Christmas Countdown - 2015

[Bradmac]

Special Post Day 3

Christmas is a time for miracles.

It is a time of giving and receiving.

The greatest miracle and gift came in the form of a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket, born in a barn, a dirty smelly barn.
His birth announcement came in the form of a group of angels telling shepherds who were just doing their job looking after the sheep.
These shepherds left their sheep sleeping on the hill and ran into Bethlehem, looking in every stable and barn to see if what they heard was really ture. I am sure they also wondered what they were doing, they left their sheep unprotected, babies aren't born in barns and maybe they were just plain seeing things, too much wine before bed maybe. But they felt compelled to look and soon they found Him just as the angel said !! There really was a baby born in this barn !

Today we still look into a barn to see the baby Jesus and marvel that he came down to earth this way.

This Christmas story has been a part of my life since I was very little. Every Christmas morning Dad would read it to us. I can still hear his deep voice telling it. He had a way of telling a story that left you feeling like you were there too.

So never stop marvelling at miracles or stop giving to others. You will be more blessed than the one who receives.

May the miracle of Christmas, past and present live in your heart forever.

Beautiful, Christmasstar!! Thank you for that!!

 

[Bradmac]

Good Tuesday morning MMC! It's currently 52 degrees under cloudy skies. We are expecting a forecast high temperature of 59 degrees with some showers. No amount of rain showers can dampen my spirits though with the Christmas season coming this Friday.
I won my football pool at work for a 2nd time this year. I won $52 (that's the weekly payout) so $104 for the year. There's 30 people in it and only 17 weeks so odds are basically only 50/50 you win even once. Pretty cool that I won twice. Maybe I'll bring in something on Thanksgiving Eve for the office like some donuts or goodies. I think that my mom is going to pick out the turkey today for Thanksgiving. That just gets me excited.
I hope you all have a great Tuesday as we approach D-Day. Talk to you guys later!

 

[made582]

Special Post Day 3

Christmas is a time for miracles.

It is a time of giving and receiving.

The greatest miracle and gift came in the form of a tiny baby wrapped in a blanket, born in a barn, a dirty smelly barn.
His birth announcement came in the form of a group of angels telling shepherds who were just doing their job looking after the sheep.
These shepherds left their sheep sleeping on the hill and ran into Bethlehem, looking in every stable and barn to see if what they heard was really ture. I am sure they also wondered what they were doing, they left their sheep unprotected, babies aren't born in barns and maybe they were just plain seeing things, too much wine before bed maybe. But they felt compelled to look and soon they found Him just as the angel said !! There really was a baby born in this barn !

Today we still look into a barn to see the baby Jesus and marvel that he came down to earth this way.

This Christmas story has been a part of my life since I was very little. Every Christmas morning Dad would read it to us. I can still hear his deep voice telling it. He had a way of telling a story that left you feeling like you were there too.

So never stop marvelling at miracles or stop giving to others. You will be more blessed than the one who receives.

May the miracle of Christmas, past and present live in your heart forever.

Thanks for the great post, Star!!! I'm a firm believer that miracle happen around us all the time. We just have to stop and pay attention.

 

[MerryCarey]

That is extremely frustrating!! switching dentists during treatment is not ideal especially if you have grown to like your current one. On the other hand, covering the bill in full is difficult. Very unfortunate position to be in. I hope you come up with the best choice suitable for you.

Thank you!
We'll figure it out, but it was a low blow on top of multiple four-figure unexpected expenses. From my experience, I don't trust the work of "chain-store" dentists, and of course those are mostly the ones who accept the new insurance. I'll check out some reviews online for local private practices and see what our options are, now that I'm getting over the initial shock.

 

[Bradmac]

Good Tuesday morning, my Christmas friends!

I'm watching the skies for signs of blue. The weather guy says it's coming, but I'm not sure if I believe him. It's been overcast for almost 2 weeks!

The guy that's buying the engine out of the Camaro brought a large portion of the money, so I ordered a new dash pad with the extra money we'll have. He hasn't paid the whole amount yet, so we told him that the motor stays in the car until it's completely paid, and no refunds on the money he's already brought. He's cool with that, so...let the parts buying spree begin!

I feel a little guilty spending money on the Camaro this close to Christmas, but it's money that the car itself generated. Plus, I'm not bragging to loudly about it when Nancy's around.

