FAMILY FARM PHOTOS TO SHARE!

LOTS OF FENCE BUILDING............................
COWS.............................
TRACTORS ......... GATORS...............
WORK.....................AND TONS OF ACTING SILLY!

Hope Santa was good to all of you !

Hope Santa was good to all of you ! We really had some fun him at our party this year. So many kids of all ages were there this year. I think the older ones had as much fun as the young! Opening presents...singing the old traditions, and just being with those you love!

HAVE A VERY BLESSED MERRY CHRISTMAS~!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."



Wishing you all a very blessed and Merry Christmas!


Lord, this is my prayer
Not only on Christmas Day
But until I see You face to face
May I live my life this way:

Just like the baby Jesus
I ever hope to be,
Resting in Your loving arms
Trusting in Your sovereignty.

And like the growing Christ child
In wisdom daily learning,
May I ever seek to know You
With my mind and spirit yearning.

Like the Son so faithful
Let me follow in Your light,
Meek and bold, humble and strong
Not afraid to face the night.

Nor cowardly to suffer
And stand for truth alone,
Knowing that Your kingdom
Awaits my going home.

Not afraid to sacrifice
Though great may be the cost,
Mindful how You rescued me
From broken-hearted loss.

Like my risen Savior
The babe, the child, the Son,
May my life forever speak
Of who You are and all You've done.

So while this world rejoices
And celebrates Your birth,
I treasure You, the greatest gift
Unequaled in Your worth.

I long to hear the same words
That welcomed home Your Son,
"Come, good and faithful servant,"
Your Master says, "Well done."

And may heaven welcome others
Who will join with me in praise
Because I lived for Jesus Christ
Not only Christmas Day

-- author unknown

She is all this and more ! Happy Birthday!!!!

I wanted to share some photos of my mother with you. She does a lot for me and is very loved and appreciated!
Happy
adoring, affectionate, amusing, attractive, bright, caring
charitable, charming, cheerful, clever, comical, considerate,
content, cool, delightful, dependable, devoted, devout, divine
ecstatic, elegant, enchanting, enjoyable, entertaining, exquisite
exultant, faithful, fascinating, fun, funny, generous
glamorous,gorgeous, graceful, hilarious, humorous
intelligent, jovial, joyful, lovely, loving, loyal, magnificent, pleasing,quick, reliable, saintly
sensational, smart, spiritual, steadfast, steady, stunning
stylish, superb, supportive, thoughtful, thrilling, trendy, trustworthy
, witty, wonderful, beautiful
Birthday
to my mom! Hope it was the best ! Love ya! Stacy

A THOUGHT.........

"People generally think of forgiveness as the flip side of remorse, the obligation of a response to an apology. But forgiveness is to open our better selves, bear our wounds as the cost of love and caring - rare, transcendent, without strings.........

TO KNOW HER... IS TO LOVE HER!

This is one amazing woman! She's always been here for me. She is my grandmother. We call her Mamaw! She was one of 6 kids raised by a single mother. She married my grandfather at a young age. They worked hard and raised two children of their own. My mother and my uncle. She also raised her two younger brothers after her mother passed away at a very young age. She is nothing short of wonderful! I've never seen her turn anyone who needed help away. Always protecting her "own" with her life! I don't know a soul who could say one bad word against her. Everyone who meets her can't help but to love her! I have so many memories with her . Everything from just being with her... her advice...her love...her back rubs or teaching me to quilt and pick berries from the woods. She's very sick now and in so much pain. I know that we all grow older and deal with things. I am just amazed at how she keeps fighting . The way she deals with her pain is admirable! I hope when I'm her age I will have made as big of difference in someone's life as she has made in mine. To know her ...... Is to love her!

REMEMBERING OUR TROOPS

http://www.letssaythanks.com/FromTheTroops.aspx

Scroll to the bottom of this page and listen to the song written by one of our soliders fighting in Iraq. It will touch your heart . You may also use that same site to send a solider a Christmas postcard. You may use a pre-made card or create your own. Have a safe and blessed holiday season!

GIVING IT TO GOD!

