Ok last week we started out the week warm warm in the 60's then Wednesday night it plummeted to the teens and snowed.  It has been brrr cold until now, again today we hit 60!  I must confess this lovely warm 60 degree weather in mid Jan. is making it really hard to settle into winter and accept the cold.  Oh well we take what we get!!! 

 Today Cecilia and I have been baking some last minute goodies.

Dutch Crumble Brownies

Orange butter Cookies dipped in Chocolate

and then Cecilia made some little Snowmen cookies.  Nutter Butter Cookies covered in white Almond bark decorated in M&M's  and orange tic tacs and chocolate icing

I thought they turned out pretty cute!!

Happiness is what I am feeling!!!

 Wednesday evening a bunch of us from church went to the Scotland County Care Center to do some Christmas caroling.  We had fun! On Monday some of us ladies and a bunch of the children got together and made around 90 little sock snowmen.  We passed these out to the residents at the nursing home and the Residentioal Care Center right beside the nusrsing home. 

Earlier this month Novalee & I hosted our 3rd annual cookie exchange!  We moved it to their basement because  we had to many for the dining room!  We had 33 women attend and a total of 261 dozen cookies brought!!!

after all the cookies were arranged on the tables, and we had a short devotional, all of the ladies began to pick up a variety of cookies!!  Each lady took home how ever many cookies they had brought.  It was fun. There were ladies from all different churches there.  Most were either related to us somehow or new friends we have met since we moved or friends of a friend!  We tell people on the invitation to feel free to bring a friend!

It was a fun day for all.

We Went to Alabama over Thanksgiving.  This has been the norm in our 22 years of marriage we have missed  4 years I think. while there we went to Gulf Shores It was a beautiful day!  As you can see my children are growing up! 

 This first pic is the one we used on our Christmas cards this year!

here I am carrying Miss Sophia who was to tired to walk! 

 I sure do love that little gal!!

Here we are playing in the surf.....the water was very chilly!!!

walking and trying to get some pics! 

Sophia loves to fix hair!  She LOVES to fix her aunt Yvonne's hair!I guess it's because there is so very much of it!!

OUCH is what Aunt Yvonne says!!  She just yanks it into place!  and frequently says "just hold still aunt von"

Sophia wanted to have tea parties while we were there!

All of the chioldren were very obliging!!

We had taken Jay Zimmerman along he is a good friend of the twins!

He turned 22 a few days after we got home! 

 Sophia loves him and he always joined her tea parties!!

We love TEA!!!!

Thanksgiving afternoon we went over to Mississippi to see some more of the Family.  we went to Uncle Tommy Shulers.  His son Travis was there with a friend and his son Greg was there with his wife Kristy andtheir two cute little ones.

  My sis in law was thrilled to hold that little bundle!

Here is Kristy with their oldest little guy he is a cutie

Here is Jay holding Sophia! 

Fred & Cody talking to Uncle Joudie

two little cuties

extended family conversing

more people talking

Thanksgiving morning our neice Victoria and her husband Jason were grilling oysters ( Fred is helping?)

Some of the sister in laws were goofing off!!

 some of the children were playing horseshoes!

Here is a last parting shot of us!

i looked at xanga a little just now

and realized

it's been a long time since i posted anything. 

well where to start??

i guess i should start with the here and now!

We are in lower AL .....again!  

this is the third time I have made the trip since july......

Fred had not been down  for at least a year.

We are all down right now ......I realize as the children get older and get jobs that family vacations might become fewer and fewer.  I am trying to enjoy the moment!  We brought along one of the twins friends, Jay.  We are enjoying seeing a familiar place through his "new" eyes!!

We will be here with family for the whole week celebrating our

 "Brown family Thanksgiving/Christmas.

This week ended up being a rather busy one.  

Monday was my day off but I was gone running errands most of the day. 

 Tuesday worked at the Print Shop....fairly busy there. 

