Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours! God Bless you this Birthday of Jesus!

We're all enjoying this awesome video by the Christian Media Group, Igniter Media! Totally relevant for today! Click and enjoy! Check out some of their other work, they are amazing!

A-Social-Network-Christmas

Still love this am reposting this year, enjoy!!!

Blessings and see you after Christmas!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Breath of Heaven - Merry Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and this song, "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant really caught my attention at the Christmas Eve Service tonight. I remember getting a Gift Book CD the year it came out. Now, listening to it as a Mother - it has a completely different meaning.

You remember how music moves my soul..... Tonight continued the tradition. Expectantly, O Holy Night made me cry. And I can't help it, I love it that much.

Unexpectedly, "Breath of Heaven" took my breath away. As I sat surrounded by my precious husband and boys and a church family that shows me heaven this side of earth, I was overcome by the words of Mary in Breath of Heaven.

Because I feel this every day. I feel like Mary... saying... "hold me together!"

There's no comparison to Mary the mother of Jesus and yet I feel her words most days, "I am frightened
by the load I bear." It's a strange revere I have for parenting these boys. And this song put it into words for me. 'Be forever near me!"

You can listen and read and be moved as well....

Here's wishing you all the wonderful wonders of this Christmas day. Merry Christmas to each and every one. You know I get nostalgic and love thinking about what a phenomenal year this has been. I'll save some of my reminiscing for New Years!





"Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant
I have traveled
Many moonless night
Cold and Weary
With a babe inside
And I wonder
What I've done
Holy Father
You have come
Chosen me now
To carry your son

I am waiting
in a silent prayer
I am frightened
by the load i bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

[chorus:]
-----------------------------------
Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holyness
For your holy Breath of Heaven
-----------------------------------

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me


God Bless and Merry Christmas! May God bless us each and every one!

Warmly,

Yes, Virginia There Is A Santa Claus!

Yes, Virginia There Is A Santa Claus!


Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.


"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

My mom always read this to us! She encouraged our childlike wonder of all things imaginary and Santa! Even in the midst of her planning to 'deliver' the goods of said Santa to her five children! She and my Dad were just like Boogie and Bacall - they had it all!


Warmly,

This Is Our God - Merry Christmas

The Birth of Jesus
Luke 2

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.:

Warmly,

Merry Christmas to All And To All A Good Night!

Making sugar cookies for Mr. Claus. And enjoying this day. Here is a link from my Christmas post last year that I still love and believe this year:



Have you read "The Eve of Christmas" today? Melanie so commemorates the season here in sharing her heart this Christmas.

As for me, I am thinking about my special memories that I've savored throughout this year. My you cherish the blessings of this year, this life right now. I value the friendship and privelege to walk into 2009 together.

Warmly,

Dear Friends Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas!

Here are some of the fun lights I mentioned from this past weekend when we went on a Christmas lights drive.

And then here



is where the Tigers and ninety-seven of their school 'friends' and I will be tomorrow. :) We're all really excited about the Nutcracker. And mama is really tired after trying to coordinate right in the middle of my week of being not so busy. It is okay because I am enjoying helping and gathering together everyone for the fun.

Then after that it is relax, hunker down and celebrate the Christ Child. So I wanted to give a little early shout out to all of you in my blogging life and real life. :) Thank you for all of the fun, encouraging and uplifting enlightening times here this year. You have all warmed my heart and been a real delight and blessing. Merry Christmas and I will see you when I surprise you and me and pop back in.

If not, I plan to enjoy my family and celebrate this Christmas without any worry, without any more stores or shops and things. I think of each of you so if I have not gotten around to you or your Twitter, here's to you and to our next year together.

I'll post tomorrow or Wednesday my Christmas video. See ya soon. And if you have a moment let me know where you will spend Christmas!

Warmly,

Siesta Ornament Exchange Goodies

Here's is what I sent my Secret Siesta Leigh Gray. Inside is a cute Ornament that I got at a cute gift shop here called, "The Ivy Cottage. They have the best of everything so it was hard to narrow it all down. Anyway, I did and found a cute star and red and gold ornament that Leigh said would go great on her gold and red tree. :) And I had to add a little something extra... see that cute red box. That is the lovely Tyler candle in "EggNog" and they are yummy. Love these ecofriendly candles. The piping on my little year round tree is Twins Art. ;)
Did anyone else do the Siesta Ornament Exchange? See the cute button on my left sidebar? Well, I did and it was fun. And one great thing is this year I did not attend a hand full of ornament exchanges so I enjoyed this the one I did.

Love this cross. It gets much more credit in person. It's lovely and reminds me of the true meaning of Christmas.


Five days until Christmas, are you ready? We are - just a little more wrapping and the battery check and we're good on the 'stuff' front. Setting aside time for the Nativity Story, our Advent Calendar, other great things about the Baby Jesus and Christmastime.
Warmly,