Newness and my gift for Him

 

Good morning! It's a new day!

And almost a new year!

Are you living in anticipation?

Expectation?

I don't know about you, but I find that with a new year approaching,

I tend to go into "goal" mode way before the new year even begins.

So many changes I want to make,

newness I want to see sprout up,

and new ways I want to see things in my world and the world around me.

 

 

As I awake to each new morn,

I want to see through God's eyes...my Father's eyes...

seeing what He sees,

and hearing His heart for the new day given,

and walking gently,

being aware of the Dove on my shoulder.

 

 

Giving Him time in my day...

listening for His Voice...

and obeying what I hear Him speak to me.

I want to  r e s p o n d  to His Words...right there, in that moment,

as far as I am able to.

I long to be a Doer of His Word and not just a Hearer only.

R e s p o n d   ....thats one of my new words for the new year.

 

 

What can I give Him this new day?

Like the "little drummer boy" who felt he really had nothing  much to give...

 

"Come, they told me, our newborn king to see.

 Our finest gifts we bring to lay before the king.

 So to honor him when we come."

 

"Baby Jesus, I am a poor boy, too.

 I have no gift to bring that's fit to give a king.

Shall I play for him?

Pa-rum-pu-pum-pum...on my drum.

 

I'll give Him

what I have, all I have...

I'll give him

my heart....more and more

 

 

This past year I have been stretched personally

and spiritually.

He's  g r o w i n g  me

;)

That's a good thing..but not without some pain.

But we are not promised a life free from pain or hurts,

we are given the promise that His presence will never leave us,

nor forsake us....

and that is our Comfort, our Hope, our Peace...

our Joy.

 

I have more goals, more hopes, more dreams for the upcoming year,

but I also know that as I ...

"Seek first His Kingdom and His righteosness...

all these things shall be added unto me"

Matthew 6:33

 

How about you?

 Do you have any goals that you are wanting to press into?

 

 

 

Blessings to you in this New Year!!!!

\o/

 

All my heart,

Deborah xoxoxoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Christmas Tales

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I have missed visiting you all here

and can't wait to begin a new year with you all!

 

I wasn't here much around Christmas...but I did get a chance to peek in on you now and then.

 I wanted to just give a glimpse of my Christmas...

in photos and short stories.

 

 

Our annual Christmas season drive up to Airport Hill

to  feast our eyes on all the homes that were lit up for Christmas.

I believe we went about 3 times this season.

One or two streets were actually lit up with candles inside little white bags all alongside each of their lawns..it was gorgeous!

 

 

Christmas tree hunting is one of my favourite things!

 

 

Hand sewn gifts for my sisters..

 

 

while enjoying many Christmas songs on my laptop.

 

 

December birthdays and our little grandson Brandon ...

gazing at his home-made smore

 

 

and presents under the tree

 

 

The simple beauty of a Christmas tree...

and its fragrance...intoxicating.

I love fresh Christmas trees!

 

 

Calm moments by the tree

 

 

Pondering on gifts eternal...

Thank you Jesus

 

 

Baking up some Christmas

(cranberry banana loaf with glaze and walnuts)

Yum and healthy!

 

 

Christmas morn and  festive"eggnog"

 

 

 Gifts opened... 

 

 

 

I found these Mr & Mrs mugs at our local Christian book & gift store,

and I was thrilled to give them to my "Mister"

;)

They are beautiful, with a message of love inside.

I can't wait to drink from mine too!

 

 

 Our sweet daughter loved her "hand-knit" scarf the best!

I am so happy she does!

 

 

Knitting...where have you been all my life?!

I have fallen in love with what two knitting needles and a pair of hands can create!

 

Ok ...I know I've shared alot in this post,

but I have more to show and tell...

I'll be back soon for the rest of my Christmas story.

Love and hugs to each one of you....

I hold you close in heart.

 

Hugs & kisses,

Deborah xoxoxoxo

 

 



Christmas Blessings!

 

 

Merry Christmas!!!!

God bless us....everyone!

 

All my heart,

Deborah  \0/



Emmanuel~God with us

 

 

Emmanuel...God with us.

Never leaving, never forsaking.

As close as the whisper of His Name.

God in-dwelling.

Ever present.

Comforter.

Prince of Peace.

King of Kings.

Abba Father.

 

*
**
***

This Emmanuel

wrapped Himself

around a young mother

and her three young ones

one Christmas, now twenty years ago.

Like a warm blanket, He descended in a living room

lit up with candles and a Christmas tree in the corner.

