Everything Loved in Decmber

Christmas cards! I absolutely love getting those greeting cards in the mail. It makes this time of year that much more special. I love seeing newly wed couples with their new married name together on the card, seeing friends who have brand new babies, seeing families grow as they multiply by the years. It is fun to look back on too, how the families have grown and changed over the years. I look forward to many, many years of getting these cards aswell as sending out our own.

My brother! My brother was home for two weeks from the Army and it was such a joy to have him back home. He was able to see all of family and many friends while he was down. I know he exhausted those first couple of days home, but I could not stop smiling at how wonderful it was for him to be home for Christmas. He makes me and my family so incredibly proud!

Christmas decorations and lights! I love decking our house out with Christmas decorations and making it just sparkle with lights and garland. I also love seeing all the homes in the neighborhood light up with Christmas lights! It really off this time of year with all the lights!

Nanny's Chocolate Fudge! Oh how no-one in the family can get enough of this homemade fudge! I swear Nanny puts some kind of extra 'grandma ingredient' in it. It is too good for words to explain.

Christmas! And all the joy, warm feelings, laughter, giving, and family time Christmas brings!

Thoughts for Thursday--Age

"Life as we know it can change in a blink of an eye. Unlikely friendships can blossom, important careers can be tossed aside, a long lost hope can be rekindled. Still, we should be grateful for whatever changes life throws at us, because all too soon, the day will come when there are no changes left."

This quote reminds me that age is a wonderful thing, the older we get just means that there is that much more stories to tell and memories to be made. All age is, is a number. I need to remind my husband of this. His 30th birthday is in June and he is kind of dreading it. I plan to make it very special for him though!

Thoughts for Thursday--The Christmas Wreath

The Meaning of the Christmas Wreath

Every Christmas wreath is more than just a decoration...it's a special reminder of Jesus, the reason for our celebration. The circle of a Christmas wreath is a never-ending ring, a reminder of eternal love from our Lord and King. The Christmas wreath is a sign of welcome, inviting all the enter in...a reminder of Christ's invitation for all to come to Him. The middle of a Christmas wreath is a bare and empty space, a reminder of what life would be without Christ's love and grace. So each time you see a Christmas wreath hanging from a door, may your heart rejoice in the One that Christmas is truly for.

~Holley Gerth

I love this reading! I got this reading from a card from a co-worker of mine. I am thinking I might frame it and put it our every year at Christmas as a constant reminder to all who enter our home, the reason for the season is Christ. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Home for Two Weeks

My baby brother comes home today from Army basics for two weeks. This is his break and we are all so happy to be able to spend the holidays Christmas and New Years with him. I am beyond excited and my mom is just over whelmed with joy and emotion. My dad, husband and I picked him up from the airport this morning, we all had the day off. He looks awesome in his uniform and he is just so happy; you can see it on his face, he was meant to be a soldier. Although, during a time of war in which we are in is very scary to say. I have always know what the word proud meant, but I have never truly 100% felt what proud means to feel. Today for the first time, I know what PROUD feels like. Seeing my baby brother in his uniform was almost un-describable. Here are some pictures from today!

Thoughts for Thursday--Simple Things

As we strain to grasp the things we desire...the things we THINK will make our lives better--money, popularity, fame--we ignore what TRULY matters--the SIMPLE things-- like friendship, family, love...the things that we already have!

I am truly thankful for the wonderful, simple things in my life: my husband, our home, our dog, our two vehicles, amazing family, wonderful friends, my job, my husbands job and the One, upstairs who makes it all possible.

Thoughts for Thursday--The Good

"Look for the GOOD in the people in your life. Don't be an excessive complainer.. (Remember) A fault finder will find faults in paradise! God is Love"--Rev Run

Very true and very simply put. I love me some Rev Run!

Snow in SE Texas Two Years in a Row?

If you read my post here from last year, you will know that snow is a big deal here in SE Texas. We just don't get snow here, let alone two years ago and we barely get a winter. A freeze warning has been issued for almost all of southeast Texas from noon Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday. I am super excited about this and can't wait to see the snow!

Here are a couple of facts.
"Since 1895, it has snowed 33 times in Houston: eight times in December, 12 times in January and February and once in March. It has never snowed two years in a row, but that record may fall as the last snowfall was on Dec. 10, 2008." It also has never snowed this early in the winter season either.

**Update** It did indeed snow! And it snow a lot for Houston! I went to my parents house in the Jersey Village area of Houston, around 12:30pm Friday to take pictures because the snow was really coming down. It snowed a lot where they live compared to 20 minutes away where we live in Cypress. The snow did not even stick at our house. I am happy I got to enjoy the snow for a while and get some good pictures!

