables. Talk about accountability!

From the kitchen today...steak, fries, veggie, salad.

Around the house...since my friend was coming over yesterday I pretty much cleaned everything up. Just some laundry, vacuum the rugs, and that's it.

One of my favorite things...the smell of the air in the morning after it's been raining and a cold front has come in. The air is crisp and clean and delicious.

A few plans for the rest of the week: a little more shopping to do, Prep and Landing tomorrow on ABC, Awana and Bible study on Wednesday, daughter and new baby cousin due to arrive Thursday. Mother-in-law and sister-in-law due back from their trip on Saturday. Busy week, as usual.

From my picture journal...my snowglobe collection.

Wanna join in the fun? Visit Peggy at the Simple Woman's Daybook. God bless.

Observing My Senses

For Today, December 5, 2009...

I am seeing...a cloudy fall day. It doesn't feel a whole lot like fall, because the latest cold front hasn't come in yet. It's due tomorrow, so we'll probably see rain today.

I am feeling...good after last night's growth group study. It was the last for the year, and great to get together one last time with these ladies whom I love.

I am tasting...the pancakes and sausages we had for breakfast. Yum!

I am hearing...the Phineas and Ferb marathon. Later I hope to hear Christmas cartoons.

I am smelling...well, I'll tell you what I'm NOT smelling, pine tree. It's what I miss most from not having a real tree, but then again the smell of the real tree gave me a sinus headache, so it's not so bad.

It takes just a moment to stop and observe what's going on around you. Won't you join me?

The Week in Review

This has been a slow, relaxing week. I don't get a whole lot of those! I love when I'm ahead of the game and can take it easy.

Monday I had to do a lot of grocery shopping. There was hardly any meat in the freezer, nothing for breakfast, cupboards were bare after all the Thanksgiving day cooking and feasting. My daughter had gone back to school the day before so I went and got much grocery shopping done. I also got some laundry done Monday and Tuesday.

Tuesday was bathroom cleaning day. I tidied up a bit too, looking forward to watching "Prep and Landing" on ABC with my boys. Then the awful news: our Christmas cartoon got pre-empted because President Obama had a speech to broadcast. I was so upset! I had looked forward to that cartoon for weeks, and now it was bumped to next Tuesday. My son was bummed too. So we did the next best thing - we put in our Charlie Brown Christmas DVD. When I say I wanna watch cartoons, I mean it!

Wednesday we had Bible study and Awana at church. I was glad to be back at church; it's how my batteries get recharged. During the day I swept the floors and kept everything neat. Dinner was in the crock pot which made life easy.

Thursday I baked oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies. They are sooooo good!! My son doesn't know it's got all this "healthy" stuff in 'em, otherwise he wouldn't want to eat them. He loves my homemade cookies :-).

I've taken advantage each day to read Anne of Green Gables. What a sweet precious story! I feel like a little girl reading it. Today I did more grocery shopping because Winn-Dixie had some good buy-one-get-one-free sales. After putting everything away I sat back down and read a couple more chapters :-).

After I pick up my son from school today I'll review for tonight's growth group study. It's the last of the series and of the year. Studying the book of Proverbs has been a great learning experience. I'm glad we did this awesome study.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! God bless.

Nativities

Nativities, I believe, are an essential part of the Christmas landscape, whether inside or outside the home. My pastor always harps on the fact that today's Nativity scenes are inaccurate. The manger where Mary placed the Christ child was not a little bassinet; it was a feeding trough for the animals. The "barn" was actually a cave carved into a mountain. And as for the wise men, the Bible never mentions them by name or even tells us how many were there. We just know there was more than one because it's in the plural. They didn't show up to see Jesus till much later, when He was toddler. Still, I love my Nativity scenes and the remembrance they give of that very special day when God came into the world.

This is the first Nativity I ever purchased. I ordered it by catalog so I didn't know exactly what it would look like. I almost cried when I saw it. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It's now been with me about 18 years.

