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After a day of exhausting traveling with 4 over-stuffed suitcases later, we arrived home, at 12 midnight to be precise. Upon arriving, we plopped our bags down, and quickly crawled into bed to catch some Zzzz's before we had to wake up again.

The trip was full and satisfying, filled with good conversations, yummy food, special gifts, and endless laughter. Christmas was sweet and I got to see some extended family for the second time.
The weather was cold (to our delight) and we got to put our neglected Idaho coats to use :) It was a wonderful time indeed. Thank you's and miss you's to you, dear Seattle/Moscow/Michigan fam!

I will have pictures shortly. . . I am trying to delete a million emails and write up a grocery list - thank goodness for coffee!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas - God bless and much Love!!!

Knew it . . .

This was on CNN today - I love these reports. Any report that promotes the eating of chocolate is of a worthy nature.

Chocolate can do good things for your heart, skin and brain
By Marjorie IngallHealth.com

Listen to the way people malign chocolate: Sinful! Decadent! To die for! There's even that popular restaurant dessert known as "Death by Chocolate." But is this any way to talk about a loved one -- especially during the season of comfort and joy?
Bite your tongue! Evidence is mounting that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you. Here's the latest about the healthy side of your chocolate habit and taste-tested advice on what to try. Merry munching.
A happier heart
Scientists at the Harvard University School of Public Health recently examined 136 studies on coco -- the foundation for chocolate -- and found it does seem to boost heart health, according to an article in the European journal Nutrition and Metabolism.
"Studies have shown heart benefits from increased blood flow, less platelet stickiness and clotting, and improved bad cholesterol," says Mary B. Engler, Ph.D., a chocolate researcher and director of the Cardiovascular and Genomics Graduate Program at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. These benefits are the result of cocoa's antioxidant chemicals known as flavonoids, which seem to prevent both cell damage and inflammation.
Better blood pressure
If yours is high, chocolate may help. Jeffrey Blumberg, Ph.D., director of the Antioxidants Research Laboratory at Tufts University, recently found that hypertensive people who ate 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop significantly, according to an article in the journal Hypertension. Their bad cholesterol dropped, too.
People who ate the same amount of white chocolate? Nothing. (It doesn't have any cocoa -- or flavonoids.) Word to the wise: 3.5 ounces is roughly equal to a big bar of baking chocolate, so the participants had to cut about 400 calories out of their daily diets to make room. But you probably don't have to go to those lengths. Just a bite may do you good, Blumberg says.
Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout. In a small study at Indiana University, elite cyclists who drank chocolate milk between workouts scored better on fatigue and endurance tests than those who had some sports drinks. Yoo-hoo!
TLC for your skin
German researchers gave 24 women a half-cup of special extra-flavonoid-enriched cocoa every day. After three months, the women's skin was moister, smoother, and less scaly and red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The researchers think the flavonoids, which absorb UV light, help protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.
Brain gains
It sounds almost too good to be true, but preliminary research at West Virginia's Wheeling Jesuit University suggests chocolate may boost your memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain. Chocolate companies found comparable gains in similar research on healthy young women and on elderly people.
Good loving (maybe)
Finally, Italian researchers wanted to know whether chocolate truly is an aphrodisiac. In a survey of 143 women published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, those who ate chocolate every day seemed to have more sex drive, better lubrication, and an easier time reaching orgasm. Pass the Godiva, right?
Not so fast. The women who ate chocolate were all younger than the ones who didn't; it was age and not chocolate that made the difference. Still, if a double-chocolate raspberry truffle puts you in the mood, why let science get in the way?
New York--based writer Marjorie Ingall loves milk chocolate but says she's ready to go dark this year

From his favorite Aunt ;)

Sending you all my LOVE, my little nephew :)

Just hear those sleigh bells ringle-ling . . .

Alert :) Its Thursday. My coffee is working. The weather is chilly. My house is warm & toasty. I am about to fly around some stores for my LAST purchases. I am grimly going to check the status of my account first. :(

My brother and sister-in-law had their baby yesterday!!!! A son, strong like his daddy - Andrew David. He is 7 lbs. 13 oz. :) and this 'Auntie Mame' can hardly wait to meet him!!! Now they can all celebrate Christmas together!

