Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Christmas Eve - Past and Present
We had a great night on Christmas Eve. I like to take a Christmas Eve family photo and I had really hoped for a fabulous one this year. There are so many things wrong with this one...but at least we got a shot!
This was one of my favorites from a few years ago...
This was one of my favorites from a few years ago...
Christmas Eve 2005This year's Christmas Eve began with an early candlelight service at church. I already broke one of my annual resolutions.....to be punctual!
We attend a very large church; but usually go on Saturday nights so we don't deal with a full house. Christmas Eve was a different story; not getting there early enough landed us in the balcony...
We attend a very large church; but usually go on Saturday nights so we don't deal with a full house. Christmas Eve was a different story; not getting there early enough landed us in the balcony...
Our kids still got to participate when they invited the little ones up on the stage for the reading of the Christmas story...
When it came time to light the candles, I was thankful we were in the balcony and able to see how spectacular the room looked. (this picture doesn't do it justice) 
The funniest part of the evening was when our Pastor (who we LOVE) was talking before the candle lighting, and seemed to forget he was wearing a headset microphone and began using his candle as a microphone. He carried on like this for several minutes...I couldn't stop laughing! 
It was a beautiful night and a wonderful celebration of the birth of our Lord.
We went home to eat pizza and watch a movie (The Nativity) and spend some time as a family.
I was missing Christmas Eves past in our old house....but am happy for the memories of when the girls were a little smaller.....
For now, we will just work on making new memories of Christmas Present!
Friday, December 25, 2009
CHRISTmas Wishes! (19/52)
Merry CHRISTmas to our family and friends!
It has been so long since I have blogged...
And I sure have missed it!
We have had a lot going on - and I have been using most of my time and energy working on this:
It has been so long since I have blogged...
And I sure have missed it!
We have had a lot going on - and I have been using most of my time and energy working on this:
(yes, those are her toes in front of her eye!)And of course, these take up a lot of our time....
CHRISTmas blessings from our family to yours....
Happy Birthday Jesus!!
Happy Birthday Jesus!!
While you are here, have a listen to my current favorite Christmas song:
(be sure to pause the player on the right first!)
*********************************************************************52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. Moms are typically the ones behind the camera, this is OUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Favorite Things Friday
Finally figuring out a way to do something crafty without feeling like I am neglecting my children!
I have been so wanting to do something creative, but lack time, organization, patience....oh, I lack so many things!
As we creep into late January, I am fast running out of time to send those thank you cards from Christmas that I so often procrastinate and then run out of time to send and then kick myself later....
So, today, I got out the stuff, told the kids it was arts & crafts time and we got to work. After a huge mess, a lot of fun and a little fighting and complaining.........I got ONE card done.
Maybe everyone will settle for a thank you email?
I have been so wanting to do something creative, but lack time, organization, patience....oh, I lack so many things!
As we creep into late January, I am fast running out of time to send those thank you cards from Christmas that I so often procrastinate and then run out of time to send and then kick myself later....
So, today, I got out the stuff, told the kids it was arts & crafts time and we got to work. After a huge mess, a lot of fun and a little fighting and complaining.........I got ONE card done.
Maybe everyone will settle for a thank you email?
Friday, December 26, 2008
Favorite Things Friday - A Very Merry Christmas!
I almost went to bed without posting a "Favorite Things Friday" entry...
I will make this simple (because I'm tired!) This week, one of my favorite things is a mostly stress-free Christmas (which is huge because I am usually stressed) and loads of fun had by all. And that is exactly what we have had so far! We had a GREAT time yesterday with our kids and our festivities continue this weekend. My husband's brother and sister and their families are coming into town which I am so excited about because they are not just family, they are friends!
I hope to be able to spend some time with my side of the family in the coming week or so.....the fun doesn't have to stop at the 25th!
We also ran into Santa during our trip to CA this month!
I will make this simple (because I'm tired!) This week, one of my favorite things is a mostly stress-free Christmas (which is huge because I am usually stressed) and loads of fun had by all. And that is exactly what we have had so far! We had a GREAT time yesterday with our kids and our festivities continue this weekend. My husband's brother and sister and their families are coming into town which I am so excited about because they are not just family, they are friends!
I hope to be able to spend some time with my side of the family in the coming week or so.....the fun doesn't have to stop at the 25th!We also ran into Santa during our trip to CA this month!
HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS WAS AS
MERRY AND BRIGHT AS OURS!!!
MERRY AND BRIGHT AS OURS!!!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Inescapable Truth
We have dear family friends that because they live in Texas, we only see them once or twice a year. In spite of the distance, they have always been an important part of our lives, especially during the landmarks: babies born, family losses and UNLV football games! Diane is spending her first Christmas without her husband as he went home to be with the Lord this past year. She, their four children and grandchildren are missing him tremendously. I wanted to share something Diane included in her Christmas letter - a message that has brought her comfort and really spoke to me as well:
The Inescapable Truth
At one particular point in my life, I felt totally alone. The heaviness of this thought gripped my heart, and I ended up telling the Lord that I was overcome with loneliness. As I spent time with Him that day, I sensed Him saying to my heart, “I am with you. I have not left. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” These words conveyed the reality of Christmas—God with me—and filled my heart to overflowing with a fresh sense of hope.
One of the most wonderful aspects of God is the way He loves us. He listens to the cries of our hearts—the ones we don’t even know how to express—and hears them perfectly. When we are hurting, we need to know someone cares, and that Someone is Jesus Christ.
So as you read these words, know that God is with you. He is walking right in step with you. Christmas is a reminder that God was not satisfied to remain solely in heaven. He wanted to come to earth. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He is holy, but He desires your fellowship. God has shown His immeasurable, undeniable, and unfailing love to us through the birth of His Son. And today, through the presence of His Holy Spirit, we have living within us the true sense of Christmas. The awareness of His presence is all the comfort we need to face every problem with hope and unwavering certainty. Because He is with us.
You can read the entire article titled, The Promise of God’s Presence: Our Savior is With Us During Even the Coldest Winters, by Charles Stanley here.
The Inescapable Truth
At one particular point in my life, I felt totally alone. The heaviness of this thought gripped my heart, and I ended up telling the Lord that I was overcome with loneliness. As I spent time with Him that day, I sensed Him saying to my heart, “I am with you. I have not left. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” These words conveyed the reality of Christmas—God with me—and filled my heart to overflowing with a fresh sense of hope.
One of the most wonderful aspects of God is the way He loves us. He listens to the cries of our hearts—the ones we don’t even know how to express—and hears them perfectly. When we are hurting, we need to know someone cares, and that Someone is Jesus Christ.
So as you read these words, know that God is with you. He is walking right in step with you. Christmas is a reminder that God was not satisfied to remain solely in heaven. He wanted to come to earth. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. He is holy, but He desires your fellowship. God has shown His immeasurable, undeniable, and unfailing love to us through the birth of His Son. And today, through the presence of His Holy Spirit, we have living within us the true sense of Christmas. The awareness of His presence is all the comfort we need to face every problem with hope and unwavering certainty. Because He is with us.
You can read the entire article titled, The Promise of God’s Presence: Our Savior is With Us During Even the Coldest Winters, by Charles Stanley here.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Christmas Cards I Can Enjoy
I love all the Christmas cards that come in the mail and I keep many of them, but during the holiday season they usually end up in a stack on the counter as I never really found a good place in this house to keep them on display without them looking like clutter. So, the other night I decided to put some wide ribbon I had to good use. I used my hot glue gun to attach a strip of ribbon on clothespins to make them a bit more festive. Clipping the cards to the ribbon, I hung 2 ribbon/card strips on both sides of the brick around our fireplace.
I had to hold back from getting out the paint and all sorts of supplies to REALLY decorate the clothespins. My husband was watching me and I was afraid I would forfeit the right to complain about how much I have to do if he watched me spend heaps of time decorating clothespins :) Next year I will use more colorful ribbon though. Anyhow, this took about 15 minutes and we can now enjoy our Christmas cards!
I had to hold back from getting out the paint and all sorts of supplies to REALLY decorate the clothespins. My husband was watching me and I was afraid I would forfeit the right to complain about how much I have to do if he watched me spend heaps of time decorating clothespins :) Next year I will use more colorful ribbon though. Anyhow, this took about 15 minutes and we can now enjoy our Christmas cards!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
What's Really Important?
