one year ago today

Remembering Grandpa Lito.

Who passed away one year ago today.

a few from the christmas eve service

Christ => our light in the darkness; that message beautifully woven into the Christmas Eve service at Hosanna!

Imagine my surprise at seeing a gal I graduated with on the big screen, radiating hope in the face of darkness as she spoke of her recent cancer diagnosis.

A profound message. The January sermon series will focus on relationships ("Relationships, Passion, Marriage") - what a great way to begin the new year.

Because we could all use a little fine tuning now and again. Click HERE for service times.

Have a warm and toasty evening :)

today

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 (NIV)

A Savior, which is Christ the Lord. The same as Jesus.

To make safe.
To make alive.
To deliver.
To confide in.
To hope.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

looking for a special way to celebrate?

Check out the Christmas Eve services at Hosanna! in Lakeville. It'll knock your socks off.

5 Fun Things Friday

1. How about some yummy [grown-up] hot drink recipes for Christmas?

Click HERE to find several.

2. Breakfast of champions.

Source: ourfamilyfoodadventures.com via Tina_Vega on Pinterest

Maple bacon biscuits... just kill me now.

3. Really wish I could pull off this look.

Source: etsy.com via Tina_Vega on Pinterest

So cute.

4. Love these shoe clips:

Source: etsy.com via Tina_Vega on Pinterest

5. The new Jimmy Fallon "wake-up call" app (only $.99):

Happy Friday!!!

december 2011

I've fallen a couple of months behind on my monthly family photo challenge. Oops. I'm sure our home is much like yours this time of year... FULL! I've been reviewing the year and looking ahead to 2012 (journaling about goals and such) and realize my blog has taken somewhat of a backseat to Facebook and other forms of social media. I plan to change that. Because I miss the way it used to be. Because blogging is where my heart is. Because I want to be more intentional about how I spend my time.

In case you missed the Tweet, my Grandma Deutsch now has a Caringbridge site. While I never thought in a million years she'd go for it, a friend shared with her the many benefits of having such a site. (The friend apparently tried to set things up on Grandma's behalf but felt she was in over her head.) And because "sharing sites" are my thing, I volunteered to help :) Just click HERE to access the site.

Merry Christmas Eve eve!

Elfcapades

Elf is more experiment than tradition. My husband and I had been following the activities of some other elves in the area and began brainstorming one night. I had NO INTENTION of spending $30 on an elf. Our kids are teens [teen boys] so the cutesy video and book that accompanied it would have been a total waste. Lo and behold, we ventured out to Gertens and stumbled upon The Land of Elf Ornaments. (Mind you, precious shopping hours were lost as we sorted through alien elves and satin elves and felt elves and mini elves - it was more complicated than choosing a pet!) We finally settled on this guy:

We call him "Elf" - quite fitting, if you ask me.

It turns out Elf is a very naughty elf. VERY.

The first night we left him alone, Elf photocopied his naked tushy.

The next night, he stirred up all sorts of trouble with the snowmen of the house and ended up with a black eye.

We had to have a talk with him about the language.

Elf may or may not have gone potty in the milk.

Not cool.

Oh and then there's the day he teepeed the tree.

It reminds me of what it was like with a puppy. I am still haunted by the day I woke to black shreds everywhere... only to realize in horror that Angus had eaten my absolute FAVORITE pair of shoes. It's sorta like that, only this time the kids are being traumatized instead of me.

We woke to this today:

A zip line in the living room.

Needless to say, Tony and I are having a lot of fun after the kids go to bed :)) We have saved THE BEST for last so be sure to check back next week!