Goals for this year were to exercise more and read more and study the word.

On two fronts I have put forth a noble effort.

The last couple of months have been squirrely with exercising and the scales definitely reflect that.

It doesn't help that I discovered candy cane Kisses or Mint Biscotti or candy canes in my hot chocolate. Ohhh, and my mom had Mint Oreos...definitely bad news.

Good news, I finished Little House on the Prairie the other day. While I enjoyed reading as a child there were many classics that I missed. Right now I am trying to read Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates.....Fell asleep in the middle of the day yesterday reading that one. Do you remember in the movie You've Got Mail when Meg Ryan talks about that book with such tenderness...hopefully I'll get to the good part soon.

So, come January I'll need to start in on an adult classic and start exercising regularly AGAIN....how blessed I am to have the trampoline now to throw into the routine! It's been a good year with you my bloggy friends and I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts in 2009 and seeing God at work in your life. And for those of you who haven't started blogging but are still just readers...come on, join the fun....you know you want to! God Bless you, I'm praying for you!

Christmas Blessings

Since Josh and I met we have been bucking tradition. When I was still claiming he "was just a friend" we spent Thanksgiving with all our Cracker Barrel friends instead of going home to have a proper Turkey Dinner.

Then I went and married him....not the cradle Christian my family had hoped for but he is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am truly blessed by him every day. Then we started having children a month into marriage and didn't stop until God blessed us with a girl.

Every year it seems like we "do" Christmas a little different. My poor kids won't have any traditions at all to remember, except maybe that we watch the Charlie Brown's Christmas video a million times. This year after the boys started talking about everything they wanted for Christmas I read them the passage from Luke....and as Linus says...that's what Christmas is all about. I had hoped we would read it everyday in Advent but it ended up being read only a couple a days each week.

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve first at my Mother's house where she fixed a yummy Ham Loaf dinner and then she joined us and Yohanna at our church. Yohanna spent the night with us shared in our Christmas Stocking tradition (I didn't overbuy this year, YEAH!) and then after breakfast we opened presents. Josh had a bee in his bonnet to go the movies on Christmas day so at 10:30am we went to see Bedtime Story w/Adam Sandler. It was a wonderful G rated movie that we all enjoyed.

When we got home, Josh and the boys put together our new Trampoline. For years I have been begging Josh for a trampoline and he has said NO, but in some weak moment this month he said YES! I have always, always, always, always wanted a trampoline.

So, even though it is technically for the kids....they let me have a turn.

It isn't as much fun with a bladder that has been compromised by 4 children but with frequent bathroom breaks it's doable. I love seeing the smile on the kids faces while they jump...priceless.

Then today, my husband treated me to a color and cut at Hair Cuttery. My hair is now the same color as it was 13 years ago. I have never had it professionally colored and I think I could really get used to it. Unfortunately I think I will have to get a part time job to be able to afford it again. Oh well, I will enjoy it while it lasts.

It will last longer than a clean house, a meal at a restaurant, a good book....

And the greatest Christmas Blessing comes to me via today's verse of the day...

"Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. "
Philippians 1 : 6

And know my friend that you are a great blessing to me as well!

Maid for You

Duties of a Maid Here.

Tips on cleaning from this maid service.

This site says "work with all in courteous, helpful and professional manner. " That is a tricky one.

Years ago I remember watching the Manor House on PBS. After reading the description of the Scullery Maid, I think that describes my maid's duties the closest:

She doesn't keep the cupboards clean, make beds or clear the clutter.

I loved this answer to "What is a Maid?"

Wikipedia had some good definitions of maids.

This definition said: If a domestic servant works without getting paid then she is more akin to a serf or slave...hmmm that's sounding more like it.

Maid for Christmas

You're probably wondering if the maid showed up before Christmas?

Nope.

She sent some gal that just cleaned the bathroom and that was it.

