A VERY BLESSED CHRISTMAS

The day after Christmas, there's generally a feeling of malaise and exhaustion, for some even disappointment. The only disappointment I feel is that it's over already! Christmas is my favorite time of year and the gifts are opened, the family gone off their separate ways, the tree is empty, and I'm tired, but I'm also sad it's over. I read this morning on Facebook, there's only 365 shopping days until Christmas! I don't even want to think about that today!!!
Christmas was good to me this year. I was able to visit with my entire family, either in person or by telephone, which is always a blessing. The grandchildren and nieces and nephew were all thrilled with their gifts and Santa was even good to me!
I think my favorite gift this year is a toss-up between my Sony Reader (like a Kindle) and my Kitchen-Aid Food Processor. Both of those were gifts from my precious husband.
Now it's on to the New Year. It's time to start working on my list of goals for next year. Check back in a few days...I'll post them.
Also, congratulations to Cheryl who won my giveaway and has now received her box filled with AVON products. Thanks to all who entered....watch in a few weeks I plan on doing another one around Valentine's Day.
For those who have asked, Andy is growing like a weed. He's so cute, everyone wants to take him home and keep him. When we called the puppy sitter yesterday to pick him up the told us, "we have some bad news...." I laughed and told them the lady still had two puppies, they asked for her phone number.
I hope your Christmas was wonderful! Be blessed!

THREE DAYS AND COUNTING!!!

Three more days until Christmas! The Christmas season is my favorite time of year, it's like being a child all over again. The excitement, the lights, the pagentry, the smells, the food (read cookies), and, of course, the gifts.

However, Christmas also has a deeply personal meaning for me. It is when the world celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He who became man, to be born of a virgin, to live a sinless life and die on the cross of Calvary, the perfect sacrificial lamb for my sins. Only by understanding and accepting that gift can we spend eternity in Heaven. Nothing else will do. No amount of goodness, or charity on our part will pay the price necessary. Only the pure, spotless blood of that Christ Child born in a cold, dark cave. Only that blood that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a stone manger on that wondrous night over 2000 years ago.

So, as the world prepares to be buried in wrapping paper and bows as children rip gifts open on Christmas morning (or Christmas Eve if that's your family's tradition) take a moment and remember what was the first gift of Christmas so long ago...the babe, born in a manger in Bethlehem ...Jesus Christ the Lord.

May you and your family have a most wonderful Christmas. From our home to yours...Merry Christmas!!!

GIFT-WRAPPING DAY and other various news

Today is the day I dread most in the entire holiday season....gift -wrapping day. Don't ask me why I wait until everything is piled high to wrap all the gifts at once. It makes sense it would be easier to wrap as I buy, but that means a constant wrapping paper - tape - bow mess in my office for days on end. No, I prefer the "attack and conquer" method...an all-at-once marathon wrapping event.

On another front..I FINALLY made AVON unit leader! WOO HOO! Do you have any idea how hard it is to find FIVE people who will honestly commit to selling anything? But I did it....I can hear the Dora song in my head right now...I've GOT to stop listening while Katie watches her television shows

Also, thank you all for the lovely thoughts and comments on Andy. He is doing very well indeed! He has very few accidents in the house anymore and is even beginning to tell us when he needs to go out. Now we need to work on the pooping part, that seems to be a little more elusive.

If you have not yet entered my giveaway, there is still time. It's a $100 basket of AVON products. Spread the word, the more the merrier!

I guess I've procrastinated long enough...off to the gift pile. If you don't see me about dinner time, send out the rescue team, I'll be the one buried in wrapping paper and ribbon.

THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY

Christmas arrived a little early at our house in the form of an 11-week-old puppy named Andy. He is so cute and weighs all of three pounds. Thought I'd share him with you all.

Don't forget to sign up for my give-away...if you post it on your blog and let me know I'll stick in an extra entry for you.

Decorated! A Give-away Celebration!

My house now looks and smells like Christmas! I have the Yankee Candle Christmas Wish candles burning, the tree is up and decorated, all the lovely snowmen I collect are out and about the house and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. I've been very busy the last few days cyber shopping. I haven't braved a store or mall for several years, I find it much simpler to shop online these days. Almost all offer free shipping and some even gift wrap.

To celebrate the season I am offering a wonderful give-away to one lucky winner. I don't craft...my talents lie in a musical direction rather than an artistic one...but I do sell AVON. So, the giveaway is a $100 gift basket of AVON products. Here's the rules:

1. ONE entry per person.

2. To enter you must leave a comment on my blog. Please include your email address. To avoid the wonderful scammers be sure you post your email address XDX@yahoo(dot)com

3. The drawing for the winner will be held on December 15th.

Simple. Yes? Good Luck to all!

GIVE THANKS

There's a chorus we sing at church, "Give Thanks with a grateful heart" and I'm pondering today if we really understand what it is to have a grateful heart. Too many times we think things are supposed to be this way or that way, we don't understand why God allows problems and trials into our lives and we spend entirely too much time looking on the dark side instead of seeing the things we have been blessed with. Scripture teaches us to be content and to be thankful.

There's a sign on the church down the road, I noticed this morning it asked the question, "Have you told God 'Thank you' today?"

Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving and sometimes I think we forget, in the hustle and bustle of fixing a turkey and the trimmings, or having family and friends around, in the noise of the football games and the chatter of the children to stop for a moment and think about the things for which we are truly blessed.

As for me, this year I have been most especially blessed. My cancer surgery was successful and I was blessed with a stage 1 grade 1A cancer. God brought me successfully through the surgery and recovery. I am blessed with a wonderful family, dear friends, precious grandchildren, a husband who loves me beyond what I ever hoped or dreamed, parents who are still in good health, a home we love, and so many more things. But most of all I am blessed because I know my Redeemer liveth and on the Earth again shall stand. I know the life He giveth and grace and power are in His hand.

May your Thanksgiving be blessed.

IT'S ONLY 37 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!

I just realized there's only 37 days until Christmas and I am definitely NOT ready this year. By this time I've usually got my shopping well in hand, I've barely begun this year. I seem to be moving slower in general this year. I suppose my cancer surgery changed my view of what is most important in life. I'm thinking that I may just do AMEX Gift Cards this year for all but the littlest ones.

I did get my kitchen and laundry room floors installed. They look wonderful. The new vinyl flooring is fabulous, looks and feels just like real wood. All I have to do is a quick sweep and mop with a Swiffer. I like that!

Everybody keeps talking about decorating for Christmas....ugh. I don't even want to think about dragging all that stuff out until after Thanksgiving. We're expecting 14 for dinner on Thanksgiving Day, I don't want to have to focus on anything but that for right now. I'm doing a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, it'll be only the second in our home since I moved to Florida. We always spent Thanksgiving with my husband's mother, but she passed away this past Spring and is sorely missed. I decided this year I'd do dinner here at home. I may have made an error!!! LOL

It's sometimes hard to think about it being time for Christmas and Thanksgiving when you're still wearing shorts and it's 80 degrees each day. Maybe I need to start playing some Christmas Carols to get in the mood...."It's beginning to look a lot like"....nope that's not doing it.