25 Random Things

1. I can't stick with one hairstyle for very long. I have to get it cut, colored, or *something* pretty regularly.
2. I have recently figured out (after many many years of trying to) what I want to be when I grow up. I am planning on starting a MLS degree (Master's of Library Science) in the near future in order to become a children's librarian.
3. In the seven years since college, I have worked in a funeral home, high school and flower shop.
4. After working for the flower shop for six years, I am finally a "designer" and will have my first Valentine's Day as such in a couple of weeks. I am scared to death.
5. I don't really like to cook, but I will. I prefer baking.
6. I am a very indoors-type person. But I do like spending time outdoors, too. I just never think about it.
7. I am a major list person. I have lists for everything.
8. I don't think I am funny, but my friends do. I guess their opinion matters more! :)
9. I love to sing and am so happy that my daughter likes for me to sing her to sleep every night. (My son doesn't like it when I sing to him).
10. When I was little, I had my own "library." I guess I should have known then.
11. My favorite food is popcorn, but I hate real corn.
12. I am turning 30 this year and hoping to take a fun trip sans kiddos.
13. Sleeping and reading are my favorite hobbies.
14. I am hopeful for our country's future.
15. I recently discovered that I like bleu cheese dressing (by accident--I thought I was getting ranch).
16. My favorite series of books is The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. The first book was over 500 pages and they just keep getting bigger with each new installment. I am very anxiously awaiting the 7th book coming out this coming fall; to prepare I am rereading the 5th and 6th books (with so many pages, a lot goes on.)
17. The main character in the book is named Claire and I only sort-of named my daughter after her.
18. My son's name is Will and he is the most aptly named child I've ever known. He has the strongest will. Ask anyone who knows him!
19. All of my best friends live at least two hours away from me. This is only slightly annoying.
20. I was born on my father's 26th birthday. If my son could have held on 17 days longer (not that I really wanted him to!), he would have been born on my 26th birthday.
21. Scott and I were married on my 21st birthday. No we didn't necessarily plan it that way, it just worked out that that was the best weekend available.
22. My husband is the smartest person I know and I am exceedingly proud of him and his accomplishments. I am also very glad he is inclined in math and physical sciences because those subjects are definitely not my forte.
23. My children never cease to surprise, amaze, and entertain me. They are precious and I am so thankful God chose me to be their mom.
24. I am definitely not a morning person and don't know if I ever will be. I am a night owl and rarely go to sleep before midnight.
25. I love television and movies, and easily get addicted. Most of the shows I like happen to be NBC shows because that is the only channel we get at our house. We don't have cable and our house is in some kind of twilight zone that only gets the one network station. And it's fuzzy (of course!). We did get the digital TV converter but it doesn't work 3/4 of the time. Very annoying!

I'd love for anyone who wants to do this to post a "25 Random Things" as well...I love learning more about my friends!

iTunes Game

Here's another fun thing to do!

1.Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. The Name of the song is your answer!
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Shifting Sand" - Caedmon's Call

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Just to Look at You"-Bebo Norman

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Speak to Me"-Rebecca St. James

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Love Song"-311

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Standing Still"-Jewel
Hmmm....

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"42"-Coldplay
Odd...

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"More Than You'll Ever Know"-Watermark
Ha ha!

WHAT IS 2+2?
"Where You Lead Me"-Mercy Me

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Unbelievable"-EMF
Again: ha ha!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Sh-Boom"-The Chords
Fitting...

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"You Win My Love"-Shania Twain

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Never Alone"-Barlow Girl
Interesting.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Please Only You"-Steven Curtis Chapman

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Jump Around"-House of Pain

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Mud on the Tires"-Brad Paisley
We've already gotten married (duh), but I'll bet Scott would have liked to dance to this song. Funny.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"A Cradle Prayer"-Rebecca St. James

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Frozen"-Madonna
Weird!

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Immortality"-Celine Dion
Ha ha ha...I've fooled you all!!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"I Don't Know Why (But I Do)"- Clarence "Frogman" Henry

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"I Have No Doubt"-Point of Grace

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"California Dreamin'"-The Mamas and the Papas

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"You Know Me Better Than That"- George Strait

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"With Every Little Kiss" - Steven Curtis Chapman
Good one...

