"Dear George. . . A man who has friends is NO failure"

That little title right there wraps up my very favorite movie in the whole wide world. It's a long one. . . one that is void of color. . . well, the color you see with your eyes. However, it's as vivid as the rainbow with color you see with your heart.

Know what movie I'm talking about?

Oh. . . I'll keep you hanging just a little bit longer.

In the movie there is a sign and you only see it in the background for a few seconds. It's in the Bailey Building and Loan (know which movie, yet?). It says.

"The only thing you can take with you is that which you give away."

I don't know if that would be a theologically sound statement. However, I do love its message!!!!

For those of you who are still wondering what movie could I possibly be talking about. . .

"It's a Wonderful Life".

If you've never seen it . . . YOU MUST!!!!

If you've seen it before. . . YOU MUST see it again!!!

If you watch it every Christmas season. . . then certainly don't let this season pass you by and not watch it.

I see something new every time I watch the thing. . . probably because every Christmas season when I see it the LORD is doing something new in my heart. . . So, I think I see it every year with brand new eyes.

Anyhoo. . . I basically forced my children to watch it with me today. . . while I wrapped presents that were in boxes. They were grumbling. I was plain giddy. I hope they learned something about how our lives touch more than just OUR lives. . . whether we want it to or not!

It's not making money or chasing a career.

It's not pursing their biggest hopes and dreams that their little imaginations can muster up.

It's not having the nicest things money can buy.

It's not living life for themselves.

It's not making a bucket list and trying to cross everything off it before they die.

It's not chasing and accomplishing this lie called the "American Dream".

It's not accomplishing the unaccomplishable.

My prayer is that my children. Each one, by name. . . Alec, Ashley, and Hanna. . .that they will invest their lives in people!!!!!!!!!! Encouraging people, carrying burdens with people, laughing with people, smiling with people, caring for people, giving to people more than they give to themselves, exhausting themselves for people, loving people, sharing with people, checking on people, forgiving people, seeking people, pursing people, hugging people, listening intently to people, . . . oh, my list could go on and on.

And oh, how I pray. . . how I deeply pray. . . I am a good example to them.

Going Private

Because of some recent events that have taken place, I am going private with my blog. I don't want to miss any of you, so please leave me a comment with your email address and I will invite you to be a reader. Or, if you don't know how to comment just click on my "about me" at the bottom of this page. There will be a link where you can email me. Just email me your email address, and I'll invite you. I will be going private sometime this week, so please leave me a comment/email as soon as you can!

Getting the Christmas Tree

Remember the Story

This past Sunday the girls did their Christmas musical at church. I can't say enough times how thankful for I am for our church and for the precious friends the Lord has given us to share life with.

When we got home from our "Cookie Cooking" I took the girls over to Gigi and Grandaddys. Gigi made the girls their Christmas dresses this year. She wanted to have a "beauty shop" night.

Meanwhile, Ash's friend, Claire, was hanging out with me. The girls get home and Hanna is fit to be tied. The child is tired, and that girl is a girl who needs her sleep!

However, she is always happy when she is in her Daddy's arms!

It was so funny when I went into her room to kiss her goodnight. She was laying on her stomach and had her chin propped up on her pillow. She didn't want to mess up her curlers. I told her, "Baby, you know you can lay on your curlers. It won't mess your hair up." She said, "I know. I actually like sleeping like this!" Yeah right!

But, the next day my sweet little "Mary" was all smiles!

Sort of . . . . :)

Here is Ash and her sweet friends. I wanted a picture of her in front of the Christmas tree (next week hopefully). But, there was a musical to be performed and Mama was too late to get a picture!

Ash looked beautiful though.

She had several speaking parts and she did such a fabulous job. She spoke clearly and slowly and articulated her lines so well! I'm so proud of her! She's growing up way to fast on me!

Here is Mary getting visited from the angel Gabriel.

I just love this picture with Hanna's silhouette behind it.

Now Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus are all together.

Next, the shepherds join them!

Then come the angels who are usually a hoot and a half!

Hanna also had a singing part! It just amazes me with her extreme shyness how she will sing into that microphone!

Then, the angels, shepherds, and Mary and Joseph joined the rest of the choir.

Absolutely precious! I'm telling you if a children's musical can't move your heart, I just don't know what can. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME I see my children, or any children for that matter, singing about the Lord tears just well up in my eyes! It just moves me so! I'm so very thankful for Faith and Teresa who put so much time and dedication into making these things happen!

