Blessed New Year

and....12 MONTHS...52 WEEKS...365 DAYS...8,760 HOURS

525,600 MINUTES...or 31,536,000 SECOND'S WORTH, your pick :)

Brad said to me the day after Christmas...."only 364 shopping days left!" 

Am I the only one who is starting to feel like that is not enough?

TIME FLIES!  That's why I not only wish these things for you, 

I PRAY THESE THINGS FOR YOU!

I've wasted a lot of time wishing....this year I want to spend more of my time praying!

(So, I wrote this blog before I headed to our New Year's party at our church and on the way I saw a shooting star....am I supposed to make a wish?  God's humor!.....this is going to be a great year! :)

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A...

SMILE!

Yes, I got to see the new Annie movie on Monday with my family, my parents, and my brother's family...it was sweet!  Did I cry?  THAT IS A SILLY QUESTION....my popcorn just needed more salt....yep, that's the reason!

We had a great time visiting my parents, brother and his wife, and my nephew and niece, 

Brayden and Brenna.  

Playing BINGO (which is really ELFHO) for their last gift from the elves....

doesn't every family do this?...ha!  There are always games and riddles involved in finding the gifts from the elves....they are so clever!

Saying GOODBYE to the Billingtons....

they're smiling because they know it is SEE YA LATER...that, and you really should be fully dressed for a picture! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKjJ6DQF7xY

My True Love

Last Christmas I had purchased a set of coffee mugs with the 12 Days Of Christmas on them for my mom.  Yesterday, they were out by the coffee pot in the morning and six of us grabbed them.  I was the first one to the coffee pot, so I got the partridge in a pear tree.  We sang the song at breakfast and read an article about the spiritual meaning behind each gift.  I don't know why, but I have always thought there was just one gift a day (or I should say, one type of gift)....like one day was the partridge in a pear tree, the next was the two turtle doves, the next day was the three french hens and so on.  I don't know why I have always ignored the AND in the song.  But, the wonderful gifts just add to one another so that each day is a new gift along with all the gifts from the previous days.   My partridge in a pear tree mug symbolizes Jesus....so, the gift of Jesus is given everyday.

We are finishing up our last official Christmas celebration with my parents and brother's family in Indiana and yesterday, after all the girls opened their last present from the elves,  I thought, "Will Christmas even fit in our minivan?"  I am not sure it will unless we are very creative...but, we have a couple more hours to figure that out :)  We are truly blessed to be the recipients of such generosity that we are not sure if the results will fit in our vehicle!  It might end up looking like we are hoarders on the way home for anyone who passes us.

There are a ton of gifts we receive for fun...maybe we don't really need them, but someone thought of us and wanted to express their LOVE in a tangible way...for that I am always grateful!  BUT, the loving gift of Jesus in my life is essential!  I don't know where I would be without GOD'S generous gift of His Son....and, PRAISE GOD!, He is given to us everyday!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ~John 3:16-17

I Think I Have A Serious Case Of Bed Head!

Happy Monday!  :)

A Way In A Manger?

Rather, THE WAY in a manger...

I heard this great devotional before Christmas from Christine Caine....here's a portion of it:

"When God gives us a promise, it normally comes to us in seed form, and what we do with that seed is crucial.  It needs to be planted in nutritious soil and daily watered with faith.  The people with whom we share our dreams are crucial to the dream's birth. We must place ourselves in an environment that is full of faith, hope and life."

It is true...if you think about it, so many (if not all) of the beautiful things we have seen have grown from a mustard seed of faith.  If you look at all the people in the Bible and trace their stories of faithfulness or if you think through your own testimony....I am sure this concept holds true.

The only other part I would add to this devotional thought is that every seed of an idea or dream God has given us has the potential to grow, but it is not only dependent on external variables for success....we also have to be willing to become less and less for Christ to become more and more.  If we lose ourselves in praising and glorifying Him....we have found THE WAY....the promise of our salvation was even given to us in "seed form", our mighty KING as a baby in a manger.  But, are we willing to bow before this baby?.... OR, in other words, to bow down before the promise has come to fruition....this takes faith...this takes humility...this takes sacrifice.