We live in a world where someone is always jealous of someone else or wanting to destroy someone else's happiness. Years ago I was stalked by a girl in my hometown. She was mean and nasty . She had no conscience when it came to trying to take me down. I was a teenager when it started and a young adult when I finally moved from the area. It seemed she always did the things when no one else was around. There were many times when I feared for my family. I knew that she was crazy enough to do just about anything to harm me. I was always shocked that she never was able to harm me. Although she tried many times to run me off roads and stalk me constantly. The stalking laws were much different then. Thank God they have improved some.
Recently a very close friend of mine wanted me to join face book so we could exchange photos and messages with childhood friends. At first I was just loving it because I was reconnecting with people from my elementary years. It was beautiful to see their kids and find out their occupations. Soon all that fun turned to a sickening feeling. I received a message from that person who had stalked and tortured me all those years ago. At first I was angry , upset and uncomfortable with the message she sent . Then I realized I couldn't allow her to do the things to my life she had years before. It took me some thoughts and some praying. I had so many things running through my head. This was the same person who stalked and harassed me the very day that I buried my son. I knew all too well how she worked.
After much thought and prayer I had an answer. I knew that I had to keep a paper trail , and document any message or incident that happened. Which I have done , and will continue to do. Thanks to the new stalking laws ,she wont get away with this as she did before. I also have protection of my own .
In all of the things flowing through my head I also found some comfort in verses I found in the Bible. I believe that Isaiah 54:17 makes a lot of sense to me these days. All the dangerous things she did towards me, and all the situations that could have been fatal. She never succeeded! God was there protecting me and my kids . Even when I felt so alone. I realize that God does give us sense enough to allow the law also to protect us. He also has some protecting of his own going on! He does say that no weapon formed against us shall prosper! It never did .... all these years later I see that it was God who was keeping a shield around me and my family.
I found a lot of scripture that helped me deal with the situation lately. I hope no one ever has to deal with the hurt and fear I've suffered from this person. We all know that would be wonderful but not very likely. I'm sharing this in hope that if someone is dealing with something similar they can find answers and hope. It took me so long to be able to have peace about this situation. When you have fear for yourself, and family it's hard to just take a deep breath and be able to make all the right choices. Along with Isaiah I found a lot of knowledge in this scripture too . Even as we continue to meet people who despise us and try to destroy us, God doesn't want us to be afraid of them. He doesn't want them to steal our joy, because we would be letting the spirit of Satan win. We should actually be rejoicing because "we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:3-4) The Lord also says he will rescue us from every evil attack and will bring us safely to his heavenly kingdom if we continue to trust and believe. In 2 Timothy 3:12-17, Paul's charge to Timothy says, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposter's will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."So as we continue to live day to day, hopeful that the next day will be better than the last, we must remember that as Christians, God promises us that pain won't last always. For Revelation 21:4-5 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said "I am making everything new." So as Christians we should, forget what is behind, straining for what is ahead. We should press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heaven bound in Christ Jesus. And before you know it; all this tragedy will be gone forever. She can no longer cause fear in me . She has no power over my emotions. I will trust that God will take care of her . He will give me everything I need in the future to deal the situation in the appropriate way, so that she doesn't ever affect my life again.

Dicken's Christmas~08~!

Dicken's Christmas is always wonderful. It's a little slip back to history . You will see and experience the birth of Jesus, in song and skits. Petting animals that were probably right there as baby Jesus was born that night in Bethleham. The bagpipes are playing amazing grace, people are dressed in attire from the times of Charles Dickens. As you walk through the historic shops you hear the civil war band playing carols we all love. Bread pudding and peanuts are served in the streets. Friends meet in front of the 100 year old barber shop that many still go to for scalping and gossip today! LOL It's a wonderful travel down memory lane during such hard times today!

Roll Tide Baby!

I Sure Miss You!

If life could only bring again, the days I took for granted when
To hear your voice was just a call away
Oh what I 'd give for just some time to say the things that slipped my mind
There's so much now I 'd really like to say
But I can never go back when we did the things we did back then
I'll store those precious memories in my mind
I'll take what you've instilled in me;I'll try to be all that I can be
And walk the path that you have left behind.

Chorus: I sure miss you; life will never be the same with you not here
Each passing day has brought much pain
But with God's grace my strength remainsI sure miss you, but heaven's sweeter with you there

The little things that seemed so small
are now gold in a memory vaultI cherish every one I have of you
Now I can see and recognize the part you played to shape my life
I often see you in the things I do
In God's design and master plan
He saw the hurting hearts of manAs we would say goodbye to those so dear
So with our family and friends we'll be together once again
We'll view all heaven's splendor hand in hand

Holidays are always a lot of fun for kids! My kids love it for sure. I even remember a 100 years ago when I believed in Santa! lol I always tried so hard to catch him ( even though we didnt have a chimney) I thought he made one to come down in every house. I enjoy seeing the excitement that my kids have around the holidays. I also love seeing other people with happiness in their eyes too. For me , feels a little different . Don't get me wrong .... I 'm so thankful every day for the people in my life, and my family who are around! I just miss so many people that I love! The holidays will never feel complete again until heaven . I just wanted to take a few minutes to remember them all this holiday season. Remember to hug and tell those you love .. how much you love them everyday! We aren't promised tomorrow! If we could send hugs and kisses to the people we love in heaven my list would be as follows: Dustin , Papaw Foy, Papaw Lyman and Mamaw Bessie , Dot , Ellie,Nellie,Franklin and Hubert( all my great aunt and uncles),Allen , Dorothy , Nikki, Ray, Jackie and so many more. Heaven has been filled with so many of those I love so much ! This song by the Crabb Family means so much to me. It brings both tears and smiles. The memories we make with those we love are priceless!

