Friday, December 18, 2009

The Pleated Poppy: Beautiful Imperfections of the Everyday!

Hey!! I wanted to introduce you to a wonderful little Blog I discovered while checking out a Fav blog of mine!! I think you're going to LOVE her!! I posted a little excerpt from her blog! You'll want to visit Lindsey's blog to get all the details and to check out all this clever woman has to say! I hope that you enjoy Lindsey's blog as much as I do!!



hi ! i'm lindsey cheney. i am married to an incredibly supportive husband and am mom to 3 littles, 6 and under. my days are full of sewing, home schooling, crafting, snuggling, avoiding the laundry, sneaking bites of chocolate, and wondering "is it naptime yet?"



Excerpt from Bible Carriers For Kiddos by Lindsey Cheney

"does anyone feel like we've lost the sight of what christmas really is?
it is so often all about what you get, especially when you're a kid.
now, i'm not a total grinch and not giving my kids anything, but i do want to give in a manner that is respectful to the celebration of christmas and to not encourage utter gluttony.

so here's our philosophy on christmas gift giving (to our kids):
3 gifts for each kid (as a reminder of the 3 gifts jesus was given)
1 "santa gift" - usually the toy they asked for or the biggest gift. last year it was bikes.
a few small gifts in their stockings - i try really hard not to give junk that i will want to toss in a week.

so this year we decided to get our girls new bibles.
not that anything was wrong with what they have, but the tiny ones without pictures are too advanced for gracie to read and comprehend right now, and lily really doesn't get something new very often, so it would be nice for her to get a bible not handed down."


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

What do you Tell your Kids about Santa Claus?

True Story of St Nicholas
Story Used Courtesy of Devotions. Thank You!
St Nicholas should be an inspiration to us all for he was a Godly man whose reputation for giving to people less fortunate to himself was a wonderful example of compassion and shows to us all what giving is really about.

He was not a jolly fat man who supposedly climbed down chimneys and didn’t have flying reindeer to pull his sledge along either.

St Nicholas known to many as Santa Claus was a totally different man to the so called Santa Claus we hear of today. St Nicholas was a kind and considerate man who lived a life full of Christian belief and values a man who gave without counting the cost to those who were less fortunate than himself.

The real story of Christmas is the true story of Jesus, God’s one and only and most precious son. The greatest gift anyone could ever receive. Our Heavenly Father is the real giver of gifts and St Nicholas certainly knew the real gift-giver.

The story of St Nicholas starts in Turkey, in the third century and he was a Christian. St Nicholas’ parents had prayed and asked God for a child, much the same as Abraham and Sarah had done. Nicholas was born around 280 A.D. and was considered by his parents to be truly a gift from God. Diligently Nicholas was taught, as all Christians children should be taught the true devotions of God and to be generous and helpful to the poor and those less fortunate than himself.

Nicholas’ parents both died when he was in his teens their heritage of living for God and giving to the poor was continued in Nicholas himself.

Ordained as a teenager Nicholas entered the priesthood at the age of 19. His uncle, the bishop who ordained him prophesied that Nicholas would offer guidance and consolation to many people and that he would eventually become a bishop himself and that he would live a life of enlightenment. Eventually he did become a bishop of a small coastal village and his influence spread into many nations.

Many accounts have been written about the life of Nicholas. It was said that he would spend all night studying God’s Word to bring it to the people. He was known for helping the poor, for praying, fasting, and standing steadfast in faith and goodness. There were many accounts of miracles that were brought about through his faith and prayers. Among the accounts of his ministry is the report of the twin brothers who were raised from the dead. It was written about him that that one could hardly keep count of the virtue and goodness that he spread around him.

One particular story of St Nicholas ‘ goodness is the reason many pictures show him with three golden spheres. These represent three bags of gold that he gave to the poor man so that his three daughters could be married. The man was so poor that his daughters had no dowries, and he was so desperate he was planning to sell them into slavery. To keep this from happening, Nicholas threw a bag of gold pieces through the man’s window at night so no one would know who had done it. He wanted God to get the credit for it. Because of this, the eldest daughter had a dowry. She was no longer an outcast and therefore could be married.

Not long after that, Nicholas did the same thing for the second daughter, saving her from a similar fate. When he did it for the third daughter the father caught him. Nicholas made the father swear an oath that he would never reveal who was responsible for the gifts as long as he was alive.

