Okay, remember how my Christmas note asked you to tuck away some of the thoughts to re-visit and see how God is talking with me right now? Well, here goes - I wrote the Christmas Card [on my blog ] note a few weeks ago – saying things like, “Life can be crazy and we choose to seek out the magic.” And, “Our prayer for you this year is that you seek out joy in your lives—look for the magic of God’s presence and we’re sure you’ll find it.”

And as many of you know - I’ve been on the ‘look-out’ for the next book to use in our Faith Based Classes Yahoo group for a while now. [Strangely, I still have one tucked back that I CHOSE over a year ago, but that I can now see was never really chosen by God for us to use – even though it’s a great book by a favorite author.] So I was in a book store in the religious / inspirational section the other day [ a few weeks AFTER writing the CC note], just browsing and talking with God about what we might do. And clearly I heard – see if there’s anything by Matthew Turner. Odd. [Very.] Because I’ll admit that I’ve never read any of his books – I know of him because his wife Jessica was a design team member back in the FBP kit days. And okay, I’ve visited his blog a few times and well, honestly, found those few posts I read to be a little different, and hmmm, irreverent for my taste. But I looked – and found this little book, Beatitude: Relearning Jesus through truth, contradiction, and a folded dollar bill – and, seriously – I could not put it down until I’d devoured it completely. So this is it - not only have I found our next book [search it out on Amazon – there’s some good prices out there! Be sure you search for Matthew Paul Turner] but I’ve also found my One Little Word for 2011 – Magic. Or maybe, I should say My One Little Word found me. [And after you read the book you’ll see how, really.] Magic – it conjures up all kinds of impossible possibilities, doesn’t it? God things. During 2011 I want to focus on seeing the magic in life that God so freely gives us in both the little and big things.

What’s your One Little Word for 2011? Your word to ponder, reflect on, and guide you through the next 12 months – need to know more? Go HERE and Go HERE.

But back to Faith Based Pages Classes - grab the book and give it a read – we’ll be using a few chapters for our faithbooking class in February. Yippeeee – it feels good to have inspiration to work with! And I love seeing how God works!

Ten on Tuesday

Wow! A year of Ten on Tuesday posts – I’ve enjoyed how these posts help me look for the simple, good things in life; I plan to continue them into 2011 – For now, here’s some good things from this week -

1. Returning home from being out of town to find a [left] turn signal at the light three blocks from our house [yay!]
2. Finding sunglasses in the bottom of a Kleenex box sitting on my desk after being convinced for six months they’d accidentally been thrown away.
3. Snow.
4. Vick’s Salve + two shots in the rump + 4 prescription drugs = one good night’s sleep.
5. A husband who loves to shop.
6. Family.
7. More Snow.
8. Going to Hobby Lobby to buy ribbon from the two full isles that were there only a few weeks ago to find there were only SIX rolls left – I bought the last large bow.
9. Prime Rib [salt-crusted via Southern Living recipe] – yum. Not salty at all.
10. Celebrating our Savior’s birth and death and resurrection with fireworks synchronized to Joy to the World – awesome!
    

Our 'green' Christmas card -

[Remember you can double click on it to make it bigger, and right click to 'copy' or 'save as'- then paste [or open] and drag to full page if needed.]


Also - for those in the Faith Based Pages Classes Yahoo Group - tuck away that this card was written WELL before the next book was chosen.
I love how God works -
and I'll share it all more with you in a few days.

[I got so frustrated working in photo shop - a GREAT program that I seldom work in - that I finally gave up, even after a private tutorial from the younger.
So it's lesser quality - but it's the thought that counts! Right?
Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection. The True Meaning of Christmas. @ Yahoo! Video

