New Year Blessing

"The Lord bless you and keep you"

"The Lord let His face shine upon you,

and be gracious to you!"

"The Lord look upon you kindly and
Give you peace!"
(numbers 6:24-26)

May your New Year be full of Love, Forgiveness,
The Word, Prayer and Grace!!

Have a Blessed 2009 from The Texas Hills!!

Holiday Cheer

We had a wonderfully, relaxed and low key Christmas this year! We started off by having a gift exchange with the Neal kiddos at McDonald's on Tuesday. Christmas Eve was spent opening a small gift from the boys and heading out to Santa Land in Lindale. Ethan thought it would be boring but quickly learned that a million lights could be really cool. Christmas morning we woke up around 7:30 and opened gifts with mom. dad and my sis. We ate a quick turkey sandwich lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon at the movies. We saw Despereaux and Bedtime Stories.

Just for background, someone in our family has been sick on Christmas for the past 4 years. Usually its my sister ;) We were so blessed to be healthy this year. You really don't understand what a true blessing that is until you have had a few bad ones!!

Hope you enjoy the slideshow!! I know its long but I didn't want to leave any detail out!!

The Texas Hills - Christmas 2008

I hope everyone out there in blogland had a wonderfully blessed Christmas this year. We certainly did!! This year we decided to have a quiet celebration at home with my sister and mom and dad. I have so many pictures to share but haven't downloaded them yet. I promise to all of you Colorado Hill's that I will get to that as soon as possible.

I wanted to share the family pictures that we took on Christmas Day. We were so behind this year because of unforeseen obstacles but plan to send out the family picture and our Christmas card soon!!

I pray that all of you have a fun New Year's Celebration and a blessed and productive 2009!!

"I Celebrate The Day"

I am not a big Christmas Music Fan. I think very few remakes of old songs are very good. I do have my favorite few. However, when we went to the Winter Slam concert, Relient K sang this song off of their Christmas album. I love the lyrics and think it is one of my new favorite Christmas songs!

Just thought I would share....






"I Celebrate The Day"

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life
Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life

We Celebrate Your Birth

We Celebrate Your Birth

Dear Lord, as we celebrate Your birth,
let us remember that You are the true reason for Christmas.
Let every sparkling light remind us how You illuminate our lives,
a shining beacon to guide us in our thoughts and actions each day,
and how You light us from within
in the knowledge of Your love and truth.
Let the Christmas trees, standing straight, tall, unbowed,
remind us of Your uprightness, Your goodness, Your perfection,
and Your refusal to bow to worldly temptations,
no matter how great the challenge or trouble.
Lord, as we feast on Christmas treats,
let us remember that You are the sole provider
of everything worth having, that all good things come from You.
And as we enjoy our gifts, let us never forget
that You are the greatest gift of all--our wonderful Savior,
Counselor, Giver of an eternal life whose wonders we cannot imagine.
So as we delight in Christmas, the happiest and brightest of holidays,
let us remember there would be no Christmas without You, Lord,
and let us our hearts be filled with joy, and love
and thankfulness, this Christmas and all the ones to come.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
By Joanna Fuchs

This One Is For You Stace

I love to study and watch the way the people relate to one another. I am continually fascinated by human relationships. Why are some people attracted to one another while others are repelled. Why does it seem that opposites truly attract??

Such is the case with my best friend Stacey! Although we share exactly the same values and morals as wives, mothers and sisters in Christ, our core personalities seem to be very contrary. She is a perfectionist, taking every care for the details! My motto is "Good enough is good enough". She is extremely complimentary and takes every care to make sure others around her feel loved and special. I, on the other hand, tend to blow into a room and not notice things until they are right in front my face!! Stacey quietly listens and gives great advice, while I am doing ALL of the talking. I tend to be easy going and don't sweat the small stuff while Stacey is all about the particulars. So when she posted this on her blog...I laughed out loud!! This is why I love her so much!!

So in typical form I had to post these pictures of our Gingerbread House experience... You really have to read Stacey's post to truly appreciate what I am trying to say!!

