Thanksgiving

We had such a good week together....James and I both were off together this week, and we had a blast spending time with the kids....That is one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving...is simply being together.....On Wednesday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our good friends. We cooked enough food for an army...Turkey(our first one EVER), dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, green beans, fried apples, and rolls....Blueberry Creme pie for dessert, and Cushaw pie (like pumpkin). We enjoyed the time together, and actually had a great time cooking....The kids ate good, and had a blast together....Here are the guys carving the turkey....It was SO good!

Here Christy and I are posing with our meal...I know, we are silly....=)

The kids patiently waiting for their food....=)After dinner, the guys cleaned up the kitchen, and the girls just talked...which was really nice...Then James and I had to head home...because I had to work =( We went home around 5 so I could sleep a few hours before going back in to work ( I had slept 3 hours, and gotten up-worked the night before-so was pooped by this point) Then I went in to work....Next morning was a repeat...Got up after sleeping 3 hours, and headed to my mom's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family....We enjoyed spending time with Mamaw and Papaw Horne, Cade was so excited because he got to sit on Mamaw's new bar stools.....He is easily pleased....and Mamaw had just redone her kitchen...so this was her first Thanksgiving EVER with a dishwasher!!! I know that Mamaw's face is hidden behind Ian, but she wouldn't let me retake it...so here it is anyway....So, everyone got to sit around and talk after dinner...=) James and I looked through the sale ads for our annual Black Friday Shopping spree....Cade took this pic of us...He is a pretty good photographer.....=) Ian and me...He is growing up too fast....=(and then we came home to put up our Christmas tree....We got the tree up and decorated, and then we crashed on the couch and watched movies.....with the kids...Around 9, we loaded our kiddos up and took them to our babysitter....we had someone watch the kids while James and I went shopping on Friday...then we came home and hit the sack....

Friday Morning...James and I were up at 430, and at Wal-mart by 450....Crazy? Maybe...But we had a great day...spending time shopping for the kids....just about got all of our shopping done, and got to have some quality time together...We are a great team...At Wal-mart, he went one way, and I another...and we got all the things we went to get...and didn't even get stressed because of the crowd...Smooth shopping...all day...=)

Today Macey and I met up with an old friend of mine...Christy Richardson...Her family is moving back to the area for a few months, and our girls are the same age....Macey and Jade met today and played for a few hours...Macey loved her...and can't wait to get to spend more time together...They will be moving here at Christmas....Christy took a picture of them...I will post it after she emails it to me....Then we came home to spend some time with the boys, and Daddy....

One more day, and then we are back to normal...work, school, and our busy schedules....Enjoyed this time together....now I can't wait for Christmas break...=) Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving holiday....God Bless....

Let it Snow....

Woke up this morning to this....These are a few shots I took on my way home from taking the kids to school this morning....Beautiful..... I love how the snow is all over the trees.....

So pretty....

Hope everyone has a blessed weekend....

Kids say the Funniest Things

Me: Macey, You need to get a coat...It is really cold outside this morning....

Macey: Ok, mom (she went and brought a winter coat, but it has no hood

Me: Do you need one with a hood? In case you go outside today?

Macey: Who needs a hood with this head of hair? (As she flung her hair over her shoulder and used her runway walk down the hall-giggling the whole way)

a few minutes later.....

Cade: Macey, move over...you are in my way....(in his very grumpy morning voice)

Macey: I am not in your way, Cade...(she said this gritting her teeth)

Cade: Yes, you are crazy woman! Now Move!(Yes-I did correct Cade on talking to his sister this way...but then I laughed as I walked away ;)

one more thing.....

Macey has lost 2 teeth in the last 2 days...and she has pulled them herself...That in itself is shocking....she ususally lets them fall out...but she never ceases to amaze me...So this morning...we went to see if the tooth fairy left her any money....and I saw the funniest note under her pillow.....


(A little background-She pulled her tooth yesterday at school...and the clinic nurse gives them a very cute little chest to keep the tooth in until they get home....So now...here is Macey's note)

"Dear Tooth Fairy, You can keep the tooth, but just give me back the chest....."

We were all laughing this morning...nothing like a little (or a lot) of laughter to start off our day....=) Gotta love these kids...Have a great "snowy" Tuesday....

Random Thoughts

Well, not much to blog about tonight, but felt the need to log on to the ole' blog anyway...Thought I might put together a "Random" post....Lots of thoughts flying around in my brain....So here are the ones I chose to share with you guys....

• If I have told my kids once, I have told them a thousand times to stop arguing...Do they not hear me, or what? I am starting to think that I may need to take them to get their ears checked....


• It drives me crazy when someone gets up from the couch and leaves the cushion a couple of inches out from the back....you know, the cushions in the front of the couch are uneven....I know...I have a problem...but it is a huge pet peeve of mine....