We really don't know if the maid will come back at all because she has gotten out of the habit of showing up, what with 2 cruises with her father, Disney World and a death in her husband's family. She said she would rather just sit around and eat the Buttermilk Fudge her mother made her. Evidently the maid's husband doesn't care if she works or not, they can get by on just his job. He did take pity on me though, last week after the funeral and before Disney and vacuumed the house for me. Maybe I can talk the maid's husband into taking over her job here. I think my husband is just about sick enough of this house to hire him. My husband never knew how messy the cats and their hair can be until the maid quit coming around.

Well, I hope the maid has a nice Christmas anyway...You too, my friend!

Milano Cookies

Ah, Pepperidge Farm cookies...Mint Milanos. What's your favorite cookie? I have not made the first cookie this holiday baking season but I did bake 7 small loaves of cinnamon raisen bread yesterday to give out to different people.

I digress...

Pepperidge Farms will donate a dollar to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure everytime you play this game. If I had more time I think I would check out the recipe section of the website but it is time for me to get off the computer!

Crafty

Two friends I have recently added to my sidebar are The loving Gathering and We press On.

The first blog is written by a friend of my mother's, that I remember meeting in 6Th grade or so. She has twin daughters the same age as me and she lived in a huge Victorian house in Springfield (a historic section of Jax). My mom has always had fun being crafty with Diane and they have kept up over the years even though Diane no longer lives in town. Recently my mom designed a header for Diane and suggested that I check it out. Diane is a great writer! You would really enjoy visit to her blog.

The second blog is by the Hendley Family. Dan Hendley was our pastor for almost 7 years in Palm Bay at Covenant Presbyterian. The boys still talk about Pastor Hendley's great sermons and how much they enjoyed going to his church. One night I was up at church meeting some ladies to scrapbook or something and I ran into Dan...he asked me why I was there and I said to be crafty with some ladies....his response was "the Devil was called crafty."

Beth was a huge blessing in my life and regularly found ways to bless me. When I was pregnant with Elise, she picked up me and the boys and took us swimming at her mother's pool. Who does this? I learned Hope from Beth...she lives it.

I am seriously considering moving The Leaking Window from my timewasters to my friends and family...though I only know her through blogland...but she is encouraging, funny and from the looks of some of her recent blogs...crafty!

The song we used to sing in Girl Scouts was running through my head this morning.

Make new friends

But keep the old

One is silver

But the other's gold.

Eight Maids a Milking

Evidently my maid has joined 7 other maids to go off milking during this Advent Season. It's Thursday and she is nowhere to be found. Supposedly her daughter is sick with tonsillitis, otherwise known as a virus of the throat that causes a fever for several days and even though she took her daughter to the doctor this morning, he said there was nothing he could do. Couldn't she have cleaned my house while her daughter was taking a nap? Really!...She is skating on thin ice!

I'm told she might be able to squeeze me in after her sister takes her and her family to Disney World this weekend. Yeah, like she's really wanna come clean my house after spending all day at the Magic Kingdom and then driving home from Orlando. Next Thursday is Christmas and I know she won't come then. We're going to have to work something out.

Promises

The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121 : 7-8

I wasn't going to post today. I am supposed to be getting in the car right now, but when I saw today's verse of the day it brought tears to my eyes. Josh's grandmother died on Saturday and we are headed to Ft. Pierce for the memorial service that is today at 2. She wasn't a godly woman but she was a believer and after our talk with her this summer we are confident she knew her Savior. I wish I could say the same for the rest of her family...so now we must go be light in the darkness.

Atomic Batteries to Power

Funny that my last post had a Bat man theme....guess what movie I watched on board?

The Dark Night...the second Batman Movie.

Who stays in their room and watches a movie that they could check out from the library when she could be enjoying the ocean pleasantly passing by?

Sad to say that's me.

We did make it out of our staterooms the last night to play cards in the serve yourself dining room.



















The first day, Elise and Emmett got to go down the water slide that was closed on our last cruise. And of course got in the hot tub because once again it was a little chilly.
























It was warm in Key West and this time Emmett and I toured Ernest Hemingway's home and we made it to the Southern Most Point...but I'm not posting that photo because I look pregnant...and I most certainly am not!

