When Nicholas died on 6 December A.D. 343 he is said to have quoted Psalm 11 with his last breath; “In the Lord I put my truth”

In the Greek language the word Nicholas means “victorious” or “hero of the people” and he certainly did become a very popular figure in the centuries that followed his death.

Story’s of Nicholas spread throughout Greece and into Russia, he became popularly known as the patron saint of the Russians who called him “Nikolai”, the wonder worker.

In 1087, the remains of St Nicholas’ grave were moved and transported to Bari, Italy, where a basilica was built in his honor. Soon after this his popularity spread throughout Italy and across western Europe.

December 6, the day of his death, became St Nicholas Day on the roman catholic calendar, the custom of gift-giving on this date began in France and spread right across Europe.

Similarities between Nicholas’ characteristics can be seen in the Santa Claus character, as he is known worldwide. He gave gifts at night and was not to be seen by anyone. Haven said that one has to ask how did the story of this Godly man get turned into the lie we know it today, the story of elf’s workshops, the North Pole and much, much more.

In the 1500’s, during the Protestant Reformation, the worshiping of Saints was denounced and St Nicholas day was no longer observed in England.

In Holland and Belgium the traditional day of 6 December was still celebrated. There Sinter Klaas rode through the streets on a white horse, rewarding good children with treats and toys and giving rods or switches to bad children.

In Germany, the saint was referred to as “Nicholas dressed in fur” and also left sweets for good children and rods for the bad ones.

Christopher Columbus brought the first celebration of Nicholas Day to the New World when he landed in the West Indies on 6 December 1492, and named the harbor Port of St Nicholas, in honor of the patron saint of sailors.

All of these traditions blended with immigration to the New World. As the English and Dutch came together and intermarried, Father Christmas and Sinter Klaas blended into one figure. Dutch Americans eventually adopted 25 December as their day of celebration and by the end of the Civil War, St Nicholas the bishop was generally known in the United States as Santa Claus.

The Poem “Twas the night before Christmas” further shaped the American Santa. Another popular poem, originally titled, “A visit from St Nicholas” was penned by New York professor Clement Moore

In the 1800’s and created a word picture portraying a round-bellied Santa with a huge pack on his back. Picking up on the image, cartoonist Thomas Nast added a North Pole toy workshop in his cartoons for Harper Weekly magazine. In 1925, a large corporation ran an advertising campaign of Santa Claus further defining him as a large man with a red and white fur suit, black boots, and a long flowing beard, the closest depiction of our present day Santa.

The American Santa Claus came from a melting pot of Old World cultures and characters. He is the Dutch Sinter Klaas and the Lutheran Kris Kringle who bring gifts for children. His red garment is lined with fur like the German version of Nicholas, and he spreads merriment and cheer like Father Christmas. A team of reindeer, borrowed from the Russian legend, accompanies Santa Claus on his journey through the night.

The tragic part in all this is how the devil has twisted and distorted a wonderful story of a man of God into this fantasiful character of nothing but deceit and lies. A man that had such a fullness of faith in God that even the dead were raised and miracles carried out. He was popular because of his reputation of honour, putting others first, caring for those less fortunate, and giving without counting the cost. Again it is clear to see that devil has got in with his devious ways, taking the true story of Godly and caring man and turning into nothing but a fat bellied, pipe smoking, pie eating individual with flying reindeer and elf’s as workers.

The story of the true St Nicholas is a beautiful picture of the caring, loving, humble, devoted man of God who went out of his way to help others without them knowing. Giving and not counting the cost, these are the true values of a true Christian. No fancy coat and boots, no gifts for the good and rods and switches for the bad, no flying reindeer or elf or other tales of fantasy. No lies to the children that Santa gives, gives, gives to those who want, want, want! No fairy stories or lies just good solid Christian values.

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name….
He is the one that gives us the best gift we could ever hope for.
He is the one that not only gave us a child for Christmas, he gave us baby Jesus.
He gave us a gift for every day of the year, one that would fulfill us beyond all we could ever dream of, one that would provide for us a doorway from the lies and deceit in this world. One that would mean we would never need to worry about how many presents we have to give, one that would mean we would be set free and free indeed.
Free from sin, free from lies, free from the devious and deceitful tricks of the evil one.
One that would provide for all our needs according to His riches and glory in heaven and providing we say with our lips and mean in our heart that ‘ we believe Jesus is the Promised One, the Savior of the world’ and confess our sins to Jesus whom was given all authority by God himself, accepting the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost into our hearts and our lives, then and only then will we have no need to worry in this life and will have received the guaranteed eternal life. We will be born again and will have peace within, the peace of God which passes all understanding.

