Ringing in the New Year

The 'Bug' is still here at our house as we get ready to ring in the new year. Chris is better & actually off with Ashley C. this evening enjoying Winterfest. Ashley B. is pretty much better too.....but dang, if she still isn't barking her head off. I hear that cough can hang on a good while. But all the rest of them are still feeling pretty crummy. And especially Clay......he's always the biggest baby of them all. He's been laid out on the couch for most of the day. They've been watching a marathon of Abbott & Costello movies on TV today. They just finished up the 'Invisible Man' & now it's one about a  mummy. Can't beat these goofy old movies.

 

I watched some more episodes of Lucy this afternoon while playing in my art journal. This season 4 has Lucy & Ricky out in Hollywood & today they were hoping to meet Hetta Hopper.

 Sorry for the blurry picture......crappy indoor evening light. I should've waited to take the picture outside, but I was too impatient. I was really happy with the way this one turned out. I started slapping stuff down on the page with a little paint before I went to bed last night. And the rest of it came together this afternoon. I had cut the cool Maxwell House coffee ad from a magazine because that's the brand we drink......my favorite. It says: 'The line for a great cup of coffee is always shorter at home.' I have more pages that I have neglected to share here, but decided I'd better wait for better lighting before I try & photograph anymore.

 

Think I am going to take my knitting in here & curl up on the couch near the fire & enjoy some of these old movies with my family. Don't seriously think I'll make it til midnight, but we'll see.

Let it Snow.....

Well, you'd never know it now.....it's 44 degrees & mostly sunny....but this is what it looked like this morning about 8am.

 

 

Ice on the Mountains...

Just look at the ice on the 'mountains' out front yesterday. It was such an icky/cold/windy/sleety/snowy kind of day. I was very happy to be inside cozied up by the wood stove! Everyone still feels pretty crummy & basically laid around all day again. They watched 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' & then the 4th Shrek movie. While they were watching those, I piddled in here in my art journal while watching 'I Love Lucy'. Chris gave me the fourth season for Christmas. Then last night, Ashley stuck in her new Blue Ray 'Titanic' movie. I didn't make it through the whole thing of that....really long, but such a good movie! Will try & take some pictures of my art journal today so I can share some of that here.



Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Thought I'd share a few pictures from this morning. Some are mine & the better ones were taken by Chris.

Jon & Alli sporting their cool socks!

 

 

Michael played Santa this year.

Jon's cool new shades.

Alli got a new leather guitar strap.

Chris checking out his new art book.

Taylor Swift calendar.

Ashley felt so bad & didn't want her picture taken.....but here's a picture of her new 8lb. dumb bells.

Michael didn't have a clue what this one was.

His 'Monster' rack! Look at that face!

Clay got this for me.....isn't it just the cutest thing?!  He likes the way we are under the mistletoe & I'm cutting my eyes at him.

Rocky was jealous & wanting Ashley's Beanie-Boo.....

....never mind that he got some brand new stuffies of his very own.

Just look at him cutting those adorable little eyes up at Chris.

 

***************

 

'Silent night! Holy night! All is calm....'

 

I'm really sad that all my kiddos are sick & not feeling well & that we missed out on getting to go to Maw's house like we always do for Christmas dinner, but it really has been a nice day. A slower pace....just enjoying being at home with each other. Like I told Maw the other day......something I read from Karen Kingsbury......about having a 'Mary' Christmas.(read Luke 10:38-42) My crew is cozied up in the living room by the fire right now....I smell the turkey cooking in the oven & out my window....it looks like it might snow.

 

'God Bless us, every one!'

Sickies

Yep, afraid so......ALL the kids are sick now. Just this nasty rotten cold/chugginess that everyone has been having. Clay & I are still well....so far. Although Clay swears that he has been coming down with it for several days now. He's such a 'MAN'. (insert rolling eyes here!)

 

I knew things weren't right yesterday morning when Ashley & Michael both plopped themselves on the couches & stuck in a Christmas movie to watch. Michael is not a big movie-watching person in the first place & Ashley would never do that first thing in the morning. Much less being curled up on the couch covered up in her fleece blanket. They both had fever for a while....but kind of perked up late in the afternoon. Then by last night, Jon was pretty sure he was getting it & this morning, Alli came downstairs early & propped herself up on the couch because the drainage was bothering her.

 

'Be still & know that I am God.'

-Psalms 46:10

 

So, while the kids laid around & rested all day yesterday, I spent my time in the kitchen baking some cookies. I made peanut butter & snickerdoodles. Also did ALOT of laundry.....that's not surprising. Wrapped some more packages & fixed home made pizzas for supper. I was pooped by the time bedtime rolled around last night. Guess we will spend another day cozied up on the couches enjoying the warmth of the fire, the pretty lights on our tree & just spending time together watching movies.

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Clay & I headed to Richmond yesterday for a change on our annual Christmas shopping day. We hit Bass Pro, Greentop, Guitar Center, The Golf store, Michaels, Target, Sams &Walmart.

 

While we were at the shopping center on W. Broad St. we could see this HUGE crowd of people all lined up way out into the parking lot waiting to see someone at the Lifeway Christian bookstore. Our curiosity got the best of us.....Clay sent me up there to see who was there & it was Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas there for the signing of her new book.