My mom had a delightful Christmas teaparty last night - so lovely. Pictures to come.

As far as all else goes, we are anxious to be done with the workweek and cruise into Christmas:)

Posting may be sparse until the new year - you know how it goes.

Blink Blink

Ho boy, I'm tired.
Ho boy, I am due for a post.

Coffee had better start working now, I am fully dressed and ready for the day (at least, externally).
This week has been nuts - working extra, family stuff (like my sister in law's baby-to-come TODAY - that's what we want), Christmas shopping, hoards of traffic, lines, grouches, grinches, an emptying fridge, a carpet that really needs vacuuming, not enough energy, laundry that needs to be folded, presents that need wrapping, and a partridge in a peartree.

On the whole - I am just gong to sit for a second and thank God for keeping us all in this crazy time. He is truly the only peace that can truly cover all these things. Amen.

Twinkle

Last night, after a pizza dinner over a Simpsons episode, we drove out to Windcrest to see some Christmas lights. Each block seemed to feature a winner. Off we went, with freshly batteried camera in tow. Here are some pics :)



An Award Winner in the contest





Best in Theme


My Favorite ~ Striped like a Candycane


Blurry Angels



This one won 2nd in 'Elegant Creations'



HeartWarming




The Story of the Candycane ~ winner in the 'Religious' category

All that sparkles

I love stars. I guess I live in the right place then, Texas being the "Lonestar State". Basically, I love anything that twinkles :) diamonds, stars, lights, silver, crystal, reflections, prisms, geods, etc., etc.
We were at La Cantera last night, and all the Christmas lights and stars made me go ga-ga.

We didn't even need to buy a thing . . . the best things in life really are free.

Battling the Grinch

Gosh, this week went by so fast . . . and all the better for you, m'dear. :)

December is quite a month full of everything - Christmas shopping, wrapping, working extra hours perhaps, spending exhorbitant amounts of money, decorating, eating too much, visiting people, battling through traffic, getting stuck in long lines, etc. etc.
I am trying to look beyond Christmas to the New Year. It always appears to be a clean slate. A new year, ready for goals.
In these last weeks of this year, I sort of feel like I am in the "old man". This month seems to bring out the worst in me. I am not going to blame it on a month though - its me. I can be quite a grinch.



But when I think about shedding this 'Grinchy' attitude (basically, the 'old man' in me) and putting on the 'new man' I see how well it connects to the new year. When December comes around, you are usually quite ready to be done with it, wrap it up and file it away. You are ready to make new goals, lose weight, be more organized, get more vacation days, get your tax refunds, etc. etc.
But why do people wait for a new year for some of these things? Why do we wait for the new week to begin diets. I do see how it might be easier to do it like that, but why not start with the rest of the day? If we are going with the diet thing here, ever had a day when you blew it for breakfast and lunch? Buttered waffles & syrupy breakfast followed by a Big Mac and fries at McD's? OOooo, the guilt that follows is relentless. So you throw the whole bag in and waste the rest of the day, not caring, saying, "tomorrow, I will be better". How bout if we are talking about sin though. "Are we to continue willfully sinning?" If we give in to sin once, do we harden ourselves to seeking repentance by saying "oh, well, I will break down at some point", or "eventually, I will be convicted and change."
Are we waiting for a new day, a new week, or a new year to get back on the right track? What about the moment after we realize we are in sin, that moment when we do feel the hand of the Holy Spirit on us, when we are ashamed, like Adam & Eve in the garden of Eden after they had sinned. Do we try to 'hide' from God by delaying our repentance?

Everyday, I see areas where I am struggling and need His aid. I know that these areas could use some help: contentment, patience, lovingkindness, servant-heartedness, self-lessness, discipline, and joy.
I do have many goals in mind for the new year, make no mistake. There are desires for my heart attitude, for my growth in Him, goals for my body, & goals for our future. Some of these things will have to wait on God's timing, like getting into a house, and starting a family. But as far as the heart attitude goes, that can begin

Today :)

So, you think you're cute . . .

