The Path to My Blog....

. . .is paved with good intentions.

I know you have heard all the excuses before,

 so I won't bore you with all the details.

Suffice it to say that

 the pictures that follow are just a sample

 of all the goings on  around here.

There were also several things 

that I didn't remember to photograph!

The above is the "Blessing Tree"

that hubby and I made for the big

50th Anniversary shindig

for

Bishop & his lovely Wife.

 This is a picture of the honored couple

& the fruits of 50 years of commitment.

Since we didn't want to hang around for hurricane Isaac

we took the opportunity to go on a little trip.

I will be posting about the recovery 

in neighboring Braithwaite in a later post.

I do not want to gloss over it.

I feel like it would get lost in this mix 

of random reverie.

My latest kitchen adventure:

 Griddle style corn cakes & greens,

topped with a

Tomato & grilled ham salad 

&

Buttermilk Vinaigrette

 This picture is long over due!

Eloise is opening a package

 from our dear sweet blog friends

 over at B-skep Chronicles.

 This little ray of sunshine 

"Brie"

now comes to my house 5 days a week

while mommy works.

Her daddy is a Marine,

 so he is working very hard too.

 These three children were guests in my home 

 For Approx. 3 weeks.

 Keep them in your prayers.

 Finally....

The Biggest News:

Eloise is officially in the youth group 

and sporting braces.

Not pictured:

the 5 yr. old I watch on weekends

&

the 4 kids (ages 5-14)

that I tutor in order to finance 

the aforementioned braces.

We have also been sorting through

 and getting rid of a lot of clutter.

After much prayer and family discussion,

we have decided to downsize.

Come this spring we will be putting our

"Way Too Big for Three people"

home up for sale.

This is not an emergency or sad event.

It is a choice we are making,

that will possibly get us to the 

"debt free" status quickly.

Maybe with less debt & clutter

I might have more time 

to keep my blog up to date....

....don't hold your breath!


BY THE WAY:

HUBBY HAS LOST 45 LBS
IN 6 MONTHS
&
I HAVE LOST 36

Did You Know.....

 Each year our youth committee holds a meeting to plan out the events for the next 12 months. I decided to make it special by reviving a tradition I tried to start when hubby and I first got married. Many people don't realize that the official end of the Christmas season is called Twelfth Night and doesn't happen until the 12th night after Christmas. 

-You don't have to twist my arm to get me to extend the holidays-

 Twelfth Night was designated as the night that the wise men visited the baby Jesus, because they actually came a little while after he was born. Some sources say it commemorates the time that Jesus was presented at the temple and was identified as the Messiah.

Either way seems like a great reason to celebrate. Truth be known, I don't really need a reason.

Any excuse will do when it comes to breaking out the candles and food.

Besides the sushi, cucumber boat, beef wrapped asparagus, veggies, and cheeses, we also had appetizers in the kitchen, and a desert stand laden with red velvet cupcakes, pastries, and chocolate dipped strawberries.

Some of the savory foods were presented in a tiered buffet with leopard print and red/orange tulips to match the colors in my dishes. Sorry the colors aren't so vivid in the pics. I haven't found a way to capture the candle light and the colors in the same shot.  

 Let me take a moment to back track. The above is a pic of  Eloise's hair-do for our New Year's Eve service at church.

 Eloise and Miss D

 A few of the newest members of our youth department. 

This picture doesn't have anything to do with anything, but I had to show y'all how photogenic my handsome boy is .....even when he's being naughty.

Sharing Truth and Breaking Bread.....

 I know you have all seen several pics of Eloise's nap quilt, but I had to share a pic of our recent fall arrangement. Eloise helped me decorate these oranges with cloves to add a fragrant festive touch to this grouping. 

Today for our pre-Bible study lunch, the ladies and I enjoyed:

lobster ravioli w/garlic butter sauce

butternut squash ravioli w/brown butter sage sauce

bacon-chicken-ranch foccacia

tossed salad with homemade black raspberry vinaigrette

(thanks to Plain Old Kristi for the recipe)

I know I was born on the west coast, but I guess I have spent too many years living in the south. I cannot bring myself to hold any kind of meeting at my house without making sure that all of my guests leave full.

On to the truth part...

Our lesson was about why Christians should love their non/christian friends and family, but do so without compromising their beliefs. I am truly enjoying the blessing of teaching, because I always learn something new every time I reflect on the scriptures.

P.S. check "Ecole" for pics of our recent outing.

Love & Prayers,

What Christmas Means To Us #5.....

Spending time with the family.....

Holiday baking.....

Smiles......

Giggles....

Oodles o' ribbon.....

Oodles o' red....

"Oh trinkles my dear. Oh drinkles and skinkles of fun. It's Christmas...Christmas...Christmas Eve Oh my there's a lot to be done!"

" Then it's zippity jingle and dash away ping. Hang holly and berries in all of the halls. Tie tassels on all of the thermostats and write Merry Christmas on all of the walls."

"Let's jingle to bed. Now there's a good girl. Let's have no tears of sorrow. Let's close our eyes and sleep...sleep....sleep so we can carry on tomorrow."



**Quotes from: Eloise At Christmas Time **

(we love love love this book!)