Christmas Season and Going Ons

We've had our tree up now for a couple weeks.  Our 8 yr old grandson, Micah, spent an overnight with us and we decorated the tree together then.  He enjoyed seeing and hearing about our "old" ornaments, and some that he and the other grandchildren had given us in past years. 
Gradually I've placed my various Christmas villages around the house.  I have 7 different ones, of different types, sizes, and material.  Three of them are "antique" going back to my childhood.  I have memories of my sister and I setting the oldest one up under the tree when we were children.  That was a special treat when it was your turn to set it up.

Big decision now is how to make my Christmas Coffee Cakes.  It will be my first time to use Splenda instead of sugar if I do that this time.  Not sure I am willing to risk them not turning out well.  I've used Spenda in other baking and it's been "okay".  I may just use regular sugar since there isn't "that much" used in this recipe.  The recipe makes 2 large coffee cakes.  I make 1 large cake, and 2 half cakes out of it.  We give the half cakes to our kids on Christmas Day.  In our house for many, many years, traditional breakfast on Christmas Day is this coffee cake, fruit and a good cup of coffee!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Thanksgiving and Family

                                           Psalm 9:1-2
                                   I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart:
                                   I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
                                   I will be glad and rejoice over You;
                                   I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Our Thanksgiving Day was different and delightful this year.  Usually all the family, meaning John & Carole and their 4, and Dave & Jodi and their 2, and us meet at John and Carole's large home for the celebration meal and family time together.  A full house, 2 full tables of McGees', and lots of great times together.  
      This year J & C and family went to Colorado to be with her family.  So glad they could do this. So we had Thanksgiving at D & J's home.  Having a holiday in their home doesn't happen too often and so this was really special.  Jodi and girls set a beautiful table which invited us to "come"! 
      Larry fixed the turkey here in our home which freed up Jodi's oven for her dishes.  We had the delicious turkey, and dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls (I forgot to get our salad out of our refrigerator!! UGH!)  Delicious meal that eaily filled our plates and tummys.
      Such a nice time around their table, and after the dishes were done, of sitting in the living room on their new sofa, letting the meal settle, and just visiting. 
      One of the McGee traditions for these holidays, is the "snack side table".  That started with Grandma McGee (Mildred) who would have her side buffet in the dining room just covered with her specialties.  Memories of her homemade caramets.)  We all would bring a plate or tin to add to it.  I don't know how we would eat that wonderful huge meal and shortly afterward would be piecing at that beautiful buffet.  And so at Dave and Jodi's we had a few snacks readily at hand there, too.
      Ended the day with pumpkin pie and apple pie with lots of whipped cream.  Yum!!
      Now, you can't top that, for sure!  So much to thank our God for.  The list goes on and on....

A Few Mentions

A few posts down is my ATTITUDE OF THANKFULNESS in which I am day-to-day, or maybe not quite day-to-day :-), adding items of praise.  Doing this during this thankful month of November. 

When you visit my blog, would you either "sign in" or become a "follower" which lets me know you saw it? I write mostly for myself; sometimes writing helps me to think through and clarify a thought for me.  I welcome your reading it and considering it, and also welcome  you to write a comment to me which follows each post.

Happy fall days to you, and a wonderful Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Trust in the Lord....lean not on your own understanding....

This past week, we had 3 different situations where we were told something or understood something, only to "learn" later we should do something different. 
    We were told the balljoints on our car needed to be replaced and it was going to be very costly.  Larry decided to get a second opinion and was told by a reputible tech that they did not need to be replaced.  Praise the Lord.
     We received a call telling us "such and such" and later, we were given advice not listen to this message.   God's protection!  Thank you, Lord.
     Thirdly, we have been very concerned about the "need" of some of Larry's diabetes medicine for the month of December.  Praying for God's provision.  Through our doctor's nurse we learned yesterday that if he is real careful, he can try going without this one med. but definitely taking all his other meds.  What a relief and how God brought us to this point of fully trusting Him.  Thank you, Lord.  We know He will enable us to eat properly especially through the holidays.  God is good!!!
      We continue to trust Him .... with all our heart!

      Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
      Lean not to your own understanding,    
                   (which in each case, we were trying to figure these things out)
      In all your ways, acknowledge Him,
      and He will direct your paths.

The great "I AM'

Yesterday I heard a radio program on Rejoice Radio where in the material covered they discussed the current use of God's great name 'I AM' today by ministers, music and tv personalities, etc.
This is being done by those who are 'new age' or going in that direction.  We don't listen to these speakers like Joel Olsten, etc. I'm not sure that I have heard this somewhere, or if I did, I didn't catch it.  I'm not sure how these speakers are using the name/phrase either.



