It's FINALLY that time of year. The time when we fill our calendars with Christmas activities, our stockings with goodies and our mailboxes with letters. I for one am super excited about our Christmas cards this year. I haven't designed them just yet, but have already picked out my template from Shutterfly all I have to do now is get our pictures done. I use the website for all of my photo projects from cards to books and have been so happy with the selections they offer as well as their pricing and shipping options. I first used Shutterfly last winter for our family Christmas cards. There were literally hundreds of designs to choose from which was nice. They had every color, size, paper option, photo count you could imagine. And for me, options usually mean stress, but Shutterfly makes it easy. They allow you to search by card size, color, photo count and on and on. Once you select what you want, they make it easy. All you have to do it upload the pictures you w

I had planned two fun posts today, but for now I am moved to write on a completely different topic. I heard a tragic story today of a family who has suffered a great loss, a loss beyond anything I can imagine. A loss so devastating that it makes me sick to my stomach. I am not a patient person by nature and many times I find myself moving about my day not cherishing the small moments with my son. I ponder weight loss, decorating ideas, and fashion solutions. I clean too much, read too little, and cuddle not nearly enough. I play with my son, snuggle with him, chase him though the house, but it's time for even more than that. I want to savor every moment with that little boy. I will do more than just read to; I will act out the characters. Gone are the days of DVDs in the car and here are the days of singing silly songs and talking about fun things. I'll chase him more, cuddle more, use the TV less and my imagination more. I love that sweet boy with the shaggy blonde hai

The Watson home played host to this year's I nternational E lmo C onvention where Elmos from across the world gathered to celebrate their big, fuzzy, red selves. Here are a few highlights from this year's 2010 I.E.C. event: Our first Elmo joins us from Topeka, Kansas and is known as for his Hokie Pokie skills. He can often be found doing his jig at skating rinks, children's events and weddings where too much "bubbly" has been served. He's proud to be an Elmo doll and looks forward to making children smile. Our second Elmo flew in from Miami, Florida but is originally from Lancing, Michigan. He moved to the coastal U.S. to pursue his dream of becoming a Limbo Champion. He has succeeded in his endeavor and now shares his talent by teaching children and vacationers the famous dance. This Elmo loves long walks on the beach, Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops. Our third Elmo was the tallest to attend this year's convention. He moved to New York City from central

Turns out our weekend wasn't quite as thrifty as we would have liked. It was quite the opposite actually...more details to come. Until then, just know we went to Lexington, ate out twice and test drove a car...could it be?? A minivan momma...you'll see!!

Ya'll know that I love nothing better than a good trip down Memory Lane. So, with the holidays upon us, I thought I would take a look back at our first two Thanksgivings as a family. The first was in 2008. We had been married less than two months and were excited to celebrate our first Thanksgiving together as a family. We had no idea the changes that would blow our way in one short year. The second was last year (2009). Who would would have thought we would show up with a baby in tow! Obviously it was a blessed holiday as we celebrate the newest addition to our family and the greatest blessing imaginable! I can't wait to add this year's picture to the the list. It's our turn to go to my parent's house, but I have to work. So, we will be celebrating with Eric's family in Hopkinsville. His cousin is hosting Thanksgiving dinner and his parents will be there. We'll be traveling the 45 minutes to be with them. Then, Friday morning after my show, we'

This week I have found some really wonderful thrifty items, but in light of everything going on, I failed to take pictures...more to come next week. Until then, here is our thifty family fun for the weekend...pending everyone's health! ( This is us back in the summer..minus Emily) Friday: Travel to Marion to see Eric's parents. We'll leave arounf five and get there close to seven. We'll likely eat a snack on the way, but will share a meal with this family. The only thing we'll be out is gas...Total Cost $30 Saturday: We'll pretty much relax and take it easy which is one of the things I enjoy most about going to see my in-laws. I'm sort of hoping that we'll get a date night out of the trip. If we do, I'd like to eat at Flamingo Row in Paducah and to go see due date...Total Cost $30 (maybe) (This is from last Thanksgiving) Sunday: Of course we will wake up and go to church with the family. We are then going to celebrate Thanksgiving with my Father-in-L

