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I'm hoping to create some new Christmas Tags for you very soon...
but until then... I wanted to let you know these tags are still available!
Simply download these Free Printable Christmas Tags, print, cut and create!
You can use them for gift tags or scrapbooking...
for making greeting cards or even ornaments.
To get your creative juices going, check out this post from last year for
inspiration and ideas using these designs... and have fun!
With love and Christmas hugs...
Karla
This is our first Christmas living in the new house so it was fun
to start going through the decorations over the weekend and
figuring out what will work since this house is so different from the last one.
The first thing I chose to set up was my favorite nativity... and the
moment I placed Baby Jesus in the manger I knew it was beginning to look
a lot like Christmas because it really is all about Him. His birth...
His life... and why He came... He truly is the Reason for the Season!
There are so many things about Christmas that I love...
the sounds, the smells, the beauty of it all!
But it's the loving, giving, caring and sharing that makes
Christmas the most beautiful holiday of all!
I look forward, over the next 27 days, to sharing some of the sights,
smells, sounds, and symbolism of the season with you
so that together we will be encouraged to celebrate this season...
in His love and for His glory!
So how about you... do you own a nativity? Have you set it out yet?
I love the tradition of not putting Jesus in the manger until Christmas
morning. Do you do that? Hmmm... now that I said that...
I think my Baby Jesus just might disappear for the next 27 days!
Love and Christmas hugs to you...
Karla
I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving day with my family...
I am so thankful for them...
and wanted to take a moment to tell you...
how thankful I am for you too!
Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
Hope you took some time to count your blessings
and give thanks to the Lord from whom all blessings flow!
Love and God-hugs...
Karla
This year Thanksgiving will be very different for us. It will be at our house...
and I'll be fixing the traditional turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy...
but that's where traditional will end.
Mike's sister Cindy and her husband Kerry are now "snowbirds" and have gone
south for the winter... and Gary, our son-in-love, will be in Nevada with our
youngest granddaughter for a soccer tournament! My heart is sad.
But life changes, doesn't it? People we love leave our lives... some only for
a season but some forever... and they leave empty chairs at the table and
empty holes in our hearts. But gratitude is a sweet taste of grace that can
help fill that emptiness... with memories of holidays past and the blessings of
today. And it is true that an attitude of gratitude helps chase the blues away!
So I'm giving thanks with a grateful heart. The turkey is in the refrigerator...
Michelle and Alexis and our niece...Cindy's daughter Monica.. will be coming.
And I've been asking God if there's someone else who needs a family to
celebrate with... maybe a man so poor Michael won't be so outnumbered!
But what about you? Traditional Thanksgiving holiday this year or is it a new
season for you too? Whichever way... let's give thanks to God together!
with love and God-hugs...
Karla
We all talk to ourselves, don't we?
I know I do... and so did David the psalmist.
Psalm 103 is one of my absolute favorites, where, in essence, David does
a little self-talk to help him refocus on the things in life that really matter.
He basically says to himself...
"Now listen self... hear me my soul. Despite what's going on in the world,
stop right now... and bless the Lord. Don't forget all He's done for you,
my soul. Think about those things and give Him glory!"
David goes on to count his blessings, naming them one by one.
So next time your soul is downcast, try this:
tell your soul to take a break from the pain, the frustration, the worries
and woes... and consider the good that is in your life, and
bless the Lord... let all that is within you, bless His holy name!
love and God-hugs...
Karla
Many of you, over the years, have asked about my "An Apple A Day" book
and with great sadness, I have had to tell you that it was out of print.
So... it is with great joy that I present to you today... "Sweet As Apple Pie!"
"Sweet As Apple Pie" is a remake of "An Apple A Day" with a brand new
beautiful cover design, a some new devotionals and a few new recipes all
served to you in the same heartwarming homespun style of sweetness
and created to inspire healthy and fruitful living for the Lord!
It includes 31 devotionals with "Today's Apple" being a tasty bite
of God's Word. You'll be invited to "Chew On It" through an inspirational
story designed to nourish your soul... and to "Savor the Flavor" by praying
along with me to help the flavor linger in your heart long after you close the
book! Also included are a few journal pages, fruitful quotes and verses, as
well as some fun apple facts.
You can take a peek at a couple of the inside pages and purchase a signed
copy here on my website. Thanks for looking!!
Lord, help me to remember that every act of love and kindness is an
opportunity to offer Your life-giving fruit to those who do not know You.
Let my branches stretch out in new ways today... for Your glory... amen.
If November has prompted you to count your blessings even more than
normal... I would love to add a few more blessings for you to ponder...
in His Name!
Over the years, many of us have studied out the Names of Jesus and how
they portray the character and essence of Who He is and how He
wants to relate to us. What I love about how He has communicated this
to us is that He uses descriptions that are very visual... that we can
understand and relate to from our ordinary and everyday lives...
and even moreso during the Christmas season!
That's why I'm delighted to be able to offer this art to you as a digital art
collection on Etsy. This art was originally painted and designed for my book,
The Heart and Home of Christmas, to inspire and encourage women,
like you and me, to celebrate the season in His Name...
to help us stay focused on the One we worship by looking for
the symbolism of Who He is in the sights and sounds of the holiday season.
I hope this design will inspire you and even be a help to you as share the
love of Jesus through your cardmaking, crafting and creating this year!
Or... if you would prefer your "Blessed Be His Name" Christmas Cards
to be already printed and delivered to your door... you can find them
in my Zazzle Store in two different formats with the option to customize
if you like... with your own verse and/or name! Check it out.
May we glorify His Name together...
today and every day... throughout the holiday season!
xoxo
Karla
My daughter Michelle is having a Goody Giveaway on her blog...
you might want to go check out.
