Nothing like it...

What could be better than having these two little sweeties over for a sleepover:)  Well, I can't think of anything:)  They were so excited to come home with me yesterday!  I cooked their favorite dinner, taco ring and cheese dip, and surprised them with an extra Christmas gift!  We all saw the movie FROZEN... cute movie!  Here is the Castle from the movie!  They love it and played with it until time to go to sleep:)  Aunt Cindy gave them the dolls for Christmas!  SWEET smiles from these little ones really warms my heart!

Pa helped with the final pieces:)

Tracy's therapy went very well!  She said she had good movement in her arm and goes back again today:)  I am super excited for her to get her arm back!  Thank you all for your prayers!  We were getting ready to go up for some rest last night and the girls sent their Mama this message... SWEET!  Love them to pieces!

Alex is up with me and Avery is still snoozing!  We will get some breakfast in a little bit!  Smiling this morning, hope you are too!  BIG HUGS and many blessings coming your way!

Warm and cozy...

A warm and cozy Sunday night at our house!  The tree is still up and the stockings are still hanging on the mantel!  Santa is still standing watch:)  I always hate to see the tree come down!  It sure lights up my life:)  BUT... the time is about to be here for the tree to travel back up to the attic and Santa to be stored away for another year!

Tracy is doing good, first physical therapy appt today!  Please continue to remember her in your prayers!  I can feel that you all are praying:)  She is getting lots of love around her house!  Look at this sweet little fella:)  OMG, everybody loves Frankie... well except Munson but he is coming around:)

So on this December 30, 2013... all is quiet, the coffee is hot and the Christmas tree lights are glowing:)  I pray that you all have a blessed and beautiful day!  BIG HUGS from my heart to yours!

Care and Prayer...

After another LONG surgery to correct some things in Tracy's arm, she is at home to get some tender loving care!  She will be loved on and cared for by a bunch of sweet Nurses living under her own roof!  I will be praying that each day is a little less painful, that with rehab from her favorite therapist (starting tomorrow)... she will be bending and stretching that arm like it used to be before her June 4th accident! 

Thank you all for praying for my sweet daughter!  She has been thru this already and I know it can be disheartening to go thru it again... BUT she is looking at the healing with a sweet smile and a hopeful end result!  I pray that God will watch over her and hold her hand as she heals from the surgery!

  As I walked down to get a cup of coffee yesterday morning, I glanced out the window and saw this pretty sight:)  I smiled and whispered a thank you to the Lord above for the many blessings he has given us!

Have a blessed day dear friends, BIG HUGS and a thankful heart! 

Surgery update...

It was another LONG surgery!  Started about 5:00 finished about 10:00!  This is a picture from last surgery, I love you Punkin...  

Tracy was in recovery when I left the hospital and her SWEET Daughter was staying the night with her:)  I know it was a rough night but Autumn is planning on being a Nurse and I am sure took great care of her Mommy!

The waiting room in the Hospital was our hang-out for many hours!  Cindy and Britani hung with us all the way!  We laughed, we ate, we prayed, we ate, we laughed, we watched the board for updates, we waited and waited and waited!  Finally, they said the surgery was done, that it was a success and another round of therapy would hopefully get her arm back to pre-accident movement!  He is a great doctor and stayed at it until he got it just right!  

The night was coming to an end!  Getting our plans together for the night, and about to head out to our homes for a little rest.  Marc was watching the little ones and the puppies, he got to sleep about 2AM!  He is awesome for helping!

Now, we'll see what today brings.  The drain will be removed today and Tracy will be going home for some rest and pampering from her two tiny Nurses and her wonderfully caring Son!  Love you all and thank you so much for the prayers!  BIG HUGS!

Christmas done and a prayer request...

Meet Baker Nutcracker!  My little Granddaughters wanted to buy him for me:)  Love it and so will the other Nutcrackers!

We enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Tracy's!  Cindy made homemade biscuits, red hots and brought me some Karo syrup!  I also shared my sorghum syrup from Leon and Becky:)  I made my traditional Christmas breakfast casserole... ALL YUMMY!  Then we settled in for some gift opening!  Well except for Frankie, he slept all snuggled in his bed.

