December Review

Where did December go? I can hardly believe that it is already January, not to mention, a brand new year!

In the month of December, we....

Decorated the first Christmas tree at our new home

 

Created snow people out of socks

 

 

Made cards with stamps....even Henry the hamster got in on the action!

 

Tossed around snowballs...

 

...while ice skating...

 

...on the frozen lake

 

Went to a Snowball dance

 

Spent quality time together

 

 Enjoyed the lights and the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon

(this is my "Whoot" owl Scentsy warmer)

 

Crafted a wreath for the door

 

Made a family Christmas card

 

Took pictures in the snow

 

Attempted to make a snowman

 

Exchanged gifts and dressed up all fancy

 

And partied until we dropped

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

Probably A Good Idea Santa Didn't Bring Us One

If you own a television, I am sure that you have seen this commercial for the My Spy Birdhouse at least once.

For those of you who have never seen it, here it is, for your viewing pleasure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2riVwsUt42U

It looks like it would be good for hour after hour of good old fashioned family fun!

For the low, low price of only $14.99 (plus an additional $7.99 for processing and handling) we would be able to see the birds as they built their nests, and raised their families. Granted, other than the birdhouse being open in the back, and having suction cups,  it doesn't look any more complicated than the birdhouses my girls have made during one of Home Depot's kids workshops, which were free. But still!

We love birds. We love watching them, feeding them, and photographing them. We even have a cockatiel bird as a pet. Here is Howie, perched on our Christmas tree.

Isn't he presh? That is short for "precious". My daughter used it one time in my presence, and now it is my new vocabulary word. Feel free to steal it, and use it often. It will annoy your children.

So....if I thought that the My Spy Birdhouse would make a perfect gift for our family, why in the world did I not buy one?

Here is why: I was afraid that by buying one and attaching it to one of our windows, I would condemn an untold number of birds to their tragic deaths.

You see, our lovely home with the large windows is where birds like to kill themselves. Time after time, we have heard the loud, sickening thump of a bird meeting its untimely death as it flies like a Kamikaze suicide pilot directly into our house. I have lost count of how many innocent, naive birds have lost their lives, or have at least sustained some form of brain injury from our windows.

Earlier this year, we had some beautiful bluebirds around our bird feeder. The feeder was up high in a tree, far away from our death trap windows. The bluebirds flitted around, without a care in the world, until one of them flew SMACK into the window. The poor bird struggled unsuccessfully to get up, but it could not. To my absolute horror, the other bird started pecking unmercifully at him! I assumed that it was trying to kill him, to put him out of his misery, but after discussing it over with Hubs, we think that he was trying to help it up the only way he knew how. He kept flying around the other bird, and pecking at its neck, crying over and over to the struggling creature. If we could have understood his bird language, I'm sure he was saying something like, "Get up! Get up! It is not safe for you to be on the ground! Don't you know a fierce DOG lives here?!"  Finally, he gave up trying to get the helpless bird, and he flew away. The injured bird just laid pitifully on the ground, still struggling to stand.

I hurriedly called Hubs over to the window, and pointed to the sad little bird on the ground. I got Hubs an old t-shirt and a box to put the bird in, and we brought him into the laundry room.

 The little bird was shivering, and breathing rapidly.

After looking him over, it seemed that he just had a few surface injuries, and a dirt encrusted, slightly bloody, rather unfocused eye.

 I got out my bottle of eye drops and cleaned out his eye to the best of my ability. Once the dirt and blood were wiped away, he seemed to appreciate being able to see better.

I placed him back into the warm box to rest, and try to clear his head.

After a little while, we went back in the laundry room to check on him. Hubs picked him up, and the bird immediately hopped onto his shoulder! In spite of smashing up against the window, it seemed like he was going to be okay.

When we were fairly sure that the bird was well enough to be on his own, Hubs placed him back in the box, took him outside, and let him go. He flew right up into the tree, and sat there for a bit, before flying away. Since that time, we have never seen him, or any other bluebird, in our yard again. It's as if he flew back to all of his friends, and warned them not to go anywhere near the birdie house of horrors.

