Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday, Jesus

 ¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.
 ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 1-14

Advent of Activities

I love Christmas.  It is a time to celebrate Jesus' birthday first and foremost.   I also love spending the month focusing on my boys and spending time as a family.

We have planned an entire countdown calendar of events for this month of Advent (in no special order!)

1 - Making gingerbread houses with our friends in Atlanta.
2 -Skating
3 - Christmas Lights in Canton 
4 - Seeing Peter and the Wolf performed by Czech Puppetry Guild
5 - Our church's Christmas program, "The Gift"
6 - Baking Christmas cookies with my sister's family on Christmas Eve
7 - Christmas caroling
8 - Reading our Advent book, Jotham's Journey, every night before bed
9 - Drinking lots of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace
10 - Having a camp out with s'mores and hot dogs in front of the Christmas tree
11 - Adopting a child from the Angel Tree
12 - Volunteering with Salvation Army Angel Tree
13 - Volunteering with the Christmas Village Cafe du Monde
14 - Watching "Elf"
15 - Buy/make the boys an ornament
16 - Invite college kids over for a Christmas pancake supper
17 - Reading all our old Christmas books from when the boys were little
18 - Buy hot chocolate/coffee for one of the Salvation Army bell ringers
19 - Leave a present in the mailbox for our letter carrier
20 - Give out candy canes with "Christmas notes" taped to them to anyone we see at drive-thru windows.
21 - Deliver special treats to my husband and all his staff at work
23 - Play lots of Christmas music



Christmas Eve - Take special treat to fire fighters down the street because it is no fun to be away from your family on Christmas Eve!
Christmas Day - Go to Christmas services and invite someone over to eat lunch with us who doesn't have family in town.

Ready to Hit Pause

I should so be in bed asleep.   Sundays are such long days for me.   However, I am sitting here trying to finish all of the boys' school work.    I really want to go into next week without any schoolwork looming over my head.    I want one full week completely school free.   

I am so thankful that I get to homeschool my boys.   I love the time we get to spend together.   I love the flexibility it allows us.   I love that the boys can fly through an entire chapter in one day if they aren't having any problems or spend three days on one lesson if they are struggling.   

However, it is so much work to plan lessons for two different grades for twelve different subjects every day.    My brain is tired.    I'll admit it.    Biology and Latin are killing me!    All this kingdom and phylum and classification.....  oh my!     I took Latin a LONG time ago in high school.     Every time we do a lesson I remember just how long ago that was.     Why didn't I pay more attention the first time?  

It will be nice to have a Thanksgiving break.   I am looking forward to having two days to just bake and play games with the boys before we leave.     I would love for it to get really cold so we could build a fire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows and play games of Uno.   

I guess I should get back at it.    Just a few more Latin lessons and I can finish grading and get the boys' backpacks filled with schoolwork for after Thanksgiving break.    

After that I am ready to hit pause on all things school!

Trying to Get A Christmas Card Photo

The boys have reached the age where they are not fans of taking photos.     When I told them I really needed to get photos for our Christmas cards the looks on their faces were priceless.     After about five pictures they said, "Are we done yet?"   

The cards are done and at the printers.   I am hoping they will get back before we have to leave for Thanksgiving so I can get them addressed and all ready to send out.    Just one more thing checked off my "to do" list.

Just A Little To Do

Deliver canned goods to local food pantry.
Get Big Guy a new pair of tennis shoes.
Cook food for husband's Thanksgiving office dinner.
Cook food for Gatlinburg.
Wash clothes.
Pack clothes.
Pack games and entertainment for trip.
Finish school assignments before Thanksgiving break.
Grade school assignments.
Refill and Pick Rx from Pharmacy.
Attend a wedding.
Choir rehearsal.
Set hold for mail with the post office.
Church Thanksgiving dinner.
Get car into the shop for tune up.
Find someone to take care of cat and fish while we are gone.
Attend last co-op classes.
Purchase tickets online for events we are attending in Gatlinburg.
Return library books.
Finish Christmas cards.
Get the house clean!!



And my husband wonders why I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off these days???

We Give Thanks

The social networks have been filled with people listing reasons they are thankful this month.   It is sweet to read the things that everyone is thankful for on their statuses.    However, in reality God desires for us to live a life of thanksgiving and gratitude every day.

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.    Hebrews 13:15

It is one of my greatest desires and challenges as a Mom.    The only way to teach my boys the attitude of gratitude is to live it myself.     When I see them being less than grateful for something I stop and wonder, "Are they getting that attitude from me?"     It keeps me on my knees.

