Meredith's Moments

Kelly's Birthday

2013-05-14T16:20:00.002-05:00

Today is my sister, Kelly's birthday! I always love celebrating her birthday. I get way too excited about it, but I can't help it! :)

So sweet!

Kelly with Mama and Daddy!

Ever since I can remember, I have looked up to my sister. From how she put makeup on, to how she dressed so pretty, all kinds of little things. I specifically remember sitting beside her in church one Sunday, and I tried to sing JUST like her. I loved her beautiful singing voice, and still do. She has always, always been there for me. In my opinion, she is the epitome of what and how a sister should be. I can go on and on. I only hope that I have shown her even half the love and grace that she has shown to me. I love her so much.

Happy Birthday, Kelly! I hope you have a fabulous day!

Love, Mer

A Perfect Girl's Weekend

2013-05-08T20:48:00.002-05:00

Yep, I am still trying to slowly but surely catch up on my blogging.

Last month, I went to my sister's for a fun girl's weekend. We had a great time together.

I stopped by my sister's class. She is such an awesome teacher and I loved meeting her cute students.

After school, Lauren and I played an oldie but a goodie, MASH! It brought lots of memories back to me. I played that game so much with my friends.

That night, we ate a perfect girl's dinner. What else but pizza? We loved eating at ZaZa, one of the best pizza places in central AR!

We watched the movie, Sixteen Candles after dinner.

Saturday morning, we went to Two River Bridge and trail for a walk. The view was so gorgeous!

Pinnacle Mountain is always wonderful to see.

Kelly and me

Marcie is such a fun and sweet dog! She loved walking with us.

Lauren loved walking Marcie, too.

Me and Kelly at GiGi's cupcakes.

These cupcakes were oh so good. Who doesn't love cupcakes?

We also stopped by the new children's library in the area. Lauren loved it so much.

I loved this picture of Lauren.

We shopped a little bit that afternoon, which is definitely mandatory for a perfect girl's weekend.

I have mentioned several times that my sister is a fabulous cook. Lauren definitely has that talent as well. We made homemade pretzels together!

Lauren was a pro at twisting the dough.

YUM!!!

We watched my favorite movie ever ever EVER, Steel Magnolias! Lauren really enjoyed it, I think.

Sunday, we visited the Museum of Discovery. This was a bed of nails!

Lauren and Kelly

The tornado room was one of the most interesting parts of the museum. When you walk in the room, it's just like a basement, then while you are there, it really feels like a tornado. Crazy.

We also enjoyed being news anchors! :)

It was such fun. We had a ball together and I think we need to have a girl's weekend on a regular basis. I of course, had to travel back home. I am always thankful for a great weekend with a couple of my favorite girls! I love Kelly and Lauren so much!

I thanks my God every time I remember you. Phillippians 1:3

Price's come to visit

2013-04-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Yep, I know I am behind on my blog...again! Whoops!

Earlier this month, Ricky and Jackie came for a few days.

I put together a little "welcome basket" for them. Lavender hand soap, vanilla lavender pillow mist, washcloths, soft lamb (just for fun), bottles of water, devotional book, and a chocolate bunny.

After they arrived, we went to a yummy BBQ place for dinner. It reminded us of South Arkansas and they loved it!

Saturday, we met more of Russell's family for pizza. Here is Russell and Leighann playing!

We stopped at Cabela's because Ricky had never been there before. So we just wanted him to see all the new things at the store.

I will be honest. This chair was my favorite part of the store! HA! Shows ya how excited I was about Cabela's. Don't get me wrong, but I much rather prefer Bath and Body Works. :)

Russell got a new bike! He LOVES to ride and has been renting a bike every week or so. But no more renting. He can officially ride whenever he wants to! :)

After church on Sunday, we went to Crystal Bridges for lunch and to see the newest exhibit by Norman Rockwell! It was so awesome! My favorite was "Day in the Life of a Little Girl."

Russell and me!

My chicken salad and fruit was so yummy.

We had a great time with them and hope they enjoyed their visit!

Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:16

Lauren is 11. She gives me JOY!

2013-04-24T16:40:00.003-05:00

Y'all-my niece is ELEVEN today! I cannot even believe it. Here is just a tiny glimpse of the fun memories she has given me over the years.

Here we are at KK and JJ's house! Lauren was probably two then. Adorable.

I specifically remember when she wrote a note to the tooth fairy. How precious!

