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!

Nan is missing you, Austin Brett, and so looking forward to seeing you again. You were the first time we grew giddy as grandparents and you were the one that put us in that great club. I hope that I always remember your Pa's reaction when your mum called and asked if we wanted to know the sex of the child she was carrying. Here's the story~

Our phone rings and it's your mom. After some chitchat with her, Pa turns to me and asks, "Nance, what do we think the baby is?" I don't remember answering, because he's back on the phone listening. Then it's, "Yes! NO, WAIT! I don't know, hold on" and he looks at me with these big excited eyes. "Nance!! do we want to know what it is?" I'm nodding my head and getting to my feet. {Your Pa is already on his feet and pacing like a tiger in a cage!}

"Okay, yes, we wanna know." Then, silence. And I see this big man that I love so dearly turn red in the face, and with tears streaming he actually throws the phone IN the air and drops to his knees. His next words are, "Thank you, God, it's a boy."

I had to go get the phone off the floor. We were all in tears. You see, Austin, your Pa loves your mommy, and your aunt Leslie, and your aunt Jenny so very much. And he wouldn't trade them for any amount of money or treasure. But he wanted a son too, and when he found out you were coming, he felt blessed beyond measure.

Your mom sent these pictures a few days ago and I've had them on my screen. When was it that you became a young lad and not the baby we held so few short years ago. We are so proud of you, Austin, and know that you will grow in love and laughter and with a family that just adores you. Always remember that you were wanted, you are loved, and you were sent from God. Pa & I love you and are so glad to have you in our world.

Faith, Family & Friends~forever

Today was rough. For awhile. A morning appointment was extremely difficult and I wanted to call it a day and head home to hide. A darkened room, my oh so comfy bed, and no one to bother me. BUT~

I had a brother in town and a daughter running errands and it was lunch time! It really wasn't a hard decision. We grow up with certain responsibilities. One of those is putting others first. And I take that very seriously, sometimes too much so. ANYWAY~

I called and made plans to meet Jenny in Prattville. I found Nelson in Montgomery and we chased each other up I-65. Jenny and her boys were already at Chick Fil A. Ian was having fun with a little friend in the playyard. And Noah? He was wondering where the food was! When it's meal time, that child reminds me of his mother. SO~

there was laughter, love, and promises of a better day. Walking up on my porch later, I realized I needed to change the decor. Fall was put away and Christmas came in its glory. The leaves were hosed off the patio and deck, the driveway swept clean, the furniture dusted off, and my swing relocated to take advantage of the last bits of summer heat. NOW~

my soul is renewed {working outdoors gave me hours of reflection and time with my Lord}; our outdoor rooms are refreshed {and the colors delight me}; and again, I was comforted by the fact that I had spent time with four people that love me dearly. THEN~

Johnny came in and all was right with the world.

{Well, okay. So not all of the spiders are gone, but the web's been taken care of for the moment.}

Just had to share this birthday picture taken at Noah's first party. Everyone looks excited and interested except the birthday boy! And all he wanted was the food sitting around. It was too cute.

Stacey sent family pictures tonight, but due to restrictions on the photographer's site I can't upload any. But they are so good and if there's a way, I'll make sure to have some here to show you just how cute the Mississippi babies are.

A breathing function test today at my pulmonary doc shows good lung improvement!! Yea me!! He urged me to get this hernia fixed, but you-know-who isn't quite ready to be put to sleep again :) wonder why?! It's larger, but still not much of a bother, so I just think I'll wait a bit longer~

We're getting the trees put up here and I think this year I'll have a "How Many Santa's Can You Find?" contest. I did that with the trees once and there was a total of 17. I know there are more Santa's, but I'm not sure just how many. Hmmm, Jenny is competitive, let's see how many YOU can find Jen! I'll post pics as soon as things are decorated and I've cleaned the messes I've made during the pulling out of boxes and bows.

Merry Christmas, dear ones.

Okay, so~

We lost. We can take it. Enjoy bragging rights and making school history~you won't have it next year.

