Traditions

Tis' the season to be busy... we race around getting gifts, making food, wrapping gifts, listening to Christmas music, and going to numerous family gatherings. "Will this season ever end??" we wonder as we gaze at new recipes we want to try and different things we want to do as a family. The sad answer is 'Yes!' This season does end and then we move on to the next busy season--it never ends. Christ is still laying in the manger, longing for us to worship His birth, to celebrate HIM, but we race right by. I am guilty of this!!! Every year I think I will be more focused on Him and the significance of the holiday, but each year I sadly fall short. These last couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot, (ok, maybe worrying a little) about what traditions I would like to do every year at Christmas with my little family. I remember getting the box of Christmas decorations out every year and the joy that came with setting the nativity set up. It never diminished with each year that came and went. What can we do every year that will be meaningful to the girls and something they will look forward to? Living where we do, you would never know it's Christmas--very few lights, no Christmas music(besides in our house!), no shopping, no snow, no nativities by the road. There are very few signs of the holidays here. As I was contemplating this yesterday, it hit me like a ton of bricks.... it's not the traditions that I should be looking forward to or that 'make' Christmas for me. It's CHRIST that makes Christmas! Now the question for me is, what can I do to help make the birth of Christ real in my girls' life? What will help make the Christmas story miraculous to them? How can we share with others this gift given to all of mankind?? "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger." Luke 2:7 "And he called his name Jesus" Matthew 1:25b

I've said it once, I'll say it again, I'm so thankful for winter! Mind you, I would never say that as long as I lived in Ohio, but here, the cooler weather is just what we wanted! Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to bear the heat any longer, winter arrived. With winter comes visitors!! My sister and her family came and spent two weeks with us in November and Ava learned how much fun cousins really are. I told Tonya it could be a vacation for her, I didn't have much to do. That, however, was not the truth. We were busy the whole time. Not all was work, we squeezed in several fun things, day trips, market, etc. Looking forward to some more visitors in January and February! Ava, Mia and I flew home with Jesse, Tonya and their family and spent a quick nine days in Ohio. Some loving friends blessed us beyond measure... we were able to spend sweet time with my parents and family. After being gone for eighteen months, it felt really good to go 'home' again. Of course, along with the happiness of seeing family and friends again, our hearts also ache with sadness that we had to tell Pat goodbye. Lord you know best, but we will miss him...  However, we rejoice knowing he is where he longed to be!!

Darv's, Jesse's and us sharing dinner after a trip to Basin Bleu

Ava and Kiana Siebel

Eating snow!

So bundled up... she could hardly move

Clint stays busier than ever.... the coffee nursery is still growing and looking pretty good. In addition to coffee in the nursery, there are also tomatoes, green peppers and numerous kinds of trees. Looking forward to lots and lots of fresh salsa soon! Several weeks ago, Clint started a soil conservation project in the mountains. The first couple of classes consisted of lessons on vetiver grass, the kind of grass used to retain the soil. The next several classes they took turns planting grass on each of the participants land. Now that is done and we wait for God to make it grow! While Jesse, Travis, and Dallas were here, they went in the mountains a few days and cleared a couple different established coffee fields. Clint hopes to use these fields as visual aids to other program participants. 

And now for photos of the Pink Palace! I said in my last post I would share pictures of our home and now I finally will. One thing Tonya helped me with while she was here was painting the kitchen and guest bathroom. We now have two gray rooms in an otherwise totally pink house. 

From the road

Kitchen--gray!!

Looking in kitchen from living room

Living room

Other end of living room---office:) 

Master bedroom--HUGE!

Girl's room

Laundry room and pantry--yes, I have an automatic washer! I am spoiled!

 There are still so many projects to complete it feels like it will take years before we are finished. We lack curtain rods, shower rods, clothes rod, bed frame and we don't have a lot of things on the walls yet. For a place that feels like home, it does feel a little bare! But little by little things are getting crossed off the list. Recently completed are some amazing pantry shelves--these mean a great deal to me since I still have no kitchen cupboards!

Thanks guys! Around the corner is the washer...

Recently installed on our roof are a couple of solar panels---terribly exciting! We have two small generators that charge our batteries; we have no street power. With the price of gas around five dollars a gallon, it shouldn't take too long to pay off the panels. 

Enjoy celebrating the birth of our KING this season!!!

                                                             ~~~Merry Christmas~~~

Ava 2 1/2 yrs~~~Mia 8 mo