Here are a few of my gifts!  Tracy and Cindy gave me the same cup, one says "First my Mother Forever my Friend" from Tracy and the one from Cindy says "My Sister my best friend"!  I opened Cindy's first and then Tracy gave me hers to open:)  Neither knew the other had bought it:)   The bottom two pictures are t-shirts with our Grandchildren's names on them!  Mine is the heart and Marc's is the tie:)  Great gift, thanks Tracy and family!

So... Christmas is done!  We enjoyed a gift for dinner last night from two of my Sisters!  Barbara and Brenda made us homemade chicken salad... let's just say it was SO YUMMY!  Marc had received a smoked sausage gift box, we ate that too!  It was wonderful to have something for dinner AND not have to cook it! 

Thank you everyone for the gifts, the love and now for the prayer request!  My Daughter is having more surgery this afternoon on her arm.  They are going in to loosen it up so that she can gain the use of it completely!  I would appreciate you whispering a prayer in her name... Tracy, I will be praying for you that you will get your arm all fixed up, that the surgery will go well and that the healing will be a breeze!  Love you Punkin!  

Have a blessed day dear friends, BIG HUGS!

Merry Christmas 2013...

Our Christmas Eve was AWESOME!  IT was COLD!  When I was about to gather the family for this picture, I said perhaps it was too cold:)  My Brother Marshall said "we can do it, it won't take long"!  Did he say that because he wanted to go outside and freeze for a photo shoot?  NO, he knew how much this picture means to me every year:)  Thank you Marshall:)  I love being able to look at it year after year!  Thank you family for braving the cold, BUT... look at all of us again this year!  Love you ALL!

How blessed am I?  There are SIX of us and we were all together:)  Makes me REALLY HAPPY!  Love my Brothers and Sisters to pieces!

I took lots of pictures and here are a few of them!  Great Christmas Eve!  Funny thing, several of us have similar cameras... I took a couple pictures of Britani and Erin as they were leaving to go to his family's house and I can't find those pictures.  I guess I picked up someones camera other than mine:(  If anyone has that picture, please send it to me!  

AND of course Frankie was with us:)  He was probably tired by the end of the night:)

Merry Christmas to all of you!  BIG HUGS from Ganky and Pa!

Fun day and one more...

Austin is a "laid back" kinda guy and that is how he wanted to spend his Birthday!  Here he is with his cake, Sisters and Frankie:)

Gifts that he loved and he was happy!  He is such a sweet and loving Grandson!  He isn't ashamed to give a hug, say "I love you" and he is always helpful AND polite!  I love you Austin!

I babysat yesterday:)  Frankie came to visit!  We snuggled most of the time!  He sure is SWEET!

ONE more day!  I have two little helpers to remind me how many days are left!  It sure feels like it goes by really fast!

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you!  BIG HUGS and LOVE being sent your way!

Our Christmas present...

Happy 15th Birthday Austin, our sweet

Christmas present:)

You blink and they grow up!  Happy Birthday Austin!  I love you SO much!

He is SUCH a sweet fella to me!  He is loving, kind, VERY polite and OH SO funny!  He makes me laugh ALL the time!

Oh how I love those little cheeks:) 

Precious then and now:)

Football and Basketball... great at both!  I can't wait to see what great things are in his future!  When he sees me in the stands, he always lets me know he sees me:)

My OH SO Handsome 15 year old Grandson:)

Love this picture:)  We were at the beach this Summer and I snapped his pic!

SUCH a wonderful brother to all of his Sisters!  He and Autumn are best friends:)

This is our picture we took last Christmas, ALL 7 grandchildren!  My Austin is so tall and handsome!  How sweet when you stand next to your Grandson and he puts his arm around you:)  VERY SWEET!

 I am so blessed and EVER so thankful each and every day!

Happy Happy Birthday Austin!  I Love you!

Just 3 more...

 Just THREE days until Christmas!  WOW, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas really flies, doesn't it?  I love these little figurines, 
aren't they sweet?

