OOPS...

...I forgot to tell you earlier that I read this entire book yesterday, in one sitting. I'd been wanting to get my little hands on this baby for a while; and once I did I just couldn't stop. I watch the show Jon & Kate: Plus Eight on TLC all the time, I love it. I'm amazed by this woman. Her strength and faith during an unimaginably difficult time in her life is incredible to me. I can't wrap my mind around having one set of multiples much less TWO, one of which is sextuplets.. 8 babies in all. I'd be paralyzed in stress.

On the other hand we both share the love of organized things and labelmaking. {Her bottle system made me laugh out loud.}

I think anyone who is planning on ever having a child, or who has a child should read this book. It gave me an entirely new perspective on how I might handle certain situations and made me think of things that had never crossed my mind.

I can only hope that whenever Chance and I are blessed with a miracle of our own that I will be half the mom, wife, and woman of faith that she is. Kate Gosselin- You are officially my hero. You deserve a medal, or a street named after you, or maybe a national holiday. If you need a spokeswoman to sing your praises, give me a call!

Our Christmas

We had a pretty good Christmas, with lots of goodies, of both the food and present type. I think I gained 654789234 lbs. I've sworn off anything but lean cuisine's until further notice. Luckily the busy time of year for us at the shop starts today, so that means not standing around snacking and talking; and lots more walking and lifting 30-50 lb. dresses. The weight usually doesn't last long after that.

Me opening my black pearls.

Chance and I had a great 2nd Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. Chance Bendel. I got some great presents. And he got a GPS system for his truck. He wasn't as excited as I thought he would be, but I think he still enjoyed himself.

Us on Christmas Eve 2008

I hope everyone had a wonderful and joyous Christmas.

Merry Christmas

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

No way, no how.

No point in hoping anymore. No white Christmas for western Kentucky. No "Dreaming of a white Christmas" for the Bendel clan. Debbi and I are however working like little elves cooking and preparing for the next two days. Like we always do.

I'm really looking forward to our candlelight church service tomorrow night! It's always soo pretty. Outfits are planned and laid out. And then, one of our favorite parts of Christmas... junk food on Christmas Eve. Here's the spread: spinach dip, roasted red pepper dip, white cheese dip, peanut-butter rice krispies, snickerdoodles, peppermint bark, cream cheese roll-ups, cheese ball and sausage balls. Yummy!!! Immediately followed by PRESENTS.

As for Christmas Day, we're going easy on that. Ham, greenbeans, corn & my favorite- hashbrown casserole. I think Aunt Bea will be joining us so that always makes for an interesting time.

Kitty-cats, slippers, and veggie stew..

What a combination, I know!!

This morning as I was sitting in bed with my trusty laptop & english toffee cappuchino catching up on my google reader and out of now where my lovely kitty Baylei came and snuggled up on top of me and I realized how lucky I am to have such wonderful furry babies. Remind me to put that on my list of things to be thankful for.

Another thing I'm thankful for right now is my hubby!! Last night after I got home from an exhaustingly slow day at the shop, my sweetie let me know that I had a new present under the tree. A present that was from him. A present that was way better than the birthday gift I got this year. I begged and pleaded, bribed and begged some more. The bribery worked and I got to open it 9 days early. Woo Hoo! I know you're dying to know what I got.. A "Good Night Aromatherapy" gift set from Bath & Body Works. It even had a sleep mask and cozy slippers to go along with the pillow mist, lotion, and wait for it... bubble bath. I was amazed. And in great need of all of them.

