Christmas at home, and a very worthwhile 5 minutes!

I know that "home is where the heart is"... and now a piece of my heart will forever be in Japan...

but it DOES feel really good to truly be home-home this Christmas season...

Especially with the promise of all three chickies back in the nest...

And celebrating our daughter Kaela's recent engagement to Joe:

We refocus on the birth of Jesus:

 And have some fun as well:

This is about half of the Christmas quilt I finished last year...

It's from an old, great little book called "Favorite Quilts Fast and Fun" by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan.

I added a little red house to represent where we lived when I started the quilt years ago... in a little red Cape nestled in the pines...

Not a great photo but you get the idea:

I hope you are having a wonderful December.  If you are so inclined, I invite you to watch this beautiful little video -  "Good Tidings of Great Joy: The Birth of Jesus Christ" - one of a series of Bible videos produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It's an excellent way to spend five minutes!  I have found that it's one good way to refocus on the Savior when I'm feeling a little scattered or stressed with the busy-ness of the Christmas season.  "The story of Christmas is a story of love."