A Merry Christmas

Wow, I tried everything I could to find time yesterday to post and say Merry Christmas to all and never found a free moment to sit down. I didn't even get my mama called until after 6 pm! Now that is wrong.

For me, it was grand to have all my children home for Christmas. It seemed awfully rushed with all we had to do in such a short time, but I'd rather have rushed than nothing at all. Mattie left about 5:30 last night to head back to Dallas, and I sure hated to let him go. Just wanted to hang on a little longer.

Everyone seemed to have a great day, loved their presents, and enjoyed the food alot. Ellie wasn't into Christmas as much as she probably will be next year, but it was still fun to see her face on a few presents she opened. She has a new sound she makes when she's excited, as she raises her eyebrows. It is so cute. She got her own little laptop and she absolutely loves it! Except when she shuts her hand in it. Oh my, she would get so mad and be screaming and wanting it again at the same time. I think she finally has it figured out.

I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas with family and friends. Enjoy the rest of your holidays

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Overwhelmed...

Note the time on this blog and you'll quickly see I should be in bed, but here I sit. I feel like I'm chasing myself around. I haven't really blogged in weeks! weeks! I've been trying to get 2 weeks of work done at work, which includes end of the month stuff, since the office will be closed next week for Christmas. A friend told me once it wasn't hardly worth taking off for all the double work you have to do just to get to. I disagree with that...it's worth it! Worth it, because all my kids will be under my roof for Christmas!! Matt, Kylah and Michael will be here on Saturday, and of course Landon, Sarah, & Ellie are already here. :) Lennon & Christal will be here for Christmas Day as well! Just gonna miss Mandy...till next year!

Oh my, they'll be here...well by now it's really tomorrow, but I haven't slept for Thursday yet so for me it's day after tomorrow. Point is, I'm not ready! I worked straight through till 3 then went shopping. I got home at 10:30, assessed the damage, made a list, got things ready to wrap, figured my bank account, sweated, blogged. That's an ideal way to finish such a wild day...blog and relax. I still have presents to wrap, stocking stuffers to get, a couple more presents to buy, work at work, laundry to do, a house to clean (which includes putting a couple of rooms back together), some more decorations on the tree to hang, groceries to buy...overwhelmed...and sleep to be had. And since I'm too tired to do any more today...

sleep it is...

zzzzz

Dr. Richard Dean Hammett

This last Friday we traveled to Corpus to celebrate with my brother as he graduated with his doctorate of education from texas a&m kingsville. what a tremedous accomplishment, and to watch him walk across that platform as his name, with a "doctor" in front of it, was announced, made my buttons bust! He has accomplished so much in his lifetime it absolutely amazes me. after spending 28 years in the navy, I was there at his retirement celebration aboard the U.S.S. Lexington docked at Corpus, and was so moved by that ceremony as well. He has done so much, and been so many more places, than I could ever imagine or begin to tell you about in this limited space, and I am so very proud of him.

His wife, Karen, celebrated a big birthday (shhh...50) on that very day. What a fabulous present! We had a great time with family and I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Congratulations to you both! You both deserve it!

Ladies Christmas Party

Just a reminder. Tomorrow night is the ladies Christmas party at church. 7 pm. Bring a finger food, a goodie for the "Angel Box" for Goodfellow Fire Dept., and an "Angel" gift to exchange. (fyi - Hobby Lobby has 1/2 off on ornaments and some other Christmas deco, and Family Christian had some angels too.) We're gonna have alot of fun and spend some good time together, so I hope you can come. It's a good time to bring a friend too!

p.s. ~ It was me. the pooper who forgot to take supper to crys & jer. :( sooorrrryyy.

We Have A Birthday Girl!

Today is Crys' 26th birthday! We could say she is getting a relaxing day off for her birthday, but I think by now she would disagree. She is homebound until after Christmas because of all those contrary contractions she is having. I think she rested enough today to venture out for a birthday dinner at Ichiban's with her sweetie.

I hope your day was special anyway!

Happy Birthday to YOU!

I love ya!

Engaged!

My baby boy, my baby, is engaged to be married!

Can you believe it?

He took Mandy to the "Nutcracker" in Ft Worth on Saturday, then to Highland Park to look at Christmas lights. They walked through until they found a gazebo Mattie had prepicked and there he got down on one knee and asked the love of his life to be his wife! For a more detailed account see Mandy's blog.

