Okay, Okay...I'M BACK!

And I figured if I made it known to my fellow followers that I was back, it would hold me accountable to update this so called blog of mine! I do have so many post started, some finished, some almost finished, some that just need pictures...you get my drift! LOL! I plan to post the date of when the original post was written because so much has happened since December when my blogging took a very long, un-intended vacation! And I want to keep things in a somewhat chronological order for my memory! So catch up and hope you stay with me!

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.