Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 25, 2011
The Christmas Miracle
A couple thousand years ago, something extraordinary happened. Two unsuspecting parents were traveling to Bethlehem, literally "house of bread", the city of David. There was a census going on and each person was to return to their hometown. Joseph was from the lineage of David so he and his pregnant wife Mary traveled there.
Just as we are not always ready to accept Jesus into our lives and homes, there wasn't any room for the soon-to-be born Jesus, Mary and Joseph in any inn. They'd take shelter in a stranger's stable cave and that's where he was born; later his Resurrection from the dead would also take place a strangers cave. In the filthiest place, a stable, Purity was born. An ox and an ass were among those who knelt down by Jesus... ironic since for a time in the Old Testament, people exalted these animals. They knelt as if saying "We are sorry for having been exaulted in place of You." He lived a life without sin as our "spotless lamb" to deliver us all from our sins. Our sins were not His to bear but, He carried them out of love for us.
Once born his parents would place him in a manger- a feeding trough for animals. Later He'd teach his disciples and those following him that He is the Bread of Life and True Bread come down from Heaven. Commemorating Jesus' life, death and resurrection, it is this present Miracle that takes place at every Catholic Mass; the True Bread come down from Heaven to nourish us to everlasting life.
We've embraced a couple things this year:
Divinity will be found where you least expect it.
Only a humble heart can find God, so this season let us stoop down to adore this child.
We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, literally CHRIST'S MASS!
Just as we are not always ready to accept Jesus into our lives and homes, there wasn't any room for the soon-to-be born Jesus, Mary and Joseph in any inn. They'd take shelter in a stranger's stable cave and that's where he was born; later his Resurrection from the dead would also take place a strangers cave. In the filthiest place, a stable, Purity was born. An ox and an ass were among those who knelt down by Jesus... ironic since for a time in the Old Testament, people exalted these animals. They knelt as if saying "We are sorry for having been exaulted in place of You." He lived a life without sin as our "spotless lamb" to deliver us all from our sins. Our sins were not His to bear but, He carried them out of love for us.
Once born his parents would place him in a manger- a feeding trough for animals. Later He'd teach his disciples and those following him that He is the Bread of Life and True Bread come down from Heaven. Commemorating Jesus' life, death and resurrection, it is this present Miracle that takes place at every Catholic Mass; the True Bread come down from Heaven to nourish us to everlasting life.
Divinity will be found where you least expect it.
Only a humble heart can find God, so this season let us stoop down to adore this child.
We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, literally CHRIST'S MASS!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Christmastime
This Christmas season has been my very favorite of all. We've finished our Christmas shopping without getting too wrapped up or stressed out thinking about what our recipients would want. Christmas music plays all day long at our house.... only pausing while we watch the Veggietales dvd, St. Nicholas. Joel requests hot chocolate almost everyday and I'm happy to make that for him.... and a cup for myself as well! I remember last Christmas, I was nursing Henry at least 2 times each night... I was very happy and very grateful but, also exhausted. This year I feel like the kids are at such fun ages, there's an abundance of energy and laughter throughout the house.
Norah loves doing Bible studies and craft projects; that time with her I cherish. When she sees a cross or a picture of Jesus, she's quick to give it a kiss. A couple weeks ago we were in a Christian bookstore. Norah walked in and saw a 3-foot tall statue of Mary. She smiled at the statue, said "hi" in her sweetest voice then, gave Mary a long hug. When she was finished, she stared at Mary for a moment then whispered "high-five" and gently gave Mary a high-five. She's such a joy and, I wish I had just a portion of her aww and wonder.
When we drive around at night to look at Christmas lights, Norah says "Daddy's window" or "Henry's window" or "Norah's window," whosever window is closest to the lit up house... she makes sure we all see the lights. Henry points and grunts and sometimes says "Christmas tree." There's no doubt that these two little kids have put Joel and I in our place when it comes to celebrating the birth of our Savior.
