did you know...

*that "NOEL" translated is "night birth"?
*that Jesus was not born on the 25th of december? probably more like september.
*that there is a probability that the "stable" was actually a cave?
*that the "wise men" probably arrived after Jesus was about one year old?
*that their might have been more or even less magi. we do not know how many their were?
*that there is no mention in the Bible that mary rode on a donkey? she might have even walked? she might have even given birth days later? and was probably as young as 13 years old?
*that there is no mention of this precious
"little drummer boy"?
*that Jesus was most likely not a white, curly headed, blond? i might have to take a "sharpie" to some of my nativity scenes.
that Jesus loves us WAY more than SANTA? no WAY!
*that His gift of eternal life is free and you don't have to stand in line for hours at Wal-Mart for it?

....For it is by GRACE you have been saved , through faith, and this is not from yourselves. it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. eph. 2:4-9

all it takes to receive this gift of eternal life that is only possible through Jesus (john 3:16) is to acknowledge that you are a sinner, in need of a savior. acknowledge that Jesus died for you (state your name) and THEN Ask the Lord Jesus to come in to your heart and transform it.
disclaimer: you might not feel any different at first. no POOF effect. but, just wait.....you will be different.
After you have received JUSTIFICATION from the Lord. he died for you, you accepted him, and now your sins are "justified" (just as if you've never sinned)
then He will begin the SANCTIFICATION process with you where you grow and learn spiritually. this is for YOUR benefit and to glorify HIM. you will start to exhibit to others the new creation you have become. others will notice your changes. Sanctification comes from the things you learn from reading bible of course, church, fellowship with other believers and prayer. also, very importantly, sharing the message of Christ to others. OH and benefiting from immeasurable, unexplainable JOY! even in bad times.
I am not a pastor or author but this is what i know to be true.
Merry Christmas.

this picture makes me laugh!

i just had to post this pic. notice the hamster and crunch! peanut and her friend had fun getting dressed up and dancing to the music! all dressed up and nowhere to go!

hilarious painting for one of my faves of all time!

laura d is one of my all time faves! she has four boys and she is the queen of her castle. she is one of the most encouraging people to be around in the world! she once told me that when she is feeling defeated she stands in front of her mirror and says to herself..."i am an AMBASSADOR of CHRIST........" over and over! i tried it. and yes, i am also an ambassador of Christ! this is why i was created. to glorify Him. i love the fact that i have encouraging friends! anyway, all of that to say i did this painting of her four boys in the bath! she loved it and hung it in her bathroom right away. love you laura d!!

christmas sweaters!

ahhhh the christmas sweater. when does it go from being cute to being...well, a christmas fau paux? you wear them when you are little. then, you quit because it just feels weird and wrong and then when you get old... it's back to the christmas sweaters! i went through this christmas sweater phase when i thought i could re-sell them and make some cash! i ended up with about 15 insane looking sweaters and not one buyer on e-bay. so i gave them right back to the thrift store. if i find one that is EXTRA crazy i will buy it for my neighbor and "older" friend "dot dot" and she PROUDLY dons the sparkles, bells, and ho ho ho's. because?...she is dot dot and she loves the attention that she gets in them. i think i have found her a festive sweater or vest for every holiday. i also snap up the most perfectly hand painted clip-on earrings that i can find for her. maybe i will be just like dot dot one day(bert tells me this is definite). i won't give a rip what anyone thinks of me in my christmas sweater, holiday wreath earrings and necklace that looks like a chain of lights that you flip on with a tiny switch. the kids love people like dot dot, she makes friends with the piggly wiggly register workers and tips the bag boys a dollar and a peppermint. yes, i have decided. dot dot has it right and we all (think we) are too cool to join her. now, where is my rudolph pin with the light-up nose? i'm comin' dot dot!

lia kate

I am so excited for my friends danny and emily as they are in China right now preparing to meet their baby girl!! their blog is amazing! click on this post title "lia kate" above to go on their blog and follow them through their experience. they are GREAT at blogging!

emily commissioned this painting for lia kate's room. honoring the birth mother of their baby...the "angel" that they will never meet or know...but have been praying for...and are eternally grateful.

