HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." -
Benjamin Franklin


Last year, our family focused on simplicity and how our lives could be blessed by the joy that comes from the simple things.
I will say that the biggest lesson learned was that there is true freedom in simplicity.

In the year to come, I think that SERVICE will be our family's priority as we strive to serve God by serving others instead of ourselves.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation)

May 2010 bring a renewed sense of purpose in your life.
Happy New Year!

Look what happens...

when your 5 year old sneaks around with the camera!!!

Music

Any man can sing in the day. When the cup is full, man draws inspiration from it. When wealth rolls in abundance around him, any man can praise the God who gives a plenteous harvest… The difficulty is for music to swell forth when no wind is stirring. It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is skillful who sings when there is not a ray of light to read by -- who sings from the heart… Lay me upon the bed of languishing, and how shall I then chant God's high praises, unless He Himself give me the song? No, it is not in man's power to sing when all is adverse, unless an altar-coal shall touch his lip… Then, since our Maker gives 'songs in the night' (Job 35:10), let us wait upon Him for the music."
Charles Spurgeon

Twas 3 days after Christmas

What a happy girl Sophie is this morning!!!
Today will be a day full of putting new things away and getting rid of things we don't use!!
What are your plans for today?

Christmas Eve

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there

Are you ready?

Merry Christmas!!!!

May our hope and joy be forever found in Him!!!

Isaiah 9:6

For to 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, [a] Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Jesus and Santa Claus

My Favorite Song

Elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Wednesday to YOU!!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!
(Charles Dickens)

We were blessed to be able to spend the weekend with some dear friends in Georgia!
We saw thousands and thousands of Christmas lights, ate yummy food and decorated cookies.
Do you think the children enjoyed the cookies?
Thanks Jennifer!!!
Unwrapping this weekend with Emily at Chatting at the Sky!

He's Coming Soon!

You better watch out,
You better not cry,
Better not pout,
I'm telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town.

Guess

Can you guess what study we just completed?

WOW! What a DEAL!!!

Go here to check out an awesome give away!! You have to see it to believe it!!! (McMama is offering a chance to win an incredible touch screen computer!!!)

Breath of Heaven

Simply Beautiful!!!!

Rest

Matthew 11:28-30 (New Living Translation)

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Are you carrying a heavy burden today?

Let's learn to rest in Him!

Unwrapping this truth with Emily at Chatting at the Sky!

Jumping for JOY!!

Only 10 more days...
and we're out of school for Christmas vacation!
Can you tell we're ready for a break?

Sunday

Romans 8:38-39 (New International Version)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sweetness

It is so sweet when sisters play together!!

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.
-- Isadora James

Crayons

What can kids possibly find to do on a cold and rainy day?
Why count all the crayons, of course!!
They even learned a few things about patterns and skip counting!

Not One of Those Days Again

Anyone can carry their burden, however hard, until nightfall.
Anyone can do their work, however hard, for one day.

Robert Louis Stevenson

This is left over work from yesterday.
Thank goodness for today to hopefully get ahead!
Do you have lots of unfinished things to complete today?

Fun

Enjoying the wonder and excitement of the season.


I would love to know the thoughts that are going through her mind!!!

Thanks to Emily at Chatting at the Sky for encouraging us to unwrap the simple things in life and savor each one!!!

Trimming the Tree

The kids had a joyous time decorating the tree!!
Unfortunately most of the 50 pictures were blurry.

Christmas is such a fun time of year, minus the commercialism of course.
We don't get into the frenzy of shopping and trying to find the perfect gift while spending exorbitant amounts of money on something that is soon forgotten. Focusing on serving others and making handmade gifts helps our family focus on the real reason for the season.

Here's a wonderful post on how to "do less and enjoy more" at the Nesting Place!!!
Check it out for inspiration!!!


How do you avoid getting caught up in the craziness that sometimes comes with Christmas?

Maybe...

This is the location where we attempted to obtain a family Christmas photo.
Out of approximately 150 photos, we may have the ONE.
Just maybe!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving

¹ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
² Worship the L ord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
³ Acknowledge that the L ord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the L ord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Gingerbread Houses

(Difficult to get a picture of Sophie without motion)

Our local library hosted a gingerbread house decorating event yesterday.
Careful planning followed by eating handfuls of candy filled the afternoon.
The children enjoyed this time as a wonderful kick-off to what promises to be a great holiday season!!!