We're reading books about the night Jesus was born, and doing so reminds us all of the reason for the season. Henry is our "wild-man" but, he'll always stop running and sit down if there's a book being read. He's the sweetest little boy I've ever met, though I may be a bit partial! This morning he hit Norah with a spatula and she cried. As soon as he saw her crying, he immediately started crying and even after Norah was back up and running and playing, I was still hugging Henry and consoling him. This boy has himself a very tender heart!
I hope your having a great Christmas season!
Norah loves doing Bible studies and craft projects; that time with her I cherish. When she sees a cross or a picture of Jesus, she's quick to give it a kiss. A couple weeks ago we were in a Christian bookstore. Norah walked in and saw a 3-foot tall statue of Mary. She smiled at the statue, said "hi" in her sweetest voice then, gave Mary a long hug. When she was finished, she stared at Mary for a moment then whispered "high-five" and gently gave Mary a high-five. She's such a joy and, I wish I had just a portion of her aww and wonder.
When we drive around at night to look at Christmas lights, Norah says "Daddy's window" or "Henry's window" or "Norah's window," whosever window is closest to the lit up house... she makes sure we all see the lights. Henry points and grunts and sometimes says "Christmas tree." There's no doubt that these two little kids have put Joel and I in our place when it comes to celebrating the birth of our Savior.
We're reading books about the night Jesus was born, and doing so reminds us all of the reason for the season. Henry is our "wild-man" but, he'll always stop running and sit down if there's a book being read. He's the sweetest little boy I've ever met, though I may be a bit partial! This morning he hit Norah with a spatula and she cried. As soon as he saw her crying, he immediately started crying and even after Norah was back up and running and playing, I was still hugging Henry and consoling him. This boy has himself a very tender heart!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Ruby Catherine
Joel and I had the great opportunity last month to see the Baptism of baby Ruby Catherine. Ruby is the daughter of Reid and Melissa. It was such a great day.
Ruby was like a little angel-baby during the Baptism. I don't think she even cried when the priest poured the water on her head!
Melissa and I.
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The LORD look upon you with favor and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The LORD look upon you with favor and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26
2nd Annual Holiday Party!
Stella and I hosted our 2nd Holiday Party last month... and when I say Stella and I.... I mean, Stella did most of the work and I just helped.:) We had decided last year after our first party that 2011 would bring a Mexican theme and Mexican food to the table. Everything was perfect; a Mexican theme brings such a fun atmosphere... and delicious appetizers too!
Everyone had such a great time.... and Stella and I have already decided on theme and menu for next year! I can't wait! Here are just a few pictures..
These above pictures were taken while we were waiting for our guests to arrive in event that Taste of Home magazine wants to run a story on us and our party.
My 100% Norwegian husband was "Saoul" for the evening. We all used our names from our high school Spanish class.
Thanks for having us, Stella and Andy!
The girls, minus Melissa.
The whole crew. Melissa must've been feeding that sweet little Ruby-licious during the girls picture. Ruby was about almost 3 weeks old this night... isn't she the sweetest little thing?!?
Just try to look at the above picture with a straight face.... it cannot be done.
Stella and Max
After our group pictures, we all took individual mug shots with the sombero, a mustache and our name cards. Andy was "Augusto." We laughed so hard that we had tears running down our cheeks during these pictures(I'm decided not to post them on here).
Ok, maybe just one of my date and I...
Everyone had such a great time.... and Stella and I have already decided on theme and menu for next year! I can't wait! Here are just a few pictures..
The girls table was the high top table. Each place setting included a wine glass, salsa bowl, plate, name card and paper mustache. The guys table was a smaller folding table(let's face it, this party's really for the girls:) with all the same setting except a beer glass instead of the wine glass.
Joel held Ruby for over an hour while she slept and he was. in. heaven.
This party took place the night before Thanksgiving which really got me thinking, I am SO thankful for great friends who make time to get together whenever we're in town. I'm also SO SO thankful for a family who LOVES babysitting Norah and Henry so, Joel and I can get away every now and then.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Fitted Crib Sheets!
