we didn't have much of a "PA" winter this year. in fact, it was very much reminiscent of the "winters" i spent in the mid-state of NC. warm enough to go for a bike ride in early january, only a total of about 10-12" of snow (ok...most years in NC we didn't get that much, but here we average closer to 30", with the last few years being above average.), and daffodils blooming in late february to early march, when normally we don't see them until mid to late march/early april.

there's been some concern about the fruit harvest in the area this year, because growers are worried that there is greater potential for the buds and blossoms, which are already out, to blow off the trees, or to freeze if we happen to have a cold snap. on the other hand, orchardists (i think i made that word up.) are cautiously anticipating a majorly bountiful, early crop because of the potentially longer & unusually warm growing season. YAY for the potential for fresh cherries before summer!

punxsutawney phil sure got it wrong this year! spring definitely came early...even the bugs and baby bunnies are out and about. and just the other day, i saw a red tailed hawk flying over a field with a black snake hanging from its talons.

i've really, REALLY been enjoying the early season. and since there wasn't really a "thaw", it hasn't been all gooey & mucky like it normally is in the transitional time between winter and full blown springyness. i like it. :)
some people who are not so cool with it-people who booked DC hotel rooms in order to enjoy the annual cherry blossom festival, which takes place each year in mid april. unfortunately, the blooms are out this week in DC, and will be gone by the time those folks come to town.

our lovely cherry tree in the back yard is about 3 1/2 weeks ahead of "schedule" also.
here is a picture i took last year on april 17th:

and here is one i took today. (please excuse the poor photo quality...i'm having issues with focus lately. :/ )

early spring makes me smile. :)

and this passage always comes to mind at this season...
"look now, the winter is past. the rain is over and gone. the flowers have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines, and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in the land. the figs are ripening on the trees and the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance..." Song of Solomon 2:11-13a

monday is just not my friend lately.
tuesday, wednesday, and thursday haven't been all that kind, either. heheh

i saw a commercial earlier, for a local candy company. it featured "cute" kids dressed up in their Easter finery, talking about their favorite sweets. one kid said, "my grammy likes, like, Jesus and stuff...so she got me a chocolate cross. and i ate it. is that okay?"

i guess i've been in a kind of funk lately, one that i'm just noticing more now that i am climbing out of it. isn't it weird how sometimes things can just attach themselves to you, like a nettle? and it seems like they're magnetic..before you know it, you've got a whole jumble of sticky little briers slowing you down. when i see a mess of those things  clinging to me, i usually just reach down and try to grab the whole group and rip them off.. i usually end up with tiny barbs in my fingers, and with brambles still attached.
for some reason it's almost always not until after i give myself splinters, that i look to the One who i know is really good at plucking out thorns.

i am smacking myself around with the goodness of the books 1st and 2nd Peter.. i am amazed that God is so patient, so loving and faithful...yet at the same time, i know that He is just and righteous, and i know what He expects from me.. it still blows my mind that He chose me.


a "poem"

i could gaze
at Your beautiful
ocean...forever.
resting
by the shore
i feel so close to You.
each wave-
with every rise
and every fall-
proclaims that
You are King.
the winds
whisper Your Name
and say that
You are Lord.
You made the sea.
only You are more amazing.


what makes me smile today:
thinking of the ocean & the One who created it.

from this day forward i am, and shall ever be, a ONE coffee per day girl.
(or less....i prefer tea, anyway. :P)

this is what makes me smile:
a yard full of robins that i did not get to take a picture of.

also, this:
Psalm 32:8-11
"the LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control! Many sorrows come to the wicked, but UNFAILING LOVE surrounds those who trust the LORD. So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey Him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!" ♥

someday...maybe someday..

this is what made me smile today:
a post card sent from my pap to my granny while he was in training for the us army air corps during ww2.

