CHRISTMAS DAY 2006!!

Well another Christmas Day has past! Overall I'd say it was a very relaxing day! We woke up around 8:00am. Dwain lit a fire in the living room and we sat down to open gifts. The kids were really excited this year. Ryan figured that Christmas didn't come when he woke up cuz there wasn't any snow on the ground. A little disappointment to start the day but seeing he had some presents to open all was forgotten quickly. I got fabric to make the boys Christmas quilts for next year. I have got a really neat idea for these quilts and I will share it with you when I start the process. Here's a photo of Christmas morning and my fabric.

Christmas Gift from Dwain

We went over to Dwain's parents place in the late morning where mom made us all a wonderful brunch. We then preceeded to the living room where we opened our gifts. I got fabric for my next years Christmas Quilt for our bed and a few other quilting supplies and gift certificates from my favourite quilt store. Here's a picture of my Christmas Fabric.

We went home mid-afternoon to prepare a turkey dinner for my side of the family. I put the turkey in the oven and had a short nap with the kids. My parents came over around 5:00pm and we ate just after six. It was a delicious meal if I do say so myself. The whole family was here so we took a family photo. Josh is in the red shirt. He's my cousins son but he's considered one of the family. After dinner we opened gifts and guess what I got!! That's right MORE FABRIC!!! YEEEEHAA! Here it is!! This will be for a Fall Quilt for our bed.

Yesterday Dwain's parents came over for lunch. My friend Michelle made me a quiche and so Dad and Dwain went out to do chores and then came in for lunch. It was very tasty Michelle. You're a good cook! Thanks! Tonite we are going out for dinner with my extended family. My grandfather takes us all out for turkey dinner to a local restaurant. It's nice to see all my cousins and aunts and uncles. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE JESUS CAME...

Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house,
Not a creature was praying not one in the house.
There Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,
In hope that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And mom in her rocker and baby in her lap,
Was watching the late show while I took a nap.

When out of the east there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an angel proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment this must be the day.

The light of his face made me cover my head,
It was Jesus returning just like he had said.
And though I posessed wordly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which he held in his hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as he searched for my name,
When he said "It's not here", my head hung in shame.

The people who's names had been written with love,
he gathered to take to his father above.
With those who were ready he rose without sound,
While all of the rest were left standing around.

I fell to me knees but it was too late,
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight,
OH! if only I had been ready tonite.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear,
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There is only one life and when comes the last call,
We'll find that the Bible was true afterall.

Author Unknown

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS PART 2

Six more sleeps till Christmas!!! I'm still sewin my little heart out! I don't have my gifts done yet and the pressure is starting to mount. I know I'll get them done I just can't seem to get myself started into sewing mode till around 9:00pm every night. Then I sew till close to 1:00am. Call me crazy!

Well this is part 2 of My Favourite Things. As you can see, it is a Nativity Scene. Dwain and I received this as a gift from his Grandma and Grandpa the first Christmas we were married. (1994). It has sentimental value to us because the day we got it was the last time we saw Grandma. She unexpectedly passed away 5 days later. She was so excited for us as a newly married couple. I didn't know Grandma very long but she was a special lady. Every year when I put it out I can't help but smile and I think of her. Grandpa has since passed on as well. Dwain was very close with Grandpa as he chicken farmed with him for many years as a young boy and then as a young man. Fond memories of just hangin out with Grandpa in the barns can't help but flood the mind when we take out our Nativity Scene. They had a great love for their family, but most important they had a love for Jesus that shone through them like a light in the darkness. Many grand kids today will never know what it's like to have grandparents like we had. I know they prayed for us all regularly and were passionate about it. Even though they aren't with us anymore we will be forever thankful for the spiritual commitment they had to our entire family. They passed on a great legacy, one that Dwain and I feel blessed to continue.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS PART 1

Christmas is always such a fun time of year for me. Not only because I get to shop for gifts or make things for the people I love but it's a time to look back on some of the things that mean allot to me also.

Over the years I have received allot of gifts. Our families on both sides bless us incredibly with very generous gifts every Christmas. But sometimes there's that one gift that you never forget because it has sentimental value. One of those gifts that bring memories flooding back in an instant. See this little teapot? This is one of those gifts. This is one of my favourite things. This little teapot is jam packed with memories. My mother-in-law aquired this teapot a very long time ago. Back when colored lights were the only thing you put on your tree and the kids put the decorations all in one place (they still do this at my house. It's obviously something you outgrow.) I think that's about when she got this teapot. Years past and this little teapot was always front and center on the tree. It was a favourite ornament back then too.

