Puppy!

That's right....we got another dog! ;-) I talked Jeremy into it. This little girl is a cutie! And she's incredibly sweet too. She appears to be pretty smart. We have not yet come up with a good name....we're working on it.
Her momma was a German Shepherd and daddy was a Bernese Mountain Dog. She'll get to be a pretty good size, hey? I think she will be an awesome dog though.

 

 

And just because it's so cute:

 

(The lack of) Christmas Spirit

Maybe it started when I was seeing Christmas stuff in the stores right beside the Halloween stuff.
Or as I wandered around Wal-Mart looking at all the useless "stuff" that comes out this time of year...the stuff we're supposed to fill our carts with because we're obligated to give gifts to people who don't need more stuff.
Or did it start when people started saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"?
Or because Santa Claus has become the "reason for the season" for too many people/children.
How about when a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death because greedy people were desperate for a "bargain"?

As I mentioned before, my Christmas spirit just seems to be missing this year. I have a feeling God is nudging me....laying a burden on me. "Amber, have you forgotten what Christmas is about? Do you realize the reason for this time of year is to celebrate the birth of my son? You celebrate the birth of your son with great joy, excitement and planning....why does the birth of MY son deserve any less joy?"
Ouch. That is so true. I admit, in the past I have gotten too wrapped up in the presents, the lights, the food, the "stuff" and have lost my focus on WHY we celebrate Christmas. I haven't forgotten the reason, I just haven't acknowledged it as I should.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy getting and giving presents, but it's not as important to me as it used to be. I still think my house looks pretty with all the decorations....but what is the meaning behind them?? I still look forward to getting together with family, to making Christmas cookies and goodies, and hearing some occasional appropriate Christmas music. But as Levi grows up, I want him to grow up having the "right" Christmas spirit. I will definitely be exploring some traditions to start that will help our whole family celebrate the real meaning of Christmas.

So Cool!

MckMama's Blog is doing a really cool giveaway. Boy, would I love this camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The coolest thing about this giveaway is that ALL the proceeds from the raffle go to charity.
If you wanna buy me a Christmas present ;-) buy me a raffle ticket so I can win this awesome camera. lol. This is the camera Jeremy and I have decided to start saving money to buy. How cool would it be if I won? :-D

Christmas Pretties

 

 

 

 

Oh, Christmas Tree *sigh*

I've had a terrible time getting motivated this year to do my Christmas decorating. It's really odd! Normally, about the 1st of November rolls around and I'm just itching to get everything out and put it up, but I always wait until the day after Thanksgiving. Well, this year we had company so that put off my plans a little bit, but I also just have not been in the mood to decorate. I finally got around to digging out the boxes Monday, and I've been working on it since! Yeah....normally it's all done in 1/2 a day. But I've had lots of interruptions, including a sick baby. And I've had a heck of a time with all my decorations!!! First, I had this really cute snow globe that belonged to my sister Emma. For some reason I didn't get it packed very well last year and at some point it got smashed. So when I open the boxes, I find mold. And quite a bit of it. YUCK. I salvaged my tablecloths by tossing them in the wash, was able to clean off a couple glass ornaments and wash a stuffed bear, aired out some stinky stuff, and had to toss a few ornaments. THANKFULLY, none of our "special" ornaments got ruined. All the ones that got ruined were some glass cheapie ones and a couple of my older ones. (still sad, but not as big of a deal I guess.)
Finally, the tree! I got all the lights strung on, plugged them in, and this is what it looks like:


Pretty huh? LOL. That is 2 strings of lights, that were BRAND NEW last year, and this is what they look like this year. EVERY YEAR, we buy new tree lights, because EVERY YEAR we plug them in to find 3/4 of the string not working. Can't they make lights that LAST? I guess not! We've come to the conclusion we will just throw them away every year and buy new ones the next year. :-p How annoying!
I will try to start blogging more regularly again....just been busy with company, sick baby, etc lately.

Give Thanks

Well, Thanksgiving is only a day away now! :-) I'm looking forward to seeing my mom and stepdad and eating lots of yummy food. Unfortunately, harvest is running extremely late this year so it looks like Jeremy may not even to be able to join us for the meal. :-( He was supposed to smoke the turkey too. I could just cry! :-( Oh well, we will have to make the best of things. Can't change anything by being depressed. :-)

I decided I would make a post listing all of the many things I am thankful for this year. I am truly blessed!

-My faith in God, and God's love for me.
-My loving, hardworking, awesome husband.
-My beautiful son, the joy of our lives!
-The fact that Levi has slept through the night since he was 6 weeks old without fail. (except the one or two occasions when he was sick)
-Our home that we are so blessed to own and do what we please with.
-Being able to stay home with Levi
-A church that's "alive", that we love, and all the ministries we can participate in. (Bible Studies, Game night, church meals, Craft days, etc)
-My mom, who has always been my best friend. Sometimes we call each other every day, sometimes it's multiple times a day! I hope she doesn't get tired of me "bugging" her. :-)
-My "other mom", my MIL who lives nearby and is always willing to babysit, or help with little sewing projects, etc.
-My good health and my family's good health.
-All of our pets
-My laptop computer. :-)
-Living in America

Thank you, Lord, for blessing my life with so many good things!