March 19, 2026

Lean In Closer

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.
Psalms 46:1-3

God is there. Lean in closer. We, as believers, know that He is always with us—always within the reach of our heart’s cry.

Uncertainties and difficulties are always on the horizon. I’m facing some now. Christians face difficulties like other people do. The difference is that when the storms hit, we know God is there with us. We go to Him—our Refuge and Strength. (When things are going wonderfully, let’s lean toward Him then also. The world may have a hard time distinguishing what is going on in our lives. That’s okay, if that happens. If they have an encounter with us at any time, I hope the main thing they take away is that we love God.)
God is my Refuge and Strength. He helps me enormously! It’s in the tough times that my faith, trust, and relationship with Him grow even stronger. Without Him, I wouldn’t have endured or persevered in really tough times.

When I’m tired, hurt, or face the unknown, God is my Refuge and Strength. Can you say that? Hopefully, you can! (If not, please pause now, and pray to God to allow that statement to become true for you.)

I know of several close friends who have heavy burdens right now. None of us have a completely smooth ride between birth and death. There will be many wonderful times of love, laughter, celebrations, and being with special people. There also will be many times of illness, grief, struggles, loss, loneliness, and hurts. Life is made up of a combination of all of these for every one of us. Each person’s journey will look different than someone else’s. The only way to live in a God-glorifying way is to reach toward God in all things. Don’t let the emphasis be on our circumstances. And if others do see the circumstances, may they see that in them, we loved Jesus. Each new day that we begin, let our emphasis be on His Presence in our lives and our love for Him!

I often think of Joni Eareckson Tada, who’s a quadriplegic. At the mention of her name, I also think of her great love for God. Her incredible love for Him shines even brighter because she places her love for Him way above dwelling on the circumstances she has to live in! So, her beautiful testimony of loving God within her difficult circumstances shines even brighter to bring Him even more glory! Wow! I love that!

How do we lean in closer to God? Hannah, in the Bible, prayed. When she couldn’t have the child she so desperately longed for, she prayed. The child, Samuel, came after her prayer of request and then, she prayed a prayer glorifying God. In her prayer of thankfulness, Hannah said, “There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2). She drew close to her God for help and to praise Him! (See 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11 for more.)

We can lean closer to God through prayer, reading His Word, singing songs of praise and worship, and trusting and having faith in Him regardless of circumstances.

What are you going through in this season of your life? Lean in closer toward God. He is there. He is waiting with love and open arms. He will be your Refuge and Strength.

Dear Jesus,  let us always be mindful of Your Presence. Thank You for caring about us and loving us to the point of death on a cross. If You can rise from death and reign as King of kings as You have, You can certainly deal with the problems that come our way. Let us lay them at Your feet. Let us trust You completely with our difficult situations and circumstances—knowing You are to be trusted and loved in, and through, all things! In Your precious Name I pray, amen.

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering

Each year, as we enter the new year, many of us begin to set goals or make resolutions. Personally, I don’t make resolutions. I choose a few goals and try to meet those throughout the year. For me, changing the wording helps with that feeling of less-than that often comes when I don’t meet the goal. This way, I still have the rest of the year to succeed!

This month I will be writing a series of posts for At Home w/ GCH that discuss getting our homeschools organized for the new year. With this series, I am hoping to help many of you, as well of myself, as we focus on just one task each week. Feel free to take more than one week to complete each task, though. It will probably take longer than that for me here, since I am also in the midst of homeschooling and working each day, too!

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

This week our task is decluttering. I am sorry to say that my home is often cluttered. The job of decluttering seems to be a constant work in progress, and can very easily get me overwhelmed if I don’t focus.

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering www.GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com #organization #homeschool

7 Ways to Stay Focused as You Work Towards the Goal of Decluttering

  1. Set a timer and work for a specific amount of time, then take a break. You will be impressed with how much you actually accomplish in that concentrated amount of time.
  2. Start with one small space. A desk, a drawer, a shelf. Simply beginning is half the battle.
  3. Throw away extraneous papers that are lying around.
  4. File bills, pay stubs, and other important documents.
  5. Purchase plastic or cloth bins to use as storage (found at places like Target, Walmart, or Goodwill and other thrift stores).
  6. Sort toys and books into ‘like’ piles and place them in bins together. This simple step helps so much when it is time for you and your children to clean up!
  7. Label the bins according to the item—blocks, books, Mr. Potato Head, cars, etc.

