SNAPSHOTS FROM DECEMBER

The Christmas cards are not mailed (I am planning a Jan letter), the gifts got wrapped, and Christmas came and went.   We all survived.   It was not Norman Rockwell, but it was GOOD. 

Our Christmas was probably like most of yours...little ones everywhere, toys as far as the eye could see, wrapping paper piled up...gifts lost..gifts found..
we even had an ER visit as Micah woke up so sick and found out he had pneumonia. 

After waiting 3 hours in the ER it took another hour to find a pharmacy that had all five of the scripts he needed.  
But we were all together...and that is what mattered.  We had weathered some storms in 2012 but came out standing on solid ground.

Dana and Amanda prepared a delicious lunch.  I contributed little.  I am so glad they are both such great cooks. 

Amanda and Micah headed home on Wednesday afternoon and left the boys here for a WEEK!

ONE ENTIRE week with the little men I have SO missed. 
Parker is spending some time with his Dad but Jack is with us. 

Color me H.A.P.P.Y.

We have spent four days doing whatever Jack wanted to do.  We have watched movies, played games, and I think I have had a smile on my face the entire time.  We also have his puppy Ella Sue (LSU)! 
She and HAPPY have become semi good friends.  Two puppies are HIGH MAINTENANCE. 

Here are a few snapshots from the month of December...You will notice Parker and Austin are absent in most. At their age they are not fond of the camera...



Dana and Greg
 

Amanda and Micah having a fun night out in Atlanta, Ga....waiting to cheer on the TIGERS on New Years Eve.  Tonight they dined at
Kevin Rathbun Steak House !



Christmas Eve

Gray and Jack thinking about SANTA
 

Parker, The Baby That Changed Everything and is now 13. 

Dana and boys..


We have the boys until next Thurs and then we are taking them home to Katy.  Then all of us are going to San Antonio for the weekend.   Then back home to start taking down trees.  We do not take down near as many as we put up. 

Tonight I was thinking about changes I wanted to make for 2013...It's been awhile since I have had a giveaway and you know I love to give.  So in your comments list one thing you want to change in 2013....That is it and you will be in the drawing for a CARD BOX.  I will let Jack draw next Wednesday before we leave.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BLOG FRIENDS 

     

NOT VERY MERRY

I am not sure why I am blogging tonight.  I have been such a lousy blogger. 

IT is the middle of the night on December 22, my birthday.  Not that you need to know it is my birthday, but that it is 3 days before Christmas.  Three days before the day I work for all year. One days before the kids get here.

I have decked the halls of homes all over town and even other towns, mine is decked....thanks to my ELF, Terri.  

Gifts are bought but NOT ONE THING IS WRAPPED! 

Not one Christmas gift delivered, not one Christmas card sent out.  A neatly typed to do list is right before me and I cannot find the energy to do one thing. 

All I want to  do is lay on the couch and cry.  I want to forget, I want to make a difference, I want to call a family, I want to drive to Conn. and leave flowers.  I want to do anything but celebrate a holiday. 

After tree season, Jack and I took a week trip..We spent the first 4 days in Dallas at his company Christmas party and seminar.  I was sick as in coughing up a lung every hour.  I picked up some cousin to the flu and it has not let go. So I just slept in the hotel and did little else...and then early that fateful morning  my ipad went off with a CNN update. SCHOOL SHOOTING

I even went back to sleep as I thought maybe one or two kids were shot, which has become a monthly news update. When I did turn on the TV, what I saw was not even believable. 

I have 3 grandchildren that fall in that age group.  Dear God, not five year olds. 

I cried until I was even sicker. We managed to make it through the convention and Amanda and Micah had ask us to come to Houston and stay with Jack and Parker while they went on a little trip. 

   
         A Boy that needed to see his POP

Diversion, oh how I needed it. So for three days I watched as little TV as possible.  I just loved on the kids, had a spa day (thank you Amanda) !! 

I knew it was just a matter of time until I returned to reality.   Every song I heard made me cry, every poem, every parent interview, every news report.... Christmas please go away.  Maybe no one but me feels like this.   

