My First Blog Giveaway

So I have noticed a trend in blogs...giveaways. Everything from coupons to Visa gift cards. So here's my version...in the "Spirit of Giving"

From the Samaritans Purse Gift Catalog YOU will feed a hungry baby for week. This giveaway will come complete with card sent to you in your honor for YOUR gift.

So I realize it's not as alluring as something for yourself but it will be interesting to see who takes me up on it.

So here's what you can do to win (3 chances)

(1)Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you follow

(2)Comment on this post about what you can do to display an attitude of giving
(3) Do this giveaway on your blog! Pick a gift to giveaway!
I will draw the winner in one week!
Feed a Hungry Baby for a Week
Mothers in southeastern Ethiopia carry their hungry babies for miles across dry, dusty plains to reach the Samaritan’s Purse feeding center. Though many of the children arrive near death, most are healthy enough to return home after a few weeks of nourishing food. Around the globe, malnutrition claims millions of young lives each year and leaves many others with physical and mental disabilities. In regions ravaged by hunger, your gift can help us feed a baby or nursing mother for a week, presenting a powerful witness for our compassionate Savior. “For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help” (Psalm 72:12, NIV).

Better to give than to recieve

You probably have one too, a jar or container where you stash your loose change. We have a box and it sits in the laundry room (for some reason all change makes it way to the washing machine on our house) So over the months I just toss it all in. This year I decided to let the kids have it to buy Christmas gifts. But not for each other or for Mom and Dad instead they went shopping through the gift catalog through Samaritan's purse. First we painstakingly counted all the change. Then I read and showed them pictures of all the possible gift ideas. They each picked what they wanted to give. It was very interesting to see what they decided on and why. Check out Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog for more awesome ideas...you can even have a card sent to the person who the gift is in the name of. I think it's perfect for the person who has everything.

I can tell you that after perusing the catalog and reading about the needs around the world conviction is being felt heavy in my heart. I am still processing all that the Lord is speaking to me about. It's a bit more than I bargained for while trying to teach the kids a lesson on giving.

My first thoughts however harsh...I am a hypocrite. Yes that's right I am. Because I have year after year fallen into the commercialized Christmas trap.It made me really think about how we celebrate Christmas. You know what I mean all the rushing to buy gifts (gulp my black Friday) for our kids, for family, and for friends. Giving more and more, spending more and more. I think we make excuses to why we participate in the commercialized version of Christmas. I know I do. Do these sound familiar? Well it's for the kids, it's about family, it's about memories, or it's good to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I have said all of those and more. I think I am convicted on more levels than just the materialistic aspects of celebrating Christmas. It's more about do we do with our time, money and resources all year round and in the season of over indulgence it is magnified more.

So this was turned into....


From Isaiah a soccer ball because "I really love soccer and I bet some other kids would really like it too"




From Hannah, baby chicks...she didn't really have a reason she just liked the picture of the chicks. But her gift will provide food and income for a family in need.

From Elijah a mosquito net because "it would help people from getting really sick"

Gingerbread men

So this was vision when I said to the kids "lets make gingerbread men cookies" Aren't these little guys so cute? So out came the dough, the roller, and the decorations....and..

a few friends to the mix

and let them at it.


And this is what I got. They kids thought they looked great and tasted better. And really isn't that the point of a gingerbread man? I mean he can be cute but as long as he tastes good then that's all that matters.

Celebrating the Names of Jesus Women's Christmas Party

I was able to go to our women's Christmas party this year. It was awesome. The theme was Celebrating the names of Jesus. Did you know He has many names? Each of our tables represented a name of Jesus. Our group chose King of Kings. We decorated it with a royal purple table cloth,gold, and finishing touch a love letter from our King to us His princesses. Other tables included, Prince of Peace, The Branch, Consuming Fire, El Roi, I AM, The Bridegroom, and the Word. All the tables were so beautiful. The food was awesome, the fellowship sweet,the Word refreshing, and the worship heavenly. I so enjoyed spending time with the wonderful women at Calvary Creekside. I am blessed.

Denise and I

Leah and Kristy

Here are the Princesses sitting at the Kings table.

Our centerpiece.

Love letter from Jesus

Place setting

The wrapping game.

Lights!

Time to decorate the tree. There are so many ornaments we have collected over the past 11 years. Peter and I have a little snowman that a friends mom made us that says "Our first Christmas 1999" It's one of my favorites. The boys have so many, and Isaiah said "oh I have a lot of good memories about that one" as he hung the ornament with a picture of him on his first Christmas (he was 3 months old so I am not sure what memories he has) Hannah played with her baby's first Christmas pink bell and Elijah loves the pregnant bear ornament that I had when I was 7 months pregnant with him. It's so fun to open the box and look back through our little family's history. Elijah begged me for 2 days to decorate the tree.

Isaiah is as pro. A friend of mine said she hangs the Christmas cards she receives on the tree. I loved this idea especially since we get so many from friends and family far away and today most people send photo cards. It's nice to look in and see familiar faces that are far away but close in our hearts.

Oh boy Hannah and the tree. I think she took more ornaments of than on. The tree is in the "office/computer room" which is sealed of to any toddlers who might want to attack it. She can see it from the living room and when the lights are on she say "ohhhhhhh"

Nearly impossible to get a picture of 3 kids.


Last night we went to the lighted parade in our town. We didn't go last year because Bear was so young and thought it would be too cold. And last night was cold even for us Mainers. It was 40 but the wind was strong and COLD. But we braved it with some of our friends. And it was a lot of fun. Elijah said "this was my best day ever" He says that a lot I think it's cute.

Baby it's cold outside!

Tulips are a big deal in Lydnen, they are very Dutch. So "Front" street is lined with these lighted tulips.

Bear all bundled taking in the lights. She had big eyes and her mouth was open allot.

Not easy to take pictures in the dark but here are a few.
But to see awesome ones from the local paper click here

Frosty the Snowman

My boys are so creative. And it's being put to good use in their Friday art class. This is their picture they finished yesterday. And it makes me happy because I LOVE snowmen! Isaiah showing off his art. Notice his bird is on top of the snowman's head.
Elijah's snowman picture, notice he made a bush with a bird under the bush.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

So with the world shoving "Christmas" stuff down our throats in October I seem to decorate later and later. We just put the tree up, has only lights right now and I am not motivated to take out every box and put out every decoration. I always get very envious this time of year of other peoples' houses and decorations. Some people just know how to decorate. I do not. I do my best. So I've put up a few things here and there (more there so Hannah can't reach) And I might add a little bit more, but for the most part what's up is it.

We are doing a Jesse Tree this year. I got a free ebook from this site You have to sign up for their email to get the link to the book but well worth it. There is a short devotional each day starting in the Beginning and leads through God's plan for us...the TRUE Christmas story. Then you make a little ornament representing the main thing for that day and hang it on a tree or glue it on a poster board. It's a really neat way to remember that God had planned Christmas morning before the foundation of the world and we should get MORE excited about what that means than any gift that would be under the tree.

A few of the ornaments on our tree.
I love this one. From Isaiah 11:1-2 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding The Spirit of counsel and of might the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD.

My sweet friend Jen from Maine made this for me awhile back. It's one of the kids favorite...because there is candy in each little pouch. After lunch they get to have their treat for the day, everyday leading up to Christmas.

I LOVE snowmen. I know they have NOTHING to do with CHRISTmas but they do go with winter. I add to my collection every year. I bought the guy in the middle this year. He's so adorable. I also got the little bird with the hat on to be his friend (because he wouldn't have any other snowmen friends right?)

And the chalkboards return...

We're decorating the tree tonight...the kids can't wait.