[Weekending] Windows and rooms that I'm passing through

Guess what I've been up to this LONG weekend?

Nothing.

yep, a bunch of being lazy and hanging out with the fam.

I also have been enjoying some Christmas gifts...

this is the chair scott's sis got him. it's super cute.

oh, you noticed my other gift laying on the chair?

yep, the Man got me "Pioneer Woman Cooks" for Christmas.

I've been looking through it, picking out the first recipes I wanna try.

I knew the first would have to be the Barbeque Jalapeno's. My Man loves jalapeno's. I can't wait to try them out!

I'll let you know how it goes.

I heard this song on the radio last night. It's Carrie Underwood's new song. It's great.

I often get wrapped up in the now... you know.

what recently is going on..

holidays...

the most recent movie...

a conversation i just had....

the newest home decor I've gotten...

what the future holds...

so wrapped up in all this, I forget that this world isn't my home. I need to be spending time and focusing my heart on my real home! This place, this life is just my temporary home.

Little boy, six years old
A little too used to being alone
Another new mom and dad, another school

Another house, that'll never be home
When people ask him how he likes this place
He looks up and says with a smile upon his face

This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this is my temporary home

Young mom on her own
She needs a little help, got nowhere to go
She's looking for a job, looking for a way out

'Cause a halfway house will never be a home
At night she whispers to her baby girl
Someday we'll find our place here in this world

This is our temporary home, it's not where we belong
Windows and rooms that we're passing through
This is just a stop on the way to where we're going
I'm not afraid because I know this is our temporary home

Old man, hospital bed
The room is filled with people he loves
And he whispers
"Don't cry for me, I'll see you all someday"
He looks up and says "I can see God's face"

This is my temporary home, it's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passing through
This was just a stop on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this was my temporary home
This is our temporary home

Melt My Heart

Yep...

This melts my heart.

Our friend added a new little babe to her family.

This is her first.

This is her second.

They are both too sweet.

They make my heart...

melt.

yummy goodness...nothing like homemade

i love baked goods.

i love homemade baked goods.

don't get me wrong, i love other people's homemade goodness too.

my husband works at a bakery (a good one at that) for goodness sakes.

but every now and then, I love to bake at home.

it's makes me feel all Carolyn Ingalls and stuff.

for instance, these berries were calling my name.
come and pick me down by the creek...
ok...or pick up my prepackaged cranberry goodness at the grocery store.
either way, they were calling out to me.

so i did, I'm a sucker for berries. Especially, pretty red ones.
i wasn't sure what I would do with them. so they sat and sat in the fridge waiting to be mixed with something (probably butter) and made into more pounds for my hips : )

finally, I got on a baking kick one night and made rach my cooking assitant. she loves to be there when I cook because it usually results in much comic relief.
we made cranberry scones and granola.
and we also made a mess!
: )

We got the recipe off the internet.
This is what I remember of the recipe.
use your cool food processor to crush up the cranberries
(after the fact, I realized I would have left them in a little bigger pieces)

pour into a bowl and set aside

told you this would most likely involve butter.
butter is the goodness to most goodness.
got that.

in food processor mix flour, baking powder, butter together.
then add in cranberries...mix.

shape into umm...whatever you can shape them into.
ours didn't turn out soo pretty, but they were yummy!

generously sprink sugar over tops.
bake for something at soo many minutes.
you know i'm horrible at remembering details... i generally bake everything at 350, 375, or 400.
i bet carolyn ingalls didn't remember every single recipe by heart.
she just knew how to do it.
i'm soo like carolyn ingalls...

while we waited on the scones, we started the granola.
go here for the recipe.
i love her blog and how naturally she lives.

we had a bit of a mess with the honey ...apparently, you aren't suppose to put plastic bottles in the microwave. I mean really, i only had it in there for a second or 2 (or 1 min.)

mixing it up together i wanted to eat it out of the bowl. but the honey mixture was still too hot.

while we waited for the granola...we ate our scones. They were a little flate, but ohh soo good.

I even used whole wheat flour...those who really know me know that is such a huge deal.

haha.

granola turned out yummy...i've been using it in my yogurt.
it's the best.

maybe i'll make up more batches to give away for gifts!

some cool things we've done lately....

A few weeks ago, MentorKids went to deliver Christmas cards and sing Christmas Karaoke with the residents of the Wendell Foster Campus. It is a home for many people with disabilities (many who have cerebral palsey). I was so sure most our kids would be super quiet and quite uncomfortable. Boy, was I ever wrong. I knew they would be polite, but I never imagined their responses.

They enjoyed the residents and even initiated conversations with them.

