The Sunday of LOVE!

December 23, 2007

The fourth Sunday of Advent.

Today we light the candle of LOVE, in addition to the candles of HOPE, PEACE & JOY.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only ... Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Christmas is not about all of the things we bring to the celebration. Christmas is about what He brings. Christmas is about a God in Heaven who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. -Randy Vader

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: there is room in my heart for Thee!

It's Called Christmas ... with a capital "C"

Thanks ChristLights for the video! Be sure to scroll down and pause the Christmas Player so you can hear this new Christmas Song by the Go Fish guys :)

Meet my "nephew".... ZEKE!

My little brother David went and picked up his new puppy this weekend! Meet Davo's Maximus 'Zeke' Titan.... but we're just going to call him 'Zeke' :) He's is the cutest 7 week old chocolate Labrador Retriever! I can't wait for him to be big enough to play with his cousin Lucy!!! She was very sad that she didn't get to love on Zeke when he visited us Saturday. But, the breeder's told Dave to keep Zeke isolated from other dogs until he was about 14 weeks. Come mid-February Lucy will be all over him like white on rice:) Hope you are all having a great week so far! Christmas is only 7 days away... and my in-laws are only 5 days away!!!!

Lead Me to the Cross

Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this page and pause the music player so you can hear the video!

Fantabulous Friday snippet...

Okay, so I know I said no Fantabulous Fridays until after the first, but I just had to sneak this one in.... It really should've been done in late November, but maybe you can have this great find for next year's Christmas Celebrations! I can't believe that I haven't posted about this book yet, so here goes.

As you can tell from this blog - I have become an "Adventer". While I realize that most of our Southern Baptist folk don't know what this is, I am fully embracing the Advent Season and even thinking ahead to when I have children of my own to share this special time with. That being said I want to recommend a book to all you Moms out there. It is Lisa Welchel's The ADVENTure of Christmas!

Now, most of you will remember our girl Lisa as Blair from one of my all time favorite TV shows, The Facts of Life. Lisa is now a Christian author and speaker. She has some wonderful books and products on the market that you should definitely check out. Her main ministry focus is Moms which led her to write a book about great ways to share the meaning of Christmas with your children through the celebration of the season of Advent. I already own this book and used several of the ideas with my preschoolers at church last year. It is just loaded with fun cratfy ways to make Christmas a month long celebration - all the while keeping Christ at the very center!

Anyway, I just wanted you to know that there are great books like this out there to help you if you're just starting to embrace the season of Advent. And of course you can always leave me a comment or question and I'll be happy to discuss it with you!

Christmas Blessings,

Ashley

The Sunday of JOY!

December 16, 2008

The third Sunday of Advent

Today we light the candle of JOY in addition to the candles of HOPE and PEACE.

"The joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

The echo of God's life within us; the infallible sign of the presence of God-just as the angel announced to the shepherds on that night long ago, Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,...unto you is
born...Christ the Lord. Joy is beholding God in everything.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: There is room in my heart for Thee!

For she's a jolly good puppy...

Well, I have officially fallen off of whatever fruit wagon on which I have been riding! For last night put the "icing on the cake" (no pun intended) of my crazy dog lady shenanigans:)

Here are just a few clips from the night... enjoy!

"Surely they aren't paying attention to me... I could never get away with this any other time."

"Momma - Daddy just got home from work and it's not like I'm smelling his arm pits for nothing. Could you please quit taking pictures already? Boy do I feel sorry for my future brothers and sisters..."

Go ahead.... Elf Yourself!

You must check this out... even if you've looked at a hundred of them by now, I guarantee you haven't seen one like this!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1330726694

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Well, my baby girl is one year old today... or so we're saying. Since Lucy was a rescue and the man who we took her from cared very little for her all he could remember is that she was born in December 2006. So, we decided that December 11th sounded like a good day and here it is! Of course this means that she is actually 7 in dog years and that age is more likely appropriate in conjunction with her behavior. She has begun to develop quite a personality! And, since her Daddy is working long hours and sees her very little, she has developed quite an attitude towards her instructions during training. Jon says she is just being rebelous because she misses him:) Awwww...

Anyway, here is an early pic from our first days with Lucy. I will post birthday pictures after tonight's celebration! Yes, I am the crazy dog-lady who is celebrating a dog's birthday - sue me!

Blessings,

Ashley

Sunday of Peace

December 9, 2008

The second Sunday of Advent

Today we light the candle of PEACE, in addition to the candle of HOPE.

"Peace I leave you, my peace I give unto you... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

God gives us His Son - The Prince of Peace - to make the dark, painful areas of our lives less frightening. He whispers softly to us "Don't rush, walk slowly, don't be afraid of the dark - I am the Light, I am with you always."

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus: There is room in my heart for Thee!

Christmas Traditions!

I just love Christmas! So I thought it might be fun to discuss our favorite holiday traditions... and for me a few that I hope to begin as Jon & I have children:) My all-time favorite Christmas tradition is new Christmas Pajamas! Every year for as long as I can remember, my momma has gotten me new PJs for Christmas... I love pajamas!
In recent years another favorite of my traditions is the celebration of advent and using my advent wreath and calendar. It is such a special time and I can always feel God's warmth and light around me as I read my advent devotion and light the candles.
Okay, 2 more and I'll stop and let you chime in:) These 2 are things I hope to introduce as Jon & I begin our family - The first is for each year to take a clear glass ornament and paint the year on it, then on small slips of paper write special memories from that Christmas, such as gifts given, funnies, events, etc. The second is one that I am still working on... Jon & I have not officially decided whether or not Santa will "visit" our house. We both grew up with Santa of course, but we are both really big on Christmas being CHRISTmas. We don't want competing "joys" throughout Christmas - only the One True Joy! I know that sounds stuffy and anti-Christmas to some of you, but that's just where we are. However, if Santa does decide to visit he will only leave 3 gifts. This will give us a chance to share the story of Jesus' three gifts and the Christmas Story on a level they will understand. If Santa does not decide to "visit" we are debating on whether or not for ourselves to just give 3 gifts. ???? So much in the air and we won't fully know until those kiddos come along, but good food for thought don't you think?
So, now that I am off of my mini-soapbox tell me about your favorite Christmas traditions. Leave me a comment... whether you're a blogger or a guest:) Can't wait to hear all of your ideas!!!
Christmas Blessings,
Ashley

More Advent Ideas!

Please excuse my lack of posting this week... I keep forgetting to upload pictures to the computer and I hate to post without pictures:)

So, today I want to share another great way to celebrate advent (the Christmas season) in your home... this one's especially good for the kiddos! It is an advent calendar. Many of you may have had something similar when you were a kid so you may know better than I how wonderful this can be. The Advent Calendar can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish... you can buy one or make one... you can use a theme or just use candy! However, the type of calendar I want to introduce is one that shares the Christmas Story. For each of the 25 days of Christmas (Dec. 1-25) there is piece of the Christmas Story to add to the "puzzle". And each of those 25 days you can share with your children and family about the true meaning of Christmas - about One Perfect Gift rather than the gifts piled under your tree. Pictured above is the Advent Calendar that I purchased last year from http://www.desiringgod.org/. They are not available at this time due to the fact that they are being "revamped", but they will be back! For now, there are plenty of other places to pick one up, such as Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Home Store, Oriental Trading and many more. What a great way to celebrate the season all month rather that one day. Not to mention keeping your child's attention and giving them something to look forward to each day!

Christmas Blessings,

Ashley

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Cunselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6