Thankful for the Slimy Things in Life

(If you look closely, you can see the intestines)

We had a visitor last night.
This fella "wormed" his way in our house much to everyone's delight!!
Except mine. I don't like slimy creatures!!!
If that wasn't enough, Sawyer found a slug and brought it in for further research.
Little boys love to touch everything...the grosser the better.
I'm thankful for this little man who has shown me a side of life I would have never known had God not blessed me with the gift of a boy!!!
Hop on over to Emily at Chatting at the Sky to Unwrap today!!!

Leaves

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house.
So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air.
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

I noticed this solitary leaf on a tree.
A striking picture among the barren branches.
A reminder that winter will soon be here.
Are you ready?

November

"The morns are meeker than they were,
The nuts are getting brown;
The berry's cheek is plumper,
The rose is out of town.
The maple wears a gayer scarf,
The field a scarlet gown.
Lest I should be old-fashioned,
I'll put a trinket on."
- Emily Dickinson

Sing

Satisfaction

"You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

It's the Most Wondeful Time...

I don't know about you, but I eagerly anticipate planning for our family's Christmas photo!!
I have been known to dress the children in their finery 3, um maybe 4 times 2 times in order to capture the perfect moment.
While there are only a few tears shed, the final product is usually pretty sweet!
Even if I'm the only one who thinks so!
Unwrapping the frustration
exhilaration of getting the "perfect" Christmas photo!
Head on over to Emily at Chatting at the Sky to see what everyone else is unwrapping today!!

Busy

We found this abandoned fire ant mound and enjoyed the opportunity to study our hard working friends!!
I'm amazed!

Fire ants are known for their size, shape, color and bite. These ants live in a colony with other ants to form a community. Fire ants build a community for the purposes of protecting the Queen, mating with the Queen and taking care of the Queen's offspring. The community is made up of three species of fire ants, including the Queen, males and workers. A fire ant community is built in what looks like a mound. This mound has tunnels and underground chambers where the ants store food, have nurseries and maintain chambers where mating takes place. Fire ants build their communities near rivers, ponds, watered lawns and anywhere moisture is present in the soil. The nests are usually not visible unless the area is an open space. Fire ants prefer to build their nests hidden from danger, under timber, logs, rocks and bricks. In open areas, a dome-shaped mound will be found as the community area.

Fire Ant Habitat
# U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wikimedia Commons
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wikimedia Commons

Design

How excellent is God's design for our lives!!

What do you Think?

This was on Michelle's blog and I thought I would post it too!

Pain

The last few days I have been dealing with a pulled muscle in my lower back. You know the kind that make you look crooked!!!
The spasms have been unbearable and have extremely limited my ability to do the things I need to accomplish.
That being said, I must sing the praises of my husband and children. Since I am at home all day with the kiddos, they have assumed a ton of responsibility. Even the 2 year old can pick up something for mommy!!!
Chloe has the tender heart saying things like,
"Mommy, let me get that for you so you won't injure yourself again!"
Sawyer, "I guess I'll have to be the MAN around here since you aren't able!" (Ha, ha!)
This is a photograph free post since I don't think that photos are able to capture the true essence of serving. In spite of the pain, I will cherish this memory! My family has served me unselfishly and for that I'm thankful.
Unwrapping these moments with Emily at Chatting at the Sky!

Hot Chocolate

It's a hot chocolate kind of day!
What's in store for you today?

Saturday

"...Seek me and live."
Amos 5:4

Who knew...

eating a banana could be so much fun!

Don't you sometimes wish...

(I am such a dork!!!)


there were 2 or even 3 of you?

Today is one of those days.
A pulled muscle + spasms in my back = a long day.

Clean House

Do you ever feel like housecleaning is a waste of time? Somebody is bound to undo the job you've just done.(Like a few seconds after cleaning a mirror...I SEE FINGERPRINTS!!!) Sometimes as I go from room to room and pick up the clothes in the floor again and step over pet shop toys, I think, "I continue to clean and pick up, but it doesn't do any good. It just gets messy again.
Why bother?"

I'm thankful God doesn't feel that way about me.
He never says, "Kelli, I thought we had this (my heart) cleaned up. Are you still trying to straighten up? Not this mess again!!!"

God is a God of grace and mercy.
He desires for me to come to him with the dirty, messy parts of my life.
For that I am eternally grateful!!!

Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10 (New Living Translation)

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29 (New Living Translation)

Fun Learning

After our history lesson yesterday, it was decided that we should draw the Nile River with chalk!
I think the kids did a pretty good job.
I'm glad that joy can be found in most everything!
We are unwrapping this moment with Emily at Chatting at the Sky.