goodbye 2008

Hello 2009! I have major goals for this pretty new year. I'll post them tomorrow. For now I just like remembering this past year. A few major moments stick out. The biggest of which was fully surrendering myself to full time ministry and thus taking the plunge and enrolling in Liberty University Online. It's been an interesting semester, but I finished on top and am deeply encouraged about the upcoming semesters. The other major moment was Scott and I making choices to better our family and marriage. Most are too personal to go into, but all have had the same amazing result. We're a stronger couple, with a stronger family, and more deeply rooted faith in the power of God to heal everything we lay at His feet. Yep, 2008 has been full of happy, difficult, irritating, awesome, ecstatic, sad, heartbreaking, strengthening, encouraging, and dissapointing moments. 2009 holds the promise of the same, but also a deep resounding feeling of hope. God has stirred me with hope this season and I can't wait to see what He's got in store. I know my plans for this upcoming year, I can't wait to find out what His plans are!

What about you friends? (and lurkers, I know you're out there! :) ) What sticks out most about 2008? What are you hoping for most from 2009?

So long 2008!

Happy New Year, friends!

(time to get ready for a *teensy* get together, hope your night is full of friends, food, family, and fun! and of course, a kiss from your sweetie!)

a few Christmas pics

Thought I'd share some of our Christmas with y'all. :) Enjoy!

Scott's brother Andrew got our family a Wii for Christmas. We have not stopped playing this thing, it is SO cool.

This is Daniel being silly at Scott's oldest brother Allen's house.

Our tree Christmas morning...

Daniel opening his Star Wars: The Clone Wars Transformer. (say that 3 times fast!)

David with his new red Jungle Fury Power Ranger.

Ah yes, Elmo Live. Thank you Bonnie Hunt show!

David opening the Rudolf book I made for him.

Daniel loving on the Power Rangers fleece blanket I made for him. Score!

David got a cool Spiderman Digital Camera from my mom and dad.

Look at his face!! Lol, this is Daniel with his new Hermie book.

The boys in their new clothes. David in "fancy" clothes, Dano in Star Wars.

Oh yes, can't forget Kung Fu Panda. They actually got several vidoes from Santa; this was the most popular because it came with Po the Panda. :)

And last but not least, here is yours truly on Christmas morning. Yes friends, I have no makeup. Love me anyway.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

seven.

Seven years of laughs.

Seven years of deep blue eyes.

Seven years of that awesome belly laugh.

Seven years of kissing away boo-boo tears.

Seven years of hugs and kisses.

Seven years of birthday wishes.

Seven years of "mommy watch this".

Seven years of milestones.

Seven years of watching you grow.

Seven years of waking you up in the morning.

Seven years of Spiderman, Batman, Ironman, Superman....

Seven years I would not trade for anything in the world.

Seven years of being your mom.

Seven years of first. For you and me.

Seven years of you.

Happy Birthday, my sweet sweet boy.

I love you more than you will ever know.

fudge

Oh y'all. This girl just made fudge for the very first time. It smells divine! I'm secretly praying that manna tastes like this fudge smells. Wow. I can't wait for it to set so I can try it! Lol. Pics to follow, of course. So tell me... what is your favorite holiday treat? What one thing do you save until Christmas time to make? Any special holiday traditions?

Growing up my parents and Grandmother would have a Christmas Eve get together. There would be fudge, my moms cheese rolls, cookies, and other sweets. It always seemed so magical to me. I think they were probably wrapping all our gifts and maybe putting together a bike or two, but when we were young we had no clue. I love thinking of our childhood Christmases. They were full of family, fun, and food. We hope to bring the same feeling of joy to our kids as they grow up. Above all, we hope to share the joy of Christ with our boys. I love reading the real Christmas story to the boys before they go to bed on Christmas Eve. For our family, that's our tradition. We started it a few years ago and it's quickly become my favorite part of the holiday. We spend so much time going and visiting family, that those few moments when we can slow down, remember Christ, and pray together as a family are the most cherished.

What special moment of Christmas do you cherish?

let them eat jelly!

I finally got the jelly baskets ready for giving. :) Each of our staff members at church will be receiving one of these. The baskets each contain homemade strawberry and blackberry jam, and a loaf of fresh baked bread. I hope they like it! :) Here's a pic so you can see them.


**I bought the neat neat baskets when we had a ladies shopping trip to Canton for $1 each!

in love with UPS right now

Okay, let me just preface this by asking that anyone reading this who will come into contact with my children between now and Christmas please not breathe a WORD of this to them. Okay? Okay.

So, if you don't watch The Bonnie Hunt Show, you must. It's cute, it's funny, it's not "racey" like some of the other talk shows. It's just a good show. This week she's doing something called "Give & Get". It's where you Give $10 to Cancer Research through an e-bay charity auction, and in return you Get something really cool. All of the products retail for WELL over the $10 and there is also no shipping charge on the item. We won the first days item but have not been able to win anything since. The items are so phenominal each day they are selling out in 8 seconds flat. No joke. So what was the awesome first day product??? Oh my stars I'm so excited to even be posting this! Monday's item was Fisher Price's Elmo Live! Elmo Live, friends!!! It retails for $60 or more and all our stores have been sold out of them. But for our $10 donation, Fisher Price's amazing freebie, and my quick typing skills, we purchased one for $10 flat and it is now hiding in my room awaiting it's opening on Christmas morning. Of course, I couldn't put him away without testing him. Oh my stars y'all. He is SO stinkin cute! He moves just like the real Elmo. He is just darling. Daniel has almost every Elmo made. He's a major Elmo fan. I mean we're talking, if kids could stalk Elmo, he would. I can not WAIT to see his face when he opens this little guy. Oh the joy! And even better is that the money we sent in will go to research cancer and better ways to combat it. How cool is that? That money will hopefully go to bless someone and in turn it also blessed our boy. God is awesome! Totally awesome.

