Happy Birthday, Jesus!

This is my favorite season of the year!  Merry Christmas to all!  I love the Christmas carols, the friendliness of people, the surprise gifts, the shopping and giving of gifts and the special services at church.

The last few years, I enjoyed choosing gifts for World Vision and Samaritan's Purse in honor of friends.  I like spending money to help others and these two Christian organizations to a fantastic job of it!

For Sunday School this last Sunday of the year, I am planning a little party for my class of 5th and 6th graders.  I love teaching this class because the kids are so nice!  I am wrapping things from around my house that I think the kids would like and still need a couple more.  Of course, some things are better than others, but after they all choose their wrapped gift, after they open them, they can try trading with someone if they want.  I also have a pile of 2020 calendars to give away.

My husband and I buy gifts for each other.  This year our BIG gift is blinds for our bedroom windows, but we have to wait until after Christmas for those because I waited to long to set up an appointment.  I'll share about our gifts in another post.

I miss not visiting with family at Christmas and miss the excitement of children opening gifts.  That's one reason I like to give gifts to my Sunday School classes.  I truly do receive joy from giving.  What do you love about Christmas?  Merry Christmas to you!

For a post about our Nativity Set, see Nativity Project of 1982 With Help From Dad
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My Gingerbread House

I am not a baker or a cook; however, I enjoy watching the Food network's baking championship shows.  They inspired me to go ahead and purchase a pre-baked gingerbread house that just needs assembling and decorating.  It's so little, I think it should be called a cottage rather than a house.  The kit even includes some little punch-out cardboard accessories:  an elf, a very small Christmas tree and a snowman.  I had the strange idea that it might be fun to do, so gave it a try.

I got it together without any trouble and proceeded to decorate it with the icing and candy that was included in the kit while my husband took a little nap.  The roof went very well, but icing around the door and windows was very difficult because they were vertical.  The one side wall fell down once when I was putting some little candies on it but then I got it done.  I should have quit then, but decided to just squirt whatever icing I could still get out as snow around the house.  That's when my hand slipped and knocked into the house--down came that wall again so I had to change my plan and gather whatever icing I could for the sides of that wall to get it to stick back in.

That satisfied my little urge for a kitchen adventure.  I wouldn't use the word "fun" to describe it though.  Maybe challenging would be a more accurate description.   Have you tried making anything new this year in the kitchen?

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My New Pillow by Spunky Doodle

When Gerard and Karen got new "My Pillows" for Christmas, I got one of their old ones for my cardboard bed box.  I like it because it keeps me warmer and is soft.  I like to kneed it like I used to do when it was on their bed.  Just thought you might like to know what you could do with your old pillows.  Karen covered it with a nice blanket that we got from the Humane Society just for making a donation.

What did your pets get for Christmas?  I was hoping for one of those hamster wheels for cats but did not get that.  Maybe next year.

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Our big Christmas Present

This year we really splurged and bought ourselves a Tempu-Pedic Cloud bed that is adjustable.  The salesman said it was the best bed there is and should last over ten years.  It has a remote control that adjusts the head and the foot.  When we tested it in the store, it was so comfortable, we sucked up the price and bought it.  We did save $800 by not getting the breeze which is a little air that keeps you cool while you sleep.  I have a feeling when summer comes, we'll be kicking ourselves for not getting that feature, but $800 is a lot of money and we were already spending $3,000 on it as it was.

I also took advantage of the TV buy one get one free deal for two My Pillows.  They weren't cheap either but also have a 10-yr. warranty and are washable. 

Normally, I never would have considered spending that kind of money on a bed; however, I figured with my Christmas bonus, cash from my boss and the money I would have had to spend on for my second colonoscopy I could spend on the bed instead since I think my insurance should finally cover this last huge medical expense.

So, did you get any big items for Christmas this year?

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Cleveland Public Square at Christmas

I really like the Christmas lights and decorations on Cleveland Public Square this year and thought I'd share some of them with you.

The lights on the trees were put up in the summer when the square first opened!  They just weren't lit up until now.  The big Christmas tree is on the far left lit up in gold.

Salvation through Jesus Christ is God's greatest gift to us!

I like the fancy stonework in the path.

