What a Fun Christmas Season!

We were truly blessed this year with a wonderful Christmas! It was a whirlwind to say the least. The entire month of December passes by so quickly! Between the regular daily chores, working, shopping, preparing the home, preparing food, more shopping, school parties, concerts, and even more shopping, it can feel a bit overwhelming. If we just remember that God's gift of Jesus' sacrifice is the entire reason for the season, and we keep Him at the center of our celebrations, it is all worth it! I just love seeing the joy on the children's faces, the smiles on the adults' faces and hearing all of the laughter when we get together! I am so thankful for my family and my home. Thank you Jesus. I love that I can share a bit here with you. My apologies for cramming it all into one slideshow...but like I said, December is here and gone before you know it!
Now it's time for me to start getting ready for our annual New Year's Eve Party in the Shack!

Christmas Home Tour, part 1

The girls and I have been busy getting the house ready for the Christmas Season! We still have lots to do, but I thought I'd show you what's done so far. Koy and I got the tree out of the attic this morning.....that is one heavy tree! Maybe we'll have it done today! Happy decorating!

Thanksgiving 2009 in The Shack

What a beautiful day! All my kids were under one roof...for a while anyway. We had lots of family here and everyone was in good health! Mom and I had fun shopping on Tuesday, baking on Wednesday, and then cooking all morning Thursday. Everything turned out to be delicious...and hot at the same time! Koy and I are truly blessed with wonderful families and beautiful children and grandchildren. We are thankful for each other, our beautiful kids and grandkids, good parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers, great friends,our dream home, and most of all, our loving God who loves, blesses and keeps us all.

Thanksgiving Tablescape

The Dining Room table is all set for Thanksgiving! I couldn't resist doing a tablescape like the ones I've seen on some of the sites I visit. I haven't participates in "Tablescape Thursday" yet, but I think I'll try. Of course, we won't be eating at this table. We'll have a large gathering of family out back in our Shack! We love our Shack! That's where we had Big Daddy's Pumpkin Carving birthday party. I can't wait!

Presley's Home!

We are so thankful! She is home now and trying to catch up on her sleep (Mommy and Daddy included, I'm sure!) Kids can really bounce back after things like this! I'm looking forward to having her back to her old sweet, happy self! And....looking forward to having everyone here for Thanksgiving! What a wonderful time of year.

Presley Jo

What a beautiful little face! We can't wait to have her home and smiling again. Thank you for all the prayers. Hopefully it's just one more night in the hospital to break the fever and cure the dehydration. God is good and He LOVES this little one!

We Have a New Puppy!

Well, I'm such a sucker! I couldn't resist this cute little abandoned pup. Of course it's Natalie's dog....yeah, we all know how it is when a kid wants a dog: "I promise I'll take care of it. It won't make any messes. You won't have to remind me to feed it....." Anyway, one of her friends was coming home from a trip out of town when she and her parents spotted a box sitting beside the road. I'm sure God had a hand in this, because how often do you stop to look inside a box that's sitting beside the road? Can you believe that box was actually full of puppies?! What kind of heartless idiot would do such a thing? We're not sure what combination of breeds she may be, but her tail curls forward and the roof of her mouth is black. (Doesn't that mean she has some Chow in her?) Natalie named her "Hurley." Our dog Patch didn't know what to think at first, but she has come around now and seems to be happy to have a little playmate. Of course we have all fallen in love with her, Chase included. He comes to visit Hurley now instead of Natalie! LOL

Trick or Treat!

Big Daddy's Birthday Party!

We had a great time at our annual Pumpkin Carving for Koy's birthday! We had dinner first. I made Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas (thanks to SugarPie Farmhouse.com) and German chocolate cake for dessert. Everybody loved the enchiladas.....they loved them so much that Trevor didn't get any! He got there late because he had to give a presentation in class. Anyway, check out the slide show. The pictures tell it all.

Homecoming!

Natalie had her first real "date" to Homecoming this year. Before this, her daddy was the only one to ever give her a mum! Her mum was so pretty, but she and Chase fretted and fretted over it. They wanted it to be just right! He didn't want it to look cheap and she didn't want it to be obnoxiously large! I saw some girls in the Permian parking lot with mums that literally covered the front side of their bodies! I thought Natalie's mum was just right! And...we won!

Happy Birthday Big Daddy!

Today my honey turns 46! I am so thankful for this man. He is the life of my party! Koy is a wonderful father. His kids think he hung the moon! Whenever he's around, the kids are always laughing. He is also the most loyal friend. This guy has so many friends, even when we go on vacation we run into someone he knows! And ...talk about golf! Koy's a scratch golfer. (If you don't know what that means, it means he's REAL good.) I am happy that he has a hobby he enjoys so much. He also supports my interests. He's even been known to get up early on a Saturday morning and go garage-saling with me! What woman could ask for more?! Anyway, have a perfect day Big Daddy!
(To fully enjoy this post, listen to "Happy Birthday" on the playlist belowl )

The Cutest Pumpkins in the Patch

Well here they are....Keller and Presley at the Pumpkin Patch! Is this the cutest "grandkid picture" or what? We are so blessed with these two precious kids and are so thankful that they have two loving, Christian parents! Their parents, Tyler (our oldest) and Kara, fell in love in the 4th grade! Their little family brings us such pride and joy to say the least!

Happy Halloween!

Fall arrangement on kitchen island and kitchen hutch all done up for Fall.

My Favorite Time of Year is Here!

Fall! Finally...it's starting to cool off outside, our pear tree out back has its first few red leaves, football games are on t.v., and it's time for Decorating! Anyone who has ever been to my house knows that I love to decorate for Fall. Living in West Texas, we don't really have the kind of Fall I dream of (you know, like in "When Harry met Sally"...I LOVE the scenes of Central Park in the Fall. It is pure eye candy for me.) So...since I can't live in a place like that, I create my own Autumn! I usually start on September 1st. Honestly, I can't wait. Pumpkins and fall foliage just do something to me. Also, Autumn has a certain mood to it that suits me. Almost a slowing down, relaxing, cozy feeling. I am so thankful for the warm colors, the cool, crisp air, and the anticipation of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas coming!
We keep our Halloween "light".....staying away from any creepy, dark expressions. We try only to celebrate God's harvest time with pumpkins, and fun decorations. The kids have always dressed up and enjoyed "trick or treating" only at family and close friend's homes, and at the church carnival. This week, we look forward to our annual Pumpkin Carving to celebrate my husband's birthday. Then, I will make my special Caramel Apples, and Melba's Popcorn Balls, (a Stribling family favorite!)
Have a great week!