24 Years Ago Today…

Katie surprised us with an early entry into this world…

Dear and I were so surprised to get our little girl after our two boys. Katie has added a wonderful dimension to our family and we thank God for her.

For her birthday bash this year some long time friends and family went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie and then came back to our house for a meal and evening of fun.

I do believe the festivities have come to an end around our house for a few days. Today I put away most of the Christmas decorations and got rid of our very dry tree. It feels good. Enjoy the last week of 2009 everyone!!

The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns ~ Hymn

The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns

The King shall come when morning dawns,
And light triumphant breaks;
When beauty gilds the eastern hills,
And life to joy awakes.

Not as of old a little child
To bear, and fight, and die,
But crowned with glory like the sun
That lights the morning sky.

O brighter than the rising morn
When He, victorious, rose,
And left the lonesome place of death,
Despite the rage of foes.

O brighter than that glorious morn
Shall this fair morning be,
When Christ, our King, in beauty comes,
And we His face shall see.

The King shall come when morning dawns,
And earth’s dark night is past;
O haste the rising of that morn,
The day that aye shall last.

And let the endless bliss begin,
By weary saints foretold,
When right shall triumph over wrong,
And truth shall be extolled.

The King shall come when morning dawns,
And light and beauty brings:
Hail, Christ the Lord! Thy people pray,
Come quickly, King of kings.

Words: Unknown au­thor; trans­lat­ed from Greek to Eng­lish by John Brown­lie in Hymns of the Russ­ian Church, 1907.

ht: cyberhymnal

The Festivities Continue…

Get ready for photo overload. Today we are preparing for our daughter Katie’s 24th Birthday Bash!! Her actual birthday is tomorrow. In the meantime I’m posting lots of photos from our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Festivities. May God’s blessings continue…

Christmas Eve was quiet with just the 3 of us. We went to a Christmas Eve Candlelight service and shared our traditional meal together.

Christmas morning our tradition is to check out what Santa brought in our stockings, then move on to a great Swedish Pancake breakfast that Dear lovingly makes for us each year and then we exchange our gifts to each other. We missed you dearly Dan!!

 

Then our whole family heads to the Spiro’s for Christmas dinner. We met Dave and Jody 25 years ago when both our families lived in Ventura, California and we attended Bible Fellowship Church.

Dear and Dave

Our girls and Dave and Jody’s girls.

Grandma Mary the Matriarch of the Spiro Family. Isn’t she lovely at 80 something!!

Our dear friends Bob and Jan (Jan is one of my walking buddies and Bob is Dave’s brother) with their mom Mary.

Laura and Josh

Bridget and Laura

Katie, Josh, and Lucy

Laura, Katie, and Jamie

Katie and Josh

 

The Kid’s table…

Our hosts and Dear and me and our family minus Dan below…

The view of Puget Sound and the Olympics at Sunset…

Our family had a wonderful day from morning to night celebrating with family and friends the birth of our KING!

Silent Night, Holy Night…

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

A Great Reason to Celebrate…

…our daughter Katie completed her coursework for her degree from University of Washington!

A wonderful reason to don the Oscar de la Renta and go out on the town…

 

We chose to celebrate at Palisade Restaurant at the waterfront on Elliott Bay…

The views of Seattle were great and the food and company were lovely…

Dear, Ellen b., Katie, Josh, Laura, Steve, and Lana G!

Our two lovely daughters…

Laura and Josh…

Ellen b. and Dear

Josh and Katie…

Sisters…

Our daughter in love, Laura.

The proud mama!

Isn’t she lovely!?

We are so proud of your perseverance in the challenges of changing schools and finishing well, Katie. We pray for God’s richest blessings in your life as you continue to grow and remember that God is the provider of all good things!

Mosaic Monday ~ Molbak’s

Wowie Zowie this is my 2000th post! Yep that’s 3 zeroes you see.

Be on the lookout for a giveaway in January of 2010!

My mosaics this week are all from Molbak’s. Shopping at Molbak’s in Woodinville is always such a pleasant experience. Over the years it has been a destination we enjoy taking our out of town guests to. At Christmas time they always have an amazing variety of poinsettia’s and of course their huge poinsettia tree.

You can find gifts and ornaments from elegant to whimsical.

So many wonderful plants and flowers to enjoy as you stroll through. They even have a cafe on the premises.

John 1:14 ~ “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

A very Merry Christmas to you all. Wishing you peace and joy in the coming year!

Visit Mary at her Little Red House to see more mosaics or to join in.

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming ~ Hymn

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story proclaimed by angels bright,
How Christ, the Lord of glory was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found Him,
As angel heralds said.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere;
True Man, yet very God, from sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary, who felt our human woe,
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know;
Bring us at length we pray, to the bright courts of Heaven,
And to the endless day!

Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)

Words: 15th Cen­tu­ry car­ol (Es ist ein Ros ent­sprung­en); vers­es 1-2 trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by // The­o­dore Bak­er, 1894. Verses 3-4, Fried­rich Lay­ritz, trans­lat­ed by Har­ri­et Rey­nolds Krauth, 1875. Verse 5, trans­lat­ed or writ­ten by // John C. Mat­tes, 1914.