In Christ Alone

Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas Season!  I have always been an early decorator.  I just can't help it - once I start seeing all the stores and businesses decked out, it stirs something within me!  I am excited about Thanksgiving week, excited to be off work a couple days and spend time with all my family and eat delicious foods!  I have so much to be thankful for.  Obviously God has blessed me with this beautiful house and health and a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful healthy children. But what if He didn't?  Would I still be thankful?  Would Jesus be enough?  I hope I would.  In Christ Alone is one of my favorite worship songs.  I've actually just downloaded it onto my daughters itouch that she is getting for Christmas - ssshhhh - don't tell her:)  I haven't been through many "droughts" in this life of mine, and for that I am thankful.  They will come, God says they will,  and I hope I will stand in Christ Alone no matter what. 

Take a look at what brings me joy, what I've been working at.  None of it really matters in the great big scheme of things, but it is my home and I try to make our home a place of peace, shelter from that great big scary world out there.  But without it, we'd still be a family.  And Christ would still be our Solid Rock.  Back to that itouch.  I'm new to the whole itunes world.  I downloaded my first music ever today!  I was pondering what songs Emma Claire would like on her itouch and as easy as it would have been to put popular Justin Bieber songs or Taylor Swift songs that I know Emma Claire will come to love, I decided that for now, the only music that's allowed on there are praise and worship songs.  If she's going to be influenced by this world, which she will, I want her to be drowned in words of affirmation and praise for the King. Happy Thanksgiving to you all and whether you're celebrating in a home full of pumpkins or Christmas trees, be thankful for that home and the family and friends within!

Enjoy the little peak into our home:

 In Christ Alone

 my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

 This cornerstone, this solid ground

 firm through the fiercest drought and storms

 What heights of love, what depths of peace

 when fears are stilled, when strivings cease

 my Comforter, my All in All

 Here in the love of Christ I stand

 In Christ Alone, who took on flesh

fullness of God in helpless Babe

 This gift of love and righteousness

scorned by the ones He came to save

 Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin?s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground, all other ground
Is sinking sand, is sinking sand
So I stand

***In Christ Alone, words by Getty, Julian Keith; Townend, Stuart Richard;

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Football

Last night we took the boys to the Alabama football game!  The original plan was to take Emma Claire and Wilson and get a babysitter for Henderson. When I told Emma Claire our plans, she was a little less than excited about the ball game, stating, "all you do is SIT there" and so she opted to go to play practice and spend the night with her grandmother.  Since we had 2 extra tickets, thanks to an old friend from Dothan, who now lives in Birmingham - THANKS Amanda!!!!, we took both boys - and they were ECSTATIC!!!!!  We went to our tailgate and ate some yummy food and threw the football a little, then made our way to the stadium!  I was expecting COLD temperatures, so I packed gloves, hats, scarves, you name it - but it was actually very mild and pleasant!!!!

 I had assummed Henderson would be very "scared" once we got in the stadium, b/c he tends to be a very "slow to warm up child" in new environments.  But he didn't miss a beat.  They climbed up on the railing and started yelling ROLL TIDE to their hearts content!  It helps that we have front row seats right where the team runs out - had we been way up high, the outcome might not have been so positive!!!!

 Pure joy, I'd love to know what's really running through their minds!!!!

 Below, you can see Coach Saban's head right above Henderson's head!

 And there we have Ingram, Orr, Hightower!!!!  Yipee!!!!!

 Grandaddy Bud held onto Wilson's coat to make sure he didn't go sliding down the overhang on top of the players!!!! :)

It was truly a wonderful experience and I'm so glad my boys got to go to at least one game this year!  About midway into the 3rd quarter (9:00) I was ready to go, so I asked the boys if they were ready to go - NO!!!!  They both wanted to stay with their daddy, but I knew Will was not up to keeping both by himself.  I decided that it was time for Henderson to leave since we could tell he was getting in that "wild stage when they're so tired they just keep moving around and acting crazy so they won't fall asleep" - you know what I'm talking about.  So I picked Henderson up and carried him up the steps, all the while he is screaming "I WANT MY DADDY!!!!!" all the way.  I know the police officers at the top thought I must be kidnapping this child.  I had to put him down a second to put the backpack on my back and he took off down the stairs screaming for his daddy!!!  And it didn't get much better.  He screamed for his daddy half way to the car!  Fun times, but it was worth it - seeing the joy in their eyes and putting the love for the Tide in their hearts!!!!

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Thankful

Recently I took the children out in the backyard for an impromptu photo shoot after church one Sunday!  We are really enjoying this fall weather and our new house!  It's so fun to be in a new house during the first change of the seasons! 

 God has blessed me with so much - a loving, generous husband who provides for us and works hard!  3 beautiful, healthy children who love each other and love others and love life in general!  Family and friends who are always there for us and make me laugh and smile daily! What more can I ask for?

