Expectations

My mom wrote the following for a Christmas Tea at a church in Colorado Springs, but I thought it was appropriate as a first thought for the New Year. Thanks, Mom!

  EXPECTATIONS by Teri Faulkner This year I’ve been thinking a lot about expectations. And Christmas brings lots of expectations. One of our favorite traditions is cranberry ice and I expect to eat it at every family gathering. I expect to listen to lots of Christmas music. I expect we’ll watch a dozen or more Christmas movies. I think my favorites are “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “Elf,” and how many of you have seen the one with Marie Osmond, “The Gift of Love?” There are so many Christmas movies out there. There are a lot of expectations that come with Christmas. We’re programmed to believe “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” and it can be, but a lot of times it isn’t. And it isn’t just on Christmas that we have expectations, we have expectations EVERY DAY!!! What kind of expectations do you have? Did you expect your life to turn out like it has? I’m pretty sure if we went around the room today, we would each have a story from our lives where something didn’t go quite as expected. From something little to something big. Here’s a silly one for me . . . I remember when I was pregnant with Katy and I asked Dan one day, “Do I look pregnant?” And he paused and stared at me and I know what he was thinking. "What is she expecting me to say….does she want to hear 'yes, you look great' or 'no, not at all?'" I wanted him to know what I was feeling and he better respond in the “right” way. Yes, I wanted to look pregnant but I was barely showing so when he said no… I was so disappointed. I wanted to look pregnant. You can’t help but have expectations but when things don’t turn out quite like you had hoped or had planned . . . those expectations turn into disappointments. Most of our disappointments come from unfulfilled expectations . . . a lot of those include some kind of pain — either physical or emotional. We have expectations of circumstances, like how Christmas should happen, how our lives should play out, and we have expectations of people. How they should treat us or respond to what we’re feeling. When I think about Christmas and the story of Mary and Joseph and how she was expecting a child. The long awaited Messiah!!!! Mary had to have a lot of expectations! If you had been told you were going to have the Son of God, would you expect to have your baby in a barn? Or would you expect to be so misunderstood by people around you? And Joseph, do you think he expected to marry someone who was already pregnant? So many events of Christ’s birth and life were unexpected. God did not and often does not act in the way we expect Him to. In the book, “One Thousand Gifts” Ann Voskamp talks about learning to be thankful, and as we learn to give thanks we begin to see all that God has blessed us with and it gives us a different perspective on life…how to live a fuller life because of being thankful. That’s kind of the book in a nutshell.
Ann writes about her brother-in-law who buried two sons in less than 18 months. Both had been born with the same genetic disease. One lived to be a year and ½ the other only 5 months. And she tells him in the hospital when the second son is dying, “If it was up to me, I’d write this story differently.” Isn’t there a part of your story that you wish you could write differently? Later he comes by their farm and I this is his response . . .

"Farmers, we think we control so much, do so much right to make a crop. And when you are farming . . . you are faced with it every day. You control so little. Really. It's God who decides it all. Not us." He slips his big Dutch hands into frayed pockets, smiles easily. "It's all good." . . . I catch his eyes and I know I have to ask. Tentatively, eyes fixed on his, I venture back into that place I rarely go. "How do you know that, John? Deep down, how do you know that it really is all good? That God is good? That you can say yes - to whatever He gives?" I know the story of the man I am asking, and he knows mine. His eyes linger. I knowhe's remembering the story too. New Year's Day. He asks us to come. Only if we want. I don't want to think why, but we know. "Already?" I search my husband's face. "Today?" He takes my hand and doesn't let go. Not when we slide into the truck, not when we drive the back roads, not when we climb the empty stairwell to the hospital room lit only by a dim lamp. John meets us at the door. He nods. His eyes smile brave. The singular tear that slips down his cheek carves something out of me. "Tiff just onoticed Dietrich had started breathing a bit heavier this afternoon. And yeah, when we brought him in, they said his lung had collapsed. It will just be a matter of hours. Like it was at the end for Austin." His firstborn, Austin, had died of the same genetic disease only eighteen months prior. He was about to bury his second son in less than two years. . . . "You know . . . " John's voice breaks into my memory and his gaze lingers, then turns again toward the waving wheat field. "Well, even with our boys . . . I don't know why that all happened." He shrugs again. "But do I have to? . . . Who knows? I don't mention it often, but sometimes I think of that story in the Old Testament. can't remember what book, but you know - when God gave King Hezekiah fifteen more years of life? Because he prayed for it? But if Hezekiah had died when God first intended, Manasseh would never have been born. And what does the Bible say about Manasseh? Something to the effect that Manasseh had led the Israelites to do even more evil than all the heathen nations around Israel. Think of all the evil that would have been avoided if Hezekiah had died earlier, before Manasseh was born. I am not saying anything, either way, about anything. . . . Just that maybe . . . maybe you don't want to change the story, because you don't know what a different ending holds."

