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Happy Thanksgiving y'all - 11/21/2007 7:42:24 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:26-27 "Then He said to them all, 'If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.'" Luke 9:23-24 
I had a great dental visit today. I take very good care of my teeth and gums and it showed. No cavities! The dentist and hygienist both said my ‘crack’ is a “crazy line” which may never cause me trouble. The dentist did suggest I not bite into anything hard with that tooth to try and keep it from breaking into the dentin and needing a root canal and crown.
I only had one daycare child today. I kept her awake until time for me to leave for the dentist so Jim could continue his school work with no interruptions. Jim had a friend from church call, needing a favor and he was here when I returned. They were closed up in his music room, recording music. Lauren was still sleeping soundly. They finished around 1:30.
Our son Jon called today. He and his wife have to work a long day today and they wanted to eat out on Thanksgiving or just do nothing. They wanted to take us with them but I begged off. Jim will watch football and I can read and nap. We’ll have our dinner at supper time. I’ve gotten a smaller turkey and we’ll make pies tonight. Nothing big or elaborate, tho. Jim made the pumpkin pies early this afternoon. The house smells good!
** CHANGE OF PLANS: Jon just called. He and Mary are cooking already and want us over for Thanksgiving. Should be fun!
There’s no church tonight. When I called to make sure, I asked about the ‘two Sunday School’ times I was told about yesterday. No such thing. We are changing our service times in the coming year, tho. 9:15 for Sunday School and 10:30 for church service. There’ll be just one service instead of the two. Now that makes sense to me. I have no idea where the other families got their information from. Making Sunday School 30 minutes earlier will be a bit hard on me. We have to be there to make breakfast for the youth and my longer hair takes longer to dry and curl.
Well, supper’s over and the dishes are done. We ran out to try and find invitations for the Christmas party. Five stores and nothing. We finally got some really cute Christmas cards and I’ll print out the information instead of writing it over and over 25 times.
Have a lovely tomorrow and God Bless,
 Diane Tavegia
Call out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Be glad as you serve the Lord. Come before Him with songs of joy. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His field. Go into His gates giving thanks and into His holy place with praise. Give thanks to Him. Honor His name. For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come. Psalm 100 
< Message edited by dianetavegia -- 11/21/2007 8:13:35 PM >
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The Christmas Season - 11/23/2007 5:53:27 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 1 Timothy 6:6–9 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” This passage of Scripture coincides with the prayer of Job, “…the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” 
We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day at Mary and Jon’s house. There were 7 of us. Jon had made a carrot cake, his Dad’s favorite, and we had all the usual foods. It was very good and a lot of fun. We stayed six hours and then felt we had to get home to walk the dog. There was Jon, our 31 year old son, his wife Mary, and her two girls. We had a lot of fun. Nick played PS2 games with Christina much of the afternoon.
Today I’m making the turkey I’d thawed and all the fixings. We still have pumpkin pies. We’ll eat around 5:00. I’ll make a homemade broth from the carcass and then make homemade turkey vegetable soup from that.
I had eight loads of wash to do last night and today! I’d let that go while doing my fall cleaning and didn’t realize there was so much. I got up at 3:00 to walk the dog and put another in to wash and dry. I’m already behind on folding and have one more load to wash.
Psalm 118:28 “You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” 
We got 2 inches of rain early Thanksgiving morning. Wow, did it come down. We are still 12 or 13 inches short this year. It had cleared up before we left for Jon and Mary’s house. It went from quite warm to horribly cold by time we left last night. It’s very windy, too, which makes it seem even colder than it is. We seldom have really cold spells in November. I do miss the weather up north, tho I’m a southern born and raised.
I was very tired last night so put Scooter to bed at 8:00. I went to bed not much later. It was just after 8:30. Jim was watching football and we only get one channel at a time in the whole house with our satellite service. I put in the Christmas movie, Prancer, but only saw about 10 minutes or so before I fell asleep. I got up at 7:30. I didn’t need to, but Scooter was awake and the cat was teasing him. I didn’t want them to awaken Jim. I made my coffee, walked the dog and changed laundry from washer to dryer and dryer to table to be folded.
“In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I’d called my mother yesterday before we left for Jon and Mary’s house. She had no plans. Our daughter called about an hour after we’d left. Jon had talked to her that morning. She and her girls were alone for the holiday. I tried calling her after we got home last night but there was no answer. She called me early this afternoon to visit.
We finished the fall cleaning of the living room today. I removed all the books from the bookcases and dusted them, dusted all the knick knacks and final Nutcrackers. We moved all the furniture and cleaned underneath, etc. It was a long day. All I have left is washing the outside of my kitchen cabinets and fall cleaning a final bathroom. I find red dust everywhere. It’s very overwhelming. Jim had dusted a glass table today, did another chore and went to sit something on the table. He was shocked to see it was already coated with more red dust. I am not exaggerating when I say it’s a constant battle.
