"L" is for....

L

Well, I thought quite a bit about this post and decided on something...Finally...at 11:00 tonight...Alot of people are animal lovers....and they love to post pics about their pets, their sweet little dogs, their cute little cats...and how cute and adorable they are....So I thought I would take this opportunity to post about my favorite pet that we have...Our Lizards, Ollie and Sparky...They are bearded dragons, and they are probably the best pets that we have ever had....They are very low mainentence...and I personally think they are so cute....So, tonight, I decided to do a "mini" photo session with them...and they were so cooperative...They looked right in the camera and smiled from ear to ear....=) I know, I am crazy...There have been many nights that we all sit around their tank and just watch them...They are so funny...They love to eat crickets, and the boys think it is so cool to watch them eat....I even got James to hold Ollie, so I could get a close up shot of him....Here are the pics from their session tonight....So, "L", is for Lizards........

"K" is for....

K

Well, this post is a pretty easy one to me....I know someone who is reading this and thinking to themselves....'I know what she is going to post...I know it....' So here it is...."K" is for my sister, Kristie.....Ahhh...I know she is smiling right now...thinking to herself..."What a sweet sister I have...that she dedicated her "K" is for post' to me....." Kristie and I are four years apart, me being the oldest sibling....there are lots of things that I could post....but I am going to keep this one simple...We have had tons of fun getting together and just being crazy in our lives...and I just hope that we keep on having fun! It is a little harder now with the distance between us...but when we talk on the phone or get to see each other...it is just like she lives right next door....we pick right up where we left off....Thanks for all the fun times that we have shared together...hope there is many more....Love you.....This was a picture that we took during Christmas the last time she was in....thought it was funny....have a good one...

C-R-A-Z-Y Boys

Cade had a craft that he made for Valentine's Day that had wiggly eyes on it...and he pulled them off the craft ....and this is what I saw.....

"J" is for...

J
My letter "J" is straight to the point....There are "J"ust

And I can't wait....I am so over this winter weather...ready for some sunshine...flip flops...sand on my feet....Ahhhhh...I can imagine it already....have a good one...

My Picks....

Tonight is the night....The first results show for American Idol Season 7....I can't wait...I haven't really made any posts concerning my FAVORITE show EVER!!! So I thought it was time for a small one....I know lots of you don't care about the FIRST results show of Season 7..and if you don't, I am sorry...Just ignore this post...=) But these 2 are my favorite after week 1...This can all change as of next week...But these are my picks....

Asia'h Epperson...her story is phenomenal...Her daddy was killed in a car accident while she was on her way to AI auditions....and she has been a powerhouse since day one....She did an awesome job last night....my favorite of the girls..... Michael Johns....a young man from Australia...His voice is unbelievable....I just loved his performance last night.....My favorite of the guys......Who is your favorite American Idol contestant so far????

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's 60th Birthday...I hope you have a great birthday and we love you so much!!! "Happy Birthday to you..Happy Birthday to you..Happy Birthday dear Mom, Mamaw, Nancy--Happy Birthday to you"

I am sure you could hear me singing in your head...Ha...Love you Mom!!!

Love this song

I was coming home today from meeting my parents for coffee this morning, after dropping the kids off at school...When I pulled in the driveway this song was playing on WCQR...I sat in the van, and listened to it, crying...It is such a beautiful song by Steven Curtis Chapman...'Cinderella'....I immediately thought ....I have to find this song on you tube and put it on my blog....(that is when you know you have a blogging problem) Be sure to listen to it..(you will have to pause the music on my player....) For any of you mother's or father's of daughters or Daddy's little girls...it will really hit home...They grow up too fast...Be sure to enjoy EVERY minute....have a great day.

"I" is for.....

I

"I" is for ....Ian....Ian is my oldest son...I am so proud of him...He is such a gentleman in so many ways....Don't get me wrong--he has his share of faults...but he has the biggest heart....He loves his family so much, and always willing to give a helping hand around the house...For example...this morning he asked me if he could pack his lunch, and I told him to go ahead, and the next thing I knew, he had packed Cade and Macey's too...Little things like that...All of the time....

He loves sports...Football, Baseball, Soccer and Basketball--in that order...He dreams of playing for DB and then the NFL one day...Big dreams for a little guy....I have to say..he is good too...=) I am a little partial, but he really is...