He Just Does Sit-ups All Day!

While Brad and I were on a Christmas shopping date, we came across a store that had a scene from Rudolph in the storefront window....it even had a large Abominable Snowman as a part of the scene.  I was talking about it to Brad and mistakenly called him (the snowman) the Abdominal Snowman...oooops! :)  I just saw this cartoon....ha!

The Light Of Life

One of our family traditions is to attend a candlelight Christmas Eve service.  It is somewhat of a tradition because Brad is normally planning the service, but we would be attending one regardless of whether he was in the ministry or not.  This year he was planning for two candlelight Christmas services, one for last Sunday night at our Parma location and one for Christmas Eve at our Jackson facility.  On Christmas Eve, after the service, everyone was in a big circle around the perimeter of the sanctuary and we were beginning to pass the light around the circle with our candles, but it was taking longer than our pastor had planned.  It got to the point where we could tell our pastor was finished with what he had planned to speak about and he was beginning to fill the time.  Brad and I looked at each other like, "OKAY, should we do something?"  The candles were still only about halfway lit around the room and so we could have started singing a song to fill the time....but, Savannah decided to walk through the middle of the circle with her candle and take the light to the "DARK SIDE" of the circle.

I don't know why the image of that event has been spinning in my mind so much over the last two days, but it was a special moment for me to watch her do that.  I know it wasn't really something she wanted to do because she sometimes gets a little self-conscious in front of people, but she realized what we were thinking and she thought she could take the light to where it was needed.  That sparked my brain to connect Jesus, BEING THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, with our responsibility to share that light!

I think it was just incredibly meaningful and a symbol of what I HOPE for all my kids....that they will realize places in the world that are dark and be the ones to take the LIGHT to those places.

Compounding upon that monumental MOM-ent for me was the ride home after the service.....We had already heard the Christmas story twice, and I knew that we would be hearing it again later at Brad's parent's home on Christmas day.....but, Savannah asked if she could read the Christmas story to our family on Christmas morning.  First, I thought about how many times we have already listened to it this year and then I realized how it is SOOOOO NOT about how many times I have heard it.... it is about how many times it is told.  EACH TIME IT IS TOLD, THE LIGHT GROWS STRONGER TWOFOLD.....IT IS STRENGTHENED IN THE TELLER AND IT IS PASSED TO SOMEONE!  I struggled with keeping my emotions in check while Savannah read us the Christmas story and apologized for mispronouncing some of the names....because suddenly the TELLING of the story took on a new meaning to me!

I Wholeheartedly Agree!

I am thankful for a few "squeal gifts" this Christmas for my family....cowgirl boots, an ant farm from Grandma and Grandpa Foster, and ice skating lessons are a few things that definitely gave me much gifter satisfaction due to the decibel level of the squeals from my girls....I'd have to agree with Andy Rooney on this one!  

Plus, I ate so much today, I can't bend over to retrieve anything...so...

I'll let the "glorious" mess linger a little longer :)  

The diet starts tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Bada-Boom, Bada-Bing Crosby

So, a few interesting things happened today...

I was making Puppy Chow and had already completed one batch, but was still trying to use the same gallon-sized Ziplock for a second batch. While I was shaking the powdered sugar in the Ziplock bag, it broke and powdered sugar showered me.......powdered sugar is white.

Then, Brad was working on preparing for tonight's Christmas Eve service and he was having me read a few devotional thoughts to help him pick one, but nothing seemed right.  I suggested he look at some of Max Lucado's devotional thoughts on Christmas as Savannah was walking into the room.  She said, "Did someone say Mashed Potatoes?"  :)....wait, mashed potatoes are white.

