Good Bye 2010

In just a few hours 2010 will be history. As it comes to a close, I looked over some of my goals for the year that I jotted down for myself in my iPhone last January. Let see how well I did:

Do for others - check (but room for improvement)
Cook more exciting things - check (but room for improvement)
Bible study - check (but room for improvement)
Prayer time -check (but room for improvement)
Loose 10 pounds - check (but can lose more)
Cemetery hop - check
Genealogy - can do much more
Learn camera - NO
Redo the kitchen - check - very successful
Rick's building - NO
Get rid of farm house - No
Trip with boys - Yes
Trip with Rick - Yes
Trip with Girls - Yes

I will have to ponder for several days to decide what my goals will be for 2011.

Have a very safe New Year's Eve.

A Few Pictures of the Holidays

Santa and the kids!

 The annual creative gift challenge!

Greg and Chad

The girls playing "dress-up".

It's Over and No Depression

     I read an article about how the days after Christmas are such a let down that many people are depressed. I assure you this is not me. Christmas was wonderful with many highlights with memories that were made.
    Wednesday night the boys arrived with an old-school Nintendo system with the game they never could beat as young children. When Rick and I got home it was just like the sounds from 20 years ago. Same dialog, same actions, same emotions; just bigger bodies. For the next four days, it was great. The food, the games, the gifts, the grandchildren and the fellowship were all wonderful. I did control my temper this year during the games. Last year I got so upset that I threw my game pieces after being beat numerous times. This year I was still beat the majority of the games, but I did not let it bother me. So what, if I can't roll a "FARKLE." Life will go on.
    Rick won the creative wrapping again for the second year in a row. This year I did get THIRD place. This is my first year to even get any votes. Each year the competition gets tougher. I did a slide show of some pictures from the last 10 Christmases. Diana and I took a great deal of ridicule of our lovely Christmas sweaters from the past. So Jenna, Di, and I  did a little "dress up" of three classic sweaters in my closet. The pictures are lovely.
    Yesterday after lunch I realized it was over, and time to  get it all down. Hours later it did get finished. Bennie Scoggins was smiling. I missed her standard by 24 hours, which is still good for me. Although Christmas is tucked away, I have a camera disk with pictures and great memories of Christmas 2010.

My Christmas wishes were all fulfilled; I hope yours were, too.



 

My Christmas Wish #5

Today's wish is a little different. My wish for you today is that you have it all done, and that you can enjoy the rest of this holdiay season, UNLESS... that is not your style. Carl never shopped until Christmas Eve, and the Davis boys have been known to follow in his steps. Their line was that there are fewer things on the shelves, so that is less things for them to have to pick from. Yesterday I was talking to Chad. He said he had not started. I have to admit his reasoning was different. It went something like this, "You know, Mom, Jesus might just come back before Christmas, then I would have put myself through all that stress and expense for nothing."


It's not hard to tell where this is going. Do we really expect Jesus to come back? Are we ready? And what would we have done differently this Christmas if we new it was our last? Can you imagine celebrating Jesus' birthday with HIM! WOW! Chad, your procrastination in shopping made me do some soul searching.

Christmas Wish #4

Christmas is a time of gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts, eating meals together, and maybe playing games. However, for some people, Christmas is bittersweet because a loved one has died, broken relationships, or just not enough money for all the "stuff". I was amazed in SS how stressful Christmas is to so many families. Yesterday at church we had one of the most amazing worship services celebrating Jesus' birth. We truly experienced the reason for the season. Borrowing a comment from my husband, "if you did not get something out of that, you are on your way to Hell." That was his way of saying if was very emotional and real. 

My wish for you is that you try to take the stress out of Christmas and take time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.I know that my God does not want His son's birthday to be a PAIN. This was God's greatest gift to us, and like everything else, we humans have messed it up. So whatever it takes - focus on God's perfect gift.

Christmas Wish #3

May this beautiful season fill you with

Happy memories,

Pleasant todays,

and

Joyful tomorrows.

Love to all who reads this.

Today is the last day of school for 2010 and this school semester. This school year is officially half over. As an educator, I can proclaim this wish. I have so many happy memories of these 33 years. My days are pleasant, because I love my job. In one day this week, I got to play with a new iPod Touch, an iPad, and a Kindle. My tomorrows will be joyful, because that is a choice I choose to make. Borrowing a phrase from school,

 "make it a great day or not, the choice is yours".

Christmas Wish #2

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring Him a lamb.

If I were a wise man,

I would do my part.

Yet what I can, I give Him,

(I) give my heart.

Christina Rossetti

My Christmas wish today is that you have also given Him your heart.