My plan so far is to have Jim bring up some Christmas decorations tomorrow. My white tree that goes in my bedroom is very easy to decorate. I don’t overload it. Nick’s tree is a simple tree. Those will be done first. The formal tree is a lot of work! It gets done last. I’ll see how much I can accomplish over the next few days. I really enjoy Christmas decorations.
It’s been a long day and I’m tired already. I think I’ll go to bed early again tonight. Jim has only two more days off. Unless something changes, I’ll only have one child on Monday. She’ll probably be worn out from out of town family and a super long weekend. I’ll bet she takes a long nap. I think I’ll try to nap a bit on Saturday and Sunday.
Well, that’s about all that’s going on here. Have a lovely evening and
God Bless,
Diane Tavegia
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Wishing it would snow - 11/24/2007 4:30:38 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. This is true, and everyone should accept it. 1Timothy 4:7-9 "For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings." Psalms 61:3-4
This week, actually 9 days, of having Jim home is going quickly. We’ve accomplished a lot, tho. Today I paid a few bills, vacuumed and did laundry while Jim did school work. He’s almost completed another class. We need to order books for his next class.
We went out this afternoon to the library, which was closed, then to the bank, the post office, the dump, the recycling bins at church and finally Wal-Mart. They had huge turkeys, so we went ahead and bought one for Christmas. It was a 24 lb Butterball. We put it down in our chest freezer.
Wal-Mart was sure packed. There were a lot of people buying groceries. They didn’t have one of the items I’d hoped to pick up. I’ll probably shop online now. I did get Nick three shirts. They’re long sleeved and very nice. He’s wearing a Men’s Small, at almost 13! He’s thin but so very tall. I’m going to guess he’s 5’6” or taller and about 110 lbs.
I’ve seen a lot of people driving home with a live, cut Christmas tree on top of their car. It seems awfully early to put up a live tree. Won’t they dry up in the next 40 days or so? We use artificial. I miss the fragrance but don’t miss the mess. Also, we can leave our trees up from now until late January.
Our daughter called again this morning. She and her girls had a big day planned. She wanted to know about a kid’s movie and would it be too scary for her girls. I head Kaylee in the background saying ‘I’m not afraid of anything!’ Mom asked her if she was afraid of the dark. ‘Yes!’ Funny and sweet kid. She’s four.
Boy is my dog getting HUGE. He’s not fat, tho. He’s big boned. I love big dogs and I sure enjoy my animals. Patches takes up 1/3rd of our bed and she’s a tiny cat. Scooter fills the dog bed I made for him. It’s 30” by 5 foot!
I’m ready for my snow! All I want for Christmas is for it to snow here in Villa Rica. I’m not talking a few flakes that disappear when the sun comes up and I don’t want it to snow while I’m asleep so I can’t see the flakes drifting down. I want a good snow. I want a real snow. I want it to last a few days at least! The sky is clouded over and it’s cold enough to snow. I won’t hold my breath but I sure can wish. I’d better write a letter to Santa!
God Bless,
Diane Tavegia
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Nativity Quiz - 11/25/2007 7:15:26 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 
Oh I’m freezing today! It rained during the night and it started back up while we were in church. It’s been very gray with a misty rain all day. Our wind chill is in the 30°’s but it’s such a wet cold. I’ve got on a turtleneck shirt, sweat shirt, jeans and two pair of socks and I’m still freezing.
This afternoon, I addressed and prepared the invitations for the Sunday School Christmas party at our house. They look really cute. The party is December 15th from 7:00 – 9:30. I haven’t decided what all to serve. It’s all 7th and 8th grade girls, plus the teachers.
It’s been a horribly long day. Football, football, football. I sure wish we had a way to watch more than one channel in the house.
I needed glue sticks, so we ran over to Dollar Tree and then Wal-Mart this afternoon. I found a gift for our grandson, Jackson. I’ve already wrapped it and Jim will mail it sometime this week. I don’t like taking chances with gifts not arriving on time.
I ordered one of Nick’s gifts online. We’d checked the internet and it was supposed to be in stores. I couldn’t find it locally and it was easier to order from Amazon with no tax and free shipping than spend time and money driving to the next big town in hopes of finding it there. All I have left to do is find gifts for the two little granddaughters. We can’t afford to do a big Christmas and the grandkids get lots of things already. At 4, 5 and 7, they enjoy most anything.
