Journal My Christmas ~ December 31st

New Years Eve~


New Years Eve is pretty uneventful. We are at Mom's house (our future house), catching up on emails, getting computers set up and watching Wild Hogs.

We had potato leak soup for dinner and Costco white cake for dessert. We had hats and horns to play with while Jodi was up. Dave, Michael and I worked on the computers and that was about it.

We are going to go watch the downtown fireworks from the Walmart parking lot. We went to 7-11 to get hot chocolate and treats and we basically had the parking lot to ourselves. It was crazy, the firework show had a bunch of hype and thought more who didn't want to brave downtown would be there. The show was a dud and after 14 minutes we left and went home. Off to bed a big day was ahead.

It has been a busy day with switching our phone number to Mom's house, taking stuff to storage and cleaning the garage.

There is less than 2 hours left of 2009 and I am ready for it to go. Hoping 2010 will be a much better year. Happy New Year and God Bless.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 30th

A Year in my life 2009 ~

January
-Attend Craft and Hobby Association Show in Anaheim, CA
-Dave won a Slice at CHA
-Spent the day at Disneyland with the Gibsons
-Saw the Zutter Bind It All Around the World for the first time - I had 2 projects chosen to be in the book

February
-Finally got cast off of left foot after 15 weeks of either cast or brace
- Lots of painful physical therapy

March
- Took Mom and Neil to Texas Roadhouse for birthday dinner
- Physical Therapy discontinued - doing more harm then good

April
-Jodi's birthday
-Easter Dinner with family
- Mom was laid off after 28 years with Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center

May
-Went to Richland, Spokane and Boise to visit family. Fast trip but lots of fun.
-My Birthday
-Celebrated mine and Angela's birthday at Texas Roadhouse

June
- Dave's Birthday
- Took Dave to Texas Roadhouse for birthday dinner
- 2 fun classes with Teresa Collins at Green Tangerine. Maria, Carol and Patti were there with me.
- Went to On The Border for dinner in Rocklin - I misse On The Border

July
- Fourth of July Fireworks
- Finishing Swaps and getting ready to go to Arizona

August
- Scrapbook Expo in San Jose
- Jelly Belly Factory visit
- Came home from San Jose and admitted Dave to the hospital cause he was having medical problems. He was in the hospital for 7 days and we still don't know what was exactly wrong
- Off to Arizona for Creative Escape, siteseeing Hoover Dam, Route 66, Sedona, Phoenix and Grand Canyon - wonderfully fun trip
- Spending time with new and old friends - special times together
- Dave was labled the Scrapbook Hero and had a huge following.

September
- Hot Air Balloon Races - Dave volunteered with the GRBR and had a blast. Mom, Jodi and I went in to see the balloons
- Weekend long crop weekend with my dear friend Treion at Green Tangerine. I actually finished my altered book - yeah

October
- Our 18th anniversary - wow 18 years
- Dave was fired from Kragen Auto
- Went to Apple Hill with Mom and Jodi
- Trip to Disneyland

November
- Continued trip to Disneyland
- Let the GPS guide our way home so we came up 395 - very different
- Dave almost got a ticket - police officer showed mercy.
- Bill died and his funeral
- Small Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends
- Dave got a part time seasonal job with Michaels
- Dave had to be at work at 5:00 a.m. for Black Friday and he worked a few hours on Thanksgiving Day too.
- Faye went shopping at Michaels on both days and spent Dave's check plus some.
- We decided to combine households and give up our house on Patrice

December
- Working on moving in with mom
- Christmas shopping
- Christmas with family and friends
- Dave made a permanent employee at Michaels
- Our nephew Michael was here for the holidays - lots fun to be around
- After Christmas shopping for bargains
- Getting house ready for a short sale

Journal My Christmas - December 29th

My Thoughts ~

Today I had the option to create my album cover or whatever I wanted to do. With New Years being so close and Christmas a distant memory, what is it that I wanted to say in this enty.

This year has been so hard and it ended on a very tough note. There are lots of things that were extraordinary about the year also. So with the good and the bad, I am ready to say farewell to 2009.

The year began with my left foot in a cast and ended with my right foot in a brace. Having brittle bones due to all the meds for lupus is so hard. It is really a pain I don't want to get used to.

I have to say as a praise that the pain from the neuropathy has settled down and I don't start my day in excruciating pain. That for me is huge.

We were able to travel this year and see things we have never seen before. Hoover Dam, Sedona, Route 66 and Grand Canyon are at the top of the list. Phoenix and Creative Escape were absolutely wonderful. I have never left an event so full of wonder and happiness. The group of ladies that I was blessed to be with were by far the cream of the crop and it was so hard to say goodbye. My prayers are that 2010 will include CE again. I know that at least Inspiration Unlimited with be part of the fun.

