Christmas Carol Fun - The Answers!

So...the Christmas letters aren't making it out before Christmas, but they ARE coming...just a little late.  There is a section on the back of our letter called "Christmas Carol Fun".  If you haven't got the letter yet, don't read this yet!  If you have, below are the answers to the "alternate" carol titles.  Please note, on some letters I bumped a key and there is an unnecessary "w" on #9.   Also, to give credit where credit is due, these word puzzles were found at http://eiworkshops.com/holidays/Christmas/xmassongs.htm, where you will also find the answers and even MORE puzzles.

1)  Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer
2)  Silent Night
3)  O Little Town of Bethlehem
4)  Good King Wenceslas (Or Jolly Old St. Nicholas is acceptable too)
5)  Deck the Halls
6)  Joy to the World
7)  Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
8)  We Three Kings
9)  Away in a Manger
10) O Come, All Ye Faithful
11)  O Holy Night
12)  Let It Snow
13)  Little Drummer Boy
14)  The Twelve Days of Christmas
15)  It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
16)  What Child Is This?
17)  All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
18)  Go, Tell It On the Mountain
19)  The First Noel
20)  Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Merry Christmas to All, and a Very Happy and Blessed New Year!
:)

A Song for the Season

I must admit, it hasn't begun to look alot like Christmas around my house yet.  Oh, we've put up a tree, and I made some peppernuts and chocolate mice this week, but otherwise, I feel like I've hardly had a chance to stop and think about Advent and celebrating the birth of Jesus. 

We had a discussion at life group a couple of weeks ago about how stressful and hectic this time of year is:  how we know presents aren't the important part of the season, but how they seem to be expected, so we feel obligated to give them...obligated to bake the cookies, travel to visit family and friends, go to the holiday parties, etc. etc. etc.  As I thought about how my last few weeks had gone, I remembered all of the sadness and hardships many of my friends are going through, the long days for both Nate and I at work, family concerns...and I had to admit I've been feeling the squeeze of the season as well.  So far my Advent hasn't been a joyous celebration of anticipation, but an emotional rollercoater.  Then we bowed our heads to say a prayer, and during that prayer a wonderful hymn popped into my head.  As I reflected on the words, I realized just how perfect the song was for this busy season, and how it was exactly the right message I needed to hear.  The song goes something like this...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face,
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of this glory and a grace.

As I sat there, head bowed, and listed to that song run through my mind a sense of peace swept over me.  As I "turned my eyes upon Jesus" and thought about my savior, all of the earthly concerns DID fade into the background, and I realized once again how insignificant the things I worry and fret over really are.  It was a reality check; a reminder of where my priorities should be...not just this season but every day of the year.  It was convicting, comforting, and it made me smile.

Helen H. Lemmel's "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" has become my theme song for the season this year.  The beautiful simplicity of the refrain is a perfect reminder of what truly matters, and what Christmas is really all about.

So, when you're feeling the squeeze in the next couple of weeks, I encourage you to reflect on the words of this song.  Let them sink in.  Let us throw off all of the holiday bustle, the presents, the goodies, the temptations..."everything that hinders us, and the sin that so easily entangles us...  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God", giving mankind the only gift any one of us will ever really NEED.  Grace.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Something to Think About...

It's easy to make a list of the not-so-great things in our lives.  Hmmm...let's see...traffic, road-construction, doing dishes, people who say hurtful things, sickness...etc. etc.  We are surrounded and assailed by negative things daily, and sometimes it seems inescapable.  Sometimes we just WANT to see the negative things.

One of my favorite sayings is "Celebrate What's Right With The World" from National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones' inspiring video.  (See link below if you want to watch it).  It's a saying that reminds us to look for the good things around us, rather than focusing on what's wrong.  That's exactly what Paul is telling the Philippians to do in Philippians 4:8.  "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."  Focus on the good...not the bad.

I recently heard this verse used at a wedding as part of the benediction, and it completely took on new meaning for me.  What excellent advice for a young couple just beginning their life together.  How easy it is criticize and pick out the defects of our spouse!  How many marriages end when couples cease to see what the personal qualities they fell in love with, and now only see the irritating, exasperating things.  What if we all came home and instead of seeing the dirty clothes and unwashed dishes, we focus the true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praise-worthy qualities of our spouse.

The scope can expand too.  How about at work?  Is it a chance to get sucked into the negativity/gossip pool?  Or do you challenge yourself to find the good qualities of each person, even those who are hard to like or work with?  How about our children?  Family members?  Even strangers on the street?  What do we notice first?  How dirty and unkempt the homeless man on the corner is?  Or that he has a nice smile and has tried his best to keep the few things he has together?

Something to think about. :)

 
To Watch Dewitt Jones' video, follow this link.
http://www.rumormillnews.com/celebrate.html

Wait! Wait! I'm Back! Project Time!

Hi Blogging Friends!

