any suggestions?

We recently got one of these...


And we want to get some of these...



Do you guys have any suggestions for good books you've recently read? Any book you've read and just dying to share with someone? Here's your chance! We're in the market for some good books...enlighten us and we just may take your suggestion! ;)

Just for fun...

So this Friday we didn't post a Friday Foto Funny (we've missed a few Fridays, actually...), but I did stumble upon our late Friday funny "foto."

And here it is...
I surprised Jas with this 'stache and bought me some lips one day. Just for fun! Hey, have you taken a moment and smiled today? (If you need to, you can get some big lips to help you out! :)

Friday Night Fun

Last night I had some of my awesome Sunday School girls over (woop, woop 9th grade girls..and Katy) for cookies, making alphabet crayons for the Toy Drive, and hanging out.

We started the night with some of these (Y-to the U- to the M):

Then we started making alphabet letter crayons. I first found this cute idea here. The idea was to make lots of them to bag up for the Toy Drive, however, it took a lot longer to make, bake, and let them cool than expected--but it's all good, we'll still use what we made :)

Here's the process...


First, peel your crayons and put them in your trays (tip: fill UP the trays to the top..I found they were better this way)


Bake your crayons at 275 degrees for 20 minutes. Then let them cool for another good 20 minutes.


Take care getting the letters out of the trays. This was not the easiest part! (Look carefully, you can see that I broke a few!) Once they're out...make words, create, draw, enjoy!

During our letter baking process, we all hung out and watched a movie. It was a great time--let's do it again soon!

A Christmas Challenge

The month of December is a particularly great month to me. I love Christmas time, everything about it. As a matter of fact, here's a few pictures of our decorating...



However, I feel I am constantly reminded that gift giving, decorating (as much as I like it!) and all the amazing things that come with Christmas time are NOT what Christmas is all about. Recently, Jason challenged me with something he has been thinking/writing on. Here's his mini-article..I'll let it do it's own explaining...

"At the end of Christmas Day, do you ever feel unsatisfied from spending a lot of time and money on a one-day event? Maybe this is how you are supposed to feel after you trade the truth of Christmas for a sly, deceptive harlot. Christmas, just like a harlot, consumes your time, energy, and money in exchange for a quick moment of happiness that just as quickly slips away into a dismal, unsatisfied life that is longing for more.

In the Bible we see Christmas as a beautifully scripted divine moment called “the incarnation.” This is where God Almighty Himself entered our world in the form of an innocent, fragile, human babe. Without this moment taking place, Jesus Christ would have never been born – not have lived the sinless life necessary for humanity - never died on the cross in a horrific death - would have never conquered both sin and death with His resurrection, and would not have been able to promise a forgiven, righteous life to those who believe in Him.

Ultimately, without Christmas you would have never been given a second chance to live with God in eternity. Christmas is about God giving us life through Christ. Therefore, Christmas is about us worshipping God for this gift and then sharing His gift, Jesus, to the dying world around us. You do this by living your lives as a reflection of Him, loving and forgiving others. When you do, you will have a fulfilled Christmas."

How's that for revolutionized thoughts on Christmas. That's the true reason we celebrate Christmas.

Straw Saga

Dear Asheville,

We really enjoyed our stay and our trip to your huge house, Biltmore. However, we have but one complaint. Your straws. Yes, I said your straws.

Our first experience, while super eco-friendly and environmentally practical, left a lot to be desired. You see, these were PAPER straws that we got to use. And while we appreciate your efforts to preserve the earth God created, the paper feeling was quite strange.
Then at another little stop we ate at, we encountered another type of straw. This was a straw, but not REALLY a straw. We're talking the fourth of the size of a real straw, a tiny, barely able to suck up any drink, straw. This straw was even less functional than the biodegradable one. Thanks, but no thanks, for the tiny straw.

(It's a little hard to see--that could either be due to bad lighting, or the sheer lack of straw. We've seen coffee stirrers bigger than this!)

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We'll check back on the straws...

Sincerely,
The Palmers