Just a wish for a happy New Year's Eve from my house to yours. I hope you spend it doing something you love, being with those you love and looking forward to having a year of the same.
I am alone tonight with my child, watching a movie or two and going to bed before the first bottle rocket grazes the night time sky around here.
I rarely make any type of resolution, the new year's eve for me is usually spent in quiet reflection of the year past and the dreams of the year to come. I spend time thinking about those I have lost, the new friends I have made and ways I can be a better me in the coming year, as opposed to the worst of myself that seems to glare at me on this night.
I will strive to be a better woman, wife, mom and friend this year, I will strive to be a better follower of Christ this year, because truly only if I accomplish that, will I be able to accomplish the other.
May you and your family have a peaceful, safe and happy new year.
Always,
Bev
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
From Our House to Yours...
We have waited patiently...
And now LOVE has come...
And our hearts are filled with...
Merry Christmas from my family to yours! JOY! JOY! JOY!
Always,
Bev
And now LOVE has come...
And our hearts are filled with...
Merry Christmas from my family to yours! JOY! JOY! JOY!
Always,
Bev
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Yesterday was the annual Gingerbread making day with my mom (MeMa), myself and my child!!
Mom and I have been gingerbreading for a long time and when Hannah came along it just got to be a sweeter tradition. We have gingerbreaded with her every Christmas...and no matter what we do - there is always some sort of gingerbready catastrophe! Yesterday's house needed Ty Pennington and the entire Extreme Makeover crew to help it stand up!
Most years we bake from scratch, but lately there have been oh so cute, oh so easy, oh so already put together houses that you can buy in a box. After baking from scratch and enduring the agony of trying to make icing that will actually hold the house up; an already assembled, tidy little house all ready to decorate is a blessing from above. Especially when the activity is geared to be fun with three generations and one of them is six. The faster we can get to the actual decorating and sneak eating of the candy decorations, the better.
When we unpacked yesterday's house...it was cracked. Not just a little cracked...I mean, it had been hit and stomped and only a tiny piece of it was surviving enough to give some semblance of the house it once was. I voted for using it as it was...making it the ruins of a gingerbread house, but my vote was over ridden by two other and so I proceeded to glue and tape (yes, I said GLUE and TAPE) the house back together. Once it was dried enough to withstand a little frosting, I frosted that sucker at least a inch high. I know how my child likes to pick candy off the house, so I wanted to make sure the candy never came into any real contact with the GLUE!!
All in all, it turned out quite well. I wish I had taken a picture of the BEFORE, cause then this AFTER picture would much more appreciated!
But this one says it all .... ah the joys of a gingerbread house!
If you don't struggle to , uh I mean if you don't make one of these each year....you should. They are so much fun!!
By the way....Merry Christmas Adam! (cause it is the day before Christmas Eve!!)
Mom and I have been gingerbreading for a long time and when Hannah came along it just got to be a sweeter tradition. We have gingerbreaded with her every Christmas...and no matter what we do - there is always some sort of gingerbready catastrophe! Yesterday's house needed Ty Pennington and the entire Extreme Makeover crew to help it stand up!
Most years we bake from scratch, but lately there have been oh so cute, oh so easy, oh so already put together houses that you can buy in a box. After baking from scratch and enduring the agony of trying to make icing that will actually hold the house up; an already assembled, tidy little house all ready to decorate is a blessing from above. Especially when the activity is geared to be fun with three generations and one of them is six. The faster we can get to the actual decorating and sneak eating of the candy decorations, the better.
When we unpacked yesterday's house...it was cracked. Not just a little cracked...I mean, it had been hit and stomped and only a tiny piece of it was surviving enough to give some semblance of the house it once was. I voted for using it as it was...making it the ruins of a gingerbread house, but my vote was over ridden by two other and so I proceeded to glue and tape (yes, I said GLUE and TAPE) the house back together. Once it was dried enough to withstand a little frosting, I frosted that sucker at least a inch high. I know how my child likes to pick candy off the house, so I wanted to make sure the candy never came into any real contact with the GLUE!!
