Countdown: 25 days to Christmas

Pause a moment to remember that all blessings are from the One above.  

This has been a year of greater glory for my family.  I am so thankful for everything.

Countdown: 26 days to Christmas

The A to Z of Christmas.  

Even in tropical Singapore, we see snowman and winter themes everywhere!  

The weather has also kept me indoors but it's nice and when the rain is so fine, it almost looks like snow falling. 

Countdown: 27 days to Christmas

As we move nearer to Christmas, let's keep PEACE, HOPE and LOVE in our hearts and minds.

Countdown: 28 days to Christmas

Anytime is a good time to make someone less fortunate smile.  During this season, we should be on the lookout for all opportunities to make people smile.

Countdown: 29 days to Christmas

Less than a month to Christmas and I'm thinking of family and friends.  The people who keep you in their hearts and minds and who never give up on you.

These last two and a half years have been wonderful! 

I have made some new friends, caught up with old ones and reconnected with some family members (without Facebook, I should add). Sometimes the old-fashioned way works better   

Countdown: 30 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

I'm busy, busy, busy with wrapping today.  I haven't any need to buy many gifts so it's not as difficult as it used to be in previous years.  

However, I always have spare gifts available so as not to be caught by surprise.  

For a change, this might be an easier option.

Countdown: 31 days to Christmas

Vintage image from Pinterest

Have you started wrapping gifts yet?  I've bought a handful but not yet begun to sit and wrap them yet.  

I must start soon.  I promise myself!

Countdown: 32 days to Christmas

Christmas in Singapore has been part of my life for so many years now and it's something I look forward to every year.

I'm going to share some pictures of the beautiful Orchard Road with the lights later this month or early in December.

Last week we were at the new Bedok Mall and this sight caught my eye.

Countdown: 33 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

Is your tree up yet?  

The fun is in seeing the lights switched on at night!  Mine have fibre optic lights but I added another set to make it even brighter!  

Image from Pinterest

Countdown: 34 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

How nice to have a thought for others at this time of the year!  We needn't limit our acts to this list alone. We can do so much more...  

Happy Birthday AGAIN, Baby Grosse!

Image from WWW

Stephen is 55 today.  A milestone in his life and career too.  The age of retirement in Singapore is 67 so he can go on for another 12 years if he so wishes. Let's see what he decides because part of his daily joy is doing a good job at work and being recognised for it. 

And now back to his special day as I want to give thanks to God for a wonderful spouse.  He's a good man. I saw this online and nodded my head for each point.  

Image from Pinterest

However, in line with his colourful and happy nature, I thought this was also quite fitting and would make him smile!

Babe, you know how happy I am to have you in my life but even if you forget, let today be a reminder that your birthday isn't the only day that I am thankful for you.  I am thankful for you every day of my life. 

May you be blessed, in double doses, for all the good that you have put out in the world.  I love you very much. 

Countdown: 35 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

Tiny clothes on a string.  How cute are these!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Grosse

Image from Pinterest

When I saw this card, it said all that I felt and I decided to share it.  

Years ago, I felt this way and today I feel the same. Years from now, I am sure that it will still hold true.

Stephen Grosse, you are quite perfect to me!  I love you very much and I pray that God will continue to bless you with all that your heart desires.

Happy 55 years!!

Countdown: 36 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

To think that I threw away so many old cards!! 

Nowadays people hardly send cards but if you do get any, this is a fun thing to do.  

Image from Pinterest

What a nice touch for dinner!  Need to practise folding it first!  :)

Countdown: 37 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

I found this image on Pinterest and decided to share it here so that I'll have it for always.  

Countdown : 38 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

No white Christmas for me in sunny Singapore! The cold is not my favourite so I don't know if I'll enjoy frigid weather.  However, this fun image does make sense and makes me smile.

Countdown: 39 days to Christmas

It is the happiest season of all but we must remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Countdown: 40 days to Christmas

It really is the happiest season of all.  People are kinder, nicer and sweeter to each other.

I love this time of the year. 

Countdown: 41 days to Christmas

Vintage Christmas image from Pinterest

When do you start doing up the home for Christmas?

When I was working, I used to start in mid-October. I had to remove all the other stuff first.  Then I had to take out the 8 boxes of Christmas things in order to be able to put away every other thing inside them.  

All this would be done after working a full day and only having the evenings and alternate weekends to do what I did.  

It was a one-woman job.  But I truly loved it. 

