Merry Christmas!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas. My family had our annual gathering at my mom's on Christmas eve. I won't bore you with the details (yet) but I did want to share this small concert provided by my Aunt Hy, my cousins Traci, Trina & Tim. Enjoy and I wish you a continued blessed holiday!

Card Time!

I am pretty sure all my loved ones have received their Christmas cards by now so I guess it is time to post the final results for all my bloggy friends. We stayed with our very simple theme of card this year, but took a different route on the scripture. The second page explains how we came up with this years card. We hope you enjoy it!

Cover

Inside cover

And of course the picture.

My family wishes you all a very merry Christmas. Our prayers for you that the coming year is filled with many blessings. I probably won't be posting until after the new year, but I have a really big surprise!!!

Annual Christmas Tour

Every year we try to drive around looking at everyone's Christmas decorations. We have some great places to go and this year has been really good because Mattie May is "getting" Christmas. She has been so much fun. I never know where I am going to find the ornaments on my tree, but at least she has learned to put one back when she wants to take one off!

Sunday night we took our tour and had a wonderful time even though a cold front blew in! I hope everyone is enjoying this entire season.

Merry Christmas!

Be sure to click on the Scrapblog icon on the bottom of the picture.

Christmas Card Pictures!

I love Christmas cards!!! I love that all my friends send them, put thought into them, to see what they want to express to loved ones each year. We get some from the other side of the world and some from friends and family right here at home.

Frank and I have always tried to express our feelings of the holiday through our cards. We always want to have scripture on them and preferably a picture of the Christ child, because, after all, that is what we are celebrating. Some years it was just a simple card with a lovingly hand written sentiment and some years we would add a letter letting everyone know what we had done through the year.

Then along came Mattie May. We decided right then and there that she would always be a part of our Christmas cards.

The first year was easy; stick a wobbly 9 month old baby in a box decorated in Christmas wrap and viola! This is what you get...

May the Lord bless your Christmas with sweet surprises.

Cute is just not enough to describe that little face sticking out of that box!

The next year, when you have a toddling almost two year old, who you believe is the sweetest angel on the face of the earth, you get this...

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Luke 2:10 KJV

So how do you top those two? She has studied so many things this year and learned so much. She has got an unbelievable vocabulary and you wish you were around more kids her age to see if they talk as much as she does. But you have to have a darling picture with a scripture to match. That is when you get this...

OH! Come on now! Did you really think I would show you the card and picture before all my loved ones received them in the mail? You all know me better than that by now! So enjoy your little teaser and I will get the final picture posted in the weeks to come.

Until then, enjoy your preparations for the holidays and don't let it stress you out. It is after all a time to worship and enjoy your family. Love to all and I hope you can endure the wait.

With 22 days before Christmas, REMEMBER:

Jesus is Better than Santa...

Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.

Santa rides in a sleigh
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.

Santa comes but once a year
JESUS is an ever-present help.

Santa fills yours stockings with goodies
JESUS supplies all your needs.

Santa comes down your chimney uninvited
JESUS stands at your door and knocks and then enters your heart.

You have to stand in line to see Santa
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.

Santa lets you sit on his lap
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.

Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, what's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.

JESUS has a heart full of love.
JESUS offers health, help and hope.

Santa says "You better not cry"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."

Santa's little helpers make toys
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.

Santa may make you chuckle but...
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.

While Santa puts gifts under your tree,
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.

Jesus is still the reason for the season.

May the Lord Bless and Watch over you and your loved ones this Christmas 2008
And my He prosper and bless the work of your hands in the New Year 2009.

One of my non-bloggy friends sent this to me and I wanted to share.