Taking Down Christmas

 I realize that my intentions and my actions don't always line up. It was my intention to post pictures of my home decorated for Christmas. With everything going on (both good and bad) I never did that post. Now my Christmas decor is down and winter decor has gone up, but I can still share a glimpse of what I did and what has changed since.

Let's start with the living room. Compared to years past, this year my living room had very little decor. I did manage to get a few pillows and I used some items I'd had from whenever I was selling Christmas Around The World and Kingdom Treasures. 

The pup is not mine; it's my grand-dog Kuzco who stayed with me during the Thanksgiving weekend and who followed me around like my shadow. I'm really loving the black and red buffalo check pattern for Christmas time so I added this throw I picked up last year from Ross to my sectional. Most of the pillows I had before; the Merry pillow is from Hobby Lobby and the stocking pillow is from Costco.

The next decor items that I can never get enough of in my house is nativities.

These are my larger nativities; I have small ornament sized ones as well. While I do enjoy the story of Santa Claus and all the pretty items that are unique to Christmas, I never want to forget why I'm celebrating: the birth of Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Redeemer, my King. I want Him at the forefront of the celebration.

Now that Christmas and New Year's day have come and gone, I've simplified some of my decor and kept it very neutral for the winter months - though let's be honest, winter in South Florida is not as dark and cold as it is in most areas of the country. Still, our temps have gone down, the sun sets earlier, and my house is resting in wait of springtime decorations.

 The only color on my sectional now is the minty blue/green throw I tossed over the back of the longer side. The furry white pillows were another Costco find. I was in the store at the right time; whenever I saw someone had one in their buggy I went in search of them and found they were flying off the shelves. At $9.99 each it was no surprise. I had all the other pillows and together they give a soft, cozy vibe.

All my other decor stayed the same as before, but the living room looks bigger and roomier now that the tree is gone.

I tried two different looks for my dining room table this year.

The first used items from a more traditional Victorian style. I've had these for many years, from back whenever I sold Christmas Around The World. The Lloyd rabbit family in the back was from the same company. Christmas Around the World sold items by themes based on what country they represented, and this set, if I remember correctly, was from old world Britain. I really loved it for a long time, but whenever I put it on the table I realized how out of place it looked. My style is more rustic, with hints of farmhouse; far from this Victorian style with the frosted fruits and red velvet bows. I took it off and tried something else.

The two tiered dish was a gift from a sweet lady who passed away a few years ago. Rather than cakes or candies I filled it with shiny glass ornaments in red, green and gold. I then set these reindeer candleholders on either side. They are ceramic but are painted to look chippy. While not perfect, it looked much better than the previous look so I kept it instead. I've decided that the Victorian decor, while still beautiful, doesn't fit anywhere in my home, and I'm donating all the pieces (including the wreath and garland) to Goodwill. I know I could sell it, but I won't get much for it and I don't know that it's worth the hassle. 

Now that everything has been put away, this is what the dining room looks like:

There's a big change in this picture: the baker's rack that was in the kitchen is now in the dining room! Why, you may ask? Because of a lovely Christmas gift my daughter and son-in-law gave me that I'm super excited about! For now let me just say I'm loving how the dining room looks. The baker's rack is black, yet it's lighter than the media cabinet that was there before. It has all my fancy dishes and a few decor pieces as well. There's so much that has changed, but I want to save some for my next post. Right now I've gotta run to Goodwill to drop off some donations and maybe pick up some new-to-me goodies. In the meantime, have a blessed week!

Merry CHRISTmas!!

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4-5

The day is finally here, and what a lovely day it is.  Weather in the low 70's, overcast and breezy but not rainy, a tad humid but not too bad.  I love living in Florida!