Jim brought up two of our Christmas trees tonight. The one for my room is really showing its age. It was pale green and white, 7 foot tall, and very expensive when new. I bought it on Christmas Eve for half price, tho. It’s now a bit brownish instead of white. It’ll look fine once it’s decorated, I think, but 13 years may just be the limit. I decorate it with white lights, pink and purple balls and this year I am adding some purple ‘berries’. I’ll decorate it tomorrow.
I’d love to buy a new white tree for our room. I don’t want a ‘pre-lit’ tree. We’d been given one and it would have one light get broken or go out and we’d almost never find the culprit. It was in Nick’s room and we cut all the lights off and bought a strand instead. My mother has a brand new pre lit tree that has a big spot that’s ‘dark’. My aunt lost Mother’s receipt so she couldn’t return it.
Check out my fun Nativity Quiz below.
Merry Christmas,
Diane Tavegia
Nativity Quiz
Correct answers are in white. Click and drag cursor to see the answers!
Q1. Which archangel announced Jesus' birth to Mary?
1. Michael
2. Gabriel
3. Raphael
4. Uriel
CORRECT ANSWER
(2) Gabriel
Q2. After Mary became pregnant with Jesus, her first action was to:
1. Explain to her parents what had happened
2. Explain to Joseph what had happened
3. Visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant
4. Go into seclusion so as not to be an object of shame
CORRECT ANSWER
(3) Visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant
Q3. According to the gospels, where was Jesus born?
1. In Bethlehem
2. In Nazareth
3. In Heaven
4. In Jerusalem
CORRECT ANSWER
(1) In Bethlehem
Q4. During the reign of which Roman emperor was Jesus born?
1. Augustus
2. Tiberius
3. Claudius
4. Nero
CORRECT ANSWER
(1) Augustus
Q5. Why was Jesus born in a barn?
1. In order to fulfill a prophecy
2. Because Joseph was a rancher
3. Because there was no room in the inn
4. To make clear that his message was for animals as well as humans
CORRECT ANSWER
(3) Because there was no room in the inn
Q6. In which two gospels does the Nativity story appear?
1. Matthew and Mark
2. Matthew and Luke
3. Matthew and John
4. Mark and John
CORRECT ANSWER
(2) Matthew and Luke
Q7. The angel who appeared to the shepherds told them they would recognize Jesus this way:
1. He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger
2. They would see a halo over his head
3. A star would be shining over the stable
4. He would have startling blue eyes
CORRECT ANSWER
(1) He would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger
Q8. Which animals does the Bible mention in connection with Jesus' birth?
1. Sheep
2. An ox and an ass
3. Camels
4. All of the above
CORRECT ANSWER
(1) Sheep
Q9. According to the gospels, how many wise men were there?
1. 6
2. 3
3. 0
4. Nobody knows
CORRECT ANSWER
(4) Nobody knows because the Bible does NOT say
Q10. Which star did the wise men follow to find the baby Jesus?
1. The Star in the East
2. The North Star
3. The Star of David
4. The Dog Star
CORRECT ANSWER
(1) We have seen HIS Star in the East
Q11. What were the gifts that the wise men bought to honor Jesus’ birth?
1. Baby clothes
2. A young lamb
3. Diamonds and pearls
4. Frankincense, myrrh, and gold
CORRECT ANSWER
(4) Frankincense, myrrh, and gold
Q12. When the wise men told Herod they were following a star to a newborn royal child, Herod:
1. Told them they were superstitious old fools
2. Arranged for an expensive present to be sent to the baby
3. Resolved to find out where the baby was so he could kill it
4. Gave instructions that the child was to be raised as his own son
CORRECT ANSWER
(3) Resolved to find out where the baby was so he could kill it
Q13. Where did Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee not long after the visit from the wise men?
1. To Jerusalem
2. To Nazareth
3. To the hills outside Bethlehem
4. To Egypt
CORRECT ANSWER
(4) To Egypt
Q14. What relation did John the Baptist have with Jesus?
1. Mentor
2. Friend
3. Disciple
4. Cousin
CORRECT ANSWER
(4). They were cousins
Q15. How often did the baby Jesus cry?
1. Never
2. When He was hungry only
3. At birth
4. When any baby would cry
CORRECT ANSWER
(4). When any baby would have cried!
_________________
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A Pear Tree and other trivia - 11/26/2007 4:29:03 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-6
I got our big Christmas tree assembled and straightened right away this morning and was a bit overwhelmed when I went down to get more boxes. Generally Jim or Jon have brought everything up and left me to put everything out. I’ve usually put everything away in January, other than the large Rubbermaid containers that hold our trees. I brought up one container and found something else to do for a while.