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Nothing Compares"- Third Day

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"The Kingdom"-Caedmon's Call
I am the Bride of Christ!

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Bullet the Blue Sky"-U2

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Nightengale"-Norah Jones

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"One Piece at a Time"- Johnny Cash

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Do Not Fear"-LCU Praise Choir

New Hair and New Hope

I got my hair cut yesterday. It always makes me feel better to get my hair cut. I feel like a new person, somehow. I can't ever stick with one style for too long. It always amazes me when I watch make-over shows and these women (or men) say they have had the same hair-do for twenty or thirty years. I'm like, "Seriously? Don't you ever get bored??" But everyone's different!



This weekend we were blessed to visit our dear friends, the Malletts, in Arlington. We didn't do a whole lot--just took the kids to the park and ate out a few times--but we just had a good time being together. Since their son Ryland is one of Will's favorite people, he was just ecstatic. When Will found out that Ryland had a full gammut of pirate costumes, he was in hog heaven. I didn't take many pictures at all the whole weekend, but I did manage to get a couple of Will in Ryland's Jack Sparrow costume and of Raylee, Will and Ryland together with their guns and swords.



I just felt like I needed to express what I'm feeling right now about hope. My outlook has changed a bit since this past fall. I still don't agree with everything he stands for, but I am very hopeful about our new president. What I have seen these past few days and even weeks has been so encouraging to me; that maybe our country isn't "doomed," but is possibly in for a few good changes. I was so moved yesterday watching President Obama, just knowing that an African-American has done what so many never dreamed of, or never wanted to see happen, is awe-inspiring to me. That in and of itself, makes me proud to be an American. It was so moving to see so many people, of all races, so excited that this man has become our president. I am proud of our citizens, and that gives me a new hope. I am excited to see what lays in store for our nation in the weeks and months to come. I am praying that the many people who are still doubtful will support our authorities and our nation and not bring it down. Like he said in his inauguration speech, what we need now are hope and virtue in order to move forward.

On a completely different and lighter note: Will was the only one in his Bible class tonight. The story being taught was Adam and Eve. When the teacher told him this, he promptly told her, "No, it's Wall-E and Eve." I thought we ought to send that one in to Disney/Pixar. What do you think?

You Can Quote Me on That

It's been a while since I've done something "fun" with my blog. So, I'm stealing something I saw on Facebook. Here's the scoop:

1. Pick 10 of your favorite movies.
2. Go to IMDb.com and find quotes for those movies. Post them.
3. Have friends try to guess which movies the quotes come from.
4. When someone gets it right, bold the quote and put the title of the movie.*

Have fun!

1. All my life, when I'm quite grown-up I will always remember my grandfather and how he smelled of...tobacco and peppermint. - Susan; The Parent Trap (Way to go, Melanie and Mom!)

2. When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong...You looked wonderful out there. - Jake Houseman, Dirty Dancing (Carrie scores one)

3. Our first television set. Dad just picked it up today. Do you have a television? - Lorraine, Back to the Future (One for Harmony, two for Mom)

4. Person 1: War, war, war; this war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so
bored I could scream. Besides...there isn't going to be any war.

Person 2: Not going to be any war? Why, honey, of course there's gonna be a war. - Scarlett and one of the Tarleton twins, Gone with the Wind (Mom gets a third point)

5. I don't know, but I think what I've got is something slightly resembling... GUMPTION! - Iris, The Holiday (Alright, Dad!!!)

6. Leslie and I have an amazing relationship and it's very physical, he still pushes all my buttons. People say 'oh but he's so much older than you' and you know what, I'm the one having to push him away. We have so much in common, we both love soup and snow peas, we love the outdoors, and talking and not talking. We could not talk or talk forever and still find things to not talk about. - Sherri Ann Cabot, Best in Show (Yea, Bethany!)

7. I put a bird in my hair. - Carrie, Sex and the City: The Movie (Good job, Kelly B!)

8. John, get ready to have some kids! - Mary, WALL-E (Carrie scores again!)

9. Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association? - Kevin, Home Alone (Two for Harmony, four for Mom!)

10. What's the décor? Early Mexican brothel? - Armande, Chocolat**

*If no one guesses the correct answer, I'll post them in a week. Have a great week!

