Most Memorable Christmas
Hi! Guess what I forgot to do yesterday? That's right. I forgot to post today's question/challenge. So...I'll answer Friday's question first then post the next one. By the way, you can still email me your answers to Friday's question OR post your answer in the comments section, whichever you prefer.
The question was: What was your most memorable Christmas and what/who made it so memorable?
My most memorable Christmas was one when I was very, very young, four years old. We lived on the farm, and my brother was a small baby. I had been sent to bed, but had woken back up when I heard the screen door slam---just like my dad did. Not knowing that anything unusual was underfoot, I got up to see where my dad had gone. Upon leaving my bedroom, I saw presents under the tree that hadn't been there before. My mom came flying out of her room and wanted to know what I was doing up. I said that I heard dad shut the door and wondered where he went. She said that it wasn't dad, it was Santa. Wasn't it amazing that Santa slammed the door just like dad? Anyway, it has been a lot of years since that Christmas, but it still sticks in my mind as the most memorable. As a mother myself now, I can only imagine how disappointing my early awakening and unexpected discovery of the gifts was to my mom.
Yesterday's questions is: What is the favorite gift you EVER received as a child? as an adult?
Today's project is: Decorate your front door and/or gate. I'm going to have to dig through my decorations and get busy at this one myself. If you are able, please send me a picture so that we can see how your project turned out. My favorite thing to do with the front door is to put ribbon around it horizontally and vertically and put a big bow in the middle to make it look like a wrapped package. It is easy and fairly inexpensive---especially if the ribbon was free:) This year, I'm going to put a large tag on each side that says Merry Christmas Love, Your Heavenly Father. We will have a constant visual reminder to help keep us focused on what's really real this way. Now don't you slide by all the fun we're having here at a Mother's Rewards. We can't wait for all of you to join us in our celebration of Jesus' birth! He is worth every bit of the fussing and effort. The questions and projects are quick and easy because I don't have the time for anything more than that myself. So, please join us as much as you can. If you are having difficulty leaving a comment, send your answers to me at bwblessedmom6@gmail.com. I'll be posting them each morning.
Today was one of my favorite days of the entire year. It was the day we collect our yearly supply of pinecones to decorate with. It was a beautiful day. Every year I find something that will make it easy "next year". Today was no exception. Next year, Lord willing, we will wear much more comfortable clothing and I will bring a coat. It isn't nearly as much fun watching all of the young ones scurrying around. I want to gather pinecones too. We were able to find a new type of pinecone that has a lot of sap in it. It is so nice and shiny after its time in the oven. *NOTE: Cook pinecones on a foil-covered baking sheet at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. This draws out the sap and kills all of the bugs. Pinecones can then be sprayed with a sealer. Unless they will be used in potpourri. If using in potpourri, just cook for the 30 minutes and allow to cool.* Pinecones have to be my absolute favorite decoration. They can be used in so many different ways and can usually be found for free. They also make great firestarters when you are done decorating with them. (If you have a fireplace or woodstove that is) Pinecones make decorating so very easy. They can be spray painted any color, flocked with fake snow, or left as is. They can be attached to a skewer and stuck in any arrangement or a wire can be attached to them and then the cone can be wired onto a wreath, garland, or spray. One of the favorite things I have done with them is to put them in a crystal bowl with white lights and opalescent shredded vinyl. The shredded vinyl covered any light cords that showed as well as made a beautiful reflective quality to the arrangement. It was so easy to use items I already had on hand. See, it does pay to save all of the pretties from gift wrappings. As with Autumn decorating, Christmas and/or winter decorating need not cost much, if anything. Paper snowflakes, pinecones, branches of greenery, pieces of wood/small logs with interesting bark, winter berries, leftover/saved ribbon, bargain fabric/tableclothes, whatever you have, use it. Look at what you have---all of it. Start thinking outside the box. Ask your Heavenly Father for ideas and see what He leads you to.
Caring for and decorating our homes is one of, if not the most important, ministries God gives us as wives to perform. How does your home reflect Christ in you? Are you at least attempting to create a place of calm, beauty, and rest for your family to live in? Have you devoted yourself to creating an atmosphere where God is glorified and honored? A place of beauty need not be extravagant. Simply making sure that there is at least one clean and tidy room or corner to refill our hearts may be all that we can do at this moment. Being content with what we can do right now is key. However, we must guard ourselves against becoming lazy or sluggish in our ministry at home. It is ever so easy to put off the homefront for the sake of working for our Lord elsewhere. Every so often this may be necessary, but it ought never be the norm. If it is, then we must take ourselves to task and renew our focus. Where has God placed us right now, at this moment? That's where our ministry is to be. That is where we are to spend ourselves for Christ. The "other areas" of ministry that are in our hearts will be brought about in time. Right now though, we must be about the business God has placed us in at this moment. I have found that I need to be faithful to serve where He places me because often it is is actually preparation for the dream in my heart. If I spend my time right now fussing about how I'm not where I'm called to be, then I am often missing the preparation necessary to walk in my God-given dream.
What does that have to do with pinecones? More than we might think. Pinecones are one of many items God has freely provided for us to use in blessing our homes. How we use them is as varied as we are. Need ideas? Ask God. Don't know where to start? Ask Him. Don't want to? Ask Him for the desire to serve. Wherever you are today, God loves you and desires His best for your life and home. Don't listen to the noise around you and believe that you can do nothing. With God all things are possible. Enjoy the Holidays. Let this be the year that Jesus is celebrated "BIG" in your home. Make it all about Him---every bit of it. Now, go decorate that door in someway, and have fun, fun, fun with Jesus! Love to you!
