Big Day = Big Prayers Needed

Today is a big day for my sweet momma.

If you have been following the blog lately, you know that my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in October. Since her diagnosis, she has undergone a double mastectomy , endured an infection from her implants which therefore had to be removed and yesterday, she had her porta cath placed. And now today, she starts her first chemo treatment. She will receive bi-weekly treatments for 16 weeks .

My momma is one of the strongest ladies I've ever met. I have faith God will see her through this. If you have a chance today, could you please say a prayer that her first treatment goes well?

Secondly, today is a also a big day for my brother and sister-in-law.

While I don't feel it is my place to discuss what they are going through, I just ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers today.

Today is a big day for all these important people in my life and your prayers would mean the world to me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Best Buds & Future Dukies

Max came to visit two weeks ago and we had a blast! Mason loved playing with Max and was very good about sharing his toys. I can already tell these two are going to be trouble when they are teenagers and hanging out. And of course, they are future Dukies too!

Trying to get a  decent picture of Mason is proving to be difficult these days....

The best one I could get...

Thanks for coming to visit Colleen & Max and we can't wait to see you this weekend. 

Happy Thanksgiving

From our family to yours..

May God bless you now and always. Remember to count your blessings and always be thankful.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

DIY Barn Quilt

I'm sure you have seen them if you have driven in the country and passed barns. Barn Quilts. They are large colorful wooden blocks that are mounted onto the side of a barn. My mom has wanted one for awhile now to go on the side of on of the barns at our farmhouse. She found one she liked in a magazine and Brian offered to make it for her. What a sweet son-in-law! So it basically went from this...

1. The inspiration she found on a magazine. 2. Sample paint colors 3. Brian mapping out the design 4. Tracing the design  5. Taping the design  6. The first color completed. 7. 2 colors completed. 8. Allowing it to dry  9. The final product.

To this...

My mom and dad love it. We love it. Brian did a great job! Its the perfect colorful addition to this little barn.

It was a fairly easy DIY project. The hardest part was waiting on each paint color to fully dry before moving on to the next color.

Thanks Brian for making this for my mom and dad!

Wordless Wednesday: Surprise

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North "Poll"

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

The Hunger Games

I am sure, by now, a lot of you have read The Hunger Games trilogy books. I have read the first two and watching very patiently for my brother to finish the third and final one so I can start read it (hint hint Zach).

If you haven't read them, here is a brief description of the first book. I don't want to give away what happens so I won't post book 2 (Catching Fire) and book 3 (Mockingjay)

Book 1: The Hunger Games
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. (From Amazon)

The books have also been made into a movie, which is set to release March 23, 2012! I am so stinkin' excited for it. A new trailer was released today and from what I can tell it is spot on with the books. 




http://www.hggirlonfire.com/2011/11/14/high-quality-youtube-of-full-length-hunger-games-trailer/

So tell me, have you read The Hunger Games books? Are you as excited as I am about the movie?

Veterans Day

And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me. - Lee Greenwood "Proud to be an American"

Thank you to all those who have served in the military. Past, Present and Future. Because of you, we have our freedom. I am proud of all of you. Papaw, thank you for serving our country. Jim, thank you for serving our country. Uncle Bill, thank you for fighting for my freedom even before I was born. Jennifer, Jessica, Jason, Sean and Robert thank you for all you have done to protect our country. America is a better place because of people like you.

Happy Veterans Day! Let us not forget those who have lost their life while fighting for our freedom and those that are still with us today. There are no words to thank you enough.

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

The week before Halloween we took Mason to a local pumpkin patch to pick out a few pumpkins for the house. Last year he was barely 2 months old and therefore slept the entire time we were at the patch. This year was totally different.

Little man was all over the place. He wanted to pick up every pumpkin, wanted to stand in the wagon, sit in the wagon, pull the wagon.

I loved seeing how excited he was. The patch was really neat as there were old wagons to look at, cute set-ups for pictures, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, food, canned goods and such much more.

In the end, we picked up three pumpkins and called it a day when nap time was approaching. We had a great time and are looking forward to going back to this same pumpkin patch next year. And see, I told you Mason was excited...

Oh, that boy. I love him so much. Wild hair and all!

Happy Anniversary Colleen & Keith!

Happy Anniversary to my bestest and her wonderful husband, Keith! 

Hope you have a wonderful day and a nice anniversary!

We love you both dearly and of course, we love Max too! Hope to see you all soon!

Dixie Classic Fair

Back in the beginning of October, we took Mason to the Dixie Classic Fair at the LJVM Fairgrounds. The fair comes every year at the beginning of October and we hadn't been in over 3 years so we thought this year was the perfect year to go! Now, I am not a fan of rides. At all. I hate them. Always have. I have a weak stomach and it just doesn't bode well for me on rides. Brian, on the other hand, loves rides. Unfortunately this year Mason was a little too small for the rides so we just went for the food and exhibits.

We spent a good amount of time looking at the old tractors and watching the woodworking. Both Brian and Mason seemed to really enjoy this. We also checked out the animals and the local produce contest.

Mason managed to stay in his stroller the entire time.. which is a big deal. The kid loves to run around and usually doesn't care for the stroller unless we are out on walks. I think there was just so much for him to look at that he didn't mind being confined to the stroller.

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back next year when Mason is old enough and tall enough to ride some rides with Brian. I'll just stand by and take pictures.

Do you enjoy going to the fair? Are you a rides person or do you just go for the food? I will say the fair is a great place to go for people watching!

Halloween 2011

Halloween was low-key this year. Mason isn't really old enough to grasp the concept of trick-or-treating nor do we allow him to have candy, so really we just dressed him up and went to visit family and friends. All in all, we still had a good time.

I found Masons Halloween costume at Target LAST year in their Halloween clearance sale. Can't beat a $2.99 costume. Sure, he wasn't too thrilled with it at first but eventually he got used to it.

Mason the Puppy Dog

Complete with a tail and all

Mason's girlfriend, McKinley, stopped by my parents house while we were there so we were able to get a few pictures of the cutest little bumble bee ever!

Check out the cheeks...

Afterwards we came home and changed into our Halloween pjs.

Hard to believe Mason was 2 months old last Halloween. Time is flying by too quickly!

We hope you had a wonderful Halloween!