When it's all said and done.

  Well Dec. 26th is here and it's all said and done. It's kind of a depressing time for me though. All that time before Christmas is spent in anticipation, shopping, the excitement of it all and then it's all said and done.  It was a very nice Christmas, spending time with Family, Unfortunately not all the family could be there. Now it's time to just relax and enjoy all our time off until we go back to work and school after New Years.  We are suppose to get quite a bit of Snow tonight, no one here is going to need to go anywhere tomorrow so I say .......LET IT SNOW,  LET IT SNOW , LET IT SNOW

Merry Christmas 2010

Well Today is Christmas Eve. We have a nice relaxing Day planned and then Church tonight. All the gifts are wrapped so none of that to worry about. I got cleaning and laundry, all done yesterday. Everyone here is off work and school until Monday,(that's when Ken goes back to work) so it's nice to be able to just relax and enjoy the day before all the festivities tomorrow

My moms is the big one here with the lights.

Last night we went to Quarryvilles Midnight madness .We went to Newswangers furniture first. My moms manger scene was set up here with some others that customers had lent for display. They had a live one out front too. My moms manger scene was made by my grandparents. My grandmother painted all the figurines and placed all the little stones on them and my grandfather made the stable. I remember as a kid just sitting and staring at it in awe.
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At Martins Appliances They didn't have a horse drawn wagon this year to take you around to see lights, it was a tractor. Kind of took the fun out of it so we didn't do it. We did get our free hot dogs and hot cider. They also had fresh made cookies. I did see a nice stove there that we may go back for after Christmas.
Then we stopped at Fergies picked up some groceries and then the music store .

Bushes outside Herrs decorated to look like potato heads

On the way Home we rode through Herrs and looked at the lights. Ken would stop so I could take some pictures but it was kind of hard because we had people behind us at times . It would have been better if I could have gone out and taken some but oh well. It was a really nice evening, spending time with the family and enjoying the sights.

So as we all get together tomorrow with friends and family around the tree and are opening the gifts we receive, lets not forget the greatest gift given to us many years ago, Jesus. He came to this earth from his heavenly throne for us. Lets Remember The Reason for the Season, not just tomorrow, but everyday throughout the year.


John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believes in him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Card 2010

                               

Cool Blog Hop

Great blog hop going on this weekend. Click on the button and check it out.

Who would have thought, Again?

Sometime back I had entered a giveaway on here and won a pair of Naya Shoes
and Won.  Well much to my surprise when I got on my computer and saw an email that said I had won the giveaway over at AVON by Karen . It was for the Avon 24k Quad eyeshadow. How cool is that? Thanks Karen for this great giveaway.

Oh Christmas Tree

Well we got our tree up today. We did the Blue LED lights again. I really love the LED lights. They are a little more money but I think they are sooooo worth it. Maybe next year we will try another color theme but who knows. If we do I'd like to get more LEDs because we only got enough last year for the tree.

In the Raven's Room the boys did a little sports tree. It has a mixture of Kens basketball and Raven's ornaments on it. The lights aren't LED on this one because these are just some lights we had from before. Can you see the difference?

The Tree

My Dad and Ken shaking the Tree

Still Shaking the tree

Well today we got our tree. Ken goes to the 3 to 11 shift for the next 2 weeks and this was pretty much the only time we could get it as a family. We just go to my parents house and get it every year. You see they live right next to a tree farm and during the week they sell the trees for the tree farm since they live right there. We didn't put it up yet, I think we will probably do that tomorrow. We still have to get up in the attic and pull down all the tree Decorations. I hope to finish off the house decorating too. I just love this time of year.

Running it through the bailer. Jordan My Dad and Ken

All wrapped up Ken, My Dad, Jordan and Tanner

Ken standing proud and tall : )

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme


TodaysMama and GameStop  are giving away a sleigh full of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?  That we all have a safe Christmas and Holiday and that we never forget what the true meaning of the Christmas season really is.

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition?    Well our tradition now is to always go over to my parents for Christmas dinner after we have opened gifts here. Unfortunately I have failed to continue a lot of the traditions with my children that my parents had with my siblings and myself.  Santa Decorated our tree when I was a kid, and then My siblings and I couldn't even come down the hall and see the tree in the morning until all of our guests had arrived for breakfast.  These are just a couple .

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

A week at the Hotel Hershey's Chocolate Spa

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?   By making sure the House is decorated nice and that it has a nice warm feeling. We try and spend time watching Christmas movies together and baking cookies, and taking part in church Christmas activities.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? SORRY, was a big one in our Family

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?  The whole Santa Tradition. Even now that my boys have outgrown Santa so to speak, We still don't let them see their gifts until Christmas morning.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip?  I would love to go to Colonial Williams-burg one year for Christmas


8. Check out GameStop  and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

The DS just because it would be neat to have one.

