A Tree With a Story Pt. 2

For part one of A Tree With a Story click here. Before we can talk about the ornaments, we have to put up the tree.

We have a new tree this year - no stringing on the lights because it is pre-lit - what a bonus! I know we are behind the times, but we now see what all the fuss was about - what an awesome invention.

Now to my favorite part - taking the ornaments out of the boxes. As I unwrap each ornament, memories come charging back and for a minute I am right there in the moment. What an amazing experience and something I look forward to each year. Once all the ornaments are ready to be placed on the tree it is time to go to the hall closet and gather all the goodies we have bought or been given over the year. Here are the 2008 ornaments.

This hard to read Ornament is from our trip in August to Savannah. The buildings are all the major landmarks in Savannah. We actually found this in the airport on our way home.
The CEO of Jeremy's company (my former boss) brought this back to us from her European holiday with her husband. They bought it while in Vienna - the little man painted inside is Mozart.
Ahhh - the sweet moose ornament. Of course we bought these (actually my parents bought them for us) while in Colorado. I chose this one because it reminded me of our trip to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo which we would not have visited if Meredith had not recommended it. Every time I unwrap this for future Christmases it will remind me of meeting my new friend Meredith at Agia Sophia.
This one will remind us of our day in Cripple Creek, our time playing at Focus on the Family, my tea at Glen Eyrie with my mom and our beautiful view of the mountains.
This ornament was on Granny's tree and we asked if we could have it as a memory of her. Granny loved spending holidays with her family and we missed her very much over Thanksgiving and we will miss her on Christmas but it brings me joy to know that she is having the best Christmas ever! I can't even dream what it must be like to have cake with THE birthday boy. It gives me chills thinking about my grandparents and Granny singing Happy Birthday in person to Jesus. Amazing.
My mom loves Christmas and loves to buy ornaments throughout the year. She bought this one for our family at a Craft Fair this fall. What a cute little gingerbread family.
My friend Kim, who I co-lead the Bible Study group with, gave me this for Christmas. It reminds me of her because she is a pillar of strength and she has been through so much in the last five years. The neatest part is that anyone who watches her knows that her strength does not come from within but from her rock Jesus. I am thankful for our friendship.
C. made his first ornament at preschool this year. It was fun to watch him find the perfect spot to place it on the tree.

Well that should have been it for the tour of our Christmas tree but guess what I received in the mail today (which is actually the 22nd)? My Christmas present from my sweet friend Amy! It was full of goodies that she brought back for me from their family trip to WDW this month. Here are the three ornaments that she sent us. Love you girl!

Santa Mickey with glittery ears (M.'s favorite).

She knows me so well! Even though I am not usually a pink girl - seeing this ornament almost brought tears to my eyes. Amy knows that in a house full of men that I could use a little pink because every girl has an inner Princess that they want to let out from time to time. Lastly, our Snowman Mickey - R & C's favorite - they like his Mickey buttons.

Happy Christmas Eve to you all!

Where I have been...

If you have a blog reader you may notice that there are eight new posts on my blog today. I spent yesterday playing catch up and since I use this as a scrapbook, I wanted them in order - sorry for any confusion.

The week of September 1st was full and I did not have time to sit down at the computer - a couple of days I never even turned it on. So Thursday, September 4th was going to be my day to post on my blog, read friend's blogs and catch up on emails. I had just dropped off my 4 year old at his class and was heading back to the car when Jeremy called.

He was calling to tell me that Granny had passed away sometime in the night. Granny had been in the hospital before her birthday, but had been feeling stronger and much better for a week or so. Her daughter Carolyn had been staying with her for the week and they had a wonderful visit. On Wednesday, Granny and Carolyn had spent the day shopping and had a very special conversation before bed. How amazing to go to bed and wake up in Heaven! That is exactly the way Granny would have wanted it.

The next two days were filled with contacting family, making funeral arrangements and just being together as a family. Sunday (9/7) evening was the viewing, I could not help but think Granny would have loved visiting with everyone. Her three remaining siblings were there (two from AZ and one from MO) along with other out of town family and friends. It was like a big family reunion that evening - she would have been smiling from ear to ear. As she would say these are "my people" - she loved and was proud of each one of them.

