More Stuff

Last night, mom, Kelli and the kids, and I, attempted to make some goodies to share with friends. I love the Ritz crackers with peanut butter dipped in white chocolate. I found out how to make them, so I didn't think it would be all that hard. Well, this is how they turned out:

They didn't look good, but they sure tasted good!

~

This morning while I was washing clothes, Gavin mysteriously disappeared. I noticed he had gotten really quiet and I didn't hear him running around anywhere. So, I called for him several times and never got an answer. When I went into the kitchen, I found him with his face up next to the washing machine and humming to the tune of the spin cycle.

~

After I put Gavin to bed tonight, I went back in to check on him and make sure he was covered up. This is how I found him:

Gavin makes me laugh so much.

Stuff

Ray's girlfriend, Katie, graduated yesterday from SMC.

Congratulations Katie. We love you.

Then, Jason surprised me with tickets to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra last night! It was a great show. I was hoping I could get some good pictures, but my camera couldn't quite handle the excitement. These were the only 2 that came in clear.

Then today, Jason and I took Gavin to get his first haircut. I loved his curls, but they were starting get a little out of control, and his hair was getting nappy and tough to brush down. He looked like a ragamuffin. We took him to the barber that always cuts Jason's hair - Sonny. Sonny cut Jason's hair for the first time when he was little, so I thought it would be neat for him to cut Gavin's hair for the first time too. Gavin liked it at first, but after a few minutes, he started getting wiggly and didn't like it so much.

Before...

After...

And now, we're home...sick with the croup. Gavin has had some congestion for the past few days, but I chalked it up to just another cold. He was coughing some this morning, but as the day wore on, it sounded worse. I went ahead and took him to the doctor this afternoon just to make sure it wasn't anything more than a cold. Well, I was wrong. Gavin has the croup. So, I had to buy a nebulizer (sp?) so that we can do breathing treatments for a week and he was also given a steroid to take. My little buddy is so sick. I cried when I had to give him the breathing treatment. I hated holding him down and putting the mask on his face. He was terrified. He screamed. So, please say a prayer for Gavin. We'd appreciate it.

Christmas Favorites

I love Christmas music! I love to sit in the living room at night with only the Christmas tree lights on and have Christmas music playing - especially Manheim Steamroller or Transiberian Orchestra! It feels good and puts me in a good mood. I also love to use my Christmas china. It sits in my china cabinet all year, just waiting patiently to be used. I look forward to cooking for my whole family so we can use all my Winterberry dishes. What's your favorite thing to do at Christmas-time?

November Happenings

I got so caught up in my political post a few weeks ago, that I forgot to post these pictures. (By the way, thanks for sticking around.) Here are some pictures of our everyday happenings:

Gavin adores Karis.

Jacob celebrated his 9th birthday.

Happy birthday, buddy.

Gavin found a wooden horsey to play on at his Mema's house.

Ray is now a first time homeowner. My little brother has grown into a smart, handsome young man. He's worked hard for what he has. I'm so proud of him.

And to leave you with a giggle...

"Why did Kristi put a picture of socks on her blog?", you may ask. Well, here's why:

I went out with mom last night, and Jason did a little shopping with Gavin while I was gone. When I came home, I started going through the Target bags and saw several packs of socks. Gavin was needing some socks, so Jason picked some up for him. I pulled out a pack of plain white socks, a pack of white socks with navy and red on the bottom, and then I pulled out those socks - pink and lavender.

Confused, I asked Jason, "Honey, who are these for?" thinking they were for my friend's little girl.

He said those were for Gavin!

I laughed sarcastically and said, "really?" Jason looked at me funny and was honestly confused by MY question.

Then he said, "You don't like them? I didn't know if you'd like this turquoise color or not, but I figured he could use the others."

TURQUOISE? Does anyone else see turquoise?? When did pink and lavender become turquoise?

I haven't laughed so hard in my life! Jason is colorblind - for real, no joking. He really thought those socks were blue. Poor thing, but what a sweet thing to do to take care of getting Gavin some socks.

