My parents actually gave this book to Joseph for Christmas but I picked it up, read the introduction, and never put it down. It is really speaking to me and is just what WE both need right now. God has so much MORE planned for our lives than we are allowing Him to accomplish. We are allowing so many 'things' to crowd Him out and distract us from being still and hearing Him speak to us and direct our lives. God tells us to get rid of anything, be it sinful or not, that is keeping us from being still and listening... truly listening... for Him to direct our path. This is our goal this year... to slow down and be still and know that He is God and He is in control. I can't wait to experience the joy and the peace that comes from living in the center of His will! 
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Currently reading
My parents actually gave this book to Joseph for Christmas but I picked it up, read the introduction, and never put it down. It is really speaking to me and is just what WE both need right now. God has so much MORE planned for our lives than we are allowing Him to accomplish. We are allowing so many 'things' to crowd Him out and distract us from being still and hearing Him speak to us and direct our lives. God tells us to get rid of anything, be it sinful or not, that is keeping us from being still and listening... truly listening... for Him to direct our path. This is our goal this year... to slow down and be still and know that He is God and He is in control. I can't wait to experience the joy and the peace that comes from living in the center of His will! 
Friday, January 6, 2012
Christmas with the Jennings
We had Christmas dinner with Joseph's family at our house on Friday. His Dad, his brother & his girlfriend - Dee, and our family were there. Joseph's mom passed away two days after Christmas last year so this was the first without her. Joseph's dad is in a nursing home here in Tuscaloosa and we were so glad he was well enough to be here.
more Christmas
Christmas Eve at my sister's house
My niece, Heather and her beloved retriever, Mindy (and Carlos trying to pop in there too)
My nephew, Jordan
All of my nieces - Hannah, Danielle, Heather, Elizabeth
Mom & Dad
Daddy playing the guitar - something he loves to do
Samuel - proud of his Ingram & Jones rookie cards
My niece, Heather and her beloved retriever, Mindy (and Carlos trying to pop in there too)
My nephew, Jordan
All of my nieces - Hannah, Danielle, Heather, Elizabeth
Mom & Dad
Daddy playing the guitar - something he loves to do
Samuel - proud of his Ingram & Jones rookie cards
John Michael at the barn
Christmas at our house - 2011
Those who know me best know that I love to change things around in our house and I love to 'piddle' around with decorating and trying new things. Christmas comes with a lot of opportunities to make some festive changes to enjoy for a short while. While I do tire of the extra stuff/clutter that the Christmas season brings and I am usually ready to bid it farewell, I really enjoy it for the season.
Our front door...
Our Tree this year...
Joseph & I bought the star for our first Christmas tree in 1991 & it still works.
Our front door...
The old sled has been in Joseph's family for more than fifty years. His parents bought it before he was even born when they lived in Upstate New York. Wouldn't take anything for it!
Front entryway table...
I found this Santa at a Dollar General many years ago and I still love him.
Every year we make some homemade goodies to share with our neighbors. This year we had two new families move into our neighborhood in the last few months and we had not met them yet. So, we decided to make some easy chocolate fudge and some homemade hot chocolate mix (recipe from my dear friend Karen), store it in cute little containers, and hand deliver to each of our neighbors. The boys loved this! We bundled up, packed the wagon with our goodies to deliver, and walked to each home, made our delivery and wished them a Merry Christmas. The boys were sad when the last delivery had been made and we enjoyed meeting our new neighbors. The hot chocolate mix was a hit...
A Pinterest Project from some reclaimed wood from our front steps we replaced earlier in the year. I didn't do anything to the red wood pieces... I left them just as they were and loved how they turned out. A Christmas Nativity...
Another Pinterest project some friends and I got together and did. I love this project and it was such a fun night!
We made a quick trip to Birmingham to see Santa and we have some precious memories of this occasion with John Michael. I will have to post pictures later but it is a classic complete with plaid shirt, boots, cowboy hat, and even the gun sitting across his lap. Too cute and soooo JM. The elves, Elfie and Bedford, showed up again this year too and many good memories were made with them. They even went on our cruise with us! Yep, they were hid out in our car all buckled up and ready to go. They got into lots of other mischief as well such as zip-lines, blue angels air-planes, cookies, etc. Such a great memory-maker for our family. It was a blessed Christmas. More family pics later.
more of the December blur
One of my favorite things about this cruise was the opportunity to get dressed up. We just don't do this as often as we used to and I miss it!
Cruise... Part 2
So... after an exciting day in Cozumel we boarded the ship and headed back to our cabin to drop off our shopping bags then headed back to our favorite spot on the Serenity deck. Our view for most of our time on the ship.
Sunset later that evening...
After a rocky night at sea, some Salsa dance lessons, a couple of shows, and some major laughs at the comedy club our get-away at Sea came to a close. We spent a few hours roaming around in New Orleans before heading home. We were anxious to see our boys and tell them about our adventure. They had a great time with my parents but were glad for us to be home. This was our first time to leave them for this length of time. It was good for them and good for us!
Sunset later that evening... After a rocky night at sea, some Salsa dance lessons, a couple of shows, and some major laughs at the comedy club our get-away at Sea came to a close. We spent a few hours roaming around in New Orleans before heading home. We were anxious to see our boys and tell them about our adventure. They had a great time with my parents but were glad for us to be home. This was our first time to leave them for this length of time. It was good for them and good for us!
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