Monday (9/8) was the celebration of her life. Granny's nephew Brad (who brought his mom from Arizona) shared stories from what Granny's siblings, nieces and nephews remembered about their Aunt Delia. Her son-in-law Billy (Carolyn's husband) sang "It is Well With My Soul" and lead us in singing "Blessed Assurance". Jeremy's brother Cameron shared a beautiful tribute that he wrote called "Reflections of a Matriarch". Former pastor (in the copper mining town of Morenci, Arizona where she raised her family and also where Jeremy and Cameron were born) and family friend Hubert Conway shared about the Delia he and his family knew and why she was so special to them. He closed with something Granny would have wanted - he shared the need for Jesus in our lives and how to accept the gift of grace that Jesus gave us all when he died on the cross. At the end of the service Jeremy sang Chris Tomlin's Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone). Granny had expressed to him on a couple of occasions that she would like him to sing at her funeral. It was hard for him (as I know it was for all of those who were involved in the service) but the Lord carried him through and it was great.

The service was full of laughter and tears and I am happy that those who were in attendance learned a little more about the Granny we all loved. All 5 grandsons served as pallbearers - she loved each of them unconditionally and thought each of them were special in their own way. After the service in McKinney the family drove to Oklahoma for the burial. It was an intimate time for just the family. While we were at the burial my thoughts were on Heaven - knowing Granny is there worshipping God and loving on her family members who were there to greet her when she arrived. I am so thankful that I have the assurance that I will see her again someday.

I have to thank my parents for watching our two youngest boys during the funeral and then all three while Jeremy and I were in Oklahoma. They were in town for the week visiting us (they also accepted a position at a church last week that will allow them to move back to the DFW area. They will be less than an hour away. We are excited!). They loved Granny too, so we appreciate their sacrifice of not being able to attend the service.

Granny adored each of her great grandchildren (they felt the same way about her!!) and she had told us before that she was a little sad knowing she would not be able to see who they would become as adults. She knew that God has great plans for them, but her biggest prayer was that they will serve God with their lives and ask Jesus into their hearts. She would want me to share this picture of a few of them - I can just hear her joyful laughter now as I remember how she would beam with pride and love as she would watch them at family gatherings.

The rest of the week was spent helping Jeremy's mom go through Granny's apartment. I am so glad I could be with Vicki during this time - it was so special to talk about Granny and look through the things she cherished. Granny kept journals - decades and decades of her life recorded - what a treasure! Sloan and I looking forward to reading them someday. She had boxes of pictures, loads of fabric, lots of cookbooks and other special things that we can use to tell our little ones about her as they grow up.

As a "granddaughter by marriage" I will cherish the many stories that she shared with me about her full and wonderful life. She loved all of her "granddaughters" as though we were born into her family. She was an inspiration to me and I was so blessed to call her Granny. I loved her and am so thankful for the 15 years I was able to spend with her. I pray that I will live my life as she did, loving the Lord with my actions, time and money, loving and praying daily for my family and living each day to the fullest. Vicki found an old proverb that Granny had written down in her Bible. She lived her 88 years by these thoughts. These words made an impression on me, so I thought I would share them here.

"This is the beginning of a new day. I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something I have traded for it. I want it to be gain, not loss- good, not evil- success, not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price I paid for today. "

Golfing with Dad

I will post about our time in Savannah later, as I am a little burned out on vacation wrap up right now. Wednesday (8/6) Jeremy took our 8 year old with him to play golf. Here are some pictures of their time together.

Happy Birthday Nan Naw!

Nan Naw is my dad's mom and today is her birthday. On our way home we stopped for a little while to visit my Pap Paw and her.

I was fortunate to grow up near both sets of my grandparents. The memories of my Nan Naw that stand out are that she was a whiz with a crochet needle and she made lots of yummy goodies over the holidays for us all to enjoy. She tried so patiently to teach me as a child how to crochet but I just could never get it. I wish today that I had practiced more because I remember her sitting (while watching TV) crocheting and she always looked so relaxed. Maybe I will try to learn again but if it never happens at least I have some of her colorful afghans.

