CHRISTMAS 2009

Christmas 2009 has come and gone....but while it was here we really enjoyed it!  We were blessed to be able to spend it with the three Shearer kids, along with their kids...only one missing was Chris, Janelles' husband, who is presently serving the Navy SeaBees in Afghanistan.  While we were together, we finally figured out that the last time these three had spent Christmas together was in 1998....more than ten  years ago!  Unfortunately, our presence in Tennessee meant that we missed being with other family members in Virginia, but for some reason we find it impossible to be in two places at once....the limitations of our mortal bodies, I guess!  LOL

Janelle and her three boys, Zachary, Nathan, and baby Lucas, drove up from Gulfport, MS on Tuesday, and then Jennifer and her son Brandon flew in on Wednesday from Virginia Beach.  It was fun to see the older three cousins get reacquainted, and for everyone to just spend time enjoying each others company!  We didn't "do" anything special, but we sure did make a lot of special memories.

Our time together was not without its challenges...let's see, that would include Jon's back (two herniated discs), Lucas' colic, along with the lovely (NOT) weather, just to name a few.  In spite of those and other challenges, it was a very special time that had been a long time coming.  It was a bonus that the girls and their four boys  got to spend some time on Saturday with my mom and dad at the nursing center....memories that will always be treasured.

A special thanks to Jon who shared his home with us, and helped to make this time

together a reality and not just a dream!

Below are just a few of the "gazillion" photos that were taken during our time together...just a small window into our Christmas, and a hope that  your Christmas was special in every way, and that you were blessed by the love of the Christ who was born so many years ago.

Time for some 'xploring down by the creek....

.....while Papa and Lucas wait for Santa to arrive!

The older boys got to put out "food" (oatmeal with glitter mixed in) for Santa's reindeer...

 

Some kids make everything silly (Christmas Eve pajamas and Nate)...

......while others pass the time by sleeping!

And then there's the one who just finally "gave out"....

Mr. B aka Brandon!

But that didn't stop them from being up bright and early on Christmas mornng,

checking out the goodies left by Santa..

Even Uncle Jon got into the spirit of things....yummy Toblelerone....

...and, no, he wouldn't share!

Willie received an official Denver Broncos hat....wonder what that could mean??!!

We were blessed to be able to Skype with Chris for a good part of the gift giving time.....

...and baby Lucas got to "say" Merry Christmas to his daddy.  Not the way we would have preferred it, but we enjoyed sharing even this little bit of time with him.  We ask for your continued prayers for him and his family during these months of their separation, and particularly covet your prayers for his safety.

We are now getting ready to say "so long, farewell" to 2009 and "hello" to 2010.

Let's pray that it's a great one!

QUICK UPDATE!!!

Just heard from Jon.....the MRI showed a problem with one of the lumbar disks that should be able to be resolved with chiropractic care.  We are praising the Lord that nothing more serious was found!

WHEW!!!!

What a week it has been....and that is a HUGE understatement.   Let's see, we've had damaged windowsills, a gashed hand, bad backs, a knot on the noggin, a Christmas open house, shopping, an MRI, baking, cleaning, freezing temperatures, a night out at the Grand Ole Opry to see the Rockettes Christmas show, wildlife, and a birthday or two!  Whew....and that doesn't even count the phone calls from Charlottesville, VA with details and pictures of the record snowfall there!  Oh, and the week is not yet over!!!

The windowsill is "healed", Willie's hand is healing, and Lucas' poor little noggin is better.  The open house was very enjoyable....lots of yummy eats, and the shopping continues along with the baking (almond poppyseed cakes in the oven right now).

The wildlife was spotted out the back windows of Jon's house earlier this week..... 

.....no deer this time, but a blue crane!

Thursday night we had the priviliege of seeing the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Show at the Grand Ole Opry....very impressive.  I really liked the way they ended the show with the live nativity and Handel's Hallelujah Chorus!

 

Last night and today I have been reminded of winter snows in Staunton (Blue Ridge Mts. of Virginia)....Amber has been keeping us informed as the pictures below show!

Snow on Amber's porch railing....last night!  And it's still snowing!

Last night's count was 11 inches, and the white stuff is still coming down!

 

The grandkids, Sierra, Kaila and Tyreese seem to be enjoying it!

Tyreese looks like he is not too sure what's going on,

and Kaila is ready to go slip-sliding on an swim tube!
(Good call, Amber!)

And Sierra is enjoying the snow while showing her "missing teeth grin"

(two contributions to the tooth fairy in as many days).

We also have had a couple of birthdays in our family the last couple of weeks, with another one on its way.....

Becky's birthday was December 11,

while Jennifer's was yesterday, December 18th..

So, belated Happy Birthday postings to them!