 

Pretty cool. We realized after we found out who it was.......basically all you saw in line were moms with their little girls. I came home & put her book on hold at our library. Can't wait to read it.

 

After a full day of shopping, we headed over to Texas Roadhouse for Clay's birthday supper. This is his favorite place & we always go there when we have an occassion to celebrate.

 

 

After supper, we had to make one last run back to Bass Pro. This picture isn't very good at all, but it sure was pretty all lit up. And driving down the road.....seeing all the stop lights, etc.....it made me think of this verse from 'Silver Bells'

'Strings of streetlights
Even stoplights
Blink a bright read & green'

And check out what Clay found in the woods for me today. My very own 'Charlie Brown' Christmas tree for my kitchen table. It's actually a tiny scrub of a tree that they pulled up by the roots & potted. How awesome is that?! I know that Kaye will love this!!

Christmas Crafts

This was me Thursday afternoon......listening to Christmas music, while sipping peppermint tea, working on some fun hookiness & enjoying the amazing, warm late aftenoon sunshine!

 

 

 

Our Tree & other artistic pursuits......

We finally got our Christmas tree!! Yesterday evening while Jon & I were helping Ashley pack & bringing her home......Clay, Michael & Alli went to get our Christmas tree. They also picked up some Vitos pizzas on their way home to have for our very late supper last night.....about 8pm. So, today I've just piddled....doing stuff around the house. LOTS of laundry. Ashley has been unpacking, putting stuff away & just getting settled back at home. The boys trimmed the tree & got it in the stand & brought it inside this afternoon. I didn't even do the first thing this year. Alli got all the lights on it, but said she couldn't do the beads & get them to hang right. So, I asked Jon to  it a whirl while I was fixing supper. He did an excellent job. I told them they both were 'hired' to do lights & beads from now on!! That was always my job......& one that I never enjoyed that much at all. So, I'm happy to have new helpers. ;-)

 

A little blurry.....

A couple of close-up shots.

Just a few random pages from my Daily Art Journal

Sunday's sermon notes....ending with Brother Jerry's famous quote "Don't (Never) Quit"

And this last one........I was trying to go to sleep the other night.....I don't usually have that problem at all, LOL.....and this song from 'The Sound of Music' kept running through my head. And if that wasn't enough....I laid there & thought out this whole page & how I wanted it to look. I remembered the raindrop stencil that I had made & also the little kitty stamp that had the really long whiskers. Couldn't wait to get up the next morning & work on this page. Pretty bad, huh?!

Miracles Come in Cans

Perhaps you have heard the words "You can't" repeatedly throughout your life. Many people are good at telling others what they cannot do. Even people you wouldn't necessarily consider to be "against" you may have tried to discourage you from doing something you wanted to do by telling you that you couldn't do it. Parents, teachers, coaches, friends, family members, & leaders of church groups or scocial activities often fail to realize the power of their words over young lives. So many children & teenagers grow up thinking "I can't" when that isn't true at all! No matter how many times you have heard someone say to you, "You can't," I want to say to you, "Oh, yes, you can!" I believe that miracles come in cans---- our belief that we can do whatever we need to do through Christ who is our strength.

Negative words & words that speak failure come from the enemy, NOT from God.

Choose to agree with God & say to yourself, "I can!" And let the power of your positive thoughts & words outweigh the power of the negative words anyone else has ever spoken to you.


--from 'Power Thoughts' by Joyce Myer

Happy Monday!

Goodness, I've been busy today. I can't believe that my Girly comes home from school tomorrow. Today has just been full of doing ALOT of little stuff around the house. LOTS of laundry...washing/changing the sheets on Ashley's bed....baking mini loaves of banana bread.....making a pot of Paula Deen's chicken noodle soup to have for supper....going to the PO to mail a Christmas package & get my Christmas stamps. My cards have all been mailed now, so y'all be on the look-out.

Alli had been wanting to bake an apple pie AND to do the lattice-work top. For our first attempt, I dont think it turned out too badly at all. Will have to try this again, for sure.

I found this amazing potholder pattern the other day.....

It is so super simple! I mean seriously.....I made each of these in about an hour. You can find the pattern here at The Boring Knitter. What I love is that it's a double thickness, but without having to crochet with two strands of yarn. Check out the pattern & you'll see.

These little Granny Stars were really quick to whip up too. I could've finished this all in one eveing if I had really tried. I started it Sat. night while watching TV & finished it up yesterday afternoon. It adds such a festive touch to my kitchen window. I've already started on some more stars to hang in my bathroom window.

Not the best photo at all.....but it was just so pretty at church yesterday morning.....with the set of the 'Virginia Spectacular'.

Well, I'm pooped now. Think I'm going to have a piece of that yummy apple pie & then head up to bed to snuggle down & read for a bit.

 

Christmas at LU

I snagged a few pictures from Ashley to share with you all.

 

The Christmas tree in front of Demoss.

 

Christmas Coffee House.....they were tickled to get their group picture taken with Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr & wife, Becky.



The roomies, Emily & Ashley at Coffee House.

Wearing their fuzzy jammies to Christmas Convo.

Christmas convo with Jedi, Justin Kintzel.

Ashley's hall prayer group.