Christmas in Alabama

This year, as always, we drove down to Alabama for Christmas. This year has been filled with change for everyone it seems as my mom and dad have a new house.

We had a gathering of our family on Christmas eve to open presents and a nice dinner. My niece and nephew were beside themselves to open presents (we had told them when it got dark we would open them) and so when we discovered that they had already arranged all the presents out on the floor we knew we'd better go ahead and open them.


This is my neice and nephew, Chloe and Clay. They were distributing presents with the help of their mom.

After we opened all our nice gifts I sat the kids down and explained that I had brought some Christmas crackers like the people in Britain open on Christmas. Usually in Britain everyone opens them at the dinner table with arms crossed, but I forgot about them at dinner. We enjoyed the little paper crowns and prizes in them. This is Chloe wearing her red lips that came in her Christmas cracker.

This was my prize... the moustache. I couldn't smile or the moustache would fall off.

We told my brother, Preston, that we needed a picture of the royal family. This is a very typical look you get from my brother.

This is my sister Stephanie and me with our crowns.

This is my parent's new house. It's beautiful.

Most of the houses look pretty similar, but my parent's house has one defining feature... this huge boulder thing in the front. It was left over by the builder and they said they'd come back for it and never did. My mom likes it and wants it to stay. Strange how things work like that.

Today I went to my sister's house to look through some baby items she has kept. Needless to say... I was a little overwhelmed with everything, but thankful we won't have to buy it ourselves.

"We Made It Through The Rain"- Barry Manilow

Actually, we made it through the snow. It's been a while since I've updated this blog due to some issues with getting hooked up with internet. Anyway... we have moved now and we are enjoying the whole reality of something being ours. Ben has been very enthusiastic and knocked down popcorn ceilings and we've both peeled wallpaper. If I never see another piece of wallpaper that will be ok with me. These house things seem so easy until you start them and then the conclusion comes to you that it is a nightmare. All that to say it's not as easy as it seems. Wait until we have a child right? ha!

These pictures are of Ben loading up the 26 foot truck we rented. I must have had a pregnancy moment or something because when I saw him drive up in that thing I started crying. It looked like he was driving a tracter trailer or something.... and to think you just need a regular driver's license for one of those! (think about those Miami drivers in one of these puppies) I finally relaxed and realized that it was going to be ok.

We are in Alabama now visiting my parents in their new "city" living. Actually it's just a larger town, but it's a major difference from Holly Pond. I'll have pictures soon. Tomorrow is Christmas eve and we have our big family shindig then. One thing of note... Ben and I drove down here and on our way down I was looking out the window and guess what I saw? Camels!!! Camels in Tennessee. I can't say you see that much in the south. Merry Christmas everyone! Remember Jesus is the reason we celebrate!

Our First Home

This past Thursday Ben and I closed on the purchase of our first home. Here it is! We are so excited. We haven't move in yet, but we are looking for refrigerators and talking about paint colors. We are very thankful to the Lord!












Here I am.

Let It Snow!

Today it snowed. It's hard to get a good picture of snow coming down, but just know that the size of the snowflakes were about the size of a ping pong ball. It is beautiful to watch from inside... not so fun to drive in.













Here is from our front porch. See the snow on Pam's car? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Christmas Blooms

Yesterday Ben brought home a blue poinsettia for me. I can honestly say I've never seen a blue poinsettia before. This is also a picture for my family that has asked for more shots of my hairdo.



















Here it us up close.


















I have been waiting for what seems like two years for my orchids that I brought from Miami to bloom again. I guess they didn't have much light in Miami in our little bathroom window. Here it is and you can see that two more blooms are on their way.

Baby Barreth Update

Today I went to the doctor and heard the heartbeat for the first time. What a reassuring sound!! It was beating at about 160 beats a minute, which my doctor said was very good. My next appointment is the ultrasound on January 4th. Ben and I are very thankful to the Lord that everything is going well with our little one.

Family Times and Strange Sightings

Last Sunday Beki spoke at Kingsville Baptist Church about her experiences overseas. I had never been to "downtown" Kingsville before, but let's just say if you blink you might miss it. Here is a picture of Beki in her sari... isn't she beautiful? By the way, it was cold that morning... maybe in the 30's.



















