Happy New Year!

Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one. 

I have thought long and hard since Christmas to come up with my new word for 2015! Last year I chose Believe. I feel like during the year of 2014 I successfully used this in my life several times. I learned to believe that decisions I have made in my life for me and my family were mainly good ones. The one that has affected my life the most the past year is believing that God is the answer to everything. All you have to do is ask! 

Now on to my new word Courage. I need to apply this to my life in 2015. People who know me think yeah right what does she need courage for? I appear to be strong and that I can take on anything but the reality is I am scared. I know I can come across mouthy, and needy at times but this year I am really working on this. 

I want courage to stay close to God and continue reading and studying my bible. Also to always remember to put God first. 
Courage to learn to love myself and to enjoying being with myself. 
Courage to really get healthy and stop making excuses. 
I know I have many other things that I need courage for but I know that they will come out through out the new year. With God and Courage I know that I can face them. 

Christmas get together #2

I love getting together with my family and my husbands family. This past Saturday we had a great time with my family and we enjoyed everything about it. We had some good food, great weather and great memories. I did not think about taking a picture of the food but we had lasagna, salad, sourdough bread, pies, fudge, dips and chips. Yummy! We ate, open presents and went outside for a hayride. The farmer took us all a ride around the block with the tractor and trailer. Most of the time I only get my sister once a year at Christmas for a few hours so I cherish this time. I really wish that we could be closer but with her living 4 hours it don't happen.  I enjoy seeing my nephews and spending as much time as I can with them while they are here. My sisters boys are teenagers now and I can not believe how quick they have grew up. My brothers boys are wide open. I love it and wish we all got together more often oh well I will take what I can get. Here are a few pictures of our family time!

Brother in law and nephew

Sister in law and nephew

Nephew

Brother and nephew

cousins

Getting ready to ride

Here we go

Siblings

Seth and his new hat

The farmer and Clay

Thanks for stoping by

One Christmas get together down....

One Christmas get together down and one to go. We had Christmas with the Farmers parents and sister on Christmas day. Before grandma got 93 and her children started making decision of Christmas for her we always had Christmas at her house with aunts and uncles, cousins, grandkids and great grandkids. Now the families have split off into individual family get togethers.

Well any way we always have a great time and in a lot of ways it is easier on my youngest son having it at mamaw's houses. She has his own room set up with tv, computer, and books so that he can have his time. He gets  over stimulated with to many people around him. I am so thankful that over the years that we have not medicated or stuck to any strict schedules. People tried to tell me that it would be best for both boys since my oldest son use to have anxiety attacks so bad we had to leave and my youngest son can have some pretty bad meltdowns when fragile x takes over.  But we have toughed it out and they learned from experience, love, and tons of patients that it would be ok. Things are far from perfect but for most part things are good.

I am getting off track. I know why because I read and know that a lot of fragile x families struggle through the holidays. I know these days from the past and I am so happy that my children for most part can handle it better with age. Now back to Christmas. We had a great time and I was so happy that my mother-in-law was feeling a lot better after having pneumonia. We keep the meal simple having soup and desserts. Very yummy! Lots of socializing and eating and then Clays favorite part presents. I am so proud of my boys for enjoying their time with family. But we sure did miss Dalton. Both of my sister in laws twin boys are in the Marines. Dallas got to come in for Christmas but we will not see Dalton until February.

Looking forward to Saturday for our second Christmas with my family. Here are a few pictures from the Garner's Christmas.

Clay and Mamaw opening presents

Seth and Van opening presents

Laura and pops 

Mamaw

Seth trying on mamaw's coyote earmuffs

Seth and Laura

Clay and Laura

Seth Laura and Clay

Van Dallas and Laura missing Dalton

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Thanks for stopping by.

Getting Older....

This mornings devotion is about Age from David Jeremiah. The bible is always telling us about great things that come from the older generation. I have to admit I have never really thought about how old  these great people were, doing great things in God name and his will. When I have thought about getting old I think about what is going to happen to me and my sons? I think about how age affects my eye sight, my aches and pains and memory. Also on the conceded side about the wrinkles and gray hair. I know all of these things should not be a worry at all when you trust in God and believe that he will take care of all things.

It is so hard not to worry but I have many times over the years given my worries to God and he has taken care of them. I have made my family members mad with me because in the past I have been bad to say I don't want to get old and there response is "What is the alternative?" I really needed this devotion this morning bringing light to me that getting old will bring great things. I should not worry about what is going to happen to my boys because God will take care of them. I have told this before but I gave them to God along time ago asking him to help me raise them on earth the best I could. I promised I would always do my best. With out Gods help I don't know where I would be.

Dear Lord, I am so sorry that over the last 22 years I have had so many days of worry, doubt, and anger. I have grown so much and it is all because of you Dear God. Thank you for being so good to me and my family. Amen

Thanks for stopping by.

