Christmas Tag

I was tagged for the first time! Thank you Jessica McDonald for allowing everyone to be tagged by you! This tag is my answers about Christmas, which is fast approaching. Christmas happens to be my favorite time of year, so how could I pass up a "Christmas Tag"? *smile*

Here I go...
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, without a doubt. Otherwise, wheres the fun of ripping it open and throwing it all over the living room :P

2. Real tree or Artificial? Definetly real. Artificials just don't feel right to me (sorry anyone out there that has one!)

3. When do you put up the tree? It varies, this year it was the beginning of December, methinks the 6th...

4. When do you take the tree down? Early january

5. Do you like egg nog? No... I don't really like the taste

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My microphone when I was six. It was a plastic mic with a applause button I was in heaven!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Me personally? Nada. Our family has a few.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My parents! I can never think of what to get them!!!
9. Easiest person to buy for? Anna. Anything pink, princess, or fairies is perfect for her!
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail... except for the price of stamps. = )

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't remember ever having a bad christmas gift!
:-)12. Favorite Christmas movie(s) ? The Nativity Story, The Toy that Saved Christmas, and White Christmas

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November??? I am a procrastinator.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I dunno

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? BABALKI! Little bread cubes with saurkraut! Yum

I now tag Julia, Laney Lou, and Ella: tag you're it!

Our 'Love Letter' from God....

As I was starting to read the book of Revelation this morning, in my Bible is a devotional taken from Stormie Omartian's book " Just enough Light for the Step I'm on."....it stood out to me so much, that I wanted to post it for you....it was funny....it was exactly what I was telling my children just the other day! (of course, I'm going to have them read it as well....that's what mothers do!LOL) So...here it is:

"People who say the Bible is not relevant today obviously don't know the Author. They read it like a storybook or a history lesson, having no idea of the power behind it. They don't hear the Shepherd's voice because they have not become one of His sheep. But those of us who immerse ourselves in it, who press in deeper and deeper, know its power. We love His Word like a love letter that we read over and over because we desire to be close to the one who wrote it. We long to connect with and remember everything about that person. We want to understand how He thinks. We yearn to hear His voice again in our mind. We crave His touch. When we hunger for those same things from God, we learn to appreciate His love letter-the Bible- in that exact same way.

Of course, if we don't love the person who sent us the love letter, it is meaningless. It holds no life for us. The key to receiving the full message in God's love letter is to love God. Because I love Him, I hear His voice speaking to me when I read His Word. If I read it often, the words find residence in my heart and bring me life.

God's Love Letter guides us. He has provides a guide for us as we walk and to keep us from falling into the pit. Those of us who have read the Bible cover to cover have to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that the light we had last year, last month, last week, or even yesterday is enough to keep us safely on the path today. Neither can we read God's Word just once and then be finished like we can with any other book. The Light that we recieve from God's Word must be renewed, revitalized, and solidly reestablished daily.

God's love letter defends us: When satan came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus spoke the Word of God to refute everything satan said. Jesus told him that we live "by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" Matthew 4:4 If God's own Son refuted the devil in that way, shouldn't we do the same? Only God's Word in our mind, on our heart, and out of our lips will burn away the darkness of untruth and arm us with a double edged sword more powerful than any weapon the opposition can use against us. Who does not need that?!

God's love letters give us Hope: There are no times so hopeless in our lives that God's Word will not shed light on the situation and bring us comfort. If you find yourself struggling with hopelessness, loss, sickness, or temptation, make God's Word an ongoing presence in your life. Hook up to it like an IV and let it flow continually through your spiritual veins. Its light will burn hopelessness out of your life.

Hunger for God's Word like food. Thirst for it like water. Soak in it like a jacuzzi. Put it on like a grament. Weave it into your soul so that it becomes part of the fabric of your life. When you do, you won't just be trudging up the trail. You will be dancing in the footlights."

