War Eagle!

We'll be cheering for our Auburn Tigers tonight!

 Anna Claire is calling the game....Auburn will be #1!

The "Better Late Than Never" Post

I am still here. Just recovering from a busy few weeks. We had a wonderful Christmas with family and were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate not one, not two, but three times! That may have contributed to making the weeks felt like were never going to end.

We started our holidays with Mike's parents visiting the weekend before Christmas. All I can say is that the Little People by Fisher Price are too cute. She received the fairy tree house. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of her actually playing with it--all of the shots were taken from behind.



We made the decision earlier in the year that we would spend Christmas morning at home, just the three of us. We woke up to snow! For the first time in 17 years, Nashville had snow for Christmas! Despite the disheveled hair, Anna Claire woke up with a smile on her face.

Olivia by Ian Falconer is one of her favorites and I couldn't resist getting her the Olivia doll.

The crayons and coloring books had to be the hit. When she opened up the package she said, "Oh My Goodness."

Mike wanted to make something special for her, so he built her this child's table. There are 4 chairs that go with it. It is a perfect size for her and for her room and will be nice to have for her to sit and color, draw and play with play dough!

We traveled to Ohio to visit my family 2 days after Christmas. Anna Claire came back a cowgirl! Isn't she the cutest thing? She loves the boots and asks to wear them when she goes outside!

It was a wonderful few weeks. For a few days before school started back up I was able to convince my husband to take a break. This is hard for him to do honestly because he just stays busy. He had been working nonstop on this bookshelf for my parents for Christmas. Isn't it gorgeous? I finally convinced him after we returned from Ohio to rest--which he did for a day before he was back at it again!

In pregnancy news....everything is going great. I've had insomnia for several weeks so I am exhausted but hopefully the little pill I got from my doctor will help relieve that :) We went to the doctor yesterday for my 15 week appointment and heard the heartbeat. 165. That's high. Girl? I think so. Mike is convinced that it is. We go back the end of the month to find out for sure!

4 years

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband.

There is no one I would rather spend my days and years with, than you.

I love you!

Snow Day

We got about 1-2 inches of snow here yesterday and overnight. Around these parts, that means a trip to the grocery to get milk and bread because you will be what is considered "snowed in." Now, I'm originally from Ohio. We laugh at 1-2 inches because up north, it is just considered "flurries." But down here, schools were closed today and they just called them off for tomorrow too. It looks like Mike's Christmas vacay might be a bit extended, especially since they are expecting a wintry mix for Wednesday morning. The benefits of being a teacher!

It was bitterly cold outside, so Mike started a fire at 8:00 this morning and it is still burning. I got to busy in the kitchen and made these.

Homemade Peppermint Patties. If you like peppermint, or what something festive and different for your Christmas cookie collection this year, this could possibly be what you have been looking for.

Yes, that is peanut butter in the middle. These are Buckeye Bars from a recipe my mom gave me when I got married.

Between these two desserts and leftover gingerbread pudding cake I made this weekend, we might be eating sweets for dinner tonight.

Friday's Random Thoughts

1. ALL of my Christmas shopping is done. Besides a few itty bitty things for stockings, the gifts are bought, some of them wrapped even. I know, impressive right?

2. Because I've been living in a hole for the past several months; well, it could actually be because I don't live near a Target, I was unaware of all of the things Giada De Laurentiis had in her cooking line at Target. I. Want. Everything.

3. I like the fact that I was able to wrap Anna Claire's presents with her right next to me. She has no idea what they are for, or even that they are for her. Next year will be a different story and I'll have to be holed up in a room at 11:00 at night wrapping gifts. Let's just hope it's not because she didn't find the gifts interesting.

4. Our 4th anniversary is next week and I'm excited. Someone gave us a fabulous gift card so we will be able to indulge!

5. Orange juice...I can't get enough of it. Does that mean it's a boy or a girl?

6. I made these at the recommendation of my sister. They were yummy. They were wonderful. They are all gone. And you would never know they were from a box mix. I promise. There are so many variations you could do, German chocolate cake...Strawberry Cake with vanilla icing...Carrot cake with cream cheese icing...

7. I have totally lost the taste for my morning cup of a coffee. What I have found though is that Maxwell House makes a very good Vanilla Caramel (instant) latte.

8. With the exception of our honeymoon (we were married on the 22nd and were on our honeymoon for a week), this will be only the 2nd time in my entire life I have NOT spent Christmas Eve or Christmas morning with my family. It will be weird, but I am so excited to begin new traditions with our little (growing) family. I have a feeling though that if you popped into any our houses, whether in VA, TN or OH, you would find the same thing. Our favorite appetizers for dinner on Christmas Eve, singing Silent Night at church, new Christmas PJ's, the question..."can't we just open one present tonight?" and of course Monkey bread for breakfast on Christmas morning.

9. Thanks for celebrating with us about our pregnancy! We are absolutely thrilled and are so thankful there are others who are praying and rejoicing with us!

10. Happy Weekend!

The "I've Been Waiting" Post

It's been a while I know, but I am hoping you, my faithful readers, family and friends will forgive me after I tell you why.

Actually, I'll let Anna Claire tell you why....



Anna Claire is going to be a big sister in June! I am almost in my 2nd trimester and other than nausea and sciatic nerve problems (any suggestions on pain relief?) in my back, I'm finally feeling a little more like myself.

Here are just a few more shots from the day. I promise she is excited. In fact when we ask her what she wants to have, a brother or a sister, she always answers brother. I'm leaning more towards girl because my cravings have been the exact same as they were with Anna Claire.

My mornings have been kind of rough and that is when I usually have time to sit and be on the computer, so I'm hoping now I'll be a bit more regular in posting. Thanks for reading!

Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie

Nancy Guthrie, in her new book, challenges us to partake in the Advent season. It is not uncommon for families to look back and reflect on this season and wish they would have focused more on Christ rather than the hustle and bustle of gifts and decorating. In her daily devotional, she invites readers to reflect on simple principles that help lead your heart and mind back to Jesus.


I think this is a great book for families with children ages 6-12. At the end of every daily reading, there are discussion starters that get you talking about the reading and hopefully will lead you and your family into a deeper conversation. I don’t feel that there was anything that stood out that made this book extra special, but if you are looking for a family devotional to use during the holiday season, one that will allow you to sit down as a family for a few minutes each night; to sit and rest and reflect on what the verses we read, the stories we tell and the hymns we sing during this time of year really mean, then this is a good choice. It would also make a good gift book.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.