• another couch problem...is when the kids wriggle around, and knock off the nice little arm covers on the arms of the couch....which happens 2-3 times a day, it seems....what good do they do in the floor? None....


• I guess these just came to me, because I am sitting on my couch...checking out the disasters around me...tuning them out...obviously, because I am blogging...=)


• I love a good football game...especially when Ian is playing...and we had one AWESOME game last night!!!! Go Tarheels!!


• We did freeze to death though....at the game...wore 2 layers of clothes, coat, scarf, hood, and brought blankets, and still froze.....


• I have had headaches more often that not for the past 5 weeks...It gets old....


• I don't normally have headaches, so this has really gotten on my nerves...enough where I went to the doctor on Thursday....Got a diagnosis, and started some new meds...Hopefully we will see positive results soon...Praying....


• I had to call in to work this past Friday....The headaches...I haven't called in to work in three years....I hated to break my "record"....Oh, well, all I did was sleep...It felt good.


• I am over working night shifts....


• I thought I was going to get my job/schedule straightened out....not so sure now...There has been a "glitch" in my plan....Praying about it...God is bigger that we are...and He knows what is best for me....


• I love my laptop...probably a little more than I should...


• I am on the computer way too much....Editing pictures, blogging, emailing, scrapbooking, and last but not least....Facebook...I know...I believe I need a 12 step program.....My Name is Cassie, and I have a computer problem....


• I am arguing with my kids again....no kidding....


• Ian and I are watching Dallas Cowboys vs. Redskins.....Go Tony Romo....


• I think that Balloons are dangerous...and Cade has one in his hand....Where did that come from?


• Ian loves to be bossy...Wonder where he gets that from?


• My boys need haircuts...BAD!


• I love my kids.(even though they are still arguing)


• I just made Cade throw the balloon in the trash can....


• I love Friday Night Lights....James and I watched 4 episodes in a row last week....catching up on our tivoed shows....Good times....


• I hate to drive...I wish someone could just drive me around everywhere...=)


• My eyes are crossing...I am sleepy...and I don't have to work so I am going to hit the hay...We will see how Tony Romo does in the morning.....
• Here is a picture I took last week....Love the reflection in the water...(hate posting without pictures=)

Enough Random thoughts for you...There are tons more where that came from, but my eyes are having trouble focusing on the screen....Hope everyone had a great weekend....Good Night....

Happy Birthday to a Special Friend....

I am truly blessed...with Christian friends....Today is my very special friend, Christy's, birthday....We have known each other for years, and our boys are the same age....and only in the past 2 years have we actually gotten to know each other...and seems like we have been friends forever!!!

Thank you Christy, for listening to me when I was down, for being there to talk to when I needed someone, for always understanding, and for helping us out with the kids....Thank you for always smiling, and for loving my family like your own. Thank you for going on vacation with us, and for giving me hand me downs for my kids, for being my coffee buddy(no one loves coconut creamer like you and me!)....Thanks for helping me with Cade's asthma, and for caring so much for our kids....Thanks for always being so thoughtful of others, and never putting yourself first. Thanks for giving me someone to look up to, and strive to be more like...Your love for God is so real. Thank you for all the prayers that you have prayed for us...Thank you for your honesty, and for simply just being you....You are truly a special person and I am so glad that God placed you and your family in my life....Hope you had a Blessed Birthday....you deserve it...Love you girl....

Winter Wonderland...

I decided to decorate the ole' blog for Christmas....(I thought I would follow in your footsteps, Bethanne ;) and put out my Christmas decor.....This is what I came up with....I love a "Country Christmas"...plaid fabric tied onto my tree, rusty snowmen, rusty stars, berry garland, and a gravevine star as a tree topper....That is the "look" I love at Christmas time....so cozy, and warm...So, I thought I would search the internet high and low to find me some primitive Scrapbooking stuff...and I LOVE these snowmen...I will be able to use the design through the winter months also....Love that too....

Well, I titled my blog...Winter Wonderland....NOT because of my new background...and really cute header....(Did you see the snowflakes in the font?-It's called Frosty!) Anyway, I have this absolutely adorable picture of the kids.....We have been blessed this week with some quality time together as a family....Do you recognize this Winter Wonderland? My kids were so cold they even had to put their hoods on....Give up? (Notice the orange boxes/shelving in between the trees?) You guessed it...Home Depot....I am not kidding...James and I have been visting some home improvement stores for the past week, (I seriously may be getting a roof!) and we looked back to see what the kids were into....because taking them to Home Depot is torture....climbing, hiding, running everywhere....and we saw our 3 precious angels....sitting beside this little "Santa" with their hoods up...acting as if they were freezing...They are hilarious....I made them stay this way to pose for a pic with my cell phone...