Another memory I have is of spending the night at their house - my dad's youngest brother was off at school so I would get to sleep in his giant water bed - I thought it was so cool. Then on Saturday morning they would take me for breakfast - it was always a special time with my grandparents because it was just them and me -I did not have to share them.

When we moved for my dad to go to Seminary, Pap Paw and Nan Naw would come stay with us. I remember them coming in with arms full of groceries (money was tight then) and we would always be so excited to see them. We always enjoyed their visits because they would come and stay for at least a week. It was always fun to have them around.

Nan Naw was so good to keep the things we would make for them, she also kept all the letters and cards we would send. Then after we graduated from high school she gave each of us a scrapbook that she spent hours and hours making. They were full of pictures of our lives and many memories. I cherish these books and am so thankful for them.

So happy birthday Nan Naw - I hope it was a wonderful day! Love you!!!

2nd Grade Field Trip

Tuesday was the 2nd grade field trip and I was one of the chaperone's for my son's class. We went to Elm Fork Education Center on the campus of the University of North Texas. It was such a fun learning experience and the kids had a great time. I have been lucky to get to go on his field trips since Kindergarten - it is something I look forward to all year. I enjoy meeting his friends and love just having these memories with my son. I think maybe my favorite part is at the end when I get to sign him out and he rides home with me. Very rarely is it just he and I in the car alone, so I cherish these moments to just talk and hang out. All and all a great day! :o)

Happy Belated B-day

My middle brother Blaine was born on my PapPaw's (my dad's father) birthday - February 21st. Throughout the years they would share a birthday party together. Their meal of choice would be the traditional birthday family meal and would always end with the favorite family birthday cake. I want to wish them both a belated Happy Birthday!


I love the memories that the picture above brings back. As children, Blaine and I (in the picture he's almost 2 and I am 4) would help my grandma (along with my mom) decorate her home for Christmas.

As children, I remember Blaine and Bruce playing insurance agents (his name was always Joe Hill) and pretending to fix their little red car. Blaine loved to ride on the tractor in the fields and get dirty on the family farm. He has always enjoyed sports - whether playing or watching others play. He has never met a stranger and has always been good relating to anyone, from babies to the elderly. Once my dad went into the ministry Blaine always enjoyed going to funerals - as a kid I thought it was wierd but now I realize that he enjoyed helping and comforting people in their time of grief. He has always been Bruce's and my biggest cheerleader. When Bruce had a band, Blaine became the bands manager and when Bruce played football he never missed a game. When Jeremy and I moved (many times) early in our marriage he was always there to move us and when I was going through a horrible time in my life he was right there praying for me, encouraging me and taking care of me.

Through all of these things God was growing him to give his life to full time ministry. Over the past 10 years Blaine has been a youth minister - being an example, mentor and encourager of teenagers. He is also a loving husband to Lesli, a great father to his boys and a fun uncle to his 5 nephews and 1 niece. Thank you Blaine for all your love and support!

(Photo Pap Paw with my oldest in 2003)

As a child, my parents would take me camping with my Nan Naw and Pap Paw. They had a pop up camper that I thought was so fun to sleep in. I remember as I got older my Pap Paw would pop the camper up in their side yard so we could camp out in their yard. I thought that was so cool. When my dad was in Seminary and in the early years of our ministry, they would come visit us often. They would come with hands full of loaded grocery bags and just spend time with us for days. We always enjoyed their long visits. When I learned to drive he showed me how to check my tire pressure and change a tire. Then a couple of years later, before I left for college, he popped the hood on my car and made sure I knew how to check my oil and all of the other important fluids on my car. Both summers that I worked at Glorieta they would come out to visit me. Thank you Pap Paw for always making sure we were okay and for loving me.

I hope you both had a wonderful birthday! I love you both!

Happy Birthday Amy!

Amy and I met at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor in 1991. We were in the same Welcome Week family the first week of our freshman year. Who would have known that almost 17 years later she is still one of my closest friends.

Amy is one of the most thoughtful, giving and loving people I know. I am sure if you ask any of her friends, they would say what a blessing it is to call her friend. Ask her to pray about something and you know she is doing it! She even remembers to check back with you to see the status of the prayer need. Amy is always there to listen or hold your hand through any situation. In this day and age of email, she has not lost the art of the hand written word. She sends cards of encouragement, always remembers birthdays/anniversaries and enjoys sending cards on holidays other than Christmas. Amy never forgets to send a thank you note!! Every card that she sends is hand stamped and decorated by her.

