Christmas with My Older Brother and Nephew

Ross made this Nativity scene out of cardboard (I've said before how much he loves cardboard) for me for Christmas and even wrapped it up nicely for me. I love it! He is so creative.

 Jedidiah with Uncle Ben. I am learning to use my new camera in

these next few pictures! My hubby got me a super cool camera! My older brother

who is a professional photographer picked me out the perfect camera. The camera

has the perks I wanted without all the messing around and learning confusing things!

 Annalina with Uncle Ben.

 There is no normal when Uncle Ben is around.

 See Annalina's face WOW!! Ross's face is one of "this is extremely cool".

Uncle Ben and Cousin C got him the perfect gift a knife.

 Ross decorated a fan for Annalina and gave Gabriel a wood thing he can use 

in his miniature war games.

 One shirt says "Uncle Santa Claus" the other shirt says "World's Largest Elf"!

 Daddy and Carson watching the fun on the couch.

 Annalina bought this book for Gabriel at a bookstore in Tennessee when

we were there. He LOVES it.

 Uncle Ben and C holding there ornaments from Gabriel and Annalina.

 Me with my big brother. Actually, both my brothers are bigger

than me at this stage of life. They're both goofy too.

 Christmas dinner.

 Gabriel made this for me for Christmas. He took picture that came in the 

mail and glued rough sticks for a frame. So pretty and thoughtful!

 Gabriel came up with the idea for this bracelet and then had Annalina make it so it

 is from both of them! Beautiful. I wore it Sunday for church!

Ross got this gift from Gabriel and Annalina. He wanted this SOOOO

bad. It is a fighter plane to pant at Color Me Mine down in the Springs.

 Ross made me this calendar at home schooling group for me! It is so cool all the

pictures for each month. He was so pleased with it and super excited for me

to get it!!!!!

 This was another gift thought up by Gabriel and made by Annalina. They were

both so excited for me to get it. It is a neck pillow and it works GREAT!!!!! It was stuffed

with firm packing so it holds its shape! Love it. I told my chiropractor

about it and he thought it was great.

Carson colored things for my Christmas stocking and I realized I don't have 

pictures of the pictures he colored for me. He was such a sweetie too.

I LOVED all my home made gifts. 

These gifts and the love they show made Christmas all the more special for me.

Cousin C with Jedidiah. They got along great and had

such fun together.

Privilege

Annalina was carrying Jedidiah the other morning and she said to him. "We both have privileges. I get to have a baby like you and you get the best family."

Carson said to me the other morning: "Did you notice I love you?"

Gabriel to Ross as they are wrestling and fun fighting their Cousin Canon: "Protect me thin man!"
Ross is the only scrawny boy in the bunch. My brother Ben and I thought that was pretty funny!
Ross may be small of size but he is right in there with the rest of them and holds his own!

Christmas Season 2012

Well, this is the start of my Christmas season blogs. The above picture was taken with Mrs. W at the piano Christmas party Mrs. W throws every year. The kids had a grand time and enjoyed the lady that came with the exotic animals that they could hold.

This Christmas season our family was invited to sing/kids play piano at a church in the Springs.  That was out of my comfort zone and I know we didn't sound professional but we did practice a lot and I prayed about it. The best is all you can do! It was a good experience but more importantly we got to sing praises to our most amazing Heavenly Father.

The kids and I also went to a home school service project at an assisted living home to make ornaments for the residents. Again a good experience!  I think the elderly really enjoyed seeing fresh faces. It was a most unique experience aside from the service aspect. We were around home schoolers like I have NEVER met before and I walked out with some pretty unique experiences and funny stories. I got to share them the other night with our friends who came over. Just when you think you've seen it all people break the molds and stereo types!!!

We've been counting down to Christmas with our advent calendars and read the Christmas story. I was reminded through my Bible reading that the Word was made flesh. How thankful for that I am. How unique that Jesus the Saviour would come as a "vulnerable infant" to save the world. Christmas day I had time on my own to read the Christmas story which was great. There is a song I like that is about being a mother this time of year. I completely get it . . . it talks about how "I need a silent night" . . . and talks about "all the choas and the noise". There are Christmas parties, entertaining, performances, shopping, etc., etc. It is sometimes hard to focus on the true reason of Christmas . . . the Christ child and His purpose of coming.

