Merry Christmas

I finally got some good pics of the boys for a Christmas card. It is a little late to mail one now. We had a few minutes before church yesterday and they were in a good mood so I thought I would try.

House shoes

We found Blaine the red ones because he likes to take off his socks if he doesn't have shoes on. He is too funny. He loves these shoes. The minute he gets out of bed he is pointing at them saying shoooe. And when one of the boys has something the other will soon want it too so we found Brenden some.

(Brenden wanted me to take a picture of their feet.)

Tagged...

I was tagged by Ashlee. The rules say you have to list 7 randoms things about yourself and link the person that tagged you. Then tag 7 more people.

1. I enjoy staying home with my kids. Yes I have some days that are better than others but I would not trade it for anything.
2. I am totally a daddy's girl. Still to this day I will call my dad to ask him questions and his advice and for him to help my fix it husband fix something because I know daddy knows how to do it and can help.
3. I have a sister that is leaving for the mission field in less than a year and will not be home for 3 years. I feel extremely selfish when I cry about it because I know what an awesome thing God has called them to do and I am jealous of their faith strength and willingness.
4. Me and my mom in law are either the best of friends or just can't be in the same room together. Thankfully most of the time we are the best of friends. We are too much alike and bound to clash. I love her so much she is an awesome mom in law.
5. In the last few years I have grown closer to my mom. I am the baby of the family and she had me late in life and 12 years after my older sister. I am glad we get a long so well now and can talk and be friends.
6. I believe wisdom is gained the hard way. We are too hard headed to listen to someone who is trying to tell us we are about to mess up. We usually have to mess up and then we get it.
7. I speak before I think. I always stick my foot in my mouth then later realize what I did. Most of the time I am too chicken to apologize and hope that they will forget what I said or maybe they didn't take it offensive but I don't want to bring it up to find out.


I tag Joanna, Jenny, Jennifer, Mandy, Maury, Sugar and Spice, and Kelly

Mercy that is a lot of work!

Christmas Cards

I just never got around to getting any done this year. I have enjoyed all the ones I have gotten and feel EXTREMELY guilty for not sending any out. I do wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Something to do...

If you are looking for something to do go to Crossett and check out Winter Wonderland. It is right before you get to Crossett. You drive through it and they have tons of lights and different scenes with music. It is really neat. I don't remember seeing any Santa Clause decor and as you drive through there are several nativities and the story of Christ's birth and other scriptures. The kids love it. We have gone the past 3 years and they add new stuff every year. Just a fun little outing and singing Christmas songs there and back.
Also if you aren't doing anything this Sunday I want to invite you to First Baptist Church in Monticello. My brother in law and sister and their 3 kids will be singing and my bro will be preaching.

Snow?

Do you think it might go a little more north and hit us????

Happy Birthday to my hubby

Today he turned 31. We spent the day in Little Rock finishing up some Christmas shopping and we had a pediatrician appointment. I don't feel I have to post a long sappy post about how much he means to me and to our family and how great of a man he is and how proud I am to say he belongs to me and me to him. Enough said.

Lizard sitting

My sister and the kids will be back in 2 weeks so instead of the geko making the round trip this time he is staying with us. Don't worry I won't be touching him. He doesn't have teeth so he doesn't bite but I am quite ok with not touching him. He is cool to watch and the boys love it. He will be needing a forever home in June of next year when they move.

I hope everyone had a Happy Turkey Day

I had lots of family in this past week. We had tons of fun hanging out and eating. The day after Thanksgiving some of the fam hit Walmart for the sales while I stayed in my pjs and hit the internet for the same sales. I got what I wanted and went back to bed. Love it! That mess was not for me. I plan on hitting the day after Christmas so yes I will be one of those crazy ones out there. We also made pinecone turkeys one afternoon that turned out cute. My nephew went hunting with Barry. It was his first time hunting. He was so excited. They got to see a couple of deer but decided not to shoot them because it was a baby with the momma. I hope you all had a good holiday. The month of December is going to be a crazy month but I am ready for the excitement.

