No Batteries Needed

While there are many devices that after a few hours in the sun are recharged and ready to use, there are also a few that can be used when that sun is difficult to find. For several years now I've seen some radios and lights that can be cranked in order to charge the power supply and are gret for use in emergencies.

If you search online for "no battery radio," you will find several that can either be charged in the sun or have a wind-up recharge. I even saw one that features a radio, a light, a siren (for attracting attention in an emergency) and an outlet that can charge a cell phone. What a great idea for a camper too!

Next to solar and wind power a little "elbow power" is a great thing.

Gifting Hope at Christmastime by Trish Berg

I was so excited to see this topic come up on our Christmas blog. Thanks, Cathy, for the idea.

I think Christmas is the perfect time to share the hope that is all around us. The hope that comes from God. The hope found only in the manger, in the baby that was born to give us eternal life.

But how do you wrap that hope up in a gift?

My first thought was the wonderful gift my mother-in-law bought for us the year we had a miscarriage. I actually share this story in A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts. It was our first Christmas after the miscarriage, and the pain still felt very raw.

One of the most painful things I found was that losing a baby to miscarriage wasn't a real pain, accepted in the real world. There is no funeral for your baby. No one says goodbye to the baby. The baby is there...and then the baby is gone.

The sun comes up...and the sun goes down...and you are expected to get up and live your life as if nothing happened.

That was difficult to do when I felt like life had been ripped out from inside me.

But I kept a lot of that pain hidden inside. I still do. People don't like you to dwell on pain, so we all tend to stuff it inside and hide it.

But that Christmas, Mike's mom gave us a beautiful ornament of an angel baby to hang on our tree to remind us of our precious baby that is in Heaven.

We hang that ornament every year, and every year we remember our baby. Yes, it makes me sad, a little. But it also makes me hopeful.

Why hope? Well, because I know where my baby is. My baby is in Heaven, safe and sound. And I know that someday, I will get to hold my baby again.

So, I guess I believe you can share that kind of hope by giving a beautiful ornament to remember someone you lost, or to share that hope with someone you know who lost someone.

Maybe a friend lost a father, or a grandfather. Maybe a neighbor lost a spouse. Maybe a friend had a miscarriage.

Pain is pain, and we all need to remember the pain and the person, and this is a wonderful way to do that.

Hope. It sometimes feels far away, like a wind on a mountain you have never felt blow, and yet you feel like you can almost catch that wind in your hands and hold onto it.

That's the hope of Christmas. The hope of Jesus. The hope you can share with someone you love this Christmas.

The more I think about our precious angel ornament, as beautiful as she is, it truly is not the gift that makes the giving so special. It's not in the gift that we see the hope.

It's in th egiver.

My mother-in-law thought about our baby, and reminded us of God's eternal love. That is the true gift of hope.

Trish Berg
www.TrishBerg.com

Swings and Things - Online Must Have Gifts - By Trish Berg

I love Christmas shopping, walking around the stores, seeing the neat decorations and enjoying the atmosphere. But with online shopping becoming more and more a part of our lives, I have also learned my way around cyber space.

The best gifts to buy online are the gifts that are specific. Like when my daughter asks for a pink unicorn Webkinz toy, or a specific song from a specific singer on a specific CD. As much as I enjoy Christmas shopping, I do NOT enjoy going from store to store, wasting gas, and losing my temper as I go in search of something that specific.

Those are the times when shopping online becomes your best option. Simply Google the gift, and voila, options. With just a click, you can search a variety of stores without spending an money on gas.

This summer, I have spent a little bit of time shopping online, and wanted to share a couple of neat gifts you can get for your children, or gift exchanges.



THE BEST TOTE BAG EVER

First of all, my almost-thirteen (thinks-she's-fifteen) daughter, Hannah wanted a tote bag from Ron Jon Surf Shop. My mother-in-law had been on a vacation in Florida a few years back, and had purchased one for me as a gift. I love the bag. I keep my cross stitching in that bag, and all the books I am reading. I toss my camera in there, and it is perfect for small trips.




It's cute. It's the perfect size, and it has lasted very well over the years.



The problem is, Hannah wants it. Yep she wants MY BAG!!!!

So, as her fall birthday approaches, my mother-in-law asked her what she wanted, and she said a bag like mine.


(2 Ron Jon Tote Bags pictured at right)



Well, we do not live near the beach here in Ohio, and Ron Jon Surf Shops are located near beaches on the coasts.

So I went online, and found the perfect bag for her. With a quick click, voila. Shopping is done.

Check out Ron Jon Surf Shop at http://www.ronjons.com/


TREE SWING FANTASY


The other online shopping I have done is to find a wooden seat, old fashioned tree swing for my daughter, Sydney's birthday. Though, this would also make a fantastic Christmas gift for kids and adults.




There is something romantic about a nice big tree swing you can sit on in your front yard.



I started by searching online for tree swings, then wooden tree swings. And though I did find some that were exactly what I was looking for, they were, well, NOT CHEAP!


The cheapest one was about $70 plus shipping. For a wooden seat and a rope????

They were beautiful, and well worth the money, but I just can't see spending that much on a tree swing. One place that had beautiful tree swings was "Breezy Wooden Swings" at http://www.breezyswings.com/


But, being cheap, I did what any mom would do - got creative.


I found the dimensions of the seat and called my local lumber store. I asked them what they would charge to cut a piece of pre-treated lumber in the dimensions of the swing seat, round the corners, and put 4 holes (1 in each corner) about 1 inch in. The holes needed to be 5/8 inch so I could get a very sturdy rope.


The bill? About $5-$10 for the swing seat.


I can stain it myself, and am going to a local hardware store to purchase the rope. I will look up online how to tie the rope through the swing and hang it on the tree.


My total cost? Less than $20.

So, as great as online shopping can be, you need to know what things are worth, and what you are willing to pay for an item, plus shipping.

And sometimes, you can simply get the dimensions or directions for a gift online, and make it yourself.



For directions to make your own wooden tree swing, check out DIY here.

ONLINE SHOPPING


Online shopping is about more than buying gifts. Its about having options, getting information and simplifying your life.

And if you use it wisely, it can do just that.

Whether you are shopping for the perfect tote bag or the romance of a wooden tree swing, you can find it online.


I'd love to hear your online shopping stories. What was the best online gift you found? Or what did you find online that you ended up making yourself?

Let's talk online shopping this week, and since it's only July, we have tons of shopping days until Christmas.



As always, enjoy the journey, Trish
Psalm 118:24