Each year I get overwhelmed with gift-giving at Christmas - we never go all out, but I always seem to feel the stress of what to get people, how they will like what I bought, if someone will be offended by the size or quality of their gift (or lack thereof) and doing it all within a budget. I thought that this year would be different; with the state of the economy (and our own economic state) we decided that the only Christmas gifts we would buy would be our children's. I envisioned a Christmas of simplicity, centered on the true meaning of Christmas, stress-free and fun....
Well....then I got to thinking (big mistake). I decided it would be best if I bought the young family members gifts, but then how do you buy gifts for some siblings and not others and risk offending them (or their parents) and then what if someone gets you a gift and you don't get them one and what about the people whose birthdays are on Christmas, and ........ well, you get the picture.
So, yesterday, as I was out shopping (not a great idea on the Saturday before Christmas when my husband had already asked me to stay home and rest since I was fighting getting sick) and I was stressing over yet another gift. I thought about the nativity we had visited the night before. I thought about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and how hard the journey had to be both physically and emotionally. Having had three children in the comfort of a hospital with the best medical care, I thought about the God of the universe being born as a baby in a stable for animals. I thought about the sacrifice God made on our behalf because He loves us so much. And as I stood in the middle of JC Penney, with my head throbbing, upset at my children because they were misbehaving, frustrated over gift choices...I felt ridiculous. I decided right then and there that I was done. I had already purchased gifts from the goodness of my heart (what little there is :) ) and anything more would be for the wrong reasons. I apologized to the Lord for once again getting wrapped up in the craziness of the season and losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Yes, we will have a Christmas with all the trappings, a decorated home, food, family and gifts as that is how we celebrate this special day. But with little reminders (like I got yesterday) I will daily realign my focus, taking it off myself which is exactly where it is when I am worrying about what others think, and focus on God's blessings in my life and His most important gift to us..Jesus.
Well....then I got to thinking (big mistake). I decided it would be best if I bought the young family members gifts, but then how do you buy gifts for some siblings and not others and risk offending them (or their parents) and then what if someone gets you a gift and you don't get them one and what about the people whose birthdays are on Christmas, and ........ well, you get the picture.
So, yesterday, as I was out shopping (not a great idea on the Saturday before Christmas when my husband had already asked me to stay home and rest since I was fighting getting sick) and I was stressing over yet another gift. I thought about the nativity we had visited the night before. I thought about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and how hard the journey had to be both physically and emotionally. Having had three children in the comfort of a hospital with the best medical care, I thought about the God of the universe being born as a baby in a stable for animals. I thought about the sacrifice God made on our behalf because He loves us so much. And as I stood in the middle of JC Penney, with my head throbbing, upset at my children because they were misbehaving, frustrated over gift choices...I felt ridiculous. I decided right then and there that I was done. I had already purchased gifts from the goodness of my heart (what little there is :) ) and anything more would be for the wrong reasons. I apologized to the Lord for once again getting wrapped up in the craziness of the season and losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Yes, we will have a Christmas with all the trappings, a decorated home, food, family and gifts as that is how we celebrate this special day. But with little reminders (like I got yesterday) I will daily realign my focus, taking it off myself which is exactly where it is when I am worrying about what others think, and focus on God's blessings in my life and His most important gift to us..Jesus.
Christmas Countdown
Half the family has the sniffles so, needless to say, we won't be going to church this morning. I don't think the other moms would appreciate me bringing germs around 4 days before Christmas. Wow, 4 days 'til Christmas! This seemed to be a particularly long year for me, but as usual, once Christmas rolls around I marvel that it is already here!
Friday night we took the kids to a live nativity scene at a local church. I didn't know anyone still did live nativity scenes - I hadn't been to one since I was a child. There was a petting zoo, a choir of angels singing Christmas Carols, a presentation of the Christmas story with live characters and animals, hot chocolate and cookies! The kids loved it......We all did!
It's not very often you get your picture with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus!
We also watched The Nativity Story again last night. I had forgotten what a great movie it is... (if you want to watch these clips, be sure to pause the music player)
Friday night we took the kids to a live nativity scene at a local church. I didn't know anyone still did live nativity scenes - I hadn't been to one since I was a child. There was a petting zoo, a choir of angels singing Christmas Carols, a presentation of the Christmas story with live characters and animals, hot chocolate and cookies! The kids loved it......We all did!
It's not very often you get your picture with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus!
We also watched The Nativity Story again last night. I had forgotten what a great movie it is... (if you want to watch these clips, be sure to pause the music player)
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