Despite having gone to bed at almost 2 am, I was awake at 6:30.  Granted, I napped on and off from 11:30 till 1 am, but I think my body is on a clock that can't be adjusted.  I didn't mind, though; who can be upset about waking up early Christmas morning?!  I got washed up, then woke my little monkey up.  I laughed at the fact that it was 7 am and he was still asleep.  When I asked him why he was so different from other kids that wake up early, he shot up and said, "That's right, it's Christmas!"  His siblings were already up so we got started opening presents right away.  I definitely wanted to do this before their dad showed up.  Christmas is something I don't want to share with him, at least not right now.  Their father cares too much about the financial aspect of a gift; a present that isn't expensive is not a good present.  I'm very different.  I look for things that I know people will enjoy, regardless of the price.  If I find a nice shirt for my son and it only costs $7.00, I will still get it because it's something I know my son will like or that he needs.  His dad would be appalled at wearing something worth so little.  It takes all the fun and joy out of exchanging gifts if someone is constantly asking, "How much did that cost?" or "What did you pay for that?"  Even stores matter to him.  He won't wear something from Kohl's because his clothes have to come from Macy's or JC Penney.  I don't want my gifts to be looked down on, or my kids thinking their gifts aren't good enough.  So we opened our presents and enjoyed seeing what we all got.  My oldest son R got us all these really cute pillows that look like books.  He gave E a Treasure Island pillow, his sister got Alice In Wonderland, and I got my favorite book since I was a teenager, Sherlock Holmes.  It was such a cool gift!  He also gave me a cookbook, Ree Drummond's A Year Of Holidays, with all kinds of holiday recipes.  She is a favorite of mine, so I could not be happier!  I got 2 DVD's from my daughter, Annie Claus Is Coming To Town which is a super cute (sappy) Christmas movie that I totally love, and a collection of Disney's Herbie movies.  My youngest son gave me another movie I've been wanting for a while, Mom's Night Out on blu-ray.  It is one of the funniest movies I've seen, I highly recommend it!  Of course there was all the makeup I got from Bare Escentuals that I didn't have to pay for, which made for an even brighter Christmas!  My kids also liked their gifts, which was a combination of video games, board games and clothes.  Then I went to the kitchen to start making breakfast while they called their dad to come open presents as well.  As I made buttermilk pancakes and crispy bacon, my kids opened some very nice gifts from their father:  each of the boys got a Wii U console with games, and my daughter got clothes and makeup that she really wanted.  When it came to them giving him his gifts, it was clear what his favorite was.  R bought his dad a high-end pillow, made with Egyptian cotton, hypoallergenic, original price of $80 that he scored on Cyber Monday for $25.  A got him some Nautica perfume which he liked as well.  As for the facial products, he didn't seem impressed.  I don't think he realized what these products cost, but I didn't make a big deal about it.  It's Christmas, and I wanted to enjoy the day, not be upset by people I can't change.

After that I spent a whole lot of time getting the house back in order.  I make sure we have a couple of trash bags to throw away all the discarded wrapping paper, but I always keep the boxes, bags, gift tags and tissue paper.  Reduce-reuse-recycle!  I don't recycle the wrapping paper because it's hard to reuse once it's been cut and taped and the kids rip into it, but I keep everything else.  The tissue paper is the trickiest, making sure it's folded properly and not torn.  I filled up a bag with reusable tissue, then packed everything away in the closet.  There was plenty more to pick up and put away, too.  My son E was overwhelmed with the amount of clothes he got:  there were 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of sweatpants, and 11 new shirts in different styles and colors.  You must understand, my son likes to wear the same 3 or 4 shirts ALL THE TIME.  It drives me nuts!  He has a closet full of shirts that he doesn't wear because either they don't fit him the way he likes, or don't fit him at all, or they have some kind of design he doesn't like.  His dad had bought him lots of Ecko Limited t-shirts but he doesn't like the bold designs on them.  This time all the shirts are plain round or v-neck tees, but it was so many he was sure he'd never get to wear any of them.  His older brother had a talk with him, and told him it was important that he make the effort to wear them, otherwise he would appear ungrateful.  He gave in and put on a dark grey shirt which looked really nice.  I'm hoping that once he gets used to the idea of having lots of nice clothes he won't feel like they're taking over his closet.  I did go in and pulled a bunch of shirts that he doesn't wear to take to Goodwill.  Once I'd done that the closet appeared empty, making it seem like there weren't that many new clothes after all.  I don't know if he's fully convinced; my son is a creature of habit, and new things don't fall into his habitual behavior.  As I told my daughter, he definitely isn't a girl.  Girls would love nothing more than to receive a boatload of clothes for Christmas!