That my friends is the greatest gift we could ever hope for,
it is free to us all and is a gift from God not just for Christmas Day but for every day of the year. Accept Jesus into your heart today, repent, and be born again.

The Christmas Tradition of Saint Nicholas, Belsnickle, Kris Kringle, & Santa Claus

For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. ~ 1st Corinthians 2:16

Saint Nicholas was born of wealthy parents in the year 280 in a small town called Patara in Asia Minor. He lost his parents early by Christian Christmas Tradition of Saint Nicholas, Belsnickle, Kris Kringle, Chris Kringle, Santa Claus an epidemic but not before they had instilled in him the gift of faith. Then little Nicholas went to Myra and lived a life full of sacrifice and love in the spirit of Jesus. Nicholas became so Christ like that when the town needed a bishop, he was elected. Saint Nicholas was even imprisoned for his faith, but later released. There have been many stories of his generosity and compassion: how he begged for food for the poor, and how he would give girls money so that they would have a dowry to get a husband. The story most often repeated was about how Saint Nicholas would put on a disguise and go out and give gifts to poor children.

But the story of Saint Nicholas has spread around the world. There are more churches in the world named for Saint Nicholas than for any other person in all of the history of the church. We know him today by many names: Belsnickle, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus. With all Saint Nicholas does and brings to the season, what's most important about Saint Nicholas is that he had the mind of Christ. Because of his gentle, selfless love, he has touched the whole world. And this same mind of Christ is to be in us.

Story Courtesy of Moores Chapel!

A Christmas Creed




I believe in Jesus Christ and in the beauty of the gospel begun in Bethlehem.

I believe in the one whose spirit glorified a little town; and whose spirit still brings music to persons all over the world, in towns both large and small.

I believe in the one for whom the crowded inn could find no room, and I confess that my heart still sometimes wants to exclude Christ from my life today.

I believe in the one who the rulers of the earth ignored and the proud could never understand; whose life was among common people, whose welcome came from persons of hungry hearts.

I believe in the one who proclaimed the love of God to be invincible:

I believe in the one whose cradle was a mother's arms, whose modest home in Nazareth had love for its only wealth, who looked at persons and made them see what God's love saw in them, who by love brought sinners back to purity, and lifted human weakness up to meet the strength of God.

I confess my ever-lasting need of God: The need of forgiveness for our selfishness and greed, the need of new life for empty souls, the need of love for hearts grown cold.

I believe in God who gives us the best of himself. I believe in Jesus, the son of the living God, born in Bethlehem this night, for me and for the world.

Walter Russell Bowie

Thank You to Blessings of Christmas for the lovely Picture and Christmas Creed!

About Our Family

My photo
Missouri, United States
Clinton and I live in Missouri. Clinton works for CED, Inc. It is an electrical distributing company. He works in Inside Sales right now and is training for Outside Sales. I am an Independent Marketing Consultant for Melaleuca. I work from home and I really love what I do. Cora is 3 years old and she is so excited about starting Preschool in the fall. She loves everything Princess and her favorite color is Pink! Miles is 2 and he loves CARS the movie and is really into Thomas the Train as well. He is a ball of Fire and keeps us on our toes! And in keeping with stereotypes, loves the color Blue. Well, Wyatt Evan Fisher is here now!! He arrived at 5:03pm on June 22, 2008!! We are so very blessed and so very excited! He's 7 pounds and 5 ounces, 20 inches long! Healthy and so very handsome! We are so blessed and so proud of our new baby boy! Precious blessing from God!

Fisher Farm Family Cookout!

Fisher Farm Family Cookout!
Cora was swinging with her cousins.



Fun Fall Pictures!

We had a blast taking the kids pictures! It was a gorgeous fall day and the kids were in great moods! We really loved Miles "cheese" face! We tried to get him to say something else so he'd actually have a smile instead of the "cheese" lips! :)

I have included some of Hannah, Major and Cannon. They are great friends of Cora, Miles and Wyatt. We have had a great time being neighbors and friends! We have been really enjoying doing things together.



Cheese Lips!


Again with the lips! :)



The Ulitmate Mud Puddle Adventure

Miles LOVES Puddles! We have had a lot of rain lately and so the dead end fills up quickly with the run off. This is such a great joy for Miles. He loves water and jumping into puddles and making quite a mess of things! Take in mind that it's October and quite chilly out~this means nothing to Miles~he feels no cold. Now, since daddy took the pictures, please excuse the fuzzy ones! :)






Painting the Pirate Ship!

