Ellie the Cat's Christmas fun!

When we got home Christmas evening, this is where we found Ellie! :-) Sorry for the glowing eyes, but it just can't be helped! It's a cat thing, you know? *smile* I bought a new pair of Earth Shoes leather loafers. When I got home, I took them out of the box and put the box on the floor for Ellie, wondering if she would try to cram her furry little body into it and sure enough, in time, after sniffing around it and acting haughty and like she wasn't REALLY interested in it, she stuffed her cute little self into that shoe box! By the time I got my camera, she was gone! BUT.....I am determined to get one and I will post it when I do!

I Can't Think of a Title!

Soooo, I'll just put up a quick, non-titled after-Christmas post! Well, first of all, I am all better after having a terrible head and chest cold and all that goes along with that! Yuck!
On Christmas Eve, Ed and I baked cookies! And then we went to see Christmas lights. It was such a sweet evening together. Christmas morning, Daniel and Erin came up and we exchanged gifts and they opened their stockings. They left in the early afternoon and I made chicken and noodles to take to Erin's aunt and uncle's house where the Pullin family all gathers for dinner. Bro. and Sis. James joined us this year and we had a wonderful time!! We had a delicious bountiful dinner around Dale and Darlene's humonguous table and then some of us played games, which I love to do!! We came home at about 7pm, having spent a wonderful day with our children, family and friends.
The next day, Wednesday, Ed had to work, taking his kids to REACH and I didn't do much of anything as the pain level had spiked. I was hoping to go to church with Daniel and Erin as our service was cancelled in Logan, but I just couldn't do it, but Ed went.
Yesterday, I made some delicious ham salad with the leftover Christmas ham and also fixed stir-fry for our dinner.
Today, I was up early and went for a massage. It was wonderful! And now I am at the library, catching up on some blog reading as my computer will not connect to the internet for some unknown reason. I have tried everything. It is probably just some little glitchy thing as most of you computer owners knows just happens sometimes for no good reason. I just don't like calling tech support because I usually have to talk to someone that I can't understand and it is so frustrating. How many times can you reasonably ask someone to repeat themselves. But I really have no choice.
So, I am off to get myself home as I have a lady coming at one to have her hair done and then I will bite the bullet and call tech support. *sigh*
I hope your holidays have been peaceful and good. May the New Year bring you blessings that you cannot contain! I'll do my best to get back into the swing of things here on my blog! Thanks so much to all of you who have been faithful visitors. I look so forward to your visits and comments. The Lord's best to each of you!! ((HUGS))

Only In Ohio

Soooo....yesterday morning, Sunday, when we got up, it was 54 degrees, cloudy and raining. When we got home from church, it was 41 degrees, sunshiney, and the wind was tearing through the valley. Last night, when we got home from church, it was 29 degrees and snow-flurrying. You want weather? Come to Ohio. *smile*
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I am feeling much better, though I still have some chest congestion and the pain level in my lower body has been pretty fierce, BUT I must push that aside and get some things accomplished today. It's Christmas Eve! *smile* Actually, the only thing I REALLY HAVE to do is get groceries. AND pick up a couple of stocking stuffers. But I love to be in the stores on the day before Christmas. That has always been a tradition of ours.....me, Ed and Daniel, though now it is just me and Ed. I just think there is such a wonderful Christmasy feeling all about on this day. After I finish posting here, I am going to get ready and go to Sis. Pam's new apartment. She invited me up this morning for coffee and the grand tour. *smile* Her youngest son and his family are up from Florida and her oldest son is getting married on New Year's Eve day! Her oldest son just came back to the Lord about three months ago AND his wife-t0-be! There has not been a service go by for as long as I can remember that Pam has not requested prayer for her children and loved ones and the Lord has been answering these prayers. Both of her sons and their families have come to the Lord during the last two years. It has been so awesome!
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We had our Christmas program yesterday morning. It was so wonderful! What is a Christmas program without tinsel angels???? *grin* AND they left quite a trail of tinsel behind them, too!! *smile* I know, because I helped clean it up! LOL I sang one of the most beautiful songs yesterday morning. Oh, not because I sang it.....sheesh....*grin*.....but it is just such a lovely song. It is called "He Made A Way In A Manger". I'm not even sure where or how I found it. I think it was on the internet somewhere and then I went to the library and listened to it alot on youtube, until I got it down. I am not sure of our exact attendance but it was very close to 150, which is just wonderful! There was such a wonderful sweet presence of the Lord there in our midst! I remember telling Ed yesterday as we were in the car pulling out of the church parking lot that I just felt so good in my spirit and body and all. And that felt so good after having been so sick all week. The Lord is good.
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Well, my dear blog readers, I will try to get back into the swing of things here and get to posting more often, okay? But for now, I must be on my way! It's that most wonderful time of the year!!! *smile* May the Lord bless you one and all!!!
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Here's the youtube video of He Made A Way In A Manger! Enjoy!