In 2001 her husband was transferred to the Dallas area and they moved to our town. I was so excited, because it had been years since we had lived close enough to do day to day life together. Our kids played together, we shopped and she taught me all about stamping and scrapbooking. I love to make cards now, but the scrapbooking did not take - but she continues to encourage me to scrapbook and holds out hope that someday I will find a passion for it. ;o) We had so much fun and I was thankful for the time we had together.

A year later they were transferred to Colorado and are still there today. The Oklahoma born, Texas "adoptee" has a special place in her heart for the beautiful mountains and snow of Colorado. They have made wonderful friends, found jobs they enjoy and found a church to call home. I miss not having the everyday life with her (thank goodness for cell phones), but I am so thrilled that they are planting their roots in a place of their own that they love.

Thank you Amy for your amazing friendship! Just for fun I dug up some pictures from the 90's - what great memories I cherish from those days. Tell your 10 year old happy birthday too! I hope you both had a very special day. Love ya!
Happy Birthday!!

Doing the best with what God gave Ya!

Karla has a great post called Fighting the Frump with Fussy - she and a friend have taken up the fight to help rid the world of all things frumpy.

One of the things she brought up was eyebrows. Something I know a little about - as you can see for yourself.Okay there are so many things wrong with this picture - the crazy spiral perm, the dark eye makeup - but that is for another time. Today we are focusing on the brows.

My mom taught me early in my teen years how to use tweezers, as the thick eyebrow gene runs in our family. I hate to tweeze - it hurts so bad!! I once heard Elisabeth Hasselbeck say that she loves to tweeze her brows in bed because it relaxes her so much that she falls right to sleep when she's finished. That is the craziest thing I have ever heard!!

As I was looking for a picture, I found so many I could share of how not to shape your eyebrows. I found pictures of the not tweezed enough, the afraid to get a uni-brow look so I tweezed too much in the middle (see the left eye in the picture) and my favorite of all - the over tweezed (so sad). Maybe I will share them some other time, but I think one picture is enough humiliation for one day.

It has been a long uphill battle, but I think I finally have my arsenal of products to tame my woolly brows and finally shape them properly. I think it is important to have someone shape them for you the first time to get you on the right track. Once that is done here are two products that have been lifesavers for me.

Brow Razers: For perfect and painless eyebrow grooming and shaping. Contrary to what we have been told, documented evidence proves that women can shave their facial hair and it will not grow back thicker or darker. Tweezing is painful and irritates the skin, while waxing stretches it destroying the elastin. Christi Harris is known for this brow-shaping method and truly believes in its beauty benefits. (Description from website)

My mom and I found these four or five years ago and now we cannot live without them! I am able to clean up my eyebrows everyday in seconds and most importantly it is done pain free! If you live in the DFW area you can buy these at the Christi Harris Makeover Center at Galleria or you can do like I do and order them online.

To keep my brow shape from getting too thick or thin I use these Anastasia stencils. These are great because there is a stencil for everyone (High Arch for me). You can buy these at Nordstrom or order them here.

So that is my two cents on eyebrow grooming. Now I am off to read Karla's post again - why don't you check it out with me?

A Little Rant

Living in North Texas we tend to have more ice than snow. We get one, maybe two ice storms each winter, but when there is a shred of a threat of bad weather the news media goes nuts! They talk about it for at least a week before the storm shows up - the weather people get all giddy and cannot contain their excitement (this guy and this guy are the WORST).

The night before the big storm, the first 15 to 20 minutes of the news will be reports talking about how the big cities have their sand trucks ready and waiting to help with the morning commute. They warn us (like we have not been listening all week when they warned us the first 20 times) that the bridges and overpasses will be treacherous (they love that word) during the morning commute so drive slowly.

Then they do the worst thing of all - get the kids (and parents) hopes up that school will be canceled. As a kid I would get so excited that there would be a snow day that I could hardly sleep - only to be disappointed the next morning that I had to go to school.

