Goals for 2009

Each New Year's Eve I sit down and think about the upcoming year, feeling a sense of loss, but also of excitement and anticipation at the chance of a "clean slate" as the clock strikes midnight. As I think about they typical resolutions people make of "lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking, etc.," ones folks only keep for day or two at most, I realize they're not worth wasting the ink writing them down. But then I think about what the Heavenly Father would like to see changed in my life. It's a bit funny, I've done this every year since 2005 and almost all of them stay the same. It's not so much that I haven't worked on them during the year, I simply don't think I've "arrived" at where I should be.

So, here's what I'd like to work more on during 2009.

1. To grow closer to God through a more dedicated study of scripture each day, not just reading it but deeply studying it in the context of history and truth, to make the scriptures and the people come alive.

2. To spend real time each day in prayer and conversation with God. To keep a prayer journal and record in it the answers to prayer and what I hear God saying to me. To become a dedicated prayer warrior and when I tell people I will pray for them, earnestly pray for them until they tell me the prayer has been answered.

3. To share the Gospel of Jesus each and every day with at least one person.

4. To be a blessing to someone each day

5. To build a stronger relationship with my sister.

6. To become a gentler person through the Grace of God.

7. To work more on writing letters and to sending cards and letters to those who I know are ill, need encouragement or other uplifting.

8. To keep my mind focused on Christ and to be more aware of His presence in my life as I read books, watch television and movies, and to try and be more pleasing in my daily activities.

9. To be less judgemental, critical, and complaining. To not feel negative towards those who are.

10. To be more patient and kind with others. To remember that not everyone is a picky, type A personality who sees the answer as soon as the problem is presented, to remember that some people need to work through things and read the directions. To be more thankful for the help I receive rather than criticizing those who help for not doing things the "right way", which means my way.

11. To get to know my granddaughters more, through telephone calls, letters, cards, videos and whatever means I can use to bridge the 1200 mile gap.

12. To let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to the Heavenly Father.

Another Monday Morning

The last Monday morning of 2008. This year has flown by so quickly, with so many things happening, changes...the time has swiftly passed. It makes you wonder what 2009 has in store for us. I pray the changes are helpful and not harmful. I know, as I grow older, I listen more and more for the Trumpet of the Lord and look for Him coming in the air, as scripture promises.

Today is my busiest work day, plus I have laundry that needs to be done and I still have my Christmas decorations to take down and pack away for another year. Sometimes I wonder why I bother, no one enjoys them but us. Our children are all too busy with their lives to come home for Christmas, we always end up going to them instead....but I don't want to have a pity party this morning, it's far too early for that.

I thought I'd share a New Year's Prayer with you all this morning:

Lord, let this year be filled with the things that are truly good—with the comfort of warmth in our relationships, with the strength to help those who need our help and the humility and openness to accept help from others. As we make our resolutions for the year ahead, let us go forward with great hope that all things can be Possible—with Your help and guidance."

Dear Lord, please give me…

A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;

A work to do which has real value,

Without which the world would be the poorer;

A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;

An understanding heart;

A sense of humor;

Time for quiet, silent meditation;

A feeling of the presence of God;

The patience to wait for the coming of these things,

With the wisdom to recognize them when they come.

Amen.

Merry Christmas to all!

We're leaving tomorrow morning, bright and early, for our annual trek to spend Christmas with my husband's family. We have to be at the Orlando airport by 9AM to pick up our son-in-law who is flying in as a surprise to spend Christmas with our daughter and grandsons before he's deployed to Iraq again...this will be his 3rd tour.

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you the Merriest Christmas and pray that you will all take a moment to stop during the hustle and bustle, the chaos and fury, of these next couple of days to spend a quiet moment remembering what Christmas is really all about.

May God bless you and your family, and may you have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! God bless us, everyone.

