And so goes 2009

Well, here it is December 31st and I’m not sure what I think about that. Time passes so quickly and in some ways it makes me sad. I see my aging mother and in-laws, my baby girl who is now a wife and my cotton-top boy who is now a man. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it is a good thing. Time just passes. It’s life. While I’m not big on resolutions, let’s just say I’m pondering some changes in my lifestyle.

I want to de-clutter my life. I want to get rid of the stuff I don’t need and give it to someone who does need it. Much to my husband’s dismay, I seem to want to keep everything. “I really might need that someday,” I tell him. And he gives me that look as to say, “I don’t think so, please get rid of this stuff or I’m going to put it in my truck during the night and take it to an undisclosed location where you will never, ever see it again.” Excuse me for a moment while I look up the definition of paranoid.

I want to read more. I want to know more. When I think about all of the things I don’t know, well, that’s humbling. I want to read about the lives of people I admire. I want to read about subjects I don’t know much about. Would you believe that my 80-something year old mother still reads the encyclopedias? She has a set that I think, no kidding, are from the 70s but she says, “most of what’s in here doesn’t change – not historical events or people, not science, not dates or places.” You know, she probably has a point. Does that make you think of a book that never changes? That still remains current, relevant, and sharper than a double-edge sword? One I need to continue to delve into every single day.

I want to give more to others . . . whatever this looks like. Whether it be time, encouraging words, talents or financial resources. I want to be more intentional about using the gifts and talents that God has given me. It’s all His anyway. I just want to be a good steward of what He has entrusted to me. I will never forget the first words from Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life: “It’s not all about you.” When I first read that, I thought, well, no kidding. Any decent, responsible person who has ever tried to parent a child for more than five minutes can tell you that one. But there’s more, so much more. Please read carefully this first paragraph from that same book:
“The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.”

And I want to listen more. I want to listen more carefully to what my husband says to me. You know sometimes when your loved one is talking about grocery carts, coffin cases (those are those frozen food cases that are long and open at the top – creepy right?), u.p.c.’s; a.w.g.; h.b.c. – oh, have mercy. But, I know it’s important to him and thus to me, so I will listen more carefully. He deserves that from me. Listen to my children – not just to what they say, but what they don’t say and what I see in their eyes and on their faces. Listen to my friends – to their hearts. I want to not offer advice to family or friends until I hear them out completely and until I’m asked. Okay, I’ll try. I’ll really try.

So, as we end 2009, let’s look forward in anticipation of what God has for us in 2010. I’ll leave you today with this passage from Matthew 6:32-34 from The Message:

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. “

On the Air Waves

Well, it seems I didn't totally embarrass the radio station a couple of weeks ago, as they have been kind enough to ask me back. I'll be doing a segment on our local AM station, WDUN in the morning during the Bill and Joel Show. These guys are so great to work with as is their producer, Anna. The topic of discussion for tomorrow will be New Years Celebrations - food, decor, traditions, etc. I've posted my notes for this segment on our business website, http://www.wonderfulevents.net/, just follow the blog link.

Oh dear goodness, can you believe we are talking about the beginning of the year 2010? That we are beginning the 2nd decade of the 21st century?

Making any New Years Resolutions?

Our Christmas

Since it is currently the 4th quarter of the Independence Bowl and Georgia is leading 44-14, I'm going to leave it with them. I think they have this one in the books.

A lot has happened since I posted on Christmas Eve. We had such a great Christmas! My sweet momma came over on Christmas eve for dinner and presents. As an added bonus, E and her hubby came late and spent the night with us. So all five of us had breakfast together on Christmas morning. By the way, I made the traditional French Toast Casserole and it did not disappoint – it was awesome, probably full of fat, sugar and calories but I’m not thinking about that at the moment. We opened presents together Christmas morning and then the grandparents joined us for lunch. After lunch, the grandparents along with E and her hubby headed out, G went to the movies with a friend, so D and I decided we would mix it up a little -we played with the wii. Now G got the wii last year for Christmas but we pretty much hadn’t touched it since. G texted me after the movies to touch base and asked what we were doing. I said we were playing with the wii. His response – "just you and dad?” Yep, just us. Can I just say I whooped D’s butt at tennis only to have the favor returned when we bowled. I about pulled out my back doing it.

