Oh, No!

Today, someone pointed out to me,

that the Tooth Fairy teaches little kids

to sell their body parts for money!

(Good grief, there's yet another reason

for me to feel guilty about raising my kids.
Thank you very much, Lynn Plummer.) {wink font}

Happy Birthday, IanBaDeun

It wasn't hard to lose our heart to you.

Chubby legs, perpetual smile & giggles.

I was a teacher during your first three years,

and your mommy would send me a daily photo of you.

I always looked forward to them.

You're the red leaf on the left front row. Ironic, this photo,

as Noah has his Christmas program tonight.

We have many photos of you with your dad.

Walking together, helping as he built the house you

live in and laugh in and play in the secret top room!

He loves you very much.

Your mommy always wanted a big brother, so when

we found out you were coming, she was thrilled.

And she still is. You two are a lot alike.

Guess what?! You were going to be

a big brother!!

Noah came along and you became a great helper.

Here's a Christmas photo of the four of you.

You are laughing at your uncle Nelson.

The two of you love each other so much

and have such fun together.

And Puppy. This is a much loved little dog!

Noah looks up to you. He wants to be like you.

You will have to always be careful to set a good,

Christian example. He loves to have you read to him.

Then, you got a baby sister! Elle. Miss Elle.

You couldn't keep your hands off her and she, like Noah,

just adores you. She loves crawling over you and

bringing you a book to read to her.

You are an awesome young man, Ian, and Pa and Nan love

you deeply. You are not only sweet and kind, but you are smart

and very talented. Always listen to your heart, follow our Lord,

and reach for the stars. There's nothing you cannot do,

cannot be, or cannot accomplish.

Happy Birthday, sweet Ian!!

Estate Sale on Sale!

Ballard's is having a SALE on their Estate Sale items! Are there things there I want to buy?! Shoot, yeah! Are there items I am going to buy?! Nope, nope,nope. We are planning for two great vacations with our daughters and their families, along with planning for John's vacation. We have two years to get it lined up to make more of our dreams come true, so those of you that know me and my 'spending habit' as The Hood calls it, well, it's being reined in. By me! Don't drop dead, Deborah. Kay give her some oxygen. Forget about my retirement plans with my sweetheart and go over to Ballards. If you buy something, please come back and leave a comment telling me what you got!!

I love the memories this antique card brings to mind.

"Love the Lord  your God" brings comfort and hope;

the season is upon us, what a delightful and joyous time.

Remember those that need a hand, a hug, a meal and

for those of you stopping by, I shall pray that your

season is filled with love for others and for our Lord.

What a simply beautiful time of the year~

Fun Times of the Weekend!

I forgot to post this! Here are a few photos
from Noah's 4th birthday party. He chose to have
the guests bring canned goods for the needy
and you'll see his cute happy face at the end.

His sister, Elle, is such a doll and had such fun
with the attention from everyone!

It was cold and WiNDy but Poppa had the train going and I
am pretty sure he made half a dozen runs with it. The kids
love it, and there were other 'carnival' games to play as well.
The theme was carnival and Jenny pulled it off beautifully.

Miss Elle tries so hard to be a big girl and here's Pa

trying to help her ride that bike, that's not meant for her.

How cute is this?! The Photo Booth!

There was also a Ring Toss, BeanBag Throw,

and lots of refreshments carnival style!

And here's the birthday boy, Noah, happy with his day,

happy with the items brought, and loved mightly by all of us.

We had a grand time, Noah, happy birthday! Again!

And Then We Drove to Mississippi!

This was Alaina's first year to be a participant of the congregation's Christmas Children's Program, and she had stage fright. Last year, she pretty well led the thing from our pew. This year she was a much quieter and kept looking at her mother. She twisted that cape until it was catty-wonker. But we were so proud of them! Austin had a reading part and did beautifully. {I took a photo, but it was blurry} Later we went out to eat to celebrate the December birthdays of Alaina and Stacey the Mexican way!

That hat was actually much heavier than it looks!

We love our time with these Mississippi sweethearts,

and have planned vacations with all three of our girls

for this upcoming year! We are all so excited!

We had brought this ballerina outfit, complete with jewelry, for

the smallest birthday girl. She's our Princess Alaina. And she knows it.

Happy Birthday, Princess and Stacey!

We'll see you again soon!

Wishes & Wants for Christmas!

The following items would easily be on my Wish List and you may find something here to put on yours! You can find them locally or order online. In fact, there are a quite a few items that are offering more of a discount if you order online than shop their store. Strange, looks like they'd want you in the store, purchase something extra on the way to the register, and help that business stay in busy. Hm, maybe not. I did NOT major in economics. Poor Hood, he sure wishes I had {wink font}. So here we go, in no sort of order or reason ~

LOFT ~ I have this pearl/gem cluster bracelet and love it! {Caution however, NOT to use around your laptop!} This is a stylish blend of clustered pearl beads and sparkling stones! And it is gorgeous. It has a strong magnetic bar closure and is 1/2" width.  YOU CAN GET IT AT 40% OFF PLUS FREE SHIPPING ON YOUR ENTIRE ORDER. USE CODE HOLIDAY AT CHECKOUT.

