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--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!

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.

"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."

Always Remembering 09/11

September 11, a day most everybody will never forget and now titled as Patriot Day in the USA. This day holds a lot of remembrance for me as well as hundreds and thousands of others around this great nation and around the world. I will never forget this day for two events in my life:

The first is the day we all know and remember as 09/11--the day that terrorist attacked the United Sates of America when airplane hijackings flew into the World Trade Center, resulting in the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City, the destruction of the western portion of The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a passenger airliner which crashed in a wooded area in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The total number killed in these attacks is 2,819 (official figure as of 9/5/02). You can visit this website for more 09/11 statistics. I was a senior at Jersey Village High School and I first heard of the news in 2nd period Physics class and not really understanding what was happening, then walking through the hall ways hearing lots of commotion and in third period photography class being able to finally watch a little bit of news coverage of it. These are sights I will never forget seeing on television. When I got home that day, my eyes were glued on the TV for the rest of the evening and the days to follow. I will also never forget the great feeling of patriotism that I felt during the months after the attack. Never Forget.




The second is the day my house (the house I grew up in for the first 20 years of my life) flooded for the first time by Tropical Storm Francis on September 11, 1999. I was a freshman in high school that year and it was a school day when this happened. It was a complete shock to us as we just watched the water in the streets rise higher and higher at the same time realizing that we were not going to go to school or work that day. The water eventually started to seep through the doors and lower windows. I will never forget my mom putting down towels by the door hoping to keep the water out, looking back now, kind of funny, but it was just a natural reaction. We ended up getting a little over two feet of water in our home that day which the water outside our homes was much higher, more like 4 feet street level. I remember helicopters flying over our area, boats going down my street and kids playing in the all that water. A nice man on a boat picked us up as we heavily waited in the water holding what we could of some bags of clothes above our heads. The aftermath of the flood was filled with tears and the generous help of the Salvation Army. After the water reseeded a day later, began all the clean up; ripping out the carpet, tearing down the sheet rock, sanitizing every surface with bleach, packing up stuff, storing furniture and moving in with gracious family while our house was being put back to together again.

My house ended up flooding a total of three times within four years. The second flood was on June 10, 2001 by Tropical Storm Allison, where most of downtown Houston also flooded really bad. The third flood was on October 3, 2002 (I believe) by just a bad rain storm. After the third flood, FEMA finally bought out my parents home (which was a good thing) so they could tear in down as well as many others on my street and neighborhood because it was now considered a flood disaster area. During our first flood we were out of our home for four months getting it all back together. The second flood we were out for 3 months and by the third flood we were only out for six weeks. By then, my parents unfortunately had this down where they knew who to call, when to call and how to get things moving. We all learned the value of our lives and our possessions during these floods and we stuck together strong as a family; my parents stayed strong for us are still married and happy as ever. I feel that

Ohh September, How I Love Thee

September is probably one of my favorite months! Why you may ask...for many reasons:

1. My Wedding Anniversary is on the 22nd of this month, so far the best day of my life; the day in which I married my best friend, lover and companion, 2 years ago. I had waited a long time to become Scott's wife (6 years) and this day is the beginning of our new life together as husband and wife.

2. The official start of the Autumn Season begins on the 22nd as well. I love the Fall Season! It does start to cool off a bit here in southeast Texas (thank goodness) and so far the first two days of September have brought low humidity and morning temperatures in the high 60's/low 70's with the highs around 90 degrees. The evenings have also been very enjoyable when the sun starts to set and cool things off. We have also got a little rain during this first week.

3. Craft shows, craft shows and more craft shows. I have already got a few marked on my calender to try to attend and I am super excited about them.

4. There are some leaves already falling to the ground. Not many, but at least it is a start and maybe a start to a little bit cooler weather (fingers crossed).

5. All of my favorite TV shows start back up for the new season; Greys Anatomy, Private Practice and Desperate Housewives are some of my favorites. I am planning to catch a new show coming this fall called Mercy, all the pre-views look really good.

