Jackson's Christmas Room

I could hardly wait to decorate Jackson's room for Christmas. It looks so cute. I added a few nostalgic items, plus many books added to the décor. :)

Hi everybody. It's Jackson! I decided to take over Mommy's blog for today. I am so excited about my very 1st Christmas. Mommy has already told me a lot about how Christmas is all about celebrating Jesus' birth!

Here's my room! Look at Rudolph. Haha. I don't know what he's doing on the floor! :)

Here's a view of my room when you walk in. I love Rudolph. My tree is so neat because it has special ornements on it. Did I spell that word right? Oh well. I'll learn speling later.

Here's my first tree for my room! Mommy decorated it especially for me. I really enjoy when Daddy plugs the lights in so I can enjoy looking at it.

A few special ornaments include an ornemant from my great grandmother's tree. Mommy calls it the "old king cole" ornemant. Daddy's 1st Christmas ornemant is hanging on my tree too. I love the bear in it. KK gave me the one with my name on it last Christmas, before I even came into the world. Cool!

Here's the rocking chair with a cool shelf.

Here's The Christmas Story book that tells all about Jesus' birth and why we celebrate the special holiday. Oh, and there's a picture of me and the sound machine I need to fall asleep. ;)

See the cup that says, "Baby's First Christmas"? That was mommy's when she was a baby. So speshul. Aunt Debbie gave me this reindeer rattle, too. Mommy got the book from Target.

My dresser!

I love for Daddy and Mommy to read these books to me. Aunt Kelly and Uncle Eric gave me "Santa is coming to Arkansas" and the "Night Befre Christmas" was Daddy's! Mommy also added Christmas Tree Spode for decorashun.

We love Christmas books.

Here is one more look at my tree. We also have a big tree in the living room, so Mommy will show you soon.

So, that's my Christmas room toor! I really worked hard on this post. I hope al my spelng was corct.

Merry Christmas, friends! Love, Jackson

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John 1:14

Valentine's Day Memories

Happy Valentine's Day! If you have been to Walmart lately, then you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Friday, February 14th is Valentine's Day. There are balloons, bears, flowers, etc. everywhere! I do like balloons and flowers and even bears, but it looks like V-day madness in there, y'all. Just a little side note. :)

Today I am sharing some "Throwback Thursday/Flashback Friday" pictures with y'all. I have probably shared these before, but they are some of my very favorite pictures.

Valentine's Day 2008. Our first Valentine's Day as Mr. and Mrs. Price. We were very much newlyweds and Mr. Price sure made me feel like a princess. And still does to this day.

Now, on to the real "flashback." Think all the way back to the 1950's. Poodle skirts, Elvis Presley, and evolving trends.

Here are my Mamaw and Papaw Jordan with their six boys. Daddy is in the picture on the far left. Look at those bow ties and vests! Love the vintage valentine's, too. Precious love.

I am very much partial of any adorable pictures of my sweet parents. Here are Kathy and Jerry, Valentine King and Queen, circa 1966. I cannot say enough how cute this is.

Fast forward to 1990. I keep posting this every year because it's my favorite. I always say that Daddy was my very 1st Valentine. He always made me feel so special and he showed even more love to my mom, which showed me how a husband should treat a wife. I get kind of nostalgic around this time of year, so I like to share these special pictures. Throughout high school, I never really dated much. I tried hard to follow God's will for my life, even then. I believed that God had "the one" picked out for me long before I even met or heard anything about Russell. But I am so glad I waited for him. Mama and Daddy sent me flowers a few times on Valentine's day during high school. So sweet. 

I am so happy I met Russell. He was always the one God intended me to marry. When we met, I was 19 years old. Russell and I knew early on that we would marry and we have been crazy in love ever since. I call Russell my lifelong valentine. Best friend for life.

Next year will be even more special because Jackson will be here! I hope that he will be as sweet as sugar and someday (way down the road), sweep a girl off her feet and make her feel just as special as Daddy did and Russell does. That's the plan. HA!

Jesus is my ultimate valentine. He gave it ALL for me and for YOU! He loves us unconditionally, and that is REAL love. The definition of love. GOD IS LOVE! I cannot thank my savior enough for all He has done for me. Thank you, Lord.

Thanks for reading this long story, but it was on my heart. Hope y'all have a wonderful day. Make someone smile today. If someone doesn't have a smile, give them one of yours. Spread the love, y'all!

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16

Commenting Challenge Day 5: Best Meal Ever

It's Day 5 of the challenge! Cannot believe it's almost to an end.

Today's topic: Best meal ever!

