Christmas may have come and gone, but Christ is still with us....PRAISE GOD!

The above picture is my gift from Harold. He wasn't here with us, but he was in our hearts and in our thoughts. Madge told me he looked high and low for an Angel in Jackson I had seen, but was sold out. Just before leaving he and the girls saw this one and had to bring her home to me. You can't see it in this picture, but there is a dove resting in the palm of her hands. She is beautiful!

I'm very lucky that my girls do not get up real early on Christmas like some children...and myself when I was younger. I was so tired Christmas eve, I had wondered if I would get up to do their "santa" stuff or would it be the one time in history I would sleep through the night, with them waking to nothing. It worked out just great. I went to bed around 11:30 pm....woke up at 2:15 a.m....my normal wake up time...then out the door to retrieve some things out the back of Harold's truck (covered) in the rain (under the carport in the blowing rain) and cold. Then back inside to set up, go dig in my closet for stocking stuffers, wonder if I remembered everything, then off to bed again....by then I was wide awake. 4:30 was the last time I saw the clock, so somewhere after, I fell asleep. 6:45 I was up once again...so I fixed myself some chocolate milk, grabbed a magazine and read. JoBea was the first to stir. I told her I would take my cell phone to my room so she could text me when she was up...she did just after 8. Madge was shortly rising after that. They have this tradition where they like for me to go in the living room, turn the Christmas tree lights on, Madge go to JoBea's room and they come out together when I give them the ok....that's the reason for JoBea texting me. They have ALWAYS done this. Here's Madge with her portable DVD player. Mostly what she wanted was a new bedspread, sheets, & rug..which she did get...but some other fun things along with it.
Madge is opening a box that was wrapped and given to her by JoBea. She had been so excited about her box under....actually beside...the tree. Couldn't imagine what was in it, tho she did try to figure it out...but never did. When she opened it her gift was inside a bag, so she worked a little more to see what it was.Her hard work paid off....she LOVES penguins ever since seeing the movie Madagascar. When we are going somewhere Madge and I LOVE waving at people from inside the car and saying (since the people can't hear us).."just smile and wave boys....just smile and wave." while we give them our biggest smile! JoBea just laughs at us..... So therefore the girls gave me a penguin too!
As you can see he goes nicely with my sheets! How lucky I was to find penguin sheets and on sale! I was just looking for flannel sheets as I do around Christmas every year and there they were, so I got them. I had seen a set of flannel sheets in Jackson with flamingo's that I LOVED but they only had from twin to queen....since they didn't have my size I got the girls a set for their twin beds and they loved them. That was the first thing they did...strip the old sheets off and on with the new...works for me! I haven't named my Penguin friend yet....any ideas?

It's so hard to surprise a teenage girl because you can't buy clothes without her, jewerly has to be just right, and so on. Just before Harold left he had taken the girls to Jackson, gave JoBea money and told her that was to buy her clothes for Christmas. I did pick up a couple shirts, and a pair of pj's (with coffee cups on the pants) that she actually LOVED when she saw them...THANK THE LORD!!!

Here's JoBea checking out her earrings. There was one pair I had gotten her that wasn't on the wish list that I thought she might like, and she did. Then came time to open presents. JoBea had no idea what she was getting under the tree. But it turns out

to be a digital camera she had been wanting....and hoping to get it before the youth trip coming up the 28, tomorrow. So now she can snap away! I guess I'll have to get her a computer just to download all the pictures she will be taking now...NOT! She has put it to use for sure. You can't move, drive or sleep without being a frame in her camera.

Later in the morning we rode out to my mom's and had lunch with her and my dad, then back home to sit back and kick up our feet for the afternoon. The girls and I reflected on the birth of Christ and wished Him a very happy birthday! Thank you Lord for another special time with my family in the celebration of YOUR SPECIAL DAY!

God bless each of you..........