Then we had 16 people come through in different groups over the course of about 4 days. We have had a great time hanging out with family and friends. That is all going to continue into the New Year with getting to meet up with a friend I haven't seen in many years and whom I have great memories with and later in the month hanging out with friends and having a lefsa (Norwegian food) making party.

Well, so here I go to post a ton of pictures of memories. It may take me awhile to get them all up.

Fun With Friends

Last Saturday we had our friends over for dinner and had a great time. We met them awhile back in a most unusual way which both families chalk up to God's providence. I meant to write about them sooner. We were both at a Costco eating and Babe decided he wanted to talk to them so walked over and struck up a conversation and well we have the blessing of some very special friends. They are most unique and I mean that in the best possible way. The whole family has such a sweet gentle spirit. They have been a blessing to us in a big way and they are pure joy to be around. They are so real and loving. My favorite things in a friend.

M and I have a number of things in common: homeschooling, growing up with a father that was principal of a Christian school (mine was for a few years), and both our husbands call us "Sunshine" (she said I have never heard another husband do that before!), and most of all we love being with our kids and hubbies.

The kids had a great time running around. The girls sewed on the sewing machine and the boys fought battles and got wounded!! Yep, pretty fun! Jedidiah was spoiled rotten by their teenage daughters who love to tote him around.

Christmas with My Brother and His Family

 This is Jedidiah with sweet and very loving cousin Alyzza!

 Really, how cute are these two kiddos!!!

So happy together!

 Jedidiah giving kisses to his Auntie Theo!

 He loves his Auntie Theo!!

 Gabriel was SOOO EXCITED to give his gift to his Auntie

and she loved it!

 Uncle Quentin opens his gift with an audience!
My little niece at the bottom of the picture I
still can't introduce yet.

Cousins that were thrilled to have their dolls together for the first time!

I am sure Kit and Kayah were thrilled too!

Since I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease my brother Quentin made me a really special lunch gluten free and made it in memory of my time in England and British food! It tasted SUPER and I ate left overs the next day! My sister-in-law made me gluten free cookies that were yummy and that will be a recipe I'll keep! She left me left over dough that was baked all up today!

The kids love their Cousins and Aunt and Uncle coming over!! I'll have to do another entry

about what my sister-in-law gave me! Tooo cool!!!

Gifts We've Made

This is a plate that I painted as a Thank you to my parents for their generosity to us when we went to visit them. The Christmas tree is made out of the kids hands and then has ornaments with their names on them. I had someone else do the lettering though. Annalina and I had a great day of painting together. We were there about 5 hours!

 Annalina spent time deciding on what to paint and she decided on these hugging salt and pepper shakers and painted them to be she and Grandma. She loves to come and hug grandma and cuddle up on her lap so this was an appropriate gift!

 Front of salt and peppers shakers!

 Annalina's done some wood burning also. She made did this duck scene for

her grandma and grandpa Lysne.

She did this ornament for Uncle Ben. I think it is so cute!

More of Gabriel's Wood Burning Gifts . . .

 Gabriel got A LOT of woodworking done this week. He got a call from his grandpa who said he is going to hang his ornament in his living room so he can see it all the time!!

For his cousin Canon-who loves knives (safely used)

For Uncle Ben-a professional photographer.

For Uncle Craig-whose silly and loves to be called Uncle Pig.

For Grandpa Lysne-who has memorized ballistic charts.

For Uncle Kevin-a great hunter.

For Uncle Quentin-who loves firearms.

For Aunt Theo-who loves pretty homemade done things.

Before the Memory Slips . . .

I have to get back to work but last night we had a great time with my brother, sister-in-law, and my nieces (more on that later) and today our friends with their kiddos are coming over! As I was working I remembered a prayer of Carsons and I wanted to get it down.

He prayed the other day and said "Thank you I get to be with Mommy and Daddy. Thank I get to play with Ross, etc." Man did that ever touch my heart. Carson is one of my rough around the edges kid with a sweet loving heart.

Better run. My sweet memory is down.

One of Gabriel's New Hobbies

Gabriel made this wood burning for Grandma and Grandpa

 Johnson!!

This ornament Gabriel made for his Auntie Flo. He has A LOT of people he wants to make Christmas ornaments for. Some of them he may have to complete after Christmas. It takes quite awhile to complete them.

