Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Blogging takes the backseat!

So, since school has been out, and hubby was off work a couple of days last week, blogging has definitely taken the backseat!!! And boy, how I have enjoyed our time together!!! Unfortunately, I have very few pictures of any of this time, I was so caught up in the moments, I guess the camera was somewhere in the backseat too!!! Hopefully, everyone's Christmas was full of the love, mercy, and hope of Jesus, and family fun too! I am also very excited about spending a long weekend with hubby in Orlando at the Capital One Bowl Game(our anniversary is 01-01!)!Be back soon!

Noah on Pajama Day on the last day of school before the Christmas break!

Noah with cousins on Christmas Day!

I went to Midnight Mass with my mom and some of my family, and was totally jealous of my niece's new jacket!!! (This pic is at 1:05 am, Christmas!)

Me, Mother-n-law, Hubby, and Lum at Christmas Day with cousins! My niece inspired me to wear my houndstooth too! And who knows what Lum is doing!

And our cool anniversary present from my folks!!! Can't wait!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Gingerbread Train


Hello Everyone!!!

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season.


We have been so busy around here.......and, in case any one hasn't heard yet, we found out that in August 2011, Noah will be a big brother!!!!


So, I am definitely trying to "savor" the moments I have with "just Noah" as this is his 7th Christmas of just him! Of course, I am very thankful and excited that there will be someone else here next year, I just hope Noah adjusts too!!!


Anyway, my mom had bought Noah this little set a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday, as it was the official beginning of school vacation, we decided to try it.

He was very excited!

I put the pieces together, but he put all of the candy on it, and all in patterns!!! That's my boy!
Beside the train there is a "N," ya know, for Noah!

He also wanted to personalize the backside of the caboose!!!


Merry Christmas, and more about "the baby" real soon!!!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Southern Miss-To the TOP!!!!

We hereby announce that:
Mrs. Jessica Lea Kennard-Mizell
has completed a Course of Study and is awarded
the degree of
Bachelor of Science
in
Elementary Education
on
December 10, 2010
Three O’ Clock in the Afternoon
from the
University of Southern Mississippi
College of Education and Psychology
Jessica is our oldest niece, and we are super proud of her!!!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thankfulness


So, maybe this post is a little late......Turkey day has come and gone....


However, in the past week or so, some things have been revealed to me, and for that I am thankful. This isn't a list of "things" I am thankful for, rather a list of "knowledge and wisdom" that I am thankful to receive.


Warning, I am about to share my feelings......feel free to exit out if you aren't interested!!!!


1. Every decision you make will affect at least four or five other people, so think of others before you act. Take us for example. We are a family of three, but the choices the three of us make go beyond our walls. They will typically affect someone else. I'm not saying make decisions that aren't best for your family based on what is best for everyone else, I'm just saying there are other factors to consider.


2. Never work for family. If you do, make a contract of what you will do if something should happen or if something changes. I recently had my heart shattered into a million pieces over this. Make sure you make a small print page that both parties sign.


3. Never take people for granted. Life goes by so fast, and you can be talking to someone that morning, and that night they could die. Trust me!!! Don't think it couldn't happen to you, it could!!!


4. The truth will set you free. There is a fine line between condemning people out of arrogance, and telling them the truth out of love. Not that I make a practice of lying, but sometimes, for people's feelings, I have been known to go along with something that I feel is wrong. Well, I found out the hard way that's just not right. I'm not saying walk around with a 20 lb Bible and tell people they are going to hell. If the Bible (any version, after all, Jesus didn't speak in Elizabethan English like King James did, so KJV is a translation too!!!) clearly states that something is wrong, and someone you love is doing that very thing, tell them so that when you get to judgement day, that person isn't standing before Jesus, hearing it from Him, and that person turns to you and says, "You knew it was wrong. Why didn't you tell me?!?!?!" Remember, the truth will set you free.


In the past couple of weeks, I have had some curve balls thrown at me. It is obvious that I had to go through some things so that I can turn around to someone who is where I was, and tell them, "Come on, you will be alright, I've been there too, and I made it through, only by God's grace!!!"


It's Jesus, or bust.


In exciting news, after all of that hassle, last night I'm cleaning up the kitchen after supper, and Noah walks up to me and says, "Oh momma, you're so nice!!!"


Does anything else matter?!?!?!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Christmas time is here....

....and it's showing itself too!
Most people save the best for last, but I think I'll start with the best, then go in no particular order...
Here's the reason we have Christmas.

Notice the sheep right beside Jesus(who was probably not blond headed and blue eyed!)? Noah put that sheep there because, "Jesus always takes care of His sheep Mama.....He will look for them when they get lost!"

Here is where our stockings are hung by the chimney with care...

This little ditty was made by my one of my grandmother's best friends, and probably the friend she's had the longest. Somehow, it made it's way from Na-Na's living room to mine!!! (Wink Wink!)

And for the fireman in us all...

My favorite part of the tree.

She used to move her arms and head back and forth and even flap her wings, but she broke a couple of years ago, I'd love a new one, but I'm not sure how to say bye to this one. Yes, I know it's not a real angel, but I do love her, and don't want to say bye! D told me that I should just stand in a chair by her everyday and move her body parts for her....I wish that's all I had time for, but it's not!

Oh, here's another couple of favorites that joined us 2 years ago. What? Two years ago....that's crazy, seems like yesterday!

The snowmen are Noah's fingerprints!!!

Here she is in the daytime.

And at night.
For that tree to have 1,001 ornaments on it, it sure does look empty. I'm going to have to invest in some more ornaments this year, maybe after Christmas sales?!?!?! And our tree will probably never look like the ones in the magazines, I just love an original.

Oh yeah, let's don't forget about outside.

See our pretty tree through our pretty door?

Our pretty door that needs a paint job, luckily you can't see it in this picture. Have I ever mentioned that my dad can paint?!?! Anyway...

We have 2 of these as new additions this year.

Our other windows look like this....oldies but goodies.

The pictures I have taken of our Christmas decorations do not do any justice to the actual decorations them self, but I decided to post them anyway. I am definitely not a decorator, never have claimed to be. This is not Southern Living, but it is Living Southern!!! Also, please let me note: try not to laugh, it may look silly to you, but for the first time in 7 years we decorated everything different than the past 6 years......it was a big deal!!! Every year we put the same decorations in the same spot, the same way. This year we got a little wild!

Later on I will probably do a post, along with Noah to display "his" decorations!!!