Festivity

 





I'm seriously thrilled about my new cooking & baking inspiration!

kitchen sprite

 


My industrious & sweet baker-girl

 

Our tree!  I love our door's new acorn-squash-green color.



~*~

"[T]he boots she had on today were calculated to raise the lowest spirits, for they were made of the softest grey leather, sewn with crystal beads round the tops, and were lined with snow-white lamb's-wool.  The crystal beads, as it happened, could not be seen, because Maria's grey silk dress and warm grey wool pelisse, also trimmed with white lamb's-wool, reached to her ankles, but she herself knew they were there, and the thought of them gave her a moral strength that can scarcely be overestimated."

~From The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge (p.8)

Blizzard



Main Street



Saturday was blizzard day at our house, as it was across most of the state.  Almost all of the main highways were closed, so we were snow-bound in our town with the snow coming down thick and fast.  With the wind blowing and the snow falling visibility was quite low.  It is so much more fun to be snowed-in with family so we drove across town to spend the day at Caleb's parents' house.  There wouldn't have been a way to drive even in town without the truck, and even so by evening the snow was so deep in the streets that it was tough going with it.  That all adds to the fun of a snow day though!  It was cozy inside and we made Christmas treats and listened to music and rested, and later some went drift-busting in the truck to pick up pizza (from one of few local establishments still open in the snow!)  Siblings came back to our house for a movie before bed.  Lovely fun. 
Roads were still closed on Sunday (and the snow was complicated by a quarter-inch of solid ice underneath and plummeting temperatures) so church was canceled.  Caleb blew snow most of the morning, and we went back to his parents' house for a turkey dinner, afternoon relaxing and evening singing.  I love snow weekends! 



My cozy nest



***

 (We got a new snowblower just in time!)

Making pie with Auntie

My man playing for us

Sunshine :)

Joy Joy!!!

"And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift.  The baby that would change the world was born.  His baby Son.

....

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"--which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had."

The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones (p.182)



This song from Bifrost Arts' Christmas album "Salvation is Created" captures so beautifully the need and longing for the Coming One and the hope that came in Jesus.  God coming to be a man, to die, to save.
   
Joy Joy!!!

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here;

And drive away the shades of night,

And pierce the clouds and bring us light!

Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel!

 "[The shepherds] knelt on the dirt floor.  They had heard about this Promised Child and now he was here.  Heaven's Son.  The Maker of the Stars.  A baby sleeping in his mother's arms.

This baby would be like that bright star shining in the sky that night.  A Light to light up the whole world.  Chasing away darkness.  Helping people to see.

And the darker the night got, the brighter the star would shine."

The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones (p.190)

(Thanks to Justin Taylor for introducing us to this song.)

Candles!

Greta and Josiah and I went to the farm one day last week for a candlemaking visit. Our first time ever to try making beeswax candles.  What fun it was!





 Morning sun & Advent candles (not homemade :))





Baby snuggles



 Chopping up our wheel of beeswax

 

 

Some moments out for Mama-snuggles and a nap for the little man

 

We did it again...the three of us coming to work together in the kitchen matching unintentionally :)

The beautiful golden beeswax bought from a local beekeeper 

                     Wicking & Weights                                                            Melting down

                                                                           

                                                                                                                     Dipping

                                                                           Pouring
                                                             

                                                                                                             Our growing tapers

The best part of the whole project was watching Greta's thrill when she found out we were making candles!  "Mimi hath beethawaxth?!"  And then when she woke up from her nap to see real taper candles in progress.  And then still more excitement when she got to try flattening and twisting them just like The Ladies!  (She calls the West ladies "The Ladies" and their candlemaking video is one of her very favorites.)  She positively glowed.



Earnest twisting!


Now we have lovely beeswax candles to enjoy.  I can't wait to try it again.

Beauties from Mama's house