Walkin'~N~Talkin'

Sorry I've been sort of MIA these past several days, but I've been as busy as a bee!  Brittany got home from college on Thursday and it's so great to have her home.  The three of us girls have been baking like crazy!  Then, on Saturday night, Chris and I went to a Christmas party that our friends, Beth and Kurt, hosted.  We really had a nice time visiting with everyone! Today, we drove over to Lenox Square Mall in Buckhead and did some browsing around. We saw a shirt in Neiman-Marcus...get this...that cost $1,600! Needless to say, I think we were all glad to get back to "our side of town".

Every time Brittany comes home from college, we always make it a part of our daily routine to go for a 3-4 mile walk at our local park.  We have the best time getting in some exercise, but, also, catching up on things we might have missed out on while she was away.  It's like a therapy session for us both, I think.

Here she is leading the way through the woods...

Pretty spectacular, wouldn't you agree?

We always see some kind of wildlife around...

 I really need a more powerful lens to be able to pull in tighter shots.

Deep into the woods...I love it there!

On our way out of the woods today, we spotted a large heap of these feathers laying on the ground.  I'm not sure what kind they were, but my guess is that a hawk swooped down to grab it's prey and this is all that was left behind...

  
We've been having such warm weather here in Georgia. I can't believe that Christmas Day is only 6 days away.  What I'd give for a white Christmas, but I sure wouldn't bet the farm on it!  Hope all is well in your corner of the world!

It's Wednesday Hodgepodge Time!

It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to participate in Wednesday Hodgepodge, so I'm looking forward to jumping back in today!  If you'd like to play along, just link up over at Joyce's blog and join right in!

1. Do you put Christmas decorations in every room of your house? If not every room, what rooms do you decorate?   I don't put decorations in every room of my house primarily because everything that goes up must come down.  So, I put them in the rooms where we hang out the most...our family room, sunroom, formal living room, kitchen, and dining room.
2. If you could visit one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) which one would you choose and why?  I think I'd choose to visit Sweden...it looks so picturesque there!  It's been on my 'bucket list' for quite some time.

3. What does the word faith mean to you?  To me, 'faith' means placing all of my hope and trust in my Savior, Jesus Christ. With Him, I can cast all of my troubles and worries at His feet, knowing that he'll carry my burdens.  There's a lot of comfort in that!  

4. You can go back to your childhood for one day...what day and age would you choose?  I think I'd choose to go back to the 5th grade when I moved into a new school in Arkansas and met my bestie to this day, Marni. Right away, she made me feel so welcomed and I've never forgotten that!

5. When did you last have 'punch'? If it's not too much trouble share your favorite punch recipe. It was probably at Brittany's college signing party.  I think what we did was take a gallon-size container of raspberry sherbet and dumped it into a punch bowl, then we added a 2-liter bottle of 7 Up.  Hope I'm not forgetting something!  Everyone thought it was delicious!

6. Do you fill stockings at your house? Are stockings opened before or after the bigger gifts? Yes, we (Santa) fill stockings for the girls and have ever since they were little.  They always open them first, then we gather at the kitchen table and eat a breakfast casserole I've made.  After that, we open presents one at a time so as to make the fun last as long as possible.  

7. What takes your breath away?  OK...there are several things and I don't mean to sound cheesy, but every time I look at my girls, I can't believe I was fortunate enough to give birth to them.  To have had the opportunity to watch them grow into the beautiful young women they are today, to me, is completely breathtaking.  Then, of course, when I open my eyes and really see God's creation in all it's glory, how could I not have my breath taken away?  This was, especially, true when we visited the Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountains.  How could anyone not believe in God after visiting those places?  Now, my hubby, of course, still takes my breath away after 22 years of marriage, but there's just something about Jon Bon Jovi that makes my heart go thumpa-thumpa. :)   

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Do you know how excited I am about tomorrow?  Why, you might ask?  Brittany's coming HOME for Christmas!  I can hardly wait to have us all together, again!  It will make my Christmas complete!  Please say a prayer for her safe travels...I always worry when she's on the road, especially for 5 1/2 hours.  THANKS!

P.S.  Well, I've finally jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and am trying hard to find my way around. Might take me awhile to get the hang of it! I don't know how long I'll last, but I would love it if you'd follow me!  Just click on the red button over to the side and it should take you right to my page.

It's A Take!

One thing we do every year is take our annual Christmas card photo to send out in our Christmas cards.  Granted, it's, typically, not something anyone in my family enjoys doing, with the exception of myself.  The girls often gripe and complain about having to pose for what feels like hours on end and Chris, of course, would rather be at home watching a football game.  I, on the other hand, enjoy taking pictures with my family because I know there will come a day when we'll look back on them and SMILE.

