Making Memories

We were very thankful our family is so close this year. Central Arkansas had serious flooding on Christmas Eve this year. I-30 was at a standstill for hours. We missed all of that and had a wonderful meal and family gathering with Mike's family. Our tradition is to eat lunch with his grandparents and open gifts together. The kids were so excited. This is the first gift they get to open. They dance a jig and beg until we finally let them open. I ate enough food in one meal for several days. It is pretty hard to resist. We read the Christmas story before we went to bed. Stockings were hung and ready to go. I know these are the memories my kids will keep with them. I know because these are the same memories I have from my own childhood. I don't remember many of the presents. I totally remember the family, food and excitement.

The chihuahua picture is one of many. Getting the 4 of them to be still was impossible. The puppies were completely uncooperative. Sarah and Josh sat in front of the tree hoping we would pick up on the hint. Mike's Aunt Cindy is holding her latest grandchild. This is the Hulsey's great grandchild. Mama is a doll collector. She has some beautiful holiday decorations. The cake is one of the many desserts at Mama's, all were delicious.

Eve of the Eve

Hello all. I am so far behind it is pitiful. I hope to post some things during Christmas break to catch up on my backlog of pictures. Here are a few from today. I have wrapped, cooked, and shopped today. I am tired. We decided to try dipping pretzels in chocolate this year. We have never done this. We decorated some of it with candy sprinkles. It was a yummy sticky mess. The kids are begging to open a gift. I am unwavering on that one. NO. I still have a few things to wrap.

We are so blessed to have you in our lives. We are thankful to have a real reason to celebrate this week. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We love you and wish we could spend time together with all of our family and friends.

I'm with the band.

Last night the Junior High Jazz band debuted at the basketball game. They were fabulous. They had a rich full sound. I was completely impressed. I stood ready with the camera and took lots of pictures. Jamie was so happy. He was having the best time. I have several pictures of him laughing. This makes a mommy happy. All of his best friends are in Jazz band with him. I took a few pictures of the cheerleaders and players. But really who cares about those? Jamie trades off on the keyboards with Paul. He also plays a few rhythm instruments. James is really good on the guitar. Mickey is on the trombone. Johnson did a vocal "scat". Don't ask me what that is. The kids loved it and he got lots of applause.

The Nativity

My Nativity scene is set up on the table behind the couch. It's the first thing you see when you walk in the door. I love this set. It's part of the Jim Shore Heartwood Creek collection. Thank you Charlotte for the red material that gives it a finishing touch. I have added the Bible beside it and a wonderful children's book. 'Twas the Night- The Nativity Story reads just like the traditional 'Twas Night before Christmas but it is the christian version. I love it! The Chihuahuas seem to be pretty interested in the manger scene also. I am not sure if they are guarding it or merely curious. So far they have only looked at it. If I can strap a pair of wings on Bella I will try this shot again.

A Few Decorations

I just thought I would put up a few pictures of some decorations for fun. These are all shots from the kitchen. I love to decorate the kitchen with gingerbread and candy canes. They are on the shelves, counters and the tree. Sarah cut out the snowflakes on the light.

Mike flew to New Orleans today. I did lots of laundry. I also helped out in the library at Caldwell today. I am finally learning my way around the shelves enough to get the books back up quickly. Sarah is studying for a spelling bee. Jamie decided to play a prank on me this afternoon. He hid out at the Freeze's house after he walked home after school. I ended up having the school look for him and calling his friends to find him. Not funny. I found him in time for piano practice. Just a typical Monday.

Deeper Still

This weekend I had the great privilege of attending a women's Bible conference. It was called "Deeper Still" and is produced by Life Way. The speakers were Priscilla Shirer, Kay Arthur, and Beth Moore. It was without a doubt the best conference I have ever attended. In a word it was perfect. The teaching kept me on the edge of my seat. Each lady presented God's word with power. Each teacher represented different ages and stages of Life. Priscilla is 30 with 3 young boys at home. Beth is 50 with grown children who have their own families now. Kay is 70 and full of energy and grace that can only be admired. I traveled to Oklahoma to see these women. It was worth every minute of the drive. I seriously debated going. This was our big weekend to open the new church. I am so glad I went. It absolutely recharged and inspired me. Forgive the grainy pictures. They are taken in a stadium from way back on my little camera. These ladies discussed absolutely everything. Here are just a few topics-marriage, motherhood, politics, freedom of speech, discernment, Christmas, aging, twitter, and more. They were funny and they were real. It is so cool to sit in a stadium with 10,000 other women and hear the ruffle of pages as they turn their bibles. Also the uncommon still and attention of these ladies. You could hear a pin drop as the ladies spoke. That is something for such a large group of people.

It was a pleasure to travel with Dawn and Heidi. We chatted and listened to Christmas Cd's as we drove. I could not have asked for any other sweeter women to spend this time with. God is soooooo good. I pray all I have learned will stick to me like glue.

