It's a Wonderful Life and it's been a Wonderful Christmas



Our Christmas week began at Bryan's house with
everyone getting together to watch "White Christmas"



Gorgeous arrangement done by Bryan
inspired by arrangement at Gift House

Ashley's ready

Christmas Eve --our Christmas entertainment and
official Christmas cutie

"Happy Birthday Jesus" cake
brought by Ashley--the reason
for the season.

More Christmas cuties

I'm sure there's a Razorback
story in there somewhere

Let's eat!!!

Christmas morning presents waiting to be
opened after breakfast casserole, & biscuits
and gravy

Dirty Santa gifts supplied by the generosity
and creativity of Ashley

Let's go!!!

The gift that had been driving
Anna crazy for 2 weeks.
It was a basketball

Christmas lunch was delayed while we
waited for these two geniuses
to prove who was top dog--
Bryan finally deferred so the
feast could begin.

Christmas 2010--memorable!!!!

Thanksgiving Turkeys and AT&T

Awaiting the arrival of the turkeys

Feeding of the turkeys

Feeding of the turkeys--take 2

I see 2 cell phones

Another cell phone

Anna trying to fatten up a turkey--it'll never happen :)

Spotting another cell phone

One in Bryan's hand

There it is again

Feeding of the turkeys--take 3

And------Thanksgiving snow

The pictures say it all--fun, food, fellowship and-----I'm thinking about having them check their
phones at the door when my Thanksgiving turkeys transform into Christmas angels.

Of Basketball and Biscuits

I know everyone is blurry but Anna but she's the star to us so it's okay

Another action shot of Anna and in the front is teammate and very sweet girl, Gabby

Hope's new love is making biscuits--eating them is an old love. 
She's gotten really good at it.  We have a cute new
apron for cooking--teapots and cabbage roses
on it.  I'm sure we'll post a picture soon.

We traveled to Tulsa for a tournament the weekend of the 12th and 13th.
I have named this, "The Tournament That Should Never Have Been".
To begin with, we drove through POURING RAIN to Tulsa
at dusk, mind you with trucks and crazy cars everywhere.
Fortunately we were also in the company of a host of angels :).
That night in our first game against the meanest best girls'
varsity team in Oklahoma, we were beaten up and beaten by them.
In the process, Destinee, a sweet teammate of Anna's, through no fault of her own
was pushed and then trampled under the basket resulting in staples to the back
of her head and a concussion.  Shook up the team, parents, and anybody else that was there.
Because of her trauma and ours, no one in our hotel room was able to relax and peacefully drop off
to sleep.  LONG NIGHT may I say.  The game the next morning wasn't a lot more fun as the
opposing team had a knee injury but I must say it was an exciting game and we won. And
no one was sad to leave Tulsa and come home.

Not much new going on here.  I'm posting this for recording purposes and to have pictures for memories not because it's terribly exciting to anyone except us.  But that's all that matters, right?

Show Us Your Life Fridays--Bonus and Laundry Rooms

One of my most convenient things--a built-in ironing board

I love to redo picture frames and the brass frame behind the pumpkin
definitely needs a new color

My Lang Songbird calendar--haven't decided which to put up for 2011--any suggestions?

With 5 children and 3 still at home we've never had an extra room for a bonus room.
When #2 son recently got married, hubby finally got a den or "man cave"  after 33 years of marriage.
The print behind the chairs is of a dad doing a Bible study with his family.
The print to the left is of the 12th hole at Augusta.  He's a golfer-man.

Note the wooden putter ready to be practiced with :).

One of my favorite pictures of hubby--chipping at Pebble Beach.  He's promised to take me some time.
The greatest thing about my husband is his love for God and His Word.  The "man cave" is where
A LOT of Bible study, devotional readings, and prayer happens at our house.  On the left is his
McArthur Study Bible, another Bible, his McArthur devotional book that is so read it's being held
together by tape (may get replaced for Christmas), and his Streams in the Desert devotional.
I'm blessed with a Godly leader.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

Show Us Your Life--Bathrooms

This is my first week to participate in "Show Us Your Life" sponsored by Kelly's Korner.
Hopefully I will be able to successfully link to the blog.  We have three bathrooms
and this is our master bath.  The colors are mainly khaki, white, and black but I did
add some spring flowers to pick up the colors in a really cute footstool my sweet
husband got me a few years ago.

I recently spray painted the knobs black.  I know the fixtures are brass and totally out-dated
but I'm 54 and I'm totally out-dated.  Besides, I know what younger homemakers don't know--
brass will be back in someday :).

The idea for the framed piece with our name and initials actually came from
a talented young lady's blog that I found a while back.  I found her blog when
I was looking for decorating ideas and later found out she lives in our town
and attends our church.  Thanks, Shannon.

I love birdcages and I usually put Christmas greenery in and around this one.

                                                                                        

Thanks for looking.  I'm excited to see everyone else's ideas. 

Pure Joy

 Last weekend brought this wife and mom pure joy.  On Thursday we drove to Van Buren where Anna's
basketball team, the Lady Knights, kicked off the season.  Of course they won.  On that same court last year
Anna injured her knee resulting in lots of treatments, rest, ice, heat, and putting her out for the season.  Thankfully this year she had a great game and zero injuries.  Another teammate, also named Anna, injured her knee on the same court and on the same side of the court.  We're hoping "other Anna" will be back soon because the team misses her.  Saturday saw us in Tulsa also at games.  This weekend we travel back to Tulsa for a 2 day tournament.

 Another reason for pure joy--Hope has been taking sewing lessons from a sweet teacher who is talented, thorough, and very patient and will make a great seamstress out of Hope.  It helps that Hope is interested and seems to have a "knack".  She finished her first project, a pillowcase and did a great job.

The rest of the "pure joy" weekend was spent watching the Razorbacks, grilling hamburgers, and seeing and spending time with the older kids, going to church, being with out Connection Group, and Awana.  A good weekend.

Birthday Week--Done!!

Cake and decorations selected by Hope

Family lunch after church with three special friends: Weston, Hallie Jo, and Korianne

Birthday Princess having breakfast in bed

New birthday bike

Just posting a few birthday pics as we wind this week down.   It's a wrap :).  Next week pictures of Lady Knight's basketball.