Saying Good bye to 2008.....

First off, please keep safe and be careful out there tonight! What are your New Years Eve plans? We will bring in the new year here at home, we are having figure foods and game night. Some friends will stop in and out. It will be a nice time. I love cooking for everyone!

A look back through 2008! What a year it has been! Just a sample of things in this collage I put together! I am blown away by how much the girls have changed, how much they both have grown up! And So very thankful that we were blessed with Lil K this year! Hard to believe our Lil E turned 4! Wow! She is growing up for sure! As I look back, each month was full of so many memories and lots of fun! In the spring, we moved to where we are living now, I was blessed with a new car. We made a few trips to the races, and then it was the special time, we were able to pick up our beautiful new daughter! We drove many miles in those few days to pick her up and head back home. We gained a daughter, but we always gained some new family/friends, her foster family! They were awesome and treated her so great! We are so thankful for all they did and for being apart of our lives still. The summer brought lots of fun, going and going and going! We were blessed to have a home with minimum damage after the Father's Day tornado. We had lots of firsts for Lil K and Lil E was having so much fun doing all sorts of cool things. (Lil E's first amuesement park trip, the trips to the zoo, the races, swimming! Which was a favorite for both girls!) We welcomed the fall with birthdays, and much more fun stuff outside! We had lots of fun trips as the winter approached to spend with family back home! We made some great memories and had wonderful times!!! I'm so glad we have a wonderful family and friends that are apart of our lives and are here to share with us and to make great memories together! I'm so thankful for all of my friends and my family!!! We don't get all the family together But the several times a year is wonderful!!! I looking forward to a great 09 with all of you!!! May each and every one continue to be with us and share in our life. We love yall! Hope yall have a wonderful New Years Eve, and may you take the time to look back on 08 at all the blessings in your life! You are one of our blessings!

Hugs and Blessings,

A December look back

With the New Year approaching and Christmas coming to an end, I thought I'd look back through some of our favorite moments! I absolutely love Christmas, I love to decorate, to give, to bake, the lights, the festivals, Santa, the magical feeling, the love you see when you share the joy of Jesus' birth, the special Candle Light Services, Christmas movies and music! As you can see I love it all! I am always sitting here sad when it comes to an end. But glad to see the hopes and promise of a brighter new year! In the collage, there are several photos from various times through out the month. We love to go look at Christmas lights together! And we found this awesome walk through park, and it's so festive and neat. I have to share something, I just think is remarkable. My 6 year old great nephew, wanted to buy everyone in our family a gift at Christmas. Now mind you, there is 22, that would mean 21 gifts. And he wanted to use his own money only. So his Nana took him to the Dollar Store. (Dollar Tree) I can't tell you how impressed I was with this lil guy! He was so thoughtful with each and every gift he bought, like a chocolate Cross for Grandaddy, because he loves chocolate and God! Now how awesome is that! He bought hubby a fan air freshener for his truck, as he loves the truck he got this summer. It goes on and on, through everyone! I mean, it was the sweetest gift ever! I will cherish my flowers forever! I am just blown away by the sweetness of this lil guy! He is just too sweet. Then today he determined how we will know if the baby is a boy or girl???? Want to know how??? He said well if you are not married, like his mom, you have a boy. But if you are married it is a girl! How observant for a lil one, as this is the way it has been in our family. Just too funny that he thought of it all on his own.

I look at my plague all day long, and am just so thankful for a husband that made me something so very special. He took so long to make me this, and Lil E loves to show me it's her hand print every day! She is just as proud of it, as I am! What a blessing!!!

And Lil K started really walking in the last month! How fun! And had a ball out today, running! It was the funniest thing, she would run run as fast she she could to catch the bigger kids! And would try to do every thing they did!

Lil E has grown up so much in the last month, they received the Little People Nativity for Christmas, well she wants it to sit pretty with my Nativities and doesn't want anyone to play with it. They are welcome to press the Angel to make the star shine and Away in a Manger play, but that is it. And she has really taken to games too!

We have grown so much this last month and a much tighter bond! It is amazing! It's just been a wonderful month and I'm so thankful for this time in my life!!! I have come to realize how blessed I am with my family, friends, where we are! Thank you all for being a part of my life!

Hugs and Blessings,

Happy Days and friends!