Ethan is a child after Stacey's own heart and had to follow the instructions to the letter...

Isaac is more of a "Free Art" kid.

Our Masterpiece

And the reason for this post..... Yes, Stacey....WE ATE IT!!!

Not so flattering but I had too!!! The house didn't taste too good but we added Hershey Kisses!! Steve is feeding them to me!!

You know I love you Stace... Thanks for being the fun, neurotic, perfectionist and all around wonderful friend that you are! Never, never change!!

All I want for Christmas is "Rubies"

I absolutely hate New Year Resolutions. They really highlight my lack of self discipline. I always have great plans to exercise more, eat better, have consistent daily devotionals, meal plan, save money, be a patient and loving mother, show my husband more respect and love, keep a cleaner home, love others better etc...etc...etc... Although all of those things I truly believe would make me a better woman and I do them for a while after I commit to them, I always fail and tumble head first back into my own selfish and comfortable behaviors!! I hate that about myself. Anyone relate?!?

So when my best friend Stacey posted this link on her blog, I decided to try it. I was going to wait until New Year's and make it my "Resolution" but I decided not to wait and delve head first at that very moment!! Thank God I did! How I have been blessed!! This is a 31 Day Challenge to understand what a Proverbs 31 woman is. I have never heard these passages explained in this way. I have always felt like there was never anyway for me to attain these goals. It was more like an ideal and not actually a real woman. Nancy Leigh DeMoss has such an insight and way of relating these passages to women that not only make you realize that the Proverbs 31, 1 Timothy 2 and a Titus 2 woman is real but very much someone I could be! She shares insight that shows you that it is not the accomplishments of these woman that make them unique and "above rubies" but their heart for and commitment to God. Oh that I may be such a woman!!!
I am on Day 5 of the challenge( I got a little behind because of our "trip" to MO;)and everyday has brought me closer to understand what my purpose is in this crazy life.

So...my challenge... I have ordered the book Biblical Womanhood in the Home and plan to begin reading it the first week of January. But I need to be held accountable. I think my biggest mistake in my "Resolutions" is that I don't have accountablility. I try to do this on my own!! Thus, my failure. I would love to have others reading this book with me, sharing thoughts, insights and revelations! I would even be willing to start a blog just for a weekly discussion. Anyone in? How blessed our homes could be if we committed this year to becoming Godly, Proverbs 31 women! If you don't want to join in the book reading, I at least challenge you to click on the link above and join the 31 Day Challenge. It only takes about 15-20 minutes a day. You can read the transcript or listen to the podcast. I promise it will bring a blessing to you life!

But if you want to join me in reading the book, leave and comment and we can work out the details!! I want to make this "New Year" the best in my life!!

There Is No Place Like Home/My Husband Rocks Friday

I love the cold weather! I love wearing layers, smelling the fireplace, snuggling on the couch with Steve under our favorite flannel blanket! I have always said that I would love to live a little farther North so it would snow!!

So..... when Steve was told at work that he was going to have to make a trip up to Northwest Missouri to pick up some materials for his job at LeTourneau, I was all in to go with him. Not only would we be alone for 2 whole days but we would be driving up to a colder climate and maybe get to experience some "winter weather". Neither Steve or I had ever been to Missouri, so we also that we could check off that state on our list {we really would like to visit all 50 before we die :)}.

We set off last Sunday around 7:30 am for the 9.5 hour drive to St. Joseph, MO. When we left Gladewater the temperature was 76 degrees. I have to explain that I normally am a over-packer. I do not like to be left under prepared for anything. I usually pack lots of extra clothes, socks, unders and always bring a small medicine cabinet "just in case". For some reason, however, this trip did not seem to warrant all of that over thinking. We were just driving up Sunday, picking up the materials Monday morning and would be home Monday night. Besides the weather was unseasonably warm! Very easy and uneventful, right ?!?