Onto much more pressing matters. Apparently, I have some how learned to cook. I don't know where this skill came from. I was never taught and the food network just makes me hungry. That being said, everything I make turns out great! I will not question this gift, as I am worried that the good Lord will take it away, and my unborn children will be forced into a life of spagetti and hamburger helper. {the good news is that they have now come out with a line of side dishes to go along with the hamburger helper, so at least the would have a balanced meal.}

One of my latest concoctions is my version of Vegetable Beef Soup. It's really quite yummy, even better it only takes around 30 min. form start to finish. Your dying I know. Lucky for you my Momma taught me to share, so here you are:

Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of stew meat

2lbs. of frozen mixed vegetables

2 medium potatoes - cubed

2 stalks of celery - chopped

2 cans of beef broth

2 lg. cans of tomato sauce

1 can diced of roasted tomatoes - do not drain

Salt and Pepper - to taste

Directions:

In a large pot combine broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, mixed vegetables and celery. Start on Med-High heat until it comes to a slow bowl. Turn down to Med. heat. In a separate pot, bowl cubed potatoes for exactly 7 minutes. No more, no less. {Thank you Paula Deen} In the time being cook stew meat. When the potatoes are done add them to the other vegetables, likewise with the meat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil reduce heat to Med-Low and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste and serve with the carb of your choice.

Winter Goodies..

One of my Mother-in-law Debbi and my favorite things to do around the holidays is to bake. Preferably with each other, the tv on and adult beverages in hand. A few nights ago we/she made Peppermint Bark. It was super yummy, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

Photo borrowed from: www.smilepolitely.com Thank You!

Ingredients:
Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
2 pounds white chocolate
Peppermint flavorings, optional

Directions:
Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

Baby it's cold outside..

It started yesterday, and I knew it was going to be bad when our local schools were dismissed early due to the weather. What started out as rain, turned to freezing rain, turned to sleet, turned to snow. And it's supposed to continue throughout the day and into the evening.

So go to the store and get your milk and bread. Curl up with some hot cocoa and a black and white movie. Sure wish I could, but I get to go to work. Joy.

Stalled...

We have a concrete slab. With pipes coming out of it. That's it. For 2 weeks.

Aggravating? Yes.

Here's why: Our contractor is vacationing in New Mexico. Two of his workers were in a car accident, one of which is in a coma (we are praying for his recovery.) Weather, lovely December weather. The holidays.

The good news: They will be starting work again Jan. 5, 2009. Two crews will be working on our home, instead of just one. The work should be done in half the time.

The reality: Chance isn't at all happy, and says that he refuses to pay the full amout that we agreed on since it's taking longer than promised. That'll save some money. Maybe I can get a better bathtub, maybe one with a whirlpool. I know I'm dreaming.

In happier news, I've chosen colors, cabinets, flooring and countertops - and I LOVE them!

On this day in 1963..

December 13, 1963

Beverly A. Nichols & Bobby G. Yancey were wed.

(For any of you who don't know- that's my Grandparents)

It was an intimate wedding, without all the muss and fuss that usually go along with weddings (what mine was filled to the brim with) but it was a beautiful one, or so I'm told. Just a few family, friends and a preacher in the church that my Grandmother grew up in, in Tupelo MS.

The bride wore a simple ivory dress, no veil. There was no reception, no photographer; actually there is only one photo from that day it's of the two of them, and I've never seen a picture capture so much love. They so loved each other. That's not to say that my Grandparents marriage was perfect, they had their hard times just like everyone else (maybe more than anyone else) but through it all they never stopped loving each other. They were the role model that taught me to love, that taught me how marriage should be. I often told them when I was younger that I hoped one day to have as full of a marriage as they did. The same still remains true today.

My Grandfather was many things to me. He was, of course my Grandfather; but he was also my Daddy, my friend. He held my hand as a little girl learning to walk. He held the handle bars of my bicycle and taught me to ride a bike. He held my hand and congratulated me on the day of graduation. And he gave my hand to Chance on our wedding day.

