Three

  Rosalyn,

Today you turn three.

It's only been three years yet I can hardly remember life 

before you were here.

You are a joy...

You are a trip!

You are a sheer delight...

And you'll always be Honey's Toot Toot.

We have had SO much FUN together these past three years....

Your smile is one of my favorite things in the world!

...and your giggle!

...And your kisses for sure!!

You have grown into quite the little lady with LOTS of personality!

And my heart had to grow bigger to make all your love fit in there!!

You are such a big helper!

And I always love finding out what you are thinking about.

I look forward to seeing how the Lord is going to use you and the personality He has given you to impact the world....

But I'm in no hurry .... I am enjoying every single second of watching you grow!

Happy Birthday My sweet girl!

Hope your day is as special as you!

....Here are some pictures Honey thought you might love to see!

I took them of a little princess who came to my house for a visit not too long ago! She had long long hair and looked just like Rapunzel!  ;)

I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!

Thanks for making being a grandma so much FUN!!

love,

Honey 

ps.  the winner of my little giveaway was #14.. Darcie...my X-Factor Buddy!

Woot Woot!  You won AND your show comes on tonight....you go girl!

The Nativity

I am so enjoying this year with my family...just taking in every bit of each day.

I don't know if this just comes with age or what.. 

but I am finding the most joy in the simple things of life lately.

 I enjoy just being home.  Not feeling the need to go here and there....to shop for this or that.

I'm loving just "being".

And I think contentment is something beautiful.

I am learning to treasure the memories of our family holiday traditions

but also be flexible in making new traditions as our family is growing and with that, bringing change.

 I've had to let go of how "we've always done it"...

 and embrace new things...

like having my future son-n-law sereande us with christmas music the entire time we decorated. 

 How awesome is that?

My girls are spread out with their jobs and stuff and now we have to really work to make sure our family time happens... 

They have boyfriends and fiances whose families wants to spend time with them too...

 But we always enjoy our time together...whether it's a momentous occasion or just hanging out.

I was reminded of something this year as we were pulling out all the Christmas decorations...

A few years back my mom was contemplating whether or not to buy a nativity for a certain family member.  She was worried they weren't making Jesus a priority with their family during Christmas and she was hoping sending them a sweet nativity to set out might help them to be reminded.

My first thought was, "Mom...it's really gonna be "wasted" on them...they just don't get it"...

And no sooner did I think that thought...the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me of something.

You see, there was a time when it was ME that my mom was concerned for about whether or not I was teaching my girls the true meaning of Christmas.  

And my mind went to the package that came in the mail many years before...
Inside was this sweet little nativity that my mom had sent my girls when it was US she was burdened for.

Then I remembered...

At one time I was the one who didn't care about nativities at Christmas.

I was the one who made it ALL about santa and presents.

I was the one who sent my children on the church bus that came through the neighborhood instead of going to church with them.

I was the one who needed to know the true meaning of Christmas.

I was the one who needed a relationship with Jesus.

It is so easy to forget where we came from.

After we have been living for Christ for years and years, it's easy to forget we were once lost.

And it's easy to give up on those who we have been praying for to come to know Christ.

And it is easy to be quick to pass judgment when we see choices other families are making.

I pray that you too are reminded where it is the Lord saved you from.

                               And I pray that we all remember this Christmas it is because of the gift of grace 

that we are what we are and any goodness in us is because of Jesus.

I'm thankful for a mom who loved me enough to send us a nativity even though

we would have rather it been a toy.

I'm sure the neighbors who picked up our kids and brought them to church each Sunday, never imagined  my girls daddy would one day become a pastor and that those little girls would grow up to marry men called into the ministry too.  God is so amazing like that!

Wowza!

Is there anyone you know who needs a nativity?

You never know what God is up to!

Stephanie :)

Where Santa Lives...

It's December already!!

Does that conjur up thoughts of Santa Claus or make you think of baby Jesus lying in a manger?

