A Night to Remember

I'm sure that you have been celebrating and visiting and eating in the same massive quantities that we have for the past several days and maybe even weeks. Isn't it wonderful to get together with family? The holidays are so special, and it's a true shame that we wait for the holidays to do such wonderful, memory-making things.

Last Wednesday night, my mom and stepdad opened their home for a Christmas celebration. It was a fabulous night with tasty Texas cuisine.

Mom and Granny

Mom and David

Brian is scratching off a lottery ticket.

3 Generations

Granny and Papaw

Maddox wanted to try on my scarf. So, I let him.

Brian and Maddox

Thank You, Santa!

It's rare for adults to actually get toys for Christmas. In fact, sometimes it seems that once childhood is a thing of the past, Christmas gifts are no longer exciting. Well, that wasn't the case at our house this year. Brian and I both were so excited about our gifts to each other. We had a bet going about which one of our gifts would make the other soil themselves (sorry for the crassness). Unfortunately, we couldn't wait until the big day to exchange gifts. Curiosity and excitement got the best of us, so we traded early.

I opened my gift first. Drumroll please . . .

The new Canon Rebel XSi. I'm a picture-takin' fool, and I had been begging Brian for this, but he kept putting me off. Needless to say, I was more than a little excited when I opened my present. And now, poor Brian has been awakened by the flash of my new camera in his eyes on more than one occasion.

And, Brian's gift? The new iPhone. He had the old one, but he wanted the features of the new one, plus his old one was working so well. He was excited to, but I think his gift took the cake!

What was your favorite Christmas gift this year?

A Very Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a season filled with love, laughter, and magic!

I'm out until after the new year to spend time with him . . .

And them . . .

Merry Christmas!

Mary's Song

"Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl . . . For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me!" ~Luke 1:46-49

Do you ever have those moments when you are so joyful in the Lord's presence that you feel as if you'll just bust right open if you don't tell others about His goodness in your life? This morning is one of those times for me.

Can I just borrow those words written above from Mary's song. This was her response when the angel, Gabriel, came to her and told her that she would soon become the mother of our God.

But today, I'd like to call it Lindsey's song. I couldn't have said it better in my own words.

As I sit in my fuzzy pink robe in my living room this morning, with a cup of coffee in hand and my Bible open in my lap, I feel privileged. I feel kept and deeply cared for. My God has sustained me through some major trials. He has literally picked me up and carried me through some unbelievable feats, and I am intensely overwhelmed by His provision for me.

Today, I encourage you to thank our Lord for his hand in your life. I promise, if you just take a second, and consider the blessings that surround you, you'll easily be moved by his protection over you, presence in you, and provision for you.

My soul sings for joy today!

Super Saturday

Well, it has been quite a weekend! I just love the events of the season. Since Brian and I will be heading out of town the day after Christmas, we had an early celebration with my dad, stepmom, and sister. We got some fabulous finds, and they padded our pockets very well for our trip!

Here I am, happy with my American Express gift card.

Brian got a lovely blue dress shirt.

And, a Callaway golf shirt (and he got an AMEX card, too). Here I am, looking fierce, in my UnderArmor sweatshirt!

In addition to a Christmas celebration, it was also the Christmas Gala for my younger sister. I did her make up and helped her get ready. Mostly, I followed her around like she was some sort of celebrity and snapped pictures left and right.
Dad tied the best bow. Why is it that men always tie better bows? I always make Brian tie my dresses that have bows.
Carol snapped pictures with her new Canon Rebel.
Chelsey looked lovely!

Ready for Santa

The table is set.

The presents are wrapped. (These are the leftovers that wouldn't fit under the main tree.)

The stockings are hung. (One day we'll have a fireplace to hang them on.)

We're all ready for Santa's big visit to our house. We had our first holiday celebration tonight, and we have many more to go. I just love this time of food, family, and fun! And, this year I won't feel the post-Christmas blues on the 26th because Brian and I will be packing our bags and heading to the beautiful Florida beach for a few days. I can't wait! This will be the only Friday that I don't have to go to the cancer center for an infusion for an entire year, so we're taking advantage of my week off, and getting the heck outta dodge for a little vacay.

And, here's our lovely wedding cake ornament that finally came in the mail today. It commemorates the momentous occasion of our wedding this past summer.

Family Fun Night

Following Maddox's birthday party on Saturday afternoon, my family decided to take our annual trip to SantaLand (a drive-thru light display). We grabbed a bite to eat at the local Cracker Barrell, too. It was a wonderful holiday evening!

Maddox and Papa face-off for a wild game of Checkers. Who do you think won that one?

Me and Ashley had our own Checkers match. I lost by a long shot. I hadn't played that game in approximately 17 years.

Ashley and Brian

Hensley patiently waits for our table on a gift-wrapping station.

Ashley thought this girl looked like a perfect morph of the two of us in our younger days. We were late bloomers to say the least.

The men wait for a table.

Maddox and Nana shop for toys.

Ashley fights the crowd with a baby carrier. It was PACKED!

Still shopping.

This is what happens when you take a picture of Christmas lights from inside a pitch black car.