Here she is playing "Pretty Pretty Princess" with me. She wanted the pink jewels, of course. And she won the game too!

Fast forward to now!

Lauren is a beautiful young.....I have to say it now...PRETEEN! HA!

We continue to have a blast every single time we are together and she gives her whole family JOY!

I posted this on Instagram last night, and I had to add it to this post as well. The pic on the top left was taken on the day I found my wedding dress six years ago. She wanted to wear the hat. The next pic was taken on Lauren's 3rd birthday party at Pink Bliss. Bottom pics are present day. (sigh.) Lauren and Logan both make my heart melt. Being an aunt is one of the BEST things ever. What am I going to do when I become a mother? My heart may explode. HAHA! I love Lauren very much and hope she has had a great day.

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. Philippians 1:4

Easter Blessings

2013-04-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter y'all! (a day late). Even though Easter was yesterday, it's never too late to celebrate Christ's resurrection! He is Alive!!

Don't ya just love celebrating? I know I do! Here's how we celebrated the day.

Here's our Spring wreath hanging on the door. Simple and sweet.

We hosted Russell's family for lunch on Sunday. I really enjoyed decorating the tables and place setting for each person.

Dessert table featuring a "chocolate bunny". :)

Everyone got a pale pink rose, monogrammed egg, and a chocolate carrot. Simple yet pretty. Thanks to Pinterest for the idea!

Russell and I were excited to go to Amy and Tony's church for Easter. Amy is the worship leader at BVCC. We have never been to their church to support her, so we thought we would go on Sunday.

Me and my "honey bunny" before church. I just love him!

Amy, Leighann, and me after church. Amy did awesome!

We had honeybaked ham, scalloped potatoes, spinach casserole, deviled eggs, and homemade rolls.

Saturday night, I was praying the rolls would rise and turn out well. It's pretty nostalgic to me because my Nanny made them so much, Mama and Kelly make them too. This was the first time I ever made them. They tasted just like their rolls! Hallelujah! HA!

Here are the potatoes!

We gave Leighann a few goodies and a cute Easter basket. Included in the basket was the purple bonnet she's wearing. She looks so cute!

She was so excited to hunt eggs at our house.

What did she find?

Belle enjoyed being outside with us too. She had a happy Easter!

Our little family I love so much!

Tony, Leighann, and Amy

Debbie, Ron and Lei Lei

Best friends!

We have now been friends for nine years! I can't believe how fast the time has gone! What a blessing she is in my life.

We had a great Easter. I couldn't help but remember just how much Jesus did for us on the day he died for us. Just how much he went through for us is unimaginable to me. I can't help but thank God for sending his son, Jesus, to die for us, shed his blood for us so that we may have eternal life. Jesus Loves You. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves all of us!

The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day." Luke 24:5-7

Eden's Easter Eggs

2013-03-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

Dyeing Easter eggs has always been a fun tradition for me. I really love when I can help kids dye eggs for Easter, too. It's just so cute!

Eden and Mandy came over and we did this activity together.

Here are the colors!

Eden was so adorable and a great helper!

Aww so sweet!!

Mandy and Eden! "Happy Easter!"

"Mear" loves you, Eden! :)

Mandy was showing Eden how to hold the eggs and to be gentle so they wouldn't break.

She got to take her eggs home. I forgot to take a pic of all the colors together. I think it's because Eden is TOO adorable!

The tomb was empty! Mark 16:6

You Are

2013-03-23T20:26:00.001-05:00

Listen and be blessed by this song! I know it has been out for a while, but every time I listen to it, it's a blessing! I could listen to it all day. Hope you have a great rest of the weekend!

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from you heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

Dancing Daffodils!

2013-03-20T17:29:00.000-05:00

Finally! I am finally updating my blog!

Earlier this month, Russell and I traveled to Camden to see family and celebrate the annual daffodil festival. We stayed so busy but we loved it!

Friday, we went to Magnolia to see Russell's parents.

Russell and Ricky in Ricky's shop

In February, our sweet friends from college, David and Mandy, had a baby boy! We are so happy for them and had a chance to stop by for a little while to meet Bryce and visit. It was so great to catch up with them. Special friends!

David, Mandy and baby Bryce

We love babies!!

I have to share this, even though it may sound strange to some.

Russell and I went to college at SAU in South Arkansas. The SAU mascot is a mulerider. The latest mule has been at SAU since 1993 I think. Her name was "Molly B." She recently died.