Cora and Miles love painting! They had a great time painting and I had a wonderful time watching them, taking pictures, laughing, being amazed at how quickly they are growing up, in awe of their creativeness. I am so blessed to be their mom. What a precious gift God has given me. I am so thankful!





Puddin'

I decided that it would be fun to let the kids play with their snack as a sensory activity! So, we had chocolate pudding to "paint" and granola and dried fruit to "decorate the painting" and their bodies as the "canvas"! It was a hit!

Miles wasn't sure at first~he usually revels in messes, but this time Mom was "letting" him and he just didn't know what to think about that! It didn't take him long to get into it though.

Cora had a great time and she dug in right away! When Dad came home from work, she invited him to join the fun as well! He took off his shirt and soon he was the canvas that the kids were painting! Cora wanted to make sure that his entire back was covered!

Wyatt remained an outsider to the event~which I am sure he appreciated! He really enjoys watching his brother and sister play. He smiled and laughed and cooed a lot! It was a really enjoyable time for us all! If you haven't had fun with pudding, I suggest you try!

Cora and her "Pudding Art Creation"

Cora and her "Pudding Art Creation"
We have chocolate pudding, granola, and dried fruit!

Puddin' face!

Puddin' face!

Miles was just getting started!

Miles was just getting started!

Now we are getting the hang of it!

Now we are getting the hang of it!

Cora loved the feel of the "squishy" pudding in her fingers!

Cora loved the feel of the "squishy" pudding in her fingers!

Daddy jumping in the fun!

Daddy jumping in the fun!

HMMMM......

HMMMM......

Almost got it all......

Almost got it all......

The Finished Paintings!

The Finished Paintings!

Now with silly faces!

Now with silly faces!

Cora's First Day of School!

Cora's First Day of School!

It was chilly morning.

At School

At School
In front on her school.

Her Cubby

Mrs. Creason~Cora's Teacher

Mrs. Creason~Cora's Teacher

Oh bath time!

Oh bath time!

May I Help You?

May I Help You?

Here's lookin' at you kid!

Here's lookin' at you kid!

Wondering if we could just go on our walk already!

Please???

Please???

Wyatt always falls asleep in his backpack on our walks!

Playing in the sprinkler!

Playing in the sprinkler!

Hannah, Grant, and Cora~Umbrellas to "save them" from getting wet....didn't work out so well!

Hannah, Grant, and Cora~Umbrellas to "save them" from getting wet....didn't work out so well!
Hannah and Grant are our neighbors. Hannah lives next door and Grant lives caddy corner across the street.

Hannah's brother Major.

Hannah's brother Major.
Major and Miles are good friends~they love to play together!

Fort Umbrella~all the kids are inside.

Fort Umbrella~all the kids are inside.

Miles coming to join the Umbrella Crew.

Miles coming to join the Umbrella Crew.

Cora Loves Playing With Finn!

Cora Loves Playing With Finn!

Clinton Jumping Over Cora!

Clinton Jumping Over Cora!

We take Jason's Dog Disel, for a walk everyday! Cora likes to hold the leash by herself.

We take Jason's Dog Disel, for a walk everyday! Cora likes to hold the leash by herself.

Cora LOVES to ride her bike! Everytime we are outside, she's on her bike!

Cora LOVES to ride her bike! Everytime we are outside, she's on her bike!

Miles Messes

Miles loves to make messes! This montage of cereal was waiting for me one morning and boy was I happy about it..... This isn't the first (or the last ~ I'm sure) time this has happened. If you don't get him food the moment you hear him wake up~BEWARE! Oh the joys of parenthood!

Miles Helping Himself to Breakfast.....

Miles Helping Himself to Breakfast.....

Cora and Aunty A making Cheese Cake!

Cora and Aunty A making Cheese Cake!

BIG SISTER

BIG SISTER

Cora is always asking to hold Wyatt

Cora is always asking to hold Wyatt

How Sweet

How Sweet

Into the face paint from halloween.....

Into the face paint from halloween.....

Miles thought Wyatt needed some too!

Miles thought Wyatt needed some too!

Bath Time

Bath Time

4th of July

4th of July

Four Wheelin' Anyone?

Miles loves Uncle Paul's four wheeler! He just loves to run to the shed, get the helmet on (which used to terrify him) and climb on! If he can talk daddy into it (which isn't a hard thing), he gets to ride all over the farm!