Thoughts for Thursday--Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” - Charles R. Swindoll

I truly believe that attitude is everything. Attitude is how you view yourself, your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your co-workers, political leaders, and the world! I choose to have the best attitude I can and to always stay optimistic.

Everything Loved in November

November always holds a special place in my heart. It is the month that Scott and I started dating. November also really kicks off the holiday season with fall decor already in full swing and Christmas decor that shows up around Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a special time of year for my family to all gather at my parents home and for all to be reminded of everything we are thankful for. We lost my uncle this summer and my brother is away at bootcamp, so we sure did miss those two dearly. One of my best friends Jessi, from high school got married, another best friend Jenny, had her first baby and our sweet Neice Danica turned three! It was a very enjoyable month.

ZipFizz! I can not say enough about this product. I simply love it and am just about addicted to it! My best friend Shelly introduced me to it back in October and I have absolutely hooked since. Zipfizz is an all-natural, healthy energy mix, with only 10 calories, no sugar, and 2 net carbs. "It contains 25 nutrients that give an energy boost usually in about 15 minutes. It is “the healthy alternative to energy drinks, sports drinks and coffee.” Zipfizz transforms water into a healthy, energizing performance drink" without the crash. My favorite flavor is Orange Soda!
The Nutcracker Market! I wrote about that here last year. This year I came home with some beautiful large faux poinsettias for my Christmas tree, a new jacket and beautiful scarf, a calf sized leather cow hide for our ottoman, some Christmas presents for family and a whole lot more decorating ideas!

Thoughts for Thursday--Giving Thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I have so much to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for my husband, who stands by me everyday; our beautiful home that provides a roof over my head and plenty of food in my kitchen; our vehicles, they are by no means new but one is an SUV and the other a truck to get us around; my parents, who continue to show their un-conditional love and support everyday; my family and friends, whom it would be almost impossible to function without; mine and my husbands health, being healthy is everything and we are so fortunate; mine and my husbands jobs; we still have them and grateful for that everyday; my doctor, who has been very pro-active with seeking fertility treatments to help me ovulate and get us pregnant, and lastly the precious Lord above, with him, everything is possible.

8 Years Ago Today

8 years ago today I started dating this handsome guy right here; my HUSBAND! We have so many wonderful memories together in these past eight years and then the past two that we have been married have been even greater. I can't even imagine how much more wonderful our memories are going to be when we have children, I look forward to that so much. It just brings joy to my eyes and a huge smile on my face to think of the day we have our family! I love you honey! Happy 8 years!

Thoughts for Thursday--Success

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith and a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

Welcome Sophia Marie Perez

Our very, very, good friends, Mark and Jenny welcomed their beautiful baby girl, Sophia Marie Perez today at 3:57am. She weighed 7lbs, 5oz and is 20in long. She is absolutely beautiful. I am thrilled for them both and was so happy to finally meet baby Sophia! Jenny did awesome during labor and delivery and Mark sounded like he was the an awesome labor coach. Her doctor (my doctor also) estimated her due date almost to the day; her due date was on the 21st! Congratulations to the new family of three!

Some New House Stuff and Decorating!

Finally some pictures! These are some pictures of two walls that I recently redid in our house and of two great craft show buys!

This beautiful cross I bought at a local church craft show. I have been eying crosses made like these for some time now and finally came across one that I fell in love with and for a reasonable price. The empty frame I already had; I bought it at Hobby Lobby 8 months or so back for 70% off in the clearance aisle! I also already had the two side sconce scrolls from Kirklands. I just love the way this wall turned out. This is the same wall where I originally had our wedding photo gallery which has now been moved to a more appropriate area in our extended hall.

This is our new wedding photo gallery wall in the extended hallway! I am so happy with their new location and display and feel this is a better showcase for all our wedding memories. I also plan for cute baby photo's to adore these walls sometime in our near future; not pregnant yet, but sure still trying and praying!
At the first big craft show of the year that was held back in September at the Berry Center in Cypress, TX, I came across a booth called 'Tin Lizzies Photos'! I have seen this done in catalogs for pretty expensive prices and was so happy to find a family in our area who makes these from their home. I had our last name put into this beautiful matte and frame. Talk about some fun customization! This family takes black and white photographs from all of their vacations and travels of the alphabet letters from different signs and of unique objects that look like letters of the alphabet. They have so many options for all 26 letters of the alphabet for people to customize whatever they want spelled out. I love how this turned out and am still debating where I am going to hang it. I also plan for this to be a big hit for Christmas for a couple of family members!
This is not new to me, but new to my blog. This is our small, walk through laundry room. I just had to do something with this room to give it some personality. People walk in and out through this room all the time to get from the garage to in our home. I was tired of it being a boring room with white, plain walls. I still want to paint, but it's not a huge priority. I wanted to make it fun, classy and rustic all at the same time. I love the look of the old timing tin signs and Hobby Lobby sells a lot of them. I started collecting a few and before I knew it I had a whole slew of them. That's when it hit me that I should put them in this room as I thought it was the most fitting. They all have different sayings and are just so inviting. I add this wall as well when I come across other tin signs that fret my fancy. I have a neat laundry sign on the door side wall that is not in this picture and another tin sign above the inner door to our home.

