Christmas had a bit of magic this year with three little grandchildren around the tree.  We are so blessed that the whole family could be together this year again.  We don't take it for granted, you never know when that won't be possible again.  My friend, Joy (the farm lady where we buy our milk) told me when I went to pick up milk (she is in her 80's) that we need to be thankful for what we have "in the moment" of today, this year.  I know that, but how refreshing to be reminded of this truth while talking with her when I went to pick up my gallon of fresh cow's milk.  She blessed me and probably didn't even know it, as I stood in her simple farmhouse and looked at her clean, but small little cabinny home, her tree her grandchildren helped decorate, the fire in the wood stove, her bird chirping and the family photos hanging on the rafters from the ceiling.  Martha Stewart would cringe if she could see her "decorating", but it was refreshing just to be in her simple home and hear her talk of her Christmas.  I left thinking how unlike so many of us always striving for more.  When will I ever be satisfied?  When will I be thankful for today, this moment that God has given me?  I trust it will be today, now.....(you just never know how God will speak to you, do you?)  On second thought, maybe being spoken to on a farm isn't so unusual!

I hope everyone reading this had a special Christmas celebration and in a simple way, will be reminded again of the Baby who came to a stable that Christmas night.  Thank God for His simple and profound Gift in a manger.

"Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust!"
Ah, it is here we fail!  We give the wheel
Of our small bark to Him: but then we trust
Our hand upon His hand,
And dare to stand
Beside our Master, lest He wreck our keel.

"Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust!"
Leave all to Him; believe He knows thy course,
Thy dangers, and thy safety-all-then just
Abandon all to Him:
So shalt thou skim,
Borne briskly on before the Sirit's force.

"Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust!"
There is an "also" we too ot forget,
And so are plagued and worried.  Oh, we must
"Trust also," then our soul
Shall cease to roll
In restlessness and reason and regret!

Commit! and then, committed, trust His Word!
Has He not said that He will bring thee through?
Trust His strong arm; and when wild storms are heard,
Believe He holds them still
By His strong will.
Trust Hin, the Wise, the Faithful,, and the True.

Trust Him to manage all that thou dost now
Commit to Him-the ship-the sails-the sea-
The sailors, thy strange crew.  And ask not how
He will do all for thee,
But trustful be.
Lie down and rest from anxious worry free.  - Unknown.

Saturday, December 11, we went out to find a Christmas tree.  We have been doing this for over 20 years, and usually with friends of ours.  This year for the first time, the friends couldn't go, so it was just Peter, Heather and their boys and Doyle and I.  We love to do this, it's so absolutely gorgeous, even if it's cold.  This trip was pleasant, as there was no snow or mud on the road.  We travel about 10-15 miles up in Hart Canyon.  This time we went somewhere different (we followed Peter) and he led us to the edge of a cliff, high rock walls and lots of huge Juniper and Pinon trees.  We were struck by the beauty of these old trees and Jonathan was very interested in the trees, and the red rocks and of course the deer droppings!  We found our trees, had an adventure and promised ourselves we need to go back in the summer for a picnic.  Let's hope we do it! 

"What are you reading Daniel? " I asked yesterday, as I saw him pick up a small red book.  Daniel loves to read but most of his books tend to run to books about animals.

 Well, I knew he was a genius, but who would have thought an 18 month old would pick out the book that his Paca is now reading.  Any guesses as to what that would be?  (You'll never guess, so I'll tell you).  Daniel picked up Paca's latest read and perused it himself yesterday when he was over.....the book?  "The Works of Julius Caesar" .  I have been told that it is a book written by  Caesar himself and about the wars he waged.  I guess maybe Daniel is using it as a text for strategy, so that when he gets older he can play Warhammer with his Daddy, and second cousins and Uncles.  Yes.............that must be it!  You can never start to young, strategy is everything..............

It's time for an update.  Thanksgiving has come and gone...........seventeen sat down around our table and gave thanks.  We love it when our table is full, and we have to add a door under our tablecloth to seat everyone!  Doors work well and we've used them many times in the past for tables, but this year, Doyle actually cut a piece of lumber and swears we'll keep it stored in the garage, and pull it out when we need it.  That would be nice!  We played games and did a puzzle after we ate and then for supper we ate left overs.  It was a fun and relaxing day.  I love Thanksgiving because it's  about  thanking God for food  friends and family.  It's about relationships and including those people who may not have a place to go.  Doyle was talking to a friend the other day and this man was saying how he hated holidays, hated everything about them, and it made us both so sad.  This time of the year has always been special to me and I want it to be special for everyone, and I find it so sad that at this time of  year when we are thinking of the Messiah coming to earth for us..... for me........ some people are sad and depressed. 

I decorated for Christmas over the weekend.  I wanted the house decorated for Jonathan and Daniel.  They come over every Sunday with their parents and it was fun to see their excitement.  They were both very interested in my collection of Nutcrackers and wanted to play with them.  Jonathan had so much fun with them and was marching them all across the coffee table.  Doyle and Peter put up our outside lights and our angel on the roof.  Jonathan was very sad and called our angel the "poor angel" because she needs some more lights (which I bought today and hopefully will go on this week!).  Jonathan has the funniest way of saying things.

At this special season, let us remember what we are really celebrating and remembering.  The greatest gift of all, wrapped up in love............Jesus Christ our Messiah.

