Jolly Gift Ideas

I know some pretty incredible people and they make some pretty amazing things. Need gift ideas? Let me introduce you to some of my very talented friends who can fill your stockings and bless that special someone without the crowds.

Custom boards for home decor can be found here at Corner Barn & Co. Tina says it's not too late to get your custom Christmas order in!

Our new favorite soap comes from Yvonne at Clean Hands Soap Company.

Want to teach your kids who God is in a fun way through music? Check out Dana and her family at Songs for Saplings!

There are two more really cool ladies I know that own shops on Etsy, but they've closed shop for the holidays. Check them out after the new year for unique, hand-made items. Sarah Kate at Cranny and Sarah at The Casual Princess.

Happy Shopping!

Any Readers Left?

I'd be surprised seeing that I haven't posted in like, forever! I don't have to tell you that life is crazy. Busy, busy, busy and this time of year is no exception. In fact, it's this time of year that schedules are packed full of holiday activities. I so wish I had more time in my day.

But, if I had more time, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't guarantee I'd post more-or start using it wisely. Might as well learn to live with my 24 hours God gave me.

It's December 2 and I really don't want to decorate for Christmas. Not because I'm not loving this time of year, quite the opposite. It thrills me to pull out our red bins from storage and hear the kids get excited. It's buggin' a little that I don't see when I can do it and I don't want to decorate two weeks before Christmas. We leave tomorrow for a weekend in Sunriver to attend Oregon's Make it With Wool Contest. I'm looking forward to seeing Doug's sister and family from Sweet Home. Oregon, not Alabama. :) And this is something our family looks forward to as it provides a little vaca for us. Plus, the girls worked really hard on their skirts and we get a kick out of seeing them model them for the judges.

Next weekend we have Doug's company party Friday and then Emily's Piano program Saturday. Guess I'll have to decorate in the middle of the week. Couldn't I just skip this year? It's all for Jesus, right? He doesn't care if we don't put up a tree.

Just kidding. We'll decorate. But, I want to know what your family does this time of year to make the art of decorating for the celebration of our Savior's birth not become a dull task or laborious job.

Celebrating Jesus

Learning to submit to our husbands is not easy. Any woman will admit there are areas that are easier to submit to than others. My husband is very easy going and I know he loves me deeply. He lets me get my way (in a healthy way) most of the time. If there are two events to choose from, he's pretty good about letting me pick the one we should attend.

Tonight, being Christmas Eve naturally there were a couple of things we could do. One option was to join our church family at a member's home and celebrate with our friends. The other was to attend the church in our little town of Banks and fellowship there. I was definitely voting for the former. I love people and parties and celebrating holidays with those I know and love. Going to a local congregation did not appeal to me because I knew I wouldn't know anyone there. This church however, has members and attendees that Doug knows from his childhood. Growing up in Banks that makes sense, right? Well, forget about Doug. I want to go to a place where I know the people and where I can have a good time. See how incredibly selfish I am?

Thankfully, my husband said no to my request to party at the Bauman's and insisted we attend the candlelight service at Dayspring Church. And boy am I glad he did. I was so blessed tonight as we were surrounded by people who celebrated Jesus. The music was joyful, yet spoke a message. The admonition from the pastor was loving but purposeful. I heard the gospel tonight and rejoiced in it.

As we closed the service with our candles in hand, the song we sang was Shine Jesus Shine. What a great way to end this night with our minds focused on the work of the Son, the One who overcame the darkness of sin! Here are the lyrics. May you rejoice in the Light of the world tomorrow and celebrate the birth of our risen Lord and Savior.

Lord the Light or Your Love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus light of the world shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me. Shine on me.

Shine Jesus shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word
Lord and let there be light.

Lord I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance,
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness,
Shine on me. Shine on me.

As we gaze on Your kindly brightness.
So our faces display Your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me. Shine on me.

10 Weeks Till Christmas: Start (or finish!) Your Gift Shopping

Here's another great post from one of my favorite blogs: Simple Mom. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 10 weeks away. And, those ten weeks are going to fly by-as usual. Before you read the article (which I hope you do-great stuff), I thought I'd share what we decided to do a couple of years ago concerning Christmas presents.

Each family is certainly different and this is not intended to make you feel bad about what you do, or make it seem that we have the best plan. This is what works for us and if it can encourage anyone out there wondering how to purge the lists and decrees the stress, I'm more than happy to share.

Two major problems come with Christmas and Christians. In the hub-bub of gift-giving we a) miss out on the true meaning of Christmas and b) add more stuff to already full houses. I can even add a third. We feed our kids and ourselves with the never-ending desire to have more. The ugly, "ALL ABOUT ME" disease rears its ugly head in the weeks, days and morning of Christmas.

First, let me paint a picture of our family situation. I live next door to my husband's brother and family and next to them is Doug's parents. My mom lived with us up until a few days ago. But, she didn't go far-only two houses down to live with Mom and Dad. We truly are a compound and I love it!! My sister and her family live only 30 minutes away. Depending on the year, we get to celebrate with Doug's sister who lives two hours away. With all this family around, we could potentially be buying gifts for 28 people! Assuming we spend $20 per gift, that's $560! AND, that means we've only purchased one gift per kid and doesn't include any friends.

I don't need to tell you that the family budget can go out the window during Christmas and I'm sure you have your own dilemma when trying to figure out what to buy and whom to buy for.

We have gone from drawing names, to buying for adults only, to homemade gifts only and the last, buying for our immediate families only. This has proven to work great in the last few years. Not only is it easier on the budget, but we can control what our kids own. And, the most important is that we can make much of Christ. When we finish opening gifts at our own home, our kids know we are heading to Grammy and Big Papa's, not to open more gifts, but to celebrate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. My desire is that our kids see the truth that God became flesh to redeem a people for His name. We felt we could do this much easier if we decreased the amount of gifts our kids received.

I will say this wasn't easy at first for some real gift-givers in our family. The solution: shower your love on birthdays. Christmas is about Jesus. Let's focus on Him. Birthdays are a day to thank God for life, so give away. For our kids, we ask that they receive no toys, only educational gifts. My kids have never been disappointed in receiving new crayons and a coloring book. Obviously, this is age-dependent, but the idea is to give them things that encourage their hobbies and talents-not fill their toy boxes.

One last thing. We also do a major purge before I even think about shopping for my kids. If they haven't played with the dollhouse, it's gone. If they are into their dolls, I'll perhaps add to their doll wardrobe. I want to teach my kids how to de-clutter and be charitable with what God had given.

Okay, to the article. I love the practical tips she provides leading up to Christmas.

Enjoy!


10 Weeks Till Christmas: Start (or finish!) Your Gift Shopping

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