Sometimes when I am somewhere talking to someone about Avon, another person might ask me "are you an Avon lady?" and I respond "I am".  Now, I know that that is not the same thing at all as to what they are talking about.  But it got me to thinking about that here is another situation where the world is taking a phrase or word that is dear to a believer and using it improperly...
think of the phrase "born again", "christian", "spiritual". 



The great "I AM" is the only one true God!  Lord, give me ears to hear and discern "the lie" and and identify it as such so it doesn't permeate my mind.  Give me the mind to center my thoughts on "truth" so much that "the lie" is totally apparent immediately so that I will flee from it!!
Protect our children .......

An Attitude of Thankfulness

Today is November 1st, 2010.  The beginning of our Thanksgiving month.  The beginning of Christmas music :-).  I love it!!  Gotta get that radio station set on our stereo today.  During this November month, no matter what day it is or what the day is like, or how I feel, etc., I want to be in an "Attitude of Thanksgiving" to our faithful, gracious, loving Lord.  So each day I will be adding at least one item of my personal praise to Him.  Hoping this will create a cornucopia of praise to Him by Thanksgiving Day.

1. Thank you, Lord, for Your beautiful creation that You share with us. 
2. Thank you for giving me the ability to see, to read, to hear, to speak.
3. So glad for the Holy Spirit who abides in me;  "lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age".  Teaching, correcting, comforting, strengthening, ...
4. Oops!  I missed yesterday though I did think about this...   thankful that our Lord forgives our "oops", for sure!
5. Thank you, Lord for these days of grace; that our redemption is secured!
6. Am so thankful for family, far and near.  All are so dear to me.
7. Thank you, Lord, for fellowship of believers, especially with the church. Thank you for creating "the church"...
8. I love music and am so thankful for it ~ in my hearing and in my heart!
9. I am so thankful for my dear husband, Larry!  Thank you Lord, for giving him to me to be my husband all these 48 years!  So dear to me...
10. Thankful for our little house God has allowed us to have and to stay in.  It meets our needs, and keeps us "safe". 
11. God is the living, only true God.  Thankful He hears, sees, speaks and acts in love towards me and all mankind!  He is the only great "I AM"!!!
12. I'm thankful tonight for the fellowship with other believers...no matter how different we are, age differences, life differences, preferences, etc., the fellowship is sweet because we all love the Lord.
13. Thankful for generally good health, even on days we don't feel real good!  God knows....
14. I am thankful for our "tight" little home God has given us.  A home to live in, to serve Him in, safe from the storm....
15. Thank you Lord, for the opportunity to tell others of You, and to pray for them.

    

First Freeze of Autumn

Last night was the first freeze for this season.  We had moved all my potted plants close to the house, under the eaves for protection and they made it fine.  I was pleased to see that our huge "elephant ears" were spared, too, as they are close to the front of the house - again, under the eaves.
    Last year, I brought several plants in and "wintered" them in the garage window, or as much light as we could get from it.  It did get cold out there but they rested well there.  I had small plants, and big ones... like my ferns.
    This spring Larry took down our old storage shed which was in the corner of our backyard, and put a larger, new one in - guess where?  On the side of the house under the garage window.  It covers part of that window now.  So,
there is limited light coming through that window now. 
    Well, my quandry this fall is where to put all these plants I want to bring in. H-m-m-m!  For one, we are going to pot one of the mid-sized elephant ears into a very large pot, place it on a pot-pallet (which is on wheels) and set it in the guest bedroom.  We'll see what it does.  I am going to try keeping the ferns in front of the garage window, and my English Ivy there too, hanging from the ceiling.  Now, what about the others? 
     I have always loved having houseplants in our home.  Love the growth and change in them.  Just enjoy them.  I use to purchase "hurting" ones and get them back to healthy with TLC! 
     I enjoy the beautiful colors in the trees and shrubs in the fall.  I gladly bring my plants into the house, but the decks look bare now.  Soon they will be covered with other seasonal things like snow....

Starting Something New!

I have been thinking for awhile now about starting a blog.  So here we are.
I may not write daily or even often but will write when there is something to
share or if it is newsworthy.  May it be of interest to you, the reader, and
bring glory to God.

By God's enablement, we are planning on being at church in the morning.
Praying that God will strengthen Larry's back to be able to sit in the pew
through the service.  We have not been able to go the past 4 Sundays and
have missed it so much.  The hearing of the Word being taught, the
music and fellowship.  So we are planning in faith for tomorrow morning.