**No one guessed #10, so I kept my promise and posted the answer on 1/20. This was fun; I'll have to do "fun" things with my blog more often. Thanks for playing!!

Trying Something New

We decided to convert Claire's crib to a toddler bed last night. Of course, she only slept in it for about an hour and when we went in to check on her she had fallen onto the pillows on the floor and woke up when we came in the room. Once she saw us, she wouldn't be consoled, so back to our bed she went. She did sleep in her bed for her nap this afternoon, though. She has weaseled her way into our bed for the past few weeks, making it increasingly hard for me to actually sleep and get up in the morning, as she likes to flop all over ME (meaning, not Scott). So, I was thinking maybe her own "big" bed would encourage her to actually sleep in it. We shall see! I'm sure it will be interesting.

Speaking of interesting, there hasn't really been any of that as of late. We are just taking life as it comes, living each day at a time. Work is slow right now, as it always is in January, but V-Day is just around the corner. Ugh. I don't want to even think about it! It hasn't quite hit Scott yet that he doesn't have to return to school this semester, as we're still in the break-time between semesters. I'm sure he'll feel more freedom in a couple of weeks when he realizes there is no homework to be done.

Will and Claire are still immensely enjoying all of their Christmas gifts. Their time is mostly occupied with playing or arguing over who gets to play with what. They did start back to Children's Day Out this week, and I have to say I'm sort of glad. I do love spending time with them, don't get me wrong, but our schedules work out a lot better when they are in "school."

I will leave you with a video Scott took of Claire (I think it was last week, or maybe the week before...I can't remember!). Will had a Frosty from Wendy's that he had forgotten about whilst trying to hide it from Claire. Well, she found it and dug in. It's pretty amusing and shows her personality quite well :)

Merry Christmas, A Little Late

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas this year! Ours was great; we had a quiet little family Christmas at home. Our kids were awesome and slept in til 9:30. After we opened presents we made Cracker Barrel pancakes (someone gave us a basket with the mix) and we enjoyed watching all the DVDs Will received for Christmas including WALL-E, Kung Fu Panda, and The Polar Express. I even got a nap! It was great!

Claire amid the mess!


Claire playing with her dollhouse


The mess in full view...Will and I are talking to my parents via Skype on the laptop.


Will and Claire playing with his new pirate ship in his room.

Will and Claire eating their pancake brunch while watching WALL-E.

We had "Christmas" with our families back on the weekend of the 12th & 13th when Scott had his graduation. It was nice to have everyone here then and get to visit. In the interim between our Christmases, we went to Lubbock to give presents to the kids at the Children's Home twice (we found a rouge present in Scott's office after returning from the first trip), hosted the LCU Praise Choir students for their Christmas Tour, and had a Christmas party for the Youth Group kids. Scott's 31st birthday was also last Monday; as his "present" to Scott, Will slept til 11:30 that morning!

Scott and Claire both have sore throats right now, but other than that, we are well. Since we were home for Christmas this year, I have been working at the shop as designer the past couple of days as our lead designer is on vacation. It's been really fun and I have done a lot of funeral work which I haven't been able to do yet. I have really enjoyed it.

I guess that's about it for now; Scott has to preach this weekend, so I'd better let him work on his sermon! If I don't post again in the next few days, I wish you all a happy New Year as well!

Commencement

Scott is the second person on the second row.

I think they are conferring the masters candidates' degrees upon them here.

Scott being hooded.

Receiving his "diploma" (an empty tube).

Afterward, at the reception, we met up with Scott's professor, Dr. Doug Foster.


The whole family

Will loved Scott's graduation cap and wanted to wear it all weekend. We let him wear it in Cracker Barrel and Target (without the tassel) and we got lots of comments on it :)

Congratulations, Scott. I am so very very proud of you. I love you!!

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas-time!

We had a busy but fun Saturday. In the morning, our friend Amber came to photograph us for our Christmas cards. She is a professional photographer that attends our church and if you live in or around Big Spring, you should check her out. She does amazing work. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:
If you are interested in seeing the rest of the pictures, you can follow this link: http://www.staceyphotography.com/prather/

That afternoon, I took Will to our local museum where Santa and Mrs. Claus just happened to be spending the afternoon (*wink, wink*). He had his picture taken with them, too, and we decorated gingerbread men cookies and looked around the exhibits at the museum. I then took him for a late lunch at his favorite place, of course--McDonald's. A grand time was had by all. We had a great "date." (The Santa picures won't be ready until Dec. 16th, so I will post it then).

