Thank Goodness

On New Year's Day, we lost our electricity at around 4:30 in the afternoon.

Its always fun to watch the kids discover for themselves what will and will not work when we don't have power.

Many cute things were uttered that afternoon, but I'm recording the best one!

Quintin noticed a candle I had burning out in the kitchen and he commented "Its a good thing the candle is still burning, because that means we still have air."



Head on over to Mary's to read what other tiny ones are talking about and to sign up your tiny ones!

Wrapped in Chocolate

"Special Promises Messages" found inside a bag of D*o*v*e chocolates.





"Chocolate always loves you back"



Ahhh, yes it does! But in all the wrong places! ...sigh...







"Sleep under the stars tonight"



Can someone tell me what warmer month they moved Valentine's Day to???







"Exercise your heart today"



Does unwrapping pieces of foil and chewing count as exercise?







"Celebrate family and friends"



Would you enjoy this piece of chocolate??


Too late!







"Hug someone today"



If you are reading, consider yourself hugged!







So much wisdom found within a bag of chocolate! Who knew?

A Boy and a Girl

Its a story...
of a young girl who was head over heels in love with the boy - and she knew the boy felt the same way.

Its a story...
about a boy who proposed to the girl 13 years ago today. In Vermont, on a family ski trip to Mt Snow.

The young girl and boy left the slopes and the boy's parents early in the afternoon because the girl was getting tired. She had only been skiing since they had started dating just 3 years before. She was ready to head into the condo for some rest and hot chocolate. The boy had other plans in mind.

As the young girl and boy headed down the slope, the boy stopped as he needed a tissue. The girl watched as a ski school went past and thought it was time to go. But the boy wasn't ready yet. As the girl continued watching the ski school, she assumed the boy was putting the tissues away. She turned to the boy, who was behind her and he was on his knees. He had pulled out a box out of the pocket full of tissues. Inside the box was the most beautiful and perfect diamond the girl had ever seen.

The girl remembers hearing, "I know this isn't Colorado, but it will have to do. Will you marry me?"

Without hesitation, the young girl, just 19, said yes. She hugged the boy, just shy of turning 21.

The young couple went back to the condo where the girl ran inside to show the boy's sister (who was inside with her 20-month old daughter).

When the rest of the family returned, boy's mom and dad had a HUGE smile on their faces as they knew the boy's plans before heading out that morning.

Its a story...
of a boy and girl who got married that following year. (June 15, 1996)

Its a story...
of true love. True love...that waited.

Its a story...
of a couple - who started a family - and 11 and 1/2 years later know how very blessed they are with all God has given them.

January 4, 1995

Knit together as family

Yesterday I struggled to connect with Quintin. It was either me being hormonally-challenged or his will to push and see what he could attempt to get away with. Either way - we just didn't connect. Even bedtime was...well, just different.

I left his room and came downstairs to sit on the couch with T. I decided to grab a project to do while we sat. I chose the dishcloth I started this past weekend. As I was knitting I was reflecting back on our day...trying to discover what was different.

While distracted with my thoughts, I later noticed a mistake about a row behind where I currently was working. Backtracking with knitting is possible - but I've only been knitting 2 years and I have a lot to learn. I tried to correct my mistake with the dishcloth still on the needles, but I couldn't do it.

Now came the difficult process of removing my project from the needles and trusting that I could keep from dropping stitches while I pulled out the yarn from the row with the mistake. Often, when doing this, if I drop a stitch, I end up unraveling the entire project to start over. Last night, I was able to keep all my stitches together and slip them back onto the needle to continue on.

After I was back in my knitting groove, it hit me...I couldn't backtrack my day with Quintin. I couldn't un-do the day.

But I can take it off the needles - I can take it out of my hands.

I can give the situation to God and not worry about it. I can put my trust in Him that He will work in our lives.

I told T about the situation with Quintin, he questioned, "He's 5. Are you going to let this bother you?" I thought, no, because I am taking it off the needles and giving it to God.

Prayer For Strength and Wisdom

Grant me the strength from day to day
To bear what burdens come my way.
Grant me throughout this bright New Year
More to endure and less to fear.
Help me live that I may be
From spite and petty malice free.

Let me not bitterly complain
When cherished hopes of mine prove vain,
Or spoil with deeds of hate and rage
Some fair tomorrow's spotless page.
Lord, as the days shall come and go
In courage let me stronger grow.