We went to Washington and had a great time with family. The trip seemed fast but we saw everyone and that was awesome.

Disneyland was a destination twice. Once in January while attending CHA and then again in November. It was fun to go there and just leave the stress behind.

I have been so blessed by my friends and know that they are there for me. I wish I could spend more time with them. Saren, Treion, Colleen and Bev are so awesome and love each of them. Julie is also my scrappin friend and since her dog Charley is Dave's mistress, it is fun to have her in the mix. We are going to have a girlfriends weekend at the end of January. Something to look forward to.

Since Bill died, Mom has been lost. She is going to church with us, which is awesome and I am praying that with us moving in with her that will help ease the void. We have alot of work cut out for us but I know that we will get lots done.

We have enjoyed time with Michael. I will be sorry to see him go. He may come back here though in the Fall and it will be great to have him near me.

God has brought a person back into my life. Dale was a classmate from 3rd grade through high school. Unfortunately he was a bully to me all through school and so unbelievably mean. I have seen that he has had a very tough life and his world right now is so hard. Part of me is upset with him and wonders why I need to relive the horrors of what he did to me and the other part realizes that God needs me to show him love and forgiveness and through me he may find his way to God. That would be so awesome and he did go to Christmas Eve services with my family. I know that if I keep my focus on God, He will help me not relive the bad memories and be available to show Dale what he is missing in his world.

So as I write this, we are praying that Dave finds a full time job. Michaels has made him a permanent employee, but not full time. We need to finish moving and that is no small job and just trust that God will see us through.

At times I want to feel sorry for myself but I have never let the pain or this disease do that to me, so I am not going to let these losses do it either. Even though things are challenging there are also many blesssings. I need to remember that!!!

Journal My Christmas ~ December 28th

Indulge ~

What are my Christmas' indulgences?

1. Christmas lights and displays - each year I really look forward to checking out what everyone has done. I love the lights and the different yard art.

2. Christmas music - I just can't get enough. I love singing the songs over and over again.

3. Making treats to give away. This year it was only pies but those who got them, loved them and that makes me happy

4. Christmas cards - I love to get cards and letters from family and friends. It is always fun to see what others are doing. We sent out 96 cards / letters and so far have about 30 that we have received.

5. Holiday smells - Berries, cinnamon and whatever yummy scents make our home feel very Christmassy. (is that a word?)

6. Love seeing the packages all wrapped and pretty.

7. Baked goods and treats for us to snack on. Our friends Val and Beth always give us yummy treats from cookies, fudge, caramel corn, bread and candy. It is always fun to enjoy the treats. This year I also got some Toffee from See's and Chocolate Macadamia Nuts to enjoy - yumm

8. After Christmas deals - It is always fun to go shopping and get more treats or decorations. We headed to Walmart, Michaels and Farmer's Almanac Country Store for some great bargains.

9. Being with family, just enjoying ourselves.

10. Worship and church are the most important to me during this time of year. Celebrating Jesus' birth is really what it is all about. So not really an indulgence but just a great thing to be able to do and thankful that we have that freedom to do so.

December is full of fun and wonder for me. Even though things were harder this year, it still was a great month and one that I have fond memories of.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 27th

Relax ~

It is funny that sleeping in or relax is the word for the day. That was not the case in the Warriner house this morning. Since we are going to try and short sale the house to avoid foreclosure, we received a call from our realtor - Sandy and she had a man who was interested in a home in our area. She wanted to let us know that she was going to do a drive by, but Dave and I talked and we offered to let them view the house. Knowing that God has it all in control, we didn't want to let an opportunity pass us by.

So bright and early this morning, Mike and Dave went to Mom's and she came over to help me whip the house into shape. In less then 3 hours the place was ready to show. So no rest for the weary today.

Having a realtor and perspective buyer come into your home is so unsettling. I really had a tough time with it. We will see what happens with the house. Our home definitely looked like the end of Christmas and that we were packing to leave.
I have a feeling there isn't going to be much rest or relaxation over the next few weeks, guess we will squeeze it in where we can.

Looking forward to some great relaxing days to come.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 26th

The Day After~

Being that Dave has been working at Michaels this year, he had to be at work at 5:00 a.m. to set up the ad and work at the store till 1:00 p.m. I was supposed to get up and meet him there but my legs had decided to be achy and my body wanted to stay in bed.

