Happy New Year

 

My husband gave me roses for our anniversary... 27 years.  May the coming new year be a time of refreshing for you and your loved ones...

Almost Christmas

“...I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation...”  --Micah 7:7

While doing our Christmas photos for Christmas cards today... yeah, I know, it’s two days before Christmas -- talk about last minute, huh?  Anyway, I took the opportunity to get a few shots of my daughter;  seems like just yesterday she was still a little girl, who couldn’t wait to grow up.  That was me years and years ago, but I still can’t wait to be ‘grown up’... perfected.  It’s almost Christmas, a day that has been set aside to remember our Savior’s birth.  And the older I get, the more I realize my need for His salvation.  It is the greatest gift I have ever received.

Sweet Gift

“And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.”   --Ecclesiastes 3:13

My first attempt at making fudge.  Mmmm!  The recipe was AllRecipes.com's 'Easiest Peanut Butter Fudge'.  It was pretty easy and didn't take as long as I'd thought it would.  Next, I'm going to try maple!

Part of the Family

“For the body is not one member, but many... And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.”  --1 Corinthians 12:14, 21

 

Beneath the Snow

"And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow
your heart dreams of spring."

--Kahlil Gibran

Dried Queen Anne's Lace... a wildflower whose individual flower stems curl inward to keep its precious cargo as the tiny seeds ripen... like a mother protecting her children... or a woman her heart...

Adding a Special Touch

“Give, and it shall be given unto you...”  --Luke 6:38

Josh, a young man from our church, celebrated his seventeenth birthday yesterday.  My oldest son held a gaming day in our home in his honor, and my daughter made a scrumptiously rich chocolate ganache cake for him.

Do you ever find yourself wanting to go the extra mile or add that special touch for someone?  Why?  My daughter, Tiffany, is very creative and likes to add special touches to things, so maybe you’re just one of those people.  But isn’t it easier to do it for someone who is either kind and lovable or who seems to need it?  Josh is both kind and lovable, even though he can be a bit weird at times... but what teenaged boy isn’t?  So although Tiffany probably would have added that special touch for almost anyone, Josh has made it easy to find delight in doing so.  Happy birthday, Josh!

Ting-a-Ling-a-Ling

“Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”  --Matthew 13:52

My son, Max, caught the flu.  His new wife recently became pregnant, so most everyone thought it best for them to be apart until he is no longer contagious.  She went to stay with her parents, while he came to stay with us.


Our pastor has on occasion lightheartedly teased our family for communicating to each other through e-mail while living in the same household, not to mention those who text each other while in close proximity.  Although I think he’d perfectly understand, I can only imagine his amused expression to learn that my son has been using his cell phone instead of a ‘sick bell’ while he has been under ‘quarantine’.  Hey, while it may not be as nostalgic and cute as a ‘sick bell’, it’s more timely.  And I can still set my alert tone to sound like a bell if I become wistful.