The Glitter Card

"Mommy, mommy look at the beautiful glitter card," the little girl said.
"Yes, Amanda, it is a beautiful card. Would you like me to buy it for you?" asked her mother. Amanda nodded her head yes.
Amanda didn't know who to send the glitter card to. The stars were shining so bright on the card, it was as if the card was trying to tell her something. Amanda wondered what this special card was trying to say.
It was two days before Christmas when her Uncle Gerald came and visited her. Amanda showed him her special glitter card and asked him if he knew what the card was trying to tell her.
"Well, Amanda, I think this card is very, very special and you must decide what to do with it. You can send it to your parents, friends, aunts, uncles, or give it away to someone special," said Uncle Gerald.
Amanda didn't want to mail it to anyone or give it away. She wanted to keep it forever. Amanda told her Uncle that she would keep the card until it told her what to do.
Her Uncle laughed, patted her head and gave her $5.00.

On Christmas Eve, Amanda went downtown to the toy store. She loved looking in the windows, and she knew that Santa Claus would be giving her everything she had on her Christmas list.
Standing next to Amanda was a mother and child. They were dressed in torn clothes that didn't look very warm.
The little girl asked her mommy if Santa Claus would know they were living in their car and would bring her a gift this year.
The little girl's mommy had the saddest eyes Amanda ever saw. With a small tear falling down her face, the mother told her little girl, she hoped Santa Claus wouldn't forget them.
Amanda pulled the glitter card out of her pocket, looked at it and then realized what the special card was telling her.
She reached into her other pocket, took out the $5.00 Uncle Gerald had given her and handed the card and the money to the mother.
Amanda ran all the way home. She was happy she was able to help someone, but she missed her special glitter card.
Throughout Amanda's life, at Christmastime she always remembered the "special glitter card" she once had. She had told her children and grandchildren the story of her special card and how one card and $5.00 helped to make a Merry Christmas for one family.

One cold Christmas Eve, Amanda was sitting alone on a park bench. A girl came over to Amanda and asked her why she was crying. Amanda told the little girl that her husband died two years ago, her children had all moved away and she was all alone for Christmas.
The little girl reached in her pocket and pulled out an old tattered card and handed it to Amanda saying, "Please take this card. Many, many years ago someone gave this card and $5.00 to my great-grandmother on Christmas Eve. Great granny told me it was the best Christmas they ever had."
Amanda was shocked to see it was the card she gave away so many years ago. She was just about to tell the girl that she was the one who gave the card to her great-grandmother, when the girl reached into her other pocket and pulled out $5.00. She handed Amanda the money and said, "Please hold on to this card until you find someone 'special' to pass it to." With that, the girl ran away.
As Amanda sat there looking at the glitter card, she was shocked to see all the stars start to move. Instead of a group of shining stars, they now were grouped together to form one bright, shining star.
Amanda now realized what this card was telling her so many years ago. Christmas isn't about gifts, toys, parties or pretty clothes. Christmas is about love and sharing.
~ by B. Heran

Tag!

These are the rulesRule #1 ~ Link to the person that tagged you.

Rule #2 ~ Post the rules on your Blog.

Rule #3 ~ Write 6 random things about yourself.

Rule #4 ~ Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

Rule #5 ~ Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their Blog.

Rule #6 ~ Let the tagger know your entry is up

1. I am a retired teacher. I retired at 41.

2. I am an avid reader and have over 1,000 books in my library at any given time

3. Iam am a majorly anally retentive type A personality. A total perfectionist.

4. When my boys were young I worked as a Hostess at Denny's for about a year.

5. I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. One of my ancestors served with General George Washington at Valley Forge.

6. I have a Great-Grandfather who died in the Civil War.

Rather than tag anyone in particular I'll leave this here for anyone who'd like to participate. You're welcome to take the tag to your blog and pass it along!

Catching Up

I'm going to blink twice and it's going to be Christmas. I do not know where the days have gone. I got all the gift wrapping done today, and it does look nice, if I say so myself. I found some really cute prim gift wrapping paper at Dollar General and enjoyed using it. I wish they would have had more.

If I had half a brain I'd be dangerous. In my last post I mentioned I'd received some items in the mail and thanked the wrong person. I got the items from Joleen at The Primitive Bucket. Sorry Joleen.

It is so unseasonably warm here this year. We've got the air conditioning running, it's in the 80's. At this rate my flowers will be blooming again soon! It's hard to be in the Christmas spirit when you feel like you ought to be swimming. Then I see that out west, Las Vegas and places in California it's SNOWING! The weather has certainly been strange this year. I keep Christmas music playing, that's about all that keeps me in the Spirit.

