A Holly Jolly Christmas

Melissa tagged me on this one, and it was so much fun!!

I just love Christmas!! We're going up to the mountains to choose and cut our tree today with some friends and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!! We're also going to have lunch at the Dan'l Boone Inn which is doubly exciting. They have some of the best country cookin around! They catered our wedding rehearsal, and I haven't eaten there since, so my tummy is ready for some fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and fried apples!

But, on to more informative things. :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I LOVE to wrap and try to do most gifts that way, but I usually use gifts bags for gift cards, etc.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real. I love real trees. One of my best childhood memories is our tree. We were really poor growing up and couldn't afford to buy a tree, so daddy always went out in the woods and cut down a scrawny little cedar tree and we had the big bulb lights, which really weighed it down. I remember thinking, "I can't wait to have one of those pretty trees." But now that I get those "pretty trees," I'd just love to have my little old cedar back!


3. When do you put up the tree? The Saturday following Thanksgiving.


4. When do you take the tree down? Usually the 26th or 27th of Dec. Since it's real and I put it up at Thanksgiving, it's pretty well dried out by then. Wouldn't want to burn the house down!


5. Do you like eggnog? Used to, but now, not so much.


6. Favorite gift received as a child? A green plastic ride-on pedal tractor. Mama & Daddy still have it and my kids love it too!!



7. Hardest person to buy for? My Daddy. He never wants a thing, except this year he wants a Harley (ha!) and we might get him a helmet and have "Paw" airbrushed on it! I'm not thrilled about him riding a bike, but since he NEVER wants anything, it would be a special treat for him to get something for himself. :)

8. Easiest person to buy for? My friend Heather. We pretty much have the same taste in everything (I guess that comes from spending the first 18 years of your life joined at the hip....love you Heath!).

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, several different kinds. My favorite is one I got in Mexico, and it's inside a clay pot and everything's 'rough-hewn' out of clay. It just looks so humble.


10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail


11. WORST CHRISTMAS GIFT U EVER RECEIVED? Hmmm, are there bad Christmas gifts? :)


12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf (I love Will Ferrell) with The Polar Express coming in a close second.


13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually after Thanksgiving.

14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Hmmmm, I don't think that I have.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My Nanny's fried apple pies (she only fixes them at Christmas and they're absolutely, hands down, the best I've ever had).

16. Lights on the tree? I personally like clear lights, but the kids love color (and blinking) so that's what we've had for the last three years. We ARE the National Lampoons!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Beautiful Star of Bethlehem


18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel. ugh. We spend lots of time in the van at Christmas!


19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer'? Yes, but I have to sing the song.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People fighting over parking spaces at the mall (saw it happen yesterday).

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We don't really have a theme....we have lots of Hallmark ornaments that people have given the kiddos and some ornaments they've made, so our tree is just a hodge-podge of ornaments. :)


25. What do you want for Christmas this year? For those who might be out of work to still be able to have Christmas....there are so many people out of work this year who may not be able to afford a special Christmas dinner or gifts for their kids and it just breaks my heart. We have much more than we deserve at our house, so we're really cutting back this year.

Thanks so much for the tag Melissa...loved it! Now I tag whoever would play to play along in this fun little game......and I'm off to pick out a Christmas tree!

An Award and A Happy Thanksgiving

Well, gals, let me first say I am totally not deserving of this award, but special thanks to Rebecca Jo for bestowing it upon me! I have enjoyed reading her blog so much over the past couple of months. It's easy to see what a great job she does leading a group of girls at her church. Thanks for being an inspiration to me, Rebecca Jo!! I'm so thankful to have 'met' you!!

The rules of this award:

1. I must first post the Award on my blog
2. Link to the person who gave it to me (see above).
3. Link to the originating Post to describe what this award means.
4. Pass the award on to 5 people - so let's get to it!

