The Uncle Joey Face

Well, Caiden decided over Christmas that he either doesn't like his Uncle Joey or thinks it's really fun to look at him like he doesn't. I doubt he doesn't like him, but it was definitely funny that EVERY time we would mention "Uncle Joey" or Joey would look at Caiden, he would make the same face....





Thought these were cute too...

He decided, all by himself, to do this in his play pen...



And I think this is so funny that he shows his teeth when he smiles; he looks like a little bunny rabbit!

Christmas in G'ville

Christmas was extra special this year because it was my nephew's first. Even though he enjoyed the wrapping paper and ribbons more than his presents it was still very cute!


His favorite present was definitely his wagon. Now who do you think asked Santa for it to be an all terrain one?



Joey was also a happy boy Christmas day.



But I think my brother-in-law Mike was the happiest.


Mom always gets the boys some kind of toy. Last year, it was marshmallow guns. This year....

remote control helicopters.

Even Rocky and Ty got in on the Christmas fun.



But in all the gift giving, we were reminded of the Ultimate gift God gave us - sending His Son to become like us and give His life for us. Thank you Jesus!

God's Sovereignty

I was very much reminded of God's complete sovereignty yesterday and hope to continue to use my experience as a reminder. I debated whether or not to post these pictures because I didn't want to be dramatic or trying to get attention, but I was convicted that I need to be using this experience to honor God. Therefore, know as a preface to reading this that this is all for HIS attention, and not mine. I was very much reminded of God's complete sovereignty yesterday and hope to continue to use my experience as a reminder.






As I was standing on the side of the road, looking at this and taking these pictures, (but more so when my husband got home and I got to hug him) I realized how miraculous it is that I am alive and even more so, that I was not even injured. I literally crawled out of that driver's seat with nothing but scrapes, bruises, soreness, and sticky coke-glass-filled hair. To me, that is a huge testimony that God still has things for me to do here on this earth. I know we can never truly know why God in His sovereignty allows some of us to survive and some of us not, but I do know that the only way I am typing this today is because He has a plan. I may not understand in my finite mind why I survived that crash yet several of my other dear friends are no longer with us, but I will say that I am so thankful that God knows and that He gave me another oportunity to share His amazing soveriegnty, grace, and mercy with others. Any of you who are Christians reading this, please consider every day you have as a blessing and take every oportunity you are given to share about you're amazing life in Christ. I type this knowing that in our sinful nature, it is very likely that I will be tempted to let this passion for living in the moment fade away, so please hold me accountable to that. If you are reading this and are not a Christian, I challenge you to explore your questions but know that we may never get those answers, just also know that in these passing days which we are never guaranteed, Christ is the only one can give us hope in a hopeless, scary, and depressing world. He is worth not knowing the answers.

Blogger Tour of Homes

I was tagged by a fellow blogger to post my Christmas decorations so that we could all "tour" eachother's homes for Christmas. I think it's a great idea, so I thought I'd participate.






Hope to see others!

Can Things Ever Be Simple?

So we had this ugly brass and stainless tub and shower faucet. Sorry I don't have a picture to show it in all it's glory. So we thought in all the other upgrades we were doing, we'd get an oil rubbed bronze one to match the towel bars and sink faucet we had gotten. First of all, the oil rubbed bronze finish is ridiculously more expensive than any other, but after much searching and determination I found a tub and shower faucet for $55 on ebay as opposed to the $200 ones in stores (ebay is the best thing ever for remodeling)! Well, lesson number one: order the same brand faucet as the one that is already installed even if it comes with the valves. The valve that came with the one we bought was too big to fit in the hole, so no big deal, we'll cut A hole in the wall to get to it, patch it up and be done.




Lesson number two: either we have bad luck, or things are never that simple. We tested the faucet, and it kept stopping up, so Joey tried to do it by himself, bless his heart - go under the house, turn off the water to the tub, clean out the sawdust in the pipe (sawdust was from having to drill a hole in the stud for the valve to fit), going back under the house to turn back on the water, and then testing the faucet again. Over, and over. So he finally asked me to help. So I sat under the house, walkie talkie in hand, facing one of my biggest fears - that I might see a rat- waiting for Joey to tell me to turn on or off the water. Finally Joey got all the sawdust cleaned out, and the tub faucet worked. Next, (lesson number two continues) Joey takes off the old shower head and pipe and puts the new one in. Thinking, "whew, we're done," Joey takes a shower. Well, then we see our carpet in the bedroom behind the wall of the shower is soaked as well as some of the sheetrock. So Joey, bless his heart again, finds out the pipe for the shower head broke when he was having to keep twisting it so that it would quit leaking. Therefore, hole #2.