 The house renovations are complete, and I have been decorating for Christmas - I know - EARLY!!!!  I LOVE it though.  I'm nearly done and now it's time to clean up all the pine needles and dust and ENJOY it each and every day! It's been fun decorating a new house, I can't wait to share it with you all!  Christmas shopping is nearly done also, thanks to the Internet, so I hope to enjoy the season and my family and really focus on the true meaning of Christmas!!!

 Emma Claire is in Winnie the Pooh-A Christmas Tail production by Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre, so she's busy practicing for that, the boys are being boys and destroying my house as quick as I can clean it up!  They are both going to the Alabama football game tonight with Will and I - they are beyond excited!  I got their hats and gloves out last night and Wilson slept in his and then wore them to school - he can't WAIT!!!!  Emma Claire was given the opportunity to go to the game, but said, "all you do is SIT there" and opted to go to play practice and spend the night with her grandmother instead!!!!

 Thanksgiving is right upon us and I can't wait to be with family and enjoy the slow pace of this special Holiday - just eating and fellowship and enjoying God's blessings!!!!

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Yard Sale!!!

Yard Sale is tomorrow!!!!!  Please come find something you need!!!!  Toys, Smocked clothes, antique dining table, oriental rugs, stainless steele glasstop double oven stove, women's clothes, riding toys, leapster and games, books and much more!!!!!  Sat. 7-10!!!!  Let me know if you need the address!!!!

Renovation before and afters

Here are the before shots: The wall on the left behind the sofa is the wall we took down. There was just a hallway in between the den and the living room and it also made the breakfast area tee-tiny!!!!

This was a picture taken as the "support wall" went up because this is a MAJOR load bearing wall!!!

This is the after: taken from the breakfast area!

Notice the 4 columns, I could have done without those, but like I said, this is a major load-bearing wall - I saw the exposed beams myself during the construction!

We love the new openness!!!! We can see the tv from the kitchen and breakfast area and I can see the kitchen when I turn the corner from our bedroom! It was truly worth all the dust and mess!!!!

Yard Sale

I'm doing it...I'm having a yard sale this weekend!!!! We moved 3 months ago and I threw alot of stuff away, but other things I just put in the storage room, thinking "maybe I'll use that again!" Nope, I'm not going to use it, I haven't used some of it in 5 years! So, this Saturday, I'm having a yard sale! Lots of toys (Leapster and games, tot 4 wheelers, and many more), children's clothes, my clothes (small women's/juniors), purses, decorative items/planters. If you're local - please stop by - I'm also okay with early shoppers, so let me know!

Along with gathering and pricing things for the yard sale, I finally finished painting the den/kitchen area!!!! We hung the last of the mirrors and oil paintings last night and I can't wait to show you pictures! We have really enjoyed our more open space!!!!

We spent the majority of yesterday outside - it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!! A perfect Lord's Day that started with an amazing sermon by our college minister, Tim, on Proverbs 3:1-12 - it was geared towards parents, but also grandparents too! My focus this week (and the rest of my life, I hope) is on being more intentional with my children - making the most of every moment! Even the little moments in the car when I would normally put in a dvd and hope that they are all quiet!!!! I now hope to engage all my children and their friends in meaningful conversation!!!! Dinner times will be seen as share time and bed time is the most important time of the day! Because like Tim said, children will talk for hours at bed time if it means they don't have to go to sleep! Ha!!! They are growing up way too fast, and life feels like it's slipping by sometimes!!!!

Stuart Little, then Halloween!!!!

The weekend before last, Emma Claire was in Tuscalooosa Children's Theatre's production of Stuart Little! It was a fabulous week of shows! Emma Claire was a River Creature as well as a neighbor, passenger and spectator!!!! The River Creature costumes were definitely the cutest!!!!

Here she is with her dear friend, Mary Alice

and me

and my mom and dad

some cats from the show

her buddies at Mug Shots for dinner between the 2 Saturday shows - it's a tradition!!!

matching dresses and hair!!!!

Emma Claire with her cousin, Chandler who was Margalo!!!!

And then we went straight into Halloween week where we had something nearly every night!!!! This is at Will's work trick-or-treating!!!! Henderson was scared of the warewolf, so he would not get in this picture!!!!

This is all 3 dressed up before we went trunk-or-treating at church and then trick-or-treating in the neighborhood!!!! We now have enough candy to open up our own candy store, it's quite ridiculous. I'm just thankful my brother-in-law is our dentist :)

Wilson decided to go as a dragon/crocodile/dinosaur since he had already worn batman 5 times last week!!!! It's the costume he wore when he was 2 - still just about fits!!!!

On Saturday we worked really hard on the yard and the interior renovations. The painting is ALMOST done, but it might be next weekend before I can finish. Emma Claire auditioned for the next play, Winnie the Pooh, A Christmas Tail, and made it and practices start TONIGHT!!!!! No rest for the weary!!!! We are loving our new, open space though and I'll be sure and post pictures as soon as it's completed!!!!