Happy 7th Birthday Anna....

She is getting to be such a big girl. She likes to spend her day crocheting, knitting and playing songs on the piano. She also loves to color pictures and is doing a good job at learning to read. I love my girl and wish her the best birthday.

Merry Christmas!

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:21

May the Lord richly bless your family

as you celebrate the wonder of God's love and His perfect gift to each of us:
***JESUS**

The Gift.....

”He was poor, that he might make us rich.
He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God.
He took our flesh, that he might give us His Spirit.
He lay in the manger, that we may lie in paradise.
He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven….

That the ancient of Days should be born.
that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle….
that he who rules the stars should suck the breast;
that a virgin should conceive;
that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made,
that the branch should bear the vine,
that the mother should be younger than the child she bare,
and the child in the womb bigger than the mother;
that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God

Christ taking flesh is a mystery we shall never fully understand till we come to heaven

If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect us .

Behold love that passeth knowledge!”

~Thomas Watson

The Night When Love Was Born.....

Christ the babe comes in Christmas as Christ the Savior comes on the cross - seeking only our embrace.
The mystery so large becomes the babe so small and infinite God becomes infant.

And if there is no cross in my Christmas, then my Christmas has lost the Christ - What is the manger if not for the Messiah, the One who saves us with the scars?

Christmas isn't a product to wrap, but a person to unwrap.
Christmas cannot be bought.
Christmas cannot be created.
Christmas cannot be made by hand.
Christmas can only be found in the creche, in the cradling trough, in the mire and the stench and the unexpected and unlikely and only only in the person of Christ.

- Devotional Christmas words by Ann Voskamp

Christmas Tree.....
The house is all decorated for Christmas. The kids were a big help and we enjoyed some Christmas music while we worked.

Tommarrow night the kids have their Christmas concert, which I am really excited to see and hope I can take a good video to share with you all.

Jesus - God's Promises Fulfilled

The Promise of His Presence
The virgin will...give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel-which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23

The Promise of A Saviour
Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

The Promise of Light
I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12

The Promise of Rest
Come to Me...and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28,30

The Promise of Friendship
I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

The Promise of Joy
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

Excerpts from Jesus - God's Promises Fulfilled Daily Advent Devotions for the Christmas Season. Each day highlights a promise from God, a Scripture, and conversation starter questions.

THE TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE

Jesus never told us to predict a day or hour when He would return, but He did tell us to be aware of the times in which we live and to always be ready for His coming.

What are we to do and how are we to live in the light of all that is taking place around us? Look up! God has a plan and He is working out His plan. The coming of the Lord is drawing near.

Here are four things God wants us to be doing as we await the sound of the trump of God and our gathering together unto Him:
- Guard your heart (Matthew 24: 12)
- Come together with other believers (Hebrews 10:25)
- Make Christ known (Matthew 24:14)
- Be full of hope (Titus 2:13)

Devotional excerpt by Roy Lessin,

Special Visit.....

A couple of weeks ago the kids were able to spend time with their Grandpa & Grandma Kostman. We had a nice time, but the visit was way to short. I was able to get a few pictures.

Turkey Pumpkins....
Happy Thanksgiving!!!



The kids made these in their homeschool art class.
They had so much fun making them.

The distance doesn't really matter...
when the hearts are close.
Thanksgiving Blessings to all my friends and family!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good!
Psalm 118:29

Sorry for the lack of posting these past few weeks. I have been pretty busy and my camera takes awful pictures, so the pictures I do get are not that great. We have been staying busy with homeschooling, visits with friends and now decluttering the house to get ready for a big move sometime in January. There are going to be a lot of life changes here in the future, but I know God will be taking care of us. I guess the beginning of a new year is a great time to make changes. I'll be back soon to hopefully share some great recipes and pictures of the kids. Hope you all have a blessed time and don't forget to give thanks to the One who provides us with all that we need.

Presentation Night.....
Tonight was presentation night for our home-school group. The kids got all dressed up and I was able to get this nice picture of them. The boys have been spiking there hair lately, which has been so cute. Anna & Gabriel recited the poem, "The Caterpillar". They also sang the turkey song and we were able to enjoy other piano and singing numbers.

Here is the group of kids that presented that night.

Jesus, The Faithful One......

The confidence we have...
the trust we hold...
the hope we carry...
rest in His faithfulness.

Every promise He has made
He purposes to fulfill.
He has the authority to
accomplish all He has spoken.

His power is limitless...
His character changeless...
His love endless!

Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 c. coarsely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. water or however much you need for the size pot your using
1 pint canned tomatoes left whole or blended up
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. celery chopped small
1 c. thinly sliced carrots
1 med. green pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 1/2 c. zucchini, chopped small
8 oz. frozen meat or cheese filled tortellini or small ravioli
1/2 tsp. basil leaves
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese

If sausage comes in casing, remove casing; cut into bite-size pieces. In a 5 quart Dutch oven brown sausage. Remove sausage from pan; drain reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings in pan. Saute onions and garlic in reserved drippings until onions are tender. Add water, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, tomato sauce and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Stir in green pepper, simmer another 10 minutes. Add zucchini, tortellini and parsley. Simmer covered an additional 25 minutes or until tortellini are tender. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

Scripture Sunday.....

