*Auburn University Tigers Football Fan Day*

On August 11, 2013, Auburn University hosted its annual Fan Day.

We love our Auburn Tigers, and when we get an opportunity to go home for Fan Day, we are super excited! I mean what's not to love about your favorite team's fan days?? You get to meet the players, get their autographs, and have your picture taken with them if you want. You get to meet the coaches, the mascot. Mingle with all the fans. Wow! The excitement is almost palpable!

Jelly Bean Flowers

One of the "crafts" we incorporate into our Easter celebration...

One lesson I am continually learning -- never underestimate the importance of family traditions to your children. Case in point: this simple little flower arrangement. My kids are older (my youngest is 12) and I always think that they won't want to continue some of the things that we've done in the past as part of our holiday celebrations. They always prove me wrong :)

New Year's Eve 2010

 This year our church didn't host its annual New Year's Eve Block Party. Not sure why not, but I am saddened that we didn't. So this year our family just stayed home and celebrated here. We watched football (of course, cause there's bowl games right now). And we did some fireworks. Of course we burned the Christmas tree! Does anyone else do this (or are we just crazy?)? I know I have one friend whose family does. And of course we tuned in to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve around 11:30 so we could watch the ball drop in New York. And we reflected on what God did through and for us in 2010, as well as contemplated what He will do in 2011 (I'll share more on that in another post).

Mike lighting some bottle rockets

Will and his friend Bennie

setting the dried out Christmas tree on fire

When looking at the pictures later that night, we were all totally amazed at the shapes we saw in the fire. We all agreed this looks like a dragon. If you look closely to the top left, you'll even see the little mustache-thingy like Mushu the dragon has in the Disney movie, Mulan.

Ok, this one was just plain freaky! It looks like someone is on fire!

Amazing how fast the tree burns up! Talk about a fire hazard in your house!

the Fire Brigade... Kate pointing out some sparks in the tops of the pine trees, and Ryan making sure we don't have a runaway fire (all because we enjoy watching our dead Christmas tree burn!)

Now the boys have decided it would be fun to throw firecrackers into the fire pit, and are hiding behind the shed to watch! I suppose boys will be boys...

father and daughter

dh and me

How did you spend New Year's Eve? What traditions does your family have concerning this holiday?

Christmas Time

My favorite Christmas decoration... it holds a prominent place on the mantle above the fireplace. I actually have several nativity scenes placed throughout my house. I am reminded that Jesus humbled Himself and came to this earth to die for my sins...

One of my very favorite Christmas stories to read aloud to my family...

making the gingerbread house... making memories...

I always love seeing how it will turn out when they are finished.

my blessings

dh and Lizzie, sporting her new winter coat (hehe)

I fill a stocking for everyone... even our furry and feathered friends...

Christmas morning

I love Christmas! I love the sights, the sounds, the smells associated with this special holiday. I love decorating my house, inside and out... stringing lights along the roof line, hanging wreaths on the doors, draping greenery around doorways, mantle and porch rails. Picking out a tree, putting the lights on it and hanging the ornaments. Hanging the stockings by the fireplace, placing the nativity scenes around the house.

I love having hot cocoa with my kids after we finish decorating the tree. I love baking cookies with my kids to share with loved ones. I love watching them make a gingerbread house each year. I love going caroling with our Awana group at church. I love that we memorize and recite, as a family, Luke chapter 2 each year. I love reading special Christmas stories with my family, celebrating the Advent, anticipating the arrival of a savior.

I love picking out gifts for friends and family, thinking about each one, and what they mean to me, how they have blessed me. I love going to celebrate Christmas with our families. I love getting together with them, I love our time together, our visits.

I love all our traditions and the special things we do to celebrate Christmas each year... but more than this... more importantly than all these... I love the WHY of our celebration. I am literally amazed anew, every year, at God's remarkable gift.

I'm amazed that He would leave glory, descend from His throne. That He would wrap Himself in human flesh. That He would choose to be born to the poorest of parents, to be born in a stable. That He would choose to announce His arrival to lowly shepherds.

I marvel that He left the glories of heaven, that He came to this earth. To make a way for sinners, to close the gap that eternally separates us from Him. That He died for the sins of mankind. For my sins. Yes, that is the marvel and miracle of Christmas. That is why we celebrate.

For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord ~ Luke 2:11

Easter 2010

I love Easter...love all the little things we do to celebrate...love everything that it represents. New life. A resurrected life. I am grateful that He gave His life so that I might live!

Coloring eggs at the church-wide Easter celebration

As part of our celebration, we had a "Walk Through the Resurrection" with the deacons and pastors telling the Easter story.

