Sunday Selah: Lion Of Judah

Messiah would come

The earth would rejoice

The people start to sing

For they would behold

As Scripture fortold

A mighty King of Kings

But He came as a child

Not like they had planned

Not like they had planned

Lion of Judah

Lamb of God

Glorious Conqueror

Suffering Son

Lion of Judah

With nails in His hands

The Mighty Redeemer

Was meek as a lamb

No elegant robes

No glorious throne

No armies at His side

Could this be the One?

A carpenter's son?

A man condemned to die?

But a lion roared

Deep inside thie Lamb

Inside this Man

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Happy Birthday, Jesus!

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Measure, Mix and Meltaway

I was invited for a bake exchange.  It's my very first bake exchange and I am excited...and intimidated.

 

I have never baked a cookie before from scratch.  (Well, maybe I did once but it was a failure!)

Sure, I can make cakes (but still from a box) but the thought of having to share it with friends seems uneasy for a perfectionist (?) like me.

After the invite, I did my research right away and searched for an easy, no-fail, crowd-pleasing holiday cookie over the internet.  And there's lots out there.  In fact, too many that I can't decide. 

I chose two recipes (so I'll have one back-up in case the other fails).

But one problem, I became so sick the start of the bake exchange week that I was not able to bake them ahead of time.  Hubby ordered that I sleep and rest so I can feel better sooner.  I was planning to bake the goodies the night before but the commander said no!

Friday morning came.  Hubby stayed home and took care of the kids while I slave away in the kitchen making these treats.

First, Kris Kringle cookies.

It was actually good. 

Just the right amount of sweetness, and the cranberries are awesome!

Except I think I left it in the oven too long, I ended up with crunchy, burnt Kris Kringle cookies.

But some people like burnt cookies...I think?!

Next, Chocolate Crinkles.

These are delish! 

Just ask my Jakob and my sister.  The leftovers did not last a day in our house.

I had fun making these cookies.  It was a great experience, and it gave me enough courage to try and bake cookies more.  Though I would like to perfect the Kris Kringle cookies first before I entertain other recipes.

Cleaning up the mess...well, that's another story.

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PIC OF THE WEEK: CN Tower

Was in downtown yesterday for Disney On Ice with my camera this time, and after the show, walking to our parked car, this is what we saw...

 Beautiful Christmas colours on the CN Tower!

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Low, low, low

Yesterday was the Sunday School Participation Sunday in our church.  We have been helping our kids rehearse their lines and verses for this special day. 

Jethro behaved so well this time (unlike last year).

He sang wonderfully.

He even gave me a thumbs up before getting out of the auditorium (but I missed taking a photo of that! ugh!)

Beata was loud, funny and great. 

She recited their verse perfectly with her big, low voice.

And sang her song with the same alto voice.

I love it!

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You'll get your own...I promise!

"Can we help you decorate our tree, mommy?"

"No, thank you.  This is my tree.  I'll get you your own tree, I promise."

I know, I'm a horrible mommy.  But I want to decorate my tree.  It's like a Christmas project for me.  I felt bad too for not letting them help that's why I promised to get them one.

My kids have been good waiting for me to get them their own tree.  I was going to buy it from the thrift store but it seems that it has all been taken.  I tried the dollar store but they only have a small six-inch tabletop tree.  I want something taller and bigger than that for them.

And praise the Lord, I found one at Zellers for just 60% of the original price.  And since I have a store credit of $18 there, I did not spent one dime.  But, I have to buy lights.  I found one for $4.00 which is still very cheap for a 100-tip lights.

But with three kids and one small tree, a good 10 minutes (or less) is what it took for them to decorate it. 

But at least they have one their own tree with an angel on top!

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The case of the panicking mommy

Here I am at one in the morning, trying to figure out what to do with the few photos that I have .  I am deciding on what to include in our Christmas cards that we send our loved ones overseas. 

It's my first year with my dlsr and I only have a few decent photos to edit, to choose from.

And it's only two more weeks before Christmas. And I only have this week to mail my cards for them to get to the hands of my beloved families.

I. Am. Panicking.

I. Want. To. Cry.

I have been so behind in everything on my "to do"since the start of November. I've edited a few photos but I am not satisfied with any of them. I am going to stop now.

Maybe I can get maybe a few more nice ones in the next couple of days.  That will give me time to edit and mail them so it can arrive at least before the new year.

So, goodnight y'all...

I mean, good morning!

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It's here!

December is here and the days seem to be passing quickly...maybe because we are always busy any given day in December before Christmas (okay, and the last week of November for this blog's sake).

Jakob played goalie in his hockey team, and made twelve saves and $10.

Raymond promised to give him a dollar for every save less the score on him. He had twelve saves, four goals on him.
Yes, you're math is right. Eight is the answer but Raymond was pleased with Jakob's performance that he decided to give him $10 instead.

I want to be a goalie, too!

 

We got our fresh tree on the last Saturday of November as usual.  But there was NO SNOW!  It feels weird going to a tree farm, choosing a tree with no snow on the ground -- just mud.  On the other hand, it was an advantage too because we were able to take our time choosing the perfect tree.

And no gingerbread cookie (apparently, the lady who supplies the cookie did not make them this year so no cookies in the munch house at the farm). 

It turned out that this tree is about the same age as Jakob.

And it took me a week to decorate that perfect tree.  Talk about procrastination.

Raymond turned 22 for the eleventh time that day too. 

