Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Good day, lovelies! This is just a quick update, as I've still got quite a few things to finish today. I'm doing laundry while Chris and I watch Cowboys & Aliens. He rented it last night, and I wanted to see it before he brought it back. I have to pack for our trip once the movie is done, and then we've got a family gathering on Chris' dad's side of the family. I've barely spent any time with them since we've been together, so it's kind of intimidating for me. Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to it. Finally, when we get back from the gathering, Chris and I are exchanging our gifts. I'm soooo excited about that because I can't wait to see his reaction to what I got him. Tomorrow we're spending the day with my family, and Sunday we're leaving for Edmonton! I'm so excited to see little nephew - he's getting so big! And I get to see the place where my honey grew up, which is also very cool.

This afternoon I also baked some cookies. They're jam-filled thumbprint cookies, and they are much simpler than other recipes I've been seeing for them online. I'd like to share the recipe with you because I can't stop eating them!!

2 c. butter or margarine
2 c. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
6 c. flour

Cream butter and brown sugar, add wet ingredients, then flour. Mix well after each addition. Make small balls of dough, about teaspoon-sized, and place about a 1/2 inch apart. Using your thumb or index finger, make small indents in the middle of each ball. Fill the holes with your choice of jam (my preference is raspberry). Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Yum yum!

I wish all of you a merry Christmas, and I hope you have a blessed time with family and friends. And maybe take a moment to remember all that Jesus did for us, all the things we have to be thankful for.

xoxo Fe

Some Christmas thoughts.

Hello friends! How are you? I don't know about you, but I am so ready for Christmas!

The tree is up and decorated. The kitties wouldn't stay out of it at first, but now they seem to have satisfied their curiosity with it, and are staying out of it.

There's like 2 more presents to add to this, but that's it!

The gifts are bought and wrapped. They are not under the tree, however, because my kitties will shred them to pieces. They are attracted to both paper and boxes, so that just does not bode well for boxes wrapped in paper.

The little kids sang for "big church" on the weekend. They're so adorable :)

Today we had our cell Christmas party, which is actually the first one that I've been to this year. I've been invited to more, but I couldn't make them. We had a lot of fun. We played that game where you get the name of a person or a character on your back, then you have to go around and ask people yes or no questions to figure out who you are. I was Indiana Jones, and that was tough to figure out! We had snacks and stuff. I ate way too many desserts. Then the girls and guys split up, and we played pictionary with the titles of Christmas songs. And we had to actually sing the song for our answer to count. The boys were such cheaters - if they heard us say it before we started singing, then they would start singing. But we beat them hardcore :)

Sunday we went for a sleigh ride at my brother-in-law's girlfriend's house. Her family runs a farm where people go to get Christmas trees, and they can go for sleigh rides and stuff too. Fun times!

Me and my man (we weren't totally prepared for this, but it's the best one I got :P)

Starting tomorrow, our family gatherings are starting. First, supper at Chris' parents with my brother-in-law's girlfriend (because she's not coming to Edmonton with us). Saturday, my mom's side; Sunday, Chris' mom's side. Next weekend: Chris' dad's side, and with my family. Then we leave for Edmonton and have Christmas there with the rest of Chris' siblings! Busy, but so much fun. That's what I love about Christmas - spending time with family.


I hope that you all enjoy your holidays! Take time to relax and just breathe! And remember that the reason we celebrate Christmas is to remember all that Jesus has done for us!

xoxo Fe

Random thoughts on a Friday evening.

This is me right now. I'm kind of bored.

I didn't feel like filling blanks today, so I didn't. Hahahaha...

Right now I am sitting alone, with Rogue sleeping half on my laptop. Okay, maybe only a quarter. She's silly. Storm is hiding who knows where. We had her spayed and declawed this week, and she's doing really good, but even so I guess she's tired and she wants to get away from Rogue. Rogue can be a bit of a pest sometimes. But she's so darn cute we can't hold it against her. Chris will be on his way home from school soon. He carpools with his dad so I can use the car, but then he has to wait until his dad is done work and sometimes that is kind of late, which makes me sad :(

I am sitting at my desk, writing a letter to Jasmine. She's such a lovely lady - her letters put a smile on my face! Actually ALL letters put a smile on my face! I just love to hear stories about life, about thoughts and hopes and dreams and that supper that you accidentally ruined and that annoying thing your husband does, but gosh-darn he's just so wonderful anyway :) I love to connect with people and to be able to read their stories over and over. Someday, when I pass away, at least my kids will have these letters and remember that their mama liked tangible things over electronics :)

I'm thinking about what to make for supper. I'm thinking tomato soup and grilled cheese because it's chilly today, and that's so comforting on a cold day.