Ten on Tuesday

Should this be a totally Disney Ten-on-Tuesday post? Weeeellll, let’s see…

1. We’ve spent 10 of the last 14 days in sunny Florida. Notice that I didn’t say WARM Florida, because there were a couple of days in there that were decidedly NOT WARM.
2. And we ‘kidnapped’ our boys and had them to ourselves the entire time. Well, not the entire time because we did leave them sleeping in the room a few days and they went their own way a few times too.
3. We love Disney; it’s just that simple – it’s a great place to “get away from it all.” Each time we go there’s a different park we tend to gravitate to, but we always [always] ultimately end our nights at Epcot.
4. We enjoyed celebrating the season with Steven Curtis Chapman reading The Christmas Story [Luke2] with area choirs singing carols to Christ during The Candle Light Processional. It’s so neat that Disney continues to have this celebration despite all the other changes in The World. [The music in Epcot was continuous Christmas Carols all over the park as well – not silly holiday songs, but carols to Christ – loved it.] It was [literally below] freezing that night, but worth it to set aside a little time for the true Reason for the Season.
5. We had the dining plan this go ‘round – and just as we suspected – it’s waaay too much food. We ended up getting sandwiches ‘to go’ for our trip home and using 12 + ‘snacks’ for goodies to eat these next few weeks. [Helps extend the Disney deliciousness, I guess.] Favorite meal for everyone [without question]: Le Cellier [Canada.] Even I, the non-steak-lover, enjoyed it. It was just Very. Nice. Close second [for me]: the quick service build-your-own salad [mandarin chicken] at our resort food court. Yum.
6. Loved our resort btw – Port Orleans – French Quarter [not Riverside which is HUGE.] Fun and festive, a boat ride from Downtown Disney, good food courts and restaurants and shops, and buses direct to each park. Another plus – we could see the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our balcony. Fun. [We did NOT miss our camper – but did miss the friends we usually camp with.]
7. We also had ‘length of stay’ passes this time too – and it was good because we didn’t feel that frantic need to be in the parks from opening to closing [we usually only go in the parks 4-5 days with a day of rest in the middle] but not-so-good because we were in the parks for Seven. Days. Straight. Gotta admit, we were weary toward the end.
8. But it was so fun to go to all of our favorite places [rides, shops, shows, restaurants] in the parks and reminisce about visiting in the past and be surprised by changes in the last few years. Seeing new parades and old [The Electric Light Parade] added to the magic. We love Disney, what else can I say?
9. Oh, and we took a day trip over to Hogworts to visit the students who go to school with Harry Potter. It was a little smaller area than I was expecting – but very [very] realistic. I’m glad we went, and the Dr. Seuss characters [and comic book characters too] were an unexpected surprise [since I did no research on this park at all.]
10. All-in-all we figure we walked hundreds of miles last week [not really, duh – but certainly more than any of us except Matt-the-college-student has walked in quite a while.] Still, there was no weight loss [guess it was all those delicious meals that always included a scrumptious dessert.]
    

December Daily - week three

Okay - I give up - I've uploaded these photos FIVE TIMES and have NO IDEA why they continue to upload sideways! But here's a look at my December Daily through today - if you've been looking you'll notice I made a couple of changes on some pages that just didn't seem 'right' to me - lol.

"And for all these people alike, the key to healing turned out to be the same.

Each had a hurt he had to forgive."

Faith Based Pages

Instead of a challenge this month, I wanted to revisit as scrap lift from Scrapbooks Etc. Nov / Dec 2009, p.20] and encourage you to highlight your beliefs surrounding the Christmas season, For my layout I hand cut the tree, punched the 'stars' with a small flower punch, and made a faux tag to go 'inside' the pocket. The title was made with cricut [Handwriting 101] and computer journaling cut into letter squares, adhered to the page and traced with a black pen. I journaled about our Christmas beliefs and used John 3:16 for my verse: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The photo is of the live nativity scene at the a church just down the hill from us - a treat for us to visit [and listen to each year.]

I’m interrupting this week’s Ten on Tuesday to take a moment to share some of what I consider some of the ‘everyday goodness’ in my life right now –

ABC Magazine Holder – First up is this little [?] CAST IRON magazine holder we found at an antique store a few weeks back. It was black with gold letters at the time. Just a quick taping and spray of bright red paint highlights the ABCs so much better for me. It’s now on the hearth, holding magazines, newspapers to be re-visited, and favorite books. Love the graphic font of the ABCs...