But watch out if the weather people are actually right (which they usually aren’t) and we do get ice - it will become the story of the year! The TV stations send out these poor reporters to stand out in the icy freezing weather to report the same thing over and over "be careful it is slick and stay home if you can". This always makes me think “why are they out in this weather?”. Most ice storm mornings, the anchor people will be on for their regular shows (5-7) but because we need to keep seeing the poor reporters in the cold or a picture of Bob Smith's icy trees in his front yard (they ask viewers to email pictures in) they will pre-empt Good Morning America and the Today Show!! Last year they were on the air from 5 AM until 1 PM recounting the same thing OVER and OVER. Boy did they get a lot of emails for not showing All My Children in its regular time slot! :o)

Yesterday brought back memories of my childhood. The news people have been building up this story since last Friday and our County was the one that was supposed to be hit the hardest. Our 7 yr. old got in the car after school and said "We are not going to have school tomorrow". I asked him why he thought that because I knew his teacher would not have told the class that. He said at recess all his friends said they saw it on the news that we were having a big ice storm, so there would be no way they would have school tomorrow. I tried to gently tell him not to get his hopes up, but he had a hard time going to sleep last night and prayed there would be no school tomorrow.

Well tomorrow is now today. So did we wake up with roads covered in ice? Was it another false alarm with sad little kids everywhere?

Well, let’s just say our 7 yr. old is in school and had absolutely no trouble fighting through the “treacherous” roads as there was absolutely no ice anywhere around us. And so now we patiently wait for the next overblown, overhyped, week long discussion of the next big ice storm.

2007 Thoughts

Hi everyone!!
I hope that each of you have had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends. I have enjoyed spending time away from the computer and with my family. I have much to share and will start posting about my time away later in the week. I am looking forward to catching up with all of you through your blogs as well.

I could not let 2007 leave without saying goodbye. Over at Bleeding Espresso, she invited us to play along and complete this end of the year MEME, so I thought it would be a good way to reflect on my year.

What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Tried Polenta and Grits (now I am hooked - loved 'em!)
First hotel stay by myself
Started my Blog

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No births in 2007 - but friends/family due in 2008

Did anyone close to you die?
Jeremy's Uncle Kenny died (March 17th). I was not able to attend the funeral with him, but I am so glad that he and his brother were able to be with his mom and dad in Arizona. His Uncle was in his 60's and had been paralyzed from the neck down since the age of 21 (water skiing accident). Kenny was a very strong Christian and a tremendous inspiration to everyone who met him. What an amazing sight it must have been to see him walk through the gates of heaven.

What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The first one that comes to mind is our baby's first birthday - October 19th.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Overcoming my fears of the blog world and becoming more technically savvy to start my own blog.

What was your biggest failure?
Not getting all my "baby" weight off (I've been collecting it since my first pregnancy in 2000).

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Strep throat/flu last January - not fun!

What was the best thing you bought?
Digital Camera

Where did most of your money go?
Diapers
Formula
Simply Thick
RX for baby
Milk (we should buy a cow!!)

What do you wish you’d done more of?
More constant time with God
Work out
Have more patience with my boys :o(
More date nights

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Lose patience with the boys
Let the year go by without making the most of each day

What was your favorite TV program?
The Office
Chuck (new fav)

What was the best book you read?
Just Walk Across the Room

What was your favorite film of this year?
Sadly, we spent 2007 catching up on movies from 2006 (favorite of '06 Amazing Grace). We saw only a handful of '07 movies, here are some that I enjoyed or that left an impression on me from 2007. Can't wait to see Becoming Jane.
National Treasure - A Book of Secrets
A Mighty Heart
Breach

The Kingdom

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
35 - it was a great birthday - read about it here

What kept you sane?
Dates with Jeremy
The new babysitiing place!
Weekly Bible study with the ladies
Blogging and reading blogs

Who was the best new person you met?
I enjoyed meeting all my new friends in the blog world and am looking forward to getting to know you better in 2008. In real life, I have made a lot of friends at our new church and just like the bloggers am looking forward to getting to know them better over the coming year.

