Christmas

We have been busy with all Christmas holds. I hope that everyone had a great Christmas.
Ben and I did our own Christmas this past Monday and exchanged our gifts to each other. Here is just a few.

Ben opening his set of Foxfire books he had wanted

Me buried in my new sleeping bag! Now I can never complain that I am cold when we go camping. It is a very nice one! Thanks Ben!

On Tuesday we went up to South Carolina for just a couple days to spend Christmas with my family. We had a good time and great weather on Christmas. ( It was at least 70) All of us were there, including Korin. We did a little shopping on Wednesday and of course opened one gift. We then stayed up late playing Dominoes, so we got a late start to Christmas morning. We do the German tradition of hiding the pickle ornament and the first to find it gets to open a gift. We did that this year but had a small tree, so guess where we found it after a few minutes of everyone looking and Pop giving us hints?

Looking for the pickleAhhhh..... and there it is!! I ended up finding it! Go me! Not sure if I ever have!
My crazy brothers holding up their basketball ornaments we gave them.

We have always tried to disguise gifts to keep from guessing! It is so funny because you never know what you will find in your gift. This was one of the top ones. Korin had a huge, heavy box. In it was the huge battery pack from thier scooter, the gift was a sweater! Never would have guessed that one!!!!

This is our gift from Aunt Phyllis, a piece of hand-made Polish pottery to add to my collection.
( I added this picture for Lisa to see as well :)

Ben trying out Tim's hat

After opening gifts we took a walk to a park close by and took some family shots! They turned out pretty good! ( I will do a separte one of family shots)

Both Ben and I had to work today so we left last night. It was a short time but was full! Next week we have Christmas with Ben's family on New Years. So we are looking forward to that.

Our House at Christmas

Here is a few pics of our house at Christmas!

This is my candy tree in my kitchen

Here is my early Christmas present that I love!

A few of Ben's nut cracker collection

Our Tree

Happy Birthday Ben!!! I love you!!

Mmmmm Delicious!

Jerrel had a gift for Ben he was so anxious to give him

Ok what caption do you put on this one! LOL

Well today is Ben's day, celebrating his 29th year! I just want to wish him a happy, happy birthday! I'm sorry you had to work tonight. Thank you for working so hard for us and being a good husband. I love your sense of humor and making me laugh. I also love you thoughtfulness in helping others and truly caring. I love you lots! I hope the next year is a great one for you! (enjoy your last year of being a young person :)

Since we both had to work tonight, we celebrated his birthday yesterday. I picked him up from work and we relaxed at Bass Pro Shop for a while, Ben of course loving every minute of it. We then headed over to Red Lobster and had a delicious meal. After wards we went to my in-laws house and had desert and gifts with his family. We had some delicious cheese cake and then opened gifts. I gave him a predator hunt video that he just loved. We actually went and watched it that night! He said he had a great relaxing night.
Happy Birthday Ben!!

Steve's Picture?????

Reenactment party

Praying before we ate

Patrick found a place to play???

Our captian, Larry Owens and his wife-on the left, Donny and his wife Tina on the right

Jerrel helping clean up

We went to Prattville on Saturday for our reenactment party. We had a lot of food and played dirty Santa. It was a fun time!

Our Church's Christmas Party

Caught the pastor getting desert

hmmm what title would you give this table

the experienced table

Jonathan teaching the kids how to always beat someone at tic-tac-toe

On Wednesday evening we had our church's Christmas party. We always have more than enough of food and of course lots of fun. We always sing christmas songs and of course we have to sing the twelve days of Christmas, that is Jeff's favorite! (sorry Jeff, this is too funny not to post)
You can go to you tube and watch it there in high quality. 12 day of Christmas link
gotta love it



we wish you a Merry Christmas link

Ben and Leonard's Hunting Trip

The hunting club

Lee Brown, Taylor and Ben

The HUNTER!

Cute

The big Kill

The guys are blessed down here with a long hunting season. Ben had a few days of vacation left he needed to use up before the end of the year. So taking Leonard, his brother-in-law, they went for a few days to the hunting club a couple weeks ago.
Ben had a good break from work and a great time, even though he didn't get anything. Another of his good friends, Lee Brown and his son, came down and joined them. Leonard did get a buck. They also made some funny videos while hunting. I will try to get them on here as well.
Well they have until the end of January to maybe get that big buck. We have a long season!
Here is links to some of the funny hunting videos they took. remember to click watch in high quality below it for best viewing!
Leonard and his deer
Ben on fourwheeler

Happy (late) Birthday Mom Fleming

I just want to wish my other mom a belated birthday! She truly is just like another mom. Thanks for taking me under your wing! I love you!
(hopefully the sweet words will sooth over the fact that I put her picture on here LOL)

Thanksgiving

All crozy around the fire..actually it was a pretty warm day...actually the door was open! LOL