Canned Delights – We’ve mastered the art of preserving the earth’s goodness through the Power of The Water Bath. Back in the summer we canned [, and canned, and canned] FROG jam and scuppernong jelly. This week we’ve, well, Craig [– while I was decorating] put up a ton of his signature BBQ sauce and also a few half-pints of Maw Maw’s Bread and Butter Pickles. [I was in charge of the labeling…]

A Clean Attic – We’re blessed to have a walk-in attic [doorway is in the playroom] and I love having lots of room for storage. There’s baby stuff in there [some clothes, wooden puzzles, books, and little tyke toys,] some extra furniture [a futon, a table, a baby bed, chairs, and the old school desk that sat in Maw Maw’s house forever,] LOTS of scrapbook stuff leftover from the monthly kit days, the boys’ old school work, and lots and lots of seasonal stuff – loosely organized in categories of: Christmas / Winter, Fall, and Spring / Summer. But the curse of having a walk-in attic is that stuff gets pushed in it whenever there’s a little too much clutter in the house [boxes, furniture, craft / hobby supplies, and extra gifts to be given.] So, once a year I do a little attic cleaning and sorting and organizing. You may not be able to see a huge improvement, but it feels good to this OCD soul of mine – all straightened up, and, most importantly it’s only after it’s done that I can get to the Christmas stuff to decorate…lol

Lollipops – I’ve had some giant lollipop molds for over twenty years now, and we still enjoy making them! Getting that first whiff of the flavoring being added to the hot syrup is every bit as overwhelming and intoxicating now as it was then. Our favorite flavors? Spearmint, [YUM!] and fruity flavors. Delish. Looking forward to makings some over the holidays...

A snuff jar I found at another antique shop – filled with spiced tea mix and on its way to my sister with this photo of our gr-parents. [Weeelll, maybe the photo is being delivered separately...] Oh how I wanted to fill it with the sugar-cocoa mixture we used to eat and pretend was snuff. haHAha [We drank from many 'o these at our gr-parent’s house.] Happy Birthday!

Christmas Decorations - It does take a little time to pull it all out and set it up - but, oh I love to see a little magic in the house at this time of year. We put up a tree in the living room, a little hallway fiber-optic tree, a small 'kitchen' tree, and the boys tree [with Auburn stuff, soccer and drums all over it] up in the playroom. The stockings [hand-knit by my mother-in-law] go up on the mantle, plus nativity sets in most every room. And this year I pulled together this little set of art to go on the old dresser we use as a side board in our dining area. [I'm thinking a string of battery operated lights will be the finishing touch... and yes, that's a tea bag ornament - to the left - we got at Celestial Seasonings last year.]

And lastly, the Duck Crossing – after the ‘hot donut now’ run a week or so ago, we sat and enjoyed them at the duck pond downtown while watching these geese wander back and forth [and back and forth again] across the road – And I couldn’t resist having a little holiday fun with them – Merry Christmas Everyone!

December Daily - Week Two -

and that's all I've got to say...