Then, after tonight's service, Brad and I were wishing people from church a Merry Christmas and greeting visitors when Kassi came running to tell me Karly had just lost a tooth in the ladies bathroom.  I ran out to check on her and when I walked into the bathroom I realized this means Santa and the Toothfairy will be coming to our house tonight.  THAT IS SUCH A RARE OCCURRENCE!  I want to stay awake to get a picture of them together!....wait, teeth are called "pearly whites".

AND, IT'S SNOWING!  :)  I didn't think it would snow tonight.  

Now, what to do with this train ticket to Vermont....?????

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjnZyuFKH0k

You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch

We were at this social gathering and there was this man who went to get his spouse a drink.  Now, pouring and offering someone a drink is one of the most basic acts of service and I know I really appreciate it when it happens for me.  He poured her drink and even wrote her name on the red, Solo party cup....then presented it to her.  How sweet!  Right?!  So, as she was meandering around the gathering, talking to people, and sipping on her cup o' cheer given to her by her sweet husband...she thought it ODD....that people kept saying, "Ginch" and laughing as she walked by.  Finally, after it happened a few times she realized her husband had written her name on the side of the cup he presented to her and GRINCH on the opposite side that would be facing all the rest of the people at the party!

So, I have been thinking....if I were said woman....how would I respond to this?  Give him the slap, slap, slappiest season of all?  :)

Every year, Brad and I argue....err, DEBATE (you can have a good ole, healthy debate, right?) about decorating outdoors for Christmas.  He never wants to put the effort into it, so there has only been one year that we have had any lights on our house....and that was a joke because he only put two tiny strands up in a straight line that didn't even cover any section of our "Christmas eaves" :) (so it just looked unfinished the whole time) but he felt a lot of satisfaction in telling me he had put some Christmas lights up...and he would laugh every time I rolled my eyes and sighed at it when we pulled in the driveway :P  I approached the subject again this year to NO AVAIL!  AND, I almost decided to GIVE UP asking him if we can decorate EVER AGAIN until I found this perfect compromise....well, it's not exactly "perfect", but at least it has a trace of cheer.

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

And, it just occurred to me that this worked for Lucy!

"With these words your tongue must sew, for all around there to be snow"

We enjoyed watching Narnia's, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader tonight with the girls.  It is such a good message of ...fight the good fight!....and stay strong in the faith!

I was proud of the girls for lending a hand yesterday to help with a project our church has been working on.  There were several families from Parma who lost their homes recently due to a fire in an apartment building downtown.  Our church was able to collect donations for these families and the girls spent their first morning off of school sorting everything into the right sizes and needs for the families.

Several families have already stopped in to pick up clothing, supplies and some Christmas presents.  It has been such a blessing to be able to care for them and to have the ability to restore some of what they lost!

The closing song from our movie tonight was There's A Place For Us...not the West Side Story one that I always think of, Carrie Underwood sings this one.  It just connects everything so well to what I hope we are able to give to these families this Christmas....more than the stuff to re-make a home....

A place to belong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCh-cLHJJjE

It Takes A Lot Of Effort To Play The Role

The Living Nativity - The Skit Guys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap_sM6jbBRQ

I hope you enjoy this little video :)
For God so loved the world!

I Have Never Seen This On a Christmas Card

Here's a Christmas paradox for you.  I am really getting into this whole Christmas IQ test....my pastor would be happy that his Christmas trivia is challenging me to think about Christmas differently than I have in the past :)  Anyway, here's a verse for you....

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, 

praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."  

Luke 2:13-14

Here's the great paradox....the large company of the heavenly host was a vast heavenly ARMY.  And, that ARMY was proclaiming PEACE to those who believe.  The baby in the manger is the great commander of this ARMY as well as the PRINCE OF PEACE.  Those two concepts seem to be in opposition to one another.

