How is it going at your house? Are you almost ready to celebrate Christmas?
After looking at the photo above I moved that star above the angels head about a foot to the right.
Hope you are finding ways to Be Merry!
May the pure love of Jesus shine brightly in your heart this Christmas Season!
One tiny baby, one manger stall, one God who sent His Son to show His love for all.
It’s Thursday and time for our Bible Verse Challenge. We are on the letter N. Leave a verse or verses in the comments and I’ll add them here. If you have a post on your blog please leave your link the comments.
N is for Name:
Philippians 2:4-11
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the NAME that is above every NAME, 10 so that at the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
From Patsystitch: Name
Acts 3:12-16. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead, To this we are witnesses. And his name – by faith in his name – has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
From Vera: Now
““Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted.”
Isaiah 33:10 ESV
From Happy One: N is for NEED
Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your NEED according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
From Maristella: N is for NATIONS
“Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16
And:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Click over to Bethany’s Blog, Raindrops and Rainbows for her post on verses for the letter N.
Keep digging!
So happy to report that with the help of our son, Dan, the siding on the front of the shop was completed this past Saturday and Sunday. Now all that is left of the siding is the back end.
When he wasn’t helping his dad Dan was taking his kids on a little snow hike.
This next photo is of a snow hike they took at the end of January 2020.
What a difference a year makes. Jaymison can ride in the sled now!
Earlier last week Dan had some helpers in putting up the Christmas lights.
Our temps have been below freezing for several days in a row which makes these outdoor projects a challenge. We are supposed to have a round of snow blow in tomorrow. I have a luncheon to attend and I’ll have to take the roads slow and steady. Thankful for good snow tires and all wheel drive!
It’s time again for No Place Like Home with our hostess Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage. This is the 4th Monday.
This year we stumbled on a good deal for a pre-lit artificial tree so we surrendered to the idea for the convenience. The Angel topper has been with us for most of our Christmases.
Our first Christmas ornament in the upper left corner was a wedding gift back in 1974. We were married in December. Many old ornaments and some new ones mixed in.
I have a college friend who sends these pop up cards every year. We’ve saved most of them and like to display them. There are several more of them not pictured.
From our home to your home we hope that you have a melody in your heart during this joy filled time of year!
“O Come, Let Us Adore Him”
Let the Earth Now Praise the Lord
Let the earth now praise the Lord.
Who hath truly kept His word
And the sinners’ help and friend
Now at last to us doth send.
What the fathers most desired,
What the prophet’s heart inspired,
What they longed for many a year,
Stands fulfilled in glory here.
Abram’s promised great reward,
Zion’s helper, Jacob’s Lord,
Him of twofold race behold,
Truly came, as long foretold.
Welcome, O my Savior, now!
Hail! My portion, Lord, art Thou.
Here, too, in my heart, I pray,
Oh, prepare Thyself a way!
King of Glory, enter in;
Cleanse it from the filth of sin,
As Thou hast so often done;
It belongs to Thee alone.
As Thy coming was in peace,
Quiet, full of gentleness,
Let the same mind dwell in me
That was ever found in Thee.
Comfort my desponding heart:
Thou my strength and refuge art.
I am weak, and cunningly
Satan lays his snares for me.
Bruise for me the serpent’s head,
That, set free from doubt and dread,
I may cleave to Thee in faith,
Safely kept through life and death.
And when Thou dost come again
As a glorious king to reign,
I with joy may see Thy face,
Freely ransomed by Thy grace.
…and with grandchildren, all is bright!
Here is Addy pleased that she’s earned another badge from Awana. Are you familiar with Awana?
With an unwavering commitment to the gospel, Awana is being used to reach over 4 million kids every week in 120 countries, giving children and youth from every background an opportunity to know, love and serve Jesus for a lifetime.
Our DIL messaged the fam these photos of Addy who earned a new badge at Awana and then Addy and JJ enjoying the great outdoors. All our past snow has melted and we have more snow in the forecast for Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. That forecast shows sunny days on Saturday and Monday. Time will tell if the forecast is correct.
On Wednesday I was able to take our Christmas cards to the post office and send them off. Two other packages were mailed off for two babies that will be born to our extended family early next year.
Dear has made some progress on the shop with all the trims around the overhead garage doors and man door. Our local son will come over on Saturday to make some more progress on the siding.
Since this photo was taken the wrap is up in this front end of the shop, all ready for the siding now!
Soon I’ll wrap presents. This past Tuesday when Addy and JJ came for a short visit Addy asked, “Baba, do you have a present for me under the tree?” I said, “no, but there will be presents for you under that tree soon.”
I hope all is calm and all is bright at your home!
Today is Thursday December 10th and we are on the letter M. So many verses, so little time.
Besides the Gospel of John I’m reading a Psalm a day and Psalm 8 is a wonderful Psalm filled with these words, majestic, mouth, moon, man, mindful and made. The key word is majestic.
M is for Majestic:
How Majestic is Your Name
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
From Patsystitch:
Psalm 76:4. You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game.
