Our White Christmas

We always celebrate Christmas with my grandparents as they live next door. It really makes our Christmas...plus they are super funny. Walker got to have his first Christmas morning at the Funny Farm. He did a good job in practicing patience during the present opening. Thanks to the Sudans, we go around the room and open gift by gift by gift so everyone can see what each other got. We got done around 2pm. I think Walker took a nap during the middle of it. We appreciate Amy and this idea!

(it really does make it fun, i like seeing people open what we got them)

The Ducks.
Popa is not a patient person but he did a really good job of faking it since he knows that most of his gifts involve cash.

We had to hide Paul's gift in the garage as it was too big to wrap. Part of the present was for Kelly to help install it which he did right after giving it to him. It makes the mule look super cool now.

Rocky must have been a good dog this year!

We came home later Christmas night to our white Christmas! Walker found a good ice patch by the fountain to slip around on.

He got out his skate board to skate on the ice....what? I am a fun step-parent!

This was my note that I left for Santa. I signed it from the group so it made me feel better. Last year, I was told I was too old to write Santa a note and didn't do it. I woke up to find an angry Santa note. This year I made sure to write one!

This was Santa's response this year. I blame my brother!

A MeRrY Marable Christmas

We had an extra long Merry Marable Christmas this year.  Most of us arrived on the 22nd to  get ahead start in celebrating. Bebe and PawPaw came up with the idea to start a tacky sweater party. It was so cute! PawPaw was voted the winner by all the grandkids. Way to go!

Bebe let Blake borrow her "Cousin Eddie dickie". It just made Blake's outfit. Amy's sweater was actually cute and not tacky! Bebe's chose the layered look and it wasn't all that tacky but cute.

All the grandkids sang carols for us. Hudson - after being bribed by Walker - even did his solo "Happy Birthday Jesus" for us. 

All the kids loved having Walker there. He was definitely the cool cousin!

Kelly and I gave Jon an autographed Uncle Si tea cup. He LOVED it!!!

The little ladies love Uncle John!

Our Thomas was a wise man during the candlelight service. He did such a good job....just look how well he is paying attention. Ha!

Paw Paw and his girls

Following church, we went to the Marable Grandparents to celebrate Christmas. We passed out some gifts, played white elephant for the adults and sang carols. 

Even Bill Bradley got festive in Bebe's hat. If only America truly knew how funny he was!

We played and had so much fun that the time just flew. Next thing we knew, the Cox gang and Marables were packing up to leave us to go to other Christmas parties. Always sad when the Funny Farm is quiet but it never stays that way for long....

Deck the Halls

I am celebrating this holiday season a little under the weather. So to amuse myself, I thought I would give you a tour of my house. We had high hopes of having people over but this sinus infection has wiped me out...so I bring my house to you! This is just a few of my decorations. I didn't take any pictures of upstairs but I did decorate it!

I love my mistletoe!

My dad bought this for me in Germany. He gave it to me on our last Christmas together so it holds a very special place in my heart.

My 9 foot slim line tree. It came "frosted" and I love it! My rotunda is so big that it makes my tree look dinky but I promise it isn't! It also rotates so we can see all the ornaments.

I have 3 manger scenes. This one is my collection from Kelly. It is jeweled and fabulous!

This manger scene was given to me piece by piece from my dad's parents. I just love it and look forward to displaying it every year!

This is the front of my fireplace. Ballard Design has the cutest stockings and stocking holders!

This is the back of my fireplace and faces the dining room. It has Kelly and my childhood stockings.

I started a collection of hunting ornaments for Kelly.
Aren't they cute!?!

This is a new (but very old) piece of furniture that we just got in time for Christmas. The ball thing on the right is a rosary that we got on our engagement trip to Mexico...I just love Mary!

This is how we decorated above our front door. You can't tell with the glare, but the gold piece in the middle is Santa writing on a list. The gold glowing is coming from our lit pine cones. 

Kelly and I made these gold candles thanks to an idea from Pintrest. It took awhile but looks great. 

And last but not least, every house needs to have a Rudolph!

Hopefully, I will get better soon so that people can actually look at all our Christmas treasures themselves!
Ho Ho Ho!

NASCAR

Kelly and I were fortunate to once again go to Nascar as guests of sponsors. We were so excited since our Red Bull friends no longer are major sponsors. Thanks to Rose and Chevy, we were back in the game!



Kelly with some of the men of Duck Dynasty:
 John Luke and Uncle Si
Si even had his tea cup with him as well as a jug of tea behind him! Miss Kay and Godwin were there too. This was the highlight of our day!



We got to test drive all of Chevy's cars. Kelly LOVED this corvette...maybe one day!

We toured pit row.

Rhi and Rose. Doesn't Rose look good driving a truck?

Getting ready to pick up our Nascar driver on the track. Let me tell you this is a steep track! We kept sliding in our seats as we waited.



Dale, Jr was in the truck in front of us. We stared at his tush the whole time....well, Kelly didn't.

Lots of Aggies on the track!



We drove Kevin Harvick in our truck.

Too bad he didn't win the race!

I was so excited to see Emily Maynard's "father-in-law" Mr. Hendrick at the race! Most race fans would die if they knew that is why I was excited to see him. Here he is talking to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Fun with Guns

If you call buying and shooting guns a hobby, then Kelly, my parents and I have found us a new hobby! I personally now own 2 hand guns and Kelly owns a lot more than that! My parents both have their CHL and we are waiting on ours to come in the mail. We don't know what has come over us but we are sure having fun....and being safe while doing it!

We are even making our own targets...

Kelly got a new gun and wanted to kill something so bad...this was all he found! It made us laugh because it reminded of us Duck Dynasty and their love for frog legs. We did not let this go to waste! Kelly cleaned Kermit and my grandma fried them up for my grandpa. You just never know what will happen - or what you will eat - on the funny farm!



I had to kiss many frogs to find my prince charming!

Paw Paw challenged us to try and shoot the "target" from the deck. Bebe gave it a whirl.



Paw Paw thought this was really fun. After we were done shooting, he drove down to see if we hit the target and.....
we all missed! Better get to practicing!

My Jesus Year

 

To get my 33rd started right,  Kelly took me on a day full of surprises. We went to places that I have been wanting to go but we just never got around to it. Hello adventure!


Neighborhood Services does everything Texas size!



Finally, we got to go here. I have been wanting to go for so long! Kind of morbid (my aunt thought this was a little weird to go to for a birthday) but I don't care. It was so interesting and definitely got us thinking.....

I have been begging to do a murder mystery dinner ever since I saw it on Gene Simmons Family Jewels....it looked so fun! So Kelly did just that for my birthday.  My parents even joined the fun. You would think that the 4 of us would be able to figure out "who done it" but no. So embarrassing!



One of the cast members got a little too friendly with Paw Paw. She even sat on his lap!

The highlight was celebrating Blake and Amy's 30th birthday along with finding out if they are having a girl or boy. We are so exiting to welcome baby boy Marable in 2013!!!

Last but not least, we went to the Funny Farm to celebrate my birthday with my grandparents. Instead of having my grandma cook my favorite meal, we had an early Thanksgiving. It was so fun to celebrate it this way!