I'd like to pass this on to my real life friends. Since I've never received an award, and don't get to tell you often what I appreciate about you, I thought I'd start with you. :)

1. I pass this on to Amy G. She is our "Preschool Minister" at our church and does a great job! ANDDDDD.....she's getting married in a week and a half and anyone who's going through the stress that she is right now deserves an award. :)

2. Next, I'll pass it along to Melissa. Melissa helps teach our Sunday School class and also helped develop a Special Needs ministry at our church. She does such a great job with that, and is so transparent about the happenings at her house with her "sweet Caroline." You are a help to so many!

3. Thirdly, I'd like to give a shout out to my friend Faith. Faith also helps teach our Sunday School class and she and her husband Chad are just a barrel of laughs!! They are going through struggles with infertility, and as her mom said, God named her appropriately. I am amazed at the faith she exemplifies as they're going through this. She is just an inspiration to me, and now to so many others she's met in the blawg world!

4. Fourth, I pass the award on to Jennifer. Jennifer is also in our Sunday School class (class President, I believe....heehee) and is such a great wife and mom. She and her husband have become really involved in foreign mission trips, and I just wouldn't be surprised if God doesn't call them into full time ministry at some point in their lives!! She's dealing with the struggles of raising a three year old little fella and is looking for tips, so if you have any go visit her. (Sorry I haven't commented on that by the way - I can't think of anything to help. Prayer's what got me through it...now I'm getting ready to head into it again. :)).

5. Lastly, I'll give this one to my friend Nicki. She has an AWESOME testimony and attended She Speaks this past year and I am so excited to see how God is working in her life. She's busy teaching "Music & Move It" at our church preschool AND being a mom to three girlies of her own!! :) And she's just as cute as she is sweet!

I love all you girls! You are true Proverbs 31 women and you'll never know what an impact you've had on MY life! So glad I had the chance to tell you so!! (There are also many other gals that I know that fit this mold, but you don't blog so I can't give you an award. :( So, start blogging!! :))

Also, girls, no pressure to pass this on from me....it's a busy time....I just wanted to pass it along to you! :)

For some reason, I can't get all of my links to show up in the right color...maybe it's just on my computer. But all the links are there, even if they're not in red. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!

Always and Forever

You know you're a nerd when you can't sleep and you're up watching Napoleon Dynamite clips on YouTube.

This song brought a tear to my eye....

Kip + LaFawnda = True Love Fo-eva

(If you've never seen Napoleon Dynamite, you won't get any of this. But you really should watch it. It's the funniest, oddest movie you'll ever watch. You're guaranteed to either love it or hate it.)

Stayin Alive & doin the iPod shuffle.....

I saw this on Rebecca Jo's Blog last week and thought it was just the cutest thing ever. I've been waiting to give it a go, so here goes!!

1. Put your music on shuffle
2. For each question - press the next button to get your answer
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!!
4. Feel free to play along! :)

Here goes nuttin!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Bad Day" - Alvin and the Chipmunks (my kids listen to my iPod too, okay?)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Ain't No Rock" - Mercy Me (boy that's true!)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY?
"Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine" - Dixie Chicks and Ricky Scaggs

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"When God Dips His Pen of Love in my Heart" - Allison Krauss

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Quiet My Heart" - Brooke Barrettsmith

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Duelin Banjos" - the Dillards (uh oh...wasn't that also the theme song for Deliverance? )

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Great is Thy Faithfulness" - Avalon (awwwww)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Nobody's Perfect" - Hannah Montana (again, this one's Brooke's)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Pocketful of Sunshine" - Natasha Bedingfield

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"Peace in the Valley" - Roy Rogers (I think this was one of the hub's songs although I like the way it fits this question!)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Shout to the Lord" - Hillsong

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LOVE?
"Step by Step" - New Kids on the Block - oh, I'm dying here

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
2000 Years - Travis Cottrell (that doesn't really fit here, but, man, do I love that song!!!!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"King of the Road" - Roger Miller (okay, now I'm falling out of my seat - anyone know this one?)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Once You've Loved Somebody" - Dixie Chicks

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Hangin' Tough" - NKOTB (I promise there aren't any more NKOTB songs on my iPod....I know I'm just a big dork!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat (love this song too)

WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Sinner's Prayer" - Ray Charles and BB King (well, I'd have to listen to the words of this song, but from the title, it might be the best thing that could happen!)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Best of Both Worlds" - Hannah Montana (uh, don't think so Hannah....I've only got one destination, and it's the best!!!)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"I Can't Make You Love Me" - Bonnie Raitt

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Dooley" - Andy Griffith & the Dillards

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Save the Last Dance for Me" - Michael Buble'

WHAT SCARES YOU MOST?
"You Are the Best Thing" - Ray LaMontagne (thanks for this rec Mimi - even the hubs loves him!)

