Christmas Eve 2010

Our Christmas Eve tradition is having a brunch at my mom and dad's house. We open presents and eat and enjoy the morning and early afternoon together. We put toys together and just have a good time! I love getting to spend time with my family and being able to celebrate the birth of Christ. I can't remember how long we've done the brunch, but I love that when I think back, I know that I've been at my parents' house for the past 32 years!

We got home on Thursday night (Christmas Eve Eve) so I could get up and help my mom get everything ready. I love that as soon as I walk into their home, I immediately feel cozy and Christmas-y! :)The brunch was so yummy!!!! Mom made yummy cheesey eggs, sausage links, and a fruit plate. She also ordered a platter of chicken biscuits from Chickfila. And, I made homemade cinnamon rolls from The Pioneer Woman's website. After we ate, we took a few pictures and settled in for the gift opening! :) Its fun to go around the room and open presents starting with the youngest person and then moving up until we get to the oldest person....and then we start over. Once everyone left, we picked up and got ready for the Christmas Eve service at my parents' church (which is where Ken and I got married). The one thing I miss so much about being away from our home is missing out on going to our home church for Christmas Eve. I just love our church and our pastor and I miss it every year! I truly see how blessed we are to have the church and teaching and family that we do!

After the church service, we made a quick trip to Walmart and then went to Rhema to look at Christmas lights. From there, the four of us had a nice, wonderful dinner at Zio's. It was SOOOOO good!!!!!

Once back at my parents' house, we started prepping for Christmas day. Including....setting out a snack for Santa. I get so much grief for this b/c I'm not sure I want my kids to believe in Santa. I would much rather just focus on Christ and not take away from the birth of the Saviour of the WORLD! However, every year....I still leave food for Santa. Its just something between my dad and me. He says that Santa really likes potted meat, mayo and pickle sandwiches. So, that's what he gets. That, and a coke! :)

MErry CHRISTmas 2010

O Come All Ye Faithful

O Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all citizens of heav'n above.
Give to God, glory in the Highest;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Hail! Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus! To Thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Praise God that the Saviour of the WORLD has come!!!! Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus! My prayer is that Christ is very real to you all and that you know Him as your personal Lord and Saviour!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

A Post That Left Me In AWE of My Saviour!

This post is from Edie, over at LifeInGrace. As I read her blog, I thought about a conversation I had with my best friend today about Santa Claus. No matter what you're theology is on the matter, Edie says perfectly what this season is all about (and even though I'm re-posting it, please take a moment to visit her blog). Amazing! I'm so thankful that I get to celebrate the Savior of the WORLD this season! Thank you Lord Jesus for humbling Yourself and taking human form, just to die for us! Praise the Lord!

Santa Claus Theology
Monday, December 20, 2010 Posted in faith

"I doubt there’s one of us left who escapes it.

It’s our natural theology.

“He’s gonna find out who’s naughty or nice” haunts us from the time we’re old enough to talk and we fear that our nice hasn’t been nice enough.

The sad truth is, it hasn’t.


By December 24th, I’ve committed enough sin in one year to fill a lifetime. And you probably have too. Yet, we continue to operate in our relationship with God as if he’s like Santa Claus. Maybe if we manage to keep a few basic rules of *niceness* in this life, we’ll get what’s on our list. How many times have I told myself, “I’m a pretty good person”? To borrow Pastor Cwirla’s description, we’ve allowed the transactional nature of our culture and of secular Christmas to seep into our spirits. And even if we deny it with our lips, we fear it’s true with all our being. He’s keeping score. “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake.”

And we know it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The gnawing, besetting sins that keep us in bondage remind us that we are not measuring up.

But does He really keep track? When He looks at me, does He have my ‘naughty’ list in His hand, ready to read it back to me in all its gory detail?

The answer to that question is yes and no.

He keeps track. He knows every sin. Every single one. The lies, the gossip, the unkind words, the evil thoughts, the hatred and jealousy.

He knows them all.

But He’s not keeping them in a sin file to use against me later when He’s ready to weigh the balance and see whether the ‘nice’ outweighs the naughty’. He already knows the answer to that question and I don’t fare very well.

Instead, like a loving Father, he sends His son into the world, as a little tiny baby—the Word made flesh—-to redeem it back to Himself.

He himself will right what has been wronged.

He himself will find what has been lost.

He himself will die so that we may live.


He doesn’t overlook my sin like a senile grandfather. I can’t ‘make up for it’ in the month before Christmas by doing a lot of good deeds.

He knows every last sin and takes it on Himself and nails it to the cross. My punishment is paid in full. He has tipped the scale. And in the process, He’s made me into something much more than ‘nice’. He has washed me clean in the waters of baptism. He has made me whole with the food from heaven, his very own body and blood. He has deemed me holy with the righteousness of Christ. He loves me. He is my Father. And He has given me EVERYTHING I need in the gift of His son.

And He’s done it in such a way that I can’t possibly take any credit. I didn’t seek him or choose him or love him or deserve him. His grace gift is free and the repentance that is required to receive Him is a gift from Him as well.

