Come, let us worship the LORD!

We can worship the LORD in so many ways, inside and outside of the church building.  This month, the kids have had some special opportunities to serve and participate in corporate worship at church.  Here's Hannah Reece, an old pro with the palm branch on Palm Sunday.  I loved hearing the girls that morning singing a song they learned at Community Bible Study earlier in the week:

"Ho-ho-ho-Hosannah, 

A-a-allelujah, 

He-he-he-HE saved me,

I love HIM!"

 Millie's first time to participate in Palm Sunday, Daddy was rounding up a small palm just for her when I took this picture.  :)

 Graham and cousin Logan attended acolyte training this month, a special opportunity for children ages 9 and up.  It was so special to see these boys serve the LORD by lighting the candles as worship began on Resurrection Sunday.

Hello 2013

It's a new year! 

I love fresh starts.  I don't love resolutions.  Maybe because I have terrible follow through?  I am thankful that every day is great for a fresh start! God's word says "His mercies are new every morning." (Lamentations 3:23) Praying that my (spiritual) eyes would be open to SEE God's mercies anew each day and receive them with a thankful heart.   

My "one little word" for this year is ENJOY.  Last year was work, hard work.  My (unannounced) word for 2012 was INTENTIONAL.  Bringing the kids home to school last January was an intentional choice, led by the Lord's prompting.  I am thankful that with intention (and obedience) came great provision, protection and relational and spiritual growth.  

My aim this year is to intentionally ENJOY the presence and relationships that the Lord has provided.  Enjoy our family.  Enjoy our friends.  ENJOY walking with with GOD.  

Having been a follower of Jesus Christ for almost 31 years, many of those years were spent striving, performing and working to deepen and cultivate my faith.  Often times in my own strength.  

In the last ten years, God has done a mighty work in my heart.  He has slowly, gently led me to a place of peace.  This has been a gradual process.  Like any relationship, it's stronger when time is spent together, I am learning so much by spending time in God's word and being quiet before Him. The real change has been in realizing that God pursues ME.  God loves me!  I can rest in Him.  His strength, His peace, His love.   

Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

For years I glossed over this passage and continued reading, looking for the "to do's" and clear application points.  How could I be a better Christian?  What do I do? Well, yes, but what about "working out" my faith, Jesus?  What about my quiet times with you?  That isn't just going to happen you know!   What about sharing my faith with others?  What about being "salt and light"? Where should I go, how do I do it?   Striving, striving, striving.  Until I could strive no more.  

You know what?  Jesus met me there.  In that place of weariness and futile striving.  Not with condemnation, but with gentleness and patience.  With rest for my weary soul.  Oh how I love Him!  Truly, his burden is light.  The heaviness that I've felt for all of these years is the fruit of fear and self-reliance.  Fear of man.  Fear of failure.  Fear of not measuring up or not being/doing enough to meet God's expectations.  Fear of letting people down. The freedom from all of that is exhilarating!   At times I am still tempted to fear and give in to anxiety, but when I choose to trust GOD to do his work in and through me, leading me every step of the way---there is true freedom.  Surrender.  Peace. The only voice I need to respond to is the Lord's.

Until marrying Dan and experiencing the Presbyterian tradition first-hand, I never new what confessions or catechisms or any of those words meant.  I thought confessions and catechisms were for Catholics only. Now I know that a confession (of faith) is merely a unified statement of belief, based on scripture.   I LOVE the first line of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (inspiration for my word this year):

Question:  What is the chief end of man?  
Answer:  Man's chief end is to glorify God, and enjoy him forever.  

ENJOY.

New Years Interview 2012

20 Questions for a New Year’s Eve Reflection

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

Dan:  I'm too blessed to pick one. :)  Starting Classical Conversations (homeschool) with the kids and our (Dan + Sarah's) trip to Boston.  

Sarah:  First year of homeschool.  Becoming more intentional in my role as a mother and wife...and all that entails...getting to REALLY know our children and discipling them.  The trip to Boston was such a treat for our marriage.