Do you have tips and tricks for decluttering? Please leave your suggestions in the comments section below! Be sure to check Organizing Your Homeschool for a Brand New Year  for other posts as we move forward with this organizational series throughout the month of January.

God’s Promises

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.
Psalm 91

What a beautiful communication of Almighty God’s love for us! Full of promises telling us of just how God desires to care for us, and declarations of all He will do for us! If I have counted correctly, God makes thirty promises to us just in this one psalm.

God is faithful to each and every promise He has made…we stake all of our beliefs and our trust in Him on this absolute fact, true? But we must remember that sometimes He has attached a condition to be met (by you and me) to receive the fulfillment of a promise. Such as here, in verse 1…the writer of this psalm declares God to be El Shaddai which is interpreted as God Almighty or All-sufficient. If you and I ‘dwell in the shelter of the Most High’ then these promises are covering us. His shelter and His shadow provide refuge for those who dwell and abide.

This week in the Seeking Him daily devotional blog, our sisters are writing on Psalm 46. There, too, the psalmist confesses the Truth of just Who God Almighty is—our Refuge and our Strength.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way….
Verses 1 and 2

As we go forward from today, the first day of 2014, may we yearn to know God’s promises, do our part (where necessary), and be oh-so-very-thankful for all that we receive from our Faithful Father God!

Can I encourage you to try a little exercise?  Pick up your Bible, turn to the page where Psalm 91 is printed, and read ALOUD all the promises (30 of them remember!) included in just this one short psalm.  Every place there is a pronoun relating to us (he, him, you, your) replace it with your own name.  For example, speak your name where the   ♥   is.

Because {   ♥   } has loved Me, therefore I will deliver {   ♥   };
I will set {   ♥   } securely on high, because {   ♥   } has known My name. {   ♥   } will call upon Me, and I will answer {   ♥   };
I will be with {   ♥   } in trouble; I will rescue {   ♥   } and honor {   ♥   }.
With a long life I will satisfy {   ♥   } and let {   ♥   } see My salvation.

* * * * *

Almighty God, we praise You and thank You for Your awesome promises! How blessed we are by all Your promises! You have promised to provide for, and guide, and protect, and rescue, and deliver, and hear, and answer us. May we hold Your word(s) in our heart so that we do not sin against You. We surely need Your help to faithfully do so! We love You so very much, Lord! We pray and ask these things in Jesus’ name.    ♥  Amen.

Our Refuge and Strength

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God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
Psalms 46:1-3

Refuge.
Strength.
Ever-present.

The earth is giving way, mountains are falling, waters are roaring and foaming, other mountains are quaking and surging; these are the Biblical terms for what we now-a-days call “all the stuff that happens in our life.”

These days, week, months and even years are the times when we search for a safe place to hide. We search for something and someone to give us the ‘oomph’ we need to conquer what we’re facing. Unfortunately we look everywhere else instead of where we should be looking. This past Sunday in church the pastor talked about how the Bible is our ‘instruction manual for life’— it tells us everything we need to know when we need to know it.

So when we need that safe place and when we need that source of strength we simply need to turn to God. He tells us clearly that He is our Refuge, He is our Safe Place, and He is our Strength, the Power we need to get through what we’re going through.
I know that this is at times much easier said than done. I know that when our seas are surging and when our mountains are falling that we want to fix life ourselves, and we may find our refuge in worry and fear, we may find our strength in what we feel we can do to sort out whatever may be going on.

The New Year is upon us and I want to challenge myself, and others, to live this passage in 2014. For myself I plan to write it in my planner. One day reminding myself that He is my Refuge, the other day reminding myself that He is my Strength. Do what works for you; remind yourself that when the stuff in life happens that we have a Refuge, and that that safe place will be our Strength to move forward.

Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, You have given us all we need to live our lives. People ask if life comes with an instruction manual…some say no, but the true answer is ‘yes.’ This manual tells us that you are our Strength and Refuge. Lord, please give spiritual sensitivity to us so that we remember this in times of trouble. Let us run to You rather than to fear and worry. Thank You for a safe place—a Refuge, and thank You for the strength to live this life. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

My One Word ~ Joyful

I just love this concept of having ‘a word’ as a spiritual discipline. (I’m sure you have stumbled across this idea…recently the blogging world has been crazy busy writing about it!) Somehow…ok, God’s grace, of course…I was introduced to this idea three years ago. A bit ahead of the crowd which is sort of typical for me. You see, I don’t do trendy things, I surely dance to the beat of a different drum. But I am perfectly settled with that…it is who I am and who I imagine I will always be.

Here’s how it works:  the plan is to pray and, following God’s lead, choose ‘one word’ that will be your focus for the next year. In working through this concept it seems to be so simple and, yet, so vast in its application. I have found that my eyes and ears (and spirit!) are aware and attentive to ‘hearing’ my word whether in the Scriptures, or in study of other books, or in listening to a sermon or teaching, etc. But isn’t that just the way that the Holy Spirit leads, and guides, and teaches us? It is the still, small voice that we hear. It is His gentle leading that always bring us to ‘see’ a revelation. Haven’t you found this true?

Each of my words has always been in relation to Almighty God. My ‘one word’ in 2013 has been TRUST, in 2012 it was PEACE, and in 2011 my word was REFUGE. And these are the verses that I began with and stood upon:

TRUST
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?
Psalms 56:3 and 4

PEACE
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything,
but in every circumstance and in everything,
by prayer and petition (definite requests),
with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.
And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul
assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God
and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace]
which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard
over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 and 7

REFUGE
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy,
and spread Your protection over them, and that those who love Your Name may exult in you.
Psalm 5:11

I can honestly tell you that drawing closer in my relationship with God in light of each of those words has changed my heart. No doubt about it; absolutely! And so I joyfully anticipate ALL that God is going to do in me in 2014 as I focus on one word—JOYFUL.

You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psalm 16:11

So, what do you think…is this something you might consider doing? If you have already been praying and asking God to lead you in selecting your ‘one word,’ I would love to hear about it! And, if not, pray! Seek God’s guidance and direction! He surely knows what your heart needs. He absolutely knows what will come along your path in the next year. And, most importantly, He loves you so very much and wants to guide you along the right path for you!

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:25

I am praying for you, too! If you would like, I would love to pray with you…send me a FaceBook message!

*  *  *  *  *  

{ For those of you who love to read, Pastor Mike Ashcraft wrote this marvelous book My One Word: Change Your Life with Just One Word sharing the journey that he took along with the congregation of the church he shepherds. It’s a great book and in it he shares much more of the heart behind the discipline of ‘one word.’ }

When Love Sees You

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Blessed are you as you weep on your knees with perfume and tears washing over My feet
And blessed are you, beggar, hopeless and blind calling for mercy when I’m passing by
Blessed are you, shaking your head at two tiny fish and some bread
Blessed are you as you tremble and wait for the first stone thrown at your sinful disgrace
   Tell Me your story, show Me your wounds
   And I’ll show you what Love sees when Love looks at you
   Hand Me the pieces, broken and bruised
   And I’ll show you what Love sees when Love sees you
Blessed are you, walking on waves, to find yourself sinking when you look away
Blessed are you, leper, standing alone the fear on their faces is all that you’ve known
Blessed are you, lonely widow, who gave your last shiny coin to Yahweh
Blessed are you, with your silver and lies, kissing the One who’s saving your life
I see what I made in your mother’s womb and I see the day I fell in love with you
I see your tomorrow’s, nothing left to chance, I see My Father’s fingerprints
   I see your story, I see My name written on every beautiful page
   You see the struggle, you see the shame; I see the reason I came
   I came for your story, I came for your wounds
   To show you what Love sees when I see you