Thankfully, it is finally finished AND works. I don't think Joey thinks it was worth it, but man that old faucet was ugly and didn't match any of the new stuff. Oh well, just the glories of being a homeowner, right?

Thanksgiving in the Ozarks

Sorry it's been so long. It's been kinda busy. But I had to share some of the pictures from our annual Thanksgiving trip out to the Ozarks in Arkansas. The trip started out well, then late Wed. night took a turn for the worse. I had been talking to my family who were back home in north Alabama, extending my sympathies because Caiden, Dad, and Mike were all sick with a stomach virus. "How awful to not be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner," I was saying. Then it hit me, Wed. night, the night before we were to eat Thanksgiving lunch! Not fun, not fun at all. Thankfully, it wasn't a long virus, so I did get to enjoy leftovers Thanksgiving night and go on our annual post-Thanksgiving hike in the Ozark Mountains and this time with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Joey and his brother had a little too much fun being dare devils.

I LOVE this kid!!

So you can't tell me this baby isn't the most precious thing ever! Oh, and by the way, he said "ma-ma" for the first time this weekend! And the crazy thing is that he stops at "ma-ma." He doesn't say "ma-ma-ma-ma." Ok, so maybe I'm a little to proud, but I have a right to be as an aunt, right?!

Mallows

So what did we do with the gigantic stump left in the yard from the tree Joey and Randy cut down? We turned it into a fire pit! This is one of my favorite things, especially in the cooler months, sitting around a warm fire. It takes me back to my high school and college days when me and some of my greatest friends would sit around at my now-husband's house down by the creek in his backyard around the fire pit he and some of the guys built - known as "the camp". So that's where Joey and I got started as good friends. And here we've come full circle - married with a house of our own, two babies, and a backyard with another fire pit. Anyway, we roasted marshmallows to break in our fire pit, and the doggies seemed to enjoy too.

Timber!

What do you do when you have a rotten tree in your yard right next to your house? You call a tree service to cut it down, right? Well, not Joey. He just calls up his friend Randy to cut it down with him. They tied one side of a strap to the tree and the other side to the F-250. I stood on the deck videoing and praying that the tree wouldn't hit our bedroom. Well, Joey started sawing and Randy had the truck in 4-wheel drive pulling the strap tight. The tree started to crack, so Joey ran, leaving the chain saw in the tree because it was stuck. Thankfully, the tree fell the right way (away from the house) and only took out one limb on my dogwood tree. So they got it done! I would post the video, but it's too big.

It's Fall!!!

To me, no other season displays God's beauty and majesty more than fall. I absolutely love the leaves, cool weather, and outdoor fires. I can't wait to go up to some of the lookouts we've found and take pictures of those views with all the fall colors (those posts to come).

I went home for a couple of days this past week while Joey had to go out of town. We got to use Mom and Dad's outdoor fireplace to make smore's. Such a great fall night.

Some pics I took while at home....

Huntin' Dogs

Joey finally got squirrel #13 which he has been after for several months. Rocky has always loved it when Joey pulls out his .22 because that means he gets to grab the squirrel when it drops to the ground. He's very good, though, about giving it up when we make him. Well, as Joey was taking the squirrel away from Rocky, Ty (who had not yet seen a live, well recently dead squirrel) immediately snatched it out of Joey's hands and ran off with it.



It took Joey a long while to get that squirrel from Ty. I never knew Boxers were a hunting breed, but I guess a little bit is in them all.

What better end of the week treat could you have than to spend time with babies and puppies! (And of course, family too). Caiden and Ty love each other! Caiden even laughed when Ty licked him all over his face.





Wouldn't Joey be a proud uncle - Carhart overalls and a thermal shirt.

Another Advantage to Marrying a Redneck Man with a Big Truck

Well, when most people want to make natural areas/flower beds in their yard, they either:
A. Go buy the trim, mulch, plants, etc. and then do the work
or
B. Hire a landscaper

What does my husband do? After seeing how much it cost to do the flower beds up next to the house (see previous post), he decided to brainstorm. That metal trim is like $1 a foot! To do the natural area we wanted in the front yard, just the trim would be over $200!! I mentioned that I wished we had access to more of the rock that was used in a wall beside our driveway. Well, Joey thinks, "There's no way we're spending tons of money on rock either." So he left this evening, and drove up the road to a place where we ride around off-road, and this is what he comes back with...




So I guess, it makes sense - the earth is made of rock, so why pay for it when you can drive down the road and pick it up for free?