It was a very Merry Christmas!!

The Lord has been so good to us. He just never ceases to amaze me! Last year for Christmas we were "adopted" by some wonderful families. They were VERY generous to us and the girls all received gifts that I never could have provided in the natural. This year the Lord used garage sales, thrift stores, and Craig's list. He caused us to be at the right place at the right time and provided the DEAL of the CENTURY on some amazing gifts! Both for us and those we love. We had so much fun finding those perfect gifts!! It was hard to wait all the way till Christmas to give them.

(I apologize up front that all my pics loaded backwards. I thought I had it straight in my head....but evidently I didn't. Sorry.)

This is just a cool pic I took with my camera. It has a nighttime setting and I wanted to see what it could do. The girls were all playing outside last night and this is what I got!~
OK....on to Christmas morning! These AG dolls are the older ones with retired outfits I've been told. They are in excellent condition and a great addition to their collections! I found them at a garage sale for $10 each!!!! To say that they were thrilled would be an understatement. No one was expecting anything so extravagant this year. Also, see that keyboard in the background? That was Pillars gift from me this year. I found it on Craig's list. Brand new, only taken out of the box and used once. Not a scratch! It's high quality, it sounds great, and works great! I only spent a small fraction of what they cost new. Thank you Lord!!!

This is the real picture of them opening the boxes......unstaged! Yup, they were surprised!

Christmas Eve was spent playing games! We love games over here. I also let them open one present early. It was the adult version of Apples to Apples. We already had the junior one, but they had asked for the older one. So of course.....we played it first! (How do you like all our braids? LOL )

We also played Rosebud's new game Horse Sense, Hoopla, Spoons, Speed, and I taught them to play Hearts. It was such a fun afternoon!

Christmas Eve, as is tradition, we all get to open our stockings. One of the special things they always find in there is some new kind of gum. I know that may seem strange to you. But I don't allow gum chewing in the house except on rare occasions. Partly because I've always had girls with thick, long, and curly hair. And partly because of having daycare children in the house and not wanting them to have it either! I suppose the fact that I don't like the "smacking" sound is a factor too! LOL They also find things like their favorite chips or candies and any other little trinkets I've found! This year they had more from each other than they did from me. It was so much fun to watch them. They really got into the gift "giving" this year!!

Pillar is very crafty and artistic. She's really gifted that way! She's been making these adorable hair clips. If I ever figure it out, she's going to open an Etsy shop to sell some of her creations. Her sisters were thrilled to receive some of her beautiful clips!

She also made me this beautiful card. I know it's upside down in the picture but can you see it? It's a kitten playing with his shadow done in pencil. It's FANTASTIC!!! I'm so impressed. I love it!!! Thank you Pillar for such a thoughtful gift. You knew exactly what I would treasure!

This year the girls also made these fun jars for gifts. Boy did we make a mess, but it was fun delivering them to people! It's amazing what effect a hand written card and homemade mix can have on a person during the holidays. They were so appreciated. We also made cookies and bars and caramel popcorn for neighbors. It really has been a fun week!!

We have so much to be thankful for this year. I could write a list that never ends. We have our health, our home, our friends and family.....But I think more than anything, I am just so grateful that I know HIM! "I"......know "Him." The creator of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth. He chose to create me here and now...in this time and place. I'm so grateful that I'm not living in another part of the world or in a different time, that doesn't know Him. Thank you Lord for loving me. I love you too! Merry Christmas!!