All in all, it turned out quite well. I wish I had taken a picture of the BEFORE, cause then this AFTER picture would much more appreciated!
But this one says it all .... ah the joys of a gingerbread house! 
If you don't struggle to , uh I mean if you don't make one of these each year....you should. They are so much fun!!
By the way....Merry Christmas Adam! (cause it is the day before Christmas Eve!!)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
I Miss Them Most At Christmas!
I miss them most at Christmas.
I miss the warmth, the decorating, the fun and laughter. I miss the good moods, the gifts, the joy of just being together. I miss Christmas caroling and little pizzas made on little bagels served off a ping pong table in the "new room" with everyone sitting everywhere, eating and laughing. I miss the private jokes, the sarcastic banter, and ever the teasing. I miss the smaller group times, the dinners, hot chocolate by the fire and most of all I miss feeling like I was known and loved by people I knew and loved.
I miss it a lot. More often than not. Sometimes I wish I was still a part. But then I remember how the family of friends we had built, turned us out, cut us off and haven't spoken to us since.
Christmas is hard for many reasons this year, but I had a dream last night that I was back there again...and I woke up this morning and missed our old church group. It was the "it hurts to breathe" kinda hurt. I guess never again will we be a part of a group of friends such as that, and it is good and bad news for us. Good because even with all the fun, it was an unhealthy group, even though it was church! Bad because even through the bad times, it was a connection to a group of people that I don't think I will ever have again.
The silver lining in my cloud this morning is that we are still very close with a handful of courageous friends who banded together with us and remain our friends to this day. I am thankful for them and happy to hear from them anytime -- especially at Christmas. We were all wounded by the former group and it's leaders, we have similar scars, but we still laugh when we are together and remember the good times together from that far away time and the memories we have forged since around our own fireside!!
Merry Christmas to Jamie, Hope and Tony and Lisa - we thank our God upon all our remembrances of you!
Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
It's A Wonderful Life!
Thought I would share a few pictures from the last few weeks of our life. Christmas is upon is in a mighty way --
The first decoration to go up this year, actually made it before Thanksgiving. I know, I know...I broke all my own rules - but HEY! it was my CocaCola tree...and it was in the kitchen, so shoot me - I wanted it up!
(oh, and forgive the telephone cord that is hanging beside it...not very attractive - but honestly it looks worse in the picture than in real life!)
We did eventually put up the Snowman Tree...and guess who likes it...yep...my sweet kitty cat! He liked it so much he climbed -- several times! I think he is now content just to sit under it...he looks that way anyway!Don't you think?
Oh - and then we tortured him with a santa hat...Santa Kieran was not very jolly!! But he was cute!
We went to see the real Santa of course!
(Now, you didn't think I was gonna give you the real picture did you? I have saved it for the Christmas card...you will have to be patient!)
Oh - and we have eaten lots of good treats so far this year...Hannah is partial to the chicken wings...I am loving some good ole White Trash and the hubby is munching on any kind of chocolate that walks through the door!
Here's hoping you and your family are enjoying the holiday season as much as we are!
Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev
The first decoration to go up this year, actually made it before Thanksgiving. I know, I know...I broke all my own rules - but HEY! it was my CocaCola tree...and it was in the kitchen, so shoot me - I wanted it up!
(oh, and forgive the telephone cord that is hanging beside it...not very attractive - but honestly it looks worse in the picture than in real life!)
We did eventually put up the Snowman Tree...and guess who likes it...yep...my sweet kitty cat! He liked it so much he climbed -- several times! I think he is now content just to sit under it...he looks that way anyway!Don't you think?
Oh - and then we tortured him with a santa hat...Santa Kieran was not very jolly!! But he was cute!
We went to see the real Santa of course!
(Now, you didn't think I was gonna give you the real picture did you? I have saved it for the Christmas card...you will have to be patient!)
