Things in full swing this week.

First and foremost it is Diva's birthday today.  Happy Birthday to you sweetie.  Now a wife and mother in her own right (giving us a second grandchild in July), it is wonderful to see her taking own the role with such passion.  Why she is canning, sewing, wanting to learn to crochet, garden, etc.  Ahhh the joys of having a child follow in your foot steps.  It is a thing of beauty!  She is a beautiful young woman.  Have you seen her? Well let me show you:

In other news, this week and next will be a flurry of activity because once the 15th comes all crafty gifting will stop or at least slow to a crawl.  Once I am working two jobs (just til the first of the year.  Uh specifically Jan 5th), things will be a little crazy.  I am planning on getting groceries a week earlier so I don't have to do that while I am working.  Homeschool will be about all I can handle. Well that and maybe a batch of cookies.  LOL  Gotta have those goodies (before Big Brother takes my sugar away).  On the list for this week is a gift for my sister,my niece, great niece, nephew and his wife, and my dad.  All of these I am hoping can be homemade gifts.  We will see what I can get done.  I also need(knead) to make bread.  We are almost out.  I might do that today for the rest of the week.  If I can get things caught up today I will have the next three days to sew.  That should be a good plan.  Second cup of coffee....hmmm maybe I need another pot.  Just sayin.  Caffeine by I.V would be nice.
Trying deer meat for the first time (in a long time for me.  I was a kid when last I had it).  We are having chili tonight and deer meat will be the ground meat of choice.  Little nervous cause I have never cooked deer meat.  I just ate it when mom cooked it.  My mom says it makes great chili.  So we shall see.  I have to say that gifted deer (thanks J.R) produced a lot of meat.  It is an awesome blessing.

So I know there is a lot of craziness this time of year, but I am planning on remembering why we celebrate.  In all the chaos, I remember a little child born conceived out of wedlock to a girl engaged to someone who was not the father of her child.  That is acceptable in today's society, but then, in that culture, that was a stoning offence.  Can you imagine the love and courage it took to bring that child into this world?  Joseph and Mary's love for each other, for God, and the unborn child as well as their obedience to God are all part of this story.  It is an amazing story on its own just because it was the birth of the Son of God, Savior of the world.  It is even more amazing when you see the act of worship two young people undertook to serve their Lord.  I am not worthy of the gift God gave(and still gives today), but I accept his grace happily.  God gives  His grace freely and without condition.  He only asks that you come to Him.