ten albums full of old (and some newer) family photographs...
another album that contains a collection of almost one hundred postcards dated 1905-the 1950s, which belonged to my great-grandmother...
countless newspaper clippings-pertinent to family and local history, as well as major national and world events...
bible records and other genealogical treasures, including drawings by some of my favorite great aunts and cousins who have passed on...
a pot of delicious jasmine tea...
a mix of my favorite tunes...
a glowing fireplace...
and a fluffy cat curled up in a big wicker bowl beside me.

all these things have made for an excellent afternoon. :)

i am especially intrigued by my great grandmother, Mary Jane. there are a number of parallels between our lives, and the more i learn about her, the more i wish i'd gotten a chance to know her. she has always been remembered with great fondness by my mom, my aunts, and cousins who were blessed to have spent time with her.
one of the funniest stories i remember hearing was of a time when she was walking from her home to the home of my mother's family. they lived in a small valley-the walk wasn't far, but it was mostly uphill and through a patch of woods. on the way, she met a skunk who decided she was in his (or her, i guess!) territory, and chased "Big Grandma" (as my mom & aunts referred to her) the whole way up the hill. my mom remembers hearing Big Grandma screaming well before she came crashing through the front door (rather than the back..where she normally entered), out of breath from the run up the hill. as soon as she got inside, she promptly fainted on the living room floor. :) hehe

i also hear she made spectacular potato chips. !! yum.

"..from everlasting to everlasting, the LORD's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness will be with their children's children..." Psalm 103:17

this is what makes me smile:
my great-great grandmother, Bessie Talitha Bricker Sword, with her daughters Catherine and Mary Jane

i've been having some amazingly vivid dreams recently. one was very terrifying, involving monsters and all sorts of scary things happening to my loved ones. i woke up and restarted that dream at least three times that i remember. each time, as i was drifting back to sleep, i would think, "now amy...dream something better this time." it didn't work so well.
one night i dreamed that i kept hiding from people. there were several different people i hid from, and throughout the dream it seemed as though i was watching life from the other side of a window. the weird part about that dream was, all of the people i hid from were people who i desperately wanted to be involved with in some capacity. yet, i still hid. there was one person who realized i was hiding, found me, and involved me in a game of chess.
another night, i dreamed that i was outside with a group of people, and we were all star gazing...looking for meteors. i saw one, and then another, and soon there were "shooting stars" whizzing across the heavens in every direction...but i was the only one in the group who could see them.
lots of interesting things have been happening in my dreams lately...and in nearly every single one of them, i am absolutely convinced that i am awake, and those things are really happening. when i wake up, i am either relieved, or sort of sad..depending on the dream.
last night, i had an entirely different experience. instead of being asleep and convinced that i was awake...i had the opposite happen. i got a strange, unintelligible text from my company's owner which had me fully convinced that i'd been fired. i replied with an equally unintelligible question as to whether that is what she meant, or if i was very confused. thankfully, she gave me a call & assured me that i was not fired, and that she thought i'd better go back to sleep because she thought i'd taken too much cold medicine. it turns out she was probably right about that. haha..today, i am red-faced, but glad to still have my job. i am also glad that i have the ability to laugh at myself. heheh

a verse i read today:
"a man's heart plans his way, but it is the Lord who establishes his steps." Proverbs 16:9

this is what makes me smile. raptors.

"her"

