good morning on Christmas Morning......

Tradition, this girl likes tradition!!

Candlelight service was beautiful,but more than that I just LOVE having my family sitting there with me.

Family came over for clam chowder and yummies to compliment it.

We all sat at the table, 17 of us.

I missed my Grandma Margaret, it would have been her birthday today!

We opened gifts

We sang happy birthday to our Lord and ate a pie that I made.

Jim and I got up early to prepare gifts from Santa!

Jim went back to bed and I sit here and read my bible, listen to the quietness of this house, and thank my Lord for coming to this earth to be as one of us in perfection form.

Thinking about my Mom and Dad this morning, miss them!

Going to go out and feed horses as soon as there is sign of day light.

I think Brayden and I will ride today, it was sooooo beautiful yesterday.

Merry Christmas! What do you think this day looks like in heaven today?

Merry Christmas 2011

A quiet morning, I woke up under my warm covers and thanking my Lord for another year. I was going back thru my mind of this year....

~Brayden having gone thru surgery on his ankle and healing wonderfully
~Corvan wrestling as the 4th top wrestler in the state
~Jim and I entering into 20 years of marriage
~Brayden graduating from confirmation
~going to a Beth Moore conference with my girl friends
~Having my sis Jenay's family and parents here celebrating Easter together in our home
~Layton having a hospital stay over a major concussion and doing well
~Corvan having an accident with his toe and nearly ripping it off, grateful it is healing
~My niece getting married this summer and getting to do her hair!
~Sending all the kids to school and being home for the first time by myself in 16 years....ADJUSTMENT!
~Spending Thanksgiving with family in Montana at La's home
~The Lord providing work for Jim and our family even when it's in another state....GRATEFUL!

The kids are growing up and I am so proud of each one of them. Layton, driving and becoming quite independent, Brayden back to school, riding horses with me, being a great brother, Corvan, always witty, playing football for the 1st time and wrestling season, Jordan is a kinder, and FULL of life at all times. Love these boys of mine!!!

He's always there in it all, faithful, always faithful.

Have a Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

the innkeeper

This time of the year I am always mindful of the Christmas story and usually hone in on a specific area, usually Mary, just thinking about what it must have been like to be the Momma of the King of Kings gives me chills right now.

This season it seems I've had my thought process on the keeper of the inn. I keep thinking about that man whom was told by Joseph that his wife was about to have a child and he needed a place to stay and he offers up a 'barn'. I am sure of it, that Joseph didn't take the time to mention this was the Christ child, or maybe the innkeeper didn't believe him if he did. I don't know, it seems though that Christ child or not if a woman was about ready to give birth and ESPECIALLY if he knew it was the Christ child that he'd be willing to open his own house, give up his bed for a couple of days, move out to the barn himself! But as we know that is not what happened. I think about what maybe this innkeeper might of thought after the fact. When seeing these people flocking in to worship this baby. The shepherds, the wise men (we learned there were more wise men than just 3 probably a whole flock of them)He must have been kicking himself, KICKING HIMSELF!! To allow this baby, the King of Kings, to sleep in a feeder troph with animals....I kind of feel sorry for the guy (the innkeeper that is)......

What I get out of this though, is if someone in need came knockin' on my door would I take him in just. like. that? Or would I have to 'think' about it and then it be too late? Sometimes I think the opportunity is there to help someone out with whatever the case may be and because I hesitate it passes by. And I do, have regrets even as I am sure the inn keeper probably had. I want to be in tune to what He is calling me to do. To be there in time of need, no hesitating, just act.

Joseph was a strong leader, Mary, what a woman to be ok with giving birth in a barn, the inn keeper, regretful, Jesus? PERFECTION!

Happy birthday to our Lord!

Oh, tis the season!

'Tis the season! What a fun time it is. It seems as though I have already started the season off with real celebration!

I have had a plethora of fun with my girl friends! I had a very special evening with my long time friend Leanne. We went to dinner and then went to a ceramic shop and made a little something while we got all caught up and just hung out together. We painted, relaxed and just had fun! Thanks Leanne for such a memorable evening, loved every minute of it!

this is the plate I made while there.....isn't it cute?

Also had my girl's over that we have had coffee on a regular basis for years and on special occasions get together for dinner or something fun too. So this year we were here at the house. (I don't have a picture darnit) They stayed until way late while eating and gabbing. I made two different kinds of homemade pizza. It was so much fun!

We got our tree up. We went to a tree farm to find 'the perfect tree!' Ok, so remember I have BOYS and that means the bigger the better, a challenge, YES we want a challenge. So, we found 'the tree' and as I looked around it was the biggest tree out there. I asked Brayden isn't this going to be alot of work to try and saw down? They all chimed in, "OH NO, this is perfect!" So, with much muscle and using my whole body to push that tree as Brayden sawed his little heart out, we got it down, dragged it to the long bed big diesel truck that we have, in which the tree hung over the edge of the tail gate but we got it in there and home. The tree had to be cut almost in half to fit in the house but it's up and beautiful. We also, on Jim's behalf decorated his elk. I have to put a picture up of it for husband. Do you see? It has reigns, a beard? Nice, don't you think?

Do you love my sign?
Jim is still in Palm Springs, we miss him, but again so grateful he is working.

I had my bible study girl's over for dinner. We had a great time! We ate and ate, did a little gift exchange, we had a good time. I really love these girls.

Off today to watch Corvan wrestle in his varsity spot on our team.Jordan too will be wrestling! Last week he did win his matches, we went again today and had a bit of an off day. Tough matches and loses for both of his matches. Today, one of the few he has lost this season and he developed quite the little attitude/crying fit. So, today we chalk the day up to character building and attitude adjustment. Guess when you are little it's important to learn it all, right?

 Oh, guess what? I am a crocheter now. I sit at these matches for hours and for years tried to read, there is no reading to be done with the noise level in that gym so I took up crocheting, it is so much fun, I LOVE IT. I'm not real good at it, my mother inlaw who taught me corrects me often but I need the correcting that is for sure~ha! (Lashae and Chars, stop laughing at me!)

Jordon got the pin goin' on today!

Corv suffering from a loss and coach is consoling him.

Happiness at the tournament

See? I am a crocheter! People ask me if I am making a Christmas gift I say, "uh, no, I think I will keep this all to myself"....(maybe when I get a little better and it looks better, Chars and La, again, zip it)
And back to the 'ole treadmill. Not for any other reason than I was ready to change it up a little. The weather is super cold but clear the past few days and I LOVE IT!