At the same time, little Crew is so sick.  What a battle that little man has fought this year and still fighting.  His Mom is so weary. She has three other little ones too.  Sweet Ashley is going through bad times. 

We finally got home late last night and I realized all I had NOT done....When I saw the stack of Christmas cards..I was reminded mine were just in my head and not in an envelope. 
There are sacks and sacks and unopened online bought gifts unopened and certainly not wrapped with pretty bows. 

I had one last tree and wreath to make for a client this morning.  I got up and got that done and went back to bed, as if someone would magically appear and get everything else done... No one appeared and its all still staring at me.  

It almost seems irreverent to celebrate anything right now. 

We picked up out sweet HAPPY  today... a good friend had kept her while we were gone.    

  

 

 

 

So my MERRY CHRISTMAS to you is not very MERRY....I have no idea what the answers are.  I just know babies should be safe in school.  I have a LOOK FORWARD TO, as the boys are staying with us for a week after Christmas while A and M got to see LSU in a BOWL game.    Then I began taking trees down...and praying that 2013 is a year I can get myself together.  I want to get back to blogging regularly.   I want to read and comment on your blogs...

 

Thank you to each one of you who read my blog for hanging with me. 

 

With love,

Teresa

POURING TEARS, PLEASE PRAY WITH ME

I was planning to do a Christmas post today...a home tour

Instead I am sitting in a hotel, the fabulous Gaylord, glued to the TV in horror.  Tears pouring, questions swirling. Evil visited another American community and the results make me physically sick. 

God, please be near those parents that sent those innocent children to school this morning and were probably out Christmas shopping.  Tonight those children lay in a cold school room dead.  I wish I had words...only tears and anger.

Also watching my computer for updates from Marie on sweet Crew. I just heard from her and she is in great need of prayer.

Crew is not doing well at all....HE IS VERY SICK....He has a severe kidney infection, debris in his bladder and running 105 temp. 
She is so frustrated as 4 teams of doctors all have different theories.  Please send her a note of love and prayer.
mariemorris21@gmail.com

This Mom and family have been through so much.  Tonight Crew needs your prayers like never before.

Can you even imagine being one of those Connecticut parents going to bed tonight? 

 

PLEASE PRAY FOR CREW

I am on a short vacation but just received word from Marie that CREW is very sick....very high fever.  

He is on a private plane in route to the hospital in LITTLE ROCK and should be arriving within the hour (1:00AM Thurs)

I will do my best to keep you posted.  SO many of you have fallen in love with this little man...

Another Beautiful Home Belonging to a Beautiful Family

 

I am working on a catch-up  post to let you know the reason I have been so absent on the blogs. This tree season could be in book form.  

 

   This has been a year and a tree season like no other.  I have not had a spare second, an ounce of emotional energy and my physical energy has been rock bottom!   But we decorated some beautiful homes that I want to share with you. 

 

My halls are decked thanks to Elf Terri and some  other elves. 

 

I am typing this early on Thanksgiving morning.  So much to be thankful for.  God is so GOOD.  In my bed you would find little Jack..Oh how I have needed to see him.  IN another bed you would find Jack with our new puppy (really his) HAPPY, a gift from our kids for his birthday, plus 

Amanda's new puppy, Ella Sue (LSU).  What a sight.

 

The election has come and gone.  God's still on the throne.  Those were not exactly my feelings on election night, but a realization I came to a few days later. 

 

I have the rest of the week off before we began the sprint to the end of another "decking the halls" season.  Today we are blessed to share Thanksgiving with Elf Terri and her family.  Our kids eat with their in-laws. 

 

Enjoy the pictures of this special home.  A home filled with the loveliest of families.  Love lives here. One step inside and you would instantly know.

 

Wishing you and yours a happy, fun-filled day, filled with many blessings. 

with much love,

teresa 

 

 

P.S.  Don't forget to vote for DEZ DURON on THE VOICE.  HE is a close family friend. 

 

Now enjoy this masterpiece of a home....