Since I had $100 in Michael's gift cards, I needed to go because the coupons they had, made the deals very hard to pass up. Dave came home from work and took me back out there. I bought all kinds of treasures and 2 scrapbook kits that I had wanted. My dear husband had the price gun in his hand and found more and more great buys. We had alot of fun.

Next we went over to Harry & David. Dave is applying for a manager's job there and had not seen the store. They had all kinds of sales but we behaved ourselves. Next we went to the Farmer's Almanac store - well the sales were too good and we did spend $60.00. 3 new Gooseberry Cookbooks, 2 Jim Shore figurines and a jar of Raspberry jam, made it home with us. Fun, Fun,Fun

We headed to mom's for ham and cheese panini sandwiches and chips. There was still fixin's for Italian Soda's and of course Coconut Cream and Pumpkin Pies were there to eat.

Michael, Mom and I headed to church for a sermon on What is Heaven Like and back home again. Dave was so tired, so he took a nap. It was lightly snowing again - ugh.

Dave, Mike and I went to Walmart to get some house cleaning stuff and we browsed the Christmas clearance. We found some goodies. The realtor called and our house is being shown at 1:00 p.m. Sunday - yikes, I am so not ready for this. Have to head to bed, up early to bring some order to this crazy house.


Looking forward to a brand new year...............fa la la la la la la la la :-)

Journal My Christmas ~ December 25th

Christmas Day ~

Christmas Day actually ended up being a very relaxing, fun day. We started out opening presents at home. Michael was thrilled with his IPod and other goodies that we got him. He bought me a box with a Diet Pepsi in it along with a $20 gift card for Michaels. Dave gave me another $30 for Michaels and another kitchen fairy that was so cute. I also got a photo organizer and some scrapbook goodies. Everything was alot of fun. We each got movie tickets which we used Christmas night. Mom and I went and say "It's Complicated" and Dave and Mike say "Avatar" "It's Complicated" was so funny and a total chick flick.

We went to mom's about 10:30 and opened more gifts. Another $50.00 in Michael's gift cards along with a heated throw blaket. Dave and I got an electric blanket and $300.00, which was a huge blessing. Dave also got $50.00 gift card from Sears.

Neil and Angela gave everyone Sees candy treats. We all went into together and got Mom a Frappucino Maker along with the goodies to go with it. I finished the project from Creative Escape and gave it to Mom with pictures of all us in it. She loved everything.

We had Christmas brunch with lots of goodies. Jean, Dale and his daughter joined us. We had Mirmosa's, hot chocolate, Italian Soda's to drink and lots of yummy food. Mom had made stuffed mushrooms that were yummy, the best part though was Dave thought they were chocolate and got quite a surprise when he popped it into his mouth. Dave HATES mushrooms. He showed tact and swallowed it and drank a bunch of soda to push it down. We all laughed about that all day. We were so stuffed that dinner consisted of pie and that was it. I was so full that my tummy hurt. Too much food for me.

We enjoyed our company, we laughed and just had a fun day. Being that we had brunch we didn't have fix a big holiday dinner and so the rest of the day was ours. We are liking our new tradition. It is working for us.

We ended the day by going to the movies and then home to crash from the very busy day. We missed the family that we could not be with, and enjoyed those we were with. Merry Christmas everyone and more importantly Happy Birthday Jesus.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 24th

Christmas Eve ~

Christmas Eve really began last night. What has made this one more special then most is last night Mom, Michael, Dave and I went to Summits 7:00 Candlelight Service. We were also joined by Dale Grimes who was a classmate of mine from elementary - high school. It is amazing how God brings people back into your life. I truly feel that God had a plan and He knew what Dale needed to hear. Maybe we all needed to hear it.
After that we headed out for pizza and then Michael, Dave and I went to look at some Christmas lights.
Today, Mike and I finished up the errands and caught up with Dave. We had dinner at mom's. We ate the ham that was given to us along with some au gratin potatoes and green beans. It was such a great dinner and fun to eat all together.
The night ended by attending another candlelight service at the Sparks Methodist Church. The service ended with all of us outside singing Silent Night. Even though it was not our church, it was a church of God's people and that was all that mattered.
It is time for bed and then up in the morning ready to be with family and have a blessed day celebrating Jesus' birth.

Journal My Christmas - December 23rd

Stockings ~

Every year Dave and I hang up our stockings on the wall and we have 3 for the dogs that hang along our fireplace. This year we are stockingless except for the cute little silver one on my package from Dave. When I opened the stocking on Christmas morning, there was 4 movie tickets and a $30 Michaels gift card.



We usually fill the stockings and open them on Christmas Eve. We have a blast filling them and they usually contain treasures like movies, candy, stuffed animals and many other fun things.