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

Dan: Dealing with Aunt Pat's diagnosis. (ALS)  

Sarah: First year of homeschool.  Adjusting my perspectives on education....my compulsory teacher training and experience makes this extra challenging!  Also, this season of the Lord "pruning" my character in so many ways is painful....but such a true blessing.  I am grateful and pray that the fruit God will eventually produce in my heart would be lasting and nourishing to those around me.  

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?  

Dan:  We have learned a more Biblical perspective of money.  Becoming more disciplined in this area to begin to (significantly) reduce our debt.

Sarah:  Getting pregnant with Lydia Kate!

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?  Fist year paying self-employment tax (as full-time ordained clergy) YIKES!

5. Pick three words to describe 2012.

Dan: Consistent.  Blessed.  Calm.  

Sarah:  Intentional.  Pruning.  Peaceful.  

7. What were the best books you read this year?

Dan:  I didn't read any books this year.

Sarah: (still reading) Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

Dan: Sarah and our kids.

Sarah: Dan and our children. Also, deepening my friendships with Jill S., Rebecca Y. + Sarah P. 

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

Dan:  I think more like an "adult" now.  From every perspective.  I feel like I have a better perspective on what matters---and what is just drivel.  There's so much drivel in these world.  I don't perform for people like I used to...even people I respect.  

Sarah:  I feel like I've changed in so many ways.  I'm becoming steadier...not so shaken by every little external change or experience.  I still struggle with fear in some ways, but the Holy Spirit has filled me with peace, as I learn to trust God and lean into him more in my day to day life.  

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

Dan:  I have no emotions.  ;)  Emotional growth for me would be experiencing emotions.  I think I'm becoming more compassionate.  

Sarah:  Some areas I am working on:  No more martyring.  Measuring/expressing my expectations clearly.  Setting boundaries emotionally, realizing that I am not responsible for the happiness/contentment of others.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?  

Dan:  I've realized that it's ALL the Lord.  I trust God.  God is sovereign.  My only challenge is to see what God is doing and see how I'm a part of it.  I don't have to create it.  

Sarah:  I'm learning to really rest in God's presence.  No more striving.  No more performing.  I don't have the energy for all of that.  It's life + energy draining.  Jesus came to give life ...truly I'm learning that his yolk is easy and his burden is light.  With God's help I'm shedding the burdens and weights in life, Jesus is strong enough to carry those.  I want to live in light of the joy and hope that comes with salvation in Christ!  Time spent in the Word and enjoying God's presence in all areas of my life will be my priority in 2013.    

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

Dan: I shrunk!  (256-218)

Sarah:  Growing a baby.  :)

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

Dan:  I enjoy conversating with people more.  

Sarah:  I am learning to be present and really working on being a better listener....which means being quieter.  Significant, lasting relationships are built on trust and "leaning in" to another person (friend or family) no matter what life brings....

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

Dan:  Preaching.  (at work)  A finished project.  (at home) 

Sarah: Learning more about who God has created our children to be.  Seeing some fruit from training the kids to contribute to household responsibilities.  Their help is such a blessing as our family grows!

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

Dan:  Striking a balance of engagement.  (at work)  Being present.  Even when things need to be "done".   (home)

Sarah:  Feeling (often) that I am at the end of myself.  Self-sacrifice.  It is a joy and a challenge all at the same time.  

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

Dan: Tetris.   

Sarah:  Time reading articles/blogs.  I've pared down "what" I read to (mostly) enriching, challenging, encouraging material...but I still sense that I need to be more intentional about "when" I do these things.  For instance, not reading a blog while Graham is working on his math lesson.  Using my time wisely is a goal for 2013.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?  

Dan:  Spending it with family.

Sarah:  Engaging and discipling our children and investing in our marriage.  

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?

Dan:  Just listen to your wife.  

Sarah:  Be intentional.  Trust God.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2012 for you.