Why I haven't posted

I have been sick and am still sick. *sigh* It really hit me Tuesday night. Head cold, chills, fever...then coughing and congestion and hacking.....and now the intestinal floogey. Yuck. AND all of this on top of the "back and hips and knees and feet" usual pain and discomfort. (sung to the tune of "head and shoulders, knees and toes" children's song) *feeble grin* I did drag myself out of bed this morning, shower, got dressed, fixed my hair, thinking all of that would make me feel better. It didn't work. I did manage to fix Ed lunch, make my bed and do a load of laundry. You know how we are girls. We push ourselves to do what HAS to be done, but Ed kind of scolded me and told me to rest and take care of myself, 'cause he can take care of things until I get better. BUT, for now, it will be light to no blogging until I get better. Hope your holidays are going good. I would appreciate your prayers so much. Christmas is just around the corner, you know. *little grin* Felize Navidad!! *achhooooooo* *groooaannnnn*

Wind Advisory

My outdoor Christmas decorations are under an air assault! Will they survive? Only time will tell. The wind is roaring through our little valley here this morning and I hope the Christmas decorations survive and don't head for the wild blue yonder, aided by the fierce winds. I'll keep you posted!

Christmas Music Website

I happened upon this Christmas music website where you can just listen to music or download it for free. It has most any Christmas song that you can imagine, but there are a few that might be more than a little questionable, so I wanted you to know,k? But most of them are fine. Happy Holidays!

