The Holidays

Here are our stockings. (My mother has not embroidered my brothers initials yet.)

Thanks giving is over and now the only thing I can think about is Christmas.


On Friday we went to the tree farm and picked out our tree.
After bringing it home we decorated it with lights and ornaments. Then we decorated around the house and out side. One thing I like about getting our tree is our Mother gets us a new ornament each year to put on the tree. It is exciting to see what she picks out each year.

Tomorrow and next Monday we are having the our first ever Christmas Gift Camp at our home. My two sisters and I are the counslers and our Mother is the director. It is for 5-8 year olds. We were hoping for about eight kids for both days but only got three for this week and four for next Monday. I think this will be good starting out by, not having to many kids the first year. I am really excited. We are making two gifts this week and two the next week. Hopefully they will be useful gifts for the parents and easy to make for the kids. We'll have a Christmas themed lunch, dessert, two crafts, games and a devotional. We have been preparing all day and some of yesterday. Yesterday we cleaned out the garage and our father organize a lot of it for us. He is a wonderful organizer. My mom is a wonderful cleaner. Their a perfect match. :)

We've been busy with Christmas gifts and much more!


~Blessings~


What do you like to do during the Christmas season?

My Two Brothers

No, more pictures!!!
I am up to something, but you don't know what!
Here is Joe again. The other two up top are Joe too.
A picture of Sam. Not sure why he's so sad looking. :)
Sam and Joe fooling around. In this picture they're pretending that they have loli-pops. What imaginations!

Happy Thanksgiving....

I will post 26 things that I am thankful for, since today is the 26th and it's Thanks giving. ( These are not in order though. Only the two above are close to how much I am thankful for them.)


1. God's Grace

2. Our Savior, Jesus

3. My wonderful loving, family

4. Scrumptious, delicious, healthy food

5. Clothing. Warm, comfortable, durable clothes

6. A home

7. Education at my finger tips

8. Friends

9. The Bible

10. Transportation

11. My father's job

12. My sisters' companionship

13. Nature and God's creation all around

14. Art supplies

15. Musical instruments and music in general.

16. Bathrooms, showers, and bath tubs

17. Good books

18. Entertainment and board games

19. My mother's love and compassion

20. My father's care and affection

21. Sanitary homes, food, clothing, and much more.

22. Getting sick. Which helps us understand how blessed we are, when not sick.

23. A warm bed at night

24. Our brains, which can do so much good in the world. ( But some times don't.)

25. Baby smiles

26. Cheerful toddler giggles

What? Is it already 26! Oh my!

How blessed I am by God. :)


I hope you had and are still having a wonderful Thanks giving!

For lunch we went to our Grandma's house with Turkey, rolls, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and much more!! With cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents it was a wonderful evening. Now our family is home relaxing after a wonderful meal and fellowship.


What did you do for Thanks giving?

Happy Birthday Grandma...

Today is my Grandma's birthday, I will not mention any age, but I will tell you how wonderful she is and how she affects my life.

10 Grand characters of my Grandma

1. Her willing attitude

2. Her Infectious Cheerful spirit

3. Her Helpful heart

4. Her good-natured joy

5. The way she loves me and my family

6. Her Giving attitude

7. Her Many Virtues

8. Her non-argumentative attitude

9. Her way with children

10. Her Love to help around the house


My grandma is a good example on how never leaving your spouse in sickness and in health and what it truly means. My grandpa had a stroke in 1994. His condition worsened over time. He went from walking to a walker, a wheel chair, and was finally bedridden. My grandma could have put him in a nursing home where they treat them with no real love. But, she didn't, she stayed with him unconditionally for thirteen years. He passed away in Feburary 2008 with Grandma at his side. This story shows what marriage really means. My Grandma is a true example of couples and their devotion to each other.


I love you Grandma!!

Musical Instruments

Instruments such as Piano, Guitar, Violin and so on, are wonderful ways to build discipline, hand strength and much enjoyment.

My father played piano when he was little and then began instructing us ( My two sisters and I) in Piano, when were old enough to actually learn something. I was six when I started. I liked it a lot. But, it took much patience to start the beginnings of something. Much drilling, practice, and concentration. As I progressed I began to dislike it. Wondering why my father would make us play an instrument even when we didn't want to. Through these last couple years, I am really enjoying it. I am so glad that my father pushed us on even when we didn't exactly like it.