when the daffodils start to bloom, i always change my route home from work to include going down an awesomely pot-hole infested, one and a half lane dirt road that is sometimes between hills and sometimes on the side of a cliff. that road cuts through one of the most ruggedly beautiful valleys i've seen around here, and in truth i take this route once every other week or so throughout the year, just because it's so pretty.
in this valley, along a lane called "prospect hill," there is an old, crumbling farmhouse in the middle of what is now a sheep pasture. (i always feel bad for those little guys when they get sheared..they look so, well, weird. haha)
i like to imagine what the people who lived in that house were like..why would they choose such a place to build their home and farm? those hilly fields had to be hard to clear, till, and harvest.
there is a rusty old water pump in front of the house, and i imagine outbuildings filled with tools and animals. i can almost hear a brood of boisterous children running around..and chickens. i wonder about the "woman of the house." what was she like? did she enjoy living so far from town? did she wander along the brook that rambles through the valley? the brook that originates as a spring bubbling up from her front yard, eventually growing into a stream and merging with the codorus creek, which meanders all through our county until it finally meets up with the mighty  susquehanna  river, rushing over rocks and through forests to join with the chesapeake bay, which then flows to the atlantic ocean...? was she aware of the awesomeness of this?? did she care where that brook went? or just that it sometimes flooded during a heavy rain? where was she from? what was her name? did she love the hills and valleys? my questions are endless...
one thing i do know, is that she (or someone who came after her) liked daffodils. i know this because they still bloom every spring.
today, i saw a few blooming at a house on my way home from work & so i decided it was time to check out the prospect hill farm to see if "her" daffodil's were out yet. ...
almost. i'll just have to drive by again in a few days. :)

all these things sent me in search of my camera today. at this particular moment, i'm glad i splurged on the ridiculously over priced batteries.

we don't call it "the eagle tree" for nothing.

nothing too spectacular here, just a shimmering lake and some lovely shades of brown and blue..

my "church shoes"

                        

by far, the cutest thing i saw all day.

hibiscus tea. yum.

such a pretty sunset that even an out of focus picture can't take away its loveliness.

so cool. jupiter, moon, and venus. (and a photobombing jet.)

all of these things are a testament to God's love for me. (well...maybe not the jet. ;) )

His blessings are endless, He is my Joy, my Love, and my Peace.

pssssst! He loves you, too.

i spent yesterday most of the evening, and well past midnight reading a two volume story. it was a story about growth and stagnation, challenge and triumph..or failure. there were heartbreaks, joyous celebrations, and tantrums. at various times i wept; tears of joy, of anger, and of grief. there were moments when i wanted to scoop the main character up in my arms for a long, comforting hug, and other times when i just wanted to shake some sense into her. throughout the story there was always an underlying layer of  hopefulness versus hopelessness, and the consequences of each.
this was the story of a girl who most saw as having an abundance of potential and even a lot of natural ability, but unfortunately, who most also often saw as someone who didn't really need much help. this girl kind of got lost in the shuffle and was not comfortable reaching out for the assistance she desperately needed, so her talents and potential were wasted because of her inability to plan or just to really know where to turn for some concrete direction. or so she allowed herself to believe. at times she became bogged down in perceived helplessness and confusion. other times, she soared.
i noticed that, throughout the tale, the times the girl was most content were the times she seemed to be focusing her thoughts on God and seeking after His will. (duh, right?) it was the times when she allowed unholy distractions into her life, or put other things or people in a more elevated place than she should have, that things in her life went wonky and difficulties ensued. (again, duh.)
there was a "mostly" happy ending, but even with that there were major life challenges that the girl would be facing in the future. in the end, i was left with hopes for years filled with promise and joy,  and for her to reclaim the calling on her life.
it was a pretty good story, and there were some shockers in there that i wasn't expecting. this was strange, because the books were my journals from 1993-1999. there were also a lot of things that i was kind of surprised weren't in there. i am left with a feeling similar to the one i had when i first read The Bell Jar. i was absolutely convinced that i suffered from the same difficulties, and even diseases that Esther did. moreover, i felt i was Esther. i felt i was reading the story of my life. this time, at least i don't feel quite as crazy for feeling that way. ;)
so..i'm not sure what i want to do with these journals. part of me wants to hold on to them, because they really are a chronicle of some of the most difficult times in my life. looking back now, i can see so many things so clearly...it makes me feel a mixture of anger at and pity for myself, but almost as if it wasn't me..like this girl was a totally different person.  in a lot of ways, she was. so much of that girl is dead and buried with a shout of good riddance and a brief moment of mourning for all of the wasted years and energy. but you can't go back, can you? you just have to learn from your mistakes, and it really does help to be able to put things together and sort of figure out why i made some of the stupid choices that i did...not that it makes them okay..
there is another part of me that just wants to burn the journals. to symbolically (and literally) burn all the hurt and pain, and just be done with it once and for all. but then, i've done that before, and the only good it did was it gave me a reason to go out to the burn barrel and play with some matches for a little while.
i am so very thankful for being rescued from the place the Lord pulled me out of, so amazed that He still wanted me after all the careless ways i behaved. while i was reading, i felt like, even during my darkest days, i was always reaching toward Jesus, even when i was floundering and drowning...i just couldn't seem to keep my grasp. there were so many things weighing me down that i didn't even realize at the time. i am just glad He never let me go. ♥