1. So the busy [but, oh-so-good] season has begun! I was out of town for work a couple of days this week… and let’s just say I know for sure that I’ll never be a ‘country girl.’ – I’m just sayin’. [Not that I live in a major metropolis or anything…]
2. Enjoyed attending the Deeper Still Event in Birmingham with friends [and 14,000 other women] so much! I originally had something different planned for the weekend so it was a treat to get to attend at the last minute. [Thanks girls!] We shopped, had a nice dinner, ate chocolate chip cookies, lingered at Starbucks, – and worshipped together.
3. First up was Kay Arthur – Bible Teacher Extraordinaire. She knows the Bible so well and can pluck out a verse to apply to any situation. What a role model she is for all of us! I can only hope to grow in The Word and be as active when I’m 77 years old [she never sat down for the entire two hours she was teaching us-] Wow.
4. Next to speak was Priscilla Shirer – Love [LOVE] her Bible studies. And it was just wonderful to see her live and in person. She encouraged us to go to The Faith Place – That place where we’re not just studying The Word – but taking risks and stepping out in faith and claiming God’s promises to us. [She showed how these promises aren’t placed in our hands – but within our reach – and given to us when we move toward them in faith.] She talked about taking the next step of action regarding whatever God has been talking with you about. Wonderful.
5. And then lastly was Beth Moore. I know I’ve made no secret about how I’d skip the video portion of our Bible Studies those first few times we did one of her studies. Something about her voice [a little Anne-Heche-like] and her teaching style was a little ‘preachy’ to me at the time. But let me just say that the Lord has used this woman to bring the Bible ALIVE for me – I’ve never loved history – but with Hs guidance – she makes it REAL.
6. I’ve been to a couple of simulcasts where I’ve seen her “live” – but this was the first time ‘in person.’ It was a joy to hear her teach on Guarding the Treasures that God has given us – much like Mary did in Luke 2. Two points that stuck with me – 1] The enemy seeks to take away our treasure – and when we feel we can’t see any, we need to look to Jesus, and 2] We often miss the treasures in our lives because, instead of looking for them we’re filling our lives with ‘things’ [TV, computer time, games / hobbies, etc] that fill up all the space in our lives. We need to take the time to ‘just be’ with God and look for the treasures around us each day. [Could it be that 'treasure' is equal to 'Joy' - my word for the year?]
7. They ended the event with a little ‘spontaneous’ Q&A. So fun to see a little of their personalities come through – and this is where Miss Kay [as Priscilla called her] rolled out scripture for almost every subject. Loved hearing The Word being applied to our lives today at the spur of the moment.
8. I came home to some happy guys as the Auburn game had just ended. Regardless of how things turn out – there’s no denying that Cam Newton is an unbelievable football player. They showed me some highlights of the game – my favorite being when Cam knocks the cap off a referee and then, standing a good foot taller, puts it back on him while patting his head and then his butt. Too funny.
9. Sunday afternoon Craig started cooking for his work luncheon: smoking 4 chickens and 50+ pounds of meat. It’s a lot of work – but he loves it. And it smells [and tastes oh-so-good.]
10. And lastly, [life’s not all perfect] - let me rant a bit about upscale hotels [full beds instead of queen, no vents in the bathrooms, paid parking and internet, no complimentary breakfast, ETC.] and GPS devices [PEOPLE – if you look around at your surroundings there’s no need to plug in a GPS to go ten blocks! I mean, really, c’mon…]

[an edited repeat from past years...]

How do you feel about Santa Claus?

Pere Noel, Christkindle, Father Christmas, Kriss Kringle, Sinterklas,

St. Nicholas

I was first introduced to St. Nicholas as a freshman in college when my dear friend Grace [whose grandparents on both sides of her family came to the US from the Netherlands] put a wooden shoe, filled with candy, outside my door on December 6^th. [Still have that shoe, btw.]

I’ve loved the idea of St. Nicholas ever since!

There’s a lot of fact and folklore about him today, but most believe he was a real person and that the idea of Santa Claus came from the acts of goodwill that he did.

Here’s a link that tells his story briefly.
I’ve always wanted to have “Santa Claus” visit our boys on December 6^th and keep Christmas sacred [or, practically --at least spread out the gift-receiving a little for them], but differed to C’s wishes. So instead, for the last 24 years, our boys have always received a chocolate Santa on December 6^th. [Granted there were some years when I was out at 5 a.m. to get these Santas because of our crazy schedule! – but it was done!] This year we mailed a few to our college boys and sneakily placed one outside the oldest's new home, for him to find this a.m.

So, again, Happy St. Nicholas Day to you!

At our house Santa has always been pretend.

Our boys were never taught he was real, but more just a character of the secular celebration of Christmas [kind of like Mickey Mouse – celebration of magical place] who left gifts for them on Christmas morning. They’ve always known that Mom and Day were “Santa.” We’ve had a few Santa photos through the years [we have those Mickey ones too!] and we’ve had fun with it, but have always, always tried to help our boys see that
Jesus truly is the reason we have anything at all to celebrate in this life.
We hope that in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season you can take the time to see a tiny baby lying in a manger who died so we might live eternally.
What a hope we have because of Him!

December Daily