While I still think it would be neat to have the My Spy Birdhouse, we will just have to be content to watch the wild birds from afar.

If you also have a home that birds like to fly into, what do you do to prevent this from happening? The birds in my backyard would be very appreciative of your advice...

Inexpensive Gift Ideas For Christmas

It's that time of year again, folks! Time for roasting chestnuts on an open fire (who does that sort of thing? Anyone?) singing Yuletide carols, and dressing up like Eskimos (unless, you happen to live in Florida).

Oh....and buying everyone and their brother something for Christmas.

Are you running out of money, AND out of inexpensive ideas for every teacher, neighbor, friend you want to give a present to? Then, feel free to steal my idea:

Christmas in a mug!

I love plants, and have quite a few of them. Just the other day, I was separating my plants (again) getting ready to give some friends and relatives some plant starts, when the idea came to me. Why not create an inexpensive Christmas present out of them? So, off I went to my local thrift store, to purchase some Christmas mugs. Now, some of you have never even set foot in a thrift store, unless it was to buy an ugly sweater for that annual office Christmas party.

Why not? Are you too proud to be seen in one? You would be surprised at all the treasures to be found there! That is a whole different blog post, but one thing you can find there this time of year is very low cost things for Christmas. For only 59 cents, at our local thrift store, you can get a like-new Christmas mug. 59 cents! That is even cheaper than going to the dollar store!

Here is an example of one of the Christmas plant mugs I created for a teacher gift:

If you don't already have plants, and you want to create a Christmas plant mug, you can buy a few starter plants at just about any store, and separate them out into several different mugs that you have filled with potting soil. I made sure to include at least three different varieties of hardy plants that transplant well. I used some festive garland I already had, and attached a little red bow.

There are many other things that would work well to put in a mug. By balling up tissue paper and placing it in the mug first, you can make it so that whatever you put in the mug will be elevated. Here are some other ideas for things you could put in a Christmas mug that would make great gifts:

*Hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows
* Cup O' Soup packets or any other "cup" food (my oldest daughter's term, and her favorite kind of food!)
*Assortment of hand sanitizer, lotions, or chapsticks
*Homemade or store bought candy
*Assortment of different flavored tea or coffee
*A variety of office supplies like paper clips, white out, erasers, etc.
*Small notepad and pens or pencils
*Golf balls and tees
*Deck of regular playing cards or UNO cards
*Ornament
*Small frame with picture of kids (would make a great Grandparent gift!)
*Nail polish and other mani/pedi supplies
*Any gift card (iTunes, coffee shop, movie theatre, book store, restaurant, etc.)
*Brownie, cupcake, or muffin baked in a mug (make sure the mug can be put in microwave or oven first!) Or, you could just write down a bunch of yummy recipes for mug desserts down on recipe cards that you make yourself. Need some recipe ideas? You can go here for some inspiration.

If you cannot afford to give much other than the mug itself, fill the mug with little slips of paper of all the things you admire about the person you are giving it to. Who wouldn't want to read all of the things you love about them?! That's a true gift from the heart.

You could also make up coupons for those people you know well. Need to give a gift to a friend or family member with small children? Offer to babysit their little tikes so they can have a quiet night out! Some other ideas could be to shovel their drive, a meal given to them at a later time, pet sitting, free house cleaning, really whatever you can think of that is a labor of love that the person receiving the gift would enjoy!

Use your imagination,  and I'm sure that you could also come up with some creative ideas on creating Christmas gifts in a mug.

Now, put on that Christmas thinking cap, and get busy! Only 8 more days until Christmas....

Table Tipping Part 2

Since the last time we "spoke", have you tipped over any tables?

If so, how did it go? Better than you expected? Worse? About the same?

Now, it's time to look at a totally different approach to table tipping. Those would be the tables that have been filled with the things that we, ourselves, have put there, either intentionally, or unintentionally.