Lord, as the New Year dawns today
Help me to put my faults away.
Let me be big in little things;
Grant me the joy which friendship brings.
Keep me from selfishness and spite;
Let me be wise in what is right.

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye.
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.

--Edgar A. Guest

There is one hour left for me on Jan 1. I've had this poem in 'draft mode' for a few days and I've wanted to publish it. But, this new year has started like none other.

T's cousin is waiting in (or will soon be transfered to) a Philly hospital for a heart transplant - very sudden. And the husband, of T's sister's college roommate, is having open heart surgery at 9am Wed morning...both young men...both young fathers.

I know our God is a God of miracles and healing. What a heavy burden on these families right now. My prayer is for healing and strength - for them and their families. Healing of bodies and relationships. And, wisdom for their doctors.

I wish each of you a Happy New Year!

Tradition, tradition! Tradition!

"And how do we keep our balance? And that I can tell you in one word. Tradition!"

(If you want to hear more, click here. Its impossible for me to say or type tradition without that song popping in my head!)


Anyway...its hard to pass through this time of year without thinking about traditions - our own, our friends...so, I want to know your traditions regarding New Year's Day.

Tradition here, in PA dutch country, is to eat pork and sauerkraut for a good year. I wondered if that is a tradition anywhere other than here. So, spill it, what are your traditions? Inquiring minds want to know!! Feel free to even share recipes if you like!

Also, when the clock stricks midnight, does your town have something that drops? Like NY has a crystal ball dropping. North of us is a town that is known for bologna - guess what they drop? A bologna of course! Another town, near where my hubby went to college, has "dill" in its name and they drop a pickle (not real like the bologna though)! *LOL*

So, my curiosity got the best of me, and I just wondered if you would all share what your traditions are to bring in the new year.

As for New Year's Eve, we are just having another family over for some seafood - with our festivities ending around 10!! LOL!!

The new year will come in and I won't even know - unless I'm wakened again by some distant neighbor's fireworks!! :-)

Show & Tell: Ornaments

Its Friday and Kelli is hosting Show & Tell. Head over to her place to see more!!

I have always loved making things for family and friends at Christmastime. Last year, Quintin and I started making some ornaments. He asked in November if we were going to make them again this year. So I got our supplies and we were off. Elle was excited because she was able to help this year! I'm not sure you can appreciate the final project as well on these pictures, but in person - they look so beautiful. Quintin is much more patient than I am when it comes to swirling the paints inside the balls, he gets gorgeous colors with his! Enjoy watching the process to make them!

No Room

“No room for Him," the keeper said
That night so long ago,
"My inn is crowded, don't you see,
The rooms now overflow."

"It's just a Child," he must have thought,
"A family, poor and plain;
My inn is filled with paying guests,
How could I dare explain?"

And thus, he turned aside from One
Who chose a humble birth
To enter into human form
And save all men on earth.

But lo, the shepherds in the hills
Were called, the Babe to greet;
They followed then the brilliant star,
And worshiped at His feet!

"No room for Him," cry men today,
As through the world they plod;
"My life is crowded, don't you see?
I have no room for God.

How could I dare explain to all
My friends who question me,
That Jesus came to save my soul,
From sin, to set me free?"

0 God, forbid that we become
As keeper of the inn,
And have our lives so crowded
That we have no room for Him.

But now, may we, Thy children dear,

Unworthy though we are,
Become as shepherds long ago,
And follow now His star!

by Kathryn Slasor

I hope that each of you had a merry Christmas with loved ones and could feel God and His blessings. We had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas; full of love and laughter!

My prayer for the remainder of this year as well as the upcoming year is that I don't lose focus of Christ and push Him out. I pray there will always be room for Him in my life, my husband's and my children's. May God bless you in 2008 and may we seek to follow His star!!!

You say its your birthday!!

Today is a special day!

My good blogging friend Melodye is celebrating her 40th birthday! ;-)

She did that back to me in July, so I'm just returning the kind gesture!!

No, really it is her 35th!

She is a fellow mommy blogger with a HUGE heart! I've had the pleasure of speaking on the phone with her and she is such a joy and has such a sweet spirit!

If you have a moment, please drop by Song of the Morning blog and wish her a happy birthday!

