On our 'girls night out' last night, my daughter and I did some shopping. After that, we stopped at Zupa's to grab a bite to eat - and I had tomato basil soup and 1/2 a sandwich. Not bad, right? A cup of soup and 1/2 a sandwich. And I hadn't eaten much all day, so I was hungry. But 'my' problem turns out that my stomach is used to getting food around 4-5PM and not around 7-7:30PM, which is when we ate. Which means, when I went to bed last night, the food had not digested yet. Not used to going to bed with a still full tummy. I should have stayed up - my fault - but I didn't. And about 30 minutes after falling asleep, I felt the soup inching it's way back up my throat. YECK. Took care of that and tried to fall back to sleep, only I couldn't. So about 11PM I got up and came in here - to my chair - and curled up and tried to go back to sleep. I did doze off and on all night - but never did get to sleep well. Why didn't I just climb into the bed in here? Sigh. Because it is loaded down again with boxes, wrapping paper, and Christmas gifts. Guess what I'm going to be working on the rest of this week! My tummy still isn't feeling quite right - probably from sitting and laying back in this chair all night. No, it's not the food - it is because I didn't allow it to digest before heading to bed.
And, surprisingly, hubby hasn't realized I got up out of bed during the night. He won't find out either for I'm not in the mood to be questioned as to 'what were you thinking, or what did you eat again, or you know better than that, etc.' It's not a big deal. And I don't want to be questioned. It just happened, and I'll remember next time to not eat so late - or don't go to bed at my usual time after I eat late.
I tell you what - some things that I 'see' as I'm shopping and think will be cute when they arrive - are not what they seem. For example, I bought what I thought was a small ceramic Christmas tree that I could use for a 'white elephant gift'. It was marked down to $11 on Amazon from $19.99 so I thought it would be something to use, and it really looked cute. Well, it arrived yesterday. It isn't a ceramic tree. It's a perhaps a 12' put together tree - but it has everything in the box - so I can't fault them - I just was 'seeing' something that wasn't. It has the tree you insert in to the stand, it has bulbs - may even have lights; I didn't look. It even has ribbon to put around the tree. No, I'm not going to send it back. I actually bought two as I have two 'parties' to go to that have white elephant stuff. I always try to take something nice - but sometimes people bring the oddest things.
Now I get it, 'white elephant' means something you have that you don't want any more, right? But I still always try to take nice things. Hence the trees. Last year at one I got a large fragrance warmer - which uses those little blocks of wax and it sends a fragrance around the room. It's still in the box. But I can't reuse it as a white elephant gift cause the box has sorta been messed up. I know, the box is nothing, and the item is still new. I think what I'll do is take it out of the box for someone else's gift - but I can't take it to the office as the person who brought it last year told me that she had gotten it the year before and I had made a comment on how nice it was - so she was thrilled that I got it. Needless to say I was 'dumbfounded' cause I certainly didn't need it as I have two if not three fragrance warmers that I don't even use! They got put away when we got Sheeba. I've just not brought them back out.
So guess what one white elephant gift is that I'm taking to the office one on Friday? I checked with my boss and she said it was perfect. Me, not so sure. I have a set of 4 Christmas cups that I do not remember where they came from (probably a white elephant party) and I do not want. I took them, put in a box, added a package of Starbucks French Roast ground coffee, and a box of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, mind you), and wrapped them all together. My daughter reminded me that a 'white elephant' gift is one that you got that you regift cause you don't want it. I get that, but I still like to give nice gifts. But I am definitely getting rid of this one! I will admit it is better than just a couple dish towels that I have gotten before in a white elephant exchange. I'll do the tree in the one later this month.
I put together the big 8' tree I got from Ms. Vicky - and reluctantly checked the icicle lights and they seemed to work - and put them on the tree. UGLY. And then the tree stand bent and the tree went sideways (I heard the white house tree fell yesterday too!) so I propped it up with a piece of wood. Half the lights don't work. Tree looks crappy. So I told hubby the lights will remain off. I will take them off when I have a chance. I'll put the bulbs on it - but it will be a lightless tree. I just wanted one for extra gifts to keep them separate from family gifts and out of this room. But - if anyone wants a nice looking 8' tree - they can have this one - it is really way too big for what I want it for. I certainly didn't expect such a large tree - our tree is about a third of that that size. If I could just find someone to take it off my hands. They'd just need to get a new stand and lights. I'll figure it out. But I don't think I'll put it up next year. I'll get a smaller one after Christmas.
Psalm 136:1,26 (NKJV): "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His mercy endures forever."
Have you ever stopped to think about how merciful God is to us? He not only forgives us our sins when we ask Him, He continuously shows us His mercy. Mercy is not only NOT getting what you deserve, but getting even more. It's like a person killing someone and he goes before the judge and the judge plans to give him a sentence... but the parent of the child killed persuades the judge to be lenient to the murderer, to show him mercy. And that's what God does for us. He is always showing us mercy in that we do not get the punishment we deserve for our sins. He is lenient with us. He forgives us. He not only shows us mercy, but shows us grace. Yes, we still need to suffer the consequences of our sins - but He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He is a good, good, God, and a Merciful Father.
I'm grateful for His mercy and His grace, aren't you? I can think back over my life and see many times when I could have been killed, I could have been in serious trouble... and yet, in His mercy and love, He rescued me. How can one not love Him and choose Him? After all, His own Son, Jesus, went to the cross and died for our sins - and the good news is that Jesus rose again so that we are set free and can live with Him forever. What a loving, forgiving, faithful Father! Give that some thought today!
Blessings!
