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And all we can say is…THANK YOU!
As we come to the end of what has been a year with changes we never thought we would see both in the world we live in and our personal lives…we…the Ladies of Rhubarb & Rubbish, say thank you! Thank you for a year of letting us spread our wings with this new adventure… Thank you for a year of self discovery… Thank you to our dedicated online family… Thank you for the love and support that we have as sisters… Thank you for blessing us with all that we have and all that is to come… The next year will bring amazing things we have no doubt. We have…
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A Gloriously Imperfect Christmas
It’s early in the morning as I write this post, reflecting on Christmas 2020. My house is quiet. The lights on the tree give a soft glow to the room. A cup of tea steams at my side, waiting to be sipped. A beautiful picture, right? Here is what you don’t see in that description. Lights. The bottom lights of my tree went out. Yep, just a few days after we decorated the lights went kaput. I didn’t have the time or energy to fix them. Besides, you can only really tell during the day, or so I tell myself! Baking. The eve of Christmas Eve found me frantically trying…
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Christmas Peace Devotional
Christmas 2020 (scroll down for a downloadable version) The year 2020 brought many challenges. Unlike most years, these challenges were nearly universal, as COVID-19 raged across the world. In America, race relations and election division have ravaged relationships in families and communities. Many come to the end of 2020 exhausted, distrustful, and full of uncertainty. As we move into Christmas week, I am reminded of the promises realized in the birth and death of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ; the promises of salvation, of peace, of love. Join me in this short Christmas Peace Devotional. His power and purpose. Isaiah 9:6 says, “ For unto us a child is born,…
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Kids + Holiday Prep= Memories
Engaging kids in preparing for the holidays is important. I can remember all the preparations I would help with when I grew up. At Christmas time, I would help with the decorations and put up the tree. And, don’t forget all the baking we would do–candy, cookies, and the whole nine yards. In the days before Christmas, we would get to enjoy the decorations, and on Christmas, we would get to delight in all the goodies we baked ahead of time. Each holiday throughout the year provided memories of preparing with the anticipation of time with family, good food, and, sometimes, gifts. I now have two girls of my own…
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Conflict Communication-Pt. 5: Using Dialogue to Build Bridges
As much as I love the idea of picture-perfect holiday seasons, the reality is that the holidays come with prepackaged conflict most of the time–conflict at work and conflict at home. At work, most have the added pressure of fewer days to get work completed or crabby patrons who are trying to get extra projects completed for that Norman Rockwell Christmas. At home, presents, baking, and events pile up, while we dread the idea of having to deal with Cousin Eddie at the gatherings. Experts used to recommend that when engaged in conflict use “I” instead of “you” and all will be well because it isn’t placing blame (Johnson, 2012).…
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Giving
What comes to mind when a person says the word giving? The most likely answer is giving a gift. It is great to give gifts, but that’s not all that comes with giving. We can give in other ways such as food, money, and time. At this time of year we especially talk about giving yet we need to be thinking about giving year round. I like to think of it as spreading a little smile throughout the year. So next time when you are thinking about giving at Christmas time remember to spread a little smile throughout the year and keep it going! I would love to know how…
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Book Review: “The Christmas Train” by David Baldacci
One of my time-honored holiday traditions is reading a Christmas story each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have read quite a few over the years. Some I have reread because they were so good. This year, I chose to read a new story, The Christmas Train by David Baldacci. Baldacci typically writes political thrillers. I was first introduced to his work through a movie adaptation of Absolute Power (1996), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. While I have not read all his books, I have enjoyed the ones I have read. The Christmas Train provides just what most of us are looking for at Christmas. A little bit of…
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Sleep Tight, Nighty Night
Bedtime routine and quality sleep is a struggle for many households. Kids find excuses to stay up. Adults are still working to tidy up the house or scrolling through FaceBook and Pinterest to see what is the latest. WARNING SIGN: struggles the next day. Sleep is one of the most overlooked items in our life that will keep us healthy and happy. I can attest that lack of good sleep has health effects. Staying up too late, waking in the middle of the night, “working” instead of sleeping…they all are deterrents to blissful sleep. We all know feeling drowsy, being irritable, and slow response time are common effects of sleep…
