Christmas Bling 2014

I thought I'd better do a quick post about a little of the Christmas bling in our home for 2014 before the big day arrives.

The Mantel

The Tree

It's a little fuzzy because the lights are blinking.

Santa Collection

Nativity

Dining Room

Kitchen

Entry Hall

Thank you for stopping by for a visit!

Words That Inspire

I will sing to the Lord,

because he has dealt

bountifully with me.

Psalm 13:6 

source

How long has it been since you've been

Christmas caroling?

Wishing you a day filled with music . . . 

Words That Inspire

Encouragement . . .

So encourage each other to build each other up,

just as you are already doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

source

The root of the word "encouragement' means to 

"put courage into."

What a beautiful picture of one person standing beside another saying,

"Take courage!"

God has given you the ability to be that person to others.

Ask Him to show you those who could use

a kind word,

an uplifting thought,

a simple prayer.

They could be strangers on the street or members of your own family.

Your encouragement may help someone walk when he or she might have stumbled.

You might help someone stand firm instead of giving in.

And encouraging other has yet another benefit~

those around you are strengthened so that they can offer you an encouraging word when you need one.

I want to thank all of you for being an encouragement & inspiration to me.

I am so blessed !!

Wishing each of you a wonderful Sunday . . . 

Christmas In The Dining Room

I'm working today to finish decking the dining room with Christmas bling.

Yesterday was cool & cloudy, so I lite my Christmas Cabin candle from, Good Neighbors Candle Co. and cranked up some Christmas tunes.

This is a place setting without flatware & napkins.

This Santa centerpiece was made by sticking bits & pieces to a faux cedar wreath.

Look for more Christmas bling in the coming days.

I must get busy, afterall. Christmas is 3 weeks from today!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I've been in a blogging slump for several months.  I haven't had much to share about my seasonal decor.  I didn't get out the pilgrims & Indians until I set the table for our Friday Thanksgiving dinner until the day before.  See what I mean?  

That being said, I'm ready to share my Christmas bling as I slowly decorate.

This year we have a new Christmas tree.  It has a remote control with 7 different functions.  We love it!  

Friday evening my daughter-in-law, Kari, helped me decorate the tree with the help of my 3 year old granddaughter, Emma.  The guys weren't interested in tree trimming, so it was girl power to the rescue.  LOL

Here she is being silly while wearing my reading glasses.  

Emma really was a delight while we were trimming the tree.  I think she put more ornaments on the tree than I did.  She kept saying things like, "I love this!", "Oh, how beautiful!" & "I like decorating".  I think she is my 'mini me' for Christmas decorating.  I kept pulling out more & more ornaments, some that I hadn't used in years.  

I have many teacher ornaments I haven't used in years.  Emma wanted to use them all, so we did.  

I shared some history of some special ornaments like these from school Christmas parties in 2nd  & 3rd grade. 

I had so much fun watching Emma decorate the tree.  She really did a good job.  It was a memory making moment I'll never forget.

Ethan did agree to pose in front of the tree wearing his new Christmas pajamas.

Sunday started out warm & windy, we knew a cold front was coming our way in late afternoon.  After lunch hubby & I decided to rake leaves, clean most of the windows, and put up Christmas lights.  We were trying to finish before it got cold.   About 3:00 the wind changed directions & the temperature started to drop from 72 to 42.  We had to put on heavy coats.  It was so windy!!!  We finished all the lights as it was getting dark.  We were freezing.  Still have to put up wreaths & garland.  

More Christmas bling coming this week, hopefully!  

Words That Inspire

The Lord will keep his promises.

With love he takes care

of all he has made.

Psalm 145:13

source 

Think about just a few of the promises God has given you. He's promised to love you, forgive you, fight for you, comfort you, answer your prayers according to His plan, and spend eternity with you, to name just a few.

God has never made a promise that He could not or would not keep. That means you can trust Him with your deepest secrets, biggest dreams, and greatest fear. You can take Him at His Word and move forward in the direction He's asked you to go with total confidence.

Even when it's difficult to see God at work in you circumstances, His faithfulness is your assurance that He's not only active and involved, but He's using the situation to bring good into your life.

In God's faithfulness

lies eternal security.

Corrie Ten Boom

Wishing you a very happy last day of November . . . 

Blessings

source

Enjoy your day of Thanksgiving. . .

Treasure your time together. . .

Count your many blessings. . .

Love to you all. . .

Carol

Words That Inspire

source

You don't need a turkey to celebrate thanksgiving. All you need is a reason. God has given you more reasons to be thankful than He's created stars in the sky. So, why wait?

