This world is not worth living for!
Its honors, its riches, its glories are things ever passing away; but the love of Jesus is as eternal as Himself.
Oh, live for eternity! The glory of this world is fading, and is soon gone, and gone forever!
Again I say, live for a glorious eternity!
If you could have the glory, the wealth, and the honors of this world laid at your feet--how short would be the empty enjoyment of them.
-Mary Winslow
We had a really good Christmas this year. It was Will's first Christmas and I took some awesomely adorable pictures of him!
So, Christmas Eve was spent at Mawmaw's, which was fun. My cousin, Rachel, and I spent the whole time together!! She's so fun to be with :) Christmas Day, we went to Mawmaw's first, where Rachel and I spent the whole time together again :) When we left there, we went to Memaw & Grandpa's and spent the rest of the day there where I spent most of my time with my little cousin, Randi Michelle, yet, I did not take any pictures for some reason.
Unfortunately, Tommy wasn't able to join us because he's sick :(
So, as I'm sure you've noticed, my background is now all pinky and Birthdayee, that is because my Birfday is in 17 days!!!! Woohoo!!!!
Ok, here are da pictures:
Will & me :) (The necklace I'm wearing, my cousin, Rachel, gave me for Christmas :))
Playing with his little turtle that we got him (I think his Daddy liked it, too, though I had to show him how it works, lol!).
Him and his Daddy playing with the turtle :)
Just looking around.
Rachel (his Aunt) feeding him.
I LOVE this picture!! So adorable!
He started playing with my camera.
His little finger :)
So cute!
Close up :)
Rachel and me.
With my Christmas money that I got from fam, I put some awesome stuff in our amazon.com shopping cart that we will hopefully be ordering soon :)
I'm asking for prayers for my second cousin (my Daddy's cousin), Mary Ann, she found out that she has breast cancer.
This year has brought a bundle of joy (being my cousin, Jennifer's baby boy, Will) and sorrow and pain to Daddy's family.
A few months ago, Mary Ann slipped in her kitchen and fell and shattered her knee. She hasn't been able to go anywhere or do much of anything by herself and now she has this, poor thing! She lives in Texas, I wish we could go there and take care of her, but we cannot. Of one thing she can be sure, she is covered with prayer.
Sometimes, life does not seem fair, but God is in control of all things. I know it's hard sometimes, but we must trust Him and look to the One, Lord Jesus Christ, Who took away the sin and shame of God's elect by dying on the cross and then rising again on the third day.
Without Christ, we are dead in our sins and tresspasses against God, but Christ died and rose again that God would have mercy on His elect and love them and save them from Hell, that they might live eternally with God.
God cannot love what is unrighteous, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to love us and die for us that we could live in Him.
Those of us who love God only love Him because He first loved us.
Without Christ, we are unrighteous and therefore God could not love us, but because Christ died for God's elect and rose again, defeating death, God can love His elect....and He does.
Not by our own works can we be saved, but by the shed blood of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
This Christmas season (and all throughout the year) remember Jesus Christ and why He came. If you are one of God's children, ponder and meditate upon His Love. We are unworthy of God's Love, yet He gave it to His elect, through His Son, Jesus Christ. What an Awesome (in the true sense of the word) God we serve!
Just a picture I took awhile ago when we had a storm rolling in.
Now, I must go and finish my coffee, for I have lots of goodies to make today. If I remember and have time, I might write another blob post later with pictures of all of the things we've made.
May God bless and keep you!
Grace be with you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah
I have a lot of pictures that I want to put on here, 17, if I'm not mistaken, lol, so bear with me ;)
A book I was reading just because it's Christmas-y. It's romance stories and I don't like romance so I stopped reading it. There were 4 stories in it, and I only read two. The third one, I knew who she was going to marry in the very first paragraph, so that was it.
What I'm reading now: "To Have and To Hold" by Mary Johnston.
A list of books I want to get out of the library after the New Year. Books on those certain subjects.
What I was listening to, whilst reading and taking the pictures.