How do we live in a world of blessings and sorrows? Where expectations aren’t met? How can we have the hope and contentment that John had, because really expectations are hopes, what we hope for, what we want to give meaning to this life. We need to place our hope in what doesn’t disappoint. Is that really possible? It’s the reason Jesus came as a baby that Christmas morning. God came as a man to give us that hope. The hope that there is someone who knows my story, who knows the beginning from the end. He knows the beginning from the end because He had no beginning and He has no end. God is over all this from eternity past to . . . infinity and beyond!!! His understanding is so far above ours. A lot has happened in our little human section of time. From a pure, holy, no evil existence to creation and sin entering the world, which is the source of all our pain. Did God expect us to not sin? Did it take Him by surprise . . . no. But because of that sin we were separated from God . . . but He knew Christmas was coming!!!! That’s why we sing “JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME!!!!” If someone doesn’t meet your expectations . . . how do you respond? With love and grace, or with anger and disappointment? I am so glad that God did not respond to my sin in the way I would expect Him too. Here’s how He has responded to us:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” I John 3:1 His plan was Christ coming to this earth . . . to be born a man . . . and to die for our sins. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And we get to choose if we want that gift. Why do we have to go through this life of pain and suffering to get to that life? That I don’t know . . . It wouldn’t be a life of faith if I did know. But I am pretty sure this life is going to count for something. There is reason for the pain and not just in all the lessons we learn from experiencing a hard thing.
Here’s the thing though, it’s in this life that you get to choose where you will spend that part of your life. The Bible teaches that we choose in this life where we will spend that part of our life. When we choose God’s gift of eternal life…this life starts to take on a different feel. If this was all there was, it would be quite disappointing. When I can keep that perspective of eternity in my focus, to look forward to eternity of a new life because of my faith in Jesus Christ it makes those unmet expectations seem a little smaller. Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” So if you haven’t made that choice yet, I hope you will today.
Jesus won’t disappoint you!
JOY TO THE WORLD!!! I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season, and I pray that you will have a fabulous 2013! His, P.S. - Isn't my mom awesome?!?!?

Christmas Traditions

I grew up in a family with a lot of traditions.

Thanksgiving is really the beginning of the Christmas season for us. Starting with the annual watching of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning. Thanksgiving itself was always a day full of food, family, and football - much like every other American family. Ever.

The day after Thanksgiving, we decorate for Christmas, eat Christmas Cap'n Crunch, drink Dad's special homemade hot chocolate, watch "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street," and crank the Christmas music :)

The Christmas music is pretty much a permanent fixture at that point until after January 1st.

The number of presents we "traditionally" open on Christmas Eve is hotly contested (some years it was just one, some years we opened all of the presents with only stockings saved for Christmas morning), but we almost always went to a Christmas Eve service. Sometimes more than one. Growing up in Colorado Springs, we had quite the smorgasbord of options. Some years they were quite elaborate, such as the full scale production put on by New Life Church. Other years the church where my dad pastored held a sweet, simple candle-light service.

Advent wreaths and readings, shopping, wrapping presents, the ever-growing list of Christmas "classic" movies that we would watch. All of it made for very fun and memorable seasons of my childhood.

One of my favorite Christmas memories is the year I got to play Mary in a variety-style program. My Dad sang "A Strange Way to Save the World" , and my aunt helped me memorize and dramatize a beautiful reading. There's something about internalizing the emotions of those so closely tied to the original Christmas story that makes those Scriptures and stories come alive.

And I think that's really the point. These traditions we create and pass on to our children are completely pointless and worthless if they do not build into our celebrations, and eventually bleed out in our lifestyles, deep appreciation for the true wonder of the season.

The absolute magnificence and glory of the mystery that is the incarnation. Christ coming to earth. God condescending to become human.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
(Isaiah 53:4a NLT)

I hope that in the midst of all the craziness of Christmas, you know the true beauty of Christ, that you have personally experienced his unfathomable love for YOU! Because when it comes right down to it, that's all that really matters.





Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

His,

The first missionaries . . .

