“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Luke 2:14
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
10 FOR 10: Trip #11
Disneyland
"Whatever you do, do it well.
Do it so well that when people see you do it,
they will want to come back and see you do it again,
and they will want to bring others and show them
how well you do what you do."
Walt Disney
TRIP #11: DISNEYLAND
The first time that AC and I went to Disneyland together, it was on New Year's day, and all of the holiday decorations were still up. It was spectacular to see, and it is something we have wanted to share with SC for as long as we have been taking her to Disney. Fortunately, AC discovered an extremely cheap rate to LA for a weekend in December, and we ended up squeezing in an eleventh trip this year, rather than just the original goal of ten.
Many of the rides have a new theme for the holidays, so it is a very different experience than going at other times during the year. AC's favorite ride, the Jungle Cruise, becomes the "Jingle" Cruise, and the premise is that the holiday decorations have been lost and we must be on the look-out for them. The Haunted Mansion changes its decorations to become the home of Jack Skellington, the main character in The Nightmare Before Christmas, and as good as the original decorations are, these are exceptional. We went through twice this time. It's a Small World eschews its normal song for a mix of holiday ones, still sung in multiple languages, and all of the dolls are dressed in various holiday costumes instead of the regular "traditional" ones. Of course, the park as a whole is full of holiday decorations as well, and there is a holiday-themed parade that happens. All in all, it was beautiful.
Unexpectedly, there were some new things open in the Tomorrowland area for the seventh Star Wars movie, which we took advantage of while we were there. Space Mountain became "Hyperspace" Mountain, and images of star destroyers, x-wings and tie fighters were projected inside the dome as the roller coaster whipped through the darkness. The old Captain E-O theatre showed an extended preview for the new movie, complete with a summary of the first six films. The Star Tours ride included scenes from the new film, which was exciting. It definitely made us anxious for the seventh film to premiere the following weekend!
Thankfully, even though it was a very quick trip, we also got to spend a little bit of time with my family members who live in the area, which was an extra special treat!
In case you missed the first post ...
WHAT IS THE 10 FOR 10?
In July 2015, AC and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary, and previously had been discussing what sort of big trip to take. However, it occurred to me that we typically take some pretty big trips every year, sometimes as a tag-along when AC works, and sometimes just using all the points and miles he has amassed from his work travels. I couldn't help but wonder if another trip would really be that special and different. So, I came up with the idea that instead of just one more trip, we should take ten trips to celebrate our years together. I told AC, and told him that it didn't have to be just him and me (because SC is also part of our lives, obviously), but that I wanted to take ten purposeful trips, that are focused on celebrating us (and our family) as much as we can. I told him that they didn't all have to be long or complicated trips, though we had already talked about a few places that will be, and we can start in our tenth year (July 2014) and run through the end of 2015 so that we don't take too much time away from work. Hopefully these ten trips make this a celebratory year, one that stands out for us as we look back (in another ten years).
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thankful Thursday:
"Announced by all the trumpets of the sky
Arrives the snow ..."
Announced by all the trumpets of the sky
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
from "The Snow-Storm," Ralph Waldo Emerson
This week I am thankful that we had a white Christmas in North Texas. I do not like the cold, but if it must be cold, I love when it is productive like this. Most of my life growing up in North Texas the times it snowed, or even produced freezing rain and ice, could probably be counted on one hand. However, SC has experienced snow at some point in North Texas every year since her birth except last year, and she loves it. She seems to be immune to the chill that playing in the snow brings about because she wanted to stay outside all day Christmas Day!
What are you thankful for this week? Leave a comment, then check out other Thankful Thursday posts here:
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Top Ten Tuesday:
"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel."
"Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel."
-O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Merry Christmas! As you celebrate the birth of our Savior, please enjoy a list of my top ten favorite Christmas songs:
1. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" (Sufjan Stevens)
2. "Joseph's Lullaby" (MercyMe)
3. "Breath of Heaven" (Amy Grant)
4. "O Come all ye Faithful" (Josh Groban, feat. Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
5. "O, Holy Night" (Selah)
6. "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Sufjan Stevens)
7. "Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming" (Sufjan Stevens)
8. "Joy to the World" (Chris Tomlin)
9. "Light of the World" (Chris Tomlin, feat. Matt Redman)
10. "Away in a Manger" (Casting Crowns)
And since it's Christmas, here is an extra song as a gift!
What are your favorite songs to celebrate the birth of our Savior? Leave a comment, then check out some other top ten lists here:
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Top Ten Tuesday:
"Cookies are made of butter and love."
"Cookies are made of butter and love."
Norwegian Proverb
With Christmas fast approaching, I am going focus on ten dessert recipes that I would love to make in the next week (though I may actually only get to one or two). These recipes are all going to be paleo, because that is how we are trying very hard to eat (though it is so easy to get stuck in the fast-food rut when AC is out of town), but they all look delicious! Here they are, in no particular order, with links to the recipes and pictures from the creators' websites:
1. Chocolate Shortbread Cookies (with white chocolate icing)
6. Apple Crisp
9. Pumpkin Spice Cookies (with vanilla & cinnamon icing)
For the record, I have made the Chocolate Chip Cookies at number eight and they are delicious - very close to "the real thing."
What goodies are you going to be making this week for Christmas? Share with us in the comments, then check out other Top Ten Tuesday posts here:
**I have not been asked to review or promote any of these recipes, or the blogs or websites I got them from, nor am I being compensated in any way for linking to them from P2P::W. I have made recipes from the ones I link to in the past (with great results), so I am not fearful to recommend these I have yet to try.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Thankful Thursday:
"Presents are made for the pleasure ..."
"Presents are made for the pleasure of who gives them,
not the merits of who receives them."
-Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind
Today I am thankful that I have all my Christmas shopping done, and there are still eighteen days, sixteen hours left until we celebrate. I do still have a few gifts in transit, but I do not have anything left to buy.
Now the difficulty will be to resist the rest of the sales that are happening and not buying anything more. I love giving gifts to SC and AC, and have a hard time seeing things that they would like and not just getting them. We really wanted to cut down on what we were buying for ourselves this year, because the past four years have been beyond ridiculous when it comes to present-opening time. We tried to just keep it simple, but I think next year we are going to try something like "need/want/read/wear" because it will be even better to have that specific focus. We still overbought this year, in my opinion, for ourselves, and I think it was because our guideline was "maybe one bigger gift, and then stocking stuff." There is quite a bit that has counted as "stocking stuff," though I am pleased we definitely did better than in years past.
The point of cutting down the quantity of Christmas gifts for ourselves was so that we could be good stewards of the blessings God has given us, and to give to those who otherwise would have nothing. So, this year we adopted three angels (one whole family) from the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. The reason we chose this program is because not only is it local, but instead of just collecting toys, it gives both a "need" and a "want" for each child, as well as lists clothing and shoe sizes for each child and permits the gifting of things not on the list, like socks, underwear, jackets and other items they might need, but are not their number one need. I would really encourage those of you who are looking for a way to bless others to look for the Salvation Army Angel Tree program local to your home.
What are you thankful for today? Leave a comment, then check out
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