Happy New Year!

I wish you and your loved ones a blessed and joyous 2010!

"Be always at war with your vices,

at peace with your neighbors,

and let each New Year find you a better man."

~Benjamin Franklin

Recipe For A Happy New Year

"Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work, hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest, prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor." ~ Anonymous

I know I used the same quote and recipe from last year. They are my favorites. I will probably use them every year. And, I hope you like the Christmas music, because I am thinking about leaving it up all year. :) Seriously, I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful year. Make peace with your enemies, hold on tight to your family and friends, tell them you love them, and do for others, even when no one is looking. My New Year's Resolution is to be more patient with my children, stop cussing, eat better and to make a difference in someones life. I think I can achieve all of those except eating better! ;) Happy New Year!

Christmas Continued- Heaven On Earth

Luke 2:11

"Today in the town of David

a Savior has been born to you:

he is Christ the Lord."

What a wonderful Christmas! Part three, four and five of Christmas all happened in the last two days. We have been so busy! Lastnight we went to my mom and dad's to open gifts. We have done this for as long as I can remember. We laugh, we eat, we bake and we open gifts. It is a tradition to decorate sugar cookies and make divinity. However, due to the hazardous road conditions we cut the evening short. We made divinity this morning. I didn't mind at all. To say that I LOVE snow would be an understatement. I am so happy that we had a white Christmas! This morning we opened presents at our house with the girls. And, every year I make us waffles for breakfast. After we eat breakfast we regroup and head back to my mom and dad's house to celebrate Christmas with the Crazy Crawleys. We always have a good time. We eat and then we play Dirty Santa. I think every gift I opened was stolen from me! Luke took the girls sledding. They only went down two hills. It was bitter cold today. I think the windchill was 4 degrees when they went out. BURR The snow was too dry today to make a snowman. We are hoping we can make one tomorrow. To wrap up the day we drove down to the farm. I took the picture above on the way down there. It is a picture of our upper pasture and the barn we just rebuilt. (It is kind of hard to see because I can't zoom very far) It was a beautiful sight!

I am thankful for my beautiful girls, my wonderful husband, my family and my friends. I am thankful for my mom who works very hard to plan our family dinners. She is amazing. I am also thankful for the snow. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas! God is good!

Party!

Kinnison is staying the night with Ty tonight. We told Kimber we were going to have a party when we got home. She must have thought we were serious. She decided to empty an entire bottle of shampoo into the tub. I just bought it today! The results...

I love this girl!

After the water drained...bet they are still there tomorrow morning!

Christmas- Round Two- Tyrees

We had Christmas with the Tyree family tonight. It was a lot of fun. Great food and great company! Santa even came to visit! Here are some pictures from tonight...

Christmas- Round One- Bumgardners

Luke's Grandpa, Luke's Mom and Doug came over tonight. We had a wonderful time visiting and dinner was delicious. Kinnison's favorite gift was the Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. She has taken a couple hundred photos already. Kimber's favorite gift was a baby doll that moves around and cries. Kimber also got a doll house that they both love. Luke's mom got me and Luke a digital photo frame. I love it! Tomorrow night we will celebrate Christmas with the Tyree Family. Some photos from tonight....

I wanted to post some photos of the upstairs. We have lived here for 3.5 years and are just now finishing the upstairs. I think it is turning out good. We were going for the rustic look. LOL We have changed our mind many, many times.

Bake, Bake, Bake!

Not really! I have made some Chex-Mix, Peanut Butter Balls and tonight I made a Spiced Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie and a Pumpkin Pecan Pie. Luke LOVES the Spiced Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie. He won't get to try the other one until tomorrow because it has to be refrigerated. I hope he likes it!

This is the Spiced Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie. I tried a new technique to *drizzle* the chocolate on top and I don't like it...too thick. I will try something new next time! Recipe from Pillsbury.

Ingredients

1	Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as directed on box
3/4	cup light corn syrup
1/2	cup sugar
3	tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg
1	teaspoon vanilla
3	eggs
1	cup coarsely chopped pecans
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1	teaspoon shortening
	Whipped cream, if desired

Directions

	Heat oven to 325°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie.
	In large bowl, beat corn syrup, sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and eggs with wire whisk. Stir in pecans and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread evenly in crust-lined plate. Cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.
	Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 to 25 minutes longer or until pie is deep golden brown and filling is set. Cool 15 minutes.
	In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips and the shortening uncovered on High 1 minute; stir until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over top of pie. Serve pie warm or cool. Top each serving with whipped cream. Store covered in refrigerator. This is the Pumpkin Pecan Pie. Recipe from Bakerella

Refrigerated Pie Crust

Cream Cheese Layer

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp lemon juice.

