Here's Debra

Dog Sitting

2011-07-31T10:22:00.004-05:00

My son Robbie and his girlfriend Keslyn took off to visit Keslyn's brother in St.Louis on Friday.

Robbie asked if we would keep Thomas while they were away. Thomas in the past has had quite a bit of spunk and exitability. However we have found him to be more subdued than we have ever seen him.

Except when he bumped this ball we have for the grandchildren. It moved and it was on. I have two videos neither are great but it gives you and idea.

We have enjoyed having a dog in the house again but I don't want another dog after losing Bella to kidney failure, it's just to heartbreaking.

The kids come back this evening and Thomas will go home. Things will be back to normal.

Doodles

2011-07-31T09:16:00.007-05:00

Since I failed to load my doodle pictures before writing this post they are loaded above what I have written to go along with them. Hope this comes out alright in the end. Going forward I am going to use a photo shop program to write and design my post then load it.

Ok I doodle while I'm reading blogs or waiting for something to load on my computer, even while watching tv. I'm no artist but it seems like something my family has always done. I remember finding doodle on the corners of newspapers, junk mail envelopes. We just grab an empty space on paper and go to work. The doodling sometimes even contains scribbles. So I guess I scribble and doodle.

My kids have said they found some of my stuff a bit scary, frightning, or upseting.

I explained to them it's just things I'm randomly doing. Scary stuff may come after watching horror movies or talking to some of my friends with a darker personality.Different things inspire my doodles and scribbles. I do a lot of Jesus, and scripture, crosses, that sort of things. When the grandbabies were born it was room designs and decor, like bunnies, birds, lettering, initials mostly. Sometimes something someone else has done I come home and think bet I could do that, and I do, in my own version of course.

Some of my best doodles are usually over another doodle that started ok but then did not come out in the end. Stuff in the doodle were to disproportionate, uneven, just not to my liking. Then I start another on or near it. Taking off from a line or movement on the paper I'm making. Sometime just a distraction will evolve in a change in a doodle to something entirely different and most times better. In this post are some of my more recent doodles, of which Stacy said she would like to have my tree of life doodle framed. She liked it. I'm thinking of taking it to the photo shop and blowing it up and framing it for her. .

Jan 5 2011

2011-01-05T21:27:00.003-06:00

Took home some pizzas, plenty of soda and chips and dip. Ready for football. What a night! Torture pure torture. Our team the Razorbacks of Arkansas at the Sugar Bowl played a hard game. A month off before a game is the most obvious reason for us to have been off our game so badly. We fell behind in the first half and came so close to winning the game in the end, but as luck would have it it was not to be our night for our Hogs. No disappointment filled the hearts of most Razorback fans. Oh it was fun. Getting ready for the big bowl game, the hype the excitement. hearing their name on the big sports shows. We love our Razorbacks win or lose. Just wish those young men could have won their game, they deserve it for this season of hard work of the football field.
This week we had a phenomenon. Black birds fell from the sky new years night. Scaring most residents around the event. No disease only the possibility of them being frightened by the loud explosions of the fireworks for new years eve.
The birds were found to have hemorrhaged. So since they were flying at night they may have flown into each other or trees or houses or other obstacles they can't see in the night causing them grave damage and the died.
Not only did this happen in Beebe, Arkansas, but also in Louisiana. Here's where we connect the Razorbacks and the birds. I say there was an obvious omen foretelling of our loss at the Sugar Bowl, that omen.... the dead black birds.
Now what made me tell my bird tale I just finished watching a documentary called "The Parrots of Telegraph Hill". A story of Mark who spent years living in a small cottage in Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, California. The story was so adorable and interesting, loving and sad. Mark wrote a book of the same name and I will probably purchase the book as I fell in love with the little birds seeing them interact with Mark. So maybe this is the year of the bird. I think I'll keep my eyes on what's going on in the bird world. It might be a view into the future. DO DO DO DO~~~~well my last name is Byrd and well it is pronounce bird so I think it's a cool idea.

Back to work in 2011

2011-01-03T22:45:00.002-06:00

Monday and back to the old grindstone. I like what I do. I've worked for Wal-Mart for 11 years now. The store has changed tremendously this last year. Many people could not make it through the changes. My position of the last 7 years was absorbed into another area. Fortunately for me an opening due to an advancement of our claims supervisor to management allowed me to move to that position. I've always been out with the public so this job has been a big adjustment for me, and still so much to learn. I work with some great ladies though and they have been a great source of knowledge for me.
Today we processed the fireworks and New Years party hats back to our supplier. We sell a moderate amount of these party poppers type fireworks.
Hope everyones New Year was happy and safe. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Cincinnati, Arkansas who lost their friends, loved ones and homes.
At home we watched New Year Rockin Eve with Dick Clark and Ryan Secrest. Nodded off a couple times, then missed the ball drop cause I changed channel and was watching the west coast show for a minute. Hubby and I opened the bottle of Cold Duck and toasted the new year. The neighbor had some big fireworks he set off and I had my little poppers. Bella our dog was very upset about the noise she got scared and hid down the hall.
We're happy to be safe and have another year to be here.
We watched the Rose Parade on New Years day and I fixed hog jowl, pork chops, greens, saurkraut, black eyed peas, cornbread, and corn on the cob. MMMMMMMMM good! We stuffed ourselves and then watched the ball games.
Robbie came over in the afternoon for a visit and some grub. We had a good day.
Love to all God bless!

Day 2 2011

2011-01-02T20:14:00.002-06:00

2011

This year may be the year I learn how to truly create the posts for this blog. Always before I had to load my photos then write around them. Sometimes if I had many photos they would stretch out and there would be huge gaps between them. Many times I lost the post all together because of the length of time it took me to retrieve the photos and gather them back together.
Then there was the fonts and graphics I wanted to use. Not possible with the options available on blog. I tried importing from other places. No success. I know it's possible I see it on other people's posts. Maybe it's that I don't have a blog page that's been created by someone who knows how to set them up.
So I'm sorry if my blog has been rather plain and simple, not as polished and professional, entertaining, or amusing as others. What it does do is deliver a message, tell a story, or bless all of you which is my goal.

Surgery Scare

2010-11-19T23:41:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, one hour before the Razorback football game started, I became stricken with such pain in my abdomin area. After a visit to the first aid station where the paramedics diagnosed it might be appendicitis.
At the hospital I gave all the facts of how bad my pain was. Where it was. I must have described it a million times. Four days of pain and very little to eat and nothing for the pain, because of the tests I had to do in order to determine the cause. End of day Tuesday the pain had lessened significant enough to release me, (still with no diagnosis of the cause) but happy to be going home.
At home I stayed home on Wednesday to get adjusted to being able to get up and move around. Occasionally doing some insignificant cleaning up, (paperwork that got out of hand). It seemed as though I was going to be able to make it. Back to work on Thursday and it went very well. I've been to work Thursday and Friday.

A Wedding to Remember

2010-07-18T15:04:00.009-05:00

It was a beautiful sunny day in June. We made a left off the main road and down the country path and one lane bridge to St. Catherine's chapel in the meadow.

This chapel is so quaint and beautiful. With the ivy covered rock walls and tall narrow walls and pretty stained glass windows.

The bride and her father rolled up in this old antique car.

Paul, Kendra's father walked the bride up to the

chapel and the waiting pastor, bridal party and guests.

You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful morning. The wedding started at ten o'clock.

The sun was shining brightly, and the wind was calm.

The wedding was so pretty and they were so lovely and romantic in front of the church.

My lovely daughter the brides maid of honor.

Reception held at Matt's mother's home, using the garage and tenting the driveway, and using large fans to move the air around it was cute and fun. Here they are with their first dance together as man and wife.

Father and daughter dance. This had me in tears. Kendra is very much a daddy's girl and Paul loves Kendra and has so much pride for her.

It was so precious.

Some of the family and friends.

Crawfish was delicious, this was so neat not the normal wedding menu.

Kendra threw the bouquet, and look at those girls taking off to catch it. Notice Stacy's already a step ahead of them all with arms a flailing. One of Kendra's cousins caught it.

Robbie

2010-07-10T22:21:00.007-05:00

One thing Izzy has is uncles. She has a lot on the Rodriquez side, on her momma's however
she has her one very special uncle Robbie who thinks these kids rock the world.

It's the sweetest thing in the world seeing him holding and playing with them.

YEAH!! Touchdown

Practicing crawling with Robbie

Robbie has become a wonderful uncle. He loves his nieces. Robbie has always been good with kids.

With everyone really. He's a kind and respectful young man, and I am so proud to be his momma.