Tomorrow I'm doing some Christmas baking with Estela. I haven't picked my recipes yet, but I have about 13 tabs open with different sweets calling my name. I think I'll do 3, so we'll see which ones I end up with.

Oh hey, I have a job now! Did I mention that? I just finished my second week working at Staples, an office supply store in my town. I love not having to commute!! It's awesome, especially that winter is upon us and roads become disgusting sometimes. So far my job is pretty good - still making dumb mistakes, but I guess there's no way to avoid it. And I get a 15% discount on office supplies :D Yessssss....

Christmas in 23 days!! Wooooo!!!

Have a lovely weekend, my friends <3

Some thoughts by a smart man.

This is something that a friend posted on Facebook recently, and I decided to share it because I completely agree with it. The original can be found here. I am not sure of the validity of the rest of this - maybe Ben Stein actually said it, maybe not.

I am not posting this to offend, just to provoke thought. Some very good points in here. You can just replace "America" with "Canada" in most cases because we're almost the same at this point.

 

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God ? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shall not kill; thou shall not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Let it snow... (Mail 2.6)

Firstly, I am enjoying the fresh layer of snow today. It's so pretty! I'm currently listening to Michael Buble's new Christmas album. I love it. Wonderful!

Secondly, has it really been 2 months since my last mail post? Apparently so! Disgusting, Fe...

I haven't had too much mail coming in or going out. Not shameful, but not impressive either. I'm content :) However, I've been terrible at taking pictures of my outgoing mail.What else is new? I'll try to do better from now on.

Awesome calligraphy from Merissa in Hawaii. I'm so obsessed with going to Hawaii someday, and I love writing to people from places that I want to visit!

A long awaited letter from Stella in China. She's adorable :)

 

Snail mail and a postcard from Snailmail Fan

From my darling Julia.

A first letter from Kotana in Japan.

An awesome letter and fuzzy kitty stickers from Lindsay! I love the ridiculous stationery - definitely puts a smile on my face.

Lovely postcards from Gracie. I was paired with her for my very first Happy Mail Project swap!

I did a movie tag on the postcrossing forum, and this person tagged me and wrote their thoughts on Back to the Future for me :)

 

Awesome awesome package from Jasmine! Seriously, I squealed as I took things out. I was glad I was alone because I felt a bit ridiculous at how delighted I was.

 

My attempt at snail mail for Belen

 

For Snailmail Fan

  

A passel of Postcrossing cards 

 

For the lovely miss Olga. 

That's all I have for you today! I hope that you all remember to pass on the snail mail love! And have a wonderful weekend!

Fill in the Blank Friday 2.18

1.   A nervous habit I have is  biting my nails/chewing on them til they get all jaggedy and painful.

2.   Something that makes me sad is the fact that 90% of people that grow up in the church will leave it by the time they are 25 .

3.  Today I am thankful for  grey skies and snow, hot chocolate, snuggly cats, and lots of letters to write .

4. My favorite room in my house is  my living room. Comfy couches where Chris and I hang out with our cats .

5.  I can't stand  listening to top 40 music because most of it is just crappy lyrics. It drives me nuts.

6.  If I had an extra $100 to spend on whatever I wanted today I would  buy a nice pair of boots that were stylish and warm. I need a new pair of boots, but I just can't bring myself to spend that much on a pair even though it's a necessary investment in this climate.

7.  The last person I hung out with was  my friend Estela. We went shopping, saw Puss in Boots (which was quite good!) and got our first Starbucks holiday drinks of the season.

My salvation story.