Wednesday randomness

After talking of the wet, cold, dreary weather that we have been having, it was a balmy 70 degrees here in the Hocking Valley yesterday!!! It was wonderful!!! I opened all of my windows and sat in the sun on the back porch and warmed my bones AND petted Rocky.
Our annual ladies Christmas party was last night at church and I made a fruit pizza and baked chicken and dressing. The fruit pizza was beautiful AND delicious. I should have taken a picture of it to post here. I am thinking of making another Saturday to take to the Nelsonville church's Christmas party, to which we have been invited. Soooo, if I make another one, I will definitely take a picture and post it. Oh, and the chicken and dressing was really yummy, too. And it is really easy to make. If you'd like the recipe, just let me know.
It rained most of the night and the chilliness has returned, with it being only in the forties today. Brrrrr......I think I am going to start looking for some kind folks who live in Arizona who would take in an aching 56-year-old woman for a couple of months beginning in January. I hear the dry heat there is great for aches and pains. *feeble grin* Snow is forecast for Saturday and Sunday. Pastor Martin was asking last night why it always snows on the weekends. *grin* I've no clue. Oh, and I have been trying to get Ed to buy a snowblower or let me buy him one. He has been checking them out for about a month, since the last time he shoveled snow he twisted his knee. Now look, we can't have two cripped up people living in this house! Soooo, there was an ad in the paper where someone is selling a $700 snowblower for $400. We are going to check it out tomorrow. *fingers crossed* And we need to get it before this weekend when it is supposed to snow again.
I took Sis. Alice home from the ladies meeting last night. She just got home last weekend from staying in a local rehab center for 6 weeks after having knee replacement surgery. She is doing great. I believe she is in her sixties. Anyway, she had a box of peanut brittle that she had to get into her house from my car somehow but she had a cane and I had my walker. Thankfully, her granddaughter came by and carried it in the house for her. I've noticed something of late, though. Alot of the people that I spend time with are either on oxygen or using a walking apparatus of some sort or have some other ailment. Sis. Pam had her arm in a sling last week when we went shopping because she had just had carpal tunnel surgery. My friend, Pat, just had knee-replacement surgery Monday. Another friend had a mammogram this week. A couple of others had colonoscopies. MRI's. Scans. Blood Tests. Good heavens. Does this mean I am getting older and so are my relatives, friends and acquaintances? *feeble grin* help. Oh well, these bodies weren't meant to last forever, hm? So why then does it surprise us when they begin to kinda break down a little? Why do we think they should last indefinitely?
I know I've talked about losing weight many times and I HAVE lost weight many times. I know that in 21 years of marriage that I have lost at least 50 pounds at least 4 times.......only to gain it back. If I had kept all of that weight off, I would now be invisible...LOL....BUT......at the beginning of the year.......when Weight Watchers will probably be running a special where it won't cost anything to join......I am seriously going to change my eating habits. I really must, considering how weak my body is getting. I just can't be carrying around this extra weight any longer. I've gotten more exercise this week than I have for some time and I still do my daily exercises for my back and legs. I've gone up and down the stairs at church, the ones that go to the Sunday School rooms downstairs, three times this week. Now, the going down isn't so difficult. It's the coming back up that isn't pretty. Oh my, but it is not pretty. *feeble grin* But I manage. I just can't believe that I can't just hop and skip up stairs anymore. Do we ever think that day will come when we can't navigate stairs?
I needed to go to the Sheriff's office last week to get a background check so I can be Ed's subsitute driver in case he is sick or something. Anywayyyy.......when I got there, all I could see were all of these steps leading up to the front door. Soooooo, I drove around back, thinking that there had to be a handicap ramp or entrance but there wasn't. Soooooo, I drove around a couple of more times and ended up parking out front. I just sat there for a bit looking at those steps. I decided to take one more trip around the block to make sure there wasn't another entrance when I noticed the NEW SHERIFF'S OFFICE on Second Street! AND it is all one level!!! Yayyyyy!!!! How was I to know the Sheriff's office had moved? I mean, it's not like I go there alot or anything! Sheesh! And then when I do finally make it into the lobby to inquire about getting a background report, the doofu...er...uh....I mean the ossifer behind the glass panel said that there wasn't anyone there who could do that for me, so could I come back on Monday between 9am and 3pm. Helloooooooo.......so tomorrow I am going to go back and HOPEFULLY there will be someone there who can assist me. I'm calling first. *smile*
Well, I am going to go and make out Christmas cards as I have given myself until tomorrow to get them done, so I hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday. The Lord's best to you!!

A young boy named Logan

My friend, Ellen, sent this to me this morning and I just had to share it with you. Click here to go to the radio blog that posted it. It looks like a really good station and blog.

It's the most busiest time of the year!

