(That title is totally original, right? I mean it's not like anyone else will title their post "Merry Christmas!" today. ;))

Merry Christmas, sweet friends! I hope your day is filled with lots of food, fun, and time spend with family (Um, yes, you could say I love alliterations. Heh.).

But in the midst of all the presents and shiny new things, let's not forget what today is all about. This is the cutest thing I ever did see, reminding us what the true meaning of Christmas really is.


The Christmas Story from St Paul's on Vimeo.

-carlotta

It's Christmas Eve - a fact that I still have trouble wrapping my mind around.

Blame it on the fact that I'm getting older or maybe it's because how busy I've been, but this is the first Christmas that I haven't been counting down the days.

There are some moments when I wish time would slow down. December has gone by in such a blur I've barely had time to catch my breath and enjoy the season. Instead, it's been a frantic rush of getting everything done in time, going from to place to place.

But I'm not complaining. No, this Christmas Eve, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the chance to celebrate another Christmas. I'm grateful to be surrounded by loving family and friends. I'm grateful for you. I'm grateful for my camera. I'm grateful for the little things in life. And I'm so, so very grateful that God sent down His Son on Christmas to save us from our sins, the greatest gift of all.

What are you grateful for this Christmas?

Merry Christmas!

(Our Christmas card from this year - it was the first time that I've taken all the photos and made the card by myself ;) (last name blurred out for privacy reasons))


-carlotta


PS I don't want to take away the meaning of this post, but this is just a reminder that today is your last day to enter in my photo challenge!)

This is our sweet dog, Sarge. Sarge was a Christmas present last year - my parents surprised us with him on December 23rd (which means I should probably post about this tomorrow instead...oh well.) When we first saw him, he was three months old, a puppy you could carry every. Now? He's eighty pounds of adorable, lovable, sock-stealing dog. I can't imagine life without him :)




<a href="http://pastorsgirlsponderings.com/"><img src="http://imgur.com/AS92y.jpg"/></a>

Is there a photo that makes you happy? One that warms your heart or tells a funny story? One that puts you on cloud nine? Here's your chance to share it! 

Just put up a post on your blog containing one photo that you've taken. You can add as much or as little text as you would like along with it. After writing your post, come back here to link up - you have until Thursday at 9:59pm CST to do so. Don't forget to link back to me so others can join in, whether it be via the above button or a link. :) And remember to visit others' photos as well! 
-carlotta
(Psst...don't forget to enter in my photo challenge!)

1. start a diary.
-----------------------
I've had a plethora of diaries over the years, but I've never written in one regularly for more than a year. I want to try to change that. I know I have blogging, but I want a place where I can confide worries and day to day things without being judged or being afraid of boring people to death. A place where I can fill the pages with inspiration - essentially a scrapbook of sorts.

2. take more pictures.
------------------------------
I used to take at least ten photos a day, but now it seems that a week or more will slip by without me even glancing at my camera. My excuse? "There's nothing to take pictures. Everything is so boring." That just tells me that I'm going to have to work harder at being creative when it comes to photography.




3. work on a surprise of sorts.
-----------------------------------------
I've have something kind of big in the works...I plan to unveil the fruits of my labor soon after the new year. If you think hard, you might be able to figure it out - I've sort of hinted about it these past few weeks :) I'm very excited about it!

4. practice piano everyday.
-------------------------------------
This is something I really want to work on - practicing piano everyday for a minimum of thirty minutes, but preferably over an hour. During my last piano class before break, my teacher gave me a major pep talk. I've had so many people tell me that I'm talented when it comes to piano, but I've had a hard time believing it. This is going to sound totally snotty, but I realized that I do have a gift in that area. I was being lazy and didn't want to practice because I thought it was too hard. But I've decided that if I've been blessed with this talent, I better darn well use it! (Yep. I told you it was going to totally snotty and conceited. Sorry.)

5. catch up on homework.
---------------------------------
This one is rather self explanatory, but this is on the top of my list to get done. I'm also going to attempt to go back to the very beginning of my geometry book and reread all the lessons (and redo two or three homework problems from each lesson). Then, I'm going to see if I can make some sense of my current assignments. Sigh.




6. spend more time with my family.
----------------------------------------------
Heck, isn't Christmas supposed to be about surrounding yourself with loved ones (After celebrating Jesus' birth, of course.)? I'm going to try to spend more time with my family and less time on the computer.

7. start my novel.
------------------------
I talked a little bit about writing a novel in this post. I think I'm going to go for it. Eek. First comes research - lots and lots of it. My goal is to complete the first few paragraphs of book, along with the research, of course, before break is up. Any tips from those of you that wrote/are writing a novel?

8. finish redoing my room.
-----------------------------------
I have frames spray painting, art work to fill some of them, and the plan in my head. We'll see how this goes...

9. learn more html.
------------------------
It's pitiful how much I know. Yes, I've lamented about this before, but it's true. I need to learn how to navigate all the codes better, how to make sense of the mystifying world of HTML. For those of y'all have a blog design business or are knowledgeable in this, where do you recommend starting?





What's on your list for Christmas break?

-carlotta

(Don't forget to enter my photo challenge! :))