I think I'll take a break and go watch Mamma Mia. My DH bought it for me. We saw the stage version when it came to town and truly enjoyed it. I do love the music of ABBA and hope I like the movie version as much. Hope you all have a great day!

She ate, and other topics

Punkin finally ate something! I can't tell you how relieved I am that she finally ate. She also slept in our bed all night last night, never moved a muscle. I think she's finally settling in.

I was working this morning, Monday is my busy office day, and when DH got home from work I asked him to take out some boxes to the trash for me. A few minutes later in he walks with one of the boxes telling me I needed to go through it, there was some "good stuff" in there. I couldn't imagine what had fallen in the box, but when I looked there was a brand new HP laptop computer! It is my Christmas gift, something I've wanted for quite some time. It was such a surprise as we both have perfectly good desktop computers, but this is one I can even watch television on if the need arises.

We are never worried about giving on the particular day, I already gave him his gift also..a Garmin GPS system.. I told him he should never get lost again. For us it's the giving, not the day.

Many thanks to Deb at Pioneers and Pilgrims. I received my prize today...absolutely fabulous smelling tarts...5 of them! I can't wait to use one..it's deciding which one to start with that will be hard!

I'm looking for a round penny rug for my dining room table. I want one I can use year-round, not just during the holiday season. If anyone knows a great place to purchase penny rugs that won't break your pocketbook leave me a message.

I received my package from Janeen at Primitive Lifestyle. I'd seen on her blog awhile back she'd done a craft show and hadn't sold much. She showed a couple of her items and I fell in love with them. She is so talented and creative and it's a real pleasure to have her beautiful items in my home. I hope she gets some new things listed on Ebay soon. Valentines Day will be here before we know it. I may have to try her "beer butt" chicken one day soon, it looks yummy.

Time to get back to work for me...I've played on this thing long enough. I hope your day is truly wonderful.

She has a name! and other topics

After much deliberation and trying on different names we've decided to call our new doggie, Punkin'. We are a little worried about our Punkin, however. She's not eaten anything, except a few bites of cheese that first night, in the entire four days we've had her. She is drinking water, finally, after we switched her water to bottled water. She's finally decided to come out of her cage. She discovered that when she lays on the couch she can see everything that's going on. And, we're working on the house-breaking, but that is going verrrrrrrry slowly with almost no progress. Thankfully my sweet husband is very good about cleaning up her messes when he finds them, so it's a shared thing.

We had a lovely day yesterday, my husband and I went to my AVON Christmas party. It was so much fun. The food was great, I found someone who makes greens better than I do, and I came home loaded down with all sorts of prizes, as well as the top cash prize of $20.00. I enjoy selling AVON, I meet so many nice people that way, and where else could you start your own business for $10?

Today is a busy day for us. Church services, morning and evening, plus we have a funeral to attend this afternoon. For some reason funerals always seem sadder around the holidays and this one is no exception. A young family man, 39 years old, was killed this week in a one-car accident, leaving behind a wife and 2 young children. If you think of it around 2PM this afternoon, whisper a prayer for the Davis family.

I pray your Lord's Day is blessed whether you're attending church services or enjoying family time together. Seeya tomorrow!

What's in a Name?

I'm tired this morning, I've been up since 4:30 when our new doggie decided it was time for everyone to be up too. We adopted a new dog, a Yorkie, last evening and she's going to need some time to adjust to a new family and a new environment. She's very skittish and shy. She's four years old and has spent almost all of those four years in a cage. Her first home was a puppy mill, her last owner rescued her and immediately bred her....and kept her in a cage in her garage. We do have a crate for her, it seems to be where she retreats to when she feels afraid...we just leave the door open so she can go in and out as she pleases, hoping she'll explore and get used to her new home. One of the downsides of her spending her time in a cage is that she's not house-broken....joy, joy.

So what does all this have to do with the title of the post? She came with an awful name....Hemi. Her CKC name is Gotta Have a Hemi. Now who in their right mind pins that on a little dog? I think she deserves a better name, don't you? Maybe you all can help me with name! It's not the best picture of her, but I had trouble getting her to be still for this one! So what does she look like to you? All suggestions are welcome!

