|| Christmas sugar ||

Here's our little Christmas sugar!  Cute dress compliments of Omie and Opa.  :)  Goodness, this child brings us so much J-O-Y.

Once again, the husband scored on his Christmas gift for me.  It can't get any better than that, I'm sure.  And he liked my gift to him...double score.

We have had a lovely Christmas season.  It's been just the right touch of busy and laid back.  I fully expect New Year's Day to be very relaxed.  New Year's Eve, we will party with a fun group of friends.

I have been missing a "home" Christmas this year.  I'm definitely setting my hopes on going back to the States for Christmas in a few years.  We've got a lot planned in 2015 so it won't be Christmas 2015 but maybe the next year???!!!  That would be great.

Upcoming for 2015:

- a wedding to attend via NYC!!!!!  (first time for me, second time for Leon)

- visiting with my parents

- seeing my Oma!!!

- a trip to Indiana and the West at the end of June and the month of July 

- our little girl reaching important milestones (walking and talking...can't wait)

- milk production coming UP (praying for that!)

- beginning a MINI school in our compound for the children

- I have a secret little endeavour I'd like to embark on in the coming months

Hope you all are having a lovely Christmas season, too.  

As they say here.....Compliments of the season to you.  :)

|| pruning ||

A friend here owns a nursery.  It has been her hobby and now turned into a lovely, thriving business.  On my veranda is a cute topiary plant that needs trimmed OFTEN.  My friend has said the more I trim the plant, the fuller it will be.  The more I trim the plant, the more flowers it will produce.  Esta has said that many people feel afraid to truly prune plants properly (p-p-p!!)  She doesn't understand why that is when through the pruning, the plant emerges more beautifully.

I often think of that correlation with my spiritual life.  How often is God trying to prune me, trying to make me a better person and I fight the pruning.  I KNOW I fight the pruning.  I fight often.  Who likes to be pruned?  Ouch.  

Just like those beautiful roses above emerge from a harsh pruning, so my life would be more beautiful if I would allow the Master Gardener to prune what is necessary.

I have been going through a season of harsh pruning.  I seem to be hitting a wall in my personal and spiritual life.  But there is no escaping the pruning.  I know I am God's child because "Whom The Lord loveth he correcteth...." [Proverbs 3:12].  My prayer is that I will bend to the pruning and emerge more beautiful for the Saviour's glory.