Right about the time I came into the family, mom had started to use white lights on the tree and had a color theme with the decorations. If I remember correctly, it was peach. It's simply stunning the decorating mom can do. When you saw her decorated Christmas tree you'd think you stepped into Christmas Tree Heaven. Peach was in back then. But now what were they to do with this little red teapot. Because of tradition, the little red teapot had to go on the tree but it didn't match anything and stuck out like a sore thumb. They agreed it could go at the back of the tree so at least it would be on it. Well, that may have been the consensus but Dwain just wasn't satisfied. Dwain made it his Christmas mission to sneak that little teapot back front and center on the tree whenever he had the chance. Mom would put it back and when she wasn't looking he'd sneak it back in the front again. I can only imagine the silliness that was going on. That inside sort of laughter that's hard to contain because you're being such a brat. Mom must have had her share of laughs about it too.

About six years ago, mom past this ornament down to Dwain and I. When she gave it to us, I remember we all reminisced about the good old days with that little teapot. Today this little teapot is back front and center on our tree every Christmas! It's the last ornament to go on the tree and Dwain is the one that puts it on. We keep it in a real mini treasure box lined with velvet. About the second year we had it I surprised Dwain with one of those rotating light sockets. When he put the Teapot on the turning hook we just sat back and laughed ourselves silly as we watched it turn on the tree. It really wasn't that funny but it sure was to us! Oh Little Teapot!! You bring a Happiness!!

I BELIEVE

I received this the other day and it really made me think. I hope that someday when I am gone that the people who knew me will say "She lived what she beleived"

I Believe...
that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save the world from sin.

I Believe …
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe …
That life is more precious than money will ever be able to be.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe …
That just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to, doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I Believe …
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I Believe …
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe …
That you can keep going, long after you think you can’t.

I Believe …
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe …
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe …
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe …
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I Believe …
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe …
That sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe …
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I Believe …
That it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe …
That no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn’t stop for your grief, but God does.

I Believe …
That just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I Believe …
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I Believe …
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe …
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I Believe …
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I Believe …
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe …
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you much too soon.

I Believe …
That life is more precious than money will ever be able to be.

I Believe …
That it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

O' CHRISTMAS TREE!!

I can't believe how fast December is passing by! On any given year you can count on me having my Christmas tree up by the second week of November. Yes, I know that it is early, but I like to spread out my decorating. The third weekend in November the tree simply gets fluffed up. Then the last weekend in November I put all the lights on. Then the first weekend in December is when the tree gets fully decorated. Well we are now coming up on the second weekend of December and I am happy to announce that my tree is finally done! I don't know why it took me so long this year. But now that it's done I feel like I can get on with other things. Here are a few other things that have been keeping me busy lately.

November 25th we celebrated Ryan's 5th birthday!! Although his birthday isn't really till the end of December, we decided that we would set November 25 as the day we celebrate his day with his friends. It gets so busy at Christmas time, most families don't have time to fit in a kids birthday party! So he decided he wanted a Lightning McQueen birthday! You know the race car from the Disney Movie CARS. So off to the store I went in search of a cake pan in the shape of a car. I was quite excited when I saw a cake pan that actually was Lightning McQueen. I like to make the birthday cakes for my kids. My mom always made mine and my friends would always say Wow, your mom made that for you? They were pretty cool cakes! I want to do the same for my boys! They already love it when I make them. The effort is always worth it when their faces light up cuz they can recognize what I am making the cake to look like. So here is what the finished product looked like. I couldn't exactly go pro with my cake decorating skills but the kids think it's great and that's what counts!

So the birthday party is over and there is still so much on my list of things to do. All things I enjoy of course but yet it still makes for a busy life. As you all know, I love to craft. I seem to go in phases with my hobbies. I only seem to be interested in one thing at a time. Right now it's quilting.

In November I started a quilting club with my extended family. A few of us have finished our quilts already but some of us chose to make larger ones so they aren't quite as far ahead. Other that some loose threads and hand stitching, mine is finished. Here is a picture of my sister Natalie's and a picture of mine. Once the others have completed their projects, I'll be posting all of them. They are all going to be sooo amazing.

I decided to sew most of my Christmas presents this year so I hope they will be a success. It's always risky making something for someone cuz you don't know how it's going to turn out till it's done. I figured I'd give it a shot. My sewing machine has just had a service so this week it's going to get a good workout. Please pray that I don't have to haul the seam ripper out too often.