Yet another fabulous Christmas Giveaway

Everyone is being so generous this Christmas season by having great giveaways on their blogs. Sue of Oodlekadoole Primitives has a most generous giveaway contest running through Sunday. Pop over to her blog and sign up, and look at all the wonderful things she's shared on her blog.

It's Official

I am a blogaholic. Since I decided to become serious about blogging I've started reading other people's blogs. When reading them I see who they're following and go to read other blogs they find interesting and it grows and grows...sort of like an endless circle of blogs...and I love it!

I've discovered new friends, talented creative people, wonderful holiday traditions and ideas, fabulous recipes, and most generous people who have fabulous giveaways. It's amazing what can be found by clicking on a simple link.

I've discovered another new blog today...with a giveaway. Hmmm by sharing giveaways I lessen my own chances of winning....maybe I should stop sharing! Nahh it's much more fun to share :)

Angie at Simple Thyme Primitives is doing a Winter Wonderland Giveaway. Be sure and stop in to her blog and see what's she's up to these days.

I think I'm going to bake some brownies. I can't eat chocolate, I have tachycardia so no caffeine, but I substitute carob powder and it makes brownies that taste just as good. They're really yummy with vanilla ice cream on top.

I hope you all have a blessed day!

Another great holiday give-away

Dawn at The Forgotten Barn is giving away the most adorable hand-made prim doll on her blog. Be sure and stop in and see what all she's chatting about today.

A new giveaway...only five posts left

Janene over at Primitive Lifestyle has a great giveaway going on. Stop in there and see what she's blogging about!

Christmas Time's a Comin'

I don't know that I'll ever get used to Palm trees and Christmas lights, so we don't really decorate the outside of our house at Christmas, but I do decorate the inside! I thought I'd share some pictures today of the decorations you'll find inside our home. My decorating style is more of a Country Antique/Primitive. I don't have a lot of the shabbier things, but I love a beautiful antique that has history, a great story behind it, or it's a family heirloom. I hope you'll enjoy Christmas at my house.

This is the newest addition to my snowman collection. He looks like mercury glass, and is so cute!
Here is my beautiful Nativity set. I saw this one year at Family Christian Bookstore and really wanted it, but it was $99.00! I waited until the day after Christmas and went to the sale, got the set for $12.00! Boy was I happy!

One of the gals that used to post quite a lot on Creative Homekeepers made this tree and I just had to have it. It's such a cute little Prim tree. The ornies are handmade snowballs, out of an old chenille bedspread, and handmade stockings with rusty bells. Standing next to it is an antique Santa figurine.

We don't have a fireplace, hence no mantle. I decided the top of my entertainment center could serve the same purpose! The clock in the back plays a Christmas Carol on each hour and counts down the days until Christmas. The snowman sitting on the top of the speaker holds a snowball that changes colors, quite festive.

This table sits on the small wall that separates my dining room, living room, and kitchen. It was the ugliest table ever, layers and layers of old paint peeling and flaking. We decided, since we didn't know if any of it was a lead based paint, the best thing was to strip it all off to the bare wood and stain it. It turned into a beautiful side table. It has two fold-down leaves, which when pulled up makes it about card table sized. This is the table I use to display my angels, along with a tri-fold snowman made of wood and one of my pieces of Yellow ware, filled with white and silver ornaments.

The buffet in my dining room holds several of the items I recently received in a Christmas swap, along with a couple of prim make-do's.

Last thing to share is our Christmas tree. Sparkling with multi-colored lights, the ornaments are a mixture of old and new, traditional and primitive. It makes for a warm, colorful tree.

I'm so glad I was able to share Christmas at our home with you.

Go Gators!!

In last night's SEC Championship game we watched the Florida Gators slide to victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was an exciting game, filled with moments where I was sitting on the edge of my seat and others where I was yelling at the television set. I didn't like seeing our Gators behind, or watching the score so close after so many huge wins this season.

Most of all, however, was watching Tim Tebow give praise to God, as I have watched him do all year. He realizes his talents come from the One above and he openly acknowledges it. Now, I don't know that I believe that God ordains the outcome of a football game, but I appreciate the open testimony that young man gives every week, every day of his life, to his coaches and to the other players and students at UF.