From Maristella: M is for MOUTH:
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
Luke 6:45
Visit Bethany at her blog for her Bible Verse Post for the letter M.
We are both fans of Psalm 8!
From Vera: M is for Mercy
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
1 Peter 1:3 ESV
I’m looking forward to the verse/verses you decided to share for the letter M. As usual I will add your verses or link to you blog when you leave a comment with your verse or blog information. Thank you so much in advance for your participation. Keep digging in God’s Truth!
Wednesday Hodgepodge questions that Joyce From This Side of the Pond asks each week are not surprisingly Christmas themed in December. Here we go…
1. What do you think it means to have the holiday spirit?
Going deep on this one and deferring to my hubby:
“It’s having the Spirit of Christ, who convicts of sin and enables faith in that Jesus is who He says He is and has done what He has says He has done. Without the work of the Spirit of Christ we would have no hope for forgiveness, for eternity with Him, for glory.
Romans 5:1 (ESV)
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
2. What’s one thing you’ve baked this month?
I baked a Chocolate Decadent Bundt cake last week for our card night.
Have you eaten the finished product?
Yes, at the card night last Friday night. It got very good reviews from those who ate it.
How much baking do you do around the holidays?
This varies from year to year. Some years I don’t make any cookies…shock!
What baked sweet something does your family insist is on the menu during this season of the year?
Roolyet is a Russian treat our mom would make every Christmas. A yeast dough rolled with a walnut filling (walnuts, sugar, egg whites and vanilla). Now that my sister and I perfected the recipe I should make it every Christmas, too.
3. Your most recent ‘half-baked’ idea?
How about thoroughly baked. In January I clicked on the buy button for plane tickets from Seattle to London for September of this year. Then COVID-19 struck us all. Plane tickets, Air BnB deposits and many plans made that had to all be cancelled. Thankfully all was refunded.
4. Where were you the last time you ‘baked’ in the sun?
In my own backyard pulling weeds.
The top ten sunniest destinations in the world (most sun from January-December according to this site) are Dubai, Bali Indonesia, Los Angeles CA, Miami FL, Barbados, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Mauritius, Antiqua, and the Canary Islands Spain. Have you been to any of the cities listed?
I was born in East Los Angeles and raised in the “burbs” of Los Angeles and spent many summers baking on Southern California beaches slathered in Coconut Butter. Craziness!
Which one on the list appeals to you the most?
We do not choose sunny destinations these days. We do not lay in the sun. We look for shade and head straight to an umbrella when the sun is out and the air is hot. The only reason L.A. is appealing these days is because of our loved ones who live there and who we enjoy spending time with.
If the world were not upside down crazy and you could lie on a beach anywhere right now where would you go?
Never mind lying on the beaches, I would choose Jolly Old England any time of the year, walking down a lane instead of lying on a beach!
Now that said, we do enjoy walking on the beach at dawn in the summer and any time of day in the Winter.
5. Today I wish I had more _____________________.
Options for shopping in my little town of Colville.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
This past Sunday to Monday we enjoyed a 46th Anniversary night at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho on Lake Coeur d’Alene. Dinner at Beverly’s on the 7th floor made us feel like normal before all this craziness came upon us all.
Our complimentary Anniversary dessert! Vanilla ice cream wrapped in cotton candy with some fruit and dessert bark.
When the Christmas cards are all signed, sealed and delivered to the Post Office I feel like I should get an award. Do you still send cards?
When we checked into the resort we were informed that they had given us an upgrade to a room with a partial lake view. This was our partial view and we enjoyed it. Our room was on the 17th floor with only the Penthouse above us. Sunday was a beautiful day.
As the sun was setting…
We enjoyed our restaurant experience at Beverly’s on the 7th floor of the resort. We started with Calamari. I ordered a salad and French Onion Soup and Dear ordered the Rib-Eye and shared some of the meat with me.
This over the top ice cream surrounded by cotton candy arrived at our table with Happy Anniversary wishes.
After my dessert drink arrived our server informed us that our meal had been paid for by our children. They had called the restaurant ahead of time to arrange that. We were so surprised and grateful for their thoughtfulness. Brought tears to my eyes.
After dinner we got our coats and gloves on to go out and walk along the docks to enjoy the extensive Christmas lights that the Resort puts up. It was well below freezing so we kept walking with few pauses.
The following collages will give you an idea of what we saw.
The interior of the hotel was nicely decorated as well.
This could be a good alternative for a Santa photo in this year of no sitting on Santa’s lap.
On Tuesday morning we watched the sun come up or tried to see the sunrise but soon the fog rolled in and socked us in. These two shots of the water taxi and looking east toward Montana were the clearest shots of the morning.
The hotel staff and restaurant staff all wore masks. Overall our Anniversary was wonderful and it was refreshing to get a night away and to be served a delicious meal in a fine restaurant.
On our drive home we made a few stops at HomeGoods, Harbor Freight, and TJMaxx.
Thank you to everyone for all your kind Anniversary wishes.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 