Bless Us All

This is my favorite song from the Muppets Christmas Carol.

Safety Dave

moar funny pictures

The photo was taken at Richmond in Tasmania while I was on holiday there in November. The caption is thanks to my brother!

Friday Fill-Ins #156 - The Christmas Edition

1. My boots are made for walking or just looking great with my best jeans.
2. What will happen this century?
3. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (Anne of Green Gable the Sequel).
4. Can we just sit and talk?
5. I'd like to get married and have a few children.
6. Just get over it!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I've watched Elf and been on Facebook, tomorrow my plans include well, I don't actually have plans, but I'm open to suggestions as long as they don't involve joining the crush in the Boxing Day sales and Sunday, I want to go to church in the morning and relax in the afternoon - Trivial Persuit anyone?!

What Christmas Looks Like

What does Christmas look like for you?
What are your family traditions?
Is it a big gathering, or just a few people who really care about each other?

Christmas for me is a small family gathering. My brother and sister-in-law are coming this year, so there will be 7 of us (8 if you count the cat).

Our tree was decorated after Dad finished work for the year, as we do every year unless we can convince him to let us put it up earlier. There are white lights and quite a variety of ornaments. Some handmade, others purchased, and every year we have a new ornament for each family member (See my other blog for the Tiny Stockings) .

There are Christmas cards on a string on the wall, actually there are now 2 strings full (aren't command hooks wonderful).

We have been doing Christmas baking (although not as much this year as other years). I made the pudding this year - my first attempt, so we won't know until tomorrow if it tastes good. Today I was decorating the chocolate log - a chocolate sponge roll covered in chocolate. This year we have 2 branches, both covered in milk chocolate, and the main log part covered in dark chocolate. I have yet to dust it with icing sugar, as I am waiting for the chocolate to harden.

Tomorrow we will start cooking the Christmas dinner (lunch) at about 10.15am. Lamb and Turkey will be on the menu, as not everyone likes turkey. It's not a full turkey, just a rolled turkey breast. There will also be roasted vegetables.

As the meal is cooking we will probably open presents (depending on when everyone arrives). We don't put presents under the tree. Instead everyone has a sack (or something) and we take turns to give our gifts to the other family members.

Before we open any gifts, we read the Christmas story and sometimes sing a carol or two. We do this because we are remembering the reason why we celebrate - the birth of our Savior, Jesus! He was the greatest gift. What we give to each other are just tokens.

1.00pm is when we plan to eat. There will be handmade bonbon crackers, laughter and talking.

I have no idea what we will do in the afternoon, that will depend on how tired everyone is and whether we opened all the gifts before lunch.

Tea will be salad and cold meat - and the pudding!

So that is what is planned. But what it will actually look like I do not know.

Merry Christmas to all my readers and followers!
I pray that you will remember (or learn) the real meaning of Christmas.
God Bless.

Teaser Tuesdays (December 22)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read


• Open to a random page


• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

'Belated Follower' by Colleen L. Reece

"At this point in his thinking, Benjamin always faltered. What right had he to take a wife, when he vowed to find the Messiah? Reason argued, it may be years. Soon Miriam will be gone. Who will protect this child of God from such as Darius, whose face fills with lust as she passes by? From the depths of his soul Benjamin cried, "Oh, Lord, what would You have me do?"

While this is not exactly a Christmas novel, it does seem to have more significance at this time of the year. It is an older book, published in 1995, so you may not be able to get your hands on a copy. I borrowed this one from a friend.

Inserts

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There's A Song In The Air

I've been reading Ace Collins book, 'Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas' and came across a carol that I have never heard of before.

The words are by Josiah Holland, and the music by Karl P. Harrington. I'll write out the words here, but does anyone know the tune? I'd love to hear it.

There's A Song In The Air

There's a song in the air!

There's a star in the sky!

There's a mother's deep prayer

and a baby's low cry!

And the star rains its fire

while the beautiful sing,

For the manger of Bethlehem

cradles a King!

There's a tumult of joy over

the wonderful birth,

For the virgin's sweet boy is

the Lord of the earth.

Ay! the star rains fire while

the beautiful sing,

For the manger of Bethlehem

cradles a King!

In the light of that star lie the

ages impearled;

And that song from afar has

swept over the world.

Every hearth is aflame, and

the beautiful sing

In the homes of the nations

that Jesus is King!

We rejoice in the light, and

we echo the song

That comes down through

the night from the heavenly throng.