Dan:

Sarah:  

a peek at our week {in pictures}

My goal is to delete/edit my pics from the week on Friday nights.  Here are the first "fruits" of my photo purge/sort.  We're easing back in to some scheduled days and I'm trying to make sure to build it time for things that are energizing and enjoyable to me so that I don't slip into "Mom-the-martyr" mode.  :)  Organizing and journaling on our pictures is one of those activities for sure!  After the joys and challenges of the week, a little memory-keeping exercise like this reminds me of all I have to be thankful for.

Dan came home on Monday night after interviewing our new church preschool director ready to celebrate!  It's been quite stressful at work this summer and this was a huge relief..  He called the emergency babysitting squad (Grandma and Grandpa) and they scooted right over to watch the kids for an hour while we noshed on some cheese fries at Rib City.  No eating after 7 is out the window when you need to celebrate.  :)

Went to the library on Monday, which means a gigantic pile of books and 7 dvd's (the library's limit)   I think they were watching Princess and the Pop Star Veggie Tales with every blanket in the house piled on top of their bodies.  I almost forgot Millie was in this pic!  Can you spot her? 

This boy is so sweet on his sisters, and right now, Miss Millie has his affections.  The feeling is mutual! In fact when she got into some trouble she ran to Graham to tell on me!  "Grammy....momma....me feel so sad!"  So, so pitiful.  

Our little "pantry raider" is now the "panty raider"  ;) This pic is going to get me into trouble one day with Camille....I'm sure of it. (Don't worry, this blog is private only for you, family and super close friends!)  

Sitting across from these three at lunch...I was overcome with gratitude to God for entrusting me with their lives and hearts!  

Graham getting in Daddy's sermon writing process.  Dan is intentional about helping our children understand and be a part of the ministry God has called him to.  One of the many things I admire about him. 

We rearranged Graham's room and sorted out  all of the Lego (a friday morning tradition).  A clean slate in the Lego room always gets the creative juices flowing.  Here, Hannah Reece is demonstrating her awesome Hello Kitty village.  She is so proud of it!  She asked me to take pictures at every angle; here is another:

our blue-eyed beauty

our buddies Asher and Jadon came to play.  We loved how the kids all piled on the sofas right away and started looking at books and reading to each other.  Makes some homeschool momma's hearts feel happy!  I  enjoy stimulating conversation with their mom, Sarah, politics, theology...nothing's off limits.  Grateful for friendships like these.

So sweet!  This little cocked-head pose is how Camille poses for the camera lately.  

Thank you, Lord.  

  

pearly whites + provision

Tuesday was a big day...a trip to the pediatric dentist for all three of our people.  We have been visiting a family dentist, who also happens to be my parents' neighbor, since Graham's first check-up at two.  She is so sweet and I'm grateful for the ways that she and her staff set the stage for a positive outlook on going to the dentist for Graham and Hannah Reece.  They both started out by straddling daddy and I during our cleanings, even getting to spray our teeth with water or suction the water out of our mouths...which had everyone in the office in hysterics.  :)

Last week Graham and Millie had their well-checks at the pediatrician and I pointed out that Camille's top teeth seemed a little crowded to me.  The doctor checked and counted and counted and checked...and guess what?  She has an extra tooth on top! So off to the pediatric dentist we went.  Nana came along too, and I'm so grateful for her help!

First stop:  the sink for a good brushing.  Then a pink rinse to show the spots we've missed.  A little talk and lesson on proper brushing (need all the help we can get in this department!)

Look up here!  A tv playing a movie, just for children! 

Uh-uh.  Not having that daddy, not even with a movie on the ceiling.  I'm outta here!

Graham  handling it all like a champ, and Reecie did too!  They actually looked relaxed!  I even heard Hannah Reece say, "this tickles!"  I was amazed at their bravery.  

It was so convenient to have Dan run over, the office is directly across the street from the church. They had an "open" exam room with three chairs, so we filled the place up!   After x-rays, Millie does indeed have an extra baby tooth.  Right in the middle, on top.  Thankfullly, so far there is no sign of an extra adult tooth.  Eventually, the dentist will have to remove that extra tooth, but not just yet.

