Auld Lang Syne

Out with the old and in with the new! I have printed the title and first sentence of the first post of each month from my blog. I started in April, so I don't have a full year. It is amazing all that happens in a year!

April - An Angel Unaware - It was a cold grey winter’s day and I was working as a florist in a small shop a little bit out of the way.
May - Caranavi, Bolivia - I went to the mail box yesterday and there was a large brown envelope from World Vision in Bolivia.
June - My Sister's Garden - I went to my sister's house in town on Saturday and she has a beautiful garden.
July - Sweet Fellowship - Our friends, Wayne and Kathey, along with their kids, Ariel and Christopher stopped by to visit us on there way to seeing Wayne's brother in Bend.
August - Up, Up and Away! - Three years ago today my husband and I drove into my home town in Oregon to live.

September - Fall Splendor - Fall is arriving here in the Northwest beautifully.

October - Country Roads - I love country roads.

November - My Piano - My piano is a black upright, made by Wurlitzer.

December - Blessed Thanksgiving - Our Thanksgiving holiday was happy and blessed.

Happy New Year Everyone! For more years in review go to Kelli's blog.

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish all my friends, who follow my blog and those who drop in once and a while, a Merry Christmas! You are very special to me and I pray the Lord blesses your holiday abundantly. I leave you with this short video montage:

"Jesus"

At the beginning of the of Christmas season I purchased a Little People's Nativity Set. Rich and I wanted to get her a nativity set that she could play with and learn about the story of Jesus' birth. Mary loved the little set. Her favorite characters were the animals because she is only 2 and the animals and the sounds they make are very interesting to her. I would tell her who the wise men were and Mary and Joseph and most importantly baby Jesus. When asked about the wise men she would say, "Kings". When asked about the animals she would say, "Moo, Baa or He Haw"! When asked about Mary or Joseph she would say nothing or maybe, "Dollies". When asked about Jesus in the manger, her first response was, "puppy!" I laughed and said, "No Mary, that is baby Jesus". After that she would sometimes say nothing or she would say, "bee bee". I went over it a number of different times and then got busy and didn't do it for a couple of weeks. On Sunday, when we picked Mary up from her toddler class she had a coloring sheet and colored picture of the Christmas story from her class. On our way out, some dear friends gave us some Christmas presents for Rich and I and for Mary. When we got home I set Mary's Sunday School papers on the coffee table and we let her play with the wrapped presents that our friends gave us. She had so much fun picking them up and setting them down and saying, for mommy, for daddy, for me! She was very good that she didn't tear the bows off or rip the paper. She loved seeing the pretty packages! Then I remembered her Sunday School papers. I picked up her colored sheet. It had a picture of a cow, a sheep, baby Jesus and the empty stable. I pointed to the cow and she said, "Mooooo" and then I pointed to the baby in the manger, expecting no response. Her little face brightened and looked up at me with a smile and said, "Jesus". That moment melted my heart. She spoke His wonderful name with such joy! I know they told her in class who that was and then our going over it earlier, made it stick in her mind. It was just so awesome to hear her say his name and it made me think that this is a start of a wonderful road for her, to come to know, love and truly trust that name as her Lord and Good Shepherd, Jesus!

The Inn

Friday night Rich and I went out for a lovely dinner. His boss gave it to us for a Christmas present. We went to a small town not far from us, that is an old gold mining town and a national historic landmark. Gold was discovered there in 1850 and the town sprang up into this boom town in about a year. It was the major town in the area until the railroad came through in 1884 and bypassed it, because the elevation was too high. So, it slowly declined but it was a blessing in disguise, as all of the old buildings were not torn down for new ones. It was a sleepy little village for years and then in the 1960's they began to repair and renovate the old buildings and they turned it into a tourist attraction. It is the prettiest little town and they have so many fun events there. For Christmas they have a Victorian celebration that lasts all month, with people dressed up in the old attire caroling and handing out roasted chestnuts and hot apple cider. All the buildings are decorated with real evergreen garlands with red bows and at night all the buildings have white lights on them. Such a fun place to go to bring back the old fashioned Christmas feeling. The Inn that we went to is Rich's favorite place to have dinner. It is so rich in atmosphere and the food and service is superb. We arrived early before our reservations and we walked around town and I took some pictures of the houses. Then we went into the lounge and had some hot chocolate to warm up. It was really cold out there! We then met up with Rich's boss and his wife and Rich's coworker and his girlfriend. We had appetizers (calamari and sauteed mushrooms) before our meal, Wild Pacific Salmon for dinner and then chocolate cheese cake for dessert (we just can't get enough of that)! We were stuffed by the end of it but we had a great time. We are very thankful for Rich's boss. They are very generous people and really like Rich. Here are some pictures of the town and the Inn.