Here's Grandma Moore and Beki. They are both wearing their Indian wraps.
























Ben insisted that he ride his scooter to the church. I tried to tell him he might get frost bite or something, but I finally just let him do what he wanted. When I arrived at the church he had just gotten there after an hour of riding around and his face looked beet red. I don't think he's going to ride his scooter for a while... at least in the winter.








Across the street from the church is this house with the plastic horse on the porch. I tried to get the story from Grandma and she said that only a lady lives there and apparently her husband had a horse that looked just like it. I guess it's sentimental 'cause it's been on that porch for years. Hum... interesting.

Haircut

Hair today.
















Gone tomorrow... (actually today) I'm not sure what to think of it yet, but it will definitely be less time to dry.

Thanksgiving 07

This Thanksgiving we were in Lone Jack, Missouri with Ben's family. We met in a community center and there were lots of people there... maybe 50. Here in this first picture you can see the food. We didn't leave hungry. My contribution to this feast was roasting a 20 pound turkey (I will never think of a turkey sandwich the same after deboning that thing), blueberry coffee cake, mashed potatoes, and turkey gravy.















Jake getting some food. He drove all the way up here from Miami. It was good seeing him.






















Beki's here for Thanksgiving which is wonderful. I haven't seen her in over two years. She is not angry or perplexed... she's just goofing around I think in this photo.












After we ate we had a talent show. This is Ben's great aunt Jo on ukulele and I singing a song called "Slow Poke." She's hilarious.













Ben's grandmother, Georgia, and Ben's second cousin playing.




















Then Ben and I did a remake of "Love Me, That's All I Ask Of You" as "Rusty (the dog), that's all I ask is poop". Ben is wearing a mask that has Rusty's face on it. My head is down because I was laughing so hard.












Good times had by all.

Fruit Pizza

Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday. (also my brother Preston's birthday) I hosted a dinner for her last night and made this... fruit pizza for dessert. I was very proud of my masterpiece as I spelled her name out in fruit. I told Ben over the phone what I was doing and he said, "I think you've got way too much time on your hands." Here's the recipe!

14 inch pizza pan, lightly greased
sugar cookie dough
place slices of cookie dough in pan. Let soften and then smooth together to form a crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. (or less... watch it)
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 C sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat above ingredients together. Spread on cooled cookie crust.

Fruit: You can use whatever fruit you like.. but I used banana slices (dipped in lemon juice so they don't turn brown), strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries, pineapple chunks, peach slices.
You could also use: seedless grapes cut in half, maraschino cherries, kiwi slices or whatever.
Arrange fruit to suit decorative tastes.

1/4 C apricot preserves
1 Tbsp water
Mix preserves and water for glaze. Drizzle over pizza. Chill and serve!

Nature and other happenings

Today we went to Lake Jacomo just down the road. The other day Pam took me there for the first time and we saw four groundhogs, so I wanted to go back with my camera to see if I could get a few good pictures. Here's a picture of the fall leaves and the boats out today.










Did we ever get some great photos!! Ben was very brave and waited beside a hole until a groundhog came out. He got so close! I couldn't believe it. Here is one coming out of a hole.










Close up... isn't he cute?

















Here's a picture I took of another one. This one was HUGE! I was scared to get too close to it and when I got close he scurried in his hole. Apparently they can run up to 30 miles per hour. I didn't want to look down the hole for fear he would pop out and gnaw on my leg or something.










In other news, Pam taught me how to knit last night and I've started my first project. It's a scarf. Aren't you impressed?

Redneck Stuff

Somebody give this man a hand!

Once I stopped rolling around the floor laughing, this left me absolutely speechless!

Guns N Roses "Sweet Child of Mine"


Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody"


And lastly, one of my personal favorites: A-Ha "Take on Me"

Trick Or Treat

I've never really lived in a place that trick or treaters really came by. Out in the country in Alabama... in an apartment in Miami... they just didn't seem to come by. Tonight I was amazed at how many children rang the doorbell.


