Christmas in pictures (and memories)

Here is a new Christmas memory. There are a lot of firsts in this post. This is my first Christmas getting to see my sweet friend, Leslie. She and her family are missionaries in Russia and are here for a furlough. I'm so thankful for her wisdom, kindness, and friendship!

This is not a first. In fact, according to my "Nanny", this birthday cake is at least 30 years old. We can't have Christmas without singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and letting the kids blow out the candles...again and again. Just like me, my siblings, and cousins used to do when we were their age.

Here's my sweet boy. He loves his "D-oh". He runs to him and gives him hugs all the time. Dad has had a rough couple of months with back surgery, which led to blood clots. Now we're just praying for the wound to heal and Dad can get back to normal.

My babes. Holding hands and smiling in their cute little Christmas outfits in front of the tree at church. I love those kiddos!

We went to Callaway Gardens this year to see the lights. This is the first time we've gone with just our little family. We had a great time, though. We took this at a great little restaurant right near the gardens called The Cricket. We ate their last year with my parents and thought it would be fun to go there again...and it was!

A first with this little generation. A Christmas drama of baby Jesus being born. The kids did a great job performing as I narrated the story!

What is Christmas without the Christmas story? It's a blessing to hear my grandfather, "Papa", tell the Christmas story from Luke each year. Now he tells it with his great-grandchildren in his lap.

Another first here. This is my little nephew, Tristan. Check out that hair. It's incredible! That's his Daddy, my brother-in-law, Carl. It's Tristan's first Christmas. Next year Carl is supposed to be overseas serving with the Army. My brother, Adam, is also supposed to be overseas, too. Please keep them in your prayers in 2011.

And yet another first. All of the cousins together. We decided to do family pictures this year on the grounds of a museum in Macon. I'm so glad we did it. We have some great shots of each family, my parents, and all the kiddos.

I have tons of Christmas pictures. I thought these captured some of my favorite moments. But there are many more. Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

God bless!

It's Christmas time!

Christmas is probably one of my favorite times of the year. I love pretty much everything about it. The family gatherings, the music, the food, the gifts...I could go on, but you get the picture. We had our first family gathering of the season on Wednesday night and it was fun, as usual. We did a little "play" with the kids about the birth of baby Jesus. Then my grandfather, with the great grandchildren gathering around him, told the Christmas story from Luke. Of course, my little Isaac had to push the button on the Dora sit 'n spin right in the middle of the story and the "D-D-D0ra" song started ringing out. That's my boy. So after we silenced Dora, we refocused and continued with the story. Tonight me and the hubby and kids decided to spontaneously drive around and look at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music. It was great. We needed to have a little outing and some time together. It was also the perfect activity to guide the kids right into sleepy time when we got back. See, we didn't sleep well last night. Sophie kept getting up for one reason or another, and she would come to Joe and I, who are also sleeping in the same room as they are, and say, "I just can't sleep"...like she has some kind of sleeping disorder or something. We all know she usually has no trouble sleeping. But we made it through the night...barely...and Mommy got a much needed nap today so I could maintain my sanity. Thank you hubby. Tomorrow night is the annual Christmas Eve party with my Dad's side of the family. It's always filled with fun and laughter. I am looking forward to it. In fact, the rest of the weekend will be filled with fun times with family and friends. Quality time...one of my favorite things about the holidays. And now I leave you with a little Celtic Noel that I played in church last Sunday. I'm thankful that it went well and pray that it was a blessing. Blessing to you this Christmas!

Thoughts on a Monday...

Mondays. Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they're not. Just like any other day, I guess. It's Tuesday, but I thought I'd just have a little post-Monday therapy by writing about my day yesterday. Yesterday was weird. I had tried to pump myself up the night before by making out my to-do list for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before we go out of town. Making out my list of to-do's helps me focus. It's encouraging to me to mark things off my list. The only problem was...I was tired yesterday. Not just tired...I was physically and mentally (I'm sure, knowing me, there was some emotional, too) exhausted. We have had several busy months around here. My Dad had back surgery several months ago, so we were traveling to Macon a lot for a few months there. I enjoyed going, but you know how it is...packing up kids, hubby, going away for the weekend and coming back to laundry, cleaning, homeschooling. I'm so glad we were able to go...but I started getting a little tired. The past couple of weeks we've been home, but it's been a flurry of Christmas gatherings, music concerts at church (I play the flute), a wedding last weekend that I played in, and playing in church at three services Sunday. I'm also trying to be crafty this year and make several gifts for family. And, of course, in the midst of all of that, I'm trying to take care of my family, do all of my bargain shopping, changing diapers, trying to take care of laundry mountain (as I like to call it), wrap gifts, get those Christmas cards out, and the list goes on. So yesterday...it all started catching up to me. Physical meltdown. Trudging through the day. Not much heart in what I was doing...just trying to make it to nap time and bed time. Hot, long bath time. By myself time. I made it. And then I wrote in my journal. I think journal writing has always helped me to be introspective. It has also pointed me to the Lord. Last night, at the end of that long day, I was able to write about my fears, my insecurities, my tiredness...and take it to Him. I was able to pray for these things, pray for my friends and family, and my perspective started to change. Today is a new day. I have a renewal from the Lord that is so much better than even a good night's rest. Yes, I'm still tired...but I'm hopeful. Today I'm going to mark some more things off that list. I'm going to change those diapers, do those dishes, and pick up those dvds that my son just strewed (is that a word?) all over the floor. For the hundredth time. But I'm going to try and remember that what I'm doing is unto the Lord. For I know he can renew my strength. I'm just gonna cling to that today...and keep on movin'! God bless!