And remember... don't just think if you would like to win for yourself...
even though that would be great... but also think of who you could gift it to
for Christmas if you DID WIN!!!
If you do win you can choose either one of these...
handmade camera straps... absolutely adorable!
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win one!!
or this...
one of her fun pendulum clocks! You can see more of her art and
clocks on her website. But go visit her BLOG right away to enter her contest!!
Hope you know you're already in winner in my eyes... and God's...
but it will sure be super cool if one of my readers was her winner too!
Blessings and God-hugs...
Karla
Sometimes we can take our bodies so for granted can't we? I know I can.
But when something goes awry... you instantly become more aware of how
fearfully and wonderfully and intricately our bodies really are made!
Recently my sweet husband had some problems that led us to visit the doctor
and if you know my dear man... that means it must be serious.
After a few tests and poking and prodding... the problem was found.
When we asked the doctor what caused it... he said... old age and ornryness!
Boy... did he have my husband pegged!!
Well... today I am givng God much praise and thanksgiving that the problem
was not as serious as it could have been... and is treatable with diet!
Totally God's grace... and we're giving Him the glory! Yay God!
Thank You Father... for creating our amazingly incredible bodies! We know
they are only temporary dwelling places while we're here Lord... but we also
know we need to learn to take better care of them so that we can live the
lives You've called us to. Thank You Jesus for hearing our prayers and saving
Michael from what could have been so much worse! We give you all the glory!
Amen.
My first two bazaars of the season... I must confess.... have been fun!
I prayed before going... asking God to use me to be a blessing to others...
And I went trusting Him for the sales...
especially since I can't make anyone buy anything anyway! Duh!
The greatest blessing of all was having the opportunity to see a lot of women
I haven't seen in a very long time... some from Crossroads Church
where I used to go years ago... some from past speaking events
and others who had just lost touch with!
Let's just say... there was an abundance of hugs and lovin' at both bazaars.
It did my heart good... and I was blessed beyond measure.
You see... I grew up in a home where hugs were not given.
The first hug I remember getting (other than from boys) was from Mike's mom...
I was 18 years old.
It seemed so odd... so uncomfortable... I wasn't even sure how to respond.
With tears in my eyes and a heart filled with thanksgiving...
I prasie God that He has made me a hugger... and a cheek kisser!
I am so thankful for how He has so loved me...
that I have enough left over to give away. I am blessed!
So... I'm sorry if you weren't able to make it to one of the bazaars to get
your own personal Karla hug and kiss...
but even better... I'm sending you God-hugs and lotsa love!
Let us be thankful together!
Amen
I've been reading through "Give Thanks" and wanted to share one of the
my favorite stories with you. I know it's a little longer read... but the
symbolism of the painting is shared in the last paragraph...
so don't quit reading to early... and may your hearts be filled with praise!
Have you ever thought about what an incredible privilege it is for ordinary
people, folks like you and me, to enter into the presence of Almighty God?
Humbling to consider, to say the least.
Almighty God is holy… sinless, perfect, pure.
There’s absolutely no dirt hiding in the corners or under the carpet.
We, on the other hand, are... sinful, imperfect, and impure...
from carrying our sin nature in our hearts and rubbing shoulders with the world.
Yet, because God loves us and longs for relationship with us,
He invites us to come to Him just as we are.
We are not required to clean ourselves up or dust ourselves off.
We are not obligated to attain some of level of spiritual success
or perfection in order to gain access to the King.
We are told simply to enter with thanksgiving. How can this be?
This invitation is almost inconceivable until you draw near
and see the bloodstains on the gate
and remember who went before you to prepare your way.
The gate is open wide, and the crimson stains call out the price that was paid
on the cross so that you could gain entrance into God’s throne room.
You can do nothing to earn your entrance or to open the gates any wider.
You can only say ‘Yes’ to God’s invitation, accept Christ’s payment by faith,
and enter His gates with thanksgiving.
Thank God today for the blood of Jesus,
for it is only by His blood that we are able enter into His presence.
Love and hugs...
Karla
Here we are in November already... can you believe it? Thanksgiving is right
around the corner and that makes this month a good time to really focus
in on all we have to be thankful for... don't you think?
The Bible tell us...
So since there's no schedule... we can praise Him and give Him thanks...
all day... every day... and for anything and everything! Yay!
So for today Lord... I want to give You thanks for the gift of being able...
to SEE... my computer screen which allows me to write and create this blog.
to HEAR... the voice of a friend and her encouraging words over the phone.
to TASTE... the rich black coffee of my morning brew.
to SMELL... the aroma of toasted bread at breakfast this morning.
to FEEL... a hug and kiss from my hubby before he left for work.
to KNOW... that You Lord created me in this way to be able to
experience You and the life You've given me in so many different ways.
I am blessed.
Hmmm... I might just do this throughout the month.
It definitely makes you think of things you might otherwise take for granted,
doesn't it? So how about you?
Would you like to join me and share the things you are
thankful for that you can see, hear, taste, smell, and feel?
Just leave a comment... or a link to your blog if you post your own...
and let's join our hearts and voices and give God thanks!
I had several of you ask about the snowman ornaments...
so since I had a few left from last weekend's bazaar...
and a few still in the making... I just listed six in my Etsy Store!
As charming and adorable as they are in person... they were quite
the challenge to photograph! I just couldn't get the light right to catch
the glitter or the glimmer of the bling or the brightness of their faces!
But just look at those personalities... and even sweeter face to face!
Oh yes... I am in the process of making a few more of these little cuties...
and still have quite a few bingo markers left so... if you would like
a particular number to honor an anniversary or a birthday
just let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen for you...
how fun would that be!!
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