We had a small pumpkin left over from when Ben's mom made pumpkin soup last week, so we carved it tonight. My idea was to make a cross in it, although Ben at first thought that idea was a little weird. I thought it would be pretty. Besides, all the skeletons and gross things around Halloween spook me out.



Here is is all lit up.




















I was outside taking pictures of my pumpkin and we had a trick or treater come up. He saw me with the camera and asked if I wanted to take his picture before he left. I thought it was so cute so I said "sure". He said, "wait, wait, you've got to get my weapons in there too..." so he took out his weapons for the shot.

Chipmunk Love

Who said that Chipmunks are ugly, smell like poop and eat all your rosebushes? If that's the case I guess these are lab-munks or something. posted by Ben.

Bizarre Halloween

Well... just down the road from "Country Stonehenge" I noticed some very interesting Halloween decorations. Here we have a giant spider and a guillotine in the front yard. I mean, who puts a guillotine in their front yard? What you don't see is that they also have a coffin with feet coming out of it and other such decor to their front yard.









Here's a close up.

Thoughts

These past few weeks have been very interesting and very full of change for me. I found out my due date... May 31st. This is one of those times in life when you just have to say "have thine own way Lord" and trust Him. (there are many in life I think) There are always things to worry about, but just knowing God is in control is a huge comfort. I heard that hymn this morning and it really did speak to me. Here are the lyrics.

Have Thine own way, Lord
Have Thine own way.
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.

Have Thine own way, Lord
Have Thine own way.
Search me and try me, Master, today.
Whiter than snow, Lord, wash me just now,
as in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord
Have Thine own way.
Wounded and weary, help me, I pray.
Power, all power surely is Thine.
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord
Have Thine own way.
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit
till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

Kansas City Chorale

This is a video Ben took of my choir tonight at our concert. Check out the church we sang in... beautiful! This is the first part of a beautiful song called "If Music Be the Food of Love" by Jean Belmont. She lives in Kansas City and we've all met her. If only I could write songs like this.

More Adventures with Rusty

So I'm beginning to understand why so many of the videos on America's Funniest Home Videos are with animals... your life is certainly never boring with them.

Yesterday it was raining TORRENTIALLY outside with huge long rolling thunder booms right outside our house. And of course, the dog had to be walked. So I prepared for the worst, putting one of my parents old sailing jackets, swimming trunks and beach sandals. The photo to the left will give you an idea of what I looked like (notice the beautiful snot-colored rain helmet that comes with the sailing coat).

Now All I need is a whaling harpoon to complete the outfit!








So I began to jog up the road with Rusty tearing madly at his leash. It was really pouring out so I started to encourage myself by shouting "don't you LOVE this rusty? This is GREAT isn't it? I LOVE the rain! I LOVE THE RAIN! I LOVE THE RAIN!!!!" (getting progressively louder of course).

I was no more than 50 yards up the road, shouting as I jogged, when I looked up and one of our neighbors was staring at me. He was standing in his garage wearing a suit waiting for a break in the rain before heading out to work I guess. He gave me an apprehensive wave hello, as if to say "hi, how are you? (you're really weird and please don't come over here)".

Ahhh, the sweet bliss of unashamed dog walking. (posted by Ben)

Here's another entertaining Rusty moment:

Honda "Cog" Commercial

When I first saw this movie I thought - wow those are really amazing computer graphics. Then I looked it up on snopes.com which is where you can go to find out the truth about any of those chain emails about viruses (they are almost always fakes). So I was extremely surprised to find out that this commercial is REAL and doesn't use any computer graphics! Absolutely amazing! Here's the snopes link. Enjoy! (posted by Ben)

Stressed Out Pig

Click on the pig's nose to stress him out!

Deer Spotting at Lake Jacomo

Lake Jacomo is up the road and it has a great nature area surrounding it. We saw 5 turkeys, 2 groundhogs and about 15 deer scattered in 4 different places. Pretty exciting! Hope you enjoy the pictures. (posted by Ben)














We live at the south of this map between Langsford and Hwy 50.

This is the extremely rare "demon-possessed deer" that you may have seen on nature programs. Click on the photo to see the freaky eyes better!














More deer!

















Even More Deer!

A Little Humor

Hillbilly. Get it? I could not help but share this one.