Just in case you aren't yet in the Christmas spirit ... one of my favorite versions of one of my favorite Christmas songs

Hard to believe all that beautiful music is done with no instruments whatsoever, all voice!   I want a voice that does that!

Tree Sharing

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee is hosting a carnival to share pics of our trees and or special ornaments.  Please join in with us.

I must confess two things.  First I love taking a peek a everyone's trees.  I find them so lovely and original to each family's personality.  Secondly, I take full responsibility for the state of the ribbon on the tree. It was the state of mind I was in.  But I was just too tired to rip it off and start again.

 The last couple of years I've really been getting into bird ornaments and eventually I'd love to get one of those sprayed trees that look like they are thick with frost and snow and just have bird and pinecone ornaments.    But for now my "memory" tree warms my heart.

Standard daytime picture

The night glow picture

A few of the bird ornaments I'm starting to collect

Join us over at Linda's and show us your tree!

Favorite Christmas Memory

Donnetta at My Quiet Corner is hosting a lovely posting party where you relate your favorite Christmas memory. The Linky went up yesterday and I know I'm a day late but it's such a heart warming idea I still want to join in. Why don't you join in too and tell us your favorite Christmas memory. Just click here to go to the post.

I had a very hard time narrowing it down, but I'll pick one from childhood and one from adulthood. That may be cheating, but I gotta do, what I gotta do.

My parents always made Christmas special, and I always remember a houseful of people, whether it was our house or someone elses. My Mom and Dad immigrated from Hungary and we have no relatives here in Canada at all, so my Godparents and my sister's Godparents, also from Hungary, were our family as they had no relatives here either. Every Christmas Eve, someone hosted the dinner, and there was always tons of food. My Dad would place a huge plywood sheet onto the table to make it bigger to accomodate everyone. The amount of food was crazy. Then after dinner we'd head to the living room to open gifts. We always opened gifts on Christmas Eve. One year my sis's Godparents hosted the dinner and as we were coming home late at night my Dad all of a sudden exclaimed he just saw Santa and his sleigh flying through the night sky. No matter how we tried we couldn't see it. But when we opened the door and went in the house, there under the tree were all sorts of presents that weren't there when we left the house. We always, always attended Midnight Service on Christmas Eve. And even though the church was filled to the rafters and extremely hot with all those bodies packed in, it was always a special memory for me with the big nativity at the front and special songs being sung. My favorite childhood memories always involve the special people who were our family.

My favorite adult memory is of course, recieving the best present ever. And that would be my daughter who was born at noon on Christmas Day, right after we opened our packaged presents at home. Her Dad was in the kitchen trying out his new waffle maker, and I was watching my music video I recieved as a gift when she decided she wanted to join us. She's always had great timing. LOL.

Please join us at My Quiet Corner with your favorite Christmas memory!

This DVD was under the tree for me from my beloved hubby. Even though he sort of majorly dislikes listening to it. And he's let me play the whole DVD like, a hundred times in 2 days. Now that's true love for ya.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrRIRcsBwAI


I had to link because ever since I went to new blogger for some reason I cannot post anything from youtube.

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends. May love, joy, peace and health be yours & your family's this Christmas. Thank you for being a part of my life this year. You'll never know the blessing you've been as you've encouraged me, challenged me, stretched me, made me cry and made me laugh out loud!



So Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Be back around Thursday or so!

Photo by Luis Francisco Cordero, Equador, unrestricted usage

"We Wish You a Merry Birthday"

AAHHH, Christmas. A time of celebration, of family. A time of baking, and eating, of cleaning and expecting and eating. A time of lights to hang, trees to decorate, of eating. A time to, for just a little while put away the sounds of Marc Anthony, U2, Sting, or whoever else it is that you listen to. Unless, of course, your favorite has made a Christmas album. And in the midst of belting out those Christmas tunes, and eating, as you raise your voice in song, singing old familiars such as "Joy to the World", "Away in a Manger", & "Jingle Bells", with your Santa hat on your head, eggnog in hand, something a little different is heard.

At my house, all of a sudden in the midst of all that joyous celebration of everything red and green and white, what is that we hear? "We wish you a merry .... birthday? As we leave the chaos of the living room with it's paper and ribbons strewn everywhere so that it looks like a bomb has gone off, we follow the sounds to the kitchen. And what to our wondering eyes do appear? Birthday balloons, birthday tablecloth, birthday gifts? And yes, we leave the Christmas chaos, and make a new chaos of birthday party in the kitchen. Off come the Santa hats, on goes the birthday hats.

For you see, my baby girl decided she just had to make an appearance on Christmas Day. Noon. Christmas Day. Joy to the World!