We actually drove around the SAU campus on Friday afternoon, so I took this pic.

Flashback time!

I sent my sister this picture of us with Logan from 2000. They grow up so fast!

Friday night, Kelly, Eric, Logan and Lauren came and we were so excited to see them. Lauren and I have SO much in common. Every time we are together, I tell Kelly I see myself in the mirror from age 10! It's crazy!

Anyway, Lauren and I decided to make an impromptu run to Walmart. We needed yellow, green and orange nail polish!

We painted our nails for the daffodil festival!

Lauren and her pretty nails.

You can't really tell in this picture, but here they are! We only did daffodils on each ring finger. I used an orange stick dipped in the polish, plus I miraculously had a steady hand that night. HA!

Logan and Russell decided to participate in the Daffodil 5K on Saturday morning. I am so glad they decided to do it together. Here they are before the run.

There goes Logan!!

Go Russell!!

The runners actually ran in the neighborhood I grew up in. We just walked from Mama's house and cheered everyone on. It was so fun!

Finished! They did it!

Logan is quite the athlete. He got 1st place in his division! YAY!!!

My very favorite thing about the festival is definitely "dining in the daffodils."

We went to Grace Hill to have lunch amidst the flowers.

Mama, Kelly, and Logan

Me and my honey at lunch.

Soup and sandwich with chips and lemonade to drink. Yum!

The bread pudding was very tasty too!

Logan, Kelly, and Lauren at Grace Hill

I need to put a brick on Logan's head. He's growing up way too fast. I tear up when I think about it!

Lauren is so cute!

God is awesome, and HE creates awesomeness!

KK and Logan

If I had to describe this picture in one word, it would be, "beauty."

Beauty in my mom, sister, and niece, beauty in the outdoors, and nature!

I love him!

Me and Kelly. We kind of felt like bridesmaids with our bouquets!

Saturday afternoon, we walked around downtown, but I didn't take any pictures. It's not my favorite part, but it's always busy downtown during the festival.

Kelly decided to take part at the civil war encampment! It was loud to say the least. So funny!

Here we are again! Two peas in a pod!

I was so tickled to spend time with friends and family. It was so good to see them, along with the beautiful dancing daffodils.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. Isaiah 40:7

Downton Abbey

2013-02-27T22:52:00.001-06:00

I am one of those people. Yes, I am one of those obsessed with Downton Abbey.

I finished season three a couple weeks ago and was very speechless to say the least. I will not give anything away! Downton is just so addicting. Once you get wrapped in the wonder of the Edwardian era, you want to keep watching.

I got a couple of books about Downton yesterday and I have only skimmed through them so far. I'm sure I'll read all about it when I can.

This is the newest book that features more about season 3. Great info in this for sure just for the ultimate fan!

A big part of me wants to be in the kitchen with Daisy and Mrs. Patmore. Crazy busy, but fun.

Here is a recipe from Downton Abbey. They have more recipes here. So interesting and fun!

I just had to share my favorite thing recently. Russell has actually started watching the series with me and I am tickled about that! :)

This video should make you smile, if you are a Downton fan. It sure made us smile. So funny. Enjoy! Maybe it will hold us over til season 4!

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Hearts, Roses, and Love. Valentine's Day 2013

2013-02-21T14:45:00.001-06:00

I am back to blogging again! I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus for a few weeks. I think part of the reason is because I have been watching lots of Downton Abbey. Post soon to come!

I hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day.

Russell had these beautiful red roses delivered to me. I love roses so much.

I love romantic movies. I am such a sucker for them.

I ended up watching The Notebook and French Kiss while I did my nails, which took a little trial and error!

Valentine Nails!

The colors I used were OPI's "I'm Not Really A Waitress" and Essie "Ballet Slippers".

Russell and I went on a special date last Thursday. We went to Crystal Bridges and had dinner at the "Art of Romance" event. It was so beautiful!

Our table setting

Can you say gorgeous?!?

We were absolutely so excited. Can you tell?

It was a four course dinner. We took pictures of most of the food, I admit. I couldn't help it.

Our first course was baked feta and gorgonzola cheese with walnuts, figs and honey on toasted baguette. The second course, shown above, was a red leaf salad with rose water vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds, and blood orange slices.

Third course was filet of beef, seared scallop, lobster claw, and purple brussells sprouts. YUM.

