~He's Everything to Me~

In the stars His handiwork I see, On the wind He speaks with majesty. 

Tho' He ruleth over land and sea, What is that to me?

What is that to me?

'Til by faith I met Him face to face,

And I felt the wonder of His grace,

Then I knew that He was more than just a God who didn't care

That lived away up there and now He walks beside me day by day,

Ever watching o'er me lest I stray,

Helping me to find the narrow way,

He's everything to me.

He's everything to me.

I will celebrate Nativity, For it has a place in history,

Sure, He came to set His people free, What is that to me?

What is that to me?

'Til by faith I met Him face to face,

And I felt the wonder of His grace,

Then I knew that He was more than just a God who didn't care

That lived away up there and now He walks beside me day by day,

Ever watching o'er me lest I stray,

Helping me to find the narrow way,

He's everything to me.

He's everything to me.

                                       ~Ralph Carmichael

Helping a Friend

I love decorating my house.  And I especially love decorating for Christmas! 

This year I had the privilege of helping a friend dec out her home.  ( I actually had the privilege of helping more than one friend but I only got pics of this one)

The first thing we decided was that the wall above her fireplace needed a new paint color.

She was the one who mentioned painting it.  I just encouraged her to do it:)

The insiration for the color was this cute little end table.  She painted this for her photography studio so she had the paint.  Why not add a pop of color?!  It's only paint and a very small wall.  It can be repainted when she gets tired of it:)

So while she spent about 10 minutes painting the wall I worked in her basement.

This table you see as you walk down the steps. 

Basement sideboard.

Shelf in the basement kitchen.

And the finished mantle.  She added lights later since I had used all the working ones in the basement.  It looks darling all lit up now!

Centerpiece for dining room table. I just love this!  Might have something to do with the fact that it' white?!  She had made the paper ornaments.  I just love them:)

Cupboard in living room.

She had made this banner too and I thought we had to use it somewhere.  I really like it here.

Another cupboard in the living room.

(excuse the poor photos.  still no new camera.  add that to the list santa.)

Beautiful Nativity

Inside of Cupboard

This was one of my favorite spots!  So fun.

I adore Willow Tree Nativities. 

Cupboard in the kitchen.  Wish I'd have got some close-ups of some of the stuff inside.  It is really cute.  See the adorable puppy on the top shelf?  That's my kind of animal - no mess, no fuss!:)

And another paper ornament that she had made.  We added the cute vintage ornament to it with hot glue.  We set the large pear in her kitchen bay window.  It looks fabulous:)

It's fun to work with other peoples stuff and make their house look festive!

Decor

Our tree.  $16 from Meijer.  The only one I found that didn't have cheesy ornaments already on it.  And while I knew I could take them off it seemed silly to be paying for them.  So I was very happy to find this one with no ornaments on it.  My girls were delighted to have a tree to decorate!!

I was delighted to find a way to use one of my new urns.  It just seemed so sad to me to have them tucked away unseen till spring.

The white cupboard just doesn't work very well in the living room anymore now that we have the piano.  But I haven't found a way to get rid of it yet.  Anyone interested?  I'd sell if for what I paid for it - $90.  I love it and I hate to give up the display I have with it but it just isn't working.  I've got an idea that will work - once I find a new home for this one!

Fontanini.  Love.

Boxwood starts.  These have been so fun to decorate with!  Have to water them but it's worth the effort:)

Notice my couch in the background!!!  I FINALLY got it slip covered and I'm liking the look of my living room much better.  It's much easier to put up with the cupboard that doesn't really fit - till I find it a new home!

Painted branches.

I found this Baby Jesus at The Little Shop in Verona.

The cool tinsel was from Target this year.  If they still have it get some.  It's worth it!

The ironstone bowl I found at Betty's Antiques.  I was rather excited about it!

White ornaments were also found at The Little Shop in Verona.

The weekend of their Christmas Walk Open House was a VERY productive shopping trip for me!

