Merry Christmas!

Here are a few pics of the family on Christmas Eve. As our tradition, I make a nice dinner, and we open one present from Grandma Smith who always sends new PJ's. Thanks Grandma!!! Thanks to everyone who dropped off treats and sent gifts in the mail. We appreciate all and are so thankful for the support and love that has been shown this season. Merry Christmas to all!

The house from Heck!

Ok , so for most of you that know us well, you know that we have been traveling to a city 4 hours from our home every weekend for the last six weeks working to restore a rental that was trashed by tenants. We had to gut the entire house and start from scratch. We took 9000 pounds of garbage to the dumps and the house was nothing but sub floors and walls. Here are some recent pics of the house as of yesterday. Jeff took a week off of work and my dad steped in and stayed with Jeff to accomplish quite a bit this week. We still have yard work, a new roof and central air to replace as well as all the trim work and doors to hang. But hey, not bad for a couple of weekend rookies!!

Christmas tree adventure!

Hi everyone, so amid our busy schedule we have found time to create a somewhat normal holiday. I took some pics of our family shopping for just the right tree, and then bringing it home and decorating it. There was some Starbuck's cocoa and a few smiles, we also enjoyed some laughter and music. Enjoy the pics!

Dawn :)

Great gift Ideas

Hi everyone, well we had a busy Thanksgiving, as most of you know we are working in another city on a rental house, so we have been traveling over on the weekends and home Tuesday through Thursday. We had Thanksgiving here, and it was nice to be able to relax. Spencer went to Las Vegas with his Flitton side and enjoyed a family reunion. I came across an article with some unique gift ideas and thought I would share.

What's on Your Shopping List?

If your looking for great gift ideas...
THE GIFT OF LISTENING: but, you must really listen. NO interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response. Just Listen.
THE GIFT OF AFFECTION: Be generous with appropriate hugs, kisses, pats on the back and handholds. Let these small actions demonstrate the love you have for family and friends.
THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER: Clip cartoons. Share articles and funny stories. Your gift will say, :I love to laugh with you!"
THE GIFT OF A WRITTEN NOTE: It can be a simple thanks for the help note or a full sonnet. A brief, handwritten note may be remembered for a lifetime, and may even change a life.
THE GIFT OF A COMPLIMENT: a simple and sincere "you look great in red", "you did a super job" or "that was a wonderful meal" can make someone's day.
THE GIFT OF A FAVOR: Every day, go out of your way to do something
kind.
THE GIFT OF SOLITUDE: There are times when we want nothing more than to be left alone. Be sensitive to those times and give this gift to others.
THE GIFT OF A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION: The easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind work to someone. It's not that hard to smile and say , "hello" or "thank you"