Smiles

some smiles from the past week:

1. nadia’s crazy hair after nap time one day.

2. finishing leila’s scarf (she was super happy about it :)

3. nadia hugging on the puppy puppet that was mine when i was a baby.

4. girls who want their picture taken (and how can i resist the cuteness?!)

5. homemade peppermint bark…YUM!!! recipe found here.

6. two little girls enjoying said peppermint bark :)

7. one little girl who still likes to hang out in cupboards :)

8. finishing a little project for myself with the yummy purple yarn i posted about last week.  it was my first time using a lace weight yarn.  and i love this scarf so much i want to make it in multiple colors!

9. making Christmas cookies with my girls.  this sugar cookie recipe came from my great grandma.  growing up, my sister and i always made and decorated these cookies with our parents every year.  i want it to be a tradition with my girls, too.

10. and of course enjoying the fruits of their labor…eating a cookie and the rest of the frosting!!

11. my girls saying sweet things to me out of the blue (like, “you’re my favorite mom.”)

12. “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”  Psa. 27:14

13. “But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.”  Psa. 66:19-20

is everyone ready for Christmas?  what are your plans?

looking at the positives

i need to post some smiles…it keeps me looking at the positives…helps me not to focus on the negative…so here are some smiles from our house…

1. over 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time today.  i cannot tell you how refreshing it was…what a blessing it was.  during that time i read my Bible and prayed…it was so nice.  and i came across this verse, which i found so comforting and beautiful.

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.”

2. making gingerbread cookies with the girls today.

3. going to “a night in bethlehem” with liberty and leila on saturday. i didn’t get any pictures during our tour, but took a few of us afterward :)

4. painted nails

5. sweet sisters

6. making “gingerbread” houses with libbs & leila.  we used graham crackers, frosting and all kinds of goodies… liberty made a gingerbread candy town, lol!

7. the girls occupying themselves while mama cooks…

8. liberty’s imagination.  she built herself a telescope :)

9. finishing all of my niece/nephew christmas gifts…and planning to mail them off today…woo hoo!!  pics to come later!

10.  the girls building their own princess kingdom with blankets

11. delicious new yarn for a new project…

12. starting a scarf for leila…who has been begging for one every since i made one for liberty.

13. pumpkin bread…made with fresh pumpkin.

14. finishing liberty’s scarf

15. this nativity countdown wall hanging my gram made and sent to us…it has little people and animals and buildings and such to hang on it each day of december until Christmas. the girls are loving it!

16. decoration for christmas.  this is our first tree for the girls, so that was a lot of fun!  they are doing great with not touching it!!

17. these ornaments make me smile.  the first one was a gift from my kindergarten teacher…i loved him!  and the second is one i made when i was in kindergarten :).

18. skype. connecting with family faraway.

19. grace…i’m so thankful for the Lord’s grace and His patience with me.

20. precious friends who pray for, support, encourage and love me.

21. JESUS!!!