When Hannah Reece was 2 1/2, she had a fall that left her with a chipped front tooth.  The root was not damaged, so she was able to keep the tooth.  Over time, the tooth has turned light gray, and she has developed a small abscess that is quite painful.  The dentist told us that the grown up teeth are descending, putting pressure on the nerve that has already been aggravated, causing the abscess and inflammation.  She has begun a course of antibiotics, and will have the tooth removed in about a week and a half.

No cavities and all in all, the visit was pleasant and positive.  At the end of our visit, we were talking to the dentist and Dan mentioned how convenient her office was for him to hop over to be with us.  This led into a conversation about his position at the church and she almost immediately asked Dan and I if she could speak to us privately in another room.  My mom took the kids and she told Dan how grateful she was to meet him, that she and her husband (a periodontist) are looking for ways to "give back" to those who need dental treatment but are unable to pay because of circumstances beyond their control.  She said if we ever came into contact with folks in this situation to contact her business manager, and gave us a card.  I was almost in tears at that point, and Dan looked at me with a knowing glance and a smile.  Little did this dentist know that on Sunday, only two days earlier, such a need had presented itself.

Camille's nursery teacher at church is a single mother.  I often share new developments with Camille and we were talking about her well check-up and impending visit to the dentist.  She went on to share that they had once been patients at this particular dentists office, but they no longer had dental coverage.  Her daughter hadn't been to the dentist in quite a while and had some issues that needed to be treated.  I could see the look of concern on her face, mixed with sadness.  Her daughter's father had cancelled her insurance benefits without any notice.  I felt so burdened for her and after church, mentioned the need to Dan and we brainstormed some ways that maybe we could help out, although we are certainly not in a financial position to pay for someone else's dental care.  Dan said, let's pray and ask the LORD how he might provide for this need.

Back to our little meeting with the dentist.  I was all teary and shared this story with the dentist, she got all teary too, and said to have her call the office right away.  Our friend's daughter could receive treatment completely free of charge.  I am so grateful and amazed at God's immediate provision.  It was an incredible gift to share the news with Millie's teacher, and to witness her encouraged heart and strengthened faith through this experience.

This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

ash wednesday

It's Ash Wednesday.  I'm embracing the ashes, a symbol of repentance of sin. Sin leads to death.  Without the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I am physically and spiritually dead.  The ashes are a symbol, not at all necessary for holiness or relationship with God in Jesus Christ.  The Christian calendar year and liturgical calendar are still fairly new to me.  With each year, I learn a little more, embrace these seasons more wholeheartedly.  These seasons are healing.  In observing them, they become intentional opportunities to open my heart to for the Lord to revive areas that need healing and wholeness.

Source: s258.photobucket.com via Sarah on Pinterest

The season of lent is becoming my favorite time of year!  These forty days, I choose to intentionally repent, reflect, worship and be renewed by the Holy Spirit.  One way I'm intending to lean in to hear his voice more clearly is by choosing not to read blogs.  This is something that I really enjoy ...so much inspiration and encouragement out there in blog-land!)  Instead, I will replace the time spent on reading blogs with more time reading scripture, receiving hope, instruction and  encouragement from the Lord.  To God be the glory!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 

Psalms 51:10

Joy

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.  

Luke 10:21

 

It was Thursday night, and things were winding down around here.  Camille had a late afternoon nap that day, so Dan took her with him to to pick up a few things (one being a $265 bike that was mismarked at $99...thank you, Lord for that provision!)  and I had just tucked the kids into bed, kissed and tickled (Hannah Reece likes for me to tickle her arms and back before bed to get settled down).  Like usual, I popped on my IPOD shuffle and started up a podcast from Midday Connection while I got busy tidying up the kitchen and living room before bed.  And like usual, five minutes later, Hannah Reece was out of bed.

***
"Girl, what are you doing out of bed?"
"Momma, I'm not tiiiirrrreed!" (insert big smile and head tilt)
"Ok (this part is unusual for me...I usually pat her bottom and usher her back to bed), but if you're going to stay up, you need to help me clean up."
***

So we got to work and I started up the podcast again.