Hello friends! Today I am doing something that's a bit different for this blog, but something that I want to do. My friend Callie is hosting a link up to share the stories of how we came to know Jesus. I don't talk about my faith a lot here on my blog, but that is something that I intend to change. Not that I intend to become preachy and unrelatable. I just want it to be evident that there is something bigger in my life. 

I know that some of you readers don't share the same faith as me, and that is okay. You don't have to read this if you don't want to. Just respect that it is important for me to put this out there.

My salvation story.

I grew up in a Christian home. In my circles, that is the most common way a testimony begins. And it's been only in the past year that I have come to realize what a huge blessing that is. Lots of people don't have the upbringing that I did, and I've become more thankful over the years for this Christian heritage I have.

My parents taught me about Jesus ever since I was born, and when I was starting school they put me in a small Christian private school (small being 30 students total). Every morning we did devotions as a school before starting on our work. Now, I don't remember the specifics, but I must have come home one day affected by what I had heard. Then that evening I overheard my sister asking my mom about Heaven and hell. All I knew after listening to their conversation was that I did not want to go to hell! So I prayed right where I was by myself, and I asked Jesus to please let me come live with Him, because I didn't want to go to hell forever. 

Even though my motivation to get saved was childish fear, I genuinely loved Jesus when I was growing up. I loved reading stories in the Bible about people who were brave and lived for God, and I wanted to be like them. However, around the age of 12 I began to doubt that I was really saved. Almost every night I would ask Jesus into my heart again. This went on for a few years, and it was quite turbulent for me. I just had this fear that I wasn't really saved, and someday Jesus would just swoop back and take the Christians and I would be left alone (this was after the popularity of the Left Behind series and the pre-tribulation rapture, a doctrine I no longer agree with). Finally at age 16 I'd had enough, and I told God once and for all I was just going to trust that I was saved in His eyes. A few years later I was at my cell group meeting, and I was praying with some friends when I got confirmation once and for all that I was saved as long as I was trying to live for the Lord. Ever since then I have never doubted that I will be with Jesus when I die (or this life ends, whichever comes first).

One of the most important factors in my story is my search for a church (haha that rhymes). I went to one church growing up, but as I got older I began to feel out of place there. I wanted more than what they were giving me, but I had to go there because that's where my parents went. In grade 12 I started at a new school (a larger Christian high school [where I met my now husband!]) and I began going to youth group with my new friends. When I got my driver's license, I started attending services at that church. I felt like I was getting closer, but it still wasn't the right place for me.

In September 2005 a friend that I was re-connecting with invited me to come to her cell group at Southland Community Church. I had been to a few youth worship nights there and I really liked them, so I thought that it would be a good idea. So I joined this group and I really liked it, but I was still going to this other church. Finally, in December I attended a service at Southland, and from the very first time I walked in those doors, I knew I was home. The worship was real. The message was exactly what I needed to hear. For so long I had been listening to the same messages over and over. I was tired of the rote and stale. I needed so desperately to grow, and I knew that this was the place I was going to learn how. At 17 I walked into the church I am confident I will stay at for the rest of my life, unless the Lord leads us geographically elsewhere.

In fall of 2006 I got baptised, and a few months later I became a member of the church. It's been 6 years now, and I have grown more than I imagined I could. I feel like my whole life has changed since I found my home. God has become so real in my life, and even though I have a long way to go, and even though I've been through some very hard times spiritually in the past 2.5 years, He has carried me, spoken to me and comforted me. I can never doubt His presence in my life again.

I've discovered where my talents and spiritual gifts lie, and I just love to volunteer and spend time at church. Whenever I help lead on the worship team, I get filled from seeing the congregation worship. I also help with childcare in the nursery (it's helping to curb my baby fever somewhat haha) and sometimes I just can't wait to see what kind of awesome things these babies will grow up to do for the Kingdom.

Right now I'm at a place where God is beginning to reveal to me His purpose for my life. I'm entering a spring time in my walk, so it is time to grow and learn. I hope that it will become more evident in my life, but what I want the most is to help Jesus touch others with my story and with my life. I want to help others grow as well, and I want to do great things for the Kingdom, even though I'm not sure what those things will be yet. 

I hope that you found my journey something you can learn from or take encouragement from. If you have any questions, please email me (address is on the side).

Go with God and be blessed today, my friends.