New Year

 

Tomorrow  we will begin a new year with this calendar in our kitchen.  Of all the different ones we have used over the years, this seems to be our favorite.  The "sayings" and pictures are generally quite cute and contain some wisdom - - sometimes.

Another calendar I use is for Bible Reading.  I read through the entire Bible last year using this plan.  And rather than reading  the printed pages each day, I used this DVD a majority of the time.

 

I blogged about it earlier this year.  The DVD plays when I work in the kitchen or when I am on the elliptical doing my morning aerobics.   You can read and listen at the same time - - - plus hear the pronunciation of those difficult Old Testament names!

This year my plan is to read the Bible chronologically - - - in the order the events occurred and not as they are listed in our Table of Contents.  You can find that plan at this website - - - even read  it online.  You will find a great variety of plans there.  As I told our library workers, it doesn't matter if you read the Bible in its entirety.  What is important is a daily discipline of being in The Word.

Of all the books I read during the year and tell you about, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the most important Book in my life. . . . and as geeky as it sounds, I am excited to begin reading from the beginning again tomorrow!

And with that said, it is time to walk outside for a few minutes because the SUN is SHINING and it's about 59 degrees!!!!!

Lord, your word is everlasting; it continues forever in heaven.  Psalms 119:89

Caw Caw Caw

That is what I heard in our backyard yesterday morning.  It was LOUD because there were between 10 and 20 crows in the trees.  I went out to see what was going on - - - because we generally never have crows in our back yard.  They flew away when I opened the door but came back when I went inside.

So I got my camera and had difficulty getting good shots because I was shooting into the light.  Trying to find a better angle by running around the backyard would have been pointless because if I tried, then the bevy of boisterous birds would be gone.  I finally saw what they were hollering about.

 

 

Whoooooooo

can say Beautiful?!!  Don't you love it when God shows you something extraordinary on an ordinary day?

And speaking of beautiful, look at what my daughter made for me for Christmas.

 

If you want to see one more set of snow pictures, please visit her blog.  She has pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains and they are picture postcard pretty.

The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings. . . Isaiah 34:15a

Family Time

 

Christmas time is fun time with families.  Last Thursday, we spent a wonderful day in Copperhill with our younger daughter and her husband.   Our older daughter also accompanied us.  The above picture is a table-top decoration that makes you smile when you see it.  The jingle bell wreath below is very pretty and brings a grin to your face, too - - because it has jingle sounds and also happy faces on the bells.  I don't remember where Amanda got it but I have always enjoyed it being part of her decor.  I wish I had taken more pictures because she had decorated in many places.  Their Christmas village on the mantle looked especially good.

Here are Amanda and Joshua.  They prepared a wonderful luncheon for us that included deep-fried turkey (my husband's favorite), Asian meatballs, and applesauce cake.  I brought fruit salad made from my Grandmother's recipe.  The dressing for it is cooked pudding made from fruit juices which is then mixed with Cool-Whip the next day.  YUM!!!

And then there is me and my sweet husband.

Standing on the front porch, you can see a mountain far off in the distance.  It is Big Frog with an elevation of over four thousand feet.  I did not find any websites that agreed on the height but I liked the picture HERE so included it.

If you zoom in, you can see a bit of the definition due to the gorgeous sunlight.

And that's it for pre-Christmas activities.

And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city . . . Esther 9:28

Done with Fun!

 

Shopping fun that is.  I had another vacation day on Monday and finished everything.  Fortunately my list was not difficult and I went out in the morning before the traffic and crowds got heavy.  These are decorations in our small shopping mall.  (Pictures were taken with my phone.)

Yes, those are palm trees in Tennessee and I think they are real since there is dirt around the base and you could see some brown on the ends of the fronds.

It was actually a great day of customer service.  Bed, Bath, and Beyond is especially to be commended for their abundance of workers as well as their great attitude.  They really acted like they wanted to be of service.  Some other stores had enough help but you could tell they were just there to do their job.  Sears and Ace are some other stores with smiling, helpful workers.  I can tell you a story about Sears after Christmas - - - but not before or someone will know his/her gift.

And the Christmas food is getting done, too.  My grandmother’s recipe for fruit salad is almost done and ready for a feast with my daughter and her husband.   Plus I threw some vegetable soup on to cook this morning so supper was easy tonight.  There are still a few presents to wrap but not an overwhelming stack.

I should get a chance to post again before Saturday.  If not, Merry, Merry Christmas to you!!!!!

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content .  I Timothy 6:8

Where Were We?

The Zoo?

 

An art gallery?

 

No, we did not go either of those places - - yesterday.  The above picture was taken inside the lobby of our doctors' offices.  It does not have stripes but rather each piece of metal is hung with a horizontal curve - - like an undulating wave.  When you look at it without a flash camera, you see a nice coppery sheen - - actually quite beautiful and relaxing.

Our reason for being there was to get my bloodwork results which showed the thryoid function back in normal range.  Also, in that little bit of time, my cholesterol and glucose both improved due to the increased metabolism - - - even if I did gain weight!  Praise God.  I have had more energy in the last week - - but it has been a small roller coaster ride.   Right now with the holidays, feeling better has been very welcome.

My husband had another vacation day to take so after the appointment, we went to eat lunch where we had this view.

 

We had lunch at Sugar's Ribs.

 

This is one of the half dozen sauces on the table.

 

Have you ever heard of "goopy"?   It's a real word.  Look at www.dictionary.com if you doubt it.  The goats are in pens on the side yard.  Don't even think about going to see them without a treat.  You will be ignored.  The server will give you scraps - - - like cornbread.

