Christmas Blah's?

I am beginning to see a case of the Christmas Blah's come into being around here. Christmas should be a time of joy and excitement. But, when you're missing someone special at Christmas, it can make for a less-joyous holiday.

This past February, my PawPaw went to be with Jesus. And in 2008, my Nana also went to be with Jesus. This Christmas is our family's first without either one of them.

Last night while we drove around town listening to Alabama's Christmas album and looking at lights, I was suddenly hit with a sadness I didn't know would happen. They would not be here this Christmas. This was a tradition we had all shared, and suddenly two of the main people would be gone. It was a tough thought.

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The Bible promises that God is close to all who are brokenhearted. If you happen to be missing someone special this Christmas, may you also take comfort in this verse as my family  has.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Reason for the Season

This Christmas, I was bit just a little bit by the "buy too much" bug. What do I mean by that? Well, I am aware that some of our family members are buying our family much more than we were able to afford for them this Christmas. You see, this Christmas is the hardest one our family has experienced yet financially. We're not bad off or anything, please don't misunderstand. But, we don't have the finances to purchase the usual amount that we would for others.

So, on the car ride home this evening, my husband so delightfully caught me in this buy too much funk. I was suggesting that "maybe we could just go buy so and so one more thing" when he said something that really made me think.

He said, "What if it was the babies birthday, but we gave everyone else gifts and didn't even acknowledge him on that day?" Wow.  Sometimes things like that need to be said to hit us right between the eyes.

Now, I know we can't give Jesus actual tangiable gifts. A coffee pot is not on his wish list. But, we can give Him our love, our time, our hearts, etc. We can also remember that this day is HIS day. Not our day.

I don't believe passing out presents is sinful in the least. I do think it is crossing a line when What should I get so and so is on our minds more than Thank you Father for being born for me does. Are we so worried about how we are going to buy one more thing, or about just praising the One who this is all about?

Luke 2:1-14
 ¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
 ²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
 ³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
 ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
 ⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
 ⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
 ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
 ⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
 ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

May your Christmas this year be a little more about Christ and less about us. :)

An (Almost) Free Christmas! Could it be?

This Christmas, I was able to save $50.00 on Christmas presents! Wanna know how?? Swagbucks of course!

Swagbucks is a great search engine like tool that gives you free points just for doing what you always do, searching the internet! You can also get points for daily polls, surveys, printing coupons, etc. The ways to earn are endless! For only 450 points, you can get a $5.00 Amazon gift card. For absolutely free! I used these gift cards, coupled with my FREE Amazon Mom trial to get gifts for my child and family members. That gave me free 2 day shipping!

Swagbucks is for everyone. Everyone who owns a computer searches the internet atleast every once in awhile. Why not earn money while you're at it?

Amazon is not the only gift card you can request. There are many other options.

Two rules of thumb I have learned recently about Swagbucks : You can only request two gift cards a day. The gift cards take anywhere from 10-12 days to post to your account. So, request them in plenty of time before you will actually need them. Also, you can only request 5 gift cards to the same store a month.

Swagbucks really does work! I've tried it myself. So, if you want to have a free ( or almost free ) Christmas next year, now is the time to sign up for Swagbucks!

Samantha - An American Girl Holiday Movie Review

This movie was so cute! I was able to snag it off of the Swap A Dvd website. As a side note, if you have not joined Swap A DVD yet, it's definately something to consider! We were able to clean out all of the DVD's we were no longer interested in having, and getting a bunch of new ones for only the cost of shipping! Very good deals.

Now, back to the movie. American Girl was coming out around the time that I was no longer interested in that "little girl" stuff anymore. :) I think it's so funny that now that I'm a "big girl", I think all that stuff is cute again. But because of this, I never really jumped on the American Girl bandwagon. I did, however, occasionally read an American Girl book. And Samantha Parkington was by far my favorite American Girl!

This movie is very family friendly. The only thing you might hesitate about was a very few references to Santa Claus at the end of the movie. Since we don't "do" Santa at our house, this will of course be thoroughly explained to our children that this is just fiction. But there was honestly nothing else that would make this unsuitable for children.

This will be one of the DVD's we pull out every Christmas from now on!

Rich and Creamy Red Velvet Cookies- Great Christmas Recipe!

I took these cookies last night to a Ladies Meeting Cookie Swap, and they were well received!

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3	cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4	cup sour cream
1	tablespoon red food color
1	egg
3/4	to 1 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
1/4	cup chopped nuts

	Print these coupons...
	$0.40 off Betty Crocker® Cookie Mix Plus 49 more...
	About Concordance™

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food color and egg until soft dough forms.
2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. Frost cooled cookies with frosting. Sprinkle with nuts. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Some things that I did were: Instead of using just red food coloring, I also made some green ones as well. They tasted just the same, and were a bit more festive than just red. I also did not use nuts. Since some people just don't like nuts, and some are alergic ( my hubby ), I nixed the nuts and just did Christmas sprinkles. Those looked really cute I think. Another little tip would be to flatten the cookies a bit before cooking. The first batch I didn't really do this to, and the tops came out kind of mis-shapen. I just didn't like how they looked. When I flattened the tops, the icing went on much nicer, and the whole cookie had a prettier appearance.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of my own cookies. I thought I would have extra's to bring home, but that didn't happen.