On the upswing, Tennessee is going to Atlanta!!! What an exciting game! Winning in overtime 52-50, and that was in the fourth overtime period! That game actually had me dancing around the room. Arkansas beat LSU!! and had Johnny crowing at the moon. Brett and Stacey's alma mater, Mississippi State came out ahead over Ole Miss, which has Brett feeling mighty good. This has been a floor walking weekend in college football. Not to mention the coaches that were fired or resigned!

Our own Prattville Lions beat Foley and are getting closer to another championship! Our girls didn't graduate from PHS, but that doesn't mean we can't show our civic pride!! We traveled to Birmingham to a playoff game when Kevin Turner was a senior playing for PHS and we've enjoyed Prattville football ever since. Here's hoping they can take it all the way again~

AND now it's time for Christmas music, scents of pine and cinnamon, bright eyes, crisp mornings, and the Salvation Army outside each Kmart. It's the holiday season! Enjoy!!!

But of course!

Stacey posted some pictures tonight of Thanksgiving in Mississippi. The two darlings on the right are our Mississippi babies!! Austin and Alaina are snuggling with their older cousin, Abigail. Alaina will turn two in a couple of weeks and due to John's work schedule we won't be able to make the party, but we plan to celebrate soon with both her and her mother! Stacey has a birthday just a few days after sweet 'Laina.

Stacey also said they have their tree up! It isn't decorated, but the kids got excited with the tree just being there! Santa can't be far off! You can be assured as we go through the season and our girls send pictures I'll be posting some of them here. I have a leather envelope I carry in my purse to show off our babies, but consider this blog a place for me to brag. (I know you grandmothers out there will totally understand. Besides, it IS my blog. wink, wink!)

Thanksgiving & a Birthday!!

It's birthday time in our family again! Not only is today Thanksgiving, but it's also Noah's first birthday. Our youngest grandson is one today. Makes us almost feel like we have no more babies. Hint, hint girls!

Jenny posted this picture of him in his little 'birthday' outfit. If you look closely, there's a cake with one candle on the bodice. There are more on their family site listed to the right. Noah is a love and full of affection and cuddling. I do so enjoy snuggling with him. Today at lunch he was honored with our traditional musical Birthday Mice and wanted to eat them instead of watching them twirl! I took a few pictures but they didn't turn out very well. I'll wait & see how Jen's turn out.

I hope all of you have had a warm and safe holiday. As Christians, we celebrate with thanksgiving every day, but it's nice to have a national holiday set aside to allow families to have some extra time away from work. The weather is much cooler than yesterday and still drizzly here at our house! I love it and intend to spend the rest of the day watching a movie and later I think I'll begin decorating for Christmas!! (Did I tell you it's my favorite time of the year?!)

Happy Thanksgiving, and Happy Birthday, Noah James~

Family, Fun, and Fall

Let's play catch-up! John & I drove with my brother and his wife to Gatlinburg last week and had an awesome time. As always. It was snowing as we drove into town and was crisp and cold the whole time we were there. There was more snow in the park and we were able to get some beautiful pictures of the four of us.

The cabin we stayed in provided a million dollar view and although there were a few aggravating moments (nothing beats having everything at hand like home does!) we enjoyed the trip. The guys grilled for us several nights, while we ladies fixed the rest of the meal. I'll let you guess as to who cleaned up. (wink, wink)

The beautiful fall foliage picture was taken near town, while the ones of the snowy Little Pigeon River were taken outside of town. There was much more snow than we expected to see!

If you've never treated yourself to a trip in the Smokies, you're missing out. Do yourself a favor and plan one in the near future. We've been there

each month except during August and have found November through February to be our favorites. The crowds are small, the weather delightfully snowy, and you'll enjoy the winter lights around town. Not to mention the endless shopping outlets in Pigeon Forge!

Johnny said it best years ago when he said, "A bad day in Gatlinburg beats a good day in Alabama!" Here's to our dream of owning a second home there in the near future!