Each night as we gather as a family for our family prayer time we have made it a goal to focus on the things God has blessed us with.     We have been writing those things on strips of paper and putting them in our thankful jar.    This is what our jar kind of looked like.... before I accidentally broke it.    I was cleaning and knocked it on the floor.   Cleaning -- it just leads to no good!   *smile*  

I borrowed this picture so you could see what I mean.   Our thankful jar was much like this one.

Anyway, with the strips we have been collecting we will make a garland for the boys' Christmas trees.    I love the thought of them being able to look at their tree and see a list of answered prayers and blessings that the Lord has given us this year.    

I hope that this will help all of us remember the real reason for the season and continually cultivate an attitude of gratitude.    God has blessed us so abundantly and is faithful to us every day.     I never want to fail to thank  Him for those blessings!

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.    Colossians 3:17

Big Football Weekend

Last weekend was a big weekend for football.    The 4H organization gave us tickets to the MSU football game and, of course, LSU and Alabama was playing.     Hubs and Little Guy decided that they would go up to Starkville for the Bulldog's game.    Big Guy and I stayed home for the Alabama game.

Hubs sent me the above picture.    I just love it.   My beautiful niece and my adorable son hanging out and tailgating.    How much do I love these two?    My niece is in the colorguard with the MSU band.   She has really enjoyed being a part of the band.   

A MadCAAP Trick or Treat

Although I am not a big fan of Halloween, this year when one of my adopted "kids" said, "Why don't we go trick or treating and collect canned goods for needy people?"    What an amazing idea!    

I told a group of high school students to just meet at my house and we would canvas as many houses as we could in the trick-or-treat hours.   The group you see in the picture above started in our neighborhood.    I drove my van around as they divided up into little groups and went from house to house.      As they gathered cans they would put them into the back of the van.     I loved seeing their faces as they came back from collecting cans.

We started at 6:00 and finished about 8:30.     That seems like a lot of time, but it really isn't when you are walking from house to house knocking on doors and waiting on people to find canned goods for you.    It did not seem like we were able to go a lot of houses; however, we were really excited about the number of cans we were able to collect.   One sweet man didn't have any canned goods but gave us a monetary donation.   So sweet!

We are donating our canned goods to MadCAAP.   MadCAAP is the Madison Countians Allied Against Poverty.    Last year they prepared 750 Thanksgiving meal boxes for needy families in Madison County (where we live).    This year they are planning for at least that many again.    The deadline to have these boxes completed is November 14.    Their needs list to finish these boxes consist of:

• cans of corn
• boxes of instant potatoes
• cans of sweet potatoes
• boxes of stuffing mix
• donations to cover the cost of turkey and rolls

Here is the link to MadCAAP    If you live in Madison County, you can make a PayPal donation through their link while you are there.

If you don't live in Madison County, I am sure that there is an organization very much like MadCAAP in your community who is preparing for Thanksgiving and could use your generous donations right now too.

For Now A Two Pet Family

So I have one of my readers send me a message and threaten me about not updating my blog enough lately.     Yes, I have been kind of a slacker.    It has been kind of crazy around here and my blog is not the only thing that has gotten neglected.    

The boys and I started the school year early thinking that if we had any interruptions then we would already have a buffer built in and wouldn't get behind.   Somehow that only works in theory.    It doesn't matter how well you plan, if your schedule gets interrupted then no matter far ahead you are you manage to fall behind.     This doesn't seem to stress us out as much as it did in year 1, but it does still stress us out a little.     Big Guy has a much heavier academic schedule since he has started high school.   One of his greatest lessons so far doesn't seem to be academic as much as it seems to be time management.    

As hard as we work during the week, we try to enjoy the weekends.    Hubs and Little Guy are still enjoying lots of bicycling.      Big Guy is


Being a part of 4H is wonderful because they give us a lot of advantages.   One of those advantages is getting tickets to big events.    They sent us tickets to the MS State Fair.    I am not a fan of the fair.    It just creeps me out on so many levels.    Our local news station did a story on the safety of the rides.     When they were showing the story, I nearly gagged.   I told my husband, "Forget how safe they are.   Look how completely NASTY those things are!    I would have to Clorox that before I could touch it."      Add to that the smell of all those foods and animals.    It is a nightmare to me.    So all that to say that I did NOT go, but hubs was sweet and took the boys.    They enjoy it much better when I am not there say, "Please don't touch that."