Our God is no Santa Claus. He will not strike a deal with us. There is no bargaining. He is not waiting for us to do ‘our part’.

He is our Father and has revealed His undeserved love and kindness toward us in Jesus. The work, the striving, the rule-keeping, the measuring up–he’s taken it all upon Himself. Perhaps He wonders why we are still trying to keep score. In Christ, we are reconciled to the Father and no amount of ‘niceness’ could ever have done that for us. We receive His forgiveness and His love with thankful hearts and look with joy and wonder at the miracle of His incarnation.

What a grand relief!

Love has come.

And He has freed us from naughty and nice.

May His peace be your gift this Christmas."

Merry Christmas 2010

Now that the cards have gone out, I can share them here! I did two different cards with the same picture, trying to keep them as similar as possible. I received 50 cards for free, but had more than 50 that I sent out...so I chose a different style to save money.Hope you are all enjoying all the season brings!

Advent 2010

December starts the advent season. Advent is preparing our hearts for the celebration of Christ's birth. To prepare my heart and life for this month of excitement and celebration of my Savior, I've decided to do some advent activities. To not rush through the season, but enjoy all the sounds and the sights...the shopping and the people.

Last year, I did something every day. It was hard. Right now, our schedule just changes too much for me to have another "list" of things to do. I didn't want advent to be just another thing that I had to get done each day. I want it to be worshipful. If I have too much on my plate and my advent activity doesn't get accomplished, then I feel like I failed. So this year, I'm changing it up a little. Instead of doing something everyday, I'm choosing 5 areas of my life where I can serve others.

1. Friends

2. Neighbors

3. Church

4. Community

5. Family

6. My husband

These are areas that God has really laid on my heart. I want to look for ways to serve these people all month long. I have specific things for a few of the above. I have already been able to serve my sweet friends through the brunch and it was a beautiful day that blessed me; We'll be taking goodies to our neighbors once again this year; Ken and I have chosen our child from the Angel Tree so we can attempt to make someone's Christmas a little brighter. What I love about choosing a child (who is a 5 year old little girl), is that I pray for this child...whoever she is, I know she is in our community and she needs the love of our Lord, just like I do.

I haven't decided on the exact specifics of how the rest of advent will look, but my main goal is to reflect Christ. I know that in trying to bless others, God always surprises me and I end up being touched and moved in ways that are unimagineable.

The 12 Days of Christmas

I received an email about advent from Christianbook.com, a website that I get quite a few of my books. It was an excerpt from "A Family Advent: Keeping the Savior in the Season". I wanted to share this little fun fact with you b/c I thought it was really interesting.

"Did you ever wonder what in the world all the strange characters in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" have to do with Christmas? What's with all of the birds and leaping lords? It's actually more than a silly song—it's a secret code!

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith. In fact, being Catholic was a crime! So to preserve their teaching and doctrine, someone wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

* A partridge in a pear tree represented Jesus Christ.
* Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
* Three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love.
* Four calling birds were the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
* Five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
* Six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
* Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophesying, serving, teaching, exhortation, contribution, leadership, and mercy; it also represents the seven sacraments: baptism, Eucharist (or Communion), reconciliation, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the sick.
* Eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
* Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
* The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.
* Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
* Twelve drummers drumming were symbolic of the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So "The Twelve Days of Christmas" isn't just a silly song after all!"

Christmas Time Is Here...

This is my most favorite time of the year!!!! I love it! :) And, this year, I was encouraged to start a new tradition. My friend, Jenn, has an annual ladies' brunch every December. She encouraged me to do the same. She knows how much I love Christmas...just like her...and this is her way to give back to women that serve her. I was so encourged by her servanthood, that I decided to do the same thing. I was excited to have a little ladies' get-together! There are so many women who do so much for me and this was a perfect way for me to give back to them. This year, being my first, I kept it small and intimate. I hope that it grows every year!!! I hope that one day, I can invite every single woman who touches my life. I had such a wonderful time prepping all the food and praying for the women as I did it. I had something to bake and prep everynight!

My menu:

Tortilla Bread PuddingQuiche Noel (a recipe from my mom's best friend, Millie)Pumpkin Cinnamon RollsRaspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake (recipe from my friend, Judith)Raspberry Habanero Cream Cheese DipThe Dessert:

Coconut Cream Cake, Molasses Cookies (recipe from Ken's mom), and TurtlesWe got all of our decorations up for the holidays and all the food was ready for Saturday! It was so fun to have my friends over and just visit! I loved every minute of it.And, there were favors, of course! I did my sugar cookies...and I love William-Sonoma's cookie cutters!!!! I have the traditional ones, and they came out with Christmas ones this year!!! YAY!!!!And, my dad came with my mom, so he and Kenny hung out! They had lunch and did a little shopping before coming back to raid the left-overs.Here are all the ladies that came (except my sweet friend Lorinda and her daughter, Allie. I'm SOOO sad I forgot to take pictures before she left!!!!). I think my first brunch was a success! I made a little too much food, but I already figured I would. It was such a blessing for me...and I hope to these women too! We all need some girl-time, a little time to celebrate the holidays, and just some time to relax! Can't wait for next year!!!!!