I have actually missed our stockings this year, but have missed alot of things this year. Next year in our new home, we will have our stockings to hang and much celebrating to do.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Note: Create Stockings on a page

Journal My CThristmas ~ December 22nd

To Do ~

Making a list and checking it twice......
What needs to be done?

Finish shopping for Dave
One more gift for Mike
Finish shopping for mom
Mail Christmas Cards
Make pies
Help mom make Christmas brunch
Clear off table for presents
Pack some boxes for storage
Go look at lights
Get ready to enjoy Christmas with my family

Journal My Christmas - December 21st

Right Now ~

The Christmas cards are done and ready to mail, packages are wrapped waiting for place on the table with the little pink tree, boxes with stuff are all over the living room, craft stuff is everywhere - need to get it packed and Christmas is coming ready or not.





Our life in disarray is something I need to deal with for a bit longer. Temporary order will be here soon.
Merry Christmas everyone, remember to keep your focus on Jesus and family. That is all that matters.

Journal My Christmas - December 20th

Unexpected~

That is one way to describe the events of late. Today, we went back to church because our family had been adopted in light of all our recent issues. We were given a nine pound Costco ham along with other foods and a $25 Walmart gift card. We never have had to be on the receiving end of Christmas help and it is definitely a humbling experience. Feeling that there are others who need help more, we decided to give the gift card to mom's neighbor Dale. He was overwhelmed by the gesture.

More generosity came our way in the form of a WinCo $100 gift card. It arrived in the mail today. What a blessing that those around us are willing to share with our family.

So the unexpected came in the form of assistance. I just pray that we can help others in the future in the same way so many have touched us this holiday season.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 19th

Letter to Santa ~

Dear Santa,
It has been so many years since I did this, if I ever did it at all. Things right now are so crazy and it almost doesn't even seem like it is Christmas. If it wasn't for the fact that I actually went Christmas shopping yesterday, I would have continued to feel that Christmas is no where to be found in our homes.
My wishes this year are:
*My family to celebrate the day and take time to laugh and smile
*To not find joy in the little things
*Patience to deal with all the challenges that are facing my family
*Make Michael's time with us enjoyable and fun
*The strength and stamina to get done what we need to in regards to moving in with mom.
*Help other families who may have it harder than our family at this time
*Not forget the reason for the season and celebrate Jesus' birth
*Attend church with family.
*Bless others with yummy gifts
*Healing in my foot as I decided to fall and sprain it today.

So Santa, things aren't as important as others this year. Help me to keep my focus where it should be and be there for my family

Merry Christmas
Faye

Journal My Christmas ~ December 18th

Christmas Food ~

Oh the smells of Christmas become alive the week before. Food plays a big part in our celebration.

First off is Baking: Caramel Corn, Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Fudge and Butterscotch Fudge start the ball rolling. We give alot away to church friends, Jodi's bus drivers, Jodi's teachers and whoever else comes our way.

Our friends Val and Beth also bake alot and we get an annual tray of yummy goodies.

Next is Desserts: Coconut Cream Pie for Dave and Dale, Pumpkn Pie for Billy and Mom, maybe a Caramel Pecan Pie for Neil - who knows what will be baked.

The past 2 years we have had Christmas Brunch not dinner and I have to say it has been so relaxing and wonderful. We open presents, eat and eat and eat all day. Angela brings her Sausage Rice Casserole - yum. We make scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, hashbrowns and whatever else we throw into the mix. That being said the day is full of yummy things and it has become a perfect part of Christmas.

Journal Your Christmas ~ December 17th

Perfect~

Oh the perfect gift - what is it.

Is it the annual caramel corn that those who recieve it start asking for it before December hits.

Is it the cookies and fudge that others look forward to also.

Is it those handmade treasures that bring smiles to others faces.

YES to all the above

It is also the special gifts that are bought each year to bless family and friends.

This year is really hard because so much has gone wrong but today with what little money was available I shopped and had such a great time.

It is all about bringing joy to my family and it was awesome.



For Dave so far it will be a Ted Dekker book, a His Word Gift Certificate, a Snuggie with a book light, movie tickets and some See's candy.




For Mom her annual coffee from I think Harry and David this year. A Frappucino Machine that will be from all of us. It was funny she finally popped off with something she wanted and voila I found it a few hours later. It made it great because my brother needed something too and this is going to be a fun gift.



For Jodi she will get some sweats and toys.




For Michael who is visiting us, we bought him an IPod Nano with all the accessories that will be from all of us. He will also get a Snuggie with booklight, a gift card for Barnes and Noble, a gift card for I-Tunes, a book of Disney pictures and some Sees Candy



For Matthew a gift card for Chevron, Cold Stone, Wendy's and Subway, See's candy and a Disney Picture book.