Target {or as we call it, Tarje'}:  I found this tonight online while looking for the two pendants I have purchased recently at our local Target. I didn't find them, but I did find this! and it is only available online. It's a great deal at $19.99 Pendant Ribbon Necklace - Lavender  Do NOT make the mistake of thinking you have to be in a higher class of store to find beautiful and eye-catching jewelry. Make it a point to look next time you visit Tarje'!

Anthropologie ~ I would spend mega bucks here if I had the chance, but at the last moment I always close the window on my laptop or decide NOT to drive an hour and half away to our nearest store. I know, I just know I'd buy something. Anything. I like it all. I especially like this sweater. It's called Winter Beauty Pullover and doesn't the color just remind you of winter?! And I love the girly girl details. LoVE iT!!

Lillian Vernon:  Don't underestimate the cute items you can find here for little cash. Three of our grandbabies are getting personalized items from her online catalog and they're too cute! (and useful, which mom likes).  Looking quickly through the holiday items offered, I found these! Too cute! There are more detail than I've seen on pillows I've seen in other stores. Go see what you think of Jingle Bells.

Anthropologie   I love this Cirrus Duvet Cover!! First seeing it on the site of a blogger I follow it has fascinated me ever since! I believe it came in white and another color, but I love the creaminess of ivory.

Same Seller, Same Website you can find this adorable Brandenburg Spreader! We have at least six, most gathered when one of our daughters sold for a homeware company. The others we've bought during various seasons and I love pulling them out just for our enjoyment to butter biscuits and even spread peanut butter. Why not give yourself a bit of beauty each moment you can. It's allowed. And look how cheap this is!

Belks! I love this eyelash ruffle top and I have it in a warm coffee color. Now it's on sale for only $18! (Isn't that always the luck?!)  It also comes in white. Layered under a jeans jacket with dressy black slacks with some serious earrings, wow, you'd turn heads, that's for sure. I don't know if I turn any heads other than the man I adore, but that's who I dress for. And if I turn his head, I know it's a good thing.

Coldcreek ~ This ruffled front silk shirt comes in three colors and I'm almost thinking I'd like the pomegranat color due to the comments I get from girlfriends when I wear that color. There's something about this color that makes me feel dressed up, even when I'm not. Some blue jeans, black patented flats and a slinky small purse. A small diamond, or diamond looking, necklace at the hollow of your throat and you're good to go.

Target, Again! ~ I purchased this set simply because it was so ultra soft when I slipped my hand into the packing while standing in the aisle. It's called their Kissing Pleat Comforter Set.  You'll get comforter, two shams, and bedskirt - then go over to their pillows to round out the look, and oh stop to pick up some 600 count matching sheets. Girl, your husband will love you and you'll love yourself for 1) spending so little money on a great set, and 2) you're falling asleep thinking you're in an expensive hotel. And you're not! This comes also in ivory, white, and a soft aqua/blue. Or they did. Last time they looked, they were getting low. I'm thinking seriously of getting this in white or the one from Anthropologie to go upstairs in a guest room.

I hope this has been fun and given you some ideas. You may be through with your shopping, but we celebrate our family Christmas in January (click here to find out why and to save me breath) and I still have a whole month! Be safe, be happy, help someone, and relish the season. Ask Him to open your eyes to those you blissfully pass by, not meaning to ignore. This isn't an easy time of the year for some people. God bless each and every one of you.

Just Makes You Smile!

You can't help it! Loved how the 'senior citizens' joined right in! I'd love to see this!

One Dress, Two Sweethearts

See this adorable blonde in this dress, a gift from her Pa?

Our sweet Alaina, and I'm guessing around three?

Stacey would have to correct me but I think that's

about correct. Now look who has it now.

Sweet baby Elle is wearing it!

And she looks just as adorable,

right down to the blonde hair.

Statues & Candles!

 I love the way statues were used on the tables in these vignettes! {Please forgive me, for I cannot remember which blog I saw them on! I normally try to make sure I add the site name under the photos but neglected to do so this time :(  and I'm also so careful to do this. So if these are yours, please leave me the link and I'll be glad to update this post! I like giving credit where credit is due!}

I don't have any statues this large, but I'm going to be looking after Christmas for some to use next year. I love the way they give a classic look to the scene, as well as the ivory color mixed with shades of white.

UPDATE: Cottage Hill, it's Cottage Hill! It was frustrating me, so I went lookin' {smiley font}

My favorite in this photo are the jewelry on the candles!!! I found this look at The Stories of A to Z and love what she did with the candles! I don't think it would hurt the jewelry ends and look how it adds to the candles.  Shoot, hit the Target, Claire stores and find some costume with the blingbling look! I intend to.