it's all done

Christmas, that is. all done. we had our last family party last night. great food, great gifts, wonderful visits with people we haven't seen in a while...all in a week's time. wow, what a rush!

tonight is new year's eve and we are headed out to see National Treasure II at our local theatre. it's great having a small town just-about-everything-here place to live.

here is a photo to sum up all of what i think this christmas season means to me.

happy new year to all!

a little busy

so this is one of our christmas pictures to be sent out with our letter. we have been incredibly busy this week and have not gotten to do days 6 and 7, so tonight will include a lot of reading. we are going to assemble our christmas cards to mail out for tomorrow. i was smart and included that task into our 12 days of christmas activities.

hope everone is well and blessed today.

Day 1

this is our #1 day of christmas. we read the very first part of the letter of luke as an intro into the events leading up to mary receiving her visit from the angel telling her of Jesus conception.

where did all this come from?

I just love this photo of jordyn. this is one of my first pics from my new Nikon D80, just love it!

Didnt do a lot of stuff today, yet it is already 4 pm...i was just trying to blog this and a whole box of thumb tacks exploded on my desk. in order to get them all back in the box, i had to clear off the desk...not an easy task around here. it's a mess!!!

where did all this stuff come from?! i just cleaned this off yesterday...

oh yeah, it's my stuff from last night...he he.

well, tonight is our #2 day of Christmas and i will have pics of our adventures from #1 day later.

see ya!

all is calm...

well, today is really quiet here. just been moving pictures around on my computer. it's like looking through a photo album! how quickly you forget what pictures you have. then it sparks all these ideas for scrapbooking...

last night i finished the 12 days of christmas boxes. tonight steve and i will decide which activities we will include in those days.

After the kids got to bed and their friend Merissa went home, i conned steve into rearranging the furniture so the tree can go up before saturday! which is another two nights of scrooge.

my sister-in-law sent me a fwd (i dont usually read those) that was very thought provoking. it was about the choice you have every day in your attitiude. bad one or good one. a lot like not letting your emotions control your attitude and behavior. good thinking!! i am choosing to have a good attitude today and not be lead by my emotions.

here's to a calm, bright day full of good attitudes!

preparation day

today is a day to catch up on the things that i didn't get to over the weekend. the girls and i just completed the first two of four productions of The Gospel According to Scrooge. our friday, saturday and sunday were a blur! so, monday was work, school, dinner and homework.

tuesday is bills, tidying around the house, laundry, and christmas preparations!

i will have pictures later when its all finished.

happy doing today!

this is what the boxes look like to start. i will add numbers and goodies inside. i used magnet strips that are adhesive to stick them on the metal cookie sheet, then just put nails through the little holes you see in the handles. These are the tags i put in the boxes. Each one is a part of the Nativity Story out of the Bible. The numbers are on now.

wonder..relief and just plain thankfulness

i was watching the Joyce Meyer program this morning that my DVR taped and she has been talking about disobedience and how that is the only thing that keeps us from moving into the abundant life and calling God has for us. She said that we always seem to be asking God for new breakthroughs in our calling or personal walk with Him, except we have not finished what He asked us to do the last time we asked for more of Him in our lives.

it's like Peter. After Jesus asks him three times if he loves him and all three times Peter answers, yes. Then Jesus told him what kind of suffering and ultimately what kind of death he would suffer and Peter turned to John, another disciple, and asked, "what about this man?" Jesus' response?
If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? you follow me.

Our relationship with God and accountability remains solely in our hands, whether we obey or look to others for validation or direction. See, we always want what other people seem to be getting from God. What we see as unproductivity on God's part in our lives is largely due to our disobedience. Not deadly sin, but maybe skirting around what He has asked us to be faithful to do. Joyce said it like this. She was ferverently praying for God to increase their ministry, while at home she was still backtalking her husband and remaining unsubmissive to his leadership in their marraige. The Holy Spirit said, why don't you do what I told you to do first and then we'll see about the next thing.

All God's children have things that God has asked them to do. Most of God's blessings come with a therefore or but. God does and we do too. There's also a process in which our growth occurs. You can't make your bed with fresh linens until you first remove the dirty ones. you cannot expect the Lord to bless your next endeavor until you have cleaned up a bit and flown straight on the small stuff, like loving your neighbor as yourself.

I am in wonder and awe that we serve a God that didn't turn to Peter and say, "that's it! you just don't get it, do you? Maybe I'll just use John and leave you here?" No, he knew all that Peter would continue to do until Jesus left this earth. Even deny that he knew him, BUT he knew that he would find Peter saying that our suffering comes so that our faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus is revealed. (reference I Peter 1:7)

You see, it's not just a matter of us increasing our ministry or growing in knowledge, but that the glory of God is revealed in our lives through our obedience. People need to see that God is real and the only way to do so is to prove God faithful in our own circumstances. That means obedience that brings peace, blessing, love and a sweet spirit of contentment.

I am relieved to know that He doesn't require me to do things that are impossible to do. He has always said that He will be with me and provide me with grace and the strength to follow through. Just like the Israelites in the desert. He didn't want them there, but he provided manna for them so they could walk another day. Closer to the promised land.

That's why we need to do what God has asked us to do when He asks. Instead of trying to move on to what we think should be happening, let the Lord direct your actions and move your heart.
He has a plan that works step by step, so we can move from glory to glory.

Be encouraged this day! Know that whatever situation you find yourself in, God has a plan to get you through. Just listen for his direction and be careful to obey what he says, even if it doesn't make sense to you.

If you don't know the Lord Jesus as your Savior you can. He died on the cross for your sin, so you wouldn't have to pay for them. If you believe that He did that, tell Him and ask that He wash your sins from you and let Him into your life. Read Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8 I John 1:9 and John 3:16.
If you've taken this step, please tell someone. Find a local church and speak to the pastor.

This is why we celebrate Christmas! A loving Father sent his only son to live on this earth, to teach, suffer and die on a cross to take our punishment for sin upon Himself so we could be with Him in heaven.

i wonder at the season. i wonder what it was like for the Father to let his son go. i wonder at the love that compelled him to stay here and suffer. i wonder at what it will be like in heaven.

do you wonder?

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

wow! it was that easy...so far

so i've been reading other blogs for a while now and for some reason i thought, why can't i do that? even with dial up service it can't be that hard....so here it is.

a post to welcome something new in the lives of the huot family.

this year is a year of many somethings new, hence the name, remember this...

i want to remember the "thises" in my life and the lives of my family. My mom has always said, "enjoy this time because it passes all too soon" so here's to my mom, i will start consciously remembering this for all of us.

thanks Mom, for the words, remember this...

Cheyenne