My favorite? The fourth course! a decadant chocolate box filled with berries and topped with a red rose petal, of course! Perfect to share!

It was so fun to walk around Crystal Bridges, have a memorable dinner, all with the beautiful atmosphere of acoustic guitar playing love songs.

I decorated our table a little bit before Russell got home. He got me more chocolate of course. He knows what I love!

Roses from dinner. It was so great to get to take these home! Love!

I got Russell a half dozen Valentine themed cupcakes from Bliss Cupcakes. He was so happy!

Me and my valentine.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Happy Birthday, Russell!!

2013-02-01T17:02:00.000-06:00

Today is a special day. It's my sweet husband's 29th birthday. He is such a wonderful man. He is not only my husband, but he is my best friend who I confide in, my better half, a teacher for me, a great listener, oh, the list goes on and on with wonderful qualities of Russell. I have never shared these pictures of us. They were taken at a photo shoot our friend, Rhyanne did in November.

He is incredible!

Yep, he makes me VERY happy.

Russell, Happy Birthday, sweetie. Enjoy the last year in your TWENTIES! :) Love you bunches!

Love, Mer Bear

I am now cooking his special birthday dinner. Praying that the cake turns out! :) Trial and error, right? ;) Hopefully it will be good!

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Musical Friends

2013-01-27T21:14:00.000-06:00

Well, the weekend is almost over, y'all! Monday is just around the corner.

Friday night, a few special friends and me went to dinner and a movie. We had Mexican at Q'doba. It is so yummy. Sarah and Carly are so sweet and fun!

Me and one of my best friends, Mandy. Love her!

All four of us are in choir at church. Mandy and I are sopranos and Carly and Sarah are altos. We were pumped to go see the "best musical of all time", Les Miserables. It was my second time to see the movie and I loved it even more than the first time.

We cried so much at the end! It was incredible!

On another note, I have wanted to make homemade laundry detergent for months now. After researching about it a little bit, I finally made it! My sweet friend, Bethany shared the recipe on her blog.

This is the end result! I want to continue to save money and laundry detergent can add up. This jar should last us a while because you use only one tablespoon per load. I encourage you to try it for sure!

Have a great week!

Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

Proverbs 17:28

Shower for Anlea

2013-01-21T20:22:00.000-06:00

It's raining babies! So many of my friends are having babies!

I was tickled to help with a baby shower for my sweet friend, Lee.

Lee and Andy at the shower for their baby girl!

Just a few finger foods and cupcakes!

Rhyanne, me, Lee, Mandy, and little Eden

Welcome Anlea Dee! The cupcakes were SO good!

Eden's mama, Mandy, put a little punch in Eden's sippy cup. So funny! She liked it!

She also approved on the cupcakes! :)

Anlea Dee was born on Thursday! Welcome to the world, Anlea! We can't wait to meet her! Babies are such a precious and amazing gift from God and such amazing miracles!

Every good and perfect gift is from above... James 1:17

Happies of the Month

2013-01-14T22:16:00.000-06:00

Hey y'all! I hope you had a fabulous weekend and a marvelous Monday!

I just wanted to share a little about my 2013 so far. I call it little "happies" of the month.

Right before the new year, I ordered the Living Proof Ministries (Beth Moore) scripture memory cards!

I was so glad to get it in the mail the other day.

This is the verse I chose to memorize for 2 weeks. I will pick another one tomorrow. Memorizing scripture is one of my goals for the whole year. I want to learn as much about Jesus as I can! Excited!

I know I have mentioned before that I love my job and my coworkers. I was so surprised to see this last week:

I wondered who did it for me. I later found out that my sweet coworker and close friend, Brooke, did it for me. That just made my day! Thanks Brooke! :)

Wednesday, I got this in the mail.....

My Erin Condren planner!! I have always wanted one of these. Oh my goodness! It was like Christmas all over again!!!

Ta-da!

I went to lunch with a friend on Saturday, and I got this yummy salad. Trust me, it was worthy of a picture. HA!

My sister and brother-in-law gave us the letter "P" for Christmas and we LOVE it so much. Eric also took this picture of an old gas station and gave it to us. We love our "Estes" wall. :)

So those are my random happies, y'all. I hope you have a wonderful week!

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 1:24

2013--Expect Amazing!

2013-01-09T15:54:00.002-06:00

I am so excited because I had trouble uploading pictures via Internet Explorer. I finally found a way to do it through Google Chrome (in case anyone is having the same issue I am).

