Christmas Traditions

So what are some of yours??? Come on, I really want to know

happy thanksgiving everyone. i am thankful for so many things including those who have ever read or commented on my blog

COMMENT GAME

THANKSGIVING EDITION

Here's how it goes: I'll start the game off at the bottom of this post by choosing two words or phrases, like coffee or tea, and which ever one you prefer you choose. You can also explain why. When you have done that you do two new words or phrases for the next commenter to choose from. Feel free to come back as often as you like. Just have fun. If someone derails the game will one of you put it back on track? Thanks.

its almost Christmas time

Can't wait for the season to officially be here. Michael and I have tried to do a Christmas party every this year but this year because of several reasons, we are going to do something different. We want some more personal times with our friends, so we are inviting people over for dinner and a Christmas movie on different dates.. So, if you live in Atlanta and want to come over and have dinner and some Christmas cheer, let me know!!!

everyone is on a budget this year, but i want to hear some creative, inexpensive ways to get into the Christmas spirit???? ideas???

randomness

If any of you know me outside my blogs, you will know my mind always has several things going on at one time. In fact, if my metabolism was as quick as the thoughts in my head, I would a lot skinnier. Nothing much going on. Have had a good couple of days at work, even when the 4yo sibling got her head stuck in a chair and we had to drill her out...(a whole other story)

so here is what is presently in my head. I am a people pleaser.I will do anything to get people to like me and to make people happy. This is not always a good thing. I am learning how to love who I am and not worrying about impressing others, which has always been one of my weaknesses. when you go so far away to make people happy, sometimes you sacrifice a lot of things and you can lose your self in the process.I want to be liked. i want to be cool. i have always wanted that but my fear is becoming snobby and thinking i am better than others. I despise that character trait and hope it never develops.

What do I want? i want to quit wanting material things and I want to just love. I want to love everyone unconditionally and sometimes it really hard. this post was much better in my head before I started typing.

I am frustrated that I am not at my best. The One who created me deserves so much more than what I am giving that its shameful. like totally embarrassing. I am not worthy of the Love that covers me. That is what I want, to live life the best way possible. Physically, mentally, socially, spiritually. I am not there yet. I just think there is something wrong with me.. Ugh, I hate that feeling.

I love the season coming up. I wish I felt this way all year round. I find it to be a season of hope. A season to give and love. God chose to live among us through Jesus. I cant understand why that tiny baby grew up to die a painful death so that I might have a hope and a future. I am so not worthy of this gift and yet most of the time my life is not demonstrating how grateful I am. anyone else ever feel like this????

But it is the season of hope, love, family, joy and Christmas music....love it!!!!!!

Sunday

It's Sunday afternoon and we are watching a Greys episode. Enjoyed church today and I am looking forward to this series call ed 3:16. Today we heard about the history of the Bible. I got sent home from nursery duty as i am still not feeling well and have to go to church. One of my weight watcher friends who goes to my church came up to me and asked how she could pray for me in regards to weight watchers. We shared some info, but that meant a lot to me.

Yesterday we watched a football game at a local bar and then planned on going by Starbucks. We ended up going to Marlow's Tavern and spending a lot of time with some friends. It was so nice to spend time with such a cool couple!!!!!


I love my Michael. He played some Christmas music in the car and then loaded the cd player with Christmas tunes last night..

I know everyone says they love this time of year, but I really thrive on it...Yeah for the Holidays

friendship

So, its 2:33 a.m here at Scottish Rite and I have checked my children. They are really sleeping. Its calm and when its calm I start to think.

I love love love meeting new people which is why I so enjoyed the blog party and I hope to see some of those great people again. I hope some of them become great friends.

Do you ever just feel like you are not worthy? Worthy for friendship? you guys know that I struggle with jealousy. I meet so many people who I think are better than me. Some of those people help me want to be a better person. For that I am thankful. But there is still a part of me who knows I will never be good enough to be a friend of some people. I hate that I think like that. Its just part of who I have always been. I am working on this......I know that no one has it all together and the face that we are all different makes this world a sweeter place.
I am not the best friend to have. I love getting together with friends whether its walking or having lunch. I rarely invite anyone to do anything for a variety of reasons.

a) I hate people turning me down. Even if its a real excuse, I automatically take it personally. I really take a lot of things personally.
b) I don't like to call people because I really do not want to interrupt people during their personal time. Especially friends with kids, I am always afraid I am goin to wake someone up.