DOES ANYONE LOVE YOU?
"Call My Name" - Third Day (praise the Lord, He does!!)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME - WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"Already Gone" - Sugarland

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone" - Chris Tomlin

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"Stayin Alive" - Bee Gees

Now everyone can see that I have a very diverse taste for music, although I'll admit I usually skip the Hannah Montana and Alvin & the Chipmunks songs when I've got it on shuffle. Feel free to play this too....it was really fun!! Thanks Rebecca Jo!!!

My First Bloggy Baby Shower!!

Congratulations to Scott and Kelly, and congratulations to little Harper who's going to have the best parents, the coolest room, and the most clothes of any little girl ever!!

Kelly - I started reading your blog after I found it through my friend Faith's about a year ago, I guess. I loved reading tales of your life (and seeing pictures of all those cute petit fours!). After I learned you were dealing with infertility, I began praying for you, for God to bless you with the desires of your heart. And I cried like I knew you personally when you announced on your blog that you were pregnant! I am so thankful He has given you this little blessing, and I'm also thankful that you continue to pray for and encourage others as they try to conceive. I don't think you'll ever know just how many women you've touched through this blog!

I'll continue to pray that God will bless you with a safe delivery and tons of fun once that little gal gets home!! :)

I'll close with one of my favorite quotes:
"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." ~Elizabeth Stone

Congratulations Scott & Kelly!!

Don't even have the words....

Well, my intention for today was to post a prayer request for my sweet college roommate Allison. She's a friend that sticks closer than a brother! She married her husband Paul eight years ago and they have struggled with infertility the majority of that time. They both love kids and had planned on having a houseful!! And believe me, if you met Alli you'd see why! She acts just like a kid too and is just a blast! Kids ALWAYS have fun when they're with Allison! Anyhow, they tried having kiddos on their own and just weren't able to get pregnant. Then she tried several fertility helps to no avail, so they decided to try IVF. They went through two IVFs without a baby. The doctors told them they probably wouldn't be able to have children, but God knew better! They tried one final time and Ava and Isabel came to be! They are now almost three years old and are just little stinkers!!

Here's a picture of Allison (prego with Ava and Isabel and holding little Brookie), our other roommate Tuyet (pronounced Thea) with her little Olivia, and me (holding Bubba and with Eva in the tummy).



And here's a picture of Allison now with her two little miracles!



Shortly after having those two cuties, she and Paul began trying to have more because they knew it might take awhile. Again, they weren't able to get pregnant on their own. And again, they've been through two cycles of IVF that were unsuccessful. But week before last, they went through it again, knowing this would be the final time they could try. I knew Alli had her appointment tomorrow at the Clinic for her serum HCG, but when I opened up my email a few minutes ago, this is what I found and I cried like a baby!!



Aunt Amy is just overjoyed!! It is exciting when anyone becomes pregnant, because God has created a new little life! But it is just overwhelming when someone who has tried for so long becomes pregnant. God is so good, and it is amazing to see how He works everything in His time!

Every time Paul and Alli have been through IVF, the doctors haven't been very optimistic. They always gave them the 'percentage chance' of their becoming pregnant. And I love what they've said through every one....."Our God is greater than any percentage". And He is!

Congratulations Allison! Praying for you, sweet friend!

Junk n Stuff

I've recently started reading Tip Junkie's blog and let me tell you.....she's hosting some great giveaways for the next 12 days!! It's called the Mom-Preneur Shopathon and she's giving away two prizes every day......and they're sure to be good ones too!

Run on over there and check it out!