Linus Christmas Monologue

Merry Christmas to all!!!  Lots of hugs and good wishes for everyone!  This is what Christmas is all about: Christ, our Lord!

go see it!




...It was just THAT good!

Rest in Him

I struggle with the hustle and bustle of this season like most people. I'm worried about money, I'm worried about gifts, I'm consumed with vacuuming the little chunks of dirt encrusted, leaf particle thingies that invade the front hall and garage doorway EVERY time someone walks in or out of our house (they are just so unsightly, and make me feel like I haven't cleaned, which is ironic because I'm cleaning even more just trying to get rid of those little buggers). So, I am especially drawn to church this time of year to be reminded of Christ's birth, and the message of hope.

Hope not only for the whole world, but for ME.

He came for me, He loves me, He has faith in me, He has hope for me.

This year, this season is especially challenging for me to be able to rest in Him; to be content in Him. I'm trying, for sure, and I'm praying hard. I don't struggle with my faith, don't misunderstand me... I'm just struggling with not having clear answers about some things, and struggling with being patient. It's that patience, that contentment, that resting that I'm especially trying so hard to achieve.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven..."

It's my daily prayer, right now. In everything, to have patience, and to rest, to be content with the plans that God is ordering, and to love are the most important aspects of enjoying the Christmas season, and of living the Christmas season.

The other stuff is surely important, but try (with me) to not let it interfere with your relationship with God. Enjoy your self, your church, your families, and your Christ. He came for you. Don't be afraid to rest.




Our good friends took this Christmas picture for us! I wanted to share!

It was a Busy Weekend!

My middle baby is ten! TEN, 10, double digits, ten.  It's crazy.  Why is it so crazy?  I think because she looks 13 years old, she wears my shoes, and has always been a bit more settled for her years than most of her peers.  None of this is bad, and this isn't a complaint at all.  It is just amazing that my first daughter is ten.

My husband graduated with his BSN this weekend!  While the man already has a Bachelors degree, (and like, five associates degrees) this is way exciting!  First of all, he won't be so insanely busy, and second of all, the BSN opens many career opportunities for him.  We are so blessed to have such a motivated man in the house.  He is such a great role model, too.  Just about everyone around him told him not to do it, it was too hard, he was already too busy, it would never work... Well, he made it work.  And so we celebrated this weekend.  And, yes, graduate school is next.

Also, just because this is so sweet:  My husband helped to rescue a dog last week.  The same man who told us ,"nothing else with a heart beat," stood in the cold and wet and helped fish a dog out of an icy pond.  This dog had been running with her owner when she ran over an ice covered pond.  Unfortunately, the ice cracked and she fell in.  She was able to hold her front half up on the ice shelf, but she couldn't pull herself all the way up and out.  The firefighters and medics actually had to put on submersion suits, and they were able to break up some of the ice to create a path to walk out to get the dog and pull her to shore.  Mark and the other rescuers then took her to the ambulance to warm her up.  Apparently the dog was in the water for about 15 minutes and crying.  Mark told us he would have dived in after her if she couldn't hold on any longer, even though it's kind of against the rules to do that.  Anyway, the dog is fine!

Many prayers and blessings to everyone this week!  Please pray for my sweet neighbor and her family.  They had to take an emergency trip home this weekend for a very sick father/ father-in-law.  It is so hard to face loss.  Pray for peace and faithfulness during this difficult time. 

Matthew 6:34; "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Because it tends to be an already overwhelming season, I thought I would close with the calming voice from the Gospel that tells us not to worry about the future.  We should seek first the Kingdom of God.  God knows what we need, and it will be given to us. 

Have faith.  Pray.  Love.  Trust.

twisted

My  Nutcracker Twisted  girls! 

A "Twizzler" (aka:   Danielle)...
and...
A "Candy Cane" (aka:  Katie)...
 




















These were taken back stage prior to the performance. Check our Daniellie doing a toe stand, and Katia popping an attitude!

Advent greetings!



Mary and Jesus
(from Graphicsfairy)

Greetings!  It's a good week, but chilly (OK... COLD).  I'm trying to feel warm and peaceful at the moment!  Mark graduates this Saturday! We are all so excited!  The Nutcracker went well last week.  We are all so excited about that, too!!!

My Own Little World Stop-Motion Video by Aly D
Check out this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP5mYOzOvCs&feature=youtube_gdata_player


This is such a sweet video made by an obviously, very talented, young lady.  I think the message is especially poignant. 

Such a week, here!  We are half-heartily finishing a week of school... and I tell you, none of us are in the mood.  We are just trying to get things done so we can take a good, long break!  We all need to regroup and refocus.  That being said, we are officially done with ancient history!  We finished the fall of Rome yesterday. 

It is so very cold.  The house won't even warm up to the temperature I've dialed into the thermostat.  I feel like it's laughing at me with a sarcastic undertone of, "you are so dreaming if you think I can heat your house up to 68 degrees when it is, like, 12 degrees outside!"  Yep.  Talking to the thermostat.  That's normal, right?




an abandoned pup curls up with Baby Jesus... what we should all do sometimes...


(my Mother-in-Law emailed me this picture of an outside Nativity scene

So- I'm thinking of the cold and under-served today.  I'm even going to ask everyone to remember that it isn't our own little world... Anyone can make a huge difference with just a small act.  Who knows?  You may be unwittingly in the company of angels. Say a prayer!

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

Check out this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The ending actually made me cry... so beautiful!  I just had to share!

picture update!

Just because I'm so way behind, and haven't had access to the computer that actually talks to the picture folder; I am dedicating a post to updating my friend's and family on photographs (good alliteration, eh?):



Trick or Treat!




Hello! That is just a very big bird...




Bonjour, Butterfly!




one half of out Thanksgiving table... sweet, wise Gma is in the middle




The Christmas tree is up!

Love, Me!!