Well, once again it's 12:41am and it's time for me to get some of those precious zzzz's like you are all getting right about now! Tomorrow is Friday! Well actually today is!! Whatever, I love Friday!! Blog ya later!!

A DAY OF REFLECTION!!

Today was one of those reflection days! One of those days when you go back to a certain point in your life and say WOW! look how I've grown! In my case that would be on the inside and out! It's ok to LOL at that one!!

I was sitting here today thinking back to when Dwain and I were first married. I remember how rich we suddenly felt when we officially became a couple and had two incomes. We had so much fun. We went on two great vacations. Once to Disneyworld and the other to Hawaii. We had some really great times but soon we found ourselves seeking riches of another kind. We wanted a baby!

It seems like only yesterday that I found out that I was pregnant with Ryan. We had waited so long to have a baby and now it was finally going to happen. It was a long road and a huge faith builder for us waiting on the Lord to prepare us and bless us with a child. It took so long that we started to think that maybe God had something else in store for us. This was hard for us to accept. I remember the very moment when I knew I'd accept anything God had in store for me. Dwain and I were talking about having a baby once again and Dwain could sense my discouragement. I knew how badly he wanted to have a baby and I knew how great of a Dad he would be. You all know that Dwain doesn't talk alot but that day he said something to me that changed my life. He said, Lori, if the only family of our own we ever have consists of just you and me, I would be content with that! WOW! I mean, I knew this guy loved me but....WOW!!! That changed me. I knew that the love God gave us for eachother was enough and so did he. It really took the pressure off of me as we knew that it was my body that wasn't functioning properly. I look back on that time and realize that I think there was more to the story of us not getting pregnant right when we wanted it. I think that God was developing our love for eachother, deepening it and strengthening it for the future. About five months later I was pregnant. We embraced our pregnancy with such a strong faith. We felt that we had literally received a miracle. We had.

Ryan was due to arrive December 31st, 2001. I often talked to God during the day about the baby growing inside of me. I remember one day in particular, it was mid October. I was feeling somewhat emotional, sentimental, and goofy. What a crazy combination! I was soon to be finished my work and on maternity leave and I was anticipating Ryan's birth. I was reflecting on how deeply I felt God's hand in my pregnancy and thought how fitting it was to have a child born so close to the date we celebrate Christ's birth. As I talked to God, my thoughts went to ask him if he would give me our baby on Christmas Day! I told him how symbolic that would be to me. Although he knew he was already very real to me and I didn't need any validation that he was responsible for this entire miracle , I told him in my thoughts in a playful sort of way that that would be the ultimate if I had my baby on his own son's birthday. I giggled to myself and wondered if he shared my humour in the whole conversation I was having with him. The weeks passed and I forgot about that conversation until closer to the birth. I have never known anyone who would ask for their child to be born on Christmas Day!! But that was my heart's desire. I now know without a doubt that God really does have a sense of humour. December 24th in the early morning I went into labour. By 6pm I was at the hospital and the nurses figured that I would have the baby before midnight. I thought to myself, is this for real? I'm not due for another week and this is my first baby. This would mean we'd have a Christmas Eve baby and I thought, I guess that's close enough, I mean an hour or 2 before Christmas day is pretty unbelievable considering my prayer request. Well to make a long labour, I mean story short, Ryan was born at 4:29pm on Christmas Day! My prayer was answered. Not only that, he gave me a son! One thing I'll never understand though is why he put me through 34 hours of labour first! He could have just let him be born at 12:01am Christmas day!! I guess its his sense of humor kickin in again! Haaha Lord!! Real funny!!

In a few weeks Ryan will be 5. I wanted to share this story because it really shows how God is real in a very real way to us if we let him. He's not just there for us to pray to when we have a problem and we need him. He's there for us to talk to right in the middle of our greatest day ever! December 25, 2001 will forever go down in my books as the most profound spiritual experience of my life! I am sure I will have more, but for now, this one holds the record! Thank you God for the gift of my son! I Love you Ryan...4-ever!!

There is nothing we really need know

or try to understand

If we refuse to be discouraged

and trust God's guiding hand...

So take heart and meet each minute

with faith in God's great love,

Aware that every day of life

is controlled by God above...

And never dread tomorrow

or what the future brings,

Just pray for strength and courage

and trust God in all things...

And never grow discouraged

be patient and just wait

For God never comes too early

and He never comes too late!

by Helen Steiner Rice