When I think about what the ARMY of Angels said at the birth of Christ, I understand it is comforting for those who are in Christ, but...to really understand this PEACE, one has to also understand the contrast that for those who are not in Christ....there will be NO PEACE.  This sweet baby in a manger actually grew up and said, 

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  Matthew 10:34

The earth is not our home...Heaven is our home....we cannot lose sight of that!  The earth is the battleground where faith is tested....there is a constant spiritual battle for our souls and this battle, though it is mostly unseen, can leave us feeling worn and battered if we do not live in the peace that is offered through finding favor with God.  C.S. Lewis has a very interesting work called The Great Divorce.  It is an allegory that addresses the subject that earth can be like heaven for those who are in Christ and like hell for those who are not.  It is not as if those who are in Christ experience any physical differences from those who are not in Christ, but the perspective of finding peace and joy in it all is much different and, for the Christian, transcends the physical troubles.

Jesus, in command of this vast ARMY.....HAS CONQUERED SIN!  No troubles we encounter on earth can touch that!....There's the PEACE!  It's not in a silent night of fluffy snow or the twinkling lights on my tree or in the flickering fire that makes my toes toasty warm....I ADORE THOSE THINGS and they feel so peaceful.  BUT, the peace comes to me because my SAVIOR was long-suffering and won the greatest battle!

Maybe it's weird to mix WAR and PEACE like this...I know you probably wouldn't see a Christmas Card with a baby offering up a battle cry.

King and Country's, Baby Boy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CxFb4J-DHg

But, in Him we are VICTORIOUS!

No Room

Technically, there is not an innkeeper mentioned in any scripture concerning the birth of Jesus.  That person is assumed to be a part of the story because Mary and Joseph did stop at an inn or guest house of some sort to seek shelter.  We know that there was no room available and they were directed to an alternative shelter inhabited by animals.  This shelter fulfilled prophesies concerning Jesus's birth and made it possible for the shepherds to locate the holy child as he would have been the only babe lying in a manger.  Praise the Lord that even in the middle of our chaos, God's beautiful plan is still unfolding.

I believe there was a person who communicated this message of "no room" to the couple.  Can you imagine the chaos in the small town when the census was about to be taken and, much like we experience on Black Friday, there would have been such a surge of activity in an area that was not equipped or prepared for this onslaught of visitors.  We don't know the specifics or motivations behind the couple needing to find their final shelter, but my mind took me on a little adventure as I thought about it this morning, so I will attempt to take you with me.

I thought about the person who had to turn them away because there was no room.  I thought about having to turn away a woman who was clearly in labor.  I thought about what alternate choice I would have had and the only thing I could think of is that I would have had to give up my own shelter.  Who knows if that would have been an option, but let's just say it was because that thought was powerful to me because.....I AM AN INNKEEPER.....I keep my heart and my mind full of things that are clearly important to me, right! :)  When Jesus comes to knock...I can totally see how easy it would be to look around at the accumulation and say "NO ROOM!"  Have I not said that in so many words?!  The only choice we have as innkeepers of our hearts is to give up our own place to Him, right?  Complete HUMILITY....to be displaced from our "throne" for the sake of our salvation.

I was able to sing "Be Born In Me" this morning for our services....WHAT A POWERFUL SONG and privilege to sing it!  I have a couple favorite lines in that song....one is "every moment in the middle, make my heart your Bethlehem" and the other is "the only thing my heart can offer is a vacancy!"  Isn't that true?  I want to have a place for Christ this Christmas!

Nite Lites

We had three girls under the weather last evening and at about 1am this morning I heard some "not so great" movement and noises upstairs.  "I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter".....I wish "the sash" was the only thing being thrown up...:)  I was betting it was McKenna because she seemed to be the one who really wasn't feeling well before bedtime.  I went to check on her and discovered it was Karly.  Luckily, it seems it was a short bout of a stomach issue....because they are all doing much better today.

Brad had another funeral to officiate today.  He has had quite a few since he has become a "rent-a-rev" pastor for Burden's Funeral Home.  They call him whenever a family doesn't have a home church or a family pastor.  He actually really enjoys meeting the families and helping them plan for the funeral services for their loved ones....especially when he is able to honor someone who has been in the military.

