Three Things Thursday

this week i'm going with favorite Christmas decorations.

1. growing up my mom would hang a bell on the door so that whenever we had guests over the door would ring. i don't have one yet but i want to get one for my door at Christmas time.

2. we also had mistletoe (fake) hanging in the house right by the front door. i need to get me some of that too. now something interesting about mistletoe was that i didn't know that it was a fungus that grew on the top of dead trees. kind of yucky.

3. the ornaments that my mom bought me the year the i was born and has ever since.

Three Things Thursday

three movies that i want to see....

1. The Pursuit of Happiness


2. We Are Marshall


3. Charlotte's Web

Christmas letter and picture

Bula! I think it has been three years since we’ve written a Christmas letter. It was the Christmas after our cross country trip to move to Washington State. It only seems appropriate to compose another letter this Christmas since we’ve moved back.

I think our Christmas letter then started with a description of the word, adventure, because that is what our year was to us. It would be fitting to say that this year has been an adventure as well, but it is more accurate to say that this year has been a blessing. So in keeping with the theme of our last Christmas letter…

The word, bless, is described as, “to bestow favor or praise”’, “favored”, “happy”, “God’s Favor”. We have been greatly blessed this year. Let’s start at the beginning. The New Year started back in Washington. We spent the evening with some wonderful friends. We played games and brought in the New Year together. It was a great time of laughter and fellowship and a great way to start the year. Also in January Jenn’s parents came to visit for a couple of days. That was a fun time too since it was the last time that they would be with us in Washington. Blessings! Great time spent with family and friends.

February held wonderful surprises. The young married class (New Roots) that we were a part of decided to spend some time at a shelter for women and their children. We baked lasagna and made heart shaped sugar cookies that we decorated with the kids. There was pink frosting and sprinkles everywhere. It was a great time and lots of fun. The children and mom’s loved it. Blessings! Serving others and being blessed all the same. Also this month we were able to get a way for a weekend. We stayed at a beautiful hot springs resort on the Columbia River gorge. Blessings! Time together.

Along with being involved in New Roots, we helped out with the college group called Elevate. It was so much fun hanging out and getting to know the college students that were a part of our church. Blessings! Just knowing them. In March we went to a small lodge/camp on Mt. Hood where there were a number of different activities that took place. There was skiing, wonderful people, amazing worship, good teaching, a ton of snow, tubes, dance dance revolution, smores, and snowmobiles. Yes that’s right snowmobiles. It was the first time for both of us to ride a snowmobile. Blessings! Having a fun time with friends. Not only did we have the Elevate retreat this month but we also had one for New Roots. This retreat took place at the coast. Again there was dance dance revolution, family feud, the ultimate couples Easter egg hunt, a 70’s disco party, great worship, and a wonderful time to connect with each other as a couple. Blessings! Again a fun time with friends and with each other.

April was a big month for us. Let us explain. The past couple of summers we have gone tubing down the Louisville River with some friends. This normally happens in early July. And even then it’s freezing. Well this year Michael and some friends decided that they wanted to go down the river in April because the water would be higher and the river faster and much colder, requiring wet suits. One of the best things about the trip down the river was that Michael and his dad got to brave it together. Blessings! Memories made. Michael’s parents came to visit because he graduated from seminary. Blessings! Time with family and a great accomplishment. He graduated with two masters degrees. First a Masters in Counseling and second a Masters of Divinity. This was an exciting time for us after all of Michael’s hard work. This month was also a big month because the doctor that Jenn worked for invited her and the rest of his dental team to go on a mission’s trip to the island of Fiji. This began our rush to get passports, shots, and the load of paperwork involved. Blessings! The opportunity to go to Fiji and minister to the people there.

It was the beginning of May when we found out that there was enough room for Michael to go to Fiji too, but he would have to pay his own way. Fiji had been Michael’s dream vacation so of course he was going to go. Blessings! I’d get
to share this experience with my husband. It was also in May that we decided to stay another couple of days on one of the islands after the mission’s trip. We were celebrating almost three years of school and a job well done. Blessings! We’d have time to explore more of Fiji and relax.

June couldn’t get here fast enough because this was the month of the big trip. The excitement built every day as the trip got closer. The day finally arrived! After leaving the Portland international airport and flying to LA we boarded a double decker airplane in route to the Fijian islands. After 10 long hours on the plane we arrived in Fiji. From there we had to take another plane (significantly smaller) to the island of Vanua Levu. Once everyone got to the island, we all boarded a bus and took a two hour bus ride to Buca Bay. This is where we stayed for the next week and a half, doing dentistry, playing with the children, and seeing some of real Fiji. It was a humbling experience to
meet the Fijians and discover how loving, caring, giving and thankful they are. It was fun to get to know the adults and the children were lively and energetic. It’s an experience that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We were truly blessed to be there. Blessed that God allowed us the opportunity to go, to be with the people that we met in Fiji, to minister out of our comfort zone, to have the time we had together and be forever changed because of it.