Now, honestly, this girl loves food. I frankly had to think a little more on this one because it took more time to narrow it down. :)

Today, if I were to choose any single full meal it would be my Daddy's grilled steak, baked potato, salad with homemade croutons, French bread, sautéed mushrooms, and iced tea. Any fruit cobbler or chocolate cake for dessert, please!

No one grilled steak like Daddy did, so I cannot have that exact thing. Maybe Kelly and I can recreate it soon! :) YUM!

As y'all know-I am Southern as can be. Although, I love carbs. There, I said it. Whew. I got that off my chest! HA!

 

 The Pioneer Woman is one of my favorite people ever, and I use her recipes often. Last year, we had lots of family over for dinner and I made beef brisket with gravy, PW's mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls.

 But you could also pair the beef with homemade macaroni and cheese-which is my most favorite food.

 Johnita's yeast rolls are the best. My Nanny, Mama, sister and I make these during Easter and/or Christmas-heavenly.

 Chocolate Cake=divine. That's all!

I also adore my sister's Christmas cookies. She has made these so many times that she could mix the ingredients together, cut the cookies out with cookie cutters, bake them, and ice them with her eyes closed. She's a pro. We devour these at Christmas. Yep. No shame here!

 

So as y'all can see, we LOVE food. Most anything my family cooks is the best meal ever in my book. So good!

 

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27

 



Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all!

I must admit, this post will probably be long and transparent. I warn those of you who are in my family, you may cry, as I will probably cry typing this.

I am fully aware that I blog about Daddy a lot. I guess it is a way that I cope. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a talker and talk quite a bit! Ha! So I guess that's why I say so much on my blog. This is the real me and I am not going to change that. Ever. It's midnight on Thanksgiving. Russell and I are at my Mom's house, and I can't sleep. I was just thinking about how much I miss Daddy SO very much. I miss him every day of course, but holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas and even Easter are hard for me. Yes, I know it has been almost three years since he left this earth. But I will just say that I just hurt the same. 

 The first picture above is of Daddy carving the turkey years ago. He always made holidays a special occasion. He actually made every day special. He took time to enjoy what some people would say are the "little things", but I call them simple pleasures, like the moon and the stars, walking, Christmas lights, building fires, walking in the woods, etc. There are too many things to name. I am thankful for Jerry Jordan, whom I call Daddy. I will always be thankful for him. I am so thankful that God allowed him to be my Daddy. I am thankful that he and Mama took care of Kelly and I when we were babies, up til when we moved out of the house.

 I am thankful for the happiness he gave me. I am thankful for how much he spent time with me and showed me to always be open to discover new things-like a huge block of ice! HA! I am thankful that he showed me how to plant flowers and how to make a homemade wreath for Christmas. I am thankful, so thankful for not only the happiness, but the JOY he shared with me, Mama, and Kelly. There were so many laughs and smiles. I will be even more transparent to admit that sometimes when I look at some pictures of him, it still hurts. I love pictures of him of course, but I just miss him so much that it just hurts that much, if that makes any sense at all. It's a comfort, yet painful all at the same time.

 I am thankful that he made me feel special. The picture above is of Daddy and I. He gave me an award for learning how to ride my bike. He had it typed it up, notarized, and signed by him and his secretary at the car dealership! HA! It was a day I won't forget. I will never forget visiting him at his office. He was the best businessman I ever will know! He encouraged me to strive hard in whatever I do in life. Oh my gosh, I have to share this. When I was three years old, I remember I asked Daddy, "Where do people go when they die?" He then said, "Meredith, if someone has asked Jesus in their heart, then they go to heaven." I remember that like it was yesterday. I absolutely adore that memory.

 I am thankful for watching him be the best grandfather (JJ) to my nephew and niece. I will never forget the joy they always showed on their faces when they saw their JJ. He loved Logan and Lauren from the moment he layed eyes on them. What they may not know is that they gave him JOY almost as much as he gave them. Here goes another hard part to type, I am extremely grateful for him meeting and having Logan and Lauren, but I so wished that he would get to meet our children someday. However one of my friends told me that "he is already holding them in Heaven." I'd like to think of it that way, perhaps. But I know that Russell and I will tell our children ALL about their JJ and how wonderful he was and what precious memories we have and will always have of him.