Since we had sickness in the house yesterday, the germaphobe in me was not wanting to touch anything the girls had touched the day before....but, since the girls are technically on Christmas vacation now, I wanted to present my plan to disinfect the house in a fun, festive way, so I told the rest of the family we needed to SANTA-tize the house this morning.  We all cleaned and then Brad was working on getting ready for the funeral, so I took the girls to see a local ice skating show....the performance was by kids their own ages who have been taking skating lessons at Optimist Ice Area.  Then, after the funeral service, Brad met up with us there and we went out to eat and then on to one of our favorite family Christmas traditions...

Making puppets out of the napkins at Bob Evans (oh, that's not the family tradition...haha! WHAT IF!, not that there is anything wrong with puppets....that would just be a different kind of tradition. )

It's like I gave them some kind of goofy medicine!

See!

Enough evidence? :)  They didn't get much sleep last night.

It was so busy at Nite Lights tonight!  This is the family Christmas tradition....the girls LOVE it!...Even though it is pretty much the same every year, it is pretty cool to drive through all the lights.

A view of the Nativity...

Then I realized the pictures I was messing up because we were moving were actually kind-of pretty so I started trying to make interesting light trail pictures.

Oooooooooo....

Ahhhhhhhh!

Let Your Light Shine!

Run, Run As Fast As You Can

Every time we set a goal, we have a choice to either throw in the towel,

 or use it to wipe the sweat off of our face and keep going.  

See my new Christmas towel and hot pad.....it's from my Secret Santa :).

Dear Secret Santa,

If you happen to read my blog.....thanks!  This is super cute!

Many things we run after tend to elude us....like the Gingerbread Man.  They just taunt us and have no purpose to our benefit except for the challenge that fuels our desire to continue the chase.  Pursuit of GOD, however, is totally different.  God is moving, but not in a way to taunt us or dodge us.  His movement is leading us to a greater place....a deeper relationship with Him....a place of fulfillment, not a place of disappointment or rejection.  I really like this morning prayer by Lysa Terkeurst:

One  Pure & Holy Passion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LArCu3OxdEI

We Will Not Lose Hope

I heard this song for the first time today and LOVE IT! 

In Like A Lion (Always Winter) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq-wai2z0G4

God gave me a meaningful gift yesterday.....it was one of those gifts that is more about HIS presence than presents...you know!  I was running to Target real quick during Karly's gymnastic lesson because there was a gift that I had been having trouble finding and I had checked to see where I could get it and found out it was available at Target.  So, I was entering the store and having trouble pulling the carts apart....does that ever happen to you?  I always get the two carts that are Siamese twins.  I was trying with all my might to pull them apart and they wouldn't budge....so, this man comes over to assist me....and I realized I knew him from college....we both laughed at my cart crisis.  He and his wife live in town and minister at a different church and we run into them from time to time.  He knew we had adopted two years ago and he started talking about that and then he told me he and his wife had decided to start the process to adopt as well.  He went a little deeper to tell me how he was so excited about the way he is seeing God work in and through their process.  It was such a great reminder to me of how GOD worked in our adoption process and how HE is still working to make us a family....when I got back to my car I had one of those wonderful emotional moments with God. 

I was grateful that my infuriating cart gave me a hard time long enough to have that conversation....do you ever wonder if God does that on purpose?  Anyway, it really touched my heart and I was just thinking that sometimes we are so busy, or overwhelmed, or whatever and we do not realize GOD IS WITH US....HE will be with us wherever we take a step.  He has us covered.  We should not lose HOPE!

Mail From The North Pole

Karly has been sending messages to an Elf named Star and she got a long letter back yesterday at school.  I have never, in my lifetime, read a letter like this one from an Elf.  I absolutely have to share it!