26 inch wreath made by 'Consider the Lilies'.

She does the most beautiful work and her prices are unbelievably reasonable!

'David' found a new spot for the holidays.  He never complains about being moved around.

Brooding and silent, he's quite the catch!

My living room now.  I want to reupholster the chair to the right.  And eventually reupholster the couch.  For now it's SO much better.  And it's so long!  Wonderful for naps - not that I ever take one of course.

Vintage church and clear ornaments stuffed with shredded antique sheet music.

Metal Nativity from the days of  'The Clay Pot'.

I really miss that shop!

Tiny trees.  I love trees!

White Nativity.  I got this one for my birthday back in May - from my Mom.

We found it after Christmas last year on sale.  Glad we got it!!  Thanks, Mom:)

Bowl full of cute ornaments.

'In the Cross of Christ I Glory!!'

Another shot of Baby Jesus.  Just 'cause He's so cute!

Porcelain white flower candle holder that's never held a candle.

My stairway.  I've missed having something hung on it.  But garlands are kind of a mess and I haven't done them for a few years.  This year I've gone all out with the burlap stuff!  It's been so fun.  It drapes and molds, and tucks, and folds, and is just so cooperative!  LOVE!

I made some ornaments earlier in November out of old music paper, crafting paper, and old maps.  It was too early to decorate for Christmas at the time but I was in the mood so I made ornaments.  I didn't end up using very many of them myself, but I took some of them to a friend when I helped decorate her house.  I'll share some pics of that sometime soon too.

My cupboard in my sewing/craft/school/computer room that holds crafty stuff got straightened and then got a few added Christmasy touches.  Nothing fancy but it was kind of fun.

A little quirky but I like it:)

Shelves in my sewing/school/craft/computer room.  These were about the last thing to get decked out so they kind of got the leftovers.  But I worked on it for awhile and I like it.

So do YOU decorate for Christmas? If you didn't notice I kind of enjoy it:)  I got to help 2 friends decorate their houses this year, helped decorate our church sanctuary, and am planning to help another friend next week.  Want help?  Give me a call!

{No Room In The Inn}

"He went there to register with Mary, who was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave girth 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."  -Luke 2:5-7

Is there room in your heart for Him today???

He wants to reside there!  LET HIM IN!!!!

Just because I like the whole area.  Please ignore the Christmas gifts sitting in the corner.  And the fingernail polish on the table.  I didn't stage the area very well:)

Celebrating Nativity

(the following was taken from a friends blog

http://www.appleseeds.org/Christmas-quotes.htm.

Go here to my friends blog.)

"There is no evidence of any kind regarding the date of Jesus’ birth. His nativity began to be celebrated on Dec. 25 in Rome during the early part of the fourth century (AD 336) as a Christian counterpart to the pagan festival, popular among the worshipers of Mithras, called Sol Invictis, the Unconquerable Sun. At the very moment when the days are the shortest and darkness seems to have conquered light, the sun passes its nadir. Days grow longer, and although the cold will only increase for quite a long time, the ultimate conquest of winter is sure. This astronomical process is a parable of the career of the Incarnate One. At the moment when history is blackest, and in the least expected and obvious place, the Son of God is born…" 

                                                                                                  -Joe E. Pennel Jr.

(the following I found here)

For the church's first three centuries, Christmas wasn't in December—or on the calendar at all.

Elesha Coffman

It's very tough for us North Americans to imagine Mary and Joseph trudging to Bethlehem in anything but, as Christina Rosetti memorably described it, "the bleak mid-winter," surrounded by "snow on snow on snow." To us, Christmas and December are inseparable. But for the first three centuries of Christianity, Christmas wasn't in December—or on the calendar anywhere.

If observed at all, the celebration of Christ's birth was usually lumped in with Epiphany (January 6), one of the church's earliest established feasts. Some church leaders even opposed the idea of a birth celebration. Origen (c.185-c.254) preached that it would be wrong to honor Christ in the same way Pharaoh and Herod were honored. Birthdays were for pagan gods.

