Christmas 2007

Another Christmas has come and gone. The bike and big trucks were left outside by Santa. Papa and I got our customary socks from my sister and special for Papa made items from grandchildren. I got some really wonderfully smelling bath stuff - I'm just gonna hafta spend more time in the tub instead of the shower. LOL

We said prayers and read the Birth of Jesus to the boys before they tore into thier loot~~ As usual, there was much donated stuff that just was not appropriate for what they can do - so that was sorted thru and "put up for later" lol. I will send it on with them as time comes for them to go.

I got a very exciting gift~~~ I got to watch the kids (grandkids) open their gift from us - via WEBCAM!! They were so excited - and so was I!!! I've gotten to see how big CB is and how grown-up Tetee has become.

It's been hard to get into the Christmas Spirit - our cool weather arrived just before and it cooled off clear down to 66. Today it is in the 80's. Hope all the "good" weather doesn't wear itself out before our guests arrive in February!!! I am really excited and am wishing our days away until time. . .

To everyone I love

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Christmas Eve 2007

And another fine Christmas Eve it has been!!! The Crossings Church had a Christmas Eve Service here at the Lakewood Clubhouse - it was very well attended and a real nice service. We visited The Crossings last Sunday and found them to be really nice. We will probably visit them again in the future. The theme this year at our house " Jesus is the Reason for the Season". The kids are anxiously waiting for Santa to arrive - they've been tracking him all day on the "Santa Tracker". They enjoyed the music and the people this evening too. Espeically Shawn - he is really drawn to music. . .


Here is Papa helping with the last minute wrapping. . .
And here he is playing a video game with the boys so I could get dinner done in time to go to the service. . . .

And here I am in the sweatshirt that my friend Sallie made for me about 10 years ago. It's still in use - I put it on tonight and didn't need a windbreaker even though we took the golf cart (instead of the car or even just walking) up to the clubhouse for the Service. There is just something about sweating in a t-shirt and shorts while wrapping gifts that somehow just doesn't seem to fit. . . but that's life here in the now. . . we had a cool front come in today - it was all the way down to 68 this evening.

So to all who read - and to those I love - Merry Christmas

A Thought for Christmas

My post today is only one to forward you on to a friend of mine.

This is an awesome thought

From Miss Sallie

Please read it all the way through

As someday, this will all be true!

My Baby Brother

My little brother. The little towhead with the shiny blue eyes. The little guy that couldn't keep his pants up so Mom bought suspenders and put on him. What happened to that little guy? Well, he grew up. And things happened. And some things weren't good things. And now he is paying early for what the rest of us hope to put off for many years yet.

Here is what is happening with him now. I'm not judging him. I am not condoning the reason he is where he is. I'm not condoning or judging anything about his life. Good or Bad. I am sad.

And you know what else????

I know I'm not as interesting as the

daily blurbs from the

MySpace and Zanga

crowds, but,

If no one is going to read

and comment. . . . I'm just going to do like

everyone else - and stop even writing.

So there ~~~~~

no one will know where I am

or

what I'm doing.

It's been a busy week - with Keith off working in St. Louis this week - I've been really busy!! I thought all the laundry came from having babies around - nope!!! - it comes from kids - period!!!! lol

This week has had a couple of pretty big events also.

They made an arrest in Angie's murder. S'te went to the arraingment to be supportive of Angie's bio-mom as well as to see some semblence of the wheels of justice starting to turn. S'te has had a really hard year since her murder. Angie might not have been a bio child - but she was sure a child of S'te's heart.

Another big event this week was the horrible, horrible wreck that took place only yards from our front door!! We live right in front of a busy Interstate - and this vehicle had 5 (yes 5) people riding under a canopy in the back of a pick-up that blew a tire and
- oh man - it was terrible!! One of my
neighbors was walking right along the fence when the pickup came towards her "with things flying all over" - she ran - yelling call 911 - I'd heard the terrible noise so I headed out my front door dialing at the same time. I didn't even get off of my porch before I could see it was a bad, bad wreck!! This is a testamony against riding anyone (or any pet) in the back of a pickup - as well as the miracle of God - even after being thrown from the vehicle - 3 were airlifted and 4 went in ambulances - no one died (yet - as far as I've heard).