Dear Karly,

I love that you love my name.  I am 514 years old.  I eat fruit and veggies.  My hair is green.  My job is to pack Santa's bag before Christmas.  On my free time, I go sledding with my friend, Spinner.  I am a boy.  My favorite hill to go sledding on is Snowy Mountain.  My favorite book is All The Elves.  It's about Santa owning all the elves and having us make cookies for him...then, Mrs. Santa stopped him and we all went back to our own jobs.  My wife's name is Twinkle.  She is very nice and makes cookies.  I am not allowed to talk about Santa for reasons like telling your friends because one might know an abominable snowman.  Something even worse is....well, I'm not allowed to talk about it, but just between you and me, it is really dangerous.  I am 1.5' tall.  I hope you're good, but I already know if you are.  I have a dad named Tiny, a brother named Red, two sons and two daughters.  My son's names are Sparkle and Ruffle.  My daughters names are Bubble and Tinsel.  My dad, Tiny, has Elfitis.  I hope you're having a nice time.

Your Friend,
Star

Karly is very concerned about Star's dad, Tiny's, condition....she says Elfitis is VERY BAD! :(  Anyone know the details of Elfitis?  Are there any cures?

It's The Thought That Counts

The best gifts communicate a message....the best gifts say, I LOVE YOU and I took time to think about what you would love to receive.  Sometimes, (or most times), the best gifts aren't on "the list". Sometimes, the best gifts aren't just the gifts, but some combination of the gift and/or the creative way it is given. 

The best gifts are from people who took their shoes off, put yours on, and walked around for a while...noticing life the way you see it.....then decided to add some beauty to your walk in a place where you would least expect it.

The best gifts are evidence of the greatest givers and enrich our lives :)

And sometimes, the best gifts are....cookies! 1,2,3,4,5 cookies! :)  What if that is a trick box and it is actually full of cookies :)

PART 2

I took Karly to gymnastics tonight, did some more Christmas shopping, and attended my God-son's 5th birthday party and then, Savannah and I had some more cooking to do.  She decided she didn't think my idea of Authentic Mexican Oreo Truffles would work out the way I hoped.....so we made these pastry puff things with cinnamon and sugar....kind-of like miniature Elephant Ears.  I actually fried them in lard....that is the first time I have used lard for cooking.  On the way home from the birthday party I said to Vannah, "Okay, when we get home I am getting my jammies on and then I'll get out the lard.".....that sounded so funny!

Between a gingerbread village, cookies, Oreo truffles, buckeyes, and Mexican (elephant ears)...we have been keeping busy with baking.  Here are some photos:

Making sure the lard is the right temperature and that it doesn't sizzle me when I add the thin pieces of dough....yikes!

Kenna hated the smell of the lard, so she found this mask and wore it around the house.....

SO MUCH DRAMA!...it did smell funky and create a haze in my kitchen.

The final batch of miniature elephant ears for Savannah's authentic Mexican cuisine experiment

The girls helping me with Oreo Truffles and buckeyes

Karly's Christmas village :)

She was very proud of her masterpiece :)

On A Cold, Dark Winter's Night

I almost finished my Christmas shopping tonight...I am soooo close!  AND, I am so tired!  BUT....

We have one child with a Barter Day tomorrow...two children with class Christmas parties, one who has Market Day, and one who has to make some kind of authentic Mexican food.....(in a weird way listing all those things just made me feel like I was saying...."This little piggy...went to Market Day....etc....etc."

Do they have OREOs in Mexico?  I hope so....because I really just feel like making A LOT-O OREO TRUFFLES....and divvying (I did not remember that the word divvying had two v's...live and learn!) them up.  It would be so much faster than making five different types of goodies.  Plus, I would love to pig out on the extras.

I vote for the OREO TRUFFLE SPEEDWAGON so this little piggy can put her feet up tonight!