Loving my little ones

2010-07-10T21:39:00.005-05:00

Sierra loves trying new foods. This photo is from a couple months ago. She loved learning
how to eat solid food, if you can call baby food solid. She loves sweet potatoes and carrots.
Not to sure which of them she was having here but she loved them. As her face shows. She
does much better now.

Izabbella is moving around quite a bit now. She can start on baby food next month.
Her momma is excited about it. She'll probably be turning over by next month. She
has such an expressive face.

This little toot is into everything. Sierra has learned to crawl and she is everywhere.
It is so exciting that she can crawl now and she follows us all over. She's curious
about whatever we do.

As you can see from this photo our little darling likes to try new things like drinking
from a cup. She wallows it around, puts her tongue in the cup and tips it up and back.
This doesn't have anything to drink in it but she hasn't quite fiqured that part out yet.

Little Izzy is amused by seeing the toys on her bouncy seat. She leans forward and
reaches for the them. They really motivate her to reach for things and challenge her
senses.

Granny cannot help but be in love with these girls. They are learning so much so quickly. The girls have told me that they'll be forgotten about now since the babies are here. My family is growing and

so has my love. My heart feels ten times larger now. It's hard to put into words the joy I've had since their arrival. Till next time Debra

Valentines Cards,Birthdays, and a Baby Shower

2010-01-29T00:28:00.004-06:00

Aaaah! Love is in the air. Yes it's Valentines Day coming up again. I love it. My love and I have been together for over 25 years now and are still very much in love. We always do something special together to celebrate Valentines Day. I heard of a special dinner going on for couples at a local resturaunt MEZA LUNA. I plan to look into it it may just be our something special we do this year. More about this in later posts.

Above the picture is of some Valentines cards I purchased to send out to some very special people who I love, and want to acknowledge how special they have been in my families life. We love them. I did not however purchase enough of these so I was attempting to make some of my own. This picture of some hearts and things came out pretty cute. I especially love the 2 hearts ones, they look much better than the photo. Again a work in progress, I have a few days.

Birthdays well this year we won't be celebrating a birthday that we have done for years. Tonight when I came home from the Razorback ball game my daughter Stacy told me Tony's aunt Cora passed away. Joyce her daughter called to let us know. Sadly we will miss her. She was a beautiful spunky woman. Loved people and was straight forward with everyone she met. She will be missed.

February is a month of many birthdays for our family Tonys Grandma Daisy has a birthday. His dad Harold , and his twin brother Jarold, a cousin Coleman have birthdays in February. Our daughter Denise celebrates her birthday in February. We'll be a little busy the next few weeks with all these birthdays to celebrate.

Then it's on to the baby shower!

Yea!! Denise's baby shower, February 23, we're having it at the Jones Center which is a wonderful family center created by Harvey and Berniece Jones, he was a huge trucking magnet from Arkansas. He and his wife created a trust that funds the center so all the events to families are free.

This is a look at the shower invitations she picked out. We are getting together on Saturday to work on them and hope to have them done and sent out soon so people have time to plan and prepare to be there. We want all her family and friends to be there.

Life is full and I love every bit of it.

Thanks for stopping in. Remember God loves you and he is with us always. God bless you and the loved ones in your life. Debra

Sale!!!

2010-01-18T23:44:00.003-06:00

It's a sale at Hancocks fabric in Fayetteville they are having a sale with 40 to 50% off lots of fabric. I picked up some fleece on sale for baby stuff.
I could have spent a mint in that store but I took Bella with me so I had to get back to the car.
It was a lot of fun.

Slippers

2010-01-18T23:40:00.003-06:00

I found a pattern and learned how to make

these cute little slippers for the babies.

They are so easy! It took me longer to cut

them out than to sew them.

A Day with Family

2010-01-18T22:57:00.010-06:00

The Byrd men all together. Oh and it was Tim's 51st birthday also. Happy Birthday Tim!!

Here's my nephew Brian with Sierra. It was so good to see him and his lovely family. Just a year ago October we were in Seattle watching him and Heather wed. Now they're back with their addition to the family. Little Gabrielle. She's beautiful. I never did get a photo of all three of them together.

Grandma, grandpa and baby Gabrielle

Here's Heather and Gabrielle as they took a minute
to pose for my picture.

Give out. Poor little darling it was all just to much
for her it was nap time. Don't you just wish you
could do that sometimes.

Here's daddy Brian and his little girl, mmmm! those
hands are delicious.

Grandma's with their first grandbabies.

Our little darlings, new cousins meeting

There was so much going on the girls kept

looking everywhere.

Terry with Nathan's son, what a darling little boy.

Getting ready for our visit

Granny's think all pictures of their grandbabies

are beautiful

A little nap before we go

Grandpa had his nap to.

Our sweet family from Washington came home this week. On Sunday we got together with nephew Brian and his wife Heather and their sweet baby Gabrielle. Lots of Brian's friends were

there and it was our first chance to see Gabrielle. So adorable. The photos are a few taken at the

get together. It was held at some of Brian's very good friends, who's home was lovely and we so thank them for having us. So there we are it was a fun afternoon. Sorry some of my pics are out of order. This blog thing loads them backward but oh well. Had fun loved seeing the kids.

Love to all Debra

Days Off

2010-01-05T08:54:00.003-06:00

Vacation this week. Needed, necessary, wanted. The rush of the holidays sometimes outways the spirit of it. Working in retail my days are filled with hurried shoppers trying to purchase those gifts their family want. Which at times means gifts that you have run out of even if temporarily. You have to be on top of your game knowledgeable as to when replenishment will be in, or able to substitute with that equally suitable item. It's over now though and it seems most folks got their Christmas wishes. At our house we somehow seemed to have an abundance this year. Not a lot of money was spent but thoughtful, gifts were given. My purchases were made with need and usefullness in mind.

This week its all about family and taking care of myself. Dentist appointment today. Need a couple of crowns, for my deminishing oral health. I brush and floss but still somehow my teeth have not held up. One crown is to replace a poorly made one I had done at 18. The dentist was creative and used my crown as an artist canvas. He swooshed one color here, another there. Let alone I drink a lot of caffiene products. Coke and coffee, sorry I love it, it doesn't love my teeth so my teeth are stained and this old crown looks out of place so I'm going for a more equalized look.

I won't stop drinking these products so reality have the crown replaced and make it a more suitable color. Update you in a couple weeks when the work should be all done.

My son and I are planning a trip to Tulsa, OK, for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. He was in OK city this weekend and had dinner with an old friend at the resturaunt there, said it was wonderful, and wanted to take me to eat there. I enjoy going over to Tulsa always find lots to do when I go. The shops we don't have here anymore are still open in Tulsa.

I love driving down the streets where the old oil money is so prominant. Beautiful houses side by side for miles in all directions not far from downtown. Just a reminder that we were once a very prominant oil producing country. It is hard to believe we don't still have the available wealth of oil right here in the US. I guess I don't know enough about economics to see how it is unfeasible to produce oil out of the ground here in the US, rather than to purchase it from overseas and ship it to us, endangering our ecological system when tankers sink or crash into something.

It says in the bible the seas will turn black, what other answer could this be but the tragedy of oil being poured into our seas and oceans. Ah well it is written and the days will come, I want to be ready, God's will my family and I will be.

My hopes this year, to do as God has told us to pay off my debts and to not owe anyone, to be self sustaining, and a voice for God's word, spreading his word to others so they may have the glory of our lord.

This family has been blessed with the gift of life, Sierra is truly a little blessing and a reminder to follow God's word, and soon another blessing with the arrival of Denise's child in April. We are truly excited for the new shape of our family, this growth is a blessing from him to us as our house grows. We are truly blessed by him, our father, praise God!!

God Bless you and your families! May you take the time to take care of yourself so you can carry on your life with God. My love to all of you who read this blog, I pray God's glory will fill your life as it has done ours. Love Debra

White Christmas

2009-12-27T21:38:00.006-06:00

This year I wanted a simple open look on the French Doors in the dining room.
So going through my stuff I had these vintage look Christmas cards, I punched a small hole in the corner of each and tied them with some colorful Christmas ribbon to a piece of ribbon I tied over the door. It came out simple and sweet.

This little Santa card holder has been a part of our Christmas for quite a few years now. I didn't even get Randy reindeer out of the attic this year. Next year I'll use him instead. I love all the family cards. The photos of our loved ones made into a card is such a nice way to send a Christmas greeting.