My "day after Christmas shopping buddy" (and daughter) was out of town and I wasn’t really in the mood to go out by myself, so I gave myself a self-imposed break from that. I stayed home and did something I hadn’t had time to do in a couple of weeks – sat by the fire and read. Oh, it was heavenly. But now it’s Monday and I'm back to the real world and its regularly scheduled programming. Thought I would share a few pictures from our Christmas.

Mimi and my precious children.

Can I just tell you how much I adore these four people?

Every Christmas since he was born, G gets a nutcracker for Christmas. He has quite the collection now. He says this year's choice may be his favorite. If you look closely, you can see this nutcracker is a drummer - wearing sunglasses with a curly ponytail. Too funny!

E has received an angel every Christmas since her birth. This year's addition is the 2009 Willow Tree angel ornament to go on her tree!

Love this man.

Merry Christmas Eve!

The Cookies Speak for Themselves:

It has become a tradition in recent years for E and I to dust off our creative baking abilities and decorate Christmas cookies a few days before Christmas. Well, yesterday was our day. A very special young lady joined us and it made for a totally fun girls day! E and I started the day by wrapping some gifts, making a couple of pecan pies and some no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. No, let me tell you the absolute truth. The first thing we did was visit our local Mexican restaurant and fuel up on a "Speedy Gonzales" and grilled chicken salad and 2 diet cokes, thank you very much. Okay . . . so after that . . . we started.

This is the result of all of our labors.

Our pecan pies.

This is what G did while the girls decorated cookies:

Christmas in Dixie

Can't you just hear Alabama singing that? "Christmas in Dixie, it's snowing in the pines. Merry Christmas from Dixie to everyone tonight." I used to just love Alabama . . . but I'm a sucker for plaid shirts, lots of facial hair and mullets. :)

As we were driving home from Tennessee this weekend, that song just kept running through my head. Maybe because the path from Gainesville to Tennessee is full of beautiful and interesting Southern things. First you pass the carpet capital of the south, Dalton, where huge mills are still processing vast amounts of carpet on a regular basis. Then as you head up toward Chattanooga, you start seeing those famous words on the roofs of barns, birdhouses and billboards - "See Rock City." I can remember as a child looking forward to going to Rock City on Lookout Mountain just to verify that I could actually see 7 states and fit through Fat Man's Squeeze. The incline railway about scared the bejeebbers out of me, but you have to admit, it was an adventure. My dad loved to go because on the trip down there and back we stopped at every Stuckeys (which were about at every other interstate exit at the time) and by the time we got home, we had pretty much consumed a entire case of Pecan Logs. (oooh). Chattanooga is a beautiful city as the Tennessee River runs right through the middle of it. Just north of Chattanooga, is just one of the prettiest drives ever as you wind through the Appalachian and Cumberland mountain ranges and along the shores of Nickajack Lake. And then there's Monteagle Mountain to cross. Monteagle, by the way for you trivia buffs, is the highest point at 2100 ft. above sea level between Chicago and Miami. So this is where the Alabama song really hit the high note. On the trip back, sure enough there was snow in the pines on the top of Monteagle. You know us Georgians don't see too much snow, so this was a huge thrill for us. All of that to say, our weekend in Tennessee was wonderful. Time with family was great. Just a few pics to share:

The four grands.

Me and my precious hubby.

E and her precious hubby.



These two are gifts.

The boys with "the Nana."

Don't ask.

Cookie - The Swap

Last night was our annual cookie swap - one of my favorites evenings of the Christmas season. It is when the Iron Roses, along with a blossom (daughter of a Rose) come together for food and fun. Here's the drill: First we ate soup and BLT wraps (of course, priorities you know) and then I decided this year we would play a few games. Oh, my goodness. Do you know what it is like when you get a few 40/50 somethings in a room together playing games? First, one has to get her glasses out, then one has to go to the bathroom and then the next one needs a fan. It was too funny! We played the right/left gift exchange game and Christmas Bingo (that's when we decided we were officially getting ready for the old folks home!). Then the much-anticipated gift exchange game where you draw numbers and choose a gift either unopened or from another person. We used to be nice - last night? not so much. But, no punches were thrown or hair pulled, and everyone left happy. Seriously, this group of women could have fun together if we were stuck on a rock.

