Christmas Character Spotlight: Herod - and how it relates to us today

In the few weeks leading up to Christmas, let’s take a step back from the decorating, shopping, and commercialism, and focus on the true meaning of Christmas - the Bethlehem story. One person at a time, we’ll go through the story in a character-study format, and try to put ourselves in the shoes of those individuals that were there on that first Christmas. Want to do some study for yourself? Here is the schedule:

November 29: Joseph
December 4: Mary
December 6: Gabriel
December 11: Shepherds
December 13: Wise men
December 19: Herod
December 24: Jesus

Today's character: King Herod - and how this story relates to us today

photo credit

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a city in Judea, Herod the Great sat on the throne as king. He was a descendant of Esau, twin brother of Jacob, the father of the Israelite nation. Herod was a wicked, Godless king, who had erected heathen temples in Palestine for the worship of idols. It was to this political environment that the Saviour of the world was born.

We don’t hear too much about Herod other than in the events surrounding the wise men’s visit from the East in Matthew 2. As we already saw, these wise men went first to Jerusalem, and sought the location of the baby King there.

Herod’s response? Jealousy. He was furious that a new King had been born, supposing that this King was going to take his throne and destroy his power over Judea. Little did he know that the baby born was not coming to set up an earthly throne, but to establish a heavenly throne, and bring light to a dark, sinful world.

Herod falsely told the wise men that he desired to worship this new King as well, and sent them on their way, with a promise of their return. Had they not been warned by God, Herod would have tried to kill baby Jesus. But His time to die had not yet come. God kept Him safe to accomplish His purpose in His timing.

But Herod did not stop. In a furious display of his power and wickedness, he killed all the babies under two years of age.

All of them. Dead.

Except One, who, by God’s grace and protection, made it out of Bethlehem in time.

But what of the people? The families, who had just had their babies ripped mercilessly from their arms, and brutally murdered at the command of a wicked king? The older children who lost siblings? The grandparents, aunts, uncles...all were affected by this city-wide tragedy.

Jeremiah prophesied that this would happen. Both Jeremiah 31:15 and Matthew 2:18 tell us the mothers could not be comforted...because their little ones lived no longer. The sound of weeping was heard far and wide as this city mourned.

Two thousand years later, we hear that sound again.

Children, whose lives were mercilessly taken from them, at a time of year that should bring “peace on earth.” Children that were left, who have been robbed of their security and innocence. Families, crying for their little ones who will never again walk through the door of their homes. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles...all are affected by this tragedy that has swept our nation.

Yet perhaps, it will serve a purpose.

In Jesus’ day it did. God was able to use a city-wide tragedy to accomplish His will - fulfilling prophecy of Jesus dwelling in Egypt. Perhaps there were other ramifications that we can’t perceive in scripture. Even a tragedy can be used by God.

We can’t see the purpose that the Sandy Hook tragedy will serve. The pain is too raw, the grieving too fresh, and we humans can not see beyond that. But I believe that God will use this tragic slaughter to accomplish something great in our lives.

If nothing else, it causes us to hold our loved ones closer, to cherish more the time with family and friends. It causes us to step back from the hectic pre-Christmas days and focus more on the living. More on the loving. More on the blessings that Christ had given us this Christmas.

I did not intend to turn this character spotlight into a post on the recent Sandy Hook tragedy, but the story of wicked King Herod was too similar to ignore. I believe there are lessons to be learned today, as well as lessons to be learned from Matthew 2. Feel free to share in the comments how this tragedy has affected you or someone you love. I know I, for one, will be treasuring every moment next week that I spend with family.

A Blue Christmas

I did a couple of Christmas projects recently that actually deviated from my red-and-white-at-Christmas obsession. Unbelievable, right? {wink!} They were both just small projects, but hopefully they will get your creative juices flowing and be a help to you.

When you stop and think about it, snow has nothing to do with Christmas. Other than Christmas is in the winter, but that still doesn't associate it with snow. Lots of people live in places where it doesn't snow at all, yet we still often think of snowmen and such as "Christmas decor." I guess it is ok, since Christmas Day is the only day I allow it to snow. {wink!} Anyhow, these two projects involved snowflakes and a blue color scheme. Here's to being different!

