Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Celebrate 2009 With Those You Love...

May this New Year be a song of THANKSGIVING, an offering of PRAISE with a celebration of GOD’S LOVE and His Amazing Grace! A blessed & joyous 2009 to you and yours...

We have the picture above hanging in our home and are going to use this phrase as our family moto for 2009. We wanted to share it with you in hopes to brighten someone's day.
THE LINK TO OUR HOLIDAY PHOTO ALBUM HAS BEEN ADDED.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW:

Monday, December 29, 2008

Happy Happy Happy 2009!!!

Looking back on the months gone by, as a new year starts and an old one ends... We contemplate what brought us joy and we think of (YOU), our loved ones and our friends.
Recalling all the happy times, remembering how they enriched our lives... We reflect upon what really counts, as the fresh and bright New Year arrives.
And when we ponder those who do, we immediately think of you. Thanks for being one of the reasons we'll have a Happy New Year (and we wish you the same, as well)!
By Joanna Fuchs

Fellow Blogger's: Please pray for our family, the economy has 'struck' our home and just this morning Greg lost his job. We are trusting God to replace this job with something even better and that His will will be done through these difficult times! By the way, we will post an entire Holiday Photo Album soon... for now, here is a 'taste' of our Christmas thus far!
~Christmas Morning at Home~Christmas at Great Grandparents in Ohio~Christmas at Great Grandma's in Indiana

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Pine cones and holly berries,

Popcorn for you, apples for me.

Red striped candy, nut cracker handy,

Kettle a-bubbleing hot as can be.

Snow clouds hang low and threatening,

Maybe in won't, praying it may.

The brightest fireplace glows in every face,

Waiting for Christmas day...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Soon the bells will start

And the thing that will make them ring,

Is the carol that you sing,

Right within your heart.


Please do not forget to watch for the latest Christmas News and photos from your "Penn Palz" during the next couple of weeks...
Happy Holidays from Our Hearts to Yours
~ Greg, Shelly & Alyson Dawn

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Chestnuts Roasting... Jack Frost Nippin' At Your Nose

He's really 'Nippin' at noses tonight and with a major Ice Storm too, huh? Christmas is the ONLY time I can handle such cold weather, I'd be happy if it would wait to show up til the week of Christmas and leave again the day after! LOL Now, that would be a bit of Paradise on Earth!!!
Well, I was able to begin last week off with my first Christmas purchases on Tuesday and didn't do so well at it! So, I made plans to 'try again' on Thursday and wouldn't you know, I came down with something that morning and couldn't make it out! However, I hit the roads again, yesterday and actually bought MOST of the gifts on my list! I've ONLY 3 to go!!!
Our Church Cantata/Musical went extremely well, God was all over the place and anyone there should have felt His Spirit moving! Leading up to that evening, was a very hectic time of preparation for us all (especially my parents), but it was well worth the effort and hard work!

http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/PreHolidayEventsMore#
We were invited and attended Cuz Nate's 21st Birthday Party this weekend and had such a great time! Aly loves being with her cousins and it's even better when there's Cake and Ice Cream involved, too!
Happy Birthday, Nate ~ We're so very proud of you and the man you have become! You are the PERFECT example for the younger members in our family to strive to be. God has blessed you with such talent and the most wonderful of personalities! Remember, we love you with all our hearts and Aly thinks you 'hung the moon', you know!
The bad news of the week, is that while on my Monday shopping spree, Aly (staying with her Papaw) decided to get sick! Poor little munchkin must have 'caught' a flu bug over the weekend, she's been 'running' her first ever fever with it and is still under the weather tonight! Please help us pray that she'll get well before Christmas... it sure wouldn't be any fun for her (or the family) to be sick during the Holidays!
Stay safe out on these ICY slick roads, ya'll and a very Merry Week to you all!

Monday, December 8, 2008

My Birthday & the Children's Christmas Program Are Over...

...WE'RE NOW ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE ADULT CHRISTMAS PROGRAM AND CHRISTMAS DAY TO COME!

http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/AGlimpseOfChristmas#
I've decided to post just a few pix of our Holiday decor at home... there's much that I haven't captured, both inside and outside, but I hope to do so during our Open House or soon after! Keep an eye out... they're sure to show up!
I had an incredible birthday (Dec. 5th) this year, Greg took me to see the Gaither Holiday Homecoming show downtown and we had a ball with many of our friends and family! The music was awesome and the 'breakfast' following (at midnight) was quite tasty, too! It was snowy outside which made it just perfect for a Christmas show!
Our Children's program, "Christmas Eve at Hope Haven", went well yesterday though it was a bit stressful getting to that point, the kids did a fine job and Greg and I were very proud of them! Being as we were both IN the Musical this year, we weren't able to take pictures ourselves, but we're waiting now to collect several from the children's parents and will post them for you, as soon as possible!
Well, we're now into the last week before the Adult Christmas program and there's much left to do for that, as well! YIKES! Christmas is such a hectic time of year, how can it be that it still remains my favorite of all???
Plus all of the above, I absolutely MUST begin my Holiday shopping tomorrow, or ELSE!!!!! I'm in a bit of shock and unbelief that I'm only now beginning, but I'm praying for warmer weather over the next week or two and God's grace to help me get it all done!

"Here I am,
it's Christmas time,
the panic's setting in.
No presents bought and
not a thought,
of how I'll ever begin."
(A portion of a poem I read recently and felt it was fitting for one such as me...)

Monday, December 1, 2008

The Final Week Has Begun...

To begin, I'd like to say we had an exceptionally nice Thanksgiving week with Greg's family in Missouri... Uncle Tom and Aunt Janie hosted a yummy Thanksgiving Dinner, which we all ate too much of and we were able to see many family members we hadn't seen in a very long time!
We arrived at Greg's parents on Tuesday in the late afternoon... We truly enjoyed our time together although, it flew by way too fast, as always!
'Mom P.' chose to babysit Aly, while we all hit the Mall on "Black Friday" afternoon, I believe they had a good time playing together and we certainly all had a grand time shopping! In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, with our Starbucks 'in-hand', no amount of traffic was going to stop us! LOL
Personally, I'll be glad when I get over my "new mommy-ness" and decide once and for all, not to stress out over large family get-together's, major events, etc. and learn to take things as they come... maybe if and when that takes place, I'll begin relaxing a bit more! LOL (On a side note, I did de-stress long enough to take 3 or 4 pictures during this trip and I'll share them with you at the bottom of this post!)
Well, I'm about 75% unpacked and hope to finish out tomorrow, BEFORE the Christmas decorating gets done, which is only about 50% complete at this moment!!! As busy as we are these days, it looks as if we'll have to keep our decorations up through the first or second week of January, otherwise we'll not have time to even enjoy them!
Aly is loving all the lights, trees, snowmen, stockings, reindeer, etc. She especially loves her OWN tree with all it's sparkles and she can't get over the freshly fallen snow outside!!!
THE FINAL WEEK HAS BEGUN... We have exactly TWO practices left before our Children's Program at Church! Only TWO? Where has the time gone? Heaven help us all! We certainly have MUCH to do between now and Sunday, that's for sure!

http://picasaweb.google.com/thepennfamily2007/ThanksgivingInMissiouri2008#
~ Happy Holidays