Not only can other people pile things on our theoretical tables, but we can put things there ourselves. Take for example, bad habits that we never intended to develop, but over time, we have found ourselves entrenched in anyway.

It is said that it takes about 21 days to develop a habit; good or bad. I would say that for most people, it takes even less time than that for bad habits to stick, and more time than that to form good habits.

Other people can tell us what we need to do to change things, but until we genuinely want to change, things will remain the same way they have always been. Take for instance, someone who is a smoker. It is a rare person in this day and age that does not know the effects smoking has on a human body. You only have to look at the cigarette package warning label to know that smoking is probably NOT the best idea. Commercials appear on television, showing a lady in a wig, with a stoma in her neck, speaking about her experience with neck and throat cancer caused from smoking. The smoker may even know of someone who has died from the effects of smoking. And yet, they continue to smoke. Why is that? It's because, for whatever reason, they do not want to stop. Oh, they may WANT to stop, but they are not willing to do the hard things that are required of them to become a non-smoker.

Just like the rest of you, there are things that I want to change in my life. Some of my life tables have become cluttered with things that I never intended to be there, but have placed there any way.....by my OWN hands. People can tell me that I need to tip over those tables, but, unless I resolve to make those hard decisions myself, nothing will change. It is time to tip over those tables and start anew!

Most of us make some sort of resolution to start out the new year, such as losing weight, getting more exercise, or stopping a bad habit, but why wait until then? Why not start tipping over some of those tables now? Tables that YOU have piled high with bad habits, flimsy excuses, poor attitudes, unhealthy life choices, etc.

Just like last time, this type of table tipping may not be pleasant. It is not easy to take a good hard look at our lives, and realize that we have caused many of our own problems. Gulp.

How do you start making these necessary changes? By taking one baby step at a time.

 If for example, you feel that your spending habits have gotten out of control, it's time to tip over that table and begin again. What better time to start than before the beginning of the most expensive season of the year...Christmas. Resolve to just simply spend less. Sit down, and figure out how much you can realistically afford to spend on each person (which will probably be a lot less than you want to spend on each person) and then, stick to it! Try to remember that while people do enjoy getting gifts from you, it truly is the thought that counts.

Other than a few key items, I really can't remember very many of the exact Christmas gifts that I received as a child. Isn't that sad? Through the years, my parents and other family members and friends have given me tons of gifts, but I can only count on one hand the ones I actually remember. Just how many gifts that you have given to others do you think they will remember years from now? Yeah.....not many.

If you want to exercise more, you could start out by attempting to do P90X every day (although, if you have been a couch potato prior to this, I wouldn't recommend it) or, you can do what a wise person once told me, and just start out by walking a little bit each day. Which one do you think you would be more likely to stick with?

What is it that you have been wanting, but have not been willing to make those hard changes that are required to get what you want? What are you waiting for?

The time to start table tipping is.....NOW!

Table Tipping Part 1

¹³ Then it was time for the annual Jewish Passover celebration, and Jesus went to Jerusalem.
¹⁴ In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices, and moneychangers behind their counters. ¹⁵ Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out, and drove out the sheep and oxen, scattering the moneychangers’ coins over the floor and turning over their tables! ¹⁶ Then, going over to the men selling doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Don’t turn my Father’s House into a market!”
~John 2:13-16 (The Living Bible)

When you think of Jesus, do you think of him this way? As a man who would use a whip to chase people out of the temple, while turning over their tables and scattering their money all over the floor? If you are anything like me, you probably think of him as more of a "turn the other cheek" kind of guy. One who sought peace in any and all situations.

But that is just not the case. While he did strive for peace, he also would not tolerate certain things. And you know what? Neither should we!

Now, before you start writing me, telling me that what I am about to say has absolutely NOTHING to do with why these verses were written, I already know that. My purpose is not to take anything away from these verses, rather to show you how I feel we can relate to them in a different way. The more I thought about them, the more I realized each part of our lives is sort of like a table. These tables become filled with things we allow into our lives; good or bad.

