Tackle it Tuesday - Microwave

I decided my microwave needed a good cleaning this week. Here's a before picture:






When food's that baked on, scrubbing won't help until you steam it first. I put a cup of cold water with about a teaspoon of lemon juice in it inside the microwave. I had removed the glass plate and washed that with the dishes. Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes and then let the cup sit in the microwave with the door closed for another 5 minutes.


The microwave then wiped out easily with a warm damp rag. Stains don't come out for anything.
A word of caution concerning microwave ovens: Never boil just plain water without adding something to it first. Many people have had water pop in their faces when they took it out of the microwave. Adding something to it seems to change that.

Talk to me Tuesday - Christmas

The question is, "How do you keep the Christ in Christmas?"

It seems as if it gets harder every year to focus on Jesus and what Christmas is really about because of all of the busyness of the season, never ending squabbles among people, and just the fact that our children are getting older. Some of the traditions of Christmas help to keep us focused.

Every year we do different projects during Advent to keep our thoughts on Jesus. We make a Jesse Tree, read a really good book called Jotham's Journey (one chapter for every day of Advent), sing Christmas songs that sing of Christ's Glory, and make a birthday cake for Jesus.

I'm really having a difficult time putting on Christmas cheer this year but I'm working on it. At least we have snow, huh? Snow isn't what it's about and neither is Christmas cheer. I need to be cheerful because this is Christ's birthday, but I need to be even more mindful that this Child did not remain a baby. He can't be real to me only at Christmas, but He needs to take center stage all year long.