The first was our church's bulletin board. You saw how I fixed it up for Fall/Thanksgiving, but it was high time for the leaves to come down and something Christmasy to go up. I chose a design with a whole lot less cutting this time, lol!

We had the snowflake border on hand already, so I just went with that theme to make things simple. I covered the cork with white paper tablecloth from our huge roll at the church, and securely stapled the border around the sides. I decided to cover up the wood frame as well, to make the board look bigger.

I printed off 4 Christmas bulbs {I got a red one from Microsoft clip art and just colorized it to the shades I wanted} and stapled them with some gold string to help them look authentic.

Very little cutting, which was great! I think the end result turned out nice! We are currently using the board for Christmas/Thank you cards the church receives. After Christmas is over, I'll just pop those ornaments off and we'll be good to go for the rest of the winter!

That was my first blue project. The second was fixing up some goody bags for the families in the church I attend.

I made a batch of these Christmas cookies and bagged them up in these cute baggies I got at...wait for it...the dollar store. {Love that place!}

These cookies are so, so good! Soft, with yummy frosting and sprinkles. I love sprinkles. And the recipe makes around 50 cookies, so they are a great choice when giving them away.

I whipped up a little label to sign my name to, which made things easy! I enjoy giving a small gift like this instead of just a plain old Christmas card. And using a printable means I don't have to think of words to write in a card, either. {wink!} #nowyouknowtherealme

You can download these labels for your own use if you go here. Obviously, they won't have my name on them. :) You can sign your own, or write personal notes on the back. If you enjoy using snowflakes or blue and white at Christmas, I think you'll enjoy these!

So those are my two small, non-red-and-white projects. Do you like blue color schemes at Christmas? Do you fix up goody bags? Anyone think I should go back to red and white now? I thought so..

Gifts and Goals for the Week, December 17, 2012

Happy Monday!!

After a super, super busy week last week, I am seriously cracking down on a big long list of things that have to get done this week. Mostly for our church's Christmas program on Friday night, but I also need to finish up for Christmas as well. Anyone else feeling the crunch??

This last week was the week for Christmas parties. I was involved with 3!! That makes for a pretty busy week when you factor in the prep, baked goodies, and such. But they were all so much fun. I am so blessed to be part of the churches I am involved with!

I showed you what I took to these parties for gifts - wanna see what I came home with??

This metal candle stand was one gift...

I stole it from a lady in my dad's church during our gift exchange. {I mean stole in the nicest way, of course...it is part of the game (wink!)} I love the ORB type finish on the metal. It will be super fun to decorate with after the Christmas decor comes down!

I don't have a pillar candle for it yet, but here is another candle just to give you an idea of how it will look...

I see a white pillar candle and coffee beans in its future. {wink!}

The second gift I snagged was this cute snowman nightlight:

He'll make a nice "winter decoration" long after Christmas is over!

Here are the blessings I added to my 1,000 Gifts list this week:

500. Christmas party
501. Opportunities to serve
502. Smooth{er} program practice
503. More Christmas parties
504. Chinese food 2 days in a row {wink!}
505. Stephanie’s safe flights
506. My church family
507. Gifts I don’t deserve


Last week, I set these goals:

Finish one bag

Finish Ninja outfit - soooooo close to done!

Work on christmas presents

Write one letter to a friend

Get Christmas program costumes ready {and have a practice without total confusion and panic ensuing!}

Continue reading Sense and Sensibility  - finished it!

Help with a Christmas party at the nursing home - see it here!


This week, I'm setting these goals:

Finish christmas presents and wrap them

Pack for trip

Finish getting costumes ready for the program Friday

Set up for the program 

Go Christmas caroling

And probably some other things that I'm forgetting at the moment. :)


So, we're down to crunch time...anyone else have last minute things to do? Are you enjoying time spent with family and friends?