 

We thought about stopping at the mall on the way home.

But this was the traffic at the end of the exit ramp waiting to get into the mall's parking lot. 

 We said there was nothing there that we cared about that much to battle the traffic and crowds so we came home! . . . . but we did have a fun half day together.

And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  Matthew 23:32

Snow for Some

This will not be stellar news to many of you but in our vicinity, it bears mentioning.  We have had very cold weather this week and for our area, there was a dusting of snow Sunday evening.  However, my daughter lives 45 minutes out of town - - - on top of a mountain - - - about 600 feet higher in elevation than us.  On Monday morning, we had clear roads and barely anything left on the ground.  Check out her blog to see what their yard looked like.  The cabin at the end of the video is where she and her husband live.

And my plans are to catch back up with you by this weekend.  Between holiday activities and still waiting for some energy from the pills treating my under-active thyroid - - - there is not too much of me left over to blog.  Given a choice, sleep usually wins!   However, I am still trying to read everyone's posts.  Love you all!

For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth  Job 37:6a

Giveaway by Friends

I am sending you to the Muncks blog where they are doing Christmas Giveaways.  We LOVE this family.  Their children are some of the most polite young people I know.

Lynda

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.   2 Corinthians 9:15

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Our church was decorated a week ago for Christmas.  Today tables were added for the banquet that was held for our senior adults this evening.  They had about 270 confirmed but possibly more would have shown up.  The trees you will see outside were given to us by one of the church members who has a nursery.  They are planted in the ground and were all completely straight until our high winds. 

If you are tired of looking at our church - - - then I would skip the rest of this post.  Remember it is all new to us still since we have only been there for 2 1/2 months.

 

 

 

The double doors are the middle entrance to the sanctuary.

Each centerpiece was from Department 56.   Someone had enough and allowed the church to borrow them.  Then a simple circle garland  was added for a bit more festivity.

 

 

Notice the evergreen on the stairs.

 

Since you have now seen about a gazillion pictures of the Commons Area, let me finally take you into the sanctuary.

You actually enter on the ground floor.  There are no entrances in the balcony area.  You use the stairs.

The doors are the ones you saw in the commons area.  It is not the only entrance.  The sanctuary seats 1,400.

 Doors above are on left in this picture below.  The library where I work is underneath this area of the balcony.

All the chairs are comfortable but especially these on the ground floor.

Back to the Commons Area one more time.  Look at this pretty arrangement which can be found just inside the church's entrance.  The second picture shows the thinness of the container.  And that's all for tonight - - - it's more than enough, isn't it?

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.  Psalms 122:1

Stairway to Heaven?

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning the gutters and getting ready to wash them.

Almost ready to paint.  Can't you tell it really needs it?

New Color.

It is really a happy color to look at on these gray days.

 I will show you all of it when there is a complete front or back.  One side is done.  The front needs the porch stained and the door painted - - - also the stucco on the bottom needs painting.  However those can be reached without the scaffolding.   Bill figures he has climbed the scaffolding about 15 - 20 times each day he has worked on the weekends.  He is a good, good man and wonderful husband.  I need to learn to pamper him more.  He deserves it.

We want to replace all our windows, too, at some point but that is not the first thing on our list - - even though we are ready for them.  You know I will update you on our projects as they are completed or in progress.

And he dreamed , and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.  Genesis 28:12

25 Days . . . . .

 

We got this title in our church library last year.  I glanced through it mid-way through December and told myself I would like to use it as a devotional beginning around Thanksgiving time this year.  (I allow myself a couple of days extra in case I get really busy one day.)

Here's the  cool part - - - I bought the book last December and actually remembered (without putting it on the calendar) to start it yesterday!  Notice my Thanksgiving bookmark sticking out of the top of the book. 

Here are some interesting things I have learned in just two days.  Advent actually dates back to the 6th century.  Church leaders used the time to help families focus on the life of Christ so that His birth would be even more significant by the time it was celebrated.

Why does Christmas shopping begin at Thanksgiving?  It hasn't always been that way.  Before 1940, generally only the week before was spent in holiday activities from shopping to decorating the tree.  However, during World War II, President FDR asked those at home to shop early and mail their gifts by the first week in December.  When the war ended, retailers were happy and most consumers seemed to be, too so the new tradition of shopping for six weeks began.

So if Christmas preparations overwhelm you, then this book is to help you rediscover the joy and meaning of the season.  One suggestion is to read a chapter in the Gospel of Luke each day before Christmas since it has 24 chapters.

Day 2 reminds us of the greatest gift to the world and of how Jesus met needs while here on Earth.  With that in mind, you should consider buying for someone in great need - - - BEFORE you shop for your family.  The author's family does this and tells about the reaction of  families who had given up on receiving anything - - - - and also how wonderful it made his family feel - - - - they were the hands and feet of Jesus.

King Wenceslas began Christmas gift-giving before it was even in vogue.  In addition to building a better government for the people, assisted by his pages, he would personally visit needy homes and deliver food, clothing, and firewood.

Another thing I learned this week was that the Vanderbilt Family would find what gifts their employees' family would like and celebrate Christmas with a gift-giving party for them.

As many of you know, many of the servants did their chores in the basement of the Biltmore.  And that is where I am today - - not the Biltmore - - but rather our basement!  My husband and I have both been sorting, tossing, and rearranging.  We are going through 16 years of accumulation in this house and 34 years' of collecting during our marriage.  Blame it on the thyroid medicine beginning to work well for me!  My energy level finally got a lot better this week.  I realized that when I was singing at 8:30 one evening!  So - - - back to the dungeon I go because I am LOVING the results!

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalms 90:12