Ay! we shout to the lovely

evangel they bring,

And we greet in His cradle

our Savoir and King!

Teaser Tuesdays (December 15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read


• Open to a random page


• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

'Gideon's Gift' by Karen Kingsbury

'Brian took the envelope, his hands shaking. Maybe the person had signed the card. Maybe they would finally know where this amazing abundance had come from. He slid his finger beneath the flap and pulled out a folded piece of paper. As he did, something fell onto the counter.'

Try this one for a great inspirational Christmas story. My copy of Gideon's Gift comes in the 4 volume book which also includes stories about Maggie, Sarah and Hannah.

Spill

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Friday Fill-In #154

1. Good times: Involve family and friends, always including laughter.
2. I'm finally getting settled into my home.
3. Sleigh bells ring - not down here because there's no snow.
4. I only want a little.
5. Once more I find myself here, putting something out into cyber space.
6. Will it ever end?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, tomorrow my plans include recovering from the past few days and Sunday, I want to go to church in the morning and relax in the afternoon!

God's Plans and Provision

When my job was terminated 2 months ago I wondered what I would do. "Why now?" and "What next?" were the things I wondered.

But now I realise God had a plan all along. My family has needed me, especially in the last 2 weeks in ways that would never have been possible for me if I had still been working.

I currently am sick of driving into the city and dealing with city traffic - it's exhausting, and it's not over yet. But I'm the one who can do it, and the one who is needed.

I still wonder "What next?" but I know God is in control of that too. Meanwhile, I just have to do the things that come across my path each day.

Some of you reading this would know that I hadn't been happy in my job, and career. You may also know that I had no idea what else I wanted to do. That is still the case, but I'm thinking something with children (that isn't childcare, teaching or in the medical or allied health fields - yes, that really cuts a lot out, but we'll see what comes up). All the time I've been working this year, what has given me the most pleasure is my time spent with the children at Good News Gang (for those of you who don't know, that's our youth group for primary age children Kinder to Grade 5). The kids can be absolute terrors some nights, but I still enjoy my time with them, and the planning for what we will do. I learn extra things when I write the Bible lessons that we are teaching. There are bittersweet thoughts about this tonight, because last night we said farewell to the Grade 5 kids who are moving on. I will miss them, even the roudy boys.

So, now I'm looking forward to GNG next year and living in expectation of the changes that will be happening in my life as I discover the next step that God has planned for me and what will be around the next bend in my road.

Teaser Tuesdays (December 8th)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read


• Open to a random page


• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Notes to a Working Woman by Luci Swindoll

So ominous is the threat of change that we submit to tedium, boredom, and apathy. Then what happens? We feel trapped. We're in a rut. Life is a grind. We hate our circumstances and ourselves ... and often those around us. I've heard those comments over and over and over from people who want to move ahead, yet wonder why they don't. They're scared to death of risk.

Don't live your life in fear, my friend. Have courage. Believe your circumstances can change, then step out. Get at it. The philosopher Descartes wrote, "Desire awakens only to things that are thought possible." Our characters simply cannot develop until we are willing to be courageous in our circumstances. Stop holding back!

Luci Swindoll is a woman I greatly admire. I have read a few of her books in recent times. She is someone I would love to have dinner with one day. Actually, I briefly met her brother, Chuck Swindoll, when he was last in Australia. Anyway, I highly recommend reading any one of Luci's books, but I have to say that my favorite is 'I Married Adventure'. I've been passing that one around my friends so often, that it is rarely on my bookshelf.

10 on Tuesday - Great Things About the Holidays

10 Great Things About the Holidays

1. Celebrating the birth of my Savior!

2. Food that I only get to eat once a year

3. All the family at home

4. Presents

5. Decorating the Christmas Tree

6. Decorating the house

7. Chocolate Log and Christmas Cake

8. Secrets revealed

9. New things to enjoy

10. Singing Carols

Teaser Tuesdays (Dec 1st)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read


• Open to a random page


• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page


• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)


• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The Red Siren by M. L. Tyndall

"Dozens of pirates spat from the hatches onto the deck. Brandishing weapons, they rushed toward his startled crew. One by one, his men dropped their buckets to the wooden planks with hollow thuds and slowly raised their hands. Their anxious gazes shot to Dajon, seeking his command. The pirates chortled as Dajon's fear exploded into a searing rage. They were surrounded."