I am so blessed with some awesome friends! The above really reminded me of just that! They are just like stars, I do not always get to see them, but they are there! Even when I feel far away and all alone, it doesn't mean they don't care. I am so thankful for each and everyone of them!

A sweet friendship refreshes the soul. Proverbs 27:9

I received an awesome gift, a gift certificate from my favorite, Gooseberry Patch! I love this company so much! I love all there products, especially their cookbooks and cake plates, and of course their Christmas ornaments!Click on their logo to be taken to their web site.

So I thought I'd share with you what I picked up with my gift. I shopped their annual After Christmas sale! And picked up both the valance and table runner for 60% off! What a blessing! I had been watching these items and wanting them. Then we decided to redo our kitchen and dinning room walls. I am excited about this! We are going to paint the walls a red! So this will be just darling with the items I already have and the red walls! I can't wait!

So when think you are alone or even unloved, stop and think, maybe they don't know you need them, unless you tell them, or maybe they need you too. No matter what we are never alone, we have God! God loves and will never leave us! He has blessed us with friends that love us too!

May you know you are loved!

Hugs and Love,

Giggles and Grins

I sat here tonight thinking about the last several days, how much fun we have all had, what great family down time we have had. And all the memories, even the silly times!!! As hubby was busy making some gifts, and I was baking, he was being silly, just to make me laugh! He put some cotton on and was saying "Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas to All." I was cracking up big time!!! He has taught the girls to be clowns, I must say!


Here's one the gifts he made.




Then the other night, Lil E was cutting up, and I couldn't get her settled to bed for anything. My mom called and I asked her to work her magic and get Lil E to go to bed. Well normally anything Mamaw asks, Lil E is sure to do, but I tell you, she was full of it! She put the phone down to her foot and could here Mamaw say ok, Lil E. And she would reply, yes mam. All the while she had no clue what was said, she was too busy dancing around and making faces whild holding the phone at her foot. So that didn't work, but a call to Santa did the trick and she was sure to head to bed. I couldn't help but laugh so hard again tonight when I was telling a friend of this very episode. She is my lil comic!



Lil E and Daddy are enjoying some fun with the new toys Lil E received at Christmas. She loves that bounce ball, and we all loved fishing for diamonds. It is much harder than you might think, and when 3 are trying and laughing, it is even harder! It was a sight to see! Daddy did better than either one of us girls!


Just a picture of my lil cutie!!!!! Yes in mommy's lap being silly again! *big grins*

Rest assured, Lil K is growing up and doing wonderful! She is learning all about being silly! If Daddy and Mommy aren't teaching her, you bet big sister is! She is developing so much more personality and so full of it! She is always up to something and you know she is, as she will look at you and grin while doing just what she wants. It can be something as simple and a silly face to make someone laugh, or being silly with a toy, or touching something that is a no no. But all the while she is full of smiles!

She is really doing awesome at walking, but even more, she runs! I'd stand her as far as I could reach and try to take a picture of her running to me! She runs to me and falls on me, as we both just laugh! It's too cute, but oh so hard to capture a picture of. I tried many times, and only managed this one of her sweet lil face!

And she was having so much fun on her elmo riding toy! She loves it!

We had a pretty calm and relaxing day today, as Daddy was at work, dinner was in the crock pot, and us girls were having some fun! It was all about the giggles and grins of my girls today!

Nothing makes me happier than to see their smiles, except to hear them say, I love you Mommy or ove eww! Melts my heart! I just wanted to share a few of the photos of the last few days. The ones that bring giggles from the memory and a grin to my face! May your days be filled with giggles and grins too!

Hugs and Blessings,

Playing her guitar

Lil E asked for a real guitar and a pink guitar for Christmas, so she got her wish! And I couldn't be prouder of my lil musican! So please enjoy the video of her playing!

Hugs and Love,

Nothing is Impossible!!!

WOW O WOW, I had to share this with you all! I am not sure who all has seen this video, but it is simply remarkable! Praise God! What a wonderful Christmas Miracle this family was blessed with! Just remember, the power of prayer does work, God is still in the Miracle business, and nothing is impossible for God!

Healing Angel

Hugs and Love,

A look back at our CHRISTmas

Wishing everyone had a wonderful and joyous CHRISTmas! I hope that everyone had a lovely time and made lots of great memories.