My father said when we turned thirteen we could either pick out another instrument to play or another activity that would give us the same discipline piano did. When I turned thirteen, I did not want to give up all the training and practice that I had worked on with the piano. So instead of quitting piano I decided that I would also take on Violin. About a month ago I started Violin and I simply love it. It would be a lot harder for me to practice Violin if I didn't have all that built in knowledge of being able to read music, musical theory, and hand skills. ( I suggest having some other musical training before starting Violin. It is a little harder than Piano.)

All this said Piano and Music in general is such a great way to build skills and learn discipline.

This post is not really thought provoking, but I wanted to post on this subject!

Many Blessings!

Do you play an instrument if so, which one and do you like it?

Thoughts on my mind..

First is First, Thanks giving. I love the 26th it gives some thing to celebrate and gives us time to think about how blessed we are. But I don't like how society thinks of it. Last year I heard a commercial that was basically saying " Be thankful, to be thankful" We shouldn't be thankful to nothing. God is the way of all good things. When we are thankful we should firstly be thankful to God from whom all blessings flow.

The song "Santa Clause is Coming to town" is another example. The words go. " ...So be good for goodness sake..." We as Christians should not be good for "goodness" sake, but for God's sake, to glorify him we should be not only be good, but to strive to be like Christ.

Now that I have that said, Praise the Lord for all the blessing found in my life! Thank you Lord!
Here are some pictures of how God is working in our lives and on earth. He using his hand all around to make beautiful things. Such as these leaves.







More thoughts

My Favorite things about the holidays:

Every Christmas my sisters and I make home made gifts for our parents, grandma, and each other. This is one of my favorite things about the holidays that I love. Also on my agendas, I am knitting a quilt. Who knows when I'll be finished. I'll post a picture of when I'm finished, though. :)

I also love getting our tree for Christmas. We go to a tree farm near our home every year. It is a very memorable time. Then, when we get home we decorate with all our ornaments, and play Christmas music.

I love the cold, sharp wind and air, for a change instead of the heat.

And best of all it a time to Celebrate Christ's birth. God's gift to us. With out his gift we would be lost with no one to show us the way.


My least favorite things about the Holidays:

There only on complaint but a very long one. It it that my birthday is the day after Christmas making it so close that it's not as enjoyable, as it could be. Your probably saying Well, don't you get more presents with Christmas and your Birthday together? Yes, but It's almost an over load of presents and excitement to my over excited self. To make sob story more dramatic. You get no presents during the rest of the year. :( *Sniffle* Now your probably saying "Come on, Leah that hardly something to cry over. Yes, I should be glad that I was even born. ;) But I had to write something in this section.


Well, that's all for my jumbled thoughts as the holidays near! For now, at least.



What are your favorite parts about the holidays? What about the draw backs that you have found?

Have a blessed day!

Rich Peanut Butter Bars

Here is the recipe for "Rich Peanut Butter Bars" that I promised!



Rich Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter ---------------------1 cup freshly milled flour
1/2 cup butter ------------------------------1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup Sucanat --------------------------1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs ----------------------------------------1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter and peanut butter together. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Press into a greased 9"x 13" pan. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool and cut squares. Makes about 2 dozen.

My tip for this recipe: * chocolate chips* It would not be half as yummy without them.





Have a blessed Sunday!

Saturday's scriptures

Ephesians 5 : 1-13

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

We have been memorizing this verse. Ephesians is a wonderful book filled with wisdom and it tells us much about how to be more Christ like.

Have a blessed Saturday!

The Winner

Miss Erin is the winner of my contest! Your prize Miss Erin are a dozen rich peanut butter bars!! (With chocolate chips.) I will post the recipe with a picture of the bars soon. So you know what they look like. :)


(Miss Erin, I will give you your prize when I see you next. Maybe next Sunday.)


Above is the picture of the robin. It is circled. :) I know, it was a very difficult bird to find.



Hope you had fun trying to find it. Have a blessed day!!!

Give away on "Blessed Femina"

Miss Jen the owner of the blog Blessed Femina, is having a give away celebrating the one year anniversary of her blog. She is giving away a lovely hand made apron and a pair of beautiful fabric woven pot holders. Click here if you would like to enter.