Then that evening was the big Christmas parade. We ended up in the same spot as last year next to the same family. We had a good time chatting with them, waiting for the parade to begin. The kids soaked up the parade, crying, "LOOK!!!!" at every single thing that went by. We saw horses, monster trucks, motorcycles, classic cars, low riders, fire trucks, tiny cars, a boat, semis, and of course lots of people riding on the back of trailers. I think this year's parade was better that last year's. Some of the floats were really awesome.

The Steer mascot dressed as an elf led the parade.

Here comes the band!

I thought this guy was funny.

This one doesn't really need a caption...

Western Container's float (they make Coke product bottles--I think).

I guess this horse is a Clydesdale. It was enormous!


The boat full of cheerleaders.


That's the Grinch in jail! (Sheriff's Office float)

And last but not least, Santa and Mrs. Claus end the parade!

Since then, I have been trying to get my house decent for visitors. The first of the visitors come tomorrow; Scott's parents and grandmother. The first of his finals is tomorrow also and his second final will be Wednesday. Then we are home free! Graduation is this weekend and we are so excited. My parents will be meeting us in Abilene on Friday and then coming back to Big Spring with us for the rest of the weekend. I usually work on Mondays, but Scott needed extra time to himself to study and write today (he has a paper due tomorrow, too) so I stayed home today and it was probably a good thing because the house needs constant attention with my two running around taking apart everthing I've just done!

Claire is really starting to spout off the words now. She picks up a lot from her brother. You can really tell by the fact that she has started growling, much to my chagrin! Anywho, there's a little update on her.

As for Will, he just cracks us up all the time. Today he told Scott (albeit quoting from a movie), "Dad, sometimes I just think I'm a genius." Really?

Until next time (hopefully with graduation pictures!).

Aww, Nuts!

With Fall comes harvest. We've had a bit of a harvest of our own lately. We are the proud owners of three pecan trees, two in the front yard and one in the back. While our dogs regularly snack on the backyard pecans, our front yard is brimming full of ripe, ready to shell and eat nuts. And boy, are they tasty this year! We've spent a bit of time collecting them and have shelled quite a few.

I'm sorry I've been so lacsidasical in posting lately...I know I always say this, but we've really been quite busy. I was sick a couple of weeks ago and on top of that was my shop's open house and a meal the youth hosted for the senior adults all on the same weekend. Whew...I'm tired just writing that. Then of course, Scott promptly turned up sick, too. Thanksgiving was the next week and we enjoyed seeing my family and Scott's brother's family. We spent a little time relaxing and my mom and I went shopping on Black Friday. It was a good time. We returned on Sunday night and I have been trying to get my home decorated and in order in time for our families to arrive for Scott's graduation next week (whoot woo!).

Of course things aren't complete around here without a few glitches. Scott began itching all over his body severely last night and began to notice hives. He took some Benadryl and went to bed, but when he woke up this morning they were still there and now his upper lip is all swollen. Oh, and did I mention we're supposed to have our Christmas card pictures made on Saturday morning? I just have to laugh, you know?

I am just so excited that Christmas is almost here. I guess I am really in the Christmas spirit this year because I know my kids, especially Will, will really enjoy it this year. He is already amazed by every Christmas light display he sees, no matter how pitiful or extravagant, he yells, "LOOK!" It's quite cute. So, merry Christmas, even though it's still early! I will leave you with a few pictures of the Christmas decorations I have done and some others.

If y'all remember from last year, I'm a bit of a Christmas tree-aholic. I have them in almost every room. This year, however, I am lightening up a bit. Instead of a big tree in both my "formal" living room and the den/family room, I am just doing one in the formal living room. So, I have combined my ornaments for both those trees this year. I did this for the simple reason that I can sort-of cordon off this room from little hands. Claire is very interested in the tree and wants to pull all the ornaments off of it. And she's not that gentle about it. I did hang all my breakable ones up high, so I can at least rest a little knowing that she can't really break any of them :)

A mini tree on top of the desk in the family room. I put all my really "folk-sy" ones on it.

