Christmas candies and family thoughts

There's something about Christmas time that inspires candy-making. My mammaw used to make peanut brittle, divinity (sp?), and other goodies at Christmas time. We used to have a huge table full of nothing but goodies. Divinity was my favorite, maybe because it was nothing but sugar! Mammaw used to some special for me (at least I thought so), ones without pecans on top. My mom made THE BEST cinnamon candy around. One year when we lived in Elgin, I tried to duplicate it, but failed miserably. Maybe I'll try again one day. Last year I made peanut brittle and it was so good, I made it again tonight! Maybe we'll take a little for the plane trip. :) Actually, I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep a lot, but I have a feeling I'm going to be wide awake.

I got a few tears today, remembering my grandparents and Nana and Unc that went on before me. I miss my Grandad's laughter and the way he always made me laugh. I miss my Mammaw and the way she always made my favorite foods when I went to her house. I miss my Pappaw and our talks as we watered his hydrangeas. I miss my Nana and the way she always cared for me when I was sick - making my favorite chicken-n-dumplins and having ice cream smothered with m-n-m's and chocolate syrup. I miss my Unc and his funny stories and cute laugh. And I miss my Grannie, who's still alive, but whom I don't get to see often enough. I love her stories about growing up and serving in the war and I love her devotion to God. I had a wonderful childhood and now that I'm an adult, I know what a blessing it was for me to have grown up with all of them.

Stress

I'm feeling quite stressed out today. I've got so much to do before we leave tomorrow night and I feel like I'm just walking in circles, pulled from so many directions. I know I just need to take one thing at a time, but it's easier said than done! We finally have a reprieve from the rain, so I need to get the trash bins in and plant my bulbs. I hope they make it...they've already started sprouting in their bag in the garage! Sometimes it helps to just write out what I need to do...maybe that's why I make so many lists. It helps me to feel organized (most of the time). I guess I will get most of what I need to do done...I usually do when I finally stop agonizing over it and actually do it!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Gold Creek Snowshoe Trip (12/15)

Fabulous A Capella Christmas Mix

Update on Baby Avery

Baby Avery went home yesterday. They were afraid she would get a staff infection if she stayed in the hospital too much longer. The family is very glad and grateful to be home. Thank you for your prayers.

Trinity Christmas Party pics

Learning the Fox Trot.

A handsome guy in the mirror.

The Hatchers (Pastor & wife)


Brady, Jeff & Holly

Leslie, Becky, & Brooke

Us

Just a few pics from our Christmas party. I still have lots to learn using my new camera, but the lighting was pretty bad, so I think they came out pretty good considering my lack of photography skills.

Feliz Navitoss!

Loved this - turn your speakers on. :)

Merry Tossmas!

Rebel

I'm officially a rebel, but then we all knew that! :)

On Sunday, Nathan surprised me with my early Christmas (plus b-day, and every other holiday) gift - the Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I couldn't believe it. I was salivating over the box and I nearly passed out in Costco when he put it in the basket. I still haven't figured everything out, but I've shot a few pics around the house. Now I need to figure out how to upload shots...

Tonight is our church Christmas Party and I'm looking forward to it. Of course, I'm taking the Rebel with me. I don't leave home without it anymore!

Merry Christmas!

Baby updates

Baby Avery was doing some better. As of earlier today, she was mostly breathing on her own and they had turned the respirator down to 8%. She had a better night than the night before, which is good. Sometime late this afternoon, they were taking her completely off the respirator to see how she does for the evening. Hopefully she'll be able to breathe good on her own, but we'll just have to wait and see.

As for Baby Alex, it's not sounding good at all. Please visit this post to read more about his update.

These babies need our prayers!

Special Prayer Requests

Please pray for my cousin's sweet 4-month old daughter, Avery. She has been having trouble breathing and was rushed to a hospital just north of Dallas on Monday. They had to paralyze her little body so she wouldn't fight against all of the tubes in her, specifically, the respirator which was breathing 100% for her on Monday. As of today, she's breathing a little on her own but she's still in the Neonatal ICU. They think she has RSV which has caused pneumonia, but I don't think anything is for sure at this point. I'm sure Avery's parents, Bobby & Kristi, would appreciate your prayers at this crucial time. Please also remember their other two children, Eva & Aiden, and my Aunt Ellen who is watching them and the worried grandma.

Please also keep Baby Alex in your prayers. You can find his sad story here: http://wendysfriends.wordpress.com/. Also, if you haven't read Matt's blog before, he's an amazing guy. Take a peek at some of his thoughts; I think you'll be blown away at the grace and strength God has given him during his trials.

TTFN
Mel

It's a Girl!

No, not me, but my sweet friend Wendy is having a little girl. :) It seems as if we waited forever for this day to come...I can't believe it's already here. I'm so excited for her and hubby! I wish I could be there to go through this with her, but sharing over the phone is as good as it's gonna get.

Congrats, PK! Let it rain lady bugs, butterflies, and all things pink!

Incredible Gingerbread House

On Sunday, our wonderful neighbors brought over a huge gingerbread house for us. It is absolutely beautiful. Since we won't be here for Christmas, I'm going to try to find a friend that will so they can enjoy this lovely creation. It's absolutely beautiful. She is obviously amazingly talented.
I'm taking the Thank You card to her today with a Starbucks card for all of her hard work! Maybe she'll want a gingerbread latte. :)

Glitzie Birdie Tile

Yesterday's technique challenge was stamping on a tile. I have made some tiles and still use them in my computer room, so I thought it was time for a new one. :) I added some red glitter glue to his little wing for a little bling! I love sparkles. :)

I really can't believe this

It's snowing AGAIN! We must have 5-6 inches. It's beautiful and truly a winter wonderland. I LOVE it.

A slight detour

Yesterday was a very fun day. We had a shopping extravaganza - a little "detour" that N had planned as a surprise. We went to Joe's Sporting Goods first and found 3 things in 2 hours! We had to be picky and look at EVERYTHING! By this point, it was about noon and we were starving, so we stopped at this neat little Irish Pub for lunch and had some beef stew and a yummy whole wheat roll. We needed a game to exchange over Christmas, and we saw a game store in the same complex as lunch, so we had fun in there for about 30 min or more. It was fun reading about all of the new board games. We also got a few for us, as we've decided to start a monthly game night. :) After that, we headed over to REI, where we shopped 'til we dropped! That is one of our favorite stores! I needed a couple of layers of underwear (silkies and another one to top that) for hiking/snowshoeing during winter. I might even oblige him one winter camping expedition a year! We loaded up a whole shopping cart with goodies and scored a bunch of goodies! This was our one shopping extravaganza for the year - and N's second. (The first being gathering everything needed for the wilderness trip in July.) We had a blast together. We finished off the evening with a warm fire in the stove, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, and a hot tubbie with Starbucks. Does life get any better?!

Waking up is easier when there's...

SNOW!

We've decided to run off to the mountains and hike some today at Bridal Veil Falls and on to Lake Serene, so I'm off to change and get going. What a wonderful welcome to December! Happy winter. :)