MERRY CHRISTMAS

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

ISAIAH 9:6

Today was a wonderful day. We had lots of fun with family and friends. I hope that you had a wonderful day too, today. Today was the first day that I could make gravy well. I know that sounds like such a trivial matter, but it was an accomplishment for me

Christmas Eve

Well, today is the day. Do you have everything done? Well, if you don't, don't sweat it. It does not have to be perfect. This is the day that Jesus Christ was born. As I learned on Sunday, Jesus was born to save his people.

Do you know Jesus personally. Can you really know the meaning of Christmas other than the one the stores and tv tells us we should have? If you don't, call on him right now. Let him come into your life. He is waiting. He loves you. He cares about you. Just call on His name and you shall be saved.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

me organized?

I was told today that I am organized. Are you kidding? I am a big procratinator. I use so many calendars and I still put things off to the last minute. I use a calendar on my e-mail that pops up reminders for me. I put birthdays, anniversarys, appointments everything, and I still put things off. I have a calendar on my desk, and I even write important dates on a dry-erase board so everyone knows if there is a birthday, anniversary, or appointment coming up. If it were not for the Holy Spirit leading me, nothing would get done.

I do use a web site that I will share with you that helps me. It is flylady.net. It focuses on getting organized. I use their hints all the time. People think that because I am a stay-at-home mom, and a homeschooler mom that my house should be spotless. Do they have a teenager? With my health it takes longer to do things.

Thankfully I do have a husband and son who understands.

3 days to Christmas

Hi Guys:

This is going to be short and sweet like most of the posts the next few days. We had friends over tonight and we had a lot of fun

4 days to Christmas

Well, we are getting down to the wire. Only 4 days, and 3 shopping days. I know the stores are going to be busy and people rushing to get that last gift.

I had gotten sick last night. So sick that at 11:00 p.m. I was in the emergency room in Punxy. Its something that I have been dealing with for a few months, and last night I just couldn't get rid of it. Well, its just gastitis, and they gave me some medication that worked so today I am feeling better.

Today, was the first day of Christmas vacation, and Devin just hung out today. We finished our shopping last night. After we left the emergency room around 1:30 a.m., Cameron asked if I was well enough to go shopping. I said that as long as we go slow. Well, we finished, and got groceries, of course you can only do this at wal-mart. This weekend is going to be quite busy for us. We have friends coming over tomorrow night, church on Sunday, Christmas Eve is for family, and Christmas day we have people coming over.

Of course, I'm rooting for the Cowboys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 days till Christmas

Well, we are down to the wire, Devin goes on Christmas vacation tomorrow. I have received an e-mail that I want to share with everyone.

Just in case you ever wondered what in the world this Christmas carol means, read on..

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

Today, I found out. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.

Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. -

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ. -

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mar k, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. -

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it intere sting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish." Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone.....

6 six days to christmas

Well, this has been a busy week. It seems that we make ourselves busy over the Christmas season. There is always something to do. One of the things that Cameron and I like to do is just drive around and look at the Christmas decorations and lights. It is something that we enjoy doing together.

Last night, we had Cameron's company party to go to. We went to the Coney. It was only two hours, but it was later at night. You know at a time when we are really thinking about going to bed. There was some good food, and good talking to people he works with. This year, the owner did something different. He took all the shift managers out for breakfast after their meeting yesterday.

Tonight was our caregroup Christmas party. We had a lot of fun and fellowship. You would never believe that Cameron ended up with the terrible towel. Can you believe that.

Friday starts the Christmas break. I know that Devin can't wait, but he knows that means a lot of work till the end of the year.

8 days to Christmas

Well, we are down to 8 days to Christmas. We had a major winter storm, and it looks like a white Christmas. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know, where the tree tops glisten and children listen to sleigh bells in the snow." Yes, I do like it when it snows on Christmas.

What do you have done? Are you ready? Well, I have some of the shopping done, and most of the cards sent, cookies made, the only thing I want to make yet is some fudge and peanut butter fudge. We are planning a regular Christmas dinner with ham, and then there is the New Year's staple of pork and saurekraut.

Try to keep the true meaning of Christmas and the true gift in these days of hustling and bustling.

9 days to Christmas

Yesterday, we went Christmas shopping. We left early and got home before the storm hit. We went to Altoona because we had to go to Sam's club to get a few things. You know, like dog food, cat food, cat litter, ketchup things like that. While we were shopping, we noticed how rude and pushy people were being. I wanted to know where the true reason for Christmas everybody was running for. It had really upset me. But I know that the true meaning has nothing to do with how I feel or how others are treating me. The true meaning is there no matter what. I will say that now matter how busy the cashiers were, they were really cheerful. We went over to wal-mart and went over to the video game section, and they had people working, but were busy having to run to the cases all the time. They were cheerful.