The tunnel has lights and greenery on it, the picture doesn't do it justice.  Some trees have colored lights.

Oops, forgot to take the skaters on the ice rink--maybe I'll add that later.  They aren't there this early when these were taken.

Our church is having two identical Christmas Eve candlelight services, one at 4:00 and one at 5:30 then just one service on Sunday, Christmas day at 10:00 a.m.  We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!


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Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Best Lights for Christmas on Albertly in Parma, OH!

 As we walk our dog, we pass by this display.  I love it!  I think this is the best display I've seen this year because it's pretty yet simple and conveys the true meaning of Christmas. 

Yesterday after worshiping my Savior at the Christmas Eve candle light service at Parma Heights Baptist Church, I enjoyed browsing through the Samaritan's Purse catalog online and picking out several different projects to donate to.  This is how I like to buy for Jesus since it is his birthday we are celebrating.  It brings joy to my heart when I can help others and also help spread the good news of Jesus!  This organization is the best way I know of to do both. 

We show our love for Jesus by our actions and I think the two biggest are how we spend our money and how we spend our time. 

Merry Christmas to all! 

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Limping Along for Christmas but Happy Just the Same

Christmas morning (cats upstairs)

Christmas Eve morning, I noticed Abby (our dog) came limping to breakfast and walking much slower than usual.  Then when it was time for her walk, she just sniffed around by our bushes, then walked as far as the sidewalk and sat down.  We knew for sure something was wrong so called our vet and they said they had an opening at 9:00 and of course recommended that we bring her in to have her checked out.

We lifted her in and out of the car and the vet turned her leg and neck in all directions and proclaimed, nothing seemed broken.  We increased her daily Metacam dosage to the max allowed for her weight and put pillows by the furniture that she jumps off of to soften her landing.  All we can do is just take her out to do her business to rest her leg and see what happens.

Cookie from Moochie's

I am pleased to report that it seems to be getting better.  She still limps along, but much quicker than the first day and acts normal in all other ways.  For Christmas she gobbled up her special cookie before Gerard even could see it.  We put her new dog tag on along with her Canine Good Citizen tag with her new Links-It holder.  But the present she liked best and that the cats were

Blue Senior Turkey & Chicken Grill

interested in too was the Blue Mountain Senior wet canned dog food.  Oh, she was so excited for that and the cats both came over too trying to get some.  We gave her half on Christmas and she'll get the other half of the can today.

Here's just a short video to show how she is limping along this morning.

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Christmas Already!

It's hard to believe Christmas is this Thursday!  I guess without snow and real cold weather, it doesn't seem like it should be here yet, but it is!  I put up our tree this year and the manger scene, got my shopping done early, mostly from catalogs, and even bought some Christmas cookies yesterday!  

We have a quiet Christmas around here.  Sometimes I miss the family get-togethers and not having children makes for a lot less fun, but it is a relaxing time for us.  We exchange gifts, give our pets something special and just enjoy the time together watching movies or going for walks looking at the neighborhood lights.   

I do look forward to going to the Christmas Eve service at church which is always uplifting.  It was a blessing to see two of the kids in my Sunday School class get baptized this morning, but was a bit disappointing that I only had two in my class today.  Guess some families have their family Christmas gatherings today.

We wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas! 

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Christmas Friday Fragments

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. I have a few this week:

Christmas

One of my new toys.

•  We attended a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Parma Heights Baptist Church with traditional carols, candle lighting and only an hour long.  I really enjoy the traditional Christmas carols and it seems we hear them less and less.  I was surprised to find out some of the fifth grade boys never heard of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."
• We had a very good Christmas with both of us getting lots of nice things from the other. We both love to shop for each other (even though I am hard to buy for) so opened gifts throughout the day. 
• I was very pleased with myself that I was actually able to assemble the reading lamp I bought for Gerard!  If I had known I would have to assemble it, I probably would not have bought it.
•  Christmas morning, after opening a few presents, we went to the West Creek park with Abby.  Even though it was pretty cold, we dressed warm and enjoyed walking in the peace and quiet, with a thin covering of snow all around--good thing I wore my boots.  It looks very different in the winter!
• Along with some very attractive and comfortable clothes, we also got some cool "toys" and gadgets which I will share about in separate upcoming posts.
• Our cats had a disappointing Christmas this year--no tree, no special food (because Spunky has a very sensitive stomach) and no cat nip.  We did get them the Meow cat toy that is battery operated with the little thing that spins around under a plastic crinkly cover for $20, but neither of them thought much of it so I returned it.  Our cats just like the simple pleasures of bags, boxes, string, ping pong balls and other household items.  
• Abby got special treats though so she was quite happy!