6. Football Season begins! I really do enjoy watching this sport on TV and in person. I also enjoy getting a break from having baseball on all the time (thank goodness for the hubs having a TV in our garage). I love our Houston Texans and make it a point to watch just about every game. I also enjoy watching college football with my hubby. College football is much more intense compared to the NFL. Those boys are really playing with the heart and you can tell.

7. Fall scents of candles can acceptably be burned to get me and my home in the mood for the upcoming season.

Enjoy your September, I know I will.

Happy 4th of JULY

Every day and on this day especially, the 4th of July, I am thankful for all the brave men and women who have served and serve in our Military. I am so thankful for all of the unselfish sacrifices they have made and make for me, my family and my friends to live in this free country. The words 'Thank You' are never enough to show how much I appreciate your services to the United States. To my late grandpa Myron, my Uncle Butch and a handful of friends, all who have served and serve now in our military, Thank you! Best wishes and many prayers to my baby brother who is enlisting in the military this week; may God always be with you.

Easter Blessings

The hubs and I had a great Easter Sunday with my family at my parents house. Great food, great company and an adult Easter egg hunt that is funnier than watching the 'Charlie don't bite my finger' clip on you tube. Scott and I made out very well with money and giftcards and are very thankful to have such a giving family. We then headed to Blockbuster, our favorite place to buy movies, bought a couple on the great deals they always have, you know the buy four for $20 dollars, and then reneted two, 'Marley and Me' and 'Seven Pounds'. We got home, put up our leftovers, of course the hubs made another plate, he can eat for three people and I swear he has a tape worm in his belly, LOL, then got comfortable on the couch and watched/cried 'Marley and Me'. Wow, such a great movie and such a wonderful story!!! I can't wait to watch it over again. Hope everyone else had a wonderful and blessed Easter!

Merry Christmas Wishes

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. May your holidays be blessed and your wishes come true. May Peace, Love, Joy and Happiness be in your homes, your hearts and in your lives now and in this next year--2009. God Bless.~~the Jacobs

Decking the House with Christmas Cheer

Christmas is no doubt my absolute favorite holiday of all holidays and from Thanksgiving until the New Year is my favorite time of year. I love and cherish the quality time spent with family and great friends, decorating for Christmas, getting a real tree (Nobel Fir preferable), Stockings hung by the chimney with care, going to fun holiday parties, hosting our Christmas party, eating delicious food and desserts, giving gifts, the white elephant gift game, wishing for snow (which we were lucky enough to get this December...remember it NEVER snows here), celebrating the past year, making wishes for the new year ahead and last but not least...the wonderful 'reason for the season', our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ahhhhh, the memories made during this time of year are priceless.

This year is our first Christmas to celebrate in our new home so therefore I had a brand new slate to work with! I have had ideas running through my head since fall had arrived and I patiently awaited the day after Thanksgiving to start decorating in Christmas decor'. I also did not want to spend a fortune doing it so I did use some things from years past and anything else I bought was purchased on sale or at discounted prices. I am very happy for how it turned out and plan to add a little more each year but still keeping things pretty and classy. Finally pics are posted.

It's Snowing!!!

Yes, you heard me correctly, it is snowing here in Houston, Texas and at our house in Cypress! So this may not be a big deal to most people, who actually have four different seasons, but for us here in the Lone Star State and especially the southern part of the state it is a big deal. It doesn't snow here.....ever. The last time it snowed here in Houston was on Christmas Eve 2004 and the snow actually stuck to the ground, cars and rooftops for almost 14 hours. The snow today at work was falling and quickly melting once it landed but it is so exciting to see. This evening though at our house the snow is falling a lot harder and heavier than earlier in the day and it is sticking to the fence, the roof and our vehicles. It is so beautiful to see! We all know it wont last for long, so we are enjoying every bit of what we can get. Only in Texas will it be snowing at one moment and in 24 hours or less the temperature will be back up to almost 60 or 70 degrees. By midnight tonight what snow did stick will most likely be melted and gone...but it was so nice for the couple of hours that we did have it. Our Dakota even loved playing in it! Ahh...the simple things in life.