July was the month that we would say goodbye to all the wonderful friends that we made during our three years in Washington. The friendships were so special and the attachments ran so deep that the separation would be hard. Blessed! With wonderful friends. After the gut wrenching goodbyes we left for our trip back across the country. We took a different route than before. This trip included a visit to our friends, Fran and Jenise in Spokane WA, Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Tetons, Mt. Rushmore and The Badlands. Blessed! For the safe journey and to be near family again. It was at the end of July that Jenn found a job that she is really excited about.

August was spent getting to know our nephew. The last time we saw him he was 10 months old. Now he’s almost 2, fun, and a joy to be around. Blessed! To be an Aunt and Uncle. This month was also spent praying for Michael to find a job.

In early September Michael started his first job out of school. Yippie! He’d been looking so hard and we were so excited. Blessings! God answered our prayers.

In October we found our very first house. This was so great. We were so blessed with finding it and the deal that we got. It seemed like a forever wait with the papers but in…

…November we took the plunge and are now home owners. The house needs a lot of work but we are excited about being able to do it ourselves. (Well, with the help of our family of course)

We’re sure that December will be wonderful because it will be filled with family, friends and lots of love.

Our prayer is that you too had such a blessed year and for a blessed year to come.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

The Living Room

here is the living room before we did anything to it, carpet and all.

here are the wood floors in the living room after the carpet was removed

this is our beautiful wood floors after just the first sanding job. can you believe it? imagie what it looks like now that it's done. again, i'll talk some final pics and post them when it's painted and all. this is in the living room but the three bedrooms, closets and the hallway had the wood floors too so they were finished as well.

A Bedroom and A Bathroom

here are the hall bathroom pics. there's much work needed. for starters the pee colored tile. we haven't started in here yet. even though we want it fixed this will probably be one of the last things that we do.

this room was a little scary to me. it's grey wood panel as you can see and it's on of the bedrooms. it's right next to the master bedroom and when we have a baby one day i'm going to paint the wood panel and it will be the baby room.

The Kitchen and Dining Room

the kitchen. well part of it.

this is the wallpaper that was on all the walls in the kitchen. we have gotten it all down and had to refinish some of the walls because on most of the walls they put the wallpaper on the sheetrock before priming it so as we peeled the wallpaper off there was large parts of the wall where the sheetrock was peeling off with the wallpaper. i don't have any pics of the newly finished walls but once we get the painiting done i will take come more and post them.

this is my favorite part of the house. it's a wood burning oven that i call my smokey joy stove.

this is the dining room before we took the carpet up

what was under the carpet in the dining room

Christmas Cards

the inside says,

"The gift of God

The birth of Christ.

This Christmas...

This is love.

Blessings to You."

my aunt and her family sent me this card and i just love it. she always sends the best letters and cards at Christmas. last year this is what their Christmas card said.

Another Book

a hippie roommate
a wholesome, do-gooder boyfriend
a quirky doorman
an evil boss
you're the luckiest girl in the world, any girl would die for your job
and a witty yet sarcastic personality to boot
that's Andrea Sachs better know as Andy of The Devil Wears Prada by: Lauren Weisberger

i just got finished reading this book and i really enjoyed it. there was a little to much of the f-bomb dropped but over-all the story was good and i really liked the characters. well with the exception of the awful boss. i still haven't seen the movie yet but i am excited to now see it.

Family

think about this...you found out that your parents had a baby that they put up for adoption years before any of the rest of you and your siblings were born and they never told you or any of the rest of your family. what would your reaction be when you did find out or how would you feel? there may be a number of different reactions or emotions that you may have.

i've gone on the Baxters journey through life, reading the amazing book series by Karen Kingsbury. i love her writing and stories becuase they seem so real. their stories are gripping, sometimes sad, but always heart warming. the books are full of friends and family who stand behind you through the rough times. who know your true character, will defend your honor and not let what others think of you define who you are. they are stories of true love, finally found and the thing that are really important in life.

now to answer my earlier question about how i would feel about a long lost brother or sister. i think that there would be mostly excitement to meet this other family member. i know all about them and to embrace them as family, if that is truely what they too wanted.