It's 2013!

To be honest, I totally did not track any points for Weight Watchers once we traveled to Camden for Christmas. I knew I was going to get back on track once the new year rolled around, and here it is! Happy New Year!

This year, I am totally going to expect amazing for myself. I am dedicated to this program and encourage anyone who is on a "diet" or totally feels deprived to join Weight Watchers. It is the best out there!

I was tickled to get my WW magazine in the mail the other day. I think it has wonderful ideas in each issue.

I love this commercial from Jennifer Hudson and Jessica Simpson. JS is pregnant again, so maybe she will get back with WW after her baby is born. Who knows. We will see. Whatever goals you have for 2013, I encourage you to make it happen this year! We can do it!

The Lord is faithful. He will strengthen you. 2 Thessalonians 3:3

2013 is Here!

2013-01-02T19:37:00.002-06:00

Once again, Happy 2013!

We had family over for New Year's/late Christmas on Monday night.

Here is the tablescape for the night.

Everyone got a hat and a blower to use once 12:00 arrived!

I think photo booth props are so fun with friends and family. Plus, kids love them!

Leighann says, "Happy New Year!"

Amy and I loved our props. So funny.

Too cute.

Russell, Ron, Tony, and Leighann

Even Belle wanted to celebrate!

Debbie and Ron ready to ring in 2013!

Me and my sweetie. He is the best!

Leighann was tuckered out before midnight.

We had a great time and are so glad we rang in the year with family! It was fun.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy. Jude 1:24

A Musical Christmas

2013-01-01T23:44:00.002-06:00

Happy 2013!

Friday afternoon, it began to snow. I love the moment when the snow slowly begins to fall. Then it begins to fall harder and harder. I then want to jump outside and dance in it!!

I ran outside to take a few pictures. I didn't get many good ones.

I was pretty excited! I just don't like it when the roads get icy and dangerous. Snow is so magical and beautiful!

I had to make snow ice cream. So good!

My mom's side of the family got together in Fayetteville for a late Christmas gathering. We were excited to see even more family!

I brought this simple cream cheese and strawberry preserves munchie. I cut it in the shape of a Christmas tree.

We had amazing food, of course! Ham, macaroni special, fruit salad, carrots, and yummy desserts.

Aunt Molly and Kelly

My cousins, Cliff and Parke

It had been so long since I saw these two!

Molly, Kathy, and Dodie

Sisters!

We LOVE singing. If we are together, and there is a piano nearby, we can't help but sing together. Kelly and I both have our few favorites like "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming." Such beautiful songs.

My sweet cousin, Emily had to work that night. But we decided to pay her a visit! I am glad I got to see her, even if it was for only five minutes. :)

What fun we had with everyone!

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Reflections of 2012...Renew in 2013!

2012-12-30T23:13:00.000-06:00

Can you believe 2012 is coming to an end? As they always say, all good things must come to an end. That's very true! Of course, there were hard times for so many people, in the world and in our nation. But as I was reflecting about the year 2012, for Russell and I, it was a year full of blessings. Every year, I like to share one highlight of each month. Some months were slow paced, but most were stocked full of activities and most of all memories. I only share one picture for each month though, so here we go!

January

Russell and I visited Crystal Bridges museum together for the first time. We love living in NWA! It was beautiful.

February

Friends helped me surprise Russell with a birthday party! We had pizza, cake, and best of all, friends! :) He was so surprised. It was too much fun.

March

As Spring arrived, so did our desire to go walking together! We loved seeing the beauty of God's creation while we walked.

April

We traveled to Bartlesville, OK to meet The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond! It was amazing and oh so much fun!

May

We moved back in our house we own! Blessings abound!

June

My family came to see us. Also, Russell's whole Price side of the family came to NWA. We had a great family reunion together.

July

As we endured the heat, we still enjoyed going to the farmer's market on the square. Mandy and I were so glad to be there while Kris Allen sang! It was great.

August

We visited the Precious Moments park. It is one of our favorite places to go. So sweet.

September

Our 5 year wedding anniversary!

We celebrated at The Melting Pot. It is SO good!

October

I went with one of my friends to see Point of Grace in concert. They are so talented and one of my favorite music groups.

November

We saw Carrie Underwood in concert!!!! It was officially the BEST concert EVER!

December

We had many wonderful times with family and friends. We also had a great time hosting our Sunday school Christmas party. Such fun!