(To see the full-size image, click here)

So they hurried off and found
Mary and Joseph, and the baby,
who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him,
they spread the word concerning
what had been told them about
this child, and all who heard it
were amazed at what the shepherds
said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these
things and pondered them in
her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things
they had heard and seen, which were
just as they had been told.
Luke 2:16-20

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

This Christmas carol is swiftly becoming one of my favorites, and I love this version by Steven Curtis Chapman!



I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

May you take time this season to bask in the beauty of the One we celebrate!

His,

". . . a child is born . . ."

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Seasonal Encouragement

Today is December 19th.

Amazon.com is telling me that today is the last day to order for shipping before Christmas.

Monday we got the dreaded "all of the gifts you sent broke in the mail" phone call.



Austin and I are making weekend plans, mostly to distract ourselves from the fact that this will be our third Christmas in a row away from home and family.

Twenty families in Connecticut are mired in grief that no family should ever have to confront, and certain "Christians" are all set up to picket the vigil in celebration of "God's judgment."

We had beautiful snow at the beginning of the month, but it has been raining for the past few days, and now it's just pretty gloomy.

(Sorry to be a downer.)

Needless to say, I needed this today:



I hope this blesses you as much as it did me. Praising the Lord that He is present in all of these circumstances, and that His love and wisdom are greater than I could ever grasp!

His,

January 2011 Newsletter

January Newsletter

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Blessings,

It's Good to Be Home!

Happy Monday everybody! Just a quick post to say howdy and let everyone know that we made it all the way to Colorado and back intact :) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!! I will have pics and details of the trip up later this week!

Be sure to check in with Sarah Mae for Motivate Me Monday! I have some things that I want to post for this, but probably will not get it up until tomorrow; however a lot of other ladies have already posted! :)

Hope you have a fabulous final week of 2008!

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Sharing Life

Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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Good morning, and welcome to another week of ~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Fridays!!! I hope that you all enjoyed a most wonderful Christmas! I know that we have so far! We had a somewhat harrowing (at the beginning) yet thankfully uneventful drive out to Colorado to spend the holidays with my family. Thanks to my amazing hubby and the fact that we had another friend riding with us, I did not have to drive at all (which I greatly appreciated)!

I am so thankful for my fantastick husband this week! (I'm thankful for him all the time, but there's just something about Christmas that makes everything all warm and fuzzy, you know?) I am so appreciative that he brought me to Colorado to see my family for Christmas! This has been one of the greatest gifts for me! I have also been reminded very intensely of the blessing we have in the form of his financial savvy! Because of his skill in this area, and great blessing from the Lord, we are able to have and do and experience so many things that I never would have imagined possible! I also love how he is able to make people laugh in almost any situation! He is also so hand that he was able to fix my parent's vacuum, and my niece's (well my cousin's daughter's) Elmo doll :)

One moment of this past week really sticks out in my mind as a reason why my husband rocks! After the Christmas Eve service at my parents' church they had my grandparents and their new neighbors over for supper. Their neighbors moved to Colorado from Texas, and the wife is originally from Germany. They have led fascinating lives, and we had a great time talking to them. At one point they both stated that they sincerely enjoyed traveling alone - and had done so many times before they were married. Austin said that he would rather have someone to share it with, to which they responded that you take in so much more of the sights and culture when you are there alone. Austin's response just melted my heart: "I would rather miss some of that, and have someone to share it with." Later on we were talking about this, and he told me, "Life is meant to be shared!" I am so very grateful that he chose to share his life with me, and that I get to share mine with him! Thank you so much, hunnybear! I love you!!!

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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).

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If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays From*me Tees will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you From*me Tees!

Thanks for reading, everybody! Have a fantastic weekend!

Merry Christmas!

Delightful views of nature, dressed by art,
Enchant no longer this indifferent heart;
The Lord of alll things, in his humble birth,
Makes mean the proud magnificence of earth;
The straw, the manger, and the mouldering wall,
Eclipse its lustre; and I scorn it all.

Canals, and fountains, and delicious vales,
Green slopes and plains, whose plenty never fails; . . .
Rocks, lofty mountains, caverns dark and deep,
And torrents raving down the rugged steep;
Smooth downs, whose fragrant herbs the spirits cheer;
Meads crowned with flowers; streams musical and clear,
Whose silver waters, and whose murmurs, join
Their artless charms, to make the scene divine;
The fruitful vineyard, and the furrowed plain,
That seem a rolling sea of golden grain:

All, all have lost the charms they once possessed;
An infant God reigns sovereign in my breast;
From Bethelehem's bosom I no more will rove;
There dwells the Savior, and there rests my love.