We had a the most wonderful CHRISTmas! We traveled to my folks! Everyone had a great day! Then we had our Christmas Eve Dinner. After dinner, we went to Candle Light CHRISTmas Eve service. It was very touching and moving! Some prayers were noted and I know that God heard our prayers and will be taking care of all issues at hand! After Church, we went back to my folks and we opened up some gifts! They girls had so much fun! Lil K was having a blast playing with the paper and bows! That's her favorite!






The girls were fast asleep and guess who arrived? Santa! And look, he brought a few toys (those unwrapped). He always delivers the girls something about Jesus, and to no disappointment, he did again. He brought them the Fisher Price Little People Nativity Set! It's the most darling set ever! And they love it! Lil E loves to press the Angel and here Away in a Manger play! For us, Santa comes and brings 1 or 2 toys, unwrapped (no packaging either), and fills our stockings. We were all snuggled in bed, and as the wee hours approached, it wasn't Santa or his reindeer that we heard, instead, we are awoke to Lil E with a bad stomach issue, and she can't keep anything down. If this wasn't enough, Mommy is suffering from one of her migraines! So after some TLC, some prayers, and some medicine, we did get through the night!






We started a new CHRISTmas tradition this year, we will always be making a Birthday Cake for Jesus! And may we all remember, it's because of his birth, that we are celebrating CHRISTmas! It's the most wonderful day!

We had Christmas with most of my family! My niece and nephew (her man) had traveled out of state to be with his family this year, so they were greatly missed, but we do understand. I had been dragging that day, but being with everyone sure did help! And even though I wasn't a fan of our sandwiches for Christmas Dinner, I have to admit, it actually worked out GREAT! We had chips and dips, all sorts of sandwich fixings, and then desserts! And the clean up was much nicer too! We took our annual Christmas Family picture! So here ya go, you can see most of the gang! It is always so fun to see, and the pictures never come out the same! LOL By the time we go through everyone's camera, it is a hoot! Each person's camera captures a totally different expression and all!

Then we managed to snap a picture of the 4 of us! It was the BEST! I'm so thankful for both my daughters! They are truly the joy in my day!!!

We spent another night with my family! :) My Dad, Grandaddy, was having a procedure the morning after Christmas, so we stayed to be with him. He did awesome and it has helped him! So that is a wonderful Christmas blessing! We are so very thankful for this! Later that day we traveled home! When we came in the girls were ready to open the gifts here from us! (We don't haul everything back and forth). So that is what we did, and I tell you, they both had so much fun! Lil E received her real pink guitar, that she had asked for, and Lil K was still more interested in the bows and paper! We all had a great time and everyone was so very happy! We had the best time watching the girls play and laugh! And even enjoyed playing with all the new toys too!

I received this most special gift of all! My sweet hubby, he took the time to make me a very special gift! Something from the heart with lots of love! He carved me this beautiful plague and made the frame! painted it with special paint, and stained the rest! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful loving and thoughtful husband!!! It is beautiful! Something I'll cherish forever!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful CHRISTmas, one filled with lots of love, great memories that will carry you through for many years to come!

Hugs and Blessings,

It's nearing Christmas....

As the time is drawing much closer to my favorite Holiday, CHRISTmas, I have been busy baking and such! I love to make home made goodies and pass them around to others. It isn't much, but I so love to see the joy in their eye! I have made several kinds of cookies and a couple of different bars. Lil E has had a blast helping me bake and craft too! I even made up some Hot Chocolate Cones to pass out this year too! And Lil E helped fix up the pop corn too! Now that most of the treats are passed out, I must begin to cook and bake for our Christmas dinner. I will be doing several desserts. All of our presents are wrapped and the lights on the trees are glowing! It's beautiful!

Wow, how things change in a year! Unbelievable! We are so proud and blessed to have both our girls! They are truly Our Best Gifts! We love them so much, and Thank God for trusting us with his precious Children! I have to share something with you. A year ago, I was struggling with the fact, someone had asked us to adopt their baby, then they did something that made this not an option. I was devastated and destroyed and felt so sad, so alone, why did I not get to nurture and love this baby?, that I would never know all the things a birth parents does from the pregnancy, and it went on and on and on. I didn't want to celebrate Christmas even, but I knew I had to do something for Lil E's sake, so I was pushing on. Then we were at a New Church, and the very sermon was on adoption! What I said? This can't be! But it was.... And the gift was given to me, last Christmas, that will be treasured forever! It was the ability to see that we are special; we are blessed; we are rewarded! We were hand picked to raise a Child of God's. That he was intrusting these babies to us, just the way he trusted Jesus with Joseph. And if adoption was the way for Joseph with Jesus, then how could it not the the ultimate gift. I walked away from that sermon that day, a changed person! And it wasn't until after that sermon that we learned about the possibilty of our precious 2nd daughter! What a sweet sweet feeling I get every time I think of this special time! So please remember that the gifts we receive, do not have to be monetary, it's the gifts from the heart that matter! Be Blessed!

