[He will] bestow on [those who mourn] a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. - Isaiah 61:3 NIV (paraphrased)
Wow well there's just about 4 hours and 7 minutes of 2011 left and then it's January 1, 2012... We get double to get used to, a new month to write and a new year! :)
2011 has honestly been one of the worst and best years of my life! we've gone through some really crazy tough things I never dreamed we'd experience and yet this year has really been a year that I think I've grown up a lot and learned a lot about myself and others and more about God and what life means and what I believe.
Met some new people, saw some people leave... isn't that the way it goes, people come, and people leave and maybe we don't know how we touch others and how people will touch us but they all do, sometimes subtly sometimes obviously.
I don't know, I guess it's traditional to make New Year Resolutions, but I don't know if I'll make any this year. I wonder sometimes, what the point is if half the time we don't keep them anyways, but then if we never made resolutions we'd never improve right? But really we shouldn't have to wait for the new year, each day is a new start and a new opportunity to improve!
Well I hope your new year is full of blessings and you grow closer to Him, and find true joy in each new day! Don't get so busy you forget to take in the little things in life! Take time to marvel at the intricacy of a rose, or the beauty of a sunset or the joy in a baby's laughter! Hope this year you find God's grace and love and joy in a new way in each of the 365 days ahead!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
My verse for 2011:
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. - Philippians 4:13
Okay there are like 97 photos I went through and deleted some and captioned them so if you want to take the time to look at them you can go to my picasa web album through the link below.
My camera is not the best quality but it captured to an extent the memories and that's what they're for. :)
Hoping you all had/are having a fantabulous Christmas!! Last night we celebrated with my Grandma Barb Smith and I'm hoping to get some pictures up of that soon.
Making Bonbons for Christmas Eve... Peanut butter, coconut, almond bark (Rachael can't have powdered sugar which is the main ingredient in the 'dough') and white chocolate (almond bark for dad)... Had lots of help and fun but I'm thoroughly sick of bonbons! =P Here are some pictures...
The coconut dough
Ready to be dipped
Dipping them
Some of the first dipped bonbons ready to freeze. They had a little extra chocolate around the edges but still tasted pretty fantabulous! :)
My lovely helpers, Ruth, Mary and Sarah :)
Went outside to get some pictures of the falling snow but the camera wouldn't pic it up. So here's a picture of Ruthie and Toby Mac.
Toby trying to steal the camera.
This cat is actually a girl, Sarah gave it it's brilliant name when we thought she was a male, so now Rachael says we need to name it Sophia after Tommy Trattle's wife from David Copperfield by Charles Dickons... but I like Toby Mac! ;)
Mary helped me dip half the bonbons once I was sick of it. Rachael finished them when Mary went 'to wrap her presents' :)
Caught in the act! =P But I guess cooks have the right to snitch. :)
Dipping them... they made less than I remembered making last year, but maybe it's my imagination. I think we'll have plenty! =P
John found it necessary to 'help' ya know lick the bowls or taste test.... those jobs we are incapable of doing... ;)
Adorable, mischievous grin! =]
Peanut Butter bonbons mmmm!!! I LOVE peanut butter...
...and coconut!! =] this is just the start of the bonbons... this whole bucket at least is filled. =)
I can't wait for Christmas Eve when we celebrate with Grandma... which reminds me, I still need to wrap my gifts! =0 Merry Christmas to all and a happy new year!
Okay, well I've decided to start another blog, I'll still be posting on this one too. My new one will be stuff I've written, like poems, essays and stories, if you wanna check it out, I'm not gonna say any of it is that impressive, but it's who I am. The blog is called
I hope to post on here again soon, it's been way too long... haven't been on for a week 'cause of some things going on, but I'm back and I'll update soon.
Today would have marked seventy-four years for my grandpa, Dave Smith. It's been almost six months since he passed away, and this year he celebrates in Heaven! Grandpa was an amazing man and he's greatly missed, but it's good to know that he's no longer in pain and he'll never again be hurt or need to shed tears. No more painful tomorrows to face, only an eternity of joy! I can't wait to see him again, in Heaven!