Scentsy

Scentsy Candle Bars are made from soft wax specifically for melting in a Scentsy warmer. They are leadless, wickless, flameless, and smokeless! They are stronger smelling and longer lasting than the tarts and votives currently on the market. They come in over 80 scents and each bar will last at least 50-80 hours of “On Time” in your Scentsy Warmer. The wax is warmed by a 25 watt light bulb. It is warm enough to melt the wax, but will never get hot enough to burn you. (Or your children!) Scentsy warmers come in a large variety of colors and styles to match any decor. Scentsy warmers make excellent night lights too! If you want to change scents, just pour the melted wax back into its original container, wipe out your warmer with a paper towel and you are ready for a new scent.www.scentedgoodness.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to my November babies...

2 of my nieces have November birthdays. Happy 5th and 12th birthday!

All of the family will be here for Thanksgiving this year which is a treat. Usually we don't get together til Christmas. So we are going to make pine cone turkeys which I will take pics for you to see.

Friday

I am so glad it is Friday even though I will be a deer widow again this weekend. Don't know why I really look forward to the weekend since I stay home and my kids aren't school age yet.

I am freezing! Me and cold weather don't mix. I am an inside person during the winter. My poor kids won't see much out doors til they can go by themselves in the winter.

I cannot believe how easy it has been

I am 95% done with my Christmas shopping and it has all been done on the Internet. No long lines or roaming aimlessly from one store to the next not really finding what I want for the people I love. I am tremendously pleased with what I have found and most has been with free shipping! Not worrying about the drama of shopping this year is great! I am glad I won't be drowned in the sea of shoppers that are in a hurry and irritated sales clerks that are exhausted. My focus can stay on the true meaning of the season and teaching my sponge of a 3 year old the story and meaning of Christmas. I am ready to decorate cookies, spend time with family, attend parties, and my church's candle light service that has been a family tradition for years. This season is an exciting, scary, and sad time for our family. My sister and her family have surrendered to missions which is the exciting thing. The scary thing is them leaving us for 3 years to a foreign country. The sad thing is for 3 years we will have only limited contact with them and no visits during those years unless we go to them. Only for selfish reasons is it sad. And I do experience those emotions from time to time. Then I remember the eternity I will have with them. And what they are doing is trying to spread the gospel to those who have not heard it to give as many people as possible the opportunity to be with us for eternity. How cool is that. I am so proud of them for their obedience and sacrifices they have already gone through. I am excited to see what other things God has in store for them and to get to watch it all happen and experience the presence of God working is unexplainable. It is a wonderful thing to watch as each step they take is proven to be the correct path God has for them. We all have things we love about the holiday season. Some of them are sad, some happy, some we try to have every year. The one thing that will never change about this time of year is the excitement in celebrating the Savior that was born for us, the one that loves us unconditionally with perfect love, the one we strive to be like but fall short of, the Almighty one that shed his blood for us so we could have everlasting life and have peace in knowing the sufferings we have are well worth it for the eternity we are provided and what suffering compared to what He endured for us.

If you are in need of a good story to tell...

Check this out

My little model

He is so silly. He loves these broken sunglasses.

Just curious...

I was thinking the other day how often do other people clean their house. I thought it would be neat to do a poll.
How often do you clean certain things in your house
floors?
bathrooms?
change sheets?
curtains?
dust?
laundry?
ceiling fans?
I am sure I am missing something. Feel free to mention it. Don't really care how clean your house is. I am not in this to pass judgement or think you are a neat freak or dirty. You live in it not me and I do think a home is a place to live not a museum. Ours is comfortable. We do have toys in several rooms and you will find clutter in various places. I try to really clean the floors once a week. I do sweep high traffic areas everyday. Bathrooms and sheets once a week. I despise dusting! Thanks mom for that one.:0) I had to do that chore every week when I was a kid. So if you come to my house and see dust that would be why. Really once a month on that one. Laundry everyday! Fans and curtains a few times a year. Oh try to include if you have kids and how many and if you work or stay at home. I have 2 boys and stay home.

