Like My Sister Said....

Hello, all!

Most of you probably already saw my sister Melody's post last night about our blog break for the sake of practicing more music.  We all play instruments in our family... I play guitar, trombone, little bit of piano and tenor saxophone...  our home is filled to capacity with musical instruments because we believe that it is a talent that the Lord has given our family that we should do our very best to nurture and grow.  My dad and I sing together- whether it is at church or in front of the abortion mills we strive to bring God glory through our music and through the example of a family working *together* to bring it all about.

So here I am to tell you that I'm taking a little break from blogging so that I can really focus on practicing... we are planning on going to sing outside an abortion mill on Saturday and we haven't played in a while so we need all the practice we can get ;-)

Anyway...  I will be back soon... I love this time of year too much to not blog about it :-)  But I cannot guarantee any promises as we really do have an extremely busy next two weeks planned!

So to hold you all over for a while (because I know that my blog is so important to you ;-) ) here is some fun  and free Christmas media to enjoy!

David Crowder* Band's Oh for Joy

Chris Tomlin's Glory in the Highest

BarlowGirl's Home for Christmas

Here are some great free Adventures in Odyssey episodes for the season...

It's a Pokenberry Christmas Part One 

(This is an ablosolutely hilarious spoof off of "It's a Wonderful Life"!  We love it...)

It's a Pokenberry Christmas Part Two

Unto Us a Child Is Born

Gifts for Madge and Guy

Listen online for the next couple weeks until Christmas for a plethora of Christmas episodes!

Free Sheet Music Printables

Alrighty... Until we meet again...

Christmas Decorating!

Oh, how I love this time of year!  Have you begun your decorating yet?  We wanted to get it all done the day after Thanksgiving but unfortunately it didn't work out :-) We actually just "finished" our decorating last week- but you never know, after I look at all these decorating ideas again I may go on a rampage :-)

Here are some beautiful ideas that I found, some DIY and some- JFIO  (That means "Just Figure It Out" ;-) 

Shabby Chic... gorgeous!

Beautiful Wreath- click here to be directed to the tutorial.

Hot glue cranberries to foam balls...  looks so festive- I love red :-)

Iced branches... click here to find out how to make them.

This is an awesome idea!  A tomato cage wrapped in lights... frugally elegant ;-)

Click here to be directed to the tutorials...

I love little village pieces!

An embroidery hoop turned Christmas card wreath...

A gumdrop wreath- I want to make on of these so badly!  Here's the tutorial.

Beautiful Tudor style house... for the village.

I hope you have enjoyed :-)

Are you doing anything different in your decorating?  Do you usually use store bought decorations or homemade or both?

Have a blessed day! 

~Amy

Are you...

Source: preservemyheritage.com via Amy on Pinterest

A Charlie Brown Christmas

A part of our everyday during Christmas time at our house is the playing of the Charlie Brown Christmas Album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

Listen to it for free here.

This feels so festive- I love the Peanuts Gang- especially around Christmas time!

I really love this:

Isn't it amazing?  A mainstream cartoon- telling the true story of Christmas- for the whole world to hear!

Hope your day is merry :-)

~Amy

A couple good books and some thoughts

Hello, friends!
No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth- I have just been busy, busy, busy... still.  :-)

This is such a blissful (albeit sometimes stressful) season...  I love the colors, the lights, the parties, the goodies, the new cool weather....  I don't know- maybe it has especial glamour for me because my birthday is three days before Christmas on top of everything :-)

In honor of the season, I got this book from the library and quickly consumed it within a day or so...

It was wonderful- didn't expect that I would want to cry over a story that I have heard so many times before but the novelization in this  book made it all so real to me...


Another wonderful book is

It tells the story of the nativity from a completely different perspective- a literally heavenly one.
Read a little taste of it here!

Anyway...  as I've been listening to the carols on the radio- old and new- the reminder of what God  has done for us... the why behind Christmas has been resounding in my heart...
To think- Immanuel "God with us"- God in the flesh!