In the last few years of my Grandfather's life he was not well, several years ago he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor on his right lung. Thanks to the marvels of modern science, the doctor's removed the cancer. He went into remission. He never completely recovered though, he had several other health issue that we contributed this to. And then the phone call came that changed all of our lives forever. In early January 2007 on a Friday night at around 9 pm Pawpaw's physician called the house. He had a tumor on his brain, near the cerebellum. The surgeons did their best but admittedly were not able to get it all. In the ten months that followed he got better, got worse, got better, and then got worse again. I believe that God led my Grandmother to nursing so many years ago so that she could take care of him in his final days. She nursed him through it all, staying up all hours of the day and night, neglecting herself so that he might not feel the pain. She was so selfless. In his final days we were all by his side. Eventually we all, in our own time told him it was ok to go. We all said our goodbyes, we were as prepared as you could be for that kind of situation. But he kept holding on, then on Oct. 31, my Grandmother (& sisters) birthday she told him it was time. A few hours later we went peacefully. He waited until he knew that she'd be ok, until she was ready. I had never seen that measure of love, he was dying and he was still taking care of her. (It's what he did best)

My Grandparents enjoyed to daughters together, sometimes more than others. And revelled in the glory of being Grandparents. I may be partial but I think the excelled at the latter. Their marriage was a rock that their two daughters and 5 grand-daughters will be able to look to as guidance for the rest of our lives. It was a blessing to us all. Their's is my favorite love story.

My wishlist...

Today Chance and I were watching "Home Improvement", one of the earlier episodes- in the show it's Jill's birthday and Tim spends the entire week stressing over what to give her and ends up making a tribute video for her. This got us talking about all the gifts we've gotten each other in the past and the "great" gift he got me for my birthday this year. So to eliminate this problem in the future, I'm going to post my wishlist here- on the internet, where it can never die. I'll add to it as I see more goodies. Here's what I've got so far:

Burberry Perfume

Mariposa "String of Pearls" Cake Plate

Lucy Ann thin cuff- "Sarah & Chance"

Ruffle Halter Dress from Limited

Sterling Personalized Digital Photo Frame from Pottery Barn

White Ceramic Ribbon Cake Plate

White Ceramic Pitcher

Hydrangeas- always a great choice.

Dreaming:

Sapphire Ring

Red Hermes

Christian Louboutin Heels

Maybe??

Chance and I were sitting in the kitchen today and out of no where he says.. "Next summer, let's take the train to New Orleans." I had never heard of a better idea, and it will be a welcomed relief after a winter of construction. So in a matter of about 15 minutes we planned our entire trip, tours and all. We are hoping that two of our friends will be able to go with us. We're planning to stay at the Hotel Monteleone, and go during the Jazz Fest. I'm excited. Hope it comes together.

Wishin' and Hopin' and Thinkin' and Prayin'

I want them.

Sweets for my sweetie.

One if Chance's favorite things to do recently is to come to me at 8:30 at night and beg, grovel, and plead for cookies. But not just any cookies, he wants snickerdoodles. So I thought I'd share the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Lace, Petit fours & Pretty things.

My good friend Ashley is getting MARRIED!!

I was so lucky to have been able to attend her lingerie shower on Sunday.

I drove down after work on Saturday, had an uneventful drive, and arrived at around 9:30 that night. We went out for dinner and drinks, had a fabulous time. Then we went home, laid in bed and laughed until we nearly cried- or peed our panties. We woke up on Sunday and got all dolled up (seemingly our favorite thing to do together) and went to her shower. The ever lovely Meemee hosted. The food was wonderful. The punch was amazing. The conversation was great and the laughter was non-stop. After all the presents were opened and about 4 hours had passed we called it a day. Then I got to meet her wonderful fiance' Corey. He's great and he's everything I could have ever asked for, for my best friend. We watched "Bridezillas"- and Corey watched with us the whole time; watched more tv and then went to sleep. Ashley is a teacher so she has to be awake way too early so I slept in and took my time getting on the road, had another uneventful drive, and got home around 3:30.

Congrats Ashley!!! I'm so glad you loved all your gorgeous gifts.

See you in 3 WEEKS!!!!

Words of wisdom.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees.. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we ex pect G od to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events.. terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr.. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have n o conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein

Breaking news....