Thoughts for Thursday--You Gotta Start Somewhere

No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

I am not sure where I first heard this quote, but I have loved it and lived by it probably since I was in high school. It reminds me that I am in control of me, my life. My thoughts, my words, my actions are all mine. What I choose to do with them is up to me. I can not go back and change the 'what could have, should have, would have been', (believe me, there are sure times I wish I had a rewind, fast forward button), but I can start now and make whatever it may be, better. My goal in life is to always try to stay positive, optimistic and really put my faith and trust into the Lords hands.

Thoughts for Thursday--The Will of God

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. The will of God will never lead you, where the Grace of God can not keep you.

I realize that there are many, many versions of this, long and short. This is just the brief of it, short and to the point. I will trust in God's will.

Everything Loved in October

October was a an eventful month! We attended an annual Fish Fry which is always so much fun, had a double diaper shower for two of my girlfriends who are having baby girls; one is due in November and the other is due in March, and had a going away party for my sweet brother Garrett who enlisted in the Army. He shipped off for boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, MO on October 26th. He was originally suppose to go in November, but that day was always subject to change with him changing job titles. I also went to two great craft shows and came home with some new home decor'(I know, I really need to add pictures, I have been so bad about this) and attended one of my high school best friends bachelorette party! I also had JURY DUTY this month and of course I was picked. Luckily during the first day of trial, the case ended up being dismissed around noon, I had the rest of the day off and still got paid from work and my $46.00 for doing my civil duty. Wheew...that was a lot, on to my everything loved.

Reece's Pieces! Oh my how I have rediscovered how much I love these fall colored peanut butter goodies! I have probably gone through two whole bags of these this month, having a big handful a day as my treat! These have even been better than chocolate lately!
I came across this Dish Drying Mat at where else but, Bed, Bath and Beyond! I thought to myself, Wow how much use I would get out of something like that. When we lived in our old apartment I used a small dish drying rack; it wasn't really in the way of anything. At our new home, I got rid of the dish drying rack; I did not prefer to continue using one because I never really liked how it looked out and it was going to take up too much counter space than I wanted. Instead, I would use a dish towel on the counter for the certain dishes that I only hand washed, then when they dried, I could easily remove the towel and I had my counter space again. Since discovering, buying and using this, I am just so in LOVE with it! It is soft, plush with padding, medium size, washable, fold able and stylish. And the best part, it is only $4.99!
I totally forgot to post about this from the end of the summer. I finally bought me a Pantry Door Organizer Unit. I grew up with my mom having one on both her pantry's at our two houses and was very use to the idea and liked it. In our new home, I have a very nice sized pantry and did not think I would need this, but boy was I wrong. I have plenty of pantry storage but this became more of a function thing for me as well as storage. I have all my spices on the top two shelves, then I have my cooking oil, Pam, vinegar and steamer bags on the third shelve, then I have zip lock bags (snack, medium, large sizes), foil, saran wrap, and cling wrap on the bottom two shelves. All of these items are now a lot easier to get to and use. I will post a pic soon. I have the larger one on the right and my the hubs screwed it to the door so it stays perfectly in place. I also got this at the BB&B!

Thoughts for Thursday--Your True Being

You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.

Luke 6:43-45

"It's Just A Bunch of Hocus Pocus"

"A muck, a muck, a muck, a muck, a muck!" You read me right, Disney's HOCUS POCUS is on ABC's Family Channel tonight. Excited is an understatement!!! This movie has been a favorite of mine for probably over a decade now. I do own it and most definitely watch it this time of year not only when it comes on TV but whenever my young at heart spirit wants to pop in the DVD. This movie is also one of the constant reminders of why fall is my favorite season and that Halloween is just around the corner! Remember, "It's just a bunch of Hocus Pocus!"

"In the year 1693, sisters, Winifred, Mary and Sarah were executed for their unforgivable witchcraft. They captured and sucked the life out of children. Just before their execution, Winifred made a curse - a curse that when a virgin lights the black flame candle on Halloween light, in their house, they shall return ... 1993, 300 years later, Max decides to light the candle in order to scare his irritating sister Dani and his wannabe girlfriend Alison. Now, the three Witches are back ready for a night of fun, magic and horror in the now modern area of Salem."