After about 2 min, I'm done

• We watched a couple cute Christmas movies, finished up our ongoing checker game which ended in a draw, and enjoyed a relaxing day with our pets getting some reading in.
• The day before we got our new garage door opener and now have keys to disengage it in case of a power failure--I can actually open it by hand very easily now!

Trying to get my treats out of the tiny bag.

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A Special Email from Santa

At PNP Portable North Pole you can create a personalized video from Santa Clause for someone. It's very cute!  I created one for my husband (since we don't have kids).  I'm sure though kids would love it too.  It is easy to do and doesn't take very long.  The hardest part I think is choosing what pictures you want to use.  You can email it to whoever you want. 

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A Christmas Quiz--See How You Do

So, you think you know the first Christmas story?  See how you do with this quiz I am using in my Sunday School Class today:

1)  This month's special holiday is ________.

2)  Who is the Messiah?

3)  What are the four names given to the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6?

4)  According to Isaiah, why was God going to send the Savior?

5)  Who would be the Savior's most famous earthly ancestor?

6)  According to the prophet Micah, in what town would the Savior be born?

7)  Shortly before the Savior was born, people wondered WHEN He would be born.  God revealed this secret to someone.  Who was the first person God told? 

8)  True or false?  Jesus was born in a manger.

9)  On the night Jesus was born, some people were outside in the dark.  Who were they and what were they doing? 

10)  When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary and Joseph took him to the Temple to dedicate him.  They also took an offering.  What was their offering? 

11)  Two people saw Jesus in the Temple:  an elderly man and an elderly woman.  What were their names? 

12)  How many wise men came to see Jesus in the stable? 

Click "read more" below for answers:

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We Got Boxes! by Spunky Doodle

Early Christmas morning Karen was making Manny and me a kitty condo out of cardboard boxes. I was testing them out as she stacked them and taped them together. It was so much fun watching her. I actively supervised while Manny watched from a distance. There are three different levels and she made it in two sections for easy repositioning. It turned out to be pretty big and she wasn't sure where she was going to put it. For now, it is in the upstairs hall.

Check this out

She keeps trying to take pictures of Manny and me in it in different sections, but we generally wait until she's gone. Sometimes I'll go in it when she's there but then she runs for the camera. I go in it more than Manny does. Once Karen put my Kong toy with food in it and after I ate it, I vomited it up right on the "welcome" door mat. At least I didn't make a mess inside.

Maybe if you have cats, you could make one for them! My mom had lots of fun making it (I think more than I have using it). Linked up with Camera Critters and Pet Pride.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

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Advent Conspiracy: Something To Think About

Our Pastor has been speaking about phases of Advent Conspiracy (worship fully, spend less, give more and love all. This video below really spoke to my heart. Every Christmas for years now I've always given an extra offering to my church as unto Jesus as a gift to Him since it is His birthday I celebrate at Christmas. I generally make it equal to or more than what I spend on the person I gave the most to. This year, after viewing this video, I'm doing it a bit differently.



I decided to give through World Vision this year to help make a difference in the world the way Jesus did when He lived on Earth. There are plenty options to help the poor, feed the hungry, provide care and help to people in crisis, provide medicine, clean water, help for orphans and widows and even animals to help people support themselves, plus more! To view all the "gifts" check out www.worldvision.org.  Is Jesus the most important person on your list?  Does your checkbook/credit card statement reflect it?

You can make a donation in honor of anyone you want and they will get a card and/or email card notifying them that you made a donation in their honor and what gift you gave. I wasn't too sure how this would be received, so I started with a couple of our pastors (before I realized I could send them an email notification but they'll hopefully get a card in the mail.)

Have you heard of the Advent Conspiracy before? This is the first year I've heard of it. What do you think?