The ship stayed in Nassau until 9:30pm, but after our day in the Straw Market and at the free beach we didn't have any plans to go back into Nassau even though there was a Junkanoo Festival going on. We listened to the cowbells and celebrations from the ship, me with a cupa tea and Josh with a cupa-joe.
When we disembarked some of the staff asked if they would be seeing us in another 3 weeks.
I have no idea what the future holds but I know who holds the future and He is an awesome God who is worthy of all praise for this trip and another good trip with my father. Thank you for your prayers.

Batty

The decorations are up, the boxes have been put away, we have done a total of 3 Advent devotions from a book we haven't touched since we bought it 10 years ago. All of our bedrooms are a mess but what's new?

What's new?

Glad you asked.....

We're leaving on our second 5 day family cruise tomorrow as guests of my dad.

Same Bat time, same Bat channel, same Bat destinations.

Your prayers that we would be a blessing to my father are coveted once again. You could say a prayer for my step-mother who will not be going, because the week of Thanksgiving she broke her ankle in 3 places. Some people will do anything to get out of a cruise! Just joking, she wanted to stay home to celebrate her mother's birthday. Honoring parents, how Batty is that?

Lovin today's verse of the day:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1 : 3

A "living hope"...not some stagnant, lifeless thing but a living hope. Amen, and Amen

Audacity

Last week the maid had the audacity to go camping with her family and today she wants to drive to Mandarin to The Olde Green Cupboard with her mother. Turns out the maid's sister got her mother interested in a new craft, needlepunching and the of course the best place to get said supplies is across town. How is my house going to get vacuumed or the bathroom cleaned if the maid keeps this up?

Thursday is her cleaning day, doesn't she know this?

I did see her pop in on Monday and do a once over in the bathroom but that isn't going to be enough. She has also been neglecting my bedroom...she said she can't get in there until I pick up for her. This little attitude of hers has got to change, maybe I can bribe her to do the work for me...what do you think she would like?

Stumble

Today's verse of the day and yesterday's post, Obama, Facebook Flair and Winston Churchill have me thinking.

Dangerous combination.

Winston Churchill once said,
“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.”

"Give me purity on any continent but oh no not yet.
Like a coin hiding in the corner trying not to be swept, I was trying not to be swept" Caedmon's Call

1 Samuel 12:24 NIV
But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

Psalms 27:1The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?

Leviticus 19:14 NIV
" 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

Deuteronomy 10:12 NIV
[Fear the LORD] And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Camping at Ft. Clinch State Park was our best camping experience to date...even though one of the sleeping bags didn't make it in the van. The sites were spacious, and the bathroom/showers were brand spankin new and it felt like we were at a resort...imagine that, camping and not having grungy bathrooms! Josh's dad hauled our bikes up there for us, and the kids had a blast riding all around. I only joined them once for a ride to the beach. Jennifer and I hung back with the two youngest riders so the rest of them could go at their much faster pace. We had some fun conversation on the boardwalk at the beach while we were eating fig newtons and then Jennifer and I took off at our pace and left the dads to mind the rear guard. After reading those sister chick books I was ready to spend some sister chick time with my friend from Palm Bay.

Jennifer has also just taken up knitting but has progressed a little bit faster than me and can already make a hat. She showed me a new way to cast on and the other thing she taught me was that Muscato Wine is very nice, but don't leave it out for your husband to uncork it because he just may drink some, even though he had his own beer.

Josh's dad, step-mom, sister Stef and her friend Meg also joined us camping. Meg joined Jennifer and I one day when we made a run for the Goodwill in Fernandina. We also hiked through the woods with Stef and Meg to tour the Fort. Oh, and I didn't mention that we took our dog? That was crazy, but it had to be done because my mom was in Indiana with my sister Cathron. Now that we're home and the laundry is all done, we will be going to the doctor because all the kids have a cough and two have had fevers since we got home. I didn't even try to make it to the Jenette's baby's baptism for fear of contaminating anyone else. And you know I love baby baptisms....esp. since the church we are going to now is against it. So how many people have I offended in this one post, between the drinking and baby baptisms....Will you still be my friend?