{I need a Silent Night!}

Oh my, I need a little Peace right here!

First of all my apologies for this post being so long. It just is...are you really ready?

I ran across this image above and see me in it! I know that is both sweet, sad but true people.

Christmas~ like those wings on that dog, are on top of me! Tied to me none the less!!!!!

As if I cannot run and yes, I have that look on my face too!!!!! I won't lie to you. One year I bought a halo for my little dog Imrie to take a Christmas image. She would have nothing to do with it and was quite miffed with me! Oh, I would have been beside myself too! Smile!

I would love to be fake here, and gleam a pretty smile, possibly wink, offer you a warm Christmas cookie and tell you of my Christmas glory and that I am singing Fa, La, La...but it just is not true. I have done that each day...sing Fa, La, La that is, but moments in between that are in desperate need of a Silent Night and Peace! So real is what you get people. There is good in that too because it comes from a solid place that holds true joy! See below for Amy Grant's song, "I Need a Silent Night". Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom first pretty please.

My family has a corporate Christmas Decorating business. Holly Productions we are called. I think we do 64 trees some of them 30 plus feet tall, to 20ft, to 14ft, to 7ft. One tree you can park a car in width. Outside lighting of trees and boughs, boughs, bows to bring peace and cheer to people. We start in the beginning of October making or revamping this holiday cheer and dusting every thing with sparkle. Mom starts this in July! My sisters and I take our full vacation to do this business and then work double time to catch up at work, but I am here to state that I am so blessed for the opportunity to spend that precious time with my family and dear friends, to work, to laugh so hard you cry, to live each day of those weeks of installation with as the moments to sleep and rest are few. We finished last week and then I sat in my home with no desire to decorate anything but fell asleep many times on my hardwood floor, tucked gently next to my fireplace on my furry white floor pillow only to wake there the next morning...ouch! I really just need to sleep I am guessing! I love pretty decor! It is what I am about! I love peaceful uncluttered but refined by perfect design that is both natural and glamorous. I love Christmas so very much! But my heart has nothing to give but sees that peace in the midst is possible and I will be brave enough to see it through.

I see my friend Lissa who has found beautiful and solid peace in the midst of a year that has been tender in hard but she is amazing and determined to walk with God and be at peace in here heart. I saw my life best friend Paige find peace through the holidays after her husband, Gregg died and every year after sitting in the presence of God with a grateful heart to shadow Christ's peace on and in her home and within her family and friends. She is always the woman to me that faces storms with grace and true. I have reflected and thought many times God give me that kind of grace that places my full hope in you my maker, my Christ and the lifter of my head that gives me solid to walk in. I saw and see both of these women take a beautiful stance at finding peace and their hope in their creator and lover of their souls. So much to learn from these two. Proverbs 31 women are they and they are to be called praiseworthy. Take a look at their blogs and find all kinds of hope in their words and Christmas peace in the beauty of decor.

From Paige's home.

From Lissa's home

Beautiful and yummy white, with hints of silver, green and tan their homes are. Both Paige and Lissa's hearts are each as beautiful!!! I am not just saying that! To me I just want to pack my bags and go to their homes and sit and gaze and find giggles too. They might find me there and come in from family stuff and there I will be snuggled on their couch gazing at the Christmas peace everywhere. I am just sayin Lissa and Paige, be warned, smile! I want to find that peace that I see in decor. I want to see that peace resides in my heart.

I have not blogged because of work, but also my heart that is trying to overcome much still and think how do I put you all through this silly mess. But stand true and keep it real I will. I will stand as Esther in the bible for such a time as this. I am such a glass half full, or so I thought about myself, but when truth smaks you in the face you gotta deal. I am bravely and hope God will find good in my soul for the journey. So I am facing my heart and truth brave and the beauty is finding not just God, but a real and authentic God that loves my soul and I would walk this journey again to find what I have found in Him! Things are no better in circumstance than they were in July, but what has changed is my complete trust in Christ. My complete surrender to the ONE that loves my soul and yours too!~ He is my all and to Him I will decorate. To him I will bow, and lift my hands and see the beauty in this season and really for once seeing what it is about. To him I will gaze and find peace and the reason for my hope the reason my my silent night. If my girls Paige and Lissa can do this no matter if present or in the past, for such a time as this I can too. So thank you Paige and Lissa my dear, precious friends for showing me it is possible. I am so very grateful for you both. I love you both so very much!

I pray if you are in the midst too that you just find some peace and a beautiful silent night!

Lastly I wish to post this.

My kindred friend Paige. Tender-hearted year for us, but the gift of her friendship is one of amazing to me and humbling to my heart as to what a true friend is. She has fought for our friendship and I am humbled by her grace and love towards me. Paige know this! She has walked my journey with me at times that I have been too private to share my tender heart about my circumstances. We have walked through so much in life together and she has been there. She has given me too many beautiful tangible gifts over the years that I wish I had a picture for each as they are always true gifts of the heart, wrapped beautifully each one, but this post would not end, but many times gifts too of allowing my heart space to work through my present circumstances that have gone on for years and for just being there. What has also never ended is this precious gift of a friendship and I am blessed by you and love you my dear, lifelong, tender and kindred friend.

I wish to also show you this. This is not a hey look at what I got. Please know in humbleness this. But a thank you to this girly that God knew we were just supposed to be friends.

My precious friend Lissa sent this beautiful package below to me. There is a CD too that goes with it but I have not taken it out of my car and it plays non-stop! Thank you Lissa for the box of Christmas cheer. From your heart beautiful and I am grateful! This picture does not do it justice. She even found a recipe card with a pink tractor on it in smiles to the fact that I learned to drive one on my mom's farm this year. Silly, brave, solid in heart and sweet girly is this Lissa!

Off to work and decorate in between (Keep that on the down~low will ya! wink!) today as I promised God I just would and will.

I pray your weekend Beautiful, Peaceful and Smile-filled!

I pray if you find yourself in this place too that you see that you in fact have Christ that will love your soul to the end and show you real and beauty in you that you did not know existed before. I pray you find your heart in that stable that beautiful night that our King gave us hope!

I promise to take images of my home once dusted with Christmas Joy!

Please forgive my lack of commenting too. I want to do this and have read your blogs late at night, but wanted my comments to make sense and be heartfelt as with lack of sleep the comments might just not make sense. Thank you for your grace in the midst of this.

Love, peace, hugs and silent night to you,

Kristin