As I type this right now, I can hear the sound of progess outside.

The footer is done, the plumber has laid his pipes, the termite guy has sprayed and pretreated and then sprayed again. And now ladies and gentleman... I give to you CONCRETE.
They are pouring the concrete slab and the driveway. Hopefully they will get done before the rain starts (there's a 70% chance of rain today) because it's supposed to rain all week.

Pictures to follow later, God Bless.

Happy Birthday to...

...you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Chance,

Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

It's Chance's birthday, he's 25 now.

No we're not doing anything fun.

I'm working all night. Maybe this weekend.

Chance is an incredible husband. So sweet, caring, loving...

So if you're reading this hunnie (which you're not)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Two guesses...

Any idea? It's a footer. Webster says that a footer is: a basis or foundation. Chance has had to explain all these silly construction terms to me about 9 gazillion times. I know, it's pathetic. They cut the footers on Tuesday. Now we're waiting on the termite inspector to pre-treat the area and the plumber to do his "thing" whatever that may be. Then on Monday the contractor will be back to poor the concrete slab. It's so exciting now that we can see the process in front of our eyes, instead of just on paper and in our heads.

Our home:

She's incredible.

I'm amazed by this woman. She's an incredible mother, she manages it all so well. I don't know that I would be able to handle twins let alone TWO sets of multiples.

And her faith is remarkable. The family never misses a Sunday at church, and I LOVE how strong she and Jon were when it came to the topic of reduction.

See they're story below:

Their beautiful family.

Adorable Aaden (the cutest)

THE STORY: "It all started when Jon and I met on October 5, 1997 at a picnic. I never believed in “love at first sight”, but this came really close. Jon was walking across the grass and I saw him and was instantly intrigued! Our eyes met and continued to meet from across the way all afternoon. Finally, I arranged for someone to introduce us…and the rest is history! We were married at a friend’s home in Wyomissing under a white tent with toms of beautiful flowers…A perfect garden wedding with equally perfect weather on June 12, 1999. It was truly a beautiful thing! I had wanted children right away, but Jon wasn’t ready. I had a nagging feeling since I was a child that I would have a hard time getting pregnant. So, that fall I decided to get testing done and I was right. I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Basically, I don’t ovulate and would need help getting pregnant. So we decided to check out a fertility doctor and decided to try just in case it would take a long time to get pregnant. It didn’t take a long time at all! Januarys’ cycle failed, but by February I was pregnant! We were ecstatic!!!!!!!! Even more so when we learned we were having twins! We had prayed for twins, because Jon was as “baby crazy” as I am and we decided we would fight over one baby! (We had also had a joke about this since we were dating). The pregnancy was rough (so I thought then) and the girls, Cara Nicole and Madelyn Kate were born that October. They spent 5 days in the NICU (they were born at 35+3 weeks) and were then released to go home…As a little family I was exhausted, but tickled pink…I was so much in love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jon was such a big helper right from the beginning! I was so impressed! He jumped in and helped with feedings, baths and everything else! I was amazed! He was equally in love with his “daddy’s little girls”—just what he always wanted! God had truly blessed us with these darling miracle babies –and we knew it! The girls turned one and I started thinking about more children….After all, the girls had been pure fun and I wanted to do it again! But, Jon wasn’t convinced. I prayed for a long time that God would change his mind. It took a long time and a rough experience for both of us for that to happen…In May 2003, we had the opportunity to adopt a newborn in kind of a rare circumstance. Things were moving really fast and we prayed about it and felt that this was not meant to be. Jon and I came to a joint decision that we were not ready to take on such a responsibility at the time. We felt God leading us that way. Jon was amazed that I so willingly “turned down a baby”. It hurt so badly, but I knew we were doing the right thing. I mourned for the better part of a month and it was then that Jon agreed to let us return to try and have another baby. He saw just how badly I wanted to be a mommy again. We decided that in October we would return for “round two”, but I got impatient (imagine that!) and went back in August right before our family trip to Disney World. August failed! When we returned, we switched doctors and tried again in October…….That cycle was perfect! Everything went great! I was told I had 3 with a possibility of 4 follicles, and that was a great cycle! The only thing that made our doctor nervous was the fact that we were absolutely opposed to reduction and that we were concerned about multiples again. We prayed about this and just like our peace about returning in October f or this, we felt peace about proceeding. So we did! Five weeks later, (after my hospitalization for over stimulated ovaries) we were at our initial ultrasound and learned the news. I will never forget this day as long as I live. There were seven sacs with four yolk sacs, or babies in four of them. At the count of four, I was scared. At five I started crying and at six I was shaking absolutely sobbing. Jon had turned form the screen, he couldn’t look anymore. I have never seen him so close to tears in my life! The doctor “reassured” us by telling us we would talk about reduction. I pulled myself together and stared right at him and said “We’re not doing reduction!” After the ultrasound he called us into his office and tried to convince us that reduction was the thing to do. Again, we refused! That weekend, Jon and I spent our time staring at the walls (literally) and crying. It was the worst weekend of my entire life! On Sunday, Jon took the girls to church and asked if he should tell anyone. I told him to tell a few people so we could get prayer started for us. Before he was home form church, the phone started ringing. Everyone was so encouraging and offered their prayers and help. I began to feel that we could do this! With God’s help, of course! Now here I am, lying in bed in the hospital, 26 weeks pregnant with 6 babies. (One baby never developed on its own), three boys and three girls and I wouldn’t change it for the world! Jon and I have already learned so many great lessons through this experience! I have learned that I am not at all in control of my own life—God is. He owns every facet of my very being! What great relief to know that all that stress does not have to sit on my shoulders anymore! I give it to God and he takes care of it for me! I have learned to be grateful for everything I have. God has provided for us immensely, even in times of Jon’s unemployment! I have learned to value my family so much more. I have such a wonderful husband who has been so strong through all of this! I love him more each and everyday! He has become the spiritual role model in our family and truly the head of our household! God has really changed him and he is becoming what God wants him to be! And I love it! This has been a wonderful lesson and learning time in our lives, and the learning has just begun! Our babies should be here hopefully not until the end of May. Then the fun will begin….Please, pray as you think of our family. Thank you! Jon & Kate"