Our newest baby left to go back to his Mom. It sure is quite around here during the day with only me at home. The other boys are all in school during the day - except for the 2 WEEKS they get for Christmast Holiday Break. We have been blessed with wonderful luck with our middle boy's potty training. Only 1 accident all week. That's a record for him!!!! I can definatley quote Miss Sallie when she said "Praise the Lord"!! Now we can concentrate on boy #3. He is not the least concerned nor does he care if he walks around, sits on the carpet, or wallers on the couch with a big load in his underwear. I don't know what it is about me - I care more than he does - I sure hope he starts cooperating soon. . . . .. Please God. . . . . and speaking of school; What do you do with all the PAPERS!!! They bring home loads and loads of papers every day!! 1/2 finished papers, scribbled papers, papers with nothing on them, papers that are unfinished - I help them complete them and return them to school - and they come back again without even a comment on them - so I don't even know if they were seen. When I was in kindergarten - we had 30 kids in 1 class. These teachers have 15 and can't write a comment on a paper. . . . . just musing out loud. . .

And I finally got my CPAP machine. The Dr. prescribed it last January. The world might work extremely slowly but sometimes it comes around . . . LOL. . . Anyhow, I've used it for 5 nights now - can't say I see a big difference - except the level of my headaches seem to be lighter - on second thougt - that is a big difference. I am still waking up and taking it off a couple of times a night - then wake myself up snoring and putting it back on. . . . oh, whatever. . . .

We may try to go to a Christmas program this afternoon. Depends on how many accidents my little one has between now and then. . . .

When you are down to nothing .. God is up to something. Expect it!

Found this as a trailer on one of my emails - and I so expect it's true!!!

Have a great day!

Decorate

'Tis the Season to be Jolly~~~~

We (mostly Keith, with lots and lots of supervision from me hehe) has our CHRISTmas decorations up. The kids are estatic. They love how "pretty" the tree is, and how Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus lights up the whole front island, and Santa is over there in the grass on the other side with his lighted tree, and the stars are shining and the angels are flying in the windows!! I love the season!! But I am realistic enough that they just love the decorations and the lights. Christmas has no value to them other than "presents". Notice tho' - there are no presents under our tree. We have scenes. We have our nativity scene and they can tell me any time who all the people in it are. It's a small step. Of course we have my 1 nutcracker and our white doggies under there - guarding it from evil~~ Of course, we will have gifts - but I just won't put them under the tree. A new tradition in our house.

And the picture below is one that I've been promising my sister Sharen. The first winter after we had moved here permantly, Keith had to be gone for a couple of weeks, so he arranged for Sharen to be able to come visit me. We had a great time - and while she was here - we planted this "Hibiscus bush" so we could watch our landmark of her visit grow. Well, first off - I don't think it was a bush - I think it was one of those wrap around tree plants. And this "bush" has been pushed over by Francis, Jeanne, Wilma, and again by whichever storm came thru with heavy winds this summer. And look at it grow!! It is 20 times the size as when we planted it! And I promised Sharen I'd post a picture of it so she could see how bit it has become. So. . . . here it is!! And I know it needs to be shaped. . . but I don't know how. Maybe she'll do it when she comes out this winter ~ ~ Whoppee ~~ Company!!

Lumber River - and a thought on Christ

Faith hosted Lumber River Quartet on Friday night!! It was totally awesome. Sometimes I get to wondering about odd wierd nonsensical little things during a quiet time ~~

It's usually when I come up with something that isn't anything anyone else would ever want to even think about ~ and it is usually just total nonsense

~

But

~

It's my Blog so,

Here is my nonsense for the day. . .

Faith holds these Southern Gospel Concerts at least monthly during the "Season" and it is really well attended.

You might say that this night the place is "packed" for the concerts.

Isn't Faith totally blessed to be so close to the Interstate but yet so central to the rest of the area also? It makes Faith so easy to get to so that God's House is so packed. Isn't it just as easy to get there on Sunday mornings as it is on Friday nights?

The Word is the Same.

~

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!

It's getting right close to Christmas,

~

I

~

Tell every person I talk to on the phone Merry Christmas,

Tell every checker in the store Merry Christmas,

Tell everyone I come into contact with Merry Christmas!

I don't care if it isn't politically correct -

I'm seldom correct in any sense.

Several emails each and every day are circling the globe talking about Christians and telling us to "Stand Up"

but

there isn't going to be anything to "Stand Up" to if we don't
"Stand Up" now. Get the word out there - One thing that has not changed in the entire history of our great country is that we are still

"ONE NATION UNDER GOD"

~~

Merry Christmas