1 Corinthians 13 For Christmas

An interesting adaptation of 1 Corinthians 13 for Christmas. Enjoy!

If I speak in the tongues of Christmas materialism and greed but have not love, I am only a tinny Christmas song or an out-of-tune choir.

If I have the gift of knowing what Aunt Agatha will give me this year and can even understand last year's present, and if I have the faith that I won't get yet more socks and ties this year but have not love, I am nothing.

If I clear out the house and give everything to charity and my credit cards are snapped in half but have not love, what can I possibly gain?

Love is patient when the fourth store you've tried doesn't have a bottle garden.

Love is kind and lets the couple with only a few items go in front of you and your bulging shopping cart.

Love does not envy your friend who gets mega-presents from everybody.

Love does not boast about the expensive bike, the PlayStation 3, the TV, VCR, and computer your dad gave you.

Love does not attempt to out-buy, out-wrap, and out-give the rest of the family just to impress.

Love doesn't cut Aunt Flo off your Christmas card list because she forgot you last year.

Love is not self-seeking and leaves a copy of your Christmas list in every room of the house.

Love is not easily angered when the young girl at the checkout takes forever because she is just temporary staff.

Love doesn't keep remembering how many times your mom forgets you don't like Brussels sprouts.

Love does not delight in the commercial bandwagon but rejoices with the truth of a baby born in the stable.

Love always protects the family from Christmas hype.

Love always trusts that the hiding places for presents will remain secret for another year.

Love always hopes that this year more neighbors will drop into your open house coffee morning.

Love always perseveres until the cards are written, the presents all bought, the shopping done, and the Christmas cake iced.

Toys may break, socks wear thin, but love never fails.

Where there is the feeling of the presents to guess their contents, and Mom going on about being good so Father Christmas will come, and searching through the cupboards to find your hidden presents, they will all stop.

For we think we know what we are getting, and we hope we know what we are getting, but when Christmas Day arrives, all will be revealed.

When I was a child, I talked with big wide-open eyes about Christmas, I thought that Christmas was all about me, I reasoned that Jesus should have been born more often. When I became an adult, I forgot the joy, wonder, and excitement of this special time.

Now we just hear about the angels, shepherds, and wise men; then we shall see them all the time. Now I know as much as the Bible says about the first Christmas; then I shall know just how many wise men there were and where they came from.

Now three things remain to be done:
- To have faith that the baby born in a stable is the Son of God.
- To hope that the true message of Christmas will not get discarded with the wrapping paper and unwanted gifts.
- And the most important, to have a love for others like the one that God has for us.

Copyright 2001 Claire Jordan.
Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.
(Minor edits by GCFL.net)

An Advent Prayer

Father in heaven, we are now less than 1 week away from celebrating your Son's birth.

As the days get closer and the holiday rush comes upon us, help us to keep in sight the true reason for the season.

We love the presents, but we thank you for the present of your Son.

We love the lights all around us, but we are grateful for the Light of the world.

We love the decorations, but we are mindful that we don't have to decorate our life before we come to you; that you are more concerned with the internal decoration of having Jesus as Lord in our hearts.

The days are getting closer, so we pause again, to recognize you, our grown-up Lord and Savior.

Help us always to have room for you in our hearts.

In your name, Amen.

*Taken from The 25 Days of Christmas

Tiny Talk Tuesday - Holiday Edition - Part 3

We've been playing the local radio station's Christmas music all month now. With some of the songs, I wonder what the kids think they mean. Like, "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus." Do they think their Momma is going to kiss Santa?

Well, after what I heard yesterday, I'm not sure if this interpretation is better or worse. I heard Quintin sing, "I saw Mommy kicking Santa Claus!"


Hmm, paints a different picture of me and the jolly ol' man, doesn't it?

Head over to Mary's to read more. This is the last Tiny Talk Tuesday of the year! See you back for TTT in 2008!

She's 3!

At 11:58 am, 3 years ago on December 16th, T and I welcomed our little girl into the world. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 3 oz and was 20 inches long. We headed into the hospital at 9:30 that morning for a scheduled c-section. The reason for a c-section (because I didn't have one with Quintin) was due to pl*acenta pre*via.

Noelle's due date was December 23, but because of having her c-section, we were able to schedule it up to a week early. Noelle shares her birthday with her cousin, Nicole - who is 12 today!