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Rough day so far...I NEED to rest and soak up His word...even if it's only for a few minutes...I HOPE we will have a quiet night ....(I spoke too soon....there is a Penguin Hockey game on TV tonight...lots of yelling at my house during hockey games!) Maybe the guys will watch downstairs and the four of us "ladies" can light a fire and work on our crochet and embroidery gifts for Christmas while watching a Christmas movie....Anna wants to do her own "crafts"....can't say anymore, not sure which family members are reading! Gotta run....I'm being "paged"! LOL ~Sue~

Thankfulness.....

I am thankful! And...I have need to remember to count my blessings! Ronnie wasn't feeling well today...he seemed very tired and had an on/off headache...what was really bothering him was that everywhere he had adhesive on him, his skin was raw...poor guy...he no longer needs bandages, and can shower tomorrow...hopefully, he will continue to heal quickly. I'm thankful he is healing as quickly as he is...I'm thankful for good friends who have brought us meals, (tonight was fettucine alfredo....it was SO GOOD!!!), I'm thankful for my friend who is a busy homeschooling mother of 3 girls as well as a pediatric nurse who is always available to reassure and pray....I'm thankful for our pastor...who took the time to call today and check on Ronnie....and I'm thankful that this tired, hurting body is typing this from the comfort of my quilted rocker...on a laptop! I'm especially grateful for the good friends who blessed us with this...and came over to set it up, show me how to work it and a fun visit, as well.

Not only does God ALWAYS meet our needs in our family....but frequently, He gives us the desires of our hearts....wow....I marvel at how very much He loves me! I am in awe of all of His creation...of the seasons...of His gift to us of creativity...and the many ways that this creativity comes out in each one of us...God is so good to us!

I was talking to a friend today who has one little one and another blessing on the way, about this Christmas holiday season...we try very hard to stay as 'uncommercialized' as we can here...just very simple and making memories. Ronnie piped in with " we haven't had any of that 'kapusta' for a while!"...cracked me up! The kapusta he was referring to was sauerkraut...we always say " Daubre Kapusta"....or "Good Cabbage"....that is a memory my children will have...sounds silly, doesn't it... but to me it is precious. We are looking forward to cooking and baking up some traditions and memories coming up soon. My mother's homemade Kielbasi...what fun to mix just the right blend of spices with the pork and fill the casings...nothing tastes better! Making some of my Baba's orange cookies and 'Bobalki'...some of my mom's mom's blintzes....my older girls say it wouldn't be Christmas without all of these things...and our advent wreath and devotions, our cousins's cookie bake/decorate party, watching "White Christmas" and "It's a wonderful life". For my little ones, they love the tree and are constantly looking at all of the ornaments...finding "theirs", and they love the "star of Christmas" lit up on top.

For all of these, my wonderful children and hardworking, handsome husband and a multitude more....I am thankful tonight. I pray that all of our loved ones will know how much they are loved and be blessed tonight, too.~Sue~

Knowing God: Reflecting on Chapter Ten

Tonight Meghan and I are going over to a church couple's house for a study. At our church, we are having a high-schooler's book study and we're studying the book 'Knowing God' by J.I Packer. Very hard book, but digging deep is good. Beware grammar nuts, he uses HUGE run on sentences, but they're jam-packed with good food for thought.

Today we had to read chapters 9 & 10 and chapter ten was the best by far. The subject was: God's wisdom and ours. J.I Packer writes, " It is to be feared that many Christians spend all their life in too un-humbled and conceited a frame of mind ever to gain wisdom from God at all. Not for nothing does scripture say, 'with the lowly is wisdom' (Proverbs 11:2)" We must remember that though we shouldn't belittle ourselves, we must be humble to receive wisdom.

More later after the book study!

~Sara~

Frustration!

Oh, my goodness...I love being able to access the internet...I love researching, looking up recipes, email...and writing, but sometimes I can't help thinking "wouldn't life be simpler without all of this technology?"

I have just spent from 6:30pm until 10:15pm trying to restore my internet and change my password to allow another laptop to access the internet. Are we very blessed to have laptops....very much! Do I have a lot of other things much more important to do with my time than be on hold and talk to 4 different technicians until the problem was solved(which involved one tech from the Phillipines telling me to move the 'blue internet' cord to the wrong port...the only problem!)... Like.....read a good book....comfortably in my nice warm bed....where I am going now...without any technology! Happy Dreams! ~Sue~

Write what you know....