As I said in an earlier post I was going to show you the gifts under the tree, by the door, in front of the TV, over to the fireplace. I'm not sure what happened but we gave each other a lot of stuff this year. Of course little Sierra got most of the gifts under the tree.

This is the shot of the fireplace before the stockings were hung and the trees from Walgreens were added. I love the angel that
were my mother in law Connie's she made
them in a class she took while living in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Here's a picture of the tree without all the gifts
under it. Looks prettier with the lights on.

Here are the Christmas stockings and I added the
wreath with the candlesticks in front. Found these simple candle stands at the flea market around the corner from my house. Wrapped the sticks with some poinsetta florals and beautiful.

Santa and Mrs. Claus and the madonna Mary
on the piano.

Some festive Christmas ornamentations of the season. I never got the punch bowl filled with the Christmas bulbs I wanted to do. Oh well maybe next year.

Wore out. We completely exhausted this child, with all the gifts and all the family holding her, the pictures we took of her with her little Christmas dress. Sweet dreams little angel.

Poinsetta's in a pitcher with a colorful green checkered bow, and holly berries made a bright lovely centerpiece on the bar.

Here they are the little wire trees I found at Walgreens for just $.99.

Bella seems troubled by all the gifts.

In the corner of the dining room, Mr and Mrs Snowman. The little ceramic tree that lights up, brightens up this part of the room.

Santa was just hanging out on this two story basket with boys, add the Byrd stocking and now that says Christmas.

Santa hanging out on top of the clock keeping an eye on what time it is.

Notice the little green Christmas trees on the buffet table, I made them myself and was very happy with how they turned out.

Oops loaded this one twice. Hi guys!

The sign says it all. We had a happy Christmas and we are headed for a Happy New Year!!

To you and your families have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your year be filled with love, joy, and peace.

Christmas again

2009-12-23T23:37:00.005-06:00

Our little Christmas angel.

Santa and Mrs. Claus hold a prominent place on the piano a centerpiece of the living room.

The tree the centerpiece of Christmas. We kept it simple and elegant with gold and red bulbs and silver beads. Turned out very beautiful but my photo doesn't do it justice I'm afraid. I'll post some later when I get the presents laid out underneath it.

A simple fireplace mantel this year also. Tony's moms angel on each side holding the candles, the lighted garland with poinsetta accent on each edge. I have added some adorable wire Christmas trees I found at Walgreens it added that little something extra. I'll post another photo later.

Of course one of the sweetest additions to this years Christmas is my precious grandbaby Sierra Gwynn.

To you and yours a very Merry Christmas, may god bless and love be all around you this Christmas.

Remembering

2009-12-23T23:17:00.003-06:00

One year ago today I came home to find our sweet boy Joxer stumbling unable to stand.

We rushed him to the animal emergency hospital where we got the terrible news. Our ten year old boy had cancer. He had internal bleeding and probably would not make it through the night.

It was no time for selfishness, we made the decision the doctor administered the medication that relieved him of his pain. He licked my hand and face then he was gone. He knew and he was telling me he loved me and goodbye.

He was a fuzzy brother.

Dad's pal around the house.

His boys bestest ever friend. Dearly missed.

In loving memory of our lifetime friend.

You are truly missed.

In Honor Of

2009-12-21T22:15:00.004-06:00

Hey, hi everyone! My name is Bella. This summer Debra and Tony adopted me into my wonderful family. I was a shelter dog, I was found roaming the streets and luckily I was picked up by the Fayetteville Animal Shelter and taken care of until my mom and dad adopted me.

Last December 23rd my mom and dad lost their dog Joxer to cancer. He was 10 years old. My mom asks that this Christmas in honor of a loved one in your family like me. Your furry little family member that loves you unconditionally and forgives you everything. Well she asks if you might give to the Shelter or Animal Rescue facility in your community. These guys need a good Christmas meal to. Pick up a small bag of dog or cat food. Or donate towels or blankets used to clean the animals and make beds for them to rest on until they get their new homes instead of cold concrete floors. Your donation will mean so much to those who only live to love.
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Growing

2009-12-10T21:53:00.004-06:00

I suppose all babies have expressive eyes and
Sierra is no exception. You can see her absorbing
everything she sees. She watches her mothers
every move and responds to her voice.
I told Stacy they were in love. It's so amazing
to see your child become a mother. I am so
proud of how good she is with Sierra. Stacy is
so attentive to Sierra's needs and its wonderful
to be a part of these two and their life. I am
blessed.

Stacy loves having her picture taken with Sierra,
and taking pictures of her as well. This outfit was
a gift from uncle Robbie, Stacy loves it, he got cute
little boots to go with it, all from Baby Gap. So cute!

We can sit and watch Sierra sleep for hours.

She is so pretty. Grandma proud!

I love her little plump cheeks, soo kissable.

Babies yawning is one of the most adorable

things in the world.

There's uncle Robbie. That's one proud uncle. He

is just mesmerized by his neice. I love my son! My family is starting to grow and it is amazing.

Denise is expecting her baby in April and I can't

wait. The only thing I find is there is never enough time. I love every minute being with them, family has always been the most important

thing in my life after my lord. I know he has made this wonderful family possible. He has truly

blessed me with joy. Thank you lord, praise God!

May you all be blessed this holiday season!

Debra

Halloween Darling

2009-12-05T20:25:00.006-06:00

Stacy wanted to get Sierra a Halloween costume. However she is so little, I mean she's only a week old and it seemed to much to put her in a costume so she saw this cute onsie, and the
socks. She had some tights but they were so big Sierra couldn't wear them.

See her one eyed look seems to be her persona. She uses it alot on us.

We thought she looks adorable even though it may not seem
so to everyone else. Of course it was hard to get a picture of
her when she only wants to sleep all day.

Chilling, and just hanging out for the day.
No candy for this little trick or treater.

2009-12-05T20:11:00.001-06:00

More Grandbaby

2009-12-05T19:16:00.003-06:00

Oooooo! I love her sooooooooo much. Sorry I'm really proud and in love with her!

What a set of cheeks! She has a dimple in her chin and dimples in her cheeks when she smiles. Her lips are so adorable when they do that little pucker lips that
baby's do.

Sierra is so strong she tries to hold her head up all the time, and kicks like she wants to crawl already. It blows our mind how she is doing things so fast it seems.

My Grandbaby Sierra

2009-12-05T18:32:00.003-06:00

If someone had told me being a grandma was fantastic, I'm not sure how I would have responded.

Now however I am a grandma and it's one of the most fantastic things I've ever known.

Sierra was born on October 23rd.

She had a head full of black hair and it is growing longer every day. She was beautiful. She

had such an attitude look on her face the very first picture we ever took of her. She seemed

to be saying look I'm in control here, and stop taking my picture.

Sierra is however adorable. Her momma Stacy says she's spoiled, but I told her you can't spoil

them at this age you can only give them comfort, love and security. As long as she has that

she'll be happy, and life will be much easier.

Two weeks after she was born however Stacy took Sierra to the hospital she was crying non stop. She was running a low grade fever and it was dehydrating her. She was given Pedialite and

kept overnight to monitor her improvement. The fever had gone away while there and she was

well enough to go home the next day. Quite a relief.

Photos of Pregnancy

2009-10-20T19:51:00.012-05:00

Sunday was a wonderful day. I took Stacy to the University and took some pictures of her belly before they induce her on Friday. It was so much fun she looks so adorable. The photos came out so good and we had a great time together.

Neither of us knew how to pose him for the photos so we just had a little fun.

These are some of the flowers in the area across from Razorback stadium. It was a beautiful backdrop for some memorable photos of her life.

These are some of the beautiful rose bushes found across from Razorback stadium.

We went to the lawn in front of Old Main on the UofA campus to get this shot. Note the clock tower in the background.

This big oak tree makes a nice backdrop.

This photo seemed to sunny when it was taken but after it came out quite nice.

This photo is such a happy shot the fall leaves playfully scattered around the ground.

This is one of my favorite shots, I tried to frame her belly with the tree. It came out very well.

Stacy was a little tired here so the its not her best photo.

We ended up under a beautiful tree of fall yellow that Stacy picked out.

Baby Shower for Stacy

2009-09-27T16:52:00.011-05:00

With the coming of a new baby comes the all important baby shower. As always we had prepartations to get ready for the fun. I must admit as much as I have been to baby showers I have never hosted one as was apparent at this one. Love to all who put up with my mistakes, I love you all. Thanks for your patience. Stacy and I made the cute paci's on ribbon for one of the games for her guests. They looked so pretty when we were done like jewelry or something.

We created the invitations by using the Ultra sound of baby Sierra. Giving everyone a little view of our precious arrival.