Patrick found his own play place

My Mom and Dad finding all the good stuff

Our Bountiful Spread

The Host and one of the wonderful cooks, Mom F

Nana (Ben's Grandma) Mom and Aimee

My whole family was able to come to my house for Thanksgiving, including Steve in Cincinnati! We had a great time! Steve arrived on Wednesday evening and of course we stayed up way to late talking and being silly. I had to work Thursday morning (which I would rather work that later) and when I arrived home around 11:30 the rest of the family had just pulled in. After bouncing on our trampoline (well the boys did that lol) and showing them around outside and showing them all the animals I took them inside and showed them the inside. We then hurried and got ready to go to my mother-in-laws for dinner.
She had around 30 or so for thanksgiving and it was a blast! We had the fire going, plenty and plenty of food, plenty of fun and games ( well it wasn't fun being the loser of the loser in Rook but oh well!) and fun just enjoying all the company. We are so blessed.
The best part was when we read what we were thankful for. We had a basket with cards that we wrote what we were thankful for on earlier in the day. Later they were passed out so you were reading someone else's. It was so neat hearing what everyone wrote. Then we sang some beautiful hymns and praise songs. It really made you think about thanks-giving.
We arrived home and went to bed way to late....again. Steve and I got up at 4 am the next morning to do the annual shop! It was great! I love watching the people about as much as I love the shopping. We got a few deals and then came back home and everyone was still asleep so we went back as well.
Later on we went to the new Bass Pro shop that just opened. It was busy but very interesting to look around in!
Saturday the family headed back to SC but Steve was still there so it wasn't as sad. We then watched Auburn get whooped ( a sad day but at least the Gators beat Alabama LOL). To help us feel better we indulged in some Sonic ice cream and went and saw a movie. lol. We had a great night.
Steve left Sunday afternoon. I was so glad to have such a good time with my family. I was really glad they all got to come. It makes it so much nicer that they are so much closer now. Now Steve you just have to move closer! I really miss you a lot!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving as well.

I'm still here

Isn't this beautiful. It is a frost on the flowers.
I didn't know if I could get it but it turned out beautiful

This was taken of our front drive a week or two ago!

I know it has been a while and I was being pretty faithful with my blog but then life gets in the way. Oh well. We did some more work around our property on Saturday and Ben got some more trees cut out front. It is going to look real nice once it is all finished. Oh and I didn't have to work Saturday! I was so glad, but it was pretty full.
Ben is off hunting and will be returning this evening. I hope he had a good time. He was off hunting yesterday and today. He needed the break from work.
I am trying to get the house finished. My family is all coming tomorrow! I am so excited. Steve is coming from Cincinnati as well. Except for my mom and Aimee, they haven't seen our house after we fixed it all up and were settled in. I have even done some more organizing and decorating since even my mom saw it. It seems to take a while to really settle into a place, or maybe at least for me. I finally got my den cleaned out, still some stuff in the closet but it looks like a room now!! (now to just organize the shed LOL) Anyways I still have a few odds n ends to finish as well as some baking before tomorrow evening so I must depart here. I hope everyone has a blessed thanksgiving!

Respect

Check out my friend Tricia's blog and the video from Mike Huckabee. Very Good. I had thoughts of the like to post on my blog but why say it when someone else already has.
Our God is in control. The king's heart is in His hands and he can turn it whichever way he wants to. He has put who he wants in charge of our country and I will trust in him, just like we should be always.
Click here.

My Weekend

This past weekend I went to Cincinnati to see my brother, Steve. It worked out that some other people I knew were going up so I hitched a ride. We had a great time. Steve is on the computer staff at GBS. I love his 22" screen.
Friday I arrived and he showed me where he works, went out for Chinese and talked till 2 in the morning. :)
On Saturday we went up in Carew tower, downtown Cincinnati, 49 stories up. It was neat looking out over the city. Even though I had lived there close to 5 years, I had never went up there. I was also able to spend a little time with one of my friends Liz as well as my brother's fiancee Korin.

Korin Steve and I.

Liz and I

One of the views

Later on we out to my favorite place, Chipotle, a mexican place and had my steak burrito. Then we went to a book store and relaxed.

Well and had some fun too!!

I gave them an engagement ornament. Very Cute Pic guys!

When I arrived home late Sunday night( monday morning), I found this note and box awaiting me. Santa had heard me and came early. LOL I have been wanting a new camera beacuse the one I have has not been working right. (see post car that doesn't like me) Ben was so sweet and found one and left it out for me to find when I arrived home! Thank you!
I love it and it takes awesome pictures. I will post some I took of fall later.

VOTE

I hope everyone exercised their right and duty to vote today! In AL the polls are open 7-7 so Ben had to go before work and was still running a little behind. He usually works late on Tuesdays so he knew he couldn't go afterward. (As a side note I really wish all states would have same voting times so it would be more feasible to vote as well as more fair. See in NY state you can vote from 6-9 so people there have more of a opportunity to vote than here. Anyways)
We arrived at the voting place...fire house... about 10 min before they opened. (Remember this is a little country voting precinct) We were 37 and 38 in line. By the time the doors opened there was more than 50. The line was about the same length when we walked out about 7:20.
We will see the outcome tonight. I am anxious and prayerful. God is still in control and always will be! He knows.

Sunday- Western Program and Cook-out

Saturday evening we had our Kids for Christ program. We have had a western theme so everything was western. Afterwards we had bonfire and had dinner. It was a fun time. We didn't have many parents show up, which was disappointing but God is still working and planting seeds.



The kids had fun being pulled around on the wagon ! What a huge wagon!!!! For some kids it might have been the first time they had had a wiener roast on a fire! They sure loved it as well as the marshmallows to follow.

All of the kids singing during the program. We had a pretty good crowd.

Poor Anita, She was freezing but thanks to Ben's sleeping bag, she warmed right up!
Doesn't she look cute! LOL