Happy New Year!!!

To all of my faithful blog readers and those of you stumbling across my thoughts:
I pray for you a Happy New Year.
I pray for you the peace of God in your life.
I pray for you joy in your sorrows.
I pray that you know who God is. Not in knowledge, but on a personal level.
I pray for you the blessed assurance of Heaven.
But mostly, I just pray for you.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

sickness and packing and other odds and ends

1 Thessalonians 5:18 - Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

 

Have you ever been thankful for being sick? I have! This past weekend I had a cold. Not a bad one, but still annoying. But in the midst of my whiny, poor-me mood it dawned on me.

 "THANK YOU, GOD, FOR LETTING ME BE SICK!!"

You see, I'm heading home for Christmas, and for our family we're actually celebrating Christmas this Saturday due to family/in-law holiday scheduling… and if I hadn't gotten this cold last weekend I could have gotten it this weekend, and if I had gotten it this weekend, I wouldn't have been able to hold/hug/kiss my niece and nephews and that REALLY stinks because I have a brand new nephew that was born in October that I haven't met yet and I really want to hold him a lot!!!!
 *phew*
 I'm glad I got that out…


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I am an amazingly dedicated packer.
 It's true.
 Look at my list!

There is a column for toiletries, one for clothes, electronics stuff, and a to-do list for the week prior to my traveling that I update daily.

I wish I was this organized in my everyday life

(it can be a little exhausting)


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This is the first time I'm going home in the last five years (since I moved to TN) that I haven't overbooked my time home with tons of things to do. It's going to be great! I'll get to hang out at home with my parents and take it easy… I'm normally going from one outing to the next!

Now don't get me wrong, I love spending all kinds of time with my friends. I miss you guys!! I have a few friends who aren't able to make it to Chicagoland for Christmas this year so it's leaving some time free! I might even get to make cards with my mom and play some pool with my dad!

The other bonus to that? Getting to spend time with new-old friends.

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I'm doing a Bible Study with two other girls (we're using Living the Cross Centered Life – READ IT!) and last week we were talking a little bit about Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
It's such a common passage; I mean the Byrds wrote/sang a song about it! But as I read and reread all of chapter 3 this week I was struck by verses 14 & 15

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 [ESV])

What is, has been.
What will be, already happened.
Who am I to worry when it's already been taken care of?

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And lastly for today…

I am taking a week long blogging hiatus. I want so very much to be able to enjoy my Christmas with my family and friends and focus on them. I'll try to get up and do the video of the day through Christmas (although I make no video promises!), and I will still post a Wordless Wednesday next week, other than that, nothing new. I pray you have the true joy of the Christmas season inside you.

Luke 2:8-14

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.

Merry Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday

Blog Hop: Holiday Photos

I was actually already planning on posting about this fun Christmas tradition in general!! It's a favorite of mine… at least of my Christmas traditions in Tennessee ;o)

The first weekend in December, my roommate A and I went shopping in Franklin, TN. It's not too very far from Murfreesboro, but it always seems like a very special trip. This year was our 3^rd annual trip and it was as fun as always. I love being able to spend a day catching up (I know we live together, it doesn't mean we always see each other!) and just spending time in their little downtown area and at the antique mall and other antique stores.

I captured a few fun memories this year…

Lamentations

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I'm feeling kind of discouraged today lately… I thought I'd share the reminder I needed.

I'm discouraged, but God LOVES me.
I'm discouraged, but God is always MERCIFUL.
I'm discouraged, but God renews His love and mercy EVERY day.
I'm discouraged, but God is FAITHFUL.

HALLELUJAH!!!

You could win…

… an HP Touchsmart 600!!!

(they're pretty, aren't they…)

I don't know why I'm telling you this.

If you enter, that's one less chance of me winning.

Hhhmmmmm….

Just kidding…

You definitely shouldn't go over to MckMama's giveaway blog located here. Or Kelly's giveaway blog here.

And you definitely shouldn't enter the giveaway contest to win an HP Touchsmart 600.

But if you do….

You should consider giving it to me…

*fluttering eyelashes*

Pretty please?

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas Videos

It's that time of the year again, folks!! Christmas!! And for the third year in a row (this is my third Christmas as a blogger), I will blog through several days of Christmas videos! I'm starting it today and will be posting a list to the left (<-) of the video's each day. I do that so I can delete them day by day and not take up excess room on the blog space. So enjoy some of my favorite Christmas memories, blog friends, and let me know if there's something you want to see…



Merry Christmas!

Christmas has come and gone and videos were fun!! Here's the list in case you're wanting to take a look:

1.   Suzy Snowflake
2.   Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
3.   Sleigh Ride
4.   Razzle-berry Dressing
5.   Snow!
6.   God Bless Us, Every One
7.   I'll Be Home for Christmas
8.   Tender Tennessee Christmas
9.   Nat King Cole
10. Frosty the Snowman
11. Hardrock, Coco, and Joe
12. Good King Wenceslas
13. The Holly and the Ivy
14. O Little Town of Bethlehem
15. White Christmas
16. Away in a Manger

Blog Hop: Christmas Ornaments

This is my second Christmas with my roommates! RubyRed and C have had three Christmas' together in the house, and who knows where we will be next year... except RubyRed, she's going to be with her husband =o) ... We've also made R-Jo an honorary roommate, even though she lives with her husband. But that's another story.

And that was all a long introduction to the not great pictures of the ornaments I'm displaying for you all today! They are pictures of our matching ornaments!!

yep.you read that right.matching.

This first is a set of bears we got when we all went to Gatlinburg together before we were roommates.

 The Candycanes, C picked up for us last year

And this year, R-Jo came over with these adorable penguin ornaments that I featured on a Wordless Wednesday just last week! (we 'tagged' ourselves as penguins)

I think it's fun knowing that we will always have a reminder of our Roommate Christmas's!

Days

Have you ever just needed Biblical encouragement? The kind you can really only get from reading God's Word? Just that verse that you didn't even realize you needed to hear? I've had that happen twice today (and it's only 10am)!!

The first time was when I was reading in Proverbs this morning (a verse I think I memorized in AWANA!):

Proverbs 3:5-6

 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
   and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
   and he will make straight your paths.

 The second was when I was reading someone else's blog:

Colossians 2:6-7
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

 I hope you are blessed today by scripture you didn't realize you needed. Maybe taking time in your day to read your 'underlined'.

Wordless Wednesday