One strand of lights for the tree in our bedroom is partially burned out. Over half the lights won’t come on. I’ve not tried the lights for our big tree or Nick’s tree yet. That’ll mean a quick trip to Wal-Mart tonight. I like looking at the decorations anyhow, tho. Jim said we’ll get what we need once he gets home today.
It’s still quite wet here but is supposed to clear up and warm up by Wednesday. My plan is to decorate outside on Wednesday afternoon. I guess it all depends on how my day goes, tho.
I only had one daycare child today. She attempted to help me with my decorating but all the while was insisting on ‘more yusic, Diane’ and ‘more Rudolph!’ That’s not a typo. She can’t say music or misspeaks.
I’d started my stock late Saturday night and defatted it this morning. I’ve got a huge, HUGE pot of homemade turkey soup cooking for tonight (and many other nights). I also froze one gallon of stock for later. Today I put yellow squash, chopped broccoli, green beans, corn, carrots, peas and rice in my soup. My soups are never the same because I use whichever vegetables I have on hand and rotate between noodles and rice, depending on how I feel that day.
Jim called a short time before school got out to say he had a “Leadership” meeting today. He said we’d get all the decorations upstairs tonight and go get the necessary lights to get the trees completed. He had seen some broken lights and said we need some replacements for the strands for Nick’s tree. Nick likes multi colored bigger lights on his tree. We use white small lights on the other trees.
There was an attempted robbery and two people were shot at the mall nearest us (10 miles). The shooting took place right outside a popular eating place for families and across from an arcade. Other counties didn’t have school today. It was on lock-down for over two hours afterwards. I’m sure people who were there were terrified. I know I would have been!
The sun came out about around 3:30 this afternoon. There was quite a breeze and you could see the clouds blowing away. I think Tuesday is going to be a lot prettier than expected.
So far I’ve watched “The Gathering”, “A Christmas Carol”, “Prancer”, “It Happened One Christmas”, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “The Best Present of All (Donut Man)”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Merry Christmas Winnie the Pooh”. I’ve started to go through all my Christmas CD’s, too. I try to listen to all of them once before settling down on my favorites. Did I tell you I LOVE Christmas?
Some trivia for you: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is 68 years old this Christmas. The Grinch is stuck at ’53 years I’ve put up with it now”.
We’re going to be quite busy tonight, so I’ll go ahead and post this early. Have a lovely evening.
Diane Tavegia
‘Twelve Days of Christmas’
Prices of items in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
• Partridge, $15
• Pear Tree, $150
• Two Turtle Doves, $40
• Three French Hens, $45
• Four Calling Birds (canaries)
• Five Gold Rings, $395
• Six Geese a-Laying, $360
• Seven Swans a-Swimming, $4,200
• Eight Maids a-Milking, $47
• Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759
• 10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,285
• 11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,213
• 12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,398
___________________________________________
Total: $78,100
(Remember that it’s 12 Partridges in 12 Pear trees, 22 Turtle Doves, 30 French Hens, 36 Calling Birds, etc. Each day the previous item is GIVEN AGAIN!) If purchased Online, the cost would have been much higher with the total for the 364 items costing $128,886!
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Got a bit completed... just a bit, tho - 11/27/2007 8:19:03 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain. Psalm 127:1
"According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness." Romans 12:6-8
Did you have a nice day? It was a bit hectic. I had both daycare girls. One wasn’t quite well. The other, the two year old, is so enthralled with the Christmas decorations and she kept opening boxes or digging through some things, even fragile things. I had to stop and let it go til later. We still haven’t put the lights on the big formal tree. The burnt out strand was from that tree and not from the white tree in my bedroom. We ran to Home Depot tonight and picked up a strand of 300 lights. I enjoyed looking at all the decorations for sale there.
I got many of my decorations up. It’s quite hard finding places for everything. I can’t leave a lot of my nicer things where I’d put them previously because of the dog and the two toddlers. It was so easy to always put things in the same place, year after year, and it’s hard to be imaginative with a 15 month old hanging on one leg and the 2 ½ year old on the other.
Scooter barks at some of my talking things. I have a very old Avon Santa in a rocking chair. He used to rock and talk. Now he talks and Scooter barks. He doesn’t mind the snow globes that play music and blow snowflakes around, only the things that talk.
It’s supposed to be a lot warmer tomorrow afternoon and we’ll get our outside decorations up. Ours will look sparse compared to most of the neighbors. Most have multiple things in their yards, lights on every peak of their home, in bushes and up and down the driveway. We’ll have the three deer, a white wire tree and lamppost. We’ll have garland on the porch rails with lights and bows. They’re pretty but I’d love to have more. We’d put up icicle lights our first holiday here but a two story ladder BARELY reached the highest peak and Jim was quite uncomfortable up there. When we took them down, we gave them to our next door neighbors who are younger and have a lower roof line.
