Happy New Year 2011!

Christmas 2010 is complete!  It was a good time with family, friends and way too many sweets.  I love sweets but I've eaten way too many goodies.  My 25 Days of Christmas Awesome blog posts didn't happen as I got too busy putting my family Christmas together and another trip to Arizona to bake with my sisters and my mom.  It was all a very fun time!  So Christmas is done.  


What will 2011 bring??  It will bring some changes for the hubby and I as we make some serious decisions to prepare for retirement in the years ahead.  Dustin will most likely leave home for good (that's what he is planning and it's a good thing!).  We will become grandparents again.  :)  I need to get back to work.  We will be moving (not too far).  It's going to be a good year!  I have a feeling!  

So....Happy New Year to all my family, friends and blog friends! It's been fun!   Here's to a fantastic 2011!  

25 Days of CHRISTMAS Awesome!

Day 5

I have my house almost decorated.  The tree needs ornaments and I need to go buy some poinsettias.  Nothing says Christmas like a beautiful red poinsettia.


In the meantime, here's my next bit of Christmas Awesome. Enjoy this light display set to music.


Click on this link to see it! It's so pretty!


http://www.godvine.com/Christmas-Lights-to-the-Music-of-Amazing-Grace-77.html

25 Days of CHRISTMAS Awesome!

Day 4

Here I am getting ready to celebrate Christmas and we have no decorations or lights.  They are coming!  We just got back from my dad's memorial in Arizona.  

It's time to decorate the tree and my home.  I love my home at Christmas!  So welcome to my home and I hope your home is a warm one to be in this time of year whether you go all out or decorate just a small area of your home make time to welcome people in for a cup of coffee, a meal or some baked goodies.  Remember the holidays as well as our daily lives should be more about our relationships than things or that perfect home.  Make it an awesome Christmas while you enjoy it with others.

25 Days of CHRISTMAS Awesome!

Day 3

With all the Black Friday sales and the continuous bombardment of shopping for Christmas I need to stop during this time and remember the real reason for this holiday.  It's to celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.  Below are two mangers scenes...the top one is the hubby's family manger scene that is over 50 years old.  The second one is our manger scene that my children grew up with.  It's over 30 years old.  

Just like these manger scenes that have been in our Christmas decor throughout the years, Jesus is with us even when our focus isn't truly on Him!  Let's remember HIM more this next year in everything we do and we will be awesomely blessed!

25 Days of CHRISTMAS Awesome!

It's my Birthday!

That's pretty awesome!

Day 2

To celebrate my birthday, we have a selection of cupcakes!!  How awesome is that??  This little shop is near The Mission Inn which has over a million lights on it!  It is so pretty!!  I know you can't wait to see it.  I'll show it to you in a future post.  For the time being...enjoy a cupcake with me.  

So...would you like a Cinnamon/Sugar, a Banana Blast, a Gingerbread, a Chocolate, a strawberry or a Raspberry cupcake???

What's your favorite???  I'll tell you mine after I taste them all!  More Christmas goodies to come in these "25 Days of CHRISTMAS Awesome"!!


P.S.  We are driving to Arizona for my dad's memorial on Friday.  Please pray for our family as we celebrate his life.

25 Days of CHRISTMAS Awesome!

Day 1

My niece, Tawnya wrote a blog series called "30 Days of Awesome" where she shared something interesting that she experienced for 30 days.  She is an adventuresome young woman and is doing what she loves.  She is one of the editors of Snowboard magazine and gets to live out her life writing about it, experiencing it throughout the world and she looks for fun all the time!!  She decided to write about her 25 days of Christmas Awesome and I am stealing her idea.  So here goes!


I, like Tawnya love Christmas!  I like the lights, the food, the decorations, the presents (just NOT shopping for them~it stresses me out to HAVE to find the right gift), times with family, our church Christmas program, the Mission Inn at Christmas, pictures of snow and the music!  Especially the LIGHTS!!  

My first Awesome find is this little book called Christmas Classics, The Story Behind 40 Favorite Carols.  We all know the carol, Joy to the World but did you know that it was written in 1719 by Isaac Watts who is known as the father of English hymnody.  He was the first prolific hymn writer.  He wrote over 750 hymns.  Watts was punished for speaking in verse as a child.  He loved to write songs of "Christian Experience" and this is what Joy to the World was to him.  It tells of the experience that Christians everywhere eagerly anticipate.  This song is about the second coming of Christ NOT his birth like most of us think it is.  


The world should be a joyful place at Christmas, but it isn't always so.  When Jesus comes back, though, as Isaac Watts points out, the joy of the whole world will be unrestrained.  Even the rocks will sing!  Something for all of us to think about this Christmas when we sing this beautiful song!  Now isn't that Awesome??


  
Thanks to Tawnya for a great idea!  24 more days to go!!