Chris moved my room around for me, so this is what it now looks like. No, my bed does not have bedding on it.
My little table with books and journals and other stuff...and a coffee from McDonald's :)
At Mawmaw's putting up her tree, with my Peppermint Mocha Latte from Starbucks!
An ornament my Daddy made when he was little! No one really knows what it is, I don't even think he does, lol ;)
Mawmaw's tree.
The angel on top. It was on my Daddy's tree when he was little :)
Another ornament my Daddy made when he was little. Once again, no one knows what it is, but we like it :)
An ornament my Pawpaw made when he was little!
A photograph of my Mawmaw and Pawpaw on their Wedding day. Sorry the picture isn't very good.
A book I got out from the library.
What I was listening to while looking through and reading the book.
I was also listening to it while making these:
Aren't they cute?? I think the little red ones look like Rudolphs :) I made them yesterday for Christmas. The Barlow Girls made them and Alyssa had a picture of them on her Twitter, mine aren't made like theirs were but I couldn't find round pretzels and anyway I think mine look cuter :)
Our lovely, uhhh, Christmas decoration that Chris did. Candy canes on a chandelier, hmm ;) I do like it :)
God has blessed us with some snow these past couple of days and there might be like an inch or so on the ground, I can't tell if it's still snowin, though. I haven't taken any pictures of it, maybe I will sometime today, I don't know. It takes so long ya know, so strenuous to take a picture, lol ;)
In the mean time, I'm watching an Inter Milan game now and we're up 1-nil in the 32nd minute :) The goal came in the 15th minute :)
The other day, Mommy got me Andrea Bocelli's new Christmas CD "My Christmas" and oh! how I love it!
For those of you who may not know, Andrea Bocelli is blind (he has been since he was 12 from a Football (Soccer) accident, though he never had good eyesight since birth), but oh my gosh! what a voice! There is so much passion and power in his voice. It is honestly a passion I have never heard in anyone else's voice, simply stunning. He also plays several instruments, God has certainly blessed him with spectacular talent!
His Christmas CD is the only one of his I have, but I might look into more sometime.
"My Christmas" is the perfect Christmas CD. In my opinion, buying it just for "Angels We Have Heard On High" is reason enough! Never have I heard such a passionate, glorious version of that song, my favorite ever! Of course, I LOVE every song on the album, but: WOW!
I've never been a huge fan of the song "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" but Mr. Bocelli's version is wonderful! Best ever!
His Christmas CD is definitely one to add to your Christmas music collection!
Mr. Bocelli's "White Christmas" is unlike any I have ever heard, gorgeous. It's incredible to think of a man with no sight singing so passionately about something he will never see, I don't know how to describe it, but it's just, I think, inspiring. I always wish for a white Christmas but if I had it, would it be taken for granted? I know it seems silly to talk like this, but think about it: wishing for something you can see and someone singing about something they can never see, it's just spectacular.
Mr. Bocelli also sings "Jingle Bells" with The Muppets, that's another one of those songs that was never one of my favorites until he sang it. In my opinion, it's the best version ever!
"My Christmas" is the CD that put me in the Christmas-y mood this year (to read about my previous mood, scroll down to the post below).
I think I will conclude in saying: Andrea Bocelli's "My Christmas" is my very favorite Christmas CD ever (yes, even more so than Barlow Girl's!) and one, I think, should be added to everyone's Christmas music collection. I give it a 5/5 :)
This is what the cover of his CD looks like:
Here is a video I found on youtube.com of him singing "Angels We Have Heard On High":
Until next time, fare thee well!
Grace be with you all!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah
When I was little, Christmas was so exciting to me, the decorations, the gifts, seeing family, etc. The past few years have been different though. Yes, I still like the decorations and can't get enough of my family, but I haven't been excited about it for a few years.
In '06, I had myoclonic seizures practically all day, plus I had been pretty much dreading Christmas for some reason anyway. My Daddy's family, I don't think, noticed I was having them (even though, while sitting on the floor (which is where I always sit on Christmas) one threw me against the deck door), so that was good.