I am going to sum this up quickly so that you actually get through this post! Anyway.... like I said, we left TX and the temp was 76. We drove up through Oklahoma and stopped at a gas station in nowhere Kansas. We were happily talking in the truck, not at all paying attention to the temperature gauge on the truck. When we stepped out to pump the gas, we were hit with this bone chilling wind!! I looked back at the truck temp and it said 29 degrees. Most of you may not know b/c I don't think anyone is actually from Kansas ( I know you lived in Kansas, Laura, so technically you aren't FROM there, right?) that there are no trees to block the wind. It hits you full force and without apology. Needless to say we were shocked and unprepared for the climate change. As we got back in the truck and started Northward we noticed the temperature steadily dropping. By the time we actually got to MO it was down in the teens! BRRRRR!! We checked into our hotel and prepared ourselves for a nice warm dinner and relaxing evening! As we were having dinner, the waitress told us in her unenthusiastic tone "It's snowing". To which I replied, " Really, I love snow. We are from Texas and don't get to see it much". To which she replied "Snow sucks!!!". Her bad attitude did not hinder me at all. I quickly jumped out of my seat and ran outside to stand in the snow!! And yes, I was the only idiot who did this. No one else but Steve and me cared!! It was so beautiful. Silently falling and actually sticking to the ground. It hit my face and didn't immediately melt. I was like a kid but Steve began to worry about the driving conditions for the next day. I told me him everything would be fine, not to worry, it's just snow. Famous last words.....

The next morning we woke up early and turned on the weather channel. Of course, all of the news was talking about our area. The temperatures were the coldest in the country. The actually temp was zero but the wind chill was -17 F. {COLD}. I am such a southerner and had no idea of how cold that really was. We quickly packed and loaded up. We just wanted to pick up the materials and get out as quickly as possible. I loved the snow but not the temp and wind that went along with it. We found the steel company fairly easily. It was conveniently located behind the slaughter house and the sewage treatment plant. It smelled AWFUL in negative temperatures, we could only imagine the smell in the summer. The steel was loaded on the trailer and we happily headed out!! We headed out of St. Joseph anxiously ready to head home!! About 10 minutes out of town however the truck and trailer started shaking very badly and before we knew it, we were doing a 180 on the interstate with 4000 pounds of steel on the back of the truck. We finally stopped facing the wrong way on the interstate and very shaken. God was with us because no one was around and we were able to turn around with out much incident. Our trailer however did not fare so well. After some assessment, Steve discovered that the the steel was loaded properly and the axle had come off. So there we were, stranded on the side of the interstate, broken trailer, 10 miles out of any town in subzero temperatures. So we started calling information to locate a tow service and a trailer repair shop. Once again God was with us and provided us with both with little effort. So...3 hours later the tow truck had towed the trailer to a shop and Steve and I set out to have some "breakfast" while the mechanic assessed the damage. We found a little cafe downtown and tried to relax a little. We received a call after our meal that the axle was completely broken and it had to be ordered from Kansas City about 60 miles away. The mechanic was a very nice guy and said it should be ready that evening. After this news, we realized that we would be spending another night in the beautiful city of St. Joseph. We asked about the nearest Wal-Mart to buy some warm clothes. We desperately needed hats, gloves, wool socks and maybe another sweatshirt!! Much to our delight, we found a Target and a Starbucks. After our Grande White Chocolate Mocha's and some browsing time, we decided that this was a blessing b/c Steve and I were able to spend some uninterrupted alone time. No kids, no jobs, just hanging out. We headed back to our hotel, had another great dinner and went upstairs to watch a movie in our room. We got the call around 8:30 pm that the trailer was fixed and was only $500. What a blessing!! Now for Tuesday.....