This year, we took our Christmas photo right before Thanksgiving.  I was so excited because the weather was warm, though a little overcast.  We drove about 10 miles up the road to a local college where Brittany used to run cross country in high school.  It's located right next to a train track, so I thought it would be the perfect backdrop for our pictures.  Would you like to see a few?

Here's Brittany at 19 years of age...

And Abby at 15...

Sisters...

Me and my honey...

This one is a favorite of mine.  We've done this kind of shot several times before and I always love how they turn out.

My and my girls...

And here's the one we sent in our Christmas cards...

You know what's surprising?  Not one person complained about having to take pictures, which is a shocker! Brittany and Abby didn't even threaten to claw each other's eyeballs out!  It really ended up being a lot of fun and I bet we wrapped things up in about 30 minutes. That has to be a record!  So, two thumbs up to my family for a job well-done!

A+ For Effort

I certainly don't profess to be the best cook in the world, but I think I do pretty well, considering.  So, on Saturday, I decided to try a new Crock Pot recipe called Chicken in Honey Sauce.  Sounds pretty scrumptious, doesn't it?  Well, Abby and I ran to Target while the chicken "did it's thang". When we got home and opened to the door, the smell hit us both like a ton of bricks!  Chris popped his head out from upstairs and asked if something was burning.  Oh, no....that's just how is was supposed to smell!  Well, I lifted the lid off the Crock Pot and took a peek inside.  Hmm...looked mighty dark in there!  I took a spoon and flipped the chicken breasts over.  They were honey glazed alright, but were as BLACK as black could be!  Needless to say, I took those babies out right then and threw them on plates and rang the dinner bell.  Chris and Abby came to the table with looks of disgust on their faces. We all tried to choke down the burned, dried out meat, but no such luck. It was an EPIC FAIL!  Thankfully, last night, Chris offered to make dinner for us and I rejoiced!  

Here he is reading the recipe he wanted to try out.  He had some brown rice cooking and onions sauteing in the pan. 

Just look how happy he was during the entire process.  Nah, not really....he faked this one!  In fact, I aggravated him because I was snapping pictures every few seconds. He wouldn't even let me step foot in the kitchen while he was cooking because he wanted to surprise me, so I had to stand in the sunroom or in the family room.  Meanie!

I don't know, but there's something about a man washing dishes that makes him so attractive!

Ding, ding, ding...time to eat!  No, this is not a big bowl of oatmeal.  It's the brown rice...and let me tell you, it stuck to your ribs, and your throat...you get the picture!

Here's the main course...Cajun Baked Catfish. Now, let me explain something here.   Having grown up in the South, I love catfish...FRIED CATFISH with a big heap of hushpuppies on the side!  I am not a fan of baked fish of any kind.  So, when Chris placed this on the table, Abby and I looked at each other as if to say, "What are we going to do?"  Well, Abby flat out refused to take even one bite.  I, on the other hand, put on a happy face and tried my best to eat it.  I couldn't get over all that soupy stuff it was floating in. 

Needless to say, I ate lots of corn and had several crescent rolls!

I have to be honest, the best part of the meal was the red velvet cake Chris bought for dessert.  Man, was it GOOD!

So, even though neither one of our meals would have given Paula Deen a run for her money, I think we both deserve an A+ for putting forth the effort to try something new for a change.  Of course, after these last two meals, a good ol' bologna sandwich is sounding better all the time!

Reflections Of Christmas

I love looking at old pictures, but especially ones of Christmases past.  Thought I'd share a few of my favorite picks with you.

This one was taken at our home in Harrisburg, NC, where we lived only 18 short months before getting transferred AGAIN!  We must not have been living there for long when this picture was made because the room was nearly bare!  Oh, but there was plenty of room for our short, stubby Christmas tree!  What in the world possessed us to purchase such a pitiful looking tree?  I think if Chris and I had stood next to it, we'd been able to see straight over the top. That's saying a lot for two people who are under 5'4"! Brittany was almost 3 years old when it was taken....and Abby was yet to come! 

This picture really makes me SMILE! We had taken the girls to visit Santa at a mall in Madison, AL.  Abby looks like she's thinking of ripping his beard right off his face.  Brittany's just sitting there all angelic-like...probably so she'd rack in the gifts on Christmas morning!

Here's the girls, once again, at our home in Madison, AL. showing off a couple of the snazzy shirts they received. I think Abby liked Brittany's more!

This picture was made when we lived in Collierville, TN.  Brittany, as you can tell, was just beginning to experiment with wearing makeup.  It's hard to believe that Abby's at that age now.  Can they just stop growing up already!

So, I'm looking forward to snapping away with my camera this Christmas to add to our ever-growing collection of reflective moments. You know me...I wouldn't trade them for anything!


P.S.  Today, we hit the 7-month mark since Chris lost his job. In all honesty, I never thought it would take this long for him to find employment.  However, we try hard to keep in mind that we don't have it nearly as hard as many people do these days.  We are grounded in our faith in God and know that things will turn around soon!  In the meanwhile, please keep us in your prayers...THANKS!

