Post Christmas Update

Now that the tree and ornaments are packed away, I thought I'd post to see how y'all are doing. I trust you all had a wonderful Christmas. I've read bloggy pages of Christmas splendor. Our Christmas was very fun and festive. This was Henry's first Christmas where he really understood the excitement of the gifts. He also knew that Santa would not let him down and would make sure there was a race track and remote control dirt bike under the tree.

Abigail wanted a Nintendo DS. She has not put it down since we got it. Actually, I've had to take it from her at night time to remind her that she needs to read. It will be a fun toy for her, but one that will have limits. The games she got are fun and we are looking forward to adding to her collection.

Due to Henry's excitement, he was up at 2:00 a.m. to sneak a look at his presents. We were still asleep when he ran into our room stating (very loudly) that Santa came and brought everything he wanted. Of course, this woke Abigail up and her excitement began to bubble. Unfortunately, I was not prepared to start my day at 2:00 a.m., so we got the kids back to bed. Henry took lots of coaxing but with mommy by his side he finally went to sleep.

This Christmas, we also continued a new tradition we began last year. We ate out at a yummy Chinese restaurant. We did this last year on a whim and loved it, so it became a tradition that we love. Of course, Scott cannot help himself, but he has to sing, "Fa-ra-ra-ra-ah". If you've seen A Christmas Story, you know what I'm talking about.

Now, the house is slowly getting back to normal. I always forget where my pretties were, so I find new homes for them. Oh, I did get a chance to hit Target's 75% off Christmas sale today. Last year I was lucky enough to find things at 90% off, but not this year. I love what I got, though. I made sure that what I got I would use and I think I did ok. Now, I did not go and spend a ton of money just because it was 75% off, I was good. I did find some holiday gift sets with Ghirardelli coffee for $3. I was so stinking excited. I cannot wait for my coffee in the morning. Also, I found a flannel sheet set for Henry's room for $5. I know. It's a good deal. You can be jealous if you want.

My favorite find has to be the two red mercury glass looking Christmas trees. I loved them when they first came out, but I'm cheap. I was not going to pay $20 per tree. I mean, it's a holiday decor that will sit out six weeks max. Not worth the investment to me. BUT, tell me they are $5 each and we can do business. I was so happy I did a little dance in Target. I almost hate to put them away for a whole year, but I will. Next year will be fun playing with my new pretties.



I also found my cards for next year. Cheap, cheap, cheap. And for me, I had to get something a little snazzy and cheesy. See the wreath above? It's a tinsel wreath. Wal Mart is where this little friend was found. It's a little tacky, but I love the way it looks. Man, there is no telling what next Christmas will look like at my house.

Y'all, on the prayer front, I want to ask you to pray for my friends. I have very good friends that have adopted a sweet little girl three years ago next month. Well, it looks like their family will grow again. They are awaiting a new arrival any day now via adoption. The birth mother is due now, so, they could get the call any moment. Pray that all goes well with the delivery and that this mother keeps this child's best interest at heart. My friends are amazing people and shower all their love on their daughter and feel so led to expand their family. Pray for their daughter as she is about to have a new baby in the house. It will be a tough adjustment for her. I'll keep you posted about their family. Thanks, y'all rock!!

Let the wrapping fly!

Our naughty elves are on their last night with us. Tonight, they will return to the North Pole for some good ol' R and R. Just because they are on their way out doesn't mean they have been taking it easy. Look at our living room this morning...

Mr. Snow and our newest friend, Elvin have been busy indeed. The kids will surely miss them when they leave.

Today is Christmas Eve and there is lots to do today. For starters, I really needed to update my bloggy and wish all of my friends a very Merry and Blessed Christmas. Thanks be to God for sending us His son. What a beautiful gift!

Baking is on our agenda for the day, too. Unfortunately, Scott will have to work half a day today, so the kids and I are about to attack the kitchen with gusto! First, we will make Pecan Pralines thanks to new bloggy friend Lianne who posted an easy Paula Dean recipe. Scott's family is from Louisiana, though, and they know how to make pralines, so I hope I can do them justice. We will also make chocolate chip cookies that I posted several posts ago. YUM! Maybe I'll do a batch of brownies too.

I'll also put together a casserole for Christmas morning breakfast. It will be the Paula Dean Baked French Toast Casserole. Can you say butter overload??? It will be good for a sugar overdose and I hope that everyone enjoys it. We're staying home for Christmas day so I am making simple meals for the day. I think maybe Mac n Cheese soup for tomorrow. It's a favorite here.