God Is Good

It was day #2 in my new work space and I would say I have 73% of my groove back :)  Since part of the year I am not at work and other parts of the year I am part-time, I chose the smallest office of the two possibilities.  It was super nice that they offered me the bigger one, but I couldn't see making a full-time employee dwell in the tiny office when she is in the building all the time.  Even though my office is little, it was still fun to set it up :)  I am really weird about how happy I get when I can transform spaces.  There was a slight misunderstanding that worked out to my benefit.  I had requested to take this cork board thing home so I could cover it with fabric to "give my office a little color" and I think the person who read my request was just skimming the email because they set me up with a painter (not a date....a work request :).  I tried to remedy the situation...I said, "I 'm sorry, I wasn't requesting my office to be painted."....but, they said since it was scheduled, I might as well pick a color...haha!  A bunch of my coworkers have been calling me a DIVA since I "ordered" my office to be painted....ANYWAY, it is this cool, slate blue color.....AND I LOVE IT!  Oh, the little joys in life :)  Sometimes little joys are BIG JOYS!

AND, this is a funny GOD thing, well I guess the paint could have been a funny GOD thing too....maybe everything is a funny GOD thing.....HE'S SO FUNNY!  HOWEVER, I have been given the responsibility of starting to recruit international students on top of my other duties and with the same work hours and I have been stressing about how all that is going to get accomplished as my days become shorter at work.  I have wanted to simplify the process, re-do some forms, evaluate our website information, and maybe even research what other schools that are our competition are doing to make sure we are using best practices with all our processes and procedures...but, when will I have the time?!  I wish I could say I made this a matter of serious prayer, but I didn't...I just made it a matter of stress and a matter of wondering how I WOULD MAKE THAT HAPPEN.  So, yesterday.....during my busy move day I received an email from a professor letting me know there is a current international student on campus who would really like an internship with our office during January and.... would I have any work for her involving international students?

I THINK I CAN MANAGE THAT :) GOD, THANKS FOR LIGHTENING MY LOAD!

"THAT YOU HEAR ME".....EVEN WHEN I DON'T CALL is humbling in the loveliest way.

See what I am talking about....He's so mindful of us :)

And, there was a fire in an apartment building downtown Parma last weekend, so our church has been trying to coordinate with the Red Cross to see what we can do to help the families.  We had still been waiting to hear back from them on the exact needs, but one of our elders got a call today for an interview from a radio station that said the Red Cross told them we were planning to reach out to the families of the fire.  And, someone from town stopped by our church to make a donation already....OKAY, GOD....looks like you want to use Village Hope Church for this one.  Sometimes, through hardships, GOD gives us amazing opportunities to minister to others.  I am excited that this will be something we can be involved in this Christmas.

AND, all the time....GOD IS GOOD!

How I Wonder...

What you are....is MAJESTY!

Just Another Manic Monday

Mondays are always busy for me because they encompass several days worth of data, but today was also my moving day from the basement of our building to my new space upstairs.  I knew as I headed to work that it was going to be chaos trying to get Monday's work accomplished without my area completely set up....BUT, you really can choose your weather, right?!  (Cloudy with a chance of meatballs?)  I did learn how to completely set up my computer by myself....I was pleasantly surprised that once I had all the cords plugged into the places I thought they went, IT WORKED! YAHOOOO!

I got a call that Danielle was sick at school, so I went to pick her up and then three of us had more dentist appointments.  There is starting to be a worn path to our house and I think it is from the tooth fairy.  Vannah had to have two baby teeth pulled that never fell out on their own.  I had to chomp down on that weird gooey stuff that makes a mold of your teeth (as it gags you) so they could make a new (removable) retainer for me.  I already had to do it once, but someone BROKE THE MOLD :)....I would really like to know who that was!  I want to act like I am giving that person a fist bump and then quickly change it into a knuckle sandwich :)  And, Kassi was supposed to have a small procedure done too, but she freaks herself out really easily and then she gets past the point of reasoning.  I gave it my best shot...we went to another room while her mouth was totally numb and I gave the best pep talk I could muster.....KASSI, YOU CAN TOTALLY DO THIS!

It is humorous when someone is arguing with you with a completely numb mouth.

Needless to say, we need to work on growing Kassi's BRAVE or I need WAY more persuasive 

pep talks  :) 

When I had to give consent for Vannah's extractions I was reading and initialing all these places on the form and I was noticing that everywhere it said who was performing the extraction were the letters S.A.W.....(GROSS, right!?)  THE SAW!  My dentist's initials spell SAW....ha!  Maybe that is why Kassi freaked out!

