joy has dawned...

"Joy Has Dawned upon the World"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart

Joy has dawned upon the world,
Promised from creation—
God's salvation now unfurled,
Hope for ev'ry nation.
Not with fanfares from above,
Not with scenes of glory,
But a humble gift of love—
Jesus born of Mary.

Sounds of wonder fill the sky
With the songs of angels
As the mighty Prince of Life
Shelters in a stable.
Hands that set each star in place,
Shaped the earth in darkness,
Cling now to a mother's breast,
Vuln'rable and helpless.

Shepherds bow before the Lamb,
Gazing at the glory;
Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story.
Gold—a King is born today,
Incense—God is with us,
Myrrh—His death will make a way,
And by His blood He'll win us.

Son of Adam, Son of heaven,
Given as a ransom;
Reconciling God and man,
Christ, our mighty champion!
What a Savior! What a Friend!
What a glorious myst'ry!
Once a babe in Bethlehem,
Now the Lord of hist'ry.

monthly update!

So...my blogging has been pathetic lately!! (to say the least) But, I just haven't been on the computer much at all. Ok...I take that back...when I have been on the computer lately, I've just been focusing on doing some online shopping for Christmas and for Baby Blakley (yes, we still do not have a name).

In my usual spirit of blogging updates, here goes...

• I just got in my starter pack order of small cloth diapers...I went with fuzzibunz and was excited to have a 25% off coupon to lessen the blow of the purchase. I can't wait for our son to be in them...they are so cute and soft!...any advice on the best thing to use for a diaper pail?...I've gotta get that next.
• I also got our bedding in for Baby Blakley...next purchase, I guess, needs to be a crib! With no surprise to anyone who knows me, it is teal and brown gingham. I love it! I went with something fairly plain so Justin can put his artistic skills to work on the nursery walls...
• ...nursery walls that will be in our very own house!!!! It looks like we will probably be closing on our first (owned) home sometime next week! I can't believe it. Justin has been awesome, handling all the details, so I guess this is kind of sneaking up on me. I've been slowly packing up books, choosing things to give away, and getting myself mentally prepared for another move at Christmas. I'm so excited that we will be in our home before Baby Blakley comes.
• As for some house details...it's an open floor plan, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with a garage and a (drumroll please)....dishwasher! Merry Christmas to me! I am also pretty excited about the washer and dryer being in the hallway and not on a cold back porch! Can I just say...I'm so excited.
• God has just continually been reminding us how blessed we are lately. If it were up to me, I probably would have not been so patient...for this perfect house. We thought our final option was going to be building a house, so we were so amazed when God led us to this 10 year old home that is so similar to what we would have built. Not to mention the sudden drop in interest rates. God is so good!
• We will soon be living in the town of Jonesville..."across the river" from Elkin! You're all invited over!