Neighbours always complimented me and asked if they could come in to have a look.  Jared's friends also expressed their amazement at how the house was transformed at Christmas.  

I haven't done much since moving to Singapore but maybe this year, it'll be different!  Maybe I'll do more this time. 

Countdown: 42 days to Christmas.

Image from Pinterest

I'm not on Facebook but someone on Pinterest shared this clever idea.  I can't wait to make this Christmas Eve box.

The thing about Pinterest is that people are so generous and share so willingly and easily.  It's a very nice place to hang out.  :)

Countdown: 43 days to Christmas.

Image from Pinterest

The moment we become parents, the joy of Christmas is magnified exponentially.

There's something about having a child to give the spirit of giving a whole different meaning.

Cute image from Pinterest

Countdown: 44 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

This is a cute idea. I'm going to improvise on this one. What a festive look!!!

Countdown: 45 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

"J" is for Jesus, lest we forget!

Too often we let this slip from our hearts because Christmas has become a booming business.

Countdown: 46 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

As we begin to wish for Christmas goodies and stuff, here's something to think about!

Countdown: 47 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

Do you have a Christmas ornament in memory of someone you love and who you cannot forget?

I had one in KL and I found a perfect one for my tree here in Singapore.  I can't wait to put it up.

Countdown: 48 days to Christmas

Image from Pinterest

I'm so tempted to do this and maybe I shall give in to the temptation.

Countdown: 49 days to Christmas

Cute image from Pinterest

Have you started on your Christmas Cards yet?

I still send a few out by post.  So many people do not live in a virtual world.  Most of the young do but many of the older generation have yet to embrace technology.  For this reason, we should take time to send a real card, by snail mail, to those we care about.

It's always nice to see something in the postbox other than just bills or flyers!

Vintage image from Pinterest

Christmas is in the air!! 50 days to go.

50 days to Christmas.

Image from Pinterest

As soon as Deepavali was over, the Christmas decorations started sprouting all over Singapore.  

We were in Little India last week and there were still traces of the Festival of Lights along the road.  But the next big event has started creeping in...

The malls, we were in, already have their Christmas stuff out.  NTUC FairPrice has a lovely theme of red, green and silver which I love.  I'm just waiting for the tree to come up at the Toa Payoh Hub.  We also saw parts of Orchard Road already strewn with their elaborate lightings and I can't wait to see them at night.  

I don't know why but this year, the spirit is so strong. 

Stephen has started playing Christmas songs at home and I seem to have caught the fever.  

Hence, I'm going to post a picture a day to start the countdown to Christmas.  

Doing nothing

Image from Pinterest

I still get interrogated by working people about how I can bear doing nothing. Somehow there is that underlying suspicion that I am faking being happy since I have nothing to do.  

It seems to be an easily-acceptable theory that if you have nothing to do then you can't be happy. Likewise, if you have something to do and you don't do it, then you definitely can't be happy.

The thing I most enjoy is when I have something to do but I don't because I can choose not to do it. 

There isn't anyone that I want to impress or someone that I have to take orders from.  This liberty is what I enjoy so much.

I do agree that sometimes we need to be doing something in order to feel a sense of fulfilment.  But there is no harm in also doing nothing.  I've practically done nothing much these last two years. I'm not any the worse for it.  My mind is still alert and I've not turned into a couch potato.  

Surely there must not be so much fun running around doing one thing after another.

Image from Pinterest

I think we had it drummed into our heads that we shouldn't rest on our laurels.  Having that wired into our DNA we forget that being still is just as important.  After all, isn't it biblical to "Be Still".

Image from Pinterest

57 years today

It's your birthday and, of course, I think of all that could have been and I wonder. I always wonder about how life would have been if you hadn't gone so suddenly.

What comforts me is that many others join me in missing you so much.  

I miss you a lot today. 

  

Older, wiser and ...

Image picked up from Pinterest

Indeed, the truth is that there is always something happening.  Sometimes we see it and sometimes we don't.  

I'm older than I've ever been and certainly wiser for that is how it is.  We live and we learn. It's the reward for growing older.  

Older, wiser and also a bit more than that. 

Stephen has been slowly nudging me to exercise and, little by little, I've been building up my stamina.

I'm able to do more now than I've ever done in my life.  Walking distances that I never imagined or cycling where I'd not ever dreamed about. 

It is a nice feeling to be not only older and wiser but also fitter.  

Now I see it.  Now I choose to see it. 

Happy November, everybody!