Brrr! Another Cold Weekend!

Wow! It has been very cold in Arkansas lately! And especially for South Arkansas. Usually it feels so much warmer than NWA when we lived there! We have not gotten any snow or ice here but like I said, we have been freezing lately!

Kelly, Logan and Lauren came on Thursday afternoon and we spent time together. Friday we went out to eat and then we watched a movie, Mall Cop, together. We all bundled up in our pajamas! Lauren and I just HAD to show off our snuggies. Lauren is styling the hot pink one, and I am posing in the light pink one. We like both colors! :)
And here are all the girls in our pj's! We pretty much all had a blanket and the fire blazing! We were so happy to be together, of course too!

Saturday, we just lazed around. I mean it was sooo cold (or cold enough for us) that it was just better for us to just take it easy this weekend! Nothing can be better when we are all together, right?!

Eric was traveling back from a business trip and he got to stay here a night.

I know I say this so much, but I love my family so much. They are the greatest blessing in the world to me.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Hark How the Bells

This week has been good so far!

Russell and I decided to visit my home church in Camden. So I got back in church choir and also started handbells tonight!

There are about 10 of us in the handbell choir. Mama is also in it. It was the first night our handbell choir met so all of us were totally new at playing the handbells! It was quite interesting tonight, but after we practiced a few times, we sounded better and better! We plan on playing for the Easter service at church. I am really excited about it!

On another note...
Do ya'll watch Kathie Lee and Hoda on NBC? I do and I just love them! I try to watch it when I can. I just had to share that I am a fan, and if ya'll haven't ever seen them on TV, just watch them during the Today Show at 10:00 a.m.
Tomorrow, Kelly, Logan and Lauren are coming to visit! We always have a great time together!


I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Psalm 17:6

Winter Weekend

We had a good weekend!

Friday night Russell, Mama, and Russell's best friend Todd and I all went to eat catfish, fries and hushpuppies at a yummy restaurant. We got to visit with Todd too. We had a good time together!

Saturday, our good friends, Mandy and David invited us over for dinner and game night! Mandy and I went to SAU together and were in Heritage Singers together at college. We got to know each other well. We also worked together at a daycare.
Russell and I had a good time at their house!
They are such sweet friends and we will get together with them again soon!

David and Russell played Mario Kart. They had such fun.

And Mandy and David played together too!

We are so blessed to have friends like them. They are some of the sweetest people we know.

This week will be a busy one. I hope ya'll have a great week! I know it is still Winter but I am ready for Spring! It will be here sooner or later though!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for men.

Colossians 3:23

Cooking with Grace, Curves, and American Idol

Look what is coming soon:

OH MY GOODNESS! I am too excited! Point of Grace, my very favorite music group, is coming out with a cookbook called "Cooking With Grace" and is coming out March 2nd! It will be so great! I had no idea they were working on a cookbook until just recently. Ya'll know I am going to have to get this cookbook! I hope ya'll will too. I have loved Point of Grace's music since I was probably...ten years old! They have made many albums, written books, and Bible studies, and now this! Can ya'll tell I am just a little excited?
There are not very many options to work out where we live, but I joined a Curves in Magnolia. It is a 30 minute workout that is fun, and they want you to go 3 times a week if you can. I actually used to work at a Curves here, but that was when Camden had a Curves. I really liked it then and I love it now!

So who is watching American Idol?
We watched some of it last night and it was quite interesting. Some of it was great talent but others were.....I'm just not going to say. Okay, I will! Others were just hard to listen to!
I mentioned that I will be going to Disney World in March. Did ya'll know that Disney World Hollywood Studios has a "American Idol Experience" attraction where you can actually sing in front of 1,000 people, and pretty much pre audition for the auditions in Summer 2010?
I am actually debating if I should do that or not. My nerves go crazy even when I sing solos at church. EEK! I may faint! Okay, maybe not faint. Why am I nervous already? So I want your opinions, I may not audition at Disney World, but I am not sure. It depends. I just want your opinions anyway. HA! What do ya'll think?
Should I just SING my heart out no matter how nervous I would be?
OR
Will I just get so nervous that I feel like fainting? HA!
I am already nervous and I haven't even made a decision yet!

As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. Ecclesiastes 5:3

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes...

What do this:and this remind you of??
Well, The Original Mickey Mouse Club was close but not close enough!


We are going on a vacation to.......

WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!

And yes, I am as excited as a little kid!

Mama, Kelly, me, and Logan and Lauren are going together in March!

We can hardly wait! I just had to post and tell you about my excitement!

Yes, Russell and Eric will be working hard in Arkansas while we are gone, but I'll get Goofy's signature for them! HA!

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord, He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." Ezra 3:11

Meredith's Weekend Movie Review (Sort of)

So I hope ya'll have had a great weekend! Russell is off tomorrow and I am excited about it, but we are going to have a low key Monday!