SHINE ON! SHINE ON! SHINE ON! BAMA 36 - AUBURN 0

Well .... We did it !!!!! Finally , beat those Auburn Tigers! This has been the most amazing season of Roll Tide football for my kids ever! We love our team. We have supported them through lots of phases. I have to say it feels realllllllly great to have had such a wonderful winning season. I wanted to share some of our tailgate pictures with ya'll! God bless and Rollllllllll Tide!

"Yea, Alabama!"Yea, Alabama! Drown 'em Tide!Every 'Bama man's behind you;Hit your stride!Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave!And if a man starts to weaken,That's a shame!For 'Bama's pluck and grit Have writ her name in crimson flame! Fight on, fight on, fight on, men!Remember the Rose Bowl we'll win then!Go, roll to victory,Hit your stride,You're Dixie's football pride, Crimson Tide!

Just a little FYI- 92 thousand people packed in Tuscaloosa to see this victory!

Thanksgiving History

Contrary to the popular belief, the pumpkin pie, cornbread, roasted turkey and all the Thanksgiving paraphernalia that we see on the Thanksgiving Dinner table, do not owe its roots to the original Thanksgiving meal of the Pilgrims. In 1621, a harvest festival was celebrated by the colonists or the Pilgrims, to thank God for saving their lives and guide them through their struggles through their journey in Mayflower and the following years of draught at Plymouth. After the rain that marked the end of the draught and revived the crop of corn and other fruits, they decided to celebrate the day with their neighbors or Massasoit, the chief of the Native Indians or Wampanoags, and his family. He came with all his extended family that constituted ninety people and stayed for three days. Colonists were of course in bad shape and there were only four grown up married ladies left to do all the cooking. Thus, General Bradford sent four of his soldiers to hunt for fowls, who brought such a large number with them that it could feed the whole village for a week. Wampanoags also helped in supplementing the food supplies by contributing five deer they had killed and probably other supplies out of courtesy. The food listed in Winslow's account consists of corn meal, fish such as bass and cod and wild fowls or turkeys. Other things that were not listed but were available to residents of Plymouth in those days and were probably a part of the feast were lobster, rabbit, chicken, squashes, beans, chestnuts, hickory nuts, onions, leeks, dried fruits, maple syrup and honey, radishes, cabbage, carrots, eggs, and may be goat cheese.Potatoes were unavailable in those days and butter and oils were scarce. There were no ovens so though pumpkin stew and pudding may have been served there was no scope to prepare pumpkin pies. Women who did the cooking were born and raised in England and probably experimented with their cooking by adapting their methods of cooking to the native foods available to them. Roasting was the preferred method of preparing meats and poultry but roasting on a spit over a fire take hours and constant monitoring by someone who needs to turn around the spite every now and then, so perhaps roasted venison was served with boiled fish and fowl or turkey and it is not unlikely that few of these birds may still have an overlooked birdshot embedded inside them. Indian corns do not pop well, so there were no popcorns on Thanksgiving table though corn may have been ground into meal for bread and thickener. Though, cranberries were available to the colonists, cranberry sauce could not possibly have been served because they had no access to sugar and though honey or syrup could have been used to sweeten the cranberries, it requires a lot of labor, and four ladies cooking all day to feed the crowd of about 150 people, could not have find time to do all that work. In short, the Thanksgiving meal for the pilgrims may have consisted of roasted venison, stewed or boiled fowl, lobster and fish, corn and wheat breads, stew of dried fruits and perhaps pumpkin, one or two boiled vegetables and only water to drink. So, you can cut out roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, popcorn, pumpkin or any other kind of pies, beer and wine from the pilgrims' Thanksgiving feast and have a simple fare to commemorate all they had gone through.

Today we might share any food ... although, some still stick to the tradional creations by our mother's and grandmother's . Whatever food you use to celebrate your holiday with this year...remember to be "thankful!"

THINKING ABOUT JOSH AND OUR TROOPS

I have a very dear friend who is serving in Iraq right now. He sent some pictures I want to share. Before he went to Iraq ... I cut his beautiful curls off in the trash can at my salon. He was really scalped that day! He wanted to get some sun on his scalp before he went away. We had a lot of fun times laughing , joking around, and just hanging out together. Josh is very loved by our family . We all miss him! Looking at his pictures its clear to see that children are children. Some of the other pictures its clear that war is real! Please pray for his safe return home.

