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!!!

1-1/2 hour drive to get po-dunk, honkey-tonk, and lots of laughs

You know. . . it's really those things in life that DON"T turn out any of the way you planned that you get the most laughs from and you make the biggest memories.

Last weekend, Melissa and Scott drove an hour to our house . . then we all drove another 30 minutes to this quaint little town Jon and I have just fallen in love with.

They were having a Christmas parade and Melissa and I started having flashbacks from our old JCHS days.

I thought we were both going to bust out in the parade. . . me with a baton 'cause I was a majorette. . . and she with her dance steps. . . 'cause she was on the drill team.

Talk about small-town, po-dunk, and honkey tonk. . . all of those things that remind us of home.

Poor Jon. . . he really can't take us out anywhere.

Poor Melissa and Scott because they drove a really long way all for a few homemade floats and a bunch of tractors. . .

Oh yeah. . . and a high school band and flag team.

They really were quite stingy with the candy too (unlike G-town's parade). . . that's okay. . . because I just really loved the atmosphere of the whole stinkin' thing. It really and truly did warm my heart. . . I JUST LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, small town, "Sweet Home Alabama" life!!!!!

This was my favorite float.

This was a close second.

Next, we ate at. . . . you guessed it. . . See that man on the sign?

That's how I felt after we ate. . . stuff myself silly I'm tellin' you.

Melissa and her crazy self was imitating Alec during a picture.

As if we hadn't already stuff ourselves silly with pimento cheese burgers, one of the best chili dogs I've ever put in my mouth, grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. . . . we headed over next door to the fudge shop. . .

What a fun night. . . We made a memory and had a really good time doing it!

Surrounded by JOY

JOY . . . I just love the meaning Jesus, Others, You

Sunday, my sweet friend and partner in ministry to young girls. . . were surrounded by just THAT. . .

JOY!!!!

She and I have just such a heart for our 9th and 10th grade Sunday School class. We meet so very frequently to discuss their hurts, their needs, how we can more effectively minister to them.

And. . . I'm so blessed to have her as both my ministry partner and my friend.

After church we all piled into Kim's car, my car, and, thankfully, Jon's truck. When we decided to have a Christmas party for our girls I was so very excited. I just love to entertain. However, Sunday morning as I was mopping my floors I thought, "LORD, what if no one shows up?"

The LORD did not disappoint. We had 12 girls!!!! Thankfully that was exact number of Christmas presents we had.

These 2 girls here are no strangers to my family. My girls feel like these 2 are their big sisters.

After lunch we all started playing the White Elephant game with Christmas ornaments.

I just love a good White Elephant Game so I kept telling the girls, "This is the only time when it is okay or fun to steal. This is the only time you will hear Ms. Michele say "steal", so go for it and no one get their feelings hurt."

My girl, Jaimie, didn't disappoint me. She was the first one to steal. Others soon followed her leading. .

These 2 will be moving up next year. . . but they decided they will come back and crash our Christmas party next year. . . I'm so thankful!

Again, you see who my girls are always hanging on. . .

Next, it was time for their Christmas presents from Kim and I. Back in August our church had a wonderful day for ladies called "A Day Away". To say it was wonderful is an understatement. We received these really nice prayer journals. . . so Kim and I decided this would be a great gift to our girls.

Y'all I'm telling you I'm just so thankful for Kim. She really took this bull by its horns and made the books. . . which was a really good thing because last week 2 of my kids has Strep.

Also, for a little fun we gave them some toe socks too!

Group picture time!!! I told the girls that when they were grown and had families of their own they could look at these ornaments they received and think of Ms. Kim and I. . . those Sunday School teachers they had as teenagers who were ALWAYS telling them, "Girls, it always goes back to The Word."

Now for a silly pose!!!

We were missing a few of our girls and I was so very sorry they weren't here with us!! Oh well, just a good excuse for another get-together.

