I set up my recently acquired fitbit with my fitness goals for this year today...it had to search for "my force"....  I was worried it may not find it...good news though, eventually, "my force" was located :P

I know we sometimes make fun of resolutions because, honestly, we all know ourselves and how we have grand ideas and expectations when we make them, but our actual resolve to keep them may only last a few days. However, I do believe it is always good to take the time throughout the year to do some introspection....to repent, if necessary, and to humbly ask God to help us work on taking steps to make ourselves and our relationships better where we are able.  It seems we naturally think about these things when we approach a new year or on our own birthday (as we face a personal new year).

Here is a portion of a wonderful prayer I read this morning...I changed it from "we" to "me" to make it more personal for myself, but you can read it either way:

Dear God,

Thank you that you make all things new.  Thank you for all that you've allowed into my life this past year, the good along with the hard things, which have reminded me how much I need you and rely on your presence filling me every single day.

I pray for your Spirit to lead me each step of this New Year.  I ask that you will guide my decisions and turn my heart to deeply desire you above all else.  I ask that you will open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight.  I ask that you would help me release my grip on the things to which you've said, "no,", "not yet," or "wait."  I ask for help to pursue you first, above every dream and desire you've put within my heart.

I ask for your wisdom, for your strength and power to be constantly present within me.  I pray you would make me strong and courageous for the road ahead.  Give me ability beyond what I feel able, let your gifts flow freely through me, so that you would be honored by my life, and others would be drawn to you.

I pray that you'd keep me far from the snares and traps of temptations.  That you would whisper in my ear when I need to run, and whisper in my heart when I need to stand my ground.

Forgive me for the times I have worked so hard to be self-sufficient, forgetting my need for you, living independent of your spirit.  Forgive me for letting fear and worry control my mind, and for allowing pride and selfishness wreak havoc over my life.  Forgive me for not following your ways and for living distant from your presence.

I confess my need for you....fresh....new....again.  I ask that you make all things new, in my heart, in my mind, in my life, for this coming year.  I pray for your refreshing over me.

Help me to be known as a great giver, help me to be generous and kind, help me to look to the needs of others and not be consumed by only my own.  May I be a lover of truth, may the fruits of your spirit be evident in my life - your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Shine your light in me, through me, over me.  May I make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes.  Set your way before me.  May all your plans succeed.  And may I reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing.

To you be glory and honor, in this New Year, and forever.  In Jesus' name,  AMEN.

"Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God.  

Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust 

in the Father's active goodness and unrestricted love."

~Brennan Manning~

We had eye appointments today for Danielle and McKenna....and Vannah and Kassi's new glasses were ready for them so we could pick those up :)  Savannah has been working on her HOSA competition and she is trying to enter with medical photography, so she was able to get approval to take pictures today while the girls were getting their eyes examined.

I had to have a couple of those YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL with your glasses and without your glasses....and MOST IMPORTANTLY you are beautiful inside......talks today :)

Some have taken that truth to heart and others are still working on it...:P

Then, I surprised them and had their Bath and Body gift cards with me, so we got to shop the semi-annual SALE....WOOT WOOT!  Got to love that!  It is fun to see which fragrances they all picked after they sampled tons....they are all sooo different in their preferences!

Pretty Beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcHKkJq2Y2M

Happy Hour

I got carded at Meijer for buying two Welch's Sparkling Grape juices....haha!  I was excited and actually started to grab my ID....then the realization came to me....I just started laughing and showed the cashier the front of the bottles and thanked her for checking....LOVE IT!

We had a Christmas game night with my brother's family and we were playing the 20 Questions game.  The clues were leading us to a singer/songwriter from Jamaica and it was McKenna's turn....she passed and the person after her guessed Bob Marley.  Then she said, "I KNEW THAT.....that name was in my mind, but I kept thinking I was just mixing up the people from A Christmas Carol!"  :)

I am still reading Lysa TerKeurst's book, Uninvited, and I found this prayer to be very inspiring today.