I hope y'all have a great day!

 

[MerryCarey]

Hope things will work out alright.

Thank you!

 

[Bradmac]

Thanks for the great post, Star!!! I'm a firm believer that miracle happen around us all the time. We just have to stop and pay attention.

Hey, bro!! Good to see you!!

 

[Christmasstar]

Great post Star!

Thank you CS. Wishing you a joyful season.

Beautiful & so true
Thank you so much, CS!
Merry Christmas!!

Such a beautiful post Star, thank you so much. Wishing you and yours a beautiful Christmas season ♥
xx

Good Morning, Creatures of Habit.
That habit being Christmas -- all it is and all it means.

And a daily look at the day's figures has become a welcomed habit around here:
Days to the Season: 3 (UNDER HALF A WEEK, FOLKS!!)
Days to Thanksgiving: 16 (TWO weeks from the day after tomorrow!)
Days to Christmas Day: 45 (Under 6 1/2 weeks now remain!)

(Close, Guys. Dangerously close!)

Be sure to scroll up and read Christmasstar's fine Special Post. Well written and well worth the read!


Rain, rain, rain all day long yesterday. Chilly too, making for a drab and dreary day. Today just HAS to be better, right?
(Or am I speaking out of turn with Mother Nature?)
We have commenced things here at 55 wet degrees under overcast skies.


Have a Terrific Tuesday, Friends!


Enjoying the Special Posts? I am!

The remaining schedule:
Today - Day 3 before the Season = Christmasstar (posted above.)
Tomorrow - Day 2 before the Season = Ryan
Thursday - Day 1 before the Season = Brent
Thursday night - Real-time final countdown to midnight.
Friday - THE SEASON BEGINS at 12:00 AM!

Well said and amen, friend! Thank you!

Beautiful, Christmasstar!! Thank you for that!!

thank you everyone, I do so enjoy being a part of this special post series. Even more being apart of this very special forum !

 

[MerryCarey]

So frustrating. We've never had dental insurance so it's the norm for us to pay out of pocket for everything. Not fun. Especially when we had three in braces all at the same time.
Thinking of you and Mr, hope it all works out.
xx

Thank you!
We have an excellent recommendation from a friend of ours (who also recommended the BEST dentist we ever had, who retired last year ). It remains to be seen, though, whether she accepts our insurance.

 

[Bradmac]

Okay ... meeting of the financial support club ...
Workplace is changing our dental insurance the first of the year, and our dentist doesn't accept the new insurance. And we're both in the middle of expensive treatments ... so we either have to pay 100% ourselves, or switch in midstream to unknown dentists that accept our insurance. It's made me crazy all afternoon.

Our company did the same with our prescription insurance vendor a while back. It took a long time to get the local pharmacies to accept the new insurance, and a couple of my daily meds are just too expensive to pay out-of-pocket for long.

I know dental procedures are expensive, too. Our current plan doesn't cover much for orthodontics like braces. Of course Elizabeth needed braces. LOL

I hope it works out better for you!

 

[MerryCarey]

Our company did the same with our prescription insurance vendor a while back. It took a long time to get the local pharmacies to accept the new insurance, and a couple of my daily meds are just too expensive to pay out-of-pocket for long.

I know dental procedures are expensive, too. Our current plan doesn't cover much for orthodontics like braces. Of course Elizabeth needed braces. LOL

I hope it works out better for you!

Thank you! I hope you don't get any more nasty surprises.
I was poleaxed when I found out that our current dental insurance doesn't cover implants ... I needed one to replace a tooth that had to be extracted, and it all came out of pocket. It's incredible, but just a generation ago---when my mom was a child---she remembers a Dr. Harp who would sometimes accept payment in eggs, dairy, or other farm goods! And now see how complicated it's become!

 

[Edge612]

Good Tuesday morning, my Christmas friends!

I'm watching the skies for signs of blue. The weather guy says it's coming, but I'm not sure if I believe him. It's been overcast for almost 2 weeks!

The guy that's buying the engine out of the Camaro brought a large portion of the money, so I ordered a new dash pad with the extra money we'll have. He hasn't paid the whole amount yet, so we told him that the motor stays in the car until it's completely paid, and no refunds on the money he's already brought. He's cool with that, so...let the parts buying spree begin!

