Happy New Year!

Myriads of Blessings

to all of my sweet blogging friends

in 2010!

"Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature:

old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new."

II Corinthians 5:17

Magi

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." ....and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh."

Selected from Matthew 2

But Mary....

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, and angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."

Luke 2:8-20

3 little Gifts and some Christmas decorating

Some Christmas decorating in the living room bookshelf.

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The old Putz village that belonged to my Grandmother.

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One of several Nativities.

This is one for the little ones to 'see but not touch.'
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Some favorite books and a vintage Santa given to me

by my paternal grandmother *many years ago*.

It was the only time I had met her.

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An all white Nativity.

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Another vintage Santa!

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A cross stitch Nativity from a friend.

"Gifts from the Magi"

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I recently won some giveaways ~

A Holiday stamp set from Gina,

A sweet snowman mitten ornament from Linda,

and precious earrings from "Olde Dame Penniwig!"

(And I always thought the three wisemens' names were

Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar!) *

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"And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh."
Matthew 2:11


*Names of the Magi are 'Christian tradition' as is the idea

of there only being three. The Bible does not tell the number or the names

of these caste of wise men who came to worship the Christ Child. The idea

of there being 3 comes from the number of gifts stated in the verse.

No Room

"Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Luke 2:1-7

Blessed

" Mary arose and went with hast to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice, and said, "Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"

Luke 1:39-42

The Bay...

...at 6* Fahrenheit!

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The Winter Fairy's Wand...

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Log with ice crystals

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Frozen tideland

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Washed ashore; now sporting a

fashionable winter hairdo!

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Even salt water freezes at 6*!



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An icy flounce on the skirts of the bank

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Joining Susan for

and Kathleen for

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"He casts forth His ice as fragments;

Who can stand before His cold?"

Psalm 147:17

Dawn is having a giveaway!

Sweet Dawn over at The Feathered Nest

is having a giveaway to celebrate

1200 posts and 400 followers!

You won't want to miss this one ~ she is

such a talented artist and has

precious gifts for her giveaway!
*****

"He who is generous will be blessed."

Proverbs 22:9

Hail, favored one!

"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The LORD is with you." But she was greatly troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the LORD: be it done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her."

Luke 1:26-38

Frost

Joining Kathleen at Faded Charm for...

and Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for...

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"By the breath of God frost is given"

Job 37:10

12 Days of Christmas

Gina is having a 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

Isn't that such a clever thing to do?

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She shares lots of recipes

and has a couple of stores for you to

do some of your Christmas shopping, too!

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Please, stop by a check it out!

I think you will be glad you did.

And be sure to tell her I sent you!

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Let's see....

"On the first day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me..."

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"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down,

and shaken together, and running over."

Luke 6:38

The Anchor of my soul

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"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,"

Hebrews 6:19

Happy Thanksgiving!

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"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,

and to sing praises unto Thy name."

Psalm 92:1

Giving Thanks

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"O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;

For His lovingkindness is everlasting."

I Cronicles 16:34

Every Year about this Time....

...she blooms, abundantly!

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Joining Cindy for Show and Tell Friday!

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"The winderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose, it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing:"

Isaiah 35:1&2

I'm a Winner!

Just look at all the lovelies I received from Kelley in

a recent giveaway she held!

A Harvest bag held a wonderful Gooseberry Patch Autumn

Cookbook, a container full of Pumpkin Spice tea,

Spicy scented candles and soap (is that homemade, Kelley?),

a sweet knitted and crocheted cloth

and some delicious lotion!

All sent with love!

Won't you all head over there and say "Hi"?

She's a real sweetheart!

Thanks so much, Kelley,

my home smells delightful with the

soap and candles,

and hopefully soon with some tasty

selections from the cookbook!
Yep! I'm a winner ~ not just the goodies

but a new blogging friend, too!

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"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,

but only one receives the prize?

Run in such a way that you may win."

I Corinthians 9:24

Someone's knocking

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:

if any man hear my voice, and open the door,

I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Revelation 3:20

Today's post....

...is in

(click photo)

"She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple."

Proverbs 31:22

In Loving Memory

of those who served and are serving

in our military.

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Honoring....

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thanking....
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praying!

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"Greater love hath no man than this,

that a man lay down his life

for his friends."

John 15:13

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A Soldier's Psalm

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,

My God, in who I trust!"

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper,

And from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with His pinions,

And under His wings you may seek refuge;

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

You will not be afraid of the terror by night,

Or of the arrow that flies by day;

Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

A thousand my fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not approach you.

You will only look on with your eyes,

And see the recompense of the wicked.

For you have made the LORD, my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place.

No evil will befall you,

Nor will any plague come near your tent.

For He will give His angels charge concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

They will bear you up in their hands,

Lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

"He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him, and honor him.

"With a long life I will satisfy him,

And let him behold My salvation."

Psalm 91

Unchanging

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"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

Hebrews 13:8

At Eventide

Joining Kathleen at Faded Charm for

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(There are a couple of little white things in this post~

see if you can spot them!)

AND

Joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer

for

Please visit these ladies for more

White Wednesday

and

Outdoor Wednesday

posts!

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When Gentleman Farmer arrived home from work,

he asked if I would like to go for a walk

in the woods behind our house.

Perhaps you would like to join us?

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The sun is almost set.
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The golden rays cast a shimmering light on the Maples.
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Our little town, across the water
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Leaves...
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mushrooms...
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toadstools...
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moss and lichen...
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embellish the woodland floor.
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And then...
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Eventide

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"And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide:"
Genesis 24:63