Okay, so I know that that isn't proper grammar usage up there but it just seemed to say it correctly for me TODAY! *whew* It is now 6:25am and I am waiting for a dear friend to arrive at 6:40am to have her hair done. I have quite a list of things to accomplish today. I just hope my body will cooperate. *sigh* It has been quite a painful past few days. Since getting the beautiful snow last week, which I believe was on Wednesday, it has been cold, rainy, foggy, and just plain dreary.....every day. Wait. I believe there was ONE day that the sun managed to peek through but it was only momentary. I'm thinking that the weather is contributing quite a bit to my pain level. But it's Christmas and I have so much to do and I need my bones to cooperate here! "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!", it seems.
The weather has been wreaking havoc on my outside Christmas decorations! First, the wind took off with a few of them, but we recovered them and put them back in place. THEN, over the weekend, the snow came sliding off of the roof and knocked a few of them off but they have been recovered and put back in place.
On our country road here, we have our house decorated, as does our neighbor, Samantha, and then her mother, Tracy. Well, as you come around the bend where our house sits in its little valley, you can see Samantha's and Tracy's house, too, and it looks like Christmas Tree Lane! *smile*
For those of you who live in this area: Someone who lives on St. Rt. 93 South has a wonderful light display. It is on a hillside to the right, right before you get to Bear Run Road. They have written out "Jesus Is the Reason For the Season" in white lights below a large cross made of white lights. It is just beautiful and surely took alot of work! It is worth the drive out to see. Also, just beyond Union Furnace in what we always called Stringtown, past the fire department, Jerry and Doris McKnight have a wonderful light display. They live on the right side of the road. We drive down every year to see it! There are numerous animated light displays. It, too, is well worth the drive whether you have little children or not! We grown-ups like the lights, too, hm? *smile*
Well, it is about time for my hair appointment to arrive so I must be off!! Happy Holidays to all!!!

Christmas Bingo

I am sitting here printing out Christmas bingo cards that I made at this website....free! And here is a webpage with lists of Christmas words, in case you need some help filling in the blanks! *smile*
We are getting ready to go to my family's annual Christmas get-together and for the past few years, we have played a rousing game of Christmas bingo! *smile* My sister, Bev, and I just purchase dollar prizes and everyone has so much much trying to win these "treasures"!!! LOL The children especially love it, but some of us grown-ups have just as much fun!!!
Anywayyyy......I thought I would pass the idea along to all of you just in case you were looking for something fun to do besides exchanging gifts, which we no longer do as an extended family because there is just too many of us and the most important thing is getting together and eating and singing and eating and reminiscing and eating......well, you get the idea!!! LOL
Happy Holidays!!!!