I am so thankful for Daddy and Mama and Kelly. I am so thankful for Eric and Logan and Lauren. I am obviously thankful and so blessed to have Russell, the love of my life. I am so thankful for all my family members and friends. To family and friends that have always been there for me, especially in this trying time, THANK YOU! I am thankful for you as well! Some of you who are reading this may wonder, why is she typing this blog for everyone in cyberspace to see? Well, I will be honest. I don't really think of it that way. I actually use this blog as an online journal with lots of pictures, and also I pray this blog is used to help someone and encourage someone in some way. I just used this post as a way to vent, as I said before. I have to remember the Bible verse that says "God is our refuge and strength. Help in time of trouble"... We all should be reminded of that verse more often. Losing a loved one, especially a Daddy that you were close to, is hard. There's no way around it not being hard. It just is. However, like I mentioned and will say again, I am EXTREMELY THANKFUL for everything Daddy taught me and everything in between! I will always love Daddy. Thank you, Lord, for my Daddy.

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. Proverbs 10:9

A Christmas Light

December has officially arrived! That means Christmas is right around the corner! Every year, OCMC in Camden sponsors "Gift of Light in Life" for Christmas. This is the Gift of Light tree.
Today, I got one in memory of Daddy and my Aunt Janet. This is the one in memory of Daddy that I hung on the tree. Tomorrow night they will have a ceremony and tree lighting especially for the Gift of Light proceeds.
Camden's hospital is good, but the gift shop is great! It really is! They sold poinsettias which is the official Christmas flower! I just HAD to get one for Mama! I delivered it to her class.
We went to lunch after I visited her class.

But look at the detail of this flower! Isn't it gorgeous! Celebrating Christmas is one of my very favorite things EVER! So join me this December and every month of the year and celebrate Christ's birth!

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Father's Day

Tomorrow is Father's Day, as most of you know. Of course I have been thinking about Daddy a lot lately as it gets closer and closer to Father's Day. This was taken in our backyard. Daddy and his 2 daughters.
We caught these fish together one Summer day. Fun times.

On another note, we have had a good weekend so far. Yesterday Russell and I had a date night in Texarkana.
We went to Cracker Barrel, which was SO good! I have not been here in SO long! We really enjoyed it.

Remember 15 years ago, when the first Toy Story movie came out? We decided to go see Toy Story 3!

Here we are wearing our 3-D glasses. This movie did not disappoint. We don't normally go see cartoons but we knew the movie would be good. Like I said, it was great. I won't give anything away, but the end was just so sweet! Today, has been very low key. We just stayed home most of the day today! My kind of day! One more thing, I updated my cooking blog with a recipe that's perfect for Summer! Go check it out!

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

Relay for Life

Last Friday was a special day. It was Relay for Life day! Mama and I were on a team for it and our team wore aprons. Our teams's theme was called, "Cookin' for a Cure." Kelly, Logan and Lauren got to come to Camden for it. Here we are in our lil aprons!
Here we all are at the event. We all wore grey ribbons for Daddy.

This is Zoe. She is a cancer survivor! She is 5 years old and too sweet and cute for words! I told Zoe that we would have a special day just for her and we could play games and maybe even play with her dolls together really soon! I just love children. I really do.

So special. I spoke at the relay right before the lighting of all the luminaries. I was trying to promote brain cancer awareness. I also sang, "How You Live", a song by Point of Grace. I was so nervous, but it went very well. The luminaries above say "Hope '10" for this year. It was so neat to be there and I'll never forget it.

Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth -a stranger not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

One Year

My sweet Daddy has been in Heaven for one year today. Sometimes it seems like it has been a year, but sometimes it seems longer. It is only with God's help that we have gotten through so far. We as a family have all learned many many things throughout this year. If I could say one thing we have ALL gained, it would be strength. I have even loved my husband, mother, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and niece more than I ever have before as well. And of course other sweet family and friends. Our family does have such a special bond and I thank the Lord every day for that. I think this is my favorite pictures of Daddy. He just looks so happy!

The next pictures are what I call a celebration of his life on earth.
Here is Daddy on the left and his twin brother, Jack. We all love this picture.

Daddy is on the far left wearing the plaid vest and bowtie. His twin is behind him, Jack. In front is Uncle Bill, then Uncle David. In the middle is my Mamaw, and behind her is Papaw. Beside Papaw is Uncle Buddy and Uncle Johnny. This is a Valentine's Day picture and I love it!

Kathy and Jerry (Mama and Daddy) before on of their many dates together.

On their wedding day

Mama and Daddy holding Kelly

Mama, Daddy, Kelly and me!

Eric, Mama, me, Daddy, and my PopPop

Daddy with his 5 brothers and my Mamaw

Daddy with his precious grandkids a few years ago

Springtime

And another picture taken in 2007

I will never ever forget the love Daddy had for us. I will carry that love on forever.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9