~ Madame Guyon ~


I hope you all enjoy a most blessed Christmas and a wonderful, relaxing time with your family and friends. Austin and I head to Colorado today, but I will definitely be back for MHR Friday! (Although, we will not have an inspiration post this week.)

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Christmas 1 Corinthians 13 Style

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family. I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, through harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust... but giving the gift of love will endure.

~Author Unknown~


I found this over at Katie's place! :) Merry Christmas everyone!

~ My Husband Rocks! ~ Christmas Letter

Click here to read about why I started MHR Fridays!

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Happy Friday everyone! One more weekend before Christmas!!! By way of announcement, I wanted you all to know that I will not be posting a prompt next Thursday (Christmas Day), but I will most likely be posting on Friday (unless things get crazy with family, lol)! I hope you all have the most wonderful and blessed Christmas, adn I cannot wait to read all about your celebrations!

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I decided that I want the actual letter contents to be private between Austin and myself (sorry to anyone who was dying to read it, lol), but here's my inspiration list :)

~ He takes an interest in the things that I enjoy
~ He is as cute as can be!
~ He protects me and he is concerned about my well-being
~ He is very observant and thoughtful!
~ He is outgoing and friendly
~ We have so much fun being silly together!
~ He is a wonderful spiritual leader
~ He is a man of principal anc conviction
~ He is absolutely, 100% genuine
~ He takes good care of me by being very responsible with our finances
~ He is such a hard worker
~ He has many skills, and is willing to teach me - even when I'm a slow learner
~ He is hillariously funny

These are just some of the many reasons why my husband rocks! :) Hope you enjoyed our little trip down memory lane!

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Austin also rocks because, this week we have been having some minor issues with our car that I drive most of the time. The battery has been giving us fits, so in the midst of his busy week, Austin took the time to contact the dealership, pick up a new battery, find out that that battery was the wrong one (even though the dealership told him that they only had one option for our make/model), call the dealership again and get them to order the right battery, pick it up (all the way in Des Moines), and install it!

During this process, my car needed to be plugged into a charger so that it would start in the morning. Becuase of the electrical outlet situation, this meant that it needed to be parked right next to the garage (about 75 feet away from our back door), so Austin not only went out to start it for me in the morning, but also took the time to move it so it was right next to the back door and I did not have to walk very far at all :) He's a sweetie!

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Be sure to check in with the other ladies who are bragging on their rocking hubbies today by clicking on the "My Husband Rocks Participants" button in the left sidebar.

(if you would like to add the MHR Fridays button to your sidebar, use this code ).

<a href="http://honestandlasting.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-husband-rocks-friday.html"><img src="http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/katylinvw/mosaicmhrf.jpg"/></a>

If you're not a blogger, but still want the world to know about your amazing husband (or wife, or husband to be, or wife to be, etc.) leave a shout-out in the form of a comment! If you're unable to comment, e-mail me at katylinvw [at] yahoo [dot] com and I'll add your shout out to this post!

As always, on Fridays From*me Tees will refund your shipping on any order of two or more items if you mention the great adventure and ~my husband rocks! Fridays~ in the "how did you hear about us?" section of your order form, so run on over there and check them out, too! Thank you From*me Tees!

Thanks for reading, everybody! Have a fantastic weekend!

MHR Inspiration #3

Christmas Gifts



Holy Moly, another week has come and gone, and next week this time will be Christmas Day! Can you believe it??!?!

Sarah Mae, one of my sweet blog friends and the founder of the 5:16 Club, has recently written a 4-part series entitled "Marriage is Hard."
~ * ~ Part One: Pursuing Godliness ~ * ~
~ * ~ Part Two: Advice From Wise Women ~ * ~
~ * ~Part Three: A Challenge ~ * ~
~ * ~ Part Four: A Refuge ~ * ~
She is a very talented writer, and a great example of a woman who loves the Lord and her husband and strives to be more like Jesus every day. I would encourage you to take the time to read each of these posts; however, our prompt this week comes directly from Part 3.

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Prompt/Theme for Friday, December 19, 2008

"This Christmas, give your spouse something eternal - a gift of affirmation:
Write your husband a letter that details (very specifically and genuinely) why you respect him."

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I know that in the state of our economy, we are all looking for inexpensive ways to show our friends and family that we love them during this Christmas season - here is a gift that will cost you nothing but the time it takes you to write it! (That and the paper upon which you write it, and the ink from the pen, or the lead from the pencil, lol!) And Sarah Mae is absolutely correct when she calls it "eternal." I am positive that this will be a gift that your husband will treasure forever. If you want to go all out and print it on fancy paper, or even mount it or frame it, that would be a nice touch, too :)

There are probably parts of the letter that you will not want to share with anyone other than your spouse, so if you would rather post some of your reasons in list form, that would be awesome as well!

