Christmas

A REALLY white Christmas!

The real reason for this Christmas season...

Luke 2 (The Message)

The Birth of Jesus

^1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

^6-7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

^8-12There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

^13-14At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

^15-18As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

^19-20Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Goin' Fishin'

Popcorn

I always wanted to try stringing popcorn, but could not figure out where to put it once it was strung (I'm certainly not putting it on the Christmas tree!) So, this year, we decided to string popcorn and put it on the bushes outside for the birds to eat. Aside from the finger pricks, it was a good time.

Merry Christmas

Now we wait for Christmas Day.

More winter weather...

This time, we received little snow, but significant sleet. Now it's raining, and the temperature on my computer shows 32 degrees, so most likely the rain will also freeze going into the evening. School for the children was canceled this morning, and Jason chose to stay home since the roads were very slick. The temperatures did not rise enough to clear them, unfortunately. So everyone was home today, looking for activities to keep them occupied, and most likely Julian and Kathryn will be home again tomorrow.

Since they are only allowed 90 minutes of electronic time per day, they have been struggling a bit to stay busy, leading to bickering at times. Jason spent some time with them, engaged in his newest hobby, painting. Below are pictures of the artists. I did not join in today, but have posted some of our recent work.

I'm glad the evening is coming on, and it will soon be time for dinner, baths and bed. This has been a loud day when I've gotten quite used to quiet time in my weekdays. And although unlikely, I can still hope for school tomorrow.

Snow

This weekend, we had the first snow of the year. Unfortunately, the children were away with their grandparents, so they were not here for it. For this reason only, I hope we get another good snow when they are home and both feeling well. I took a few pictures to show the kids when they came home, since it melted quickly, as it normally does here.