Saturday, January 23, 2010

I almost forgot Christmas!

So I was just looking through my posts and I realized I never said anything about our Christmas!
We had a great holiday, and it was a white one! It snowed December 18 and 19--about 13 inches! So there was still plenty of snow on the ground for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve we spent the day in the kitchen, making pumpkin bread, cookies for Santa, a tree cake, cheese ball, and pasta salad. Abby enjoyed helping her daddy and I. We went to the Christmas Eve service which was beautiful as always.

On Christmas morning we discovered Santa had come! He brought Abby a set of 6 Disney princess dolls, Cinderella's horse, and a pink scooter. Andrew got a block table, dump truck, and a cd player for his room. Of course, his favorite thing ended up being a tiny Thomas the train that was in his stocking!

After breakfast we were joined by Rick's family and we had a nice, big lunch followed by present-opening. Bad Santa made his annual stop and gave Rick a nice picture of our President which we still haven't found the perfect spot for!

After clean-up we headed to Emporia for supper and more presents at my grandparent's. The next morning we had the 4th round of presents at Mom and Dad's. Rick got a Wii which we have enjoyed. I can sometimes beat him at bowling!

I have a ton of pictures, which you can view at


Sunday, January 10, 2010

Steph's Favorite Books, Edition 2

Christian fiction books in the suspense category

1. Restoration series by Terri Blackstock
A family's journey during a world-wide power outage. They must rely on their faith and get back to the basics. 4 books...Last Light, Night Light, True Light, and Dawn's Light.

2. The Plaguemaker by Tim Downs
Terrorists hatch a plot to introduce quantities of Asian fleas into New York City. The fleas infect rats with bubonic plague. The requisite FBI agent, a tough-talking loner named Nathan Baldwin, gets wind of the plot, then finds an ally in a Christian Chinese named Li Ming, who leads Nathan toward Syrian culprits and a Japanese mastermind not unlike Dr. No. And, in fact, Downs brings to mind Ian Fleming's humor, if not also his sadism, resulting in a familiar but competent thriller. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

3. Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark
Miranda Miller wasn’t looking for the news the day the letter came. But, trying to survive in troubled circumstances, she welcomes the chance to change her location for a period of time. The letter informs her that her grandparents’ estate is finally about to become hers. She immediately heads down to Louisiana and the old house by the bayou. There Miranda finds secrets that lead to life–changing revelations.

4. Cape Refuge series by Terri Blackstock
A small, peaceful community is rocked by murders. 4 books...Cape Refugee, Southern Storm, River's Edge, and Breakers Reef.

5. Time Lottery by Nancy Moser
A Christy Award novel! Three winners of a special lottery are granted a chance to go back in time and relive one decisive moment. Given this ultimate opportunity to change their personal history and restart their lives from a point in the past, will they choose to do it all over again?

6. Deadlock by James Scott Bell
A Supreme Court justice who is well-known for her atheistic stance on the issues has a near-death experience which change her belief system.

7. Presumed Guilty by James Scott Bell
A popular pastor is accused of the murder of an x-rated actress.

Charlotte

I have mentioned little Charlotte Reynolds and her family on this blog before. Charlotte passed away Thursday, January 7th after being in a coma for several days. I'd like to ask you to continue praying for her parents, Roger and Rachel, her extended family, and friends.
We have been praying for Charlotte as a family, and Abby knew she was very sick. I hadn't mentioned anything about her lately because I knew she was going to die and wasn't sure what to say about it to Abby. Of course, the day it happened she asked Rick if she could pray for Charlotte and he told her she had passed away. The next evening I asked her if she knew about Charlotte and she answered, "Daddy said she died". We were quiet for a few minutes then she said, "Mom, did you know Hippy's friend Henry died? Charlotte can sleep with him in Heaven."