Friday night Mama, Russell and I went to Texarkana for a small getaway. For dinner we ate at Texas Roadhouse. Mama had not ever been there, and she enjoyed it. It is so good. We all had steak and potatoes. YUM!

We also decided to see a movie. Who has seen The Lovely Bones? Read it? I have not read it, but the preview looked pretty intriguing to me.
Oh my gravy....it was.....just SOOO spooky to me! There was just this eerie mood throughout the whole movie.
Russell liked it, but there were many times where Mama and I nearly jumped out of our seats! YIKES! So if ya'll want an official movie review, I am not one to ask.
I will say though, that the movie trailer didn't seem that freaky to me, but it was.

On a totally different genre of movies..........
I mentioned a while back I saw the movie, The Blind Side.
Tonight was the golden globe awards and we watched some of it. Well, Sandra Bullock won an award for this movie! YAY for her! I'm glad that The Blind Side got an award!
The Blind Side is a MUST SEE movie, ya'll. When it is available to rent, I highly suggest ya'll go see it. Russell and I have a HUGE collection of movies. Needless to say, this will definitely be on my list to purchase soon!

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36

Blast from the Past

How has everyone's week been?
Yes, that's me in the picture above. I was actually wearing a dress my Mama wore when she was a baby. I have been seeing "retro week" pics on facebook lately so I thought I would share pictures on my blog!

Aww...Daddy didn't let me drive his motorcycle that day, so I settled for the trike! HA! I am totally kidding! I promise, I never messed with the motorcycle!

I had such fun in my playhouse outside! Mama loved fixing my hair in pig tails. :)

A Family Picture taken in 1988; Kelly, Mama, Daddy and me.
I adore this picture.

Haha! I was so famous for lagging my "blankie" around.

All dressed up in Mama's high heels (PINK ones), Nanny's hat, and loads of jewelry and makeup!

Barbies were my absolute favorite!

Easter 1990
The 4 of us at our house!

At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. Zephaniah 3:20

Pray for the People of Haiti

Pray for the Haitians. As most of you probably know, there was an earthquake yesterday in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. SOOO many people in Haiti have been affected in many ways from the aftermath of the earthquake. This is a picture of a little boy being treated for an injury in Haiti.
This is a picture of people camping outside a building and they are waiting to be treated for injuries.

This is a picture of a building in Haiti.

So what can we do to help?
1. Text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate 100% of your $10 dollar donation passes through to Red Cross for Haiti relief.
2. Give blood.
3. PRAY for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
As Luke 10:30-37 tells us God's desire for us to help one another! Those verses tell the story of the good samaritan. We are called to be good samaritans to all people and help one another out!!! There are 100,000 plus people dead from this tragedy. Lets gather together and help in some way. $10 dollars can add up when many people participate and give.

I have been watching CNN and am just stunned to see some of the pictures and videos of the Haiti footage that has been covered.


For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11

Changes

Changes.

I must admit, I am afraid of change at times. Especially big changes. I mean, I grew up here...in this very house to be exact and only lived away from Camden when I was in Magnolia for college for a year. Russell and I got married when I was 22, and we moved to Bentonville. Even before we moved, we were very, very excited to be moving to Bentonville. I mean, we LOVE and adore everyone from our hometown, but that was when we were finally ready for change...both of us. When we moved to NWA, we were very proud. We weren't TOO proud, and did not show off or anything but we didn't expect to move or live anywhere but Northwest Arkansas. We always told each other, "We will never move." Well, God had different plans. I will touch more on that in a little bit. We at first lived in an apartment for about a year, then bought our house. I admit, there were times when we talked about our life together and Russell told me kind of in a joking way, "house, dog, baby." OOOoooo and I just grinned and EXPECTED that to be exactly the order in the exact time frame that WE wanted. But who was I thinking about? My will or God's will??? Well, as ya'll know, we bought the house. "CHECK!" Okay, we got a sweet dog, Belle. "CHECK!" But in the middle of the house and dog, that was when we discovered Daddy was soo sick. So as ya'll know, we went through a difficult time. But with GOD'S help, we felt peace that only HE can give us. So of course, what is next on the list? Baby! Well, as some of ya'll know, right after Daddy passed away, Russell lost his job at Walmart. Okay, so baby is obviously on hold as far as planning for a baby. I mean, the fantasy I thought of , "house, dog, baby" numerically in that order may have seemed "easy" at that time, but things change in life. We never in our wildest dreams would have thought we would now be living in South Arkansas and not in Bentonville. Never. Until a couple months before Russell got the job with Murphy USA. God started to speak to me more and more about living here again. I listened to the Lord and he would help me think that living here would not be so "bad". Don't worry, South AR friends, we love it down here and we LOVE ya'll sooo much! :) And when the recruiting firm called my sweet husband for an interview I knew that it was a sign from God that we really could move. God told me that He will work out all the details. We just need to trust in HIM and only Him! We may see the little picture in the frame, but ya'll, God has a beautiful painting waiting just for you. We may have all the pieces of the puzzle, but God knows exactly where those pieces go. I know some days may be much harder than others. Like with waiting on God for answers to prayers, or anything really. God knows your need. I know many of you may have health issues. God knows your need. I know many of you may have family troubles. God knows your need. I know many of you may be waiting for a job. God knows your need. Just keep praying my friends. Keep praying and the Lord will help you. Trust that He will help you.