We had heard the night before while waiting in line at Target that there was a "snow storm" coming. We had no way of really comprehending what that meant. We woke up to about 6" of snow on the ground and snow still steadily falling. We could barely see about 20 yards in front of us. We turned on the news to constant warnings of dangerous roads and school closings. Needless to say we were worried. How in the world would we be able to drive and pull and trailer with 4000 lbs of steel through ice and snow for 600 miles. We called Steve's boss and his suggestion was to pick up the trailer and put it in storage until someone else could pick it up the next week. That sounded good to us but we realized that the trip we had just made was completely useless!! We slowly drove over to the mechanics in an attempt to pick up the trailer and somehow find a storage unit in the driving snow. Once again, God was with us b/c the mechanic told us that he and his buddy were coming down to Dallas next week to pick up a couple of 4-wheelers and if Steve's company would pay for fuel, they would haul the load down for us. It was such a blessing! Of all of the mechanics in this town, this one was willing to work late to fix our trailer, charge us an honest price and also be willing to help us in a dire situation. We agreed to this and decided we really wanted to head home that day. We slowly set out. The snow was amazing. It was beautiful and scary at the same time. We were only able to travel about 45 mph but after about 9 hours we reached Fayettville, AR. We spent another night and after another slow travel day, reached our house about 2:30 on Wednesday!!

WHEW! If you got through this far in the post...you know how we felt when we finally got home!! In spite of unforeseen circumstances, Steve and I enjoyed our time together, the kids were spoiled at my moms and we have fun story to share. We also felt God with us the whole time. Not only b/c he kept us safe but also b/c of the people that he put in our path. God is so good!! Thanks to all of you that prayed us home!! We felt the prayers! My husband rocked through this whole trip. He handled stress well and made a trip that could have been miserable...fun!!

Of course, I took lots of pictures and wanted to share with you.

Piano Concerts and Winter Slam

We have had a busy but fun last few weeks!! The first slide show is of our Christmas tree hunting at Danville Farms. If you have never been... its a lot of fun. A tractor takes you out into the field to pick you tree, you can have hot chocolate and eat peanuts over an open fire pit! In years past, it has not been cold and we have faked pictures with hats and scarfs. I think 3 years ago it was 85 degrees and the boys were sweating but I made them wear hats for pictures. At least this year was around 55 degrees!!

This slide show also has the boys piano recital. Ethan has been taking piano from our favorite piano teacher in the whole world (shout out to the fantabulous Mrs. Charity!!) for 3 years and Isaac has taken for about6 months! They both love it but still need to practice more! Maybe that should be our New Year's Resolution!!

This past Thursday night, we took the boys to the Winter Slam Concert in Shreveport. There were 4 Christian artists; A new hip hop artist, B. Raith, Family Force Five, Relient K and of course TOBY MAC!!! The boys could barely contain themselves. We missed most of B. Raith's performance and got to our seats when FFF started. Now, my parents came with us to this one. I warned them before hand that is was going to be high energy!! They, however, could not in any way be prepared for FFF. They are a defiantely a 80's hair band!! Lots of noise, jumping around, throwing things and most definately lots of hair slinging! My dad was NOT impressed. Relient K was much better. But I think they actually enjoyed Toby Mac. He puts on a great show!! It is definitely a must see!! Poor Isaac though used up most of his energy during the first 2 performances and feel asleep in the middle of Toby Mac. We woke him up at the end when he performed Jesus Freak, his favorite!! Ethan on the other hand got his groove on and sang every word to every song. I think we may have a little hip hop artist in our midst :) All in all it was a very memorable concert and the boys already are asking when we can see Toby Mac again....

My Husband Rocks Friday

This space is not big enough to write all the of ways my husband rocks!! We have been married for 14 1/2 years. We dated for 4 years before that. So that adds up to almost 19 years together. That means we have already been together for more that half of our lives. I am looking forward to at least 4 times as many years in our future!!

God has been speaking so loudly to me in the past few weeks. I have never had this happen and it has been so wonderful. Circumstances in my life have brought me to my knees but have also opened my eyes to the abundant life that God has for me. I want to take nothing for granted; especially my husband!! I read an article in Today's Christian Woman that inspired me to look at my life with Steve differently. It made me realize that for so many years we had missed the point of why we are together. Not to individually meet each others needs but to work together to strengthen our lives together or our marriage. Here is a excerpt from the article....

