A Few of My Favorite Things

Below is a list of some of my favorite things. They are in no particular order and this list is not exhaustive.
You might find a few of your favorites or see some new things you want to try.

1. Peppermint Bark-Can't find it any other time of the year and it is so delish!

2. Holiday Inn and White Christmas-I love old movies and these are two of the best.

3. Decaf English Breakfast Hot tea- Great to drink on a cold winter's day.

4. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski-Just a good book to read to your kids.

5. The ADVENTure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in our Holiday Traditions by Lisa Whelchel- I love this book. We have been reading it in the evenings. It highlights Christmas traditions, their history, and how that tradition can shine the story of Jesus.

6. Hallmark Christmas movies-There is a Christmas movie on almost every afternoon or evening. They are good family movies and about one of our most favorite things! How great is that!

7 .Marathon Christmas shopping with to get it all done in one day-Christmas shopping is always a little difficult for me. Emily and I flew through Corinth on her birthday and did a great job gettingwhat I wanted to purchase for everyone. It is especially hard though when it comes to the children. Eric and I want to go together to purchase the gifts for them. The problem is that I work weekends and Eric works during the week. I have to wait for him to be out of school to shop. That is very close to Christmas. With the help of Papa and Nana, we hopped in the car, jetted to Florence, and made it home in record time. Score!

8. Detailed lists that make marathon Christmas shopping possible-This year I had a plan and it came together nicely. "I love it when a plan comes together!"

9. Going to the mailbox-I don't get very much "good" mail and the Christmas season brings so much "good" mail! I can't wait to see that longhand writing as I flip through the envelopes.

10. My Christmas card window- I frame my kitchen window with the Christmas cards we receive. I stop several times a day and look at them and I often spy my other family members pausing to look.

11. My Christmas tree ornaments and home decor- As I pull out our Christmas decorations, I have the privilege of remembering all of the sweet people who gave many of them to us. My mind flashes to the children Eric has taught in school, the faces of my GA's, the boys and girls we led in Sunday
School, and my lovely friends.

12. Riding around town looking at Christmas lights-we don't have the storage space for a yard full of
decorations but I LOVE yours! Keep putting them out!

13. Mary's song (Luke 1: 46-55)

14. Hearing my children sing Christmas carols-sweet voices singing the songs that have been sung for a
couple hundred years because they never go out of style

15. Christmas Eve service-can't wait!

16. Spending time with our extended familes-They are pretty cool folks. Super good gene pools.

17. All the GIVING going on!

18. Christmas music-"Still, Still, Still" is at the top of my list

I'll leave you with the lyrics to "Still, Still, Still". Become "Still, Still, Still" and read the words and
"dream, dream, dream of the joyous day to come".

Happy Christmas, my friends.

     

Still, still, still,

One can hear the falling snow.

For all is hushed,

The world is sleeping,

Holy Star its vigil keeping.

Still, still, still,

One can hear the falling snow.

 

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

'Tis the eve of our Saviour's birth.

The night is peaceful all around you,

Close your eyes,

Let sleep surround you.

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

'Tis the eve of our Saviour's birth.

Dream, dream, dream,

Of the joyous day to come.

While guardian angels without number,

Watch you as you sweetly slumber.

Dream, dream, dream,

Of the joyous day to come

Christmas Card

Sweet And Scrappy Christmas Card

Custom Christmas cards are always available at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Offspring Anecdotes

I can't describe to you the delight I take in my children. I love them to pieces and cherish every second I have with them. Here are a few things that have happened lately to make me smile.

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I was readying to go out to town and run some errands a few days ago and asked Ty to get dressed so that he could go with me. He descended the stairs in t-shirt and shorts. Since it was 45 degrees outside I asked him to go put some pants on. He stopped short, huffed and vented his frustration, "Momma, I don't have any clean jeans that fit." He then sighed and seemed perplexed. "My clothes just haven't been coming back to me like they usually do."

Let me translate:

This is the way it usually works: Ty puts his dirty clothes in the magic dirty clothes portal (basket) and every day when he comes home from school, miraculously, a stack of clean clothes is on his bed.