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Well, this is Alabama, so our Christmas is a little more rainy and a lot less white. Though, some southern friends have received snow, our grass continues to be a mix of green and brown. Abby wakes up most mornings to ask if it has snowed. Bless her heart, she is seven and has only seen snow twice in her life.

I realize that it has been forever since my last post. Christmas season with all of it's gatherings and must dos are in full swing. We began decorating the house a little before Thanksgiving with trees put up the weekend after. I love my house all a glow with Christmas lights and candles. It smells nice and feels so cozy. I also tend to bake more yummies for us and friends during the holiday season. There is always a treat on the counter, though, right now the treat is peppermint Hershey's kisses. So good, but not homemade.



Bunco friends made a visit to my house this month. Our group always frets over hosting Christmas, and I was nervous since this was my first holiday host. Actually, it was not bad at all. For our group, we never play in December, we just enjoy the company and food and play Dirty Santa. It was so much fun and I got a great prize that I will share later. Dinner for the group was Cheese and Garlic Grits, ham sandwiches, grape salad (minus nuts due to an allergy), and a tomato tart. It was all so good. I hope the group had as much fun as I did. Oh, and for dessert I had a honey bun cake. I HIGHLY recommend this one. It is quick and so yummy and moist.


Friday night, we were also able to visit Lifetech again. As always, it was amazing to see God work in our prison system. I have two pen pals from inmates there and they uplift me way more than I do them. I got to spend some one on one time with each of them. One of the girls was able to visit with her girls for the first time in five months this past Saturday. She was so excited. This girl has worked through so much in her life, but she is now so grounded in the word of God. I know that once she is out, God will open up so much to her. Keep Brittany in your prayers, please.

On Tuesday night, we will get the opportunity to visit the Lovelady Center in downtown Birmingham. This is a transitional facility for women and their children. Scott has been able to play there a couple times with Kevin Derryberry and he loves it. On Tuesday, we will take Christmas presents to them for their children. Actually, Scott was adamant about taking our children with us. It will be good for them to actually hand a child in need a gift. We desire to instill service and charity in our children, so we are very excited to take them. Actually, today, Henry and I will shop for the children, so it will be lots of fun.




On another front, the song that I have told y'all about that Scott wrote was on the radio this week!! It was so exciting. If you recall, he plays drums with Kevin Derryberry . On Kevin's newest cd, Scott wrote a song. To me, of course, the song is great. And it was so neat that it was on the radio. This Friday morning, Kevin and the band will be on the Rick and Bubba show, so if they are in your area, be sure to listen. The title of Scott's song is I Call Your Name and it is the first track on the cd, so you should be able to go to cdbaby.com and listen. If you like it, buy it. For every one cd sold, the ministry will be able to give 5 away to the men and women in local jails and prisons. Heathahlee, I'm getting one to you, I PROMISE! I am such a procrastinator....



I pray that you are all doing well this holiday season. We still have much to do before Christmas. Both kids have their parties this week and they are out of school for the holidays this Friday. All of our shopping is done, but we really need to start wrapping. That is NOT my favorite part. But, the kids are excited to help.

I am thankful for Christmas. I am thankful for the birth of Jesus. I am thankful that my kids know the true reason that we celebrate Christmas. I am thankful for the daily gift of my husband. God Bless us EVERYONE! :)

The elves are among us

We do Santa at my house. Scott is very anti-Santa. It's hard to keep up the charade with him and keep a straight face. Please understand, my children know the meaning of Christmas. Each night we read verses from the bible to prepare our hearts and home to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To us, that is the most important of Christmas. We always want to ensure that our children always think of Jesus before Santa.

Since Scott is very anti-Santa, imagine his frustration when I informed him that an elf would visit us last year during the holiday season. We had this cute little guy named Mr. Snow visit us and create all sorts of fun in our home. If you are not familiar with elf visits check out this site. Of course, I'm too cheap to get one of the elves from the site, so I have another one. However, this year Henry wants his own elf, so I must search for another friend.

Last year, our elf decorated our tree with socks, we found him in the freezer, he would get things out of our pantry to eat. There was always some little mess to find when we woke up. The kids LOVED looking for him each morning. Scott and I had fun trying to see what crazy antics Mr. Snow would come up with next.

Well, last night it seems that Mr. Snow made his appearance. Abigail found him downstairs riding on her toy kitty with other stuffed friends to complete his sleigh. He also adorned his crew with Christmas lights. Silly Mr. Snow.


What about you? Do you have any friends that visit during the Christmas season?