Nostalgia

While reading Bro. and Sis. Holley's blog, a wave of nostalgia came over me and I began to remember so much of when Daniel was young and still at home.
I am so thankful that we were able to homeschool Daniel beginning in the 4th grade. It enabled us to spend so much more time with him and instill our values in him and bring him up in the fear and admonition of the Lord in an even greater measure, I believe. It wasn't all easy and fun, but it was so worth all of the work and effort that it involved. We have such precious memories now.
Not only did Daniel learn the "book" stuff, but he learned how to do laundry and cook and clean house. He used to make a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough and keep it in the fridge to munch on. *smile* Every so often he would go get a spoonful and eat it while he did his schoolwork. Gosh, but it did seem like he took alot of breaks and lunchtimes, looking back. Hmmmm.......*grin*
Many evenings were spent playing Yahtzee.......boy, did we play yahtzee! It was always me and Daniel because Ed just isn't much for playing board games. Or we would play Sorry or Trouble. And then there were the long winters when we would have a game of perpetual Monopoly going. A game could last for daaaaayyyyyyys, sometimes weeeeeeekkkkkkkssss. *smile*
One particular Saturday night, when Daniel was in one of the early elementary grades, I got the great idea of teaching him how to play poker, of all things! Well, I taught him how to bet using toothpicks. Don't ask me where I came up with THAT idea! LOL He caught right onto the game and wagering and all and I never thought too much about it, nor did Ed. Wellllllll, the next morning we go to church.......I'm music director and Ed is an usher and soundman........and lo and behold if little Daniel doesn't go running into the church and in his childish, innocent way started telling everyone: " My mommy taught me how to play poker last night and to bet with toothpicks!" We all about died laughing. A dear friend at church took me aside and said I should have told him we were playing "toothpicks"! Well, yeah....now you tell me!!! LOL
On Sunday afternoon, after dinner, it was game time for me and Daniel! When he was really young, we played Chutes and Ladders and Candyland. When he was a little older, it might have been electronic Battleship or Life or some other board game. Oh yes, Uno. We can't forget Uno. *smile* We would through a phase of playing Oregon Trail on the computer. Daniel and I took every possible route their was and used every possible mode of transportation. We kept track of all of this in a log that we kept. It was fun, educational and a bit trying at times, too. *smile* Ed always played checkers with him, thankfully, because I am just not a big fan of checkers. They also played indoor basketball with a nerf basketball and hoop. They did get pretty rowdy, let me tell ya! Oh, and Daniel has three or four of those miniature MLB baseball bats and he used to wad up paper balls and have his dad pitch them to him. It was hilarious to watch his dad ducking those paper balls that Daniel would send whizzing by his head. Oh, but we laughed ourselves silly.
And another of our favorite games was where Daniel would get three different sizes of plastic cups or glasses. He would again wad up paper balls. Then the three of us would sit in our respective chairs and try to toss the paper balls into the cups, the smaller the cup the higher the score for that cup and so on. He had three cups that he always used for this game and I packed them away with his other things after he married and left home.
Oh, and Daniel and I made bean bags one day so long ago because he had see Mr. Rogers make bean bags on TV and wanted to do the same. I still have those bean bags in their coffee can, packed away in one of Daniel's storage boxes, along with the cups and paper balls and baseball bats. *smile*
You know, it just doesn't take big, expensive toys to entertain kids. Daniel had alot of what most kids had, but he always came back to the simple things that required us to play with him and I believe that that was the most important thing: That we played together and spent time together.
Ed used to come home from working all day and as soon as he would get out of the car, Daniel would say: "Dad, will you throw some baseball with me?" Well, after we had had supper and Ed had rested for awhile, many, many evenings he spent throwing baseball with Daniel, then throwing a football, onto playing basketball and lastly shooting pool with him. I often wondered how Ed found the energy, but he did. Sometimes they would go to the local elementary school and play basketball or Ed would take him to Mingo park where they could play basketball on the court there or pitch baseball on one of the diamonds.
AND most nights, it seemed, they would have to have a round of wrestling before going to bed. I would always ask them why they had to wait until ten o'clock at night to wrestle. I don't remember ever getting an answer. It was just part of their routine.
And Daniel liked nothing better than for us to sit down and watch a movie with him. So, we'd pop popcorn and cuddle up on the sofa or him and his dad in the recliner or me and him on the floor, while Daniel rewound his favorite parts, over and over again, to watch them again and again and laugh and laugh,driving me and his dad crazy, wondering if we'd EVER get through the movie. (Have any of you other parents been through that? *grin*) AND how many times can you watch the same movie over and over again? (although Ed and I are somewhat guilty of this, too, but not to the extent that Daniel was! LOL)
Which reminds me of the many nights we read to Daniel before he went to sleep. He always wanted the same books read. Oh, we would add a new one now and then but some, in particular, that I remember are The Monster at the End of the Book, Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree, The Little Puppy, The Little Kitty, Teep and Beep Go To Sleep. There were sooo many.
Yes, we've made some wonderful memories through the years and in the busyness of life AND the Christmas season, may I gently remind you who are parents and have your children still at home with you: What they REALLY want, most of all, is undistracted time spent with YOU doing the simplest of things that don't really require that much time and energy and they are your most precious investment.
God Bless each of you this holiday season. Thank you for letting me share some memories with you!

Christmas in our little valley

We were blessed with three inches of beautiful snow the night before last, which caused schools to be canceled, much to the delight of many, many children! Here are some pictures that I took last night as we were leaving for church. I've not taken pictures at night and was not sure of how they would turn out but they look pretty good, I think! The snow makes the Christmas lights and decorations look so much prettier!