My dearest Elle,

Your smile, dimple and love for life can keep me going on my hardest days. You have a look that says "Its okay mom, I'm here to make you smile!" And you do. You are my sunshine, little girl.

In your baby book, I have "smiley" written all throughout it. As a baby, you would make noises just to get people to look at you so you could smile at them. You always smiled and giggled when you saw your big brother! And now, you are such a helpful big sister to your baby brother. Your smile lifts away the fog.

Your desire to make everything fun keeps our family from becoming too serious! I love you, little peanut. Happy 3rd B*i*r*t*h*d*a*y!! Love, Mom

All dressed up with...

...somewhere to go! Last night we had the Christmas banquet for T's work. We had a great time! I even remembered to have a picture taken before we left. I know I don't post many pictures of us, so here you go!! (and yes, I'm wearing heels!)

A White Weekend?

From our local news channel:

Another winter storm is moving towards the area. Between snow, wintry mix conditions and rain -- it's going to be a close call.

What's one to do?

Go to the store...but not for eggs and milk. Just ask T. If there is a storm coming, his wife is not going to the store for milk and eggs but Pepsi and Doritos, of course!!

What are your last minute items you pick up when a storm is coming?

We're off to the store!

Christmas Tour

Heidi Jo is hosting a Christmas Tour of Homes. I didn't want to be left out of the fun! Welcome to our home! (Well, parts of it...the cleanest parts anyway!)

O Christmas Tree...

Angels We Have Heard on High...

O Holy Night...

Up on the Housetop....

Deck the Halls...

Frosty the Snowman...

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

We Wish You a Merry Christmas...

Tiny Talk Tuesday - Holiday Edition, Part 2

Lots of tiny ones talking in our house again!

Dad: Are you tired Elle? (It was about an hour and a half past her bedtime as we picked her up from the sitters...she was just wondering through their house)
Elle: What are yooooouuuuuu talking about?

Quintin was up front at church this past Sunday for the children's story. T's dad was leading the story. Grandpa was asking the children what they wanted for Christmas and he called on Quintin. While we couldn't hear Quintin, we heard Grandpa say "2 cannons and a pirate ship." Now, you have to understand my in-laws have a touch of PA dutch accent - where pirate sounds more like parrot. To all our surprise, Quintin didn't correct Grandpa (like he usually does, lol) but when he came back to sit with us - he made sure we knew he wanted a pirate ship and not a parrot ship! Quintin was dissapointed that he couldn't tell Grandpa everything. He said, "But I didn't get to tell him I want a row boat for the pirates and...." I said "You didn't have to tell him everything, he's not Santa!" And Quintin just looked at me and with a little chuckle said, "Nooooo!"

This video is after several attempts - something kept happening to make us stop - like the camera stopped recording. :( Therefore, the answers have lost their 'first response' take and have more of a 'why are you still asking me these questions?' take. I think you'll enjoy it anyway! :)

Before the video, I wanted to share one that didn't make the cut! ;)

Mom: How does Santa get to all the houses?
Quintin: He's a super hero!

And, now, on to the video!



FYI: I am in a small bells choir at church and we play this Sunday...Elle's birthday!

If you'd like to read what other tiny ones are saying, head over to Mary's!

What's my holiday mood?

Saw this over at Susan's!



And then, I started doing more quizzes...



So, what character are you and what's your holiday mood?

My Top 5

Top 5 Reasons Why I Read Just Mom's Musings...

5 - She has a very pleasant blog template! ;-)

4 - She has become a great friend and I look forward to what piece of her life and family she is going to share. She can learn from the ordinary daily mom tasks and even invites us in to read her private thoughts about motherhood.

3 - I enjoy reading her 'take' on life - Whether its things that send her over the edge or having an 'aha' moment - she makes us all feel like we are right across the kitchen table...talking as friends.

2 - Not only is she an awesome writer, but she's a superb photographer and she's down-right hilarious too - it all makes for a great combo!

And my #1 reason why I read her blog:

1 - I like to stalk her blog to get her heart racing when she checks her blog stats at sitemeter!

In honor of your blogoversary, JM, I did do a vlog of me singing Happy Blogoversary but I couldn't get it to upload - boy, what a disappointment! HA! And if you believe that, I'll tell you a few more!!!

Happy 1st Blogoversary Just Mom!! Do I win the contest now? ;-)