At this point, I need to insert a little aside that Miss Millie is creates her own natural disaster these days.  Hence the loving nickname "Hurricane Millie".  If it is within her reach, it is pulled down, taken apart into it's smallest pieces and methodically squished up, chewed on, or torn apart.  And then she moves on to the next item.  This is all new to us, I don't recall G and H going through this phase of toddler hood.  Although, being the third child, this might be natural because I just don't have the ability to hover over her every second like I did with the first two children.  She does have a little more freedom to "explore".  ;)

So, back to the story.  We have a little basket on the bookshelf that contains these little at-home enrichment cards and manipulative's from various Sunday School and church activities.  Our little hurricane spread the contents all over the floor earlier in the day, and now my late night housekeeping helper got sidetracked with the contents too.  I continued to clean up, eager to finish this task so that I could hit the sack.   :)

Just then, I felt a tug on my arm and Hannah Reece appeared in my view and shoved the little booklet pictured above right in front of my face.  I took off my headphones (not even realizing what she had) and said "could you put that in the basket, please?"   She said  "Momma, will you read to me about God?"  So we sat down on the sofa and read through it's contents.  As you read and lift each flap it continues to open up into the shape of a cross.   She was listening to every word.  I could sense, at that very moment, that the Holy Spirit was opening her heart to the things of God.  I've had a handful of times in my life where I could tangibly "feel" God's presence and this was one of them!  It had nothing do with me and everything to do with God's ordained time and activity in Hannah Reece's heart.   I sat there amazed at God's revelation her, as we talked about the contents of the tract.

At the end, there is an example of a prayer that someone might pray surrender their lives to Jesus Christ.  I was so concerned about her making a commitment before she was ready that I almost skipped over that (shame on me!), but she wanted to know what it said, and right away said "I want to pray to Jesus and ask him to take away my sins.  I want Jesus in my heart."  Amazing.   So she did just that.

After we prayed she looked down on her little pajama tank (pictured above) that she wears almost every night to bed and pointed to one of the peace signs.  This part was equally amazing to me!

***
What does this circle thing mean mom?
It means "peace".
What does peace mean?
(Struggling to come up with a definition on the fly ;)
Peace is knowing that everything is right and well in your heart with God.
That's what my heart is telling me right now.
***

At the age of  4 years and 11 months old,  GOD has drawn Hannah Reece to himself.  Truly GOD's might,  power, faithfulness surpasses everything we know and understand.  I am in awe, that in GOD's good pleasure, HE had revealed these things to Graham and Hannah Reece as little children.  May their lives bring you glory and honor Lord, and may they serve you with undivided hearts, for the rest of their lives.  May our hearts remain soft, so that know and trust you with child-like faith.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  

Galatians 6:14

Project Life ROCKS!

Can I just tell ya how SO super excited I am about this do-able solution for our family album...and a digital version is now available too! I decided to use the paper version this time, mostly because I like incorporating my own handwriting, little bits of memoribilia and printed photos into our family album.

Here are a few samples of our POTD's (Photo of the Day) that are makin' me smile:

I {heart} packages!  Hannah Reece and I sorting through a box of baby and maternity provisions that my friend Caryn sent for Camille and I, so much fun!

Sweet boy walking Charly...or maybe Charly's walking him?? ;)

Kiddos happily transforming our bedroom window into an beautiful art gallery ;)

Hannah Reece left this sticker on the monitor, it makes me laugh every time I see it! You always know where Reecie's been because there's a sticker trail :)

This is how she left her art table one night before bed, it's set up just like mine. :)  Nothing like a blazing fire on a cold winter night!

Graham's just beggin' Daddy for his after-school butt-whoopin'   "c'mon... let's fight, Daddy!"

Graham didn't have school on Monday.  He sat at the dining room table drawing action scenes (mostly Star Wars themed) for almost an HOUR!  I love watching him think, and write, and draw.

Big sister posing with baby sister...

