angel's wings and other things

i have finished gabriel's wings for the children's program at church. monkey gets to be gabriel- i am way more excited than she is. of all the angels to be he's the one or maybe michael, but he isn't really in the nativity story. here is a pic of them.


i have been working very steadily on christmas presents for my friends and fam. there are some of you that i don't know which ones you would like. if you have not already asked and i don't know what sniff and color for your soaps and what color for your washcloths, please let me know. big 'uns should be picking up her pink vanilla scented soaps to go with her pink washcloths this afternoon. sniffs available for the soaps are: vanilla, lavender, and peppermint. colors available for soaps are: red, green, blue yellow, purple, orange, and any color that can be procured using the colors mentioned above. colors available for washcloths are: yellow, blue, pink, green, and red. pattylicious i know you prefer purple in color, but there are no purple cloths also what sniff would you like. i made a ton of these items, so if you would like some let me know. also, food gifts will be available after christmas. woo hoo. i included some pics of the cloths and soaps.
the lilttle purple blobs are really purple lavender scented frogs. these are my fav.
apparently the soaps are also good for eating. her highness grabbed one and promptly began licking it. so much for washing her mouth out with soap.

hello

i was recently contacted by a friend that i haven't heard from in roughly 13 years. it was so awesome to hear her voice and catch up with her. she asked the same question many of my old friends have asked "why are there no pictures of you?" i gave her the same response i give everyone else "because i woke up one day and i was gigantic". seriously, once upon a time i was scrawny skinny, and then i got married, had in-laws who hated me and made it their daily chore to make me crazy. oh yeah, i also had two kids. because she asked here are some pics of me. most of them are pretty old.

this is me on the day finch and i renewed our vows. 3 yrs ago.
i made the dress.

this is me and the hubby this past summer

this is adara and me getting my ring from WT. 3 yrs ago

there you go. i will attempt to let other people take some pics this christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

those of you who know me know that i really enjoy this time of year. at my house santa still comes. we very much believe in his/her presence. on christmas morning before we open gifts we read from the bible the story of Jesus' birth. i have explained to monkey that he wasn't born on dec 25, that just happens to be the day we celebrate it. kind of like when we have her birthday party the weekend before her birthday. i know that the reason we celebrate His birth on dec 25 is because of the romans who were trying to convert my pagan ancestors in the british isles. i know that the christmas tree is the modern version of the very pagan yule log. anyway, this sunday the preacher had a sermon on the true meaning of the holiday season, yeah i know hannukah was here before christmas and so was yule. then on monday i got this email and i thought that i should share it. hope you guys enjoy and here are some pics of my christmas elves decorating the tree.


Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many you are upset that folks
are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten
that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and
that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate
My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival.
Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be
most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed
with children of your own.

I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate
My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the
town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My
birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa's and snowmen
and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If
all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such
a scene on the town square because there would be many of them
all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree
a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made
all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree.
Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that
one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and
what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one,
look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth
here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My
birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope
to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and
lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know
them personally. They just need to know that someone cares
about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on
the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write
and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family
this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you
again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't
afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them
the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down
here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love
them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him
or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take
their own life this season because they feel so alone and
hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving
everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town
calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there.
Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't
allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you
from wishing them one Then stop shopping there on Sunday.
If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd
close and let their employees spend the day at home with their
families.

8 If you really want to make a difference, support a
missionary - especially one who takes My love and Good News to
those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole
families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas"
tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or
receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few
gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other
charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery
for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief
in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do
things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let
people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love
Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all
the rest.

Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll
help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a
most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and
remember:
I LOVE YOU, JESUS

ready or not

you may not be impressed by the first photo, but it was a first for me. these are the first rice crispy treats that i have ever made. yes, you may be surprised that i have never made these. i know it was a wee bit of a shock for me too. i made them the week of thanksgiving, so i felt the need to put fall like sprinkles on them. they didn't last very long. i have since made several batches of these overly sweet delights. i made some with strawberry marshmallows and they were fab.



here is my super helper. she was responsible for the pink salad. she also helped with the pumpkin pie, stuffing, and several other crucial turkey day foods. she helped my mom shape all of the rolls, and she did an excellent job with the tea ring. having her help is really exciting for me because by the time i was 8 i was in charge of the pecan pie making. i'm glad that she enjoys cooking.


although she didn't get to help make much she was the official taster of all things. my granny made this apron for my older sister about 36 years ago or so. mimi brought the head gear for her heiness. my thanksgiving head gear was provided by the princess mindy. sorry no pics of it, i don't like to be photographed. the blue smear on her cheek is from the crispy treats made with fruity pebbles.
isn't this how you're supposed to eat olives? later in the evening the cowden clan came over and she and XXX were putting them on their fingers. it was really cute.


they are called stockings. she thought that meant that you were supposed to put them on. we got the house decorated for christmas. while team gator was terrorizing the stores team dunkin was enjoying a fire, pancakes, cocoa, and decorating. i had several other really awesome photos, but alas i could only upload 5.


we had a great holiday. my uncle roy and his wife came down from OKC and we had a lovely visit with them. my brother and his wife didn't make it up due to the inclement weather. my sister only made it for about 6 hours on turkey day. this wouldn't be nearly so aggravating, but she spent a week with one of her friends in lubbock. it is always nice to know where you rank in priority. any way. monkey had a great birthday. she got the harry potter books, all but the last one. she has made it to chapter 5 or 6 already. pattylicious got her some really great books and a beautiful bookmark. monkey got tons of clothes and 2 new pair of tennis shoes. she also got this great pair of pink pjs with matching slippers, her highness has already claimed them as hers. for those of you who follow the avatar she got the entire second season. for those of you who don't follow it, you really should it is an awesome cartoon. we own season 1 and 2, and have season 3 on dvr. all in all it was a great holiday. the week started out with a little gifty in my mailbox from the princess mindy. it was this adorable little note book. then there were thanksgiving parties at mdo and monkey's school. i got to spend wednesday with pattylicious and my mom came over later and we got to spend most of the holiday with her. big uns and biker came over and we played uno all night. it was a wonderful time. hope your holiday was equally wonderful and blessed.

hey there

wow, it has been busy around our house. we had a wonderful turkey day. i hope to have a bit more time on my hands tomorrow, so i'll put pics up. hope everyone else had a great turkey day. a big thanks to all of those who were super supportive of the family issues around turkey day. i'm glad that i have awesome friends.