Blogging through 2006

janurary: Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside

feburary: this is a hard one for me because i love to read and there aren't many books that i don't like.

march: beginning of summer: celebrated our first year anniversary.

april: it's been really busy around here.

may: my honey has graduated.

june: these are some pictures of our memorial day weekend.

july: Fiji was amazing.

august: "...the gift of a true friend is that she sees you not the way you see yourself or the way others see you.

september: so i'm sitting here at my brother and sister in laws house and watching the game.

october: i'm somewhat of a sucker for things like this. have fun.....

november: three things i do to cheer myself up when i'm low...

december: i just hate it when you are driving to work in the morning and you have to go through a school zone and people are flying though it.

winter?

i don't think that we will be having a white Christmas. the past couple of days it's been pretty warm. in fact just today as we were running a little late for church, i grabbed my shoes and ran out the door barefoot. the warm temperature outside is lovely. it must be what people in florida feel like in december, but i do miss the blustery winds and cold of winter and Christmas time.

ABC's of life...

like i've said before i'm a sucker for these things and while cheryl didn't tag me, i saw it on her blog and had to do it too.

A - Available/Single? married
B - Best Friend? my hubby and t- she was the first person to speak to me in 3rd grade when my parents started to go to a new church, we were college roommates and we've been friends ever since
C - Cake or Pie? both, it's to hard to choose they are both so yummy
D - Drink Of Choice? water, but if i'm having a soda then cherry coke or dr pepper
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? well i do use my car every day and i'd say that it's essential because i don't want to walk everywhere (although that may be good for me) okay to the point i would have to say a toothbrush
F - Favorite Color? green
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? if they are the sour worms then worms, if not the bears
H - Home or Homesick? a little of both
I - Indulgence? books, blogging, baths
J - January Or February? february
K - Kids & Their Names? none yet but hopefully soon
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? Jesus
M - Marriage date? may 27th
N - Number Of Siblings? 1 younger sister
O - Oranges Or Apples? pink lady apples
P - Phobias/Fears? clowns, roaches
Q - Favorite Quote? "life's short, talk fast" (that's just one, i'm sure there are more but i can't think right now)
R - Reason to Smile? my parents and sis are coming in a week
S - Season? autumn
T - Tag 3 or 4 people? amberj, crystal, erin, virginia
U - Unknown Fact About Me? i hate wearing shoes but i love shoes
V - Vegetable you don’t like? brussel sprouts
W - Worst Habit? biting nails
X - X-rays You’ve Had? dental xrays
Y - Your Favorite Food? seafood
Z - Zodiac Sign? sagittarius

Three Things Thursday...

favorite holiday recipes

1. the latest and greatest is pumpkin cranberry bread. you can find the recipe, here, at my wonderful friends blog. she too makes this wonderful tasting bread and was asked by a number of people to post it on her blog. so instead of posting it here you can check out her blog as well as the recipe.

2. i love to make peanut butter blossoms. i think that most people know about those. i just use the peanut butter cookie dough in the roll (i think the recipe may be on there) but just in case it isn't. you get the roll of dough, make one inch balls with the dough and roll it in sugar, bake them for set time, and once you take them out of the oven place a hershey kiss in the middle of the cookie. they are so yummy. another way is to put the dough in a mini muffin pan with the mini muffin paper cups and when you take them out place a mini reese cup in the middle of them. yummy!

3. now this i have never made before and it's not a sweets but it is greatly missed when not made at holiday family gatherings. in fact on thanksgiving my grannie didn't make it and my cousin and i were very sad. it's her macaroni and cheese. it's home made with angel hair pasta and it's just so very good. unfortunately i didn't go home for thanksgiving and i won't see my grannie a christmas either but i think next time i do i will have to request some mac and cheese.

childhood friend

the first time we met i was just born.
she was 8 days old.
our dads were high school buddies.
our parents best friends from the time they were married on.
it was destined that we would be best friends forever, no matter where we were in life.
and we are.
we went to the same school for 6 years.
spent summers together on family vacations.
went to dancing school together.
she was a brides maid in my wedding.
the life of the party.
always making me laugh and smile.
there for me no matter what.
we were inseparable growing up.
even when her parents moved to a different state we stayed close.
and even though we are now miles apart we are forever connected.
she doesn't read my blog but i wanted to post this about her because today is her day.
i love you J.

Christmas Get-to-Know You!

Compliments of Cheryl

Submit your own answers, answer just one or two of them (I know it's kinda long), comment on my answers, or send us a link to your blog where you've done the quiz yourself.I'd love to hear about all of your Christmas memories, traditions, and favorites!