Afterwards he took her for a romantic dinner in a quaint little Italian restaurant in Plano. She quickly found out it wasn't a alone time for them, cause her family, his family, and a host of their friends were waiting in a private room, to celebrate this wonderful moment of their with them. Yes, we drove down their and back on Saturday, arriving home at 4 am, but it was worth it. I wouldn't have missed this moment for the world. It was so sweet and they looked so in love. Looks like early June for a wedding in the Dallas area. Seems like yesterday he was mama's little sweetheart and now he has a sweetie all his own. We are very proud of you Mattie and feel you have made a wonderful choice in your future bride. We love you Mandy.

Here are some pictures of the evening...

The couple and the ring
The RING!
A sweet kiss.
Matt, Mandy & her family.

A Christmas Tag.

Okay here I go!

1. Paper wrapping or gift bags.
I love wrapped presents with fluffy bows, but the time it takes makes me use bags and for my immediate family I have pretty gift boxes that I tie giant, fluffy bows on. I use them year after year. They don't leave my house.

2. Real tree or artificial.
Artificial. We had a real one most of the time when I was a kid.

3. When do you put the tree up?
Normally on December 1st. This year....I hope I get it up before Christmas Eve!

4. When do you take the tree down?
I always leave it up through all the holidays. There has actually been a few years I contemplated how I could decorate it for every holiday!

5. Do you like eggnog?
No. But my entire family loves it. We buy it nonstop between thanksgiving through the new year. this year they found some at haloween!

6. Favorite gift received.
My journey necklace last year from my husband. He really surprised me and told me what each diamond represented. we were all crying!

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
No, and I look at them every year, but have yet to get one. I had a precious moment one when the kids were little.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
My dads

9. Easiest person to buy for?
The girls

10. Worst gift I have received.
Our first Christmas, David bought me a sewing machine. I couldn't even sew. hated it. I just set there staring at it. I expected something romantic. I finally got it 30 years later! I didn't use that machine for like 10 years!

11. Favorite ornament
I have lots of pretty ones, but my most favorites are the ones the kids made when they were little and these 3 ugly little elves that were on our first tree.

12. Favorite Christmas movie
The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant, and The Grinch!

13. When do you start Christmas shopping?
Now that's a mystery.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas gift?
Only when it's a white elephant gift we keep going around.

15. What is your favorite Christmas food?
All the homemade Christmas candies!

16. Clear lights or colored?
Lots and lots of clear, non blinking lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song
O Holy Night

18. Traveling or staying home?
Always in our home for Christmas morning, then we travel to Odessa at some point, could be before or after Christmas Day.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
On Dasher, on Prancer, on Donner, on Blixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on somebody and Dixon and Rudolph. Am I close?

20. Angel or star on the top of the tree?
Had an Angel when the kids were small but now it's a star. I think.

21. When do you open the gifts?
One on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning. When I was at home it was on the eve most of the time. but dad was a fireman so we always had to work around him being at the station. my friend down the street always had one gift on Christmas, then the stockings and santa on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to run down and see all she got. I always wanted to have a Christmas like that. That's what inspired my Christmases for my kids.

22. Most anoying thing about the Christmas season
The busyness of the season. And the hot weather.

23. Does Santa always wrap the gifts?
Santa doesn't wrap. All the wrapped presents are from us and there was always one present, their big one, under the tree from santa, unwrapped. Plus the full stocking is from santa.

24. Did you ever leave cookies for Santa?
I don't remember leaving any ever.

25. What is your favorite Christmas memory?
Putting those awful icicles all over the tree. And one year we got bicycles from Santa. It's really the only time I remember us having anything that was from Santa. And it was on Christmas Eve and we heard the sleigh bells taking off from the top of the house! It was so cool! I don't know how they did that. But it was like miracle on 34th st. Oh year, that's one of my favorite shows too! Then of course watching my kids every year. This one with ellie may top it!

I tag...mandy!

I Must Vent!

I'm just gonna be honest here. I know God's in control of all of our lives and all, and I'm good with that. But that doesn't mean I am always happy with what happens in my life. And right now, my heart hurts.

I don't want all my friends to leave me! There!

