Scripture and a Snapshot - This Is Love (Advent IV)

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!" Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her.

~Luke 1:26-35, 38~

 

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Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

~I John 4:7-12~

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Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

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I also link up at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Grace-Filled Moments

With Christmas and Hanukkah just a few days away, many of us will be changing up our blogging schedule as we celebrate the holidays. I plan to have the final Twenty-Six Lists link-up of the year scheduled for Tuesday, December 24th, and the Wednesday Quotes link-up scheduled for Wednesday, December 25th. The theme for WQ this time is "Traditions". If you plan to participate in either or both of those (and I hope you will!), the link parties remain open for two weeks so you have lots of time!

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Monthly Musings: Getting Ready for the Holidays

Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best co-host this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters. We're nearing the very busiest part of the holiday season, and the questions we're considering are all about the last minute holiday tips and getting ready for a New Year.

1. What do you do about last minute gifts you forgot to buy?

I don't think I've ever completely forgotten gifts, but I have procrastinated for various reasons. Gift cards are the fallback plan if I've waited too long or just can't come up with a great gift idea.

2. Favorite last minute holiday recipe?

Honestly, I can't think of anything, and since I need to get to bed, I guess I'll have to skip this one!

3. Favorite part of the holiday season so far?

I think my favorite thing so far this year was last Saturday. We went with a group from our 55+ group at church to a dinner theater to see a stage production of Holiday Inn. We all rode together so we got to visit some on the bus, and my husband and I really enjoyed the conversation over lunch with the couple we sat with. The food was fantastic and the show was very well done and fun. Then in the evening, I subbed bass in a quartet with friends and had a fun time singing Christmas songs at a museum holiday open house.

4. Best stocking stuffer/small gift?

It really depends on the person! But almost everyone on my list would be happy with a small dollar value gift card to a favorite fast food place, or with some of their favorite chocolate or candy.

5. Favorite holiday sweet treat?

Oh I love all of them! I guess shortbread cookies are my favorite since we rarely have shortbread during the rest of the year.

6. Will you make a New Year's Resolution?

I'm sure I'll make goals, choose a Word of the Year, or even make a "25 in '25" list, but I don't typically make resolutions. Even though the beginning of a new calendar year is certainly a great time to start a new healthy habit or start working on a new self-improvement goal.

7. Do you use a planner? Paper or electronic?

So . . . I love planners, but I usually fizzle out and don't continue using them consistently. I work with a combination of paper and electronic. I have the Remember The Milk app to help me keep track of all the things on my various to-do lists and I have been using that for many years. (I still prefer the old web version to the updated website or app though) I also keep a small size paper calendar/agenda planner and make tons of checklists on scrap paper or in a spiral notebook for all sorts of things. A to-do list before vacation. A packing list. Shopping lists. Gift lists. I love lists and checking things off lists!

8. Stay up until midnight or sound asleep when the ball drops?

Oh I'll be up to ring in the new year at midnight! I'm a night owl so I'm seldom asleep before midnight, and certainly not on New Years Eve.

9. What do you do on New Year's Day?

Sleep late! Usually we have a big brunch with breakfast casserole or Waffles and Awesome Sauce. After that it really depends who is with us for the day. Last year our son and his family stayed overnight on New Years Eve but went home after our big brunch, so it was just my husband and me. We just relaxed and later went over to one of the nearby metro parks and walked in the woods. I suspect we'll do something quite similar this year.

On New Year's Day, I love having 'Niejoashe Koake' (Low German for 'New Years Cookies'). This was a favorite treat of mine when I was a kid, and although I don't make them every year, it's still a special treat when I do! It's pretty much the same as Porzelchen (High German), Oliebollen (Dutch), and very similar to Croustillon (French), or Dutchies (English). They are simply sweet fritters with raisins. No one really knows why they're associated with New Years either!

10. Are you taking time off in December?

Yes, we both get Christmas Eve off anyway, and since we'll be traveling to Maryland, we're also taking the 26th and 27th off. We're looking forward to a few days with family and being able to see some friends! We'll head back home after church on the 29th so we can be back to work on Monday. 