I have realized, in my own life, there are certain "tables" that need to be overturned. There are things I have put up with for far too long and while I may have been upset by them, I was not willing to tip over the table. The older I get, however, the more I realize some tables MUST be overturned for change to take place.

 While God does require us to love others, he does not command us to be their doormat. I am beginning to learn the difference between allowing myself to be taken advantage of, and tipping the table to bring about much-needed boundaries in my relationships with others.

In their book, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend write, "Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership".

Perhaps you have allowed others to manipulate you, use you, take advantage of you...the list could go on and on. Maybe it is time to start tipping some tables!

Have you ever heard the song by Little Big Town, Little White Church? If you haven't, here are some of the lyrics:

You've been singing that same old song
Far too long, far too long
Say you'll buy me a shiny ring
But your words don't mean a thing

No more calling me baby, no more loving like crazy

'Til you take me down
(Take me down)
You better take me down
(Take me down)
Take me down to the little white church

Read more: Little Big Town - Little White Church Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Sounds like a lady who did some table tipping of her own!

We cannot control how others choose to behave, but we can control how we respond to their behavior. What I do or don't do, say or don't say, shows others how they can continue treating me. If I put up with something, just for the sake of keeping that table upright, people are going to think that it is okay to keep filling my table up with disrespect, manipulation, bad behavior, etc.

Where do you need to create some healthy boundaries in your own life? In what areas are you allowing others to control you? Is it with your spouse? Your parents? Siblings? Friends? Co-workers? Children?

Now, I will warn you, people usually don't appreciate you tipping the tables on them. While you may not have liked what was happening to you in the past, you did allow it, so people have gotten used to treating you a certain way. When you put your foot down and say (in love) that you will NO LONGER allow yourself to be treated that way, people may not like what you have to say. The dynamics of your relationship may change, and it may not be for the better. That is the price you have to pay for table tipping.

If you have allowed others to fill your tables with things you do not desire in your life, it is time to tell them that, from now on, things are going to be different. They may still behave the same way, but you will no longer allow their decisions to affect you, or to fill your table.

Maybe you thought you had healthy boundaries in place, but over time, your life fences have fallen into disrepair, and it is time to do some necessary maintenance. A fence is only as strong as its weakest spot. It's time to re-establish those boundaries!

If you need to tip some tables, but are hesitant to do so, what is stopping you? How long will you allow others to fill up your table with things you don't want? How long will you allow yourself to be used, manipulated, and taken advantage of? The time to put a stop to it is NOW.

Let the table tipping begin....

Taken For A Ride On A Saturday Night

I have a bad habit of being ripped off when I go shopping. Hubs has often told me that I should carefully watch as each item is rung up, to make sure that I am being charged exactly what I should be, but I rarely do.

He first gave this sage advice to me when the girls were very small, after I had been accidentally overcharged on several items at the grocery store. Of course, I didn't realize it until after I was already home.

After he gave me his little speech, I told him that I couldn't possibly make sure that every single item was being rung up properly. How could I, when I was trying to keep the youngest from climbing out of the grocery cart seat, the middle daughter from wandering away, and the oldest from adding things from the conveniently placed candy shelf to the cart while I wasn't looking? Those things were WAY more important than being overcharged a few cents on a can of soup. To be honest, it just didn't seem that important. I figured it was a small price to pay for my sanity.

Now my girls are older, and are (usually) quite helpful when I am at the store. They actually UNLOAD the cart for me now, and I don't even have to ask them! I still have to keep tabs on the younger one, as she is still prone to wandering, but we are definitely making headway on that one.

So, there really isn't any reason why I couldn't watch as each and every item is being rung up. Except, that I don't.

I guess it's not fair then to become upset when I am overcharged. However, a little while ago, when I was charged for two motion sickness medicines instead of one (at $4.99 a pop!) I was a little ticked off. Of course, I was already home when I found out, so I didn't do anything about it. I chalked it up to a lesson being learned, and the next time, I swore that I would be more careful.