Start with what you see ~~ the clothes you're wearing, the food in the fridge, the beauty of an Autumn day. Then, think about the people you love and how they've touched your life. Next, consider what God's given you that can't be held in your hands ~~ things like hope, forgiveness, and your future home in Heaven. Sit quietly as God brings even more reasons to mind.

Stopping to say "thanks" will remind you of how big God is and how good your life is when He's in it, no matter what day it is.

A humble mind is the soil out of

which thanks naturally grows.

Henry Ward Beecher

Taken from ~ God's Daily Answer

Wishing a day filled with joy & thanksgiving . . .

Words That Inspire

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

source

It's not hard to be relaxed and peaceful when everything is going smoothly and your problems are all under control. But that's not real peace. Real peace is the inner calm God's Spirit gives you even when the world around you is chaotic, stress is bearing down on you, and things are going right off the rails at work and at home.

You get that kind of peace by trusting God and keeping your heart focused on Him. In return, His peace will keep you calm and under control. . .better able to process solutions and deal effectively with circumstances. Don't settle for a fragile peace that can't handle all that life is handing you. Put your hand in God's hand.

"Christ alone can bring lasting peace. . .

peace with God . . .peace among men and nations. . .

and peace within our hearts."

Billy Graham

Taken from "God's Daily Answer".

Wishing you a warm, peaceful day . . .

Words That Inspire

source

Make me know Your ways, O LORD;

 Teach me Your paths.

 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, 

For You are the God of my salvation; 

For You I wait all the day.

Psalms 25:4-5

Wishing you a day of thankfulness for His presence . . . 

Words That Inspire

source

“God is our refuge and strength,

 an ever-present help in trouble.”  

Psalms 46:1

Wishing you a day filled with hope . . .

Good Things

I enjoy good things that left my spirits.

Yesterday my candle order from

  Good Neighbors Candle Co. arrived.

Oh the yumminess!  

I could eat the Hot Chocolate candle.  The Christmas Cabin candle really smells like Christmas.  I can't wait to use it.  The little cutie is Spiced Cranberry, another wonderful holiday fragrance.

Check out Rebecca's web site, you'll love what you see there.

After my doctor's appointment this morning we enjoyed breakfast at one of our favorite cafes. The atmosphere is nice & they play retro music.

I love the mugs they serve coffee in.  I bought one to add to my mug collection.

Good things add spice to life.  

What good things are you enjoying today.  

Words That Inspire

source

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Psalm 98:4

Wishing you a day filled with singing . . . 

Words That Inspire

Sections of our front yard tree are starting to turn shades of red.

Oh, how I love my favorite season!

source

How many of you remember singing this song when you were a child?

God's beautiful world,

God's beautiful world;

I love God's beautiful world.

He made it for you.

He made it for me.

I love God's beautiful world.

~

All things were made by Him; 

and without Him

 was not anything made that was made.

John 1:3

~

Wishing you a day filled with enjoyment of God's beautiful world . . . 

Words That Inspire

It's another gray, rainy day here in our neck of the woods.

I enjoy this kind of day.

I love this season of change..

source

Wishing you a day of comfort & joy . . . 

Halloween Bing On The Entry Table

I like to decorate with my grandkids in mind, so I add bling wherever I can.

Candy corn lights & a happy Jack-o-lantern add some bling to the table.

A friendly dracula & witch welcome visitors with a BOO greeting banner.

Lizzie High witch Marisa & her little brother, Petey are ready to trick-or-treat.

This adorable little witch is ready to tag along.

Come back soon to see more fun Halloween bling.

Autumn Mantel With A Little Bling

Our autumn mantel once again has Grandma Ruby's boo jack-o-lantern front & center.

It's so special, it's on a cake pedestal surrounded by autumn leaves.

The lanterns are topped with raffia.  The flameless candles are so convenient & look so real.

The glittery bling pumpkins came from $ Tree.

  I'll show more autumn/ Halloween bling tomorrow.

Thanks a bunch for visiting today!

A Beautiful Autumn Day

What a beautiful autumn day!

I want to wish my little sister, Susan, a very happy birthday.

I just love this black & white photo of her when she was little.

Wish it was in color so you could see her beautiful red hair.

Love you sis!

I'm doing a little decorating today.  

I found this idea on Pinterest.

Pinterest link

Here is my version.

Next, I'm going to do a little Halloween bling decorating that I hope the grandkids will enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Words That Inspire

 And my God will supply every need of yours 

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Wishing you a great day to start a new week . . .