A little added ribbon and they're ready to go.

Stacy finishing up the ribbon on the invitations.

Bella had to stick her nose into it. She was right

there during the whole thing.

They look so pretty it was hard to mail them off.

At the shower, Ashley and little Layla.

Layla's grandma Gretchen in the far right with auntie Michele and mom and Layla having fun.

Layla keeps giving me the I'm ready for my close up look. She's adorable.

We got baby Jude (in red on the left) and baby Layla together, I just missed the biggest smiling face on Jude it was so precious.

Stacy and Jude's mom Shelly.

Stacy trying her hand at holding babies.

Layla giving her the "are you sure you know what your doing?" look.

Marissa and her neice Reese.

Here Stacy is playing one of her shower games with her guest.

Stacy and friends.

Michele made this adorable diaper cake. She is so talented.

The cake on display at the shower.

The gift table

Lots of sweets and treats.

Naturals for the diabetics

Baby in a bud cake.

SHHH! Baby's sleeping

Let the gift opening begin!!!!!!!!!!

AAAHHHHH!

OOOOOOOOO!

WOW!

CUTE!

SWEET!

Stacy received lots of wonderful gifts, these are just a few, unfortunetly my camera battery did not get charged before the shower and gave up in the early part of the shower. Big thanks to Michele for bringing her camera and taking the pictures of the gifts being opened.

People you did not see... Aunt Cathy and uncle Tim with cousin Rachel. Ms. Karen Barnes and her daughter Jessica McCash. Thank you all so much for making this day so special for Stacy.

It was a great day filled with love and lots of fun!

So much to say so little....

2009-09-27T16:15:00.007-05:00

This day in August was Pep Rally day at the UofA. BigUns a local band here in Fayetteville is one of our favorites. They played all afternoon, and this man on the bass guitar is Fuzz. Fuzz works with my husband Tony and is a really cool guy.

This is the BigUns band and the lead singer is Darren and man does he have a voice. His voice is like an instrument and he plays it masterfully.

This is Sterling below and he also sings and plays a mean guitar.

He has a lot of personality and aside from his great voice he's a lot of fun to watch.

Caught the guys off to the side and got this shot

of them. Made them smile. Oh yea the guy in the ball cap walking by he's my husband Tony having a little fun with them to.

We were right in the middle of the action the band came out and we kept moving to give them more room. Then the cheer squad came out and we moved some more. It was fun though,

Tony is surrounded by the band

Here is Stacy she got caught in the action to. If you remember we nearly lost Stacy in January to diabetes. Here she is smiling and doing well, in fact she is 6 or 7 months pregnant here. She found out about 3 months after she got out of the hospital.

Here come the cheerleaders. GO HOGS GO!!!

Right in the big middle of the action. Pom pons everywhere, mega horn, and rah, rah, rah!!!!

It's Big Red the Razorback coming right for us!

UH OH! Someone in trouble now!!

This cheerleader was looking for someone to dance with. I of course volunteered the little mom to be. Future Razorback inside you know. She was a little upset with me but I sure got a laugh out of her when he did it. It's a great memory for her to tell her daughter.

That's it the day ended on a high note we say lots of friends and family, we enjoyed an afternoon of great music, and saw the band, cheerleaders, players and coaches. What a day.

Florida in July

2009-08-08T15:59:00.011-05:00

Hi everyone it's me. This me finally reaching
Pensacola, Florida. My daughter and I were
very excited to see the water and the shoreline
that we stopped at the first sight of it to take some pictures.

Of course those of you who have been to Pensacola know this is the bridge to Gulf Breeze
an inlet town just before the outer beach. It takes a little over 2 minutes to cross. Stacy timed us.

This photo didn't turn out so well but the neon
light made it fuzzy. This was one of the clubs on the boardwalk by the bay. The boardwalk was
lively with music.

This is the amphitheatre on the night we left. They had a fun concert there lots of people on a beautiful night some danced it was very exciting.

I loved the sea grass as it blowed in the ocean breeze. This one I took at sunset. I have many pictures of the sea grass and the beaches.

I saw this sign and the tall hotel behind it, it was very beautiful.

This picture of the bay and the pier was wonderful the palm trees, it's one of my favorite photos of my trip. Notice the boys to the right running into the picture.

I caught Stacy getting back into the car. We had just come from the beach in the horizon. Poor Stacy got sunburned on the beach the day before and had a hard time being out on the beach. See the colorful umbrellas in the background. We bought an umbrella for the beach but Stacy wanted to get a tan. OUCH she didn't get a tan obviously.

This was Peg Leg Pete's I was told about it by a
coworker. Apparently this really is a great place to eat we couldn't get into it because it was so crowded.

Last day in Pensacola and we tried to get pictures of the sunset but it went down so fast we couldn't get into position to get a good shot. This is looking at the back of the hotels and the resturaunts and bars.

Another picture we took when we got to Pensacola.

We watched the parasailers several times during our stay. Here one has just been pulled on to the boat.

This was one of the beautiful sunsets we saw.
How lucky people are living in a place where there are such beautiful sunsets every evening.

This photo was taken as we waited to pay the toll to get to the beach. The toll was $1 a trip.

The sign as we finally reached the beach.

When I saw this house I had to take this picture. Some may recognize it from HGTV's unusual homes, they had a segment on this house which looks like a flying saucer or space ship.

Stacy as we finally reached the beach on our first night. We couldn't wait to get to the ocean. We loved it.

Here's that sea grass. I don't know what they call it.

And our first evening sky from the beach. Someone set off fireworks on our way back to the car.

Here I am when we finally got to the beach on our first night. We hoped to catch some sea turtles hatching. Our research found that this is the time of year when they hatch, but alas no luck.

Flounders is where we ate our first night out. We had no idea how good it would be and let me tell you it was good. Great time, great folks, you gotta go there.

Picture in the back, looking back to the bar. Stacy nor I had any of the alcoholic beverages that were available, our trip was pretty G rated.

The menu at Flounders.

Calamari...ummmmmmmm!All mine. Good.

I told you ummmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Set for those photo moments-we have Stacy under the mouth of the great white shark. It was a lot of fun.

Stacy taking it easy after a good meal on the beach behind the resturaunt at Flounders.

Flounders has two volleyball nets in its beachfront space behind the resturaunt.

This pic came out a little blurry but it was really lovely to see.

The symbol of the beach the giant beachball water tower, of course almost all the the beach cities have one of these as a symbol.

My baby bearing daughter packing the sand around her. You can see the sunburn already on her arms.

One of many piers on the beach.

Stacy bobbing in the water.

The Naval Air Museum

Wow this is the most amazing place. So full of history.

We took the tour out to the hanger. It is also the place where you can see the Blue Angels practice almost any day they are at home. But you have to be there early.

This plane went to Japan and held the officer who went to the signing of the end of the war. This ship was later bought by Howard Hughes and was used to train pilots to fly the goose plane,(I can't think of its name),

This is only one of the many lighthouses at Pensacola. This one is on the naval base just down from the Air Museum.

This sign is at Gulfarium it was quirky.

The trainor was telling the two dolphins to jump out of the water.

This Sea Lion posed so nice. We had a feeling he might just have been trained to do this.

One day we went down to Ft. Walton and then to Destin. It was amazing how large Destin was. The towering Condos as you came off the bridge.

Oops didn't mean to do it twice. There should have been the photo of Stacy and I at the Hard Rock Cafe at Destin. We ate outside and listened to the great music as we ate.

We had a fantastic time in Florida and I'm already planning my next visit. This time Tony

will go with me. He couldn't get away because two

of his coworkers had already taken that time off.

Michele turned 50

2009-07-12T17:51:00.004-05:00

Monica sent out the secret invitations.
The backyard in Farmington was the location of our
surprise. We arrived early and waited for our
guest of honor to arrive.

Here you see the buffet of food for this fun and festive day. Lots of beverages for kids and adults.
Fun ballons that announce Michele's 50.

The backyard was an array of tables draped in white tablecloths and centerpieces of candy and party toys for all.

The buffett was a summer fun food fest of Matt's special hamburgers and of course hotdogs. Sides of baked beans, chips and dips.

This photo is out of order but it shows Micheles favorite gift of all her cricut. Used for scrapbookers
you can cut all types of papers in many designs
that make creating pages anything you can
imagine.

Last but not least the cake. So pretty and lots and lots of candles were placed all around this
cute as can be cake. Monica and I lit every one.
It was ablaze of fire. Michele blew out all of them
though and laughter rose from all that were around. Monica picked out the black and white
napkins that we used as a cake place setting. They were beautiful.