For Val and Beth we are going to make a Salsa/Tortilla/Reindeer dish gift set. It is going to be cute. We are going to exchange gifts on Monday

For Treion, Saren, Bev and Colleen some handmade goodies that I created using the Zutter Bind It All. We are going to exchange gifts and do a stocking exchange on Sunday.


We opted to not exchange gifts with Rick & Maria and Don & Kim. We put our focus on Mike and Matt. Matt is with Rick and Maria.

This year our family will recieve some Christmas help. Dave will go pick up a gift card to help with our Christmas on Sunday. We have discussed it and we are going to bless someone else with it. We appreciate the assistance but a guy I went to school with named Dale and his daughter Maddie need it more.

So what is the perfect gift and are my family and friends receiving it this year? The only perfect one is the one that God gave each of us.

So Christmas hopefully will be a focus on our gift of life with the birth of Jesus. He is the reason we celebrate Christmas. So Happy Birthday Jesus and thank you for all you give to us every day.

Note: Use Ribbon on layout

Journal My Christmas ~ December 16th

Grateful ~

Even when life is hard, there are still so many things to be grateful for. The friends and family in my life rate at the top.

So here is what I am grateful for:

God loves me
My Family
My Friends
My Furbabies
Church and freedom to worship
I have a roof over my head
I can walk
My diseases are active but not crippling
I can create and enjoy doing so
We have the means to sustain ourself
God is providing and doing great things in our lives

I will add to this if I think of more, but this is what I am grateful for.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 15th

So much is happening in the next couple weeks. Trying to move, short sale the house and yikes the Holidays. It has actually caused some dread as of recent days. I actually feel the panic setting in.

But now I can focus on people, who in my world will I be with and what will we do.


Thursday my beloved nephew Michael arrives to stay with us for 2+ weeks. What a blessing to be able to spend that amount of time with him. He is going be a huge help and even a distraction at times. I only wish that Matthew could be here too, but we will be seeing him at some point.



Sunday I will get to crop all day with Treion, Bev, Colleen and hopefully Saren. We are just going to celebrate Christmas and have fun. I am going to work on getting all this into the album, I am a bit behind there.



Family, Friends and Everyone else ~


During the week different church services and such will allow us the opportunity to see friends and celebrate our Savior's birth

Family will round out the week with a Christmas brunch and just time to relax. I so need that. I hope for a day of rest to ease my mind and spirit.






Dale and his daughter are recent additions to our family and hopefully we will get to share some Christmas cheer with them.

Lots of blessing still to do and I am looking forward to it.

We need to tell those in our world how we feel about them and more important share our faith. This is the season to bless and I am up for the mission.

Note: check out page guidelines

Journal My Christmas ~ December 14th

Gifts~

I am a huge believer in hand made gifts. I think things you make are so much more special because of the time involved.

This year money and time are big issues but I had some commitments and I wanted to follow through. Today I recieved the charms from the charm swap that I participated in. I love my Creative Escape friends because they always do fun things.
Here are the charms in the packages they came in and then the charms on my necklace that I will wear throughout the month.

Great job ladies, I love them.



Here is the process of making gifts. I love my Zutter Bind It All and so I decided to do their 12 Days challenge and made the gifts I needed for 2 swaps. One was a secret santa swap with my CE friends and the other was to do a stocking stuffer swap with my friends during a weekend long crop. Unfortunately both failed to happen. Being that things are a bit bumpy right now, the 2 bright spots in my month not happening left me a bit sad.
Through an honest mistake the hostess from the Secret Santa program ilthought I had withdrawn and let the person who was giving to me that I had dropped and she reassigned her partner :( Being that money was tight, I sold stuff on Ebay to make the money to buy goodies. I had so much fun and was ready to ship off my package when I was told what happened. I hold no ill-will toward the hostess, I have been so sad because it was a bright spot in my month and now it was gone. I am still going to send my assigned partner the goodies I made because they were personalized.
My friends Treion, Saren, Colleen, Bev and I were set for a weekend long crop where we were going to do a stocking swap and also make stocking stuffers for each other. Well the crop was cancelled and rescheduled for next month. It made me sad cause again it was a bright spot to look forward to and it didn't happen.
We are getting together to crop on Sunday - I need it and we will do our swap.




Back to gifts, I love to create and I hope my friends will love their goodies. Gift giving is one of my favorite things. I like to see others happy, that is what is important to me.