Clinton Painting Cora's Nails

Clinton Painting Cora's Nails

Angela and Jeremy Reynolds

Angela and Jeremy Reynolds
This is my best friend and her husband.

Wyatt's first week!

We had so much fun spending Wyatt's First Week of life with Nani and Pop Pop! We drove down right after we were released from the hospital and Wyatt proved to be a great little traveler! He never made a peep! Cora and Miles were great helpers and loved having their baby brother in between them. Every time we got out of the car, Cora would say,"Mom! Don't forget our baby!" It was really cute. It was a lot of fun for the cousins to get a chance to spend time together too. It was a great week!

Our First Family Pic!

Our First Family Pic!

Playing Time

Playing Time
In Nani and Pop Pop's basement playing!

Balloon Swords!

Balloon Swords!
Safe Play?

Ping Pong anyone?

Ping Pong anyone?
Miles couldn't wait for his turn to play ping pong

Nani and Cora

Nani and Cora
They had matching hats! It was so much fun!

Proud Grandparents!

Proud Grandparents!

All the Kids with Nani and Pop Pop!

All the Kids with Nani and Pop Pop!

Diaper Head!

Diaper Head!
He decided that it would be fun to put his swim diaper on his head! He made the return trip home a funny affair!

Cora wanted to do diaper head too!

Cora wanted to do diaper head too!

The Arrival of Wyatt!

We were so very excited for the arrival of Wyatt! He arrived two weeks early, much to everyone's surprise! On June 22, 2008, at 6:30am, I noticed that it was going to be a very special day! I woke Clinton up and we began the "run around". We had to get everything cleaned and packed and ready for the next week. We arrived at the hospital and everything took off from there! He arrived at 5:03pm and was 7 pounds 5 ounces , 20 inches long. Just perfect! He was our smallest baby, but the size of a regular full term baby! He just seemed so tiny to us! And to think that most people have babies his size! We couldn't be more thrilled with our new little man! He is so precious to us! He is very content and sleeps very well! You can't ask for more than that!

Baby Wyatt is coming!

Baby Wyatt is coming!
I wanted a picture before Wyatt made his grand entrance!

Our Precious Little Man!

Our Precious Little Man!
Just a few minutes after he was born!

Mom and Baby!

Mom and Baby!
I couldn't be more thrilled with him!

Dad and his Son

Dad and his Son
He is so proud of his boy!

Big Sis and Wyatt!

Big Sis and Wyatt!
She sang "Mary had a little lamb" to him! It was so cute!

Wyatt Evan Fisher!

Wyatt Evan Fisher!
Our Precious Baby Boy! Loves to look around!

Nani and Pop Pop!

Nani and Pop Pop!
Happy Family!

Pop Pop and Wyatt!

Pop Pop and Wyatt!
Pop Pop was able to cut the cord! How cool!

Wyatt and Nani!

Wyatt and Nani!
We loved having Nani there for the Birth!

Uncle Jason!

Uncle Jason!
It was great to have Uncle Jason come and visit!

Summer 2008!

We are having a lot of fun this summer right in our own back yard! We got the kids a little pool that they love and a swing that I (Amy) love so that we could enjoy being outside together as a family! God has blessed us with great children, great weather, and so much love for each other. I am always thankful for how well the kids get along. I am looking forward to seeing how Wyatt will fit with our little family.

Cora is growing up so fast and she is "teaching" Miles new things all the time! Miles grows so fast "learning" from his big sister and he loves to copy her. He follows her and repeats what she says and does what she does. It is really sweet to see them playing together and learning from each other.

Umbrella Time

Umbrella Time
Cora loves her little umbrella!

Fun in the Summer Sun!

Fun in the Summer Sun!
They love their little pool!

Pool Time!

Pool Time!
They love Splashing in the Pool!!

Eatting Pluots!

Eatting Pluots!
Snack time in the pool! Can't get any better than that!

We love eachother!

We love eachother!
They are best friends!

Cora and Miles Club House!

Cora and Miles Club House!
They love this little house!

Painting!

Painting!
The kids discovered that if you get chalk wet, it makes "paint"!

Coloring!

Coloring!
Cora loves to color.

My yellow picture!

My yellow picture!
Cora wanted to make sure that I took a picture of her with her picture!

My Favorite Cuties!

My Favorite Cuties!
They are such posers!

My Studly Man!

My Studly Man!
Miles is such a big boy!

Precious Princess!

Precious Princess!
Cora is such a Princess!