Yeah....right.

I admit, usually when I am shopping, I am in a hurry. We are a pretty busy family, and it seems that we are always running late to something. I usually do not have a long, leisurely time in which to shop, so that by the time we are actually checking out, I am staring at my watch, with panic starting to set in, that we will not make it on time to our next activity. Can any of you out there relate? Please, tell me I'm not alone.

Tonight, Hubs and I and the youngest decided to order some Chinese take-out. Since we were out, I decided to swing by the store for just one item: La Choy Teriyaki sauce. Why La Choy? It is the only brand that I have been able to find that is gluten-free. I had already looked at my regular store, and they were out of it, so I decided to try the store that I don't shop at all that much.

Hubs went to look through the store's garden center, to see if there was anything on clearance, while I fought my way through the mass of people to the other side of the store where the teriyaki sauce is kept.

I looked in vain for that blessed bottle with the purple top. They were out of it too! In fact.....there wasn't even a tag on the shelf for it. I'm afraid that means that, *gasp*, the company may have discontinued selling it, or, the stores have decided to stop selling it because they have something against me. Yes, I'm sure that's the reason.

Hubs called my cell phone to tell me that they had fertilizer/crab grass killer on clearance, so he was going to pick up a few bags, and I could meet him in the front. On my way there, I also decided to pick up some corn tortillas and GF English muffins, because, I am an impulse shopper. It is a rare occasion when I can go into a store, and ONLY buy what I came in there to buy. It's a sickness.

Anyway, I had my items, and Hubs had his, so off we went to wait in line. Our Chinese food was only going to take "10 minutes" (that is what they always say every single time you call) and we were already running late picking it up, but we weren't too worried.

The young girl seemed to have a hard time ringing things up as this was a special coupon day, but she managed, and we eagerly hurried to the car, the delicious taste of Chinese food already in our mouths.

As we were getting in the car, I just so happened to glance down at the receipt.

Gulp.

I noticed the girl had charged me for not one.....but TWO English muffins.

Now, since I was actually behind Hubs, and therefore I couldn't even see as the items were rung up, it was actually Hubs that didn't notice that we were charged double! Oh, how the tides have turned.

He asked if I wanted to go in, or if I wanted him to, and of course, I told him that he may have the pleasure.

He quickly went in, got his refund, and came back out.

We had a discussion about how, if we wouldn't have noticed, we would have been out $4.99. Gluten-free items are not cheap, people!

I decided to look at the other items we purchased on the receipt, just to make sure they were rung up correctly.

I hadn't been with Hubs to know how much his fertilizer stuff was supposed to be, but when I told him that each of the three bags had rung up at $23.99, his jaw dropped.

Apparently, the fertilizer was supposed to be $20.79 Oh, the humanity....

Back in we go!

Hubs went BACK to customer service, to get ANOTHER refund. After Hubs expressed his displeasure at being overcharged not once, but twice, the man gave him a store credit for $2.50, on top of the money that he was overcharged for the fertilizer.

Knowing our ability to forget all about coupons, he decided to use it right then and there. Since he is a fan of Magic Shell, but he doesn't usually want me to buy it, he decided that, since we were given "free" money, he would spend it on that.

We located the Magic Shell, and proceeded to stand in line.....again.

As we waited in the long line, an older gentleman behind me asked me, "You aren't going to use that NOW, are you?"

Thinking he meant the Magic Shell, and being very confused since I couldn't very well use the Magic Shell now.....I looked dumbfounded at him, and stuttered something about not understanding what he meant.

He tapped the bag of fertilizer/crab grass killer, and repeated his question again. OH....he meant the fertilizer! Ha! I told Hubs the man had a question for him. Hubs reassured him that he wasn't going to use it now, but was just buying it because it was on clearance.

By the time we were finally able to pick up the Chinese take-out, way more than 10 minutes had passed. It had been closer to an hour.