Capturing Moments

Today was a cool Sunday afternoon. We decided warm enough to clean up the leaves! All ten- thousand!!! I looked out the window and this picture is what I saw! Dillon was collecting the leaves and dumping them to burn. Sarah decided that she wanted to ride. Watching and looking around so proud ! You just can't beat moments like these.

Loving Outdoors

Both of the boys love outdoors. They enjoy doing all the things boys love to do. We have some family that has farmland . They have experienced putting up fences with their daddy and seeing animals born. I'm glad they've been able to see both sides of living city and country. As for me, I like waking up ... walking outside and no stinky cow poo!

My Little Superstar!

Music is so important to me . To me, if you can't express it in a song.... it does not exist! It's a part of my very being. For those of you who know me personally ...your probably saying... DUH! My baby is learning to play .... YAH! Makes him happy to just be around music! He is starting professional lessons after January. OK ... I 'll admit it.... I'm lovin' it! Have a great night~ Stacy

A LITTLE BIT OF MISTLETOE FOR YOU!

Mistletoe has long been a symbol of love, peace and goodwill. Mistletoe is an aerial parasite that has no roots of its own and lives off the tree that it attaches itself to. Without that tree it would die. Two hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. Even the warring clans would stop their battles and claim a temporary truce when they would chance upon mistletoe.They believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion.

The Tradition
From the earliest times mistletoe has been one of the most magical, mysterious, and sacred plants of European folklore. It was considered to bestow life and fertility; a protection against poison; and an aphrodisiac. It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices, and the custom of using mistletoe to decorate houses at Christmas is a survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions.

The Story Of Mistletoe
The story goes that Mistletoe was the sacred plant of Frigga, goddess of love and the mother of Balder, the god of the summer sun. Balder had a dream of death, which greatly alarmed his mother, for should he die, all life on earth would end. Balder could not be hurt by anything on earth or under the earth. But Balder had one enemy, Loki, god of evil and he knew of one plant that grew neither on the earth nor under the earth, but on apple and oak trees. It was lowly mistletoe. So Loki made an arrow tip of the mistletoe, gave to the blind god of winter, Hoder, who shot it, striking Balder dead. For three days each element of universe tried to bring Balder back to life. Frigga, the goddess and his mother finally restored him. It is said the tears she shed for her son turned into the pearly white berries on the mistletoe plant and in her joy Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe, no harm should befall them, only a kiss, a token of love

Kissing under the mistletoe
Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. They probably originated from two beliefs. One belief was that it has power to bestow fertility. At Christmas time a young lady standing under a ball of mistletoe, brightly trimmed with evergreens, ribbons, and ornaments, cannot refuse to be kissed. Such a kiss could mean deep romance or lasting friendship and goodwill. If the girl remained unkissed, she cannot expect not to marry the following year. We see mistletoe everywhere....thought those who really did not know the story might enjoy! Don't forget the mistletoe! Have a great Thursday!

Ignorance Can Really Hurt!

Ok ... so I'm up! It's 2 a.m.! Tonight wasn't such a good night. I was at the store earlier tonight to get some milk. Heard this man talking in line to this other man about blood sugar issues. The man said to the other .... ( as I only caught part of the conversation) yes he is diabetic .. other man replied," sad to hear ! " I hear they always die young! " My heart sank as I stood in line. How dare he stand there and say something like that! No way is some freaking disease going to take me away from my kids early! I know the facts . I know that if you take care of yourself, you can live a long life. But I just wish that man knew how he affected my night. I could not get what he said off my mind or heart . I thought one word IGNORANCE! Learn your facts. I do know sometimes diabetes can get you! I refuse to give in , and lay down from a fight that intend to WIN! I will take care of myself , do what I have to do to see my children , and grandchildren grow up in a world where diabetes is a word , and a disease of the past! So as the night went by I sat and looked at my kids. Cried a lot! Prayed some too! Thought about how much I want to share with my kids ... so much more! I just took a deep breath at 2:26 a.m. and gave it to God! I'll just keep fighting.... & "PRAISING GOD IN THIS STORM!"

AW LOVE!

Sarah loves to hang out with the boys. Whatever they do is fine with her!

Getting in the Christmas spirit a little early !

Tonight we put up one of our trees. I have years worth of decorations. Some were made by the boys, and some I have bought. We had a good time putting glass angels on this tree with angel wings. I wanted to do a tree full of blessings this year. We did not have a tree last year. We refused to put a tree up until my dad was free from cancer. We have a tree this year, but more important .... WE HAVE MY DAD!