Victorian home near the main street.
A house right were we parked our car.

Lights on the main street.



Our table inside the Inn.

Amazing!

Have you ever found yourself going along living in your bubble of life and activities, and all of the sudden, a thought or revelation comes that pops your bubble and makes you take a look at your life in a different perspective. Well, that happened to me last night when Rich and I were watching TV. After Wheel of Fortune (yes, we watch that show) Jon and Kate Plus 8 came on TLC. For those of you not familiar with this show, it is a reality show about a young couple that had twin girls and then 2 years later had sextuplets! Every time I watch this show, I get tired:) It is so amazing how this couple deals with and raises all their little children so close in age. It is pandemonium most of the time. Rich and I were trying to put ourselves in their shoes by thinking how it would be to have 5 more of Mary! She was running around at the time being very hyper. She gets really active right before bedtime. She loves for me to toss her blanket and try and hit her with it or have Rich pitch her plastic bowling ball pins down the hall. She just lets out these peels of laughter and wants us to do it over and over. If we are not playing with her then, she talks non-stop and runs up and down the hall swinging her arms. So, we were multiplying her activity by 5 and we both were overwhelmed, thinking how does this couple do what they do! Then I noticed Mary needed a diaper change, so things slowed down and I got her in her warm sleeper for the night. That is when this thought came into my mind and popped my bubble. "You know, Elena, that thought of, "How can they do it", probably runs across most people's mind when they find out that you and Rich (at the age of 48 and 53) have a 2 year old. People see your gray hair and have a disconnect when you tell them you have a toddler! Just think we could have a show called, "Old People, Little Kid" or "Decrepit plus One" I had a good laugh at that thought. So much of the time, I go along in life being a wife, homemaker and mommy to Mary without blinking an eye. Most women my age are going through the empty nest syndrome, but my little nest is full. I had an empty nest for many years and now I am so much in my element, that I forget my age and just have fun! The Lord is so amazing, He loves to show His glory when the odds are against you. Job 11:7 came to mind, "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? I will leave that verse with you today and I hope it is an encouragement to you! Love, Elena

Our Celebration

We woke up yesterday, bright and early and looked out the window to see a light snow falling but not sticking on the ground. I thought how romantic, as it was our wedding anniversary. Our precious little girl was still sleeping so we made our way, quietly to the living room and sat at the base of our Christmas tree and exchanged our anniversary gifts. So much fun!

Rich gave me a beautiful leather bound NASB Study Bible. I have many Bibles but I did not have one with my married name printed on it. I felt for a long time that I would just use the Bibles I had. The one I liked to use the most had my maiden name on it. So, I would hide the name on it. Kind of silly I know, but my new name is important to me. He had my name printed on it and a 2 heart symbol with an arrow. It was Sunday and I was so excited to get it and take it to church that day!

He also got me a beautiful barrette for my hair....and a wind chime that makes the most beautiful chimes. I just love wind chimes but I have never owned one. Just always thought it was something extra that I did not need and I could spend the money on other things. My husband is so thoughtful.

