Christmas

~capturing the true meaning of Christmas

Jesus came as a babe

lade in a manger

 lived a sinless perfect life

took our sin upon Himself on the cross

to allow us life with Him forever

by accepting this free gift

What gift can we bring that is fit for a King?

Our love and devotion to HIM.

Praise and Thanksgiving

but, first

 our acceptance of

 Jesus, Christ as Lord & Saviour

this is what He wants for Christmas

John 3:16

~~~

Our families' hearts are heavy this Season.

My father-in-law will be spending Christmas with Jesus.

He went to be with the Lord last night.

Prayer is what others can do

 to share in the heaviness and lighten

the load for those who are hurting. 

 "It's us oh, Lord who are standing in the need of prayer"

Merry Christmas

 from our family

to yours,

~Karen

~~FaSt FoUrTh FaRe~~

We were "SO BLESSED" this afternoon!

An afternoon thunderstorm blew in bringing

temps down from 96 to 78.

Quickly, while the hubby was grilling

I threw the tablesetting together under the gazebo on the deck.

(these little metal flags were purchased at Dollar General)

I had some Americana items grouped together

 in the kitchen for the month of July.

I brought them along with the lamp to the table

 and added a denim table cloth and red check napkins.

The antique corn dishes are one of my favorite items

 in my kitchen cupboards!

Just a little closer view of my tricked up napkin ring. :-)

NOW, for the menu:

fresh corn from the garden

shish-ka-bobs

grilled pineapple

iced sweet tea

The pineapple was so juicy!

The table was cleared and we played a few rounds of Skip-Bo.

What a fun and relaxing day!

Most of the time I don't take the time

 to add the special "little" touches,

but I'm learning that each time we share a meal

 it should be

acknowledged as "special"!

I'm joining the others this week for some really great parties.

You are welcome to visit.

Just click on the links below and see what the other's

are bringing to the parties!

 

 

We Hold These....

So appropriate for this month.

In my ramblings with company,

we spent the day in West Point, MS.

This store front window to the Hardware Store

was adorned with the second sentence of

The United States Declaration of Independence

known as The Preamble.

Remember memorizing this in school?

The students of a local school had decorated

the store fronts in this small town.

I did not bring my camera with me,

this was taken with my phone.

 I would have loved to have taken some

more pictures of the other windows.

Happy 4th of July!

~AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

O beautiful for spacious skies

for amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America!  America!

God shed His grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

(my dad ~ 1942)

From sea to shining sea.

I pray you & your family will remember

 those who are fighting for our freedom

and for those who have.

(this picture was taken through the leaded glass on our front door)

Joining the others for

Spiritual Sundays & Scripture & A Snapshot

Cookies & Milk + Blanket & A Nap

The recipe reads

 "Best Sugar Cookies in the World"

 and the title holds truth!

I wanted to share it with you.

This recipe was tried in my kitchen for the first time,

approximately six years ago

and it now is my stand-by!

The batter is so light and fluffy.

This cookbook is from our former church
and great recipe is included.

I must say the cookbook had two publications,

such a "big seller".

I drop mine in the little yellow bowl

 containing the sugar and roll them around.

I don't make them "perfectly round & smooth". 

  I like the fact "mama's fingerprints" can be seen.

  Do not let them turn brown,

I must say this is the secret to a soft sugar cookie.

The cookies will firm as they cool.

~~~

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." Barbara Jordan

~~~

 

I had fun preparing these for my guys this past weekend.

My nest was full for Mother's Day!

Our boys having fun with dad.

Mother's Day 2011

~pondering in the heart~

Checklist:

1) decorations in place

2) gift list made

3) menu planning

4) calendar dates filled in

5) shopping

6) attend Christmas musical

7) watch favorite Christmas movies

8) view Christmas lights around area

9) shopping

10) wrapping

11) groceries to be bought

12) baking

13) packing

14) last minute shopping & stocking stuffers

***

Your list may look similiar to my list

but if not

Preparations are being made for Christmas.

But, when all is checked off

and December 26th dawns

will I have satisfying & heart-warming memories

for 2010?

Excitement seems to diminsh with the years.

The children have grown, no grandchildren in our household,

and our traditions are having to be altered.

I do not do well with change.

~just a traditional~

red & green

girl

I have pondered alot lately,  like Mary.

Asking deep questions to

the Only One

who can answer these.

How do I capture the excitement once again?

When did it leave?

Why did Christmas become filled with Heartache

instead of

being filled with Hallelujah?

I share my answers with you, only hoping if you've experienced

some of the same, may these give light to yours.

Ponderings & More Questions

What warm & heart-filling moments of the true meaning of Christmas do I remember?

~~~

Since moving here to MS, we were invited to one of the

 small community churches

for a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.

Our family went as a whole shared a bench with friends,

who had extended the invitation.

It was very cold, hardly any heat in the building

but the warmness was felt as we joined hands & hearts

and sang Silent Night, while holding the flickering candles.

The familiar words from Luke chapter 2

came to life

"For there is born to you this day

 in the city of David a Savior,

 who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

memories are vivid for sounds of

laughter from friends and music shared

from house to house

while Christmas caroling.

"Hark, the Herald Angels Sang"

&

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

were sang from our hearts.