Nothing important

I am just tired of being sick!! This cough is driving me nuts and barely having a voice is quite the challenge for me. It has been 3 weeks and I am tired of it. And to top it off the rainy cold weather makes it even harder to get out of bed. Blah. Oh well. Not to complain or anything.
On a positive note I got to snuggle with a 7 month old yesterday and Brenden got to play with a friend. We had 4 in our house yesterday ages 3, 2, 17months, and 7months. Sounds chaotic right. Not one bit. We had a wonderful day and I didn't even get a headache.

Building authentic relationships one life at a time....

That is our church motto. If you live around here you have noticed our church in the process of adding on. You may have also noticed a bunch of travel trailers parked at the old WC Waley school. This group of men are here helping build our new family life center.

Here are a few pics from the church site. How exciting to see the first beams going up.

Notice the washer and dryer above.

Here are about 25 motor homes. The washer and dryer above is how they are doing their laundry.

Words cannot express to these men who are giving their most precious gift, time. What a wonderful ministry they have to help other churches strive to spread the gospel in their communities. They are not only helping us with our building the wives that are with them are sewing and finding other ways to minister here locally. Thank you for your donated time, energy, and presence here.

My hunters

Barry took Brenden hunting this weekend for the youth hunt. Brenden had a blast with his daddy. He didn't complain at all. They had a great time together. And to top it off they got a deer. A 5pt. if you can't tell in the pic.

Treating..

We went out Friday night in our neighborhood. We decided the wagon would be a lot easier than walking or the stroller. The boys had a blast. We would roll them up to the door step and by the end of the night Blaine had the hang of holding up his bucket for candy. It was too funny. He was not letting that bucket go. A few times he dumped it on himself. He was a little front heavy with the bucket in his lap but he wouldn't allow anyone to help him. I do believe Brenden accomplished his goal of filling his bucket to the top. When we did that his mission was complete and we could go to his preschool teacher's house and to see his grandparents. What a mess they were.

Treating..

Pumpkin painting and carving

When you are little carving a pumpkin is just not as fun as painting one on your own at least to my youngest boy. Brenden enjoyed both. This year we used our Mr. Potato Head pieces to add a little to the art work. I got the idea from something similar they were selling at Walmart. Why buy more junk when you can use the junk you already have.:o) Hope everyone has a safe night what ever you decide to do. We have a few places we will go and then we will be back home.

Fall Holiday

We went to a local church's Fall Festival last night to hang out and Brenden's preschool had a party this morning. Thought I would share a few pics.

Wonderful day

It started out with a little pink. I am out numbered here by males so pink is welcome here all the time! I enjoyed keeping a friend's baby for a little bit while she had something to do. She is 2 months old and so tiny. I enjoyed snuggle time, cooing, laughing, and a little spit up shower. Hey if you can't handle that then it is not worth it to you to enjoy all the other. Those days go so fast with little ones. I wish I could slow down time so we could enjoy them being little like that longer. I have enjoyed every stage so far with my boys but I definitely miss that one. Way later in the day my mom got the boys, overnight I might add. We don't leave them like that very often. Seriously I could count the times Brenden has stayed the night places on 2 hands. We went on a date. To dinner and a movie. We watched Fireproof. I loved it. Such a good movie. My favorite song in the movie is at the top of my blog. The book they talk about in the movie The Love Dare is a real book. If you are interested I have linked it. No marriage is perfect. We all struggle with different things in a marriage but what makes it fireproof is you lasting through the fire. Love it! We will be investing in the book. Can't wait to start on it. Whatever it takes to be fireproof I want!

Wordless Wednesday

mower

We still have the mower if you know of anyone that wants one.

Blaine on his new bed

Sorry it took me so long to post a pic. The lantern lamp we got him didn't work so we had to take it back. We will find something eventually. Can't wait til Christmas when he gets his bear rug.

Our weekend...

We headed out for the Pumpkin Patch in Grady Saturday morning. It is perfect for the age kids we have right now. I can see later that they may become bored with some of the things but it is a nice family outing and we enjoyed getting to let the boys play and do whatever they wanted. Brenden found the perfect pumpkin and he also found a cute little green one. He had fun choosing which one he wanted. Some were too big for him and some were not pretty but he says he found the perfect one.

