Black Friday

This is what I'm listening to right now. My Black Friday special from Target today....for only $5.99!

Silent Night......it's one of my favorites!

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And NO way did I get out there in the thick of things for Black Friday shopping!! Chris & Jon went last night.....they were on a mission to get the PS3 game system on sale (they put their money together) at Game Stop. They were actually first in line & had a blast hanging out together & they DID get what they went after. But me, I was home all nestled all snug in my bed.....with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head. ;-) The girls & I headed out today for our usual Friday grocery shopping & lunch. We met Maw, Ella, Cori, Sarah & kids at Cracker Barrel. We had a really nice lunch visit together. Then we all headed over to Target. I had ALL the kids with me. Everyone wanted to ride in my AWESOME van today! We were laughing out in the Cracker Barrel parking lot.....saying how easily we all were amused. I was showing them how the little camera shot came up on the dash board when the van is in Reverse so you can see what's behind you. Sarah was back there trying to find out exactly where the camera was located. It was SO funny! She finally figured out that it was down on the license plate. I know we were quite a sight out there as we giggled & carried on! We DO have fun when we get together. I picked up a few deals at Target....nothing major. The above cd plus the Trans-Siberian Orchestra 'The Lost Christmas Eve'. That was also just $5.99. And I picked up a couple of Christmas gifts.......I had to do like Maw used to do when we were with her......'just pretend you didn't see me buying this.' From there we just did Sams & Walmart & then home. Like I said earlier....it's the 'simple', 'little' things that bring us such pleasure & for that I'm most grateful. While at Sams....Ashley was asking if we could make a quick Starbucks run. And for whatever reason, she was telling Alli how awesome it was to finally have the bridge going across Ward's Road so the college kids can get to Walmart & all without having to actually cross the highway. Then she got the bright idea of asking if she & Alli could go ahead....while I was checking out at Sams....so Alli could walk across the bridge over to Starbucks & then I'd just come pick them up when I was done.

They were tickled to death when I said they could!! See, what did I tell you? Who would've ever thought that something as simple as walking across the bridge over to Starbucks could bring such pleasure. It's the little things like that, that I want to tuck away & remember forever!

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This was done for a challenge where we cropped our pics into small squares (ok, so mine are more wallet-size than SQUARE, but hey!) Sarah did a photo shoot with Chris one time when we were at Maw's visiting. He was 'Almost 3'....if you notice the first pic on the middle row....that's what he's showing you....his THREE fingers. ;-)

Easter 1992...Sarah, Aunt Kitty, Uncle Richard & Maw....Pop was taking the picture.

More 1992 pictures.....Chris was helping Maw freeze peas. Such fun!!

Worth Sharing!

November 25, 2011 Holiday Blues T. Suzanne Eller

“There is joy for those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.” Psalm 106:3 (NLT)

“I don’t like the holidays,” I whispered.
I used to love holidays, before I was married. Before I felt the pull to be everywhere at the same time. Before any decisions that I made left someone upset or angry or feeling left out.
I struggled with a desire to be home, to start my own traditions with my young children and husband. We were the first to be married in both families, and thus the first to break “how it’s always been.”
Thanksgiving was a time to be thankful. All I felt was stretched thin. Christmas was a time to be joyous but I usually felt frustrated.
As we had children, I tried to mask my frustration with enthusiasm. We had fun setting out pumpkins. We decorated the house. But inside I wrestled because I knew the stress that was coming trying to be all things to all the people in my life.
Looking back, I wonder why I didn’t say anything. Instead, I simply let it fester. I didn’t take into account that if I kept silent things would never change. I just simmered in anger.
Thirty years later, I treasure the holidays. It took time, but I finally learned to share my needs. I found the courage to tell my extended family that trying to be everywhere in such a short time was exhausting.
We all made an effort to see each other’s point of view. We didn’t approach in anger, but with a willingness to work through the conflict with honesty and grace. Some were open. Others were not, especially in the beginning. If they were flexible, we rejoiced. If not, we didn’t take it personally. We knew change takes time.
Perhaps the greatest gift that we received came later. When our children married, suddenly there were several families in the mix. We told our children that it’s not the date on the calendar that makes holidays special. It’s the heart behind the holidays. It’s spending time with people you love.
So, sometimes we get together on Thanksgiving, or maybe the week after. Maybe it’s Christmas only, while Thanksgiving is spent with other family members. If they aren’t with us on a specific day, my husband and I fill that time with a new tradition — just the two of us.
What we discovered is that by letting go, our kids come more often because there’s no pressure. They let us in on their traditions. Regardless of the date, when we do get together we have fun! It’s a gift we give our family and ourselves.

