BIZARRE!

A few weeks ago, we got to start the holiday off before December even hit.  Surprised?  Yah right, lol!!!!

Because our pest control company, ACI Pest & Lawn Solutions, (little plug for my hunny :) is a member of the Kingsland Chamber of Commerce, we were able to participate in the Horseshoe Bay Holiday Business Bizarre.  TONS of businesses and vendors set up tables, showed product, gave out information and FOOD!!!!!!!!  FOOD EVERYWHERE!  Unbelievable give-a-ways, fabulous people, LOTs of freebies, wildly enjoyable entertainment;  oh, and did I mention... FOOD!

Funny thing, lots of health businesses showed up too, lol!  Perfect place to visit after eating the hot dogs, fudge, hot wings, FAJITAS, chocolate egg nog, sparkling punch, cookies, pumpkin cake, hot toddies, organic chocolate samplings, SMASHING mashed potato bar, crackers and brie, MORE chocolate..... shall I go on???

We had a SPLENDIFORUS time and can't wait to visit some of the restaurants and businesses featured there (hoping to blog them soon!).

The first thing we are greeted with.... PUMPKIN bread!

Incredibly sweet people, everywhere

Here you go!  This is the better choice!  :)

YUM!  I mean... UGH.... I mean.... YUM!!!

They did such a wonderful job!

I LOVED the costumes!!!!

MORE!

When we saw the give-a-way on the right, Andrew hollered out, "DUDE FOOD!"  LOL!  That's muh boy!

Making FRESH tortillas for the fajitas, dbl YUM!

Our precious JoAnn, sweetest sister-in-law, office manager extraordinaire, my Good Samaritan, conservator, deliverer, guardian angel, liberator, preserver,  rescuer... my hero!!!!

The newest addition to the garage family :)  We're hoping to get into the handy man side of things next year.

FAB place!  SOOOOO wanna blog it!  I'll have to check in with them after the holidays, way too busy now :(

More incredibly talented entertainment!

"A Taste of Thyme", to die for YUMMY!  Gorgeous cakes too!

SEE!  I totally wanna blog this spot :D

It got pretty cold, well.... cold for us TEXANS anyway :)  So thankful for the space heaters and the fire!

All in all, a highly enjoyable evening :)

Thanks was given, we are blessed!

We had a wonderful holiday! We got to visit my sister and hang out with her family :)  With enough food to kill an elephant, yet I survived, hmmm.  I did sorta work it off though.  I took my eldest daughter and niece out for BLACK FRIDAY! We actually started at 9pm at Toys R Us and ended, pooped out at the house at 6am! The girls said they wanted to experience what it was all about. They experienced it all right, lol!

We had AMAZING fun, even with the drizzle, then sleet, then more drizzle outside of Kohl's :D Found lots of great bargains and have quite a bit of shopping finished. I'm paying a small price, the snuffles and sniffles abound in my nasal cavity but a small price none-the-less.

Now on to plan the family vacation...... God has answered my prayer. Hannah and I (and the others too) have dreamed of heading to Maryland to visit my brother. Our kids haven't seen each other for 7yrs :( We didn't know how but knew God would bless us some way and answer this prayer. He has :) My hubby is willing to take 2wks off (second vacation since starting the pest biz almost 9yrs ago) and we are DRIVING to Maryland! We will see NY and hoping to see my other nieces in NJ, Aunt from Boston and cousin (with new ADORABLE baby Sam) in Rhode Island.

PRAISE and thanksgiving be to God, my heavenly Father who wants to give good gifts to His children :D

CBS: Letting your little light shine....

I have the joyous pleasure every Tuesday to participate in something so wonderful, so heart warming, so uplifting and so beautiful it makes my heart smile from here to Kalamazoo.  CBS.  No, NOT the tv station (heaven forbid, lol!), Community Bible Study.  I joined CBS almost 8yrs ago.  I started because my life was falling apart.  My dad had just died suddenly of a massive heart attack (2wks before they were going to be here for Christmas). We were trying to sell the house (9/11 had just happened), my husband was living an hour away (we only saw him one day a week) and I was raising 3 little kids (two babies) all by myself.  Life was a living hell.

I needed help.  I needed "Him", God, Jesus.  Him.  The only way I knew how to survive was to find Him.  The only way I knew how to find Him was to attend a Bible study.  There had to be answers there, right?  Right :D  Not only did I find Him, I found an unbelievable support group in women that loved the Lord and sought after Him with their whole hearts.  Women that went through even greater tragedy than I had but continued to serve Him with their entire being.  Woman who can cut a joke and roll on the floor laughing one minute and then turn around and speak immeasurable praises and thanksgiving to Him, praying for the deepest needs of loved ones, crying out to Him for each other.  This is where I was meant to be.  Always, every year.  This is where EVERYONE needs to be.

I joined the leadership part of CBS I guess about 6yrs ago.  This is my "core group".  And I have the best one ;) (insert inside joke here).  CBS runs during the school year and breaks when public schools break, all holidays and during summer.  Even though we "officially" take breaks, we still get to see each other in the summer with a luncheon once a month, we get to have a beautiful Christmas dinner with each other every year, and this year we even did something extra special.  We had a fall fellowship.  We made special designs in pumpkins, baked and decorated cookies and played games.

The goal of this was to celebrate friendship and God's changing of the season. Since my family doesn't set up for Halloween, I wasn't too certain if I wanted to carve anything and if I did, what in the world would I do, lol!  He reminded me that He is the light of the world and that others needed to know that.  I decided to google scriptures on "light".  When I read John 8:12, I knew what I would do.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,

“I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

These women are such a testimony to me.  They love with a love that is so deep and so real.  They love, sharing in each others joy or sadness, making it their own.  What a beautiful gift He gave me.  Not just in His word, but in His women.  I love you all from the deepest depths of my heart.  Thank you for all you have been for me over the years.  Thank you for being willing vessels and "letting your little lights shine"!

Even the dog had fun, lol!!!

Cookies.... YUM!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVED the collaborated efforts on this fairytale/cinderella pumpkin!  Sooooo cute!!!  She used an apple corer and melon baller to make the polka dots.

Unfortunately my design didn't hold up to the test of time.  It ended up full of toothpicks holding it together, lol!  I tried :(

What a cute idea!  Just carving a design on the outside layer.  I think this would have been a better idea for mine.

"Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin.

God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes

All the dirt off of you.

He opens you up, touches you deep inside.

He scoops out all of the yucky stuff, including

The seeds of doubt, hate, and greed.

Then He carves you a new smiling face and

Puts his light inside you

For all the world to see."

Marble Falls, Texas, Sweet Berry Farm; Stanley Family

Her smile lights up a room, his lights up hers.  They are a precious couple that have recently added a sweet little one to their family.  Some of you may remember the baby shoot that I had the EXTREME pleasure of doing just a few months ago.  Well, we decided to do some family shots this time and WHAT a BLAST we had :D

Big brother is adorable and HYSTERICALLY funny, little brother, is cute as a button and sooooo squishable.   Sunrise, the wildflowers at Sweet Berry Farm, and fall weather..... it was HEAVEN!


I LOVE capturing people in "natural" mode.  Being themselves, enjoying life, the essence of who they TRULY are.  I guess you could say I'm not your typical, studio-style, pose 'em and shoot 'em, kinda photographer.  THIS is my truest joy....