Finally, not resolutions, but goals for 2008:
Make daily time with God my first priority
Work out and lose ALL the weight!(Hold me accountable - ask me how it's going!)
Get middle son completely potty trained (still no #2 action in the potty!!)
Be intentional about getting together with friends and family
Try to cherish each day and not let the year pass by so quickly

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Christmas!

This is my last post until after the holidays. Since I love Christmas so much, I thought I would end with a fun MEME. I hope that you and your family have a wonderful and safe Christmas and a fun New Year's eve & day. See y'all in 2008!

Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper
Tree--Real or Artificial? I've never had a real tree in my life. Am I missing out?
When do you put your Christmas tree up? Day after Thanksgiving
When do you take the tree down? Usually January 2nd
Do you like Egg Nog? Yes, but Braum's Egg Nog only! And I've never had it spiked - is that weird?
Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, my parents gave it to us for our 2nd Christmas.
Favorite gift received as a child? Kenner Family Tree House Tree Tots -loved it & wish I still had one!
Mail or email a Christmas Card? Mail
Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street- new version
When do you start shopping for Christmas? The Monday after Thanksgiving
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes I have...
Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Breakfast. On my side of the family breakfast is as important as the Christmas meal!
Clear or colored tree lights? Clear-always!
Favorite Christmas Carol? O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Steven Curtis Chapman version, Music of Christmas, 1995)
Travel during Christmas or Stay home? Both, but this year staying home
Can you name Santa's reindeer's? Why yes I can!!
Angel or Star on Tree top? Neither -big silver bow
Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

1 John 4:9

Anniversary

Saturday is our 12th anniversary. Jeremy's parents offered to keep the boys (thanks!) so we can go out tomorrow afternoon. Yeah! Jeremy, I thank God for you! I look forward to growing old with you and all the many adventures ahead of us. I love you!

I found this at Leah's blog, so I decided to borrow some of the questions. Thanks for humoring me and letting me share about our special day.

Where/How did you meet?
You know this- Glorieta summer of 1993 (introduced by Ty)
How long after you met did you start dating?
1 month
How long did you date before you were engaged?
2 years
How long was your engagement?
6 months
What is your anniversary?
December 22, 1995
Where was your wedding?
FBC McKinney
What did you serve at the reception?
Cake, punch, nuts and mints
What kind of cake did you serve?
Bride - white chocolate cake with strawberry filling, cream cheese frosting
Groom - German chocolate cake, milk chocolate icing with chocolate covered strawberries
(Only had one bite of the bride's cake and we did not get to try the grooms. Can you tell I am still bitter about it! Hee, Hee)
How many people were in your wedding party?
6 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen, 4 ushers, flower girl and ring bearer
Are you still friends with them all?
Almost all of them, as a matter of fact, Leah was my maid of honor and Amy was a bridesmaid.
Most special moment of your wedding day?
Since we were married during the holiday season, we were not sure how many people would be able to come. It meant so much to us that so many of our family and friends were with us and traveled so far during such a crazy time of year!
If you were to do your wedding over...
Only change one thing - the photographs/photographer.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Eureka Springs, Arkansas (1 week)
We spent our first Christmas in a secluded sweet cottage - very special that it was just the two of us. To top it off we had a lot of snow!! That was very magical to Texans, as we are not sure from year to year if we will be wearing coats or shorts at Christmas!!

Santa

On Friday morning, I decided that I would take the boys to get their annual Santa picture. I emailed my 2nd graders teacher and told her I would be picking him up early. Now before you judge me for taking him out of school early for a Santa pic, have you seen the lines for these things?

In the parking lot of the mall, I noticed there seemed to be an abnormal amount of traffic. But strangely, I did not have any problem finding a parking spot. Now inside the mall, I was so excited - taking him out early was the perfect idea - no line - yeah! We head to the queue, but it was closed off. I was so confused - it was 1:30, Santa's break was not until 3:00, then I started looking around - something was not right. Then I realized all the stores were closed and the electricity was off all over the mall - power outage (it lasted almost 3 hours - think of all the money they lost!). I was so frustrated, after all my planning and a wasted early release from school - the picture was not going to happen. After consoling my 3 year old, who was upset because he could not give Santa his wish list - we went home. We ended up having a great afternoon; the boys had popcorn and watched a Christmas movie while I made caramel corn for Christmas gifts for some friends.

