It's been such a great day here at our home. With John working 12 hour shifts, our sleep patterns are messed up~again. We sleep until 1:30 am (and while he stays up and works!) I find myself going to bed around 5:30 in the morning and sleeping until noon or after. BUT not anymore!! He's here to stay all night!! What a great way to spend New Year's Eve. He was to have worked, but plans changed as he left to come home this afternoon. So we went to Logan's Roadhouse, had a delicious meal with conversation, laughter, and handholding. I do so love this man~
Afterwards we drove across Cobbs Ford to the Bass Pro Shop and walked around. He shopped while I went and sat in front of the aquarium to watch the fish being fed. The children that gathered were so excited and it was a happy moment for all. You can't help but grin when little ones begin giggling and squealing!
Now we're home watching a close game between the Auburn and Clemson Tigers. However, I think John's ready to tuck himself in and get a good night's rest, so I don't know if he'll stay up to finish the game. (It's not like he's an Auburn fan anyway!) I hear the fireworks beginning to sound in our subdivision and it will soon be a new year.
We have such high expectations for 2008 and have to tell you we're so excited. I grow stronger each day and although there are still days that aren't so good, they are still so much better than some others I can recall! John said tonight he wants to work on being more positive this year and I want to make more time for Bible study.
I hope your year gets off to a good start and that as challenges come, you'll rise to meet them; and when the tears fall, good friends will support you; and when delight brightens your days, may you have loved ones to share it with~
Happy New Year's and may God bless you and yours richly.

Letting go~Looking ahead

Deborah & I closed our little shoppe at My Kids Attic this afternoon. John came with a trailer and his Bronco to help move out the larger items. We had fun, and had a great location inside, but never made more than rent some months. I honestly don't think many of them do. The shoppe behind us and beside us also closed. We're thinking now, however, that we may open another one here in Prattville. Alison is in the process of moving The Carousel of Shoppes, so we'll wait until she's settled into her new location. It was a bit sad as I hate to fail at something, but we tried our best and gave it our best shot~so we really shouldn't lower our shoulders. I feel excited with the coming of a new year and have no doubt that it will be one of the best ones yet! I hope you are feeling the same; and if you aren't, try to redirect your thoughts and think in a more positive vein. Expect good things to happen; expect your life to get better; you just might be surprised that it does. This is what I plan to do.

Family, Friends, & Fun

Okay, so we're somewhat bleary eyed, little to no makeup, and combed over the hair but we had the bestest time Wednesday morning!!! Nancy Maddox had never been out the morning after Christmas and I'm so glad she came~we honestly had a blast. Poor Johnny, though, had to come to meet us twice because we couldn't fit all our sale treasures in Jenny's Jetta!!! Up until this year, we either had her Trooper or my Murano. Not this year! But he was a good sport and even took me out to eat before he went to work Wednesday afternoon!!! Gotta love that man~

PS~Noah really did have a good time. He just doesn't look like it here ;) Bless his heart, he ate two breakfast bars, drank some water, and was good to go. Ian stayed with his dad ;)

It's been a very, nice, quiet Christmas day here at our home and I pray that your day has been just as nice. John let me sleep in and when I woke around 10 this morning he had biscuits baking and coffee made!! It not only smelled good~it was good!!! I buttered the biscuits and got out the grape jelly while he fixed our cups (one of the ways he pampers me is to fix my coffee, and I love it!).

He had to work the 3-11 shift, so I went alone over to Jenny & Brandon's tonight. They began a new tradition tonight by inviting the grandparents over for finger foods and desserts. We all got to play with Brandon's new toy he got from Jen and there were lots of laughter, let me tell you!!!

By the time I got back, the rain picked up and the temp began dropping!!! I love it. Also loved coming back to the computer and finding some Christmas pictures from Stacey!! I want to share them with you naturally and wish all of you a safe and happy week and moments of joy as dreams come true~

Colored lights or white lights? I know white is considered elegant and I do use them, but there is just something about colored lights that brings out the childhood excitement in me!

