A Little Different Look

Despite being in the thick of winter - and closing in quickly on Christmas (too quickly!!) - I decided to go with a flowery blog design with colors that are more reminiscent of spring than winter.  Of course it is from Shabby Miss Jenn.

Here is Love

We sang this Sunday during worship at church.  Well, I sobbed through it and people around me sang.  After a Sunday School lesson on the discipline of the Lord (from Hebrews 13, I'll link you to it as soon as it is posted...it was awesome...in my head I'm sing-songing that word like Annie does) anyway, after Todd's lesson on how we should react to the discipline of the Lord, singing during the worship service was almost more than I could bear.

Here Is Love - ©2002 Sovereign Grace Music.  Music and extra lyrics by Steve and Vikki Cook
Lyrics by William Rees

Here is love wide as the ocean
Loving kindness as a flood
When the Prince of Life, our ransom
Shed for us His precious blood
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten
Throughout Heaven’s eternal days

On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and love like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love   (And I say, "Thank you, Lord!!!!")

Oh how marvelous, oh how glorious
Is my Savior’s love for me!
Oh how marvelous, oh how glorious
Is my Savior’s love for me!

Of Your fullness You are pouring
Your great love on me anew
Without measure, full and boundless
Drawing out my heart to You
You alone will be my glory
Nothing in the world I see
You have cleansed and sanctified me
You Yourself have set me free

Amazing.  Absolutely, quite simply a.mazing.  Humbling. Awe-inspiring. 

Christmas Cards

So, you know I love working on our Christmas cards every year (which reminds me...if you want a card from us this year, you need to email me your address...do not post it here...because I lost my Christmas card database in one of my hard drive crashes).  Anyway, I love working on our Christmas cards each year.  I loved it before we had kids, I love it even more now.

This year, Shutterfly is doing an incredible special deal with bloggers:  Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Can you hear me squealing from where you are?  Yeah, that's me you hear. I really like Shutterfly's design options and like free even more. {smile}  I've used them for post-Christmas thank you notes in the past (it was a fold-over note card of all three girls in front of the tree), and Annie's thank you notes from her 2nd birthday (flat note card with a photo of her looking precious). Our family Thanksgiving invitations were from Shutterfly this year and one of my sister's stocking stuffers is, too.  I've been pleased with them - both from the note card standpoint and the photobooks, too (a wonderful grandparent gift if you're stumped).  One year, a friend of mine lived in Europe, and she had Shutterfly include personal notes in her cards and mail them for her - they did a great job of that. I was impressed that my card had my note - rather than my card having cousin Jenny's note.  :)

I'm trying to decide if I want to go with a multi-photo card or a single photo -- I mean, we are talking about trying to get four children to all look at the camera at the same time, smiling or at least having pleasant looks on their faces. And then, do I want a flat card or a fold-over card?  They literally have hundreds from which to choose!

If I go with a flat 4x8 single photo card (the "traditional" photo card), I like this one:

(I'm seeing a lot of brown in cards this year, by the way)

I really like the bold, graphic look of this "Holly Chocolate" card (though this looks more like mistletoe to me? Am I crazy?)

 Trying to get four or six people posed for a photo to fit this card would be our challenge.  But I do love it...a lot! Our grouping from our "Jingle Jammies" photo last year on Christmas Eve would probably work. 

Oooh, but as I kept looking, I found this one and I love it. I love that I can choose a passage of Scripture to go on it.  It's not particularly "Christmasy" though...

And I really like the folksy, hand-drawn look of this one...not sure how I'd work 3 photos, though...

And then there was this one...simple, one huge photo, the word "Joy" (which is a particular fondness for me at the holidays since "Joy to the World" is my favorite carol), "glitter" (even if it is digital)...Yeah, I think I've found it...

If you've ever received a Christmas card from us, you know I love this quote - I use it every year, and this year will be no different:
And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans – and all that lives and moves upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit, and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused – and to save us from our own foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.

~~Sigrid Undset

Our Thankful Tree

We've finally gotten our Thankful Tree on the wall and have started adorning it with leaves.  My kids are so funny, and sweet, and somewhat predictable, when putting things on their leaves. 

I asked Harrison, "Buddy, what are you thankful for?"  His response (written by Elizabeth):

Rick and Teresa serve (oh, do they serve) in the two-year-old Sunday School.  They are precious.  Harrison has hated the church nursery since he was an infant.  He screamed bloody murder for about two weeks when he moved into that class and then...boom..."Mr Rick Mrs Teresa" (all one word, really) were the best thing ever.  He adores them.  He wakes on Sunday morning and we'll say, "Who do we see today?"  "Mr Rick Mrs. Teresa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  He's so excited.  When we get to church he runs to greet them, giggling and grinning.  It's the cutest thing to watch.  Knowing how much Harrison loves them, I was not in the slightest bit surprised that Harrison's first thing on the Thankful Tree was for them. 

Brad's first response (written by me, of course) cracked me up:

All I can say is "Amen!" to that one!   I'll share more photos as we fill the tree. 

Blowing it as a mom and the forgiveness of children

For three days this week, we had typical Arkansas November weather.  Chilly, overcast, drizzly days that seem colder than they really are because they're so damp. 

So, yesterday morning we're in the van and about to pull out of the neighborhood - taking Annie to preschool.  I flip on my wipers and one of them goes flying across the street.  Huh?! Why did that happen? Has someone been climbing on my van? (because they have a tendency to do just that)  Thankfully the wiper snaps back on and it's a very easy fix.  But, I'm fuming silently.

Then one of my children says, "Mommy, I climbed on your van. I know I was wrong to do that." 
"You did? Why? You know you're not supposed to do that. You're old enough to know better. You know Harrison gets in trouble for that.  You snapped off one wiper and bent the other one! Why did you climb on my van?"  I would not shut up. And my tone of voice was not kind.  Yes, it was an issue that needed to be addressed, but I did not handle it the right way at all.

Thankfully, when we hit the four-way stop about a half mile down the road, the Lord convicted me of how harsh and unkind I was.  She had admitted she knew it was wrong.  Yet, I chewed her up over it.  I wasn't abusive, but I was harsh in my tone of voice and rather than address it in private, I was unkind in front of her siblings.

The look on her face said plenty. I had hurt her.  I pulled into a parking lot, parked the van and turned to face her.  To her I said, "{child}, I was horribly unkind to you.  I was harsh in my speech. I spoke that way to you in front of your siblings, too.  Will you forgive me for being unkind?"  She nodded. Then to each of my other children, I spoke one by one, "{Child's name} will you forgive me for being harsh and unkind to {sister that I was unkind to}."  Each child said, "Yes, Mommy, I forgive you."  And then, the child I was unkind to said again, in the sweetest voice, "I forgive you, Mommy. I love you!!"  I burst into tears. I am so thankful that the Lord was kind to prompt me when I was way out of line.  I'm thankful that my sweet girl was quick to forgive (oh, may I always be that quick to forgive). And may I always remember when I am asked to forgive someone that I should remind them that I love them, too.