When we were going to open the gifts at my Mommy's parents' house, I just kept having them (back then we didn't know what they really were). Mommy, Daddy, Tommy, and Chris knew what I was doing but everyone else was asking me if I was ok. Mommy said I should go lay down for awhile, so I did and they slowed down a lot. What I didn't know until Mommy told me later was that my Uncle Randy also knew what I was doing and he went downstairs by himself and wept and prayed for me.
Since we didn't know what they were, we assumed they were tics so that's what Mommy told everyone. Oh! my Mommy's family were so sweet about it!
Christmas of '07 wasn't bad because we did attend a Church and everyone went carolling at a nursing home, which was nice, except my Mommy started having an allergy attack from a dog they had there and she and Chris went out to the car. She told me I could stay with everyone else, we weren't long though. So that Christmas wasn't bad.
Last year, I was all worried about something that I will not mention, but a few days before Christmas I talked to Mommy about it and the next day started feeling better.
I can't really say that I'm looking forward to this Christmas because I know it will be hard without Pawpaw and I just wish sometimes that we didn't have to go through it.
Why can't I focus on Jesus Christ? He is the Reason we celebrate.
Perhaps part of the reason is because we don't have a Church to attend anymore and I miss doing things with a Church family, especially around Christmas.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE doing things with my family but Mommy and Chris need friends.
Jesus Christ died that I might live and never die, to live eternally with Him, even though I am unworthy. Why should I be distressed about Christmas when it's all for Jesus?
There is yet another reason that just came to me as to why I don't feel Christmas-y: I used to have a little pink Christmas tree for Chris' and my room (not that Chris liked it but since I did, he didn't mind me putting it up), but don't have one anymore. My point is, what sounds like fun to me is putting up a little pink tree on a rainy or snowy night (preferably snowy, of course) listening to Christmas music, and drinking eggnog with rum, lol! (or as I like to say 'rum with eggnog';)). However, since I don't have one, I'm sure I'll get over it;) After all, it's not about the decorations either, only the Risen Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ!
Of course, three more of my favorite things are family, food,....and fudge, lol!
Ok, until next time, please enjoy this video I saw on youtube.com of NEEDTOBREATHE 'Elf Yourself':
Last night, Mommy and I went out for a couple of hours, to Starbucks and then driving around looking for Christmas lights, we had a really nice time together. The only problem last night was going to Starbucks actually, lol. We decided to try their Eggnog Lattes so we got two venti lattes but didn't like 'em at all so were able to go through again and trade 'em for Peppermint Mochas. The girl wasn't overly nice about doing it, but it was alright. We LOVE the Peppermint Mochas so of course it was a lot better, lol!
Anyway, my awesome friend, Guitargirl, sent me my gift a little while ago and I got it yesterday and took pictures of what she gave me:) She went ahead and gave me my Birfday gift too, since it's next month. So, here are some pictures.
A scarf, a little Amish girl, a little white chocolate Christmas tree (to get back at me from when I sent her the Hannah Montana poster>:) (for those of you who do not know this about me, I REALLY do NOT like white chocolate, it's not even real chocolate!)), a Christmas card (which is, of course, none else but "A Christmas Story"!) and a Birfday card.
Here's one side of the purse:
and the other:
My cards:
What they say inside:
Brittany bear modeling my new stuff:
Anyway, there you have it!
It is soooo cold and windy and cloudy today, I love it! There were some snow flurries earlier but just a few and none of it stuck:( Hopefully we'll get some soon. To me, this weather is awesome and I thank the Lord for blessing us with it!
In other news, Inter Milan won today!!!!!!!! Yea! Woohoo! Wahooey! Glory! LOL! Go Inter! Oh, and Manchester United won yesterday!!!! Yea! Woohoo! Wahooey! Glory! LOL! Go United!
K, well, I gotsa get ready to go because Mommy and I have to go to the grocery store so, laters!
In the mean time, enjoy this video I saw on youtube.com of Seth Bolt from NEEDTOBREATHE sitting next to an elderly lady:
One of the funniest things I've ever seen!
