A Child is Born, A World is Offered Salvation...

...if they so choose. :)

Merry Christmas!
OK, a day late... I understand. :)
But Hey! I just moved, and it was Christmas!

We had a CRAZY week, and I feel like maybe I missed something!
But in the end, as long as we remember that the reason for the season, all the fuss, all we are given, we are given from Him... good or bad, without it there is nothing much... We can fool ourselves that whoever has the most toys, technology or biggest paycheck wins. Not so. When it isn't about Him, it's about nothing that lasts. May you take the best gift given... it's a free gift to boot!Mary... what she gave, what she sacrificed... gave birth to not just a son, but a world of possibility. But she was a mother, who loved her son. And for that we should be grateful. Hence the first song you hear when you come here right now. Listen to the words. Consider the weight of what she was asked to do. Huge.

Again, Merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus! We love you!!

We moved in on Saturday! We were blessed, because 5 guys came to help my husband! (Many hands make light work-as light as it gets on a wintery day like this!) One (Andy) brought cookies!! WOW! It is nice to know you have friends that will help you move twice in 3 months!!
They got it done, despite the snow, and the cold. We have a few things left in a smaller storage space. When Jerry's dad isn't delivering luggage for the airport 2 days straight at a time, we'll borrow his van and get the rest... my new area rug for the family room, some larger art pieces...

Lots of work to do...
I had to remember this... Gabriel asked, when we were packing, if he would write on the boxes too... so he wrote his name. :)
We are already making memories here... I've even cooked! Bagel pizza's! I love food they can prepare to their liking!

Took this picture the Eve of Christmas Eve... printed it already and it is on the wall of black and white pictures! (See below) :)
Stuff came in, and then I got to work. Megan helped me unpack the kitchen (WHY didn't I get a picture of this??) and Sunday through Weds. was unpacking enough to make the family room, the kitchen and dining area nice for our Christmas Eve party. It's family, so they understand we just moved... but I did my best to make it look nice. :)

Here are some highlights:

Some of the family room... I had so many pictures and things with red, that I decided to go with that as the accent color. :) I like it. On the wall to the left of the fireplace, opposite the windows... I had a lot of things with red and and orange-y yellow it seems!
The wall on the back of the family room, to the kitchen and dining area... went with chocolate brown. :) That pie safe, I have had since California. LOVE it. My husband doesn't get it. He doesn't have to. :) And yes, that was our tree this year. :) See it's cool patina? The chocolate brown is down the entry hall too...On the top shelf, my angels. Most are from my father each Christmas. Some are even older, which were given to when my grandma passed away. Dad had been buying these angels and other Isabel Bloom's for her for years. He has carried on the tradition year after year for us too...
I keep mine here all year round. I like them there.

My pictures are up... all is good in my home! I have more to add, but it is a good start! :)


LOVE my new curtains from Target! They have chandelier silhouettes on them! I am going to get a vinyl silhouette for the wall too...Here is the 1/2 bath painted... LOVE this orange. It's called "natural maple". :)
Our office-my scrap space... waiting for another desk, and the scrap-stuff... :) I can't wait to set out everything, it has already been so much fun putting it together!
My good friend Anne said, when I was telling her it was all "just working out". She said, "Of course. You have been shopping for this home for years." I think she is right. Things that never worked out at the last house, do here. It's wonderful. It feels like home.
Thank you Lord for this gift. Help us... we want to stay here forever! Amen!

We had a house full on Christmas Eve... Grandma Sue came early to give the kids their presents. Gavin passed out the presents. :) Big boy!
An accident on I-80 kept Terry and Tony and Tonya and Marty and Big from getting here at 8pm (already late since the party started at 6pm, work schedules!) and so some of them left here at about 10pm to meet up with those missing at George's, who was here, but getting tired fast.. those late wanted to get a little time with George, and he needed to get home and rest! No pictionary until midnight this year! :(
Joe and Mary and "Red" were here too... Some of George's kids... Dave and Dorothy and Dorothy's daughter and son-in-law and grandson...Pat and Frosty... we were blessed. Prays please for George. He is fighting his cancer hard. And it is a hard battle.

