Decking the Halls

I finally had a few moments to take some pictures of this years decorations. I'm not completely done. I'm still hoping to work on the kitchen a little bit more but that room is always full of school books or dirty dishes.

This year I did a little bit of outdoor decorating with the sled and the box of greenery under the window. I've wanted one of those sleds for a while now and found one at a reasonable price at the antique store down the street.




Onto the livingroom/dining room area.














After getting the tree up and decorated we lost some lights. I hate when that happens. A few years back we had the same problem just on a different tree and in a different house. We were living in Indiana then.




We have another tree in the dining room. It's a collection of victorian ornaments that we've bought over the years. We've come a long way since the first few years of marriage when we didn't have alot in the way of decorations.


Let's not forget among the fun of decorations and gift giving the real meaning of Christmas.


Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2: 7, 11, 14

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord.

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

Join us at the 2009 Holiday Home Tours over at the Nesting Place

On the 7th day of Christmas . . .

My oldest daughter Gabrielle and I went out to hit some after Christmas sales. It is always a good time to grab those holiday decorations while they are 40%, 50% off, sometimes even more. If you are in the Eau Claire, WI area I highly recommend Cranberry Cottage and Pinecone Manor as great places to find those one of a kind items.

Here is one of the things I picked up today. You'll have to check back next Christmas to view any others. Or sign up for the Holiday Home Tours again through BooMama's blog.



Bible verse: I leave you tonight with the verses from Luke 2:30-32 "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel."

Words spoken by the prophet Simeon who knew he was holding his Redeemer when Mary and Joseph had brought the baby, Jesus, to be consecrated to God in the temple.

Salvation has to come to us all in the baby Jesus.

On the 6th day of Christmas

On the 6th day of Christmas for us was attending Christmas morning service at church. We came home and made brunch. This is the first year we actually accomplished this. The other years we always seemed to tired or too rushed in the morning to get ready. So we made "brunch" instead of breakfast. The kids all wore their new Christmas sweaters. After service we ate oven baked french toast, biscuit/egg casserole with ham, mushrooms and cheese, hashbrowns and sausages.

Bible verse: Mathew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means, "God with us."

I hope you have a few moments today to think about the birth of our Savior. God coming in human flesh to ultimately save us from our sins. A little babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, asleep in the manger - he is God's annointed. This baby will be the one to rescue us from sin, who will over come death and defeat the devil. Praise be to God for this gift.

Have a blessed Merry Christmas - celebrate the Christ Child!!

On the 3rd day of Christmas. . .

Well, on the 3rd day or roughly there about, my 3rd child managed to get hurt. We thought she might have broken her nose. We called the ER and spoke to a nurse who told us we would have to wait 5-7 days to see if it is broken. Well I didn't have the patience for that and my 4th daughter was having her cast removed yesterday. So DH took both girls to the family doctor. While the cast was being removed, my 3rd daughter Natania had her nose checked. All is good, no break. What a relief! Just some swelling that is coming down now and less pain. Needless to say I have fallen behind in the blogging of "12 days of Christmas" and many other things. I also have no photo to post this time around. I hope to get caught up shortly.

Bible verse: Micah 5:2 and 4-5 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.

Wishing you God's peace during the season of His birth, the Christ child-Savior of the world.

12 days of Christmas Meme

I found this Meme over at Sprittibee's blog. To play along you need to post 12 Christmas photos either one a day or 12 in one day or however you like. I like these kinds of meme's where they don't have too many rules to follow. It can very confusing for those of us who are new to the blogging world. I decided to try to post 12 photos one each day. I think I might be a little behind in this meme or I could wait until Christmas Day and then post 12 photos which would bring us to Epiphany. But this year I'm going to start today. I also thought, if I remember to do this each day, that I would include Bible verses that relate to the coming of a Savior. So here it goes...

This is one of my favorite nativity sets by Jim Shore. It was a gift many years ago plus we had a special coupon that made it really affordable.




Genesis 3:15 - I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heal.

The first promise of a Messiah.

When There’s No Tomorrow-Assign. 107

Assignment: We only have today. Should God take you today, have you accomplished everything that you wanted to, needed to. Have you said all the things that needed to be said? Let’s have no regrets, let’s make sure we get to those things, so that when we’re standing before the Lord, the only thing we need to do is to worship him.. and not regret not getting to that thing on our to do list. Stop - go take care of that thing…. then, come tell us what you choose to share. Don’t embarrass yourself or any of your loved ones.

Okay, there are alot of different ways to go with this assignment but I chose to gear it towards our experience with homeschooling.

I think as far as school, I would choose to not worry about the "book work" and focus more not so much on fun because not everything in life is fun but to focus more on my children as individuals. I would worry less about the things we are trying to learn like algebra and biology; I would put my focus on their character. Am I building up my child or causing them to stumble.

Nothing is easy with parenting. It is even harder when the parent also chooses to be a homeschooling parent. It leaves alot of room for sin. When you venture down this path you quickly learn about all your short comings as a mom, teacher, parent, christian.

