A Saviour Is Born!!!

What a week of excitement this has been! Broken arms, asthma, laryngitis, and my poor, poor husband getting kidney stones just 2 nights before Christmas! We are just a mess around here! But you can't postpone Christmas so we had the lowest key celebration we have had ever. Poor dad was so doped on pain meds (and STILL in pain and nauseous) that he made a brief appearance for the opening of gifts then went to lay down again...what a man! :) But even with all that craziness we can feel grateful for many reasons. One is that in our struggling economy we have the security of the military and the many benefits...thank you Lord. Second, we have friends and family that are second to none (MANY thanks to ALL of you). And last but not least we have the hope that these bodies are nor eternal bodies and will not house our souls forever...one day we will peel them off and be free from pain and strife. This Christmas I am thinking of HOPE as our theme...as I am sure many Americans are as well. Thank you Father for all you many gifts and most of all for your son Jesus Christ.

Our picture parade:

Thank you Grandpa Thomas and Grandma Ann for Gold tickets to Wild Adventures for the second year in a row. We are all so thrilled we can't put it into words...but these smiles do the talking for us! Look at these girls and their happy faces! What a generous gift!

Kaela holding her Santa gift while I was still snoozing. Look at the barely controlled glee...whee!

Emma holding her Santa gift.

Santa brings Emma a Spyro the dragon game for the Wii.

And Kaela gets yet another Pokemon game for her DS player...hey, as long as I don't have to hear about it all the live long day.

Kaela bought her sister a stuffed and oh so yummy (oops, I mean soft) pig.

Kaela got a pair of Chip and Dale pants from my Aunt Debbie. She is so thoughtful to continue to think of us every year. Thanks Aunt Deb! You're the best! ;)

Here Emma is snugging her new cow from mom and dad.

We decided to get Kaela an artist's pad so all of her artwork could be in one place. She certainly looks the part of a bohemian artist with that bandanna on her head.

Here is Emma with her gift from Aunt Debbie. How fitting for her to wear Eeyore! If only the flip side had Tigger it would be a perfect representation of Emma's dynamic personality!

What in tarnation is THIS?!

Mom did you wrap me up a stick?

Emma's unwrapped "stick" for her room from Michael's Memaw.

A beautiful paint by number sent by Michael's Memaw.

Awww...Eeyore

Kaela, recapping the day with her grandparents, wearing her new earrings. BTW, even though the pictures aren't in this blog entry we are so appreciative of Grandma and Grandpa Ritchey's Christmas gift this year! They gave us the gift of time spent together in Chattanooga by paying our way and putting us up in a hotel with them . That's something that will never spoil and can never be thrown away. Thanks for your thoughtfulness and generosity...some things never change. ;)

Thanks also to my brother Bryan and my sister Dee! You guys are the best! We are going to post the picture of our new piano in February for all to see so stay tuned! We loved your Christmas card...such a cute couple ya 're!

Merry Christmas to All!!!!

Beautiful Day to Give Thanks

This Thanksgiving we had the pleasure of having Michael's family come to town from Alabama (his mother-in-law's sister, Sarah lives in Valdosta). Well, Sarah has a gorgeous home out by Valdosta's amusement park, Wild Adventures, on a lovely plot of land that includes a sparkling pond and plenty of fishes to keep the kids occupied. We had a wonderful time chatting with family and just kicking back and enjoying all the wonderful FOOD! Sarah is a wonderful cook and her dad even made a great pecan pie...terrific folks! It was great to hang out and give thanks to the Lord for all he gives with these wonderful folks! We all had a terrific time! :)

Talking sports and more sports no doubt...is there anything else in testosterone land? Oh, yes... meat.

Cranberry Sauce Dessert

Here is another crowd pleasing recipe that is a holiday staple around here. Beware though, you may find yourself needing to call Jenny Craig in the new year if it makes you greedy (me). Christine, this one's for you! :)

Christmas Yams

When this time of the year rolls around I think of many good recipes, but one of my all time fave's is my mom's recipe for yams. Mmmmmmm! If anyone needs a great recipe for a holiday gathering this is IT! Thanks Mom for the great recipe, and Tony, this one is for you! :)

Mmmmmm, Sugar Cookies

Best sugar cookie recipe in the world. This one comes from a long time family friend. Love ya, Bev! :)

Emma loves her reindeer cookie cutter...here she is in action.

Ooops, she decapitated Rudolph! Guess he won't be guiding that sleigh this year! Poor Rudolph.

Yummy! Thanks for the best sugar cookie recipe in the world, Mom! :)

What Month is It?

Yes, we know...it's November. And yet we have put up our (gasp) Christmas tree. To be honest, too much of being conventional is a bit (yawn) b-o-r-i-n-g. Four weeks is much too short to celebrate the greatest season of the year (and, of course, the greatest person ever), so we lengthen it to suit our home. Look how sparkly! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...pass the hot cocoa. :)

Time for Corn Casserole

The leaves are turning golden and falling to the ground, the evenings are getting crisp, and it's time for Corn Casserole! My mom is a fantastic cook and put this delicious recipe together; I scrapbooked the recipe into a scrapbook and here it is. It is a real crowd pleaser if you are cooking for a group over the holidays. Enjoy!