I feel a little guilty spending money on the Camaro this close to Christmas, but it's money that the car itself generated. Plus, I'm not bragging to loudly about it when Nancy's around.

I hope y'all have a great day!

Hope you guys finally get some sun. Eh this is the time of year to spend some $...go back to saving in January.

 

[made582]

Good Morning, MMC!!! It's a chilly morning here but we should reach the mid 50's this afternoon. I have a few errands to run this morning and then it will be back home to do some work around the apartment. I had said about a month ago that they were going to try and take my niece off of her infusions for the arthritis. Well they cut her dose way back this month to try and work down to stopping them in January. It didn't work out so well. She flaired immediately and can barely walk. So she goes back in today for another small infusion to get her back to the dose she was at. They aren't sure if they will try again or not yet. My nephew also broke his finger and gets to get his cast off today. So he is happy. Well I think that's the latest here. I hope everyone has a GREAT DAY!!!!!!

 

[Festive Spirit]

Hope you guys finally get some sun. Eh this is the time of year to spend some $...go back to saving in January.

I like to think that way too !

 

[Festive Spirit]

Good Morning, MMC!!! It's a chilly morning here but we should reach the mid 50's this afternoon. I have a few errands to run this morning and then it will be back home to do some work around the apartment. I had said about a month ago that they were going to try and take my niece off of her infusions for the arthritis. Well they cut her dose way back this month to try and work down to stopping them in January. It didn't work out so well. She flaired immediately and can barely walk. So she goes back in today for another small infusion to get her back to the dose she was at. They aren't sure if they will try again or not yet. My nephew also broke his finger and gets to get his cast off today. So he is happy. Well I think that's the latest here. I hope everyone has a GREAT DAY!!!!!!

I am very sorry to hear it didn;t work out on this occasion with your niece's treatment. It must be so hard. Praying that the next time things will be beyond successful. Hope your nephew's cast removal goes smoothly.

How is your mum doing these days?

Have a wonderful day and so good to see you on here Made.

 

[K.G.]

Good afternoon MMC! Hope everyone is doing well. I haven't been much around lately because of the baby as I hardly have time for anything at all most of the time.
Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week!

 

[Bradmac]

Good Morning, MMC!!! It's a chilly morning here but we should reach the mid 50's this afternoon. I have a few errands to run this morning and then it will be back home to do some work around the apartment. I had said about a month ago that they were going to try and take my niece off of her infusions for the arthritis. Well they cut her dose way back this month to try and work down to stopping them in January. It didn't work out so well. She flaired immediately and can barely walk. So she goes back in today for another small infusion to get her back to the dose she was at. They aren't sure if they will try again or not yet. My nephew also broke his finger and gets to get his cast off today. So he is happy. Well I think that's the latest here. I hope everyone has a GREAT DAY!!!!!!

I'm so sorry the plan didn't work for your niece. I know it must be hard to see her in such pain. At least your nephew got some good news! I hope your mom is doing ok, too!

Praying for you and your family, Made! fear not, Christmas is on the way!!

 

[made582]

I am very sorry to hear it didn;t work out on this occasion with your niece's treatment. It must be so hard. Praying that the next time things will be beyond successful. Hope your nephew's cast removal goes smoothly.

How is your mum doing these days?

Have a wonderful day and so good to see you on here Made.

Thanks, Festive!! It is hard. They were really hoping they could give her body a break from the meds. They are pretty harsh. One of the things she takes weekly is a low dose chemotherapy pill that destroys her immune system and makes her get sick at the drop of a hat. The other meds have some pretty nasty side effects too.

Mom is holding on okay. She has way more bad days then good days but we haven't had a real bad episode in awhile now. We just had a check up with her neurologist yesterday and he said he just doesn't know what else to do for her.

Hope you have a wonderful day too!!

 

[Christmasstar]

Merry Tuesday!

I don't know why but I keep waking up each morning this week thinking it's a day ahead. I thought it was Wednesday this morning. Lots to do today so I better get on with it. Have a wonderful Tuesday all.

View attachment 15695

it is the hurry up and get to Christmas syndrome, happens to a lot of us this time of the year !

 

[Christmasstar]

Wish you all a great day!