Dear Lord, thank You for my family. I’m grateful for so many things, and one of those is family who loves me enough to want to be with me. Help me to share my needs with my loved ones, and to do it with grace and gentleness. Help me not to take it personal as they struggle with change. If I am the one that is inflexible, help me to bend and grow. Help me to be thankful every day for all that I have been given. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Let the Festivities Begin.......

By now in New York City,

there's snow on the ground 

And out in California,

the sunshine's falling down

 And, maybe down in Memphis,

Graceland's all in lights 

And in Atlanta, Georgia, 

there's peace on earth tonight

Christmas in Dixie,

it's snowin' in the pines 

Merry Christmas from Dixie,

to everyone tonight

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Listening to Kenny Chesney Christmas......

I have my awesome wood wick candle from Melanie burning.......the kids are upstairs playing a game together.....Clay is laying on the couch watching hunting shows & I just finished putting two pumpkin pies in the oven to bake. Ahhhhhh.......life is good! I'm just giddy with the excitement of this time of year. I love it!!

Yet another Christmas present I'm working on. Another Harry scarf for a special little someone.

This is what Clay drove home this evening. Our rental for a week....a Toyota Sienna. It was dark & cold out by the time he got home, so I just got a quick look at it, but it sure does look awesome! I'll be driving in style for a few days, it looks like! Ok, I'm ready for a nice cup of coffee...curl up on the couch by the fire & enjoy myself some hooky time now. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!!

Busy Monday

Not sure why I titled this 'Busy Monday'......my whole weekend has been BUSY!

Sarah took this one on Thursday....which was Daniel's 7th birthday. They went & picked Ashley up & hit Starbucks for a BD treat. Just so happened they got in on their special they were having where if you bought one holiday flavored drink, you got a second one for FREE! After coffee, they went back & picked up Ashley's roomie, Emily & they all went to supper at La Carreta. Nothing like going to dinner with TWO college girls for your 7th Birthday. Way to go, Daniel!

Saturday, was Daniel's Football party. Can you tell he's a VA. Tech fan? We've gotta turn that boy into a Flames Fanatic before it's too late. LOL!

Pictures taken Sunday after church.....it was such a warm November day.

Alli, Cori, Taylor, Jon & Jesse

Two sweet girlies.

I took my camera with me this afternoon when I took Rocky out to potty. On these nice days, I've been running/walking with him in the front field.....at least until Skippy puts the cows over here.

Looking back toward the house from the far corner of the field...up near the RR tracks.

The tower out in the front field.

And Mr. Rocky snooting around...not quite ready to go back inside just yet.

And lastly.....I scrapped this afternoon. Yay me! Just one simple layout, but still. I got the idea for this layout on Pinterest. I really loved the falling leaves.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Yummy Paula Deen chicken noodle soup for lunch today. Leftovers from our supper last night.

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Over at Cookin' Up Creations it was my turn to share the challenge for today.

For today's tutorial....I'm going to show you a quick & easy way to make your own tiny envelopes to decorate your pages, etc. Check out this awesome tutorial I found HERE.

So, my challenge for you today is pretty simple......create a tiny envelope to use on your page. You might want to tuck your journaling inside like I did or you could use it to hold other little bits of memorabilia, etc. And I'd also like to see a photo of some kind of restaurant, fast food joint, maybe your favorite little coffee shop, etc. Below is my example with my sis & my kids (mom was taking the picture) making a late-night run to McDonalds for a treat while on a weekend road trip to TN. (Notice the kiddos in their PJs...LOL!)

The layout below was done for a challenge to use twine as a border. I used a border punch on my strip of paper & then wove the twine through it from each end & tied in the middle.

The pictures were taken at Scare Mare last month. Fun times!!

Van Pictures

I walked down the drive earlier & took some pics of the van. They are waiting for the insurance guy to come look at it now.

If you look down in there, in the photo above, you can see the broken pieces of head light.

Look how foggy it was.....& this was around noon.

Just one of those 'cozy-up-inside' kind of days.

Romans 8:28!!

Boy, what a night we had last night!! I fixed supper early so Clay & Jon could go to a basketball game at Liberty. Well, they hadn't been gone too very long when Clay called to tell me that they had hit a deer out on the bypass! Praise the Lord, they were both ok.....but our van seems to be toast! He didn't think it was that bad right at first....until he realized that he really wasn't driving it anymore....it was just coasting. He was able to steer it off to the side of the road, thank goodness. The deer came from the median & hit the driver's side.The cops said the deer was totally busted in half & you could tell by looking at the whole side of our van.....deer poop, guts, hair, etc! Mason has a dolly-thing that you hitch behind the truck to tow a vehicle....so, after Chris got off work (They called me about 6:30...Chris didn't get off til 7pm & went straight from work to get them) & went to rescue them...they borrowed Mason's dolly & went back to go fetch our poor old van home. They didn't get home til 1am!! I guess the first order of business today will be to go out to the insurance place & proceed from there. Please pray that everything goes smoothly & we will know whether to try & get this van fixed or just get another one.