Here are mine . . .

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE
2. Does "Santa" wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I KNOW THAT WE HAD WRAPPED PRESENTS AND MAYBE THOSE WERE FROM MY PARENTS BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER IF WE HAD UNWRAPPED PRESENTS FROM SANTA OR NOT. HIS MAY HAVE BEEN WRAPPED TOO.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? FOR THE MOST PART WHITE LIGHTS ON THE TREE. THE HOUSE-GROWING UP WE HAD THOSE BIG COLORFUL LIGHTS THAT DAD WOULD PUT UP BUT AS WE GOT OLDER HE WENT TO ICICLE LIGHTS.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? YEP. MY MOM HAS THE SAME ONE THAT I THINK SHE HAS HAD FOREVER AND SHE PUTS THAT UP.
5. When do you put your decorations up? WE OCCASIONALLY HAD A REAL TREE BUT FOR THE MOST PART WE HAD AN ARTIFICIAL TREE AND IT WENT UP SOON AFTER THANKSGIVING. AS WELL AS THE STOCKINGS AND THE OTHER LITTLE THING THAT WE HAD TO DECORATE THE HOUSE WITH.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? CRANBERRY SAUCE. AND THE KIND THAT COMES OUT OF THE CAN. I KNOW, NO PREP WORK THERE AND SOME MAY THINK THAT I AM CRAZY BUT I JUST LOVE THAT STUFF.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? EVERY CHRISTMAS EVE I WOULD SLEEP IN MY SISTERS ROOM. WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER I WOULD SLEEP IN THE BED WITH HER AND AS WE GOT OLDER AND TO BIG I WOULD SLEEP ON THE FLOOR, OCCASIONALLY WE WOULD ATTEMPT THE SLEEP IN THE BED AND THEN SOME CHRISTMAS EVE'S SHE WOULD CRAWL ON THE FLOOR WITH ME. EVEN WHEN I GOT MARRIED I SLEPT IN THERE.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I CAN'T REMEMBER.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? NO BUT I THINK THAT MY HUBBY AND I NEED TO START THAT TRADITION.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? WHITE LIGHT AND THE ORNAMENTS THAT MY MOM COLLECTED FOR ME GROWING UP. SHE STARTED WITH A SERIES THAT HAPPENED TO START THE YEAR THAT I WAS BORN AND I'VE GOTTEN ONE EVER SINCE. AND DEFINITELY A STAR ON TOP.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT.
12. Can you ice skate? I HAVE BEFORE BUT I'M NOT SURE HOW GRACEFUL I LOOK.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? LAST YEAR MY PARENTS BOUGHT MY HUBBY AND I A DIGITAL CAMERA. THAT GIFT WAS UP THERE ON THE FAVORITES.
14. What's the most exciting thing about the Holidays for you? I LIKE THE SHOPPING PART(WHICH IS NOT NORMAL BECAUSE I NORMALLY DON'T LIKE SHOPPING) AND WRAPPING PRESENTS ALL PRETTY (I THINK I GET THAT FROM MY GRANNIE) ALSO I TRY TO KEEP PERSPECTIVE ON THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS, JESUS.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? THERE ARE MANY, MANY BUT ONE THAT I REMEMBER GROWING UP IS MOM'S PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? ALABAMA CHRISTMAS ALBUM, SITTING ON THE SWING ON THE BACK PORCH WITH MY SIS, THE CANDLE LIGHT CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE, PUTTING A CHAIR IN FRONT OF THE DOORWAY TO THE HALL, GOING THOURH OUR STOCKINGS LAST, THE WRAPPED PRESENTS WERE WRAPPED IN DIFFERENT COLORS (ONE FOR ME AND ONE FOR MY SISTER)
17. What tops your tree? STAR
18. Which do you prefer: give or receive? I LOVE THEM BOTH.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? MERCY ME'S "IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR" AND "DRUMMER BOY" AND AMY GRANTS "BREATH OF HEAVEN"
20. Candy Canes? I LIKE THE OKAY. I DON'T EAT THEM ALOT BUT THE PRETTY TO LOOK AT.

Geaux......

.......Saints. congrats to the New Orleans Saints for playing a great game and winning. i don't watch much NFL football but i caught a little bit of the game last night and was excited to find the Saints winning. being from NOLA and all and it being such a great story how can you not be excited about the win. well unless you're a dallas cowboys fan. me, i'm not and never have been so i probably would have cheered for anyone besides the cowboys. (Cheryl i know you're a cowboy fan and Erin i'm not sure where you stand on the NFL and who you like but either good game.) more about the weekend later when i can post some pics.

oh and my intention was to get the house pics on a cd this weekend but that didn't happen. i'm a slacker.