Now a little about the not so good stuff....Ian really struggles in school....not in all things, but in reading and reading comprehension.....We have been doing some before school tutoring, but haven't seen a whole lot of improvement....I think he has some issues with attention...alot of it due to his age...he is one of the youngest in his grade....Anyway...we have been praying for guidance in this area...It is such an important part of his life, and I want him to understand that now...and not when it is too late.....

Ian reads my blog daily--so "Ian, I LOVE YOU!!!! You are a blessing in my life, and have been since the day that you entered it...I thank God for you...You are growing up right before my very eyes...Faster than I ever dreamed possible....turning into a young man...I can't even stand to think that you will be in middle school this year....Where does the time go??? I just want you to know that you are the BEST!!! and we will get through this "school stuff" together....I love you..Mommy"

"H" is for....

H

"H" is for Home...I feel so blessed to have the house that we have...As many of you know, I have a tendencey towards complaining about my "place of abode"....We have been in the 'building an addition' process for 3 years in March...

This is the addition 2 1/2 years ago...This is where we are now....I will be sure to post a finished picture...when that happens... =)That has been one of the topics at the Allen household for quite some time....My Financial Peace friends will understand what I am getting ready to say...We haven't finished it because of not wanting to go in debt again....We have been saving trying to get enough money saved up to get this roof on my garage....So that is why it isn't done yet....My point of this post is not to complain though....I wanted to say how blessed I am with my house...The building is not what "h" stands for...."H" stands for HOME...I have a quote on my blog that says..."having a place to go is a Home, having someone to love is a family, having both is a blessing....." I am truly blessed....

"G" is for....

G

"G" is for Good Friends.....James and I have been blessed in our lives with the company of many Good Friends....We belong to a wonderful church and we feel priveledged to call some of these people our Friends.... I have a fellow blogger that uses the software Picasa to create collages...so I thought I would attempt it...It was so easy...and just took a few minutes...I just wanted to make a sort of tribute to some of our Best Friends in the world, our second family in a way....If you want to see these pics closer--double click on it...We love you guys...

The following is a devotion that I loved...about a Recipe for Friendship
A Recipe For Friendship by Julia Bettencourt

Our friendships with our sisters in Christ are like recipes of goodness for us. They bake up something special. You may have heard that saying, "In the cookies of life, friends are the chocolate chips". Friends are that sweet extra in life and even sweeter is friendship among believers in Christ. Why is a recipe for fellowship and friendship with our sisters in Christ is so Important? Let's check out the ingredients and see what they do.

Sisters In Christ Friendship Recipe

• Shortening - Provides texture. Our fellowship and friendship with our sisters in the Lord can add much depth and texture to our lives. We blend together in unity as part of the body of Christ.
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• Sugar - Adds sweetness. Our fellowship with our sisters adds such a sweet taste to our lives. If we didn't have sugar in our cookies, we'd sure miss it. The same is with our fellowship with our sisters. We can't leave it out of our lives.
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• Eggs - Holds ingredients together. Sisters in the Lord are someone to lean on. We are held together by fellowship with them. We are stronger because of them, their prayers, and their love in the Lord. We have a special bond in Christ.
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• Vanilla - Adds flavor. Sisters add that flavor we need. They give us that extra sensation. Without friends and fellowship we become kind of bland.
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• Flour - Adds substance. We need the substance a sister in the Lord can add. They give us many things by way of mentoring us when we don't even know it. Their shared testimonies and way they live their lives has an impact on us.
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• Baking Soda - Leavens. Leavening agents in baking helps to lighten the dough. Friendship with our sisters in Christ lightens our burdens through their prayer and encouragement.
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• Salt - Enhances flavor. We know that friendships add flavor and just when we need it, they help improve the tastefulness and quality of our lives. Friends are the type of people that know just what we are going through and are there when we need them.
  
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips - - The kind of chocolate chips we normally add to our cookies is semi sweet. Our sister friends tell us what they feel and think and that's okay. They can be honest and truthful to us. "Iron sharpeneth iron" (Proverbs 27:17).
  
• Nuts...Optional - Just a little craziness in a sister friend is great! Sometimes a little zaniness in our friends can be just the ingredient we need.

Conclusion:Friendships take a lot of time and effort to bake up but they are worth it when we sense that sweet aroma and special bond that they bring. Friends that have Jesus in common will have lasting relationships, not just here on earth, but will dwell with Christ together throughout eternity.
"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24.