Snowy Days

Winter struck again.

All day last Thursday we anticipated what the forecasters were calling the 'sequel' to last year's terrible ice storm. We braced ourselves and prepared for the worst. Luckily it wasn't as bad as last year's storm, but we did get some ice and a whole lot of snow!! School was cancelled for 2 days and church was cancelled on Sunday. I am not looking forward to making up 7 snow days (and counting - it's just now February), but I have enjoyed not having to get out in the cold. We have had some great fun together as a family and eaten lots of junk!!

Saturday we ventured out to Slim's for lunch and Henry and Scottie built a snowman when we got home.

Maggie wasn't too sure about it all. She kept getting in her kennel in the garage.

I think she got cold!

Rolley was heading down the street...

but was rescued!!

Our neighbors had the best idea!!

A perfect snowman!!

Helping

Thursday morning we were busy getting ready to leave and watching the new and were horrified by the images of the destruction and the helpless victims from the earthquake in Haiti. Henry and Scottie laid on the bed together and watched as I left. Scottie called me a little while later to tell me that Henry had gone into his room, pulled out all of his tools, put on his tool belt and hard hat, and announced that he was ready to go to Haiti to help find survivors and clean up. This picture was taken then. What a sweetheart. I pray each day that God would instill virtues in my son, but seeing compassion come out in an unexpected way really touched me.

I trust we are all praying for the people of Haiti. I know we will hear miraculous stories of rescues and lives touched in the midst of tragedy. God is in the business of miracles, rescues and touching lives, after all. I am planning to take Henry to purchase some items to donate to the people of Haiti so he really can help. If you want to get involved, Victory Church in Springdale has partnered with Operation Compassion and is accepting donations. You can read more here http://www.klrc.com/Article.asp?id=1658573. There are also Christian organizations listed where you can donate financially.

I may not be able to do or give much, I can give and do something.

3 Christmas's

We had a wonderful holiday celebrating with family and friends. Here is a pictorial journey through the festivities.

Christmas #1: Christmas Morning at Our House

Henry wanted a Wii for Christmas and Santa did not disappoint!! We have had lots of fun playing.

I got a new camera that I LOVE. It's just a little Canon Powershot, but it is perfect for me. I had been having trouble with my old camera. I am excited to use my new one!

Our house Christmas morning. It is the first white Christmas I can remember! It was fun, but changed our plans a bit. Which takes us to....

Christmas #2: Christmas Lunch with Grama and Papa Plummer

My parents were set to come to our house for lunch and to check out the new Wii. With the icy roads, they weren't able to make it out of their neighborhood so we took Christmas to them! We loaded up Scottie's truck, put it in 4-wheel drive and headed to Rogers. My mom and I had a great time cooking in the kitchen. We enjoyed spending the afternoon with them and were so glad we got to be with them!

Everyone was busy in the kitchen!

Green bean bundles (I made them and they were delicious!).

Corn casserole (the Jenkins's family recipe - also delicious!)

We feasted on ham, turkey, my mom's fabulous dressing and sweet potato casserole, just to name a few. It was an amazing meal!

We bought Barney a new fleece which has come in really handy the last few days!!

On the way home we saw a mama and baby deer.

The day after Christmas we headed to Little Rock for...

Christmas #3: MeMe and Papaw's house

Scottie's parents opening their new video camera

Papaw

Henry and most of his cousins. Jeremy was working, but came later.

Scottie with his sister, Paula.

Scottie with his sister, Terri.

Scottie with his sisters.

The Johnson family.

Opening gifts. This year we played a white elephant game instead of purchasing gifts for each other. We each held our gift and sat in a big circle. Scottie's mom read a story and whenever she said the word 'right' we had to pass our gift to the right. Whenever she said 'left' we passed to the left. It was so much fun and so silly. It was a fun alternative to buying things for each other. I really enjoyed it.

The kids did exchange gifts. They drew names. Henry got 2 Wii games.

Scottie read the Christmas story and..

Henry and his cousins acted it out! It was so cute and fun.

Henry was a shepherd.

The Magi bringing their gifts!

We enjoyed spending time with our families so much. After Little Rock, Henry and I headed down to McGehee to visit the Day's. We had a great time letting them spoil us!

I hope everyone is having a happy new year so far!

Merry Christmas!

