Hi, everyone!

How ARE you? Is it just me, or is this year even BUSIER than ever???? Wow, I can't believe how much I've packed into this month already!

This is Sage; isn't she beautiful? She's SUCH a sweet little girl; her mommy is a good friend of mine, and Sage is going to have a baby sister soon. :) They're a wonderful family - daddy Tim is a pretty great guy, too. :D I just wanted to take a break from browbeating you about stamping your gifts and cards, and remind you of the joy, delight, and wonder that are SUPPOSED to be a part of our lives during this season.

Merry Christmas, my dear readers. May you find a moment to BREATHE, and enjoy the wonder of God's gifts!

Andrea received her blog candy! :)

This is the pretty card she sent me as a thank-you. Inside, she says:

"Thank you so much for all the wonderful goodies you sent out!! I have been using them already! Have a wonderful day!"

Thanks for the great thank-you card, Andrea. Everyone, pay special attention to the "faux eyelets" Andrea did at the center of each scallop! The paper is pierced, and then a white gel pen was used to do a circle around it. Really nice effect, Andrea - and I love all the little touches on the image, too. :)

Now, on to my last post. I really appreciate the thoughtful comments that have been left; everyone's been very respectful of each other, and stated how they feel. Thank you for showing me that I can, indeed, have thoughtful discussions on the topic without being beat up! :D

Jan had this to say: "....I stopped celebrating Christmas back in the mid 90's becasue the whole shop til you drop or go bankrupt is not what it is about. I am not religious. ANd I think we as Americans are a bunch of idiots to play this shopping game. Its about more than that-but no one cares anymore." Well, I don't think we can quite say NO one cares - because obviously you and I do, Jan. :) I really don't do the purchasing thing, either. For me, it's about being with family, celebrating the incarnation of my Savior on an arbitrarily-chosen day, enjoying the ability to give to others without them wondering what I want in return. :D I enjoy sitting in my home, listening to the music of Christmas, looking at the lights, talking to loved ones, watching my favorite movies and laughing with friends and family. I appreciate your comments, Jan; the commercial aspect of Christmas is definitely NOT what I think of when I think of Christmas. I wonder what would happen if more of us DID NOT shop so hard during December? (Of course, I used to own a retail establishment; us small stores really DID count this as the time to save up for the next year. It's sad that Walmart can turn a profit 365 days a year, but our neighbors are going bankrupt. But that's a whole other discussion!:D)

"Anonymous" left this one: "....With the whole PC thing, I agree with you! The funny thing is, I don't think, for example, Christians care that something says Happy Hannukah or Jewish people care about something saying Merry Christmas. It's usually zealot/have-nothing-to-do people who like to stir the pot and create controversy when there isn't any..." I so heartily agree with you - but I'm afraid I see more conspiracy than you do! The more we allow this sort of stuff to happen, the less freedom the MAJORITY of us have. Again, another discussion! :D And honestly, I'm one of the least political people I know! LOL!

I appreciated EVERYONE'S comments! Thank you for your insight, and honestly taking a moment to think about what you were replying. More comments are always welcome; I appreciate thinkers! :D

OK. I'm off to work on some more gifts - I'll have lots of photos to post after Christmas, but I obviously can't do it before people open them! :D So, go take the time to STAMP something - I am!!!!! (And I'm wearing the glitter and ink to prove it....:D)

WARNING: RELIGIOUS CONTENT!

OK. For the past couple of years, I've been rather tired of how PC the retailers, especially, have become concerning CHRISTMAS. I've been waiting for maybe a backlash to happen? If we could even start a DISCUSSION, I'd love to talk to you about the whole thing! If you truly want to know what I believe, this video does an incredible job of explaining it - if you celebrate Chanukah, or Kwanzai, or anything else, that's fine with me. :) I celebrate CHRISTMAS! I just wanted to get some talking going: tell me what YOU think! Leave me a comment!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...!

Are you excited????? :D Greg chose the winners randomly today! Here they are! If I don't have your email address, please email me at poohisstampin@aol.com to give me your mailing address!

1. Clara Ogren-Rubalcaba

2. Amy Buchanan - need your addy!

3. Sally - need your addy!

4. J-me

5. Hootie

Congratulations to our winners!!! :D Greg will be bringing me your CDs in the next few days, and I'll have them out sometime around the end of next week. Now, then, for all you who DID NOT WIN, please PLEASE take the time and the little amount of money it takes and go purchase Greg's CD. Remember: this CD is up for Album of the Year with other greats - INCLUDING ALAN JACKSON! It's GOT to be good! :D Go to http://www.ahouseformykids.com/ to purchase the album and support a great cause. God will bless you abundantly!

OK, I'm off to the races some more. :) TAKE THE TIME TO STAMP SOMETHING!!!

It's our last full day at the beach.

And it is a BEAUTIFUL, AWESOME, GLORIOUS day here in Depoe Bay, Oregon. The water is a beautiful shade of Bordering Blue, the wind is blowing the sweet air inland, and I am so grateful for the rest we've been able to get!

Ken has gone to Newport again, to try and get a few more photos of the tall ships going out to sea. We purchased some fresh crab for dinner; it's record-breaking prices this year, but weve been very frugal all week so we could do this one thing. Dungeoness crab is one of the sweetest crabs I've ever eaten, and I'm looking forward to our feast tonight. :)

I'm going to have to start packing soon, and that always makes me sad - but we've had a wonderful time here. If you ever get to the Oregon coast, I HIGHLY recommend the Surfrider Resort in Depoe Bay. Tell them I sent you! :)

Please pray for Sean again; he went back to the hospital Friday. It's not as bad as first feared; they took him off an antibiotic a bit prematurely, from what Dad told Ken. But he still needs our prayers for healing! THANK YOU!

We had a funny thing happen last night. We realized that we aren't leaving until TUESDAY morning! :D So we get an extra day in Portland, to get those shots we didn't get. I'm glad; we're going to kind of rush to get out of here in the morning, to get to Vancouver to meet with the kids for lunch, and now we can take our time the NEXT morning, instead of rushing to get to the airport - and hurry up and wait again. :D We are so blessed!!!!!!!!

Please pray for our friends!

Hi, friends! I have a very special request for you today. Greg McDougal is a dear friend of ours; he is the person we use at our house for our contracting work, but he's also a daddy who has three kids with a Cystic Fibrosis diagnosis. And one of them needs your prayers badly.

Sean has been in the hospital for quite a while now. If you go to his website, www.ahouseformykids.com, you can read what's been going on with Sean. There's now a possibility that he may need part of his right lung removed - which is NEVER a good thing for a child with CF.

PLEASE pray for this family, if nothing else. Let Greg know you're praying for them. And if you feel led, buy his CD - all proceeds go toward building a clean house for his children to live in, to give them the best chance of a longer life.

If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them to the best of my ability. Greg, if you read this, know we're praying for you, friend. We'll see you when we get back to Nashville.