Three Things Thursday

well i had my three things thursday post all ready but after listening to christmas music all day yesterday (at work) it has put me in more of a christmas mood, than i already was in and i decided that my TTT would be my three favorite christmas albums and my three favorite christmas movies. however, three is way to few for christmas, so there's double the viewing pleasure....six christmas albums and six christmas movies....

albums......
1. Harry Connick Jr.

2. Mercy Me

3. Alabama Christmas

4. Mariah Carey

5. Michael W. Smith

6. A Very Veggie Christmas


movies......
1. A Charlie Brown Christmas

2. Miracle on 34th Street
old and new

3. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

5. Elf

6. The Polar Express

Pet Peeves

i just hate it when you are driving to work in the morning and you have to go through a school zone and people are flying though it. yeah there may not be a kid around but it's still a school zone and the yellow lights are flashing and the crossing guard is there. i see it happen with at least 2 cars every morning. what does it take to get through to these people.

okay i've gotten that out..........now on a lighter or happier note..........our floors are done in the house. (well at least the wood ones) we still have the kitchen, one bathroom and the laundry room to do but the living room, hall and three bedrooms (closest included) are all complete. i am so happy. they look beautiful and i know that i am a major slacker and still haven't posted pics but i will soon. promise. :)

hope everyone had a great day.

Three Things Thursday

home update.....

1. i know it's been a long time since i've update on how it's going with the house. even worse i know i still haven't posted any pictures. they are coming though. lets see....where to start. we've accomlished the task of taking the wallpaper in the kitchen down. the only problem is the people who put the wallpaper up put it up in some places over drywall/sheetrock so we actually tore some of it. there is still some of the wallpaper glue up on the walls and hopefully this weekend we are going to start sanding and pasting up the walls on the areas that we tore. i'm not sure i explained that all to well but that's the best i can do since i'm not a home builder or anything like that.

2. the other great thing is that my hubby's dad tore up all the carpet in the house. (it was really old) under the carpet in the living room, hallway, and three bedrooms there is hardwood floor. very cool. the only problem is that it's really beat up and stained. but we are hopefully going to have someone coming in (possibly tomorrow) and sand, repair and refinish the hard wood floors.

3. on friday my hubby and i are going to looks at some laminate flooring that is a really good price and possibly buy it for the kitchen and dining room. i'm really excited about this and the place where we are buying it from has a ton of different wood looks and one of the is mahogony and if we really like it then that may be the one that we buy.

i think that is all the house decissions that we have made right now. there are alot more to come so keep on reading.

long day

bad day

bad cramps

grumpy mood

trying to get in a happy one

please pray

going to read my martha stewart mag now.

Thanksgiving update...

i so wish that i had some pictures to post of our thanksgiving day but i don't. in fact the worst day in all the year to feel sick is thanksgiving and both my hubby and i weren't feeling well that day. we had been anticipating thanksgiving for a while too. we were both fine in the morning but come afternoon we were both feeling nauseous. i was determined to eat some of the yummy feast. i was lucky though because not only did i eat some but i held it down. we went to sleep early that night only to sleep, rest and stay in the house the next couple of days. yesterday we actually go out for about 2+ hours. we are feeling better today.

we did get to spend some time with our of town family and it was really good to see them. it had been a while since we've seen them.

I'm here too...

i've just upgraded my blogger to the beta blogger too. i have to say that i was a little nervous. i wasn't sure how it would all transfer and all. i've had some problems with losing things to not being able to see my blog at times so i was a little apprehensive but i am now upgraded.

Three Things Thursday...

...Thanksgiving!!!

1. i'm thankful for my husband who loves me even when i act unloveable, who helps me to grow every day, who keeps me laughing, and who my life wouldn't be the same with out.

2. i'm thankful for my family.
my dad-for his constant love for us
my mom-for her listening ear and always being there for us
my sister-for being my sister because i couldn't imagine life without her
my grandparents-for their love and devotion to each other that has been a great example to us
my father in law-for constantly keeping us laughing
my mother in law-for her care
my brother in law-for the friend in him
my sister in law-for her helpfulness
my adorable nephew-for the fun and joy he beings in my life

3. i am thankful for my friends, old and new. for the love you've shown me, a listening ear, encouraging words, a warm hug, maybe a good kick in the pants if needed, a good chat, and a shared bond.