Grace be with you all!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah
Howdy peeps!
I was wanting to write another post today but didn't know what to write so got the brilliant idea to interview my brother! Let us begin:
Me: So, how are you doing tonight?
Chris: (chuckles) Very good, thank you.
Me: What books are you reading right now?
Chris: (chuckles) I'm reading "The Cross of Christ" by John Stott, "The Great Work of The Gospel" by John (*searches for the correct spelling of his name and sees his picture* "Hmm, didn't know he looked like that") Ensor, and I'm also working my way through "Spurgeon's Sermons" and uhh,
*ahem, short intermission. Enjoy this picture of Charles Spurgeon.*
Ok folks, we're back:
Chris: "Christ Crucified: The Marrow of The Gospel In 72 Sermons On Isaiah 53" (me: On Isaiah what?-Chris: Isaiah 53: it's a chapter-me: Thank you!).
Me: Are you highly enjoying your books?
Chris: Uhh, yes.
Me: Dat is gooood yah. What are your favorite bands?
Chris: I like House of Heroes, Oasis, Sons of Korah, Andrew Peterson, even though I don't have their CD yet, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. Umm, Showbread, Thrice,
*another intermission as he goes to grab his iPod. Please enjoy this picture of Wilhelmus a Brackel:*
*bear with us folks, another intermission. Enjoy this picture of Martin Luther*
We're back.
Chris: "Shenandoah", "Touch of Evil", "Where Eagles Dare", "The Maltese Falcon", "Master & Commander", "Pork Chop Hill", "Battleground", "Sahara" (with Humphrey Bogart), and pretty much any Humphrey Bogart movie.
Me: What is your favorite food?
Chris: Uhh, I guess anything homemade.
Me: No way, that's always my answer, too.
Chris: Cool.
Me: Yes, yes, it is. What is your favorite sport?
Chris: Do you need to ask?
Me: It's for our adoring audience.
Chris: REAL Football.
Me: What is your favorite team?
Chris: I have two, A.C. Milan and Manchester United.
Me: Who is your favorite Footballer?
Chris: Well, I have a couple.
Me: Share them with us.
Chris: Uhh, Alexandre Pato, uhh, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, umm, Wayne Rooney, and uhh, Kaka, one more; we'll go with, Alessandro Nesta.
Me: Cool. What's your favorite fruit?
Chris: Uhh, the pineapple or strawberry.
Me: What is your favorite holiday?
Chris: Probably St. Patricks Day....not really, umm, well, I guess it'd be Christmas.
Me: What do you like to do?
Chris: Read, watch Football, play FIFA, listen to music, woodworking, play guitar, smoke my pipe on occasion. I went on a helicopter ride once and enjoyed it immensly. Hiking, work outside.
Me: What's your favorite show?
Chris: Show? Umm, now this is a tough question. Uhh, "Band of Brothers", History Channel, Military Channel, Fox Soccer Channel.
Me: What are your favorite songs?
Chris: Uhh, let me look at my iPod real quick, Mr. a Brackel (the name of his iPod). "Leave You Now" by House of Heroes, "Abide With Me" by Matthew Perryman Jones, "The Grace of My God" by Matt Giles, "Led To The Slaughter" by Red Letter, "Daylight" by Brave Saint Saturn, "Psalm 24" by Sons of Korah, "Jesus Paid It All" and "My Song Is Love Unknown" by Bob Kauflin and Together For The Gospel.
Me: Do you think Air1 and KLove are highly overrated?
Chris: Yeah.
Me: Yes, I totally agree. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Chris: Scotland.
Me: What is your favorite animal?
Chris: Turtles are pretty cool.
Me: What is your favorite season?
Chris: Autumn.
Me: Pirate or knight?
Chris: Knight.
Me: What is your favorite time of day and why?
Chris: Early morning, just because.
Me: If you had a dog, what would it's name be? and what kind would you want?
Chris: I guess I'd like a beagle. I'd probably name him, Spalatin.