The Wii because We don't have one.

The Ea Sports Active game So There's a game I'd like to do on our PS3

Avon Giveaway

Another Great giveaway at Avon by Karen. Win the Avon 24k quad Eyeshadow . Click on her button above.

Handmade Giveaway

Here's another cool give away, check it out over at bouffee e bambini .

(Almost) Wordless Wednessday

Here's something fun you can try with your pictures too. I posted a few videos I made using Jib Jab. They're all different so check them out. To watch them again, just refresh your page.

YAYYY I got them..

Today the shoes that I won got here. Remember the ones that I had won over at Trying to stay Calm?  They are a pair of Naya Shoes  and I love them. I have never put on a heel that has been as comfortable as these and I have worn quite a few pairs of heels. They came in a recyclable bag  then were placed inside their  shoebox. They also sent this cute little stick drive that is like a virtual  brochure on the shoes, very cool. I absolutely think that Naya shoes are one of the best .

ENCOURAGING NEWS!!!

Some encouraging news!!! I just realized that even though we have 30 votes and we've seen one other person ahead of us with 70 some, we still have a chance. YAY!! They are taking the top 10 as finalists and then people from Sears will make the final decision so thank you sooo much to those friends and family that are taking the time to vote for us everyday and help keep us in the top 10. We greatly appreciate it. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Kitchen+Aid+Sweeps?dest=gallery%2Fentry%2F%3Fentry%3Df96df35d-bdeb-4457-85c2-fa36b8349aba

Another One

There's another cool give away over at Trying To stay Calm .  This time it is for Yummie Tummie. There are some really nice things at Yummie Tummie. Go check it out

I need your Help Please !!!

Hi Everyone. Tomorrow Nov. 2 is election day and I hope everyone will get out there and Vote. Starting Wed Nov. 3 I am asking you all to Vote again. Won't you Vote for our Kitchen to be rescued ? I have entered this contest and am asking for all of your support. You can Vote more than once and the first 500 voters on the 3rd receive a 25 dollar gift card and every time you vote you are entered for a chance to win a new Kitchen aid mixer.

Thanks for your support.Sears KitchenAid entry from Faith in Colora, MD: "View and rate this contestant's entry for a chance to win a full suite of KitchenAid appliances and more!"

Some people ruin it for others

Ok.. so last week or so, I was in the Walmart (NE) Parking lot getting in my car when a girl, probably late 20's or so, approached me and said her car was over at the gas station and she needed a couple bucks to get gas. Well for some reason I was in a generous mood and so I reached in my purse and pulled out a dollar and handed it to her. After doing so I really started to wonder if I had done the right thing. Now every so often there is a couple that will stand by the entrance to the plaza and ask for food money also.

Well today, Ken and the boys and I had just gone through the Burger King Drive through and pulled over in the parking lot to go through our food when I look up and I see the same girl walking with the couple that beg for food money. They set up by the curb in the PL and stood there talking for a few seconds. I tried to talk Ken in to driving over so I could ask her if her car was still at the gas station needing gas but, no go. As we watch them I notice that she has on those shape up sketchers that cost a pretty penny. I'm still trying to talk myself into spending that much for a pair of those. She starts to walk away from the couple as they get comfy with their sign, and heads to the Dollar tree parking lot.As she heading over there, she pulls out a cell phone. I'm thinking, ok if you've been out of gas this long, you could have called someone by now you have a cell.

My point being, this really didn't look good. I was really believing that when I gave her a dollar before, I didn't do the right thing. I should have offered to take her over to the gas station, or meet her there and put a few bucks of gas in it myself. Then see what her reaction was. The people wanting money for food, Give them a burger or fries, or offer to take them into BK and buy then a meal.

Tanner said it himself, The bad thing about people like that is, they ruin it for some of the people that really need help. You just never know when someone is really telling the truth.

You see I have no problem in helping someone in need, Christ said "what you do to the least of these you do to me."I just think they need to help themselves first.

We had a long discussion about this as a family and what we can do... like the things mentioned above that I should have done. The boys also pointed out that we can look at what they are actually asking for on the sign,If it's money, than be leery but if they actually ask for clothing or food or jobs or a tent to sleep in, (like we saw once) Then they are more than likely a person really in need.

I guess If we are really really unsure about what to do when we see a person that says they are in need , we can pray for them. After all who doesn't need prayer.