Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!!

The Gift of Gifts
O Source of all good,
What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts,
thine own dear Son, begotten, not created,
my Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute,
his self-emptying incomprehensible,
his infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.
Herein is wonder of wonders:
he came below to raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like him.
Herein is love;
when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace,
to raise me to himself.
Herein is power;
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
he united them in indissoluble unity,
the uncreated and the created.
Herein is wisdom;
when I was undone, with no will to return to him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
he came, God-incarnate, to save me
to the uttermost,
as man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.
O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
let me hear good tidings of great joy,
and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
my conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father;
place me with ox, ass, camel, goat,
to look with them upon my Redeemer's face,
and in him account myself delivered from sin;
let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child
to my heart,
embrace him with undying faith,
exulting that he is mine and I am his.
In him thou hast given me so much
that heaven can give no more.

~ from "The Valley of Vision" (a Puritan prayer book)

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!


Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve

Today started with a late breakfast with one of our good friends, followed by a trip to the theater to see "a Christmas Carol" (which we really enjoyed) and then home for the rest of the day.:) We got things tidied up around here and made chex mix, cheese ball and cookies as well as put together an egg casserole and coffee cake to pop in the oven when we get up tomorrow morning. Now we're relaxing in our PJ's watching a movie. I don't usually have Christmas Eve off and I must say that I've really enjoyed my day.:) I hope you all have had an equally enjoyable Christmas Eve and that you will have a great Christmas! I'm still like a kid when it comes to Christmas, so I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow!:)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

getting pumped for christmas!

I just work today and tomorrow before enjoying a four day weekend. I can't wait! We have a pretty relaxed Christmas planned that will include some time to ourselves as well as time spent with both of our families. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

In keeping with his other films...

Wes Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is pretty fantastic!:) You should go see it.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

a recommendation

If you've never watched "Flight of the Conchords" you should probably start now. I doubt that you will regret it.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

my plan for my day off:

Making frames. For some reason I only ever get my act together until right before the December first Friday when I realize that I'd really like to get some of my new paintings framed up and looking good. You can ask Luke. We never make frames during the summer and for some reason we only make them once a year (and yes I realize this is entirely my fault and not his at all). I'm pretty sure this is 3 years running that we will be making frames in my parents garage in the cold of December. My poor, devoted husband. He really is a trooper.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

giving thanks and looking forward

I love Thanksgiving. Not only is it a great holiday for reflecting on God's goodness, but it also ushers in the holiday season (of which I am a fan:). We enjoyed spending Thursday with my family, all of whom were able to be there. It's great to have a day to relax, eat amazing food, play board games late into the night and hang out with your favorite people in the world.:) It's also great to be part of a family that recognizes the importance of giving thanks to our God. While this has been an incredibly challenging and somewhat frustrating year for Luke and me, it was good to step back and to reflect on the many ways that God has provided for us and for His care in our lives. We were also able spend Saturday with Luke's immediate and extended family. We got in some good euchre games and enjoyed the day. I did venture out on black Friday to score a few deals. I didn't go until about 9:30, in order to avoid being trampled to death.:) I missed out on a couple things I wanted to get, but later found one of them online for the same price and the other at a different store. As for everything else I went for, I found all of it and more...:) No surprises there. I have a pretty good leg up on my Christmas shopping now. I love that now it's ok to listen to Christmas music and to start getting excited about the upcoming holiday celebrations. I'm a big fan of the Christmas season.:)