Don't worry, despite all appearances I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth or been kidnapped by aliens.  I'm still here, just behind...as usual!  A lot has happened, as you can probably guess, and I have been keeping a mental list of things to blog about, but I just haven't got them on paper yet!  So...I've said this before, but this time is FOR REAL!  Stay tuned and I will try to dazzle you with the beautiful parts of ordinary life. :)

In the mean time, here are some pictures of my most recent crafty projects I've done...recent as in completed since December, that is.  The first are Christmas gifts I made.  There is a landscape applique wallhanging for Craig and Denise (Nate's parents) that says "Mentzer Farms", that they now have displayed on a wall of their home!  This was my first large attempt at applique art.  The design was actually drawn up by the ever wonderful Nathan, who is very artistic!  Nate also did some creative work on the cows to make them actually look like cows and not black blobs.  Other inspiration came from seeing some of fabric artist Margaret Cusack's works while they were on display at the Dane G. Hansen museum in Logan, KS. 

The next item is a similar project...it is a fabric applique Nativity scene.  This was a little time consuming because the pieces were so small, but is a great way to use up little scraps of fabric.  The pattern came from one of mom's quilting books (if you want the title let me know and I find it again!), and I was very pleased with how it turned out.  This particular nativity was gifted to Nate's brother and his wife, Miles and Jennifer Mentzer.  I plan on making more of these in the future!

Next up are two pillows I made for Nate's sister and her fiance...Lissa Mentzer and Corbin Manbeck.  They are doing an AMAZING job remodeling their future home into a quaint cabin style home.  I made these throw pillows to accent their woodland cabin decor.  They consist of wildlife panels with tiny quilt blocks in the corners, and have an invisible zipper sewn in at the bottom so the pillow covers can easily be removed and washed.  That was an idea on my part that amazingly, actually worked well and wasn't that hard.  Watch out Lissa and Corbin!  I have more projects in the queue for you!

 The counted cross-stitch of the woman's face is something Miss Amanda Mentzer brought back from her visit to China last summer!  Since she doesn't cross-stitch, she gave it to me, and I surprised her by finished it and framing it, including the Chinese character's for her name with it as a memento of her Chinese friends!

Okay the color-block pillow is actually a quillow (blanket that has a pocket so that it can fold into a pillow) that I made for my oldest brother.  It is a set of two I made using colors to match the couches and living room decor of his little house.  The blankets are actually huge, and I would never have got these finished in time were it not for the help of my fabulous mother!  She is awesome!  My brother Brett got a quillow for Christmas too...I'm not sure I got a picture of it, but it is navy and green with a denim pocket.









I think that covers the Christmas gifts I did.  Whew!  There were some late nights involved.  Last project for now (but not least) is the baby quilt I put together for my good friends Ashley and Alan Vogel, and for little Miss Vogel who should be arriving any day now!  It is super soft and was fun and easy to make.  As I have numerous other family and friends expecting, they'll be more baby projects coming up soon!

Well, that's the news for now.  Let me know what you think of my projects, or if you have any new ideas for me to try.  There always seems to be plenty to do, but it is fun to put in the little extra effort of making something truly special and giving it to someone. 

So until next time...

Book Review: Out Live Your Life

Okay so I know Max Lucado's book "Out Live Your Life" has been out a loooong time.  I think I probably received the book in August, so I am definitely late getting this posted.  For those of you who have already read it...kudos!  Let me know your thoughts or if you used it in a bible study at church, etc.  For those of you that haven't picked it up yet, here's my review.  But...I think you should definitely read it for yourself!

Max Lucado's "Out Live Your Life" is a book about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  This book isn't written for the theological scholars and multimillion philanthropists of our time.  Instead, it's written to you and me; the John Doe's and Normal Nancy's of this world.  Following the footsteps of the early apostles in the biblical book of Acts, Mr. Lucado makes the compelling point that no matter where we are or what our situation, each one of us can make a lasting impact on the world around us.  No seminary degree or missionary experience required..just our normal, timid, weak, tired everyday selves...and one all-powerful God.  Written with typical Lucado flare, the book is a quick read, filled with humorous anecdotes and inspiring stories of people who are already out living their faith.  There is even a chapter by chapter discussion and action guide in the back to help you take the content of the book and apply it to your life.  I would high recommend  Out Live Your Life not only for personal study for anyone who wants to make a difference, but also as a practical and easy to used study material for small groups, bible studies, and Sunday School classes.  If this isn't recommendation enough, Max Lucado himself is modeling one small way of outliving his life by donating all of the proceeds from the book to World Vision.  So, get a copy, really dig in to the material that's inside, and go Out Live Your Life!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book

Spring Time Fun!

Where do the days...months go?  It seems like just a little while ago the new year began, and now it's already March!  Of course there have been many blog-able events that took place during that time (ski-biking, blizzards, crazy KC traffics, etc., etc., etc.), but for some reason they haven't been making it out of my brain and onto my blog.  Oh well...I'll have to do better!