Tonight at dinner with my mom, brother and sister in law, we discussed the fact that we are all struggling financially and we are going to treat each other to dinner and that would be our respective gift.
We always enjoy being out with each other so this will be perfect for all involved. I have truly seen though especially this time of year, that there is more then just presents to make others happy.
I will bake and make caramel corn. That will bless many others. This season the emphasis will be on doing for each other as opposed to buying for each other. I am really looking forward to it and know that either way God will bless us all.







This awesome package arrived today. Veronica M sent this to me so that I could still participate in the Secret Santa swap. Now I have a fun gift coming her way. Thanks Veronica you made my day

Journal My Christmas - December 13th

Christmas Music ~

To me Christmas Music is the best part of Christmas. I love to sing along and something about all the songs just make even a bad day better. I love singing about all the festivities and most importantly Jesus' birth.

Two of my most favorite songs are "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "It's Almost Christmas Time" by David Meece

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Said the night wind to the little lamb
Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light

I am not sure what it is about this song but it is my comfort song. I love to sing it and I love to hear it. It is one that always makes me feel better.





My second comfort song is "It's Almost Christmas Time" While attending Crossroads Christian Church in San Jose back in the 80's, I was very involved in the sound ministry and this song opened one of the Christmas plays they did. It took me awhile to find it on CD but I did and it is another that I hum and sing alot.

Everywhere that I go people are looking up
People are sharing love
See the look in their eyes, something is shining bright
Is it the time is right?

Seems to be such a joyful occasion
Every face has a smile
And it's starting to feel like my favorite time of the year

And it's almost Christmas time
The time of the year that's so full of cheer
Yes, it's almost Christmas time
And I'm glad that it's finally here

Put a wreath on the door
Hang up the mistletoe, look at the falling snow
Put a log on the fire
Let's take a walk tonight under the starry sky

Let's remember the days of our childhood
Like we'll remember tonight
And remember the one who was born so that we can have life

Cause it's almost Christmas time
The time of the year that's so full of cheer
Yes, it's almost Christmas time
And I'm glad that it's finally here

Cause it's almost Christmas time...





Enjoy this fun video, it brings a smile to my face and I hope it does yours too.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/LemUynikIYDKqA2bgop8

Journal My Christmas ~ December 12th

My Christmas Carol ~

It seems funny that we just went and saw A Christmas Carol last week, so to stop and think of Christmas' past, present and future is kind of fun.

Christmas Past - being one of four kids Christmas was always crazy busy with fun and excitement. We definitely had years with lots of presents and stuff and then years where things weren't so plentiful. My grandpa would give each of us children a can of Planter's Peanuts. We always looked forward to that.

After I left for college, I had a couple Christmas' where I stayed in the Bay Area but was always surrounded by friends. One of my favorite times was setting up the live Nativity at church. It was awesome to celebrate our Savior's birth with a beautiful display.

Moving to Spokane we had 2 awesome family Christmas' at Rick and Maria's. Our first Christmas together was spent at our home on West Glass. We had mom and dad along with friends Dan and Beth join us for dinner.

Since moving back, we have a huge Christmas at mom's followed by dinner. 2 years ago we started Christmas brunches instead of dinner. We have also attended Midnight services at Jean's church. It is something we look forward to.

Christmas Present ~ This Christmas and last have been out of the ordinary. Our family has been gravely affected by the economy. Last year things were hard, this year they are harder. We have all worked together to make things as normal as possible but it just isn't the same. We all have agreed though that we need to keep our focus on the true meaning of Christmas. This is truly what helping us all get through some really tough times.

Christmas Future ~ Only God knows what the future holds but with us moving in with mom next year should be better and we can concentrate on putting things back together.

The reality is though that the only constant is that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' Birth and no lack of income, presents or decorations can change that. So knowing that I am confident that Christmas Future will be filled with the same amount of love that Christmas Past and Present have had.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 11th

Oh Christmas Tree ~

Setting up our Christmas Tree is one thing I always look forward to. It is full of lights and ornaments that we have collected ever since we have been married. There are also ornaments from previous students and some I had when I was single.

My first trees were real and oh the mess they left behind. When I moved to Spokane, we bought an artificial tree that moved with us when we moved here. It lasted quite a few years but one year just after having an emergency appendectomy, I was home alone and told do not lift anything and all the sudden the tree snapped at its base and came tumbling down. Being that Belle will chase anything that is rolling around and knowing I didn't want her eat any of the ornaments, I tried to pick the tree up and oh that was a bummer.

Dave and mom went to Target and bought a brand new tree and the new one is huge. Our tree is full of branches so lots of lights and ornaments make it symbolic of our life, our family and our faith. My tree topper is a Precious Moments Angel and she just makes is perfect.

