Happy January 2013!

Morning, my peeps!  How's the new year treatin' ya?  I hope all's well, and everybody had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!  I hope that new memories were made, all your loved ones were kissed and hugged many times over and that you're ready to face 2013 with hope and faith and determination to reach your goals!  And, I  hope and pray that the flu-bug is staying well away from you and yours!

Me?  Well, we had a great time, too.  It was bittersweet, tho.  We lost two wonderful Christian brothers over the holidays, but new babies were born into our church family, too.  One of the brethren we lost to an aneurysm and he went be with  the Lord on the day after his great niece was born.  Lots of family and friends at the hospital to see both.  Does it ever seem to y'all that when someone dies that a new soul is born to replace that one?  This man was 63, had a wife with several grown children, grandchildren, and was a faithful member and elder of the church.  The other brother and elder that died had leukemia and it took him quickly at the ripe old age of 56.  He had a big family and grandkids, too. It was very sad to lose both these faithful Christian men, but I know that they are glad to be where they are now!

So rejoicing all around for these two families!  Isn't it wonderful that we can look at it that way???

Saturday past, we made a trip to Austin, TX, to see my 56 year old cousin get married.  He married a sweet Greek lady that he'd been dating for a few years and they finally decided to get hitched.  ('Bout time if you ask me)  Seen the movie, "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding"?  My cousin's wedding was that movie made over.  Well, it was interesting to say the least!  And the venue was beautiful, too.  I'd never been in a Greek Orthodox church before, but it was awesome. I managed to take a few pics of the church before the wedding started...

Lots of buildings are made out of this limestone rock which is so plentiful down in the hill country. I'd love to have a home built with it....

The virgin Mary, the apostles, many, many saints are depicted throughout the church paintings, and...

Of course you'll fine in the ceiling dome in the auditorium, Jesus and lots of angels.  It was truly awesome and beautiful.  I visited with one of the members, and she told me that there was an artist, a Greek man, that came and painted all the murals. With me being an artist, I can imagine how long it must have taken him to do all these renderings. 

OK, now on to other stuff...  You may or may not know, but we got snow late Christmas afternoon!!!  They said we could get a dusting, but we got a few inches!  It was beautiful!  My two kids that were home celebrated the snow the way country kids do nowadays...

Pulling each other on the Mule all around the pasture on a cardboard box!!!

Now how "RED" is that!!!  LOL!

Had kind of a 'white-out' for awhile there - couldn't see any of the neighbors.  You Texans out there know how RARELY do we see snow - so it was quite enjoyable.  

FOR THE FIRST DAY.  It stayed cold enough that the snow stayed on the ground for a couple more days. I could NOT live up north.  It's not the cold.  It's the mess it makes - tracking it in the house, making mud everywhere, re-freezing at night.  Just a big mess.   So I got a few pictures, and then I was ready for it to melt and go away.   Then, our power went out.  We spent Christmas day night in a freezing house all bundled up.  The worst part?  Not having my box fan to sleep with.  The next day, we were having Christmas at mother's, and some of my food I was making to carry over there did not get made.  We went early to mom's and showered and got ready.  All was well, and we had plenty of food to go around!  But we were tired and tempers got a wee bit short!  haha!

It was fun to watch Tank in the snow - his first.  He and Gypsy had a ball.  They didn't seem to mind the cold at all.  Of course, when Tank came in, he brought all kinds of wet, muddy filth in with him.  Gypsy comes in for a bit, but she wants back out - she's got lots of hair and gets hot in the house.

Silly pups!

I'll leave you with one parting photo taken somewhere in East Texas...  and it's NOT my farm  --  promise!

RE-PURPOSING  AT  ITS  BEST!