~Christmas post #2~

~It was so fun getting to see my good friend Laura at Daddy and Moma's church. This is where we had our last Sunday morning's deputation service. It's always good to worship with our dear friends at the Union Friends Church.~
~Our very last deputation service was at the Tim Wiford's church in Anderson, IN. It was great meeting the Wifords and seeing my good friend Mary Beth and the Evans. We spent the night with our dear friends the Evans. The Wifords and the Evans put together a yummy snack.~

~What a surprise to wake up to SNOW! Our kids and the Evans' kids had fun playing together in the snow.~

~David snapped this fun picture of our Elijah.
(David is also the one that took our snowy family picture in front of the log cabins that I posted for my Christmas post.)

~After deputation was all complete we came back to Ohio and got to attend the neat celebration for our DEAR pastor and wife: Carl and Gayle Eisenhart! They have been the world's BEST pastor and wife of Christian Nation Church for 25 years! It was such a wonderful touching evening! (This picture was obviously taken at another time, but I wanted to show you a picture of our DEAR pastor and wife.)

Here I am with my dear friends Susanna and Stephanie.~
~Our family at the pastor's celebration~
~The CNC Christmas program was very special and our children were so excited to get to sing in the kids' choir.~

~Another reason that I am thrilled getting to use this home is that I can entertain company and set pretty tables. I was soooo HAPPY to get to use my Christmas China again! I got my China at the dollar store back in 2004!~


~After the CNC Christmas program, we invited our pastor and wife (Eisenharts), our mission director and family (The Beckers), and the Hausmans over for a cranberry appetizer, a Dickinson family recipe of Italian Spaggheti, my french bread, cesear salad, and our dessert was these 2 fruit pizzas that I made.~
~The Hausmans, Becker young people, Brandon and Mrs. Joan. The house we are staying in is the home that Bro. Becker and Mrs. Joan grew up in, so they have lots of memories there.~
~The Beckers, Eisenharts, and Phillip and I.~
~Elijah, Jessica, and Levi were all born within 2 months of each other.~
~Enjoying more time with friends and family at "our" home. Some of our friends brought some snacks to add to mine and we had a great evening together. (Thanks, MaryBeth, for my fun blouse!)~
~I was happy to find this cupcake Christmas tree.~
~The Christmasy mice that our kids made.~
~As usual my dear friend/"enemy" Rob was feeding his face. HA!! (We have picked on each other since college days.) The guys enjoying the snack in "our" living room.
~Sharing an evening of fun, food and friends.~

~Christmas post #1~

I have more deputation pics to post, but first.....
~Welcome to our "home" for a peek at our lives this past Christmas.~
Jesus has been soooo good to us! I told you earlier that a dear lady is letting us use her nice home for Dec. and Jan. It has been so healing to my heart to get to use my Christmas tree and decorations again for the first time since 2004. And then it's been fun also getting to use some of the Christmas decorations that Jesus gave me while I was on deputation.
~While on deputation I was really WANTING and searching for an antique child's sled to decorate with for Christmas. For some years I had had these children's white iceskates that I wanted to use with it. God and My dear friend Becca in PA provided me this adorable children's sled. Thank you, Becca it has made my backdoor and me very happy this Christmas! =)~
~The front door all decorated for Christmas.~
~While in OK I got to shop at a neat store called "Cheapo Depot" and with some birthday money I got some fancy stockings and hangers like I have wanted for quite some time. =) (Thanks, Sis Lila for the neat white sprig you gave me!! I used it behind the stoking holders.) I love old suitcases, so was happy that my Moma gave us one and we found the other one at a junk store. Wasn't God good to let the house we are using have a fireplace where I could hang the stockings? ~
~I love the color of dark maroon and have had this Christmas color scheme for years. Again, I will say that God is amazing! The living room in the home we are using is done in that same color. =) ~
~I had fun using snowmen and red and white in the kitchen. I love this little Christmasy sign that I got at the Roop's store that asked, "Is it too late to be good?" ~