Here are a few pictures that he sent me....

The last picture you see is of the boys throwing ping pong balls into fish bowls.    Yes, the boys won a goldfish.    They named him Tommy.    He is now happily swimming his life away.     The last time the boys got a fish I thought it wouldn't last but a few weeks, but we had that fish for four years.    So who knows how long we will have Tommy.    But for now, we are a two pet family.    A cat and a fish.... what a combo!

Attracted to Fire

Special Agent Meghan Connors’ dream of one day protecting the president of the United States is about to come true. Only one assignment stands in her way. After the vice president’s rebellious daughter is threatened, Meghan is assigned to her protective detail on a secluded ranch in West Texas. Unfortunately, working with Special Agent in Charge Ash Zinders may be as tough as controlling her charge. Ash has a reputation for being critical and exacting, and he’s also after the same promotion as Meghan. But when the threats escalate and security on the ranch is breached, it becomes clear this isn’t the work of a single suspect—it’s part of a sophisticated plan that reaches deeper and higher than anyone imagined. And only Ash and Meghan can put the pieces together before it’s too late.

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Book Review

I LOVE this type of book.  I highly encourage you to read the first chapter here.     When I am reading a book and am constantly telling my husband, "Oh! You are going to love this one." he comes to check the author.    When he saw that this was written by DiAnn Mills he said, "Hurry!   I loved her last two (Breach of Trust and Sworn to Protect)."  

Attracted to Fire centers around two special agents who are assigned to protect the vice president's daughter.   She has been sent to Texas because of a threat against her life from a drug lord.     The vp's daughter has been entangled in drugs and is suffering from withdrawals.     As if this assignment isn't difficult enough.   Special Agent Meghan Connor's partner seems to have a big issue with working with a female.    His persistence in not wanting a female partner only makes Meghan dig her heels in and want to prove that female special agents can do the job just as good as males.    This provides a great undercurrent of tension.

Ultimately the goal of this assignment is to find out who the stalker is and eliminate the threat to the vice president's daughter.    However, Meghan will find that threat is closer than she ever thought.

This book is a page turner.    Starting it at bedtime was such a mistake because I couldn't put it down until I finished it and wound up having to drink a LOT of coffee the next morning to be able to stay awake to teach.    Who am I kidding?   I would do it again.


I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review.   Receiving the book did not obligate me to publish a positive review, but only my open and honest review.

A Whole New World

What's a Southern girl raised on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gallons of sweet tea to do when she is told that she has developed a condition called candida albicans.     Yes, it is as weird as it sounds.     Basically my body has once again decided to revolt and my fibromyalgia has caused a yeast overgrowth in my body.     Like fibromyalgia, candida albicans can cause fatigue, headaches, and digestive problems.    However, unlike fibromyalgia, candida albicans can cause death.   

So, I have been been on the candida diet now for a little while.     I can sum up the candida diet pretty easily for you.     If it tastes good... don't eat it.   

What is off my food list....

No yeast. 

No wheat. 

No sugar. 

No vinegar or pickled items.   (This includes condiments.)

What I can eat...

Meat (as long as it is not processed)


Lots of Vegetables

Gluten free grains and pastas

Lots of water and green tea

Nuts (but NO peanuts or pistachios)

Low-glycemic fruit – grapefruit, green apples, avocados, tomatoes, grapes, pears, lemons, limes, strawberries, blueberries   (only a couple of times a week)

The first couple of days of this diet I cried... a lot.    I just wasn't sure I was going to manage this diet.   Discipline is NOT my strong suit.    Plus it is hard to feel positive when you are so hungry.     Fortunately, I asked a couple of people to pray for me that I would stick with it.

My sweet boys and husband have been amazing.   

And I guess I have decided to share this complete CRAZINESS with you so you can pray too.  

Welcome to my whole new world!

Have You Discovered Pinterest?

I am addicted.   I can't stop pinning.   I find an awesome wreath.   Pin it.   

I find an art project that would work great in our homeschool curriculum.    Pin it.

Ideas to decorate my house for fall?   Pin it.

It works just like a bulletin board.    I am telling you that if this were a real bulletin board, it would be complete chaos.   However, it is all so neatly organized and just speaks to my OCD tendencies!

I found all these great things to pin...

















And SO MUCH MORE!    

Are you hooked yet?   If you have logged on and started pinning then you are hooked.  

If not, join me today!