2011 Christmas Tour

When the heart of the home is solid it doesn't matter the size of the rooms or when they were constructed, the season of Christmas comes through.

We downsized. A journey that continues to amaze and getting Merry Christmas into this little house proves a delight. It busts at the seams, this cheery little domicile.

Finding a place to hide away a Christmas present is impossible but belly laughs abound and we as a family are bound. Our hearts knitted tighter thanks to a tighter environment.

A blessed result of a crazy act and with our first teen we rejoice at every late night chat on the couch. Throw in the Christmas lights and it's childhood magic all over again.

Like Mary, our lives have been interrupted. May your find your moment at the manger. May you choose a life of divine interruption. May your Christmas be All that is Merry and Bright.

Thanks always to The Nestor for her lovely Christmas Tour of Homes. Go take a peek.

Mardi Gras Parade

Today, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, we celebrated with a party and we learned all about the Lenten Season. We called  it a school day. I did a lot of research and found some wonderful resources that made our event a School Day Success. Everyone went home with daily activity sheets leading us to the Cross.

Arts and Crafts For Lent by Jeanne Heiberg,

What We Do in Lent by Anne E. Kitch

Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate Winter

 

We decorated our abode. I still can't find the significance of Mardi Gras traditional Purple, Green and Gold but it makes for beautiful decorations.

Even The Beast got Tricked out for Fat Tuesday. He looked Gangsta with his big Crown Charm. He's really a beast, all 18 inches and 6 pounds of him.

We baked a King Cake. It created quite a creepy sight in my oven as our babies tried to escape.

 The Boy loved the King Cake Babies. He turned them into tops and had the babies wrestle each other.

Polish celebrate Fat Tuesday with a Paczki and how delighted was I when I found a big display of them at our grocery store. Then, of course, we ate our King Cake. YUM!

  

Alleluia Banners

Alleluia, from the Hebrew word Hal-e-lu-Yah, meaning 'Praise Yaweh'. Allelulia is  'The Song of Heaven'. We created Alleluia Banners and will bury them tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, where they will remain until Easter Sunday.

 

Each Family made their own banner. Burying the Alleluia for 40 Days is a symbolic way to remind us that without His sacrifice we would never participate in the 'Song of Heaven'. 

Each family will Resurrect the Alleluia on Easter Sunday. 

We will wake up and sing  the 'Song of Heaven' with our Alleluias.

Gamaw and Papa never miss a party.

A few more shots of our Mardi Gras decor.

Now on to 40 Days of Lent. I'm ready to draw near God, excited to prepare my heart for the overwhelming reality of His love given on that Beautiful, Scandalous Night.

Holding onto the manger

It's the day after.
He Came.
We celebrated.
I blinked.

And my expectations were high and today there is a mess. 

Our family stretched and pulled to be changed,

morphed  into something different. 

Something set apart with eyes fixed on the babe,
gaze drawn from the glitter and lights.....

focused on the manger.

We missed the mark.

Stunned the day has passed and in the wind of today our manger has been turned upside down and....

 He is Here!

And today I clean up the abundance from our celebration,
I fight the return to the everyday,

the mundane, 

the ordinary that is only ordinary to me.

I battle the Depraved Indifference that holds a place in my heart.

My children are fed like kings in the country God chose for them,

Yet they starve because of Depraved Indifference. 

Today we embrace change in our household.

We embrace change and I go to war against Depraved Indifference

Today I return to the manger, I peek at the waxy, wrinkled skin and ask for eyes to  

SEE 

differently and a 

HEART Moved....

I rebel against comfort and on my knees declare and ask Jesus Christ, 

Jeremiah's Prayer

 (song by Summit Worship)

You are the light that shines in the dark

You are what shadows cannot comprehend

You are the one who lives in my heart 

filling me up to be poured out again.

If you change the world by changing me

Then make me whatever you want me to be

If you're lifted up when I'm on my knees

Then break me so all the world may see

Your Beauty, 

Oh Lord.

Mine is the sin that tears me in two

Mine is the pride that refuses to yield

Yours are the hands that make me anew

Yours are the words that will strengthen and heal

Break my heart with what break yours

Break my heart and make it like yours

2010 Christmas Tour

Love, love, love the Nestor's Place Tour of Homes. 

Such inspiration and beauty and creativity all at the click of a button. 

Thank you to all you wonderful folks who share their homes this Holiday Season.

What a blessing our daily devotion with Ann Voskamp's family and the wonderful gift they offered of the Jesse Tree Advent Devotional book complete with ornaments. We didn't have one tree to hold all the expectation so we feel great abundance as we load up our little trees with the lovely ornaments. 

Thank you Ann for sharing your wonderful gift. I even printed extras to give to loved ones and we are enjoying being in the same devotion this season, linked together as a true body.

Here in the home of the 'Party of 5!' holiday decor took an entirely new direction. 

Year's past Nativity Scenes have been set out. 

This year they came front and center with another love, books. 

 

This morning the man told me if we ever move 

we'll need an extra truck just for the books. 

It warmed my heart. 

I guess that's what happens when you decide to read 50 books every year.

Been collecting advent resources for a while now. I love the collection. 

Not all is in pretty book form, we also have a lot of manila folders full of wonderful print outs.

So many pretty paper nativities thanks to the folks at Creche Mania. 

I go back to their site over and over again. Many of their downloads are free.

I 

Saint Nicholas kneels to the Christ Child. He really did! 

I am loving reading William J. Bennett's Book 

The Real Saint Nicholas.

 

 A candy dish made by my oldest. Christmas is a time for beautiful pottery.

 Hand made makes my heart swell. I am surrounded by talented people. The above tree a gift from the boy and the stable below crafted from pine bark and twigs gathered on a nature walk. 

They were glued and manipulated by my precious man's strong hands 

becoming the stable for the Holy Family.

 Thank you for stopping by. If you were a human visitor I could shove a mug of cocoa spilling with marshmallow into your hands and joyfully question you, for at least a minute, so I can know you, who you are and what makes you...well You! You are a blessing and I wish you the Merriest of Christmas'. May your heart overflow with God's redeeming love.