Seeing Stars

This year's Village Hope Kids Christmas program was called Star of Wonder and was an adventure through the eyes of several stars...let's see if I can remember them all...Falling Star, Lucky Star, Shooting Star, Rock Star, North Star and Super Star.  It was a cute way to present the Christmas story.  McKenna was Super Star and did a terrific job with one of the lead roles....this is the last year for her to be in the children's programs at church...life is like a shooting star!  Kenna, Kassi, Danielle, and Karly were all given a song to sing as the SISTER QUARTET that was super sweet.  Another thing that added to the sweetness was seeing a row almost completely full of people who love my daughters....grandparents....my parents surprising us and coming from out of town, great-grandma Phillips, Oma Helga, Savannah and Danielle's grandma, and their aunt and uncle.  There is nothing better when you are a kid (or a parent of kids) than to KNOW soooo many people love you (your kids).

I remember when I was little and couldn't sleep on the night before Christmas I would always look out my window.  I was looking for two things.....either to catch a glimpse of Santa on his sleigh or to see a SUPER BRIGHT star like the one that would have been above Bethlehem when Jesus was born.

What is it about kids and Christmas....or being young at heart at Christmas that is sooooo wonderful?!  I think it is about the all out BELIEF and the joyful HOPE we can have in our futures that have not yet been written.  The feeling that something good.....NO, SOMETHING GRAND is coming soon.

It's important to remember that even though we age, we are still children of God....there is so much more goodness in our future with Him if we desire it.  The wise men desired to find Him and worship Him and they were given a WAY to Him.  In the same fashion, GOD has given us a WAY to find Him through Jesus.  The child within us believes....the child within us has such joyful hope that the seeking is delightful.

Holly Day Road Trip

It may just be because it was late and we were just returning from a road trip and I had been staring at road signs all the way home, but the weird thought struck me when I saw a sign for a Big Boy Restaurant that Big Boy and Elf On a Shelf look very similar.  I think it is because their faces are jolly :)  Is jolly a mix of happy and mischievous?

Uncanny, right?! :)  Am I on to something here?

We went to Holly, MI for the Francesca Battistelli and Shaun Groves Christmas concert.  I was excited for it partly because of the concert....and partly because we were travelling to a place called Holly at Christmastime :)  I was thinking we were accomplishing the goal of having a Holly Jolly Christmas and that made me happy :)

Have A Melodic Metalcore Christmas

I found it!  I have been looking for some Christmas music that is really upbeat....energetic enough to WAKE US UP and get us moving a little bit:)  I thought it should be something like techno music, but I couldn't find what I liked.  So I found Sleddin' Hill by Autumn Burns Red....it's perfect!  Brad said it's not techno, so I Googled it to find out the genre....melodic metalcore :)  Who knew!?

It sounds weird to say, "Have a melodic metalcore Christmas!"... but, this gets us moving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZY83voCJZE

Words With Friends

I am starting to crave cheese, crackers, and summer sausage....sometimes, our friends who are hunters have had some venison processed for us at Christmastime.  A few years ago we started watching Christmas movies with a picnic blanket of snacks on the living room floor.  So, now it's weird to watch our shows without our traditional snack, ya know...specific foods always get tied to specific festivities!  I have never thought it strange before that we are eating venison summer sausage and watching Christmas movies until today when I saw this....

I love the TAP TAP :)

Poor Rudy, it looks like they still aren't letting him join in the reindeer games :(

Ooooooo, Mozart!

Last night we got to attend Kenna's 6th grade band concert.  They played some simple songs because they just started learning their instruments this school year, but then I looked on the program and saw they were about to play a Mozart Melody and I looked at Brad and said, "Ooooooo, Mozart!"  (We were both caught up in that little moment of "WOW our little 6th grader is going to play a Mozart piece"  when they started playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"  HA....oh yeah, that is a Mozart melody :)