Thursday, December 31, 2009

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Eulogy


I ran across this the other day and wanted to save it. It would make a great eulogy. (and if nothing else, it is a great wake up call to what is really important in life. We should all make a New Year’s resolution to live a life that matters.)

"Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won’t matter where you came from or from what side of the tracks you live on at the end. It won’t even matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is both what you learned and what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone. What will matter is both your memories as well as the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.’" (paraphrased and edited from a talk by Michael Josephson).

Friday, December 25, 2009

Thursday, December 24, 2009

A Christmas Prayer


“Help us rightly to remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the Wise Men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift, and good desire with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessings that Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts; forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake. Amen. “

-- Robert Louis Stevenson
.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

The Spirit of Christmas



To catch the real meaning of the “Spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ."


--Thomas S. Monson

Friday, December 18, 2009

"Our Search for Jesus"




 Are you serious about putting Christ back in Christmas?

The only way we can really know another person is to "walk in his shoes..." Think what He thinks...learn what He knows...say what He would say...and do what He would do. Christ said, "Be ye therefore perfect." We can only accomplish this as we become like Him. Faithfully follow this 7-day walk with Christ. you will come to know and understand him better.

Day 1: Question: How can I follow His steps?
Read: 1 Peter 2:21, Abraham 1:2, Moroni 7:48
Ponder: How can I follow in Christ's steps today? In all my decisions I will ask: What would Christ do?

Day 2: Question: Am I seeking Christ's help?
Read: Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Jacob 4:7, and Ether 12:27
Ponder: Am I seeking the Lord's help in all I think and do? How can He help me overcome my weaknesses?

Day 3: Question: Who is the vine" Who are the branches?
Read: John 15
Ponder: From whom do I get my strength? How can I bring forth much fruit for the Lord? Is social pressure getting me down?

Day 4: Question: How do I guard against Pride?
Read: Proverbs 6:16-17, Proverbs 8:13, Alma 5:28, D & C 38:39
Ponder: Am I being truly honest with others? Do I do the right things for the right reasons?

Day 5: Question: Do I love Christ?
Read: John 13:34-35, John 14:15, and Nephi 13:2-32, 24, 33
Ponder: Do I keep all the commandments? Have I put another God before Christ?

Day 6:  Question:  Does Christ love ME?
Read:  John 3:16
Ponder:  Do I believe?

Day 7:  Commit to Daily Scripture Study
(The more you read, the closer you will feel to the Lord.  You will start to feel His presence.  You will see His hand in your life - AND you will find strength, purpose, peace, and joy.)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

These Boots Aren't Made for Walking



These McQueen boots definitely are NOT on my Christmas list.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The Four Stages of Life:


1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus. 


(I warned you that there would be "tacky" posts this year)

Monday, December 7, 2009

Christmas Bunko


Oh how I miss Bunko.  The group broke up in January of  2007 (when Jen moved to Nashville).  I had the last Bunko Christmas party at my house.  We all wore cheesey Christmas sweaters and had a contest to see whose was the cheesiest. My friend Sue won (hers lit up! She's the one in the middle of the front row).

Merry Christmas y'all.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Christmas Ideas


This was the live nativity scene from last year's stake Christmas program.  
The costumes were all my costumes (part of my Moroccan costume collection). 


Go to my last year's blogs for lots of Christmas ideas, like
Holiday parties, Christmas poems, and How to keep Christ in Christmas

Saturday, December 5, 2009

My Favorite Christmas Quotes


“There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
~ Erma Bombeck

“It is the personal thoughtfulness, the warm human awareness, the reaching out of the self to one's fellow man that makes giving worthy of the Christmas spirit."
~ Isabel Currier.

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?"
~ Bob Hope

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more."
~ Dr. Seuss From 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'.

Remember this December,
That love weighs more than gold!
~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon 


"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it came around, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."  ~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol


Friday, December 4, 2009

Stressed Out?


Are you frazzled by your Christmas list?  Keep in mind that Christmas isn't really about the gifts under the tree.  It's about the people surrounding that tree.

Christmas has gotten way out of control - and we let it.  Why not use the current economic situation as an excuse to cut back.  Suggest that family members draw names. Or, have everyone bring a universal gift and just have everyone choose from the lot.

If you still have a long list of people you want to give to, START EARLY.  By early, I mean take advantage of sales all during the year, and have all your Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving (not wrapped, just purchased).  This will allow you to enjoy the holiday lights and spirit of the holiday without having to stand in lines (it also frees you up so you can participate in any charity opportunities that arise over the holiday).

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Our Video Christmas Card

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Card : (click here)

.(p.s. the song in the background is one of Jennifer's original Christmas songs and she's singing it)

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Is Christmas in YOUR heart?


“If you ain’t got no Christmas in your heart, you ain’t gonna find no Christmas under the tree.”
Anna Nicole Smith

Well, I swan. That’s about the purtiest words that ever came out of her mouth. She had a reputation for being really ditsy and tacky. But apparently Christmas was important, even to her.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Tacky Décor


Nothing brings out the tacky in us like Christmas. Last year my favorite blogger posted this on her website in December and I thought it deserved another run. Enjoy.

“It really is tragic that people only feel the Christmas spirit one month a year. In our house we try to be better than that, and invite the spirit of Christmas every day into our home. Which is why this-

has a permanent spot in our living room. Nothing says Christmas like a leg lamp, and who are we to hide the leg lamp under bushel? We let that light shine 12 months a year.”




Tacky Gift: Poo Pourri $24.95




"Spritz the bowl before you go, and no one else will ever know," urge the makers of Poo-Pourri, an all-natural essential oil spray for the loo that claims to trap "embarrassing odors." I ask you…What's more embarrassing--a little bathroom odor or having this sitting on the sink?