Character Spotlight: The Genealogy of Christ

I'm sharing a segment of my series on the people in the Christmas story over on Kraven today. Here is an excerpt from the post:

"I know what you are thinking.

Genealogy?? Are you for real? It is Christmas, and you want to talk about Genealogies??

‘Fraid so. ;)

But this isn’t just any genealogy. It is the genealogy of Christ. And He is the One this season is centered around, right?

Over the last few weeks I’ve been taking a look into the details of various characters from the Christmas story. And I nearly forgot to include the lives of 5 of the most unique characters that are included in this story.

And that is where the genealogy comes in. "

Read the rest of the post here.

And the winner is...

The winner of the girls hat is...

{drumroll, please}

Rita!

whose #4 comment was chosen by random.org.

Congrats! Please either contact me or contact Kati directly with your mailing address. 

The rest of you, head on over to Kraven to see who won the other prize! Thanks to everyone who entered for making this a fun giveaway!

They Flock Together

I’m calling this tote, “Birds of a Feather”

I was asked to make this as a Christmas present for a local lady, but I’m pretty sure she’s not reading here, so I thought I’d share it with you. Because I absolutely lurve it. Which is odd, because I’m not that into roosters, chickens, or partridges, and this bag has ‘em all. Hence the title of this post.

And the turquoise….oh the turquoise.

Purple has always been my favourite color. But since turquoise is basically the new black, I’ve been enjoying using it more and more in different areas. Whoever designed this rooster/chicken material was brilliant to include such a rich turquoise color!! I had a blast matching it to line the inside and provide a pleasing pop of color to the outside.

This tote is an example of how fun it can be to take a certain theme that you adore, such as roosters, and tie it into a fun, stylish handbag that you can carry everywhere! I've done a similar idea with horses, and loved the result then, too.

And even though I'm not into roosters, I'd totally carry this one. I love it. Did I mention that??

If you were to carry a fun themed tote, which theme would you choose? Any rooster fans out there?

What to buy for Gift Swaps

There is so much to love about this time of year - the decor, the sweets, the carols, and the fun times with family and friends. With those fun times, however, comes an event that I have a love/hate relationship with - gift swaps.

I have 4 different ones this year, people. It is hard enough to think of one gift for this kind of game, let alone 4!! Thankfully, 2 of them are quite easy to buy for. The other 2 have to be more specific, important gifts. I thought I'd share the things I purchased for these gifts, and hopefully it will spark some ideas for you, too!

I've very picky about the Christmas gifts I buy. I put a ton of thought into every one. Yes, that usually means I'm scrambling at the last minute to get everything done {cough} but I would rather take my time and come out with a meaningful gift that the recipient will truly be able to enjoy.

The same goes for these gift swap gifts. I don't just want to get a generic Christmas tin and fill it with chocolate - although chocolate isn't a bad thing - I want my gift to show that I put some thought into it and really cared about the recipient...whoever he/she may be! Thankfully we have a terrific Dollar store here with lots of items that are name-brand things - for cheap{er}. I bought everything for these gifts there, which helped save some precious dollars!

My first gift is for this Sunday afternoon, and we were instructed to bring a small, under $10 gift to keep things fair. Here are the items I picked up to put my gift together:

Let's look at those items more closely. This gold basket is the base of my gift:

And this candle holder will take center stage. I love how simple and pretty it is! It has a snowflake design on the outside, and a neat bubble design on the inside.

I also picked up a pretty sparkly candle and some striped mints - red and green, of course!

I popped the candle into the holder {after taking off the plastic...don't want a fire hazard!}

I just love the reflection of the red candle in that neat bubbly design!!

Then I just centered the whole thing in the basket and put the mints around the outside. How easy was that?

I was a little concerned about the candies falling out of the basket, and they are small enough to slip through the wires, but thankfully being all smushed together in there actually helps keep them from falling out. {Thankgoodness}




I love that this gift is functional {basket can be used to actually store things, or in another Christmas display}, practical {we all burn candles at Christmas!}, edible {the person receiving this probably will need a breath mint after our dinner Sunday}, and beautiful! What a win win type of gift!