It all started earlier that year when the great debate was on. We had the "millionare" family. Dad, Mom, one girl, one boy. Should we try for another? Should we, shouldn't we, should we, shouldn't we? Oh, I guess we are! And what do you mean, dear ultrasound person, that my due date is December 23rd? You're joking right? Haha. You're serious? Okey, dokey, then.

Well, that's just too much stress for me. So what does any self-respecting, good Christian mommy do? Why she believes God, implores God, that the babe would be born in the beginning of December. She prays, she confesses, she won't accept anything less. When asked when the due date is, she answers honestly but always with the add on of: "But we're believing she's coming early". Even to her doctor, who let's just say, doesn't quite hold to asking God for a specific due date. Especially when the mommy's first two babes were not early, but in fact, came exactly on their due dates! So mommy's good doctor finally in exasperation points this out. But the mommy holds strong. Fast forward to December, past the beginning of December, moving on to the middle of December. Mommy is still very pregnant! Mommy is still believing that baby is going to be early.

Okay, now it's the evening of December 23. Nothing, not a twinge. Still big as a house. So now what does this good, faith-filled mommy do? Why, she starts believing God that the babe would come after Christmas, because this would just add too much to all the Christmas plans you know. So believing that the babe is not coming till after Christmas, she throws a Christmas Eve party for all the relatives. House full of people! Very pregnant mommy. Out of her mind mommy!

Christmas morning, after all the chaos of opening gifts, mommy is in the livingroom watching her new music video, kids are off playing with whatever it is they got that year, and Daddy is in the kitchen, making waffles with his new waffle maker. When all of a sudden, hmm, okay that's gotta be too much shortbread and eggnog from the night before. Oh, there it is again. Okay big one now. Does anyone know God has a sense of humor? Mommy goes out to the kitchen to tell Daddy it's time. He says: "But I'm making waffles." Mommy gets on phone to grandma, who is supposed to take kids when the big event happens. "It's time," Mommy says. "But I'm stuffing the turkey," Grandma says. "Well, you better get over here right now," Mommy says. " 'Cause I'm unstuffing mine". Grandma can't quite believe it and is quite flustered being she had her hands up the backside of the bird and all, and now she has to do something with all this but she makes it over in no time flat, just in case the Mommy is not joking.

Nope, not joking. Precisely, at 12:05, noon, Christmas Day, (Did I mention God has a sense of humor?), precious baby was born. Two hours from start to finish. Doctor lady thanks the Mommy for letting her get home in time to cook her turkey for supper. Ha ha, doctor lady.

Seriously, that was the best Christmas present ever. Nothing could ever top that. Our lovely little lady was born on Christmas Day. They brought her to me after her weighing and all in a cute Christmas stocking with a knitted Santa hat on her head. The best stocking stuffer ever, I tell ya!







Happy Birthday, Apple Dumpling. You've blest us everyday of your life. You're turning into a lovely young lady with a sensitive heart towards blessing others. And we are so glad God chose us to be your Mom and Dad.

Done, done, done

I am so glad I'm done. At least with shopping. Other than a few groceries, we'll live with what we have. Now I just gotta wrap. And I gotta do it today, 'cause the kids are home starting tomorrow. And it's impossible to sneak wrap anymore. If I wait until they are in bed I'll be wrapping at midnight. And I'm just getting to old for that!

Now I just need to cook, bake some more, clean, make beds, do laundry.... I guess I'm not so done after all. Okay repeat to self: "What gets done, get's done. What doesn't, doesn't." Repeat as needed.

"A Christmas Carol"

Painting by Warner Sallman

A Christmas Carol

"What means this glory round our feet?"

The Magi mused, "more bright than morn?"

And voices chanted clear and sweet,

"Today the Prince of Peace is born!"

"What means that star?" the shepherd said,

"That brightens through the rocky glen?"

And angels answering overhead,

Sang, "Peace on earth, good will to men!"

'Tis twenty hundred years and more

Since those sweet oracles were dumb;

We wait for Him, like them of yore;

Alas, He seems so slow to come!

But it was said, in words of gold.

No time or sorrow e'er shall dim,

That little children might be bold

In perfect trust to come to Him.

All round about our feet shall shine

A light like that the wise men saw,

If we our loving wills incline

To that sweet Life which is the Law.

So shall we learn to understand

The simple faith of shepherds then,

And clasping kindly hand in hand,

Sing, "Peace on earth, good will to men!"

And they who do their souls no wrong,

But keep at eve the faith of morn,

Shall daily hear the angel-song

"Today the Prince of Peace is born!"

- by J.R. Lowell

If you need a good chuckle, head on over to Laurel Wreath's and read her letter to Santa. Just make sure you don't have a liquid beverage in your mouth or you might have some clean up to do.