Things that make me Smile

OK...I am the kind of person that when I find a product or service that I just love, I have to brag about it and tell all I know. I am a true believer in word of mouth; it is the best marketing out there, and yes, I did get my business degree and majored in Marketing. There are a lot of things in my life that make me smile. By all who know me, I am considered as a happy, energetic, and caring person and I always have a smile on my face...almost always. So besides the typical who make me smile all the time (my wonderful hubs, my most generous parents, my sweet brother, my great family, amazing friends and the Lord above...) there are things in my life that just make me grin from hear to hear as well. These are all material things, but I'm in love with them too and feel my life is just better with them in it! So here are just a few of Everything Loved...things that make me smile!

Woodwick Candles
My mom gave my my first Woodwick candle in April 2007 for my 24th birthday and I have been hooked ever since. These candles are fabulous!!! They are classy and elegant in appearance and feature a natural wood wick (hence the name) made from organic wood which produces the soothing sound of a crackling fire when burned. The fragrances are wonderful and fill the room quickly but are not over bearing. And when you blow the fire out, you do not get all that yucky black smoke. Combine these attractions and you have the ultimate candle-burning experience, just like their website says! My personal favorite fragrances are Rum Raisin and Vanilla Bean. For the holiday Christmas season, the Evergreen is just like having a real tree in your home. I give these as gifts and gave them to all my bridesmaids at my wedding and all the girls loved them as well! They are a little pricey to some, but to me worth every penny! Check out their website for more info and fragrances and you will never look at another candle the same. http://www.virginiacandle.com













Woodwick Reed Diffusers
I just recently bought the Woodwick brand of reed diffusers and to me they are by far better than any other reed diffuser out on the market. They have the same classy and elegant design as the Woodwick candles and feature highly concentrated fragrances infused with essential oils that make any room big or small smell wonderful! And they seem to last a long time as well which makes it worth the paying price.

Wilton Armetale Servingware
For my wedding I discovered Wilton Armetale and was instantly in love. I registered for the 'Flutes and Pearls' set (a classy and timeless design) of almost every piece and was fortunate to receive all that I registered for from my amazing parents! To me this is as great as it gets to serving pieces. Here is a little more about the company and what they make. "Wilton Armetale Company is a family-owned and family-run business founded in 1892 by Ralph P. Wilton, Sr. in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Wilton Armetale® products are still individually cast and meticulously hand-finished so no two pieces are exactly alike. Wilton Armetale® products are sold in department stores and specialty stores throughout the United States and internationally. Armetale® metal is a unique, non-toxic aluminum-based alloy, making it ideal for cooking and entertaining. Hot foods cooked and served in Wilton Armetale® products stay hot longer. Cold foods and drinks served in Wilton Armetale® products stay cold longer.

Our Dyson Vacuum
This is one the greatest gifts the hubs and I have ever received. My father-in-law bought us this for Christmas a couple of years ago and the best part about it is it was the hubs idea to get one! It is the greatest vacuum ever and worth the price in our opinion! You can see all the dirt, dust and dog hair it collects, it helps to clean the air, it is so easy to clean and empty and is easy maneuver. You can not go wrong with any Dyson Vacuum product!

Our GE Profile French Door Refrigerator
This is also one one of the greatest gifts the hubs and I have ever received. My parents bought us this as a house warming present for our new home. We instantly fell in love with the french door refrigerators and were hoping we would be able to get one. All the appliances in our kitchen were GE and black, so we went with the 25.8 Cu. Ft. GE Profile French Door in black model. This refrigerator is awesome!!! It holds so much food, it has shelves that can move up and down, slide back or pull up, it is very easy to clean with no spill shelves, has an integrated dispenser with crushed ice, water and temperature display, led lighting, climate keeper with dual evaporators, two humidity-controlled drawers and 1 full-length adjustable temperature deli drawer, and the freezer is huge with a two-level slide n’ store system. Ahhhhhh, Ok if I haven't sold you by now......I am exhausted. We did have two of our best married couple friends purchase this in the stainless steel version and they love it just as much as we do! I love this device! Thanks so much mom and dad!