Siesta Ornament Exchange

Hello and welcome to my fellow Siestas who stop by here in the next few days! I'm so happy y'all are here! And a special hello and welcome to Siesta Kathy with whom I swaped ornaments. I receive my box yesterday and oh y'all. (feel free to imagine I sould like Paula Deen there :) ) It had the most gorgeous Angel ornament inside a cute cute snowman gift box. And underneath the ornament was a yummy smelling Christmas Cookie candle. I may be in heaven. God must have put in her heart that that is my favorite candle scent ever. My house smells darn good right now! And my tree is looking quite a bit more sparkly with the precious angel hanging on it. Thank you thank you Kathy for the sweet gift. I hope you enjoy your package as well!

my goodies...

my ornament before it went on the tree...

the angel found a nice home nestled next to our "Jesus warms my heart" gingerbread man.

lost a tooth!

On a completely different tone from my last post....

David lost his first tooth tonight!!!

I am upset today

On the news for the past several days they've reported a story about a foster mother being arrensted for sexually assaulting her foster son. DNA results have proven her newborn child is the product of the abuse. Where does someone even get the idea that something like this is okay? What happened in her mind to make her think it was allright to do something like this? Many times news stories can be explained away for one reason or another. But this one I can not reconcile with. It's wrong. Flat out, plain wrong. One of my deepest desires is for us to become foster parents. We pray about it, think about it all the time, talk about "someday" often. It's unbelievalbe to me that someone who signed on to protect this child from something like this, ended up being the one to do the worst damage to this child. And why? For what? This child will now be sent to yet another foster home with yet another spotlight shining down on him. Do people not think about children anymore? Do adults forget that the decisions they make affect their children as well? Last weeks news just about sent me over the edge. Three reports in a row about 3 seperate children being abused either sexually or physically. It makes me sick. What is going on in the world that makes attacking young children a "typical day in the news"? What's happening to children in our community is sickening. The forgotten, the hungry, the lonely, the abused - I can not stand it anymore. I can not hear another story about an abused or neglected child and not do something. God's stirring His purpose in me and I'm on fire for it. We have got to stand up for these kids. They are defenseless. What's happening to them is not their fault. It's the fault of adults who've given up their responsibilities for whatever makes the moment for them. I see too many hurting kids every Sunday morning to hold back anymore. These children need love. REAL love. Jesus love.

Turkey Pot Pie

So, have too much turkey? Need to use it up? Here's a recipe that's great for leftover turkey!

You will need:

leftover turkey
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
Veggies - you can use any kind you like. I used Birdseye mixed veggies because I can steam them in the microwave. If you use canned or fresh veggies you don't have to cook them ahead of time, frozen veggies will need to be heated or cooked.
1 box Pillsbury roll out Pie Crusts - these will need to be room temp to roll correctly so set them out 20 minutes before you plan on preping your pot pie.
1 deep pie plate
1 large mixing spoon
Pre-Heated oven to 350


First you need to shred your leftover turkey; I use my food processor because it's much easier than doing it by hand. If you want chunks instead of shreds, simply dice your leftover turkey.

In a large bowl mix your cooked/canned veggies, one can of Cream of Chicken soup, 1 tsp of powdered chicken bullion, and salt and pepper to taste. Add in shredded turkey and mix well with a large spoon.

Roll out one pie crust into the bottom of your pie pan, smooth it out so there are not bubbles or bumps.

Pour turkey mixture into pie crust, smooth top with spoon.

Roll second pie crust over the top of the dish, vent with a knife and cut off an excess pie crust. I aslo use a fork on the edge to make a "lined" design around the pie.

Place in the oven for about 60 minutes or until the pie crust is golden brown. If you find the inside is not as hot as you like (sometimes it takes a bit long with the deep dish pans) cover the edge of your pie with a pie protector or foil and continue to bake until it's done to your liking. Remember that everything you've put in the pie is pre-cooked, so don't over bake or you'll burn your piecrust.

Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. You can serve it with your leftover sides or a fruit salad will compliment nicely.

Enjoy!

Tips - You can make everything from scratch if you choose for a more "homemade" feel. You can also use non-fat or low-fat ingredients for a more healthy dish.

Another tip for leftover turkey - you can mix up some easy turkey salad using mayo and relish, serve on wheat bread and enjoy!

parade pics

Abilene's annual Christmas parade was held tonight. The boys LOVED it. This year we decided not to ride on the church float and instead watch the parade as a family. We had a great time. The boys loved getting to see all the floats and getting candy from the Marines, AHS Cheerleaders, Cowboys (HSU students), and many others. Their favorite was, of course, Santa Clause, but the APD and AFD were a very close second. It was really fun to not be in the hustle of kids and float deco and just sit and enjoy the parade. It was an hour long, and jam packed with lights, music, and plenty of Merry Christmases to go around. Here are some pics from tonight. Enjoy! *all of the Trinity pics are of kiddos and adult from our church, aren't they sweet!*

Dano waiting for the parade to begin.

Santa kicked the parade off, and yes, oh yes, he looked straight at my screaming boys and smiled reallllly big and waved. Might have been the hightlight of the night if the AFD hadn't come right behind Santa and wailed on their horn :) .

Your eyes do not deceive you, this is a giant grocery shopping cart done by HEB. Everyone applauded and laughed when this one came down the route. Too cool. :)

The Trinity floats. The first is of our bus that picks kids up on Sunday morning. The second is Charlie Underwoods racecar; he races every other week I believe, but the kids LOVE when he brings the car for them to look at and sit in. The third is a train built by one of our members.