• Mix the cream cheese and sugar using a mixer. Add egg and lemon juice and continue mixing until creamy.
• Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Make the Pumpkin Layer

15 oz. can of pumpkin

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs

1/2 cup evaporated milk

• Beat pumpkin, sugar and spice with a mixer.
• Add eggs and beat until combined.
• Add milk and beat until combined.
• Spread the cream cheese mixture in the dough covered pie plate.
• Layer the pumpkin mixture on top and try not to disturb the cream cheese underneath.
• Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil to keep them from getting too brown and place the pie in the oven.
• Bake for about 20 minutes then apply the topping before baking the rest of the time needed.

Topping

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

• Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl.
• After the pie has baked for the first 20 minutes, remove the foil and layer the topping on.
• Bake for another 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Seven Years.

Yesterday Luke and I celebrated our 7th Anniversary. To celebrate we took the girls to Silver Dollar City. If you read my Anniversary post last year you might remember that I swore we were never going back. But, it is tradition. This year was actually much better than last year. They had the parking lots done so we got to park in actual parking spots instead of in a field in Branson West. There was more shuttles this year and we didn't wait over 2 minutes to get on when we got there or when we left. Luke's mom went with us. I think that made it a little easier as well. We went earlier this year too.We left after the 6 o'clock tree lighting. That is when it started getting a little crazy. People were actually stepping over Kimber and the stroller. Luckily an older lady in front of me noticed and started clearing a path. Luke and I spent our honeymoon in Branson and every year since then we have went to see the lights. I am guessing that will never change...no matter how miserable it is for us. The girls had so much fun. Kinnison was fearless! She wanted to ride every ride there. Kimber even rode a couple rides without screaming! We made some wonderful memories. I am so incredibly blessed!

Luke~

I can't believe I have put up with you for 7 YEARS! Just kidding.

Our journey so far has been fun, exciting and sometimes challenging. I am excited about our future. I can't wait to make memories with you and our girls. Thanks for being a wonderful husband (minus you leaving clothes on the floor, your selective hearing and constantly passing gas) and a wonderful father. We love you!

*skinny us*

(us before marriage and kids)

Prayer Request.

I have been following the story of this precious baby girl for a few weeks. My heart is breaking for this family. Please pray for her. Pray for her momma and daddy. Pray for her brother. Pray for a miracle. And, please pray for all of the other children who are enduring things they shouldn't have to be enduring.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hannahgracecrumby

http://hannahandcaleb.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are celebrating Thanksgiving at our house this year. Saturday night Kimber started running a fever. By Sunday night it was 103. Monday she was diagnosed with croup and fluid behind her ears. She was given antibiotics, an inhaler and steroids. She was feeling a little better Tuesday. But, Tuesday night was rough and on Wednesday she woke up from her nap with a fever of 101. So, we went back to Dr. Lee. He diagnosed her with swine flu. So, we were told not to leave the house until she was fever free for at least 24 hours. This is the first Thanksgiving in 27 years I haven't been with my family. I am sad, but I don't want any of them to get sick.

I am thankful for so many things... I am so thankful for my beautiful daughters and my wonderful husband. I can't imagine my life without them. I am thankful for my family and my friends. I am thankful that most of my family lives close by. It makes missing a day like today a little easier. I am thankful for modern medicine. I can't imagine fighting diseases like these without the medicine we have today. I am thankful for good doctors, especially the doctors and staff at First Care Family West here in Prairie Grove. I am also thankful for everyone who serves in the armed forces. They are sacrificing their lives and time away from their families to defend our freedom and keep us safe. I pray for their safe return. More than anything, I am thankful for our Lord.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

Happy Birthday Kinnison!

I can't believe my baby turned four years old today. Where has the time gone? We couldn't have asked for a better birthday party. I made cupcakes and we got a delicious ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Kinnison had so much fun playing with her sister, cousins and friends. She got a lot of really great presents. THANK YOU to everyone who shared Kinnison's special day. And, I would like to thank my mom for making some delicious food!

Here are some photos!

Here is her montage!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Barn Building.

Last weekend the family got together to repair the old barn at our farm. It is something my Grandpa has wanted done for a very long time. It was built by my Grandpa, Great Grandpa and Great Uncle. Luke found someone on Craigslist who was giving away old tin. He loaded it up by himself. He loaded it for hours... until it was too dark to load any more. We ended up having enough to do the top and both sides, but not the ends. We had to buy some new wood and the rest of the tin. It looks so much better! Hopefully we will get to paint it soon. I am so proud of my family for pulling together. This was very important to Grandpa. We could have had a new barn built, but this barn means something. So, thanks for all of your hard work! I also want to thank my Mom. She planned this day and cooked us some amazing food. Thanks, Mom!