This is the new family toy. Yep a Hillbilly Hummer! It has 40 in tires on it so you can only imagine the challenge of getting car seats in and buckled but we did! We took a ride to our deer camp to feed the deer and target practice. We did find one lonely mud hole that we couldn't resist and with Brenden saying in the back go Poppa go in the mud. He really couldn't resist. Let's just say I really felt like a redneck! Rides good when you get it up to 35mph but any slower and you shake to death. Brenden loves his new monster truck.

Mower

Murray riding lawn mower 42in deck 12.5hp. Needs a little work. If interested we only want $100.
So you don't think I am crazy I will let you know what is wrong with it.
The gas tank leaks if you fill it above half.
It will need new tires or you can try to fix them. We just put a block under it and every time we use it air them up so they don't come off the rims.
It needs a new solenoid but you can start it with a screw driver ($20).
Right now it won't start because it needs a new starter.

We just replaced THIS summer a belt, battery, and fuses. So we basically want the money back that we put into it this year alone.

Hey at least I am honest about the problems with it. That is why it is so cheap. So if you know some one that is handy and wants a cheap mower send them our way because I am not listing it in the paper and putting more money into it.

Oops!

I forgot to mention one of the fish died Wednesday night. We still have 2 and they seem to be well. Wish me luck! Brenden never asked me where the third went too. Guess he didn't notice.

Worn out Friday

We are back from a trip to Little Rock. The boys go to a pediatrician there. We are loving it! Today was a well visit for Blaine. He also had to get some shots. I love the way they do shots in that office. Our clinic really needs to go take some lessons. At 15 months he is well aware when something hurts. He didn't cry from the shots! He got one in each leg at the same time. He never knew it. How great is that! At our clinic for his 12 month shots they did them in the arm and my dr just about had a fit. A child that age is not developed well for shots in the arms so we did a little research and our insurance pays for shots so we get them at the dr office now.

Last time at his well visit he was way low on his percentiles. It didn't bother me because I knew he would grow eventually and he does have lots of petite genes, so maybe he is going to be my short baby. Fine with me. He is cute and little. They grow too fast anyway why not stay small a little longer. Well he grew 4 inches in 3 months!!! So he shot up on his percentiles.

After the dr we went shopping. If you know us very well you know we love rummage sales. I just about had a fit on the way because we had to pass up 2. We were cutting it close on our time and just couldn't stop. On the way to Kohl's we see signs for 2 rummage sales! So there we go trying to find them. Woohoo! I love finding bargains.

We also took the boys to Chuck E Cheese for the first time. They had lots of fun and it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. It does help to use a coupon! I am all about those!

Then off to find a halloween costume for Brenden. Poor Blaine gets hand me downs right now. We finally find what he wants at Target and while I was there we checked out some of the bedding I had found on their web page. I much rather see something like that in person before I order it. We did pick the third one in my previous post. It is much cuter in person than in the picture. He also got a lantern lamp. Too cute. We are done with his room. Whew that was easy! No painting or pictures or curtains! We had everything but the bedding! His Nana wants to get him a bear rug for Christmas. That will put the cherry on top of the cuteness.

I get a little giggle out of the thought of us on the way home. I said earlier we had to pass those 2 rummage sales on the way up. Well they were still out on the way home so we stopped! Hey I guess I am addicted. Somebody lead me to a support group or something.:o)

I am looking forward to spending tomorrow at home with the family. Just hanging out. Hope you enjoy your weekend also.

Masterpiece in the Making
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you" (Philippians 1:6, AMP).


