Angie's Christmas Countdown, December 25

Luke 2:25-32

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

Angie's Christmas Countdown, December 24

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Angie's Christmas Countdown, December 23

Luke 2:6-7
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Angie's Christmas Countdown, December 22

Luke 2:1-5

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

Angie's Christmas Countdown, December 21

Luke 1:26-32

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

A Week in Review

It's 9:22 am. My brain doesn't start to function, not well anyway, until after 10, so this might be a little fuzzy. We will press on, nevertheless, with a Week in Review.

A Big Girl Bed
I got a new bed. Actually, it's a hand-me-down bed from Barry and Melody. They bought a new bedroom set, very nice, and asked me if I wanted their old bed. I said, "Yes I do!" I have slept in a twin size bed all of my life. Since leaving the craddle I've been in a twin. Friends and family have over the years told me that it was time for a big girl bed, but they cost some money, and I've always had a small room in all of my different aparments and homes, so it just didn't seem practical. And, I'm a good sleeper. It' nearly impossible for me to get up in the morning out of my tiny, not so comfy bed. If I had a good one I'd NEVER get out of it, and then I'd loose my job and have to face all kinds of dire consequences.

Then Melody offered me their bed for free, and I was so excited. Maybe a queen size has been my heart's secret desire all of this time? That must be because it was happy. Barry brought it all over last Friday and set it up for me. Big wood frame, box spring, and a giant pillow-top mattress. I mean giant. He warned me that the bed was pretty big, and suggested that we just put the box spring and mattress on the floor, but I wanted the nice frame, so he put it all together. When he finally threw the mattress on top I was stunned! It's huge! Honestly, this thing is so tall - more than waist high, almost chest high. I laughed every time I looked at it. What a ridiculously big bed! I feel like the princess and the pea.

I get into this bed by first stepping up on the wood frame, and then climbing in from there. I'm considering setting up a mini-tramp. There is some room on the floor, and then I could get a running start, hit the tramp, and do a tuck and roll into bed. Nice. Until then, I'll be climbing up from the frame. Once in, though, it is so, so comfortable. And I bought some Egyptian cotton sheets - heavenly. Absolute heaven. Everything you've heard about Egyptian cotton is true. And yes, I've been late for work all week. But loosing my job to stay in this bed just might be worth it.

And then....
That's really all I have to talk about today. It's crunch time at the store, and I'm working a lot of extra hours. I'll admit, it's exhausting. But people have been nice enough, and exhaustion is just part of the whole Christmas thing, isn't it? I hope you're all enjoying the fun of the season.

Countdown
I don't know that anyone is reading the countdown scriptures, and it's ok if you're not. I understand that there are one million things to do in December. I have honestly enjoyed doing it. It's been a good reminder every day of Christ, and I like thinking about all of the prophecies of His birth. Sometimes life can be tough, and sometimes it feels like that light at the end of the tunnel is way too far away. What I love about the prophecies of Christ'st birth is that the people had so much faith in them, and that faith pulled them through. And in the end every sign came, every one of God's promises was kept. And those who were there to see it rejoiced.

Here's today's countdown scripture:
3 Nephi 1:10-15, 20-21

10 Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

11 And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.

21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.

Thanks, as always, for your constant care.
You are loved.

Angie's Christmas Countdown, December 17

3 Nephi 1:4, 8
4 And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.

8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.