So, I've done some pretty dumb things in my life.... I won't go into too much detail but, I'll just say I may or may not have paid $20.00 for one measely crib sheet for Henry before he was born. I know. Dumb.
On black Friday, we bought flannel sheets for our bed($20). They. are. amazing. I'm a little late hopping on this whole "flannel bandwagon" but, now that we're onboard... we're here to stay! So, I wanted the kids to have some on their beds too, naturally. I picked up a king set and, I made them myself! (I should note that Joel gets roped into any, and all projects I do)
Here is a link for the tutorial: http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-crib-and-toddler-bed-sheets.html
The tutorial is simple and starightforward. The only thing I did differently was, I cut my elastic shorter than what the dimension says in the tutorial. They call for 80 inches but, I like the sheets to be very snug on the bed so I used 72 inches of elastic.
The king sheet set gave me enough fabric for both crib sheets plus, Norah's pillowcase PLUS, I'll have enough for a twin fitted sheet, twin flat sheet and two more pillowcases. The other scraps I'll use for a quilt I'm planning on making(this quilt I'm speaking of should be done around the year 2032... if all goes well!)
Henry's bed. He said his masculinity could handle having snowflake bedding.
Norah's bed
Once again, the tutorial can be found here.
On black Friday, we bought flannel sheets for our bed($20). They. are. amazing. I'm a little late hopping on this whole "flannel bandwagon" but, now that we're onboard... we're here to stay! So, I wanted the kids to have some on their beds too, naturally. I picked up a king set and, I made them myself! (I should note that Joel gets roped into any, and all projects I do)
Here is a link for the tutorial: http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-crib-and-toddler-bed-sheets.html
The tutorial is simple and starightforward. The only thing I did differently was, I cut my elastic shorter than what the dimension says in the tutorial. They call for 80 inches but, I like the sheets to be very snug on the bed so I used 72 inches of elastic.
The king sheet set gave me enough fabric for both crib sheets plus, Norah's pillowcase PLUS, I'll have enough for a twin fitted sheet, twin flat sheet and two more pillowcases. The other scraps I'll use for a quilt I'm planning on making(this quilt I'm speaking of should be done around the year 2032... if all goes well!)
Thursday, December 8, 2011
O Christmas Tree
My very favorite family tradition, is going to cut down our Christmas tree. Last Saturday we set out to find the perfect tree and, of course a glass of hot cider. The trip was a success, we found our tree, enjoyed cider, Norah was excited to eat her first candy cane of the year..... and Henry was just happy to be outside wandering around!
Joel walked up to the rack of saws and like a true lumberjack picked the sharpest saw.
Since we live so close to the farm, we just "threw" the tree in the back, left the hatch open and drove home.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Slowly But Surely
Do you ever feel so behind that, instead of starting and plugging along.... it's easiest to.... just be still??That's how I feel about this blog. My last post was October 31st(I'm not trying to win any blogger of the year award here)! I have LOTS of posts to write and slowly but, surely I will get caught up.... eventually.
The kids and I spent most of November up at my parents' house in ND. My Dad had some heart problems so, we drove up there to help out while he was re-cooperating at home. It was such a blessed trip and I plan to write a post on my Dad and that whole experience. But, today I just want to show you a couple pictures of Norah and Henry.
Henry is SO stinkin smart. This kid figures stuff out and, he's saying more words each and every day.
Norah is potty-training! I'd say we're about 75% 50% there, still work to be done but, we are SO proud of her. And, she has her first bible verse memorized! "I am with you always." Matthew 28:20
These two are the very best of friends. The moment Henry walks out of a room, Norah asks, "Where'd Henry go?" When Norah leaves a room, Henry's right behind her!
My heart is filled to the brim with joy! Have a blessed Wednesday!
The kids and I spent most of November up at my parents' house in ND. My Dad had some heart problems so, we drove up there to help out while he was re-cooperating at home. It was such a blessed trip and I plan to write a post on my Dad and that whole experience. But, today I just want to show you a couple pictures of Norah and Henry.
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