Real tree or fake tree? Fake, they can stay up longer! ~ although I love the smell of real

What is your least favorite thing about the holidays? hoping I've purchased the right gifts

What is the one thing that you would like to see under the tree this year? a golden retriever puppy

What is your favorite thing to do/build in the snow? Ski!!!

What is your favorite holiday drink? plain ole’ hot chocolate

What is your favorite holiday smell? christmas trees or a spicy cinnamon smell

Who is your favorite reindeer? Rudolph, of course

What is your Christmas Eve ritual? My all time favorite is exchanging presents with Jen and Brandon, then heading to Waffle House for a late dinner. Now that we can’t fit in a booth together, we normally get together some time that day and celebrate.

Are you a Friday after Thanksgiving shopper? Normally, but not this year

What is your favorite holiday food? I LOVE finger foods

How did you find out that Santa wasn’t real? What??? He’s not real?!?!?

Who do you want to be under the mistletoe with? my Johan

Have you bought all your presents yet? Haven't even gotten a good start! But we're celebrating in January again this year, so it'll get done.

Do you spend Christmas with a lot of family? Our family has dwindled, but we treasure the time we have with those still here.

Do you still make snowmen and snow angels? I've only done that a few times~central Alabama doesn't get snow :(

Do you still have snow ball fights? Enough with the snow questions.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie? Home Alone in New York

What do you plan to do for New Year’s Eve? We don't do much for that day :)

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever gotten for Christmas? not sure, Johnny usually surprises me on 'off' days instead of waiting for special times when it's expected! ha ha

How early do you wake up on Christmas morning? now that we're empty nesters, we sleep in

What do you usually get in your stocking? with no children here, we'd gotten out of the habit~this year it's coming back!!!

What is your favorite religious Christmas carol? Mary Did You Know

What is your favorite non-religious Christmas song? Santa Clause is Coming to Town

How long do you leave up your Christmas decorations? I have left it up until the end of February before!!! but normally sometime in January~

Consider yourself tagged!

I just had to share with you the following picture & a few thoughts. Jenny posted this on her blog yesterday. You see Santa, Jenny, and Noah. Santa is happy! Jenny is happy! And Noah? Well, let's just say if looks could talk, he'd be saying something like, "Okay, man in red, do NOT touch the baby!"

Why are children afraid of Santa? Because they can't see much of his face? Because they only see him once a year? I know Jenny was afraid of him for the first three or four years of her life! We tried everything to get her close enough to capture a picture and when we did, she had this strained "get me out of here" smile. And the Easter Bunny?! Forget it! The child was in grammar school before we got a snapshot of that!

Children weren't afraid of our Lord. History tells us that most likely He had a full beard and probably shoulder length hair. That's how we picture him. Children didn't know Him, but they weren't afraid. I've never fretted that our daughters needed to know there was no Santa. No Easter bunny or tooth fairy. We never worried that it would hinder their belief in God. You know, "How can children believe in what they can't see if what they do see isn't real." That kind of reasoning. A lot like how did the coyote keep chasing the roadrunner when he was always falling off cliffs and having boulders smash his eyes out? Children seem to be able to put fantasy in its place, and God on His throne.

So Noah, just laugh at that silly Santa. He'll bring you some neat toys, puzzles, and books each year for a long time to come. And when it comes to God, His gifts will be so grand and wonderous it'll put all the rest to shame. I still believe~in both the magic of the season and the Gift that began in a stable scene. It makes for a most awesome time of the year!And Noah? one more thing, thanks so much for the giggling this snapshot brings to my heart!

It's Your Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Ian!

Ian is four years old!

He had a party yesterday at the fire station!

and today we celebrated with him at Applebee's.

Pa had to work, so we'll celebrate again next Sunday!

Ian loves pirates, firetrucks, puzzles, and laughing.

His favorite movie at this time is The Grinch That Stole Christmas!

He likes a little blonde named Karah, and going to Chick Fil A!

and he's real sneaky about getting M&M's when no one is looking!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy~

you are loved so very much!

