Lights and Gardens~

Monday was my official graduation ceremony, and after spending most of the morning and afternoon there, we all went to see Christmas lights at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens! They have gorgeous lights there, and the gardening itself is exquisite...let's not forget the awesome topiaries! We all had a wonderful time, even though I was slightly grouchy over how my hair looked after being smashed into a graduation cap...! Hah! But the evening was enjoyable, hair not included, and it was a great way to spend time with my grandma who was visiting from Missouri.

Where are some places you like to go see Christmas lights? Is it down the street on all your neighbor's homes, or do you go somewhere like this to see lights?

Happy Thursday! ♥

Oh, Majestic Mountain.

{Never will there be a time I will turn down a trip to the mountains.}

{We were all stunned by the amount of very green plant life in one area along the trail we took to the overlook.}

{As it turns out, we discovered that the ground in the path of green down the mountainside was quite gooshy, wet and slightly muddy. Standing there, we were in awe that there was most likely a stream of fresh water coursing through the ground below our feet, nourishing the many mountain plants along its trip downward. It was an amazing thought to think of how nature works like that, and we were standing on it. How amazing God is to have designed that alone, and He designed it all!}

{The closer we got to the overlook, the more the wind picked up, cooling off the air tremendously. We had been sheltered from the blasts while under the guard of sleepy trees, but not near the point. Because it was so much cooler here, little soft clumps of snow hid in every cranny and over wide shadowed areas. It was adorable, and everywhere you looked there was a little poofy surprise of white fluff peering back out at you!}

 

{The view from the overlook was stunning! You can see on the mountainside where the deciduous trees were, because there were bare trails all through the pines remaining, making it look like a caterpillar had chewed through hungrily! And the sky here. Oh. There were three skies in one. It just faded seamlessly, high and high, getting bluer and bluer.}

{Moss. If you can't tell by now, I love it.}

This is the place I love. Every time I look at these pictures, I am inspired. Inspired to create, inspired to live. God gave us life to live, and I feel most alive when I am surrounded by the beauty of His creation. Being in this place, seeing this place, smelling the fresh mountain air and the damp earth beneath my feet...I live in God's world, and nothing makes me happier than that! I am truly at home here.

Cheerful Giving!

 

December has perhaps been the busiest month so far. In between making and buying Christmas gifts and all the rehearsals and church activities  going on, there is little time to do much else. All my writing and reading has come to a screeching halt, and what games I do have time for are marbles with my siblings (Grandma brought down a bag. My wrist is killing me from it. Ha!). What bits of free time I have are spent online checking emails and whatnot. 

I've been out and about shopping quite a bit, and tonight may be my first time driving without my mother in the car. I got my driver's license on Friday, and still can't wrap my head around the fact that I can now drive places. It's so odd! I make my mother nervous, but I may be even more nervous than she about it. I still feel like a kid, not allowed to step into the adult world without being politely submissive, yet I know I am an adult now and I have just as much right as everyone else in these settings. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it.

As far as more crafts go, when I finish crocheting gifts, I plan on dabbling with some rubber stamps I've recently gotten a hold of, and I see some more decoupage in my future as well! I'll probably be making more gifts, which makes me happy. A few necklaces have been given to loved ones, and my room has become a treasure trove of gifts, presents for family members stashed about everywhere.

As much as you and I give, though, our gifts cannot compare to the gift God has given us. He gave us Jesus Christ, the ultimate proof of his love for us.

As we give to others this season, let's remember to not give because we feel like we have to. Let us give because we want to. It's the thought that counts!

“Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).

Happy Tuesday, everyone! ♥