One of my pet peeves is cliques! I hate where there has to be an 'in group'! I hate how people think that if they wear the right clothes, say the right things, act the right way... they'll be cool. Who has the right to judge what 'cool' is anyways? Everyone tries to be like 'such and such' 'cause she's the hot thing! But why should we all be the same? Why should I try to be just like you? I'm cool like me, my individualism makes me who I am and that's cool! God didn't create us all blond with blue eyes, 5'5" and slender with perfect skin... because what would be the fun in that?
God created variety! And not just in people, think of the wide variety of animals, flowers, trees, etc. If all flowers were red poppies and all trees were oaks. If there were only black dogs and orange tiger stripe cats... wouldn't life be boring? We accept individuality in nature, why not in ourselves and others around us? People get made fun of for being 'different'! But if we were all the same, the world would be boring!
I love going to a store and watching people, old people, young people, tall and thin people, short, heavy people, blond haired people, dark skinned people, people with light skin... what would be the fun in watching those people if they were all identical? Each one of us was created different, and each was created in His image, thus we were created perfect!
So before you compare yourself to someone else, or judge someone for being different, stop and think, what would the world be like without individuality? Each of us is unique, we've got our own laugh, our own eyes, our own build, our own personality, and each of us is perfect the way we were created!
I heard a song on the radio station the other day and one phrase really stuck out to me about practicing what you preach and I liked the chorus and so I decided to look up the lyrics. When I finally got around to it my mind blanked but I finally got on the right track and found the lyrics and they really made me think...
Where Is the Love?
Black Eyed Peas
What's wrong with the world, mama People livin' like they ain't got no mamas I think the whole world addicted to the drama Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism But we still got terrorists here livin' In the USA, the big CIA The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK But if you only have love for your own race Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah Badness is what you demonstrate And that's exactly how angers works and operates Nigga, you gotta have love just to set it straight Take control of your mind and meditate Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all
People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek Father help us Send us some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love?
It just ain't the same, always unchanged New days are strange, is the world insane If love and peace is so strong Why are there pieces of love that don't belong Nations droppin' bombs Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones With the ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug If you never know truth then you never know love Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know) Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know) Where's the love, y'all
People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek Father help us Send us some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questioning Where is the love?
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder Most of us only care about money makin' Selfishness got us followin' our own direction Wrong information always shown by the media Negative images is the main criteria Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness in equality Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek?
Father help us Send us some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love?
1 Corinthians 13 says...
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when full understanding comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
I think about love a lot, I talk about love, and how it could fix problems, if people loved each other and understood each other! I want to show love to others, but when I read this passage I realize how much I fail! Mostly because I try to do it myself. I can't truly love others unless I open up and let God love others through me.
I look around me like "Where is the love? What's up with this world? Everyone's hating on each other! We're supposed to love!". But just looking at the problem and going 'why is nobody fixing it?' isn't going to help!
Love starts with me! It starts by letting Jesus love through me, by holding my tongue instead of making an unnecessary comment, by not losing my temper when a sibling is annoying me, building others up instead of tearing them down!
It's not enough to talk about love, I need to put love into action! I need to love the people God has put in my life right now! Nothing is accomplished by hating!
'Three things will last forever-- faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love!'
A man who dares to waste one hour of his life has not learned the value of life.
Charles Darwin
Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt
Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength. -Unknown
I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.
John Burroughs
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.
Henry Ward Beecher
Every man dies. Not every man really lives.
William Wallace
Just because someone doesn't love you how you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with everything they've got!
We were made to lead the way, we could be the generation that finally breaks the chains, we were made to be courageous!
Casting Crowns
God's gift put man's best dreams to shame.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.
William James
Well, I didn't think I was quite ready for snow, and after the first snow melted off I was pretty happy, but as I sit here, little snowflakes floating lazily through the air, and being warm inside, I'm deciding, maybe it is time for the snow.
There's something so cozy about snow! Snow means the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, getting to see the relatives, sitting around reading, wood fires, hot cocoa. We get to bring out the winter things, boots and hats, scarfs, mittens and coats.
With the snow comes sledding, skating, snowball fights, making snow men and snow angels!
So I guess I'm excited about the snow in a way, as my cousin said,
"It's November, this is Minnesota, it's about time it snows!" =)
Here are some pictures I took yesterday when it first started snowing, the flakes were so big and fluffy and the snow was super wet and cold!
Winter is here! =)