Oh, and as for the cost of this present:

Gold basket $2
Candle holder $2
Candle $1.25
Mints $1
Total cost: $6.25 + tax

My second gift needed to be entirely different. It is geared just toward a lady {I know, my other gift was quite feminine too, but I can't help it!} and needed to be a $10+ gift. Again, I turned to the aisle of my precious dollar store for some fantastic finds!

I started with this large, Christmas-y bowl:

I absolutely adore the colors red and white at Christmas! As you saw in my room decor, that is my color scheme for pretty much anything I do this time of year. I had to follow that theme with this gift! I hunted through the store and picked up a bunch of red and white kitchen items to fill the bowl.

Here are the specific things I picked up:

I couldn't leave out that cute candle!

Then I all but threw the items into the bowl, and it turned out perfect!

Ok, I didn't throw them, but I did not organize them whatsoever - just plopped them in the bowl from largest to smallest, and loved the look!

I'm planning to wrap it like you would a fruit basket, just gather some wrapping paper around and tie it at the top with a big bow. I'll probably stick some tissue paper in amongst the different items as well, because I love using lots of tissue paper in wrapping gifts! {wink!}

Here is an item breakdown for this gift:

Large bowl: $2
Tablecloth $2
Oven mitts $3
Dish cloths $1
Towel $1.25
Measuring cups $2
Whisk $2
Candle $1.25
Total: $14.50 + tax

Not expensive by any means, but a bit over that $10 minimum limit, so that is good! I certainly could have filled it with other cheaper things. I considered filling it with Christmas decor {ornaments, bulbs, lights, garland, etc.} or even with some "wrapping station" type items {tags, ribbons, bows, tape, red and green pens, etc.} The possibilities really are endless, depending on what items are more readily available to you, and how much you have to spend on one particular gift.

I'm super pleased with how both of these presents turned out, and happy that these purchases have been made so I don't have to think about it any more. {wink!} Now I just have to finish up the handmade items I'm making, {ahem} and my gifts will be complete!

I'd love to hear what ideas these gifts sparked in your mind. What else could I have included in the large bowl? Which route do you think you would have gone? What great gift ideas do you have for your gift exchanges this year?

Christmas Character Spotlight: The Wise Men

In the few weeks leading up to Christmas, let’s take a step back from the decorating, shopping, and commercialism, and focus on the true meaning of Christmas - the Bethlehem story. One person at a time, we’ll go through the story in a character-study format, and try to put ourselves in the shoes of those individuals that were there on that first Christmas. Want to do some study for yourself? Here is the schedule:

November 29: Joseph
December 4: Mary
December 6: Gabriel
December 11: Shepherds
December 13: Wise men
December 19: Herod
December 24: Jesus

Today's character: the Wise Men that followed the star



For some reason, the story of the Wise Men has gotten terribly messed up over the years. I can’t figure it out.

The shepherds story stays the same.

Most people can get the rest of the nativity story right.

But the wise men? Their story gets maaaaajorly messed up! Sometimes I feel like, lets not talk about the wise men, because everybody’s version of the story is so wrong! But if we stick to the Bible, we can see the real story and learn something from these wise men.

Some of the common misconceptions about these guys….

They came to the manger. They didn’t. They came later, possibly even a year or more after Jesus was born. Matthew 2:11 tells us that they entered a house, not a stable, to see little Jesus. Mary and Joseph made the decision to stay in Bethlehem after Jesus was born, and clearly they didn’t reside in the stable for months on end!

There were 3 of them. Truth is, we have no clue how many there were. The number 3 myth comes from the fact that there were 3 different presents brought - Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh - but nowhere does the Bible mention how many men. There could have been 2. There could have been 24. Who knows?

They were kings. Sorry, whoever wrote “We Three Kings”...they weren’t kings over any nation. They were very wise men {wise enough to follow the star, after all!} and they were astrologers {who studied the stars and noticed when the pattern was different, Matthew 2:2} and they were also historians or students of the Scriptures {they knew the Old Testament and historical prophecies concerning Jesus’ birth}. But not kings.

So why is their story important to us?