New Decoration

This is the newest member of my Christmas decorations:

This year, I'm going to do an Advent calendar. I got the idea from this really creative mom when she posted this last Christmas. (I hope you don't mind that I'm being a copycat.) I was sharing the idea with my sister, and we're going to do it together with Gavin and the kids. I thought it was such a cool thing to do to keep the right perspective during the holidays. I was going to buy a plain white box that had drawers that I could decorate myself - one that could be a craft project for me, but I decided that I don't have time to fool around with it right now. I'd never have it finished by December, so I bought one already made and waiting for me on the shelf from Target for $30.

The idea to this Advent Calendar is to do a special activity each day to count down till Christmas instead of using candy. I've been brainstorming activities for the past month. I've "stolen" a few ideas from Jaime, and I've found some others online at different Advent idea sites, and there are a few that I've come up with on my own. However, I don't have 25 yet. I still need 2 more.

Here is what I have so far - in no particular order. Can you think of 2 more?

1. Watch a family Christmas movie together.
2. Make a homemade gift for a teacher.
3. Make a list of 10 things you are thankful for.
4. Make 2 cups of hot chocolate – one for yourself and one for someone else.
5. Cook red and green pancakes for supper while wearing your pajamas.
6. Bake cookies or a treat for a neighbor.
7. Drive around to look at Christmas lights.
8. Make Christmas granola to share with family and friends.
9. Make a homemade gift tag for someone’s Christmas present.
10. Read about the tradition of the candy cane.
11. Make a homemade Christmas card for a friend.
12. Enjoy a quiet family dinner with Christmas music.
13. Sing Christmas carols together with only the tree lights on.
14. Visit an older couple from the church or neighborhood.
15. Help a needy family or donate to a charity.
16. Cook dinner for your grandparents.
17. Read the Christmas story and act it out.
18. Give someone a thoughtful compliment.
19. Go on a family outing together – ex: live nativity
20. Turn the TV off and play a game together as a family.
21. Make a Christmas craft to display.
22. Bake cupcakes and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
23. At dinner, share your favorite Christmas memories.
24. ??
25. ??

What else can we do to fill those empty spots?

Did it go to private?

Ok, I've gone to the "Permissions" tab under Settings and entered the email addresses of those who said they'd like to continue to follow this blog. I don't know if I did it correctly - hopefully I did. I'm guessing that readers have to sign in or something? Let me know how it worked for you.

My Blog

I have obviously gotten something stirred up with my last post where I expressed my personal opinions. What did I expect, right? But I do not apologize for what I believe. However, I created this blog for family and friends; and because of the several "anonymous" comments made to my recent post, I realize there are more than just family and friends reading what I write. Because of this, I will be making my blog private. If you are interested at all in keeping up with Gavin and the Varner household, please email me your address so that I can add it to the "safe" list. mkridgeway@hotmail.com Thanks, and Happy Blogging.

My Thoughts on the Election

Yes, this post is political, and it is long, but this is my blog, my thoughts, my soapbox. I voted yesterday. Even though I waited for 2 hours, I made my opinion count. It was worth it. I've watched several interviews on TV and listened to people express their views and share who they were voting for. Many people gave clear thoughtful explanations for their choice, but do you know what I heard the most??? ... "It's going to be cool to have the first black president in history." ... WHAT? Is that why we're voting? To make history? To be a part of something "cool"? It has nothing to do with what direction we want America to go? People can be so ignorant. I don't care for neither McCain nor Obama. But to me, McCain was the lesser of the two evils. You know, everyone is complaining about the economy. Well, I don't like that the stock market is crazy, that my and Jason's retirement is being played with, that there are questions about insurance and healthcare stuff, and conflicts over income taxes. But you know what? That's all about money. I already know that America is going down hill anyway - we're getting close to the end times. Forget stuff connected with money - I'm concerned about things that have to do with moral value. My main concern is of 3 things. Three reasons why I DID NOT vote for Obama: 1. He supports abortion. The Bible clearly states: Psalm 51:5 – “I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” (NLT)(meaning that we are a "person" starting at conception) Jeremiah 1:5 – “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” (NLT) (we are a "person" before being born) Proverbs 6:16-19 - "There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." ("hands that shed innocent blood" - anyone who helps or has a part in abortion) *I CANNOT and DID NOT vote for someone who believes it is ok to inject a saline solution into the mother's womb to basically burn the baby (or fetus, as other's would say), and poison the baby!! *I CANNOT and DID NOT vote for someone who thinks it's ok to pull the baby partially down the birth canal, stab the base of the baby's skull to make an opening, and then suck it's brain out!!

