"Oh Christmas Tree! Oooooh Christmas Tree!" This weekend found the Hott House in a bustle! With plenty of Thanksgiving leftovers still in the fridge, our oldest “Hott-ling” Caity began leaving subtle hints to put up the Christmas tree. (Well, about as subtle as dropping a bomb, that is!) For an unusually warm fall day, Caity and Violet dragged the 20+something boxes over to the house from storage. The energy mounted from the younger brothers as the prospect of decorating the Christmas tree commenced. Of course, the sight of a tree is a reminder of presents to follow. Right? First, the annual “discussion” over where to put the tree began. You see, we have since mounted a flat screen t.v. along the only empty space in the house, which by the way, happens to be visible from every angle of the great room. This was no accident, I remind you, of my engineer husband! Only, it makes for complicated tree raising when Christmas rolls around. Added to that, we purchased a … [Read more...]
Carrying on a Tradition
Anyone who knows me knows I loved my grandma Eva, and I mean loved her to the depths of my soul. My grandma was an exceptional woman, mother, wife, grandmother and soldier of Christ. She has blessed me in so many ways and continues to do so even though she's gone from this earth. To give you an idea of how special she was to my daughter, who only knew her for a short time (she passed away before Anya's 2'nd birthday on December 26, 2007), still talks about her as though she knew her for years! My grandmother was the first person in my life who really was an example of a woman who loved Christ. My earliest memories of attending church was with her. She was a devout follower of Christ and didn't just walk the walk but talked the talk. I loved spending time with her and especially looked forward to Wednesday nights, which was bible study at her church. Adults and children alike would gather downstairs in the church while the kids where all in one corner the adults were busy writing in … [Read more...]
Celebrate Advent!
Christmas, ahh don't you love it! The presents, the tree, the food, the fun and the priceless excitement in your children's eyes on Christmas morning. It is a spectacular time of year. During all of the hoopla it is easy to loose sight of the real reason we are celebrating Christmas, which is the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I wanted my daughter to experience the same excitement she does for Santa as for Christ and more! This year I made it my goal that we acknowledge Jesus and the significance of his birth during the days leading up to Christmas. So I decided that Advent would become one of our holiday traditions. Anya seems to love it and I encourage you to try it with your own kids. Here is some background and what you'll need for Advent. What is Advent Advent means, "the coming or the arrival." It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This year it began on November 28th. During the four weeks leading up to Christmas we celebrate the gift God gave us his son Jesus … [Read more...]
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