"Lord, You are teaching me so much about trusting You.  Fully. Completely.  Without suggestions or projections I'm choosing to embrace the very next thing You show me.  I'll take the first step.  And then I'll take the next.  

I finally understand I don't have to fully understand each thing that happens for me to trust You.  I don't have to try and figure it out, control it, or even like it, for that matter.  In the midst of uncertainties, I will just stand and say, "I trust You, Lord."

I visualize me taking my fear of rejection from my incapable clutches and placing my trust in Your full capability.  And as I do, I make this all less about me and more about You.  I replace my fragile efforts to control with Your fortified realities.

You are the perfect match for my every need.

I am weak.  You are strength.

I am unable.  You are capability.

I am hesitant.  You are assurance.

I am desperate.  You are fulfillment.

I am confused.  You are confidence.

I am tired.  You are rejuvenation.

Though the long path is uncertain, You are so faithful to shed just enough light for me to see the very next step.  I now understand this isn't You being mysterious.  This is a great demonstration of Your mercy.  Too much revelation and I'd pridefully run ahead of You.  Too little and I'd be paralyzed with fear.  So, I am seeking slivers of light in Your Truth just for today and filling in the gaps of my unknown with trust."

At age 78, Debbie Reynolds said this of her relationship with her daughter, Carrie Fisher.....

'For a long time, as a little girl, she was jealous of having to share me with so many other people. Why couldn't I be like other girls' mothers and bake cookies in the kitchen all day, instead of going out making movies? There was a definite resentment. 

'Then, when she went into acting, she realized that I'd taken the hard option, not the easier one of staying home. 

'It's good that we are such friends now that I haven't got a lot of time left.'

(It is so important.....what we do with the time we have left, you know.)

Rest in peace, Debbie Reynolds.

"I heard someone once say that many of us only seem able to find Heaven by backing away from Hell.  And while the place that I've arrived at in my life may not be everyone's idea of heavenly, I could swear sometimes - if I'm quiet enough - I can hear angels sing."

- Carrie Fisher -

Rest In Peace

It's Best To Share A Good Laugh

A question came up at lunch today about why Santa and the Green Giant both say, "Ho, Ho, Ho"....and no one at our table had ever seen them in the same room together, so wondering if the Green Giant is Santa's alter ego....that would work, I think....one moment it's all candy canes and gingerbread people (PC) and, the next, peas and broccoli.....however I found the truth,

Let there be PEAS on earth and goodwill to all men :P

We had tons of fun learning all the meaning behind the true love gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas song with the Billington side of our family in Carmel, IN..... unwrapping presents, training to be elves, and playing our annual minute to win it games :)  We are missing Brad because he couldn't get any extra time off of work with just beginning his new job.

Elf training session.....how to write riddles and hide gifts :)

Vannah playing the packable stackable game....

Grandpa Billington playing "Do You Hear What I Hear"?  They had to figure out which box had 1, 2, 3, 4 bells in them and arrange them in the right order :)  Extra points for how much time they had left on the clock if they got the correct order.

Karly getting ready to land Santa's sleigh (tortillas) on a plate.....how many successful landings in a minute?

Kenna in her ZONE....ready to wiggle this gingerbread man down her face and into her mouth :P  He got stuck on her nose for a while....haha!

Danielle trying it too....ready to catch it with her tongue.  Kenna looks a little worried there in the background doesn't she?...haha!

I tried the candy cane pick up....you have to snag them with a candy cane in your mouth.  I picked up five :)

Vannah and Bray working on decorating this tree without touching it....they had to send the ornaments through the tube and bounce them onto the tree.....points for how many stayed on or in the foil pan :)

Our team, the Weather Watchers, won!!!!

Kinda sleepy and FULL after all the games and good food!

