Blessed new year 2012

In just a few hours, we will welcome 2012.  This will be a year of happy/sad, joy/sorrow, fear/security, and war/peace. 
My hope and desire for you all is not for continual happiness in this world, for with continual happiness, one sleeps the sleep of death and destruction.  Happiness is not found in 'things' of this life, but of the blessings that God pours out on believers.  The more 'things' one has, the more time is spent away from our Lord, and in time He is forgotten, pushed under a rug till we 'need' Him.  The world is full of such. 
My hope and desire for you is that this will be the year that you recognize Jesus as Savior and King, and turn your heart and mind toward Him and dedicate your life to Him.  Lean on Him for instruction and help, recognize His sovereignty. 
Open your Bible and read.. hear the words speak to you.
I pray your new year is not particularly happy, but very blessed which brings joy to the heart.

Well, we got snow and it's still 25* outside but windy so it's colder than that.  As for the snow, the weather prevaricators predicted 1-4" by noon today.  We have only 45 min to make even that minimum.  :)   I doubt it said the carpenter... and shed a bitter tear.
What we do have is a dusting.. more than a skiff, but certainly far less than half an inch.
My new birdfeeder is up and the birds are singing a happy tune!  They seem to love it much more than my red neck feeder.  Who can blame them?
I'll post pictures later when I get brave enough to go outdoors.  :)
Today I need to make a trip to Butler, but am toying with the idea of waiting till tomorrow to go with Wendell when he has his weigh-in appt with his PCP.  We need gas in the car, so that might just be a better idea.  I don't think we'll get enough snow to make a difference by tomorrow.
Heading for Professor Horner..

Monday afternoon we had a family get-together to exchange gifts with each other.  I had a great time and I hope my family did too.
I love the white elephant exchange for adults- such fun!  I stole a bird feeder from Jane and am so very very excited to have this gift.  Wendell and I were just discussing whether we could afford to purchase an actual bird feeder and had decided to buy seed no matter this coming pay.  What a great gift this was for us!!!
Paul and Amy gave both Wendell and me NAS versions of the Bible.. something I've been looking for to buy for myself.. and what a treat to find it is in GIANT print!!  I've used the NIV for as long as I can remember.  Now I have NIV, KJV, and the treasured NAS which I'll be using from here on hopefully.
The Vulhops gave us Skype and John hooked it up last night.  Valentines got it too, so we had a LONG chat with them last night.  It was such a joy to see the kids and grandkids.  Anyone who wanted to chat was invited into the computer room to enjoy the Valentine's company.  :)
Last week the Z's gave us a new TV and DVD player.  Yippee!  I can watch movies on that 32" screen.  It is a lot nicer than the old TV.. and last night John hooked up the old one in our bedroom.. will need a universal remote, but that's not a problem..
Love you all.. you have filled in some spots that were on our wish lists for some time in the future.

We never know when we won't have our family around us... it's a delight to have wonderful family.

 I Corinthians 11:



23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

It's 30* outside and not a flake of snow to be seen for miles.  Suits me just fine.  I can deal with cold weather, but snow and ice are my nemesis. 
Wendell bought me a Nook and a router.  He already has a list of books he wants to read on it.  :)  I can't get the router hooked up so will just wait till John has a free moment or two to fight with it.  It really is a nice thing- we have been talking about buying one for months.  Can't access it without wi-fi, thus the router.  Oh well.. it is like giving a child a toy without the batteries.. hehehe.

Oh.. tomorrow is Christmas Day.   I can't wait for New Year Day.. I'm about done with 2011 ..
Happy New Year to all !!!

Coming down to the wire here as far as holidays go.  I'm already tired of the whole shebang.  I'm ready to remove the tree and all signs of Christ Mass.  Accckkkkk! 
It is raining again tonight.  Last night we had a horrific storm with gale force winds, rain, and thunder.  More like spring.  Oh,  spring, where are you???  I am so ready.   I love the green green grass and leaves, not particularly pine needles. 
Monday will be our family party.. that reminds me, I should check in with everyone to see if they are in agreement.. hehehe
I found another Zobmondo game.. "Would You Rather".... fun.  It's similar to "Apples to Apples" that we played last year.  Interesing games that make you think.   Then I found Scrabble and Password too.  I may try to get someone to play with me .. hmmmm
"Would you rather eat an earthworm every day or have a tooth pulled without anesthesia?"   Glad I don't have to make that choice.. hehehe

•Treat yourself every week.



•Read the labels before you buy.


•Always go fat free.


•Lose the bread.


•Portion control is 80% the battle.

Good News Not Bad News



Before we leave the Old Testament, there is one other passage that clarifies a common misunderstanding of the sabbath. It is Isaiah 58:13–14. It is a shame that for so many people sabbath keeping is thought of solely in terms of what you can't do. Its original intention was certainly intended to be good news not bad news. The sabbath command is in fact a command to experience joy.


If you turn back your foot from the sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth.

God's Purpose for Us on the Sabbath


God's purpose for us on the sabbath is that we experience the highest and most intense joy that can be experienced, namely, that we "take delight in the Lord." And yet what he finds again and again is professing Christians who prefer little human-sized pleasures from things that have no close relation to God at all.