Me: Cool. If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Chris: I'd buy myself a private plane. Umm, I'd build myself a huge library and fill it up with Puritan works. Uhh, I'd buy Mother a cookstove and a farm. I'd buy you everything you wanted. I'd buy Pap a bunch of Nebraska Cornhuskers stuff and a huge truck. I'd buy Tommy some land and I'd help him build a cabin on it. I'd give the rest away.
Me: What is your favorite weapon?
Chris: A bow...and arrows, of course.
Me: Country or city?
Chris: I don't know, I kinda like both.
Me: Rain, snow, or sun?
Chris: Sun, although I do like snow.
Me: Do you like Christmas trees?
Chris: They're ok, I guess.
Me: Palace or castle?
Chris: Castle.
Me: What is your favorite Christmas song?
Chris: Umm, well, I like "Little Drummer Boy" by Whiteheart. I also like "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel".
Me: Thank you to Chris and for everyone tuning in tonight. A very goodnight, good morning, or whatever where ever you are to you!
Chris: Sure, you little goofball.
Seeing as this interview was all about Chris, he has chosen a video he would like me to add, so here it is.
In A.C. Milan's game this past weekend, Klaas Jan Huntelaar came on in the 85th(?) minute and scored two goals within two minutes in added time (which was 3 minutes) to win the game 2-nil. Here are his goals that we found on youtube.com:
Later peeps, I hope you enjoyed this interview! I know I did :)
Grace be with you all!
God bless and keep you!
Alive because of His Blood,
Katie Bekah
I wanted to write a post but didn't really know what to write so after looking through a few pictures on our 'puter I was inspired!
I have some leftover yarn from things I've crocheted so decided to crochet a scarf and see if we could sell it on ebay or an online store Mommy is creating. However, I changed my mind and decided to give it as a gift to my friend and 'sis', Monica for Christmas.
Here it is in the works, but almost done.
Wouldn't ya know it? Brittany bear offered to model it for me:) What do ya think? It really is quite warm, she told me....no, not really, had you goin' though, didn't I?? It's kinda long (like the style is these days) so you can fold it over and pull it through. It is warm though.
As a couple people who read my blog know, my Memaw has been giving me painting lessons. She told me to choose the picture I wanted to paint and this is it:
Memaw said that it wouldn't be her choice for a first painting, lol, but if that's what I wanted then we'd do it. So, a couple of weeks ago we finished it:
There's mine.
There's my signature up-close.
Well, what do YOU think of my new creations? (No rude or mean comments, please).
Hello folks. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Though, I imagine the people in other countries that don't celebrate it didn't have one;) I hope they're thankful anyway:) Ours was lovely! We spent the day at Memaw and Grandpa's and I spent the whole time playing with my little 8 year old cousin Randi Michelle, which was a blast! She's such a cutie:) Of course, no one in my family likes to have their pictures taken so I can't put up any pictures except of her and me. Mommy took a few pictures of Chris, but he wouldn't want me to put them up here, so I shan't. (This is why there are only pictures of myself and not my Mommy or brothers. My Daddy doesn't really mind too much;)).
We also put up and decorated their Christmas tree, so here are a couple of pictures of it:
Randi Michelle and me:)
And again.
Just Randi:)
Probably my favorite picture we took :) Grandpa, me, and Randi Michelle.
One more of Randi Michelle and me (with Grandpa in the background).
My Punkin Cheesecake!
Mommy's Sweet Tater Casserole without pecans.
Mommy's Sweet Tater Casserole with pecans. (She always has to make two because Daddy doesn't like pecans).
Now onto something else: One of my favorite bands is Family Force 5. Well, today one of the members 'Fatty' was rushed to the hospital with kidney problems. His brother, 'Soul Glow Activatur' has been updating his Twitter all day and Fatty is doing a little better, but I would like you all to keep Fatty (who's real name is Joshua Olds; and Soul Glow's real name is Solomon Olds) in your prayers please. Thanks.
Good night or good morning or good evening or good whatever, depending upon where you live!
Grace be with you all! Alive because of His Blood, Katie Bekah