The question was: What was your most memorable Christmas and what/who made it so memorable?
My most memorable Christmas was one when I was very, very young, four years old. We lived on the farm, and my brother was a small baby. I had been sent to bed, but had woken back up when I heard the screen door slam---just like my dad did. Not knowing that anything unusual was underfoot, I got up to see where my dad had gone. Upon leaving my bedroom, I saw presents under the tree that hadn't been there before. My mom came flying out of her room and wanted to know what I was doing up. I said that I heard dad shut the door and wondered where he went. She said that it wasn't dad, it was Santa. Wasn't it amazing that Santa slammed the door just like dad? Anyway, it has been a lot of years since that Christmas, but it still sticks in my mind as the most memorable. As a mother myself now, I can only imagine how disappointing my early awakening and unexpected discovery of the gifts was to my mom.
Yesterday's questions is: What is the favorite gift you EVER received as a child? as an adult?
Today's project is: Decorate your front door and/or gate. I'm going to have to dig through my decorations and get busy at this one myself. If you are able, please send me a picture so that we can see how your project turned out. My favorite thing to do with the front door is to put ribbon around it horizontally and vertically and put a big bow in the middle to make it look like a wrapped package. It is easy and fairly inexpensive---especially if the ribbon was free:) This year, I'm going to put a large tag on each side that says Merry Christmas Love, Your Heavenly Father. We will have a constant visual reminder to help keep us focused on what's really real this way. Now don't you slide by all the fun we're having here at a Mother's Rewards. We can't wait for all of you to join us in our celebration of Jesus' birth! He is worth every bit of the fussing and effort. The questions and projects are quick and easy because I don't have the time for anything more than that myself. So, please join us as much as you can. If you are having difficulty leaving a comment, send your answers to me at bwblessedmom6@gmail.com. I'll be posting them each morning.
Today was one of my favorite days of the entire year. It was the day we collect our yearly supply of pinecones to decorate with. It was a beautiful day. Every year I find something that will make it easy "next year". Today was no exception. Next year, Lord willing, we will wear much more comfortable clothing and I will bring a coat. It isn't nearly as much fun watching all of the young ones scurrying around. I want to gather pinecones too. We were able to find a new type of pinecone that has a lot of sap in it. It is so nice and shiny after its time in the oven. *NOTE: Cook pinecones on a foil-covered baking sheet at 200 degrees for 30 minutes. This draws out the sap and kills all of the bugs. Pinecones can then be sprayed with a sealer. Unless they will be used in potpourri. If using in potpourri, just cook for the 30 minutes and allow to cool.* Pinecones have to be my absolute favorite decoration. They can be used in so many different ways and can usually be found for free. They also make great firestarters when you are done decorating with them. (If you have a fireplace or woodstove that is) Pinecones make decorating so very easy. They can be spray painted any color, flocked with fake snow, or left as is. They can be attached to a skewer and stuck in any arrangement or a wire can be attached to them and then the cone can be wired onto a wreath, garland, or spray. One of the favorite things I have done with them is to put them in a crystal bowl with white lights and opalescent shredded vinyl. The shredded vinyl covered any light cords that showed as well as made a beautiful reflective quality to the arrangement. It was so easy to use items I already had on hand. See, it does pay to save all of the pretties from gift wrappings. As with Autumn decorating, Christmas and/or winter decorating need not cost much, if anything. Paper snowflakes, pinecones, branches of greenery, pieces of wood/small logs with interesting bark, winter berries, leftover/saved ribbon, bargain fabric/tableclothes, whatever you have, use it. Look at what you have---all of it. Start thinking outside the box. Ask your Heavenly Father for ideas and see what He leads you to.
Caring for and decorating our homes is one of, if not the most important, ministries God gives us as wives to perform. How does your home reflect Christ in you? Are you at least attempting to create a place of calm, beauty, and rest for your family to live in? Have you devoted yourself to creating an atmosphere where God is glorified and honored? A place of beauty need not be extravagant. Simply making sure that there is at least one clean and tidy room or corner to refill our hearts may be all that we can do at this moment. Being content with what we can do right now is key. However, we must guard ourselves against becoming lazy or sluggish in our ministry at home. It is ever so easy to put off the homefront for the sake of working for our Lord elsewhere. Every so often this may be necessary, but it ought never be the norm. If it is, then we must take ourselves to task and renew our focus. Where has God placed us right now, at this moment? That's where our ministry is to be. That is where we are to spend ourselves for Christ. The "other areas" of ministry that are in our hearts will be brought about in time. Right now though, we must be about the business God has placed us in at this moment. I have found that I need to be faithful to serve where He places me because often it is is actually preparation for the dream in my heart. If I spend my time right now fussing about how I'm not where I'm called to be, then I am often missing the preparation necessary to walk in my God-given dream.
What does that have to do with pinecones? More than we might think. Pinecones are one of many items God has freely provided for us to use in blessing our homes. How we use them is as varied as we are. Need ideas? Ask God. Don't know where to start? Ask Him. Don't want to? Ask Him for the desire to serve. Wherever you are today, God loves you and desires His best for your life and home. Don't listen to the noise around you and believe that you can do nothing. With God all things are possible. Enjoy the Holidays. Let this be the year that Jesus is celebrated "BIG" in your home. Make it all about Him---every bit of it. Now, go decorate that door in someway, and have fun, fun, fun with Jesus! Love to you!