What type of a Christmas Shopper are you?

Do you have everything purchased and wrapped before Thanksgiving? Do you shop a little here and there all year? Do you wait until the last minute? Do you just wait and give them when you get around to it later?

I like to shop ahead - make my lists and give them to the grandmas...and then for some reason, it takes me several weeks to decide on the right gift - lots of purchases, lots of returns - and then when I am ready and have finally made up my mind...it is sold out everywhere! Funny! And inevitably, every Christmas I promise myself not to get the kid anything next year b/c they get so many gifts from everyone else! It feels so greedy...we really don't need anything - material anyway. I know I need more patience and discipline? Where can you buy those?

My five year old wants clothes and boots...How do these little girls just fall in love with fashion at 5???? She definitely has more fashion sense then me already!

I have learned that for a mom like me - shopping the midnight hours or the early morning hours are the BEST! No traffic, hardly any lines, nice unhurried people...Although some people prefer the crowds and the traffic. I lost my phone at Kohls a few days ago, but a nice lady found it and turned it in. Thank you nice lady!

I do love that at Christmas time we can share our love with other people by giving them gifts - whether gifts of time, handmade items, or some item we think they will like. Obviously Jesus Christ and the eternal life He offers us through His death, atonement, and resurrection is the greatest gift ever given.

I was thinking about Mary (His mom) the other day. There are several songs written about her (and Joseph for that matter) and I heard one while shopping. Can you even imagine what it would be like to be told that you would be having God's Son. That you would be impregnated without any physical contact. We get frustrated when our plans are not God's - but WOW! -that could've been quite the inconvenience. They were obedient and willing and trusting. Are we like that? Is our faith active and trusting and willing?

Hmmmm I am not sure about that...but I will work on that. Maybe I will ask God for an active faith this holiday and this year.

Walking Her Home

Can you imagine that you are 65 and your mother is very sick. Your wife is sick too – but your mother is dying. You are visiting with her in Colorado, trying to spend time with her during her last moments. You get a call that your wife has taken a turn for the worst in Indiana and hospice has been called. Therefore you leave Colorado and your dying mother to be with your wife. Two days later, your mother passes away. In that same day, your wife passes on a few hours later.

That happened to a friend of ours last week. That is one hard day here on earth. I love the following song and the assurance it offers God’s children regarding death. It is written and sung by Mark Schultz. I heard this song in the summer on vacation when I was driving in my car. As I listened, I was enjoying the message and then it got to the end...and then I really listened and heard the message. Wow! It is powerful - totally worth listening to. Pay close attention to the final part of the song as these two sweethearts face eternity together … and the sweetness that is promised when assurance of moving on into the Savior's presence is in the heart of the believer.

Walking Her Home

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Her dad said son
Have her home on time
And promise me you’ll never leave her side
He took her to a show in town
And he was ten feet off the ground

(Chorus)
He was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road
With the stars up above
He remembers where he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home

Ten more years and a waiting room
At half past one
And the doctor said come in and meet your son

His knees went weak
When he saw his wife
She was smiling as she said he’s got your eyes

And as she slept he held her tight
His mind went back to that first night

(Chorus)

He walked her through the best days of her life
Sixty years together and he never left her side

A nursing home
At eighty-five
And the doctor said it could be her last night
And the nurse said Oh
Should we tell him now
Or should he wait until the morning to find out

But when they checked her room that night
He was laying by her side

Oh he was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled when he said this is not the end
And just for a while they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful to him than anything
He was walking her home
He was walking her home

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Now if you have a sweetheart, go give him/her a kiss and tell him how much you appreciate him and look forward to growing old together. If you don't, pray for someone else or for yourself to eventually have that type of relationship. If you want to have that same assurance of life in Heaven, please email me - and I would be glad to share with you how to have that peace.

Much love...

As is!

One thing I love about photographs is the opportunity they afford to remember something as is! It is so tempting sometimes to want to change our kids into their nicest clothes or make sure they match or are perfectly clean - next time you feel the urge to do so - DON'T DO IT! or Don't do it right away...At least take a snapshot of them AS IS first! Tara Whitney is an amazing photographer who has that philosophy. Check out her blog and some of her images HERE. Here are just a couple of my kiddos that I love...





Now the real challenge is taking those photos of yourself:) I have a few - but I won't share them here...at least not now. One is of me after a soccer game this summer. It was pouring rain and very hot and humid. I look hilarious - red shorts, green shirt - nothing matches - soaking wet - BUT it was a great memory b/c I had so much fun and felt so much like me!!!

A few more cute little kid sayings...

My five year old was playing with her dollhouse today. She was pretending that the mommy had a baby in her tummy and the doctor was coming to visit. I heard the mommy say to the doctor, "Today while I was outside playing, I fell and scraped my knee. That is how the baby got into my tummy." Ha - if only it were that easy:)

The littler one was telling me that she needed to "learn" me how to stretch like she did in ballet class. She told Kevin later tonight that I "learned" her how to button her buttons on her shirt.

I wish in twenty years I could just replay all of these cute little things I know I will forget!!!

What's a Honkey?

So we decorated for Christmas tonight...at least we started. It actually looks like we just moved in b/c of the boxes all around. I won't share too many details but my favorite part of the night was when my three year old and I were reading a book about Jesus' Birth. We were talking about each page and the different parts of the story when I asked her what animal carried Mary all the way to Bethlehem. In all seriousness, she says "That's a honkey mommy." A honkey!!! How cute is that?

I didn't correct her yet. It was just too wonderful. The wonderful that only a little kid with a sweet little voice creates.

She also sings Jingle Bells like this (while shaking her hips back and forth):
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way.
Oh more fun it is to wide on my old roller blades.
(Again, she really thinks these are the words)

Don't you wish you were three so that when you were singing a song and you used the wrong lyrics you would be cute - instead of kind-of dumb sounding?

Here are two pics from the night. One is of the littlest "honkey" lover.



The other is an ornament that I gave my husband in 9th grade:). He is now a basketball coach. Cute huh?



Have a great week!