Her life shattered and broken when her husband walked away..

Three beloved children asleep upstairs in their warm beds,

were unaware that downstairs by the tree and in the quietness

of the evening, their Momma was being comforted, held, cherished

and hope was filling her

by the Lover of her soul.

In her dark night of the soul

Emmanuel came

and promised to

never leave,

never forsake.

~~

 

 

He had already been her sweet Saviour and Lord for ten years,

but He stayed close,

and closer still in the depths of her pain,

and her childrens pain.

He became her Husband.

Her children still always had the love of their dad,

but they saw Abba Father come in and uphold them in their brokenness.

 

 

 

 

He truly is Emmanuel...God with us.

Let His embrace warm you this Christmas,

and His Presence sustain you and comfort you.

 

I am that woman,

 and I want to tell you

that He,

Jesus,

is my Lord,

my Lover,

and my closest friend and confidant.

He has never left me, never forsaken me...

He has pursued me and my children through all our days

and continues to love us through every moment of our lives.

He pours out His love and affection

and my love for Him increases.

My childrens father is His too \o/

and all through the years since he walked away,

God has loved and pursued him too.

Long ago,

not long after he left,

God asked if I would let Him love my childrens father through me.

My answer....yes.

I thank Him and praise Him

that He is so good and so kind...

we are dear friends to this day.

This Emmanuel...God with us

has never let me down.

He's never left....

and never will.

 

That Christmas , twenty years ago,
was the sweetest Christmas memory I have.
My Jesus...enveloping me in His arms.
Hoping this brings

hope

and

strength

and

comfort

to

you.

xo

 

All my heart,

Deborah

\o/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Merry and Bright~Christmas Reds

 

Christmas  is coming and I've been busy preparing.

 

 

Red at Christmas  makes my heart sing!

I adore

whites

and

silver

too...

but  red  just says  C h r i s t m a s  to me.

At any other time of year, red is not my colour,

but as this season approaches...

red comes alive!

 

This snowman globe is extra-special to me.

My oldest son gave it to me last Christmas

and  I  l o v e  it!

Call me a little kid, but I've always loved

snow globes...magical I guess.

 

 

It's my very first one!

Yes, I'm decorating for Christmas already!

I've got our white tree up in the dining room

and all lit up with white lights.

I'll decide what I'll dress it up with in a bit.

For now, I'm just happy it's up.

I plug it in in the evening

and stare at it every time I go in the kitchen

;)

 

 

Red tea-lite holders

bring such colour against the whites

and I love how festive they look!

Candles and light bring warmth in any season,

don't they?

And the fragrances...I  love cinnamon tea-lites.

My baby sister, Diana gave me some home-made ones last year...so fragrant!

 

 

A Christmas bowl  filled with apples

sits on our table.

My sister, Denise gave me this large bowl for Christmas

and I love it...along with two smaller bowls that are a matching set.

I have a crush on bowls.

 

 

 

 This looks like it matches the bowl above,

but it's not part of the set.

It's actually a large snacking bowl

and I love it at  Christmas too!

Snowmen  have a special place in my heart.

 

 

 Christmas bowls filled with   popcorn!

Hubby and I love to play backgammon

and we've been playing a game or two every night in the last few evenings.

I won the game this morning...and my prize was a candy-cane hot chocolate,

which he went and got me ;)

Yum! It has a mint shot in it and some candy cane sprinkles in it.

So good!

 

And then there's cups....

I love drinking from my red cups

in this season.

 

I'm making a  list

and checking it twice..lol

So many things to do all month...

I have to have a list..even of what I need to do on particular days.

With working...planning on my spare time is a must.

 

But today...on the top of my list..

is to visit my Mom & Dad!

 

How are your Christmas preparations

coming along?

Hugs &  red Christmas kisses to you!

 

All my heart,

Deborah xoxo

 

 

 



I'm learning and loving

 

 

Hi there!

I hope all my friends that celebrated Thanksgiving this weekend are having a lovely one!!

We enjoyed ours in October, so it's no wonder I've been "into" the  Christmas season  already!

We have  snow this morning and it is pretty.

Anyways.... I'm bursting to tell you

that I have started  knitting!

Thanks to  Sasha at "Lemonade Makin' Mama"

this little gal (me!) is knitting up a gorgeous scarf!

Thats it..in the photo above!  (giggle, giggle)

If you don't know Sasha, head on over...you'll be glad you did!

She is the sweetest, most energetic, creative women eva!

;)

I so enjoy visiting with her through her blog...she inspires me!

