You're Here by Design ~ Happy New Year !

" Just think, you're not here by chance, but by God's choosing. His hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else - you are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can't give. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation."              by Roy Lessin , co-founder of DaySpring.

 

You're here by design so cheer up, this is your year to enjoy and embrace another year of life from God ! How will you choose to live your life this year ? I am hoping I remember to always be thankful for my blessings and mindful that dark times are hard, but a thankful heart sings with joy amidst the tears and sorrows. After all, if Corrie Ten Boom * could praise God for head lice while imprisoned in a Nazi war camp ( because the lice on the prisoners kept the German guards out of the women's quarters ) then surely I can be thankful for the everyday things that tend to get me down , and some of the bigger worries and pains , well, one day at a time they get dealt with . In God's time !

 

" To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." Ecclesiastes  3:1

 

~Picture is of Cedar Pond a few years ago.~

Dancing Fairy ~ Frilly Geese ( Gifts from the heart)

 The gift that made my heart sing , a painting done for us as a Christmas gift by our daughter's oldest daughter. She painted what I feel as I watch my beautiful geese swimming in Cedar Pond. The fairy seems the magical embodiment of my geese as she dances over the water. When I look closely ( click onto picture ) at the painting I see so many more details and marvel at granddaughter's ability to capture so much with paint and her imagination. Thank-you KN !

" It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving," Mother Teresa

" You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." Amy Carmichael

" Some of the most beautiful things worth having in your life come wrapped in a crown of thorns." Shannon Adler

 

* Pictures are of my Sebastopol geese Ella and Fella .

Our Reason for the Season

" ..for today in the city of David there has been born for you a savior , who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign for you : you will find a baby wrapped in cloths , and lying in a manger." Luke 2:11,12

Santa is My Personal Friend ! ( and WINNER !!! )

Santa and I are close personal friends ( picture of me and Santa taken a few years ago  ) , so when I asked him to draw a name out of his hat to determine the winner of a pair of Wee Little Sheep *  he was very happy to help out. Of course, we waited until midnight Pacific Standard Time of the 20th to draw names as promised and Santa was impatient to get going because he has a busy week ahead. He enjoyed a cup of herbal tea and a few cookies while we waited for midnight and watched some special Christmas shows. But you're not interested in all that , you want to know who won. THE WINNER IS...

 Bee Lady of Hilltop Farm !!!!! *

Bee Lady ,Email your mailing address to me at jkcedarpond@fairpoint.net and I'll send your little sheep to you. Congratulations !

Here is our youngest grandchild, and he's not too sure about this guy in red. Maybe next year when he's another year older he will be a bit happier about seeing Santa. Which reminds me of a cute and true story. A few years ago one of our granddaughters called me and asked to speak to her Poppa ( my husband ) and told me "just in case Poppa really is Santa I want to tell him what I want for Christmas ".

Thank-you to all who commented . I have some of my grandchildren spending the next 2 nights and 3 days with us and Santa may make another visit to our home too. I will be having fun making crafts and baking cookies with them, plus we have a home movie marathon tonight complete with popcorn and snacks. I am looking forward to visiting again this week all my blogging friends who took time to comment and seeing what goes on around your home during the Christmas season. Blessed Christmas to all of you !

My Nativity Scene ( and last day to win give-away )

 Our family celebrations of Christmas are full of gift-giving, Christmas tree decorating, stockings hung on the fireplace mantle to be filled with little treats from Santa after Santa has made a special appearance in our home to talk to the grandchildren, the excitement in anticipating what will be under the tree Christmas morning, sharing Christmas dinner with family and eating all the special foods of the season....yet this is the focal point in our living room, our nativity scene.

"What child is this , who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping ? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet , while shepherds watch are keeping ? This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary."  hymn 'What child Is This ?'  ~traditional English melody set to text by William C. Dix

 

The nativity scene might be the focal point of our living room during the Christmas season , more importantly though is that Jesus, the Son of God , our Savior , is the focal point in my heart and life. I don't need a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, presents, or a nativity scene to know and celebrate Him. Jesus, the babe in the manger we celebrate at Christmas grew up and He said in Matthew 11:28~ 30 "Come to Me ,all who are weary and heavy-laden , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you for I am gentle and humble in heart and you shall find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy , and My load is light."

 

Do you want an opportunity to win a pair of Wee Little Sheep * ? Tonight at midnight I will have my husband draw the names of any leaving comments on my blog out of his Santa hat. Your name will be entered for every comment left on my posts ( limited to 1 comment per post ). I will post the name of the winner the 21st.

 

 

Christmas Kitchen Memories ~ (and chance to win Wee Little Sheep)

 Christmas in the kitchen around here makes me happy. Even if I am not baking or entertaining guests the kitchen is full of cheerful reminders of this season. Some of the things in my Christmas kitchen have been with us for many years and bring with them happy memories.

 This Santa cookie jar needs to be filled with cookies. The butter is out for softening at room temperature so my husband can bake his Berry Butternuts * , jam thumbprint cookies his father made every year and now my husband continues the tradition for our family. I also make *sugar cookies  every year using my favorite recipe from many years ago. Often I wait to make and bake these cookies when I have grandchildren over a few days before Christmas.

 This teapot is my hot cocoa pot, and the goose mugs are for serving lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows during the Christmas season. We received the mugs as gifts from my husband's parents many years ago. We got the teapot after his parents died. This set always remind us of my husbands' parents and their love of celebrating Christmas with family.

 My Santa sugar bowl and creamer. I made these the first year my husband and I were married and have brought these two out every Christmas season. They sit beside the coffee pot ready for guests needing real cream and sugar in their coffee or tea. There are so many good memories surrounding these little Santa accessories , and the privilege of being able to serve coffee, tea, coco, and so much more to family and friends over the years is not taken for granted by my husband and me. God has been generous with us in the gift and blessings of so much family and so many good friends.

My Christmas kitchen is ready again for company and full of sweet reminders of Christmases past. Christmas kitchen memories of good times gone by and the glimmer of new memories in the making.

Don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like to win a pair of these Wee Little Sheep*. The 20th is the last day of this give-away opportunity. I will enter your name for every comment you leave ( limited to one comment per day ).

Don't Worry ~ Sing Carols !

There has been so much senseless evil and tragedy in the news. It is difficult not to become anxious and fearful. Yet here I am decorating my home and planning special meals and treats for those I love, because as Christians we celebrate the birth of Jesus this month, and I am forgetting He is the very reason I should not be fearful. When I feel the old familiar darkness of fear slithering into my thoughts and spewing the infection of anxiety throughout my being, I know the cure. " Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you." Psalm 55:22

"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." Proverbs 12:25

" Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength - carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." Corrie Ten Boom

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles. " Charlie Chaplin

 

"Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged , it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained." Arthur Somers Roche

 

Time to put on the Christmas carols , bake my sugar cookies and sing loudly ( and off key ) JOY TO THE WORLD the Lord has come !

 

If you'd like a chance to win a pair of these Wee Little Sheep* simply leave a comment on my blog. Your name will be entered every time you leave a comment ( limited to one per day ).