Then, of course, the reason we came . . . the cookies. This year we packaged our cookies in individual containers to exchange. It was so fun to see each of the ladies creative ideas. Thought you might enjoy this too.

Also, if you are interested in the recipe for Sante Fe Soup or Cowboy cookies, link over to our business website and click on the blog tab.

http://www.wonderfulevents.net/. By the way, I was on the our local mornng radio show this morning discussing entertaining tips for the Christmas season. I'll be posting those tips either here or on the Wonderful Events blog next week!

This is a vegetable can one of the ladies painted - amazing!

Have a great weekend!

"Marry" Christmas

No, I'm not clever enough to come up with the cute little title all by myself. That was the name of the Lifetime movie D and I watched last night. And guess what? It was about a mother/daughter team who were wedding planners. Isn't that cool? I loved it but I love sappy Lifetime Christmas movies . . . and weddings. Speaking of weddings (how was that for a really bad transition), we had a wonderful weekend of weddings! Oh my goodness! I have officially recovered thanks to an all afternoon sleep induced coma yesterday.

This is one of my dearest friends who was married Saturday morning in her beautiful home! I have known this precious woman for years and let me just say, she deserves every ounce of happiness she has found. Love and much happiness to Melissa and Roger!

In Hiawassee, we were in for a full day and night of wedding festivities with this fabulous young couple. The best thing about our job is meeting the coolest people we would have otherwise never had the opportunity to meet. These two are just precious and their wedding was, well, perfection. Funny story about this wedding, though. All day things had gone like clockwork with only a few very minor hiccups which honestly, is unusual. It is not uncommon for something to go a little off track but not this one, not a hitch (no pun intended!) . . . until the exit. The plan was for the couple to exit through a hallway and out into the parking lot where their guests would line the walls waving streamers with jingle bells attached over head as they walked right onto a horse-drawn carriage that would take them off into the moonlight. Perfect plan. Okay, so everyone is in place - guests, photographer, videographer - here we go. As soon as they get to the carriage . . . the. horse. bolts! Runs like the wind. We all stood there stunned not knowing whether to laugh or cry. So we all look at the bride (who you always look to for your emotional que if you know what I mean) and she cracks up! Whew! So, in a few minutes, after the horse with carriage and driver in tow has taken a few laps around the parking lot, the bride and groom successfully make their exit!

Before the run for the roses:

And after.

Thanks to Josh and Laura for allowing us to be a part of your special day!

Precious Memories

One of my favorite things about Christmas is putting up our tree and walking down memory lane with the ornaments. I told you a few days ago about my ornament obsession, especially with those my children made in elementary school. I am forever thankful for those teachers and assistants who gave of their time and creativity to make these ornaments that I now find so precious. I have probably close to 400 ornaments but none more special than these:

My girl - Kindergarten, 1991.

My boy - First Grade, 1996.

My girl - during Middle School

My boy - Second Grade, 1997. This one is missing some of it's adornments.

Our tree.

Can I Just Tell You How Much I Love John Berry

Okay, tonight was a true highlight of my 2009! I just saw John Berry in concert at Brenau's Pearce Auditorium and I just cannot tell you in words how good he was. He absolutely has the purest, most beautiful voice I think I have ever heard. The first half of the concert was a variety of some of his past hits as well as some new songs. My favorite from this half - "Blessed Assurance" - just him and his guitar. The second half was Christmas songs. My favorite from this half - "O Holy Night" - without a doubt. He sings this song to perfection. (Although, "Mary Did You Know?" was a close second). For his encore, he did two songs I had never heard before but am now officially crazy about: "Straight Down Rain" and "Love is a Cross." Both were truly amazing. I can hardly wait for him to record these so I can listen to them all the time. Throughout the concert, he spoke freely about his faith and his personal walk with Christ.

This concert was made possible by Butch Miller and his staff at Milton Martin Honda. All ticket proceeds went to benefit Challenged Child. Butch is a good friend of ours. He totally bailed out my husband this afternoon when D realized he had promised we could go and then found out the concert was sold out. Many thanks to Butch for making it happen!