Gabriel has a couple of new hobbies lately. One, is stop motion animation with Legos. He LOVES doing this and his Grandma and Grandpa got him a table top camera tripod for this new hobby. He was quite happy. He loves coming up with story lines and then picture by picture by picture by picture having the Legos act out the story. He hasn't learned how to do sound yet so for now they are silent. Also, we just download the pictures on the computer and flip through them really fast and watch it come together. Hopefully, when Uncle B comes we can learn how to put them all together into a movie.

The other hobby Gabriel JUST started is wood burning and he does an AMAZING job! It is a long and tedious process and so far he has completed two pieces (above) and they are both beautiful! First, you find a picture you like then use graphite paper to copy it onto the wood then wood burn it into the wood then color it with colored pencils (if desired). I spray it with color fixative and then varnish it.

Both of these hobbies are great for winter time fun!

Surprise Gift

My Aunt and Uncle came in their HUGE RV this fall and hung out for awhile. It was great catching up with them again. While here, I was telling them of the memory I had of Christmas time at their house and their ceramic Christmas tree with lights. When I see a ceramic Christmas tree it takes me back to my childhood.

Not to long ago a box showed up and I had no clue what was in it! It was this Christmas tree from my aunt and uncle. How cool is that? How memorable is that? Pretty, pretty special.

The carolers (made by Avon) I got at Salvation Army. I have another wax statue just exactly the same from childhood. Again, the sight and smell of them take me back to Christmas as a child.

Thankful Heart

Is Your All On The Altar?

You have longed for sweet peace,
And for faith to increase,
And have earnestly, fervently prayed;
But you cannot have rest,
Or be perfectly blest,
Until all on the altar is laid.

• Refrain:
  Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
  Your heart does the Spirit control?
  You can only be blest,
  And have peace and sweet rest,
  As you yield Him your body and soul.

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 Parts of Psalm 9

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
² I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

⁹ The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
¹⁰ And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

************************************************************************************

 A Psalm about Self

by Joseph Bayley (one of my favorite poets-more on him later)

Lord save me

from myself

my settled self

unsettle me

bring to end of rope

but only

if you

are at the end.

My procrastinating self

that can so easy find

side roads

that are more interesting

even ones where

errands can be run.

Send me back

to

my comfort loving self

uncomfort me

pull the covers from me

 on cold night

that I may 

wake. Starve my body

that my soul may feast.

My proud self.

Give me grace to bend myself

And keep me bent

lest you should

one day

bend me to the breaking point.

My righteous self

show me sin

that lurks beneath

my conscious thought

motivating

that pushes me

to settling

comfort pride

and self

rationalizing self

that finds excuse

for what I do

and don't.

Save me from myself

Save me so that

self may die

and save me

from pride

that self is dead.

*************************************************************************************

A Psalm of Praise

by Joseph Bayley

Thank You God

that You see

armies march

a sparrow fall

hear

atom's blast

a baby's cry

smell

volcano's flow

a man's sweat

 feel

contour of mountains

a little lump

taste

ocean's salt

my tears.

*************************************************************************************

This fall has been an interesting time. I know "He's still working on me to make me what I otta be."

Thankful for a loving, patient, holy, merciful God who works on me while loving me. 

He has blessed me and given me salvation.

Three Year Old Words of Wisdom . . .

I was giving a spelling test this morning and Carson was sitting with me and listening and getting some cuddle time. I gave the word "sugar". Carson then said "Sugar is not good for your teeth it is only good for your tongue." Wow, that was pretty well said!!!!

Jedidiah (2 days away from 8 months old)

Jedidiah is crawling and pulling himself up on things. Pretty much trouble! But trouble of the cutest and sweetest sort! He loves to eat his food and is a busy body. His business reminds me somewhat of Gabriel but with a bit less intense personality. He most certainly identifies himself with the boys and if he wants to get them to entertain him he will look at them and start laughing for no reason and then, of course, they will oblige and do all sorts of silly things to keep the laughing going.We just love him and think he's the best baby. We're all smitten with Jedidiah.

Mammoth Caves

 It was neat to see Mammoth Caves and the

kids enjoyed it. Carson wasn't so sure he wanted to go in a

cave but he did great. Mammoth Caves are the longest caves in the world.

After our tour we got a group shot. My mom came along

but didn't do the tour. It was nice that she was with us for

the journey though.

A cave cricket in Mammoth caves.