Domestic Bliss

I have made some progress in my quest to become a domestic goddess.

May I introduce you to my new babies...

and her brother:

What's next?

Well, it's happened. The one thing I was sure would never happen to us.Our small family has been directly affected by the economic crisis.

Chance will be laid off at the end of this month.

I'm so stressed right now. We've been assured that this is strictly a temporary thing, and he will be recieving unemployment benefits for the time being. The silver lining is that he will now be able to finish the house much quicker (in about a third of the time he thought it would take).

Yet for some reason I'm still so worried.

I don't know why.

He tells me there's no reason to be. I know that the Lord will provide for us. I know that we will be taken care of.

We both have faith in that.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

In happier news we will be joining Gospel Mission Worship Center soon. I'm really looking forward to that! I want us to have a strong church family before we start to try for a baby. (which by the way will be no time soon.)

I'm a strong believer that it takes a village to raise a child. And I think that the next generation of children is going to have to have an even stronger faith, they are going to be challenged even more so than we have been. With politicians wanting to teach sex-ed to 5 year olds, and such an anti-conservative mentality sweeping the nation; I want my babies to have a rock solid foundation in the Lord.

So if you're the prayin' type, please pray for our country, for all believers (we will soon be tested to stay true to the Lord), and keep Chance and myself close to your heart- please, although I know we'll be ok. I feel as though we have come to a crossroads in our lives together and I want it to be completely guided by Him.Also pray for our new project. Groundbreaking was delayed due to rain- they are starting tomorrow.

Hunger pains.

