Monday, December 28, 2009

Christmas Helper


Kyle has been the Christmas Chief around here this year, making Chocolate Covered Cherries, Peanut Butter Cups, Buckeyes, Peanut Clusters, Gingerbread and Sugar Cookies. He really took off in the candy department this year. (Thanks Aliza!)



Of course, he hasn't had to do all the work himself - Alaina was happy to help him!


Okay, okay, so maybe he did do it all himself!


Alaina likes to help me with my chores too, like folding the laundry. She likes to put clothes in her mouth to make sure they taste dry. We wouldn't want to put away damp clothes, you know.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!


We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,
in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live!
(Zechariah's prophecy, Luke1:74-75)



Merry Christmas to you all,
and especially to Ellyson,




Gracelyn



Kanah,



and Kashaiah S.!



Monday, December 21, 2009

Date Night!

Kyle and I escaped all by ourselves a few nights ago for a special Christmas date - what fun! We drove down to this marvelous restaurant in a renovated barn. The whole place was decked out for Christmas and it was simply lovely!



We came here last year (when I was "great with child") and the food and ambiance were so delightful we had to come back. All the old barn partitions, wood and windows make for such fun surroundings.

This time they weren't too busy, and they put us off in this little lean-to section all by ourselves. It was just perfect!


Everything was SO good, and Kyle wants to see if he can replicated those delicious fried mushrooms with horseradish sauce. Yum!



On our way home we drove through a couple small towns to see the lights. We came across an old fashioned candy shop with a soda fountain and decided to stop in for dessert (though I'm not sure how we found room after that dinner!).

Altogether, it was a simply wonderful evening! Thanks, Honey, for another lovely time!
I am a very blessed woman. :-)

Saturday, December 19, 2009

A few more Dancing Pictures


The Grandparents with their Grandbabies.





"Ok, now we're going to do a circular hey, which is just like changes of rights and lefts, only without hands . . ."



Ready and waiting!


Me and my favorite sister. ;-)

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Catching up 1

Blurg. I hate being sick! But then, who doesn't? ( No, I know what you're thinking. Not that kind of sick. This was the headache, sore throat, light fever variety.) It's gotten me a bit behind in my Christmas plans and - obviously - a bit behind in posting here.


Before getting sick, Nate and I got to call an English Country Dance for a group of friends. It was tremendous fun, and went much better than last time since Alaina is now much older, right Nate? ;-)




Megan P. did Haley's and my hair for the occasion - what a treat!


Such a great group of dancers! We tried out some tough dances on them, and they were such troopers! I think everyone got a good workout. :-)


Faith H. and Haley between dances. I didn't get many pictures myself, since I was busy calling, so these are off the blogs of others (Thanks C. Crew and P. Fam!).


New friends! Susan, Emily, Kristy, Carol, Britteny and Megan.





More pictures to come (if I can get mine to load!) . . .

Monday, December 7, 2009

For the Seamstresses


I made Alaina a play dress out of flannel scraps this fall, and I used an easy technique that imitates smocking. I call it the "Mock Smock".


You simply put in several rows of stitching, gather them and leave the thread in. Easy as can be, looks fun and it's even held up to all the crawling and twisting babies do. At least so far. ;-)


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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Best Time of Year

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving - we sure did! We had five wonderful days with family, lots of visiting, splendid times, and no pictures. No, not one. Sometimes it's more important to live life than to document it. ;-)



We're gearing up for Christmas, playing music non stop, and planning our gifts and goodies. Oh yes, and learning that the Christmas tree is to be seen and not touched. While I love this time of year, I have to admit that I'm still in a Thanksgiving mood. Then again, gratitude is never out of season!

Not much else of interest . . . yet. Just wanted to stick something up. Happy December!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.


So much to be thankful for! May your day overflow with rejoicing.

Monday, November 23, 2009

New Blessings

Today I'm grateful for some new blessings, such as:

A recently shared time with friends,





Good fun and good fellowship,







(Three tiles left!)


People who are generous with their talents,




and the correcting, renewing Word of God.





Those are some of my newest blessings!

Kyle and I are reviewing the story of Thanksgiving together - I can't wait for the weekend!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Baby Girl

WARNING: this post contains mature themes that are not for little readers.

Well, we've passed a big milestone here! How is it that we can go from this

to this

IMG_3314

so quickly? The infant seat has been retired, and now we're up in a big girl seat where we can see the world go by.

I am so, so grateful for my little girl. Alaina is such a joy!

IMG_3462

I'm grateful for something else too. I'm grateful that I wasn't punished for having her. The Christian concept that each person is a valuable reflection of the image of God is still much a part of our culture. But in other areas of the world less touched by God's truth, women who have a baby girl are punished as though they had committed a crime.



If I lived in one of many Muslim countries, I could have been easily divorced in favor of another wife (or several other wives), and no one would have blinked an eye.

If I were part of a minority tribe in Tibet, and my "trial marriage" had resulted in Alaina's birth, I would have been banished to live in a goat skin hut in high altitudes where many do not survive.

In China, chances are I would have been pressured or forced to kill Alaina in the womb, so as not to waste my one chance for a child. It is hard for us to believe that all of these things are happening in 2009.

I am so thankful for my little girl. I'm so grateful for a husband who knows Christ, who delights in his girls and treats us as his most precious treasures. I am so very grateful for God's revealed word, the Bible, which offers value, protection and purpose to each of us.