So, here's to 2012 being filled with memories, and mostly, here's to a blessed 2013 for all of you!

Reflect on special moments and memories, and let God refine you in the NEW year!

Happy New Year 2013!

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Malachi 3:3

Wonderful Christmastime

2012-12-29T23:52:00.000-06:00

Wow! Christmas has come and gone in a flash!

Let me start out by saying, I have missed blogging. Life happens and you get busy, right? Of course that's what happens! Also, a warning: There are MANY pictures on this post. More than normal, just so y'all know. I could have done two different posts, but I wanted to do a 2012 recap in a day or two, so here we go!

Our house smelled just like a bakery a few days before we left for the South Arkansas Christmas trip. Russell and I made cinnamon rolls together. What fun it was! I mixed up all the ingredients, rolled out the homemade dough, and Russell helped me so much with the slicing and organizing, finishing it off, etc.

Pioneer Woman is the best for sharing this glorious recipe. It truly is a labor of love, but SO worth it!

In the middle of the process. This is noncaloric, just so you know. Ha!

It was nice to make ahead of time, then freeze them.

Oh, let me interrupt this blog post to show you my Christmas nails! Not perfect, but I love this color!

Friday, we traveled to Jackie and Ricky's (Russell's parents), and spent time together. The interesting thing about the visit is there was not any electricity!

Ricky did use a generator, which was enough power for a few things. Plus Jackie pulled off a great meal! We had apple butter pork loin, mashed potatoes, green beans, and macaroni and cheese! I told her that we should have ordered pizza! :) But it was SO good!

Ricky and Jackie at dinner

Look! The Christmas tree was lit, even without electricity! Thankful for generators!

Russell was enjoying the "semi old-fashioned Christmas". So funny!

We stayed at my Mama's and BA's this year. Later that night we traveled to C-town!

I had quite a few gifts to wrap. Mama is the queen of wrapping gifts, so I put her to work! I was her assistant, but didn't help much! I tried!

I loved this pretty vintage wrapping paper.

Saturday, I got to meet up with a sweet and special friend of mine, Brittany.

We went to high school and college together. I remember when we both started dating our husbands around the same time and telling each other about our dating stories! HA! Brittany is so sweet. I was so glad her sweet boy, Braden joined us, too!

Russell and I later ran to Walmart for a few last minute things, then he had a very special VIP request to go to Andy's. They serve egg nog shakes around the holiday time.

He was very excited!

We put together a few cinnamon rolls and delivered them. I loved this year's material with a big red bow and ornament.

Sunday night, we went back to Mag-town to have Christmas with Russell's extended family.

Connie and George are so sweet. They are so happy about their new granddaughter, Eve! She was born right after Thanksgiving.

Me and my love

Phyllis and me

Now, Phyllis and I love to laugh. Everyone knows we like to have fun and just laugh together. It's quite hilarious!

Jackie and Ricky with Belle and RJ

Belle says "Merry Christmas! Woof!"

Todd is Russell's best friend. It was so good to see him and catch up with him.

Christmas Eve

Mama and I in front of the tree

Russell and I went to FBC's candlelight service. It was so pretty.

BA and Mama

I am so glad I saw sweet Emily at church! She is one of the sweetest people ever!

I loved making the breakfast casserole for us to have on Christmas day! I like that you can make it the night before. Easy!

Russell helped me too and also made his fave-sausage balls! They were so good.

Christmas Morning

Cinnamon rolls and breakfast casserole, anyone? I say this is a perfect breakfast!

Kelly, Eric, Logan and Lauren came that afternoon.

Lauren with her gift. We got her a monogrammed blanket.

Kelly with her gift! We got her a door mat.

Eric loves Reese's cups. LOVES them. We gave him the world's largest Reese's cups. Ha!

Lauren is so pretty!

And Logan is handsome! We had steak for Christmas dinner. Yum! BA did a great job grilling them.

Mama and Russell

Lauren got tons of duct tape for Christmas. She made me the coolest purse! I love it!

Kelly's sugar cookies. She should go in business. Heaven. Just heaven.

Me with my Santa Baby!

Mama, me and Kelly

We were SO excited to see snow! Logan even made a snowball soon after the snow started coming!We were all so excited and giddy, we just danced around in it! HA!

But it was quite cold, so Lauren and I snuggled under her blanket. Yes, we are silly. Oh well!