After church, his folks watched Mary and we went out to a really nice fish restaurant. Rich had the shrimp platter and I had breaded halibut in a mango sauce. It was delicious! I was going to take a picture of it but we were hungry and I forgot. We had a lovely booth by the window and we could watch the beautiful snow flakes fall. Then we had dessert, a chocolate cheese cake with ice cream and hot fudge and Heath bar topping. As you can see, I did remember to take a picture of it. We shared the plate and we ate until we couldn't get another bite past our teeth!

Wow, what a great day!

A Happy and Holy Occasion

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary. We were so blessed by our wonderful friends and family that came to witness our vows and share in our day. Here are a few pics from our wedding. Some of them are stills from our video so the color is not real good but I love the expressions on our faces. I wrote this letter to Rich and gave it to him the morning before we were married and I still mean it today.

My Dearest,

I have always known that the Lord has loved me with an everlasting love and that nothing will ever take His love away. But, your love has made a shelter for me on this earth, a place I can run to out of the coldness of this world. A place to be warmed, accepted and strengthened for each day. I can now face the hard things of life easier. Your love is a precious gift to me. Knowing that you love me the way you do will be enough to last my whole life through.

Sweet kisses and love always, Elena

Christmas Memories

My memories of Christmas are happy and they were formed in a loving, Christian family that I was born into in 1960 in Southern Oregon. As I reminisce I can still smell the pine scent produced by the many evergreens around our home and the cold crisp air of winter. We did not have a lot of snow in the valley floor of the Rogue Valley, but we were only a half an hour from the snow capped hills and mountains. I remember one outing, when I was 6 years old, that we took to cut our Christmas tree in the woods. After we had selected a beautiful Silver Tip tree, the best one ever, I thought, we tied it to the top of our station wagon and then we went on to Mt. Ashland to do some tobogganing. We didn’t own a sled, but we did have some inner tubes. My dad and I climbed the steep hill to the top. We watched other kids yell and squeal as they rushed down the hill on their snow saucers and toboggans. They would hit bumps and fly into the air, laughing and then continue down the hill. My heart was pounding because fast rides at carnivals scared me and I was not the dare devil type. But I felt safe when I sat in my dad’s lap and he was on the inner tube with both arms around me. It was like slow motion as we started down the big slope. We began to pick up speed and the icy wind was stinging my cheeks. Half way down we hit a bump and it popped us up into the air. I flew out of my dad’s arms and my face was heading for the snow. My dad reached out his had and put it between the snow and my cheek. The snow caused an ice burn on the back of his hand that turned into a scar after it healed. We made it safely to the bottom of the hill and we were done tobogganing for the day! We had some hot chocolate that mom had fixed and then packed everybody up and went home. As I grew older and came into a deeper and richer relationship with the Lord, the example of my father’s love for me became more precious. He had allowed a scar upon his hand instead of my face, just like Jesus had taken on the scars of the cross that should have been for me.

Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Today was a perfect day to go Christmas tree hunting! There was a light snow this morning that melted away into a bright sun shinny day. We bundled up and headed for our local grocery/department store. We are going to make a family tradition to shop for our Christmas tree the weekend of our wedding anniversary. Tomorrow will be our 6th year of happily wedded bliss! We got in the store and went through the rows of poinsettias....and past the fake Christmas trees.
We stopped to listen to a brass ensemble playing beautiful Christmas carols.

Mary was mesmerized.

Finally, to the lot and picked the perfect tree, tall and fluffy. Mmmm love that pine scent!

Rich stuffed it in the trunk of our car for a short ride home.

We set it up and Mary just loved it!

We started putting on the decorations...


This one is our new one for this year. I laugh every time I look at it. It is so whimsical and fun! Mary loves the Mickey Mouse show, so that is what inspired me to get it.

Here she is taking a closer look.



We received this as a wedding gift and graces our tree each year!


It is so great to have an anniversary at this time of the year. So magical and fun. It was a little hectic planning our wedding during the holidays but we sure are glad we did. Every place we go to celebrate our anniversary is decorated so beautiful for Christmas and it brings back so many wonderful memories of our special day!

Who is That Guy Anyway?