"But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned-every one of us-to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:5&6

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these should perish."
Matthew 18:12-14

thank You. ♥

it is amazing the amount of stuff a person can collect over the years. even after several moves and "downsizing" i still have more things than any one human being needs. so, i am trying to pare down all this stuff...again. where does it all come from??
i'm not really a pack rat, but i do tend to hold on to things that have sentimental value. or things that i find amusing. for example, i just ran across a little comic strip i drew one day while i was at work...15 years ago. hahaha...
i worked at Walden Books, and was assigned to man the middle of the mall calendar kiosk most days. there was a rather large, ugly sign that read, "DAY BY DAY CALENDAR COMPANY"  i basically stood there and people watched for most of the day-or chatted with the elderly gentlepeople who worked at Hickory Farms. (they gave me lots of delicious cheese & crackers.)
anyway, i enjoyed this job for the most part, except for the fact that people-mostly middle aged to older people-constantly asked if the items (which mostly had the upcoming year emblazoned on the front) were records. i heard a lot of, "RECORDS!? who even has a record player anymore???" (this was obviously before having a record player was fashionable again.) or "what are these things, LP's?" or, "do you have any Chicago?" and, "$12.89 for a RECORD??? that's INCREDIBLE!!" often, when i would explain that it was a calendar kiosk, and all we sold were calendars, i got this response, "well they look like records." sooo....the continuous comments and questions about the calendars being records got on my nerves. a lot.

things that do not happen every day.

today, three guineas chased me down a dirt path.
today, my grandma told me a story about my dad while i was sitting in the same room as she was.
today, josie beat me at a sliding board race.
today, hannah practiced her pratfalls...and actually didn't hurt herself.
today, a 2 year old handed me a flower.
today, my aunt gave me a hug.
today, my sister called and asked me to pick up a slushy on my way home.
today, i saw a righteous double sundog.
today, i fed one of the cutest boys i've ever seen mashed carrots and oatmeal.
today, my best friend invited me over for supper..and i was close enough to accept.
today, it was decided that pac-man party is really not my game.
today was a good day. :)


this is what makes me smile: hehehehh

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1

this is what makes me smile:
this old house.

there are not very many things as lovely as a cardinal sitting on a snow covered tree branch. :)

ever feel like you're just wandering around, not really knowing what to do, which way to go...or where to start? yep. me, too.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Psalm 32:8

there is a flock of wild chickens that lives down the road from my house. they like to chill in the middle of the road a lot of times, and when we first moved here i would slam on my brakes, or swerve to try to avoid hitting one (or more!) of them. i don't know when my actions changed, maybe they just morphed over time, but now-i don't swerve. i don't brake. i just continue...sometimes i actually speed up. those chickens are fast. and they seem to love to cut it really close with the cars, especially the roosters. i've never seen one of them laying along the side of the road, and i've noticed that none of the other local cars slow down either. it makes me wonder how long their little family has been around. and also, i hope i never run into them when i'm out for a jog...i'm pretty sure they could all take me.

