Kristin McLendon: December 2009

Monday, December 28, 2009

An Incredible Grandma She Will Be

The first weekend in December I travelled towards the coast to celebrate the soon coming of my niece, Aniston Elise. First event of the weekend was a "Surprise Grandma Shower" for my mom. There aren't words to describe how great of a grandma I believe she's going to make. Aniston just doesn't know what's waiting on her here in this world!

Look, she's already practicing:

It was great spending time with the family and friends that were an intricate part in my upbringing and I know will be in Aniston's life as well:

Up next, all the things a Grandma will need :)

The big surprise--her own pack 'n play...

Munchkin got a few gifts too...

Thank you Ms. Annette for this beautiful morning that we all got to spend together. Such sweet memories were made and a fun time was had by all!

Up next we'll blog about Munchkin's shower. Can you tell I'm catching up on my blogging! :) Hello vacation!

Labels: Aniston

Saturday, December 26, 2009

A Special Visit from a Special Friend

This years Thanksgiving came with a special treat. While most were out shopping the crazy black Friday deals, I was driving from Perry to the Atlanta airport to pick up my dear friend Sam (my dear friend I've had since the 7th grade!). I've blogged about her before as I've travelled to Maine, but this go around, Sam came south. It was nice for her to come down when there wasn't a mission trip involved. There wasn't a wedding involved, it was simply to enjoy life together, and that we did! Here's a few pictures from our visit together--all taken from the night we took her downtown Atlanta--for dinner at one our favorite restaurants--The Real Chow Baby--then ice skating in Centennial Olympic Park.

Thank you Sam for making this Holiday Season extra special with your visit. Can't wait to do it again soon. Robert and I are working on our "visit Maine soon" fund. :)

Labels: Friends, maine

My Favorite Christmas Moment

When all was said and done last night and everyone else in the house had gone to bed, my favorite Christmas moment happened--

I'm grateful for my family. What was your favorite Christmas moment this year?

Labels: Christmas

Friday, December 25, 2009

Our Sweet Abigail--and a Merry Christmas to You!

From our home to yours, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas....

And this my friends, is why our sweet Abigail did not make the McLendon family Christmas picture this year.

Look at that face. Maybe we'll try again next year. Good night my friends. Praying today was a beautiful day for each of you and you experienced God in His fullness and all that He has for you.

Merry Christmas!

Love, Robert & Kristin

Labels: abigail, Christmas

Friday, December 18, 2009

One of God's Greatest Gifts to Me

If I may, I'd like to introduce to you one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me.....

Yes, that's a sheep....that is not God's greatest gift to me. It's the lady on the right. She goes by Heidi. My nickname for her? Heidi-Ho. It's okay. She calls me Pippie.

I met Heidi when my time in ministry in Richmond Hill first began. I stood in the pulpit, shared my heart, and this woman came up to me afterwards and shared some amazing comments that made me laugh till it hurt. I knew instantly that I would have a great friendship with this woman. What I didn't know is that the Lord would take Heidi and I not only around the world together, but that He would use her to teach me to hear His voice as I walked my everyday steps.

I can't even begin to summarize into one blog how much Heidi means to me and how vital she is to who I am in the Lord today. But I will share with you how much I love this woman. She challenges me to look outside of my personal bubble and see what Jesus sees. She challenges me to hear His heartbeat and to walk it out. When Heidi and I get together, there is an excitement that stirs as we know the Lord is always up to something--and it's a pleasure to live life with her.

To walk where Jesus would walk with her. To share salvation with a homeless man on a bench with her. To hand out bananas with her and watch through one box of bananas a family be reunited. To take her on her first mission trip to Guatemala. To travel to Romania with her so that she could later lead the first ever all adult mission trip out of RHUMC. To celebrating her birthday together while in Romania. To celebrating my birthday together doing Katrina relief in Mississippi. To her being my wedding director and being absolutely amazing! To sitting in a coffee shop sharing stories of how God is moving in our lives. To sharing life together...the way I believe God intended believers to share life.

My sweet Jesus has blessed me with letting me see her twice over the past two weeks and each time I have said good bye with a lump in my throat. God brought her into my life for a reason. Even though we don't live in the same town these days and our random trips pulling over on the side of the road, getting a homeless man a hotel room, getting him a greyhound bus ticket, taking him to the station, praying for him before we put him on the bus and sending him to where his family lives, are not as often, I treasure this woman as a precious jewel in my life.

