Merry Christmas 2010

Welcome to Four Sisters Farm!

This year, Farm Chick and I thought a live tree on the porch would be the way to go. Pop and I have limited space downstairs and of course, she and EJ with three little cowboys would be pushing space limits and fighting off the littlest cowboy from the tree wouldn't exactly make the season merry and bright! Add all that to the fact that Rock Star is allergic to live Christmas trees and you have the perfect solution with a tree outside! We really thought we were smart until we found the tree blown over with the Kansas wind...but we worked around it and secured the tree.

We put up a HUGE wreath around the star that stays on the porch. The candy canes are there for Bubba because it just isn't Christmas without candy canes!

Come on up! It's been a little chilly but the decor warms things up.

2010 has been a wonderful year. We feel blessed by God in every way. We are grateful to Him that we live near our family and share everyday life with each other. Some years ago, we made an agreement with out adult children to refocus what we do at Christmas to make Christ what Christmas is about.

So we released ourselves from buying gifts for the grownups and limited our material expressions of love to gifts for the kids and to stocking stuffers. We began a new tradition that we call "The Hope Stocking." The Hope stocking hangs with all our family stockings and holds notecards that we each write down our hopes and prayers for the coming year and review the past year's notes and talk about how God has answered prayers...healthy babies born, jobs accepted, moves made, etc. It brings us back to God in a thoughtful and thankful way.

We went even farther as a family this year...Farm Chick suggested that we anonymously adopt a family through a local agency who would not have a Christmas celebration otherwise and we had so much fun planning and shopping for them. It was a great way to teach the kiddos about sharing God's love in a tangible way and that Christmas can be about giving instead of getting.

We are grateful for the Christmas season and for the chance to gather together to remember the best gift ever...God's gift of His one and only Son, Jesus...Who came to seek and save the lost and to reconcile us to our Father in heaven by His death and resurrection. Without that gift, we would be hopelessly lost. Thank You, God, for the perfect gift for now and every Christmas.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy your best gift ever! If you haven't received the gift of Jesus from God yet, the offer is still good. All you have to do is tell God that you want it. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)