Christmas Bits and Pieces

My sister, Debbie, called me yesterday evening and asked me what the last four or five verses of the Twelves Days of Christmas song were, so I looked them up on the internet.....of course....and not only found all of the verses but also the history behind the song and thought some of you might find it as interesting as I did. So here it is:
"The Twelve Days of Christmas are the twelve days between Christmas Day, December 25, and Epiphany, January 6.
These twelve days were memorialized in a popular song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," written by a gentleman named Drennon.
During the period 1558 to 1829, it was a crime to be a Catholic in England. Catholics were prohibited from any practice of their faith by law - private or public. Anyone caught with things that associated him with Catholicism, such as religious writings, would be severely punished. Devotion to the Catholic faith could get you imprisoned, hanged, or beheaded.
Drennon wrote the "Twelve Days of Christmas" as one of the "catechism songs" to teach young Catholics the tenets of their faith in song, instead of in written form.
It was a great memory tool that aided them in the learning of their faith while still hiding the fact that they were still practicing Catholicism. Drennon helped to prevent these young Catholics from being punished for reading religious books.
Each of the gifts given in this song has a hidden meaning intended to help teach and preserve the Catholic faith. For instance, the "true love" mentioned in the song does not refer to an earthly lover--it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the gift refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge who fakes injury to lure predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..."
The other symbols mean the following:
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity-- the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which relays the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of Creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed
The Twelve Days of Christmas differ very little from other religious celebrations, in that they give us a reason to celebrate and exchange gifts.
Initially, people carefully meted out their gifts during the course of the twelve days, as Drennon's song reflects, to avoid a glut of presents on Christmas Day.
This old-fashioned approach to gift-giving eventually gave way to today's practice of exchanging gifts on Christmas Day."
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Also, my friend, Amy, sent me the link to a really neat Christmas webpage that has all kinds of recipes and neat things to do with and for your children and family, if you so choose. Just click HERE to view it!

And nowwww...for your viewing pleasure!

Here are the animals! *smile*
First, we have Heidi and her new puppies:



Heidi is such a good mother. She is a sweetie!
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Secondly, we have the leopard lizards:

Now, their names are Crazy and Lazy and one is a male and the other is a female, but don't ask me which is which. *smile*
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And lastly, but not leastly, we have Max, the bald python:

Believe it or not, Max does have some personality and he IS a cuddly little critter. Erin, Daniel and Brian just love him. It's taking me a liiittttllllleee while to warm up to the creepy crawler but it may happen in time.

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Also, Rocky, our lab, got a 4-point buck last week. :-) I looked out the kitchen window Saturday morning as I was doing dishes and here he came dragging this, this "thing" into the yard and lo, and behold, if it wasn't a deer head with the antlers still intact. He has had more fun playing and chewing with this thing. It is now gone, so I imagine that he probably buried it somewhere, only to dig it up at a later date and enjoy it some more. :-)

A quick post

Sooooo, there was these redneck carpenters. They stopped by the lumber store and one of them went in and told the clerk behind the counter, "I need some 4 by 2's." To which she asked, "Are you sure you don't mean 2 X 4's?" "Well, let me go out and check," said the redneck. He came back in and said, "Yep, you're right. I need 2 X 4's." "How long do you need them?" asked the clerk. The redneck carpenter looked kind of puzzled and said, "Well, let me go out and check." He came back in and said, "Looks like I'll need 'em a purty long time ' cause we're buildin' a house."
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We now have a Bald Python in the family. Yes, you read correctly. *weak smile* A co-worker of Erin's GAVE her a bald python with all of the trimmings, meaning a lovely display case and pedestal and all of the other paraphinalia that you need with a Bald Python.
So at last count, they have 4 dogs, 8 puppies, 2 lizards, and 1 Bald Python. And Brian. LOL (Erin's younger brother)
I'll post a picture later today of the animals, and maybe even Brian, but for now, I have to go. I have such a busy day ahead. I just pray that I can get everything accomplished that I need to and want to. Happy Holidays!!! It's the most wonderful time of the year!! *smile*

Awwwww......