Jim’s finishing up a course tonight. We’ve got to order his books for his next course. We’ve gotten 3 out of the 5 books he has to read for literature. The other two are on order. He’s read all of one and had already read a second and will re read it to refresh his memory before the test.
Well, it was hectic and I felt I didn’t accomplish anywhere near what I’d wanted to get done but the two year old had a wonderful day filled with laughter, Nick got his schooling done and the 1 year old was well cared for, even if she didn’t feel quite right. We had a good and healthy supper. Guess I did what I was meant to do today.
Have a lovely evening and God bless.
Diane Tavegia
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A bit frustrated! - 11/28/2007 6:38:33 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 Come to terms with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you. Receive instruction from His mouth, and place His sayings in your heart. Job 22:21-22 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8–10 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23–24 
I’ve almost completed my Christmas shopping. It’s pretty easy when you don’t have a lot to spend. Jack’s present is wrapped and ready to mail. I still need to find things for the girls. I haven’t wrapped any of Nick’s presents. Jim and I won’t exchange gifts.
I talked to our daughter and one granddaughter this morning for about an hour. Her decorations sound so pretty. The four year old is quite excited about Christmas.
It’s a little warmer today than it has been. That’s good! I’m hoping we can get the outside decorated when Jim comes home. I’d love to have lots of extra money to buy some new things from outside but the inside looks so lovely when it’s all completed. I got all my snowmen up and around and have the decorations out for the formal tree and Nick’s tree. Jim has to put the lights on it for us. It’s way too tall for me. We actually work on the lights together. I hold the strands and pass them around for him. Nick and I can do his tree.
We got the outdoor deer, tree and lamppost up this afternoon. Half the lamppost lights up and the smallest deer lights up, too. A tiny portion of the mother deer lights up. Her head moves. The tree and the buck don’t light at all. They all have multiple strands of light. We were unable to get any of them to light. If I can find time tomorrow, I’ll check the fuses on each strand. I have to admit that I was quite frustrated, after waiting so long for this to be done and it not working. We ran out of time so didn’t get the garland and lights on the railing. I’m hoping Jim will still put the lights on my big tree tonight.
So, the reason we ran out of time is the school begged Jim to continue with girl’s basketball. They were unable to find a replacement assistant coach. I’m a bit disappointed because he needs those hours to work on his college school work. Getting home at almost 8:00 each night, for $48.00 a MONTH is for the birds. When basketball ends, baseball begins. Also, since he has our only car, I can’t even run out for milk! There are paid tutors (free to students) at the school three days a week who can baby-sit the girls and help them with their homework. I’m going to try and get Jim to come home each day for the nearly two hours. He came home today for a while because there was a school dance fund raiser and he didn’t go to that. He was able to take Nick to youth group, early but that’s better than not at all.
We have a new youth minister on a part time, interim basis while searching for a (well paid) full timer. If you’re a college educated Youth Minister who is Baptist (we’re SBC) and not a Calvinist, feel free to check out our church at www.fbcvr.com and apply. We’re due west of Atlanta by about 30 miles and are 24 miles from the Alabama border. It’s a tiny rural town that is beginning to swell in size when people working in Atlanta and looking for affordable homes discovered our City of Gold.
I have some clothes to fold and want to check the rest of the tree lights before Jim comes home from basketball and Nick from church.
I’m thankful to God for my family and how much I am loved. Nothing else is important.
Diane Tavegia
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Busy day! EEK - 11/29/2007 7:33:23 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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I’m totally exhausted today. Our day started early. Jim had gotten up but came back to bed at 6:00 which woke me. I was up by 6:50, making coffee and waiting for the girls to arrive.
Neither child slept one minute today. OUCH! Both were very tired, but the two year old is too excited about the Christmas decorations to sleep. She kept talking about the reindeer and Rudolph. That kept the one year old awake.
So, about the reindeer… Jim had told me to have Nick help me take the lights off the deer and tree that wouldn’t light up and he’d get new lights. I brought them in, one at a time, and checked the fuses and checked for broken light bulbs. I couldn’t find any small wire cutters so had to use tin snips to cut off some tiny cable ties and then remove all the clips by hand. Hours and hours. (My hands hurt!) Once I had the lights off the buck, I got the idea of painting them a deer colored brown with some gold highlights and putting a spotlight on them. When Jim called at lunchtime, I told him what I was thinking. He suggested we NOT remove the lights off the wire tree but that I paint over them, removing only the plugs, to give the tree a leafier look. I already had white paint, so I sprayed that (bulbs, too) and put bright blue (fake) glass balls on it. It looks really nice. The lamppost would only light at the top so I removed the lower lights, put a big red bow on it and painted the two plastic ball knobs off the lamp portion, gold. We painted all three deer in both brown and then highlighted with gold. Jim got that and a spotlight at Home Depot on his way home at 3:30. All that’s left to do is put a new bow on the buck and adjust the spotlight after dark. I’m going to look for a blue and brown plaid ribbon to make the bow and may switch the one on the lamppost, too.
