Gettin' in the Mood

This picture helps me feel "Christmasy."

Very uncharacteristically of me, I just today got my Christmas decorations up in the house. I refuse to take down the Thanksgiving stuff until after November 30 and then I was out of town until December 4. It has taken me all week to put away the old and put out the new. I still don't have a tree, but I am planning to buy one on Saturday and decorate it then.

So I need some Christmas inspiration to get through all the hustle and bustle of this season...the picture of the lights to help with one side of Christmas and this to help me remember what this season is really all about...

Merry Christmas!

I Am Thankful

I am thankful for my husband, my children, my grandchild, my brother and his family, a legacy of good parents, good jobs, good homes, good health, the love of Christ. I am blessed.

Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life!

This was a big one - 65! Happy Birthday, Roger!

I Miss My Daddy

It was a year ago this week that my Daddy passed away. I miss him so much. He was the first man I ever loved and he taught me so much about love and family and the Lord.

He lived his life as a servant of the Lord and was faithful and true to the end. He left a godly legacy to his family.

The Bible says we have a "cloud of witnesses" watching us as we run our race in this life. I believe my Daddy sees me and our family. I hope we make him proud.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Leah loves turkeys! Every time we see one, she says "gobble, gobble, gobble." So, when we saw this one at Central Market we just had to take her picture with it!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Starting My 60th Year

Well, here I am - starting my 60th year! What happened to the time?

I remember when my children were both young and in their beds one night - I walked out to the front of the house to check the mail and turned back to the house and thought "these are the best years of my life."

Now my children are grown and married and I have a grandbaby and I think "these are the best years of my life."

I am thankful for my husband, my children (all four of them), my grandbaby, my extended family, my friends, and that even in my "golden years" God has provided me with a purpose for living above and beyond being a "stay-at-home wife." I am thankful that I get to spend so much time with Leah and be an influence in her life, love her unconditionally, and teach her about the Lord. I am thankful that I have a room full of young women at church on Tuesdays who are eager to learn more about being homemakers and being godly wives and mothers.

I made mistakes - I would do anything if I could go back and do a better job of being a wife and mother, but in spite of my failures, God has blessed me and my family and I am thankful to Him for His protection, care, and blessing.

I don't know how many more years or moments I will have here on Earth, but if I could ask just one thing from the Lord it would be that my children and my grandchildren would give their lives to Jesus and walk with Him all the days of their lives.

I pray that after I am gone, my legacy to my family will be a godly one.

Too Hot for Fall

Usually on September 1st I start decorating my house with some fall leaves and maybe a pumpkin or two...but this year it is too hot to even think about it. I will revisit the idea in about 2 weeks and decide what to do then, but it really upsets me to miss 2 weeks-worth of Fall in my house - it is my favorite season.

Guess I will just have to pretend and look at pictures like this for a while...

Family Vacation 2011

We are back home from Family Vacation 2011 and a good time was had by all!  We went on a Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya, Cozumel, Honduras, and Belize.  It was hot, but fun.

The best part about the vacation - Ryan and Chelsa didn't have to go back to Chicago after it was over!

Father's Day

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the wonderful fathers in my life...my Daddy...

...my husband...

...and my son-in-law, Leah's Daddy...

Fathers are so vital to a family, for leading a family in the ways of the Lord, for protecting the family from evil and from the world, and for providing for the family in material ways.  We have been blessed to have some of the best.

This is my first year without my Daddy and I miss him, but I know he is in the presence of the Lord.  Happy Father's Day to all our Daddies!

Thank You, Veterans!

My Daddy was in the Army during World War II...

...so was my Uncle Hollis...

...my husband was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War...

...and his brother, David, was in the Marines...

...our nephew, Chris, was in the Navy...

Thank you to all our veterans for your service and for your sacrifice for us and our country to preserve our freedoms!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with all my children in town for the first time in 10 years!

Thank you, Allison, Justin, and Leah for hosting the party and for the cute flip flops and Ryan for bringing the dip and chips and Chelsa for hurrying home from Dallas to be there for me.
I am so blessed!

Easter

This was our first Easter with Leah Rose!  We had breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Brookwood...

 ...and we went to church to celebrate what Easter is REALLY ALL ABOUT - He is risen!  Then we had lunch at our house with our whole family and some friends.  This was the first Easter in 10 years that Ryan and Chelsa were with us - yeah!  And this was the first Easter that we did not have Daddy with us - we miss you, Daddy!  It was a good day of faith, family, and friends.

He is risen - He is risen indeed!

A Joy-Filled Year

Happy Birthday, Leah Rose!

What joy God has brought into my life through you!  I pray that the Lord will watch over you physically, mentally, and spiritually and that you will walk with Him all the days of your life.
Nana loves Leah!

Joy-Filled Days

Ryan and Chelsa are home!  The moving van will come this week and they will be settling in at their new apartment.  I am overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness to the Lord for doing this wonderful thing for our family...

...and our family and friends celebrated Leah's first birthday on Saturday - we all had a lot of fun...

...ok, she threw up later, but she still had fun eating cake.
What joy-filled days these have been.  Thank You, Lord.

You Can Come Home Again!

After being far from home for more than ten years, I am thrilled to announce that Ryan and Chelsa are moving back to Houston!  Chelsa has a new job and Ryan will continue in his job, working from home.  They have found an apartment very close to our house and should be here by Easter.  We are all looking forward to getting to know them again!

 "...I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten..." Thank you, God!

Happy Birthday to My Babies!

35 and 29 - time flies!

 

 You both have been my greatest joys in this life!

My Wish

I wish there was just one New Year that I didn't have to make "lose weight" one of my resolutions.  I am so sick of having fat years and skinny years.  I wouldn't even mind if I just had all "a little chubby" years.  I hate to diet - I love food - choosing it, cooking it, eating it.  However, I refuse to buy any bigger clothes, so once again my resolution is to lose weight.  I will let you know how I do......sniff.