I would choose my words wiser, I would show them how to learn in a more loving manner, I would make sure they knew how much they are loved. I would tell them I'm sorry when I've failed to be the best mom that I could be.

Now let's switch gears - when we are standing before God there will be no regrets. We will see fully the how and why of our lives. We will be in perfect peace, there fore we can't have regrets. What I do hope for myself and for my family is that when we stand in the presence of God whenever that time might be that we will here the words "well done, thy good and faithful servant."

I will leave you with this verse from Jeremiah:

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

The Best Laid Plans

I've spent the past couple of weeks planning out our school schedule for this coming year. Figuring out when we will cover which subjects, when to fit in activities outside the home, at what time will the computer be used for their math lessons, how my freshman daughter's high school schedule will mesh with her younger siblings, and how to make the best use of our time each day. But you know what they say, the best laid plans . . . will be replaced by vacation, by unexpected field trips, by sickness; replaced by daily life. Those best laid plans. . . will be replaced with how to juggle everyone's English lesson, with cooking meals and doing laundry, with answering the many calls for "Help, I'm stuck!" We might have days where it seems like we are falling behind; where our plans seem non-existant. And once again our best laid plans . . . will be replaced with the day to day life of our family.

But that's okay, because those best laid plans . . . will also be replaced with laughter and fun, with learning and creativity, with reading good books, with smiles. With recognizing the little accomplishments like learning how to write your name or learning to read for the first time. Or replaced with big accomplishments like conquering algebra.

The best laid plans . . . will be replaced with moments like these. Moments I get to spend watching my children grow and develop their own unique gifts. Moments of sibling rivalry changed into friendships between sister and sister, between brother and sister, the strengthening of that bond. Moments between a mother and a child, keeping the lines of communication open.

The best laid plans . . . will be replaced with character training, with instilling values and faith in my children. Helping them to become the person God intends for them to be.

And I wouldn't trade those moments with anyone. So to heck with schedules and those "best laid plans" life is full of surprises.

A Devotional Thought

In the previous post, I mentioned a book I just started reading. I found an interesting Bible verse mentioned, Hebrews 10:31 - "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" quoted from pg 18 in Arthur's Just book. That verse had never stuck out in my mind before but I see that as fearful but also comforting at the same time. Yes, we should be fearful of the true God, the one who holds the power to lift up or destroy, who allows us to keep breathing day after day but I also find comfort there. Comfort in knowing that the same God can calm the "storms" that are thrown at us, who can hold us in the palm of his hand and carry us on his shoulders- the gentle Shepherd of our souls.

Heaven on Earth - a Good Read!

I happen to stumble upon a Lutheran blog site and found this book today. I asked my pastoral husband if he owned it and sure enough he did. I really had no doubts about that one. I typically pick up a book based on the title, I don't know why I do this but if the title intrigues me then often I will glance through the book or even read it. This title did just that. It peaked my curiosity.

The author, Arthur A. Just Jr., has done well to keep the book easy to read and understand for those who sit in the pew and did not attend "seminary" classes. I'm only into the first 18 pages but I feel this book is worth the reading. In the introduction, he hit the nail on the head - living in a world that has forgotten the story - the story of redemption. "HIS-tory" - God's story as revealed to us through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Another thing I appreciate about this book is how it ties you back to the Old Testament. There is so much there in the Jewish culture that helps us understand worshiping God. I happen to be one who loves the symbolism found in the Old Testament, the foreshadowing, the "types" that point us to Christ.

This is so far a good read!

The Earth Breaks Forth with Praise

I've been out walking and admiring the things of beauty around us. The earth is just blooming, shouting new birth - winter is over. This is a wonderful time of year to get outside, watch things bloom and grow, plant our vegetable garden and sit in awe of our creator. Most of these photos were from a little flower garden we have in our side yard at the parsonage. I couldn't help but be reminded of some of our great hymns that help us sing of God's praise over his creation. For instance, Earth and All Stars, LSB (817) further hymn study would be LSB 803, 790, 812, and 811 are just a few.

Perspective

I recently had the opportunity to go with my husband and visit a member's daughter who was diagnosed with cancer. I don't usually make hospital visits with my hubby but this time I felt compelled to go. Upon arriving I was surprised to find a room full of people, almost a party. They were all in good spirits and hopeful that their daughter would survive. I didn't feel it made much difference for me to go on this hospital visit but I am told that sometimes just being there is what is needed. The whole experience from the first phone call announcing this family's crisis to the continuing of chemo treatments give us new perspective on our lives here on this earth. I can't begin to imagine what this family is going through, what the mom is going through. My heart breaks for them. We have many things that we complain about here in rural Wisconsin. My own heart longs to be in a different place. But for now God is using us in this family's lives and in the lives of others in our church. Although I am not always happy about my husband's calling to be a pastor it is an important work. Life has a way of putting things into perspective for us, letting us see a glimpse of how fragile life can be. Even though I wish for us to be in "suburbia", our frustrations are minor compared to life threatening illnesses. I can be thankful that my children are healthy and that God is in the midst of it all.