In our spare time, Nick and I got his tree up and decorated. I also did several loads of laundry and had supper ready at 4:15 so we could eat as a family before Jim went back for basketball practice. I also have a teeny tree in the rec room. It’s the top portion of a tree I’d been given for VBS a few years ago. Half the tree had broken limbs, which was fine for a VBS decoration. I took the broken portion to the dump but kept the top piece and use it for the kid’s tree. If it falls over, no one can get hurt. We have four decorated trees inside. I’d have more if the house were larger.
We still have not put the lights on the huge formal tree. We’re going to do that when Jim gets home tonight so I can begin decorating that tree. Everything else is done. Oh, I’ve got a couple of snowmen that will be put on the mantle once I put the lighted garland up, but that’s it. I’ll be glad when it’s all done. I leave my decorations up til mid January, but we never wait this late to have everything done.
Jim will not be staying from 3:30 until 5:30 each day. In fact, he gave coach the key to the gym and the security key to the lights so he won’t have to wait around to turn off the lights when the last person leaves each night. That still cuts into his study time, but his next course is very easy and he can take some assessment tests for the math courses to see if they’re required. WGU won’t transfer college courses in your major so he lost all his calculus and college math courses.
Jim made pumpkin pies last night. They sure are good. I’ve gained 3 lbs since Thanksgiving. We ate every bit of turkey and dressing but do have about half a pot of turkey soup left. I’ve been eating it for lunch but skipped today. We had a zesty orange chicken dish, for supper so I skipped lunch.
So about my toe, the one I cut… it’s still painful to the touch but the wound is all healed. It took five full weeks. There’s a gouge out of the toe. I don’t bandage it anymore, even for padding, and am wearing my regular shoes again. I’m glad it’s all better.
A group from our church is going to join a weight loss challenge through our local hospital. One of our secretaries did it last year and lost 30 lbs with diet and exercise. I need someone to hold me accountable. Oh, I don’t need to lose a lot of weight, but certainly 10 – 20 lbs. Twenty pounds would put me at the same slim weight as our daughter in law and her teenagers! We’re all the same height and I think they look really nice. I’ve always felt 124 was my best weight. Jim would say 114 lbs.
That being said, I’d read the average person needs to walk 10,000 steps a day to be considered ‘active’. I got a $4.00 pedometer at Wal-Mart and put it on my shoe each day after I’ve showered and dressed for the day. I was quite sure I wasn’t moving around that much but am pleasantly surprised. Of course, the last few days I’ve been doing some extra walking with our decorating and maybe I’m moving more than usual. Today, in only 9 hours, I’d topped 8,000 steps. I still had hours to go and hadn’t remembered to put it on my shoe until 10:00 a.m.
Well, Jim should be here in just minutes and we’re going to put the lights on the big tree. I’m not sure I’ll do much else on the tree tonight. I cover it with wooden cranberries and then a bazillion bows before everything else. The bows take forever and ever!
Have a lovely evening!
Diane Tavegia 
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GORGEOUS! Just gorgeous! - 11/30/2007 7:58:15 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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Whew, we’re finally finished! The whole house is decorated and just gorgeous. The daycare kids are enthralled. So am I. I love Christmas. Next year I WILL decorate the day after Thanksgiving or sooner since Thanksgiving is late next year!
I woke at 4:40 and have no idea why. I started coffee and walked the dog before lying back down. I fell asleep and had a very hard time waking at 7:00. The day went well, tho.
I found some reindeer antlers and gave them to Hailee. She LOVES the Rudolph movie so I had to paint her nose red. She had these giant eyes, all excited. After a couple of hours, she decided she needed to fly. Well, there was no way I could lift her over my head so I told her that her Daddy would fly her around tonight. Mom said they’re having family photos taken tomorrow and she thinks she’ll take the antlers and some lipstick so they can have a final few shots with her in her Rudolph getup. So cute!
The outside decorations really turned out well. They look very pretty from the street and are totally different from any other house. It looks like we’ve bought a new set. When I took Scooter out, before dawn, the lights were still on and the Doe was moving her head up and down. Scooter was terrified! He barked a short, quick bark and went down on his belly. He did inch toward her, on his belly, to see if she was going to hurt him. He must weigh over 100 lbs now and terrified of a wire deer. Silly puppy! He’s so very good, tho.