Oh, and good news, friends! Butch announced tonight that John will be in concert in Gainesville the day after Thanksgiving for the next five years! Think it is too early to get my tickets??

One of the Greatest Inventions since Sliced Bread

Did your parents say that? "greatest thing since sliced bread." What other things do we say just because we have heard them for years?

Oh, one I say is that "I'm having a sinkin' spell." I can remember my grandmother saying that all the time. Have you heard that? You might say it when you are feeling suddenly a little tired or hungry or just need to sit down for a minute. I usually have one of these when I'm paying bills.
"Deader than a doornail." Yes, indeed. My flowers in my pots in the backyard surely are just that dead.
"Pretty is as pretty does." My momma said that all the time when I was little. It's a shame I didn't listen.
"Don't cut off your nose to spite your face." Hmmm. I guess that makes sense.
And, of course, if you live in the South, "oh, bless her heart." We think we can say anything - good or bad - as long as we follow it up with that little phrase.

Okay, I have gotten WAY off track with this post. What got this started is that my new birthday present is truly one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread. It is a Kindle. And I love it. And I want to take it everywhere I go. If you are familiar with a Kindle, you know what I'm talking about. It is fabulous. I''m a reader so I could read all the time if I didn't have to like work, eat, sleep, do laundry, make dinner, clean, etc. So this new little divine bit of technological genius is my new constant companion. I can slip it in my pocketbook or laptop bag and be good to go. My only dilemma is what book to choose - just like when I walk around at the book store picking up every book and reading the synopsis on the back. I have my favorite authors but sometimes, you know, you just want something different. The possibilities are endless with this thing. I highly recommend it. You might want to ask your Santa for one. My personal birthday Santa did a great job. But he always does. Bless his heart.

Looking for a Good Dessert?

Well, if I know anything about anything, it would be dessert. And did I ever make a great one for the family gathering Friday evening. Not to brag. But it was gooood. Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to take a picture of it. But, I did take a picture of the beautiful cake plate I took it in. This was a gift from a good friend a few years back and I sure have enjoyed it.



Anyway, back to my dessert story. Last week, I was making Sweet Potato Bread to take to Bible Study. Since I didn't have a clue about how many potatoes it would take to make 3 cups of mashed sweet potatoes, I baked about 14. And ended up with about 10 cups of mashed mixture left over. So, what to do with it? This is where destiny stepped in. I saw D's aunt in the meantime and these were her very words: "I've got to tell you about the best thing I have ever put in my mouth." You can imagine my suspense. Well it was A. sweet. potato. cheesecake. Yes siree.

So, I made it. And it has a caramel pecan topping. And it was all sorts of delicious. And because I love y'all so much, here is the link to the recipe on AllRecipes.com.

http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=sweet%20potato%20cheesecake

Bumpin'-It at the GFIA Extravaganza

Last night was the annual Georgia Food Industry Association Holiday Extravaganza. Wow - that's a mouthful! This event is so much fun - food, faux gambling (they give you play money to lose at Black Jack and Texas Hold 'em), and the much anticipated raffle of fabulous prizes. And I'm not just kidding about the fabulous prizes. We are talkin overnight stays at Barnsley Gardens and Chateau Elan, plasma tvs, Kindles, Macy's gift cards, etc. And guess what? My girl and her hubby won a basket! Theirs was full of gift cards - lucky, lucky them!

Thought I would post a couple of pics from this event. Side note about my hair in these photos because I know you are wondering. I am officially not wearing a bump-it even though it looks like I am. I was thinking I wanted one of those for Christmas but it seems, however, that I will not be needing one. For some odd reason obviously not known to me, my hair decided to bump-it all by itself!

What I Love about December!

Oh, what I love about December. I tried to post this earlier but when I started thinking about it, it was almost overwhelming. All that goes on in December is amazing. All we women accomplish in December is amazing. All we have to be thankful for is just amazing. Just a few things . . .

