hope?

In the midst of rough economic times and other things that make us think there isn't anything good left in the world, my heart smiled at the article below.  

*Iraq is celebrating Christmas for the first time in YEARS*

hope

simply having a wonderful christmas time

Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year!  There's just something about it... lights, Christmas music, [normally] winter weather, hot drinks, delicious food, decorations, time with great people, and perhaps most prevalently [is that a word?!] lots of sweets!

One of my family's traditions comes from my mom's side of the family.  It is a Norweigan dessert called 'krumkake' [pronounced kroom ka ka].  My mom ONLY makes it at the holidays, so it is extremely special every year!  Last year, my parents gave me a krumkake iron of my own [which, for the record, was one of my most favorite gifts ever!].  Now that Christmas is here again, I got to take it out of the box and take my first stab at making my own krumkake.  Overall, it was a success, though next year I am going to use my mom's recipe ;o).  Here it is...

And what is Christmas without a nativity!?  It has taken me a few years, but with the help of my generous family, I finally have all of the pieces to my nativity set!

And above all things...LOVE...

And then Sara and I decided that last year, when we didn't have a tree, it just didn't feel quite like Christmas...So this year, we bought one [and did everything involved by ourselves!].

Sidenote: There are some funny pictures of us at various stages of 'Operation Christmas Tree', like hauling it up three flights of stairs, getting it set in the stand, putting lights on, etc. but let's just observe the beauty of the finished product... And here's what we ended up with!

Santa even made an appearance... 

It seems that everyone has been producing their Christmas playlist, so here's mine, in case you're interested!...

Wonderful Christmastime - Jars of Clay

Starlight - Glad

How Great Our Joy - Cherry Hills Community Church

Emmanuel, God With Us - Amy Grant      

Carol of the Bells - The Bird and the Bee

Welcome Jesus Our Redeemer - Cherry Hills Community Church

Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald

In The First Light - Glad

The Christmas Waltz - Harry Connick, Jr.

River - Corinne Bailey Rae + Herbie Hancock

Hark - Israel & New Breed

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Jars of Clay

Sing, Mary, Sing - Jennifer Knapp

Angels We Have Heard on High - Point of Grace

One Small Child - Rebecca St. James

Christmas Time Is Here - Diana Krall + McLachlan

Who Would Imagine a King - Whitney Houston

All is Well - Cherry Hills Community Church

And, in its entirety, The Nutcracker Suite.

I sincerely hope that each of you is enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the season, and I hope that you get to spend the holidays with loved ones.

good tidings.

best words, part 5

Ok, so I'm all about the quotes lately, but an amazing woman shared this with me a few weeks ago and I love it.

life to-do, #1

Tonight, I witnessed something truly amazing...and, might I mention, it is something that I have wanted to see FOREVER!  

| I got to see someone changing the gas price on the gas station sign |

I mean, seriously.  Every time you drive by the gas station, it is a different price, right?!  But who has actually seen them physically change the price...I think Darlene Meeker is the only one I know who has seen it!  *Remarkable*

It made a super ending to a great night...Now I can check that one off the list of my life goals.

one for one

I'm not sure where she found these, but Sara told me about two websites today that I thought were definitely worth passing along.  They both offer 'one for one' sales [ie, you buy a pair of shoes and a child in need in Africa is given a pair of shoes] and definitely support worthy causes, so please, check them out!  

Krochet Kids

TOMS Shoes

Think about giving a better gift this year for Christmas ... ;o)  

Advent Conspiracy

*watch the video*

They say...

...Worship Fully...

...Spend Less...

...Give More...

...Love All...

merry christmas ;o)