I started lunch just after noon.  The turkey was done from the day before; all that was needed was some mashed potatoes and green beans.  My best friend IV stopped by as I was cooking, and brought a Christmas present for us:  tickets for Winter Jam next month, and tickets to see Chris Tomlin in February.  I know she spent way too much money on these and I told her so, but she loves going to concerts and loves for me to go too.  I've told her I can pay for my own tickets but she goes ahead and buys them before I have a chance to get them myself.  I'm gonna have to figure out a way to stop this; I don't want her to get into a financial bind because she's being too generous with her money.  I got her a simpler but much appreciated gift:  the newest Tim Hawkins DVD.  Tim Hawkins is the funniest comedian I've ever listened to, and because he's a Christian my whole family can listen and not worry about him saying anything crass, inappropriate or vulgar.  It's family friendly laughs, and I don't think anyone can resist a good laugh!  After lunch all I could hear throughout the whole house was my son E playing Wonderful 101 on his new Wii U.  His brother had set both up before going over to visit his best friend since high school.  Today is not only Christmas, it's his best friend's birthday, which makes the visit extra special.  

Another neighbor stopped by and brought us a tin of Belgian chocolate covered wafers and cookies.  Oh my word, these cookies are SOOO delicious!  I'm afraid I'm gonna put on the 5 pounds I've struggled so hard to lose!

I cleaned up the kitchen, then sat down to watch Annie Claus Comes To Town.  I love sweet, romantic movies, and if they revolve around Christmas I love them even more!  Afterwards my kids wanted to play with their board games.  Even though it was just A and E because R had gone out, we still had fun playing The Logo Board Game and Say Anything.  I always get my kids board games for Christmas because we are board game lovers.  Board games, card games, word games, you name it, we play it.  What we won't do is play for money.  We compete fairly (no cheating allowed in my house), and we challenge each other.  Most importantly, we keep it fun.  

I've showered and moisturized, and now I'm going to relax with my new cookbook, researching new recipes that I want to try.  It's been a wonderful day, a day we celebrate because Jesus came to this earth over 2,000 years ago with the purpose of restoring our relationship with God.  Yes, my kids got me some nice gifts, and they are very happy with the presents they received, but ultimately the greatest gift of all is salvation through Jesus Christ.  I can live without anything, but I cannot live without Jesus.  We worship Him and praise Him, and we celebrate this momentous occasion, His birth.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas as well.  Good night now.  

Good Friday

Today, rather than my usual Friday posts, I want to share this Bible verse and ask that you all meditate and remember the great sacrifice that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for you and me.  If you have not received Christ as your personal Savior, may I urge you to take the time and seek Him?  He is waiting for you.  He loves you.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
 All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

 - Isaiah 53:5,6

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's an overcast day outside, but it's not a problem for me.  There's no school today due to a teacher's planning day (actually, it's Yom Kippur, but they don't call it that).  So I get to look at the clouds without having to go out into this muggy morning.  Instead, I'll answer some Wednesday Hodgepodge, courtesy of Joyce, From This Side of the Pond.


1. The Wednesday Hodgepodge this week falls on John Chapman's birth date.  He's more famously known as Johnny Appleseed...what's your favorite variety of apple?

Since I'm from NY, I grew up on apples.  My mom always bought the standards:  red delicious for eating, Granny Smiths for baking.  I like trying all kinds of varieties, but they aren't as accessible here in South Florida.  I enjoy galas and fiji apples.

2.   When did you last say 'ick'?

When my son pulled out a bag of romaine lettuce my daughter had bought and forgotten about.  It was not pretty.