Christmas Lights....Love

I love to ride around with my family and look at Christmas lights and decorations. There are several houses that really go way out and decorate and I love that some people still love that people decorate but so many keep the meaning of Christmas in their decorations. I love manger scenes and wish that I had one to decorate outside with.

sorry not so clear out of a moving vehicle window 

This is a bridge decorated in lights.

bottom half of a christmas tree.

Love the carousel 

I wish the pictures where better. Thanks for stopping by.

A few Christmas Crafts

I have made a few Christmas crafts. I love to make Christmas crafts but it took me a while to get into to the spirit this year. I have also bought a few new ornaments. I really love Christmas I would love to make a Nativity craft. I have saw a few that I have thought about making maybe this week I will decide. My mother in law got a cool corn husk nativity for a gift and I would love to make it but the lady who made it is to busy between now and Christmas to show me.

Is this not beautiful. 

a bell acorn and my glass acorn I bought this year at Frogtown Christmas House.

one of my burlap angels

My snowman

I made this angel

Decoration I did not drink the wine and the original picture of the craft the bottles were painted white. I loved the green bottles so I left mine green. What do you think?

Another burlap angel

My hedgehog Farmer bought me a Pier 1

My other glass acorn ornament from Frogtown Christmas House

some more acorn bells

Mark Roberts Pine Cone Christmas Elf 

Well not much of a blog but thanks for stopping by.

25 Years and Counting.....

Today I will be celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary. Where has time gone? We have had so many ups and downs, happy and sad, and richer and poorer times during these 25 years.  We said I do on a cold day December 9th 1989. It was sleeting and freezing rain the  day we got  married. There was not many people at the wedding because of the weather.  I was sick with a cold from working at a daycare center the week we got married. If it was not for 4-wheel drive good friends and great new family members the wedding would have never happened. See how pale my face was the make-up did not match my skin tone and I had a red nose.

Look how young!

I could not ask for a better husband, friend and a father to my children. He has worked hard our whole married life providing for my and the boys. 

25 years later

We are not doing doing anything exciting for our anniversary. We did our annual shopping day and out to eat. I love doing this every year and we have a good time spending time together. I wanted to go to Pennsylvania where I was born and tour. I wanted to spend a week exploring and seeing the town that I was born in Sunbury. I decided that it would not be as fun without mama telling be there different places to go and sight see at. I don't need special attention and I am not hard to please so I will be happy. To another wonderful 25 years. 

Weight loss update....

I love reading weight loss blogs. They motivate me and help make me stay on track. I have mentioned before that I read this one blog that the girl reminds me. I have been where she is so many times it is not even funny. As I read her blog tonight it makes me wish I could help her and tell her there is no easy solution, but I think she knows this deep inside but like me you just wish it could be easier. That you could eat and stop eating without feeling guilty, over whelmed and sick. I am not trying to sell this woman short I just feel her pain.

I hate to exercise because I get so tired and achy. I hate to sweat and it is time consuming of something I really would rather be doing something else. I would rather walk but when I walk I want to walk with speed then I get hot and achy. Every kind of exercise I do now that I am older is just so hard on my knees. I went Monday and exercised with the ladies from the church and then they say they can not do it the rest of the week and not sure when they can again. So I get my 30 day shred dvd out and do it the next day to keep up the exercise and want to really commit to doing it everyday until Christmas. Today I am so sore that I can hardly sit on the toilet. So today I walked on the treadmill a mile and tried to lift a few weights like the dvd, but I am just so sore. I felt guilty because I could not even do my DVD for 3 days in a row. Oh well, I am not going to dwell on it.

I am trying to get my eating under control again and hopefully continue losing weight even if it is slow. It is better seeing the scales move down than up even when that is not often.

I wish I could give you the answer. I wish there was a simple solution to losing weight and keeping it off but nothing in life is easy. I have been struggling with my weight my whole life. I was 5 lbs away from getting my lifetime with weight watchers and what did I do? I gave up and gained it all back plus more. I got up to the heaviest weight I have ever been and that is including being pregnant. I have found stress is the worst trigger for me gaining weight. Feeling sorry for myself, having pity parties, and being angry. I read the book that this blogger recommended about food triggers and the book helped me by helping me with my relationship with God. I have figured out that I need to fix myself spiritually before I can lose the weight and hopefully keep it off.

Thanks for stopping by.

Feeling Blessed

I feel the need to write an entry today. I am trying hard to get my life on track with God. I have been saved for years but I have strayed time and again. I have many struggles but I don't think God ever gave up on me because even when I was down I would eventually turned back to God. For 42 days I have been having morning bible study and prayer. I have a dear friend that told me two years ago that I need to find my inner peace and I never really understood what she meant until now. I am finding it I am finally understanding that God is always the one I should turn to. I have always known this but I have not followed through with it. I have been seeking comfort from friends and family instead of turning to God first. I guess I have always come to God last when I was down and broken but I am working hard to change this. I want God in my presence everyday. I want to be him, trust him and give him everything I have.

Thank your Dear Lord for helping me, for sending your son to save us from our sins and for never giving up on me.  Amen