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By way of reminder:

1) Writing to the prompt is not required. We are not really all about adding more rules and regulations, lol!

2) Writing to the prompt is not a reflection of trouble in your marriage. Anyone who is honest with themselves would agree that marriage is not always easy, and as such, creating a weekly post about the object of your affection, and sometimes frustration, can be difficult as well. The purpose of having the prompts, articles, and quotes in these posts is to help us to think about our spouses from a positive perspective - even when we don't feel like it.


Have a great day!

O Christmas Tree!

Tip Junkie's Christmas Tree Contest




The custom of erecting a Christmas tree can be traced to 16th century Germany, though neither an inventor nor a single town can be identified as the sole origin for the tradition; in the Cathedral of Strasbourg in 1539, the church record mentions the erection of a Christmas tree. In that period, the guilds started erecting Christmas trees in front of their guildhalls: Ingeborg Weber-Kellermann (Marburg professor of European ethnology) found a Bremen guild chronicle of 1570 which reports how a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, and erected in the guild-house, for the benefit of the guild members' children, who collected the dainties on Christmas day.




Our Christmas Tree theme is snowflakes and snowmen, and my color scheme is white and silver and gold. :)



In 1846, the popular Royals, Queen Victoria and her German Prince, Albert, were illustrated in the Illustrated London News. They were standing with their children around a Christmas Tree. Unlike the previous Royal family, Victoria was very popular with her subjects, and what was done at Court immediately became fashionable - not only in Britain, but with fashion-conscious East Coast American Society. The English Christmas Tree had arrived!

Sparkling white and gold snowflake ornaments (thank you Bryce & Thelma).



White and silver "Let it Snow" ribbon garland.


Glittery gold ribbon garland.
~ * ~

~ * ~
Several paper snowflakes that I made last year complete the tree.


Our tree skirt is actually a lap blanket that we received from my grandparents as a wedding gift - I love the gold feathers! :) It's a perfect fit with the color scheme!

Be sure to check out all the beautiful trees at Tip Junkie's Christmas Tree Contest!

Why we celebrate . . .

Jesus Is The Reason

In Bethlehem, God gave to us
The source of Christmas joy;
A star shown on a miracle:
The virgin birth of a boy.

He was born both God and man,
A Savior for us all,
The way to get to our heavenly home,
If we just heed His call.

So as we shop and spend and wrap
And enjoy the Christmas season,
Let's keep in mind the sacred truth:
Jesus is the reason.

By Joanna Fuchs



The Real Reason

It seems like it's party time filling the air;
Special lights bring brightness and glitter;
Christmas carols are sung everywhere;
Stacked presents can make a heart twitter;

But the lights and the trees and the parties
All add and don't take away
From the birth of our Savior, Jesus,
The real reason for this holiday.

By Karl and Joanna Fuchs

Kimba's Holiday Open House

Christmas decorations are definitely some of my favorite things, and the lovely and talented Kimba has given us all an excuse to share our holiday pretties with everyone today! :)

One of my favorite decorations is new this year! It's one of my favorites because Austin and I made it together!

I do not have any good pictures of our tree yet, but will post them as soon as I do :) - the tree is the best part of decorating, I think, and ours sits in our front window so it is visible from the street!

This small nativity screen graces the coffee table in our front living room:

It is a very traditional nativity scene and it has scripture written on each of the different pieces pertaining to the respective character.

We are trying the "decorating with presents" approach this year, so our dining room centerpiece is made up of three packages that will actually be given away on Christmas Eve Eve (tee hee!)

This little guy sits on the half-wall behind our stove. The top of his hat holds a tea light candle, and he makes me smile :)

More decorating with presents on the coffee table in the family room, these ones are accompanied by a stuffed snowman, who sings and dances when you squeeze his hand. (Not Diddy's favorite decoration, but awfully comical to watch, lol!)

My absolute, number one favorite Christmas decoration is our Willow Tree Nativity Scene:

I love them so much that I keep them out all year round!

But I keep the different figurines scattered throughout the shelves of my Willow Tree collection . . .


And only bring them all together for the Christmas season!

O come let us adore Him!
O come let us adore Him!
O come let us adore Him!
Christ, the Lord!

Thanks for coming to my little corner of the blogosphere to share in Kimba's Holiday Open House! Be sure to check in with all of the fantastic hosts and hostesses!

Merry Christmas!