A Cool Tool and Family Update

Up until the last few days I've been feverishly working on scrapbook catch-up for Hannah Reece's baby album.  I'm motivated by the thought that the details of her baby-hood are only going to grow foggier with the birth of a new baby. 

I must say, this blog has been a very useful tool in my endeavor to "catch up", I've been able to copy some of the journaling right into her book from here!  My two favorite things about blogging are:

1. sharing of  ideas: a few of my own and many from others that inspire and encourage
2. remembering/memory-keeping:  I have a feeling in the next few months it's gonna become heavy in the memory-keeping department around here, so bear with me!  ;)

Speaking of catching up...this year I've decided to participate in Project Life, or what some call Project 365 (P365)  If you g**gle it, you'll see some ideas of what I'm referring to.  Basically, it's taking a photo-a-day and using this to tell you/your family's story for the year. 

There are so many aspects of this project that excite me.  In a few words:

• Simple
• Concise
• Easy-to-Maintain
• Authentic story-telling

I will use this method to tell my family's story, it will become our 2010 family album.  I've chosen this tool (thanks mom and dad, for the b-day gift!) created by this uber-creative lady to tell our story this year.  Can you tell (photo below) that I'm just a little excited about it?!  I even used this for my P.O.T.D. that day! Hannah Reece has her own little art area next to me and I love to watch her punch and sticker and write and cut.  :)  I'll be posting our P.O.T.D. (photo of the day) every now and then, and maybe even a page here and there to show you how the album's coming along.  My goal is to print and work on this album once a month.  I just finished setting up the album, and completed the first two-weeks and y'all-it only took 2 HOURS!  Now that the album's all set up, I feel confident that I could easily complete a months worth of photos (1 per day) in 2 hours (or less).  That's do-able for me in this season.  Also, very excited that with the contents of the kit, all I need is a pen for journaling, my photos, and maybe some adhesive and a trimmer. Love that.

A little update:

30 weeks along now...nesting and exhausted...simultaneously.

Went to the doctor today because my heart is just pounding and I've been feeling very light-headed for several days now...had a little blood work-up, but he's pretty sure it's only anemia....relieved.

This part of pregnancy is exciting...

The four of us talk about Camille throughout the day. Both kiddos have many questions about all things baby, including our big winner for this week courtesy of Graham (at the dinner table): "Mom, I need to know how Camille's coming out of your belly, right now."

Hannah Reece loves to look at our growing stash of baby girl clothes and carries around the little sample diapers and wipes with such love and care. It just warms my heart! I'm so excited to see her in the role of "big sister"...she told me tonight "I want to hold Camille right now, can we have her now, Momma?"

This part of pregnancy is challenging...

Physical limitations, low-energy and waiting...these are not fun for anyone. For me these are character-building times because I am typically a busy-body and impatient! A word that God keeps bringing to mind in prayer is SURRENDER. Surrender to the process of pregnancy, delivery and after. Surrender to the fact that there will be projects left undone, maybe even goals unmet...and that's okay.  Surrender to the idea that we will need to ask for help, especially difficult being away from family and familiar, faithful friends. Surrender to God, that He alone knows ALL of our needs and our future, that he is willing and able to meet every. single. one. It's all very humbling, really. Knowing that I'm in control of so little in the grand scheme of things. Nothing in life has lead me to trust Him more fully than being entrusted with these little ones that ultimately belong to the Lord.

Dan's classes officially begin next week, for the new semester. But he's been a busy bee studying for his Ordination exams. These exams are comprised of 5 individual examinations required by the denomination that we belong to. He's already passed one of them last year, church "Polity". Today, he took the "Worship" and "Theology" portions and that leaves "Exegesis" (translating passages of scripture from the original language, Greek and Hebrew) and "Bible Content" examinations. These exams are only offered twice-a-year and are in addition to his Masters of Divinity program requirements at Gordon-Conwell.