I did more laundry today and got everything folded as it came out of the dryer. The girls tried to help me. Hailee makes puppets out of Jim’s socks and Lauren pretends to blow her nose on things. I could do without that sort of help!
Jim has a basketball game tomorrow afternoon and wants me to go with him. It’s in the next town, where our son lives. There are a lot of craft stores over there. I think I’ll stop by to drool over the pretty stuff.
I’m quite sleepy since I was up early. I hope to stay awake to watch ‘Moonlight’. I love Vampires! Always have. I’d love to get a set of the old black and white Vampire, Mummy and Zombie movies from the 1950’s or earlier.
So, it’s an hour til my show and Jim should be home from basketball practice soon. Whoops! There he is now.
Have a lovely evening!
Diane Tavegia
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Great day in church - 12/2/2007 9:54:41 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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Hey Y’all. Saturday was long! I had volunteered to go with Jim to a basketball game and tape it for him. Well, it was a tournament. He decided to go early and scout some other teams. We left home at 1:30 and got home close to 8:00.
Before the basketball tournament, we had gone and gotten some Christmas candles, one present and I got a haircut at Wal-Mart. A trim, really. I had her trim the very back and do a little feathering around the sides and back so the hair flips up. It’s still below my shoulder. They’d raised their prices and I was not at all happy about that!
We had a really good day in church. Our part-time interim youth leader/ minister came to Sunday School. He and his wife are super nice. The kids really seemed to take to him. He came by our Sunday School class, after we’d broken down into age groups, and the girls asked him to share his testimony.
Today was also the first day for our new Minister of Administration. We’d known Jeff and Donna for about 8 years. They’re a wonderful couple. We’d only been in Villa Rica a short time and they invited us for a Christmas morning brunch in their home. I’m quite happy to have them as part of our church.
We had a really good sermon today and wonderful music. We had 7 join our church in second service.
Nick had a friend come home with him after church. The boys had corn dogs for lunch. Jim and I had lasagna. After I cleaned the kitchen, I talked to my mother and took a two hour nap. I don’t take many naps anymore. I sure miss them.
A couple of friends from church are joining the church weight loss group, too. I’d mentioned the group a few days ago. It’s a challenge to the community from our hospital and one of our church secretaries participated last year and lost 30 lbs. She’s started a group for our church members. Well, out of the five who’ve signed up so far, we’re all about 20 lbs heavier than a goal weight. One husband and wife are about 5 and 10 years younger than me and one woman is about 10 years older. I’d say we all have a lot in common, too. We’ll meet once a month and have a dietician help with diet, exercise, etc. I’m not sure if there’s a weigh in or how it’s handled, but I know how competitive I can be and think this will be great for me. Fun, too. I’ll bring brownies! Oh….. wait! (Just kidding)
Jim’s been doing schoolwork since right after lunch. He came up for grilled cheese and tomato soup about an hour ago. He’s trying to get most of the testing finished because it’s so hard with late basketball practice.
I mailed my invitations to the Sunday School Christmas party today. We have about 25 on our rolls and we told the girls they can bring a friend. I’m sure they’ll have a lot of fun. I’m going to let them entertain themselves and just socialize and eat, play foosball, Wii, PS2 or whatever they’d like. We’re also going to have a White Elephant gift exchange.
That’s on December 15. We have another party on the 17th and the cantata is on the 16th. The children’s musical is on Dec. 9th. We always have a Christmas Eve service, attended by people from the community. It’s quite lovely. I really enjoy this time of year.
Well, there’s probably something I could be doing instead of ‘thinking out loud’ here. Enjoy your evening and God Bless.
Diane Tavegia
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Sick kids - 12/3/2007 4:54:34 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:36 
If I ever plan to do something extra around the house or if I leave things to the last minute, everything falls apart.
Today I have both daycare girls and both are sick. Nick also feels pretty bad. One girl still has awful diarrhea (10 days now) and the other was throwing up and complaining about her ear.
Nick woke with vertigo, a very stuffy head and a queasy stomach. He thinks the stomach complaints are from the corndogs they ate yesterday, tho. We don’t do ‘fried foods’ well and never eat corndogs. He felt fine by lunchtime today and ate a large bowl of chicken noodle soup.
I am not happy being exposed to these stomach complaints because the last two times I’ve gotten a stomach virus, I got badly dehydrated and ended up in the emergency room. Once I was taken by ambulance.