> They are an example of faith. Their faith led them to leave their homes for an indefinite amount of time in search of a baby. It reminds me of Abraham, who, by faith, went out, not knowing wither he went. They trusted their knowledge of scripture, history, and astrology and let God lead them to the promised Messiah.

> They are an example of obedience. They fully planned on obeying King Herod, who told them to come back and tell him where the child was. In reality he was planning to kill Jesus, but we’ll talk about him next week. :) The wise men were warned of this plan by God in a dream {Matthew 2:12} and obeyed without question. They were willing to do whatever God needed them to do.

> They are an example in giving. They gave expensive gifts to this King of Kings: Gold, a present fit for a King; Frankincense, used in worship, and Myrrh, used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Their gifts showed their faith in His promise of redemption.

We might not have the means to give expensive gifts or vast amounts, but do we give what we have? We all have at least one important gift to give Jesus - ourselves. We can act in obedience just like the wise men!

A common questions about the wise men is why did they stop in Jerusalem? Why not follow the star straight to Bethlehem? If only they never would have gone to Herod!!

Even that was part of God’s plan. I believe that they first went to Jerusalem because it was the most likely place for a king to be born. Additionally, Judea was at this time under the Roman empire - being from the east, the wise men very likely were from a country not under Roman bondage. They may have had to go “through customs” so to speak, or in some way announce their intentions in the country.

Jerusalem was, at the time, the natural place for these things to be taking place. And since these men from afar knew about the Messiah, wouldn’t it be logical that the Jewish people would too? Even the shepherds had proclaimed the good news to everyone they met...but apparently it did no good. No one in Jerusalem knew a thing about the Messiah that was currently living in the form of a small Jewish boy. What a shame! May we be more aware of the workings of God in our lives, and, like the wise men, follow His leading.

Christmas Party

I  may or may not have mentioned my new opportunity this fall to assist with a Bible study at our local nursing home. Did I talk about this before? No?

I assist a lady with a Bible study each week at our local nursing home. There, now I've mentioned it! :)

Yesterday was our last meeting until after the new year, and we threw a Christmas party for the residents! I took my two younger sisters to help out and provide some music, and a great time was had by all! You may remember us helping out with this same party last year.

It is such a privilege to be able to help out with this meeting, and meet and befriend these dear folks. Many of them have sharp minds and quick wits, and it is truly fun to be with them for an hour or so each week! It has been a blessing to see this group grow, and the excitement of each one as they come out. It is such a privilege to serve the Lord, isn't it?

Here are some pictures of our Christmas party this year:

Isn't that a great group of people? I always start by playing the piano for about 30 minutes as the residents are making their way in. Mrs. H, the lady that runs the study, did some Christmas trivia with the folks...they were amazing! They knew all the answers!

Rachel and Carrie sang them some Christmas carols, and then we played "Name That Tune." Again, they did great! I would play the first three notes and they would start shouting out the answer. I only was able to stump them on one song, I believe it was "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne." It was so fun!

There was treats...lots and lots of treats!

No one went away hungry, and everyone was able to take a plate of goodies back to their rooms as well!

You may remember Candy, the dog, who makes weekly visits to the nursing home. He was present for our party this year, too, with gifts for each of the ones that attend the Bible study.

Of course, he dressed for the part.

The back of his Santa suit says, "Ho, ho ho!" :)

And let me say a word about the decor.

Whomever is in charge of the decor at this nursing home does an excellent job. The nursing home is huge...the building is just over a year old, and is spread out in 8 different "houses." Between these houses are long hallways. Each house has its own kitchen, dining area, and living room with a big screen TV. It is really nice. And the entire thing is decorated to the hilt. I wished I had time to just run around and snag pictures of the different displays and decor, but unfortunately I didn't. Kudos to the decorating committee!

Besides the presents and fun, Mrs. H shared a brief Christmas devotional and read the Christmas story. Our prayer is that the Lord will use this season to work in the hearts of the residents that don't yet have a relationship with Christ! What a fantastic Christmas present that would be!!