Putting on the front is making me tired. I'm honestly not happy. Why is everyone leaving at the same time? Huh? Tell me that. It's like everytime I go to church someone else breaks the news to me! What is going on? I think we're up to 6 couples that have or are moving soon.

Ya'll think since I have ellie now, it would be okay? Well, it's not! okay! It's not!

Man, I thought that would make me feel better...it didn't.

Forgive me for that right there Lord. I just needed to vent.

But honestly, are you people REALLY praying about these decisions? Really? Oh, I know you are. I just don't like the answer.

I'm trying not to be bitter here. And I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but how else will you really know how much I love you and how much I will miss you.

Now don't any of the rest of you get any ideas or I may have to get mean! ha.

;)

Mindful of Me...

Pastor Lennon preached a wonderful message Sunday night. It was titled "Mary on Christmas." One of his main scriptures was Mary's song in Luke 1:46-55. He brought out how sometimes there just seems to be no rhyme or reason to things, but God has a plan in the making. Mary understood this at her young age. She trusted her Father. She states in her song how her God was mindful of her and how He has performed mighty deeds with His arms. He was mindful of the situation He was placing her in but He was also mindful of the eternity that lay ahead of her and all mankind. He knew the bigger picture.

At the altar time pastor asked us to come and spend time thanking God for this gift He has given us, not asking for anything, just thanking Him for who He is and what He has done. That is how I began to pray. Thanking Him for who He is, for what He has done for me, beginning at His leaving the glories of Heaven to come to this earth, to be born into this world, lowly, so He could experience the life we experience and understand fully what this world He created was like. What we experience. Hebrews 4 says he is not a high priest that is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.

Lennon used an illustration of a little boy and his daddy walking through the woods. They came upon a giant ant hill and the little boy kicked his way through it without thinking. He then was instantly so aware of what he had done, how he had destroyed all this hard work the ants had done. He immediatly wanted to know a way to fix it. The dad said he was sorry, he just didn't know how. Only an ant knew how to fix what he had created. That's what Jesus did. He came in order to fix what He created.

While I was praying, when you know the Holy Spirit is touching, I found myself realizing He knew my pain because of the physical pain He endured. He knew my loneliness because of the loneliness He felt in a world where He really didn't belong, although He had a mother & earthly father who loved Him very much. He knew the rejection I feel at times, because of the rejection He suffered, even from His own siblings and people He grew up with. He experienced joy and laughter, tears and heartache. He thirsted and hungered in the physical and the spiritual. He longed to feel His Father's love again. He felt the sorrow of separation when He had to leave His family and those He loved for the ministry. And even more when He had to watch their sorrow at the foot of His cross. He loved friends and left them. He had friends that betrayed Him. He walked a lonely but fulfulled life on this earth so He could walk with us forever in Heaven. He endured the now for the future. At that moment, at that altar, I knew He understood my lonely heart at Jo leaving and Mattie so far away. He understood it and felt it. Such a small thing to some, but He has performed mighty deeds with His arms before, and He did it one more time, that night, when I felt His arms of comfort wrap around me and whisper I understand...

It's A Done Deal...

It's done. This weekend I packed up my 26 year old baby girl and moved her to San Antonio. We pulled out yesterday at 2pm and drove to SA, unloaded at the storage then the apartment, went and ate, then drove back to little sa and got home at 12:30 am this morning. Whew! I know she's been gone since august, but it just wasn't real until they sold the house and moved everything away. Ya know, coming home every weekend does help the situation, but now...

I guess this is just one more of my crossroads and one of many for her. landon said I got her longer than most people get to keep their daughters. although I'm very grateful for that, it may have made it even harder. lot's more years to get past the teenage years and become friends. she's not but 3 hours away and I can get there in a flash, but she's not a few blocks away to call and say, "wanna go to hobby lobby with me" or lunch, or whatever I might get a hankering for.

I miss her again. I miss her right now.

A Good Time and A Great Tree!

Soup was good, company was even better, and the church is decorated! It looks fantastic! Maybe just a few more finishing touches to come, but other than that we spent about 3 or 4 hours and got er done! A big thanks to Maggie, Becky, Esther, Lynn, Rhonda, Mexa, Colleen, Kim, Hannah, Bekah, Dan, Teresa, Randy & Tonya for all your hard work. It was fun!