Christmas Tree Skirts

I have owned only a couple of Christmas Tree skirts in my lifetime, and both of them have been made for a real tree, with a huge trunk, etc etc. Well for the last 3 or 4 years I have had a fake tree (and I dont like the one I have at all) , that aside, when I put up the tree this year I decided I was NOT going to struggle with trying to put this BIG tree skirt around it. So I went looking for a small one. I went to 3 stores, now am I going to the wrong places or what, but they did not have a small tree skirt. Whats with that? Those fake trees have 1 to 2 inch trunks. I guess there isnt a large demand for them or surely Target and K Mart would carry them.. So,,, I bought some of that white stuff that is suppose to immulate snow and cut a square of that and put around it, and hey,,, it doesnt look too bad, the ugly stand is covered up and I spent only $1.99!!

Blessings
Sandi

Getting Ready For Christmas

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. It also is Thanksgiving Day weekend. It was a busy but fun weekend for me. Thanksgiving Day my son and his family were over and it was a very enjoyable day. Friday "Black Friday" found us sleeping in and then going to to a couple of stores and adding our dollars to make it even blacker.

We got our tree (the ugly artificial one) in the stand on Friday morning but didnt decorate it. We bought a fake wreath for the outside that I put lights on and decorated and it turned out to look quite nice. Then yesterday evening, Jim and I put the decorations on the tree. I guess no matter how ugly a tree looks, when you get all the tinsel on it and those ornaments (many that hold such warm memories) on them they look pretty good when you plug them in and the lights shine and reflect off the baubles. This is all part of getting ready for Chrstmas.

But, in church this morning, with the begining of Advent, our pastor spoke about Christmas from the point of Mary. Can you imagine, being probably between the age of 14 - 16, and having an angel come to you and tell you that you are going to become pregnant and that the Holy Spirt would impregnate you and the power of The Most High would overshadow you? Wow, I think I will have to ask my teenage grand daughters what thier reaction might be. I tried to think back to when I was 15 or 16 and I think my thoughts would have been, "But, what will my parents think, what will my church think? Will they believe me? As pastor pointed out this morning Mary "wondered" which translated means she worried. Who wouldnt? But she had faith and she told the angel, she would do as God wanted. (Oh to have faith like that). Imagine if her father, as was done in that day to women found pregnant before marriage, would have put her to death. But he didnt, she was protected and the Savior of the world was born.

Then later after Jesus was born, scripture tells us that Mary pondered these things, meaning she held close all that had happened.

I "pondered" on the message I heard this morning and tried to apply it to my life. I thought I am sure that Mary's parents thought "Oh sure Mary, the Holy Spirit impregnated you". I am sure they felt shame (even if they did belive in some part or in the whole of it). I am sure they were afriad for Mary and for themselves. Yet the angel said that the Power of the Most High would over shadow her. This power kept her safe through all of this.

I look at my life, and my family. I see the things that my children are going through and things that I have gone through. These trials and hard paths, forsure I think can only be the work of satan. And then I "ponder" about Mary, and I see that in the curcumstance that the world looking on would have called "disgraceful" "shameful" "improper" etc, came forth the Saviour of the world. So I look with new faith at the problems and trials that my children go through and believe because God's word tells us that God is for them, so WHO can be against them.

I am so thankful to God for the gift of his son. Whom he made flesh and knew all the temptations that we know, and still was without sin, BUT,, took all the sins of the world and put them on his son so that I, (me, Sandi, so unworthy of such love) might have eternal live.

Thank you God. Thank you Jesus for being willing to come.

Blessings
Sandi

GRRRRRR

I get so frustrated when I am doing Christmas shopping (or any shopping for that matter) and I buy an item and then the next week I see it on sale for a HUGE savings. Well one has no choice but to go back there and get the price adjustment. I did that at one store but still , I have to return a couple of items and buy it ealsewhere. As if this time of year isnt busy enough, add to it the struggle to get the most for your dollars.

The older I get the more I find that there is a need to do a little less. How I would love to have the energy that I used to have after work to tackle anything. Now a days, just getting dinner on the table and the kitchen cleaned up has me done for the night. With the shopping thing, maybe the trick is just to go and buy the items and not look at any ads? Forsure one might spend less as you wouldnt see all the goodies out there that capture you.

In spite of all this, I am looking forward on Friday to turn on my Christmas music and take in that warm warm feeling that it fills me with. Gosh, this morning I was even thinking, it would be nice to have just a soft coating of snow. So I guess the whole of the Christmas Spirit hasnt left me.

Well thats all I had to spew out today.