Well we had a great time and Michele had a huge
smile on her face. She's still as pretty as ever, even more at age 50.

Look at who turned Twenty-two...

2009-06-30T17:44:00.004-05:00

She's twenty two and its still hard for me to
believe it. Just a few months ago I was asking
for your prayers to save her life. Now she's
recovered and having another birthday.

We had a little birthday cake at the house. Mom, dad, sister, and brother were all there and we had a lot of fun and delicious birthday cake.

We sang the happy birthday song and Stacy blew out the candles. It was another wonderful day.

Birthday for Marcus

2009-06-30T17:11:00.003-05:00

Marcus Bollin my nephew had his birthday party at a really cool gym where they teach gymnastics. Apparently the owners discovered if they cover the floor entirely of 8 inch padding and gym mats they could rent the gym out for parties.

The gym has a viewing room upstairs that guests can watch the kids on the floor below. It was a great place to set up the cake.

The pit of foam was a great place for the kids to dive into. They flipped and bounce all over this gym.

Jackson and William enjoyed the cake and fruit punch.

Finally a shot of little sis Kenzie loving brothers birthday cake.

Vacation Days

2009-05-26T12:01:00.003-05:00

On vacation this week. Should have been an exciting time but somehow I managed to pull or strain a muscle in my back so I am slowed down a bit. Maybe I'm supposed to pamper me. Stay home do my nails. I am thinking of going to the salon and having my hair cut and colored.
My hair has gone so blah, I colored it at home about a month ago. It's okay but not what I wanted. Surely I can sit while the stylist does my hair and it won't be to agonizing.

Before my back injury Tony and I had helped the girls move into a new apartment off 6th street.
Very cute! They're still fixing it up.

Oh my gosh! Forgot to tell you all Stacy found out she's pregnant!!! I'm gonna be a grandma! She was not trying, and she and Curtis had already broke up when she found out. They are both doing well with the news. Curtis is very concerned and excited. Even though he did not plan on having more children right now, (he has one son Payton, who's adorable). He will be a great dad. Stacy had been using contraceptives before she went to the hospital in January, but I think she'd had so much trouble with her body and the diabetes she actually thought she could not get pregnant.
Hello! She is a young 22 year old woman, it can happen if you don't use protection.
She is taking care of herself eating right and making all her appointments to see the doctor. She goes to a special clinic that deals with diabetic women and pregnancy. It is located in Springdale, Arkansas about 20 miles from Fayetteville. This gives me great comfort as it is hard for healthy women to make it to term with a baby. Stacy coming out of a very unhealthy situation in January and now pregnant is a lot for her body to do. Leave it to my baby girl to challenge fate.
We pray for the best, and that God will put his blessing on this child, even though it was not concieved in a holy union I pray this will be a blessing for her. We are excited!!

So my first few days of my vacation and the Memorial weekend went as follows-- Saturday was my nephew Marcus's birthday. It was held at Durham gymnastics. This is a great place for a child's birthday, located in Springdale it has thick spongy mats everywhere!! Two big trampolines. Balance beams and uneven paralell bars, the kids were everywhere, doing everything. One of my favorites was the foam pit. Basically a deep pit with big pieces of foam, surrounded by thick mats around the walls. The kids would run down and springboard into the pit,these kids loved it. Lots of family there my brother and cousins, my nephew Brian's wife Amber and the girls. Our family is so wonderful I love them all. Saturday evening we had dinner at the girls apartment. A friend gave them a rack of ribs he had cooked for a house warming gift, ummmmm! They were delicious! We had a great time, wonderful fellowship, a true blessing. Sunday (the day my back went out), Denise, Robbie and I went to church at newheights which is held at the Boys and Girls club in Fayetteville. I love this ministry, teaching directly from God's scripture. Using the bible and its words to teach Gods word.
Denise has found a need in her heart to know God and his word. Feeling blessed that she wanted to learn and know God gave me such a wonderful feeling. Robbie had been to newheights, some of his friends go there, so he suggested it. We have enjoyed each Sunday there so far, I have not been attending church as I had in the past and was feeling disappointed in myself to have strayed. I am a true believer in God and his mighty word. I pray all can know God and seek a fellowship to praise God.

After church we went to lunch at Louies a great little Italian resturaunt and bar that opened up in town recently. It was recommended to me for great pizza, and I was not disappointed. Great wait staff, the sweetest young lady took our order and checked on us to make sure we had everything we needed. The pizza was fantastic we had a combo of the Margherita and the Barbecue chicken oh was so good!
One of Denise's friends came in and we invited him to join us. He had ordered a burger. When his plate came out it was huge, what a burger. If you like food whatever it might be Louies is the place for sure.

Tony had decided to work on the carpet while I was gone. The carpet in my house is the original from when we moved in back in "92"! Old is a good word for it. This stuff has been cleaned personally and professionally so many times. So here Tony is spot cleaning and vacuuming this thing again. He went to vacuum our bedroom and the vacuum went out. So we went out to shop for a new one and that's when my back started hurting me. Oh well this to shall pass. We found the vacuum we want but the store was out so we have to go back on Wednesday.

Yesterday, Memorial Day, spent most of the day at home since my back was shot. But as the day went on I felt like Tony deserved some time out since it was his day off. So we decided to go for a drive. First of all though he wanted to drop off Stacy's shoe rack she left at our house, so we did that.

Tony and I enjoy our drives, whether around town or around Arkansas. The drives to the lake are the best of all. We do love the lake and someday want to move there. I did think last year we seriously were going to buy a home and move there. Tony has talked about this for years but seemed to drag his feet when I got involved in looking for a place. Suzette Manen was helping sending me info on great places, she is wonderful and if you need a realtor she is great. She is currently pregnant, expecting, she is very excited as she should be. She also has a blog you should check out she is a blessed women with a sweet husband and family. She helped my son find his rental home a year ago, a wonderful lady. While we were out Tony got a call from Stacy who invited us back to her place for burgers and hot dogs. We accepted, grandpa Harold was back in town so she called and invited him also. For dessert we had watermelon, the first I've had this year and it was so good. We watched a movie Stacy had then headed home it was another great day. Even with a bad back I still had a great time. I love my life, my family, my friends, they are the best, I am so blessed. May you be so blessed in your life! Love to all! Debra

Make Space

2009-04-16T09:52:00.003-05:00

Today I had to make room for Stacy's returning futon. Denise is moving out of her 2 bedroom apartment and does not have space for a second bed anymore. It came in handy when one of Denise's friends wanted to spend the night. I'm not sure what we will do with the futon long term but for now it will go in the office space that once was the girls bedroom when they lived at home.

The room actually looks better since I moved stuff out to make some room. Looks like I may have to think about a less is more attitude and start the decluttering I seem to have gone into.

Updates later, Love and God bless to all Debra

New Neighbor

2009-04-16T09:36:00.004-05:00

Imagine my surprise as I was going out to check my mailbox and fond this nest. Some dear little bird had decided to build a nest on my entry door wreath.

Spring certainly gets these bird out and busy nesting and it looks like one decided under my porch by my front door would be an excellant home.

Although a bit of a surprise I can probably handle the next few weeks of mess the bird and its young will produce.

As of yet I haven't seen the bird responsible. Nor are there any eggs yet in the nest. Time will expose the culprit.

With a bird feeder literally 15 feet away hanging on our Red Maple tree, it's easy to see why the bird would want to nest here.

Updates to follow!

Forever Debra God Bless all!

New pictures

2009-04-11T12:10:00.008-05:00

These precious photos arrived in my mailbox this morning. Jackson will start school this fall, and Layla as you can see by the announcement just arrived.

This announcement card is just the sweetest.

How about that hat she's wearing and laughing
the whole time, what fun!

April showers or tornados

2009-04-09T22:42:00.003-05:00

The weather was supposed to be a little ruff today. Thunderstorms, afternoon and evening. So it came and in a small town south of Fayetteville a tornado hit. Trees are reported down. Emergency vehicles cannot get to homes to help for so many limbs on the ground as well as trees that had been snapped in two.
Spring comes and although we need the April showers the wicked weather we could do without. I hope you'll join me in prayer for those whose lives have been devastated due to these storms.
Love and blessings to all. Debra

Easter nears

2009-04-05T19:09:00.004-05:00

Hey look at the cute picture Jessica sent me of
her and David's son Harbor.

Sitting at my computer reading a few of my favorite

blogs. I spied this robin.

He seemed to be attracted to my easter eggs

that are hanging from my tree for decoration.