today, i saw a pink and gray spotted pig eating leftover corn in a field just outside of town.
and that made me smile. :)

i have been avoiding writing here like the plague. i'm not completely sure why, just haven't felt very wordy lately, i guess.
the weird part is, i'm working through a bunch of things, and at the same time i'm learning a lot of things, and normally those are things that spur me to spill forth the verbal diarrhea.
probably, the main reason i've not been posting is that i am throwing a silent tantrum because i REALLY miss having a working camera. there have been soooooo many instances in the past month or so that i have had such great opportunities for some really good photo memories. i feel kind of like i'm missing an appendage. :(
hopefully soon, i will be able to either have my camera looked at and fixed, or possibly replaced.

i am really, REALLY loving 2 Peter right now. and holy moly, i am so glad for my church & pastors. they are GREAT teachers. just saying.

this is what makes me happy:
love.

it's pretty rare to experience a perfect star gazing night in january. normally it's much too cold to attempt it. i'm thankful that i accidentally left my cell phone in my jeep this afternoon, otherwise, i would have missed out on one of the clearest, mildest nights we've had in quite some time. sirius is so bright, as usual, but holy moly,  i could even see each star in the seven sisters with just my glasses. i almost want to go back out there & lay in the back of the truck with my sleeping bag for a couple of hours. buuuut, alas, i must get up earlier than usual tomorrow. ah the pains of being a responsible adult.

"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion's belt? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth?"
Job 38:31-33 (the LORD speaking to Job)


"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place...what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?" Ps.8:3&4

this is what makes me not smile:
my camera being crapped up. i'm getting pretty tired of not taking pictures. :/

...later...so i couldn't stand it. it's 54Freaking degrees. in january. so i got han out of bed, grabbed some sleeping bags & we went out and star gazed for a while. :) she is such a chatterbox ♥
it was really a special little fun time & i hope its something she remembers fondly.
bonus: she saw her first shooting star!

today:

• i got to wake up without an alarm.
• hannah made me a delicious pancake.
• the sun was shining all day long.
• and it was 59F when i woke up at 9am! (so weird for winter in PA!)
• i watched an eagle soar over the lake for about 5 minutes before it finally dove down & presumably caught some lunch.
• vitamin D synthesis happened...capri's and a t-shirt in January hasn't happened since i lived in North Carolina! yaaay for naturally chasing away those winter time blues. heheh
• my dad let me borrow his truck so i didn't have to wrestle with my bike rack...
• hannah & i rode the rail trail past the howard tunnel for the first time-with only one wipe out and a minimal amount of "can we turn around NOW?"
• my mom folded my laundry.
• the laundry dried on the clothesline. outside. in january. without freezing.
• i decided that soaprocks are pretty cool...
• my mom made me chocolate pudding delight. :)
• i made some delicious crab cakes. two thumbs up.
• houston beat cincinnati. which means baltimore will play houston at home next week. and not pittsburgh. i am hoping tebow can pull out another miracle and dump the steelers before they can move on. most raven's players & fans would like to see another match up with pittsburgh this year...just so we can put the thing to rest, but not me. those games give me ulcers.
• charles barkley is hosting SNL...which means it could be hilarious or ridiculous. or both. hopefully both.
• oh yeah, it was my birthday. :)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise-think about these things. Philippians 4:8

this is what makes me smile:

giant tricycles.

starting the year off with a traditional irish blessing sounds like a good idea to me!

May the new year bring
the warmth of hearth and home to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
the hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
the love of the Son and God's peace to you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
2012 is a year of victory & change!


"..'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" Jeremiah 29:11

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11

"Yet those who wait upon the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31

this is what makes me smile:
knowing that God always keeps His promises.

also:
birthday cake.

12 years ago, i was in the hospital, having been in labor for 4 hours...i'm glad i didn't know then that i still had almost 20 more hours until i'd get to meet my sweet baby girl. ♥

right now, there is a room full of giggly, squealing, LOUD 12-year-olds upstairs who sound like they are going to come through the ceiling at any minute. Lord help me. heheh.
i am so thankful He chose me to be her mama...even though i didn't deserve it, and even though i suck at it sometimes. i am so thankful for the people who supported me, and who never questioned my decisions, and who had my back when others were not so supportive or loving. praise God for friends!
i never doubted that she was a gift from Him, and no accident. a living example of His mercy and grace. and that is why her name is Hannah.