Today is my dear friends birthday and Heidi, I want you to know how much I love you. I can't thank Jesus enough for you. You are one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me and I want you to know it! I can hardly write this blog without balling over it and I know when I feel this much affection for you--how much more so does your Heavenly Father feel for you. He loves you so incredibly much--and it's not because of the things you "do". It's because of the way you refuse to fall into the norm of christianity and you walk the way Jesus walked--and you LOVE Him WELL-and that makes a Papa proud.

I love you Heidi. I miss you. Thank you for letting the Lord use YOU to shape me into who I am today. Praying this next year will be a year of overwhelming surprises, blessings, and abundance of Him. That this year will be a year of more dreams and visions from your Beloved Bridegroom. Enjoy Him Heidi, as He enjoys you.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BEAUTIFUL FRIEND!

Labels: Friends

Monday, December 14, 2009

The McLendon Christmas Cottage 2009

Welcome to our home! I've been anticipating this post all day and excited to share our cottage with you! We were a little behind on pulling out Christmas decorations this year (and almost behind getting in on the Nester's Christmas tour, but I will get this in before midnight, I promise!) but I'm so excited that everything is in place and we now eagerly anticipate Christmas day!

I love putting out all of our Christmas decorations as we got married at Christmas time two years ago and most of our wedding decorations got transformed into Christmas decorations (all handmade by my Uncle Ronny!!). If you visit my parents house, their tree will remind you of how the Sanctuary was decorated that day as all the ivory bows grace their tree. Our home with all the cranberry and gold bows resembles the beautifully decorated third floor of the Speir and Brogdon Building in Richmond Hill where we danced our first dance as husband and wife and shared the Lord's supper with 400 of our closet friends. Oh, I just love having all of these reminders in my home this time of year!

Let's begin, shall we?

The Outside:

Our front door. Maddie wanted to join the tour and welcome you to our home:

Even the front door gets a bow from our wedding:

Our front porch (this is sitting on a rectangular table we have on our front porch--some "greens" from Pike's throw away pile, a poinsettia and if you can't tell, the balls are little Christmas ornaments).

Complete View:

Welcome Inside:

The focal point as you walk into our home, our mantle (if you look close their are little pieces from our topiaries placed throughout the garland):

Upclose of the stockings:

Robert & Abigail:

Kristin & Maddie:

Our centerpiece on our coffee table in the living room-made of bows and topiary pieces from the reception:

Our Dining Room Table:

A topiary hanging upside down from our chandelier:

Our Nativity Scene in our Living Room:

Love this!

Our Half Bath Downstairs:

My favorite part!

On up the stairs:

To the Guest Room. We love seeing who the Lord brings us to stay here! (This room has also been named "Amelia's Room".)

Our Nativity Scene that we decided to put in our Guest Room this year:

Guest Bath:

In case you can't see, the bears are The University of Georgia Bears :)

Back downstairs:

Table By the Front Door:

We do have the missing window for this church to fix it, but we enjoy the story of why this church is missing a window and we believe it gives it character so we leave it just the way it is! :) And well, an UGA sits on the corner.

Our shutters we found on the curb and put on our wall. I believe the Nester would be proud. They get a bow for the season as well.

The random Christmas items placed around our home:

And finally the big finale. If you've been following my blog for awhile now, you remember the Christmas Tree Extravaganza last year. Well folks, for the first time in my 30 years, I gave in and I didn't go to a tree farm to cut my tree down. I'm coming to terms with the fact that I now live in the city and we needed to be frugal this year. So I decided this year we would have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I was okay with it, I had peace. So we went to Pike's Nurseries and they had their Frasier Firs on sale---Jesus gave me the biggest one---(and the heaviest one on the lot--says Robert)...it has 4 trunks intermingled on the inside. The year I decide to be frugal, I end up having the biggest tree in my life...and we paid $24.95 for it. Yes, I believe Jesus likes to give good gifts to His children!

The Toppings :)

Up close view of the side:

Up close of the handmade bows:

View from the dining room:

Cool picture of the red goblet and Christmas tree if you look close:

One last picture of our tree:

And finally I share with you a special ornament that says, "Celebrate His Gifts" as this is the purpose of the season. Eight years ago I celebrated my first Christmas as a true believer. Understanding fully what it meant to have Jesus come and be born in a manager--to later die on the cross for my sins. To fully know what it means to have Jesus as my Bridegroom, as my Beloved. To know that He calls me Beloved one. As I celebrated this for the first time eight years ago, I pray for you this Christmas that you know and understand fully what it means that Jesus came to have relationship with you. As the story is told in Luke 2, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; HE IS CHRIST THE LORD."