These two fond memories share a

 common thread

"the heart of Christmas".

~Preparing my Heart for a Christmas filled with changes~

I can remember as a child being so amazed with

 the sights, sounds & smells

of Christmas.

  Amazement could be accomplished through the simplest.

This is such a reminder of the way Our Saviour came to us,

no fancy birthing room, just a humble arrival.

Am I still being amazed by the simple?

I was the child who would be listening & looking

for the slightest hints or catch someone

 trying to hide a gift or wrap a gift.

Am I still looking?

Gratitude is born by a heart that is looking.

I need to remember the minor is meant

to be counted as major,

when numbering blessings.

What a perfect reminder of how to prepare our hearts.

Gifts are given to us each day.

As a child Christmas was so exciting

opening that special gift,

 for some it may have been small,

but, it still made our eyes glow.

Luke 6:38

"Give, and it will be given to you:

 good measure, pressed down, shaken together,

 and running over will be put into your bosom.

 For with the same measure that you use,

 it will be measured back to you."

Our hearts are blessed when we give.

My "perfect gift" has reminded me this week

of the ultimate gift that He gave.

He was born and laid in a manger,

grew and became a carpenter

and then gave us the most

wonderful gift

the greatest gift

of all

Salvation.

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world,

 that He gave His only Son, (Jesus Christ),

that whoever believes in Him,

will not perish, but will have eternal life.

I pray your heart and my heart is being prepared this Christmas,

to share in the true meaning of Christmas.

"Family & Friends"

these two

are what make

Christmas meaningful.

if you have room at your family table

or under your tree,

there are many who are in need

 to be remembered



Home Sweet Home

As I slid between "my" white cotton sheets Sunday night, and let the comforter fall around me - it was instantly I began giving thanks.

  Our Sunday road travel was shadowed by His protection,  more than my eye could see,

 all the tight hugs we received, small talk & big talk, family time, fun game-time, laughter, gifts, first-time seeing babies,

 the abundant & flavor-filled food, friends and relaxation.

  The list continues.....

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

 and cometh down from the Father of lights,

 with whom is no variableness,

 neither shadow of turning.Jas 1:17

sharing with you & remembering for myself

when we arrived on Saturday, the 21st we witnessed

~a special uniting of two hearts~

our very first time to sit on bales of wheat straw at a wedding

The grooms cake request was filled to his liking....

Red Velvet Armadillo Cake

(remind you of the movie "Steel Magnolias")

wedding location wasn't far from where the movie was filmed

our oldest showed his hospitality by allowing us to relax at his place

(of course MOM has added a few touches in the decor)

Be sure to enjoy the view out the windows,

 while the guys hunted, I lounged in the pj's drinking my coffee.

the leaves were still trying to hang on

~this was the front view ~

 the squirrels were busy eating the acorns

but, Monday morning I opened the blinds

 to find this one of a kind view

these oreos apparently love the acorns, too

on Sunday we worshipped where we joined hands & hearts

 24 years ago & our boys were baptized.

 The sanctuary was already being prepared for the

Hanging of the Green.

  This is one Christmas Tradition, I dearly miss.

the guys took a break from duck hunting

and gave Mom a carwash for her birthday :-)

don't these three look like they could produce

their own duck-hunting video???

Dad's holding the treasures.

The last night we were there,

we met friends (we had not seen in six years) in a nearby town.

 A wonderful meal was shared,

 enjoyed the Christmas lights together

and the children as well as the adults were awed with  the fireworks.

HOME SWEET HOME!

I've been praying the Lord would help me make our location

feel like "home".

I received text messages this past week,

 while away from friends here.

Giving me affirmation the

Lord is working.

  A long-time friend shared something with me one time -

"it takes alot of shared experiences, to develop relationships & friendships"

Okay, long post today, I enjoyed reminiscing!

We arrived back on Sunday,

I was in the courthouse early Monday for Jury duty,

I was "free to go",

but not freed from the duties of housework.

I want to get this duty out of the way

so I can have fun

"decorating for Christmas".

I'll be visiting with you this week and will take another short break from posting,

until everything is in order here.

Thank you all for your sweet & many comments.

The birthday & anniversary wishes were so kind.

~Heartfelt Wishes~

I pray you & your family share a wonderful time together

on the day we set aside to remember

how bless we are.

This is my longing for my family as well.

Good memories to be made,

pictures to be taken,

hugs to be given,

tables to be set as if it were the
 last time to set our loved one's plate,

"remember we are not promised tomorrow"

each moment is to be treasured.

I want to say thank you to all of you

who for some reason have decided

to read my feeble attempt of words,

as I share my heart & journey

and adjust their eyes

to the out of focus pictures. :)

Friends have been made from near & far and

I pray relationships may continue to grow.

I will not be "clicking publish post" for quite a few days,

I'll be traveling, visiting, cooking, and

 celebrating birthdays & 24 years of marriage.

O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,

let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving.

Psalm 95:1-2 NASB

~A thought to leave you with~
Gratitude = Worship
May we worship Our Lord & Saviour,
Jesus Christ this Thanksgiving
through our thankfulness.

Joining Charlotte & Ginger
at Spiritual Sundays.