Happy New Year!

We have had a fantastic Christmas vacation with our family in Fairmont, BC this week!!

Some have done this -

or were busy with this.

Some tried new activities for the very first time!

There was lots of food, games and fun indoors too!

It's been a marvelous time of doing fun things together and spending time with our children and their families.  I've hardly had time to download the camera or be on the internet and I'll show you more of the fun next week.  This has been a perfect way to welcome a New Year!

Merry Christmas!!

(image from Photobucket)

May the light and joy that come with the Saviour's birth

fill your heart and your life

with peace and love!

Crockpot Love

In the last week, these two little appliances have been busy!

They've been used for:

- taco dip
- mulled cider
- homemade yogurt
- sauerkraut with pork chops
- apple - turnip puff
- mashed potatoes

I really do appreciate being able to use them to simplify and serve tasty foods with very little fuss!

Gratitude Gifts Today

Yesterday my family gathered early in the morning and then headed to the big city to spend a few hours doing something special together.   The something special was delivering Christmas gifts from Santa's Anonymous to families in the city center.  The smiles, the quiet nods as bags were clutched, the repeated whispers of thank you - thank you, the knowing that for some this will be the only gift - that was our thanks and our reminder of what He gave us - the Best Gift of All.

And so I count on, filled with joy and trusting that He gives all I need -

- time with my family

- gathering first thing in the morning

- safe driving down rutted streets and snowy highways

- looking for the other car of family

- meeting them at the same apartment building

- seeing the 10 bags that had been undeliverable on Saturday, dwindle to only 2

- visiting with my sister, my mom, my aunt

- knowing that Dad was at home, minding the turkey

- catching up on news from my niece, Jill

- stories, stories, stories of everyone's life

- the smell of dinner when we walked in the door :)

- gifts to exchange and receive

- knowing that the missing ones are deeply loved

- my uncle's shrimp cocktail

- washing dishes together

- seeing my mom and my aunt, sisters and good friends, together

- playing games

- reading Mom and Dad's Christmas cards

- naps

- helping Mom learn about the internet

- her joy that music can be found so easily online

- our amazement at 59,300 responses when she typed in "grosbeaks"

- little bites of orange 'honey'

- driving home past farms and houses bright with Christmas lights

- more memories to linger over

- counting 4 more days until His birthday!!

Christmas Music

This is my favourite song this year! The music is wonderful and the message is powerful. Enjoy!

Ten on Thursday

1.  I am finished Christmas shopping!

2.  I have wrapped only a couple of things.

3.  Two stockings are actually stuffed - that's unheard of for me!  It's usually a late night job on Dec. 23rd.

4.  I'm pretty sure this is the last year I'm going to do stockings.  Now that our kids have their own homes, it's an activity they can do with their own little families.

5.  Christmas caroling, Christmas bingo, Christmas treats, Christmas art, Christmas card making, Christmas letters to Santa - it was quite a day at school today!

6.  Tonight was the first night I've had to wait in a long line at a checkout.  Smart store setup at Home Outfitters as they channel the lineup right between rows of bins with stuff to peruse, think you need and therefore purchase!

7.  There was not a single bag of icing sugar on the shelves at the grocery store tonight.  I guess icing cookies has become a big must-do project.

8.  It took two tries but the family picture for Christmas cards is now in the house.  Costco has some weird formatting program and on the first try, they cut the border off on two sides.   I was somewhat less than impressed!

9.  I am so thankful for Christmas cards that contain letters and pictures.  It's such a treat to get those envelopes throughout December.

10.  Mel, Tyler and Samuel have arrived safely in Alberta :)  and will soon come to our house.  :))

A Bit of Baking

In the freezer:

Butterscotch Confetti Squares (gluten-free)

Gingersnaps

Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodles (gluten-free)

Peanut Blossoms

Shortbread

Poppycock

On the to-do list:

Pinwheels

Thumbprints

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkles

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Krispie Balls (gluten free)

Lazy Buttertart Squares

Pistachio-Cranberry Bark

Poppycock (yes, we go through lots of this!)

Advent 3

This message was in my inbox this morning and it spoke volumes to me.  As a child, I remember my mom always reading the Christmas story before we opened gifts and she still continues that tradition.  It will be part of our family's celebration time this year too.
Playing With The Box
"Reprinted with permission from the PCCWeb Daily Devotional <daily.presbycan.ca>"
1 John 4:19 - We love because he first loved us. (NIV)


2 Corinthians 9:15 - Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (NIV)


Several years ago, during the opening of Christmas presents at our house, my son and his wife had bought a very special toy for their son, and they were very excited in anticipation of his opening it. He was only about a year and a half old at the time, and he needed a lot of assistance in tearing the wrapping and opening the box. After the toy was pulled out, he unexpectedly turned and began playing with the box, crawling inside it or tearing more paper off it. How disappointed they were when he disregarded the toy.