The lady said that she had even called us, because she thought we weren't coming to pick it up! No, we were just trapped at the store.

By returning to the store.....twice.....we were able to get back over $15, plus we received a "customer happiness" coupon (that is what it was called) which resulted in free Magic Shell for our ice cream. I'm not sure that $2.50 made up for it, but I guess it's better than nothing.

I asked Hubs if he was charged correctly at the Chinese restaurant, and he said he didn't know.

But, with the way our night had been going......

Probably not.....

He Knows My Name

I am not exactly a "household" name. I have family, friends, and yes, even aquaintances who know my name, but I am not someone that people talk about around the dinner table.

And....that is just the way I like it.

I am not very comfortable being in the spotlight. I am more of a person who just likes to blend in. I would hate to be famous, and never be able to leave my house without the whole world seeing a picture of me in my old t-shirt and jeans, hair looking messy, minimal make-up on, while pushing a grocery cart. Or, people hiding behind my bushes, just to get a picture of me while I'm taking out the trash.

My dirty laundry isn't featured on the front page of newspapers or gossip magazines. I wouldn't want it to be, either! I do my best to try and present a picture to the public that I have it all together, and that everything is "fine"....even when it really isn't.

If you have ever heard of Miranda Lambert's song, "My Mama's Broken Heart", there is a line in there that says, "you get a grip and bite your lip just to save a little face". Yep....that's me.

Sometimes the things we go through are things that we feel comfortable sharing with others. But, sometimes, we don't, or we can't. Maybe it is just too personal, or we think that others couldn't possibly understand. Or, if they knew, they would think differently about us, so we just keep it to ourselves.

That can feel very isolating. It can feel like we are all alone, floating along on this sea of life, with no one to turn to. No one who cares. No one who understands.

Even though it may feel like that at times, we are NOT all alone. There IS someone to turn to. Someone who cares. Someone who understands.

His name is......Jesus.

There is a song that came to me today that explains this better than I ever could. It is called, "He Knows My Name", by Tommy Walker. Here are the lyrics:

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call


As you are reading these words, how does it make you feel? Does it make you feel good that He knows your name?

What if you don't believe in Him? Does he STILL know your name? Does he still care?

Yes. He does.

Not only does he know your name, but he knows your every thought. That is the part that tends to bother me. My e-v-e-r-y thought. Not just the ones that are filled with sunshine and roses. If you are anything like me, you think thoughts that you would NOT want others to know. You only let people see the parts of you that you want them to see. The parts of you that will make others think well of you. Not the ugly side of you. Not the part that is selfish, or unkind. Or, just downright awful.

But.....he knows our every thought. He already knows you are thinking them. Why not just tell him?

What if you don't believe in him? Tell him that. Ask him to show you that he is real. He will!

If you are angry with him......tell him. He already knows you are! He can handle our feelings.

If you feel like he is distant.....tell him. Ask him to let you feel his presence today.

If you are sad or hurt.....tell him. Ask him to comfort you. He will!

In Luke 12:7, it says that not only does he know our names, but he knows how many hairs are on our head. Can you imagine that? He counts each and every hair! I'm not sure why this is important to him, but apparently, it is. That just goes to show you how much he cares.

It also says in Psalm 56:8, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

He keeps track of ALL our sorrows. Every one. He collects our tears in a bottle. I envision that in heaven, there is a bottle with the name "Amiee" written on it. It is a rather large bottle mind you, because I cry a lot! Usually not in front of people, if I can help it. But, even when no one else sees that I am crying, God sees. Not only does he see, but he catches all of my tears, and puts them in a bottle. He records all of my sorrows. He cares.

I don't know about you, but that makes me feel pretty special!

So, today, if you are feeling sad, or lonely, or depressed, and you think that there isn't a single person who cares about you, remember this:

He knows your name
He knows your every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears you when you call

Call on him today.

He is there....

* To hear the song, "He Knows My Name", follow this link http://youtu.be/gBmtGSuw04Y