A New Springtime

Glorious Christmas

Even though I had some help this advent, I am glad Christmas has finally arrived.

This lil'guy is trying to get in on all of the action, he doesn't want to be left out of anything.

These two are quite the tag team these days. Eliana can't get enough of her Malcolm. I am always giggling at their daily antics.

This past month I have been extemely exhausting. I think it is mostly due to my somewhat broken sleep. Baby Malcolm is  working so hard on teething and he likes to nurse alot at night to soothe himself. So, between that and shopping  my fuel has been running low.

  I wouldn't change a thing though, I have experienced an overwhelming sense of love from God through my children so I know it is all worth it!

We attended the four o'clock vigil Mass, I just love the beauty of the church all adorned with evergreen trees, white lights and the bright red pointsettas.

I felt so joyful and blessed for the family  I am a part of. God has been so good to us and I am so glad to be able to honor Him at this special time of year.

The manger was another awesome sight and the children couldn't help but to be drawn into the mystery of it all.

After church we went out to dinner and when we got home the kids watched a movie and off to bed they went. I stayed up enjoying the quiet and finishing up some last minute cooking preparations.

The tree looked so luminous and there was that special warmth in the air that ole' tananbaum gives to the home on Christmas Eve.

This cute lil' vintage ornaments was a GW find, it is a set of eight mini bells all different Christmas characters. They are so cute I am going to have a hard time putting them away. I am glad to have 12 days to enjoy them and all of the other decorations and festivities.

All of the stockings got filled and I headed up to bed with a feeling of relief and contentment knowing that the family was about to share another glorious Christmas day together.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and I hope you get to slow down these next twelve days and  savor the season and soak in all of your blessings from above! May Jesus be in your heart and His peace shine through you!

Rustic Christmas Decor

 The past couple of years I really hadn't decorated like I used to for Christmas, as a matter of fact, I actually got rid of a lot of my decorations. I think it was due to the lack of energy during my past pregnancies.

 This year, I put a bit more effort into it. Each week of advent, two so far, I have put up a few festive things. I am not really into glitz and sparkle, the rustic look is more my style.

                                         

DH actually got this last year, I was so surprised when he brought it home. It touches my heart when he does thoughtful lil' things like this. They usually end up being my favorite sentiments.

Our handmade manger that the kiddos made a couple of years ago always gives me so much joy. I love that they can play with it and think of the meaning of the birth of Jesus. The wood is so soft and chunky, the perfect toy for lil' hands!

A rustic grapevine wreath and an old tin star got a bit of a makeover with this snowflake ribbon and matching ornament in  that I glued in the middle. Nothing fancy but it works.

This is a GW find, can't pass up an already made arrangement for $2.99, mama didn't raise no fool. The candles on sale cost more than the flowers but for a total a of about $7, me likey!

Eventually, the pegs on this shelf will hold our stockings but for now I went kinda snowflake crazy. I think it's a bit too much but I wasn't freaking out over it and that actually made me feel good. The importance and emphasis wasn't on perfection but my mind was focusing on puttin' up something fun!

A basket full of our Christmas story books sits on the floor in the living room. This basket was $5 at GW, it got dressed up with a $1 scarf from GW and some more of that pretty red ribbon, a roll for $2.50 can go a long way. For a finishing touch I added asmall amount ofsparkle with these pinecone stickers. They are so wintery and give it that perfect seasonal touch.

Dh put up these snow flake lights on the inside of the dining room and living room windows. They give such a warm glow to the house and make me want to snuggle up with...

you know who! I hope you are coming along in all your Christmas preparations both in the physical and spiritual and enjoying the season of Advent!

Life is so Abundant, Defend it.

Life is so abundant, with many oppurtunities to praise God for many gifts and blessings. There is no perfect life everyone has some type of cross and sufferings but in the midst of these trails there is always something to that shows us the preciousness of life and why we should defend it.

 

 Children are the best example of God's blessings.

 
The love between grandkids and their grandparents is more precious then gold.

 
 A brothers helping his sister is a wonderful sight to behold.

 
Lil' kiddos playing in the snow reminds us of how playful and carefree we can be.

 

 
A winter window garden shows that life thrives all year long.

 
A lighted Christmas  tree gives us a warm feeling and continues the season of Jesus's birth, helping us to continue to treasure His presence with us.

 Every Christmas  holiday brings the opportunity for us to come in contact and speak to family members, sometimes these conversations lead to the inevitable clashes in political or life issues. It is an opportunity to truly practice sharing our faith and defending the very life of Christ and His Mystical Body. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. I am learning that there is no other issue more important than defending than this. Everyone should be given the opportunity to live and experience God's Abundant love.

Hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season and have the graces to truly share its meaning even when it may not be what people want to hear. It is not about happy holidays but about being born into the life of Christ and to die and resurrect with Him.

 

 

Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord, Psalm 34:8

 Each year I try to pray on a theme for Christmas. Last year, I was inspired with the words,"Let Heaven and Nature Sing". I made my God- children and the kiddos God parents boxes filled with things to feed the birds, etc. This year, I prayed and I felt the Lord said, " Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord" ( Psalm 34:8). Immediately, I started to think of tasty treats and things I could put together to represent this scripture passage.

                                    

I filled a bowl with things my God- children can make and eat afterwards.

 
 I wanted my God-children to know we can use all of our senses to praise the Lord and that everything can be made into a prayer, even baking goodies! Most of these items came from the Dollar Tree store.

• cupcake mix
• gingerbread cookie mix ( Target $1.50)
• pot holder
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• spatula
• mixing bowl

 I will also add a gingerbread cookie cutter and frosting, total cost $11 with the paper shredding and cellopane bag.

 
A handmade tag and a few index cards (mock recipe cards) explain the purpose of the baking kit. I also threw in a few Andes mints to add some green color to the red. I hope this Christmas all of your senses come alive to worship God and taste and see His goodness!

 

Joy to the World the Lord Has Come

 We were blessed to finish our advent season with the committal service for Ezekiel. It was such perfect timing and brought the time of preparation to fulfillment. On his prayer card, we had the prayer of Saint Francis which ends with..."in dying we are born into eternal life."The word, "born", really stuck in my head. Advent was a time to prepare us for the birth of Christ and even though EZ was not actually born in the way we usually think of, he was born into eternal life! Knowing this we celebrated Christmas to it's fullest.

 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

    

  We are truly blessed and we give all praise and honor to Jesus Christ our Lord!

 
 
 
After the presents and h'orderves we enjoyed a Christmas dinner together.

 I thank God for the mystery of Christmas and that He became a man so that we could have life and live it to it's fullest. As the song says, " Joy to the world the Lord has come, Let Earth receive her king let every heart prepare him room and Heaven and nature sing! Jesus has revealed Himself even more so this advent and I am in awe once again as He has filled my heart with Joy. May you all have a blessed twelve days of Christmas.