1. The family. It is just so fun to get to see family members you haven’t seen for months, some longer. To laugh and to share what’s going on in our lives. Then to spend those quiet moments with the ones you love the most– the ones who love you the most.
2. The weather. I love the change in seasons. The wonderful thing about living in Georgia, you have four distinct seasons. And even better, the winters aren’t harsh. Not like where I grew up! They can be cold but snow and ice are rare. I can deal with cold. I actually like it – turning on the fire logs, sipping hot chocolate and curling up and reading. Oooh, that’s my idea of a good time during the winter.
3. Church. I love, love, love going to worship services during Christmas. The music, the drama, the choir, the instruments, the decorations, the inspirational word about the Christ child. Our church has an annual Christmas Communion service I look forward to every year. We stand together as a family around a small table while one our staff presents a short message and then we take communion together. It is quiet, intimate and powerful.
4. Having my son home for a month. Priceless
5. Cookie decorating with my girl. We began this tradition last year. We spent one whole day making sugar cookies and decorating them with all manner of icings and candies. We did Santas, stars, bells – we personalized some, monogrammed some. We got really carried away with our creations but had an awesome day together. Can hardly wait to do that again this year.
6. Playing handbells. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without them in my humble opinion. We are playing two songs this Sunday and two songs next Sunday. You really should hear us play “Carol of the Bells.” Many of us in this choir have been playing together for many years so when it gets to be Christmas, it is just a given that we’ll play it. We laugh about the year we played it and we got going so fast, that the director just put his arms down and stood there and watched us. Too funny.
7. Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshakes at ChickfilA. In a most disappointing turn of events I didn’t get one of these last weekend. I am, however, going to have one as soon as humanly possible.
8. White chocolate covered Oreos. The store only carries these at Christmas which is why I highly recommend you stock up. They are great frozen – not like I would know.
9. Choosing just the right gift. Don’t you just love to give someone a gift and they love it? When it is exactly what they wanted and they are super excited?
10. The annual Iron Roses Cookie Swap. If you have been to a cookie swap, you know how this works. Everyone brings dozens of cookies and we walk around the table putting cookies on our trays til they’re all gone. Or this year, we may mix it up a little and do individual bags for a twist. Then we play the gift exchange game where you pick a number and then can take a wrapped gift or one from another person. Sometimes we are really nice – sometimes we aren’t. Then we reveal our Secret Sister and choose a new one for the next year. It is so much fun!
11. Christmas ornaments. One of my absolute favorite things to do is to open the ornament box and remember each one. Now, I’m an ornament collector. I have tried to get one from wherever we have traveled and for every significant family milestone. But my favorite ones? The ones the kids made in school. The kids say every year – why do you keep these things? Because you made it and on the back you wrote your name in your own handwriting – in 1995. But mom, the macaroni is falling off. I say I’ll go get the glue and fix that right now. I wouldn’t part with these for anything. They are so precious to me. Every year I tell the same story about each ornament – where or how we got it and why it is important to me. I hope they remember.
12. Lanierland Basketball Tournament. Well, around here we love our high school basketball almost as much as we love our high school football. This tournament includes all of our area public high schools as well as the private school that G attended. All of them come together, girls and boys, and play two weekends of non-stop basketball. When G was playing, I think I sat one Saturday for seven hours and watched them all play. We still know several of the young people who are playing but now we pick and choose the games we see. It’s great.
13. My adopted sister is going to be a grandmother this month. She called me yesterday and said the doctor says it could be anytime. Her very first grandchild. So happy for her.
14. The food, oh the food. Do you have some things you eat just once or twice a year? I really wish D’s mom would make dressing for every holiday and birthday. And sweet potato pie. And tea cakes. I do have to say this about her tea cakes. Every year for my birthday, she gives me a whole batch of these homemade treats in a box as part of my present. It is great. So for about four days, I have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. They aren’t too sweet or rich - and with a glass of cold milk. Yum.
15. When you go to the mailbox and it is full of Christmas cards from your friends and family. I can hardly make it in the house before I’m tearing them open.
16. A trip to Tennessee. This year we are headed to Tennessee for family Christmas with D’s sister’s family. Traditionally, they travel here but this year we are going their way to celebrate.
17. Piling in the car and driving around looking at the Christmas decorations. I love the lights. Just a big kid I am, I guess. This was probably more fun when the kids were little but we still enjoy it. D and I have been known to go to our downtown square, which is decorated so beautifully, walk the loop around the square and then sit in the car and talk while enjoying the lights. It really doesn’t take much to amuse us.
18. Decorating my house. If you know me, you know I love seasonal decorating. Well, nothing says decorating like Christmas. So, as of this writing, I am in full swing getting out Santas, G’s Nutcracker collection, Christmas photos of the kids through the years, garland, trees, Christmas china, and setting tables. Oh, yes, it’s a lot of work but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
19. I fully realize that the economy is affecting all of us in one way or another. But I would like to say if at all possible, remember your favorite charity. You might not be able to give much but that’s okay. I just can hardly walk by the Salvation Army kettle without dropping something in. It just seems wrong not to. Consider supporting a local toy drive, or a Secret Santa family, or Operation Christmas Child, or sponsor a child through an organization like Compassion International or just help your neighbor or friend who has a difficult time during the holidays. But, honestly, this is not a lesson for December. It is a lesson for always. Let’s just stop and remember the reason we give.
20. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