"The idea I'll always remember from Wangerin's book was his suggestion that there are three entities in a marriage: the husband, the wife, and a new, holy creation—the marriage itself. Wangerin pointed out that as long as the focus is on whether each individuals needs are being met, the marriage will be filled with defensiveness and accusation. But if the focus is on what a couple can do to best serve the marriage, to deepen and widen it and help it flourish, then both partners can work unselfishly to that end."

This article made me realize that Steve and I have been trying to meet each other needs the way WE think they need to be met. That incorporates all of our insecurities, self-ambitions and flaws.

So, back to why My Husband Rocks!! Simply... he loves me unconditionally! I know that now and that makes me feel like an "eight cow wife" (if you don't know what I mean, read this, it really is a compliment!!) I now am getting a glimpse of how beautiful how life can be together!! He is showing me everyday how Christ loves the church!! Thank you Steve!! I love you with all my heart and want everyday to show you how much I need you!! My heart is forever yours!!!

I found this poem and thought I would share... I think it sums it up!!

A Husband...

A husband should be
Loyal and honest

A husband should be
Strong and protective

A husband should be
Loving and romantic

A husband should be
Patient and understanding

A husband should know
When enough is enough

A husband should know
When to fight and when to cry

A husband should know
all your goals and dreams

A husband should know
your strengths and well as your weaknesses

A husband needs to be a true man
A husband needs to love you unconditionally
But most of all...
A husband needs to know your heart is forever his!!!

"Whatever Your Doing" (Something Heavenly)

Have you ever read a verse in the bible that maybe you had read a hundred time before but this one time it really moves you? I have been reading God's word for the majority of my 34 years. Something that I have taken for granted. I know we all hear about men and women all over the world that die just to get a small copy of the book that sits on my shelf gathering dust!! I rarely have to say " Where is my bible" because if I can't find the one that I usually use, there are 4 or 5 more on the shelf to grab. I think I have been asleep or in at least in a daze for most of my life. I come from a multi-generational Christian family. That in it self is such a blessing! To feel secure that most of your extended family knows God and will spend eternity in heaven is very comforting. I think, though, sometimes you become complacent in that role. When you feel secure that those closest to you are not in need of salvation, you tend to forget what living and dying to Christ means. I don't think I have ever had to "sacrifice" for my faith. I don't think I have ever really felt God's love and grace in my life. Until recently...

God is real in my life. There is a peace there that has never been before. I couldn't say that a month ago. Our God is a truly amazing God. He takes you to exactly the places you need to go and will pursue you unto the ends of the earth. God has really spoken to me over the last couple of weeks. He has opened my heart to a brand new kind of love. I think for the first time in my life, I can feel God's presence and definitely His love. I am so thankful that He can bring you to your knees!! He takes what you give Him on the chin and gets right back up and wraps his arms around you. There is no running away from Him. GRACE!! I love that word!! It means so much to me!! I feel so honored to be able to say that I have experienced grace in a profound way!! My God is real to me and I LOVE Him!!! I don't want to take anything for granted now!! My God, my family, my friends, my church!! I love them all!!

I want to share the verse that has struck such a chord with me.. I pray that it blesses you as well!!

Psalm 119:129

"Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant;
longing for your commands.
Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
Redeem me from the oppression of men,
that I may obey your precepts.
Make your face shine upon your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.

Blah...Blah...Blah...

That's how I have been feeling lately..

I know that I haven't shared any insight into our lives lately. My life has been total chaos for the past week or so. Last Wednesday I started feeling really badly and went down hill fast. By Sunday I knew something was wrong and had my dad (yes, he's a vet but has all of the same tests as regular doctors but they are free to me:) ran a few tests and found out that I had an infection. So, I started antibiotics and only started feeling better on Tuesday morning. In the meantime, we had bible studies, small group, Halloween, AWANA and the boys birthday party. Thankfully, I was able to forgo some of the activities for some couch time but there is never much rest for mom!! I also stayed up late watching the election and had to drag myself out of bed Wednesday morning and take the sweet snack to ELO. Needless to say, I came home yesterday after ELO, after missing our weekly lunch date :(, and collapsed on the couch for a long needed nap... God has blessed me with some amazing boys that entertain themselves while I rest. I think all of the new birthday presents that they were able to open and play with helped too.