~ performed by Mac Powell / written by Nichole Nordeman and Bernie Herms ~

*   *   *   *   *

As we get ready to ring in the New Year,
may you be reminded what love sees when love sees you

This song is very near and dear to my heart. I was once a very lost woman full of shame. I handed Him the broken pieces of my life and He restored and redeemed it.  Maybe you need to hear that and to know that today—Jesus came for me AND He came for you, too!  May you know and believe who you are in Him. Your identity is not in who you used to be. You are who God says you areBlessed, Anointed, Redeemed, a daughter of the King!
Praise God that your past does not determine your future…He has great plans for you, sweet sister. You may see the struggle but He sees the reason He came.

Joyful Mood

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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Hey sisters, you know what joys a baby brings to a family! How about a miracle Baby like Jesus, who came into being through so many prophecies, miraculously, for that matter. Think of Mary how much joy did she have in her heart when the angel visited her despite being worried of what people, and what they would say about her.

I tell you a child brings GREAT joy to a family. Think of Hanna…she was grieved to a point of great distress that Eli thought she was drunk. Really, she needed a child. She cried to the Lord for a child and God granted the desire of her heart. She had great joy!

Now a child is given to us, JESUS—He should be received with all the joy a child brings! Especially now that this Child we have been given will have the power to heal all our diseases, remove all our iniquities, at His name every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess His Lordship. A Child who will have the power to speak to the devil and the devil tremble. And this Child is given to us; don’t we think we are privileged to be given this type of a child? I feel like singing aloud for you to hear what am feeling inside. (Thank God for this revelation!) Oh, HALLELUJAH! Praise the Lord!!!

In this world, when we have a child, he/she goes to school and later starts a job and we enjoy the fruit of paying the school fees and the like.

NOW this Child, Jesus, is given to us. He grew up, He worked, and He died on the Cross. He later paid the bill for us…for our redemption. What else do we need apart from appreciating this Child we are given freely by our loving Father in heaven? The way we dance with joy and hug our child when he /she has done something good—that’s the very same joy we should feel about God’s Son, Jesus. We write messages telling our friends/relatives what our child has done.

Here Jesus is not a mere son, but THE Son! He has come to serve; let’s praise the Lord again and again. Let’s tell our friends and relatives of what this Son, Whom we were given, has done and is doing and shall continue to do. Let us embrace Him with our hearts full of joy.
Let this Christmas season be full of joy. Share the joy with others the same way we share when we receive a worldly child.

* * * * *

Father, we thank You for giving Your Son, Jesus, to this world. We appreciate Your goodness and Your loving kindness. May we realize what Jesus came to this world for and let us not take it for granted. Help us, Lord, to realize what He has in store for us! In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Take My Life and Let It Be

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Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine;
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is Thine own;
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
  ~Frances Havergal-lyrics; Henri Malan-music; Kari Jobe-arrangement, vocals~

  • My life
  • My moments
  • My days
  • My hands
  • My feet
  • My voice
  • My lips
  • My silver and gold
  • My intellect
  • My will
  • My heart
  • My love
  • Myself

Quite the list, hmmm?  May I challenge you (oh, don’t worry—me, too!): don’t wait for the new year, 2014, to begin. Today, right now even, make a conscious choice to dedicate all that you are to Him. We have just come through the season of Advent along with the celebration of the birth of the Messiah.  During this season where we have considered God’s great love for mankind, we have been reminded of the vastness and enormity of God’s love for us!   God deserves our all, every bit of what makes you…you; and what makes me…me. Anything that is in us that is good and righteous and pure and holy He has given to us…none of it is of our own making.

Which verse is the one that resonates within your heart? Would you leave a comment below and share that with us…and why? I love ‘em all…but I think my favorite is “Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart; it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne, it shall be Thy royal throne.”

If I surrender my will to God’s will (and so no longer my own!) then all the rest—my life, my moments, my days, my hands, my feet, my voice, my lips, my silver and gold, my intellect, my love—will also be offered to Him for His will to be dominant.