hygienic craft

what do you do when your kid wants to do a craft and you don't have any craft supplies???? look in your bathroom! that's right...check out your personal hygiene duds! here we used items that we could find to create a perfectly personal puffy snowman!
ooooh...and who'd a thunk that you had to save those mini's for "light days"!
add a small amount of fabric and there you go! (i had a cut up t-shirt for the fabric)
PS great to hang in the guest bathroom for your guests to get a good laugh whilst tinkling.
this craft was completed by Crunch and my reluctant but fun babysitter!

kids and cousins

a little ACDC to start the day

i want you to know that we were listening to a radio station this morning and i came into the kitchen and Butter was rockin out to "highway to hell". i had to catch it on video. this kid can grooooove. PS he did not understand the lyrics...i think he was singing "hi-lalala". reminder: we are ALL on a highway to hell but the Lord scoops us up and we can exit the highway!!!!! rock on!

new painting for old friend!

i love my friend Kimberly, almost like family. i have known her my ENTIRE life. she has twin boys that are borderline EDIBLE! she married a precious guy with children from his previous marriage. Kimberly's brother, Robert, was a dear dear friend of mine and he passed away in a car accident several years ago. this broke my heart and the hearts of many others that knew him. he was SWEET, loving, cuddly, and funny. oooh and VERY handsome. Kimberly's mom and dad are precious to me also. they break my heart because i see the pain in their eyes every time i look at them. i pray for them. i love them. anyway....about the painting...... i have NEVER seen a mother LOVE and adore her children more than kimberly does those two boys. you can see it in her every BREATH. but you know what you also can see? the most? her love for the Lord. it is EVIDENT. she cherishes her relationship with THE SAVIOR and i ADORE that we talk about the Lord together. if you want to understand what the Lord can do in someones life...watch Kim...who experienced unfathomable loss and STILL knows and depends on the Lord and His Sovereignty. she pours this on her family. i love how their arms are entwined. they are precious. love you Fletcher, Kim, A and A!

tooth fairy, santa, now the stinkin' elf!!!

whoever came up with this crazy "elf" idea is a multi-millionaire genius! but obviously is one of those money hungry entrepreneurs that has NO SOUL! NO SOUL AT ALL!!!!!! LISTEN! it is hard enough to remember to put myself to bed,[there have been times when i just stand there late at night thinking "what's next? dishes..no, i did those...oh, i need to put myself to bed] let alone to "move" an elf around the house.
what is the elf? unless you have elementary school age kids, you might not know. you might have heard grumblings from other moms about this PHENOMENON.
here is the deal:
there are several different variations of "the elf" a popular one is called "the elf on the shelf" this elf comes down from the north pole to watch your children daily and then reports back to santa every night if they were "naughty or nice". thus, when he returns, he finds another spot to perch. this is INSANELY exciting for kids because every morning the elf is hiding in a different location. some elves are more creative than others. for example, i have a friend that's elf does silly things around the house like moves furniture around or helps himself to crackers and milk, while another friend's elf brings toys EVERY NIGHT! [she should be incarcerated or desperately needs a hobby]. the PROBLEM with the creative elves is that the "elfed" children come to school bragging about what their elf has done and what their elf has gifted them etc. some "REALLY SAD AND NEGLECTED" children at school don't have an elf (because their parents don't like medieval torture practices) thus leaving the child thinking they have done something WRONG to have not received an elf from santa himself. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS TO A CHILD? good luck to you. you might as well give in and tell em santa's not real because it would hurt LESS!
We have been hijacked by this stinkin elf and the madness has ONLY just begun!
IF you are in a predicament about this...here are some ideas: get an elf, remind your kids that he can't be touched by children and do NOT start the gift thing at all. ONLY allow your elf to visit ONE WEEK before Christmas. fashion a letter from the elf sent from the north pole, written with your left hand (if you are right handed) telling the kids that you are one of santa's "cheif elves" and your job making toys will be done one week before the big day. this way, you only have a week to deal with moving him around. another idea: do NOT let your kids "worship" him maybe set him next to the nativity scene and tell the children that he is thinking about our savior! my kids tell the elf what they want for christmas and write him letters. it does help to know what the kids want BUT the elf should not hold that much power in our house. make it a fun, like "hide and seek". just try to make it a "light and fun" experience.
i say, in this situation, if you can't beat em, join em, but make your own rules and don't make the elf the focus, turn it to something positive and who's to say that the elf can't share with your kids about Jesus? sounds silly enough...it just might work.

click on the title of the post to go to amazon and check out the "elf on the shelf"