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

-- HABAKKUK 3:17-18

Free Stuff....

This past week the kids and I were driving around town and saw some free items sitting on the curb. When I saw this barn I knew we had to bring it home. Gabe was pretty excited about it and right away said, "I think we should paint it red." So the next day we headed to Ace Hardware to picked up some red spray paint.

Before:

After:

I love how it tuned out and the barn looks wonderful in the boy's room and matches the John Deere curtains, which has red barns all over them.

Camp-out......
The other night the kids set up a pretend camp out with the neighbor girl. It was so cute to see them out there in their chairs all bundled up. It was cold out and a real fire would of really felt nice, but they settled for a pretend fire.

Applesauce......
This past weekend the kids and I were busy making homemade applesauce. The kids just love the stuff and the awesome taste keep me from ever buying it in the store. The funnest part was peeling the apples, which was a snap with our apple peeler. The kids loved taking turns. I now have a bunch of containers in my freezer and 5 quarts and a 1 pint canned. I am hoping to have a chance at canning a few more jars.

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My Boys.....

I knitted both the boys a new winter hat and they both look so cute in them.

There is Hope.....

You can turn back to God,
because He has not turned His back on you.

You can hold on to God,
because He has not released His hold on you.

You can love God again,
because He has never stopped loving you.

I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me! I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:21-22

Brussel Sprouts.....
This was the first time I have ever planted brussel sprouts. I watched a show on them earlier this spring and then saw the plants for sale. I decided to try them out and thought the kids would enjoy watching them grow. It is pretty neat how the brussel sprouts grow on the main stem.

Lady Bugs....

This past weekend the kids and I decorated our dining room to get ready for a birthday party. We also made a lady bug cake and cupcakes, which the kids had a blast doing. Our friend turned 4 and we had a wonderful party.

Field Trip......
Yesterday our home-school group took a field trip to the Cave of the Mounds. The kids had a wonderful time and saw some really amazing caves and learned some great new words like stalactite and stalagmites. If you are looking for some great activities to do with you kids you can go to this activity page.

Here is the group of 16 kids. I could not fit them all in my picture, but they were a great group.

The kids were identifying rocks, minerals & gems.

Apple Juice...
The last few weeks the kids and I have been making homemade apple juice. It is so yummy and has taught my kids what good apple juice taste like. The only apple juice I buy at the store anyway is the "Simply Apple". Luckily right now I have a bout 4 gallons of frozen juice in my freezer and am looking to put a few more gallons in very soon.

Fun at the Lake.....
We meet with a bunch of friends this past weekend and enjoyed some food by the lake. Anna especially had fun building a sand castle and mommy had a great time taking the Kayak out. I love to be outdoor and enjoying God's creation. I especially enjoy seeing my kids having fun with friends and in the beautiful outdoors.

School has started.......

We started a few weeks back, but now that fall is officially here we are having to dig in even deeper. The kids are doing great and we are having a lot of fun. Just this past week Anna had her first ballet class and then Gabriel will be taking a fun Spanish class starting in just a few weeks. Next week all of the kids will be going to Awana's on Wednesday night and I know that Noah will be super excited to start his Cubbies class. Gabriel will be going into the Sparks class and is going to feel like such a big boy. Anna is excited to see all the friends that she made last year. There are also home-school meetings for me to go to and a couple of field trips planned. It's going to a busy year!

At the Lake.....

Last week we had a couple of really hot days and so we decided to head to the lake. I figured it would be one of the last days of swimming for the year. The kids had a blast swimming and playing in the sand. I had a good couple of hours of knitting while the kids played.

Painting pictures....

The kids love to paint pictures and it can keep them busy for a good hour or more. It's great to see how they improve each year. Anna loves to use the white paint to make more color's then the ones we have. They all do a great job of staying in the lines with their paint brushes.

Go For It!

With God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26

He's got you covered...
and then some!

Caterpillar Cupcakes.....

One of the thing the kids enjoy doing is frosting cupcakes and decorating them. They are always wanting to have a party and making a cake is a great way to celebrate.

Yesterday afternoon they were having a camp out in the garage. I love how they use there imaginations.

Homemade Slime.....

I found this link on how to make slime. I thought I would share it with you all just in case you would like to make some. I know my kids are going to love it. You can find the link here.

"RE" Words

There are many "RE" words that are packed with hope and encouragement. The word REpurpose is often used today to remind us that many things once discarded, considered useless, and put aside for the trash heap, can be brought back, become useful once again, have value, and take on new meaning.

In the Scriptures we find some wonderful "RE" words that can keep hope and encouragement alive and thriving in our hearts.

REdeemed
I am the LORD...I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments. Exodus 6:6
REstored
'For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,' says the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17
REnewed
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles... Isaiah 40:31

- Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer

Fun with Friends....

This past week on Thursday we meet some friends as the zoo. My kids just love playing and having fun with the Hutchensons. The kids all get a long really well and the mommies have fun talking and encouraging one another. They are also a homeschooling family and so we are going to be planning field trips this coming school year and inviting many other home school families that we know. I am starting to look forward to this coming year and all that we are going to learn together.