"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

this is what makes me smile:
wondering if she'll make a mess this big with her cupcake this year?

sometimes i feel like something in my brain short circuits, and things get all muddled and wonky. sometimes it makes me feel lost, confused, overwhelmed, unsure...i forget where i was, and what i was doing-the path i was on before the short circuit. i get frustrated, i feel like i am spinning in a circle and everywhere i look i see something i might have been working toward..or...not? i feel like i need to wake up from a dream, but am fully aware that i am awake. life in a fog, or under the bell jar is not one i prefer. i am hoping for clearheaded-ness to return. with a quickness.

"Hear my prayer, O Jehovah; give ear to my supplications: In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgement with thy servant; for in thy sight no man living is righteous. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground: he hat made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy doings; I muse on the work of thy hands. I spread forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. Selah. 
Make haste to answer me, O Jehovah; my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I become like them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.
Deliver me, O Jehovah, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me in the land of uprightness. Quicken me, O Jehovah, for thy name's sake: in thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. And in thy lovingkindness cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul; for I am thy servant."
Psalm 143


this is what makes me smile:
forehead curls. ♥

today i was blessed to watch my daughter play with both of my nieces together,
i had numerous hilarious, as well as heartfelt conversations with various family members,
my daughter showed that she really loves giving more than receiving,
i made some bangin' queso blanco,
and i found out that hairless guinea pigs exist.
the best part, my favorite part of Christmas Eve each year, was going to our Christmas Eve service.
this year, we didn't have candle light, but for the first time in a very long time i got to sit in a pew with both of my sisters at the same time. i didn't think about it before hand, but while we were all sitting there singing carols, the realization that that hadn't happened in nearly a decade really hit me. i am so thankful to have been able to share this most special evening with them. ♥

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Luke 2:1-20

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days la decree went out from mCaesar Augustus that all the world should be nregistered. 2 This was the first nregistration when1 Quirinius owas governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up pfrom Galilee, from the town of qNazareth, to Judea, to rthe city of David, which is called sBethlehem, tbecause he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,2 who was with child. 6 And twhile they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and uwrapped him in swaddling cloths and vlaid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in wthe inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lordxappeared to them, and ythe glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all zthe people. 11 For aunto you is born this day in bthe city of David ca Savior, who is dChrist ethe Lord. 12 And fthis will be a sign for you: you will find a baby gwrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel ha multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 i“Glory to God jin the highest,

jand on earth kpeace lamong those with whom he is pleased!”3

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babymlying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But nMary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, oglorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

this is what makes me smile:

love.

today was a great day.
i made roughly 90 pancakes.
and talked about football way too much.
also, i collected my free coffee from starbucks. that was awesome.
my favorite part of today was having a dinner date with my daddy. :)
AND our weather forecast has changed from 0% chance of a white christmas to 50% chance. ooooh that would be so cool. but even if not, we are supposed to have thunderstorms tomorrow, so that will be pretty cool.
ok, random post over. :)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

and this is what makes me smile:
hanukkah humor...

sometimes i avoid my blog because i am feeling superbly negative, and i know that anything that comes out of me will also be superbly negative. especially here, where i often spew forth without filtering myself. sooo that's where i've been. plus, i've been kinda busy with holiday goings & doings. and also, even with all the extra "activity" i still couldn't think of anything interesting enough to bother to write.

even now, i am struggling. heheh.

i think i shall write you all...

a holiday haiku.
by me.

harried people rush
gathering a lot of junk
the real gift is Love

merry christmas. :)

i'm trying to remember to "Do everything without grumbling or complaining." Philippians2:14

what i'm listening to:

this is what makes me smile:
reindogs.