Now it's on to the Championship game. May the best team win! I'll be in front of the television watching, that's for sure.

Blogging and Sharing

As you can see I have not been the most faithful of bloggers. Yesterday afternoon I spent some time reading the blogs of some wonderful gals and I learned that you don't always need something deeply profound to say, you simply need to share what is on your heart and mind at the moment. That's easy enough to do, there's almost always something on my mind! I'm going to try to do better at sharing what's going on in my life. I'll start with something I've hesitated to share. I'm not sharing now because I want pity or sympathy, but because, if you're reading this, I'd love to ask you to pray for me....for patience, for strength, for wisdom, and to learn the lessons God has for me in all this.

My life has been a whirlwind these last few months. I was diagnosed with cancer back in August, and there's something about that one word alone that sends you spiraling. But, I've learned that it's not the end of life and that doesn't mean that you give up hope, or living. I'm scheduled for surgery after the first of the year, and am praying that the surgery will take care of the problem. I know that God is totally in control, and this journey is a learning and growing process for me, it's certainly taught me patience.

Deb at Pilgrims and Pioneers is celebrating her 200th blog posting, yes I said 200th!, by having a wonderful give-away. Be sure and stop in to her blog and sign up, don't forget to read her really interesting blog while you're there as well!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yes, that line is from one of the most popular Christmas songs of the 20th century, and it aptly applies to the Christmas holiday season. For me, however, it does not apply to the hectic scurrying around, standing in long lines, fighting traffic, or arriving at 1AM to stand in line at the mall or Wal-Mart for a gift card or bargain television set. That, to me, is not Christmas at all.

This year, in our family, we came to the decision that Christmas had become a giving contest. We decided to no longer purchase gifts for the adults, only for the children, and we set a limit on that. We also decided that we would change some of our family traditions to include reading the Christmas story to the children and to select a charitable deed to do as a family. This year it is a care package for a soldier serving our country in Iraq, far away from his home and family on Christmas.

More importantly, we all need to stop each and every day and take time out from the hustle and bustle of cooking, baking, decorating, card writing, gift wrapping, shopping, and swiping those credit cards, to remember what Christmas is all about. It's about the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, who was born in a lowly manger, who died on a cross, and who rose again on the third day so that we might spend eternity in Heaven. It is Jesus who makes this the most wonderful time of the year.

First Frost

I woke this morning to the ground covered with the first frost of the year. Being in Florida, this is as close to snow as we get. It reminds me that the year is waning and that Thanksgiving and Christmas are drawing near.

Fall is my favorite time of year, I love everything about it...maybe because I was a fall baby. I'm growing anxious this year for the holidays, they make me feel like a child again.

In the meantime, I'm staying inside this morning, wrapped up in my warm, pink, chenille robe and fuzzy slippers and peeking out the window from time to time as the sun rises higher and higher in the sky and watching the frost melt away under the warmth of the sun's rays.

Childhood Treasures

Yes, this is me! Well, okay, it was a long time ago.

Too many years came and went before I figured out that I treasured the wonderful things I had growing up. Unfortunately, too many of them had long been lost. It's really a shame someone didn't warn me, as a child, that I would want those dolls and toys when I reached middle age. I might have taken better care of them.

Slowly and steadily I have been rebuilding my collection of dolls and precious toys. This doll, however, continues to elude me. I've hunted and searched through EBay, doll sites and books, trying to find what kind of doll this is. I've written to experts and even paid one expert to look at my photo and tell me. Her best guess was a Sears "Happi-Time Playmate. Nobody seems to know anything about them or have one for sale. I keep hoping that one day I'll run across someone who has my doll for sale.

Fall in Florida

I love fall. I grew up in the Chicagoland area where fall is spectacular. Crisp cool nights and warm, sunny days, blue skies that make you ache and trees that look like God spilled a paint palette everywhere. The bright orange of ripe pumpkins and the beautiful rainbow of chrysanthemums everywhere plus there is a unique scent in the air unlike any other time of year.

