Merry Christmas to all our friends and family all over the world!!

making a house a festive home

I got this Santa years ago at one of the kid 's school fund raiser. The incense smoke comes out of the coffee cup.


There is an ad in Maine about a store that says "I should have bought it when I saw it...." So true around here so I'm always looking and thinking when I might use or need something. In March we received a Christmas pkg with Martha Stewart Christmas magazine I looked briefly and put it away till this fall. When I saw these "snow"covered branches back in September... I thought about the MS mag and got inspired.


then there is just being crafty and using what you or a friend has.....thus homemade gift tags , these were fun to make, and felt ornaments



And as many plastic snow flakes I can find!!
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Our discount 90% Target tree, with some ornaments from Maine , most from Costa Rica and here.


Our house from the out side.. putting up lights and not freezing... and lights on a blooming hibiscus..just felt wrong.



Merry Christmas to all!!!

December in Shell Ecuador

I've been helping out at the Nate Saint Memorial School, subbing and helping with the Christmas play. It's a great group of kids from First grade to 8th grade. They made ornaments for the Hospital 's lobby tree. They performed an abridged version of the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
back stage


Most of the girls attend Girls Club on Wednesday afternoons at the house, we've studied Ruth and are going through Esther, we've baked embroidered, learned how to write a proper letter,and I hope had fun. I love working with all these missionary kids they are a special bunch.

one of my favorite carols

"Christmas Bells"
(The original poem, complete with all seven stanzas)

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Till, ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


Then from each black accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"


Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"



a little fun with felt! I made 9 next year I'll be making 12!

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shopping

When we go shopping for (mugs at the airport with the Grandkid's names) or Christmas gifts we get strange looks.....last year it was finding 9 shirts the right size and color for the 3 families....this year it was pants and we are adding 2 more to the pile!!!






probably should have gotten some animal crackers while I was at it(50 lbs?)



Got Milk?

the bath room

We had a little home make over. The bathroom is small and had a plate glass mirror and white cinder block walls, it just wasn't warm and homey. So we added a shelf with pegs in stead of the towel rack and molding around the mirror and a coat of light blue paint....oh and a $2 rug.

baubles

Taken from a friends blog as they leave South America to go to the States for a few months.

Listen to this conversation between George Müller (famous for fully relying on God’s daily provision for the thousands of orphans he would care for in his orphanages) and his new wife, Mary. They had been married for one week and she had happily finished unpacking in his house, getting it all set up when he came home from traveling that day, sharing the gospel. She was excited to show her new husband the fruit of her labor. Here is what happened next:

As George looked around the room, his heart sank. His house was beginning to look like so many other houses he had visited- cluttered with things: things that would stop him from answering God’s call on his life, things that would have to be packed up and transported from one place to another, things that would mock his attempt to live only for God.

He sank wearily into his chair. “They have to go,” he said in a low voice.

“What has to go?” frowned Mary.

“Everything,” replied George, waving his hand vaguely around the room, “The silver, the china, the tapestries. Everything that’s not necessary has to go.”

“But why?” stammered Mary, turning pale and sinking into a chair.

“Because,” said George, “I travel from one end of Devon to the other preaching that the Bible is to be taken literally, and I come home at night to a home filled with baubles. After all, Jesus said, ‘Sell all you have and give to the poor,’ didn’t He?” (1)

* * *

Here’s the amazing part,

The next evening when George came home, the silverware, china, and tapestries were all gone. Sitting on the china cabinet in their place was a stack of pound notes. Mary pointed to them. “Do what you think best with it, George, and may God help us both,” she said. (2)

. Yet she gave it all to be obedient to Christ! By the way, what a beautiful picture of a wife submitting to her husband, too! Wow!

(1) George Müller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans, Janet and Geoff Benge (Christian Heroes: Then & Now), p.77 & 78

Pondering this

In my house here in Shell Ecuador I have 4 Bibles of my own ...I have2 small streamlines one in Spanish and another in English I have a big heavy Bible with "helps", and I have my new one a bilingual Bible.
I went on an adventure on Saturday.. I didn't really want to go..lots of excuses.
But I try to experience all I can while we are here so...Steve and I with lots of other missionaries( 3 planes full) went to Makuma, Ecuador about a 1/2 hour flight. We went to be a part of a dedication of a Bible that had been years in the making , 50 or more. This Bible was translated by many hard workers, and now was printed and complete, in the Shuar language. A once only spoken language.

So I showered, powdered , dressed , sunscreened, and sprayed all over in bug spray...

We flew with MAF/ Alas de Socorro
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our plane held Fred ,the pilot , Steve , Desi , myself , Janet and Elijah.
It was a little overcast.
We followed the Pastaza river and went around the saddleback to Makuma



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The dedication was in Spansh and Shuar but the emotions were understandable.

They fed everyone a grand lunch , fish with cabbage wrapped in a leaf , soup , rice and meat

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The community reminded me of the Cranberry Islands , small village , school , church , no cars (and a ferry off) or airplane out

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Waiting for the next plane..
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You can read about this community and it's history in Frank and Marie Drown's book Mission to theHeadhunters

reunion

This summer while in the States we had an opportunity to join my nursing school classmates at their 35th reunion. Elliot Community Hospital School of Nursing... It took place in Keene NH. We all traveled from far and wide, Alaska , Pittsburgh and all over New England.


Here is the old dorm, our room was the top floor second window from the left . On a clear morning we could view Mt Manadnock

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the stairs to the 3rd floor...













the hall where young men were greeted and not allowed any further...


















the class not everyone was there...but those of us that were














My roommate Peggy














the 3 husbands that were brave to accompany their wives and listen to all the stories and giggles...Carol And I , she lived in Alaska ,now retired to OregonGreat fun, great food, great stories..great bunch of gals

Ps the building now belongs to Keene College,the door was unlocked and I went about as much as I could....

time for some new pictures and news and bragging about the grands

Simple Things

Some times I need to create.... I started covering notebooks with paper at Christmas time then I've found the right size notebook and corrugated paper that fits them perfectly, then I just use what scrapbook things I have around. They are relaxing to do and are neat gifts.