On December 2, Jakob played violin in church for the second time. 

Can you see the intense concentration?

They all did great!

Time really passes quickly.

Nobody can deny it.

Christmas is here, and I'm excited.

It's my favourite time of the year!

Winter is here as well. 

Not too excited about that!

We got our first snow storm today :(

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Proof

Here's the proof of my kiddos' cooperation to my beloved camera last Wednesday night.

No complaining.

No hiding or running away from the crazy lady with the camera.

No fake smiles (okay, maybe a little!)

Just very willing subjects, posing away for mommy. 

Especially Jakob. 

I find it hard to take a picture of him coz he is either too zealous or too lazy (or eyes are always closed) when I have my camera on hand.

But that night was different.

He was even requesting for more.

I guess it's official -- they now welcomed my D90 to the family!

Awww, thanks!
*sniff, sniff*

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Unusual

Told the kiddos to go take their nap today and they obeyed right away.  No complaining, no bargaining.  No giggling, no extra playtime in their room when I am not looking.  Beata and Jethro slept right away.  Unusual?  Let's just say most of the time.

Picked up Jakob from school this afternoon and we saw a nice big rainbow on the way.  I asked them what's the rainbow for, Beata said it comes after the rain clouds.  Not really getting what I wanted to hear, I changed the question to "Why did God make the rainbow?".  She answered the same answer, but Jethro with his hand raised, said, "God will never flood the world again".  Unusual?  Definitely.

And another unusual thing happened last night --- my kiddos willingly and happily posed for my camera with not one, not two but lots of pictures. 

Now that's really, really unusual!
I will show you proof tomorrow.

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I was wrong

So whatever happened to my "awake, arise...and write" post?  I thought for sure that last post should have triggered the reset button on me to get back into my blogging routine.  But I was wrong :(

Knowing myself, whenever Raymond is away, I always bury myself in "things-to-do" so I can forget about time and his absence.  But that week after my awake post I did not write one single blog even after after being alone in bed for three nights.  I must have anticipated Raymond's return so much...or was it the date night that Friday?  Probably!

Yes, you read it right; that Friday night, we went on an early anniversary date downtown (11 years.  Woohoo!).  We went to the Princess of Wales Theatre to watch Sound of Music.  It was great.  Love their voices.  Love their performances.  Love the stage.  But boo to me for not bringing my camera that night.  It would have a been a great photoshoot with all the lights downtown.  (I even got to see a nice landscape of the city when we went to Raymond's office to print the tickets --- don't ask me why we're printing it just minutes before the show!)  Then a nice dinner at Baton Rouge.  Ahhh!  And it was a perfect night.  Not too cold for a November night.  Wished I had my camera (don't ask me why I don't have it; long, sad story).

Too late for this drama (Raymond promised we will visit downtown again for a date, and this time I AM BRINGING MY CAMERA!)

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Now,  let me blog about my princess' field trip that Friday afternoon.

I was able to join her again at that field trip (thanks to hubby for working from home).  We went to a nursing home and the kids prepared a program for these beloved seniors.

We also have a little ministry for the seniors in nursing/retirement home somewhere else once a month but this is different.  Not only do they get to hear poems and special music...

and Scripture recitations...

but they get to see a whole crew (twenty, I believe) of little boys and girls.

Somehow, the presence of children always brings a smile to these grandmas and grandpas.

Plus, they got to eat treats together. 
Now that's a real treat!

Thank you to their teachers and helpers.  It was real blessing...to everybody.


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Oh!
It's Wednesday? 
I am supposed to do a rewind, right?
Well, this will do. 
It's a rewind of what happened last week!
;)

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Awake, arise...and write!

I could never understand why I am always behind my house work (or blog for this matter) around Jakob's birthday.

It could be the weather. I tend to delay on grocery shopping or other errands when it starts to get cold outside. I am still not used to this cold weather even after 10 years in Canada. Or it could be the Halloween. I tend to avoid stores especially when I am with my kiddos (they are terrified by the things displayed and sold in stores) at this time of the year.

It could be the excitement around Missions Conference in our church which is after Jakob's birthday; I tend to forget that I have other things waiting for my attention (like my blog!). I love Missions Conference though. This year, Beata was in the Parade of Nations. I think her dedication to it was too intense that she ended up with a bad cold and cough after it.

So many things I missed blogging.

Like Beata's first field trip, for example.

A memorable moment for her (and me)...eventhough it was freezing cold

I even volunteered to help.

Ahhhhh! I should be blamed for this I'm sure.

So many other things I can blame but whatever it is, I have to awaken...arise...and start blogging.

(Apology-introduction ends)

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Jakob's bowling birthday party was a bowl! (get it?)

I am pleased with the outcome of this family birthday activity. Though I was not really able to watch and play with my family member (was busy looking after Jakob's guests/friends), every time I glance over their lanes, I see smiles, giggles and cheers. I believe they are having fun. Definitely recommending bowling for a family activity (though I may be thinking twice doing it around Halloween because Beata was so scared of the bowling alley decoration).

Bowling, family, friends, pizza, cake and presents - I am sure Jakob is one happy birthday boy.

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9! He's 9 today!

My firstborn is 9 years old today.

One more year and he'll have a two-digit age.

4 years then he's a teenager.

8 years then he'll be in college.

Time freeze please!!!

(Though he said he never wanted to leave home, even when he's all grown up.

Don't know if he'll change his mind, but until then, I'll cherish every minute with him.)

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