December has been a whirlwind of a month. It is officially my busy season and this year was particularly busy. There were more performances this year than in years past and just extra stuff in general. But it has been a great month. I have enjoyed it so much! From playing Secret Santa at school, to my students performing at school, Barnes and Noble and MAD Pizza, to our faculty Christmas Party - there has been a lot going on. My students did fabulous at each performance and had fun - the most important part. I'm looking forward to having a couple of weeks off to spend with my favorite reindeer!! Henry came by school on Friday (he was with my mom) to see me and show me his Rudolph outfit from his party at school. He was so funny.

He was in the bathroom a few days ago and obviously spent some time thinking while in there because he came out and asked, "Mom, how come his name is Santa Claus when he doesn't even have any claws???" Hilarous!

Here is one more picture to share. I just figured out how to use pictures I take with my phone, so I hope to share more of those. Henry (sometimes) likes to go with me to Wal-Mart, but lately wants me to "bury" him under the groceries. This was a couple of weeks ago. He is completely covered but was quick to point out that he could still talk to me. He was careful not to cover up his mouth. People walking by wouldn't see him at first and would crack up laughing when they saw him. I think he definitely has Scottie's sense of humor!

We are having a great Christmast time and look forward to spending time with family and friends!

Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Scottie's family (mom's side) in Wooster, Arkansas, at Uncle Danny and Aunt Sandy's house. They have a beautiful home there and were so generous to open their home to over 50 people on Thanksgiving Day! There was more food than we could possibly eat!

Me with Scottie's sister, Jamie.

Family and friends

My mom and me. Mom and dad came with us to spend the day in Wooster.

This is Scottie's cousin's girlfriend - everyone said we looked like sisters!

Doug and Jeremy. Jeremy is our nephew and was the ringbearer for our wedding when he was 6 years old. He in now in college!! Time flies!

Scottie and his sister, Shannon. They are about 18 months apart in age and have always been very close.

Henry posing with a Sprite can. So silly.

Scottie's dad. He and Scottie both came in from deer camp for the day.

It was a great day! We had so much fun and just enjoyed really visiting with family and friends.

On the way home, Henry and I had a little fun with the camera and traded goofy poses.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It is busy season for me with concerts and performances every other day for the next couple of weeks. I hope to have some pictures up from some holiday festivities soon!

What I'm Thankful For

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holdiays. I cannot lie - it has a lot to do with the food. I have fond memories of my family celebrating Thanksgiving over the years. But I also can't help but reflect on all the things that I am thankful for this season each year. Here goes.

I am thankful for....

....my Lord. I don't know where I would be without my relationship with Christ. He is my savior and the only thing good in me. I cherish my time with him each day and hunger for his word more and more.

....my precious little family. I love my family so much. I love Scottie's heart and that he is a man of God, unashamed of the gospel. I love my son because he is so much like his daddy. They are home and where I want to be.

....my parents. I am so glad my parents live close enough to drive to my house when they want to visit, and vice versa. I enjoy spending time with them so much.

....my church family. Over the last 6 years, the member of FBC have become my 2nd family and I cherish them.

....my sweet friends. I am blessed with some wonderful friendships - both near and far away, people that I speak to often, and not as often. I love my friends with all my heart and look forward to our times together.

....my health. I thank God for healing and for health. I still deal with several side-effects related to the chemotherapy I received in 2007 and get frustrated from time to time with those side-effects. But they serve as a reminder that I am whole thanks to the great physician.

....my students. I love what I do. God put music in my heart and has allowed me to teach my passion to kids. I love being around my students (most of them) and watching them experience the pride of performing. Helping kids learn responsibility is not always easy, but I enjoy the time I have with them each day. I pray that God uses me in some small way to impact my students' lives.

I could go on and on. I have a home, reliable transportation, a warm bed and plenty of food to eat. I am so very blessed, beyond what I could hope for or ever deserve. I hope those of you reading this will take stock of the things you are thankful for this season (if you haven't already) and say a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

7 Years Old

Henry turned 7 on October 2nd. Hard to believe!! On his birthday, Scottie and I took lunch to him at school and ate with him. After school I took him to see "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" and we made some final birthday party preparations.

His party was on Saturday, October 3rd at the KidZone (our children's building). It was Indiana Jone's-themed with all boys (H's choice). No girls were allowed. He had to think about whether or not his mom and grandmothers could attend because we are girls. In the end, he said we could. :-) Here are some highlights:

Henry wanted his guests to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

The party hats were Indiana Jones style fidoras! So cute.

The Roller Racers looked so fun, the grown-ups wanted to try!

Even Grama got on the Roller Racer!

It was a fun day - the KidZone is the perfect place to have a party. The kids really entertain themselves. I found some really great Indiana Jones game ideas on the internet, but Henry wanted none of it. I guess he knew there would be plenty for them to do!!