Waking up is hard to do

But you gotta do it. . . sigh.

I must finish my Christmas shopping - especially considering the fact that I need to send packages by this weekend. I am beginning to realize how much better I am at online shopping than actually going to the mall. I think I prefer the whole 'stay in my jammies' thing. ;)


Well, here's the real topic for this post - today is my precious mother's birthday - no, I will not disclose her age. Let's just say she is older than 30 and younger than 60, and you can fill in the gaps. I am mad that I can't take her out to lunch today because our work schedules conflict, but she is getting a relaxing massage later and we'll all go out to dinner tonight.

She must be pampered. She deserves it.

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Amazing Journeys

So, if you asked us what we did this past weekend, you might be a little surprised when you hear "Bethlehem".

What?

Its true, we did go to Bethlehem, inside the city of Burnet, which is north of us. The baptist church in Burnet began this little town 13 years ago. They actually built a small 'town', complete with the shops and jail, a synagogue, and may we not forget the Inn. People dressed as Bethle-Folk, and acted in the time. There were camels, there were merchants, Roman soldiers, sweet bread from a stone oven, a ropemaker, and even a jezabel-hoochie-mama in the tavern (who tried to flirt with my man- GRRR).

It was stunning and magical - it was worth an hour-long line that snaked around mainstreet - we watched a Christmas parade while we waited. We breathed in the chilly, Hill Country air and agreed that we shall try to make this a Christmas tradition.

We stopped in Marble Falls for dinner at Chili's and checked out their walkway of lights by the river while we were waiting to be seated. I really wish we had a better camera.


Marble Falls ~ Colorado River



Poinsettia Tree~ On our way up


Haven and the Nutcracker



Christmas Train ~ Burnet Main Street Parade



Entrance to Bethlehem



Stream of blurry pictures ~ poor lighting :(

I really wanted the goat's head sticking through the fence to come out, but oh well.


Woodworker


Synagogue


Inside the Synagogue


Merchant of Fine Oils & Perfumes



Taking the Census


Looking Down into Bethlehem (see the camel? ;)


The Inn


The Nativity ~ "Behold, a virgin shall concieve and have a Son, and His name shall be Immanuel, 'God with us'.

Friday Favorites (and, well, umm. . . Flumps)

1. How tacky - all of these are just puke.

2. Far Out

3. Aww

4. Snow? In Texas?

5. Kicks & Giggles

6. Time-Zapper word game

7. I can't figure out who was more embarrassed. . .

8. I am going to be an Auntie soon!!!

9. BlondStar ;)

10. Face Paint

For Ears and Eyes

The day is already dragging its feet. I can feel a long one coming on. . . bigcuppacoffee here I come -
I am listening to a really great cd right now - Third Day's "Offerings" - very good praise music to get your day going.
Hmm - that gets me thinking, I should get a Top 10 list going for Christian music sometime. I am sort of skeptical of Christian music, just because it seems such a mixed bag. But when I find a good one, its almost like finding a jewel. Two other groups I can easily recommend right now are Downhere and Switchfoot ( I love their 'Beautiful Letdown' cd).

We saw an excellent movie last week called, "Face the Giants". It is a distinctly Christian film, very wholesome. The Story is about a coach of a highschool football team. Despite all the odds against him, and the failings of the team in times before, he brings them to victory through his change of attitude. Here is a worthwhile article about it.
It was very good and a tearjerker. I was sitting next to my mom and we were a big, black puddle of mascara and tears ;)

Flyby

Real quick recap.

Yesterday was a little hard - I feel a little 'hormoney' these days and last night ended in a puddle of tears, a little arguement with H, conviction by the Holy Spirit, some painful sanctification, and, well, you get the message.
Something really struck me hard last night - I have often said that I expect (foolishly) immediate results. I know how useless this mindset can be, and still I am in the 'old man' with this one. I was convicted of wanting this so badly in the sanctification aspect. . . immediate sanctification, like put it on high in the microwave and PRESTO, out you come, PERFECT.