Ya'll may be wondering how we are doing in South AR. We love it. We are closer to all of our family members as far as miles go. :) It just takes us back to our roots. I can get anywhere in 10 minutes or less. :) When I run any errand, I always see someone I know....always! We get to spend more time with our South AR friends (you know who you are! ) And there's more! We are just grateful. I did learn not to ever take anything in life for granted. It is not about me. It is not about what I want. It's about what God wants. Ultimately. Period. That's It!

I hope ya'll don't think I "preached" to ya'll too much tonight. It was something on my heart. I just want to remind ya'll that any time ya'll want to email me with a prayer request, feel free. I check my email daily. I will certainly pray for you. And no prayer is "too small" to pray for. And by the way, to those of you who have emailed me and I have not replied yet, I promise, I will email you back! :) So sorry!

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Busy Winter! BRR!

Hey ya'll!

Hope ya'll are having an awesome 2010 so far. This Winter has been very cold. I heard that there were snow flurries in MIAMI!!!! Hello?? Really? WOW!

I got this cookbook for Christmas and was soooo excited about it! I am telling ya'll--this book is not only a cookbook, it is much much more than that. Let me tell you! The Pioneer Woman is very clever, witty, hilarious, and when you cook and read the cookbook, it seems like she is right in the kitchen with you! Last night, I made chicken fried steak, PW's Creamy mashed potatoes, and gravy for dinner. Russell was very happy. To be honest, it was the first time I made chicken fried steak before and it was not that hard!

I know many of you (and myself as well) are trying to start off on the right foot with dieting/exercising. As far as that and Pioneer Woman cookbook- PORTION CONTROL. I need to keep telling myself that! :)
In South Arkansas, there is a great Christian radio station called K-Love. It is awesome! Soo great!
They had the recent winner of the Biggest Loser, Danny Cahill on the K-Love morning show today and it was wonderful! He plans on ministering to others through his story.

He wrote an awesome song that anyone can relate to, not just w/ weight loss, but any life struggle. You can go to it at http://thedannycahill.com/.

On another note, I am SO ready for this movie to come out. It will be so great. It is based on a true story about a family fighting for their child's life. It will be released in theaters on the 22nd of this month.

Hope ya'll have a great day!

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

New Year's Eve Celebration and Louisiana Fun

Happy New Year (a little late)!

Logan and Lauren stayed with us for a few days last weekend while Kelly and Eric went on a nice trip together for their anniversary.

I couldn't wait to spend New Year's with Russell, Mama, Logan and Lauren. We were pretty excited about it so we decided to celebrate! Here are hats, crowns for the girls, new year necklaces, noise makers and balloons! Lauren and I made confetti so we could throw it in the air and yell, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Belle and Russell got a little tired waiting for 12 to roll around!

Lauren made a Happy New Year sign!

WOOHOO! It's 2010!!! Can ya'll tell we are excited?!

New Year's Kisses!

On New Year's Day, we decided to take a trip to Bossier City, Louisiana. When Russell and I dated, we loved coming to Louisiana for dates and day trips. Posados was our favorite restaurant.

Logan tried a homemade tortilla with butter and honey-bliss!

Mama, Lauren and I rode on the carousel. It was fun! After that Lauren and I took pictures in a photo booth!

We enjoyed riding on the trolley at the Louisiana Boardwalk. So fun!

It was chilly outside!

Logan loves reading!

We took Lauren to a little girl's paradise:Claire's! Lauren could NOT make her mind up. She ended up getting 2 lip glosses!

We were walking by Build A Bear Workshop and saw my uncle Johnny, cousin, John Michael and then walked in Build A Bear and got to visit with my Aunt Nancy and cousin Katie Lee! Here is Katie Lee and Lauren. It was Katie's first time at Build A Bear. We helped her make one and she had fun!

Nancy and I even got to visit a little bit, of course! :)

And from a little girls paradise---to a guys paradise:Bass Pro Shops!!!

Russell LOVES this place. I tell ya'll what. I think if I told him he could stay there 24 hours he would.

Sunday afternoon, we thought we could go to Jackie and Ricky's with L & L.

They enjoyed 4 wheel riding with Russell.

Lauren had a ball too!

I had to ride on the 4 wheeler too!

Lauren and I even played w/ makeup! She is such a girly girl!

Well I think I am officially caught up w/ blogging! I hope ya'll are having a great week!

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6