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6 Friday Fragments (Gifts, Christmas, Cookies, Animals)

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. Here we go:

Cool Christmas Video of Flash Mob

I discovered Barbara this week over at Mighty Inspiration and loved this post she did sharing a video of people joining in singing some Christmas carols at a mall.  I loved it!  She visited my blog to ask that I post her link to the list of blogs who donate to charity for comments.  This month her charity is Heartprints.org which is a new one for me!  Be sure to stop by and let her know I sent you!

More Presents For Gerard

Gerard celebrated his 60th Birthday Monday and he even got a free pizza last Sunday from Casamel's (our regular pizza place that we go to every Sunday). Then when he went back to work on Tuesday, his co-workers surprised him with a cute birthday card and a $50 gift card for Outback Steakhouse. That's a new restaurant for us so it should be fun to go somewhere new! Thanks!

Gift For Grandpa

Over at 4 the LOVE of BOOKS, I came across a very cool book called "Grandpa, Were You Ever Young? by William C. Cloud. It's written in a way for Grandpa to share memories with his grand kids and provide interaction between the generations. It sounds like it would be a great Christmas gift!

Money

At church last week, our pastor mentioned that $450 billion is spent on gifts each year in the USA. The world's water problem could be solved with $20 billion. Hmm.

Like Cookies?

At my Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting last night, I was introduced to the idea of a cookie exchange. Have you ever participated in one of these or hosted one? You invite several people way ahead to bake like 6 dozen cookies and then everyone brings them all and they have a party. Each person loads up a big tupperware container with lots of different cookies. See www.cookie-exchange.com by Robin Olson for specific rules for the exchange and recipes to try.

Animal Facts

I am reading All God's Creatures by Gary Richmond and picking up lots of interesting facts. Here are a few I didn't know before:

► Ostriches basically ignore their young, whereas wolves are very family oriented and both the male and female are actively involved in raising their young.

► Snakes never close their eyes because they do not even have eyelids and are consider the cleanest animal.

► Pigs eat anything, even poisonous snakes!

► The bear is considered to be the most ferocious and dangerous animal by zoo keepers because they are strong and so unpredictable.




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Christmas At Our House in 2011 (UPDATED)

Best decorated house in our Neighborhood!

Christmas morning, we slept in, then both walked Abby. Gerard wanted to show me a particular house that had really great lights and I agreed. I had a gift I wanted to "re-gift" but and was trying to think of someone to give it to when I got a brilliant idea! I would leave it at the house with the fantastic decorations as from Santa. Gerard and Abby continued on their way while I went back home to play Santa and wrap up the present with a card that said:

My secret assistants report that you have the best decorated house in the neighborhood. Thanks for brightening up this neighborhood! Santa

(I also inserted a contact card separately so they knew it was actually from a real person who they could thank.) I went back and left it next to their morning paper by the front door. It was fun being kind of sneaky and surprising someone we didn't even know!

Some of our gifts

Gerard and I both enjoy buying things for each other got lots of nice things. The few things I asked for, he got for me which I am very happy with along with some nice surprises too. I mostly got him clothes this year because that's what he needed, but he was thrilled to see I bought the Bruins book for him.

Gerard's new suit that is a fur magnet

Gerard got: winter coat, two pair of shoes, two pair of jeans (one fleece lined), folding dog dish to take on walks, Buckeye hat, candy, black suit, black shirt, Bruins book, candy.

Karen got:  Classical music CD, peanuts, binder clips, two shirts, Furry Logic books, the cute owl hat I asked for, leopard PJs, Browns dog, two big soft furry pillows, blue thermo-fit hoodie and a Kindle case.  Now to see what our pets got, read more:

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Happy Birthday, Jesus!

I find it very odd that normal church schedules are adjusted for Christmas because it falls on Sunday this year.  We had two very nice candlelight worship services Christmas Eve that were well attended.

Our church normally has three services but on Christmas, we only have one and Sunday School classes and  adult Bible Studies are canceled this week.  It's obvious the reason is that people put family before Jesus.  There, I said it.  Christians say that Christmas is Christ's birthday celebration, yet when it comes down to it, do we really put Him first?  I wonder.  I wonder what God thinks of Christians skipping church on Sunday because it's not convenient for their family plans.