Thrilling Three-Year-Old

Childrens' birthday parties. There's just nothing quite like them. They are always characterized by a uniqe blend of laughter, tears, sticky hands, and chaos. This weekend, my precious nephew, Maddox, celebrated his 3rd birthday at a local attraction called The Birthday House. He was joined by about 10 of his friends and his doting family members. It was quite the bash.

Here is the birthday boy and his parents.

Dad was holding down the treat table.Mimi and Pop with Hensley.
Me and Brian. Our balloon twisting skills were a real hit!

Me and mom.

Nana and Papa

Maddox the Magnificent

Maddox's favorite aunts.

Sweet Hensley (my niece - Maddox's sister)

Lightning McQueen - no boys' birthday is complete without it

Punch 'er Lights Out!

Today's post is more for myself than anyone. At my last oncology appointment, my doctor gave me the pink boxing gloves pictured above as a motivator for me to punch cancer. I thought that was a very thoughtful gift! I just wanted to share them with you so that you, too, could help me remember to punch cancer.

Chemo is cumulative. It stays with you and one treatment builds on top of the next. One would think that in 21 days' time, a body would be able to get all of the chemo out of the system, but it can't. Anyway, I say all of that to say that this has been a rough week. I've just felt icky all week long. But, that's to be expected with the 3rd round of chemo. On the positive side, I'm half-way done with my treatments.

I was only able to pull through 2 1/2 days of work, and my tummy has had me doubled over in pain on numerous occasions.

So, friends, today I'm reminding myself to punch 'er lights out! This battle will be over before I know it!

Frigid

It's been one of those cold days, you know? One step outside, and your hands feel like icicles. Yet, there are a million and one things to be done.

As is my custom on the Wednesdays following a chemo treatment, I'm off today for a day of rest. I generally work Mondays and Tuesdays following a treatment, but by the third day, I'm wiped out and need some downtime.

This morning, I awoke to a drafy 50-year-old house with stopped up drains, a dog with a skin problem, a car in need of an oil change, and a pile of laundry waiting to be folded. I decided to take the car to the shop first-thing so that I could go back home and spend the remainder of my day on the couch. What should have been a quick trip, ended up taking 3 hours. In the midst of my waiting, my mood somehow went south.

Why is it that these mundane things that life requires of us can ruin a good day faster than anything else? These are the things that turn us cold towards others. We get so wrapped up in our schedules and what we planned to do with our time and money, that the smallest inconvenience can rapidly rob our joy.

My question to you today, is, how do you stay joyful in the midst of mundane? What do you do to make sure that you are always ready with a warm greeting and cozy smile?

And one more thing...

I just started writing brief online devotions. You can check them out at www.encouraging.com.

Accomplishments and Special Visits

First and foremost, happy 6 months of being happily wed, Brian! We've been through some major fun and unbelievable feats, but most of all I love you more each and every day!

And, on to the second part of this post...

I had the wonderful privilege of spending most of the day yesterday with the women in Brian's family. Brian's youngest sister, Erin, will be marrying the man of her dreams in January, and she was in town for a bridal shower and dress fitting. This will mark the final of three weddings in 7 months for Brian's parents. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take my camera for the shower and fitting, but I did remember to grab it before we headed to Brian's parents' last night.

Here are our 3 dogs, excitedly waiting to get in the car.

Brian and I sported our hat head looks for last night. Don't worry Brian was just playing in my scarf pad that goes under my hat.

Brian was getting a taste of his own medicine as his parents whipped him into shape with a towel fight.

There are no words.

A rousing game of Monopoly - Electronic Banking Edition. Cute mugs!

Maddie, sportin' her Santa suit, with her lovely dog Grandma.

Like mother, like daughter - sitting exactly the same.

It was a great day and great evening with Brian's family. They are special people, and always ready for fun. Now, today, I'm wiped out after a full day of fun. I've claimed the day as a day of rest.

Deck the Halls!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

No, seriously, I absolutely adore the holidays. They are the warmest, coziest, loveliest season, and I think that they represent so many fond memories and traditions and ideals for me.

I know that among Christian women, the wife of Proverbs 31, is not a new concept. However, this example of a Godly woman and wife really became relevant to me when I became a wife. I believe that this passage of scripture commands us to be hospitable and creative in our households. It challenges women to make their homes a haven and a place of joy and rest for their families. I think this is especially true of holidays and celebrations. Women, it's up to us to make these occasions special for our families. Part of making them special has to do with the atmosphere that we create. Here's my attempt this holiday season . . .

Here's one of my Christmas trees. It looks very flat, and much less decorated in this picture than in reality, but you get the idea.

A close-up of the tree.

My entryway.
A close-up of the Merry Christmas sign.
An icicle tree in our bedroom.

A red topiary and ribbon-tied towels in the bathroom.

Christmas table.

Dining room tree.

Ribbon-tied wreaths in the windows. This picture looks so cheapo-deepo. It really looks cute, trust me!

Ribbon-tied wreaths hung over tin tiles on the wall. Again, the flash makes this look ridiculous, but it looks good in person. There are 3 of these hung right beside each other.

That's all, folks! Get in the holiday spirit in your own home!

Giveaway

Go to http://glamlifehousewife.blogspot.com for Whitney's fabulous Christmas giveaway!