Wednesday we had an early start.  The two youngest both had dental appointments at 7:45 am.   After that we went to the Social Security office.  I had lost Caleb's SS card about 3 1/2 years ago.   I had went as soon as I realized it to the SS office and was told I did not have the right stuff.  At the time we had just moved not long before that and I had no new medical Dr.  and  no new dentist.  So I had no medical records to give them that suited them.  I did give them the dental records my dentist had given me in PA and they said they would not accept them as anyone could have just printed that on a computer.  We had no insurance at the time either.  The lady had then asked me for school ID for Caleb.  Because I homeschool him I did not have that either.  She said to me"well shame on you mother.  Why have you not yet gotten a new family dr or dentist.  You need to get the right info and come back."   She was very rude.  I dreaded going back.  But I gathered my info and finally went back this week.  I got a different person.  She was much nicer.  We got all of the info entered and we should get his SS card in a week or two.  After that we did some grocery shopping and ran a bunch of errands. Cecilia & I also cleaned my Uncle Dean Bange's house. They only use it during hunting season.  We had cleaned it this summer when they let some people use it for a week.  But it needed just some airing out, and a little chasing of the spiders! I ended up being gone all day.  We had prayer meeting at church that night also. 

Thursday, I was swamped with work at the Print Shop.  That evening we went to work at my aunt and uncle's house that Fred is wiring.  We were going to texture the main living area for them.  We did manage to get the kitchen done but that was all.  We had gotten a late start and ran out of drywall mud. 

 Friday  I was busy at the Print Shop again.  That evening the Weaverland Conference Mennonites in our area had a Chicken BBQ and benefit auction to raise money for disabled children in the area.   Mom & Dad and Fred & I donated a Shrimp dinner for 10 adults to be fixed by the four of us and served at Mom & Dad's sometime in January.  It brought right around $400.00.  We were pleased!  Fred & I will pick up shrimp when we go south for Thanksgiving.  We know the couple that bought it, but it will be interesting to see who else they bring!

Today, Saturday, we were over working on the house again.  Fred & Chancy were wiring.  Cody & I were sanding drywall, texturing drywall and painting.  We have the ceiling in the kitchen finished as far as texturing goes and I painted it today.  Cody got the living & dining rooms all textured.  On Monday I plan to go back.  Some of the Amish neighbor girls are going to help me paint.  I will get them started on the ceiling in the morning.  When I get the walls all sanded, I will let them help with the walls.  The inside of the house is starting to look like it is coming together!!    My Aunt & Uncle left this morning to head back to DE to get their last load.  I know their girls are excited to see them tomorrow.   This evening, my parents, my sister and her family and our family got together to eat shrimp.  When the children and I were down in Sept/Oct  we picked up 20 lbs of shrimp.  There are 15 of us now, and we ate all of the shrimp. We were all stuffed.  Although that is about all we ate, other then some french fries.  Novalee had also made a cake and she took half of it home!   It was yum!  It was also nice to get together as a family since we have not all been together for awhile.

I am glad to think that tomorrow is Sunday!  I need a day of rest and a day of refreshing and renewing!!!

Early one morning, while cecilia was still in her pj's, she got a phone call from her cousin Kaitlin.  She went outside with my cell phone to the spot where we got the best reception.  She sat out there for the longest time yaking away!    She sure like to talk!  Those two always have a lot to talk about!!

One day while in Alabama we wetn to Pensacola FL and went Bowling with Ann,Heidi & Sophie

It was a lot of fun.  Sophie did pretty good with her ramps!  But her mother beat us all! 

One day while in AL we went down the road to a pumpkin patch a local young woman had!  The children enjoyed scurrying around in the field!

When he got back from India, While at the airport, the first thing Cody did was put on his cowboy boots!  LOL 

One day after Cody got back we went to the nursing home to see Fred's dad.  He is basically paralyzed from his shoulders on down.  This is due to some sort of muscular disease similar to ALS "Lou Gehrig's Disease" He uses the tube you see there to call for a nurse if he needs something.  He blows in it and his bell rings and they come!