All this to say, Thursday is looking better. I feel better. Got a good night's rest and have to look forward to a not too busy weekend!!

In typical Laura fashion however...I am nothing if not predictable and dependable... I leave you with a slideshow of the boys birthday party. I know some of you are saying " Why are you having a birthday party for your boys in November when neither of your boys birthdays are actually in November. Well, we totally missed Isaac's birthday in June and Ethan's snuck up on us b/c of mom's surgery and other craziness so we decided to join up with the Akin's and have triple party. So, Andrew, Ethan and Isaac had a party at The ROC at First Baptist. There was pool, Foosball, a bounce house, scooters, a whole gym to run and play ball and thanks to Aimee's super awesome and creative mom, a exploding volcano cake. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of craziness. Both of the boys said it was the best birthday EVER!! So, thanks Aimee for taking up the slack for me while I was down and making this party so fun!!

So without further ado....

Trick or Treating

This year we decided to forgo the traditional "Fall Fest" Halloween and actually get candy the old school way!! Some friends of ours live in a great neighborhood for door to door trick or treating. The filled up their trailer with hay bales, hooked it up to their truck and took the kids door to door. We had a great time! The kids loved it and are already looking forward to next year!!

I wanted to update with a slide of our camping trip with our small group and our field trip to Gator and Friends. Both were a lot of fun!!

My Husband Rocks Friday

I wanted to share with you why I think "My Husband Rocks" this week. He has really felt like God has put on his heart to encourage men at our church. We are now at the age that we are in church leadership training as well as raising families to be strong in the Lord. He has been praying for a while for God to show him where he can serve in this capacity. About 3 years ago, FBC offered a course called Raising Modern Day Knights. This is a training course for fathers with sons between the ages of 6-14. In the study they learn how to raise young men to stand up for their faith and be strong in their commitment to the Lord. They even have a really cool "knighting" ceremony for the boys at the end of the course. This study really encouraged Steve to take a more active role in raising our sons and ever since he has looked for ways to be more involved in the boys "man training". So, while praying for a way to encourage men, he remembered this course and thought that it was an excellent way to encourage other men/fathers while learning together how to be better fathers together.

This past week was their first official meeting. They have a group of eight wonderful men that will journey together on their way to becoming faithful servants as well as strong, courageous fathers. I am so proud of him taking time out of his already busy work and family schedule to do this. I can not think of a better way to serve the Lord while at the same time inspiring other men to further the kingdom.

That is why "My Husband Rocks"!!

Virtues

Virtues are definitely one aspect our lives that have been seriously overlooked as of late. I truly believe we as a society have failed ourselves and our children by forgoing the virtues of our past and replacing them with distraction, selfishness, greed, envy, immorality, etc. . The dictionary defines virtue as:

1.a. Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness.

b. An example or kind of moral excellence: the virtue of patience.

2. Chastity, especially in a woman.

3. A particularly efficacious, good, or beneficial quality; advantage: a plan with the virtue of being practical.

4. Effective force or power: believed in the virtue of prayer.

We have been passed down these virtues that are great and blessed country was built on. Ones such as self-discipline, compassion, responsibility, friendship, work, courage, perseverance, honesty, loyalty and faith.

If we do not hold these attributes in high regard, then who will? I found the poem below while reading "The Book of Virtues For Young People" to my boys and it was a slap in the face to me. I, for the most part, do not practice these virtues on a daily basis. If I have not committed to making my life a virtuous one, then how can I teach them to my children? I am making a commitment to practice one virtuous deed every day. My goal is to make them habit so that my daily life reflects these things and in turn be an example to my children. That is MY responsibility.

