Kristin McLendon

Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas from the McLendons!

Maybe, just maybe by my third year of Seminary I will figure out how to manage Christmas card ordering season ... and finals. So far I am 0 and 2. Please keep sending them to us. We love them, we love you, and promise to return to the Christmas card circuit one day!

When I imagined a Christmas Card amongst coming up for air from finals, I imagined it arriving in your mailbox looking a little something like this:

Inside would give you a snapshot of our 2015 and giving glory to our sweet Jesus:

I would write you a short letter and would tell you that 2015 was a year that we saw Jesus fulfill the greatest desires of our heart. Robert and I became full time partners in ministry as Robert joined me as a Youth Pastor at RiverStone Church. In July, we were ordained, surrounded by our family and friends. Starting in ministry together in 2005, and seeing this fulfilled in 2015, we are truly thankful to the One who knows the perfect plan for our lives and a church that believes in us.

In September after a two week residency in Wilmore Kentucky for me, we decided to take a last minute vacation, and set sail to the Bahamas. It was the most beautiful time away just the three of us and truly a blessing from the Lord. Jude spent 8 hours straight on the water slide at our day at sea as we would casually look up from our chairs to make sure he was okay every once in awhile!

Jude is the most wonderful gift to us. He is our almost five year old, passionate about life, full of energy, all boy that is ready to take on the world for Jesus. He joined the Atlanta Track Club this year and ran his first timed race/mile in 10:20. I have to keep training just to keep up.

We are giving thanks tonight on this very Merry Christmas. Jesus deserves all of our praise, for He is worthy. Praying that you are resting tonight in the Peace that is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Labels: Christmas, family

Monday, January 26, 2015

McLendon Christmas Letter: Now that it is almost February...

Well...Robert wrote a Christmas letter this year and we failed to get it in the mail. It is too good not to share, so we are posting it here. For all to enjoy. So, now that it is almost February we are going to officially say good bye to 2014 and say hello to 2015.

Does anyone else wonder where January just went?

I hope this season meets you with merriment and diminished anxiety (whatever that means). Once again, we decided it was best to send you an update on our family through the written word rather than a picture-perfect portrait of our family sitting in wonderment at how organized we are. We would have done that, but we really couldn’t find one or pose for one long enough for the needed millisecond of camera flash.

Kristin is still taking on the world one student at a time as the RiverStone Student Pastor. She loves what she does when she’s not drowning in kids. She took a lovely group of students to Costa Rica this year to work with an orphanage and a local impoverished community near the orphanage. She is really good at hitting teenagers over the head with selfless reality. The kids are really no problem for her at all. She is having a blast with her students. Kristin fulfilled one bucket list item this year – she ran from the top of Mount Hood in Oregon, through Portland, and to the coast of Oregon. She did it with several friends and had a great time. They finished the relay in 34 hours! What is currently killing her is her recent decision to go to Grad School!!! She just finished up her first semester at Asbury Theological Seminary where she is getting her Master’s Degree in Intercultural Studies with a focus in Church Planting – this really means she is studying missionary processes both domestic and international. As much as it pains me to say, her school seems to be harder than mine.

Robert has also had an interesting year. In January of 2014 he started a counseling internship working with individuals who were court-ordered to go to counseling for anger/violence problems and alcohol/drug abuse problems. Whatever you picture in your mind when you read that is probably pretty accurate. He encountered lots or rewarding and heartbreaking moments over the past year. This internship was long and had some late hours, so Kristin was single mother for most of the year. Robert also continued to work at RiverStone as the Missions Coordinator helping missionaries and mission teams get their finances in order and counseling leaving and returning missionaries through transitions. Robert also went back to Scotland this past summer to work with kids and host a summer camp – And his dad went with him. Robert did take time off during the summer to drive a 15-passenger van from the top of Mount Hood to the coast of Oregon. He drove 34 consecutive hours and stayed awake for 42 consecutive hours (needless to say, Kristin had more fun than Robert did). With all the busy-ness, Robert looked at life a lot like Forest Gump looked at running across the country. “When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.” Robert finished his internship on December 12th, and started working with Kristin at RiverStone as a Student Pastor January 1st. A dream come true for the McLendons!

Jude has been a beautiful behavioral challenge this year. I’m sure after reading this letter you can probably deduce that he has been acting out because he has been the only child of a working single mother this year. Jude’s energy level equals that of the sun. He is either “all systems go” or asleep. It is not fair to say he has been all bad this year. We have shared so many sweet times with our boy. We took a road trip to Asheville, NC, Lynchburg, VA, and Charlotte, NC with Jude in October. He had a blast, and we had sweet family time. 4-6 hour car rides are not really his thing, but he managed.