On another note, today is my four year anniversary. Why do I say this. Four years ago today, I went into the hospital with congestive heart failure. God protected me and by his grace I am still here today. Thank you for everyone who has been praying for me and my family. We are truly blessed.

christmas cookie day

Well, today was day spent making Christmas cookies. Dad and Beula came over to help. We made chocolate chip, chocolate peanut butter chip, sugar, peanut butter blossoms, and nut cups. Cameron really likes the nut cups, and I like the chocolate peanut butter chip, and everyone likes the chocolate chip, and this is the first year we had sugar cookies. I usually by the sugar, but this year I decided to make them.

What is your favorite cookie? Would you like to share your recipie?

We are planning to go Christmas shopping tomorrow. I think that every year that we have planned to travel to do Christmas shopping it has snowed. I hope that we make it home before the snow.

12 days to Christmas

Well, we are down to 12 days to Christmas, and what have you achieved. Are you done decorating, shopping, baking, and any other traditions you do to prepare for. As wives and mothers we do a lot of things to make the holidays special for our families.

Do we suffer with perfectionism and take all the fun out of it. I know that I do. I get really stressed out making sure that I get everything done. It takes me a little longer than most to get things done, so I do try to put a deadline on things. Sometimes, I wait till I can't stand to see the decoration containers in the living room anymore.

I noticed that if I stress too much, my cookies don't turn out right. Last year, my step-mother, Beula and I have been getting together to make cookies together. This helps a lot.

Now, with the shopping Cameron really enjoys doing this part. I have been blessed with a husband who likes to go shopping. He will actually go online and start getting ideas for everybody. We discuss a lot. It seems our bedroom door is locked a lot more.

We don't need to stress during the holidays. Take the time to love your family and be too busy to enjoy it. If we don't take the time to enjoy it then our families will be stressed to, and they won't enjoy it.

traditions

Today we are down to 13 days to Christmas. We have a wintry mix in the forecast, with also the potential for a lot of snow over the weekend.

I want to talk about traditions. When Cameron and I got married, we both came with expectations of traditions. Our first Thanksgiving and Christmas he wanted to change how I made sweet potatoes. I have learned to compromise because his way now does seem to be the easiest. I like to put up the tree and everything else the day after Thanksgiving. He actually looks forward to this. We both like to enjoy looking at the lights on the tree. We also like to drive around and see everyone else's decorations.

We have also added where we open one gift on Christmas eve. Now Cameron has to really hide my gifts because I am still like a little kid and I go snooping to see what I got. Devin likes Jim Carey's "The Grinch" so we try to watch it on Christmas Eve. Now opening a gift on Christmas Eve, you can be cruel with this. For example: When Devin was little, we bought him his first remote control car. So on Christmas Eve, we let him open the battery. He stayed up all night to figure out what the battery was for. Also, one year, before we were married, Devin looked under the tree and said, "All these presents are mine." Well, we hid them all over the house. He comes running up the stairs the next morning, and looks under the tree and there is nothing there. He gets this disappointed look on his face. So we had a scavenger hunt. By doing this, we never practiced that Santa brought the gifts. He always knew that we went shopping for his gifts.

Now with this: If we can give good gifts for our children, and we are evil, The Father in heaven can give better gifts. He did give us a wonderful gift. He gave us his Son, who would die for our sins so that we could spend eternity with him and our Father.

14 days to Christmas

Well, there are 14 days to Christmas. Are you ready? Are you done decorating, baking, shopping. I am done decorating, haven't started the shopping or baking yet. My parents and I are getting together on Friday to do the baking. I don't know about you, but Christmas isn't Christmas without Christmas cookies. The shopping on the other hand. I used to love to go out shopping, but I don't enjoy it as much anymore. When I worked graveyard shift, I used to go out after work at 6:30 a.m. when hardly anyone else was there. Then Cameron would go after he got off late at night. That is when we enjoyed shopping.

We do most of our shopping online now. Last year, I think that UPS would be at our house every day. We are doing the same this year. There's a lot of trust to doing this. Yes, it is awfully tempting. When the boxes come, and you know that your gift is inside. You have to battle the temptation to not opening it except of course if it is one that you ordered for someone else.

I hope that with all the hustle and bustle that you remember the greatest gift that was given was Jesus Christ.

monday

Well, today is monday, and I can do is sleep. I had a pretty busy weekend, and today I have to rest.

Yesterday, the message in church was devoted to prayer. One of the things is to take time to pray. I know that when Cameron comes home, I take time for him to catch up with him. If I'm on the phone, computer or doing anything I take the time to stop.

I need to do the same with God. He wants a relationship as my father, and I need to take time to talk to him, or I won't know who he is, and I would listen to lies instead of truth.

Monday, December 2, 2007

Today will be the first positing be back later