Yeah Right.

God has a way unknown to me. Our sanctification is a LIFELONG process. And though I kind of hate that sometimes, I do know that it is for the best. So, onto a new day we go. The happy part of this flyby is that there was a lot of resolution last night.

Thanks be to God.

O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree

How lovely are your branches :)

After a yummy Mexican feast, we bundled up and trekked to Walmart to look for a tree. None to be found. . . well, none worth $45 - (last year, if I remember correctly, we found ours for $20). We grabbed some lights and cookie baking essentials and and then ran over to Lowes to look at their selection. I had to laugh because, the way that they had all the trees laid out reminded me of cows tethered in a line at the county fair.
We lifted, twisted, twirled, spread branches, measured, hemmed and hawed & found one that we thought would do the trick. I still don't think that it should have been so expensive - after all, we got one that sort of had a 'flat backside' and some 'bald spots'. But we are all about taking ugly things and making them pretty :)
While we were buying it, a middle-aged couple stood behind us with their two daughters - one was a pre-teeny bopper and the other was about 7. They were making quite a ruckus & the dad caught my eye and said "do you want some kids?" The mom chimed right in (before intervening in a spit-fest the two were having) "they make good slaves". Haven and I 'ha ha'd' and then rapidly walked back to the car, tree in tow. -No siree sir- we would prefer the smaller size :)

Anticipation

Have patience. Relax. Wait on the Lord. Be content in whatever circumstance that you may be in. Trust in His timing. Make the most of this time. Have joy. Hope in the Lord, for He is your strength. Bite your tongue. The Lord is faithful. I think that I have caught myself saying or thinking at least one of these things ten times a day this past week. In a time when I sort of feel like we are at a 'hiccup', in my heart of hearts, I really do desire to please Him in what I am doing/saying/thinking. This may very well not be as manifest on the outside, however. I snap too quickly, I confess.
Sigh.

Life is so mysteriously laid out. He laid out the blueprints far before I was in the womb, before the creation. He knew each event that would happen, He knew how things would play out, one by one. And I still have the attitude of feeling duped. I don't trust Him enough. I will never trust Him enough to be able to actually "trust" Him completely. Does that make sense? I look at the future stupidly. The hopes and dreams are all ordered around when I think that they should happen. What comes of this is a model world of a central "me" with all the aspects of life revolving around me. Selfish.

Today I just want to re-order this picture. He is the center of all these things. He is the purpose of my life, the end of it and the beginning. The time before and the time after, the time eternal. I want to believe that from the bottom of my heart to my skin's surface.


"Teach me Lord to have faith in what You're bringing me".

When its cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile. . .

I am finally sitting down to recap a semi-busy weekend consisting of such things as running errands, babysitting, cleaning, grocery shopping, going crazy in traffic, exploring, fellowshipping, eating, bundling up, etc. etc.
I can't remember the last time I pulled on a pair of sweats and big hoodie to just stay homebound, instead of gymbound. Isn't that weird? Its usually been too warm to get snuggly like this - but its so cold that even my feet are snuggled in slippers. :)

Yesterday, after a morning of coffee with my dear friend, and stocking our fridge and pantry again, H and I set off for a park that we had been interested in checking out for a while. It was somewhat nippy, but I was only too happy to arm up in one of many coats that stuff our overstuffed closet.

So off we went, feeling a little jipped that we had to pay $12 to get in, but did I mention to you that this was a river park? (water being a commodity here, I can see why they might see it as a reason to charge you an arm and a leg and your firstborn child to see it).

I had a lot of fun with the camera this time -

Stairs ~



River Grove~


Hilly Cragg - Craggy Hill~


Barkly Gnarled, Gnarls Barkley ;) ~


Water, on the Rocks ;) ~


Rock, Large in Size~


Fading Colors, Dim Reflections~


Nature's Knots~


"He shall be like a firmly planted tree by the riverside"~


He wants to be a logger~


Contrasts of dark and light~


Haven in Sepia~


Storm-Tossed~



Our cheeks are rosy but comfy cozy are we ;) ~