Sisters in the snow! I love her!

Logan is a Lego Master! Lego King! He is so talented at building Legos! He made put this 1962 Volkswagen Van in 2 days! It was fun to watch him put it together.

It was fun filled and busy, but so good seeing family we cherish and love.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest... Isaiah 9:3

Candy Cane Lane

2012-12-20T23:38:00.001-06:00

Saturday afternoon, I had my 6th grade Sunday school girls over for a candy cane lane party! We focused a lot on the meaning of the candy cane too. I read the book, "The Legend of the Candy Cane". It is a wonderful book for everyone!

I had a hot chocolate bar set up for the girls. We had extra goodies to add to the hot chocolate like white chocolate snow (almond bark shavings), semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, and candy canes. Yummy!

The table with the candy cane bookmarks and sweet minty treats!

I made up two baskets full of these.

We ventured out in the cold to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Hannah, Kytney, Peyton, Annabelle, Kennedi, Mikayla and me.

Yay for Christmas munchies!

Peyton and Kennedi enjoyed their "Santa Coca-cola".

We had chex mix, sausage balls, cocktail weinies, peppermint bark and hot chocolate.

Candy Cane sweeties!

My sweet friend, Jayme helped me so much with the party.

Doesn't everyone love photo props? I know I do!

Silly Kennedi pretending to be Santa with her coke. :)

We all gathered in the living room to watch "Christmas with the Kranks". It is always hilarious to watch during the holidays.

Kennedi and Annabelle

We had such fun together. They are great girls! It is such a priveledge to be their SS teacher.

Aren't these lights gorgeous?

We went to the Fayetteville square with our friends, Rob and Jayme. It was so beautiful.

Rob and Jayme

Me and my Santa baby!

Everyone in NWA loves these Christmas lights. It is the perfect date night for the season, or of course a night out with friends!

We can't wait to spend Christmas with family. It will be so great.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

A Very Merry Christmas Party

2012-12-17T13:12:00.004-06:00

"It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you!..."

That is what song has been in my head lately. Anyway, moving on...

Last Saturday, our Sunday school class came over for a "very merry Christmas" party.

Russell and I were excited to have everyone over to our house to celebrate the Christmas season.

my stocking

Russell's stocking

Belle wanted to show off her stocking, too! :)

display of Spode Christmas Tree plates

The tables ready for our guests

We had Mexican Stack-Ups for dinner. I forgot to take a picture of the line-up of food we had!

I made a chocolate gingerbread toffee trifle for dessert and everyone brought extra dessert to enjoy. It was all SO good!

Gingerbread snowflake cookies made a perfect garnish.

We had plenty of photo props to use during the party just for fun.

Jennie, David and Faith. Connor was being camera shy I think. ;)

Rhyanne, Kelsey, and Brian....who is that in the back???

It's Chase!

Too funny.

Jonathan, Adrienne, Heather, Andy, and baby Braden.

We were so glad Heather, Andy and Braden could come. They are moving after Christmas. We will miss them!

How hilarious are Chad and Mandy?!!?

Mandy and I with our funny props!

Russell and I LOVE our Sunday school class. Everyone in the class is so incredibly special to us.

A funny pic with props, of course!

Love these girls!

Lee, me and Braden. He got passed around a little! :)

Lee and her husband Andy are expecting a baby girl in February. She will be holding a little one very soon!

The party was so fun. It was great to just have fun with everybody and laugh.

May your days be merry and bright....

Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign...Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Spirit of the Season

2012-12-13T19:02:00.003-06:00

It's the spirit of the season. You can feel it in the air!

Last Friday night, we attended Russell's company Christmas party. It was so good to see Russell's co-workers again and meet new ones as well. Russell works for a great company and he loves it. What a blessing.

Me and Russell

Tony and Amy

Tony has worked for this company for years. It is an extra blessing that Russell and Tony work together.

We even had cake. It was so yummy!

The decorations were so pretty. It reminded me of candy land. :) The colors just popped. Look at this centerpiece! Guess who won it? ME! I never win much of anything at all. I was pretty surprised.

Russell, me, Amy and Tony

Saturday morning, Russell and I volunteered at our church's 10th annual Christmas Store. Our church was able to minister to 500 families by giving away toys and other items to families. It felt so wonderful to help others and serve.

Mason, Carly, and Sarah!

I was tickled to see my sweet co-worker, Beth. She teaches pre-school and does a fabulous job. I always love visiting with her.