Monday, the little guys and I picked up their brother from school (not early this time). After he changed his clothes and had a Sonic snack, we headed to the mall. As I was entering the mall, I ran into a friend whose kids had just had their Santa pics taken. She informed me that the line was extremely long. Fabulous - but we went in anyway. To my wonderful surprise the boys were very well behaved, with only a few minor incidences. In just under two hours, our mission was accomplished!

Christmas Lights

Last night we did one of our favorite things, look at Christmas lights. We took our traditional drive by of a house that has 65,000 lights (see above) which are computer controlled and synchronized to music. After that we drove to our town square to park and walk around. By the way -the same man who did the lights above, is also responsible for our town square light display - very talented and patient man.

We had a great time, it was a little cold, but the hot cocoa and cookies that we brought took our minds off the weather. The boys loved running around and enjoyed dancing to the music and lights. On Friday and Saturday nights they have lots of activities, so we are planning to take them this weekend.
Our little actor showing us how much he enjoyed his hot cocoa and cookie.


My boys love to take pictures with the camera. This one was taken by our 3 year old.
The tree picture was taken by our 7 year old. I hope Santa brings them the camera's they asked for this year. ;o)

New York City

First let me explain - I LOVE to travel - from the in depth research, to the satisfaction of being there after the planning is complete. If I could have any job in the world it would be Samantha Brown's.

One of the places we love to go is New York City. Before we had children, we actually talked about finding jobs so we could live there. One of our favorite times to visit is at Christmas. The whole city is transformed, from the gorgeous store windows, the beautifully decorated trees throughout the city, to the vendors selling chestnuts. It is almost magical.

I am not going to share all the first time "must sees" (NYC tourism), but I want to share some of our favorite places.

American Girl - Oh, if I had a daughter!! On the other hand, it is probably better that I do not have one, because you could spend some serious cash in there!

Books of Wonder - Reminds me of Kathleen Kelly's book store in You've got Mail. Since I love that movie, of course I would love this store.

Burger Joint - I could probably eat this at least once a day, yes it is that good! Located in the Le Parker Meridien hotel, it can be a little hard to find - look behind registration for the long brown curtain. Try to go when they open or after the lunch crowd, because a table can be hard to find. Best case scenario (not at Christmas), get a burger and fries to go for a picnic in Sheep's Meadow in Central Park.

Bloomingdales - I love to take my time and slowly browse around. I never go with Jeremy- this is just for me.

Chelsea's Market - a foodies paradise, I could spend hours in this place. So much to check out and taste, but make sure you stop at Amy's Bread (great sandwiches).

Colony Records - If you love music, you will not believe the selection. Also a great on-line store as well.

Dale and Thomas Popcorn - yummy flavors of popcorn

Dylan's Candy Bar - fun place - not just for kids. Downstairs they have the nostalgic candies of my childhood - it is fun to look around.

NYC World of Disney - You can meet characters, get NYC related items and even if you are not there to buy, there is so much to look at!

Pasta Lover's (142 West 49th Street) - good food and reasonably priced. On every trip to the city, Jeremy always has a meal there.

Plaza Hotel - We do not stay here, but we stop by to visit Eloise and go to the gift shop. We have three ornaments - somehow it did not end up on my favorites list. I have always wanted to have tea at the Palm Court, but I do not think that is Jeremy's idea of fun. Maybe someday I can take a trip with a friend - anyone interested?

Saint Patrick's Cathedral - So beautiful.

Sarabeth's - great food for breakfast or lunch. I love her preserves - my sweet husband always brings me a jar (apricot/pineapple in my favorite) from his business trips.

Staten Island Ferry - This is free! Jeremy and I rode the ferry on our last trip, it was so relaxing and a great way to see the NYC skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

Tiffany's - Okay, this is just a place I browse in, but oh is it fun. I know there are locations all over the country, but there is just something about walking into the 5th Avenue location. I can not go in here without thinking of two movies Breakfast at Tiffany's and Sweet Home Alabama. Ah -great movies.

TKTS Discount Booths - We try to see at least two shows when we are in the city. This is a great place to get cheaper tickets. If I had to recommend one show -- see Wicked - I could see this over and over and never tire of it.