Wanted to share this with you all as tomorrow is the first day of December (eek! YAY!) and it is also the first day to start this:

Daily Scripture Reading for December

(Sorry the photo is so pixelated!)

The reading consists of different passages of scripture to read everyday, starting December 1 all the way up until Christmas Eve, to prepare our hearts for Christmas and to help us focus on who Jesus is, and what He did for us 2,000 years ago...  it looks wonderful!  I think I may have to do it :-)

Have a blessed day...

~Amy

Happy Belated Thanksgiving :-)

Yep- the title says it all....   we were very busy this week as my cousins from up north came down for a visit and stayed through Thanksgiving Day- they left yesterday morning. 

We had a blast.

Thanksgiving was at my grandparents' and uncle's ranch so not only was there food but there were also games of "Link Tag" and music... 

I can't think about it- I may go melancholy because I miss 'em so much already...

I actually went to the Black Friday sale at Kohl's yesterday around 9 am and it worked out pretty well!  Daddy got in line while Melody and I picked up what we wanted (which they had everything by the way- go figure!) , slipped back in line, and got out of there probably within an hour I'd say!

It was fun- hoping to get out some Christmas decorations today...

How was your Thanksgiving?  Are you decorating for Christmas yet?

Have a fabulous day!

I tell you the truth...

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Busy, Busy, Busy...

No, I didn't post yesterday- I'm sorry :-)

I feel so busy... been making treats for our upcoming "Thankful" Party:

Remember I posted these a few weeks ago?

Pumpkin Cookies

I made them- they are delicious!  I still need to ice them but even without icing they are wonderful :-)

These are just downright awesome!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with cream cheese icing- Eeeek!  I love them...

Already made the dough for Ginger Snaps... Hoping to bake them today...

Anyway... have you been making any yummy treats for fall recently?

How's your Thanksgiving menu going... I need to get ours started!  :-)

Are you black and white?

Some issues people like to "beat around the bush" so to speak...  they don't believe that there is any black and white- every situation is different...  such controversial issues as

abortion.

That word is a hot button to so many people- you wouldn't believe it.  You wouldn't believe maybe even how some of your friends feel about it because nobody likes to talk about it... why?  Because it can be a down right painful topic- especially for people who are Pro-Choice (or pro-death is more like it).  They usually have had some sort of experience with abortion (they had one, their friend, girlfriend, sister, mom... etc..) and suffer from the unhealed wound of sin.  The Word of God is written on their hearts to tell them it is wrong- that is why no one wants to talk about it- they know that it is wrong but they are trying to brainwash themselves to think otherwise.  

Are you black and white?  Do you know that abortion is murder?  That a "fetus" in the womb is in fact a living baby that already has a soul and feelings?

I do.

Ray Comfort made a documentary this year regarding this subject- it should help you to determine a black and white stance if you do not already have one...

***WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES***

Please make sure with your parents first!

When I'm older....

Why Complain?

As I go about my life I find it easy to complain about almost anything.  I complain about a mess my brother left, how my sister left her clothes on the floor, how this needs to be done, and we need that... it comes all too naturally to me... sadly enough.  

I'm always looking for the "solution" for things.  I'm a troubleshooter (big time!) and I'm always working to "solve the problem"...  usually I feel like the solution is in our organization ("Things need to be MORE organized!") something needs to be fixed in our "system".  But I know that that's not the real solution- it may be part but not the whole.  

It's so simple:

Pray

"Until now you have asked for nothing in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."
~John 16:24

No, it doesn't sound practical. No, it doesn't sound like things will get fixed *right now* like everything I try to do... in my flesh.  I forget that God knows the desires of my heart and He wants to fill them... but I need to ask first.  How could I forget my best friend?  He wants to bless me, He wants to take care of me- but how can He do it when I haven't asked for it?  Otherwise I would feel like I don't need to ever ask Him for anything- why pray at all?   