Soon another robin joined the first. They bounced

all over the tree before flying off. It was a fun

moment.

A weekend adventure

2009-03-31T10:26:00.007-05:00

One glorious Ozark morning a few weeks ago Tony (my husband) and I woke up to a sunny, warm day. We decided it would be a great day to go for a drive. We headed down I540 south and found ourselves heading to Lake Shepherd Springs, formerly Lake Ft Smith.
This area has been renovated since the new dam was put in for Ft. Smith's water supply, and it is a beautiful area for camping, day use, fishing, swimming, everything outdoors.

This shot is of Tony, at Artist Point on scenic Highway

71 south. He is looking back on Lake Shepherd Springs

where we were just at.

Below is a picture of Stacy sitting by the waters edge at Devil's Den state park outside of Winslow.

It was a great day out and many people were

taking advantage of the spring weather to get out

and have fun.

Devil's Den is such a wonderful place to take

pictures. The beauty of this natural park is

truly indescribable.

Hope you are enjoying Spring 2009 as much as we have so far.

Peace and God Bless

Debra

Decorating for Easter

2009-03-29T21:29:00.006-05:00

Today I enjoyed taking out my Easter decorations and doing a little decorating around my house. Last year for some reason I did not decorate for Easter. I'm not sure why I didn't because I love this time of year so much and there is so much you can do. The beautiful colors make the house come alive again after dreary winter months. A reminder that spring is here and flowers are blooming and the sun is coming out more and warming us up. So I'll share some of my fun day with you in these few photos, I'm sure there'll be more to come I love Easter.

So as Tony got the lawnmower ready for another year, I found a different way to tend to

the yard.

I haven't made an egg tree in such a long time and thought it would be fun and add some color

to the yard. This is just a start. I have some neat ideas to dress up my front porch railing.

Plus I want to get a pair of rabbit ears and do something with our Razorback hog statue, to

get him looking like he's ready for Easter too.

Love to all Debra

Call to Prayer

2009-03-27T17:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday one of my friends who I usher with at the UofA came in where I work. She said she was glad she saw me and that she needed me. Her granddaughter had gone on a trip to Colorado and a terrible accident had happened. She didn't have the details but her grandchild was in dire condition. Lauren is her granddaughters name. There was an accident and at the time she did not know if it was a ski or traffic accident but Lauren had a busted spleen and they had to put a rod in her leg through the femur muscle to stabilize her body.
Laurens mother was flying out to be with her.
OK so now you know the situation. She asked me to pray for Lauren. Of course I said I would. Of course I told her God was already with her granddaughter and I would pray for his continuous hand upon this child. I affirmed to her she need not worry, God was there already.
My friend is a teacher at Farmington School in Arkansas and I won't mention her name as I don't have her approval to use it. But she takes care of children all day and so I am asking you to pray for Gods love and healing for Lauren. Please add Lauren in your prayers today.
Love always, Debra

Into each life....

2009-03-10T18:01:00.005-05:00

Our tree is in bloom once again. Spring is on its
way however we have been told there is still some
snow in our future.

The rain came down in a quick blustery fiery.
As quick as it came it was gone.

Tosh the cat

2009-03-10T17:29:00.003-05:00

This is Tosh the cat. I brought him home a week ago
and he was the most adorable and sweet cat I think
I ever had.

He would just climb on my lap and purr and purr
and purr. He was a purrball kitty.

This is a cute photo he wrapped up on my lap

while I was checking my email. Unfortunately

I had to give him back because he was picking
my couch to pieces and I didn't want to have him

declawed.

Harold turned 75

2009-03-10T17:11:00.004-05:00

This year Harold turned 75 years old. OMG!! Hard to believe it!

We got the brothers Byrd together to have a little party for Harold

Harold had a good time. Oh heck we all did. I sat and

talked with the girls and Linda. While the men sat and

talked about all kinds of things. I think they could have

visited for hours. Well they did for 2 that night.

Tim brought Rachel. We missed Cathy who was away

on business in Russelville that night. She came home the

next day.

Her is Brandee and Rachel with one of Brandee's

friends who was staying the night with her. They're

such pretty girls and they are growing up so fast.

This is Linda and Terry's new dog. He reminds me

of the Tramp from the Disney movie. He was fiesty.

He loved climbing into Terry's arm to be held. The

next day we went to the nursing home for Daisy's

(the guys grandma) birthday.

Denise's Birthday

2009-02-24T19:44:00.004-06:00

Denise's 32nd birthday. We had a little cake and ice cream for her at our house.

It was a nice day and we sat outside and visited then back inside for cake.

The girls Tony and I. Robbie and Tracy couldn't make it we met them

later on in the week.

I got a little gag gift for Denise. It's a 3 hole punch.
Something she was needing at work. It backfired though

she had already purchased one. She said she'd keep

this one for the house.

We went to Art's and had the cheeseburger basket.
Art's is known for one of the best burgers in town.

Last shot before heading to the bowling alley for

a couple of games.

Thursday night we got together at Power House for a

birthday get together with more friends and family.

Here's a shot of Michael, Bobby and Denise.

Lyndsey and Jessie.

Hey pretty girls! Smile for the camera!

Hey who's this cute couple, why it's my son Robbie

and his sweet girlfriend Tracy.

Uh oh its daddy Tony and Denise, these two are

a mess!

We had a great time both day and night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DENISE!

Northwest Arkansas Ice Storm 2009

2009-02-24T17:25:00.005-06:00

This is a picture of one of the first warm days after the ice storm in Fayetteville and most of Northwest Arkansas. The warnings came in but no one could have anticipated what happened.
These are pictures of our street and the tree limb piles in front of our homes have actually doubled and at some homes tripled in size. These photos are just a few days after. At our house we still had not cleaned up the tree mess from the back yard. Neighbors lost fences. Some had to reconnect lines. Our house was only out of power for 12 to 13 hours. We were lucky.

Many of the people in Northwest Arkansas were without power for up to 13 days. Many could not leave their homes. They were trapped in their own homes by trees and tree limbs. One customer who came in after 12 days with no power said she had lost her husband. He used a machine to keep his lungs functioning. It took 4 days for anyone to reach them. When they could get out he was hospitalized with pnuemonia. He could not recover and died. Some of us did not have lights or heat. Some of us did not have function of life sustaining equipment. Those peoples lives were changed forever.

Another lady I talked to told me of being trapped inside her home. Scared, cold, and alone. Many of us use cell phones. This woman had no need previous to own one until this happened. She had no communication with anyone for days and was terrified.

Even though my neighbors and I had tree and limb damage we had each other. This fence belongs to one of our elder neighbors and our friends across the street went down to see about her.

Ashleys Baby

2009-02-24T17:07:00.006-06:00

Well after much abscence I am finally back at the computer with much to tell.

First to tell is my cousin Ashley. The pics you've seen are of the baby shower. Held by her cousin Monica. A fun event with friends and family, Ashley had a great time. The next day my daughter Denise dropped by and had just received a text message announcing the arrival of Layla, Ashley had her baby the very next day after the shower. Whew! Just in the knick of time. Everyone is excited to have a new little baby girl in the family.

Busy

2009-01-25T19:11:00.003-06:00

With a 40 hour work week my days are pretty full. Top it off Tony and I usher for the UofA.

We worked the Gymbacks on Friday from 5-9. The girls were great they beat the #1 Florida Gators team by just .075 pts. Three of the Florida girls had falls on the balance beam routines. They had graceful and difficult routines up to the time of their fall. One girl hit her head while doing her dismount (scary). This Razorbacks gymnastics team is so talented this year. If you get a chance to see them you should.

On Saturday the mens Uof A basketball Razorbacks had a game against Auburn University. Tony and I had to be there at 9am. I was assigned the job of selling tickets. It isn't difficult but is very cold in the ticket office. The wind comes right in the window and my fingers are frozen. But I enjoyed it. Then I was given the job of going down on the floor behind the press box where Mike Nail and Rick Schaffer broadcast the game. Tony and I then had the responsibility of staying the fans from coach Pelphrey while he did his interview with Mike Nail after the game.
Unfortunately our team lost again. An 0 and 4 start to the conference. So sad.

Today we got out took a drive around Northwest Arkansas. We drove wherever the road took us. To Highfill then around Vaughn. We ended up in Rogers and then drove to the lake, our favorite place. We parked at the waters edge and rolled down the windows to hear the silence. The water and the air was so still and silent. It was quite meditational. Our lord has created such a beautiful world, and this is the place I see his work in all its splendor. Quiet nature, air and land, fish and fowl. As we left the we saw eight deer grazing two were small fawns, so lovely to see. We came home and that finished our busy weekend.