World Trade Site - We always visit and reflect on that horrible day. Here is a cool site that is chronicling the rebirth of the Trade center. The film that is being created will be placed in a museum in the new Freedom tower.

Zabar's - The culinary obsessed could live here (including myself) - they also have a cafe.

One of my regrets is that I have not been to any of the museums. We are hoping to take a trip soon, and at that time Mr. Monet and I will have a date at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Maybe you will try some of the places on my list the next time you are in the city. If you frequent New York, I would love to know some of your favorite places - so please share!

This & That

This morning I went to a Christmas brunch at our church. The ladies involved with the planning did an amazing job at making everything look so beautiful. It felt like Christmas - at least inside the building, the high today was 80! Ugh.

Our speaker was Lisa Whelchel, you know Blair from the "Facts of Life" (LOVED that show). She shared some great ideas on how to incorporate Christ in our Christmas traditions. She has a book called The ADVENTure of Christmas with lots of great things to do with your kids. I am looking forward to reading it and using some of her ideas with my boys. Thanks Karen for going with me!

I can not express how much I appreciate "me" time when I get it. Even though I was with 300 women, I was not mom for a few hours - just Jenn. I left the brunch a little calmer, the world seemed brighter and my patience flowed - I was refreshed. I am sure you all know what I am talking about.

Then to top it off, I had some quality time with my oldest this afternoon. We talked, laughed and just hung out together. He is such a caring, funny and intelligent boy. He is learning to have a heart for God. I am so proud of the young man he is becoming - how do they grow up so fast? I want to cherish these moments (Luke 2:19) and make sure they happen more often because he is growing up fast and soon being with mom is not going to be cool.

What a fun day!

Karla is hosting a holiday recipe exchange, click on the button for more details. I hope that you all will put a button on your blog so we can get lots of people to play along. I know if you are like me you can always use good recipes. Looking forward to trying some of your recipes!

Influence

Isn't this bow gorgeous? I do not have bow making skills, but my mom does, she made this bow for me while they were here at Thanksgiving. I love driving by and looking at it - it is just so pretty.

This blog entry is all about my mom and a woman I know she would be honored to share this post with - but we will get to her a little later.

I just love these two pictures. The first one in the sweet pink dress, with those amazing dark eyes and darling curls. The second, is her senior picture and in my opinion she is breath taking.

There are so many things I could share about my mom, but these few will show you a glimpse of who she is to me.

~ We had a beautiful, cozy and nurturing home. She has an eye for decorating and making gorgeous flower arrangements. When she wraps gifts, they are almost too pretty to open. We always knew we were loved and encouraged to follow the path God laid out for our lives. Thank you for all the unconditional love Blaine, Bruce and I alway felt (and still feel)!

~Our home was decorated for every holiday and season. My mom's most favorite holiday of all is Christmas! Our house was stunning from the day after Thanksgiving until January 2nd. It was fun to have people over to show off my mom's handy work.

~My mom was given the voice of an angel. While I was growing up, my mom sang at church and she honestly gave Sandi Patti a run for her money. When she sang "We Shall Behold Him" I knew God had to puff with pride because His child was singing for His glory.

~Boy does she love sweets - the sweeter the better. She enjoys things like divinity, fudge and maple candy. So in her honor, you can go here to find an easy fudge recipe.

Someone who played one of the most significant roles in shaping the lady my mom became was my grandma. I use the word lady on purpose, because that is exactly the example that they were to me growing up. They were both gracious, encouraging and dignified in all circumstances and honored God in their actions and words. I am thankful for their example of faith and that they taught me to love Jesus.

Yesterday would have been my Grandma's birthday, she has been gone many years now and I still miss her deeply, but I am so thankful for the tangible reminders, as well as the memories that I cherish in my heart. Since recipes hold memories for me, I will share a couple with you. My grandma was a fabulous cook, but these three desserts stand out when I think of her.

Yum Yum Cake

Special K Cookies

Ice Box Cream Pie

Mom - Thank you for being there to love me, wipe tears, offer sage advice, and always being my cheerleader. I know Grandma (& Pa Pa) were very proud of you. Happy Birthday Mom - I love you!