Dan is one of the most self-disciplined individuals I've ever known. I can tend to be lazy at follow-through with things that I say are important to me. His character in this area is an example and inspiration to me on a daily basis...not to mention that he "carries the team" in just about every other area of life these days...and I'm one very grateful woman.  :)

Post-Christmas Dilemma

Every year around this time, the very last remenant of Christmas that I (reluctantly) take down are the Christmas photos sent by friends and family.  It's always a little sad taking them down, and in the past I've filed them away in my photo box to add to the scrapbook "later".....until now!

Once again, enter Ali Edwards with this AWESOME idea for keeping and enjoying those beautiful photos all year long!  I couldn't wait to take this years (and last years ;) photos out and start cropping and lopping and arranging.... here's a sampling of the finished product:

This will be part of a layout in the scrapbook.  But wouldn't it be neat to have one for each year, put them in 12x12 frames an display them somehow at Christmas?

December Daily-Day 1 & 2

Very excited about beginning this little project, inspired by the 25 days of Christmas/December Daily album on Ali Edward's blog last year. Nichole (extra-artsy-fartsy-crafty-sister-in-law) and I got together and made our books ahead of time, and had a blast! Thanks, Choley, for teaching me some new "tricks"! I hope to capture a glimpse of life for us in the month of December.

Sitting down to create the bulk of the album ahead of time was HUGE. So cool that it can be as simple or as fancy as one would like for it to be. This was my first time to make a home-made album. Though it was a little more time consuming than I'd originally thought, breaking out the usual scrapbook routine and using new tools and techniques was such fun!

So far, I've been printing the photos on my home printer. Aside from a few pieces of festive paper, ribbon, a few embellishments and adhesive- I've really tried to use stuff I already have on-hand in my stash. The hardest part was deciding when "enough is enough" as far as the decorating goes, because the possibilities are endless! The cover pages are made of the thin cardboard, and I decopaged paper to cover it. If I can ever figure out how to get a hole punched in this dad-gum decopaged cardboard (aside from having my hubby whip out his drill), I'm gonna put some silver rings on to hold the thing together. Happy December!

Scrapbook Saturday

Took this one just before I made a big 'ol mess!

Very thankful for the opportunity to use mom and dad's house (while they are out of town) for a spot to get away and work on some memory keepin'! And even more grateful to Dan for spending the day with the kiddos so that I could go! The only problem, is that when I go so long between times of working on these things, I end up spending the first hour just organizing my thoughts and getting set up! The good news (for my neurotic-need-a-plan brain) is I think I've FINALLY got a strategy to set-up/maintain our memory keeping.

For each child:

• "My birth-day" album-detailing the day of birth
• "Baby" album-age 0-1
• "Toddler" album-age 1-2
• from ages 2+ all photos will go into the family album

For the family:

• "Milestones" album (for storage of enlargements, and professional photos)-thanks, Choley, for this idea! I don't really journal in this one-only dates.
• general "Family" album, for this I plan to use a binder-type of album so that I can easily rearrange pages around or remove individual pages to make copies for kiddos if they want their own copy of the album in the future
• web log as a means of recording/sharing stories and thoughts, and help along with journaling in albums
• Special events (vacations, etc.) will go in a mini-book or digital scrapbook
• Christmas album (maybe) could include memories from each Christmas, traditions, cards, photos received from others, etc. -may make a mini-book this year...not totally sure how I'm gonna approach this one, yet....something like this might be cool...

My goal is to keep it simple...let the words & photos be the focus. I'm telling our story as one way of deepening our faith in God as we, and future generations look back and see his activity and faithfulness.

I'm trying to include the some smallest details of life- provisions and even those things that are hard or uncomfortable to write about! For example, I'm still struggling to write in Graham's album about the time we were in a car accident with a drunk driver, but I think it's important for him to know later in life, how God has protected him in this situation, and how He's brought good out of the whole thing.

My friend, Kim, is also a "faithbooker", (I think she may have even coined the phrase!) and she's got some neat perspectives on memory-keeping with the intent to honor God now and in the generations to come....and a good reminder to embrace imperfection in the process!

"Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done." Psalm 22:30-31