May 23, 2008
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She smiles at the future!
I almost wanted to title this blog… “Christmas in May”.
I’m starting to think about Christmas this month because I know if I don’t start planning ahead then I’ll be caught off guard. So, I’ve been watching the dollar stores and picking up little ‘fill in’ gifts for the grandchildren. Five dollars, here and there, does not put nearly the strain on our budget as waiting to purchase everything at once.
Strawberries are in season in California so I’m saving the little green plastic baskets. I use them for candy gifts. I put a piece of colored seran wrap inside the basket and the candies on top. I usually make Mounds Balls (recipe on my website). I watch for the cellophane wrap when it first comes in at the dollar stores and use it to wrap the outside. I cut a large square.. place the basket in the middle and the bring all four sides towards the top while securing it with a colored ribbon. (Does that makes sense?) Anyway, it’s much cheaper to save these plastic containers than to buy those plastic plates.
Another thing I’m doing is knitting dishcloths in the evenings. I’m finding it very relaxing. My mother taught me the simple knit and pearl stitches when I was in elementary school over 40 years ago. I still remembered what she taught me. (Now why do I have such problems remembering where I left my car keys?) I’m not a tv watcher but enjoy reading blogs in the evening while my husband watches tv. I have a laptop so I can sit in the same room with him. We have dial up so my computer is extremely SLOW. I knit while I’m waiting for the pages to load.
I’ve already set aside one dishcloth towards my Christmas stash.
I have a ‘gift closet’ where I store my gifts. I also keep ideas in that closet for future projects. I found a tile idea where you write scripture on it. I thought it would be a neat idea for the grandchildren and I to work on someday. Once you write your saying on the tile then you put it on a small easel.
Our church ladies have been studying Proverbs 31. Preparing for the future was a practice of the Proverb 31 woman. She was able to SMILE at the future. We’re being reminded what a hard worker she was. She did not eat the bread of idleness but worked willingly with her hands.
Hope you had a lovely week! The winds were over 30 miles an hour in my neck of the woods. The rural area where I lived was one big dust storm! I mowed our yards while wearing sun glasses, a face mask and a coat with a hood! What a sight! But, at least my eyes did not get a ton of sand in them.
Comments (4)
What a great thing to keep in mind…she smiled at the future. That’s a good test: Am I smiling at th future, or dreading it? Fearful of it?
Great post! God bless you, Sister. I appreciate your faithfulness to what God has called you to do.
These are great ideas. You have inspired me today to work toward my gift giving reserve. I love to relax in the evening doing something productive while I sit…this was one of the many godly qualities my mother taught me by her example.
Good ideas. I esp. like the tile one. I set aside money each month for gift giving. Thanks for the reminder to start thinking about Christmas gifts.
NOthing like having the gifts bought and ready to wrap in August. We have done that before and it works really well. I need to go work on an afghan for a friend for Christmas. Have a grat weekend. dawn