The residents just loved our kids. It was a precious thing to be a part of. We had many kids ask their mentor to bring them back and then one to even say she might like to work in a place like this one day.

It was a highlight of this years holiday season!

NEXT.... our church started this program last year to teach kids the giving part of the season. And why we give, because He first gave to us.

It's called the Magi Project.

It is where kids come to shop for 4 people in their lives. It's free and we even help them wrap their gifts. The whole time they are at the church, the "wise men" walk around telling them about the King who was born, how they are looking for him, and have gifts to bare.

At the end of the shopping/wrapping route of the event, they come outside and stop by the stable. Their were live animals there they could pet.

There were sheep.

goats.

there was even a donkey named dixie.

then there were the wise men bringing their gifts.

and of course, there was a mary, joseph, and a baby Jesus.

Do these Mary and Joseph look familiar. Yep, we were voted to play the roles for the children this year. We had a blast doing it. The kids loved to hear us tell them why we REALLY celebrate Christmas and how Jesus was the first Christmas present.

The animals were just soo stinkin cute. This sheep looked like he was smiling at me.

I wanted to sheer these sheep and use their wool to make yarn for sweaters/scarves/hats.

They looked soo warm.

I thought maybe these kids wouldn't take this serious or would even go home to keep the gifts for themselves. That couldn't have been further for the truth. They looked long and hard for the right presents and wrapped them with care.

I can say I truly enjoyed being Mary. It was such a neat experience to celebrate Christmas.

This precious girl wanted to hold baby Jesus.

I thought it was cool to see these kids have the same excitement to see the Nativity scene as they have when they are in line to see Santa.

I hope they experienced a different and more giving Christmas this year.

our niece and nephew came by to pet the animals and see the Nativity as well.

they loved it.

Our pastor has been preaching a series on the Magi and a different take on Christmas. Last week he was talking about how kids mainly experience the "getting" part of Christmas. He inquired us all what we asked children usually during the holiday season. "What are you getting/asking for Christmas?" or "What did you get for Christmas?"

So I've made a point to change not only what I ask children, but try to refocus my perspective around the holidays to be mainly on giving.

So needless to say, the Magi Project not only (hopefully) impacted the kids in our neighborhood, but this Mary as well.

The End

(sorry, i couldn't resist)

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.

Uh....excuse me, but is this really all the snow we are going to see?

This is what we got last week...the only real snow so far.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas carols/hymns like White Christmas. I think I've found my new favorite. We sang it at church last week and I cannot get the line "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep." out of my head. This man wrote this during the Civil War, the loss of his wife, and the injury of his son. He saw horrible things and felt grief like many...but he still clasped tightly to the truth that God is faithful...He isn't dead and He's not sleeping. He's here for us. This stanza is by far my favorite.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on earth, good will to men."

Below is the history of the carol and the entire lyrics.

Enjoy

and

peace on earth

goodwill to men.

Henry W. Longfellow wrote the lyrics of 'I heard the bells on Christmas Day' and it was first published in 1864. John B. Calkin composed its music in 1872 though it is also sung to an alternate tune that was originally composed by Joseph Mainzer in 1845. This hymn is full of despair as it was written during the stressful times of American civil war. One can sense it clearly in the next to last stanza. Stanzas 4 and 5 mention the battle times and are hence, often omitted from hymnals.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how as the day had come
The belfries of all Christendom
Had roll'd along th' unbroken song
Of Peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair, I bow'd my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song,
Of Peace on earth, good will to men."

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearthstones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With Peace on earth, good will to men."

Baby-Wearing Aunt

When my sister asked if I could help her figure out her Moby Wrap, I was a little over eager you might say. I might have insisted I be the one we try it on since she had to run out for a few minutes in just a while. So being the sweet baby sis she is, she obliged. I LOVED it. Seriously, these are the greatest creations ever! It's sturdy so you don't feel nervous the baby might fall out and yet it's super flexible so you can do things.

I'm definitely a BABY-WEARING AUNT!

a proud one at that.

[not so proud about how crappy i dressed/fixed hair (or didn't fix hair) that day]

and fynn loves it. he just snuggled in and took a nap.

i decided for Christmas, I want someone to create a giant sling for me to crawl into and snuggle up for a long nap.

is this not the sweetest picture. my adorable little nephew, holding my Moma (nana)'s finger.

aww...there goes my uterus aching again.

fynn, please stop the preciousness, it's harmful to your Uncle Scott and SaeSae's plans!

oh, and I have to share his too cute nursery.

my sis and bro-in-love did a great job.

they painted that sign over his crib their selves.

love it.

his little basinet.

his woodland friends on his dresser.

his cute little owl.

fynn....

i told you to stop it...

seriously, people...couldn't you just eat him up!