So there's our Christmas party for this year. Anyone else attending parties this week? I have two more before the week is out! What things make your party(s) special and unique?

Because Christmas involves giving

Need a last minute Christmas gift? Thursday, December 13 is the last day for orders from my shop that need to arrive by Christmas...so to help you get 'er done on time, here is an unexpected Christmas sale for you!

Here are a few of the goodies still available....

Retro Ruby Medium tote

Geometric Large tote

Various decorative pillowcases, including this Sunny Day set

Planning printables, of course!

There is a bunch of other items as well, so pop on over and take a look!

A few shop announcements:

• I can no longer take custom orders to be shipped by Christmas. All sales must be what is currently available in my shop. 
• From Christmas through the first 3 weeks of January, my shop will be taking a hiatus. I have big plans for shop updates early in 2013, and I'm going to be slipping behind the scenes to get things ready!! Digital files will still be available, but totes and pillowcases will be MIA for a few weeks. I'll keep you posted on my progress, and you will want to keep your eyes peeled for new things to come! #imsoexcited!!
• Thanks for understanding, I can't wait to make my shop a fun place to...well, shop! {wink}

Merry Christmas!!

Psst! Don't forget to go over and enter our giveaway!!

How About a Christmas GIVEAWAY???

***Update: this giveaway is now closed. Click here to see who won!***

My real-life and blogging BFF Kati and I have a lot in common...

...we grew up best friends
...our parents are friends
...our grandparents were friends
...we both blog
...we both run Etsy shops
...we are giving you a Christmas present!!!!!

If you haven't yet visited Kraven, Kati's new blog, then you are in for a treat! She is hosting the 25 Days of Christmas right now, and as part of the fun, she has offered to give away 2 items from her shop - one on her blog, and one on mine. What fun!

The first item is a toddler size girl's hat.  This beanie is crocheted from warm, soft yarn in white, teal, and gray.  It features a contrasting band with a flower applique.

So cute, right?


The second item is a teen/woman's size ear warmer headband.  This item is also crocheted from warm, soft yarn in clear blue.  The headband features a colonial blue flower.  It is approximately 4-5 inches wide and made to stretch for a snug, comfortable fit.

She is so talented! I love the looks of both of these items, and wouldn't they make great last-minute Christmas gifts? Actually, scratch that...these are too cute to give away, why don't you keep them for yourself. {wink!}

But there is more: either of these items can be personalized with a hand-stitched name. Woot!

Now for the technical deets:

Who can enter this giveaway?

Anyone! Yes--that means you!

How does this giveaway work?

Beginning RIGHT NOW and ending Friday at 3 p.m. EST, you can enter to win!  On Friday, two winners will be chosen to receive the prizes listed above.  If you are a winner, the item will be shipped to you free of cost.  

How do I enter this giveaway?

Simple! You can enter up to three times here on my blog by doing these things:

1. Comment on this blog post telling me which item you like the most and include your e-mail address (mandatory).
2. Like my facebook page...and then leave a separate comment on this blog post letting me know that you've done it. (If you have already liked my facebook page in the past--it counts! Comment and let me know)
3. Add my etsy shop to your favorites...and then leave a separate comment on this blog post letting me know that you've done it.

But wait...there's more!

You can enter this giveaway three more times if you head on over to Kraven! Because Kati gave me the opportunity to be part of this giveaway, you get the benefit of double the entries! Isn't Christmas a fun time of year?? {wink!}

I can't wait to see the comments come rolling in...and also can't wait to pick a winner on Friday! I just think giveaways are so much FUN! 

Christmas Character Spotlight: the Shepherds

In the few weeks leading up to Christmas, let’s take a step back from the decorating, shopping, and commercialism, and focus on the true meaning of Christmas - the Bethlehem story. One person at a time, we’ll go through the story in a character-study format, and try to put ourselves in the shoes of those individuals that were there on that first Christmas. Want to do some study for yourself? Here is the schedule:

November 29: Joseph
December 4: Mary
December 6: Gabriel
December 11: Shepherds
December 13: Wise men
December 19: Herod
December 24: Jesus

Today's character: the Shepherds, who received the first Baby announcement ;)

The Shepherds that were sent the news of Jesus’ birth pretty much only appear one time in the Bible, in Luke 2:8-20. No other account is given that marks them as an important part of the story. In fact, with just a surface reading, there’s is not a very important detail of the Christmas story. Yet I believe there is much we can learn from these humble men.

