Southern Charm

I haven’t showed any pics of our house during the Christmas season and I just love how it turned out.  So here we go.  I have always wanted a home with a big porch (like ours now) so I could drape garland on the railings, and big wreaths on the windows…..that southern charm that you find all over Georgia this time of year.  I know the landscaping isn’t anything to look at but it will be one day….one day!  Other than that I was so thankful for how the look came together.

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So many of our decorations came from some special people.  The topiary trees were set up on my porch, all lit up, one day..to our surprise!  Come to find out some very good friends of ours were the little elves on that drop off….we love us some Cotherns’!  And the ribbons on our wreaths and mailbox were just “dropped off” by our sweet neighbors….Ms. Sarah Miles.  I’m telling you, God is so good!  Everything I could have wanted to put our home together for Christmas was given to us.  The pre-lit garland was another porch find that my Mom left us before she went back home one weekend.  Blessed.  Truly Blessed!!

Our Christmas tree turned out beautifully.  I was so excited to find this “feed sack” garland at our local florist.  In fact, two sweet friends gave us a gift certificate to the store where I purchased the decor….another God thing!!  My Mom and Dad replaced the kid’s ornaments that they had been giving them for years.  Cora Jane’s are angels, Vera Kate’s are crosses, Lila Rae’s are hearts, and Whitman’s are Santa Clauses’.  The tree was full and just gorgeous….again we are so blessed…..its exactly what we wanted!

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I tried to use the garland and ribbon throughout the house.  I love my china hutch and the way it turned out.  I saw it somewhere online, took a picture to a carpenter, and here you go.  Then the decor on it just made it!  I hearts this!!

I can’t wait until next year to put all out again and add too it!

God is good……ALL the time,

~jct~

December Randomness

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Complete randomness!!  There were so many things that happened in December I didn’t want to miss any of these special moments!  From playing with baby goats at our friend’s house, the Christmas parade, and making gingerbread houses with friends, this month was filled with lots of special moments to fill in the gaps of everyday life.

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What a great month!  God was awesome to us this month…..as if He isn’t ALL the time!!  ;-)  SO much to do…so little time!  Thankfully friends, family, and our Savior are the reasons for this season.  Time with them, reflecting on the birth of our King, and serving others less fortunate….that is our month in a nut shell……what a great month!

God is good….ALL the time,

~jct~

Christmas Day 2010

Christmas morning was a sweet one.  The girls got up and were ready to go.  Their Daddy woke Whitman up and then it was on.  I made them wait down the hall while I went into the living room.  I wanted to video their reactions….those moments are priceless!

 

 

   SIssy was so excited she got her Big girl bike!  What a sweet memory!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vbug lovin’ on her new Go Go my Walkin’ Pup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bubba “choo-chooing” along with his new train

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I loved this day!  What a beautiful, special day!  The kids played with their toys all day.  We stayed in our pajamas.  We ate and we played.  We ate and we played.  It was GREAT!!  We spent the evening with Cory’s parents….eating…haha!!  The only thing missing was my family.  My parents usually spend Christmas Day with us, but this year they stayed home to celebrate with family.  They were definitely missed.

Celebrating Jesus’ birthday was extraordinary!  How blessed I am that He gave me my family, my health, and my home for His birthday.  I am NOT worthy…but He is worthy of EVERYTHING I have and MORE!

God is good….ALL the time,

~jct~

Awaiting their Special Visitor - Santa

 

Someone isn’t very sleepy….but him and Woody did make it to bed early

After the cookies were baked and placed out on their plate, a heaping glass of milk was poured, and their letters to Santa written, these little angels made their way to bed.  Anticipating their secret visitor and all the goodies he would bring.

God is good….ALL the time,

~jct~

Christmas Eve with the Tyres’

 

I just adore this picture of my kids and my nephews.  It was a task to get them all looking the same way, smiling, not crying, and not fidgeting.  It took 6 adults and a lot of patience, but the outcome is just perfect!

For Christmas Eve, we gather at my in-laws house for the best low-country boil I eat ALL year!  Cory’s Momma and Daddy go all out with the food….as usual….and it is always spectacular. 

Yeah, at this point they had had enough of the picture taking and were ready for some presents!

     Phil, Christy, Trey, and Jesse

    

       

                 

             ~T~

 

 

 

Once we got all our pictures out of the way it was time to eat and then open gifts………

 

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So after we exchanged gifts it was time for Grandma and Da’s big surprise for the kids……

TRAMPOLINES!!!!!!

What a great afternoon we had with family.  Its always a blessing for us all to get together.  I am very thankful for my mother and father in law and all they do for our families.  With my family being so far away its a comfort to know that I have them I can go too. 

God is good……ALL the time,

~jct~ 

A Shepherd, A Star, and A Cow

Our beautiful star that the shepherds followed to see our Savior.

 

The awesome shepherd that followed the star to find our Savior.

And the adorable, yet rambunctious cow that stood by our Savior.  And the good-lookin’ Daddy that came with him ;)

Our church is blessed with lots of children and every year they perform a play which re-enacts the birth our Lord Jesus Christ.  I am so happy that every year our kids love to participate…like they have a choice…haha!  But it does make life easier if they enjoy it!! :-)  This year was no exception.  The kids did a fantastic job of portraying the manger scene, educating the audience of the times, and singing joyful/fun Christmas music.