Random

i saw this on Cheryls Blog and thought that it would be a fun post for today. enjoy!!!

1. I am EXCITED TO SEE MY PARENTS AND SISTER IN ABOUT A MONTH.
2. MY HUBBY knows me best.
3. I feel LONELY SOMETIMES.
4. The most important thing in my life is FAITH.
5. I always carry NAILCLIPPERS.
6. I think TO MUCH ABOUT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I CAN'T CONTROL.
7. IÂ’m at my happiest when SURROUNDED BY THOSE I LOVE.
8. On a Monday morning, you can find me SCURRYING TO GET READY FOR WORK.
9. My favorite food ingredient is IRONICALLY CHOCOLATE, SUGAR AND SALT
10. My eyes ARE HAZEL LIKE MY DADS.
11. My favorite material possession is MY BOOKS OR PHOTOS.
12.. To relax, I like to READ (BATHS ARE GOOD TOO)
13. The town I live in is STILL NEW TO ME.
14. My worst habit is PICKING AT MY FINGER NAILS.
15. My guilty pleasure is CHOCOLATE.
16. When I look at someone, the first thing I see is EYES AND TEETH.
17. I wish I WAS PREGNANT.
18. I could live without ZITS.
19. I wish I had ALL MY FRIENDS FROM WASHINGTON HERE WITH ME.
20. My life is CONSTANTLY CHANGING, LIKE CHERYL SAID OCCASIONALLY STRESSFUL BUT FOR THE MOST PART WONDERFUL.

Send in your answers to this fun little quiz, or post it on your blog (just let all of us know about it, so we can go read it!). As always, it's a cool way to get to know each other a little bit better (or perhaps learn a little TOO much about each other; LOL!)

Hurting in Huntsville

if anyone is a news watcher then no matter where you are in the country you may have heard about the tragic accident here in huntsville. i found out about it at around 11:00 this morning and the tv's at work were on the rest of the day so that we could be updated on what was going on. news like this is so hard to take even though i didn't know anyone in the accident personally. while i don't have children i can't imagine putting my child on a school bus and then not seeing them again. there were a number of times today that thinking about it made me start to cry. i just ask that you keep the families of these three young girls in your thoughts and prayers as well as the rest of the students that were involved. there's going to be lots of grieving people here in huntsville and they will all need your prayers.

Prayers (update)

my mom is going on for surgery tomorrow and i just wanted to post something asking for your prayers. while they say the surgery isn't major i think that any time they cut on someone or have to put them under to so something that it's considered major. please be in prayer with me for my mom as she goes in tomorrow. i'll keep this posted as i know more. thanks friends.

at around noon my dad called and said that my mom was in recovery and at 5:30pm on my way home from work my mom called and said that she was on her way home and she was just calling to hear my voice. i love when she calls like that. she said that she was doing well and not to sore. she's tough, my mom, she'll be back around in no time. thanks to all for thinking about us and your prayers.

for all those scrappy scrapbookers out there.....

......here is my attempt at scrapbooking. we are having a baby shower for one of the girls at our church this weekend. when i asked her if she had some type of guest book for people to sign in, she said that there was only one page in her baby book for something like that and she's already used it up. then she said that she had a journal too but she was saving that for a family shower. when she said that these mini scrapbooks came into mind. i wanted her to have something but not another book that she had to keep track of. just something small that she would slide in the back of her baby book but still remember the day and all who came. now i'm not much of a scrapbooker and my scanner didn't scan the pages all that well but i thought that i would show all those scrapbooking nerds (like cheryl says) what i did. this isn't that whole book either. it was just a couple of pages in it that i had the patience to scan. i loved the mini book kit because they gave you the cute book and all the pages and embellishments to go with it. it was fun to put it together. because some of the scans came out blurry i wrote what some of them say under the scan.
this one says love bug
happy baby
my lovely little boy
bundle of joy
sweet dreams and precious boy

Three Things Thursday

first let me say that i am glad that it's thursday because it is actually my friday at work. now on with the show.

tonight we are going to our churches thanksgiving dinner celebration. my TTT is three things that i am excited to eat at this dinner.

1. turkey. of course.

2. cranberry sauce.

3. pumpkin pie (one of which i've made and it's the first time making it.)

Dear John

i just finished reading Dear John by: Nicholas Sparks. and while not giving away the book for those of you who plan on reading it at some point, i will just say that it was a good story of true love.