We will be with family on Christmas, and when we return, I'll have lots to share with you!

Please do take the time to enjoy Christmas, make some wonderful lasting memories, and remember that Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Merry and Blessed CHRISTmas to you and yours!

Hugs and Blessings,

Family Day

Hope everyone is doing well! We decided to take some time, as we have been super busy and on the go lately, to have a family day! It was so very awesome!!! I fixed lil E's hair in a different style pony tail, and she just loved it! I love how it turned out too!


We had a nice relaxing day. We did run to town today though. This afternoon we went on to the Wal mart to get a couple of things!

Then tonight we made homemade pizzas as a family for dinner. It was lots of fun. I wanted our traditional pizza with not to much sauce, and James was wanting one of our Pizza Pie's, so we made both. Now we have lunch tomorrow and some still I'm sure! We hardly made a dent in either one.

We start off by pre baking each crust. Then we add our sauce (tomato sauce and seasonings). Then cheese and toppings on the regular pizza, but the fun really starts with all the goodies for the pizza pie. after the sauce, we put a layer of pepperoni, then browned hamburger meat, then some cheese, then we added a layer of browned pork sausage, a layer of sauce, then more pepperoni, and we will finish it off with lots of cheese!

Lil E and Daddy are both spreading the top layer of cheese around!

My regular pizza with light sauce.....

Here's one of our pizza's after it was finished! Yummy!!! and both girls loved it! Lil E ate more since she helped make it, than I believe she would have. Lil K loved every minute of the pizza!

Throughout the day, we watched more Christmas shows! We all love Christmas shows! And I think we plan to travel close to Christmas each and every year. There are so many awesome places across the United States to go and see and what better time to visit than in the midst of all the Christmas Celebrations!

Hugs and Blessings,

A Beautiful Honor

What an honor, I have been blessed with this sweet award. Heart4MyHome sent me the honor of Uber Amazing Blog.

I'd like to share pass this offer on to

Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Prayin Manis

Heart 4 My Home

Cookfool Spice of Life

All are awesome blogs!

The Rules for this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate Blogs that you think are super.

3. Let them know that you have given them this Uber Amazing Blog Award by commenting on their blog.

4. Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas Home Tour

Hello and Welcome to our home. I am so glad to be joining in to Kimba's Open House Tour! It's awesome!!!! It's a wonderful way to tour some homes and great Christmas decorations and share a lil joy with all! So please do come in for a tour!

As you enter the front door you are greeted by our lil snowman friend and a jolly lil tune too!


Now that you are in, please do enjoy a piece of bread, served on my Christmas Cake Plate. It's a favorite of mine and from Gooseberry Patch! I do have several of their cake plates!


First off, I'd like for you to meet the girls favorite witner friend, his name is Mr Winter and he is Snow Cold! They love to hear him and watch his cheeks light up! Lil E is shaking his hand and introducing him to you, and Lil K is giving him her usual hugs and kisses!

Next we will enter to girls room! They have their very own Christmas tree! And Lil E picked it out. She asked last year for a pink tree, and we didn't get one, so this year, she got her wish! She is decorating the tree, since Lil K is a lil too small to hang ornaments. They love it! They love the twinkle of the lights and that it holds their ornaments on it! It has to be a favorite of mine!

The tree is all decorated and it topped with a Princess! This was Lil E's choice of a topper!

Now we are on to our room! Yes, we have a tree in there too! And we have a Christmas Comforter too! The girls have Christmas pillows for their bed as well, thanks to Mamaw (my mommy).

I love teddy bears, and I have always said my hubby is my teddy bear, so we have bears, and then red and green ornaments on our tree! I have it topped with a beautiful Gold Bow!