Grand Opening

Today was our first Sunday in our brand new building. Wow. It was incredible. I have had a super busy week. I along with many, many others worked to move into this new building. The theme rooms had to be built and designed. There are some very creative people in our church with vision and talent to make it all happen. I thank God to be able to call them my friends. It was fun to work along side of them and just be amazed. Today I carried my camera and took pictures of everything. This church is a tool that God is going to use for His glory. I can't wait to watch it all from a front row seat. Here are just a few of my favorite shots from today.


This cross hangs in our new worship center. Each family nailed a spike into the wood. It is absolutely stunning. It is the only decoration in the worship center.


Our new worship center has an actual stage. The screens are huge. The sound this morning was fabulous. We are blessed with very gifted musicians.


The children's rooms are decorated with vibrant murals on the wall and scriptures. The new rooms are big and spacious. We have built in drawers and cabinets to organize our stuff in. The rooms even have bathrooms.


This just about makes me cry. Mr. Winslow is helping Logan with his snack. Notice both arms are in casts. The people in this church are wonderful and I love them.


Isabella preferred not to have her picture taken. That usually does not stop me. We played peek-a-boo during snack time. The best part about being the service co-ordinator is I am not stuck in one room. I get to float around and help out in each room. I get to visit with all of the teachers and the kids. That is my favorite part of the jobI got to hold this baby today and love on him. Eli is cuddly and very kissable. He wanted his picture taken and crawled after me every time put him down. I loved every minute of it.

I can't decide if this is a smile or not.

The Holiday dresses are out in full force. There is nothing sweeter than a little girl in a Christmas dress.


This is the Paradise Pond room. It is for K and 1st grade. They learn about Genesis and the Garden of Eden. A puppet show with light and sound effects is part of the lesson. The trees in this room are built from scratch. they use wood, foam, metal mesh, quick-crete and paint.

The rooms are decorated down to minute details with great care.

This is Knights of The Cross. Sarah goes to this class. They learn about the full armor of God. The wall paper looks just like castle walls. The whole room is rich and luxurious and feels just like a castle.


As you can see we have come a long way from the trailers. They are being cleaned out and will soon be hauled away. Praise God.

Thanksgiving Day 2009

We had a perfect Thanksgiving Day. We are certainly blessed and grateful. The sun was out and the sky was blue. The family came over for a feast. The kitchen was filled with dishes and happy people. The Blessing was said and we all dug in. Every single dish served was delicious. Thank goodness I did squeeze in a workout today. I am thankful everyone enjoys coming to our house to eat. Mike and I love having the family over. MaMa Hulsey brought her sweet potatoes. This is a recipe I have never successfully replicated. Charlotte made Jamie fresh mashed potatoes. He only gets them for her. I will not even attempt them. Mom made the relish tray and apple cider. I made dressing and green bean bundles. All of our specialties in one perfect meal. Of course the puppies enjoyed some ham and turkey also. The only things missing were the Gatlin and Sample families. After lunch we watched some football and looked online for bargains.

Smell The Pumpkin Pie

'Tis the day before Thanksgiving and there is sooo much to be done! Cooking and cleaning and more cooking and cleaning. Today I made pies and cornbread for the dressing. Everything I could prepare early I did. It smells heavenly around here. I'm not sure what smells better the pumpkin pie or Chex mix right out of the oven. I had to chase Mike away from the kitchen. Snacking is not allowed. We are ready for the big day.

Try cleaning your house on a bright sunny day. Every piece of dust and dirt is evident. Oh my. The kids both spent the night at friend's houses last night. When they came home they both had lists of chores waiting on them. They were not thrilled.

Pre-Turkey Workout- 20 minutes of Turbo jam and 40 minutes of Cathe's Weighted Legs. No doubt I will sleep well tonight. I hope to fit something short in early tomorrow morning if I can get out of bed in time.

Currently reading- The Dome by Stephen King. I am not a big fan but could not resist this story. I am just a few chapters in and I still think this man is crazy. The story is about a small town in the middle of nowhere. One day a huge dome suddenly appears and completely seals the town and its people off from the outside. You can just imagine the resulting consequences such as lack of supplies, local politics, and panic. People are dying left and right in true King fashion. He definitely has a dark perspective on humans. The book is huge. I think every single person in town has their own chapter.

Piano Recital

Friday night Jamie and Sarah preformed at the annual piano recital. They both played beautifully. Jamie chose selections from Pink Floyd. They were haunting and beautiful. Sarah played the Little Drummer Boy and Where is love. I am proud of them both.

I have spent most of this weekend cleaning and getting ready for Thanksgiving. Most of the family will be coming over for turkey on Thursday. Sarah is so excited. She is already talking about the ham and pumpkin pie. I think I better step up the exercising.

Mike and Jamie went with the church to a paintball park today. They had a blast. Jamie came home with a bit of a war wound. He has a huge red spot on his neck. It must have been a direct hit. Looks painful to me but they still claim it was fun.