I guess I would be a little miffed if my portal wasn't working either. Bless his heart. He got a run down on how the "portal" works and how he can be take part in the "magic" everyday.

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Tess came to me with a long face one evening and lowered head.

I asked, "Why the long face, pet?"

She sat down on the bed beside me, sighed and lifted her large eyes my way. "Mom, I have a problem."

I said, "Aww." and then asked, "How can I help?"

Attempting not to smile she inquired, "Momma, were you popular in school?'

I replied, "No, not really."

She shrugged her shoulders, sighed and shook her head. "Well, I am. So, I guess you can't help me then."

I snickered a little. (I couldn't help it. Her confidence often borders on conceit. She just considers them the reality that she has to deal with.)

She rolled her eyes and said, "MOMMA!" We hugged and then she asked, "Was anyone in our family popular?"

I laughed and said, "Yes. Aunt Emmy or Aunt Rachel could help you."

She said, "Yeah, I thought so.I'm glad we have THEM."

"Yeah, me too."

I finally cajoled the "problem" out of her and we had a long discussion about friendship. popularity, humility, and what is really worth striving for.
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I returned home to my family on Friday evening just in time to change and head out again to go to work. As I washed my face and put on my scrubs, Amelia kept me company.She told me about her school Christmas party that they had that day. She proudly displayed all of the lip gloss and lotion she got from her teacher and friends. She was talking a mile a minute with her shiny, pink, glossy mouth and literally bouncing off the bedroom furniture. I asked her what she had been eating.

She smiled largely, jumped in front of me with her arms raised and spread high in the air, her feet out wide and bouncing at the knees she cried, "We had sweets at school and I FEEL GREAT!!!"

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Dinah's new favorite thing to do is to run up to the Christmas tree, stop short by about a foot, turn around and back up slowly until the branches touch her back. She then bends at the knees and moves up and down while the branches rub her back side. My innovative little toddler was able to take the back scratcher off her Christmas list to make room for another baby doll.


Soak up your time with your babies (big ones and small ones). Each moment or action has the potential to be a memory. Make it a good one!

Desert Alleluias

I drove home this morning in a fog; a fog of the mind. It was made partly of sleep deprivation and partly of sadness. My soul was laden with the pain of others suffering around me. Oh that I could ease it! But God doesn't need me to fix anything. He wants me to trust Him. As I pushed my heavy thoughts and heart heavenward, God transformed my groanings into alleluias. 

Psalm 63 (NLT)

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in your sanctuary

and gazed upon your power and glory.

3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;

how I praise you!

4 I will praise you as long as I live,

lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

6 I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

7 Because you are my helper,

I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

8 I cling to you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.

They will go down into the depths of the earth.

10 They will die by the sword

and become the food of jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God.

All who trust in him will praise him,

while liars will be silenced.

Charles Spurgeon writes about Psalm 63:


"A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. This was probably written while David was fleeing from Absalom; certainly at the time he wrote it he was king (Ps 63:11), and hard pressed by those who sought his life. David did not leave off singing because he was in the wilderness, neither did he in slovenly idleness go on repeating Psalms intended for other occasions; but he carefully made his worship suitable to his circumstances, and presented to his God a wilderness hymn when he was in the wilderness. There was no desert in his heart, though there was a desert around him. We too may expect to be cast into rough places ere we go hence. In such seasons, may the Eternal Comforter abide with us, and cause us to bless the Lord at all times, making even the solitary place to become a temple for Jehovah. The distinguishing word of this Psalm is EARLY. When the bed is the softest we are most tempted to rise at lazy hours; but when comfort is gone, and the couch is hard, if we rise the earlier to seek the Lord, we have much for which to thank the wilderness."


You see, God is good all the time. He is steadfast. He is perfect. He is wisdom. He is LOVE.


When you are surrounded by desert, drink from the Wellspring that abides within you. If you don't know Jesus, it would be my pleasure to introduce you.
(To read more of Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on this Psalm click here)