Merry Christmas Ya'll!

This was Christmas Day last year. We spent Christmas in Gatlinburg, TN the last few years. Last year we had a terrible snowstorm and we ended up being stranded for several days until we could dig our way out of the condo complex we were staying in.  Because of this we decided to stay home this year.

That decision seemed like a good idea back in September. Now that Christmas is a week away we are both regretting staying home.  At the time we were trying to decide what to do, I forgot the main reason I like to get away every year..the fact that we can just spend quality time together as a family and we are away from the hustle and bustle and frantic behaviors of people who get so stressed out!

Gee whiz folks why do you put so much emphasis on going into debt to get your little ones so many gifts they are only going to play with for as long as their holiday break lasts?  I have never understood that mentality! 
 Matthew 2:11 "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

Please remember the reason for the season...Jesus Christ.  Take this time of year to spend REAL quality time with your families/children. Put the kids in their PJ's and grab some cookies and hot chocolate and drive around town looking at the Christmas lights.  Snuggle up together with some popcorn and watch a classic Christmas movie.  Your children will remember these things more than they will remember that gift you searched high and low for.

Two years? Really??

Wow, has it been two years since I posted on here! I can't believe it has been that long! A lot has changed in the last 2 years.  For starters, I am working full-time now AND the main bread winner of our household at the moment.  My hun bun has worked so hard the last 10 yrs at his job only to be forced into resignation back in June of this year.  He received a nice little severance package though - praise God for that! 

Well I saw this on a friend's facebook and I thought it would be a great way to jump start my blog. I do miss blogging! So here goes -

What I'm into

On my nightstand:

I don't have any books on my nightstand - they are all in my phone. I have Kindle on my smartphone. I LOVE the ease of purchasing any book just from my phone. There are tons of free books too.  But what I'm reading on my Kindle is
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich  - this is the long awaited 18th book in the Stephanie Plum series.  Stephanie is a bounty hunter in New Jersey...more like a bumbling bounty hunter. I picked up the 1st book in this series last December when we were on vacation in Gatlinburg, TN at a cabin.  I instantly fell in love with this book and have since read the other 17 through the course of this year.  I literally laugh out loud, to the point of bringing tears to my eyes I am laughing so hard while reading this book!


A Love That Multiplies by Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar - I love watching this show on TV and this book is equally enjoyable.  This is the neatest family!!


The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams by Trent Hamm - Yes I still love reading reducing debt books!


Women of Justice Series by Lynette Eason - I love murder mystery books, especially ones written by Christian authors and demonstrating love, forgiveness and the Plan of Salvation within the book.
 

Movies I've Seen

I love movies and would prefer a movie anytime over regular TV. Greg and I just watched "Larry Crowne" on Movies on Demand - cute movie with Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts.  I went to the movies with my mom and daughter over the Thanksgiving holiday - we are into the Twilight movies so we saw Breaking Dawn and LOVED it!

TV:

I don't watch TV during the time slots so I really don't know what day/time my shows come on. I DVR everything preferring to fast fast fast forward through those dreaded commercials. Makes an hour show about 45 minutes long!  If I hear of a show or read about one in a magazine that I might like, I look for it by name and just record it then when I have time I sit down and watch the show.  These are what I am recording right now...totally addicted to all of them!

*Person of Interest*

*XFactor*

*CSI (Miami, Vegas & New York)*- yes I watch all 3!

*Law & Order: SVU*  

*Revenge* - I watch this online every week because it comes on Wednesday night and my DVR is already recording too many shows on that night.

*The Next Iron Chef*

*Chopped*

*Rachael Ray's Week In A Day* - this is for motivation although I haven't done this yet...I keep thinking one day I will.

*Cupcake Wars*

*Prime Suspect*

*Crossing Jordan* - this is old, but what can I say? I love murder mysteries!

*Burn Notice*

 

In my ears:

*Radio stations daily while I work/travel in my car*- my favorite time of year - Christmas music! I listen to Christian radio stations or talk radio.

In my kitchen:

I just made Homemade Chicken Soup last night - I made way too much because of all the veggies I like to put in it so I gladly gave some to my mom for their dinner tonight and she said "it was delicious!" :-)

Greg made Brownies tonight and they are beckoning to me as I sit here and type! Ugh!

Looking forward to:

Dec 16th!! My kids/grandkids are coming into town for 1-2 weeks and we will all be together for Christmas, or at least most of the holiday anyway. I am so excited I can barely contain myself!

I am also very excited to start something new in January. I have been praying for awhile about where to serve. I used to be so involved, but stepped down the last couple of years due to personal reasons.  I am ready to jump back in and have been praying about what direction I should go.  For the last few years I have couponed and learned lots about stockpiling/saving money on everyday household items/groceries.  I feel the Lord is leading me to help out in some manner in this area whether it is teaching people how to do this themselves or spending my own money and donating what I purchase or volunteering at the food bank. I am still not quite sure how I can best be used - so if you are a praying person - keep me in your prayers as I begin this endeavor in January.

 

OK, if you managed to read all of this -

it's your turn!!

Blog it and link back here so I can read yours!