Christmas Snapshots

I just wanted to share a few pictures from our Christmas day. :) (These are all Angie's pictures, because I left my camera card at home in the computer - oops.)


Christmas secrets? :) I love this picture of my hubby and me!


Yummy cranberry bread - one of our holiday traditions!


Yay! A tripod! :)


Angie with her new coat. Looks warm and cozy, huh?


Christmas dinner with family and friends. Mark's brother Ryan and his wife Mary came down for Christmas dinner as well as our friend Jacob, who wasn't able to travel to his family's for Christmas day.

Sunday Blessing

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

From Joy To The World
by Isaac Watts

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Yes, I know Christmas Day is officially over, but isn't now just the start of our celebrations? Jesus came to earth!

(Also, I love Christmas time, and am not ready to give it up yet. Anyway, we aren't finished celebrating - we still have more Christmas-ing to do yet!) :)

Oh, and thanks to Angie for the picture I used! :)

Merry Christmas!!!

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed . (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed , every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was , that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered . And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes , and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field , keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo , the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid . And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold , I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes , lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying , Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass , as the angels were gone away from them into heaven , the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass , which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste , and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things , and pondered them in her heart.

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May you have the true Reason for the Season in your heart!

Merry Christmas!!

Days of Christmas: Day 24

Happy Christmas Eve!! I have had quite a busy day, as I am sure each of you have as well! :) But fun too... Here are a few pictures from my afternoon:

It snowed here in East Texas!! It didn't stick, but is sure was sooo pretty coming down! and so Christmassy too! :)


Mark helped me with some last minute Christmas baking. It sure is great to have a guy that's handy in the kitchen. He enjoys baking. :)

Christmas treats!


Peppermint Biscotti Recipe link

I hope each of you have a relaxing Christmas Eve evening! :)

Days of Christmas: Day 23

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!! :) (Or Christmas Adam, because you know Adam came before Eve...)


Yesterday I had Christmas with three of my favorite little girls (and their mommy too!) :) Notice the littlest one pulling on her hair - that's the "I'm sleepy" signal. :)


She really liked the manger scene (they all did.) Although Gracey had suggestions for improvement - more angels!! So funny considering this set's history- I actually have one more now that came with Joseph as well as the shepherds and more animals! :)


The oldest two enjoying spiced cider in their new mugs from us. Mugs just their size!

Days of Christmas: Day 21 & 22

Day 21:

We had our Christmas Program Sunday night. Here's two of my favorite girls singing "Away in a Manger." I love the personalities coming through - Gracey singing her heart out and Faithie hamming it up! :) So cute!

Day 22:
Well, my Christmas got off to a difficult start, but I wasn't quite this mixed up: Can you tell what's wrong in this picture?

I'm not sure if it's intentional or not but they have the cart before the horses sleigh before the reindeer!! :) I've been tickled every time we pass this house. It's kindof how Christmas ends up feeling sometimes with all the busyness!! :)

Sunday Blessing

O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may his His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

from Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem
by Phillip Brooks

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This picture I took last year. It is the manger scene that my mom painted several years ago. We've had it as long as I can remember - So cute! :)

Days of Christmas: Day 19

We got most of our Christmas cards out today. I had to catch the mail lady as she made her way across the street. I was finishing a stack of cards when she pulled up to our box! :) I never got Christmas stamps this year, so the outsides of the cards aren't very festive. Oh, well. At least they are finally sent! (Thanks to my wonderful husband that did a stack as well!) :)

Days of Christmas: Day 18

Wow. The 18th already. Hard to believe!!!

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas is to read Christmas books. Here are a few of my favorites:


Allow me to share a bit about these four books. (I haven't talked books in a while...) :)

The first books is Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury. It is a collection of mostly short stories as well as some poems that she wrote. Most of the stories are new to me, although there is an excerpt from Little Women. (It wouldn't be complete without Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy.) I really liked the hospital story and Mrs. Podger's Teapot. The stories are all so sweet - classic Alcott. I haven't finished it yet. ( I purchased it recently at my favorite booksale.)

Next is one of those books with four novellas, Victorian Christmas Cottage. I really love the first story and like to read it every year. Under His Wings by Catherine Palmer is a retelling of the story of Ruth set in the Victorian English countryside. Such a sweet story!

Max Lucado's story, Cosmic Christmas has been renamed a few times. Currently it is sold in a volume with two other stories and is titled An Angel's Story. I love this because it is the Christmas story told from an angel's perspective. Leave it to Lucado to come up with this! :)

And last but not least, and probably the most popular of all, Dicken's Christmas Carol. I love this version, but haven't got much of it read. It is a wonderful new version with historical notes as well as Christian study notes and notes about the author and what certain things in the story meant to him.

So what do you read at Christmas Time?? :) Or do you, like me, hardly have time to read this year?

PS~ No Finished Object Friday from me today... I haven't even started wrapping presents!! But you are welcome to link up below!!

Days of Christmas: Day 17

A group from our church went caroling last night.

This house is one of our annual stops. He loves decorating for Christmas!!
His Christmas tree has 4,100 lights!

Days of Christmas: Day 16

Making Christmas goodies. Lauren and I made these Saturday night. They were party favors for my MIL's annual Christmas tea party! (She does a wonderful tea party. I was so sad to miss it again this year! Maybe next year...) :)

Days of Christmas: Day 15

I love spending time with family we haven't seen all year! Every year, my Dad's side of the family has a Christmas dinner. It is so special to know my great aunts and uncles...and all those cousins!

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We are back home. We got home late last night from the funeral, etc. yesterday. It has been a busy and tiring weekend. Thank you for all your prayers!