The donkey reminds us of Christ's entry into Jerusalem

The coins remind us of the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying Jesus into the hands of the Jewish leaders.

The cup reminds us of Jesus' last supper with His disciples before His crucifixion.

The praying hands remind us of Jesus' visit to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

The leather strips remind us of the whip used to give Jesus 39 lashes after His trial by Pilate.

The crown of thorns reminds us of the crown that the soldiers placed on Jesus' head while mocking Him, saying, "Hail! King of the Jews!"

The spikes remind us of the nails that were driven into the hands and feet of Jesus when He was crucified on the cross.

The die reminds us of the Roman soldiers gambling for Jesus' robe.

The spear reminds us that the Roman soldiers pierced Jesus' side while He was on the cross.

The stone reminds us of the tomb with the stone rolled away

The tomb is empty because Jesus is resurrected and He lives!

The egg hunt is on!

Merry Christmas!

Wow! Where did the time go? I mentioned before that when basketball season kicks in, it gets very hectic at our house! My dh coaches varsity b-ball at our local Christian school, and right now we are having 3 games per week! Plus my daughter and son both play on Upward b-ball teams, so we are out of our house all the time it seems like! We've been in b-ball season since November, but the really hectic time (3 games per week w/ dh plus children's Upward games) only overlaps through January! It's crazy around here, but we do seem to survive!

Here are the kiddos posing for the Christmas card photo this year

I hope your Christmas season was a blessing to you as it was to me! I absolutely love Christmas! And although we didn't get any snow (we never do), it was actually cold here for Christmas! That's a record for us, because here in south Georgia, it is usually very mild, if not warm! This was a special Christmas for me because we went "home" for the holidays! We packed up on Christmas Day and traveled home to be with our families. That was quite interesting traveling on Christmas Day! It was also kind of strange, because we are usually at our house (so far away from all family) and I always cook a traditional meal for our Christmas dinner. On this day, of course, there were no restaurants open; the only restaurants we found open were in a bigger city just off the interstate and they were Waffle House and Hong Kong Palace. So...we had Chinese for our Christmas dinner! Something we will definitely always remember!! I love making memories.

my kids with my dear daddy

my kids with my dear father-in-law

A big change for us over the holidays was having our oldest son move BACK home again! After all my fretting and being so down over the summer because he was moving out in the fall, and here he is, back at home! He decided dorm life was not for him...yet. And since we are only about 40 miles from the college he attends, he decided that he'd just move back into his room and commute to classes each day. So, at first it seemed strange, having him back here again. But I've had the holidays to adjust. And an adjustment it has been! College kids....they keep the strangest hours! (LOL...it really has not been THAT long that I have forgotten what it was like!) It's been nice having him back home.


Another highlight for us during the Christmas season was having the Children of the World International Children's Choir back in our town again! We were able to host the same two little girls in our home again! What a joy they were...and what a privilege for us to be able to share in their lives! Our church raised enough money (since they were here back in October) to put in a well in a village so that 1,000 people can have clean drinking water! God used these children to touch our lives in a way that we could never have imagined... I'm sure you remember reading my post about them back in October!

my family with Pashi and Aljane and yes, we wish so very much that we could adopt them!

He is Risen; He is Risen indeed!

"He is Risen!" These were the words I spoke Sunday morning as I awakened my children on Resurrection Sunday. "He is Risen indeed!" were the sleepily mumbled replies I heard from each of them. Oh what beautiful words for a beautiful day! Reminding us that our Savior lives! That He conquered death and is sitting at the right hand of God, pleading for us!

(left to right) Will, Kate and Ryan

The worship service at church was so moving. The Children's Choir and the Adult Choir presentations were awesome! The Spirit really spoke to my heart. How much like the two Marys at Jesus' tomb I am...quick to forget what He has already told me. That I am His...that He bought me at a price...that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me.

I am so very grateful that He loves me, that He saved me, and that He has given me new life. I love Easter and all the different ways we celebrated. Our homeschool group made a "bunny in the grass" cake to take to someone whose home was in the flood zone here. Our Awana kids celebrated His death and resurrection with the Easter Story and an egg hunt. The church-wide egg hunt and celebration was fun and meaningful. My family made a "jelly bean prayer" floral arrangement and Resurrection Cookies; we read the Resurrection Eggs devotionals each night. And we were able to worship our risen Lord and Savior on Sunday.

the bunny cake

Margaret and Kate hunting eggs at the Awana Easter Celebration

Will hunting eggs at the Awana Easter Celebration




My family - husband - Mike, me, oldest - Ryan

youngest - Will, middle - Kate

Easter is amazing...




Our Lord, and His love for us is amazing!