Oh - and we have eaten lots of good treats so far this year...Hannah is partial to the chicken wings...I am loving some good ole White Trash and the hubby is munching on any kind of chocolate that walks through the door!
Here's hoping you and your family are enjoying the holiday season as much as we are!Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Twenty Years Ago Tonight...
Twenty years ago tonight I went on my last first date.
Yep - my first date with my now husband was on December 8, 1990...I know - we are OLD!!
It was a match made in heaven, but it is definitely lived out here on earth... we have had lots of good, a little of the bad, but we are still here - still fighting it out for a marriage worth keeping.
I am thankful tonight I went on that first date...but who could have ever known it would end up where it did?
Oh - and here's a little pic from last night's adventure. We went with our bestest of friends (who just so happened to have been with us on that first date all those years ago!!) to a local Lights of South display to see Santa, drink some hot chocolate and roast marshmallows...our two girls had fun in the princess carriage...as you can tell!!
Living Happily in the Moment!
Beverly
Yep - my first date with my now husband was on December 8, 1990...I know - we are OLD!!
It was a match made in heaven, but it is definitely lived out here on earth... we have had lots of good, a little of the bad, but we are still here - still fighting it out for a marriage worth keeping.
I am thankful tonight I went on that first date...but who could have ever known it would end up where it did?
Oh - and here's a little pic from last night's adventure. We went with our bestest of friends (who just so happened to have been with us on that first date all those years ago!!) to a local Lights of South display to see Santa, drink some hot chocolate and roast marshmallows...our two girls had fun in the princess carriage...as you can tell!!
Living Happily in the Moment!
Beverly
Monday, December 6, 2010
Somehow....
Thank goodness for last night.
We were on our way to our church's Christmas choir program, there were carols playing on the radio and we were discussing the Christmas decorations on our street, and suddenly, my child spoke up from the backseat. It went something like this...
HJ - I love Christmas!
Me - Me too!
HJ - I really like September too, cause it is my birthday!
Me - Me too!
HJ - You know Mama, I like Easter too - actually, I like Christmas, Easter and September.
Me - Do you like them because you get presents at all those times?
HJ - Well, sure - but you know I think I like Easter the best of all?
Me - Really? Why is that?
HJ - 'Cause Mama - we got Jesus at Christmas, and I do like September cause of my birthday, but Easter is the best of all because that is when Jesus gave us the best gift - he died and rose again to save us from our sins!
I'll hush and let that sink right in for you - from the heart and mouth of a six year old!
Somewhere along the way, amidst all the pretty decorations and lights and colors and presents, somehow, she has not missed the good news of Christmas and the even greater news of Easter and I am awed, and thankful and humbled beyond all measure to see her start the journey to a personal relationship with the baby in the manger! It is the best Christmas present this mommy could ever hope to have!
Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev
We were on our way to our church's Christmas choir program, there were carols playing on the radio and we were discussing the Christmas decorations on our street, and suddenly, my child spoke up from the backseat. It went something like this...
HJ - I love Christmas!
Me - Me too!
HJ - I really like September too, cause it is my birthday!
Me - Me too!
HJ - You know Mama, I like Easter too - actually, I like Christmas, Easter and September.
Me - Do you like them because you get presents at all those times?
HJ - Well, sure - but you know I think I like Easter the best of all?
Me - Really? Why is that?
HJ - 'Cause Mama - we got Jesus at Christmas, and I do like September cause of my birthday, but Easter is the best of all because that is when Jesus gave us the best gift - he died and rose again to save us from our sins!
I'll hush and let that sink right in for you - from the heart and mouth of a six year old!
Somewhere along the way, amidst all the pretty decorations and lights and colors and presents, somehow, she has not missed the good news of Christmas and the even greater news of Easter and I am awed, and thankful and humbled beyond all measure to see her start the journey to a personal relationship with the baby in the manger! It is the best Christmas present this mommy could ever hope to have!
Living Happily in the Moment!
Bev
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