Weekend Update

as of 3:00 on friday my hubby and i are home owners. yeah! it's been almost 5 years married and it's our first home. it needs a lot of work and you will see as i'm able to post pictures. not much more happend on friday. our weekend was very uneventful accept for buying the house. saturday was a lazy day. m- watched football, i got some christmas shopping done, and we attempted a night out with his brother for his brother's birthday, but ended up going to the mall for dinner and to watch my nephew play in the play area (which he loves). sunday after church we went over the the house and i attacked the ugly wall paper in the kitchen while m- went to home depot to get the locks changed on the house. when he got back we spent another couple of hours on the wall paper and then called it quits. to look at it you wouldn't think we got much done, but i've been told that removing wall paper is a slow process so i'm trying to have patience. while i know that we're really going to like the house once we get it fixed and all i can't help but think about the move the money pit and just hope that's not what we go through.

Ruby Falls

they are finally here. the our pictures from last weekend. we had a fun time in tennessee. these are pictures of ruby falls. hpoe it brings back good memories -c. i posted these for you. :)
the second picture is my favorite because it shows the falls are you are walking behind them and they say that when you look up it's suppose to look like diamonds falling down. that would be a pretty amazing thing, for diamonds to fall down a water fall, or a diamond fall but that's not really the case. still beautiful though.

Random Pictures at See Rock City

i love gnomes

how strong are you?

choo choo

White Water

no this isn't me or my hubby. it is pretty awesome though. every weekend in tennessee should be wrapped up with a beautiful drive to the ocoee river. i just love this river. i first fell in love with in in the 8th grade when our youth group went on a trip here and rode the river. white water rafting is so much fun and one of my favorite things to do. since that trip i have been down a river in costa rica, colorado, this river again and one in oregon.
this guys here are pretty cool. literally. that water was freezing. it was fun to watch them fight the current and do some tricks. this is one of the last rapids on the river and it's called "hell's hole" unless they've changed it recently. it's a pretty scary and thrilling ride.
i love the last picture here because it looks like a bunch of grown boys out to play. they really where having a great time.

Three Things Thursday

OBSESSIONS...

1. i like to get letters in the mail. so much so that when i was younger me and a friend of mine decided to send each other letters back and forth in the mail. doesn't seem all that strange normally if your friend lived in a different state, even a couple hours away but this particular friend only lived like 10 min away and we wrote letters. then another friend of mine found our and he wanted to be involved too. no gripes here i got more mail. so there you have it. i think that's when my obsession with mail started.

2. i love to read. this was all my mom's fault but a good one at that. besides from the story she tells...when i was younger she would read the same book to me over and over because i wanted to read that book over and over. she read it to me so much that knew almost exactly what it said word for word. i even knew when it was time to turn the page. this started my reading obsession. then she bought me the christy miller series by robin jones gunn when i was in jr high and that made the reading obsession even worse. thanks a lot mom!!! no really i love it. i'm grateful that she instilled in me the love for reading.

3. i love to blog. amberj is the one that got me started. it started to sir calvin's blog and keeping up with the every growing boy (even though i saw him lots). then she started he own and i was keeping up with reading that and then got hooked and now love it. thanks amberj for my new obsession. love ya girl.

WHY

why is the show so good?
why is it do dramatic?
why all the mystery?
why are they making us wait for so freakin' long?
so many questions, not nearly enough answeres.
why kill sawyer?
who's john?
why does jack always seem so angry with kate?
why do they care if jack kills ben (video from last week)?
why can't kate run?
is it because she knows there's no where to go
is it because she feels like she really can't leave without sawyer and jack
what is the sotty he told her first season? i can't remember.
is is really even all that important or just something he thinks only she will know?
AHHHHHHHHHH...the questions!!!
why do i watch this show?
i can't believe we have to wait so long...but oh the joy...16, all new, no repeat episodes, starting feb 7th..........i can't wait.

Food for Thought

now i know it's election day and all but since i have nothing profound to say about voting and the politicians (since i haven't even registered yet from moving) i'm going to post a list of all i've had to eat today..........

a piece of french toast with powdered sugar on it
a glass of milk
toothpaste-now i don't normally eat toothpaste but you're bound to ingest some of it when brushing your teeth
a cup of coffee
4 pretzels
a peanut butter chocolate chip rice cake
3 more pretzels
pot roast
potatoes
carrots
hashbrown casserole
2 rolls
peach cobbler
2 glasses of water
2 logans yeast rolls
a half a bowl of loaded baked potato soup
2 glasses of water

i'm sure that there till be more to come and i will update then. until then here there is my list. wow that's a lot of food. you don't think you've eaten much in a day until you actually write it down.