In many ways, our celebration of Christmas is exactly like that. God has given us a tremendous gift in Christ, and instead of enjoying Him, we turn and concentrate our attention on the box and the wrapping paper: Christmas concerts, decorating, and housecleaning, baking, entertaining, shopping, and travelling. In so doing, we often wear ourselves out, and even begin to approach this time of year with dread in our hearts. Imagine how disappointed God must be!


In our household, we follow a tradition that my father started: before we open our presents to one another, we read the story of Christ's birth from Luke 2:1-20, and have prayer. It's our way of reminding ourselves that the reason we give gifts to each other is that God first gave us the gift of His Son. We thank Him for being born into a lowly estate on this earth, coming as a baby like us, and becoming subject to the same conditions of life that we face. All of this was so that He would be able to give His perfect life as a sacrifice on the cross for our imperfect lives and sins, and set us free from guilt and shame. What a gift it is to have a good relationship with our Creator!


Whatever it takes, and whatever method we may use, let us devise ways to remind ourselves to focus on God's gift of Jesus at this time of year (and always!) and to avoid focussing solely on the box and the wrapping paper.


Prayer: Lord, thank You for first loving us and giving to us, so that we can be motivated by Your love to pass on that love and giving to others. Help us in our desire to honour You as our first priority within all the festivities of this season. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.


written by:  Robin Ross <rross@telus.net>
Mission, British Columbia, Canada

star on our tree, 2009

December Fun

One of the best parts of the Christmas celebrations that I remember was the school concert.  Days and days of practise, lines to learn, costumes to wear and a packed gym out there, somewhere in the dark, made for magical memories.  We went to Meadow's preschool concert this week and enjoyed the little snowmen.

They sang several songs and then a special visitor stopped by, to the little ones' delight. 

I love those little hands that just had to touch him!

It's winter in Alberta so the hockey arenas are busy places!

Returning to the Warburg arena for a tournament is like a step into the past!  Several of the boys that Darrin played with over the years are now dads and coaches of a new generation of players.  And us - well, there are a whole bunch of hockey grandparents in the bleachers now!!

The Stories

Somewhere in the last few weeks, I found a place where Lain Ehmann shared a list of journaling prompts (although for the life of me I can't find the exact link now) and I decided to use them throughout my December Daily album.  I thought it would be fun to share them here and invite you to reflect and tell your stories of December and Christmas along with me.

1. The last significant purchase I made was … 8 - half metre pieces of fabric and 7 fat quarters at the fabric store in Winfield.  Meadow had fun picking them out with me and I'm hoping to make some Christmas bunting banners and other little projects.  Watch for the pictures - but some of them are going to be gifts so there might be a little waiting involved first!

2. The top three things on today’s priority list are … taking the recycling and garbage to the local landfill, ordering our family picture Christmas cards, and making poppycock.

3. My favorite thing to drink this time of year is … hot apple cranberry cider - it's like dessert in a cup :)   I still love chai lattes of any kind and my homemade (from a heritage recipe)  cappuccino mix.  And today I bought 'A Raspberry In Paris' and 'Tuscany Pear' rooiboos tea.  I think the names of them caught my travel fancy!

Let me know if you decide to join in so I can come and read your stories!

Giving 3

When I found the World Bicycle Relief organization last year, I was thrilled!  After being in Africa, we knew exactly how valuable a bike could be and we'd seen lots of them being used in very inventive ways.  Giving a person a bicycle means that they can get to school quickly, loads can be carried easily, jobs can be taken further away and completed and they have a whole new-found mobility.  For only $134 you can help a girl in Zimbabwe get to school every day!   I am so, so happy to be able to give to an organization that is impacting people in such a positive way with a very simple vehicle, for just a few dollars.   Ride on!!

from their blog

bicycle taxi in Lake Nakuru town

(the passenger sits on the padded seat - 

it's amazing to see!)

distracted driver talking on his cellphone!

in Tanzania near Arusha

Giving

As I ponder how to write about the next giving we will do, I must ask you to go to A Holy Experience and read what Ann has written today about The Greatest Giveaway.  That woman writes with such wisdom - I know God is using her to touch my heart and I pray that yours might be moved too.

Welcome, Advent!

Welcome to the time of great expectation,

the days of counting,

the time of quiet preparedness,

the time to sit with God and wonder,

the most exciting time of the year!

For He is coming!

The One I am waiting for,

the One who gathers me up and carries me,

the One on whom I rest my hopes and dreams,

the One who created me for His purposes,

the One who is always there.

He is coming as a little baby,

sent to a world who doesn't see Him, 

to remind me again that my life is nothing without Him.

And my heart leaps with joy and excitement

as the days count down.

And I expect that 

I will see Him in the faces that I meet,

 I will hear Him in the hymns and carols,

 I will feel Him in the hugs and greetings,

 I will serve Him by helping more of His children.

 I know that He desires these things for me

and that it will be very good to celebrate His birth.

And I am glad!

What are you expecting this season?

(Question based on Pastor Scott's sermon today)