Look what my husband surprised me with!!!

Well...not that most of you know, but Christmas Eve/Christmas Day is my unofficial anniversary. 14 years ago Gaylon proposed to me just before midnight on Christmas Eve.
Those of you who were at the Christmas brunch this year know that he gave me a new white gold setting. (I haven't worn gold in a long time, except for my rings and had been talking about it for several years now) He told me Christmas Eve this year that he would have the anniversary band for me by our anniversary in September. Well....today I went to get my new ring (the jewelry had to put my diamond in it) and when i opened the box, I almost cried! I was soooo surprised and excited, i thought that the jewelry had made the anniversary band for me to see because i had asked if i could put it in layaway and pay on it until our anniversary and he said it was for me to take today. My only regret is that Gaylon was not there to witness it and for me to hug and kiss! :) They are exactly what I have wanted...simple, beautiful and sparkley!!!

Gina....when you got your ring and texted me about it and Gaylon told me to tell you that Greg was making it harder on the men....that sly little devil knew the entire time that I would be getting one also ;) looks like we DO have *very* similar husbands....great minds think a like and we are so blessed!

Here are some more pics of our time together in Kentucky. As Tiny Tim says, "God bless us every one!"

Clinton Christmas 2008

I was excited to return to my second home yesterday to celebrate Christmas with the Peery Family. Jerry and Valarie's home will always represent a special place for me. I proposed to Gina at their original home place 27 years ago as I mentioned to those in attendance last night. Once again we gathered for a fantastic meal, admired the menu designed by Shannon, and sang Christmas carols with the kids. We celebrated Christ through each family member's storie of how they were impacted by HIM this past year. I love all of you and I challenge the men in the family to be more active on the blog for 2009. Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!

Three Wise Men and a Baby

Last night was our Christmas Play/Musical at Church. Seems as if my son could have a career in acting if he so chose :) He played "Jamestonia", a wise man from the east that was a spin off of James Brown and he was hilarious! Knew his lines (along with everyone else's), was funny and sang beautifully. Then at the last minute, (literally! the director called me Monday and asked) Madelyne was asked to sing a solo as a finale instead of the one we had been praticing. She sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" and it was amazing! (I am hoping she will sing it for you all Christmas Eve) I was so proud of them both...so when you see them, ask them about their amature careers in music and acting :)
It was a wonderful musical and best of all...one young mother came to know Jesus as her personal savior and friend!!! It was a wonderful night :) Lots of people there I had never seen before. You know grandkids can draw family like no other.
Here are two pictures taken last night...you will recognize Madelyne easily. Jonathan is the wise man with the gold and purple on the left. (the other spin off's were Elvis and Garth Brooks...it was too cute)
Merry Christmas!

Brittany and Grant's Graduation

We were able to go to Brittany and Grant's graduation from Ouachita Baptist University! It was a wonderful day and here are some pictures of the day!

Snow day in Springhill

We got enough ice last night to call off school.
So.....Granddaddy got out the four wheeler and took the kids for a sled ride. :)
It was a lot of fun...wish you could hear them. (but i took it with my point and shoot camera)
They had several crash and burns but it was a LOT of fun! Now they are getting ready for hot chocolate~~~YUM!
It is finally beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! ~yeah

Post your Christmas Decorations

Post your Christmas Decorations so we can all see.

This is our Christmas Tree. You see it in the front room corner as you come in the door.

Also, we decorated the fireplace with 6 stockings. Greg, Gina, Brittany, Grant, Parker & Gizmo. Yes, Gizmo has his own stocking until someone else joins our family. HA!

As you can tell, Gizmo is dressed for the holidays!

Snowing in Tn!

Yes, it is snowing in Tn. YeY!!!! Don't know how much we will get but happy to see it. Thought I would share.

NY Trip Pictures

Here are a few pictures that I took from my NY trip. Of course, I can't post them all. Enjoy seeing everyone.

Greetings from New York

Greetings from New York! Your Blog is beautiful! This is my first time blogging! Thanks for the invite. Life is rather hectic on Long Island... To much to say in one breath! I couldn't sleep, so I got my "Blogging Stuff" together. I will write again soon! We have two weeks off for Christmas, so I will send pictures and write some more. Miss you all soooooooooo much!!

Huggs & Kisses to all,
Karen

YUM, YUM, YUM

Here is just a little sample of what Gina and I cooked up this week for the area Arts Council Fair. There were about 30 vendors there and I was able to get a lot of business cards out, sell some of my food, and (sorry Gina) give a sample or two out (it did make the sale 85% of the time) and sold more hot chocolate than even I thought would sell. I was told by our cousins, Willis and Linda Ward~who have some beautiful wood work (especially their nativity scene), that they overheard many people talking about my products. Now, you have to take into consideration that I was the ONLY food vendor there ;) haha!

I also took some orders for Christmas...so it was very productive all in all. But most of all, once again it was confirmation that God is taking care of my little business.

Thanks to Gina for all her help! It was so fun visiting with her and cooking together. Hope we can do it again sometime.

Merry Christmas!

kris

Cooking, Cooking, Cooking, etc

Yes, that is what Kristi and I have been doing for the last 2 days.
I went to Ky on Wednesday afternoon. That night we started getting ideas and ingredients together. Then Thursday morning to 11:30pm we cooked and packaged our goodies.
As Uncle Jerry said, he doubted that there was much talking going on during this time. HA! You guys know us well.
We made so many things: Chex Mix, Toffee with and without nuts (Shannan's), Vanilla Wafer's dipped in white chocolate with orange flavoring & vanilla bean sugar topping, Dipped Pretzels, Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips (Pringles), Dipped Pears & Apples, 2 Coconut Cakes (Grams), 1 Red Velvet Cake, 2 Red Velvet Cake Rolls, Pralines, etc. I'm sure there was more but I can't think of them.
Let me tell you. It was so much fun working in a kitchen with tall counters, 90 second dishwasher, big pots and pans and plenty of space. Grandmommy would have loved it, too. It was great being in her kitchen cooking.
Kris, ask me back again and I will come!
Kris is in hopes of taking some pictures of our labor. Hopefully, she can post a few.
I Loved It!!!!

I was watching Loaded the other day (a tech-news show) and there was a special on Toms Shoes.

Toms Shoes was started by a guy who was impacted by the amount of people in the world that simply have no shoes. I found out that being shoeless actually impacts more than people's comfort alone, there are diseases completely preventable by wearing shoes. So he started a business where for every pair of shoes purchased, another pair will be given to a child in need.

Now I have known about Toms Shoes for a while now, they are becoming very popular on our campus. One of the main reasons I have yet to buy them is because I didn't want to get them just to be trendy. Another reason was that I have seen people who buy them just to impress people, like a rich man donating to a charity to look generous.
After looking into this company more though, I got a chance to see kids receiving the shoes and having their eyes light up.

After getting their shoes fitted to them, they would take them off and stick them in their backpacks so as to not get them dirty. I have decided that Toms Shoes is something I want to be a part of. Our generation wants to make an impact in the world in a realistic way, and this one works. If some of you are still wanting to know what a good Christmas or birthday gift for me would be, get me a pair of these shoes- its for a great cause.

And with that being said, go ahead and spread the word, get them for others, and get them for yourself! We can make a difference.