She had this precious little scarf on her blog recently

and I fell in love...

 

 

a ruffled scarf!

How cute was it?

And how cute is she?!  xo

Well...cute enough to get me hopping over to a sweet little shop

downtown where I met a sweetheart named Rae,

who has a knitting shop..a n d  also teaches knitting!

My Momma mentioned her to me when I told her that i wanted to start knitting.

I'm so glad I did this!!!

 

 

There's already a few items in her shop I have my eye on! Lol

A couple of sweaters, and a summer knitted tank top I'd love to try to knit myself.

So many gorgeous things to try in this "world of knitting"!

 

 

I    l o v e  this!!!

 

 

L o v e  this too!

 

 

Rae made all these sweaters!

This one looks so cozy!

 

 

Look at these!!!!

One-of-a-kind mittens and comfy socks!

 

 

L u c i o u s  yarns...

I'm drooling!

 

 

I worked more on my scarf as I watched

Christmas with the Kranks  last evening.

;)

 

 

Thanks for listening

and sharing my new joy!

I must  share...

Christy at "Tomater Sauce" blog was where Lemonade Makin Mama 

found her ruffle scarf tutorial.

Go and visit and see this sweet scarf I'm making!

Thanks girls!!

 

Okay, I've got to go check on my baked beans

cooking in my crock-pot.

 

I've got a bit of shopping to do, then back home to make some homemade biscuits with the beans!

 

Bye for now sweeties!!!!

xoxoxo

Deborah

 



Christmas hastens

 

I'm thinking Christmas!!! Are you?;)

The planning, the preparing, and the quietness & hush

about these precious holy-days.

 

 

One of my holiday favourite things  is baking.

Scottish Shortbread is a must at Christmas!

It's such an easy, no-fuss recipe but yummy as well.

I have been making these for years!

(I'll post the recipe at the end of this post...just for you!)

 

 

Regular shortbread  is another must-do at Christmas in our home.

A little more mess...but so worth it!

I love shortbread cookies....my favourite!

~

My sweet sister, Denise 

gave me a scottie- dog cookie cutter a few Christmas's ago

and I adore it!

As you may know, our home is filled with 4 scottie dogs,

and so..my love for "scottie things".

She also lovingly prints me up some "scottie Christmas gift tags"

every year at Christmas for gifts.

I    l o v e   them!

;)

 

 

Aren't they  cute?!

 

 

And then there's the Christmas decor for our home.

Love,  l o v e,  l  o  v  e   this part of the season!

I don't know that I eat too many gingerbread cookies

over the holidays, but I sure love  d e c o r a t i n g  with them!

 

 

Home-made gingerbread  hearts

for the tree.

When the dough is made and formed into a heart with a cookie-cutter,

I use a straw to make a hole before baking them in the oven.

Then I can hang them later from our tree with a piece of jute.

Easy!

 

 

And then there's the  bells...

I love  white bells.

I bought these a few years ago,

and they look  even nicer as they age.

I hang them with  delicate white ribbon

that I picked up from our Fabric Store.

 

 

Then there's the mantel  to dress up.

That's so fun!

Something new to  create every year.

 

 

Gift-giving  is one of the high-lights.

I love to give some  hand-made  gifts,

along with store bought ones.

 

 

These were some of last year's goodies,

but I'm in the planning stage now....

I made some progress today..

 

 

 

Our white tree  is up out of the basement

and into the dining room!

We buy a real one before Christmas for the living room...

because I  l o v e  the smell of real trees!

 

 

Oops!  How'd you get in there?!

;)

A stuffed Christmas bear I bought our oldest son...

years ago!

 

Ok as I promised...

the shortbread recipe.

 

Scottish Shortbread Cookies

~~~~~~~~~

 

1 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar plus *2 tbsp. sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

 

Beat the butter until light & creamy.

Beat in the 1/2 cup of sugar.

Save the other *2 tbsp for later.

Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder.

Fold into the butter mixture.

Put the dough onto a  cookie sheet

and spread it out into a rectangle,

1/2 inch in thickness, and approx 4" x 10" in size.

Mark with a knife (not straight through your dough)

into 1" x 2" bars.

Sprinkle with the remaining sugar (the *2tbsp)

and bake in the center of pre-heated oven for 15 minutes

or until the edges are lightly browned.

Cut into bars and store in airtight container.

They freeze well also.

Enjoy!

Mmmmm...good ;)

Did I mention..I  l o v e  Christmas?!

 

All my heart,

Deborah xo