Ten years ago, I moved to Florida. Florida doesn't have fall. Our leaves don't turn bright orange and yellow, just brown and fall off...sometime in January. We don't have crisp cool nights where you can leave your windows open and sleep with the fresh air blowing in, snuggled under your nice warm quilts. We're still running the air conditioning. Chrysanthemums are an annual here and only last a couple of weeks before the sun dries them out. Pumpkins rot on the ground, it's still too hot for them.

I miss all the wonders of fall. The smell, the crunch of leaves underfoot as you walk in the woods, the beauty of God's creation, for only God could paint such beautiful colors together for us to enjoy.

Politics

I've always loved politics. In my younger years, I served for five years on the local school board. It was exciting to be an active part of the local political process in my community. I've always been a champion of the "underdog", taking the side of those who could not speak for themselves. I've also been a life-long, dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. Until this year.

Suddenly I find myself leaning more towards the politics of the Republicans. Now, I still don't agree with all the things they have on their platform, but as I grow older I find myself leaning more to the right instead of the left. I guess you might say I'm in the middle.

This year I'll be casting my vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin. I admire their politics. I admire their stand on certain issues. I admire Sarah Palin for being a strong, determined woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go get it. More than anything I admire their main focus..."Country First." It's about time someone remembered that we're all Americans first.

The Arrival of Fall

The official start of fall is still a month away, but fall is my favorite season of the year and I usually jump the gun a bit in my decorating. This year is no different. When Tropical Storm Fay decided to descend upong North Central Florida, and I was stuck in the house for days on end, it seemed the perfect time to put out the sunflowers, pumpkins, multi-colored leaves, and the rest of my fall decorations.

I don't decorate with any Halloween type decorations. You won't find jack-o-lanters, bats, witches, and the like at my house. But I think a person can decorate beautifully for fall without bowing to convention and bringing a day dedicated to evil into your home.

Like most people, at this time of year, I'm tired of the endless heat and humidity and am ready for some cooler, drier weather. I'm ready for the bounty of the fall harvest. I've got my Autumn Wreath candles ready to light .....anytime fall, anytime!

Sisterchicks Go Brit!

I got my copy today...I can't WAIT to get started reading it! There's nothing more uplifting than one of the Sisterchicks books by Robin Jones Gunn.

If you haven't tried one of these books, I urge you to try one....you'll laugh, and you'll cry too, as God speaks to your heart.

Wearing Dresses

I was recently convicted to be dresses-only. Six months ago if you'd have told me this I'd have laughed in your face. But God works in mysterious ways His wonders to behold. Now I couldn't be happier and when I'm forced to wear a pair of pants (I have to go to physical therapy twice a week because of a fall) I feel so strange and can't wait to get home and get them off.

It's amazing what we Christians convince ourselves is okay, and how we accept that we can be like everyone else in the world. One problem with that theory. Christians are totally different than the world. Satan tells us it's okay, he's so sneaky and subtle sometimes we don't even notice him working in our lives.

I truthfully believe, in our society today, women don't give a second thought to the provocativeness of their dress, they only think about it being "in style." We don't realize sometimes that we can be a stumbling block to our fellow Christians and we don't stop often enough to realize what we're saying to the world, either.

I have been amazed at how differently I am treated since I've started wearing dresses all the time. People are much more polite, I'm treated with respect and courtesy. Strangers hold doors for me, I've had traffic stop in a parking lot so I could cross to my car. My husband even treats me differently, more gently and loving as though he now realizes all the time that I am a lady as well as his wife. He holds doors for me, helps me in and out of our vehicle, carries my Bible and things. His behavior is more respectful. I realized I was telling him it was okay to treat me so casually and more as an equal instead of the fairer sex and helpmeet.

I realize too that God doesn't lay this on everyone's heart. I'm not sure why, after all these years, he laid it on mine! But He did and I struggled with it. I didn't want to give up my comfy capris and t-shirts, my jeans and sweats. But God wouldn't leave me be until I did it willingly.

I used this as a starting point in my life and started examining myself in all areas. My speech, my friends, my comings and goings, where we eat (we've stopped eating at the local sports pubs...they're the closest to where we live so we've given up the convenience, but we also don't provide the witness of us walking out of a bar together), what television programs we watch, movies we rent, books and magazines I read....every thing. I want more than anything for my life to be completely pleasing unto the Lord.