Praise the Lord we know that 'ALL things work together for good!' (Rom. 8:28)

Scrappiness

Thought I'd post my latest pages that I have done. Didn't realize that I had five sitting over here that I hadn't shared yet.

I'm still digging into my stash & scrapping pictures from 'Way Back'. These pics are from a 'Play Date' that we had at Maw's house with Wende & Loren Gaylor. Chris was almost 3 & Loren was 2.

Look at Jon stuffing his face in that top left pic.....Hee! Hee! He & Ashley were enjoying a snack of Honeycombs in Maw's kitchen floor. The kids were looking at these the other day & remembering how much they loved those Planet Hollywood shirts that Sarah brought them back from TX. That Gorilla one was just perfect for Jon. ;-)

Gibbs & Rocky 'Catching Some Zzzs' on the couch. Granted they are not snuggled up close together or anything....but they ARE sleeping on the same couch at the same time & that's about as close as those two get.

Thanksgiving dinner at Maw's.....1986...a few months before we got married. I love that we have these pics of Miss Betty. Too bad we don't have any videos of her. LOL!

And lastly, we have Chris & Maw making some 'Bo-Lerry' (Blueberry) muffins. This was for a challenge to share a favorite/special recipe. I loved this photo & yes, I DO know that he's holding a BOX of muffin mix, but I also included the recipe for our more 'Home-made' version using Bisquick as a base. So all is well. ;-)

Monday Musings

I just came in from sitting out under my tree. Man, is it nice out there....upper 60s in November! I'm weird, I know....I don't sit out in the sun in the summer time.....it's too HOT then. I prefer March/April & then late October/November.

I read a little bit & then did some crocheting.

I'm working on more Christmas gifts. This is going to be a cowl scarf when I'm done. I love the pattern & it's working up so quickly!

...and yes, I'm outside Barefooted in November!

I love that little RED tree up there on the hill. I know it looks more like brown in the picture, but it is always the most vivid red & is so pretty. I like how it really stands out.

A Word to Wives

Oh how wonderful Marriage can be. Oh how crazy marriage can be when you add kids, responsibility, and the demands of this life. Oh, how important it is to take the time to stop and invest in, love on, and care for our marriages! I was reminded of this the other day.
I wanted to share this great reminder about loving our husbands I came across on my friend, Jewels' blog. What a great reminder. Hope you are challenged and inspired!

"Are you in love with your husband? Not, Do you love him? I know you do. He has been around a long time, and you’re used to him. He is the father of your children.

But are you in love with him?

How long has it been since your heart really squeezed when you looked at him?

 ... Why is it you have forgotten the things that attracted you to him at first?

... By the grace of God, I want you to start changing your thought pattern.

Tomorrow morning, get your eyes off the toaster or the baby bottles long enough to LOOK at him. Don’t you see the way his coat fits his shoulders? Look at his hands. Do you remember when just to look at his strong hands made your heart lift? Well LOOK at him and remember.

Then loose your tongue and tell him you love him.

Will you ask the Lord to give you a sentimental, romantic, physical, in-love kind of love for your husband? He will do this.

His love in us can change the actual physical quality of our love for our husbands." By Shirley Rice

Take Joy in the Man God has given to you!

Finally....some Crafty time

I was finally able to get to my scrap table today & make a few cards for some of the challenges over at Cookin' Up Creations.

These first two cards were done for a challenge to create our own mists out of water & food coloring. What a clever idea! I mixed some blue & green together to make my mist & used a doiley as my mask. I LOVE how it turned out! I must find some more little spritzy type bottles so I can make some different colored mists.

The cards above were created for a 'Leftovers' challenge......we were to use scraps & little bits & bobs leftover from other projects. That top card base had originally been planned for another project & didn't get used, so I used it as a card. Everything on there was just tiny little scraps that I put together & Alli said it was one of her favorites. The bottom card was an old book page which I painted & stamped during an art journaling work session. I then cut & pleated the paper strip, added the flowers from a leftover DT kit & finally I punched a few butterflies from my trusty paint chip stash. ;-)

Now, on to a little hookiness. I finished up a Christmas gift this afternoon. This adorable little scarf is for my niece, Anna. And the best part is...it only took two days to do. I'm sure it could've been completed quicker if I had had the time......you know, if I hadn't been grinding up 44 pounds of meat yesterday. LOL!

Basically this is Lucy's Hexagon pattern......the first two rounds then the chain 3 round as a border & where I joined them as I went along. It made a cute little flower pattern, don't you think?! You can find her pattern HERE.

So, share me with me....what kinds of hand-made Christmas gifts are you making this year?