the love of a father

So I'm home with my family again :) Funny story though... friday morning I missed my 7am flight, and if you've never flown during the holidays let me just tell you that trying to fly standby is not going to work. All the flights are overbooked. So I called my parents and let them know what had happened. By some miracle, my Dad was able to find me a seat on a different airline leaving in about 4 hours (as opposed to the 5 I would've had to wait to maybe get a seat flying standby... but they probably wouldn't've had room for me on that flight or the 6pm one... so I would've been stranded in SLC for days.) Thank you Daddy!

Today I was listening to this song, and thinking about Christmas, and the Love God showed us in sending His Son, and how grateful I am to be home, and I started thinking about the love my father showed me when he bought me a new ticket home. I messed up, I missed the flight (it wasn't 100% my fault, but it partially was). We didn't really play the blame game, Daddy just brought me home. He provided another way for me, at great personal cost, because he loves me. I'm just so thankful that he was willing and able to do that for me. Even more, I am thankful that my Heavenly Father was willing and able to send his Only Begotten Son into the world, that I might live through him. That is how he shows me His great Love for me.

Let Love lead us; Love is Christmas.

:) merry christmas y'all ♥

xox

this is all happening so fast!

During last weeks classic nativity pageant, our lovely angel narrator Eliza was reading Luke 2:

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 

And she brought forth her firstborn son...

"Wait! Already?? This is happening really fast!" 

We all laughed and she kept reading the story and we kept scrambling around acting it out, searching kind of frantically for something to use for the baby and the manger and everything.

But today I was thinking about it... I guess it did happen really fast. God's people had been waiting for centuries for the Messiah to come, but when He actually came it happened relatively fast, and He was only here on earth for thirty-three years. Just as we wait (or at least I wait) all year long for Christmas to get here, and then when it actually does it always goes by way too fast. I'm not 100% positive what the lesson is here... I'm just thinking about it :) Things always go by way too fast. This year I'm all about soaking in the season and getting the most about it before it's over. I don't want to be feeling like "Wait! This is all happening so fast!" when the Savior comes again.

And even though we didn't have anything ready to use for a manger, and we weren't expecting Mary to "bring forth her firstborn son" so quickly, God knew exactly when His Son would enter the world, and He had everything necessary prepared. As the Lord told Nephi, "On this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets."


I wonder how many people missed out on the birth of the Savior that first Christmas night. Thousands I guess. Maybe millions. The shepherds didn't miss it, the wise men didn't, and the believing Nephites who were watching for the sign didn't. I hope I'm not missing Christ appearing in my own life, because I'm too busy or I'm not expecting it. I hope I'm ready. I hope my heart has prepared Him room. I guess I'd better get working on that! And what better time than this Christmas season for the reminder :)

nativity pageant : always a win

holiday pictures

so lately I've been kinda into putting words on holiday pictures..... 

I post them here :)

just, you know, fyi. :)

here's a sample:

christmas decorating on a budget :)

This year I decided to decorate the apartment for the holidays. I had so much fun it was embarrassing... I felt like a four-year-old again. And I only spent 48c on paper. Behold!

Paper chains - I made one long enough to go all the way around our kitchen and then some, using about a yard each of red and white paper and some staples.

Paper snowflakes! Eliza is a master at cutting out beautiful snowflakes. We hung them from various lengths of white thread and I love how it looks :)

Paper Christmas trees - decorated with tin foil ornaments. I cut out four small trees of various shapes to put on our cupboard doors. Then I got to decorate them using tin foil and markers :) I was giddy with joy.

ta-da! I'm in love with the way our apartment looks now. It will be the perfect backdrop for our Christmas party :)

peppermint

peppermint is my new addiction this holiday season. thank you Delightfully Tacky for the abundance of peppermint-related posts today :)

I want to make these

and eat this 

while wearing this

and making and eating these

and these

and then put them in hot cocoa and drink it

 while these bake

while wearing this

and I want this :)

happy holidays! :)

the best part about the day after Christmas is that Jesus is STILL born, and we can still share love, give love, spread love, and measure our lives in love :)

Merry Christmas :)

He is the light and the life of the world; a light that is endless, that can never be darkened, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death ♥

the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

Merry Christmas everyone! :)