I said they are pretty much only mentioned once - did you know they are indirectly prophesied about in the Old Testament? I didn’t either, until my pastor preached about them a couple of weeks ago. :) I find it very interesting, so I’m passing it on to you!

These shepherds were not just any shepherds...they were the shepherds keeping the temple flock. History tells us that the temple sheep were kept near a tower called “The tower of the flock” in English (I’m not attempting to spell the Hebrew name!). Although Luke’s account does not tell us about this location, Micah 4:8 prophesies that this would be the place where the first announcement would come.

Why does this matter? Because Jesus came to earth as the ultimate Sacrifice for sin. These temple sheep would not be needed much longer. It is only fitting that these men were the first to find out that The Sacrifice to end all sacrifices was now on earth. If these men knew the Old Testament prophecies, no wonder they were so excited!

A few things that are important to note about these men:

They were simply doing their job. Different accounts in the Bible show us that being a shepherd was not looked on as a very illustrious job. Probably these guys working third shift were the lowest of the low. The margin of my Bible says verse 8 could literally mean they were “keeping the night watches.” ‘What fun’ said none of them ever!

But they were faithfully doing their job, no matter if it was fun or not. They were faithful...and God uses faithful people, not important ones.

They had a front-row seat for this display of Heavens glory - and it caused fear. Just as the first glimpse of the angel Gabriel brought fear to Zacharias {Luke 1:11-12} and Mary {Luke 1:28-29} it brought immediate fear to these shepherds. A glimpse of God’s Glory does that. When we really see what the glory and holiness of God is like, it will cause to fall on our face in reverent fear.

They recognized that this message was God-sent. Verse 15 tells us that they  knew it was the Lord that had made this known. I believe this shows they had a relationship with God already...enough so to recognize a message from him.

God doesn’t use angels these days to send his messages {we have the Bible, we don’t need angels any more!} but He does send circumstances and divine appointments our way - do we recognize when they are from Him?

They couldn’t keep the Good News to themselves. They made it “known abroad” {vs.17} and openly praised God {vs. 20}. Do we keep the news to ourselves? We have the true story of Christmas - do we take advantage of this season of “good will” to share our good news?

God sent the news directly to these shepherds because He knew He could trust them with it - that they would do with this news what they were supposed to do. Can he trust us with the same news?

Gifts and Goals for the Week, December 10, 2012

Well, this week was kinda a big one in our family...

       Judah is standing(ish) and thinking about walking(ish). We all cheer whenever he stands up, so he has decided it is really fun to be cute and get lots of attention, {wink!} and started standing up on his own. So, of course, he now has 6 other people in his face 24/7 saying "Can you stand up? Can you walk to me? MOM, HE JUST TOOK A STEP! Can you stand up? Can you walk?"...you get the picture. =)

       The kids were exposed to chicken pox. Which is a good thing in our house. Rachel, Carrie or Judah has never had them, and we just like to get it over as soon as possible so they can go on with life. We'll see if they actually get them or not! (I believe Rachel has been exposed to them before and has never gotten them, so maybe she is not allergic? We'll see!)

Here are the blessings I added to my 1,000 Gifts list this week:

494. Gingerbread candle
495. Provision and answered prayer
496. A growing, funny boy
497. Fun Christmas Ladies meeting
498. Unexpected fabric sale
499. Pretty Christmas lights drive
{Ahhhh, next one will be 500!! Woot!}



Last week, I set these goals:

Finish making placemats  <-there a="a" am="am" and="and" at="at" day.="day." don="don" every="every" everything="everything" first="first" for="for" glad="glad" have="have" hope="hope" how="how" i="i" is="is" look="look" me="me" out="out" pleased="pleased" recipient="recipient" same="same" strike="strike" t="t" the="the" them="them" they="they" this="this" time="time" to="to" too="too" turned="turned" was="was" wink="wink" with="with">


Make 1 bag - started it

Make a curtain

Continue working on Christmas Presents

Begin reading 2 new books - haven't decided for sure yet which it will be!

