Christmas

We had a wonderful, crazy Christmas!

It started snowing around 7:30 am before the kids got up. I was so glad; I wanted them to have a white Christmas. And it continued to snow and snow and snow.

We started dinner around 1:00, almost had everything done and the power went out. Being the resourceful people we are, :), we finished everything on the stove top (gas), lit candles and had dinner.

We bought Christmas crackers, which came the day before Christmas from over the pond. We opened them before dinner and agreed that this should be a new tradition in the Queen household. They are quite fun with little prizes inside along with a paper crown and a joke.

Finishing dinner on the stove.

Our crackers!


Sarah and Hayden pulling the first cracker open.


Everyone got a paper crown in their cracker.


Milk and butter on the deck staying cold!


Then some fun in the snow, all 12 inches of it!! I don't think I have ever seen this much snow. Everything is stunning.

Sarah enjoying the beautiful snow. Her hair froze!


Hayden, being Hayden




A winter wonderland... did I mention that I love where we live.

Merry Christmas!!

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. ~Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

Baby, it's cold outside...

but, somebody has had fun!

Crazy Saturday

Hannah had a wonderful day at the conference in Atlanta, but more about that later...

First, late last night Hannah decided to invite me along. I thought, "ok, she isn't a fan of Atlanta and it is her first conference, she wants her momma to go. More about that later...

Atlanta, A T L A N TA. I grew up in Atlanta, but not in this Atlanta! Everyone is rushing, oh, it is Christmas. Everyone blows their horn like there is some law requiring it. Everyone is driving a dadgum luxury car, in a hurry. Few people slow down to smile. I do not like the city, sorry, but I have been in the country for 10 years and there is just too much activity for this girl. BUT, I went for my sweet daughter.

My sweet daughter that wanted someone to drive home for her after the conference. That was her motivation, I didn't even see the inside of this $300.00+ a night hotel. Hear it was pretty though; has a marble staircase, I wouldn't know. :)

Anyway, her talk about food photography went great. Many people approached her and told her that they follow her on Twitter and her blog. One lady said, " your blog is charming and now I know why, you are charming". How sweet is that! She made a lot of good contacts and we praise God for the affirmations she received.

We stopped at Whole Foods on the way out to get some healthy food and headed north as fast as we could. I mean, we moved slowly in a northerly direction, never honking and smiling at everyone as we went!

My Heart's Desire

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after thee
You alone are my hearts desire
And I long to worship thee

The season we have been in as been very strange and unsettling in some ways, in other ways, it has been intriguing. There are moments where I feel uncomfortable, but peace ultimately prevails.

As I have said in the past, I have always seen God's hand in my life, from the beginning of my life to the present. He has ordered my steps and directed my path. I know that has not changed; it is only in my lacking that I feel ill at ease. It is only through a lack of faith that His direction is not felt.

Church and worship have always been part of my life. I sang as a child, I attended a Christian school that I adored and went on to attend and graduate from a Christian college. I have taught Sunday School, Awana's, led youth, sang in choirs and solo, led woman's ministry, sang and directed a Praise team, and suffered through years of VBS :), etc. I say all this to say that being where I am and we are right now is difficult; to not feel connected or ministering within the church body.

I realize that God does provide us times of rest, and I probably needed a sabbatical more than I realized. Disengaging is sometimes necessary to gain perspective. I know I had lost some perspective from trying to work within my on strength, not the Lord's, to minister where there was no leadership. How futile, except that I refused for so long to accept it while my sweet husband waited patiently for the Lord to open my eyes.

So here I am, we are, seeking God's will for where He would have us plug in; and plugging in is our desire. Ministry is in our DNA, it is for all true believers; a need to reach out in God's name to comfort others, and worship and fellowship with other believers.

I know He is faithful and knows the desire of our hearts, and that of our children. I know that during this time I have been the one to be hesitant to jump back into church which probably prolonged my 'rest'. I wasn't running from God, just the junk I had experienced. He had to turn my heart back to seeing only Him, my heart's desire.