I didn't get as many photo's as I would like, because my battery went dead, and my charger was still at Sue and Jerry's... so after the party, Jerry went and got it, cuz I HAD to have Christmas morning pictures! Poor guy. So I was left with TOY PACKAGING! (Download the song-click the "download" under the green arrow-TOO funny!!)

Christmas day we did the usual Christmas morning, off to see what Santa brought... the excitement was SO awesome!!Our Tradition... some Christians fore-go Santa. Not us. I LOVED Santa, and still get a present from Santa each year. :) So we decided, Santa brings one gift to each of our children each year. That present is ready to go and waiting for them! So they come down to this present waiting for them... batteries working, no TOY PACKAGING to frustrate them, at least for this gift. :)
Gabriel got Nintendo DS, Gavin Roboraptor (he has the lizard, but Santa misunderstood two years ago, and he said he still wanted the Raptor... :) ) and Cora, a life-sized Barbie. (There is a story there too... Biscuit was her Santa gift, cuz Santa gifts tend to be the "big" gift... but Gavin saw her Biscuit in the box... see the problem there. As long as they believe... well, why would Biscuit be present in my van a month early?? :)

My kids each get 3 present each... if it was good enough for Jesus... And this year I got a GREAT gift myself! Alicia's family, they use cloth bags and tie them with ribbon! They are resusable year after year! Well, Alicia had her Mom make me bags for Christmas! WHAT gift!! And the kids didn't notice the "no paper" gifts... they liked that their ribbons were each their own color on their gifts... the shared gift for Gabriel and Gavin had both ribbons on it... SO AWESOME!!! I think this should be the next big thng!! The paper we use wrapping!!!!! SERIOUSLY!! And these bags in itself is tradition!! OUr new tradition! I got one set of red stretchy material, and then green and white and red and white gingham! I haven't counted... 40 bags or soemthing??Machine washable to boot!! THANK you Alicia! (And mom too!!) I even took them to my parent for their gifts! They had to give them back, of course! :)

THIS is the best... the reaction! :)
Anyway, they were all thrilled!!! Biscuit IS a big hit with Cora, and the boys are thrilled to be "sync'd up" together on their Nintendo's! Gavin thinks his Rapor is "AWESOME"! LOL!

We didn't get a new TV yet... so no Wii yet either... we put the TV hook up's above the mantle... when we get a flat screen LCD, we'll set it up there, for now, it's our 19 in... :) To think Candi's girls room has a bigger TV than our family room! DANG!! :) (Had to get that in there! LOL!)
The surround sound wires are waiting for a new surround sound too. Maybe we'll just set up the old one. Anyway, in time. :) Maybe NEXT years Black Friday sales! LOL!

I got a new house. It fits me perfectly. :)

Off to my Dad's house Christmas afternoon. :) More spoiling of the kids, and a little spoiling for their parents. :) Thanks Grandma Dinah and Grandpa Don!!Their house has it's own sense of tradition. The tree, the train, the food!
Cora and Arra always put on a show dressing up! This year was no exception!
(The 80's called, they want their dresses back! :) )

(THIS picture just cracks me up!!)
Got Dad a remote control snowmobile! Too funny!
I will always cherish this photo of my Dad... at his spot on the couch. In front of the tree (and the tv! :) ) Cora's new bedding, she matched it last night!!

On the way home, in our neighborhood, is one of those houses with a light show set to the music of their own radio station. :) We thought watching the show would be a great end to the day. I managed to stay still enough with the long shutter to capture this photo!


Today, Jerry is at work, and I am thinking about getting out of my P'J's, but probably not. More unpacking to do. :)

New Year's, a few friends, and more fun!

In the meantime, I have NO scrapbooking things here yet! Yikes!! Once that van is available... :)

Be Blessed everyone!
I hope you all had a JOYOUS Christmas!
No Christmas cards this year... you'll be getting another type of card very soon! :)