Happy Birthday Sister!

My sister turned 31 on Sunday, and for her birthday I made her this little applique of Sam's hand. I saw the idea here and thought it was so cute! I have been wanting to try my hand (no pun intended) at embroidery for a while and thought this would be great practice. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed sitting in my chair in the evenings and working on this little project. I will have to make one for Betsy and Hannah soon!

Hannah and her push toy

We got a couple of push toys for Hannah, and she has started using them. Here is a video of her walking behind it

Christmas Card Recycling Project

Every year at Christmas time we, like most, get so many beautiful Christmas cards. I love getting them in the mail and seeing all the beautiful pictures of everyone and their families or reading yearly updates of loved ones. It warms my heart and is one of my favorite things about Christmas. I proudly display them on our mantle where we can enjoy them all season.

But, all too soon, Christmas is over and they have to come down. I always try to keep the ones with pictures, but somehow, they end up in the trash! How horrible!! People go through all the trouble and MONEY of making the cards and sending them to me, and then I trash them? Well, not this year!

One of the things we try to do in our house is recycle. We are not the best, by any means, but we try. Hubby has a compost pile, we recycle as much trash as possible, we have reusable shopping bags, etc. The Lord created this earth, and as a Christ follower, I believe, I am called to take care of it. With that said, I know I do my part in contributing to pollution and have a lot to learn about "going green," but I try to be aware of my families carbon footprint and do little things to help reduce it.

So what does all this have to do with Christmas cards?? I'm glad you asked! Well, this year, instead of throwing them out, I am trying to recycle/reuse some of them. I am keeping all the ones with pictures to display in years to come and have some sort of record of friendships we have made in the past. I'm just going to put them in a box labeled "Christmas cards."

All the other cards that we get I am turning into Christmas gift tags for next year. I simply cut out the designs from the cards, punch a hole in the top, and put some ribbon through it!


I know they look really "home-made" (so don't laugh at me if you get one next year), but really, we all know that we rip the tag off as soon as we get home so we can reuse the bag....so who cares!! Does anyone out there have any other creative ideas that you do with your cards? I would love to hear them!

Sacred Chaos

I am currently reading a book by Tricia McCary Rhodes and wanted to share something that stood out to me. In one chapter she talks about seeking God but not always feeling him near or hearing him answer. Below are her sentiments:

In the end each of us will have to live with the paradox of thirsting for a God who alone determines when and how that thirst will be quenched. We must learn, then, to treasure his touch and yet trust him in the silence, to yearn for his presence and yet honor him through dryness and darkness, to enjoy those moments when Christ seems near and yet esteem his worth when we cannot find him. We do this ever aware that consolations- as wonderful as they can be- are but a foretaste of that blessed day when we will see our Lord face to face and spend eternity getting our fill of his glory.

These words touched me, so I thought I would pass them along...

YIKES!!

When we go to church on Sundays, Hannah misses her morning nap and is really tired when we leave. She usually falls asleep in the car and we lay her in her crib when we get home. This past Sunday, we did just that. When she woke up, I went to get her and this is what I saw.....

I think she had a really good nap!

New Year's Celebration

Happy new year everyone! This past year was a wonderful, life-changing year for me and Scott. Once again, we find ourselves grateful for all our blessings and praying for another good year full of God's favor and grace.

Scott's family came to Fort Worth to ring in the new year with us. From our couch, we watched the ball drop in Time Square and toasted the new year with Anne's favorite...sparkling cider. And in perfect Anne fashion, she drank it all down in one big gulp...priceless!

New year's day we drove over to Mama Jo's in Dallas and she had a wonderful spread: Texas caviar (a great way to eat your black-eyed-peas), beef tenderloin, roasted potatoes, green beans, and rolls that took her three days to make! It was all wonderful! I meant to take pictures of her beautiful table and all the food, but, alas, I was ready to eat!

Mama Jo and Hannah

Anne put on her "party CD" and couldn't stay in her seat when the Macarana came on!

Always happy at the dinner table.

We also went bowling because Anne "challenged" Scott to a game. Here is hubby and his perfect form. He took a bowling class at A&M.

Anne bowling with her brother.

We wanted to compare Hannah's size to a bowling ball (just for our records).

Hannah playing on her musical table.

Anne needed a foot massage after the long weekend, so she convinced Scott to do it...such a sweet brother.

William and Broady.

Anne got an electric blanket for Christmas and she loved it! She kept covering her whole body up and just chatting away. We would say, "Where are you Anne?" And she would sigh and say, "Right here!!" It was hilarious!

GiGi also came over to visit Hannah.