I often feel overwhelmed.  I'm not sure why...I don't do anything...but I do get this way sometimes.  I think it is easy to feel overwhelmed during the Christmas holiday season because we have created so much to get done.  Gifts to buy, presents to wrap, house to clean, decorations...indoors and out, food to cook, not to mention raise kids, and have a job.  This would overwhelm anyone!

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Here is our Christmas lights and our perfect gift, along with the many gifts of blessings we enjoy!  James 1:17 ... Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

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Let's don't allow Satan in by overwhelming us with earthly stress. Let's keep it simple.

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Fresh Find: For the Breast Cancer Survivor... I love this!!!

What goes around comes around they say.  We tend to think of this phrase with a negative connotation, but it can be positive, too!  Like for instance...today one of the "Jeanie's Genies" ~ of the Barnyard Academy  fame ~ brought her daughter to take twirling from Jeanie Pennell!  "We" have a grand-daughter now learning from the teacher of champions twirling teacher!!!  What fun it was to see Erica Estes Pigg (from Turkey . Texas) walk in with her oldest, Madison-10 (and already 5'4" tall), for her first twirling lesson from the legendary twirling coach from Plainview.  Erica came in with her notebook ready for Madison's first routine.  Priceless!!!

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Fresh Find:  What cute time-out stools.

Whew, I'm tired and I pulled a muscle in my back.  That's how you know you've been doing hard labor, right?  It is already better since it has rested.

I need to clean house but I decided to get rid of a bunch-a-bunch-a Christmas items so that meant cleaning out the big garage storage closet.  I do love to organize.  It is amazing how many things we accumulate over the years.  Some things went to our son.  Some things to our daughter.  Some things for the grand-sisters, too!  One piece to a friend, a teddy bear to my mother and a lot to Broadway Treasures, a resale shop for the Crisis Center.

Then, I took the old printer to the city recycle barn.  Thanks Shawn for unloading it for me there!!!

Finally, I finished up with some yardwork on a most beautiful day!!!

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A quick shout-out to our son-in-law Brandon...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

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Fresh Find:  Love this little clock!

I am reading an awesome book.  One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces by Ann Voskamp.  I'm not reading them as devotionals, but as a book.  This is typically not the type of book that would be a "take me away from life" kind of book, but it is full of insights to help us live this life we have been given.

I want to share a few things that God has already revealed from its pages:

Even when I am sometimes impatient or unwilling, when I face conflict or heartache, I've begun to accept that even the impossible is a possible opportunity to thank God, to experience goodness and grace of the Giver of All!

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Man can't make a sky give. He can just make the knees bend and the hands raise.

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Could it be ~ no one receives the peace of God without giving thanks to God?  Is thankfulness really but the deep, contented breath of peacefulness?  Is this why God asks us to give thanks even when things look a failure?  When there doesn't seem much to give thanks for?

There is this: We give thanks to God not because of how we FEEL but because of WHO HE IS!

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He means to heal our soul holes.

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Read Romans 1 ... It's not the sinfulness you'd think it'd be: It's the thanklessness ~ that we do.  It's our thanklessness that first stirs the wrath of God.

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A lack of doxology leads to depravity.

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Well, I must keep reading because the very idea of counting blessings is something I'm quite fond of!!!

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TC and Aaron circa Christmas 1978. 

Fresh Find:  I love these stack stools!

Well, it was a day of new techie things around here.  We had to finally get a new printer.  Ours was obsolete and HP would not even talk with me about the issue.  So today, the replacement printer came.  I got it all hooked up and it works so...good to go!  I had several things waiting to be printed!  Whew!!!

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Then the new Kindle Fire HD 4G arrived.  I wasn't expecting it until after Christmas.  I had pre-ordered so had no idea when.  Kinda wish it had been after Christmas expense wise. Anywho, it is here!  Haven't had time to play with it at all today...busy day and bowling tonight.

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The fiber optic LED Christmas bare tree came in today, too.  Need to get it up & plugged.  Maybe tomorrow.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit light balls are here & ready to hang from the tree limb.  I think that's it.  That is probably the extent of the lights at our house.  :O)  Hey, at least we WILL have lighted somethings!  That's pretty good for this light scrooge!  LOL

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Fresh Find: I like these little mini LED lights that fit on bicycle spokes.  All riders young and old need these!!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet daughter.  She is a wonderful wife and mother!!!

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circa 1981 ... one year old Chrissa J'rene (long e sound) (J for John and rene for Lorena)  Our chunky-monkey!
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Fresh Find:  Love me some funky ukulele!  These are on back order :O(  But still worthy to be my fresh find :O) They have one with pineapples, too!

A beautiful tree and a beautiful little girl that is soooooooooooo very excited about Christmas!

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Three beauties check that Thanksgiving turkey.  I LOVE Miss D's expression!!!

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We have had several days of beautiful rest.  We are certainly blessed!!!

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Fresh Find:  What a great find...a Bavarian Crossbow!

Good news: Our nephew is moving home from overseas.  Beyond excited!

Bad News:  I'm not happy about something.  It is in God's hands.  He alone, he alone!

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Good news: We are getting a new printer.

Bad news:  I had to call India to get it.

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Good news:  Christmas shopping is done.

Bad news:  I keep finding things I want to buy for the grand-sisters!

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Good news:  I get to sub with the two year olds Sunday during worship.

Bad news:  I wish it was our nearly two & four year old I was getting to play with.

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Good news: My brother is up walking around.

Bad news:  It just kills me inside to see him ill.

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Good news:  Black Friday is over.

Bad news: Thanksgiving is, too.

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Good news:  I(we) bought a weird Christmas tree.

Bad news: We don't have lights outside.

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Good news: It is what it is...so make it good!!!

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Fresh Find:  I think I'm buying me a techie organizational station!

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Miss A shows you their ABCD Christmas mantel decor...

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It has been a nice Thanksgiving.  May your weekend be blessed!!!

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Fresh Find: What about this custom refrigerator?  Crazy nice!!!

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I am always blessed through the beauty of God's nature.  He knows my name and calls me to his beauty. The leaves on our trees are amazing this year.  We have had thousands of tiny acorns, too.  Maybe this acorn process delivers beautiful leaf color!

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Fresh Find:  I like this pad of blueprint placemats!!!