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And after the play we have Jesus’ birthday party with a special guest…Santa Clause.

 

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And everyone got see and visit with Santa!!

 

God is good….ALL the time,

~jct~

Tyre and Cannon Family Christmas

My beautiful girls patiently awaiting “gift” time

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This was Whit the whole night

The weekend before Christmas, most of my family came to my house for our Christmas exchange and fun!  Our newest member, Jasper, and my brother PJ and SIL Amanda didn’t make it and we REALLY missed being with them.

My little man fell asleep before we even ate supper!  I felt so bad that he didn’t get to participate in the food and present time.  But I think that Granny had a GREAT time loving on my sleeping baby.

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The next day, after church, we let Whit dig into his toys…bless him I don’t think he knew what to do! 

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Wow!  What a great weekend of Christmas fun with the family.  We are beyond blessed at our family’s love and generosity.  Family is everything!

God is good…..ALL the time,

~jct~

Cora Jane’s Class Christmas Party

CJ’s class showing off their new vests they all received for Christmas from Ms. Mims

 

Caraline and CJ had each other for their Christmas exchange!  Such sweet girls….such sweet friends.

 

God is good…..ALL the time,

~jct~

Weekend of Christmas Fun

 

The Tyre Family, Miles Family, and Mertz Family enjoying the Walk thru Bethlehem in Baxley.

  CJ, Jenna, and VK

The McClintock chicas and the Tyre chicas

Saturday night my girls and I met up with my friend Nikki and her girls to see Center Stage Dance Studio’s Christmas program.  What a beautiful performance those girls did! 

We had a great afternoon shopping and then going to the program….a GREAT girls day out! 

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After church on Sunday we had play practice and pizza which was lots of fun!  Then we went home and geared up for Pine Level Baptists' Christmas program.  My nephews had parts in the play, and my best friend directs the play…so it was a must for us to go!  The boys did a great job!  I only wish I would have taken my camera to get better pictures.  I did manage to snag this one of my VK, Jesse, and Lily before the show.  Jesse and Lily had parts in the play and were TOO excited!

We are very thankful for our friends, family, and the joy that comes this season from of our Savior’s birth.

God is good…..ALL the time,

~jct~

WMU Christmas

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The women’s group at our church has been getting together for Christmas as long as I remember.  We always have a blast no matter were we go…….and we have been to several local spots! 

This year the group gathered at Joedy’s Seafood restaurant in Alma.  Oh my…..they have the best seafood anywhere around.  And their cheesecake is to die for!  I started out as the only one getting a slice, and by the time I got mine all the women were fighting over that cheesecake….haha!  Not really, but there were lots of women who opted TOO get cheesecake after they saw mine…..yum, yum!!

We have an ornament exchange….dirty Santa style!  Hehe!!  The only thing is we don’t abide by anyone’s rules except ours!  So one ornament could be taken as many times as we wanted!  Woohoo…was that a blast or what!  Between myself, Cheryl, and Lorie, I think one ornament got moved around at least 5 times!  But of course, I finally conceded…..that’s right….I’m the one who finally gave up (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice)!!!  No.  Really we had a great time and can’t wait for us gals to get together again for some good food and fun!!!

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Our littlest chica, Emma, had a great time too!  She is a great baby…always smiling.  I found several things she really liked…the flash on my camera, baked potato, and cheesecake (Mrs. Lorie’s idea..not mine).  I don’t think her Momma, my good friend, Nikki was very happy about the cheesecake….sooorrryy Nikki!! :(

I am so blessed to have some super, awesome, ladies to fellowship with!  I am excited to see all the work God is going to minister thru us this next year….and the fun we’ll have doing it too!

God is good…..ALL the time,

~jct~

Housewarming Dedication

After we bought our house, my good friend Lora and my SIL Christy asked us if they could have us a housewarming party.  We were so grateful for their thoughtfulness and generosity!  Their idea was to have something before Christmas so that guests could shower us with Christmas decor, etc.  FYI-we lost all our Christmas in the warehouse fire this past May.  So not only were we starting out fresh with Christmas stockings, tree, lights, decor, but we were starting out fresh in our new home right at Christmas time!  What a blessing our family, friends, and community have been!  WOW!

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Before we bought the house I had seen somewhere of a House Dedication Ceremony.  I was really interested in this and how the family dedicated their home and all that happened in it to the Lord.  Cory and I decided that this was something we wanted for our family too.  We got our Preacher involved and from there had a little ceremony set up for the party too!

Brother Donnie Mullis – our Preacher

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Christy, my SIL, is very creative and wanted to do something for the kids to have fun with.  She has a recipe for ornaments.  The kids all got to make their own ornament and then make one for us to place on our tree!  So sweet!  They turned out perfect and they smell soooo good too.  You can check out the recipe for these here.  Thanks Christy for a great idea and beautiful ornaments we’ll always treasure!

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Lora, me, and Christy

I am very blessed to have so many friends and family that contributed a special dish to our shin-dig!  These girls, however, were the brains behind the organization and success of our Housewarming.  Thanks to ALL those who helped make our special ceremony and party a HUGE blessing!

~jct~