Jesus asks us to pray and ask God for things- so that our joy might be made full.  He desires us to have joy- to have good and wonderful things... how disappointed He would be if He was never able to bless us because we never asked...

Why complain?  Just pray.

Is this normal- or am I crazy?

I am like really, really, really, really, REALLY excited about Christmas!  I know... it's pathetic... I've been excited and planning since September... :-)
(My birthday is a few days before Christmas... maybe that's why I like it so much...)

It's so amazing when I think about the Christmas story... how God came down out of heaven and was born into flesh to live a perfect life and to ultimately die as a sacrifice for our sins.  It's mind-blowing actually.

Us Christians have a beautiful ministry platform at Christmas time.

Everyone is bustling around in the "Christmas spirit", cheery, festive...  what better time to tell them the Christmas story- the gospel message?  

Go caroling!
Sing about the gift of God...

Bring cookies and tracts...

Bring tracts with you when you are in line at busy stores... Wouldn't it be nice to read a comic while waiting in line?

Anyway... just thinkin'...

Is it to early to be thinking about Christmas?!?!?  I can't help it!

Have a fabulous day, my friends!

~Amy

Embrace WHAT?!?!?!?

Ha... you are probably on the edge of your seat as to what the "WHAT?!?!?!?" is in the title aren't you?

Patience, patience...

Pop culture, movies, album covers, and even books have been screaming to us girls...

"To be pretty, you must have a PERFECT face!  No pimples, scars, or un-plucked eyebrows... Oh! and don't EVER think that you can go without makeup!"

Yesterday I was feeling... well... ugly.  I have some leftover very subtle acne on my face but I noticed some temporary scars where the acne had left.  My hair dried kind of funny because I waited a bit too long to brush it after coming out of the shower. 

Ugh.

I had to babysit later in the day so I found a few free minutes, snagged 'em and went to the bathroom to cover up my "ugliness".  I wanted to cry just looking at myself... why did I feel like this?

I came to my Momma afterwards and mentioned how I felt...  She began trying to make me feel better about my appearance but then she stopped and said, 

"You know, you should be grateful for your blemishes and when you feel like that because it keeps you from getting prideful about your appearance."

Pure wisdom. 

It was like a light bulb moment for me...

What's the matter with a perfect face?  What's the matter with having no pimples, scars, or un-plucked eyebrows?  Nothing's that matter with it- but it can make it a whole lot harder to view yourself as what you really are: a dirty sinner that doesn't deserve to have anything- not even good looks.

  

So embrace your blemishes- after all where does true beauty really come?

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

~1 Peter 3:3-4~

Thanks, Momma!

What to Say?

"For I did not speak on my own initiative but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak."

~John 12:49~

Wow... I read that verse this morning and I'm still trying to come to grips with it.  

Jesus, the Son of God, God in the flesh, only spoke what God commanded Him to speak?

If the Son of God relied on the Father to command Him what He was to say how much more so should I? 

Food for thought.

Operation: Baby Pumpkin

Yesterday morning my parents came home from the grocery store, plopped a few pumpkins on the dining room table and said, "Guys, I need your help."  "Ok, what do you need us to do?" I replied.

Apparently a local church had wrapped up their pumpkin patch on Halloween and left these on the side of the road for anyone that wanted them.

 It took two trips to get all these pumpkins... can you guess how many in all?

 Later yesterday evening we got to work on cooking, scraping, and pureeing them- we didn't even make a dent in the pile!

It was truly a gift from the Lord- I felt so blessed- He definitely knows the desires of our hearts...

I'm so excited now- looking forward to making pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin soup- not to mention all the decorating possibilities! 

Follow my Pumpkins board on Pinterest here!

Have a fabulous day...

~Amy

PS: Don't forget to guess how many pumpkins you think we got in all ;-)