Hope all of you had a wonderful weekend to. Love to you all and your beautiful families. God bless!

Tim Byrd's 50th Birthday

2009-01-18T09:20:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! It's a lovely Sunday morning in the Ozarks. It's not quite the frozen weather we had a few days ago. Well that's what you get when you live in Arkansas. Up and down crazy temps and weather.

Last night my husband Tony and I went to the birthday of his brother Tim, who was turning the ripe old age of 50.
Finally another 50 year old.
As many of you know my 50th was back in September of "08.
We got him a silly hat and t-shirt the guests were given a sharpie so they could write something special on the shirt for Tim. To commemorate the night.
Lots of photos were taken by Karen (Tim's sister in law on his wife's side). Family including Tony and myself, Cathy, Tim's wife, Rachel his daughter, two of Rachel's school friends, Karen and her husband Les, lifelong friends Bobby and Debbie and Bobs brother Bo. Jessica and David and little Harbor were all there. We loved being there celebrating this big day with Tim.
Harbor was such a good baby. He was asleep when they got there and Jessica woke him so that we could hold him. He is a little bundle of joy. Just a cuddly little bundle. So sweet!
After dinner Tim, Cathy, Les, Karen, Tony and I all went to the theater and watched "Hotel for Dogs". This is a great show especially if your a dog person like we are.

Amazing Grace

2009-01-17T14:27:00.004-06:00

Thank You, Jesus that Your Spirit brings such comfort to my heart. When I am sad or frightened, remind me that all I need to do is open myself to You--and Your love will wrap around me like a warm, comforting blanket. Amen

"For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard." PSALM22:24

While blog walking today I stopped at one of my favorite bloggers Jessica. She wrote of the need
for prayer for her friends baby daughter, Harper. Kelly Stamps is Jessica's friends name and she gave birth to a little girl they named Harper. Harper was ill and was thought to need heart and lung surgery, (very serious). There was no room at ACH in Little Rock so she was taken to St.Francis Hospital in Tulsa, OK. The nurses had already started prayer for little Harper and Jessica asks for prayer from us to heal this child and comfort for this family during this hard time. Many had responded already to the need of this family. I also started praying for gods grace and blessings for little Harper.

In going to Kellys's blog I read that indeed Harper has already started to heal from the pneumonia that was in her lungs and she will not need heart surgery at all. In fact the doctors see her improving so much they don't think any surgery is going to be needed. Many showed up at the hospital and gave Kellys husband food and comfort, the outpouring has touched their hearts deeply, she says on her posts she is thankful.

Continued prayers for this family is what I am asking from you. You may not know this young woman, nor do I, but in reading her posts and blog it is obvious she is a true child of God and his grace is going out to her and this child. Please pray for the next 24 hours say a prayer or two for this child and family that she will continue to be blessed by our holy father. His love and mercy abounds around us. If we only ask he will see it done. He is all merciful. Miracles happen every moment. Every breath, every beat of our hearts is a true miracle and we should praise God for it.
Praise God, Harper is getting better! Thank you Lord! Thank you Father! God bless all!
Debra

By Candle Light

2009-01-13T20:42:00.004-06:00

The weather in the Ozarks is in the single digits, and so we lit some candles on the fire place to

set a warm romantic mood. We didn't want the big fire just the soft candle light. Maybe you want to light a candle or two yourself.

Thanks for stopping by, I pray God blesses each and every one of your lives, that your lives are long and happy. This is my wish for all of you this new year. God's sweet blessings on all.

Bye for now, Debra

2009

2009-01-13T20:27:00.006-06:00

Our first weekend of the new year and it was a beautiful sunny Sunday. So we wanted to spend the day out in the sun. We went to Beaver Lake here in the Ozarks. To the north park at Lost Bridges. We had a great day, wrapped up by a beautiful sunset.

Our Christmas

2008-12-31T17:55:00.010-06:00

Ok first pic and it's my brother Mike and I. He got a jacket and
a shirt. We had some good time all together this year.

Below is the front of the nursing home that Tony's granny
lives at. It was decorated very lovely. They do such a great job.

I've taken lots of blurry shots this year, must be the bifocals.

This table was lovely.

Santa seems to be hiding a whimsical smile.

See another blurry shot.

Our princess Mizz Daisy. Ain't she a pill. Love ya Daisy!

Dancing angels in the gathering room East side.

A fine St. Nicholas

Here's a closer look.

Oops! I was setting the timer.... sorry family.

TA DA! Success! It's all the family.

Front left to right Curtis, Stacy, Robbie, Tracy, back row

left to right Michael, Denise, Tony, and me Debra.

We got a TV he was not supposed to get me

anything, thanks love.

He's just the sweetest thing.

Uh oh! What did Robbie do?!

Oh yeah my mouth is open. Nice.

It's Denise's turn

Oh yeah, her momma new she wanted that digital camera.
Check out that face. She loved it.

Tracy got us all some great gifts from Bath and Body works.

Michael and Cashius the puppy

Robbie got Mike a new sweater.

Curtis isn't quite sure what I got him.

I think he likes it.

Oh yeah, he likes it.

Stacy got some Aeropostle.

A new throw.

Someone just told a joke.

Tracy loved the purses Robbie got her.

Robbie looks good in everthing.

Me and the boss in front of the house Christmas night.

Back where we started I don't know how this got on here again.
It's New Years Eve as I write so Happy New Year! I'll post the

nights events next time. Love and Blessings Debra

Early Christmas Morn

2008-12-25T09:32:00.005-06:00

The presents all nestled snug under the tree

The tree as it stands there beside the new big screen TV,

The Santa sleigh looks on from there by the wall, with the
tuscany fruit stand dangling Santa and all.

The tall candlesticks in front of the fireplace and above the

stockings full of wonder and surprises.

Decorated with glitter and sequins and satin the gifts inside

waiting for the action to happen, and the mantle adorned with

poinsettas and lights, while on top all the candlesticks set for

all to view with delight.

Randy reindeer stands there by the door, beside the piano

with "its" Christmas decor.

The Holiday memories frame back from 2000, with a poem

of christmas cheer there to remind us.

The blessed mother Mary in porcelien white gives blessings

of her son that we celebrate today and tonight.

Beside her a Christmas tree with happy snowman Jack, right

next to a candy dish sparkling bright.

Then next to the front entry door a display of a Santa and little

girl smiling with glee.

Then the dining room table with its little tree and a musical

Christmas bell,

and cute little presents.

The Sants who's hanging there on the back door,

The buffet with angels all dancing merry with music and

candles.

That wraps up my early morning Christams tour so I'll leave you

with this message to take with you today.

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

WITH A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOUR HOUSE

MAY GODS BLESSINGS BE PLENTY!

Debra

Missing You Dear Friend

2008-12-23T00:15:00.003-06:00

Tonight our family mourns the loss of our dear friend and
faithful companion, our dear dog Joxer.

These photos taken a little more than a month ago and the ones

below taken only a couple of weeks ago appear to show a healthy

happy dog.

Tony and I took Joxer to the Animal Emergency Clinic when

I came home and found him unable to stand and stumbling to

get around. He had been listless the day before but today he

was bad.

They immediately took him in to an exam room where he

was hooked up to an IV and some oxygen was given to him.

Blood tests and xrays showed cancer. His arthritis was also

very bad. The prognosis was not good. If we did surgery he

may not come out of it. If he did he was given 6 to 8 months

to live. With worsening arthritis.

Joxer has been a member of our family since his arrival when

my son Robbie brought him home. He begged me for one of

these pups his bosses boxer had. I gave in and instantly fell

in love with the little guy. He grew of course and weighed in

at a healthy 75 lbs. full grown.

Our decision was not an easy one. Be selfish think of the fact

that we love him so much we don't want to let him go. OR

release him from the pain and suffering he had been in for

probably some time. It is amazing how animals will not show

you many times they feel bad. As tears welled in our eyes we

knew it was him we had to think of. He had been to good a friend

to have him suffer. Stacy and I were there till he took his last breath.

He was given a shot to allow him to sleep then given another shot that

sent him into eternal sleep. He showed no signs of pain and was very

grateful. He didn't stir or flinch.

