Southern Living Yankee

I'm so excited! I know what some of you are getting for Christmas! You'll love it! I love helping Santa. Plus, I've added some new links (see column on right). Some of them are really cool people I know, others are good resources, a couple are friends of mine who are REAL WRITERS, and one is a singer I just heard of and fell in love with. Check them all out--all you have to do it put your mouse on a name and click it. Our Christmas tree is up and decorated, the wreath is on the front door, and I've decorated the dining room table. Now to wrap some presents, mail them, and make a run to Michigan next weekend for a fun wedding. I still have some presents to buy, too, but I'm not stressed out about it. Still have cards to do, too, but I'm not going to worry about them either. If I don't get them done now I'll do them later. If I did cards like I really wanted I'd be sending out about 300 of them! Tom is using the last of his vacation time this week. Ma...

Click on this link and in everything give thanks. http://www.biblesociety.ca/free_scriptures/escriptures/ecclesiastes3/ecclesiastes3.html Tom and I went to see the movie "Bella" last night. If you want to show Hollywood that movies don't need to be saturated with sleaze and violence, you should go to this one. It's thought provoking and touching. That's all I want to say about it. Regarding the incident in church last week, click on the Apex link on the sidebar if you'd like to hear yesterday's take on it. Our pastor squarely addressed it. Good job, Pastor Rob Turner. One thing, too, we always need to discern is the difference between conviction from the Holy Spirit and accusations from the father of lies. If we're not careful we can be easily confused, because, as pastor pointed out, a tactic of the enemy is to twist scripture. My personal experience has been that accusation from satan leads to relentless guilt, while conviction from the Holy Spirit c...

Let's take the easy one first: have you seen the movie "Bella" yet? I have not, but I've heard some great things about it, so it's on my list of goals for the coming week. If you've seen it, please let me know your thoughts. If you haven't, read up on the reviews--I think you will want to see it, too. Second thing: today in church at the invitation when the pastor encouraged everyone to spend some moments in prayer or come up front to pray, a woman started telling everyone to listen to God and do what He said. I was up in the balcony so I couldn't clearly hear everything. She sounded very emotional, but she talked really fast. And I didn't think she'd ever quit! She talked so fast, tho, that there was no chance for the pastor to ask her to quit. When she finally did, the pastor asked the musicians to come close the service. Then he commented that "something happened" here this morning and we should seek to discern what it was. So, thi...

I've been living in Seattle since Wednesday. Not doing the tourist thing--I'm just enjoying being with the kids. And yes, I'm coming home to Ohio today. Here are a few pics: 1) I'm a little bleary-eyed from the 3 hour time change. Brad and Joe, and Brad's lovely friend, Rachel are getting ready to go to "Seattle Nails" with me for the boys birthday treat. 2) Brad gives a "thumbs up" on his pedicure. 3) Lisa and I cut out 1 million snowflakes for the visual crew at Anthropologie. We are loving it! 4) The slackers. 5) Lola sleeps more than my cats! Hope you enjoyed the photos. I had a good time, too. Joe & Lisa picked me up from the boondocks airport and had all day off Wednesday with me. Lisa and I spent Thursday together, Brad and I had Friday, and we all spent the whole day Saturday together: Top Pot donuts, Brad helped me pick out my own digital camera --maybe I'll get it for Christmas? Then we went to the antique mall by Pioneer Square...

Here are some pics of Aaron and his friend Lauren before Homecoming this last Saturday. They had fun going out to dinner, the Homecoming event, and meeting up with everyone afterwards at a haunted hayride sort of thing. Lauren goes to Dayton Christian, also to Apex and even babysits with her best friend Lindsey for our house church. Speaking of house church, one of our families has the dad on the army reserve and he has been sent to El Paso, TX to fill in for a guy sent to Iraq. So we'll be helping the mom and her 5 month old and 4 year old get packed up. On Saturday she's bringing her 14 year old cat here for a trial run of living at my house. I will be glad for some female company, even if it does have four legs--but I'm not sure the kittie will appreciate living with me and the boys--especially the four legged boys, Elmer & Fudd. I've been telling my cats they're getting a big sister, but I don't think they believe me yet. Just wait til Saturday! My...

Tom starts his new position today as manager of the electrical maintenance shop. It's a position he's held before and enjoyed, so he's looking forward to it. Lisa called last week with the exciting news that she is now in the management training program and the company has created a unique position for her that will highlight her personal shopping skills, customer service/pampering, and lifestyle event planning. Who wouldn't love that? Her store website: www.anthropologie.com Me? I dabble. Little bit of this, little bit of that. At the moment the additional things going on, besides two part time jobs and a book--we've got some 11th grade boys coming here every Sunday night for their "house church." Their leaders arrive by 6, we put out snacks in the kitchen, everyone else arrives, they all disappear down to the rec room, and then Aaron wanders up after 8. We enjoy opening our house up for this, and I'm happy that the house gets a once over with the vac...

Forget the blog this week. I'm making a big pot of chicken soup and cuddling up with a box of kleenex. aa--choo! (Tom wants me to cuddle up with him--what a guy, braving the cold spores just for me).