3.   Do you think there's a generation gap?  Explain.

I think that, while each generation may have different views on things based on experiences, generation gaps are created when we refuse to listen to and have compassion for the opinions of others.  Young people can benefit from the wisdom of their elders, and there is much to be learned technology-wise from the youth who are more in tune with those things.  Generation gaps are broken down when we agree that every generation has something worthwhile to offer.

4.  What's on your computer screen saver?  Do you leave it alone or change it often?

I have my daughter's old computer, and her screen saver is...well, none.  Her wallpaper is a winter scene, dark with snow on the ground and on the trees, with a street light illuminating and a colorful swirl running through.  I haven't changed it; I haven't even thought about changing it.

5.  If you had the attention of the entire world for two minutes, what would you say?

"Life on earth is short.  Eternity is forever.  Use the time you have on this earth wisely if you care about your eternity.  Jesus Christ offers eternity in heaven to all who believe in Him.  Why wouldn't you take advantage of that?"

6.  Four fashion trends to try this fall are-brocade/jacquard (fancy printed fabrics), peplum, lace, and printed pants...which of these four would you be most likely to wear?

When you live in South Florida like I do, fashion trends don't change much.  We might go from flip-flops to closed shoes if the weather drops below 60 degrees.  If the temps are in the 50s, we will most likely pull out a sweater or jacket.  Of course, those temps don't visit us till December, when fall is coming to an end.  I don't see myself in brocade/jacquard, peplum or printed pants in our humid weather, so I'm gonna go with lace.

7.  What can make your bad day better?

A hug from my kids.  Or chocolate.  Or having my kids hug me while I have some chocolate.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

This was my grandfather, my mom's father.  I'm helping my son do a heritage report for his Civics class, and I've gotten some pictures for him to include.  It's such a blessing to be able to share our family's history with my son.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joyce from This Side of the Pond has this fun blog hop on Wednesdays, just some fun questions to get the mind awake and alert.  Join me for some Hodgepodge!

1. I'm joining my daughter1 in the 101 in 1001 challenge. Essentially you create a list of 101 things you want to accomplish or do in the next 1001 days. What's one thing you'd put on your list?
Painting the outside of my house.  It needs to get painted.

2. How many remote controls do you have in your house? What's one item in your home you wish could be run by remote control?
Let's see, there's 4 in the family room, 4 more in my bedroom, about 100 in the living room...there are lots and lots of remote control.  If I had a choice, I'd have a remote control similar to one the Jetson's had, where you push a button and dinner is cooked and served.  That would be a dream come true.

3. What does having it all mean to you? Is it attainable?
For me, having a relationship with my Savior is having it all.  As the hymn goes, "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe."  Is it attainable?  Absolutely!  And it's free!!!!

4. What's your favorite movie soundtrack?
I've always enjoyed Grease, songs of the 50s.

5. Describe the best view you've seen from a rooftop?
In Puerto Rico, my aunt lived in a house in the mountains, and in the mornings I'd go up to the rooftop to see the clouds rolling off the mountains behind the house.  The view was spectacular.  The memory still takes my breath away.

6. What's your least favorite thing about summer?
The humidity.  I don't mind warm weather, I just don't like stepping out the door and having my clothes automatically stick to my body. :P

7. Our weekly Hodgepodge lands on the first day of August. In ten words or less sum up your July.
Bowling, zoo, movies, lots of rain, plenty of sunshine.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I have to go grocery shopping again today.  My cupboards are almost bare.  I'd forgotten what it was like having a 12 year old boy in the house.  My son has grown about an inch this summer, and he hasn't even hit his growth spurt yet!  It makes me a little sad that my baby is growing up so fast.  I know it's part of life, but oh, how I wish I could slow life down just to enjoy my babies for a little longer!

Words That Inspire Me

 "You never hear Jesus say in Pilate's judgement hall one word that would let you imagine that He was sorry that He had undertaken so costly a sacrifice for us. When His hands are pierced, when He is parched with fever, His tongue dried up like a shard of pottery, when His whole body is dissolved into the dust of death, you never hear a groan or a shriek that looks like Jesus is going back on His commitment."

  - Charles H. Spurgeon