Just Will :)

Claire having fun with a piece of cardboard that came with a mixer I got.

Random...

Here is a shot of the back of Claire's head after a bath...it's pretty long when it's wet and you comb it out!

Will in the tub. I have some really cute ones of both of them, but alas, I can't put them on the Internet!

Will and I back at the farm...we took the youth group kids and Will last Saturday night. It was really cold, but we had a lot of fun. This time we did the corn maze, too.


On the cow train again :)

Not a whole lot has been happening around here as of late. Scott had two big papers due this week, so we're glad those are behind us. However, the semester is far from over! His graduation is set for Friday, December 12th. We are excited. He got his regalia the other day and it just felt even more real.

I started a new cross-stitch this week...I haven't done any since before Will was born...and I am feeling pretty old. I think I'm going to have to get one of those magnifying glasses that you rest on your chest in order to see where I'm stitching! If I finish it, it will be really pretty though, so I'm hoping I can stick with it to the end :)

Next week will be a busy one for us. Scott and the youth group and the elementary kids are doing a Thanksgiving meal for the senior adults of our congregation next Saturday. That same day, I am going to see Twilight the movie, with some friends from church who've also read the books. On Sunday, we will be having our big holiday open house at work from 1:00 to 4:30 (if you live in Big Spring, be sure to come by!). Of course, the week after that is Thanksgiving. We will be traveling to the New Braunfels area to spend the holiday with my family. My aunt and uncle have a new house and I'm excited to see it! It will be a nice chance to get away and spend time with those for which I'm thankful!

Kreativ Blogger Award

I am most honored to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award from my college friend, Kisti (sorry, Kisti, for some reason Blogger isn't letting me link to you--you can find Kisti's blog in my sidebar!). I am especially honored because I find Kisti highly creative, as she is talented in so many ways. To think that she finds me creative is a big compliment! In winning the award, my job is to list six of my favorite art forms. So without further ado...

1. Painting

2. Card-making/Scrapbooking

3. Floral design

4. Decorating/Interior design

5. Photography (although I'm not very good, it's fun to play)

6. Sewing (again, not very good at it, but willing to learn...I am lacking in the time department)

I don't have a lot of time for arts n' crafts, but I love to do them. Thankfully, I do get a lot of hands on experience with floral design and interior decorating with my job! The past week has been filled with decorating the shop for Christmas, one of my favorite things to do! I will also add a few pics of my most recent creations...

The diaper cake I made for my friend Abby's baby shower this past weekend.

The silk floral arrangement I made for the same shower.

Now I get to nominate people for the award! I nominate: Melanie H., Harmony, Emily S., Bethany, and Kelly W. (Sorry, still don't know why it won't let me link to you guys!)

Farm Fun with Nana

We were so excited to have my mom with us this weekend for trick-or-treating and other fun. We went to a farm a little ways outside of Midland that has a corn maze, hayride, pumpkin patch, cow train, and other fun stuff on Saturday night. It was a little cool, but we had a GREAT time. Will LOVED it! In fact, he said that over and over again. We will definitely be going back with Daddy in the near future in the daytime.

Nana and Will on the cow train, riding "Elsie." This was especially neat because my mom's dad worked for Borden's for a very long time, so Elsie is near and dear to our hearts!

Claire and I riding "Daisy." This was also funny because my favorite dog growing up was named Daisy! Claire didn't like the cow train as much as Will did...

Will, mesmerized on the hayride. We saw lots of pumpkins and several deer. It was really cool!

Me, Claire and Will on the hayride.


Posing with some pumpkins...Claire was ready to go home :)

Will doesn't usually pose for pictures this well, so you can really tell he was very excited and had had a great time by the permanent grin on his face!

Sister and brother posing together.

Will and I pushed our pumpkins to the car in the pumpkin barrow. Every family gets one pumpkin to take home, but since it was after Halloween, they said we could have two.

If anyone who reads this is in the Midland/Odessa area, you should go out to Fiddlesticks Farms. They will be open til November 29th. It is lots of fun for the whole family!