The Bridge Builder

Will Allen Dromgoole

An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
The sullen stream had no fears for him;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;

You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide,
Why build you the bridge at the eventide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head:
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,

"There followeth after me today
A youth, whose feet must pass this way."

"This chasm, that has been naught to me,
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."

And The Two Became One...

We have officially joined the ranks of families with a missing hamster. We, like several of you, got two hamsters this summer when my boys completed the reading program at the library. Of course my boys were thrilled and quickly claimed one as their own and named them Harry and Ralph. And yes, they actually were two boys!! Harry had already chewed himself out of the cardboard box that the pet store put him in before we got home. Thankfully we had a plastic hamster ball that we quickly transferred him to.

So, needless to say, Harry has been trying to escape ever since we bought him. There have been at least two occasions where we have to hurriedly grab Harry before he squeezed under an arm when changing food or jumped out of our hand when transferring him to the ball to clean the cage. Oh by the way, he bit too!! Not my favorite one anyway.

Well, last Thursday was "clean out cage" day at our house. We cleaned out the whole thing and replaced BOTH hamsters in the cage safe and sound when we were done. That evening I looked in the cage and did not see Harry! I didn't worry much because they bury themselves under the cedar to sleep. Well, we left for camping early Friday morning for the weekend. When we got home we were too busy unpacking to check on them. Ethan finally looked in the cage Sunday night and said he still could not see Harry. So, Steve had the "man" job of digging around in the cage. Well, after a few minutes of digging, no Harry. We examined the cage carefully and found no way that he could escape but there was no sign of him.

So, now we are just waiting for the aftermath of the lost hamster. Thankfully my boys are handling this very well. But for now, we are going to be happy with just one hamster.

My Husband Rocks!!

I am taking on the challenge of posting every Friday about why my husband rocks!! If you want to join me click here.

Where to begin!! Steve has been my best friend for 18 years!! He is my first and only love on earth. He is brilliant, thoughtful, pensive, hard-working, eccentric, forgetful, loyal,funny and down right nutty when he wants to be. I could not have asked for a more patient and self-sacrificing husband. I know he is 100% committed to me. He is an attentive, playful and prayerful daddy too. He is always tweaking his work schedule in order to rush home to spend time with us. I know he would rather be home than anywhere else! That means more to me than any material thing he could buy me. He is a strong leader that people want to be around. He loves to ponder the universe and use really big words ;)

When it comes to spiritual matters, he is strongly encourages and supports me and the boys. He challenges us to commit to his first love is Jesus Christ. He furthers is commitment and study of the Word by challenging conventional Christianity and sharing his new findings with those around him. He has a passion for music and encouraging men to be better fathers and husbands. He loves his family self-sacrificially because he wants to not because he has to.

Sound to good to be true? Well he almost is!! I love him with all of my heart and am so blessed by him. I can't wait to share every Friday about the wonderful things my hubby does every day!!

get a tee shirt here

No Words

What do you do with a 6 year old with this much attitude?
Suggestions welcome!!!

My Special Table

This seems like such a silly post especially since most of the blogs I read are so inspiring, informational or spiritual.

BUT....

I just have to tell y'all how much I love my dinner table. I know it sounds ridiculous but I do. Its a turn of the century, pine made with a hodge podge of parts for the legs. Steve surprised me with it when I was away in Colorado this summer visiting his family. It was our 14th anniversary while I was away and he shopped all around. We have a friend name Reba that owns an antique shop in downtown Gladewater called The Red Rooster. Steve and Reba had been working together to find the "perfect" farm table for me. I have been wanting one for a long time. And when I got home from my trip it was sitting in our kitchen. Its so special and fun and everyday I look at it LOVE it more and more. Now I am just waiting on pine benches to go with it. Steve is going to make those!! Now I can't wait for my "farm home" to put it in. Whenever that may be (sigh).

That's really all I wanted to share. Silly but true.....

I added the leg pix after Stacey's comment!
Here ya go Stace....

BTW: If you have never been to Red Rooster in Gladewater, you must go. Its off main street next to the Gladewater Opry (yes, Gladewater has an Opry;)