THIS IS NOT OK!

2. He supports homosexuality, and also believes that homosexual couples should be allowed to adopt children, teaching them that their lifestyle is ok. The Bible clearly states: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" (Lev.18:22) "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Lev.20:13)

THIS IS NOT OK!

3. He wants to bring all of our troops home. (Duh, don't we all?) Although I want our troops home as well, we can't do it. If we pull out, it leaves too much open room for the war to come over to American soil. It gives them opportunity to create another 9-11. That war isn't going to end.

And also, on a side note, Obama has Muslim in his family background. No, he isn't Muslim himself, but his father was before becoming an atheist. It may sound silly to you, but it's scary to me. The Muslims are the ones wanting to take out America, so it seems like we would want to steer clear of embracing anything with Muslims. (Just a thought.)J As I was watching the election results last night, Channel 7 news was interviewing a church member where there was a congregation of people in a church singing praises to God that Obama is leading. So, from what I get from this is that these people believe that God is happy with someone in the presidency who is for abortion and homosexuality? That doesn't really make sense; especially since the Bible strictly condemns it. I can't understand how Christians (those who say they are followers of Christ) can vote for Obama, considering what he believes in. You either stand for Christ and His principles, or you're against Him. Do I respect Obama? Yes. My mom and dad taught me to respect everyone. Do I support Obama? NO. I just wish people would have not been so blinded by the "first black man to be president" craze and really thought about the moral issues at hand. I hope America likes what it got. Yeah, we made history; but I just hope America won't BE history in 4 years.

Halloween Friday Five

Five Things About Our Halloween:

(I was going to post this Friday night, but I was too tired.)

1. We didn't go to many houses because Gavin is still too young to really trick or treat, and of course, we didn't need the candy. But we did go to our next door neighbor's house, Mom and Dad's house, Jason's dad's house, and to see Jason's mom.
2. Gavin tried to grab tons of candy. We let him do it for picture purposes, but then we gave it all back!
3. When we were driving to meet Jason's mom, we cut through Lyman Mill Village to get to Hwy 290. BIG MISTAKE! I remember a long time ago when my sister and Paul lived in the mill village, they had a ton of kids come by. But nothing like what we saw Friday night! There were lines of cars and people, and it took us about 7-8 minutes, no lie, to get through the stop sign. I have never seen so many people on that street in my life. I guess I need to remember for next year - the mill village is the place to go!
4. We stopped by Duncan First Baptist (where we met Jason's mom) to see the festival they put on. It was really nice. They had inflatables and games, and someone singing on the stage, had door prizes, food, and other stuff. It was a little too old for Gavin to really do anything, but it was a nice family event.
5. I love Halloween because we always go to my parents' house for a bon fire and we roast weenies for hot dogs and roast marshmellows too. A lot of mom's friends come by, and usually Sherriff Chuck Wright stops by too (my brother and Chuck's son were friends in high school and they live right down the road from mom and dad) - but I don't know if he came by before we got there or not. The weather was nice and cool for the bon fire. I was able to enjoy it for a little while, but Gavin was so worn out from all the excitement and busy-ness that we had to call it a night so we could put that little turtle to bed.

Jason carved our pumpkin. I was so proud. Here it is:

Can you tell what it is?

Jason found the template for Blue's Clues on the internet. He followed it to carve our pumpkin. Didn't he do a great job?