Blessings
Sandi

What A Day

Well Jim woke me up when I asked him to this morning, but I sure didnt get up, so I was a bit running a bit behind. I opened this one cupboard door where I had left a mouse trap and son of a gun, if there wasnt a dead mouse in it. SOOOOO no doubt I have a mice welcome sign somewhere around my house and where they are getting in I dont know. Now at one time Gil told me that mice can crawl up walls if they are not slick, so the only thing I can imagine is in the garage to the space below the roof, is a small opening. I am going to have Jim nail that sucker shut and if they still get in, I dont know what I am going to do. They are driving me INSANE!!!!So that slowed me down and then I got on the road and wouldn't you know I got behind a school bus. It took me 6 minutes to go about 1/2 of a mile. I kept my cool and kept thinking, that could be my husband driving that bus, so I will just cool my jets. I got to work and virtually had nothing to do today. So I was talking to my daughter and the fire alarm here went off. Well I went and asked Sue if it was just a fire drill and she said, yes. So I thought I would just wait here. But Ben came and said, I think we need to do what they request, soooooo, me with my sore leg (it is the upper leg more then the new knee that is bothering) started down the stairs. We are on the 7th floor!!!! By the time that I got to the bottom my whole leg was shakey,,, but I made it. So we stood outside in the 30 something degree weather and me without my coat. Well it wasnt long thank goodness. So I had quite the morning. This afternoon as been quiet. I have been on line trying to find a bedspread. NOT a coverlet, or a comforter, I want a bedspread. I am so tired of bedskirts. Do you know that they are hard to find? I found a few but none that I really like. I guess I will go to a few of the department stores around here and the bed and bath and linens places and see if they carry any.

Well thats all for today, just wanted to relate my morning.

Sandi

MICE and lack of sleep

Well here it is midnight and I am awake.... Why? Cuz there has been a mouse in the house. He has been a crafty one and getting out of all the traps I have laid for him. BUT,,, tonight, he got stuck on the one glue trap I had out. I was sleeping and heard some flapping in the kitchen. I pushed Jim and asked him to get up and take care of it,, but noooooooo.... He stirred and grumped and went back to sleep. Well, I cant leave this mouse struggling on the sticky pad so up I got!!! By this time the adrenolene is starting to pump. I turn on the light on the kitchen and there is the mouse. So I took (of all things that I could find) an almost empty roll of paper towels and whacked at it a couple of times (how stupid can I be, will a paper towel wrapper kill a mouse?) The answer is no, but that didnt deter me, after a couple of whacks and it still rose to get off the glue pad I whacked it a couple of more times, this time it stayed down. (I think it just didnt want to get whacked with a paper towel roll again!!!) So I got a plastic bag and the dust pan and got it into the plastic bag. I rolled it up as tight as I could allow myself to do for fear I would feel it in there. Then I got another plastic bag and rolled it in it again. Then I thought I am not sure it is dead yet so I laid it on the floor and I whacked it with my cane about 10 times. I hope it is dead. I didnt check, but I threw the bag into the garage and hopefully tomorrow morning there will be a dead mouse in it!! Well after all that, sleep is no where near to being close to me, so here I am on the computer, and Jim is sleeping like a baby!!! Where is my Knight In Shining Armour when I need him????

Hoping to get some sleep tonight
Sandi

What Would Jesus Do

That is an old and I think over commercialized saying, but it is the name of a class that Jim and I are taking at our church. It may be over commercialized, but I have to tell ya, when you start asking yourself that when things arent going exactly your way or any tough situation, it is amazing how short one comes up. And how tough it is to KNOW what Jesus would do and actually do it.

For some reason this Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up is being VERY stressful to me. I cant quite but my finger on the reason for it, but one thing I am sure of is that Jesus would not want me to be stressed. But how,, oh how, does one just shake stress off like a loose robe? It wants to stick like super glue. For one thing, I really do miss being to work only 4 days a week. Just having that extra day for all my working days except for the last 6 of my life was so nice. The older I get the more I want that back.

I know that one thing that is on my mind at all time is my kids. Oh yes, they are full grown and have families of thier own, but let me tell you that doesnt stop you from being a mother and being concerned for them and thier families. Sometimes the Mom in me wells up and I think "If they would only do what I know they should be doing". But then I know that I didnt always do what my parents "knew I should be doing". I am concerned for both my kids. I see them both under heavy loads and I am concerned for thier mental and physical health. I wish that I could give them the time that they need to "get away" by themselves to rest in God and learn what He is wanting them to know and to just be refreshed. Where/How do I let go of all this? What would Jesus do? I dont know other then I know that he wants me to pray for them and that I do. I try to help them out physically and financially as much as I can, but I have to face it,,, I cant do it all for them. So in the end what choice do I really have but to leave it all in God's hands, knowing that he cares for them and loves them even more then I do.

So I will face tomorrow trying to do what Jesus would do in every area of my life and pray that I please Him

Blessings
Sandi