Being that we are trying to move, no tree will go up this year but next year for sure. I have a small pink tree that I was going to use for a special girls weekend, I may set that up in my kitchen until Christmas.

I have been working on some special ornaments for a contest and for some gifts, hopefully they will happily adorn the trees of my friends.

Journal My Christmas ~ December 10th

It's a wrap ~

Journal My Christmas - December 9th

Traditions~

Hummmm.........what are our Christmas Traditions

1. Sending out a newsletter with our Christmas cards. Many find them annoying but it seems that the Warriner clan loves them. Dave's Aunt Lilo always comments on how she looks forward to reading what is new. Since they all live in Washington and we live in Nevada it is our way of connecting with them.

2. We love to decorate. The more festive we can make our home the better. Tree all decked out along with the yard and any place else that needs some extra decor. I really enjoy it. Next year we will get back in the swing of things.

3. Stockings - we have Mickey and Minnie stockings that we hang up each year and they get filled to the brim with goodies. We usually open our stockings on Christmas Eve. We even have stockings for the doggies.

4. We open our presents on Christmas morning and then head to moms for more presents and brunch. Brunch is a new tradition that we all love. No more have to rush and put together a dinner. Makes for a relaxing Christmas day.

5. Mom loves coffee so every year she gets a basket full of Gloria Jeans coffee. Each year there is a theme and she gets other goodies in her basket to go with the theme.

6. During the holidays a few years ago, I started making coconut cream pies from scratch. I don't like them but other family members did. So found a recipe, tweaked it a bit and voila the best coconut cream pie anyone has ever tasted. When I make these I have to make multiple because everyone wants their own.

7. Caramel corn is the latest tradition. It has proven to be a great gift for our pastors and friends. I think they are beginning to expect it now.

8. Going out after Christmas and buying all the fun decorations and goodies on sale, we love Christmas clearance. That is something we have definitely done year to year.

I thought maybe I had no traditions but that is obviously not true. There are lots of things I do year to year so that constitutes a tradition.

This season has taught me to relax and not take things so seriously. I need to focus more on the meaning of the season and not all the hustle and bustle. Guess that will be the newest tradition.

Journal My Christmas - December 8th

Do You See What I See




Right now the snow outside and the pictures of projects that I am currently working on are the signs of the season. The weather is so cold and you just want to stay home and keep warm. I am excited about the season and all it has to offer. Jesus was born to save us all and that is all that matters. I will work to put more pictures of the scenes from our special town when the roads are snow free and easier to travel.

Journal My Christmas December 7th

Organization ~

Getting organized - yikes!! So much is going on this month it is easy to get overwhelmed. Aside from Christmas and all that goes with that we have to get ready to move. I am sure that I am not the first one to move during December / January but it is still a big job.

So in an effort to get organized, I will keep a list here of the things that need to get done and when the month is over, I will print this up and put it in the album.

1. Keep this journal going - it really has been fun so far.
2. Do Christmas letter
3. Get Christmas cards out
4. Order mom's coffee for Christmas
5. Try and finish mom's quilt
6. Do Angela's wine journal
7. Figure out what to buy Dave for Christmas and do it
8. Get room ready for Michael
9. Copy Disney pictures for Mike and Matt's books
10. Buy Mike and Matt Christmas presents
11. Get Matt's presents mailed
12. Get the stuff out of the garage and into the storage unit
13. Pack at least 4 boxes a day
14. Figure out what is going to storage and what is going to mom's
15. Make Caramel Corn for gifts
16. Bake some goodies too
17. Keep my eyes on Jesus and celebrate His birth.
18. Shop for my family
19. Enjoy Christmas day
20. Keep things stress free.
21. Take pie orders for Christmas
22.
23.
24.
25.

Journal My Christmas - December 6th

Memories

When we were younger my grandpa would give each of the kids a can of Planter's Peanuts on Christmas morning. We always knew that would be waiting for us at Grandpa and Grandma's.

Christmas morning we would go to Grandpa and Grandma's for a southern breakfast. Ham with red eye gravy, biscuits and all the other goodies.

My grandma made date nut rolls and they were soooooooo good.

I came home from college and that Christmas my grandma had crocheted a beautiful afgan in pinks (my favorite color) It meant alot to me and I still have it.

One Christmas Santa gave me a beautiful bride doll. I just loved her and she was one of my treasures. She is still in my cedar chest. I always kept her there and no one ever played with her.

One year my mom kept claiming poverty and said that Christmas was going to be bleak. She was being very sly, that year she gave each of us a camcorder and all the supplies. She was so proud of herself that she had us fooled.