Consider these passages from the Scriptures in light of the gist of this song. Perhaps one or more of them might be just the impetus you need to make the decision to ‘take your life and let it be….”

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg you in view of [all] the mercies of God,
to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God,
which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1 (Amplified)

I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 11:44

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5 and 6

* * * * * 

Dear Lord, we do SO want to dedicate ourselves—every part of us—to You, our Maker!  Please help us to recognize areas in our hearts that get in the way of this…and please help us change our hearts, Lord!  May we choose to offer ourselves, all we are and all we have, to You!  You deserve the best, the most.  You deserve our ALL! We ask these things in Jesus Name.  Amen.

God-Given Joy

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Each week during the season of Advent, our blogs will focus on a central theme which is associated with the coming of Christ—His Advent.  This final week’s theme is JOY.  Christians throughout the world celebrate Advent.  Some light candles or sing songs; some give gifts or  hang wreaths.  All of these are simple joyous ways of extending the celebration of Jesus’s coming beyond a mere 24 hours on December 25. Our prayer is that these devotionals throughout this season of Advent would help you to celebrate His first Coming and anticipate with the peace and joy of His second Coming.

I’m sitting here thinking about joy  and what it truly means. I have read books, watched videos, and talked to people about the concept of joy and what it really means to be joyful, or to have joy, or to even fully understand the word joy.

The words joy and happiness are oftentimes used interchangeably, but I think it’s so much more than simple happiness. We’re happy opening presents, we’re happy when our family and friends are over to celebrate. This is great! But happiness is a temporary emotion, a feeling that can leave us once something goes differently than we planned. But joy is something different….

After all the looking and researching I learned that joy isn’t simply something that I can find. It isn’t the contents inside of a gift…it isn’t something I can find in a job well done. Even though I can’t touch joy, I can embrace it. I can embrace it because it is something that is given to us—something that we, as children of God, have been given a right to.

To me joy is a feeling in my heart and mind that no matter what happens in my life, that everything will be okay. I have joy in knowing that I am loved with the most unconditional love by the Creator of everything. Growing up I always heard that our joy is something that no man can ever take, that Satan can never take; this is because joy is God-given, and what God gives us can never, ever  be touched. Joy is ours.
What is joy to you?

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials….
James 1:2

* * * * *

Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, so many things are temporary in this world.  They come and they go, but the joy that we are given by You can never be taken away. Lord, please open our hearts and minds to what joy truly is. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Table Decorations for Women’s Christmas Luncheon

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

On behalf of myself and my boys, Tristan and Asher, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas Day. Recently I celebrated with my church, River City Church in Owensboro, KY, attending the Women’s Christmas Luncheon. It was a lot of fun and a great way to fellowship with others. I would like to share with you some of my ideas that I used to put together to make table settings and chair decorations for the luncheon.

Items Needed to Decorate the Table:

20131213_2034542 Tablecloths (a long white one and a gold shorter one overlapping)
8 Red Napkins – poinsettia design
8 Placemats
8 Poinsettia Dish settings with silverware, coffee cups, and drinking glasses
2 Silk poinsettias
Greenery – I had one premade with snowmen
Tealights
Greenery Tealight Holders

Arrange the placements, napkins, dishes, cups, and silverware around the table. Place the decorations of your choice in the middle of the table.

Items Needed to Decorate the Chairs:

20131213_203520Gold ribbon
Red mesh Ribbon
Narrow red ribbon
3″x5″ Canvas
Red and White acrylic paints
Green paint marker
Paint brushes
Hot Glue gun

Paint the canvas using the red and white paint. Let dry. Write a favorite Bible verse with the green paint marker. Let dry. Cut about 8” of the narrow red ribbon, form a loop, and hot glue to the back of the canvas to hang the decoration.
Using the gold ribbon and the painted canvas, tie it to the top of the chair with a double knot. Now, tie the red mesh ribbon on top of the gold ribbon, it will curl up. Then take another piece of gold ribbon and make a simple bow. Tighten and you are done. (Use this photo to see the details.)

Everyone will love the time and effort you took to make things beautiful!

Merry Christmas!

Amy