Now to the back "issue"....  Jon, our son, has been suffering for over a week with excruciating back pain, with no relief from chiropractic sessions.  On Weds. night he was sent for an MRI, but we have not received any results as of yet.  He does seem to be doing a little better, but we covet your prayers for God's touch on his body.  We know that God can use any means of healing, and we pray for relief from the pain and a quick resolution to whatever is going on.

In case you haven't noticed, you haven't received a Christmas card/letter from us as of yet....well, actually.....we aren't doing a Christmas version this year....we'll be doing a New Year's version, so look for that!   But until then, our prayer for you is that you will cherish the gift of the Christ child and look for ways to show His love with others this Christmas season.

A Blessed Christmas to you and yours...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Shhhhhh!

The picture speaks for itself!   

Brrrrr!

Have I said recently how little I like cold - the frigid variety - weather?  If not, let me say it now!   What is really strange, tho', is that I like the scenic views that that same cold weather creates.   Yes, I like snow scenes, frost on windows, ice-coated grass....I just don't want to be out in the temperatures that produce those beauties.  So today I really enjoyed looking out Jon's back windows at this icy scene

I

....and part of my enjoyment was that I was nice and toasty inside!

FYI - No, that is not a lake, river....but rather a retention pond that had filled up with water from the recent heavy rain!

We are now again located in Mt. Juliet, TN, due to...... the frigid cold.  The water had been turned off where we were (again due to.....you guessed it, the frigid cold), and we were running everything on one 30 amp circuit.....again, tough in....yup....the frigid cold!  But we are so grateful for the two weeks we spent there at Horton Haven....Willie was able to work with the maintenance manager for a couple of days.  Once again we were made aware that God has our steps ordered....during our short time there, Willie was able to help someone who was in real need....and to minister by his willingness to do so.

This weekend look around you....God just may bring someone across your path that you can minister to...whether by a touch, a smile, a shoulder to lean or cry on, a listening ear, or even a little financial assistance.  If we keep our senses tuned to the Holy Spirit, the opportunities will astound us!

Where ARE the TURKEYS?

One of the things I remembered most about Horton Haven when we were here in May was the wildlife...particularly the turkeys.  They could be seen just about anywhere....one strutted through the small campground....one flew over our MH....and quite a few could usually be seen in the yard of one of the houses just down the road.  Since we have been here this time we haven't seen a single one....that is, until today.  Now, granted, we are not here all the time, but enough to think we would spot at least one of the fowl!

Now to the rest of the story....

Today we took a day trip down to Scottboro, AL, and on our way we were taken completely by surprise.  Yup, you guessed it....by at least a dozen turkeys in the middle of a four-lane highway.  And believe me, they were in no hurry to move along!  I was so taken by surprise that I didn't even get my camera out of my purse to document the sight.  Bummer!!  It was quite the beginning to our day....put a smile on our faces!

Hope your weekend has some surprises that you make you smile!

ARGHHH!

ARRRRRGH!   Yup, you read/heard right!   I am in the process of trying to go back and put labels on older posts...just starting the chore, and not sure I like it.  In fact, I know I DON'T like it, so we'll see if it actually gets done!  Maybe knowing how much fun it is (NOT!) to go back and do it later will help me to remember to do it when I actually create a new post.  Ya' think?!!

SUCCESS!

Success....well, limited success, anyway!

TROUBLES....

Okay....so I was trying to update our blog with a Christmas "look" this morning, and nothing was working.  Consequently, we're back to a very basic look until I get it all looking the way I want it....just hope it's not 2010 before that happens!!

BABY PHOTOS....

BABY PHOTOS....gotta' love 'em.  For those of you who haven't seen the latest photos of baby Lucas....thought I'd share just a few.  BTW - these were taken by a friend of Janelle's to mark the fact that Lucas is now one month old.

 

Little guy has been holding his head up from birth....think he'll be rolling over pretty soon at this rate!

And I love this next one...he has started smiling at his mom.....

And to end the baby-fest.....

What a sweet baby face!   How can anyone doubt God's existence when He creates a miracle like this?!

This last week was a very busy one....at times....and a very slow one...at other times.  Monday morning we left Talladega and arrived (after a safe and uneventful trip) in Chapel Hill, TN.  Tuesday morning we made our way to Jon's new home in Franklin to await the delivery of appliances and to get ready for the move-in that night....accomplished by quite a few of the members of Jon's team at DR.  As it turned out, the appliances didn't arrive until Jon was already home, but I took advantage of the time to make chicken enchiladas for "the movers"....much appreciated by all, it seems!  The guys even got the piano upstairs over the garage with only a very minor ding in the wall....amazing.

On Thanksgiving Day Willie and I headed up to Madison and took Mom and Dad out for Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel.  I must say, it was a good value and the food was good, too!  More importantly, they really enjoyed it, and we enjoyed spending time with them....another thing for which we are thankful.