A Day in the Life

I thought it might be fun to do a "day in the life" post every once in awhile. It might be interesting or you may be bored to tears. Please let me know.

Today . . .

I am thankful for . . . a great Thanksgiving weekend. We had four consecutive days of fun. When is the last time that happened?

I am pondering . . . a great conversation I had yesterday with a heart friend. We hadn't seen each other in over two months and talked non-stop for almost four hours at Panera. She gave me alot to think about, offered her much-valued opinion about some upcoming projects that will involve both of us and just listened. I cherish her friendship.

I am praying . . . about alot actually. Some days wouldn't you just rather go back to bed? Praise God, we can be filled with hope. Because the world can sure fill you with alot of hopelessness and worry if you let it. Now, I'm not saying it is easy to let this go because . . . it's just not. But then you're reminded "in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) And then you have a friend who calls you and says "let me pray for you" and she says the exact words you need to hear . . . you cry, you rejoice, you love. And you just keep on 'keepin on' by faith.

I am remembering . . . my dad. Being the only child and a girl, I was joined at the hip with my dad. He worked so hard to give me everything he possibly could. At Christmas, and every day actually, I sure do miss you, Daddy.

I am listening . . . to Glory Revealed 2 and Harry Connick, Jr.'s Christmas CD. Both are amazing.

I am thinking . . . that I need to get to decorating this house. The realtor just called and wants to show it on Thursday. Lots of work really needs to get done by then.

I am shopping . . . for toys to take to an event on Thursday evening to benefit children and families in Atlanta who lost their homes due to the recent flooding. Get this - Target has Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders for $5. E and I played these two until we wore the board out and lost all the pieces. What a deal! But it occurred to me, do children still play these games? With the onslaught of video and computer games, are these board games obsolete? I'm just asking.

I am wearing . . . a poofy vest, scarf, turtleneck and jeans. My girlfriends talked me into buying this vest at the SteinMarts last year and I had my doubts. When you naturally possess your own "poof," if you know what I'm saying, it just didn't seem right to add to it. But, amazingly enough, I kinda like it. And E, my most honest critic, said it didn't make me look "additionally poofy." Was that a compliment?

I am cooking . . . chicken Parmesan for dinner. Actually, I have to be honest, it is left over. But I did cook it . . . a few nights ago. Thankfully, my husband does not mind leftovers. What a blessing.

I am reading . . . a little Christmas book by Debbie Macomber. I've heard about her books for years but have never read one. Apparently, she writes a Christmas book almost every year. I need a little diversion from the craziness of this time of year.

I am working . . . on the weddings coming up in less than two weeks. How did that happen so fast? Both are going to be quite beautiful but very different. One small, with family and friends in the groom's beautiful home. The second in a quaint little mountain church followed by a way cool reception at a local resort. I really need to double up on my vitamins - beginning today.

I am looking forward to . . . another awesome weekend. Family gathering on Friday night, going out with the girls on Saturday while the hubby goes to the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Words just cannot describe how excited he is about that, by the way. His only regret is that his son cannot go with him. G has finals the next week and just can't leave campus. I'm just glad that he chose school over SEC football - wow, that must have been a difficult choice.

I am . . . trying to concentrate on the true meaning of this season. When God became flesh. When He sent the Way, the Truth and the Life to this earth.

May you have a wonderful day in your life.