Even when you know and understand WHO Christmas is about and the reason we celebrate it, You can't escape thoughts of Santa...  It seems as if he is everywhere.

My daughter and son-n-law decided they weren't gonna do the whole "Santa" thing with their kids.

He's not gonna be some evil thing they shun in their home... they're just not gonna make Christmas all about Santa and tell them their presents are from him and stuff. 

 I guess you could say they are taking the indifferent_no big deal_kind of "Santa" approach  and I am all down with that.  They are light years ahead of me and her daddy when it comes to parental wisdom at their age.  Knowing Jesus and living for Him does that in a family.

I'm so thankful they are teaching my grand kids that Christmas is all about the fact that Jesus humbled Himself to be born into this world so that He would grow up into a man who would die for our sins so that we could experience a relationship with Him and eternal life.

It took me years as a parent before I realized that.  

(I came to know Jesus for REALS in my late 20's)

~I'm so thankful how everything is transformed in our lives when Christ transforms our hearts~

Well, now that you know that background, you can appreciate this story.

This weekend when my daughter and family were decorating their home and putting up the tree, they had Christmas music playing.

 Without being prompted at all, Rosalyn, my three yr old grand daughter, heard the name "Santa" in one of the songs.   She then very matter of factly informs her parents...

"Santa lives at the beach.  I saw him there with Honey."

Now why in the world would she think that?...

Ummm...it might have something to do with this! lol

We took these pics in Florida this Summer :)

I hope he got all rested up on his vacation! lol

After seeing that it's gonna be hard to convince Rosalyn that Santa doesn't live at the beach!

Oh and someone planted a little bug in my ear this weekend that I ought to give one of these away...

So ... I am!!

Two of them!!

One for you to keep and one for you to give to a friend.

I don't want to be a cotton- headed ninny-muggins so I will keep it simple to enter the giveaway..

~Just tell me your favorite Christmas movie you like to watch each each year~ 

Me and my girls can't get enough of Buddy...we think ELF is hilarious....but we'd love to discover some new Christmas movies to add to our favorites.

I'm gonna announce the winner on Wednesday so I can get it in the mail right away and you can be wearing it this Christmas season.

Ho Ho Ho! ;)

Stephanie :)

Insta-Friday Faves

Here are a few of my favorite happenings from the week as chronicled in cell phone pics:)

Drinking Lattes with my man...everyday now since Thanksgiving.

(Thanks Mom for the Latte maker. Definitely one of your BEST happies!)

 Thankful for the provision of some meat in the freezer.
~~That's Mah Man!!~~

Sorry to any of you who might find this offensive. I don't mean to.

I use venison ground meat for everything and had used up my last pack last week..

So this was right on time and I am so very thankful!

I think some tacos and chili and lasagna and meatballs will be popping up on the menu real soon!!  

Going through my boxes and boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations and reminiscing about all the wonderful Christmas memories I have had in my lifetime.... and crying a little.

**Christmas tip:  don't go through your children's handmade ornaments all alone, by yourself, days after your daughter gets engaged while listening to Norah Jones Christmas Station on Pandora!  EVERY song is saaaaad. 

I deleted it and moved on to Amy Grant Christmas...much better :)

Finally using our gift certificates from a sweet friend to Painting With a Twist.  Me and Lydia were the last two to get our canvases....here we are twiddling each other's thumbs...

Painting ....

My surprise visitor while we were there...

They were traveling through on their way home from visiting Chris's parents for Thanksgiving..

I'm pretty sure her painting was the best in the building!

(What?!...I am a proud grandma you know!)

Making these super fun Christmas pins!

You can buy them in my shop if you like. Wink wink ;)

Stumbling upon this discovery while looking for an old picture...

That's my Lydia on the left and my Momma on the right...

Are they twinkies or what?!

Couldn't not show the other half of this pic...my handsome Daddy.

He passed away when I was 13.