Sooooo, I was watching channel 4 weather this morning and those of you who live north of Columbus might be getting some nasty stuff later today. Anywayyyy, pretty soon here came my sweet husband down the hallway singing:
"Oh, Darlin', let it rain, let it snow,
Let the cold north wind blow,
Just as long as you love me,
North or South, East or West,
You know our love stands the test,
Just as long as you love me."

Wow. I got tears in my eyes and got all choked up as he came over to where I was sitting and finished singing it to me. Has the Lord blessed me or what? *tears* I could not ask for more. It has been worth every struggle and difficult time that we've had through the years to now experience the love that we share. I just want to tell some young -married person out there: I know it can be so rough during the early years as you both are finding your way and endeavoring to "become one" but don't give up. Commit your way and your marriage to the Lord, do what is right, keep a right attitude when it is the most difficult, cast all of you care on the Lord and He will see you through the difficult times. And you will be blessed. God will come through for you. You can have the marriage and relationship that you desire. If you will allow the Lord to change you, you will see a change in your spouse. I know this to be true because it has happened in our lives and marriage. For so long, I kept waiting for Ed to change into the husband I wanted him to be but when I finally (with the help of a loving mentor and counselor) realized that the only one I could change was ME, submitted myself to the Lord and allowed Him to change some not-so-great-things about ME (and yes, there were quite a few AND still are. I'm a work in progress. *feeble grin*), that was when we began to have the blessed relationship that we both had hoped for. Now, all of these years later, it has been worth it all. I look back at the early years when I thought I had to be right or I knew what was best or it had to be my way or no way (can you believe I was ever like that? *grin*), well, I wish I had learned those lessons sooner, BUT I did learn them. I gave up my right to be right a long time ago. It just doesn't matter. It isn't worth it. I can still remember one of the first times when we started to have ANOTHER argument, probably started because I thought I just HAD to be right. BUT I backed away and did not challenge him as I would normally do. But instead, I turned away and let the tension subside. And the most amazing thing happened. He did the same thing. And HE apologized to ME for the misunderstanding and then I apologized to HIM because I was the one who was really at fault and, well, that was the beginning of learning to do what is right. It is just that simple. I'm not saying I wasn't probably still "chomping at the bit" inside but now when we find ourselves starting into an argument, we catch ourselves.....we both do, which is amazing....there was time a time when I NEVER thought I'd see the day.....and we won't allow it to escalate. It just isn't worth it. Our relationship matters so much more than winning some argument. "......as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." That includes our spouses. *grin* The Lord truly blesses when we obey His word and apply it to our lives.
Oh, that is part of an old Buck Owens song up there. *smile*
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AND......some of the best gifts are not things at all. I've always wanted to go to the Nazarene Church and see their Christmas Cantata Drama which they host every year, but for some reason or another have not been able to. Well, last night, Friday, they performed AND my sweet husband took me!! Now, he does not particularly care for these sorts of things so I usually go with a girlfriend but EVERYONE busy, and he KNOWS how much I love these sorts of things, so I was sooo HAPPY that he would take me, especially considering that he was gone, on the road, driving most of the day yesterday. Yet, he came home, showered and then headed right back out on a chilly evening to take me to this cantata. We had a wonderful evening and were home by 8:30. And, now, here I sit all teary-eyed, blogging about it. It is just that I am so thankful for my sweet husband. God has been so good to me and to us. AND that was my FIRST Christmas gift this year. *teary smile* May each of you have a wonderful and blessed Saturday! I'm off to fix breakfast for my hubby!! (After I blow my nose, wipe my eyes, wash my hands.....you know the drill! LOL)