Looking Forward

This is the last day of 2014, time to think about the New Year and a New Beginning.

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR'S EVE!

Sylvia

GRANDKIDS MELT MY HEART !

 

Yes, they do! And every year on the 23rd of December for the last 3 years we've had cookie bake day. This year my oldest is 18, in college and has a part time  job so he missed out on all the fun!  But the other 5 were here.

  

Here's Johnathan and Morgan last year 2013 on Cookie Day!

Two of my daughters live about 35 miles away so they get to stay and have fun also when they bring the kids!

My kitchen is small but we all manage to get in there and make a mess!

Aaron, the youngest of the 6, he's 10 and a mess himself. Always being funny.  See the red on the rim of the glasses, that's where they light up and twinkle!

JC  cutting out the gingerbread men. Even a 12 year old boy will bake to please his Grandma.....understand why they melt my heart?

Chocolate Snowball Cookies were so good.

Sugar Cookies with icing

They love decorating them, using their own ideas!

And did you KNOW that you CAN make cookies and TEXT too!

Oh yes, Morgan is GOOD at it!

She turns 16 tomorrow! 

Have a Blessed Day!

Sylvia

Merry Christmas !

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord". Luke 2:11

Have a Blessed Sunday!

Sylvia 

A CHRISTMAS INVITE

Come on in and sit for awhile, I love company, especially at Christmastime!

 We'll sit and talk awhile.

Never mind the mice, they love to play in the china cabinet that I inherited from my Mother.

We can listen to some Christmas music playing softly on the CD player.

Christmas is an exciting time of the year!

Friends and family visiting and sharing.

We can sit at the table an have a cup of Christmas Tea!

  

My daughter gave me this teacup as an early Christmas gift so I could use it now. Wasn't that thoughtful of her. I love it!

 Do you like my crystal wreath, I found it at Pier 1 Imports while out shopping last week!

 It looks like frozen ice all over it.

Found these plates at Wal-Mart , love the snow scene.

 I have enjoyed our visit, please stop by again!

I'll light the candle for you!

Have a Blessed Day

and

A Very Merry Christmas!

Sylvia

A Story to Tell

 

Each of us are a story. 

 Our lives we live and how others read it is our story.  What are we in this book of our life? What are others seeing in us?

"be careful not to forget what we've been taught--- teach it to our children and grandchildren."

Deuteronomy 3:9-10

Many of us make wills or set up trust funds to be sure our assets will be used for a good purpose after our life on earth is over.

This is being a good steward. Much more important is to be good stewards of our life story. 

The legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren is much more important than monetary things or "stuff".  It is our responsibility to be sure they know what we believe, and how God has worked in our behalf. 

 We buy books to read or check them out in libraries, and read about the lives of others or fiction people. Do we stop to think of how we live out our life in front of others. This has been on my heart lately. As we come to the end of another year, we're reminded of  TIME, how it goes by so fast! Our children and grandchildren, it seems, grew up and as for myself, I think, "where was I when this all happened"- 

So my thoughts often go to  "How do they see me in my life's story".  Am I leaving a testimony I'd want them to follow?

My heart's desire is that they see my love for God and His ways, not always my own.  His faithfulness is the story I want to pass on to them. I want to be a good steward of the story God is telling through me.

This past year has been a time of growing and learning for me. God has brought us a long way. He has seen us through my husband's cancer. I praise God for healing him. I also want to thank each of you that have prayed for us, for your kind words of friendship and love shown in your emails, without God's great love and your prayers only He knows where we'd be at this time. 

As the days come and go, I pray God will remind me of all He's done for us!

Remind me, God

When I am lonely and

Perhaps I feel despair,

Let not my ailing heart forget

That you hear each prayer...

Remind me that no matter what

I do or fail to do,

There still is hope for as long,

As I have faith in you...

Let not my eyes be blinded by

Some folly I commit,

But help me to regret my wrong

And make amends for it

Inspire me to put my fears

upon a shelf,

And in the future try not to 

Feel sorry for myself.

Give me restful sleep I need

Before another dawn,

And bless me in the morning with

The Courage to go on. 

(author unknown)

The story of God's Love was shown many years ago in a stable in Bethlehem on a night when Christ Jesus was born.

 Luke 2:10

"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy

which will be to all people."

This is God's story to us, it's our duty to share as believers, with others, he brought to us forgiveness and hope. He deserves our praises!

May we all that know Him and have His gift of Eternal Life share His story through our life!

With angelic hosts proclaim,

"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"

Hark the herald angels sing, 

Glory to the newborn King" ( -Wesley)

Be Blessed!

Sylvia

 

The Reason for The Season!

For unto you is born this day in the city

 of David a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord. 

Luke 2:11 kjv

verse 12..  And this shall be a sign unto you;

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,

lying in a manger.

verse 13. .  And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,

and saying,

 verse 14..  Glory to God in the highest and on earth 

peace, good will toward men

 Have a Blessed Sunday!

Sylvia

It's That Time of the Year !

It is that time of the year, 

when we all get busy with Christmas!

Shopping, cleaning and decorating...and Church activities!

I am so excited about Everything!

Saturday my daughter's husband will be in the Christmas program at their church. It is going to be so wonderful, mostly singing, the men were asked several months ago to grow beards. Yes beards!

They will be dressed in period clothing.

Here he is, dressed in his.

It is going to be really beautiful with interacting with the congregation! 

My family will be attending on Saturday afternoon.

There's no charge, but they can only have so many in the building at a time, due to fire codes, that's the reason for tickets.
 

With all the activities and trying to get the house decorated,

I'll be in and out for the next few weeks. I'll be popping in to see what everyone is doing.

So be an Angel and have a very 

Blessed Day!

Sylvia

Joy of Giving and Receiving

Hebrews 10:24

 "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."

I spent the whole day yesterday, shopping with my 3 daughters and granddaughter. We do this each year and pick out what we want from each other, this makes it easy on us, we know what the other one wants and by Christmas most times we forget what it was and it's still a wonderful surprise. It's such a JOY to give and it's nice to receive too!

The first of the week I received a gift from Stephanie, over at "The Enchanting Rose" blog. She loves to make things, and is very good at it.

 She made me this ornament to go on my tree.

 

And this teabag holder. I love it! It's the right size to carry a couple bags of tea in my purse.

 Isn't it really pretty and I love pink!

Thank you, Stephanie.

 While I was shopping yesterday, my husband called me and said, "You got a box in the mail". I was so excited to get home and open it, I was like a child again at Christmas. Twice in the same week I received gifts from two sweet ladies. This one was from Michele, over at "The Nest at Finch Rest" blog. Michele and I met through a Ladies Tea Group website, several years ago.

She had wrapped each item separate, I was so blessed with her love and kindness to me.

Isn't this a lovely set of napkins, I'll have a Tea with my two granddaughters while they are out for Christmas break. They will enjoy the Santa teapot filled with the Holiday Tea.

I sat and read the book this morning as I had my Tea.

I loved it but it did make tears fill my eyes. It tells of a girl growing up and visiting her great aunt at Christmas and how she took it all for granted and then realized the importance of family and the love of spending time together.

 After her Great Aunt had passed away, she realized the lessons she was teaching her and the prayer for her to find faith and truth!

While God has blessed us with this season of His Son's birth, my prayer is that we use it to reach out to others and share His Love, as these two dear ladies has shared theirs with me.

Thanks Stephanie and  Michele, for the gift of your friendship!

Have a Blessed Sunday!

Sylvia