Her Evil Twin Is BAAACK!

It happens every single Christmas.  Chris runs off to Wal-Mart and buys Bella and Maddie a couple of Busy Bones and one other special treat to wrap and put under our tree. It's their much-anticipated "Christmas surprise". So, last night, he and Abby zipped over to Wal-Mart and came home with treats in hand. 

Now, one thing that Chris does to get our dogs super-excited about Christmas is to show them what he brought home and allow them to have a taste of what's coming.  He, then, goes upstairs and wraps their treats and places them under the tree.  I'm telling you, it's serious business around here!

Chris is explaining to them how to act like LADIES when he gives them their treats.  We can't have any bad behavior going on, you know!

Well, our expectations are always set way too high when it comes to Maddie.  You see, when Chris places her wrapped treats under the tree...and she knows they're HERS...she sits and guards them all day and night. She even sacrifices napping in her favorite recliner to be able keep watch over her treats. If any of us takes one step into the sunroom, she lets out a low growl.  If that doesn't heed a big enough warning, she begins barking louder and LOUDER! 

See...she caught a glimpse of Chris out of the corner of her eye and she rose to her feet and let out her battle cry!  Now, you have to understand that this behavior is completely uncharacteristic for Maddie. She is as sweet as they come.  There isn't a mean bone in her body.

Well, that might be stretching it just a little...when it comes to Christmas and the goodness that awaits!

SING!

On Monday night, Abby had her holiday choral concert at school. They did such a wonderful job and it really put me in the Christmas spirit!  It did my heart good to hear them sing some traditional Christmas songs and even a few songs that mentioned Christ.  I know they weren't allowed to do that in middle school so as not to offend anyone. It was definitely a welcomed change. 

Here she is all decked out in her choral attire ready to belt it out! So very proud of her!

                           

Toward the end of the concert, it was very moving because one of the singers took the stage alone.  As she sang "Where Are You Christmas?", a slide show was presented of various military men and women celebrating Christmas overseas.  While I watched and listened, the lump in my throat began to grow and tears began to well up in my eyes.  Then, as she was about to finish her performance, the last slide popped up and it was of her dad.  He died in 2006 in Afghanistan fighting for our freedom.  As soon as she sang her last note, everyone in the auditorium jumped to their feet and gave her a rousing standing ovation.  She burst into tears and ran off the stage.  The choral director rushed over and brought her back out to relish in the moment. I can assure you that there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  What a courageous young woman!  

So, as you celebrate this most WONDERFUL time of year, please remember all those who've sacrificed so much and may not have that same opportunity.  I think it's the least we can do.

Huntin' Dawg

Some of you may know that dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers.  Well, our 11 year old doxie follows her own rules.  You see, whenever we take her out in the backyard with us, the first thing she does is put her nose to the ground and the sniffing begins. We have a "colony" of chipmunks that live in our backyard and when we let Maddie outside on Sunday afternoon, her nose lead her straight to their hiding place in the ground. 

Here she is with nearly her entire head buried as she locates her prey with precision. Oh, I'm sure those chipmunks were shuddering with FEAR!  She was like a Rottweiler in disguise!

She snorted and scratched as if she'd found a pot of gold!  When she finally came up for air, her face looked like that of a seasoned warrior. I think I might have even witnessed a bead of sweat drop from her brow.  She had a mission she was determined to fulfill!

Needless to say, no chipmunks lost their life during Maddie's hunt.  In fact, truth be told, if she'd made contact with one, she'd have run away like a scared rabbit!  So, the remainder of her day involved a warm bath and a long, relaxing nap. Perfect ending to a perfect day!

Ornaments And Memories

Do you have certain ornaments that put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart when you hang them on your Christmas tree?  Well, I definitely do and I thought I'd share some of my favorite and most treasured ornaments.

My mom absolutely adored hummingbirds. She's been gone now for 11 years, so I have this special hummingbird hanging on our tree in her memory.  It always gets placed front and center, high at the top.

My brother, Kevin, passed away in 2002.  We were exceptionally close and I miss him dearly every single day.

My sweet dad passed away in 2006. In my heart, I will always be his "little girl". 

This picture shows me with my brothers when I was about a year old, back when times were so much simpler. 

This is one of the first ornaments Chris and I purchased as a newly married couple.

Of course, I can't say enough about my wonderful mom. She made me who I am today and I'd give anything if she were still here. She always made Christmas so much FUN!

Here's a handcrafted ornament we bought when we went to Hawaii. We got the opportunity to swim with sea turtles, so this ornament helps bring back fond memories of those amazing creatures.

And last, but not least, here's the nativity that Chris surprised me with 22 years ago, shortly after we got married.  I hope it continues to remain intact as it's been an important part of our Christmas celebration for all those years.

Oh, how I LOVE this time of year and am so thankful for my memories!