Friend to FriendIt took four years of fresco painting for the Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, to finish the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Commonly known as Michelangelo, his time painting was mostly spent alone, on his back, lying on scaffolding. (How painful!) The painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most remarkable in the history of Western art. One thing is for sure: the process that altered a ceiling from plain to fabulous required a lot of time, great discipline, and the hand of a master artist. The same is true for us. The journey from broken into beautiful is a lifelong transformation that requires both discipline and a Master Artist.
As Michelangelo was working, I'm sure that lots of people came through the corridors of the chapel and stood in amazement. As they looked up at the beauty of his work, I bet they said things like, "That is the most fantastic work of art I have ever seen!" or "Extraordinary!" To which he might have said, "It's not done!" But did the unfinished state of the project negate that parts of the ceiling were beautiful? No! The parts that were complete were still extravagant and breathtaking.
Maybe this is the way God and others see our lives. It's common for people to notice the work God has done in us and comment on the beauty. And even though compliments are nice to hear, I've been known to resist them. (Admit it, you probably have too.) It's not so much a humility thing as it is an "I-don't-see-myself-as-beautiful" thing. From my limited perspective, I can see only the unfinished work. But in truth, my vantage point doesn't negate the beauty of the work God has done and is doing in my life.
Real beauty isn't about a finished or flawless product. It can't be. It's not possible on this side of eternity to have completed beauty. Our restoration will be complete in the presence of God when we see Him face to face.
Now, you might be saying, "But Gwen, I can't be beautiful! You don't know what I've done...or what I've been through...or what I'm going through!"
Friend, God knows where you have been, what you have been through, and where you are now. He knows what your flaws are and loves you in spite of your imperfections. His tender love is far-reaching and complete.

Your past sins do not define you.

Your painful scars do not define you.

Your present sufferings do not define you.

They are just shards of brokenness that God will use to lovingly refine your beauty. The transformation from broken into beautiful is neither easy nor instantaneous. It demands a yielded heart and can be quite painful, but it comes with great reward. God will need your broken pieces--your scars, shame, insecurities, disappointments, betrayals, and failures.
Do you have some of those?
Are they tucked away in a safe, do-not-enter part of your heart?
You might find it hard to hand over hurts. I get that. It's hard for me too. But difficult as it may be, it's time to hand them over and let our masterful Lord create a stunning work of beauty in you. And He's going to need all of your broken pieces to complete the restoration.
Let's PrayHoly Father, I am humbled by Your willingness to love and forgive someone like me. Please take the broken pieces of my life and don't allow me to have them back. I surrender to Your healing. Mold me and shape me into a beautiful reflection of Your glory. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Fair week.

This week is fair week. Last night we went to the parade and then to the fair. The boys had a blast. They both enjoyed all of the floats, tractors, trucks, and horses at the parade. Later at the fair we enjoyed the animals especially a big pig with lots of character. He was a hoot. We finally made it out to the rides and my shy quiet little Brenden took off and rode all the rides he could. He was screaming and giggling and having a blast. To top it off he rode by himself! That is stepping way out of his comfort zone especially when the workers had to help him out of a ride or buckle him I just knew he would scream or something but nothing but pure joy and excitement. I am sorry I didn't take my camera to the fair. I never dreamed he would have been so into it. He normally says no to everything. He rode rides that went up high and spun fast and one roller coaster. It was neat last night though because it was not very crowded and we got to really enjoy it. There were some rides he was the only one on. The people running them let him stay on longer because there was no line. Along with all of the animals and rides we played games. My little athlete showed them that he doesn't really need them to give extra chances because he would win with the ones we payed for, and surprise we get to bring it all home! So welcome the new addition to our house. Yep the little stinker won 3 fish. Oh well at least they don't eat much! We will see how long I can keep them alive. We visited a few of the booths inside and got a free smoke detector from the Selma fire dept. I thought that was neat. And Farm Bureau passed out free bags of rice so we colored ours to use for art projects. Lots of fun in the Brown house today!

Help!

This is just some of the bedding I have been looking at for Blaine. He got his new bedroom suite in last week. I am having a hard time finding bedding. He is 15 months old so I don't want it to look to grown up but he is in a big bed now and I don't want it to look to babyish either. His room is painted hunter green on one wall and sage green on the other 3 walls with creamy white trim and doors. His room is decorated with deer, ducks, labs, bears, so basically a hunting lodge feel. We are planning on getting a bear rug to go on his floor. This is what I need help with. I like the bedding above and I need help choosing. If you don't like them say it and if you can find something better go for it and send me a message. Seriously. I will be waiting for comments. Please help!