So, if you need to get into the Christmas spirit, put your tobaggan on, your coat, and gloves, and head on down to your local home improvement store, and sit near the Christmas trees and act like you are cold....Great Fun!!! Hope everyone has had a good week...Good night...

Where did Tom Turkey go?

Cade had a project due yesterday...He had a picture of "Tom Turkey" on a piece of paper, and had to cut it out, and disguise the turkey so the farmer wouldn't find him for the Thanksgiving Day Meal...(cute idea, huh?) Anyway, Cade came up with the very creative idea of dressing him up like a Lollipop....Hilarious...Here is a picture of our "Blo-Pop Turkey", in disguise...

Here is the Turkey underneath the disguise...and my little Cade...being silly...Gotta love that face...Hope everyone has a good night.....

God STILL Answers Prayers

Hope everyone has had a great weekend. We did...It was just over way to quickly....

I know that I have mentioned on my blog for a few weeks now the possiblity of some changes coming up in the lives of our family....There have been many weeks of prayer and questioning God's will for my life....Sometimes God just makes the answers to our prayers so easy to see, but we just have to take a leap of faith and trust Him....with everything. James and I have been praying concerning my job. I work straight nights and have for almost 6 years now. Three years at the hospital, and now almost three years at the call center where I work. I truly feel blessed to have the job that I have. But I think the combination of night shifts, plus my schedule being so erratic have just gotten the best of me....I only work part time (24 hours a week) but I ususally only sleep 3-4 hours a day, and still take care of my three children, plus maintain a photography business, and the many other tasks of a mommy of three....I won't bore you with all of the details...I couldn't get them all written down in one post anyway....So, the point of all my rambling is ...God has been talking to me....He wants me to follow His will for my life...He wants me to spend quality time with my husband, and my children, He wants me to be the mother that he knows that I can be, but haven't because of feeling so lousy all of the time...So, I took a leap of faith, and decided to cut back at work. Yes. I said it. And I am smiling. For the first time. I have a tendency to be a worrier...and I was concerned about many things that could "happen" due to this desicion...but the only thing that I kept hearing-was that voice in my head, that simply said, over and over, "Trust Me." I got in the car on Friday, to come in and talk with my manager, and the song, "You Only have One Life to Love" (that I posted about in a previous post) started playing. I immediately began crying. I knew at that moment-I was doing the right thing. God works in amazing ways. So, I am going to be cutting back. We have a position available in our unit that is a non benefited, 'as needed' type of position. The requirements for this position are only 4 shifts per month plus I can pick the days that I can work. I also made the desicion to come off of night shifts....This is a big one...I have done this for years, and there is a significant pay cut taken when losing your night shift differential....But I have been feeling bad, having lots of headaches, ect. and I think this is the best thing for me to do....I talked with my manager and felt at peace with my desicion, and she was so positive, and was very understanding of my situation. So, I left the office and headed home...feeling as if a huge "burden" had been lifted....When I got home, James called me from work. He had an "opportunity" offered to him....His boss offered him a "schedule change"(temporarily) that would allow him to make more money(which makes up for my loss ;) and will allow him much more time at home....Can you believe that ? My God is so Good...He quickly let me know that I had made the right choice, by following Him...James news' just made me that much more positive that I had done the right thing. So, just wanted to let you guys know...God STILL answers prayers...because this week, He answered mine...

Honoring a Lesser King

I read this article a few minutes ago...an hour or so after the election results have been announced...and it is awesome...I have always said, even early in this election...that God is in control..and I still believe that he is. "My candidate" may not have won, but God's candidate did. (a little long-but worth the read)

"We , as Christians, are not to complain about the outcome wherever it fails to meet our hopes and expectations....Many conversations will include terms of disrespect for the newest leaders of the land.

Our First Amendment freedom to, among other things, speak our minds about our elected officials will be exercised widely in the days following the election, and many an American Christian will join in this national sport of lampooning the leaders they voted against.
But there is nothing Christian about such a liberty.

It may come as a surprise to some of us that—though the denigration of our leaders is a liberty afforded by our society—it is not a liberty afforded by God. To be sure, the right of moral protest against unrighteousness in our rulers is one clearly derived from Scripture, and we should be grateful to live in a land where this right is acknowledged by our founding documents. Yet, where such civil liberties in the West have been accompanied by a widespread indulgence in the rhetoric of personal disdain for our leaders, the same Scriptures are being blatantly violated. The call of God in his Word is simply and emphatically: “Honor the King” (1 Peter 2:17).

