Tis the Giving Season!

As the title of this post says Tis the Giving Season!!!! Really, I think that the giving season should be all year round, but this time of year people are just more predisposed to feelings of generosity and it's lovely to see in action. Also I love to give gifts! I know a lot of energy and negativity is centered around the massive Black Friday (now spilling over into Thanksgiving) sales, and it's not without cause. But there are cases where I think that people not just wanting a good deal for themselves, also know that the gift that they are giving is truly going to be blessed to the recipient. And for that reason I suppose it's worth the crowds to deal with, but I draw the line when brawling or thievery is taking place. Here are some recent pics of a gift that myself and a friend gave to another dear friend of ours. Dear people that love the Lord and deserve an extra special something...just because.

Keep in mind that she's preggers right now...and she also just got her long awaited ceiling fan installed. So it was an emotional overload all over the place. It was so cool!!! I know what it's like to go without and then to get something special. So I know the feeling on both ends of the spectrum of being provided for and providing. I love the feeling of giving a little more I think :). I enjoy making presents and finding them as well it's always fun to hunt. It's the little things that seem to bring pleasure to people. Whether it's a laptop or a little tin mug that brings back childhood memories, the value of the present is relative to the recipient not on the actual cost of what is spent. Remember that going into this giving season...

Howeveras much as I like giving...it's always fun to get something that you weren't expecting either!

Here are just a few more of the things I love about this time of year...

Our Jr. Girls Christmas Tea

The girls are so creative

This year I found a book of Christ centered Christmas poems at the local thrift store. That was some of the best 89 cents that I've ever spent. One of my faves, so far, is as the end of this post.

My Christmas Tree

Somehow this year it ended up being red, white & blue. Totally not intentional, but pretty just the same.

The Lights of Christmas

Bruce the Talking Spruce
(Nicki asked him for Firewood LOL)

Fun with Friends

(Jeff, James, Me & Nicki)

 

Every year a local organization puts these lights together and it's amazing! This year was marked by our frequent stops at the fire pits LOL. The warmth that they offered was much needed. Cold brings it's own variety of fun, but I'd rather be warm. Obviously I'm horribly conflicted, since I'll soon be travelling up to the snow in a couple weeks. Anyway, I'm hoping that next year I can get it together to do the dinner theater there.

As promised here is one of the poems I read at the tea. It's hard to choose a favorite so maybe I'll post another as the Christmas season continues.

Christmas Presence

by Margaret Allen

"What do you want for Christmas Mom?"

My son John asked today.

I thought of all I have, and found

There wasn't much to say.

The Lord had blessed me greatly.

And all my family.

The Source of music fills my heart

With glorious harmony.

What do I want for Christmas?

I would ask the Lord above

To please restore to perfect health

Those precious ones I love.

Oh yes, and I need patience Lord,

And wisdom for each day.

Forgiveness too, for all the times

I want to have my way.

And I would share God's special gift,

The joy his promise brings:

The Holy Child of Bethlehem

Is still the KING of KINGS!

WOW this thing is GREAT!!!

Seriously it is!!! If you don't know what it is let me enlighten you. It's called Roku. It's a wireless entertainment box and my Dad got it for me for my Birthday. I initially liked the idea of getting one simply so I could stream Netflix from my TV instead of my laptop all the time. But let me tell you it's so much more.

It took me about a week or so to get up the energy to want to set it up because initially I thought I would have to plug it into my router which would constitute me rearranging my furniture & not something I was really keen on. In a place as small as mine you want to maximize your space as much as possible and once the furinuture goes down you don't want to move it (I now have to re-evaluate the BR setup...but that's another story, for another time). However, in the process of the set up I realized that I could setit up wirelessly to my router & then that made me want to use it even more, not to mention I could still keep everything in it's place.

So after the set up, I connected it to my Netflix and then realized that Roku has it's own channels that you can subscribe to. Some you have to pay for, but they also have quite a few free ones that are actually pretty useful. Like I was able to connect my Pandora (music) account to their Pandora channel & have music play through my TV, totally cool! Lest anyone thing that Pandora is strictly for "popular" music, I happen to have my stations setup for classical, hymns, musicals & opera, so there is quite a variety. And it's come in quite nicely today as I've commenced my Saturday cleaning. I haven't had to stop & switch CD's etc. It's really nice. I also downloaded some more spiritual channels, like thier Sermon Audio channel! Now I can also listen to sermons that my church, and others like ours, have downloaded. It was a little weird last night when I was scrolling through the information and I ran accross Pastor Sargent & Pastor Jeremiah's pictures from their Sermon Audio accounts. Haven't found Bro. Geist on their yet, but I there's time for that. The one channel that I did opt to pay for is called The Streaming Bible,  I can listen to the Bible being read anytime I want. It was pretty neat last night just to check it out and to have it on in the background. Scrolling thought their radio channel was also pretty interesting, because now I can listen to my talk radio through my TV as well. Gone is the static of my antenna! Definitely a fun "toy" to get. And just so you readers know, no you don't need a fancy LCD or HDTV for it to work. I'm using my old tube TV for it. Thanks to my Dad for thinking of it. I'll never pay for cable again after this.

Thank you

Here is my post full of "Thank You's" for the gifts that people gave to me this Christmas. It was all wonderful. Somethings I wasn't actuallyable to get a pic of, so I appologize if it's not in a picture.

My pig slippers (always a hit): From Jack

This one takes a little explaining. See I love musicals!!! Growing up Annie was one of my favorites (only this version though, I don't like the new one with Kathy Bates). Anyway, the dress in the background was one of my old Halloween costumes (the mask has obviously bit the dust). I'll tell the story as it's been told to me over the years. This particular costume was worn to a Halloween party when I was about 4 for one of the girls in my pre-school and it was held at a house in, Sea Cliff, a very rich part of San Francisco. Most, if not all, of the other kids at the party were made up to be dressed in rented, ornate, uncomfortable, and lest just face it ridiculous costumes that children will wreck if they are allowed to play at all (which as I understand it they weren't allowed to do). Now then that leaves little ol' me in my plastic dress, cheap suffocating mask, and black patent leather mary janes to run and play and have the best time there (which still has a habit of happening to me, what can I say). Well, one of the things that my Dad gave me was the DVD of Annie accompanied by my plastic dress. I no longer celebrate Halloween, but it's a fun story to tell,especially if you know me already and know what a fun social person I like to be:)

From the Willow Tree collection the "Angel of Caring": From Sam

1,000 Gluten Free Recipes: From Matthew

A chance to die - The Amy Charmichael Story: From Nancy

Boy Meets Girl: From Nancy

America's Cheapest Family: From my Dad

The Muppet Show - Season 1: From my Dad

A pink scarf/head covering: From my Mom

An hour glass necklace filled with diamond dust: From my Mom

It's not Christmas without a new sweater: From my Dad

This is the fabulous red hat that I bought myself in San Francisco:) It's way cute!!!

Gifts not pictured:

From Maggie: I got Love Letters of Great Men and Women
From Sharon: I got two rice bags (which have been really nice to have lately)
From Nicki: I got a serving/decoration tray
From both Kali & Nicki: I got a certificate for an "All expenses paid trip" to help me complete some of the goals on my list. I can't wait to see what they plan.
From Steve & Sherri: I got a gift card to the Trumpeter restaurant in Mt. Vernon (it's all GF)!!!!
From Shannon: I got an ice cream scoop with a pig handle
From my Mom: I also got some snow boots

Thanks everyone for your thoughtfulness. If I forgot anything I appologize. Obviously I was very blessed this year.