Favorites of Christmas 2012

  This Christmas was full of firsts and lasts.  We always get excited about taking time off and "relaxing", but really we go from sun up to sun down. I'm usually exhausted when I get back home, and just have energy to put away my new toys and NOT enough energy for laundry. 

 You'll have to excuse Max, he was a camera hog this year. 

Jereb tree

 This was our first Christmas with Franklin.  Had to put the antlers on Franklin while Michael was gone.  Doesn't approve of dog clothes and doesn't even know about cat clothes...

 Barb and I shabbied up my tree topper snow flake. 

 After losing the most ever, the Jereb boys and I decided to retire our Christmas gambling habit.  Definitely a LAST.

Rutledge home with lights.  This was the last Christmas at my childhood home.  The parentals are moving closer to town.

Love my momma!

 FM 449 before

 FM 449 AFTER.  My first white Christmas ever.

 I like the way he smiles :)

 Camera hog.

Best mac n cheese. Lawdy.

 The Rutledge's own backyard winter wonderland.

 Hope the white Christmas was a first and never a last.

 Christmas card next year? :)

 Wish we could leave stockings out all year.

 More home pics.

For the wedding, we got a ton of vintage post cards of places we've gone.  I turned the one from Puerto Rico into a Christmas card. It read: Dear Mary, Don't you wish you were here? Love, Brother John.

Typical brother!

And last, a recipe for Red Velvet Peppermint Swirl Brownies from Southern Living. 

DEFINITELY not a last :)

Christmas Card 2012

Now that everyone has gotten our cards, includuing my friends in South America, I can post this.  Thanks to @erinweaver for such amazing pictures, not to mention organizing the whole trip.  Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and is blessed by our Price of Peace.


My sweet friend, Fernando, from Montevideo, Uruguay.  He got the card in 3 weeks via avion.

Anxiously Waiting for Christmas

So I was in the mood to blog, but don't have any recent pictures.  I found this on my beautiful cousin, Laura's blog, and was in love.  You can find her blog here: http://www.realhomeliving.com/

Listening... A Very Him and Her Christmas.  Obsessed with Zooey de Chanel.  Recently watched ELF and it reminded me how great a singer she was.

 

Watching... Grey's Anatomy, Glee, New Girl, and ALL ABC Family Christmas movies :)

Eating... Cookies and Cream Fudge from Southern Living Christmas Cookbook 2011

Drinking... Shiner Holiday, tastes like peaches and pecans!

 

Pining... Crazy wrapped presents.  Unlike last year, I'm doing each present different.  What's wrong with a little holiday mental pathology in the form of presents?

 

Traveling... I'm still thinking about my weekend in Dallas that I saw all of my out of town Friends.  Romisa at the Rockette's, Mallory, Trevor, Jennifer, and English.  Love those Dallas roadtrips. 

 

Christmas Kitty

Wearing... Lots of Juicy velour track suits and Uggs.  I look like a middle schooler in the 1990s. 

Needing... Some time off!  I have been feeling out of balance now that my caseload has picked up.  Maybe that's why I left the house once this weekend..?

Inspired...  So glad that Michael and I finally decided on a church to keep growing with. 

Feeling... Anxious and ready for this week to be over so we can have Christmas in the sticks (Longview :)

Enjoying... year 2 of married life.  Seems like some year 1 husband "training" and encouraging has paid off, for now :)

Fall is For Friends

Junking in Round Top

 

Texas Reds Festival 

 

 

 

Tailgating for the LSU game

 

 Weiner Fest 2012

First Thanksgiving at the Jereb's

Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving! So Thankful for you!

Los Cabos 2012

Vacation Part III

 

Okay, I PROMISE this is the last trip I will post!  We were so excited to go with Michael's company, Woodbolt, to Los Cabos, Mexico for their 10 year anniversary.  We've never been to the western coast of Mexico and let me tell you, it is WAY better that the East.  I started my new job the day after we got back, so it was amazing being able to refresh and rejuvinate before going back to work.  Next summer won't be as crazy since I will be working ALL summer :)

 

Where we stayed: Hilton Los Cabos Resort

 

What we did:

Los Cabos Sailing- http://www.cabosailing.com/our-boats

Dinner at Palmilla- http://palmilla.oneandonlyresorts.com/cuisine.aspx

 

Who went: the entire company and spouses

 

 

 



Heaven is for Real

 

 

Michael and I are in the process of choosing churches and I am trying to read the Bible through in one year.  (I have never done this yet but always wanted to).  However, I got to the book of Job and decided to take a break.  My friend, English recommended this book to me so I began it with a little skepticism.  I thought, "his dad's a preacher, of course he is going to know what heaven looks like."  But there was so much more to the story.

 

 

 

 

Colton Burpo has a near-death experience and leaves his body.  Being 4, he describes to his parents what he saw.  5 points prove to me that Heaven is for Real; that God touched this little boy.

 

 

 

 

1.  When Colton was about to die, his father became very upset with God and went into a closet in the hospital and broke down crying angrily.  After Colton recovered, he told his dad that he saw him in the closet and that Jesus was calming him down. He also knew what his mom was doing in another part of the hospital when he "ascended". 

 

2.  He pretty much summarizes the battle of Armagedon in Revelation, down to the dragon, even though his Sunday school had never covered Revelation. 

 

3.  He recognized a picture of his grandfather when he was 23, but not his grandmother at 23.  He had never met his grandfather, except in Heaven. 

 

4.  His mother miscarried a baby girl a few years before he was born.  Colton says he met her in heaven and she is older than him and he described her to his mom.  He cried because he missed her so much.  His parents never talked to him about her.

 

5.  This one was a big one for me: Colton described Jesus the same way another 5 year old girl, who had seen Jesus, also had described him.  She is now an amazing artist and drew this picture.  When given a choice of 5 Jesus pictures (some more conventional), Colton said that was the exact picture.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiane_Kramarik

 

 

 

Another personal proof I have that Heaven is for real is that when my dad was about 5 or 6, he was with his family camping.  He went for a walk in the woods and got totally lost from them.  Dad said it was almost dark and a man in white clothes who seemed to come out of nowhere told him to go that way.

 

Does anyone else have a story like this to share?