The call to render honor to civil authorities is perhaps most striking when voiced by the apostles. They preached the gospel of a risen Christ who was the rightful King of all the earth, yet they did so in an era in which the highest civil authority, the emperor of Rome, was increasingly demanding of an idolatrous loyalty by his subjects. This called forth the most heroic defiance of civil authorities when necessary to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). Yet, astonishingly, the same apostles retained the view that God has instituted all civil authority, and that Christians were to render respect and honor even to godless rulers as unto the Lord (Romans 13:1-7). What they recognized is that one of the ways in which God in Christ rules the world is through even pagan rulers, whose hearts are in the Lord’s hands (Proverbs 21:1).

As the various ramifications of this election sink into our minds in the coming days, so also should the implications of what Paul says to the Christians in Rome: “[T]here is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). All who rise to political power, whether by means of a privileged birth, a successful military coup, or a victory at the ballot box, do so only by the providential appointment of God in heaven. This consideration alone calls for not only law-abiding submission, but also the respect and honor of our hearts and lips. We may discuss whether God has brought blessing or judgment upon our land through the various election winners, but in each case they are nothing less than “ministers of God” (vs. 6). We honor or dishonor God Himself as we honor or dishonor his servants.

Indeed, the posture of Christians toward their rulers should be something of a paradox to a watching world. Like the martyrs of the Church throughout the ages, we should be capable of a radical defiance of human rulers when faced with a conflict between divine and human authority. Yet we should also be mindful of Paul’s example while on trial before the Council, when he accepted a rebuke for his strong words against the High Priest, and acknowledged the law’s requirement: “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people” (Acts 23:5). Christians should distinguish themselves among their fellow citizens for holding their leaders in the highest honor, despite even their most obvious character flaws, out of acknowledgement that they occupy their offices by the express appointment of God.

Let us distance ourselves as Christians from the irresistible American pastime of deriding our politicians. Our first allegiance is to the King of Kings, but, for His sake, we must also honor every lesser king ... whether we voted for him or not."

Good words...for all of us...My God is Good...In all things...All of the time....=)

Just a reminder....

"Look at the nations and watch - and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if
you were told."Habakkuk 1:5

History in the Making

Today I got a wild idea to go over to the local airport and listen to Senator McCain speak...I usually am not a political person...but I just felt like this was an opportunity of a lifetime....So, I went...by myself...believe it or not...5 years ago, I would have never done this...Went anywhere alone...especially where there is a large crowd involved...and believe me..there was a large crowd......So, I will mark this one down as a personal accomplishment...I did it...and actually enjoyed myself...I ended up running into a friend from church, and hung out with him...I didn't take my camera in due to being afraid they wouldn't allow them inside...so I am depending on my friend's pics...He is going to give them to me later....Amazing to see so many people coming together for one cause...This was something I have never been apart of before...so this was pretty amazing....Here are a couple of pics from the day...

Getting off of the airplane.....(the kids would have loved this part....the plane was awesome)

Only a small part of the crowd...I was actually inside the hangar, so this is a shot of the people on the other side of the stage....For someone who has issues with crowds...I handled this pretty well....Be much in prayer about our country and our election...God is in control...regardless of the outcome...I truly believe that...Well, I am off to yet another photo shoot...Hope everyone had a great Monday!!! God Bless...

I am Back!

Yes, I said it...After a few weeks of blog free living...I am back...I have missed my blogging buddies...and have missed sharing all of the inspiring things that fly around in this head of mine with you guys...as well, as many of you have informed me that you have missed me too...=) That makes me smile...Thanks for all the encouraging words...You guys are awesome!

I am going to be blogging quite a bit less than before...I am making a conscious effort to decrease my computer time...maybe one or two posts a week...We will see how it all works out...If I feel the need to take a blogging break again..I will...It was a good thing for me to do..

We had a very busy weekend....as usual...but enjoyed our time together...Time with my family is so important to me...and with a lot of the things going on in James and my life lately...We have come to realize this more...How valuable our family is to us...and our marriage...We have been praying over some things lately that will affect us...in a good way, we hope...but nonetheless, will change things around the Allen house....I will let you all in on those things later....Still praying, and seeking God's will for my life...

Well, I have to share some of the pictures from Halloween...We had a blast with the kids costumes...and everyone at church just loved them too!!! We would like to introduce to you, Senator McCain, Sarah Palin, and their Secret Service Agent....

Thanks, Jayme for taking our family photo...Here we all are at Our Church's "Sweets, Treats and More Celebration". The kids had a great time tonight, spending time with their friends...
My personal little campaign add.....Cool flag shot...Cade is so funny...He had a blast in his costume...I have always loved a man in uniform.... Protecting Sen. McCain....Hope you enjoyed our pics....

This is a song that has really meant a lot to me the past few days...wanted to share it with you...Hope everyone is having a blessed Sunday...You only have one life to live...Be sure to live it for Him!!!! '>