I recently read a friend's blog that displayed God's provision for her children's Christmas gifts through bartering. It was so encouraging and such a reminder that God is interested in every single part of our lives. Yes, He even cares about Santa gifts!
This year I was also reminded of His faithfulness and concern. I collect things throughout the year by always going to the Clearance section in any store, even the grocery store. For the past several years, our Christmas budget has been nonexistent, but it seems that my "collecting" always provides our daughters with more than enough!
So, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes open throughout the year for those little things that could bless your family or others during the next holiday season. For example, today I bought 12 scented votive candles for $1 and 4 decorative votive holders for $2 (Walgreens). I will place these in a special container for next Christmas, and next November I will use the things I collect to put together gifts as needed.
There is balance in everything, because we can't and shouldn't spend all our money and time going to every Clearance section or sale. But, be encouraged that God wants to provide even for the simple joys of life, and look for His hand/provision in your life!
I would love to hear about how He provides for you!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
A Wonderful Christmas Time
"Simply having a wonderful Christmas time" (Jars of Clay)
This line from a Christmas song has been jingling through my head this past week. We were able to visit with all of our families this year, and we absolutely loved the opportunities to share with them all! The girls were able to see and visit with all of their living great-grandparents. These are memories that we will treasure in years to come.
Our Christmas celebrations started off on Christmas Eve, and I have to tell you about my little mishap! A few days before Christmas Eve I took the girls out to the zoo and mall as noted below. When we arrived home that night, I was a little perturbed to discover lots of trash and misc. items stuffed in the backseat of the van. I spent about 15 minutes grumbling and cleaning out the van.
The next day when I had to return library books, I discovered that I had left the van's interior lights on overnight, and as you have probably guessed, the van's battery was dead. I couldn't even open the sliding doors! This was another moment of grumbling at myself, but I knew that we could take care of it.
Well, we did not think to take care of it until it was time to leave for Christmas Eve activities. Our van's battery was so far gone, that our van's gear shift was actually locked and unable to move! So, we had to totally disconnect the battery to get the van started! It was quite an accomplishment and feat for my husband and me. It really was a Christmas miracle!
Any other Christmas miracles out there?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Zoolight Safari & FREE animals!
We are so enjoying this holiday! We were part of the crazy crowd that visited the mall this week! We had received coupons for FREE animals at Build A Bear Workshop, and we arrived at the store to join the line that was running out into the mall. Though we didn't get our two new moose animals stuffed, we did walk out with a book, the animals and a stocking for $3.08!That evening we went to the Birmingham Zoo to see the Zoolight Safari. I enjoyed the warm auditorium where we saw an animal show and heard several Christmas stories. The girls also enjoyed seeing Santa and participating in crafts and games. The lights were absolutely beautiful,
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Holiday Events
This past week was packed full of holiday events for our family. We kicked off the week with a birthday party for my mom (and my husband). It included good food, a great dessert, and time being together.
The next day I opened my house to our homeschool group for a Christmas celebration. I have to admit that I was rushing around cleaning bathrooms, putting away piles of useless stuff, making sure my children were dressed in appropriate attire (no pj's), and generally focused on making sure everything was ready BEFORE the first person arrived. Did it happen? Of course not! It was like a whirlwind as soon as the first family arrived. I had barely gotten out the last food item that I was baking, and some people missed the great dessert that I made. I forgot to cut it and put it on a serving plate!
With all of this, I did greatly enjoy seeing everyone, and we had a great time sharing with the homeschool families. There were a lot of things that were ready - the students enjoyed crafts and a simple word game that kept some occupied for hours! The girls and I had prepared scented gingerbread ornaments for the families, and I had printed the spring schedule and sign up sheets for the families to take home with them. Also, we had plenty of wonderful food, and I think everyone enjoyed my cider (a secret recipe) and my husband's coffee.
The best part for me was seeing the dads join us. So often, it is just the women and children that come to the homeschool events, and I loved seeing the husbands find common ground with each other as well.
After surviving this whirlwind of a party, the next day we headed off for a play that retold A Christmas Carol. I was concerned that my girls would not get all the "fancy" English language or enjoy the darkness of the play, but I was amazed that they actually found some comedy and lessons from it! Scrooge reminds us to not get too much into our own stories that we miss out on sharing life with others!
Later this week we went to see another holiday play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I had always heard of this story, but I had never seen the play. It relayed the message of grace and the power of the Christmas message. Of course, my daughters enjoyed the fact that instead of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, the Wise Men brought a ham, vegetable oil, and seasoning salt!
I have loved sharing these moments with dear friends and family! This is one of the best parts of the Christmas season, and as we attend other events this holiday, I hope we can keep the simple joy of Christmas and savor each moment. It is easy to just rush around to fulfill commitments, but this year I want to keep the right perspective.
The next day I opened my house to our homeschool group for a Christmas celebration. I have to admit that I was rushing around cleaning bathrooms, putting away piles of useless stuff, making sure my children were dressed in appropriate attire (no pj's), and generally focused on making sure everything was ready BEFORE the first person arrived. Did it happen? Of course not! It was like a whirlwind as soon as the first family arrived. I had barely gotten out the last food item that I was baking, and some people missed the great dessert that I made. I forgot to cut it and put it on a serving plate!
With all of this, I did greatly enjoy seeing everyone, and we had a great time sharing with the homeschool families. There were a lot of things that were ready - the students enjoyed crafts and a simple word game that kept some occupied for hours! The girls and I had prepared scented gingerbread ornaments for the families, and I had printed the spring schedule and sign up sheets for the families to take home with them. Also, we had plenty of wonderful food, and I think everyone enjoyed my cider (a secret recipe) and my husband's coffee.
The best part for me was seeing the dads join us. So often, it is just the women and children that come to the homeschool events, and I loved seeing the husbands find common ground with each other as well.
After surviving this whirlwind of a party, the next day we headed off for a play that retold A Christmas Carol. I was concerned that my girls would not get all the "fancy" English language or enjoy the darkness of the play, but I was amazed that they actually found some comedy and lessons from it! Scrooge reminds us to not get too much into our own stories that we miss out on sharing life with others!
Later this week we went to see another holiday play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I had always heard of this story, but I had never seen the play. It relayed the message of grace and the power of the Christmas message. Of course, my daughters enjoyed the fact that instead of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, the Wise Men brought a ham, vegetable oil, and seasoning salt!
I have loved sharing these moments with dear friends and family! This is one of the best parts of the Christmas season, and as we attend other events this holiday, I hope we can keep the simple joy of Christmas and savor each moment. It is easy to just rush around to fulfill commitments, but this year I want to keep the right perspective.
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