They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past October.
I am loving his pink shirt and white tie...smashing!

Me and my pastor heading across the yard to worship with our church family...

Hard to believe we are older in this pic than my parents were in the above picture.

When did that happen?!  I mean for reals!

Slow.  Down.  Life!

Of course, we are having fun planning weddings and stuff..
But I can't show pics of that!
That info is top secret! ;)

Stephanie :)

 

J.O.Y.

Joy.

I love that little three letter word.  It is rich with meaning.
Some people are so good at spreading joy.
Some are simply full of joy.
Some people are aching for a little joy in their life.
No matter who we are, we all want to experience joy.

Joy is something we experience because of Jesus.
He alone is where lasting joy comes from.
Anything else is fools gold... It may look good for a while but eventually the "pretty" wears off and we are left empty and discontented.
We can experience joy in the midst of terrible circumstances.... Even spread joy during those times.

The word joy is special to my family.
The reason goes back several years now. August 2004

My brother, Greg, was killed in a car accident at the age of 39.
As so many of you can testify to,  when a tragedy strikes and death interrupts our lives it turns your world upside down. A normal day turns into a nightmare with one phone call and we are left forever changed. Different. Never to be the same again.

My brother was a character. He was always into something... Often trouble.
He had a smile that would light up the room and a laugh that was infectious. If he made you mad, you couldn't stay that way for long.
Spiritually, we never knew for sure where Greg stood with the Lord. He would profess one thing, but lived his life a whole other way.

But three weeks before his accident my husband preached a revival in our home town in the church my other brother pastored. Greg came every night and was under much conviction. He talked with me and my husband about his salvation and he felt like that week he "got things right" with the Lord as he surrendered his life to Jesus.  (little did we know what was to come just weeks later).

What gives me hope that this was genuine is that we talked a couple of times after the revival and he had been reading God's word ... Even asking us questions about scripture. When we packed up his house and things, his bible was open by his bed with things underlined and hi-lited. 
This has given us a peace.

One of the nights after revival services, we were all walking across the parking lot and Greg noticed a licence plate with the letters j.o.y..... He said "look... The word joy. You know,  we have joy whens Jesus Owns You."  Well, we were floored at his insight! (Romans 6)  It probably wouldn't have been as profound if my preacher husband or my older preacher brother had said it... But coming from Greg we were so excited.

Well, flash forward several months after his death and my mom was trying her best to deal with the pain and her grief.  She had been reading books on grief and had recently read one that told of man who was missing his adult daughter who had died.  He was aching for her presence and went for a walk to just be "doing something".  While he was walking, the scent of jasmine overwhelmingly surrounded him which was odd because it was not the season for jasmine to be in bloom.  Jasmine was his daughter's favorite flower and he instantly felt as if the Lord had heard his broken heart that was filled with the ache of missing his daughter.  He felt the "out of season jasmine" was straight from the heart of a loving God sent to comfort him in a unique way.  


 Now back to my mom.....she was having a particularly difficult day where her grief was heavy and she remembered that story and cried out to God..."If You can do that for him, why can't You do that for me?!"  And at that very moment she glanced at her shelf where she had the word JOY sitting out with her Christmas decorations that had been there for weeks.  But this time she saw them differently as the Lord reminded her of what Greg had said.... J.O.Y.  Joy comes when Jesus Owns You.  

That was like balm to her hurting heart.  It was enough for that day to carry her through.  She shared that with us and now we all see the word JOY in a different light.  Our God is so faithful to make His grace abound in our lives....and it is ALWAYS sufficient.

I'm so thankful for a God who hears us and cares for us and knows just what we need at the exact moment we need it.

His grace is always enough.

Do you know the J.O.Y. I'm talking about?

It really is what Christmas is all about and why we celebrate.

Jesus was born to deliver us from our sin so that we can follow Him. 

Only then do we experience J.O.Y....the real stuff.

Stephanie