Christmas village...and the Gift...

The Mr.'s leg has been doing well enough we were able to make our annual Christmas Villlage - hurray! This tradition started many years ago when the twigs were just tiny.

 
We've had many "guest villagers" join us and have loved their creative ideas.

Like Grandma, and Katie...

and Liz...

and Joe...

and Katie...

and Katie.   :)
Don't know where Keith was in this picture but it looks like little Charlie is making a "bump" appearance.


We've had a wide variety of themes, like our  "Tree House Village" pictured above for the year we went to Oregon's Tree Houses on vacation and the "San Juan Islands Village" below, for our Washington adventure.

The "Redwoods Village" the year we were going to explore the Redwoods in Northern California...

and last year the theme was "guess where Zac will be going on his mission."

This year the theme was "Yellowstone in Winter" (not for an upcoming vacation though it's for sure on our bucket list). Our favorite part this year was our "guest villagers." We had our fantastic Sister Missionaries and some of Hunter's friends join us!

Sister Fortin and Sister Nicolasora stopped by tonight to see the finished project as we were still going strong way after the time they had to leave.

Some of our favorites village creations were Nate's cabin even after it plummeted to the ground. It turned out looking the most "rustic and woodsie" of all and ya gotta dig that wreath.  :)

Old  Faithful was well represented and had a little river flowing out from it complete with a guy on a raft, thanks to Nate.

There's too much to say about Rachel's cabin with her hilarious "domesticated bear pen" and the cutest mailbox ever. Don't ask about the sour patch kids holding hands...     :)

If you know Hunter well, you probably know he loves goldfish crackers, like he believes they and carrots make up a food group all of their own...the "orange" food group, so of course his cabin has goldfish on it. He also made a chariot pulled by...what else...bears!     :)

Liam's circular entry way was the boss! He also had a little slide in the back of his house. Nothing like a little playground to say home in the woods.   :)

Vanessa had creativity all over the place. I love a campfire on a cold evening, and I love village campfires - we've had many - her's was one of my favorite! She also had a slide out of the back of her house complete with her initials.   :)

Em's pretty pathway added lots of interest to an otherwise sparse field of snow but my favorite of her creations...

...was her reindeer on their own little pretzel bench. So cute!!!
Speaking of cute, check out that bomb of a "Grand Prismatic Spring." Sister Fortin came up with the idea of melting Jolly Ranchers in the oven to get the gorgeous color. Beautiful job, Sister Fortin!!




The Mr. had a very manly chimney and some cool roof tiles this year. 

I copied ideas I'd loved from years past with my chairs and porch. Love a nice porch! Oh, and there's my copy of Vanessa's fire - thanks Vanessa.   ;)

Sister Nicolasora is from Manilla, Phillipines so snow and Yellowstone were foreign concepts to her but she got right into the white stuff and made an awesome cabin. Love her sweet little door.  :)

Sister Fortin got us all going on the chimney idea this year - thanks Sister Fortin! She made a sweet fence around her cabin too. The little skiing sour patch kid in the front of her cabin was Nate's contribution as this was the best ski hill around.  :)

Put it all together and here is our "Yellowstone in winter village!"

Before the Sisters left for the evening, they shared this video with us, because as fun as the holidays and villages and presents for friends and family are...the very best gift...the first gift...was Him.    xoxo

He is the Gift

It won't be this in the morning...

One of my sisters-in-law grew up as her father's right hand "man" on their ranch in Idaho. She tells great stories about her adventures with her father and siblings. One thing her father often said to the kids was "It won't be this in the morning."

She first told me about this little saying when I was just 12 years old so I've had a few decades to learn it's meaning. It's an interesting little saying full of hope but also containing more than just a dose of warning and reality.

Her Dad would say "It won't be this in the morning" when the kids were staying up way too late having a rippin' good time. He knew morning chores would come... before the kids were rested...yet come, they would. And he was right, it wasn't rippin' good fun anymore when the sun came up and the kids were bone tired, short on sleep, and dragging themselves out to do chores.

Happily, though, the saying applies equally to dark times, dark nights when pain and worry creep in, yet there is light, beautiful warm light, in the morning.
I believe "It won't be this in the morning" testifies of Jesus. He is The Light, He is my Light, and I'm so grateful for Him, and I'm so grateful for all those who let His light shine through them.

We've had a few dark nights the past month. The Mr. got a rippin' infection in his leg which was all cleared up by antibiotics (thank Heaven) but the swelling was so severe it killed part of his leg. The question just remained to see how much would he lose. The wound care Dr. was guardedly optimistic that it wasn't into the muscle but said "we'll see."

I posted this picture (close your eye's if you're squeamish) of the Mr.'s "zombie bite" for Halloween and never imagined the flood of kindness that would follow.

Thank you, dear friends and family, for the texts, messages, cards, phone calls, treats, meals, and prayers! You've been so thoughtful and generous!! We are tremendously grateful!

You are the definition of "bearing one another's burdens."

We went back to the wound care Dr. after just three days to check on the edema and healing. Dr. M raved about the healing! We testified to him of the power of prayer - all your prayers - offered to a loving Father in Heaven who hears and answers His children.

Thanks be to God and thanks be to you.   xoxo