Merry Christmas 2010

In my garden, new snow formed a mantle on the angel statue.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord  appeared to them, and  the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all  the people.  For unto you is born this day in  the city of David  a Savior, who is  Christ  the Lord.  And  this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 


And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”


When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
                                                        Luke 2: 8-20 English Standard Version

God has sent angels to make announcements to men and women over the ages.  How glorious this appearance must have been to those lowly shepherds out guarding their sheep by night...
The message is the same today.  It is for all of us.  Those who are placed low and high amongst men and women.
Jesus came to be our Saviour. 
Will you see this thing that has happened? 
Will you acknowledge Jesus is Lord and Saviour?
Will you return glorifying and praising God?

May you know the Peace & Joy that only Jesus gives.

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas to my faithful readers. I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for your encouraging comments.

At Christmas, many of us take time out to consider what we believe is the greatest gift of all. His name is Jesus.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (New Living Translation)

The traditions of Christmas point to a King born in a stable. We hear of angels announcing His birth to humble shepards. They sang “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Jesus grew into a man who loved the outcast and brought hope to the hopeless. He spoke Truth.

When He was 33 years old, Jesus was put to death when those in power were threatened by this man. But Jesus was not just man, He was God. In three days He arose from the grave.

Jesus has many gifts for those who believe in Him. Eternal life is one of them. He also gives the gift the angels sang of. Peace on Earth. We tend to think of this peace as an absence of war, an ideal world. But there is peace on earth today. It is in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus and have asked Him to forgive their sins and to live in their hearts.

"Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. " Philippians 4:6-7 (Contemporary English Version)

Sneak Peak & Giveaway Alert

FYI - I've been making Christmas cards and here's a sneak peak. Sorry, this is all you get for now because I have it on good authority that family visit my blog. I found the box of folded card stock & envelopes at Joannes along with the coordinating stack of papers. I thought this would go much quicker than it has, but I am over half way thru the 60 cards in the pack. Yes, I said 60! What can I say except Hubby & I come from very large families.

As an update to my last post, I went back to Borders Bookstore yesterday & they have Susan Tuttle's book, Exhibition 36 on the shelf (In fact, there were FOUR copies which means they expect it to be popular). I sat down in the cafe to peruse the pages and was thrilled with what I saw. When I read Brandie Butcher Isley's submission, I had tears in my eyes. First, because I am overjoyed for my friend. Secondly, because her art moves me. Brandie's art reaches the part of my heart that treasures my ancestors who have gone before me, and helps me to better appreciate the family that is still with us.
I had forgotten that Paulette Insall was also included in this book. She generously shared many details of her beautiful techniques.
As I leafed through the book I started to wonder if Susan had left herself out, but she has some very inspiring how-to details that I am anxious to try. There is SO much more in this book than I hoped for, and I anticipate taking many hours to study the other artists she has featured that I am so far unfamiliar with.
Well, if you haven't stopped by Susan's blog yet, be sure you do to see how you can participate in her give away.
And as if that wasn't enough, here's another generous artist who is having 29 Days of Giveaway. (Chrysti has gorgeous altered photos.) It just so happens that today's giveaway is Susan Tuttle's book. There's an interesting interview with Susan on today's post at Chrysti's blog.
Well, I better get back to the cards. Do you make cards, have photo cards printed, make a newsletter, and/or have some other traditional holiday correspondence?

Christmas Visitors

We made our annual trip to Eastern Iowa where we celebrated Christmas with some of my husband's family on the acreage where he grew up. The birds who come to the feeder are always entertaining, but we had a special treat this year. A group of wild turkeys came for Christmas dinner.

Several Mourning Doves were perched in a nearby tree.

These are some of the shots I took through the deck window since I didn't want to frighten the birds away. I wish I could have captured the beauty of the turkeys' plummage.

Christmas Blessings

Here's a little digital altered art I used for Christmas cards last year. I let the days get away this year and haven't even composed a Christmas letter.

This image started as a close-up of a Taro leaf. I played with Photoshop Elements to come up with this design which reminds me of a Christmas tree.

During this season it is good to contemplate what a wondrous gift God gave us sending Jesus to walk among us and give His life so that we can all share in His life forever.

Peace - Joy - Love

Fairy Dust

Oh! How beautiful to look out the window and see the sky literally sparkling! It looked like fairy dust was falling, and suddenly, it was gone. Good thing I grabbed my camera before it was too late. This was taken last January from a condo at Sol Vista Resort near Granby, Colorado.
FYI - only editting to this photo was adding the text.