This is just a brief blurb where I wanted to share a couple of my projects.  I NEVER run out of projects to work on...well...if I finish all mine, Nathan (XOXO) is more than happy to find me a few more to occupy the negative amount of free time in my days.  Recently, while Nathan was crawling in and out of powerplant pipes in West Virginia for two weeks, I found time to do some some craftsy things around the house.  Case in point...my springy-ish wreaths!  The Valentine's wreath took a little time, a couple of yards of spare fabric, a pencil, foam form, and some glue, and voila!  Add a ribbon and it definitely made our institutional-white front door look a little brighter.

The second wreath is green for March and Spring!  Due to my ample experience decorating grapevine wreaths and tying bows for my wedding, I decided to create an inter-changeable door wreath using a pre-made grapevine wreath and a few silk flowers.  All I have to do is trim the flowers a bit, tuck them into the wreath, tie on a bow, and I'm done.  This one has room for some shamrocks or other fall items to be added in...as much or as little as you'd like.  When April rolls around, I can take out a little of the greenery, add some more colorful flowers, change the ribbons, and I'm all set.  As long as nothing is glued to the wreath it's not permanent.  The idea is to have one wreath and a small arsenal of flowers, and use those to create a whole year's worth of door decor options.

Well...that's about all for now.  Let me know what you think and stay tuned for more later!

Let's See What God Will Do Next...

I thought 2010 was the year of adventure.  I have a feeling God's just getting warmed up for 2011!  I look back at the last several years of my life, and I have to chuckle.  The road I am walking now is certainly not the path I had mapped out for myself at the time.  I still remember being in high school:  young, ambitious, and feeling like I could succeed at anything.  I was ready to change the world the moment I received that diploma.  I didn't REALLY know what the future would hold, but I had a pretty good idea which way I wanted it to go.  


Isn't it interesting how quickly things can change, and how differently they can end up?  Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."  When I was in high school, I said "I'm never going to be a teacher".  Poof!  Four years later I get a degree in Family & Consumer Science Education and sign-up for my first big-kid job as a high school teacher.  Many years ago, after taking an accounting class I said, "I'm never going to be an accountant".  Now I'm delving into Credits and Debits, Payables and Receivables on a daily basis as a bookkeeper for a small engineering company.  Funny how things work out. :)


Now-a-days I feel a little nervous whenever I think to myself "Oh, I'll never do that," or "I'm not any good at that," because God seems to have a way of testing me in those areas, and drawing out the things I'd most like to keep under wraps.  I guess I'm still a toddler in His eyes...not ready to shed the training wheels.  There always seems to be something new to learn.  Picture a baby:  first he has to roll-over.  Then, when he gets that down, he learns to raise his head.  Soon after comes sitting up, then crawling, then he can pull-himself up, and then finally walking.  Although a major milestone, even walking still isn't the end.  There's always running and skipping, and oh...the stairs to go up and down.  It seems the whole life process is about learning and growth...there's always a new challenge to face, whether it's figuring out Jr. High coordination, recovering from a physical injury, overcoming a disability, or struggling with the aging body.  

In any aspect of our lives, God never lets us get too comfortable for too long.  Once we've explored all there is in one area, he wants to take our hand and lead us to new territory.  It reminds me of the ending to C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle, the final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia.  Repeatedly there is a call to move "further up and further in" as the children and creatures of Narnia journey through Aslan's Country towards the New Narnia.  Although each new sight and sound is more wonderful than the next the "come further up and further in" is a reminder to not get stuck in a rut.  As long as we keep growing it's only going to keep getting better.  God has more adventures and delights in store for me as long as I keep moving along with Him.  For me, the promise we have through Jesus that better things are to come is very comforting in a world where changes happens quickly and things aren't always what they seem.  Even though it doesn't make sense to me, or I can't understand how everything is going to fit together, it doesn't mean that it wasn't in God's plan or that he can't use it for good.


I always like to say that every life experience is valuable, no matter how insignificant or unusual it may seem at the time.  I still have some qualms about where I'm at and what I'm supposed to be doing, but I know that the Potter is at work, at that each turn of the wheel, each touch of His hand, and each time in the fire is shaping me for some glorious work he has in store for me.  God doesn't make mistakes, and He can always see the Master Plan.


"See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."  Isaiah 43:19


Let's See What God Will Do Next...

70 Resolutions for 2011

Happy New Year!

Tis the season for New Year's Resolutions...have you come up with any yet?
I wanted to share a link to Jim Daly's blog, which includes a list of seventy resolutions written by Jonathan Edwards (at age 19!).  All though Edwards vocabulary is a little tricky to navigate sometimes, his resolutions are thought-provoking and clearly show the focus of his life.  Check out JE's list...then maybe you'll come up with some more New Year's Resolutions of your own.

http://www.focusonlinecommunities.com/blogs/Finding_Home/2010/12/30/resolved