We started having family Christmas brunch instead of a big dinner. It was great cause we could open presents and eat our fun brunch. The rest of the day was stress free and was awesome.

One Christmas in Washington the whole Warriner crew worked together to create a quilt for "mom" Warriner. It had personalized squares from each boy, all 3 wives and the grandchildren. It seems ironic at this point because we had only been married a year and had no kids yet and unfortunately never did, so no squares ever needed to be added. Since mom passed away - Maria now has the quilt and will pass on to one of the girls eventually. It really was a blessing to make and even though mom kept it in a dresser drawer, she was truly blessed by it.

I coaxed the Cahill clan to do the same and we created a quilt for mom with all of us and her friends. It turned out awesome except the fact it has never been finished. I need to work on getting it done. Good project for 2010.

Journal My Christmas - December 5th

Advent~
Count down to Christmas ~ So many times I forget to look at what's around me and take in the blessings from each day. I will make my advent for this Christmas to list the 25 blessings that come my way this season. It will be a true blessing to look back and see all the great things God did this very special season.
1. Love of my family
2. Friends
3. My pets whom love me unconditionally
4. Great night with mom and Dave watching "A Christmas Carol"
5. Worshipping God freely
6. Snow
7. A warm house to live in
8. God provides what we need
9. A special time with family
10. Fun decorations and beautiful lights
11. Memories of those we have lost and loved.
12. A sense of calm and peace
13. Prayer
14. Laughter and my brother
15. Gift of encouragement via friends kind words
16. Creativity
17. My nephew Michael
18. Shopping for family
19. Being at church with my family
20. Spending time with friends
21. Reflecting on the year
22. Sending cards to friends and family
23. Candlelight service with family and friends
24. Spending the day with Michael
25. A great day with family

Journal My Christmas - December 4th

Perfect ~
Is there really the perfect Christmas? It is so easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of just being busy, overwhelmed and not enjoying this really special season. The pictures of our tree in our living room and our front yard with snow make me smile. So is that perfect, not really. It just makes me smile. Life is extremely difficult this year. Dave lost his job, we are struggling to make ends meet on his very part time job at Michaels, we are going to lose our home to foreclosure or to a short sale and my mom is mourning the loss of her long time love , Bill.
We are going to make some changes in our living situation. We are preparing to move in with mom and Jodi, which will be great but will be tiring at best to get everything combined and so on.
Our home will not decorated this year, any gifts given or received with be minimal and you know it would be very easy to feel sorry for oneself.
But we have the pleasure of having one of our nephews with us for 2 plus weeks, which will be so much fun. We have family who we love and who love us and most important this celebration called Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever shall believe in Him shall have everlasting life - John 3:16
So things may not be perfect, the fact is they never can be, we have the greatest gift of all from God our Father. Material things will come and go, God's love is there forever. So my goal this year for my perfect Christmas is to concentrate on the beauty around me, take care of my family and focus on the true reason of the season: Jesus.

Journal My Christmas - December 3rd

Cards ~
Every year I wait till the last minute to get my cards made, the letter written and the cards mailed. Some years the cards go out in January. Last year we found these Disney cards and paper on sale and since we love all things Disney, I thought "why not" So this year our friends and family will receive our special Disney touch and if all goes well they will go out before Christmas. Here's hoping!!!! I also thought it would be fun to add the names of all who are getting cards this year. So I printed up the address list.

Journal My Christmas - December 2nd

WEATHER.............The weather is up and down during December. One day could be in the 50's or 60's and the next day we could have snow. Sometimes we have a white Christmas and other times it is warm as can be. The weather chart for the next week shows that snow is on its way. Going to be cold this weekend. Time for hot tea. I love the snowy / rainy days because I can stay home and bake, scrapbook or whatever I want as it storms outside.

Journal My Christmas - December 1st

The Reason..............
This has been a project that I have been involved with for 3 years. My dear friend Kathy Mills purchased the class for me as a special gift. Once you have paid for this class, you can take it again and again.

I thought I had many roadblocks in the years past that kept me from keeping up and this year is no different. There are so many issues that are affecting the whole spirit of Christmas this year, that I need to do this to bring me back in focus for the Reason of the Season.

This seems to be a season of losses. We lost Bill, Dave lost his job, we are losing our house and through it all I don't want to lose perspective.
We are planning a big move so decorating is out of the question. We are just trying to survive.

There are couple special events this month, so I look forward to sharing about them and trying despite the adversity to just enjoy the month.

At the end of the day, God is still in control and there is much to rejoice about.
Celebrate this season with me, because it is the birthday of our Savior and King Jesus Christ.