Top 10 Lessons Life Taught Us this Year

10. If you take your dad to Scotland, don’t let him buy a kilt.

9. Kristin can run longer than most people can drive.

8. Oregon has traffic jams at 3am.

7. Jude can go through a “hungry-tired-angry-wired-happy-snuggly-screaming” cycle in 90 seconds.

6. Three-year-olds are the worst.

5. Three-year-olds are the best.

4. Kristin’s bucket list will probably kill Robert.

3. If a 3-year old wants to walk the dog, you have to walk the 3-year old while he walks the dog.

2. Don’t promise a 3 year-old movies for a 5-hour car ride if the portable DVD player doesn’t work.

1. Only the McLendons can get photo bombed by a man in a kilt while picking out a Christmas Tree!

Happy 2015 friends!

**Disclaimer: Letter was written by Robert**

Labels: Christmas, family, life

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Christmas Cards. A Blubbering Mess. Adoption.

I am a mail junkie. There you go. Confession just from the very beginning let's get it out there. It's the first thing I do upon arriving home every afternoon. If I am home when the mail lady comes--I go straight out to check it. Some (like the hubs) may call it an addiction. I say it's like getting a mini gift each day. You just never know what you are going to get. I love good mail days.

I love December which makes mail days that much more exciting. It may be the fact that I grew up an Air Force Brat which meant I grew up in a family that mailed Christmas cards and letters each year and we received letters and cards from around the world with updates from friends that my family made from those 18+ years in the service. I still love visiting my parents house at Christmas time and seeing those familiar faces that were a part of my childhood. It's a beautiful thing.

On Monday I opened up our first Christmas card & letter and came completely undone. To be honest I've never had those emotions before over a Christmas card or letter, but inside this letter contained pictures of kids I have grown to love and have a deep place in my heart for. You want to see me come undone---send me a letter from Costa Rica with 16 beautiful faces smiling back at me. Undone, sobbing, blubbering mess.

I was able to pull myself back together knowing that I will see them again come late May. I'm so thankful that my very first mission trip almost 12 years ago sent me to the beautiful country of Costa Rica and now for three years in a row I just keep getting to go back to these beautiful faces. To love on them and hug them. Who knows one day God may open the door for one (or two or three...) to become permanent fixtures in our family, but for now I'll take what I can get and that is a yearly trip to Costa Rica.

So there you go--there's my mail addiction. There's my heart for 16 beautiful Costa Rican children. And here is what is on my heart today that I want to share with you and what I personally would like to do something about. A family that I have come to know and love dearly in our church is raising funds to finalize their adoption of their sweet Elijah. You can read their complete and beautiful story by clicking here...really go read it. Please.

So what would I like to do about it? I wish I had $7000, but I don't. But I do have an etsy shop. I open it from time to time and God uses it to provide for mission trips to Scotland for the hubs and to Costa Rica for me...and/or wherever else in the world Jesus calls us to from year to year. He uses it to provide when my little fam of three just needs a little bit of extra finances (like Christmas time!) and I'm so thankful for the way He has just used it and blessed it. I've opened it up again this year for the holidays and I would like to use it to bless the Koeppen family. A minimum of 20% of all proceeds from my Etsy Shop this season will go towards their fundraising efforts.

I know you are presented with lots of things to give to during this season--but I would like to ask that you would pray about giving towards this sweet family. What a sweet Christmas present this would be to officially make Elijah a Koeppen. Whether you choose to do so through my Etsy Shop or give directly to them--either way is beautiful. Read their story, pray for them.

Adoption. It's a beautiful thing isn't it?
Only 174 days till I can wrap my arms around those 16 babies that have my heart....

Labels: adoption, Christmas, Etsy, family

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas, Love The McLendons

Merry Christmas our dear friends.

How I wish we could send this to

each and every one of you.

Thankful for you

and the way that you love us.

Thank you for living life with us.

Thank you for your sweet encouragement.

We are grateful for each of you

and thank our Jesus for you.

Many blessings from us on this

Christmas Evening.

Labels: Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit: Jessi @ Naptime Diaries

Merry Christmas Friends!

Since we've spent the whole month reading

the Scriptures together,

I just couldn't let today pass without posting

The Christmas Story.

Enjoy my friends.

May you be blessed today.

Luke 2:1-21

"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb."

Labels: advent, celebrations, Christmas

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Shopping Local?

Hi friends!

Are you still Christmas shopping?

Don't worry...we are too.

We're 95% done!

Just a few more little things to pick up!

{What do you buy for a 9 month olds stocking???}

Just wanted to check in with you and make sure

we weren't the only one's still shopping!

And if we aren't....I want to tell you of a great local place to go!