It's the Christmas season and I love it when our home takes on a different look for the holidays! Take a look at some of my favorite parts of our home~Merry Christmas! {and think SNOW!!!} One of my favorite views in our home is the one looking into the foyer. John fusses forever about the drapes, but I love the way sunlight comes through them and casts jewel tones in there. It is difficult, however, when you're trying to get in and out :)

A corner of our living room with a favorite picture of mine~it was the year before the accident and I'll always treasure it. The Christmas ornaments in the trifle bowl was Jen's idea! She's a Pampered Chef consultant and I've learned more than cooking ideas from her.

I took this picture of the tree in our living room before making sure the flash was charged. I like the way it turned out. This tree is up off the floor so the little ones won't get to the presents there! Johnny is in the process of making a stocking hanger for me and I'm so excited! I'll have one for our daughters and son-in-laws in the den and one for the grandbabies sitting beside this tree. Yea, John!!

My favorite tree is the au natural one in the den~only pinecones, sleigh bells, and paper Christmas balls~notice that someone forgot to get the stepladder to decorate the top! Hmm, couldn't have been me! And yes, the Christmas train works, with carols! Ian loved the one so much last year, but alas it didn't work anymore. Packing it with batteries still IN is NOT the way to make sure it continues to work! So this year we went on a hunt to find a replacement, not wanting to put a lot of money in it as this item is always handled by little hands! Thanks to Walmart, we found just what we were looking for! Now, if it was just quieter when running!!!

I love our guest bath. And my sweet husband loved what I did with it UNTIL I removed the doors from the linen closet and bathing area while renovating. That idea did NOT go over well. But he's a good sport~most of the time. He still wishes the doors were back on~but I like it this way :) Guess which way it'll stay~at least until I get tired of it :)

Pride, America, My People

Today is December 7th, a day "which will live in infamy". I've thought of what happened 66 years ago, and I wondered how many Americans younger than me remembered the significance of today. The men in my father's family were military men~the Revolution, the War Between the States, both World Wars, and Korea. Their sacrifice does not go unnoticed nor are they forgotten. I have the utmost regard and appreciation for those serving our country, for our veteran's, and for those that have lost their lives defending her. I would urge you to click on Heartstrings under Favorite Faces and read, once more, those stirring words uttered by our President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial fleet.

Birthdays & Family, Again!

It's somebody's birthday!! Again!! Our Stacey's celebrating today!! We were to be with her this weekend, BUT, my cute little car is having problems and John needs to take it to the mechanic while it's still acting up. I'm going to miss my snuggles with the Mississippi babies! and eating out with the girls! and shopping! and giggling with Leslie's updates! Even without trying, Leslie Dian can bring out the giggles in me.

Beginning in August and running through December, everyone in our family has a birthday except Leslie and me! Which makes for some partying months all the way through Thanksgiving and Christmas! Today is your day, dear Stacey. We shall so miss being with all of you this weekend but will work toward getting over for a day or two while you're out of school! Here's to you, sweetheart. May the years be kind, your laughter hearty, and your babies healthy. We love you very much~

Family & Birthday Food

Happy Birthday, Alaina! We'll be seeing her and her family soon and will celebrate in grand style. Stacey has a birthday this week also, so there'll be singing at the dinner table and gifts to open! Maybe a shopping trip for just us girls!

With two grandsons to love, we were all thrilled when Stacey & Brett called to say a little girl was coming. Since we don't live as close as aunt Leslie does, she gets to dress the girly-girl. Although~

Alaina can give her brother, Austin, a run for the money, let me tell you! She's on the go constantly and doesn't mind getting down and dirty. Loves to eat! Anything! and forget the cute bows her mommy tried to keep in her hair. Alaina has no time for them. I keep telling Johnny it's like looking at a junior size Stacey, and he agrees, but says Stace was never that active. ha ha

Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Your Nan and Pa love you and ask God each day to take care of you. We can't wait to see you again!