This large Nativity is my favorite. I got it from my House of Lloyd sales. Only hostesses could get them, so it was very special to me. I didn't realize when I saw it in the catalog that it was 15 inches tall. It has so much rustic detail, it's just lovely. The small Nativity in the corner I've had for 14 years. It was one of the first items I bought from House of Lloyd, and I've treasured it for many years. I used to put it with my Christmas village, but now I put it next to my favorite.

Now in my village I have my acrylic Glistening Chapel and an acrylic Nativity to match. This Nativity is actually an ornament for the tree, but I love how it's the same material as the church which makes it look like a set. It looks very elegant in the village.

This is the largest one piece Nativity in my collection. It was the last Nativity I got from my party plan sales. It's a full 18 inches tall and weighs a ton. It has a prominent spot in the bookcase in the living room.

This is my only musical Nativity. It plays "Silent Night" (another misconception, since anyone who has given birth knows there's nothing silent about it). It's only about 8 inches tall but it's got a solid wood base and the figurines are very well crafted and detailed.

Here is my newest Nativity, a gift from my sister last year. I call this the Gold Nativity; I think it's easy to see why. Not noticable in the picture are the colored stones in the individual pieces that makes them look even more elegant. I put this Nativity in the dining room next to the china cabinet.

Of all my collections these are my favorites. Yes, the snowmen and the penguins and the Santas are all nice, but only these Nativities are reminders of the true Reason for the Season.

Worship, Unplugged

My daughter and her best friend were at one of the pastor's house this past Thanksgiving weekend, and an impromptu worship session broke out. They were recorded, and the performance is now on youtube. Check them out here. JB is on the left, the pastor's daughter is in the middle, and my daughter is on the right. The song is He Loves Us as recorded by the David Crowder Band. Enjoy!

'Tis The Season

This year it took all day Friday, most of Saturday and some of Sunday to get the house decorated for Christmas. So much work, and oh, so worth it!

First things first, our Christmas tree. We've had an artificial tree for the past 3 years, and it has been wonderful. It's not that I don't like real trees, they just don't like me. My allergies would act up so bad around Christmas time, and finally I realized the problem was the tree. We got this one at JC Penney one Black Friday, the price was reduced from over $300 to $119, and it has paid for itself. It's prelit, which I'm very thankful for. It used to take a couple of hours just to get all the lights on the tree, then go back and make sure there were no spots that weren't lit, and by the time it was done I didn't want to see the tree anymore! Now it takes 10 minutes to get it up and lit. My daughter puts the decorations on; all I do is add the ribbon and the angel. We positively love our tree!

For 10 years I sold Christmas decorations through party plans, first with House of Lloyd (Christmas Around the World) and later with Kingdom Treasures. I was able to amass a very large amount of decorations, which I like to set up by collection.

This first is the Freezeman Family. Actually, the littlest one isn't part of the original Freezeman's, but we needed an extra so that it would represent our family. They're all decked out for skiing, but they stay indoors thanks to South Florida never getting any snow!


I love Christmas villages. This is part of the village that is in the living room. It goes around the corner and has houses, bridges, a lake, lighthouse, and about 5 churches.

The village in the dining room is my favorite. It's all gingerbread houses and snowmen. We call this Christmas in Orlando because it reminds me of a theme park!

Another collection: The Lloyds. House of Lloyd did this family over a period of several years, first releasing Floyd and Flossie. When these became popular, House of Lloyd came out with Grandma Flo, Grandpa Lloyd, and finally the kids, Hip and Hop. I purchased the chairs at Big Lots. The heads are porcelain, while the bodies are mostly fabric, though there's some porcelain on the bottom to help them sit up. Everyone who comes into my home falls in love with this family of Christmas rabbits.

Mind you, this is just a sampling of all the decorations in our home. Amazingly, I paid very little for all these pieces. Since I was a hostess and later a demonstrator for the company, I was able to get these pieces free. All I paid was tax and shipping. It was an easy and inexpensive way to decorate my home. Not only that, I helped decorate the homes of several family members - these pieces made excellent gifts! I miss those days, but sadly with mass retailers like Wal-mart it's very difficult to do these types of parties anymore. Still, I enjoyed it while I could, and now I have a beautiful home and lovely heirlooms for generations to come.

I'll be posting more pics later on, so stay tuned!