The story of Christmas

I saw this on another blog and just had to post it on mine. I loved it! Hope you enjoy it. God bless you this Christmas!

Favorite things

I've noticed that a few people have mentioned their "favorite things" lately on their blogs, so I thought I'd join in. I love those cheesy little "get to know me" things...where you answer all those questions or tell things about yourself using the ABC's, etc. I'm not exactly going to do that. Here goes...

* A favorite blog....thepioneerwoman.com. I saw the link to this on another gal's blog, and I decided to check it out. I love "pioneer" stuff...novels mostly...but it definitely caught my eye. This is the blog of Ree Drummond, mother of four, homeschooling mom, living out on a ranch in the middle of a small town in the midwest, and calls her hubby "Marlboro Man". She has a blog-novella called "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels"...the story of how she met and dated Marlboro Man. The second I started reading it, I was addicted. In a few days, I had read all 40-something blogposts. (I know...I think that was a little over the top...but it was interesting...lol) She's got a cookbook, she's crafty, and funny. I really wish I could be a friend of hers, I think she would be a hoot. But probably about 1,000 other people do, too. At least. She recently had some people over to her "lodge" to do cookie decorating. I might just have to put that on my bucket list. To be chosen to go to Pioneer Woman's lodge and decorate cookies. The chances are very slim. I'll be sure to blog about it if it ever happens : )


* Favorite accessory...scarves. I've always been a scarf lover. I wore scarves in college a lot, and have continued over the years. I started out with the short little see-through type scarves around the neck. Cute with a button up shirt and blazer (at least I think so). Now the style are the longer, chunkier scarves. I like those, too. I LOVE the scarf my sister bought me in Paris. I feel very cool in it. It's a pretty green, too. Mom bought me a scarf from the Scottish Highlands when they went last summer. They're special treasures. Plus, it's awesome if you don't have a lot of cute necklaces.


* Favorite sinus/cold medicine....Alkaseltzer Plus Cold....in the pill form. If you have sinus congestion, go get this. I LOVE this. Joe and I both love it. I had a bad sinus issue last week. Couldn't even get a squeak of breath in my nose. I told Joe it felt like I was breathing through a brick wall. Misery. I took extra strength Benadryl, NyQuil....nothing helped. Until I went and took some of my Alkaseltzer. Viola. In a few days of taking it...I can breathe. I'm feelin' great! Thank you Alkaseltzer!


* Favorite thing to do in my spare time...read. As you can tell from all of my book review posts, I love to read. My latest read...and I think I finished this one in about 3 days...
The Frontiersman's Daughter by Laura Frantz
This story is about the life of Lael (Lay-elle) Click, a girl born in the wilds of 1770's "Kentucke". Her father is a famous frontiersman, but has a past that includes being captured for 6 years by Shawnee Indians. Lael is a girl who is a lot like her father. She has a connection with the land, the Shawnee, and feels her best when she outdoors, barefoot. The story covers her life from the time she is 14 to 21...and a lot happens to her and her family over the course of these years.
At first I thought this book was a little slow, and it took me a little while to get into it. But once I was drawn into Lael's story, it was hard for me to put it down. Would she marry Simon, the love of her youth, or Captain Jack, the Shawnee leader who was really a white man who was captured by the Shawnee as a boy? Both were interesting characters. I also loved the character of the Scottish Dr. Justus...a Christian man who not only healed the physical body but the heart. Great book!
I'm probably going to ruin my eyes with all this reading. But, as I've told people before, reading a book for me is like watching a really good movie. It's hard to stop in the middle. I've got to pace myself a little better : ).

I'd love to hear some of your favorites. ; )
God bless you this Christmas!

A new guilty pleasure...

I looked for pictures, but couldn't find any. It's called Private Selection (Kroger) amaretto.....cherry cordial......ice cream. Yes. It's awesome. It's all the flavors I love, all mixed into creamy deliciousness. I love amaretto flavor. I also LOVE cherries. I have since I was a kid. I've even been known...not recently, now....to take a few spoonfuls of cherries from the jar along with some of the juice. And chocolate. Oh, chocolate....how I love thee. Even when "dieting" I still snag a bite of chocolate here and there just to curb the craving. This ice cream has all three....amaretto, cherry, chocolate. *cheering* One more time now....amaretto...cherry...chocolate. To top it off, while I was looking for a pic of it online, it appeared on the live strong website. This is a site that gives info. about foods that are good for you. I think that this ice cream is on a list on there for not being too crazy bad for you. A girl can hope! I haven't been eating it every day...and I get one my kids' little bowls when I get some so I won't get too much. But I will say that I haven't been eating/exercising my best lately. I'm not really on track too well over the holidays. But...come January...I'm going to do better! I'm going to get this weight off. But until then it's....amaretto....cherry....chocolate! : )

Christmas singing and farewell cupcakes

Tonight is the first time my baby girl sang in front of the whole church. I thought this was so cute! The little boy on the right in the video is the one that Sophie loves to play Cinderella with. He's always Prince Charming!

And the cupcakes. Oh, yes, the cupcakes. I finally made them today. Our children's minister, Kim Campbell, is leaving us today to move on to minister at her home church in Florida. She will be greatly missed! She's been there since before Sophie and Isaac were born and has done so much to help teach and take care of them. I'm trying not to think about it too much. A cry right now with all this congestion would not be good. But I made the cupcakes and I even decorated them, complete with some "K"'s to represent Kim. Ok...they're not Martha Stewart quality...but I think I did use some Martha-esqe color scheme. Right? I also didn't have time to make my own icing...which I prefer...but I did take the time to color that white icing from the container...so that gives me a few points...right? : )