Luke~ Thank you so much for getting the tin. And, I appreciate everything that you did this weekend. I am so blessed to be married to someone who works as hard as you do. This was very important to Grandpa. So, thank you for making it happen!

The End Is Near.

I have registered for my final semester of classes. I am taking four classes in the spring and I will graduate in May. Words cannot describe how ready I am to be finished with school.

Blessing!

Fran and Blake were blessed with this beautiful baby boy today. His name is Gavin. Mom and baby are both doing well. I get to see them tomorrow and will hopefully get to take some photos.

Fran and Blake~

Luke and I are so happy for you. There are no words to describe the love you have for your children. Each day they grow and change and you love them a thousand times more than the day before. (Even though that seems impossible) They are miracles. Cherish each and every moment, because it flies by. Congratulations! We love you!

Trick-or-Treat!

Whew! I am exhausted. It seems like we have done something every night this week. The girls got a TON of candy. More importantly, we had a lot of fun and made a lot of great memories. We always go to my sister's house for Halloween because we live too far our of town. My mom always provides us with dinner. It was delicious as always. We celebrated my Meme's 77th birthday tonight! She is an amazing woman! I am so blessed. I have wonderful friends and family and I have the most beautiful girls in the world. Happy Halloween!

Fall Family Photos 2009

Happy Fall Y'all!

I love this time of year! Fall in Northwest Arkansas has to bee one of the most beautiful sights. The trees are beautiful! Friday we took the girls to Ranalli Farms in Tontitown. This is our third year to go there. It is a wonderful little pumpkin patch. I always get great pictures of the girls and they have fun picking out "punkins". Kinnison was really excited about picking out a "gorge"(gourd) this year. Kimber had a lot of fun. She didn't want to stop for photos. She laughed the whole time. She picked out one of the cleanest pumpkins there. She doesn't like things to be dirty! This is one of my favorite family traditions. I hope it is something we get to do every year and eventually share with our grandchildren.

Another Goodbye.

The last time we saw Huck was Wednesday night. I stayed home with Kinnison on Thursday and I had a gut feeling something was wrong. He ran around at night, but hung around the house during the day. When I didn't see him Thursday, I knew something was wrong. It wasn't like Huck to miss a meal. Luke just found him today. Something got him. A coyote maybe? Huck came to live with us about a year ago. He showed up at our school. I wasn't there, so the ladies I worked with called animal control. As soon as they told me about him I went to the police department to pick him up. That was a year ago. He had a wonderful personality. He was a great hunter. He was a great cat. He will be missed very much. We love you Huck!

U Name It!

We are redoing Kinnison and Kimber's room for Christmas. My mom and dad bought the bedding. So, I contacted my cousin Val at U Name It to make a canvas for each of them. Valerie did an amazing job!

Thanks.

I want to say "Thank you" to my family and friends who helped out with the Karing4Kara fundraisers. My family donated money, baked items, yard sale items, silent auction items, volunteered time and helped out by watching my girls on the days of the events. I appreciate you all more than you know! I also want to say "Thank you" to my wonderful husband. I took on a huge project and didn't really ask if he wanted to help...I volunteered him. He jumped right in without hesitation.

Luke, you make me very proud. You are a hard worker and a great man. Thanks for everything you have done to help out our friends! I love you!

God Is Good.

The girls and I were baking for the pie auction tomorrow. Kinnison said, "When these are done can we eat a little bit?" I said, "No, these are for Kara's fundraiser tomorrow. Doesn't it feel good to help people?" She said, " Yes, it feels good and it makes God and Jesus very happy." I almost cried. I said, "That is right. We don't want to be selfish and only think of ourselves, we want to help others. Do you know what being selfish means?" She said, "Yes, and it makes Jesus sad." My 3.5 year old gets...why don't some adults? She is wise beyond her years.

I am so thankful for my girls. They are a gift from God. They are sweet, smart, beautiful and kind. I couldn't ask for anything more. God is soooo good!

Campout.

We went camping on Saturday night. I got some cute photos! It was a perfect day for camping. I LOVE this weather. I am guessing you all know that though. I am pretty sure all I talk about is how I HATE hot weather and LOVE fall! :)

And just for fun......

My silly girl (A.K.A. Mr. Potato Head)

Sad.

August 20th was the due date of the second baby we miscarried. I did pretty well that day. Kinnison, Kimber, work and school have kept me very busy, which keeps me distracted. I had a bad today and for some reason it hit me. I can't get it off my mind. A cookie cake sure would be nice about now. I have a lot of homework to do. But, I think when I am done I will watch a movie, eat some ice cream and remember our sweet baby.

Sorry.

