12.30.2008

calling all prayer warriors

if you have read my blog at least twice, then you have most likely seen the little "mckmiracle" button on the right.  it is a link to a blog of a family i don't even know, except through the world of blogging.  baby stellan is the "mckmiracle" and is currently in the picu fighting rsv.  please pray for this little guy and for his family.  for updates from his family, visit mckmama's blog here.


12.18.2008

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

when i was in tn, mom and i (yes, mostly mom) made new stockings for the pets so they would match mine and jay's. we now have a lovely, coordinated mantle. (and dave's stocking doesn't have feathers, it is already stuffed a bit.)





... in hope that dave nickolas soon would be there.

so, jay bought dave a new santa hat, complete with beard. i will let the pictures tell the story.





12.15.2008

a little time in tennessee

yes, it is true.  i am in franklin.  live and in person!  i am just beginning my last full day in tennessee (car mechanic willing) and should be heading back to NC tomorrow. (i drove our 1999 land cruiser here in order to have the timing belt changed.  why here?  because we have a great mechanic here who saves us lots of money... worth the drive!)   it has been a short but definitely good trip "home."  i have completed most of my christmas shopping and have spent lots of good time with my family so far.  did i mention i have eaten a lot, too?  yeah.  saturday evening i had dinner with the dennis side of the family at sportsman's grill.  good food and good company.  sunday i had breakfast with my parents and my aunt janice at cracker barrel.  my grandparents came over to mom and dad's on sunday afternoon to visit and we watched some of the titans game on TV.  then we spent the evening with (my brother) phil, (my sister-in-law) samantha, and (my niece) courtney.  we had our christmas together and exchanged gifts and had a lot of fun watching courtney open and enjoy her presents.  i made her an apple hat and bought her some elmo house shoes/slippers.  she loved both of them.  she will be two at the end of january, which was showing in her inability to sit still for long periods of time.  however, it made the evening much more enjoyable, having an active little one there to enjoy the fun part of christmas.





courtney really liked phoebe's new toys (cotton and barley got her a bad cuz and a nylabone)



courtney trying to figure out why elmo is on her feet (and a great shot of the apple hat!).



she enjoyed pulling the hat down as far as she could....



...to the point where she walked around with it over her eyes.




attempt at a self picture


this is the cutest elmo toy ever (she got that from her pops and mimi)


today i am going to visit my favorite hair stylist, kristie, because i am stealing mom's appointment at a moment's peace (she really can't go) and then i am going to meet mandy and rachel at stoveworks in the factory  (yummy!), followed by some shopping with mom.  it should be a fun and busy day!

12.09.2008

our christmas tree

ok. i have now tried to make this post happen 3 times. i will blame it on my allergies/cold. :) we put our tree up last wednesday night. the dogs are still trying to figure out why we have a tree inside the house. dave, however, is used to christmas trees and is loving having a tree again. if he could talk, i think he would say this is his favorite time of year. a special blanket (tree skirt) beneath a tree... he is in kitty heaven. we haven't put up a big tree since jay and i have been together... only little trees. so dave has missed them and the dogs have never seen them. they don't bother it too much. thank goodness! it definitely makes it seem a bit more like christmas in our house.



dave checking the tree out

the girls watching as i put the lights on


the finished product

12.03.2008

a great mckcause

again, i am sure many of you have seen the mckmiracle button/link on the side of my blog, telling the story of mckmama and her msc (many small children) and the miraculous healing of her last child, stellan (mckmuffin). mckmama has a great new raffle and give-away set up on her blog. it is for 3 great causes, so follow this link and check it out.


"i wanna soak up the sun"

they will be sad when a christmas tree is in the corner tonight.


the original sun-lover



barley loves the sun, too, (and is laying in it right now in the "tree spot") but will sometimes lay with dave and share a spot of sun between them.

yes, you heard correctly, we are going to buy our tree and decorate it tonight. it has always been my family tradition to have a live tree the first year in a new home. i have a bit of an allergy to christmas trees (and all things pine) and tend to end up with allergies that settle into bronchitis. so we'll see how it goes this year. jay grew up with live trees most years, so we're giving this year a trial run...


12.02.2008

within 72 hours

this post has everything you could ever want! this post contains a TON of pictures, which include the beach, the snow, and the dogs. what else could you want? so, as the title gives away, jay and i have been on the beach, walking in the sand and playing in about 4 inches of snow within the last 3 days. insane, yes? it is hard to believe. we spent thanksgiving in hilton head with jay's family (his dad, larry and his wife mitos, uncle kenneth, aunt brenda, and cousin brian) and had a great time relaxing and listening to the ocean, watching some football, and enjoying good company. so, without further delay, pictures from the beach...


porpoises in the ocean

sunlight breaking through

perfect sand dollar... he didn't survive the trip home



brian, jay, and kenneth on our friday morning walk


"big waves" breaking with high tide

my feet in the ocean (yes, it was cold)
it did rain and was cloudy most of the weekend, but it was nice to get away. the upper 60 degree weather was nice, too. :) in fact, when we departed on sunday morning, it was 65 degrees. when we got home sunday afternoon, it was 39 here in asheville. cold! so where was all the snow? well, it was NOT here in fletcher at our house. but it was up about 30 minutes north in madison county. we took the dogs and drove up the interstate in search of the snow. the elevation is much higher and the snow was definitely falling up there. we stopped at the rest area that is just south of the nc/tn border. the dogs, well, we all, had a great time and were even able to get the perfect picture for our christmas card. (that will still be a surprise, but you can get a good idea from these pictures.) so, without further hesitation, here are some pictures of snow!


winter wonderland

this beautiful picture was at the rest stop (before the girls played!)

they loved chasing snowballs and not being able to find them!


me and the girls (getting ready to pose, maybe!)

cotton took "stay" so seriously, we got a great picture of her.


"yummy! snow tastes good. barley, where is your face?"


barley bounding in the snow (look at those ears)

"see cotton, it is fun to stick your face in it."
beautiful snowfall


my feet in the snow (yes, it was definitely colder than the ocean)

sweet barley's portrait time
so that is the fun and the sites we have seen in the last 3 days. i don't go back to work until thursday (nice, yeah?) and am planning to do some decorating for christmas. we are planning to get a live tree this year and might possibly get that this week! we listened to christmas music on the radio while driving in the snow yesterday, and it definitely got me in the christmas spirit.
i am going to make this post interactive... comment back and tell me what gets you most in the christmas spirit!