Who Knew....

Who knew that there was a north pole in Texas?! A great lil'
place that celebrates the true meaning of Christmas!

Yep! That's right we decorate gingerbread barns around here!

                                      

With a little help, of course!

Hope your Christmas season is looking Merry & Bright!

All year long......

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His Son. And now let the weak say, "I am strong," let the poor say, "I am rich," because of what the Lord has done for us. Give Thanks!

Not just now, but the whole year long.

The Lord has done great things for us, & we are filled with joy.    ~Psalm 126:3

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.     ~Romans 5:5

Our Favorite Lil' Rest Stop

Settling back into a routine after spending some much needed time away. The fall foliage was beautiful & the weather was perfect. A wonderful reflection of God's beautiful creation. Lots of time spent with stacks of books, watching movies, & playing games. Loved being outdoors enjoying the view from our cabin & sitting around the campfire every night roasting marshmallows & eating way too many smores. Such a great place to relax & rejuvenate! Look at that gorgeous view! If you look closely you will see a river in the middle.

Hiking near Trails End

                                                              

Autumn

Come said the wind to the leaves one day,

Come o're the meadows and we will play.

Put on your dresses scarlet and gold,

For summer is gone and the days grow cold.

Children's song from the 1880's

Give This Christmas Away

I couldn't have done it alone.................20 shoeboxes packed for Operation Christmas Child.

If you aren't familiar with this program check out Samaritan's Purse.

Such a great ministry they have going & not just for Christmas but ALL throughout the year.

We always pack shoeboxes as a family but this year I thought it would be fun to get others

involved & make it a community project with the home school group we are a part of.

Get this.....I ordered 20 empty boxes having no idea how many item donations

I would have coming in. We had a packing party this past week & we were

able to fill exactly 20 boxes!

How AWESOME is that!

God is truly in the details! 20 happy kids across the globe will have Jesus

shared with them this Christmas because of a few sweet families & their

hands of generosity. And if you haven't heard Matthew West & Amy Grant's

duet "Give This Christmas Away" check it out. Better yet watch the video at the end of 

this post which has footage of shoeboxes being distributed to kids around the world.

Makes my heart happy!

Give This Christmas Away featuring Matthew West & Amy Grant.

Also scenes from the Veggie Tale movie A Story of Joyful Giving!

Cherish

Take some time to cherish the little moments in life.

 Sometimes we get so busy with life we forget to look around & marvel in the wonderful blessings that God lays all around us. I just wonder how often that which we view as obstacles in our life, God may have put there for a reason. A longing for us to turn to Him but we are too many times distracted by the inconvenience of such an obstacle that we never stop long enough to think about anything other than our own agenda. So today take some time to cherish the little moments & relish in the thought that God has a perfect plan for each of us! Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

My Fun Lovin' Girl

 Okay, so I just had to share some pics that really live up true to my words in the title of this post. I can't believe this girl is 11! I am so blessed that God gave me Sierra & couldn't be happier watching her grow up into what created her to be. Something truly special!

Cuteness!

Miss Delilah posing too! My brother's dog.