In this Kitchen

In this Kitchen. . .

which is my Aunt Johanna's kitchen. . . she had all of us over for our first annual "Cookie Cooking". Honestly, any words I could try and muster up to describe the day wouldn't be able to express the joy in my heart. This day was filled with just an incredible amount of love and God's faithfulness.

We do sprinkles. . .

We do sharing . . .

even if that does mean the pin off your rolling pin breaks. . . poor Nanna . . .

I think maybe she and JS rolled the pecans too hard. . . Hee!Hee!

Ash took charge of these sweet girls. She had them mixing and measuring and pouring. She was just reading that recipe like she would a good book. I'm so proud of the little Mama in my sweet girl.

And this sweet lady here always brightens a room with joy when she's around. She is always such a delight and I just love her so much!




Nanna knows how much Hanna loves to be in the kitchen. I think Hanna loves the kitchen so much because she loves her Nanna so much. Therefore, she loves all things Nanna loves. .. which means cooking. That's really good for the rest of us, because Nanna just happens to be my very favorite cook and I could just eat myself silly with her good fixins'.

And these girls are just the best of friends. They share cookies and clothes. We are just so very thankful that now Melissa and her family live close enough to be apart of everyday living!

YUMMY

to my


TUMMY

We do double batches . . .

And some of us (which shall remain nameless. . . but she might just be a mama and she might just wear high heels and she might just put the priss in pot). . . however, I'm not naming any names. Some of us. . . may just have to be be humbled. . . After all, before these cookies came out of the oven she was just telling her beautiful, younger, "domestic diva" cousin. . . in her very BEST "Steel Magnolia" voice that "all Soouuutterrrrnnnn (that's Southern for all you non-southerners out there) women must know how to cook cookies". The beautiful, younger, "domestic diva" cousin had a cookie mix, not from scratch. The one who shall remain nameless. . . her cookies were falling apart because she didn't use a muffin tin like her "made from scratch" recipe stated. Pride cometh before the downfall!!!!!!

We do real butter . . . .

Oh yeah baby!!!!!!!!!!

We do flour fights . . .

Well, it all started with these 2 . . . the oldest and thhuuuu baby. See the oldest was helping the baby by mixing her cookie batter. Then the oldest spoke up and said, "You know that plate over there says 'we do flour fights'. Enough said for thuuu babbbyy. She stuck her hand into the bowl and smeared flour over the oldest child's face. W-H-A-T???? Baby, that is all she wrote. . . that is when is all started to break loose. . .

Nanna about had a fit because she said the flour was making her itch!

If you're going to fight . . . fight HARD!

These 3 got doused BIG TIME!!! We all know when you have flour ALL over your face you MUST lick the cookie batter! Otherwise you feel incomplete!

Look at thuuu baabbyy. . .

Now, this one. . . the middle one. . . the one who has a chant with her Aunt Melissa and now her cousin, Caitlyn (who just both happen to be middle children as well). . . she's up to something!!!! What could she possibly be thinking up in that head of hers?

You guessed it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That child was ELATED with JOY!!!!!!!!!!! (my picture is blurry because she was jumping up and down)

Next, it was time to wait on Caitlyn. Noelle and Hanna watched intently out the window for her to drive up.

Next, everyone got armed with their ammo (flour in this case)

READY?

AIM!!

FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you will notice in this picture the ones who are doing "The Chelsey". We stick our necks out and brighten our eyes. Most of us are just amateurs (as you can clearly see). We will be perfecting it though -hee!hee!

Oh yeah. . . in this family we are nondiscrimatory. . . which means. . . doesn't matter your age.. . . You WILL get doused with flour!

We do holidays . . .

We do love . . . (this one is my very favorite)

246. For Melissa and her homemade vegetable soup and her making me laugh ALL the time.

247. For Johanna and her getting this wonderful day together, her thoughtfulness and her heart of LOVE and mercy. For her opening up her heart and her home and making us ALL feel so incredibly loved and special.

248. For Mama and her heart of service and because there is just no one in the world like your Mama.

249. For Kristen and her fun-loving self.

250. For Caitlyn because she is the very definition of sweet.

251. For Chelsey because she is the most beautiful and BEST 'domestic diva' I've ever encountered. For her graciousness when 'the one who shall remain nameless' had to swallow up her pride when it comes to be a sooouuutthherrrn woman.

252. For Lynn because she is just a pure joy and delight.

253. For Steven because he's a hoot and makes you and your girls feel like a million bucks!

254. For days with family that although it's been SUCH a long time since you last saw one another, you feel as if no time has lapsed at all. . . as if this is something you do all the time.

255. For the next time we all get together, hoping it will be SOON!!!