Why is it that when I'm sick I'm so hungry - and there's no food in the house. Sure there's a fully stocked pantry downstairs. But none of it sounds good. And it all requires cooking, which I don't have the energy to do, and Chance won't. So instead of eating some of my favorite foods - I'll just write about them. So here are some of my favorites.

Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole

Loaded Potato Soup

Meatloaf

Red Velvet Cake

Yuck

I'm sick. Full blown chest cold. Congested, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, aching, and cold! (why do you have to be so cold when your sick?) And don't think that I've been able to relax, no- I've got laundry to do. I'm not bitter. I was supposed to have dinner with a good friend and her little angel tonight but i'm not sure if I'm feeling up to it. We'll see.

I wish I had some soup and sprite, it cures everything.

Thankfulness

Today is one of those rainy dismal days. The ones where you just want to lay in bed all day, forget the dogs that so badly need to go pee-pee, forget the laundry, forget the appointments I have with clients tonight. With all that dancing hopefully in my head, I can't help but be thankful for my life- and the way the Lord has blessed Chance and myself.

It's so funny how He works in our lives, working in the spotlight and behind the scenes at the same time. Chance and I both love the Lord with everything we have; and know that without Him nothing in our lives is possible. We know that He brought us together, brought us through the past year (as difficult as it was), and brought us to where we are now. There have been so many events in the past year of our lives that could have brought us to our knees; but thanks to Him, our love of each other, and our family we have pulled through.

I am so grateful that we have each other. That we have our family. For our "babies" (Nik, Baylei, Ty, and Oliver). We have been blessed with our health, secure jobs, the love of our families, and the undying love for each other. There were several people in our lives that doubted our commitment to each other- to our marriage. It's nothing short of a miracle to me that I have his hands to hold, his arms to rest in, his love to comfort me. I'm so blessed.

To our family and friends: thank you for your countless prayers that were lifted up to the Lord with love. They were our saving grace.

Yay!

Just found out our gorgeous cousin Micah just got engaged!! We're so happy for her. She deserves every moment of happiness that life brings her way!

Micah- We love you, can't wait to see you in June!

My Hero..

... has always been my PawPaw.

This photo was taken Christmas '91 right after I received my waterbaby.

Bob Yancey was many things to many people. He was a adoring son, a caring brother, an ever-loving husband, a nurturing father, and the best grandfather his five grand-daughters could have ever dreamed of, and a friend to all that loved him.
He was born on October 25, 1945 to his parents George and Dorothy Yancey. Later, their family grew to include a younger brother and sister, Barry and Becky. The family resided in Indianapolis, IN. When he was 16 yrs. old his father passed away suddenly, rocking the foundation that Bob had built around himself. He relocated with his mother and two younger siblings to Paducah, KY; at which time he decided to enlist in the Air Force. While serving he met a young man by the name of Billy Nichols. One weekend Billy asked Bob to drive him home to Tupelo, MS; he had a date with his girlfriend. Bob agreed as long as he had a pretty girl on his arm too.
When they arrived at the house in East Tupelo, MS Billy’s little sister, Beverly answered the door in a pink chenille bath robe and rollers. Little did he know she would be the love of his life. They married on December 13, 1963 and had their first child Sheri in April, 1966 followed by their second Debbi in February, 1969.
Though Bob had his demons throughout his adult life, he always provided for his family, and never stopped worrying about his girls. As the children grew and began to have babies of their own, he was welcomed into “grand-fatherhood”; he never looked back. One by one he welcomed Sarah (1987), Lindsay (1991), Kristen (1993), Kelsey (1993), and Shannon (1999). He had always been an exceptional husband and father, but when it came to his grand-daughters he got a twinkle in his eye and couldn’t stop smiling.
Bob Yancey was a man with many God-given talents, one of those talents was taking care of those that he loved; it was his greatest gift. If ever there was something wrong, he could fix it. Whether it be a scraped knee or a broken heart, a fender-bender or something a little more serious; he never stopped taking care of those that he loved. His wife and family where the true loves of his life and he would have done anything to ensure their safety and happiness. A promise that he kept wholy until his last moments on Earth.
He may not be with us in person any longer. But ask any member of his family and they will tell you that he lives on through the morals, lessons, and dreams that he gave us all. His arms can still be felt as a safe harbor, his shoulders a place to cry, and his wisdom something to rely on.
As his oldest grand-daughter I got a special glimpse into his world on the many Saturdays spent at his antique stores, and countless days spent together. I once told him when I was very young that he was my prince charming; the same still remains true today. Though I have married and moved away from home he is still the first love of my life. His roles as husband, father and grandfather were the most important to him; but I think that if you were to ask us we would say it was the intricate and unique friendship he had with each of us that was the most important. I speak for my entire family, all of “Bob’s Girls” when I say that he was a wonderful man, the kind of man that no amount of words could ever describe. We love you Pawpaw and we miss you more each day.