I know excuses excuses

Anyway, I hope to be a better friend in the next year. I have learned what amazing friends I have and that is scary. I actually have friends that I trust. I have friends that have demonstrated such love through gifts, words, time and prayers. I am beyond blessed. And then there are my blogging friends who have encouraged me through the blog and I hope to meet so many of you one day....

Still working on my address book for Christmas. regardless if you are a friend in my online world or not, I want to get your address..

Friends, Christmas is in the air and if you can remember last season, I am a Christmas girl.

There will be a lot of blogging in December..

pics up

Fyi- pics from the fabulous weekend including the basset bash and blog party are up at the family blog www.thechristopherfamily.blogspot.com

13 more posts until my 1000th post-what should i do

If you are one of the cool people i met at the blog party last night, then hello! I had a blast and enjoyed getting to know so many of you. Some of you came up to me to say hello and that made my day. You made me feel cool, even if it was for just an evening..haha!!!!!

Everyone..... I am getting our Christmas card list together and i want to send one to you. So, send me an email with your name address, blog title and if you were at the blog party or if I know you some other way..(amyschristopher@comcast.net)

Fall days just make me happy!!!!!!!

and let me know if you are on twitter, come find me so i can follow you

10 ways to pray for our President

no this is not political. i got this from another blog i read, journey to isabella and thought i would share it over here.

10 Ways to Pray for Barack Obama

1. Pray for Obama’s protection:
We already know that some fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer:
It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom:
God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble:
Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him:
Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation:
Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions:
Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president:
The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church:
The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration:
The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.

And may our Lord continue to reign over our nation and our hearts ! God Bless America.

its Saturday

Today is the first of three days off in a row. This afternoon we will be heading to Norcross for our first Basset Bash and Waddle. There should be close to 100 bassets and family and should be a fun time raising money for the basset waddle.

Then, we are off to the Fickle Pickle in Roswell for the blog party hosted by Whittaker Woman and there are some neat people coming. i have been checking out the blogs and cant wait to meet everyone.

I do think I am coming down with the first cough/sore throat of the year and hoping it doesn't go any farther.

I love the fall. I am looking forward to playing my Christmas music soon. Now i have heard some by accident (the radio, the mall) but for me to play the music is almost ceremonial. I have to pick out just the right cd and play it at the right time to enjoy. its usually an Amy Grant cd but we might change it up this year.

so what is your favorite Christmas cd and when do you start playing it?

dieting

Are any of you presently doing a specific diet or just eating healthy? just wondering!!!!

very last political post ever

thanks for your comments below. not much going on here except we have a busy weekend ahead check out Michael's blog for details.

for the 3rd election in a row, i worked all night. i do not want to do that again. i didn't get the chance to watch all of the speeches but had some great discussions with my patient parents.
now its time to pray. not complain. but pray. pray for our future president. pray for his family and the people he chooses to surround himself with.. pray that those who are disappointed in the outcome will come to grips with the fact that he is our president and that we need to come together as Americans. Complaining and starting debates will only drive our country apart. i am not saying you shouldn't voice your opinion or stand up for the truth, but there is away to do it ( respectfully would help)and i am reading so many blog posts that are passionate about the new president both in a negative and positive way.

I will be honest. I was not an Obama supporter. I still am fearful that we elected a man with no military experience or foreign policy experience as our country's President in the middle of a war. I do not want to fear. I had other issues with both candidates but this was a big one for me. thank goodness this is my last political post..

The election is over. It is time to pray. God wants us to pray and turn to Him. Our hope should not be in one man, but to the One who created every man.

It will be sweet to see children in the White House again.

november is national adoption ,month

has adoption touched your life or someone you love?

fasting

Its Sunday. Hoping to spend some time in prayer tomorrow and will possibly vote if early voting is still going on.

ok, what did your kids dress up as for Halloween?

michael has question regarding fasting. help him out at www.valtool.blogspot.com with your knowledge..

amy

vote and pray

I probably don't need to remind you to go vote on tuesday, but please also pray. Regardless of who wins, our country is in trouble and our new President has a LOT of important decisions to make..and i hope that who ever wins, we can all respect his position

Check out Carlos's blog for a great post about prayer here.

I just keep thinking that our country has turned away from God and instead of following him, we choose to do things that make ourselves comfortable and happy.

People have gotten mean over this. When you tell someone who yousupport, a lot of times they quickly tell you why you shouldn't vote for your choice. It's nice to see people passionate though, regardless of who they support.

I do agree with my husband that McCain is not Bush and that i hope are not voting for Obama simply because they do not want another 4 years of Bush. I hope they are voting for him because they believe that his experience,morals. ideas, and his behavior in the past make him the best man for our country's President.

