Ridiculous

Because that's currently how I'm feeling about this whole holiday (New Year's Eve/Day). Honestly, it seems a bit ridiculous to me. Well anyway, Sam and Ellie wish you a happy New Year (if you're into that sorta thing)

And yeah, if this photo is a sign of what's in store for the future... Lord help us all.

Favorite Gift

Hands down the coolest Christmas gift I got this year. It's a (very thoughtful) gift from my mom. An ornament from Etsy, shaped like Africa. That's where I'm going on a mission trip next summer. Honestly it's still hard to believe. In a little less than 6 months from now, I'll be in Uganda. Hugging orphans, telling them Bible stories, building relationships, making a difference. 

To you, it may be only an ornament. But to me, it's so much more than that.

Shattered...

Shatter: to be broken into fragments or become weak or insubstantial; to damage or destroy.

Rejoice!

O come O come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! 

Emmanuel has come to thee O Israel.

Tree Decorating

"O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn."

My Gift

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, would I bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, would I do my part;

Yet what can I give Him... give my heart.

                -Sarah Mclachlan, In a Bleak Mid Winter 

Song For A Winter's Night

If I could know within my heart

That you were lonely too

I would be happy just to hold the hands I love

On this winter's night with you

              -Sarah Mclachlan, Song For a Winter's Night

I Love It When He Plays

Because when his fingers touch those keys

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard.

For My Co-op Kiddos

Have a fun and safe Christmas break 

See you in two weeks!

Just Get Me Through December

"How pale is the sky that brings forth the rain

As the changing of season prepares me again

For the long bitter nights and the wild winter's stay

My heart has grown cold, my love stored away

My heart has grown cold, my love stored away...

Just get me through december

A promise I'll remember

Get me through december

So I can start again."

            -Alison Krauss, Get me Through December

Some Serious Snowball Throwing

Snowballing. 

It's no longer a fun game, it's a serious sport.

Shoeless Babe

With snow and ice covering the ground

I think shoeless days are over for now. 

But in this picture I see

Something quite so lovely:

A shoeless babe, with bare feet

A simple reminder of something oh-so-sweet.

On My Nose and Eyelashes

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

Silver white winters that melt into springs

These are a few of my favorite things."

First Snowfall

Looking forward to the many more that will come.

Craziness, Hilarity, Family...

I love this photo for more reasons than I could list. You know that saying, a picture is worth a thousand words? 

I'm pretty sure that applies here. 

Bad Days

Apple-Cinnamon-Raisin Oatmeal:

it may not fix a bad day, but it doesn't hurt either.

Welcome December

"I heard a bird sing in the dark of December

A magical thing and sweet to remember.

'We are nearer to Spring than we were in September'

I heard a bird sing, in the dark of December."

-Oliver Herford

For a Dear Friend

"I thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus."

-1 Corinthians 1:4

Thankful Because...

It's family, it's funny stories, it's games of high and low, it's great memories. It's where we play Uno, it's where we built our first gingerbread house, it's where Christmas loops are made every year and where we carve our Halloween pumpkin every October. It's a dance floor to a 3-year-old, it's where the crazy times of the game Pit ensue, it's a mystical fort for two little sisters, it's where you go with piles of books and homework. 
I'm thankful it's so much more than just the dinner table.

We Will Serve the Lord

"Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

-Joshua 24:15

Servant-hearted

Make me a servant, humble and meek

Lord, let me lift up those we are weak

And may the prayer of my heart always be

Make me a servant today

I miss..

.. the coolness of the early morning

.. throwing on a tank-top and lacing up my nikes at my heart's desire

.. seeing the neighborhood at 7 a.m.

.. the pound that fills my ears because of my feet on the cement below

.. my early morning runs in the summertime

Winter is going to be far too long this year

Fading Fingerprints

Sometimes you get discouraged because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls

But every day I'm growing, I'll be all grown up someday

And all these tiny handprints will simply fade away

           -Unknown

Picked With Love

          

I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;

I am the memory of a moment of happiness;

I am the last gift of the living to the dead;

I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

            -Khalil Gibran, Song of the Flower

How Beautiful the Feet

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

 Isaiah 52:7