My mother-in-law and I took Mary to the mall to see Santa. When we arrived at his little village we took a slow stroll around the perimeter showing Mary the Christmas trees, snow and stuffed animals. We waved at Santa as we went by and said, "Look, Mary, there is Santa!" We were doing this to warm her up to the idea of sitting on Santa's lap for a picture. Last year when she was 14 months old, she sat on his lap briefly (just enough time to snap a picture) and then she burst into tears! After we went around the perimeter this time, I walked her down the little path to his big chair. She momentarily froze. When, he held out his hand to her and invited her to sit on his lap, she said, "Hi Grandpa" and settled down on his lap for a picture. After she was done he handed her a coloring book and she exclaimed with joy, "Thank you!"

Christmas Past

My treasure to share this week comes from Christmas past. It is a stocking that is about 50 years old. It originally belonged to my older sister and then with me being the youngest, I had the privilege of hand-me-downs:) I love this stocking and I have kept it all these years and I will save it for my baby girl! My dad, using a ink pen, wrote my name on it. My parents always filled it each year with small gifts and candy. We did not have a fire place, so my brother and I hung our stockings on the knobs of the T.V. (way back then, when T.V.'s had knobs). I have a few pictures of it, the front and back and the frayed top with my sweet father's handwriting of my name. I have many warm and loving memories of Christmas as a child. My parents and the knowledge of the Lord and His wonderful gift to us always brought me so much joy during this blessed time of year.

My older sisters in the mid'50s. You can see the top of my stocking above my sister's head on the left.


This picture does not show our stockings, but it is a sweet memory. I am on the far right clutching my two dolls. I think I am about 2 years old there.

For more treasures being shared, go to Kelli's blog here.

What are Stockings for?

Enough said!

Magical Time

This Sunday we went to Rich's folks for dinner. His mom had set up their tree. Mary just jumped and squealed when we turned the Christmas lights on. She was so excited to see it! Here are a few shots of her helping Grandma decorate the tree.

Tears

An old Jewish proverb says, "As soap is for the body, so tears are for the soul". I read that proverb when I was a teenager and I have never forgotten it. I thought of it yesterday as I stood in our church during the closing song of the service and tears were coming down my cheeks. They were not tears of sadness but of deep emotion. Whenever the Lord touches my soul and I feel him speaking to me, I always cry. The message that day was about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how we as individuals operate in them. The main text was 1 Corinthians chaper 12. As the pastor spoke I began to think of the past and all the different times I felt the Lord use me in the gifts and also my mom. I thought of the times I was rejected because of what I thought the Lord was telling me to say or how I was used of the Lord to bless some one, giving them instruction or encouragement. For a little bit my mind got lost in all the details. Then the pastor had people bring up wrapped packages with the different gifts printed on the front, they turned the package around and set it down. It had part of a picture on it. After all the people had come up and put their packages down it formed a picture of Jesus! It was showing that through all the different gifts God was showing us Jesus and brings unity. The song we sang, was saying, it was all about the Lord. This may be a simple truth, but such a powerful reminder to me. My life is all about Jesus and how I am to love Him and be a representation of Him, to do as He would do. Tears streamed down my face in light of that beautiful truth. At first I tried to hide my tears, thinking that people might think I was sad, but I was not. The Lord told me not to worry about it but just let them flow and it was so cleansing to my soul and has made me feel so close and happy in the presence of the Lord!

Sweet Nativity

We bought Mary a Fisher Price Little People Nativity set this year and I set it up by our little Christmas tree next to our kitchen table. Here is a shot of it.
A little closer look...

Here is Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus...

and the three wise men with their camel. But where are all the other animals?

Here they are! Mary is playing with them!

One of Mary's favorite games is to ask where something is and then find it and exclaim very loudly, "There it is!" and then laugh and giggle over her discovery.

We want to keep this nativity set for Mary for many Christmas times to come. It is a set that we can use to tell her of the birth of Jesus Christ and one that she can play with and learn the names of all the members without worrying about breaking it. I like it because it is just so cute! For more fun seeing people's treasures just go to Kelli's blog here.