One of the things (among many others) that we are enjoying is the view....this picture was taken from Jon's bedroom window a couple of mornings ago.  There were actually six deer in this group, but I only "captured" four of them.

They were very active and having a lot of fun...so it was a treat for us to watch them!  A view of some of God's creatures enjoying themselves always "makes my day", as the saying goes.

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving season, and that you are preparing for Christmas in a way that will bring honor to "the reason for the season".

God bless!

HISTORY....that's what this project at Shocco Springs is...history!  The project came to an end yesterday afternoon, and we started saying our "see ya' later's" to both old and new friends, as the Millers headed back to their farm and many responsibilities.  Then this morning we said, "So long," to the Johns, Whites and Stokes.....leaving our group considerably less in number than we were this time yesterday!

It has been an awesome project, with a lot accomplished amid lots of laughter, game nights and good times gathered around food (thank you, Mariam).  This is the largest group for which we have been group leaders, and they made it "a walk in the park"!   Thanks, guys!

Back to what was accomplished....let's see

• Continuing renovations in Oakridge
• Painting of bunk beds in Choctaw
• Installation of new lights in several buildings at the Adventure Camp
• Preparation and distribution of new phone books
• Assistance in food service
• Cataloguing and labeling photos
• and as always......LAUNDRY!!

And so, as we get ready to say our farewells to Shocco and head north on Monday, we leave you with a picture of Willie being......well, Willie!

Have a wonderful weekend.....and be thankful for the blessings in your life!

FIELD TRIP!   Last Friday our SOWER group toured the Alabama Industries for the Blind facility here in Talladega.  As always, it makes us so grateful for ALL of our senses, and of course, there is Robert (a blind gentleman who has worked there for many years) .....a real showman!

His zest for life, smile and laugh would brighten the gloomiest day.

One of our SOWER friends attempted to do Robert's job....I think we will let Robert keep his job and find something else for Rog!

This time as we toured the facility I was struck by the different shapes and textures....guess it must be that "aware of senses" thing...something that so many individuals working there can't experience the same way we do.

 

 

 

 

BTW - if you purchase any Skilcraft product, you are purchasing an item made by one of the many Industries for the Blind.  Some of their products include brooms (think Lions' Club), mops (ahoy, ye swabbies), paper products, and many items for the military including helmet covers, flight bags, gear bags and ALL military neckties! It definitely makes for an interesting tour!

Today was the day set aside for our "Ladies' Day Out", which we started at Cafe Royale on the square in Talladega....yummy.  Tho' I must say most of us were still rather full from the delicious cinnamon rolls that Marion (one of our SOWER friends) made for our break this morning.  For those of you who have experienced "Mimi's", you will be saddened to know that it was a victim of the recession....so no more mile-high cheesecake or other delectable goodies on the square.  A sad day, indeed!

 

Back to our LDO - after lunch we made our way to Pell City for some thrift store shopping....a huge America's Thrift Store and Elijah's Barrel.  I also happened across a Rexall....not a drug store....but a soda fountain....think 50's and 60's.  No drugs here, unless you count the caffeine in the fountain drinks!

And as always, my eye is caught by a pretty flower here and there.

 

And I want to leave you with one last photo of the fall foliage....

 

the next time we are here, there will be no leaves on the trees, and the only flowers blooming will be the winter cabbage and pansies!

 

But I am so grateful for color in all of the seasons....each one is special in its own way

just as each one who touches our lives is special!

CHALLENGED....that's the way I felt after this morning's service at Brook Hills.  Dr. Platt challenged the church to a radical experiment for the next year....hopefully, the lessons will  be posted on the church's website, 'cause I would love to be a part of it, even "long-distance".  I have missed being a part of a small-group directed Bible study....one of the drawbacks of being "on the road".

Yesterday Willie went with some of the group to the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham....mainly motorcycles....but there were a few cars to pique Willie's interest, along with hundreds of motorcycles....

 

 

Then they headed for the new Bass Pro Shop in Birmingham.......a fun day for them, all in all.

As for me, well, I took advantage of the time to get some scrapbooking done, so I really enjoyed that.....as always!

Tomorrow is our Ladies' Day Out....lunch at Cafe Royale, and then a trip into Pell City to hit the thrift stores....we'll see if we can find some bargains!  And, yes, we will get some work done in there somewhere!

Have a blessed day, and be sure to spend

some time in the Word tomorrow....it WILL make a difference!

Today was a beeeauuuutiful sunny day, little on the cool side, but wonderful, nonetheless.  So, of course, I had to take my camera out and about with me to get a few more fall color pictures.....enjoy!

 

 

 

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty with which You
have surrounded us.....what a gift!