Days of Christmas: Day 14

A year ago today I lost my grandpa. It's so hard to believe that it's been a year. It's also hard to believe that he is really gone.

Today is the funeral for Mark's grandpa.

It's never easy to say goodbye, but it's always harder around the holidays. So in your prayers today, please remember Mark's family and my family. It's a hard day for all of us. But through it all, we still choose to have JOY.

Because it's Christmas.

Because HE came.

Sunday Blessing

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.

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."

From I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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This is one of my favorite Christmas carols - especially that last stanza!! I have really enjoyed Casting Crowns' Christmas cd. Enjoy their version of this carol:

Days of Christmas: Day 12

Just some Christmas bokeh, for you. I love the lights of Christmas!! (Do you ever squint at the tree to see it sparkle? maybe it's just me...) :)

Days of Christmas: Day 11

Each year growing up, Mark and I both got a Christmas ornament. Now our Christmas tree is a combination of both our pasts! :) It is a special tradition, one that we are excited to carry on someday.

Days of Christmas: Day 10

On my coffee table:


Yes, the coffee table has the same decor from the last two years... hmmm, maybe I should think of something different... :)

Days of Christmas: Day 9

I love my little daily calendar! It's so much fun to see what's on each new day - especially at Christmastime! :)

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Thank you, all my friends, for your condolences. I will be passing them on to Mark as well. You are so kind!

Days of Christmas: Day 8

Finally finished!!!


Now to have time to sit and enjoy it!

Saturday we decorated the church for Christmas! Here is the bulletin board:


In other, more serious news, Mark's grandfather passed away early yesterday morning. Deaths aren't easy this time of year, I know. But we are glad to know that he is free from all his pain and completely healed in Heaven.

Sunday Blessing

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.

from Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
by John F. Wade

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This picture was taken by Mark's sister Lauren when we were decorating for Mark's grandmothers.

Days of Christmas: Day 5

Gettin' me some girly lovins! :)

Do you recognize their outfits? I made them two years ago!! ...and they still fit!
Just a reminder - here is Faithie modeling her jumper shortly after I made it:



This little one is growing so fast!! Isn't that the prettiest smile!?


We had our church Christmas party today. Lots of yummy food:

And fun times!!! Isn't that one of the best parts of Christmas? -spending time with people you love!!

Days of Christmas: Day 4

Slowly but surely, I'm getting ornaments on my tree!! :) It's looking quite pretty and proud. Here is one of my vintage ornaments. Passed on from when my parents worked for Coca-Cola. My dad was a delivery man when I was born, and my mom worked at a memorabilia store for a while.

It feels good to get some pretty ornaments on the tree. There are still lots more to go! :)

For more Days of Christmas fun, see Melissa's blog!

Oh and by the way, it's snowing here!!! Can you believe we are getting snow in East Texas? :) hmmm... dare I hope for a white Christmas? (probably not... oh, well...)

Finished Object Friday

With all the excitement of putting Christmas decoration us, and all the other excitement that goes with this time of year, I almost forgot FOF this week! :) But I did remember, and here we are!

I haven't been doing any Christmasy crafting this year, at least not yet. But I do have another apron to share. (Yes, yet another apron...) :) Hope you don't mind! This one is for a special little girl who's turning three this month!

(She wasn't too excited about getting her picture taken - she wanted to ride her new bike!) :)

Her little apron is also reversible!

I thought the heart pocket turned out rather well...

Well, anyway it makes a great pocket to hold her bubble bottle! :)

So what have you been up to? Maybe someone has been Christmas crafting again! :) If you are new to FOF, be sure to visit this first. Happy Sharing!

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Vintage Apron Skirt & Tote

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Days of Christmas: Day 3

Well, it's the third of December, and how's my tree??

Well, Somethings missing from here:

The lights are on but nobody's home there's no ornaments!
(But I must admit that the lights, ribbon and star are an improvement!)

And do you spot what is missing from my new manger scene I put up today???

Yeah, the replacement is on the way... poor Joseph got left at the factory! (I got an extra angel, though. Is that a good sign?)

My Christmas decorating this year is so sad, it's funny! Maybe it will get done soon! :)

Days of Christmas: Day One

Confounded by lights:

Sorry I don't have a really pretty picture to start out these Days of Christmas... We're still in the process of getting the lights on the tree... We spent a while yesterday making our "pre-lit" tree that was no longer "lit" into a regular tree. I love my Christmas tree, but I didn't enjoy the blocks of lights going dead through the season! :) Now to get the new lights on.... :)

Our Thanksgiving

I trust each of you had a happy Thanksgiving! We had a very enjoyable time with Mark's family. His dad had lots of family in for the holiday, and we enjoyed visiting with all of them. I thought I would share a few pictures. (For some strange reason, we didn't take very many pictures. These pictures are mainly taken by Mark's sister Lauren.)

Cousin fun!


Enjoying a yummy Thanksgiving meal!


The kids had a blast picking up pecans. I loved this picture that Lauren took!


A skirt full!


Enjoying the fire


Fun times!


I love playing games! Anyone up for Mexican Train?


or Uno?


Friday we did some shopping - Antique shopping and a thrift store mostly. (We avoided all that mall stuff for the most part.) :) On Saturday, Mark's mom, Lauren, Mary (Mark's brother's wife) and I played Santa's elves - we decorated Mark's grandmothers' homes for Christmas!


So now we are back at home and in the process of putting up all our Christmas decor. (the tree lights have been a process this year.) Speaking of Christmas decor, if you are reading this in a blog reader, you may want to hop over and see my festive blog decor! :) Tomorrow begins the Days of Christmas!