Have a brainstorming session with myself, pondering personal, business and blog goals for 2013.

Start making a Ninja costume - yup, you read that right...it’s an experiment for a friend!





This week, I'm setting these goals:

Finish one bag

Finish Ninja outfit

Work on {and try to finish!!} christmas presents

Write one letter to a friend

Get Christmas program costumes ready {and have a practice without total confusion and panic ensuing!}

Continue reading Sense and Sensibility

Help with a Christmas party at the nursing home


Only two more weeks to get ready for Christmas!! Are you ready? What do you have left to do? Does anyone else save presents for the last minute??


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Shop Update: 2013 Daily Planner

I am always excited to be able to add new items to my Etsy shop! Today I have for you a revised and updated Daily Planner package just for 2013!

Here is what this package contains:

Year-long calendar
Personal life goals
Family goals
Yearly goals
Monthly goal sheet
Master to do list
Daily to do lists
Important household info
Babysitter’s guide
Finance record
Monthly bills to pay
Account Log-ins

You already saw the 2013 calender, but just to jog your memory:

I have re-worked a few other printables to make them easier to use, more practical, and larger open spaces for doodling planning and writing!

This last year I used this printable for my monthly and weekly goals (which you see every Monday in my goals update posts):

It worked, but I found it did not work well. I kept it in a plastic sleeve, so I could write on it with a Sharpie and erase it each week. That became a little tiresome, and as the year wore on I found I was using it less and less simply because I didn't take time to erase it!

So, I brainstormed what could be better, and came up with this instead:

This file contains a sheet for each month. On the left is a place for my month-long goals, and the right side is broken up into 5 weeks, to keep track of weekly goals. Each week has a place for 10 goals, which is my self-proclaimed "limit" so I don't attempt too much and get frustrated when I can't do it all!

Each month also includes a motivational quote or verse. You might recognize this one on January as being my new favorite quote. :)

I also made new sheets for the long-term goals. Yearly ones...

Personal life goals...

...or Family life goals, for those of you with families who may set more than just personal goals...

When you purchase those, you will also receive a blank copy so you can write in your own categories if you prefer!

The other sheets that needed some tweaking were those old to-do lists. I was trying to keep one running To-Do list, and it just wasn't working, partially because I didn't give myself enough space, and I was constantly running out of room! I also needed something to write down daily to-do lists...I had tried just using Post-it notes, and they just weren't doing the trick!

So I came up with my own:

These can simply be cut apart, stapled together, and Bam! Instant note pad. Plus, the match my new master to-do list {wink}...

You might notice that I included a water intake check-list on the daily to-do list. Because peeps, I have to drink lots of water. I notice a definite difference in my energy level and how I feel overall when I don't drink enough water. So that is just a little visual reminder for me!

Those are all the update printables in this new package. However, the package also includes these oldies (but goodies!):

Monthly Bills to Pay record...

Plus this finance tracker to keep track of all your different accounts in one place {I personally love this one!}:

Ooh, I love this one too. A place to list all your user log-ins and passwords. I use this DAILY for all those weird little places you log into just to get freebies or save $$, ya know? But it is good for the big stuff too (Facebook, etc) if you forget those easily. And really, who doesn't? This is a lifesaver!

A babysitter's guide for when you have to leave your kiddos behind:

Store all your family's important info in one place so everyone knows where to find it in an emergency {or just keep it in your planning binder to jog your own memory, wink!}

This update package is now available in my Etsy shop. You can get any of these printables separately, or mix and match to make your own package deal. OR....buy these all as a set and save big! If you need only the updated 2013 sheets, let me know and I'll list them separately for ya.

I'd love to hear what printable sheets work best for you! How many of you use the ones from my shop? If you don't I won't hold it against you. {wink!}