I do like both candidates. I do not like Obama's economy solution ideas at all but is that a reason not to vote for him? i have been reading several blogs with blogs with titles " I'm a Republican voting democrat ' or " I'm a christian voting Democrat'. I want to vote for the right man. I want to vote for the guy that share the same morals that I do because i think that will be how he runs our country.

Enough political talk. I really don't know enough to argue. these are just my thoughts.

Just got back from bible study, weigh in and lunch. All were good. Gained .6 over the past 2 weeks and I am okay with that since I had expected much more. Bible Study as awesome today as we studied Joel and got a preview of Amos. The book of Joel is short but has a lot of info. We talked today about the world we are living in and comparing it to Israel and Jerusalem. A lot of us shared our fears and then we talked about the Beth Moore conference last Spring. A lot of people are afraid.

A lot of us discussed the fact that a lot of things we complain about are not necessarily the government's fault, although its blamed enough. We prayed for our new leader (no matter who he is) and that God will work in the hearts of him now. Do you think we live in a selfish country? One of the lady's said she always felt that we lived in country that was blessed. She now feels we have taken advantage of God's gifts and we are now suffering the consequences. That as a country we are turning our backs on the One who created us. I will be honest. I am scared. Each week that we read a new chapter of the Bible, it just seems more and more real.

I am amazed that the word of God that has been read for hundreds of years all over the world is still so full of hope and direction. My hope does come from God, and He is also my peace. I hope I demonstrate that. I need to be a light in a world of darkness. People are searching for peace and hope. People are afraid. It's time to run back to God. His arms are open. Why are we running from Him and away from Him?

Bullet Posts

-I went to Publix and my eyes watered again. I told y'all I was crazy. Its fall and everyone was friendly. Everyone told me to have a nice day and they were just, well, nice.. and they had scallops to sample.

-Weight loss is not going well. I have gained this week. I am still going to WI tomorrow and will let you know how bad it was, well maybe I will. It will get better.

-Christmas is coming!

-I have started a weight loss blog. I will share on that blog, what i am eating, when I am exercising and my thoughts on the whole thing. If you would love to visit, head over to the www.amywillbelessfluffy.blogspot.com its still in the beginning stages. But I will also still share my losses over here too!

-Christmas is coming

-I am working Halloween night and I don't really care which is quite surprising

- a family of a patient that i took care of sent me the sweetest note yesterday and included a worship CD by Laura Story and told me they were praying for our adoption. Like that didn't make me cry and no I am not hormonal or any of that stuff.

-2 friends announced pregnancies this week and 2 friends had babies. Congrats Mindy, katherine, Christine and the Ramsey family!

-Will this be our last Christmas without kids?

-Autumn is a stinker and although I do not believe in reincarnation I can not help but wonder if Lucy the basset hound has left her mark. Apparently she left buried toys for the next dog todig up and find. How kind of her!

Cherish the moment

I got a comment on facebook the other day that took me back over a decade ago. Good times. I started remembering my good times and I love thinking back on those days. Just like one day 10 years from now, I will look back at now. I think that's why I cherish photos, I ask for a lot of photos because I want to keep those memories alive. I have had some amazing experiences. Most of them are not like others, and thats okay. I have spent years comparing myself to others and I have wasted so much time. God has given me some really cool personal moments, some things I just can not share. God is so personal! I don't want to live in the past, I think thats dangerous. I don't want to miss THIS MOMENT. I love thinking about each moment and what I can make of it.

If you have read my blog for a bit, or know me in the real world, you know that I am odd. Odd in a special way. I just seem to see things different than a lot of people. I am very silly but I can be very serious and emotional at times. Seriously, I almost cried at Home Depot tonight when I saw the Christmas lights. Why? My parents were with me and it took me back to years ago, when Christmas was just so simple and yet so wonderful. I will cherish those memories forever. If my dad ever doubts his parenting skills, I hope he reads this and knows what an awesome life I have now due to how he raised us.

Anyway,back to memories. Right now we are waiting for our first child from China. This wait is much longer than we anticipated. But this wait as been awesome and has included some of the most special moments of my life. My heart has grown and I can understand the phrase "Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord". I know I am in the middle of memories. I know its okay to cry every once in a while but dang its been a happy tear year!

I love How to Lose a guy in 10 days. I love the way Ben looks at her. I love her yellow dress at the end. I just smile..Love this movie!!!

Its just too cute!