I’m still tired from the busy weekend. I stayed up later than usual last night because Jim wanted me to read over several essays he’d done for his schooling to check for any errors the computer might have overlooked.
I got the bed made, the kitchen cleaned and some extra things done in there. I did a little vacuuming and swept the kitchen and baths, but most of my day was playing ‘nurse’.
It’s one week until the man who murdered my brother is sentenced. He pled ‘no contest’ to the charges. I’m not expecting a long prison term. It’s not very fair how the courts show favoritism and give longer and more severe sentences to a person who takes the life of a celebrity or someone well known versus a ‘nobody’.
My father’s birthday is later this week. He’ll be 80 on December 6th. His mother, my beloved Grandmother Weldy, died this month 9 or 10 years ago. I’ve forgotten the exact date. I believe it was December 5th. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her with happy thoughts. She was a wonderful grandmother. I wasn’t her favorite and she told me so, but I loved her much more than the boys she adored. Remembering her death doesn’t bring me down. She lived a very long and full life. She was never ‘sick’ or ‘elderly’. One day she wasn’t acting right and my father took her to the doctor. They thought she’d had a stroke. Her heart beat was very slow. She died a few days later, in her sleep. I’m so glad she was never ill or in pain. She lived life to the fullest until her last few days.
Basketball practice is early this week so Jim will be home around 5:30 each night. That’s good. He’s got a cold and is coughing pretty badly. He started a Z pak yesterday. He gets pneumonia very easily with his COPD. We got our pneumonia vaccine but that doesn’t protect from all types of pneumonia.
The one year old daycare child left before 4:00 today. The two year old spent most of the afternoon on the sofa. She just doesn’t feel good at all. She hasn’t thrown up, tho. I’m hoping it was a 24 hour bug and that she sleeps well tonight and feels fine by tomorrow. Nick sure does.
Jim needs five books for his Social Science classes. OUCH! I’ve asked on Freecycle. Many teachers locally have gotten their teaching degree from the same school. Hoping and praying we can find these and then pass them on to someone else in need.
Have a lovely evening and keep warm!
Diane Tavegia
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So very tired tonight - 12/5/2007 4:54:49 PM
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dianetavegia
Posts: 2012
Joined: 8/23/2005
From: Southern Baptist, Non Calvinist, Pro Life Ga. girl
Status: offline
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 1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. Philippians 4:8-9 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you." Psalms 37:23-24 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholds him with his hand. 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 
Tuesday:
Have you had a nice day? Mine was calmer because both girls seemed better. The two year old actually ate breakfast and lunch. The one year old took an afternoon nap. She’s still having horrible diarrhea. It started before Thanksgiving!
Nick has completed his Life Science book for the year. He has two obsolete books from Bob Jones that we’d been given and he’ll move on to those. He’ll probably finish his literature book next. The kid loves to read! He also loves history. Instead of cartoons, he’ll watch The History Channel in his spare time.
We sure have a busy month. Actually, Jim does. He’s audio taping the high school chorus concert, the middle school chorus and then the band concert. Two are in one week. Add in his basketball games and six day a week practices and we won’t see him until very late a few nights. He enjoys helping out, tho, and feels it encourages the students to continue in the Arts. School is out on the 20th for 3 weeks tho.
Our internet was down most of the night and a good bit today. Of all days. Jim wanted me to look up some statistics for him. I check the weather or news and do my surveys, but am no longer interested in the internet except for this site and bill paying, banking, etc.
Wednesday:
Revelation 14:2 "And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps." 
My internet began acting up again and I lost interest in posting last night.
Well, I had a very bad night. Jim’s cold is pretty bad and he coughed and shook the bed much of the night. I finally got up and slept on the sofa in the t.v. room, but not until after 4:00 a.m. I slept 2 ½ hours! Boy am I beat! Jim had no idea about his fitful coughing. I don’t understand how he can have such violent fits of coughing, sitting up in bed and having trouble breathing and yet never know it even happened.
It got really cold here last night. We keep our heater set on 62°. During the day, I use electric heaters in whichever rooms we’re in to keep those warmer. We can’t afford to heat the whole house.
It’s been a very long day. I’ll be ready for bed early tonight! Jim’s going to rush home to get Nick to church for Youth Group. Criminal Minds is a re-run so I’ll not try and stay awake to watch it.
I’ve seen a couple of things on The Carol Duvall Show that I want to make. Now I just need to get to the fabric store. The nearest one is 15 miles from here, one way. I need fleece in a number of colors. Even if I had a car, I wouldn’t try shopping with the two girls. Maybe I can go Saturday.
I need to find Christmas gifts for the 4 and 7 year old granddaughters. I have some ideas and just need to find what I want.
Diane Tavegia
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