Christmas Baking

Tomorrow starts two of my favorite days of the year. Every year my best friend and I take two days off work and do all of our Christmas baking. It’s a huge mess, a lot of work but we love it, and so do our kids. When my friend and I were newly divorced we lived together for a while and our kids are really good friends. Our baking days are something they look forward to all year long. In the past we would send them off to school and get down to the serious work of mixing and baking. … Continue reading

On Blogging and Real Life

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We celebrated winter solstice. After the darkest day of the year, the light starts to return to the northern hemisphere. We began with trimming the tree in the morning. It is an outdoor tree, so it comes indoors for less than a week, beginning on winter solstice. We moved on to decorating the back yard with food for the birds and watched chickadees move from seed-covered cone to seed-covered cone. In the evening, we went on a lantern walk through the forest at a church near the ocean. We threw stones in the ocean to … Continue reading

Christmas Lights?

Last week at church the minister talked of why Christmas and Christmas lights always go together. I’d heard other reasons as to how they were connected but they often seemed rather tenuous. But I liked the way he linked them. It made the most sense to me. Right from the beginning Christmas has always been linked with light. He used as his reference the prophecy of Isaiah 60:1-3 and the light coming into the darkness. John 1:1-5 and John 1:9-18 also pick up on this theme, identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of that Isaiah prophecy and the light come into … Continue reading

Focusing on Christmas

As the Christmas season approaches it is important to take time now to prepare for the spiritual side of the season. While everyone enjoys the lights, the hustle and bustle of the holiday and the gift giving, it is too easy to lose the true meaning of Christmas. Taking time to formulate a plan to celebrate and remember the true meaning of Christmas can really help the season to come alive. One way that you can do this is by making time to serve someone during the Christmas season. Growing up my family always did the Twelve Days of Christmas … Continue reading

7 Tips for Christian Parenting

In my last blog I looked at the way, despite a similar upbringing, children showed different personality traits and interests. But is it possible for characteristics to be attributed to environment and upbringing? Below are seven things consistent in our parenting and the results. 1. From the time our children were young, my husband and I prayed for them and with them. We prayed for their safety but also for their commitment to Jesus and their spiritual growth. They both made commitments to Christ at an early age and then grew in that faith. To help with this, we read … Continue reading

Reflections of Christ

This last weekend, I had the opportunity to fly down to Arizona on business and I stopped by the Mesa Temple with some friends. The grounds were lovely, covered in citrus trees and flowers. A heady scent filled the air, and it was so peaceful and serene. We stepped into the Visitors Center, not dressed to enter the temple itself. The same spirit that fills the temple was also in the Visitors Center and I took a deep breath, feeling the love of our Heavenly Father. The sister missionary who acted as tour guide motioned for us to enter a … Continue reading

A Very Meowy Christmas

Besides patience, all I wanted Santa to bring me this year was family unity. Which he did, but a little earlier than last night. Regular readers know what I’m talking about. The strife that besieged our house earlier this year when I brought home the little stray who has since become our beloved Tabby Girl. For a while it was chaos. Poor Mr. Meow had met his match and lost the run of his house. If he dared to venture out, he had to do so cautiously and be prepared to run if Tabby spotted him. His whole routine and … Continue reading

Bringing Joy

Sometimes it is so easy to bring joy into lives. I’ve just come back from singing with the choir at a Nursing home at Basin View, which is part of our local area. Yes, I know I’m on about singing again because it is something I love to do and it is so easy. We sang a selection of Christmas carols and songs as well as a number of popular songs from the years when the elderly residents were young- Songs like You made me Love You, If you were the only girl in the world, and Beer Barrel Polka. … Continue reading

Gospel Doctrine: Bringing Friends to Christ

We have already studied much of the second chapter of Mark reviewed as part of lesson 7. However, as I read, I was touched by the role of the friends of the palsied man. Though they are rarely discussed, they seem like four men worthy of emulation. When Christ returned to Capernum, a multitude of people gathered in his home to hear Him preach and minister. Among those wishing to be included were four men bearing a palsied fifth on a litter. When they could not get through because of the crowd, they climbed on the roof and lowered their … Continue reading

Are You Ready For Your Kids’ Winter Break?

With winter break just around the corner, home – based professional parents everywhere may be both excited about the opportunity to spend time with their children and anxious about whether they will be able to keep up with their workload while the kids are on break. Whether your kids are on break from day care, pre school, grade school, high school, or college, you probably want to spend more time with them than you normally have available during a typical work week. If at all possible, try to plan ahead so that you can lighten your workload during their vacation … Continue reading