If you worked seven days a week in the hot sun to keep life and limb together, with scarcely any time for leisure and reflection, would you consider it burdensome if your God came to you with omnipotent authority and said, "I don't want you to have to work so much. I want you to have a day a week to rest and enjoy what really counts in life. I promise to meet your needs with just six days of work"? That is not a cruel command. It is a gracious gift.


Why So Many People Think of the Sabbath as a Burden


The reason that so many people feel it as a burden is partly that we have so much leisure, we don't feel the need for the sabbath rest; but more important, I think, is the fact that not many people really enjoy what God intended us to enjoy on the sabbath, namely, himself. Many professing Christians enjoy sports and television and secular books and magazines and recreation and hobbies and games far more than they enjoy direct interaction with God in his Word or in worship or in reading Christian books or in meditative strolls.


Therefore, inevitably people whose hearts are set more on the pleasures of the world than on the enjoyment of God will feel the sabbath command as a burden not a blessing. This is what John says in 1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." The measure of your love for God is the measure of the joy you get in focusing on him on the day of rest. For most people the sabbath command is really a demand to repent. It invites us to enjoy what we don't enjoy and therefore shows us the evil of hearts, and our need to repent and be changed.

"But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it — and I won't take it away from her."

~Luke 10:41-42 NLT


"I can relate to Martha. If I were planning a party, she'd be the one I'd ask to help. Martha knows everything needs to be just right.

When Jesus showed up at Martha's door, she did what I would have done.
She started getting everything ready.
But her sister, Mary, had other plans.
Mary didn't share Martha's need to please, so she sat with Jesus. She knew the house was a mess, but she also knew that Jesus wouldn't be there long, so she forgot about the cleaning and plopped down at his feet.
What nerve, Martha thought to herself. Doesn't she know there's work to be done?
Finally, Martha had to speak up and expected Jesus to scold Mary.
But that's not what Jesus did. "My dear Martha," he said, "you are so upset over all these details! …"
Jesus took Mary's side. He said that Mary was the one who had the right idea. She did nothing but listen and was praised; Martha did everything but listen and was chastised.


The Lord's priorities are not the same as ours. Jesus isn't as concerned about our lace tablecloths and clean kitchens as we are. He's concerned with the state of our heart — the time we spend at his feet, reflecting on his words and resting in his presence.


from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins and Frank M. Martin (Tyndale) p 209

Am working on a wreath for our deck. It looked okay yesterday until the wind started - we had pretty strong wind. It looks like the wreath was blown about a bit. It is quite large and my first time at actually "creating" a wreath. I pulled grapevine out of the tree, twisted it in an '0' shape.. then went and collected some smaller boughs from our pine trees out front..( carefully so they don't look like I removed any) :) Still needs a little work and restrung since the wind.. :)

I bought myself "EGGIES" to hard boil my eggs. I only eat the whites, but peeling eggs is such a pain- literally. I always feel like my fingers are ripped to shreds after peeling them. And then- I lose half of my whites as they cling to the shells. NO MORE! These little Eggies are super de duper and I love them!

This is the best part of the day .. when I pull out a nice mug and fill it full of coffee.. the mug makes it taste so delicious!

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
~Phil 4:8

Why is it that at this time of year things are just 'different'?  I can't put my finger on it, but there is something about coming of winter that just makes me feel sad.   Days are so short and the sun doesn't shine much.. then evening comes way too fast.. It's cold outside and wet..and shortly there will be snow.
But as I look about these things I remember that scriptures say we will have seasons in a regular and timely manner.. and we can anticipate spring in another few months.. when all things become new again.  Spring is always my favorite time.. :)

It's a great day today.. I'm alive.. feeling well.  No complaints.

Now that doesn't happen often all in one breath..  but today it is for sure.  It's a brisk day outside, the sun has been shining.. but the temperature is only 43* at the moment- better than the 15* of this morning when I got up.                                                     

Crafts....

It's such a hoot to have the grandkids come to visit.  Last evening we watched Home Alone 2   and made more crafts.. boots for the tree mainly.  Daniel baked bread.. all from scratch.

Today we started out baking .. Joyce really did a wonderful job on the cinnamon rolls.. they were so delicious.  No way could I keep them here.  I would have finished them off and my glucose would have been skyrocketed..

Then Daniel took over and made cookies.. lots of them.. Paul made a round of brownies.. Joyce did the peanut butter blossoms.. Daniel made chocolate chips, and then P3 made gob cookies..

Daniel made bread.. and it was fabulous!!!

Joyce treated us to home made cinnamon rolls.. they were to die for...

I put this "Feedjit" on my blog to see where my readers come from and what their interests are.. I find it humorous that many many many are interested in the many uses of Listerine- and the other site is the article I did on the Ugly Ornament contest.. Hah!
So this year I believe we are again doing the ugly ornament thing.. kids want to join in too.  Should be a hoot!
Planning a dinner later this month and an adult gift exchange- white elephant style.. anything new, used, old, or whatever.. anything goes.

More cookies to be made for fun times together during the holiday season.  The New Year is right around the corner!

So here is what I do when I 'm home and not real busy...

These are impatiens I am growing from seed.. The one on the

right is now blooming..

 I made the birds a makeshift bird feeder out of a hanging basket.
Don't laugh.. it works!

Always interested in new things to bake.. this is Challah bread.. very beautiful.. a heavy eggy type bread.. I didn't put the fruit in it , but it's good anyway..

We made crafts and cookies..