It was also great to see sweet Rhyanne at the Christmas store.

It was great to help out our community. We can't wait to help out next year! This is what Christmas is all about.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation. Psalm 95:1

Selections from The Nutcracker

2012-12-09T22:28:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, on the first, we got to see our sweet niece, Lauren dance to selections from The Nutcracker. This was her third year to dance in this wonderful Christmas program, but the first time Russell and I saw her.

Here she is in her dress for the party scene.

The music was so beautiful. The orchestra played many Christmas selections that were so familiar to most everyone. One of my favorites is "In the Bleak Midwinter". I was glad they played it.

Even Santa Claus made an appearance.

Lauren dancing.

She was also a little baker! So fun!

We love supporting Lauren and love her so much.

Me, Russell, Lauren, Mama, and B.A.

The girls!

Mama, Kelly, Lauren and me

She is the best ever!

Instead of flowers after the ballet, we gave her Essie nail polish in "ballet slippers." I figured it would be very appropriate for the occasion. :)

Russell loves being Logan's uncle. Logan is just growing up. Wow!

We had a great time and are already anxious to see them during Christmas. Listening to a live Christmas orchestra and seeing ballet to The Nutcracker was the perfect beginning to our Christmas season!

Praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe. Psalm 150:4

Christmastime Is Here

2012-12-06T11:30:00.002-06:00

The blog catch up continues today.

Better late than never, right?

Last year, Russell and I began a new tradition when we traveled to Oklahoma to get a fresh tree for Christmas.

This year, we continued that tradition. We went to the same farm and everything.

We loved looking around at the different kinds of trees. So neat.

We enjoyed it so much and will definitely be back next year!

The other day, I met my sweet friend, Amy for lunch. We also hit up stores at the promenade. Love spending time with Amsie!

It took longer than we wanted it too, but Russell and I decorated our tree the othe night for Christmas. Let me share a confession: Guess who puts the lights on the tree. Not me! Russell does! Everyone knows Russell is much more patient than I am. He also loves tackling big projects, too. He is such a good husband! But I love decorating the tree. We love doing that together.

Our house is also decorated outside for the season. Love it. Also, credits go to Russell!

I have shared a few of my favorite Christmas albums, but this is definitely #1 or #2 on my list. This one and Amy Grant's "A Christmas Album" are in the runnings. I just can't decide! HA!

I hate that I am so behind on blogging. Hopefully I'll catch up soon!

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

Thankful Thanksgiving

2012-12-02T22:15:00.001-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. Russell and I woke up extra early that day for South Arkansas.

It was SO great to walk in the house I grew up in especially to see such wonderful family we love.

Lauren helped me mash the potatoes. She did a great job.

Every year on Thanksgiving, we always have "munchies" before the "big dinner."

Kelly made chex mix and yummy parmesan rosemary crackers. I made brie en croute (brie cheese with brown sugar, walnuts, butter wrapped in puff pastry).

Food? What food?

Everyone worked so hard cooking everything.

Kelly and Eric are the cutest! Love them so much.

I am so thankful for him.

Mama, Logan, Lauren and B.A.

Logan, Kelly, and Lauren

Sisters!

Logan showed us this cool trick. We loved it!

A few of us went walking Thursday early evening around the neighborhood where I grew up. I loved the trees. Very pretty.

It's a tradition to watch Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving night. Lauren and I curled up together. I love her!

Kerrstyn and Lauren on a pallet

We had dessert, of course. Kelly made chocolate pecan pie and it was delectable. Mama also made Italian cream cake. It was divine. The end! :)

Friday, we spent time with Jackie and Ricky. As a bonus, we also got to help Jackie babysit Russell's cousin, Peyton. She is so pretty.

Even Belle loved helping!

Pretty Princess Peyton

Logan and Lauren love babies. Glad they visited us at Russell's parents on Friday.

Friday night was the Price/Lawson meal. Food, food and more food. We loved catching up with Russell's family. I wish I had taken more pictures at their house, but I think I was busy playing with Peyton. HA!

Saturday morning, Logan killed his 2nd deer! Here he is with the shell. We are proud!

Here is the view on the ride home. So pretty.

We had to stop at Chick-fil-A to get a peppermint chocolate chip shake. Christmas time is officially here, people. Throughout this month, remember the TRUE reason for the season, which is Jesus Christ and his birth.

Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. John 16:24