~It was fun using the Christmasy quilt that Laura had given me years ago. Kimberly found this cute little pillow for me at a Salvation Army that says, "May the peace of Christmas bless you always . (I was happy to find the red and green pillow here in the house that we are staying in to borrow to put with my pillow.)~
~Our last Wednesday service on deputation was at John and Janelle Manley's church in Dayton, OH. After service they, Michael and Beth and us all enjoyed some Skyline and some laughs together. =)~
~We got to spend a couple of fun days with Michael and Beth and family. Since it was near Sarah's birthday we went and got some Mexican food (Can't find much of that in Colombia) .~
~They brought out a free fried icecream for Sarah-the birthday girl-(and us) to share! ~
~We were soooo DELIGHTED that the Lord worked it out that we got to be at the God's Bible School Christmas program. You see, when we are on the field those events are things that we REALLY MISS! Both Phillip and I sang in the GBS choir and have wonderful memories of doing several of these programs under the direction of dear Bro. Wolf! This is the first GBS program we have attended in 10 years!! We had no way of knowing that since this is Bro. Wolf's last year, that night that we were there was his VERY LAST TIME to direct the GBS choir for a Christmas program. (On Sat. and Sun. he let someone else direct!)
It was so fun being there with my Daddy and Moma and with the Hausmans.~
~The choir and drama as usual was splendid! Their songs ministered to our hearts very much!~
~In this picture I tried to capture Bro. Wolf directing to the left and my neice Natasha singing on the front row on the right!~
~Dear Laura and family invited Daddy and Moma, the Pilmores and us over for a yummy, fun and festive Christmasy snack.~

~The next morning after a VERY late night I tried to put together a fun Birthday breakfast for our Sarah. She was delighted that her cousin Darla got to spend the night with her.~
~Then we met the Hausmans and Pilmores at a neat horse drawn sleigh parade in Lebanon, OH.~


~And yes...we really were as COLD as we look in this picture. Our toes froze!~

~Kissing cousins sharing a candy stick!~
Then we ran home and packed to head for our last 2 deputation services in IN.

~New JCPenny's pictures~

~In the fall of 1992 I met a young lady named Kelly on the campus of God's Bible School. When we met neither Kelly nor I had any way of knowing that we would end up being best friends for the next 3 years, and room mates for 2 of those years. (At the end of those 3 years, we both got married and so our husbands became our "best friends" and our "roommates". =). A few weeks ago I was standing and chatting with Kelly and one of her boys came by with a cute hat on. I asked Kelly where I could get one of those hats and she told me that she had made that hat. You see I was fixin' to take our children to JCPenny's and I wanted a hat like that for Elijah. Well, much to my delight Kelly told me that she would loan Noah and Elijah the matching outfits that she had made for her boys so that they could wear them for their pictures. Thank you, Kelly, for loaning me these precious outfits! I'm THRILLED with how these pictures turned out, and I Thank the Lord for His help!~
~This was an un-posed picture that I saw and asked the photographer to snap. It was supposed to be a picture of Sarah and her violin and Elijah walked up and was watching her. I love it that one of Elijah's socks is falling down.~
~Elijah reading a 'tory~
~Kimberly and Sarah and their violins~
~Sisters~
~Brothers~
~We took in these 2 old suitcases to JCP to use with the boys pictures. Elijah had been sitting on the stool but after the photographer had repeatedly said "Boo" to Elijah...Elijah got off of the stool and walked up and said "boo" to the photographer then backed up to sit down on the stool and totally missed it and landed on the floor and that is when the photographer snapped this picture.~
~All packed up with no where to go.~
~Quite the "case" sitting on a suitcase. =)~
~Kimberly who will turn 12 this month. Happy Birthday!~
~Sarah who turned 9 in December. Happy Belated Birthday.~
~Noah and Kimberly share a birthday so he will soon turn 6. Happy Birthday!~
~A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!~