"Waterfall" by Jonathan Pierce Meyer.  The other day Jonathan asked if he could draw on my white board.  Normally I have a saying or poem written on it, but we erased that, and he set to drawing.  I was actually quite impressed by his drawing of a waterfall.  I'm not sure where he has seen many waterfalls, but this looks pretty much like the falling water in our pond in the spring, summer and fall.  I remember when Erin was about the same age and she'd tell us she wanted to be an Artist when she grew up!    One thing I know, he can look to his Uncle Christof, his own Daddy and his Aunt Erin and be inspired..........and I would guess that the "apple doesn't fall to far from the tree" in this case.  (For those of you who don't know, Jonathan is three years old, he will turn 4 on January 15.)

So.........Heather and I went shopping on Friday to the local thrift stores.  What fun!    It doesn't take much money to make some people happy!  At the last thriftstore I picked up this painting that caught my eye.  It was literally thrown in a pile of junk and just part of it was peeking out.  It obviously was calling my name....and for some reason it reminded me of my childhood.  Of course the fact that I grew up on the Navajo reservation could have been part of it since the painting  is of two Navajo guys on donkeys.  They are hunting rabbits and on the back of this painting is printed "Rabbit Hunt."    When I got to the front with my purchases I started talking to the cashier and pointed out how much I loved this painting, and how sad I was that it had a couple of tears on it and the top left hand corner was dirty.  The price on the back was $1.00.  I felt it was definitely worth the price even with the tear.  I would hang it in my southwestern guest room.  I also told the cashier (who was very friendly) that I would "google" the painter's name, Arthur C. Begay, Sr.  I had a feeling this painter had other art work "out there."  And sure enough, I came home and this is what I found out about the artist from a website called Savvy Collector.

About The Artist

(Born 1932 - 2010) Navajo) Arthur C. Begay, Sr. attended Phoenix High School, after which he received his art training from the Famous Artist's School. An electrician as well as an artist, his paintings have been exhibited at Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonials in Gallup, New Mexico; at the Lawrence Indian Arts Show in Kansas; at the Navajo Tribal Fair and Rodeo in Window Rock, Arizona and at the famed Philbrook Art Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Begay's paintings are included in the collections of the Heritage Center Collection in Pine Ridge, South Dakota and at the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, Arizona. His paintings have been receiving awards at the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonials in Gallup since 1986. He is listed in Patrick Lester's book The Biographical Directory of Native American Painters as well as Jeanne Snodgrass' book American Indian Painters: A Biographical Directory.

The icing on the cake was when I went to pay the cashier for the painting, she gave it to me free, because as she said.............".it's in such poor condition, what with the rips and such."    So, here's to a great day...........perusing  dirty stores and enjoying thrifty shopping!..................( I must say too, that my dumb camera, which is literally on its "last legs", if a camera can be on its last legs! hasn't done this painting justice, even with the rips and all!).

When Erin was here we learned how to stencil on "tea towels" those old fashioned cotton dish towels that Grandma used to use, and are by far the best towels still for drying piles of dishes.  It was a two day project and mostly I ironed the towels (there were 60 of them) with Megan and Mary and Heather helping.  Erin made the frames, copied the stencils and we hung them in the greenhouse to dry. 

We had our first snow yesterday.  I wish I had taken some pictures, but I was working at the thrift store and didn't have time.  It is always so beautiful, that first snow covering the earth, like powdered sugar (Doyle informed me we had more than a dusting of powdered sugar snow!).  We had about an inch and it was gone by noon (which was fine by me).

Today I'm off to help Janet with her house, and then Heather and I are going shopping at thriftstores.  Chrstmas will soon be here, and there's nothing better than finding that special "treasure" in a store set aside to help a cause.  At this time of year, let's be thinking of ways we can help the less fortunate, and one way is to shop at stores that use their proceeds to help buy food, electricity and gas to keep homes warm.and bellies full.  Buying gently used (and sometimes brand new) items at a thrift store is a great way to also help your budget.  So, off we go..............on another thriftstore adventure!

  Two of the fourteen  (count them, fourteen !) photos, Peter took of the three precious little children who are a part of Doyle's and my life.  Each grandchild has his or her own special gifts and we are so blessed to be a part of God's plan for them.  It fills me with awe to think that I have a special place in their life and they in mine.  Each child is so precious, let me never take them for granted.

Halloween isn't just for kids.  It's hard to say who had more fun at our Halloween party on Sunday evening.  I think we've decided to make it an annual party, mostly because we all just love to dress up.  We kind of threw this one together, but it was still lots of fun.  We wanted an event where Jonathan and Daniel wouldn't have to worry about the food and treats and it kind of ballooned from there.  Next year we should have a contest for our costumes and the pumpkin carving.  I was dressed as  Miss Sadie Baxter from the Mitford books by Jan Karon.  I thought that was quite the inspiration because no one knows how Miss Sadie would actually dress.  Jonathan was Luigi, Daniel was Mario and Analiese was Toadstool.  Their costumes were all made by Erin. They were just as cute as can be!  We hope Analiese won't kill her Aunt Erin when she gets older for dressing her as Toadstool!   Erin and Nathan went as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley from the Harry Potter books.  Heather was Herminie from the Potter books and Doyle was a cowboy from somewhere.  Peter was Mat from the Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time books.  Beth was Pollyanna, Glenace was her Grandmother, Lydia (who was a good Mennonite lady), Ken was a National Geographic explorer and Paul was  "Adam, after the Fall" (that was according to Beth!), Megan was the Faery Queen, from the same book.  Who knows what we'll be next year, we have a whole year to plan next time!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with Megan and Analiese and wish they lived closer.  It makes me sad to think that Analiese will have to get re-acquainted with us every time we see her!  However, we take one day at a time and thank God we get to enjoy her while she is here.