UPDATE:
okay so i actually did vote today. after watching "Dancing with the Stars" tonight i had to vote for emmitt. i have never voted for anyone on the show and never voted for anyone on any reality type show but i just had to tonight. he and mario have to be in the top two. it was a really good show tonight. oh and here is the rest of my food list....

6 candy corns
one of those small halloween boxes of junior mints
a small glass of grape juice and
toothpaste....again

Weekend Update

i'll have to post pictures later because they are still in my camera but here's a quick recap of our weekend. i'm not sure if i mentioned it in a previous post but my hubbies uncle and his wife are visiting from Hawaii. so basically this weekend was geared to giving them a little fall color to enjoy.

saturday morning my hubby and i woke up early and got on the road to tennessee. we met his uncle, aunt, cousin and cousins husband there and took off to see Ruby Falls. if i've been there before i don't remember. it was about a mile in a half walk in and out of a cave that had a waterfall at the end of it. it was a neat thing to do and very interesting to see all the cave formations. (like i said pictures to come later) after Ruby Falls we went to See Rock City. now for those of you who have been to See Rock City probably know that it's actually called Rock City but when all the signs on the highway say See Rock City i just can't help but call it that. maybe that's what it's actually called, i don't know. Anyways, my hubby and i have been there before. we went when we first got married. it was fun to go again and the fall colors were breathtaking. it was amazing all of the colors that we saw. on our drive to tennessee my hubby and i were talking about the amazing colors and how amazing God it that he would make all of these colors and my hubby said the art that we create is just an imitation of what God has already made. i never really thought about it like that but it's true. He's already thought up all these amazing colors and even put them together in the perfect color scheme. after See Rock City we went on this incline railway thing which is neat and all but i don't think that i will do it again. i may not have done it in the first place if we weren't being the tour guide type. after a day of running we went back to our hotel and rested up for a full night. we had reservations for a murder mystery theater. we were invited to the wedding of a redneck and an Italian Mafia man. it was really funny and i had a great time. (again pics to come soon)

sunday came much to soon but we got up, checked out of the hotel and headed to etawah tennessee for a train ride through the mountains. that was a relaxing time to just sit back, watch the scenery and enjoy talking. after the three hour train ride we went to the Big River Grille back in Chattanooga and had dessert at this great little coffee house called Rembrants in downtown chattanooga, where i had some yummy apple cider and we bought a bunch of samples of their desserts. the best was what my hubbies aunt got, a slice of pumpkin cheese cake it was so good. it was somewhat of a whirlwind of a weekend but fun all the same.
(pictures coming soon to a blog near you...............)

A Perfect Day

i just finished a book by Richard Paul Evans that i really enjoyed. it's called A Perfect Day. it was different from the first book of his that i read The Christmas Box but i liked it all the same. here's one sentence that is written in the book covers flap that sums up the book, "A story of a man who found everything he thought he was missing in the love he already had." here is one other quote from the book that i will leave you with.

"There are people on earth who spend thier lives chasing gold, but in heaven it's used as asphalt for roads."

Harvest Fest 2006

here are a couple of pictures from our church's harvest fest
last weekend. every harvest fest isn't complete with a couple of sumo wrestler outfits for people to pound on each other, a fun blow up slide for kids to slide down, the horse and buggy type ride around the field, and a good old car smashing. harvest fest wouldn't be complete without the car smash. actually this was the first year for the car smash and it was a hit. literally!


the costumes were also great. here's a picture of a little girl in my favorite costume of the night. when i first saw her she had her back towards me with her mask on and her little blonde curls were spilling out from under the mask. i thought that it was so cute. i loved that this little girl wanted to be spiderman for halloween. i talked to her mom about it and she said that when the little girl picked the costume out she told her husband i think that we need to let her be spiderman because that's what she wants and it's not like we're going to have any boys. (she's the youngest of 3 girls) but as you can see she is still all girl with her pink balloon and cute, girlie smile.

Three Things Thursday

three things i do to cheer myself up when i'm low...

1. well eating a whole pint, or make that gallon of ice cream is always good, but i'm not to sure that's always healthy. and then you just get more low because you find out you're fat from it. maybe i'll stick with just a big bowl with a big spoon. i like to eat ice cream with a bit spoon. the best way.

2. i like to read a good book.

3. and i like to watch a funny movie. when get sad i tend to hide behind thing or as my hubby would say i'm just pacifying it. oh well that's how i like it.

Happy Halloween

I found this on Virginia's blog and though that i would take it and see that the outcome would be. hope you have a happy halloween.

Which Gashlycrumb Tiny are you?

A is for AMY who fell down the stairs.
Take this quiz!








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