Simplicity...

I've been wanting to get my Christmas cards done for several days now. I finally got them made yesterday. I didn't want to do anything too time-consuming, since I have so many projects I'm trying to get done. But I did want to make them, instead of buying them. So I made these simple cards. I just printed up a couple of verses on the computer, printed them, tore them out, glued them on the card along with a piece of cardstock, and stamped on a design. I had all of the supplies, including the plain cards, so they didn't end up costing me anything. I had found these cute Christmas stampers last year at Wal-Mart, and was glad to get the chance to use them! It only took me about an hour to make 20 cards from start to finish, including clean-up time! I'm hoping to get the cards written and sent by Tuesday. That's my goal...hopefully I can accomplish it!

As a side note: I've been informed by the "Bible Police" ;) [a.k.a. my dad] that I'm supposed to cite what version of the Bible my verses came from. So, just to make sure I have all my bases covered, I used the NIV version. =)

Christmas Night

We are in the middle of enjoying a wonderful Christmas evening! We had a nice candlelight dinner tonight, then headed over to a nearby botanical garden to enjoy their beautiful light display. It was completely free and absolutely lovely. We really enjoyed it! We may have just started a new holiday tradition! The pictures don't quite do them justice, but some of things we saw were a hanging fuscia, a spider on its web, a pond complete with swan and lily pads, and a peacock. It was a very creative display! In just a little bit we are going to be settling in on the couch to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", which is on TV tonight. And of course we'll enjoy hot cocoa and cookies! What a fun (and frugal) evening!

Lessons...

They say you learn something new every day. My lesson for today: Don't put a bottle of honey in the cupboard upside down.

My Centerpiece...

I've finally finished my centerpiece! It's been sitting half-done for the past couple weeks because I didn't have any greens to go on it. I took some today that had fallen down in the school yard, so I was able to get it done! I was happy with the way it turned out...

Busy with Christmas...

It's been busy, busy, busy around here! We've had lots going on, plus I've been working on the many projects I'm trying to finish before Christmas! I love doing them, even though it makes me a little busier than I like to be. Someday I'll be organized enough to start my projects in September and then maybe I'll be able to breathe a little bit in the few weeks before Christmas! But as it is, I'm using most of my spare minutes to work on the gifts I'll be giving to my loved ones in a couple of weeks. After the big day I'll post some pictures of the finished products....

Weather...

We've had lots of crazy weather around here the last few days...

Saturday we got snow - a rare treat around here! We ended up with a couple of inches....but by Sunday it was pretty much gone, as it started raining...and it hasn't stopped yet! We've had a lot of rain today...so much that many areas have flooded. We also had wind in some spots today, which only added to the trouble. It's been so bad in some areas, that the governor declared a state of emergency here. Where we live is okay, thankfully, but there are many roads near us that are closed due to flooding. Some of the pictures on the news are pretty amazing. The weather is supposed to start improving now, which is good news....

Let's Say Thanks...

It has to be so hard for our soldiers to be away from their families, especially at this time of the year. I'm sure it means a lot to them to receive cards and letters from people all over our country, people they've never met, but who are writing to let them know they appreciate the sacrifice they are making. Xerox is helping people do this, at the website www.letssaythanks.com. If you go to this website, you can choose a card design (all of which were drawn by children), choose or write a message, and submit your card. Xerox then prints the cards and sends them to the troops. It's fast, easy, and free. What a wonderful way to be a blessing to someone!