Sorry I haven't been posting much. We have just been too busy. I know I have said it a million times, but I can't wait to graduate! This semester has been really tough. I was hoping that next semester would be easy, but from what I have heard, it will be worse. My classes and my homework have taken a lot of time away from Luke and the girls. It makes it very difficult to stay motivated. Today we had another family reunion. It was at the Battlefield Park. We took the girls for a walk and I got some great photos.

More Dancing

Yee Haw!

This weekend is the Clothesline Fair. We rode in the parade today. It poured! The kids had a blast though. We ran out of candy before we got to the four way stop. Tonight they danced in front of everyone. They did a great job. They will dance again on Monday night. Here are some photos...

*Look at their faces. I hope the photographer got a better shot.

And, here is a photo of my new Jeep. It is a 2007 Jeep Commander. Kinnison calls it the Mander. I love it. It still has the new car smell!

Mander,

I want to apologize in advance for my husband's stinky butt, the spilled milk and all of the mud. Most of all, I want to apologize for the vomit. I guarantee you will be puked in more than once. Sorry.

Welcome to the family!

Goodbye.

Friday night we said goodbye to another member of our family. Luke sold my suburban. I loved my suburban. It had over 180,000 miles on it though. I wanted to buy another suburban and keep this one. But, we couldn't afford to do that. It was a great vehicle and I will miss it!

Must See.

I have been following AnySoldier.com since it first began in 2003. I have sent care packages to Iraq when friends and family were deployed. But, I am ashamed to say I have never sent anything through this website. If you click on "where to send" it will take you to a list of emails from soldiers. Sometimes they even post photos. Please visit www.anysoldier.com. I am going to send a package or two before Christmas. Send me an email if you would like to donate some items. I will pay the shipping!

Also, check out https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Silly.

Kimber was being quiet...which is unusual. This is what I found...

Home.

We made it home. The girls were perfect. They handled the car ride wonderfully. The weather was awesome. We even got to watch a wild storm the night before we left. We had a great vacation. Honestly, I wouldn't have changed anything about it. I am so proud of my girls. I am also proud of my suburban. It has over 178,000 miles. We were so afraid that it would break down on the trip. It didn't. I am so blessed. I am so thankful for the wonderful weather, safe travel, good company, and a lifetime of memories. Here are some of my favorite photos.

Gulf Shores Continued....

Lastnight we took the girls to the new pier in Gulf Shores. It was beautiful. Luke is already planning on fishing off the pier next time we come to Gulf Shores. The girls definitely prefer the pool. But, they have had a lot of fun playing in the sand and looking for sea shells. Here are some more photos...

Gulf Shores Continued....

Gulf Shores

We drove to Clinton Mississippi Friday night. We stayed the night and then drove to the Jackson Zoo. The girls loved it. It was a pretty neat zoo. We got there when it opened, so we had the whole zoo to ourselves. We arrived in Gulf Shores yesterday afternoon. We unpacked and ate dinner. Then we went to the beach. Kinnison and Kimber were not impressed with the beach. They didn't like the sand or the ocean water. We hung out at the pool for a while. But, it was getting late and a little chilly. So, we came back to the condo. The girls were wild! I guess they were happy to be out of the car. We got up early this morning and went to the beach. The girls were a little weary at first, but they got over it. Kimber enjoyed stomping Daddy's sand castle and throwing sand. Kinnison loves everything about it. She said she was going to stay out until dark. She also asked us if we could move here, twice. I am so glad they are having fun. Here are some photos from our first two days. More to come!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Luke's 28th birthday!

Luke-

Thanks for being a wonderful husband and father! We love you very much! I am sorry you had to work today. But, we only have one more day and we will be leaving for the beach! I hope you are having a good day. Happy Birthday!

A Step Closer.

I passed the Praxis II! I still have to take the Praxis I though. The Praxis II is offered a limited amount of times during the year. I needed to pass it before next June, so I took it before I took the Praxis I. I will take the Praxis I sometime this fall. I thought I would feel relieved, but I don't. My summer classes are very time consuming and my fall classes are going to be horrible. I am taking four classes in the fall. I will have to attend two eight week classes at NWACC twice a week. I am not looking forward to that at all. It has been a long hard road. But, I feel like I am finally making some progress. Passing the Praxis II was a step in the right direction. It was probably the thing I was dreading the most. I will be done in May. Then I have to begin the NTL program. Wish me luck!

Independence Day.

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Fourth of July.

We went to Branson and stayed on the lake. It was a lot of fun.

The kids didn't want to leave. I have too many photos to post,

so I will post a slideshow. Please ignore the blurry photos.

I am still learning my camera.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Helpers.

I had homework to do lastnight, so Luke took the girls with him to work in the garden. Normally they get bored. But, lastnight he decided to let them do something different. He let them play in the dirt.

This is what he brought home:

You should have seen the bath water!

Today we made cupcakes. Don't they look adorable! Thanks for the aprons, Gammy!