This rule of thumb for any aspiring writer has encouraged and provided inspiration many a time. As I sit here, staring at an obnoxiously blank screen, asking Sara what I should write about, this little nugget of writing wisdom comes to mind. Now that I think about it, I could write about quite a few things; the millions of projects I need to begin and accomplish soon, the schoolwork that comes with every week day, the two parties coming up this weekend, books, movies, the holidays, etc. But as the song "Count Your Blessings" plays through my mind, I reflect on how blessed my life truly is. How Ronnie is recovering from surgery like lightening, how precious Anna's little mannerisms can be, how hard-working my wonderful father is, how dear, sweet (and silly!) my sister Sara is, and how wonderful and blessed my mother is, who never complains of her ever-present pain and goes through her day with nary a complaint. My family is one of my biggest blessings and joys in my life...though sometimes we can all annoy and hurt each other, we always know that the bond we share as family will never be broken.

What are a few of your blessings that you're thankful for?

The Joys of "Teenagers"!

OH, my wonderful daughters! Meghan is 15 and Sara 13, and while their tired mom went to bed last night, they totally revamped our blog backround...and unbeknownst to each other, they both picked the same backround that would be "perfect for Mom!"! Not only do I love the backround, but I'm thrilled that they were like minded...as sometimes, they can be very different!

People are always saying things like "teenagers are tough"...or "wait until your girls are teenagers"...well, they are and I couldn't be happier! We don't have the 'typical' teenage behavior at our house...both of my girls are such a joy! ( not that we don't have moments of conflict, every family does...especially when you have 6 people in one home, all with different personalities, likes and dislikes and bents) Both girls are so considerate of me...my pain and fatigue.....they are always trying to help me...and I so appreciate their efforts!

Meghan is always trying to kick me out of my own kitchen...." I'll do it Mom!" is always heard from Meghan....while Sara is the one who gets my 2 little ones involved in a 2 hour "mystery" or building houses under tables with blankets, or holding dance class with Anna. ( and her stuffed animals) Sara will even play hockey in the basement with Ronnie! I am (and I know it!) very, very blessed with both of my older daughters! I'm grateful that I have Anna...at only 4 years old, she'll be with me for a long time. Having my one and only son is a wonderful adventure s well....only having sisters myself, Ronnie is a joy that God is using to help me understand my wonderful husband better as well! LOL Having what seems like 2 sets of children ( 15 and 13....then almost 7 and 4)...is never dull...I never wanted an "empty nest" and I won't have one! By the time Ron retires, I still may have Anna here...which would be fine with me! My children are my wonderful blessings as well as my friends and companions...along with my husband, there is no one else I would rather spend my time with!

Now that Ronnie is feeling better ( but still limited to his walker), I'm thinking of more Christmas crafts for gifts, some baking to give away and lots of little things to keep him (and Anna) busy. Today will be a "slow day"...we feel as if we are in slow motion....and that's ok. I've come to the conclusion that between my fibromyalgia, Meghan's painful hip disability, Ron's night-turn work schedule, ( which changes as he is daylight 6am-2pm all this week)...we just need to not compare our family to any other family we know....just move at our own comfortable pace...and be grateful that the Lord has us homeschooling...for the flexability it gives us, for the flexability Ron's work schedule gives us...and just enjoy our family!

Thank you, Girls, for making the backround beautiful....not as beautiful as you two, but for doing it for me....I love it and appreciate your efforts so much!

Old Friends Reunite!

Sunday nights aren't really active, maybe a nice movie night at home. When we went to see the lights at Hartwood acres, I was excited and so were Ronnie and Anna! We were on the way when we passed our old neighborhood. We decided to swing by and see my friend who I haven't seen for months! She came and slept over and we had a blast! Lissa and I have known each other since birth and it was like things hadn't changed at all! Here are some pictures from our visit: ~Sara~