Happy Veterans' Day

Did you know?

Veteran's Day always falls on November 11th, no exceptions.

In 1918, World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when an armistice was signed declaring the "war to end all wars" was finally over.

The next year on November 11th, the U.S. called the day "Armistice Day" in memory of all the men and women who served in WWI.

Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.

Veterans Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. to honor all who have served in the nation's armed forces

My wonderful...

... husband! He's been so great lately. So caring and thoughtful. So huggable, kissable, loveable. The other night he rubbed my back, for no reason; and didn't even ask for me to return the favor! We've been going through a really tough time lately and it's so wonderful to re-kindle the playfulness we had when we were dating, or even engaged. I've been missing it lately-that spark that we had not so long ago, before PawPaw passed away, before the 3 moves in one year (with one 2 months away), before the new dog (then the new cat, then the new dog, then the new cat.), before Tyler got a broken leg and Parvo at the SAME time. Well you get the point.

The other day we had Aunt Bea (Chance's great-aunt) over for lunch. She's a hoot. She told Chance's mom that she finally saw the affection in our marriage, so she thought it'd be ok that we were married. Which is a good thing since we are! She's soo funny.


I love you, Lovee!!

A little retail therapy...

A few weeks ago Chance got me this beautiful cream coat, it's really more of a jacket. It's definitely not warm enough for those cold winter days. But it's been great this fall.

I gifted myself with this lovely thing yesterday after a $5000 day on Saturday in 4 inch heels - I'm pretty sure I deserved it. I love it and I love that it's an EXTRA-SMALL!!! Best of all, Old Navy was running a 50% sale on all it's outer wear; I got it for $50!

In recent news...

A few updates on what's going on with our latest adventure. We met with the contractor last night and signed the papers. We met at the court house this morning to get our building permit. The contractor will have the footers cut in a week and at that point the termite inspector (to pre-treat the wood) and the plumber will come out. Then next Monday they will pour the concrete slab. This is all happening so quickly which is wonderful, but a bit overwhelming.

Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this process.

In case you live under a rock...

I'm not gonna get all political on you and try to impose my opinions on anyone. I will however say that it is our civic responsibility as American's to let our voices be heard.

With that said, get off yer' rear and go vote... now!

Our newest adventure...

This should be interesting.

Bendel est. Sept. 15, 2007

We are the Bendel's; Sarah and Chance that is. We recently celebrated our one year anniversary. It's a complicated life we live and we're not sure whether that's good or not. Whatever the case may be, we love each other.. our dogs.. our cats.. and our families.

We have two dogs: Nikolas (Nik) and Tyler (Ty)

&

We have two cats: Baylei (Bay-Bay) and Oliver (Little One)

They are so precious and such a huge part of our lives.

Chance is a car salesman at a local Honda-BMW dealership - Sarah is a wedding consultant at a well known bridal store. That's where we spend about 90 hours collectively within one week. The rest of our time is spent with family and planning our newest big adventure in life, more on that soon.

We do not have children yet, but look forward to being parents. It's gonna be a little bit though!

Our Wedding Day

9-15-07