A little note from me to you!

                                         

                                                         I thank the Lord for blessing me with my family! They are
                                                                gifts!

Dear Readers,
   Happy 2013!!
I honestly can't even believe it's here. I didn't really want 2013 to arrive...I kind of wanted to snuggle down in gingerbread, Christmas trees, and endless family time. But alas, Christmas passed and the new year began. We started school again today, and so although I still made some gingerbread cookies last weekend, I'm coming to accept the fact that Christmas is over whether I like it or not.
    Today we started back to school, as I know a lot of people did. It was a hard day, but not really because of the return of Geometry and Chemistry (although those were no fun!). I fainted at the gym this morning and so have just felt shaky and strange all day. I went to the doctor today and so we will see if they can figure out what's going on with me. I'm hopeful it was just a blood sugar problem and I'm really fine! Amazing how things can change in one minute. This morning I had my day perfectly planned out...how I would come in from the gym and do my devotion and get a head start on school, then walk the dog,  diligently work at my schoolwork and perfectly end the day with my first lesson with my new violin. hmm... That is not how my day turned out at all!! I did come home and do my devotion, but couldn't walk the dog, and ended up not getting to go to the much-anticipated lesson because I was at the doctor's. 
     ^"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'" ~James 4:13-15
     This verse came to mind as soon as I was alert and leaving the gym. I kind of laughed at my silliness in thinking I could plan out my day like that. I would have never added in fainting at the gym! And although I sincerely hope I never do that again, I will try my best to never plan like that again. Because the truth is--only God knows what tomorrow holds. If we try to plan it ourselves, well, that is just plain goofiness! So I'm going to try to stop planning like that...and stop worrying...and entirely surrender tomorrow and the next day and the next and the next to the Lord. I challenge you to do the same thing! 
   
   Any way...back to Christmas. 
 We had a wonderful Christmas! Although we felt like it was a little rushed...and although the surgery mid-December put a little damper on the mood...my mom has a gift for making things that could be unhappy the happiest of things ever. So we sewed matching Christmas aprons, baked over 200 Christmas cookies that spelled out the word JOY (our motto for the year),  saw a beautiful performance of The Nutcracker, and spent time just being together & watching some of our favorite Christmas movies (along with Newsies...four or five times!)

Christmas eve!!

     It was definitely a Christmas to remember! We had so much fun together.  

Baking fun! One of my favorite memories!!

It was such a sweet blessing to celebrate Christmas
with Stephanie this year!! She is a gift!

Another fun memory: making a Christmas sign to adorn our door
and bows to match!

It was such a wonderful Christmas! I hope yours was wonderful, as well. 
   Thank you for listening to me on my soap box as I talked about this morning, and for hearing me reminisce about Christmas! I pray your 2013 is filled with blessings, and that no matter what it holds, you will be able to find JOY and trust in the Lord!
Your blogger,
 Claire