Now we are off to the kitchen, I love gingerbread men! They are a favorite of mine! And so you guessed it, I do have gingerbread men in there! We will be redoing our Kitchen after the first of the year, and I can't wait, as I keep some of my gingerbread collection up all the time! Please do see my small Gingerbread tree in the kitchen!

These 2 lil friens sit on top of my microwave by the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook collection. They are just too cute and 2 of my favorites.

Now we are back to the Living Room! I have so very much in there and even forgot to photo some things on the walls, please do forgive me!

This first tree is very special to me, and it sits atop a special chest. You see the chest is my old toy box, that was hand painted to be a hope chest and a wedding gift too! How awesome is that! Since Precious Moments is the theme painted on to it, I place my small Precious Moments tree on there too! Plus my new Precious Moments Nativity and My Silent Night Nativity, that plays Silent Night.

I love bird houses and I have this lil Bird House table by the front door, so I placed the Holy Family Figure here and a Snowman too! They sit between the regular bird houses that top the table.

Next we are going to my entertainment Center. At the top is our favorite and special Nativity. The cream and gold trimmed Nativity figures was a gift from a family friend! We think of them each and every time we put up the Nativity. And the Manger was homemade and put together by my inlaws and hubby Grandparents! So with our beautiful set up we are reminded of 3 great couples that have blessed us with forever gifts of love and the true meaning of Christmas!

Under the tv, has more bears, snowmen, and another Nativity. It's called the Children's Pagent. It's is just darliing! I will have to get a better picture for you to see.

Then on the side on the movie stand and speaker, they are adorens with more lil joys to treasure!

And on top of the entertainment center is lots of special pieces as well! All were gifts. So each time I am reminded to of these great people in my life.

These reindeer are so very special! They were my Grandmother's. She passed them on to my mother, who has passed them on to me. Grandmother has gone home to be with the Lord, but I tell you she is here with me all the time, and I love having something of hers to put out for many more years. Something simple that reminds me her! Both sets of the wooden friends, were hand painted by my mom! She is awesome and is always making us something so cute.

Then also in the living room, is my country tree! It is a skinny 4 ft tree that I set on my end table! And I love this tree, it is so country and charming!

Below the tree is a rustic snowman, a Wooden Angel, and beautiful votive holder!

Now onto the main tree in the living room. It really doesn't have a set theme! Everything goes! Hubby puts up the tree, and strings the lights! I'm so thankful he does! And he loves Christmas as much as I do, and he wants to string the lights, he prefers stringing his own lights in place of a pre-lit tree! It is super awesome!

Here's our tree, just after we completed it. The tree skirt is a homemade quilted red, white, and green skirt. I love this skirt so very much!

I thought I'd share some of our favorite ornaments with you as well!

You may thing this ornament is not much to look at, but let me tell you about it, please. This very ornament was made as a family! We poured paint into the clear blub and let is sit upside down and the paint swirlled together to make this. Each time we hang it, we are reminded of the love we have, the fun we had making it, and how blessed we are to have the opprotunity to make these memories with kids!

And Lil K is showing you one of her favorite ornaments. She loves this American Pride Snowman, just like her parents do! I'm so glad she has learned American Pride from our example!

Then I have this beauty, that reminds me of the ultimate Christmas gift, God gave us, his son, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! He paid the price for our sins. But his birth is just the very reason we celebrate CHRISTmas!

Then I have the In A Little Stable, showing the Birth of Jesus! This too is a true example of the Reason for the Season!

This pretty Angel is carring the message of Hope for all of us to see, we have hope of a better life here, if we allow Jesus to be our Light! And we have the promise of an Enteral Life in Heaven! She is a beauty!

And to a lil fun for us all, our favorite two mice, Mickey and Minnie!!!

These next ornaments are made out of Christmas Cards, so each and everyone that hangs on our trees, has many cards together to make each ornament! I love these, and I'm so thankful my mother in law shared with me how to make them too!

Here's our tree, all decorated and underneath you will find Christmas gifts. Each is wrapped with love, and I make the bows for every package. The bows are a family tradition, and must for under my tree! It always takes me to where my mom is! I love her so much, and I wish we lived closer, but we do get to be together for the Holidays, so I am thankful for that!

I want to thank you for taking the tour through our home! Hubby has completed the outside, and turned the lights on for you, so you have some Christmas Joy shining on you!

May each of you have a Merry Christmas filled with the Love of Christ.

Hugs and Blessings,