Have you got any great last minute holiday advice? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm linking up with Monthly Musings hosted by Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best.

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 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

 

Wrapping Up The Hodgepodge Year

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1.  What's one thing you want to get done before the calendar flips to a new year?

 

Get my desk and all its piles cleaned up so I am in a better position to stay organized in 2025. Of course there are lots and lots of things I want and need to do, but this was the first one that popped into my head as I sit here at my extremely untidy desk! 

 

 

2. What's something that brought a smile to your face this year?

 

There were so many things! I think having all the family together for a summer vacation was the best. Also spending time with all the kids and the grands while my parents were here. I'm so glad we will all be together for Christmas this year!

 

 3. What do you like on a cracker? Do you have a favorite cracker variety?

 Just cheese. Cheese and salami or pepperoni. Cream cheese and pepper jelly. Peanut butter. My favorite crackers are Ritz crackers. 

4. Do you have plans for ringing in the new year in a fun or special way? Are you typically awake at midnight on the last day of the year?

 Not sure, because we haven't nailed down exactly what we're doing with family, but my husband and I are seriously considering going to the Blue Jackets game on New Years Eve. We hear they have fireworks after the game! But we'll still have time to get home well before midnight, depending on traffic, I guess. Last year our son's family came over for New Years Eve and stayed for the night and for New Years Day brunch, so maybe we'll do that again.

Not only am I typically awake at midnight on New Years Eve, I'm typically awake at midnight almost every night of the year.  

 

5.  What are three words that describe your 2024?

 

 Work. Sing. Hope.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

As I was getting this ready late on Tuesday, I asked myself if I'd ever gone back to comment on the previous week's Hodgepodge participants, and I hadn't! YIkes!! So I'll have to catch up on a few of those, and promise to do better this week and in the new year.

One day this week when I opened up the YouVersion website to look for a Bible passage rather than looking at my reading plans, I was surprised to find that my default language had changed to this:

 Is it Nepali? I know it's a southeast Asian language but why it had changed to this I couldn't say. It looks beautiful anyway. But I guess I don't have the gift of reading in tongues so I figured out how to change it back to English! 

Are you ready for Christmas or Hanukkah or the holiday you celebrate? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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 ©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

 This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

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Everyday Images #51

Welcome to another installment of my challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I find that I notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases that I'm focusing on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week. These were the prompts I assigned myself for the past couple weeks:

December Prompts - Everyday Images #51

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at home (monthly)

weather (quarterly)

love

paper

trees

favorite

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at home (monthly) - ending the year much like we started with this prompt!

weather (quarterly) - winter has arrived

love - well, we were on a date! We went with a group from church to see a dinner theater production of "Holiday Inn". We posted this goofy photo to FB with a caption about being the Grey Nomads (it's a Bluey reference).

paper

trees

favorite - a couple of my favorite Christmas mugs

A few more bonus photos:

View from a window in the Ohio Statehouse . . .

and inside the Statehouse . . .

where SVC sang Christmas music for the holiday open house.

Last weekend we carolled at the cookie walk.

Divvying up the cookies afterwards:

Visited Timbuk Farms to see the Christmas displays and pick up a holiday wreath and planter.

This photo was my other option for "love" - Merida was in a clingy mood and "held hands" with my husband while we watched a Christmas movie. I was starting to wonder if I should be jealous! LOL

From the dinner theater:

I also got to sub as the bass in my friends' quartet one evening - so much fun!

We're still getting ready for the big day.

I am sharing my photos every other Tuesday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

Everyday Images will continue in 2025, every other Tuesday. There's one more Twenty-Six Lists link-up left in 2024, and it happens next Tuesday.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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December Prompts - Everyday Images #52

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No prompt, just a wrap-up! I'll be sharing some highlight photos from the year, and collages of the quarterly and monthly photos.

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Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email. 

©2006-2024 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/ 

This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation.

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.