Thoughts for Thursday--LIFE

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. Life is beauty, admire it. Life is bliss, taste it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it."
~ Mother Teresa

Thoughts for Thursday--Just Another Day

"Life isn't supposed to be an all or nothing battle between misery & bliss. Life isn't supposed to be a battle at all. When it comes to happiness, well sometimes life is just ok, sometimes it's comfortable, sometimes wonderful, sometimes boring, sometimes unpleasant. When your day's not perfect, it's not a failure or a terrible loss, It's just another day..."

I am slowing realizing that it is ok if not all my days are fabulous and wonderful and filled with joy and surprises. It's perfectly fine to have just those 'average' type of days. Each day is different and will usually bring most of the same everyday task that we do everyday. Some days will be really great where you sometimes wish that this day will never end and some days will be so horrible and you just can't wait for the day to end, and some days are just pretty average. If those great, happy days where to happen everyday, we would not appreciate them as much compared to the not so happy day. And when the not so happy days come, we really do appreciate even the 'average' type of day.

All I know for sure, is everyday my day is filled with love, compainship, friendship, and the Lord; all of which I am forever greatful for, no matter what kind of day I am having.

Thoughts for Thursday--Live Life to the Fullest

Live life FULLY while you're here. Experience EVERYTHING. Take care of YOURSELF, your FAMILY and FRIENDS. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up. You're probably going to anyways, so you might as well ENJOY the process. Take the opportunity to LEARN from your mistakes; find the cause of your problem and ELIMINATE it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being HUMAN!

Thoughts for Thursday--Good Ole' Pumpkin

Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff--including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then, He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.

I figured this would be fitting for the first day of October seeing that pumpkins do seem to be on so many peoples mind!

Everything Loved in September

Pretty much my Ode to September is my everything loved for this month!!!

My Wedding Anniversary
The Fall Season Begins
CRAFT SHOWS!
My Favorite Shows are back on TV
New Shows Premier for the Fall
College Football!!!
The Texans Football (Hoping for the playoffs this year, but it ain't looking to hot)
The Weather Cooling Down

Also,
Fall Decor'
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (I made two big batches this month)
Semi-Homemade Chicken Enchiladas (So yummy and so easy)

Thoughts for Thursday--Holding Hands

This reading is from the Married for Life book; I love this book, keep it in a drawer on my nightstand and will probably be taking a few stories from it that I love.

Never get too old to hold hands.
"It starts with a tiny fist wrapped around a mother's finger. It continues with a young hand held gently in one much larger. It endures through puppy love, adolescent relationships and courtship. And if we are wise, it extends into marriage, through middle age, beyond golden years, to the very end of life.

Holding hands is one of the most intimate expressions of love between two human beings.

Don't ever let this beautiful act slip away from you. It's so much more than a gesture of affection, so much greater than a mere symbol of connection. It's an incredibly meaningful communication, a deep connection in and of itself. It requires no words; in fact no words can convey such a profound message.

Why would two people ever stop holding hands? Perhaps it seems silly, somehow undignified, when we're older and have been married a long time. We may begin to think such things were meant only for young lovers and newlyweds. That's far from true! Besides its many other purposes, holding hands helps satisfy the basic human need for physical touch, a need we never outgrow.

Hold your spouse's hand throughout your life together; don't ever let it go until the day when you've fulfilled every marriage vow and finally release it from your grasp, placing it lovingly, trustingly into the hand of God."

2 Years Ago Today, I Thee Wed...

Today is my wedding anniversary, my second wedding anniversary to my Scott. I refer to him as my Scott sometimes, because... well, he is mine, God blessed me with him, my one and only. This is simply the best day of my life. On this day, our two lives were joined as one if front of God, family and friends. On this day I joined my partner, my best friend, my true love, my everything in marriage. On this day, we vowed "To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." It is hard to put into words all the emotions that I felt on this day. We both have said how much fun it would be to re-live this day, although we know that is not possible, it all went by so fast.

It was a beautiful September day, the first day of fall, blue skies with a touch of white clouds and a light breeze in the air. I could not wait to see you at the end of that aisle. We laughed, we cried tears of joy, we ate and the nicest toast were given, we sang sweetly in each other ears and we danced and danced the night away! Our families, now joined together by our love, watched on with the biggest smiles on their faces. I will never forget how happy my parents were.

Below are just a few highlights from our Wedding Day. It is so hard to just pick a handful of pictures to share that capture the moments on our special day. But I am finally so happy to be finally putting these pictures on my blog! Enjoy.