Well, we are in the midst of surviving our second family illness...the STOMACH BUG!!! It all started Tuesday night when Eric went to check on Eli before bed and discovered a nursery full of puke. It was everywhere, and we didn't hear a thing, poor guy. We assume it had only been about ten minutes prior because I had checked on him. So, we cleaned him up, set up the pack 'n play, and assumed he had had too much milk. Fast forward five minutes and we are repeating ourselves. After puking eleven times in an hour, we went to the hospital . After two hours of waiting and no more puking, the nurse released us. Luckily Eli fell asleep on the way home, unluckily he awoke as soon as we walked in. Finally, at 3:30 am he was down for the night. So, I got about an hour and a half of sleep before having to go to work. After the show I was feeling sick, so I left early, came home and went to bed...where I stayed for the next 21 hours. Eric played with Eli who was feeling much better, and too

Yesterday I was on my way to Wal -Mart to buy mt weekly groceries. Turning off of the main road into the parking lot, there is a gas station at the intersection. When I turned in, I noticed a homeless woman standing at the corner. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I kept driving. As I was pulling into the Wal -Mart parking, lot the Holy Spirit spoke to my soul and I was reminded of the verse in the New Testament that says, " many have entertained angels in disguise ." Convicted over my lack of compassion, I turned my car around and made my way to the gas station where I bought the lady a sandwich and hot chocolate. I walked it across the parking lot to her where she humbly accepted the purchase, hugged my neck and said, "God bless you." I walked about fifty feet back to my car and when I turned around to wave, she was gone. Gone!! Chills went through me. I looked everywhere and there was no sign of her. I'm crying as I type this because I know that

Last night was the first game of the WKU Men's Basketball Season. Eric's work provided its employee with tickets, so we were blessed with the chance to go. We only stayed until halftime, which was well past bedtime, so the night was a success. Plus, we stopped Alabama A&M!! I think if Eli grows a little he may have a future in basketball because it is by far his favorite sport! He would yell, "go, go, gooo." Oh, melt my heart!! WKU has a Red Towel tradition and Eli really got a kick out of it. He would wave his little arms around when the fight song was played. He already knows who to cheer for... And he met Big Red for the first time. Funny story, he thought it was Elmo and went crazy. It was too cute and he was so excited, so we never corrected him! We have tickets to three more games this season, so I can't wait to see how his interest grows over the next few months. T-O-P-S Tops, Top, Tops!!!

Eric and I have been so blessed to have made deep and wonderful friendships since living in Bowling Green. With our families living away, it sometimes gets tough. Last Thursday we lost many material possessions when our home was robbed. Despite what was taken, I can't help but look at what was gained...an extended Bowling Green Family. So many people became our heroes through simple acts of kindness and no words can express our gratitude. I will never forget the desk clerk at the hotel who gave us a cheaper rate due to our circumstances. I will never forget the bank teller who let us draw out enough cash for dinner after our accounts had been frozen. I'll never forget the countless other acts of kindness that I won't go into detail with here because it would be too much information to post on the internet But most importantly, I am thankful for our family and friends and their kindness to us. The Lindsey Family- I met Ashley while working at Chick-fil-A and we formed

I don't really know what to call this post, because there are really no words. You see, we were robbed on Thursday. That's right, someone came into our home unannounced, uninvited, and unwanted. The world wide web is not the place to go into detail about what was stolen, when, who ect. I will say, however, that it has been a long couple of days. So as we pick up the pieces and move on, we are thankful for the friends, family, neighbors and even strangers who have gone above and beyond to help us make it through this mess. Your kindness has not gone unnoticed and we want to thank each of you. So, life must return to normal and now is as good a time as any! You can expect lots of posts in the next few days, but don't hold your breath on seeing pictures...ha! (wonder why?)

Happy Monday and Happy November! With Halloween over, we can all start looking forward to the Holidays. November always reminds me to be thankful. So, in honor of this new month I would like to make a list: 1. My husband 2. My son 3. My family (immediate and extended) 4. My career 5. My health 6. My House 7. My tastebuds 8. Hearing my son's laughter 9. Seeing the beauty of this season and God's creation 10. The Holiday Season!! These are just a few. "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, His love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1 I would also like to apologize in advance for the picture overload that will be coming your way over the next few days. We had an exciting weekend full of Halloween fun and family activities, and because this is a story of our life I want to include everything. I never want to forget this season with Eli. So, by Friday I should be done posting about this past weekend...HA! Just time in time to overload you with pictures from the next.