226. For Jaimie.

227. For Jaleisia.

228. For Kaitlyn.

229. For Katelyn.

230. For Shelby.

231. For Makayla.

232. For Jordan.

233. For Hannah H.

234. For Ingrid.

235. For Ashley.

236. For Hanna.
237. For Kim.

238. For Emily.

239. For Katy.

240. For Haley.

241. For Ann Marie.
242. For Becca.

243. For Rachel.

244. For a husband and a son who give up their home for a Sunday.
245. For a home to have people come and fellowship in.

I LOVE it. . .

I love it when my son is sick and he comes up to me, gives me a big hug and says, "Mama, thank you for taking such good care of me when I'm sick."

I love it when we're exiting Wal-Mart and I see thuuu baaaabbbyy is lagging behind. . . I look behind me to see what in the world she is doing . . . she's running up to the Salvation Army bucket to put her own money in.

I love it when my sweet, sweet Ashley folds not only her own laundry, but my laundry as well.

I love it . . . how after every single meal . . . whether eaten out or eaten at home . . . my sweet girls ALWAYS say "thank you for breakfast/lunch/dinner, Mama/Daddy".

I love it . . .when I'm reading to my kids they don't want me to stop. . . they will plead and plead, "Mama, just a little bit more, p-l-e-a-s-e."

I love it. . . how Hanna runs up to Jon when he gets home. . . she runs up to him and greets him like she hasn't seen him in a whole entire month.

I love it. . . when I have to go to work how Ash will give me a hug or rub my back as if she is staying, "Thank you Mama for working so hard for our family".

Quite the Little Reader

All of my kids just love going to the library. However, after this last trip everytime I would try to find Hanna around the house she had her nose in a book. She has become quite the little reader.


After days of reading we were in the car. She put her book down and said, "I've got to stop reading for now. I've got too many words in my brain."

Georgia versus Georgia Tech

Or one particular bulldog fan might say. . . bulldogs versus bumble bees. . .

However, if that particular someone wants more than just bulldog fans at her football party. . . she may just need to correct herself and call these folks by their rightful names. . . sucking up her pride. . . she says, "yellow jackets"

We threw together a last minute GA vs GA Tech party this past weekend. It was so much fun. Some of our friends live, sleep, eat, dream football. . . the others could care less, but came over anyway for a good time of fellowship. . .

I think we had a total of 26 kids playing hide and go seek in the dark, trouncing around here there and yonder. We had such a great time! Thankfully the 'Dawgs pulled a win for us!

Faith suggested we make a yearly tradition -I'm TOTALLY in!!! It was so fun seeing everyone dressed in their team's colors. I meant to get more pictures. . . but was having too much fun!

Oh NO I didn't!!!!

Oh YES I did. . .dress up as my own Mama in High Heels version of the Target lady.

Actually I had a black jogging suit and I knew I would have more money for the great Black Friday deals if I didn't splurge on a red jogging suit all for a good laugh.

I got a good laugh though. . .

So did Mama and Kristen.

I'm complete. . . pearl necklace, pearl bracelet, high heels, pearl earrings and. . . look closely now. . . . don't miss it. . . the side pony tail.

I got about an hour nap before we took off at 11:00 that night. By 2:00 a.m. I was sick of the side pony tail, so I did the Ms. Crishele knot.

Kristen literally shopped until she dropped. After Old Navy she and Mama were going to take a nap in the car while I stood in line to wait for Target to open. What a bunch of sissies!

However, after about 10 minutes of standing in line I see Mama wobbling up to me in line. Poor thing had just had an ingrown toenail removed from her foot so she walked like she was crippled. She was a trooper though. She came back to hang out with me because she didn't want me giving her a hard time. Smart lady I tell you.

I got back to G-town about 7:00 a.m. Jon and the kiddos woke up so we all headed out and did a little G-town shopping. We got back home and I crawled into the bed about 10:30. What a fun, fun night!!!

I just love the memories we make every year doing this!!! Next year, Kristen is the boss. . . sure hope she doesn't wimp out on us!