{free christmas cards? yes, please!}

this is likely the umpteenth blog you've read about this on....but who are we kidding, this is too good a deal to pass up!

shutterfly is giving away {50} free christmas photo cards.  i LOVE shutterfly.  i've used them in the past for several different projects: just plain ol' photo prints, photo books for the girls....they've always had great customer service, and been quick on processing and delivering my orders.  i think that once we've settled down in KS and Remi has his own room, i'd love to print some photo's on their canvas to decorate his nursery.  i also am really tempted to order some of their holiday thank you cards this year.  we are {SO} incredibly blessed by our families at this time, i'm often overwhelmed with thanks.  

in the past i've always made handmade christmas cards.  i love the charm and love that goes into them.

however, this year with adding a new baby, preparing our home to sell and move to KS, creating and selling flowers....i just don't know where i'll find the time.  but please know, that i will be picking out a {charming} design and send it to you with lot's of {love}.

here are some of my top choices (but, stealing the idea of a friend, i'm not revealing my favorite pic!):

i love the simplicity of this one

joy is one of the best words to express this season!

i like the sweet little christmas tree on this one.

{and}  there are so many more to choose from!  go have a look yourself!  and sign up here for your own 50 free!

merry christmas!

{daily delaney}

my  sweet {cricket} loves to play dress up.

yesterday she was all dressed up when i asked her to pick up her clothes off

 the floor and put them in the hamper.

she proceeded to walk over to her dress up suitcase, pull out an apron and asked me to put it on.

you might know where this is going.

i asked, "why do you need your apron to clean up your clothes?"

"because mom, you are treating me like cinderella."

oh, my poor poor daughter who has to do chores.

{the manhattan project}

some of you know this, some may not.

casey and i are packing up our family and our home and  moving to the {little apple}.

manhattan, kansas.

this is a bittersweet time of joy and excitement and sadness {at leaving behind our loved ones}.

we started a new blog so that if you desire you can follow our journey and time there.

it's called, {the manhattan project}.

the very first post is an introduction written by my {beloved} giving you and idea of why we are going.

there are a few ways you can help us in this adventure,  prayer being of the utmost importance.

check back there often for updates {i'll let you know here, when we've updated there}.

{With Thanksgiving}

i'm being {hammered} right now with Gospel Truth.

our pastor has been beating it into our heads.

i'm reading a great book about it.

and the other day, my brother in law wrote a post about it.

the truth of the {Cross} is never something that i feel like i can forget.

but it can become familiar to me. and that makes me sick.

the reality of Jesus dying on the Cross is {never} something that i want to be just {familiar} or {comfortable} with.

i want to {crumble} at the idea of Jesus dying.

because of me.

because i should be the one dead.

and i'm not.

i tried this morning, to think about this in the same way that anthony did.

(click here to read his blog post)

the idea of, choosing to let remington, my precious, valued, {only} son die for the sake of my {enemies} lives, and not only letting him die, but {abandoning} him at the time of his death is just not something i can say i would be willing/able to do.

i heard a floating internet story (fictional, obviously) once along time ago about this outbreak of some sort of disease or sickness and everyone in the world was dropping like flies. then, they found that this one little boy could give of his own blood (somehow his blood held the cure) and save everyone's lives.

so his parents had the choice to selfishly keep their own son alive and everyone else would die, or to sacrifice their son to save all of mankind.

in the story they choose to sacrifice their son.

valiant. loving. unselfish these parents were.

but.

can you imagine if you had to sacrifice your {only son} for the sake of every murderer.

child molester.

rapist.

thief.

adulterer.

your son, who is {perfect}. he never had to have a spank. he never refused to eat his veggies.

he never back talked, or hit his sister.

can you imagine if you had to sacrifice this perfect son for the one person on earth who hated you the most?

this, this is what God did for us.

for me.

for you.

i. cannot. get. my. brain. around. this.

i wouldn't sacrifice remi for

my next door neighbor who i get along fine with, let alone my worst ememy.

not. a. chance.

but this is what God did for me.

and i {crumble} at the thought.

as i should.

but also, i {rejoice}.

because of this mighty sacrifice, i will not spend eternity in hell.

i'm always reminding delaney, "you need to love others, more then you love yourself."

Jesus chose to love me more then He loved Himself.

and because of this, i {rejoice}.

Psalm 95:1-7

Oh, Come, let us sing to the LORD;

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the LORD is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

In his hands are the depths of the earth;

the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

For he is our God,

and we are the people of his pasture,

and the sheep of his hand.

i am the sheep of His hand.

i come to Him with thanksgiving.

i praise Him, for the LORD is a great God.

{daily delaney}

at dinner tonight:

me: delaney, you need to eat your chicken nuggets.

delaney: i'm sorry mom, i can't hear your instruction, my ears are being silly.

me: excuse me?

delaney: my ears, they are being silly.

uh, huh.