Robert and I have tried to do a portion of

our shopping supporting the handmade community...

and we'd love for you to do the same!

If you're in Atlanta....

we have the perfect opportunity for you!

Come on over and visit the Pop-Up Shop

located inside Criminal Records

{@ Little Five Points}

We're so excited to be a part of this shop this year!!!

I received some exciting photo's from a friend

last week that happened to be inside Criminal Records!

How fun is that!

And you can shop too--

now through Christmas Eve!

Take a look at the details below

and/or

VISIT ONLINE

{be sure to click on "our artists" to see everyone!}

***

Not local?

No worries! There is still time to get those

lovelies in time for Christmas!

Earlier this week the

Mommy & Baby Teething Necklaces

sold out....

but we've whipped some up and

listed them in the shop just for this weekend!

Be sure to order by midnight Sunday night {the 18th}

to guarantee Christmas delivery!

**Surprise! When checking out enter the code:

CHRISTMAS15

to receive 15% off your order**

**SHOP ONLINE**

Happy Shopping friends!

Labels: Christmas, Kristin's Kreations, pop-up shop, shopping, teething

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Advent....wreath or calendar? Or both?

Hello December 1st!

Hello 28 degrees when I woke up this morning!

Chilly!!!!

With today being December 1st, the Advent Calendar begins.

For the church, Advent started this past Sunday, November 28th.

So my question is to you..

what are your family traditions when it comes to Advent?

We are starting a couple of new traditions this year.

The first one being...

The Advent Wreath

We made one with our cell group this week!

First step, pick up greenery at Pike's!

{Or cut things out of your yard!}

Then it was a round styrofoam disk

It took me awhile to get this just right-

but the key is to put them in at a

"laying down" angle.

Thanks Lindsey for that tip!

Then I added holly berrys

and magnolia leaves

Each family wreath turned out different,

yet beautiful!

{Mine had a hard time holding up the candles....}

So....

I came home and filled in the center with burlap,

hot glued those candles in

and glued on a burlap border.

Love that little glue gun!

We found these readings and will be doing them each Sunday

of Advent: http://www.squidoo.com/advent99

I also found a daily advent reading which started this past Sunday:

http://www.crivoice.org/advent2.html

We are incorporating the traditional Advent Calendar

which starts December 1st

with the daily Scripture readings.

And using this cutie patottie advent calendar from Naptime Diaries.

I've taken each day and written the daily Scriptures on them.

{the goal will be to have these hanging from our fireplace by this weekend--

we are so far behind on decorating. I still have pumpkins on my front porch.

I should probably remove those eh?}

Next year, when Jude is a little older,

I'd like to add activities to the Advent Calendar

like the ones The Simple Mom did.

For now, we'll concentrate on our little

family being in the Word together.

And here is Day....

Photo Credit: Naptime Diaries

{The daily readings started this past Sunday, as it

follows the Christian Calendar. If you want to do some catch up reading, click here.}

The Epistle Lesson

2 Peter 3:11-18

"Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."

The Gospel Lesson

Matt 21:33-46

"Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

"'The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him,they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet."

So my question to you is, how do you prepare

during this season of Advent?

{My mother-in-law has written some amazing posts already this week. And my Senior Pastor from Richmond Hill has written an amazing series. I encourage you take the time and visit both of their blogs!}

Labels: advent, Christmas

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Christmas Shop (and a coupon code!)

Hello friends! I just added 3 more lovelies into the Christmas Shop ...

I love each and every one of these

So pretty...

and not just your average red and green...

Some are satin...

Some have quirky vintage buttons...

Some are perfect for those days of Christmas shopping...

Some are perfect for the office...

Some are perfect for the office Christmas Party...

And all are 10% off!

To get the discount, at checkout enter the coupon code:

BLOG10

And the best part is you can use this coupon code

on EVERYTHING IN THE SHOP

(not just Christmas items!)

All items are handmade--which means

each one is unique and no two are quite alike.

All items are ready to ship!

(And if you are in the Marietta/Kennesaw/Acworth area let me know--

and you can save on shipping!)

Labels: Christmas, Etsy, Kristin's Kreations

Saturday, December 26, 2009

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

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."

Labels: Christmas

Kristin McLendon

Kristin McLendon

Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas from the McLendons!

Monday, January 26, 2015

McLendon Christmas Letter: Now that it is almost February...

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Christmas Cards. A Blubbering Mess. Adoption.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas, Love The McLendons

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Shopping Local?

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Advent....wreath or calendar? Or both?

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Christmas Shop (and a coupon code!)

Saturday, December 26, 2009

My Favorite Christmas Moment

Friday, December 25, 2009

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

Monday, December 14, 2009

The McLendon Christmas Cottage 2009

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