I would think the churches would be full on Christmas morning this year but it doesn't seem to be the case.  I wonder why.  Just sayin'.

It's Jesus Christ's Birthday! Happy Birthday, Jesus! Take some time and watch this video, What Would Jesus Want For Christmas?

I think Jesus Wish List would look something like this:

♦The worship of all people
♦Unity among all my followers
♦People loving one another
♦Me to seek Him and do His will
♦For his followers to tell others about Him

What will you give Jesus this year for His birthday?

What do you think about this?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Merry Christmas everyone!

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Corinthians 13 Christmas

CORINTHIANS 13 CHRISTMAS

If I decorate my house perfectly with colorful bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love, I'm just another cook.

If I drop change into the salvation army bucket, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and glittering snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing Christmas carols, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the ones we hold dear. Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails.

Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

 I can't take credit for writing this, one of my friends, Dawn, posted it on Facebook and shared it with us at the Women of Wonder (W.O.W.) meeting.  I just thought it was very good and wanted to share it with you.

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Christmas Decorating (Writer's Workshop)

One of Mama Kat's Writer's workshop prompts this week is:  "Have you decorated your Christmas tree?  Share a favorite Christmas ornament."

The little boy with the snowball is probably my favorite one because my mom made it.   We have several home-made ornaments including a paper butterfly that I made in Kindergarten!  Also some made by my aunts and of course the one Gerard and me got for our first Christmas together.

We didn’t put ornaments on our tree this year though because we decided not to block our cats off from the basement where we put our tree.  I am lazy so just put it up down there because that’s where we have the space for it.  Instead of ornaments, I used our Christmas cards that we received last year which is safer for the cats.  No sharp hooks for them to step on and no ornaments they can knock off and break.  Am I practical or what!

The first year I decorated just a small tree like this just for the cats:  The Cats' Tree Is Up.  I missed the big tree though so decided to use the cards on our bigger tree this year.  The cats really like having a tree. 

The other prompt was to show your Nativity set:  Spunky Helps Set up the Nativity Set

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Christmas Ideas I Picked Up From Women of Wonder

I won this edible tree!!

Thursday I attended the Women of Wonder meeting at our church and WOW!  They really outdid themselves this time.  First off, I won a door prize!  I candy Christmas tree surrounded by Hershey kisses.  I already ate the top layer before I remembered to take this picture of it.

We had a full meal from Antonios including salad, rigatoni, chicken, pizza and three dessert choices!  What a great way to start a meeting!  Then, instead of sitting the whole time, we had three stations:  (1) ornament making; (2) hospitality tips, (3) Christmas traditions.

The Cinnamon Ornament

The dough was already made for us ahead (1 cup applesauce mixed with 1 cup of cinnamon). Roll it out 1/4" thick, use cookie cutters to make little ornaments, use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging with ribbon/string and then over a week, let it dry out remembering to flip it over every day. They smell good and also work for a package decoration.

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6 Things We Learned This Week 48 of 2011 (free, donations, Carols, hens)

Free ebooks

You can download free ebooks from www.cuyahogalibrary.org for your Kindle, Nook, Sony reader, ipad and more with no late fees and available 24/7.

Zoo Free

On Thanksgiving, we went to the zoo in the afternoon and the parking lots were pretty full. Admission if free to everyone on Thanksgiving Day!

Donate Your Bike

I learned that Wheels of Change ships used bikes from the U.S. to Africa. You can find a donation facility near you at www.wocinternational.org. If you are getting new bikes for Christmas, you might want to donate your old ones.

Get The Eggs Where You Want Them

Over at For Love or Funny I learned that if you put a glass egg in a nest, hens will lay more near it! She tried this with a dollar bill on her table to see if more money would come, but that didn't work. This is a blog that is usually funny with great pictures to go along with the posts. I visit it regularly and now she is even having a $35 Amazon Gift Card giveaway! I suggest you go visit this upcoming romance author.

Christmas Carols

I was pleased to hear actual Christmas Carols playing in CVS yesterday! At least one store still play Carols. Do you know of any others?

Comment Count

Our comments were up last month--238 which resulted in $119 more for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, our charity for November! Thanks to all of you who took time to comment.

For more Friday Fragments or to link up yours, visit Half-Past Kissin' Time.

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