This is our Christmas Eve Howell Family gathering from last year!  Can't wait to see everyone again in TWO days:)

I got my grocery shopping done and only forgot a few ingredients, so one more trip but the majority of it is done!  The new puppy is doing really well and stealing everyone's hearts:) 
They named him Frankie!

Have a blessed last few days before Christmas dear friends, BIG HUGS and many Christmas blessings!

New family member...

Yes, I have a new GRAND-Puppy:)  I haven't met him yet but I have seen lots of pictures!  He was a surprise for the grandchildren from their Parents and they were ALL surprised and very happy!  He will help heal their hearts after losing our beloved BB!  He doesn't have a name yet, but isn't he CUTE?

 I know they will give this puppy lots of love!  Look at that sweet face, his and hers:)

He was pretty tired after meeting his new family!  Lucky little puppy, lucky family!

So... that was a secret that we have kept for weeks!  He had to get old enough to leave his Mama!  Just FOUR days left until Christmas!  I have a few last minute gifts to wrap and grocery shopping to do!  Hope you are enjoying these days leading up to the BIG day!  BIG HUGS and huge Christmas blessings!

A day of B's...

It started yesterday morning with a BISCUIT from Chick-fil-a!  I seldom do that but I needed some fuel to get my shopping on:)  It did the trick!

Late afternoon BASKETBALL game!  Austin was awesome!  He loves it!

The BEAUTIFUL sky on the drive home!  OH MY GOODNESS, do I enjoy the sky:)

My Brother loves this BBQ place, so we stopped for some dinner!  IT was YUMMY, just like he said:)  BBQ, Brunswick Stew and tater salad!  OH MY!

SO that was my day!  I am putting the finishing touches on my gifts for Christmas!  I have cut way back this year and honestly it feels good!  The "one box wrapped with all gifts in it" is working beautifully!  Different but great!  Have a blessed day dear friends!  I have a few gifts to wrap and another basketball game this afternoon!  I am feeling mighty blessed and in all things I am thankful!  BIG GANKY SIZED HUGS coming your way!

Warm and glowing...

It was really nice to come home, get the Christmas lights glowing and I lit every candle I could find:)  My little home was warm and happy to have us back!

It's the little things I enjoy!  

Getting ready for the final few days leading up to Christmas!  BIG HUGS to all of you!  Praying that you have Christmas in your heart:)

Time away and back again...

I have been away for a few days and now I am back:)  It is a busy time of year and not as much blog time as usual.  BUT... for today I want to share some pictures from my recent trip.  I spent some time with my out of town Step-Daughter, Son-in-law and THREE ADORABLE grandchildren!  They were relocating and cutting the drive time almost in half.  For that I am VERY thankful!  We worked much of the time we were there unpacking and sorting.  We did a lot of laughing, eating and got SO much done while enjoying each other's company.  Here are just a few pics, I am surprised that I didn't take more but my hands were busy working:)

We finished our visit off with these cuties getting to swim:)

Time together is precious and I cherish every moment!  I am home now with laundry to do, more gifts to wrap and many more chores to catch up on!  Hope you all are getting everything ready for Christmas!  It is quickly approaching:)  Have a blessed week dear friend, BIG HUGS!

A magical night...

One of my favorite nights of the year is my Brother's Birthday celebration at my Niece's house!  If you need to get in the Christmas mood, just join us on this magical night!  Happy Birthday Marshall!  I love you!

I always look forward to seeing Kelly's snow globe display!  So beautiful!  Every room is decorated for Christmas!

My three Sisters were there and we enjoyed sharing this special day with family!

And this is the loot I came home with!  Homemade gingerbread, a gorgeous framed "R", homemade dishcloths, footies and sweet smelling creams and CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS... HOMEMADE chocolate covered cherries!  I can't wait to try those!  Thank you Crystal, Kelly, Suzanne and June!  I love it all!

So now it is time to get ready for Christmas!  I am gonna take a little blog break to finish things up and do some visiting!  Have a blessed weekend dear friends, BIG HUGS!