Ten days left!!

Wow! Christmas really snuck up on me this year! Last year I had all these plans to be more prepared but it just didn't happen! So far I have my fresh tree, I have baked cookies and made candy with my Children, and decorated the house at least somewhat!  We went to a WONDERFUL parade in Berlin, Md. It was the best I've seen and despite living nearby I have never visited downtown Berlin!

Today per my son's request, We went shopping at Michael's for Gingerbread houses! We found a real deal and were able to get them for only $5.99 so I let the kids each get their own.  Once we got through the hard work and mess it entertained them for quite a while!

Shopping is another story! Im still way behind on that and this is the first year I have actually bought more online than in stores.  It just seems I cant get away without Children!  I was able to get some great "after Cyber-Monday" deals.  There is still so much I want to do!  So here's my Christmas checklist.. What's on yours?!


Visit Santa
Parade
baking
gingerbread houses
Visit the Winterfest of lights in Ocean City

Reserve a show at The Polar Express at The Salted Rim http://saltedrimde.com/#christmas
Take Christmas photos of the kids
Send out Christmas cards
Finish decorating
Purchase items for Christmas Breakfast
Go to performance and parties at kids school
Read Christmas stories with kids especially the original found in Luke

There were three other things I wanted to do this year but time and money have hindered me.  I'm putting them on my bucket list for next year!

Visit the Arundel Mills mall (mostly to see the displays at Bass Pro shop)!
Visit the ice show at the Gaylord in Baltimore
Visit Christmas town in Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Im also gonna work on being more prepared next year :/

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Also on my to do list this week:
Finish reading Nicholas Sparks "The Guardian"
Walk 5 miles
Organize receipts and bills
Take kids to the dollar store and let them choose gifts for each other
Help kids organize their rooms and make room for new gifts

"SON"NY SUNDAY

     Well thankfully my family and I survived hurricane "Sandy" with no major issues.  I was concerned about a dead tree that's really close to my bedroom window but as I inspected my property afterwards I found my other dead tree in the back yard down.  Thankfully damage was minimal and actually Sandy saved me a few hundred bucks. Now I don't have to pay someone to cut the thing down!
  
 Unfortunately the towns of Ocean city and Cambridge nearby suffered more damage. Hopefully they will get all the help they need to recover this natural disaster.



          Ocean City Md pier

                                                                Crisfield Md Hurricane Sandy
                                                           






Interesting how things we cant see can affect us. Winds ripping and tearing through some properties destroying them, leaving families with nothing.  While others are barely affected.
 
Water, a resource we drink, play in, bathe in, and love, drowning homes and leaving destruction in its wake.  Memories down a literal or figurative drain.

Trees that shade us and protect us, and provide us with shelter, fall down and crush property or block us from getting where we need to go.

Weather. Uncontrollable. We are subject to it. The only thing we can do is prepare the best we can. We can assume it will blow over and chance being wrong or we can wipe the stores out of supplies and prepare for the worst.  But it is out of our hands.  Even the most prepared may suffer.  Even the least prepared may survive.

Life is the same way.  The things we do may make or break us. Even the most well laid plans can crumble.  Marriages that were seemingly perfect  crumble, many times because one party decides they want out.  Maybe because of workaholism (work is a good thing), maybe because of a friendship(a good thing) that turned inappropriate.

Well raised Children disappoint. Jobs downsize, People die. 

We are subject to all of it.  But if we don't prepare we don't stand a chance.

The word of God in Matthew 7:24-26 says:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Psalms 18:2-3 says:

 "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

 

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn^a of my salvation, my stronghold.

3I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,

and I am saved from my enemies."

Does this mean when you call on the Lord you wont get divorced, have naughty children or lose your job? Or that you wont watch your loved ones struggle with Cancer? No of course not.  Like the weather, we are subject to the struggles in life. But clinging to the ROCK, who is Jesus Christ, Is like getting your bread, water, and flashlights.  Its like boarding your windows or leaving town.  You find the Lord and he will take care of the rest. Not only tha,t it is a wonderful experience and he's a friend that sticks closer than your fake Facebook friends.

Knowing and living for  the Lord is the best prevention and protection you could hope to attain.

And If your world falls apart... at least you know you can go to his house. :)








                                                                                                                     

Sentimental Value

     So I'm starting a blog. I don't know a thing about blogging but I figured I'd give it a try.  I'm calling it Sentiments.

The word SENTIMENTS is defined as "a view or attitude, an opinion"  Despite what most people probably think, I'm a very opinionated person. Like  most people, I often believe my opinions to be truths. In fact they ARE truths! :)

Whether they are truth or not, some people will always call them my opinion so why don't I just call this "SENTIMENTS"?!

Now SENTIMENTAL VALUE is defined as "Personal value towards something, derived from the personal memories associated with it."

So In my blog I basically plan to share my sentiments and my values, based on experiences and memories I have. Daily life, children, social issues, my past etc... My hope is that you will find some piece of truth for yourself here in my opinion.  Something you can identify with, something you can take with you, not to change you but to add to your own personal truths. I find it's always nice to find someone who sees life in a similar light as I do. It's also nice when one sheds light on a new perspective.  So I hope to be a light one way or another.

I'm taking a leap of faith with no clue where this is going.  But Faith has always gotten me where I need to go.

Enjoy... Lauren