Not all of Origen's contemporaries agreed that Christ's birthday shouldn't be celebrated, and some began to speculate on the date (actual records were apparently long lost). Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20 but noted that others had argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28. Hippolytus (c.170-c.236) championed January 2. November 17, November 20, and March 25 all had backers as well. A Latin treatise written around 243 pegged March 21, because that was believed to be the date on which God created the sun. Polycarp (c.69-c.155) had followed the same line of reasoning to conclude that Christ's birth and baptism most likely occurred on Wednesday, because the sun was created on the fourth day.

The eventual choice of December 25, made perhaps as early as 273, reflects a convergence of Origen's concern about pagan gods and the church's identification of God's son with the celestial sun. December 25 already hosted two other related festivals: natalis solis invicti (the Roman "birth of the unconquered sun"), and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian "Sun of Righteousness" whose worship was popular with Roman soldiers. The winter solstice, another celebration of the sun, fell just a few days earlier. Seeing that pagans were already exalting deities with some parallels to the true deity, church leaders decided to commandeer the date and introduce a new festival.

Western Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336, after Emperor Constantine had declared Christianity the empire's favored religion. Eastern churches, however, held on to January 6 as the date for Christ's birth and his baptism. Most easterners eventually adopted December 25, celebrating Christ's birth on the earlier date and his baptism on the latter, but the Armenian church celebrates his birth on January 6. Incidentally, the Western church does celebrate Epiphany on January 6, but as the arrival date of the Magi rather than as the date of Christ's baptism.

Another wrinkle was added in the sixteenth century when Pope Gregory devised a new calendar, which was unevenly adopted. The Eastern Orthodox and some Protestants retained the Julian calendar, which meant they celebrated Christmas 13 days later than their Gregorian counterparts. Most—but not all—of the Christian world now agrees on the Gregorian calendar and the December 25 date.

The pagan origins of the Christmas date, as well as pagan origins for many Christmas customs (gift-giving and merrymaking from Roman Saturnalia; greenery, lights, and charity from the Roman New Year; Yule logs and various foods from Teutonic feasts), have always fueled arguments against the holiday. "It's just paganism wrapped with a Christian bow," naysayers argue. But while kowtowing to worldliness must always be a concern for Christians, the church has generally viewed efforts to reshape culture—including holidays—positively.

 As a theologian asserted in 320, "We hold this day holy, not like the pagans because of the birth of the sun, but because of Him who made it."

(color changes and bold print are mine.)

Garage Sale finds

If you are like me and thoroughly enjoy finding neat old stuff cheap you will totally get why I think my husband is a 'spoil sport' to say no more!  (he really doesn't mean absolutely no more I don't think.  I mean, really, there is a cool yearly garage sale just up the street that starts tomorrow.  he doesn't really expect me to not go, now does he??Surely not.)

 This $2 box contained a treasure trove of goodies. 

 The best thing being this vintage stapler.  Now won't that look cute on my desk?  Only problem is Little Sister pounced on it the moment she saw it and proclaimed it 'hers'.  When it goes missing I can find it upstairs in her room amongst all her art stuff:)

 I got a ton of neat old games.  You can use these for so many fun projects:)  Birthday cards, gift tags, etc.  25 cents for this deck.

 All those vintage bingo cards you can get on Etsy for several dollars for 6 or so cards?  i got the whole game for 25 cents! 

 All these old playing cards for $1.

 Aren't they beautiful?

 Middle sister wanted the chess pieces.  I haven't seen them since we go home with them.

 Middle Sister also wanted this old book.  For 50 cents why not?!

Little Sister wanted Chatter the telephone.  She even took it to town with her when we went grocery shopping that evening:)

 Nativity people.  I thought they were rather unique.  Never mind how many nativities I already have.  Don't remind me!
Fun fun.  Really.  How can I stop???