Between all three teams we were able to put $175 toward purchasing these items from the IDES catalog....International Disaster Emergency Service :)

1 Fruit Tree
6 Chickens
7 Baby Chicks
3 Songbooks
1 Birthing Kit
1 Water Purification System

Today Brad's grandpa prayed for our family and I didn't close my eyes.  Don't tell anyone, but I wanted to watch Grandpa pray.  His health has been declining, but there is still such strength in his faith.  He reminded us that there is NOTHING we do to gain or earn our salvation....it is completely an unmerited gift from GOD....GRACE.....however, we should use every opportunity to live out our faith.  

God is always doing something for us, in us, and with us....leading us through different seasons of becoming more like Him and showing us how to surrender more of us if we allow ourselves to learn from the lessons...the lessening.

We are saved and it is by nothing we have done or could do for ourselves.....that is our reality :) .....and that is AMAZING!

I took some pride in how my first peppermint cheesecake turned out :)

And I like this pic of Kassi studying Grandma Sylvia's Christmas village :)

We had a great family Christmas this morning....Brad and I surprised the girls and were not in our beds...haha....we knew they were coming downstairs soon because we could hear them scrambling around upstairs.  They always like to run into our room and yell, "MERRY CHRISTMAS" and wake us up, so they had asked us what time they could do that....we agreed to 7am :)  well, maybe they didn't agree, but that was the time we set.  So, I made our bed look like we were still in it and Brad and I hid in the bathroom for a few minutes and silently giggled at the whispering outside our door.  When they came in and yelled, they were confused that we were not in our beds and we were sneaking up behind them recording it all...haha!

Vannah read the Christmas Story for us out of Luke....and we celebrated with gifts for each other.  Then we traveled to Horton to celebrate Christmas with the Foster side of our family.  We had a terrific dinner and very meaningful time talking about Christmas and praying and all the girls had prepared some music to share.  I am going to brag a little and just say....I remember as a kid I hated when my mom would ask me to play something on the piano or my violin for guests, but SOMEHOW.....I have children who mostly enjoy doing this and do not fuss when asked to share their talents.... I know this is a blessing and NOT AT ALL what I deserve.....sorry mom :P

Karly sang Happy Birthday, Jesus

Out of nowhere....Danielle said she wanted to learn a song on the flute last week.  She is in 5th grade and they do not start learning instruments until 6th grade in school where we live, so Vannah helped her work on her notes and fingering for Silent Night.....she did amazingly well picking that up in one week!

Kassi entertained us with Jingle Bells on her alto sax

McKenna blasted out O Christmas Tree on her trumpet

And Vannah played Greensleeves (also known as What Child Is This) on her oboe....as well as teaching Danielle her flute part :)  Thankful for her patience and willingness to help her sister accomplish that!

This family is such a blessing to me....days like this remind me of how much I have to be thankful for!  Listening to Grandpa Phillips' prayer for us today was such a highlight!!!

The Man and The Birds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd0xzgr_dks

Because every Christmas Eve you dress up like Cowgirls and watch the cheesecake bake :)

Kenna loves the broccoli salad....it is great to have helpers!

My selfie in a Christmas ornament at church

We enjoyed a wonderful service tonight!

How your kids look at you when you are trying to take a nice picture with your pastor in it...haha!

And the LIFE is the LIGHT of men!

Kenna and Josiah exchanged first Christmas presents tonight :)

Dinner at Denny's

Daddy was excited about his slamwich....we were all 6 huddled in a booth probably meant for only 4...haha.  We were missing Vannah for some of the evening because she had to work.  BUT, she got PRIME RIB and GREAT TIPS at Cascades Manor House tonight....so she was happy!

A family tradition....

Also a family tradition :)  I love that they have not grown out of the blanket/sheet forts yet.  Anytime they have days off they build these.

They took this under their fort last night....LOVE THESE GIRLS!

Ready to open one present....the secret Santa gifts :)  The girls all draw names and get each other something fun.

Just being goofy....the elf hats have some magic in them :P

I sure hope I remembered everything....OH, YES......Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!