We will miss you dear friend. Big guy, Dude, I miss you, lovingly always,

Debra

Beutiful Message

2008-12-21T02:15:00.003-06:00

Gold Wrapping Paper
I received this from a friend who had a choice to make.
It said that I had a choice to make too.
I've chosen. Now it's your turn to choose.
The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her five year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child used the gold paper to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning and then said, 'This is for you, Mummy.'
The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she opened the box and found it was empty. She spoke to her daughter in a harsh manner
'Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?'
She had tears in her eyes and said, 'Oh, Mummy, it's not empty! I blew kisses into it until it was full.'
The mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little girl, and she begged her forgiveness for her thoughtless anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and it is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life.
Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and GOD. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
You now have two choices: 1. Pass this on to your friends, or 2. Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart.
As you can see, I took choice No.1. Friends are like angels who lift us to our feet, when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
If you receive this more than once in return just know that your friends have also thought of you.
My friend emailed this to me and the message was so endearing I wanted to share it. Love to all
Debra

Out of hospital

2008-12-21T00:30:00.005-06:00

Thank you to everyone for the prayers for my daughter. Stacy is out of the hospital and is following the doctors instructions on her insulin dosages and daily medical routine.
She stayed a day and a half in the ICU at Washington Regional Medical Center here in Fayetteville. She had a wonderful team of doctors and nurses who layed down the law to her about the neccessity of taking her insulin. She went through several IV's of sodium chloride and a potassium drip and an insulin drip line was also feeding her much needed body supplements.
Thank God her body responded quickly to the insulin being given her and within hours her sugar levels started coming down to a tolerable level and continued until late in the night on Tuesday it reached 199. Still high but much lower than the nearly 400 she had been running for probably a long time.
It is unacceptable that my daughter let a life threatning disease go untreated for so long. She had been all topsy turfy all summer mood swings, tired, anxious. All signs of the disease and all because she did not go to a doctor or the hospital and ask if there was a facility that could help her get the medicine she needed to keep her alive. Tony and I had bought her insulin several times, but it is very expensive if not covered by insurance and Stacy is 21 and not on our insurance coverage. She had insurance until she lost her job. She did not sign up for insurance at her new job when she became eligible, and so had been doing without any insulin.
So on Wednesday they continued the IV's and her sugar levels were now in the 150 level, great! They stopped the insulin drip and were working on how much injected insulin she would now need to take on a daily basis. She would now go to the Health Clinic for free or reduced cost insulin medication, for as long as she qualifies, basically if she gets a job with insurance that will cover these medications or she earns to much income for this care. Also the hospital has a charity fund for folks in Stacy's position that paid her hospital bill. She spent Thursday in ICU under the watchful eyes of the nurses and doctors there. Then moved late Thursday to a regular patient care room. Finally on Friday they felt confident she was stable enough to be released and sent home. After hours of paperwork she left the hospital Friday afternoon. Thank God for miracles!
Thank you all, for your blessed prayers. I know God heard them and I know they are the reason for Stacy making it through this. It's still a serious condition for her. She has to monitor her blood sugar very closely to maintain it's stability. But unless she wants to end up back in the hospital or worse, I think she knows to take care of herself.
Again thank you for your thoughts and prayers. It is a comfort to know so many who love and trust in God and his words. Everything I have is the lords I am just a caretaker of it on this earth. He gave me 3 beautiful children and he has been so gracious as to allow us to have Stacy here a little longer. We are so grateful.
God bless each and every one of you this merriest of holiday seasons. Take your loved ones by the hand, hug them and tell them how much you love them. Time passes oh to quickly and in a moment they can be gone. We cherish the time at Christmas when we can be with those we love, and share good times together. Make this one of the best ever Christmas'. Take time to remember the reason for the holiday, the birth of our lord and savior Jesus. Merry Christmas everyone! Debra

Update

2008-12-17T08:37:00.004-06:00

Stacy has DKA diabetic ketone acidosis. Sound like a Mary Poppins song. However this is not a happy tune. What has happened is Stacy has not been taking her insulin for her diabetes. Due to this her bodies sugar levels have been elevated to over 300. After a period of time her body started eating away at her tissue to try to get the necessary insulin it needed to try to survive. Her white blood cell count is very high I failed to get the number from the nurse. Lets just say she had far to few red blood cells to fight back what was going on in her body.
The longer Stacy has gone without insulin the less ability to make decisions and know the right thing to do for herself. Including seeing a doctor and getting back on her insulin routine and good eating habits.
She is hooked up to an IV which is hydrating her body, she was very dehydrated from the nausea and vomiting of the night before. They are giving her insulin in a drip with the IV to get her sugar level down. I hope to have the number from her A1C test today to know where she stands. A number from 1 to 5 is great. Over that the number goes to 6 to 12. Stacy had been a 6 and 7 which was still good.
Stacy is 21 a young woman trying to find her place in this world and lifes ups and downs the last few years after high school are taking a toll. She wants everything, love, kids, job, home, and adventure. She just tries to have it all at once instead of pacing herself. I'm afraid she let it get the most of her.
Tony my husband, Stacy's dad, wants her to move back home where we can keep an eye on her and make sure she takes her meds. I'm inclined to agree. But how do you keep an enthusiastic 21 year old down. We are asking Gods help in all things, prayer is a great comfort. God is always present in our lives and I thank him for every day on this earth. He is the only one who can truly know the outcome of Stacy's life. It has made me take another look at what is important in my life. Love to all of you for your thoughts and prayers for Stacy. May God be with the doctors and nurses at the hospitals today treating all who are in need. God love you and bless you all
Debra

Prayers for Stacy

2008-12-16T18:14:00.004-06:00

This is my daughter Stacy. She is 21 years old and has
diabetes.

Last night Stacy called me sick. Vomiting and fever.

Flu is going around so thought she had caught the flu. Since

she is diabetic I worried about dehydration. Told her to

drink small amounts of clear fluids and maybe some soda

crackers to soothe her stomach and keep her hydrated.

Her vomiting continued on into the morning and her boyfriend

took her to the hospital where they told her she had an acid

something ( she couldn't remember the name of it) and if she

had waited another day or two she would be dead. Straight

talk, serious words to hear from a doctor. She will be in the

hospital overnight, and they will tell her if it is going to be

longer. She has an IV hooked up to her and some other meds.

They are still doing tests to check her out.

Please pray for my daughter, that she will get through this and

have that big happy smile on her face. This child gives so much

joy to all who know her. She loves everyone. Thank you all

Debra

Christmas Creativity

2008-12-15T17:52:00.007-06:00

I hate bifocals and cameras, out of focus

My photo is sideways. Reindeer Randi is standing at my front

door ready for more Christmas cards from you!

These are my wreaths I made to place on both sides of my

mailbox. Got the wreaths and the fixings at the Dollar Tree

came out cute huh?

Close up of one of my two wreaths. I love it.

Snowflakes also from Dollar General. They will go on the

front of our house.

Fun fun fun, that's this Christmas. I just keep wanting to decorate. Play with ribbon and wreaths, snowmen, and presents. I love to do this stuff. especially after a long

day at work, its very relaxing. So is blogging. Merry Christmas! God bless you today and forever...Debra

The Tree! The Tree!

2008-12-07T22:42:00.004-06:00

Christmas cards have started to arrive. I only wish mine were
ready to go, oh well tomorrow I quess.

This cute sled was my mother-in-law Connie Byrd's she
passed away several years ago of cancer. It reminds me
of good times we had every time I see it.

Our mantle is full of candles this year I just love them.

Oops how did this get in here again. Oh well, notice the

little Santa chime hanging to the left. It was a gift several

years ago, I think it's adorable.

Well here's our tree. The picture doesn't capture the true

beauty of this tree. It was fun to create and I may still add

a few more details to it. Soon the presents will arrive. Only

17 more days till Christmas. Hey that reminds me I need

to get one of those countdown things to put on my blog.

So that's it I have a few more photos that I'll put together with some other stuff but that's it

really. Had fun, looks great, now to get those Christmas cards done. Hmmm and maybe I'll

go to Noel and have them posted there. Makes a neat little extra on the envelope when

friends recieve there card. Lots to do! Love to all--God Bless

Time of Loss

2008-12-06T08:55:00.005-06:00

This post is for Sam.

We have all had loss in our lives. I know this time is a hard time for you. You have been going through such conflict with many decisions about your life to make.

Know this Sam, you are a good man, with God in your heart. You love your family and you have found new love in your life. God wants you to have this love. Feel comfort in the knowledge that your grandmother knew this new love would carry you through the days of your life. That she felt assured you would be cared for by this new love. So with that she was able to go to our father in heaven. To her home with our Lord and saviour. We love you Sam and if we can do anything to help you through this time of loss let us know.

Rejoice for she walks with our Father today and forever.

Love and blessings to you, Debra