Try the recipe yourself, and tell me what you think!

Recipe courtesy of BettyCrocker.com.

The Beauty of Life and Testimony Musings

As I sit here on a fancy hotel room bed that I could never afford on my own, and listen to the sound of waves crashing against the shore outside, I am humbled by God's beauty and grace.

I am humbled that I would ever be here. For free! My hubby's work provided this room to us as a "Thank You" and a Merry Christmas gift. We are located steps away from the sand and surf. God's creation is truly astounding.

I am also sad. Sad that we just left a party where many professing Christians spent their night gambling and drinking. Now, not to be one to judge, I just have to wonder... Why could their annual Christmas party not have been more God honoring? No mention of the Father was made. None. We didn't even pray before the meal. ( Well, we did privately. ) But there was no public profession of Christ at all.

The same people who will have Bible study twice a week every morning before work were staggering home tonight. It made me think about my own testimony.

Unbelievers especially are watching professing believers like me. What do they see? Do they see someone who practices what she preaches? Or do they see someone who barely ever walks the talk?

I pray that we as Christians can strive to always walk with Jesus, no matter what our circumstances.

Merry Christmas!

A Kindle for Christmas?

Before even reading this, you must understand: I am a traditionalist. As old-fashioned as they come sometimes. So, my review may be a little biased.

Now, onto the Kindle. Kindle's are Amazon's version of a portable electronic book. You can download a book right onto it, and read it at your leisure. To pay for it, the money comes directly our of your account. It is battery operated. So, if you are somewhere are your battery runs out, no more reading!

My problem with these it is completely takes the romance out of reading! I am a reader by nature. I love books. On a cold day, I love nothing more than curling up with a good book. But curling up with a good Kindle? Definitely not as romantic. You lose the joy of old pages and worn bindings. The smell of old books. The sound of the pages turning.

Yes, it would save room in your house by not having books lying all around. But, what is a house without a bookshelf? Must everything we do nowadays be electronic? Electronics to me are so impersonal.

And from a money saving standpoint, they don't seem to be that good of a deal either. First off, the Kindle itself is approximately $140.00. Each book is approximately $9.99 to download. I can get a book off of PaperBackSwap for only the cost of shipping. Old bookstores are also much cheaper. Even buying a book off of Amazon used is usually cheaper than $9.99. You will find a few exceptions to this, but it's generally the rule.

So, this Christmas, lets think more traditional. Not with all the newest gadgets we can buy, but sticking to what has worked for ages.

(If you would like to look at the Kindle's, I have included a link here. )

Santa Claus - Good or Bad?

This morning, I had the privilege hearing an amazing sermon on Santa Claus. My husband heard this the other day, and said that I had to listen to it. He said it changed his whole opinion of Santa Claus.

And it changed mine too.

It is kinda long ( about an hour ) but it will be time well spent. It just might change your families opinion on how you celebrate Christmas.

How do we address the Santa Claus issue? He is not real. We will tell our children that he is a fake man made up by our society and societies past. He will not be real to us. He will not leave our children presents. He will also not be celebrated by our families around our children either.

This sermon will really help you make our own Biblical opinions about the issue. If nothing else, it does give you a lot to think about.

You can find the link here.

Merry (early) Christmas!

Christmas Presents for Children

Tis' the season for consumerism.

We got the Sunday paper this morning, and the Christmas inserts have officially started. From WalMart to Target to Toys R Us, the inserts were thicker than ever! Not just the usual 8 or so pages, this time, they are small books!

How do we at this time of year keep our children's focus off of the toys, and more on the Savior?

These are just a few ways our family tries to do that:

First, we do not have cable TV. Without cable, our children are not and will not be bombarded with the endless commercials telling them what they NEED for Christmas. What they can't live without! And if they don't have it, they won't be like everyone else. TV imagery is a very powerful thing. Especially for children. We don't have cable for a list of other reasons as well, but it certainly helps at this time of year to not have it as well.

Second, we try to do atleast one "good deed" every Christmas. Be it the Angel Tree or Operation Christmas Child. We feel this helps children see that others do not have it as good as they do. And to be thankful for everything they are blessed with.

And last, our children and babies only receive ( and will only receive ) 3 presents each. If 3 gifts were good enough for Jesus, they are good enough for our children. That way, they will all receive the same amount of gifts, and not have the fighting over "She got 5 and I only got 4!". This evens everything out. It also helps them to think about what they really want, not just how much can I get?

They do receive gifts from other family members, but they only receive 3 things from Mommy and Daddy.

This year, may we remember the real reason for the Season!

Isaiah 9:6
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.