Southern at Heart

Had to get in one last post before we ring in the New Year. Amazed at how far my little old blog has come. From my five readers to over 80+ readers a day in all sorts of countries. Amazing. It's been fun twenty ten but I have a feeling that twenty eleven is going to be even better. See y'all next year. Stay safe out there.
Love and hugs

Christmas makes me feel like a kid again. The excitement, anticipation and the joy. When I was younger, Christmas used to be about me...my wants, my wishes As I grow older I no longer think about myself. I don't create wish lists or dream about what is for me under the tree. It has a whole new meaning (the presents part) and that is what brings me the most joy. I absolutely love to check things off my loved ones lists and throw a couple surprises in too. Christmas 2010 was the best one yet. Just when you think a Christmas can't be outdone, it happens.
We enjoyed a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner at grandma & grandpas house

I can't tell you how thankful I am that we got to spend another Christmas Eve with grandma and grandpa in their home. We cherish it and thank the Lord for another year.  It was impossible to get a good picture of Kate in her Christmas dress. The kid does not stand still!
After dinner we all headed back to mom and dads for a sleep over! Everyone got cozy in the…

Over 2000 years ago our Savior was born in a stable & had a manger for a bed. Mary has been on my mind constantly. I can't imagine what the birth of Jesus must have been like. No hospital, no bed, no doctor, no epidural! Nothing but an old stable. 
What a glorious day! A day that has changed the world and changed eternity.
 I am so excited to celebrate Christmas with my family.
It's by far my favorite day of the year.
Reflecting on the one and only meaning of Christmas and praising the Lord for sending His Son!
Happy Birthday Jesus.
Oh how I love you...

Today was hard. It was really really hard. I went to visit my grandma Parker at the medical center she is being treated at for 10 bed sores and other issues. The last couple times I have gone to visit her she has been in a very deep sleep and I have not been able to talk to her which has been hard. I haven't had a conversation with her since last December. So, today when we got to her room and saw that she was awake I was encouraged. I was encouraged until I saw the shape she is in. She doesn't look like she should be alive. It's awful. I'll keep it at that.
My dad and the nurse tried to get her to sit up since she was laying with her head smashed against the bed rail and that is when I felt my heart literally shatter in pieces. The sounds that she made were the worst sounds I have ever heard. The agony she was in trying to move her was heart wrenching. There really are no words to explain the pain I felt for her. I stood in the hall outside her room praying as tears …

Chris is wrapping my Christmas presents in the dining room and I'm in the office. I can hear the crinkle of the paper and and the curling of bows. Who does he think I am? A patient woman? I'm having to blog to hold me back from peeking my head out the door to spy! 5 more days!!!

Chris won tickets from our local jazz station a couple weeks ago to the Dave Koz and Friends Cozy Christmas concert at the Nokia Live theatre. We were stoked because A.) We are geeks awesome and love jazz music B.) We love Christmas music. It's been playing in our house since July and C.) We won free tickets! Woo!
I had never been to staples center or the Nokia theatre so I was excited to play around downtown. I usually try to avoid LA unless it's for a TV show, farmers market or the Grove...I always forget how close we are to the big city, 45 minutes. It was so beautiful there last night. Decked out for Christmas with an ice skating rink to boot. How fun!
I totally embarrassed my husband by playing the role of a tourist last night. I told him I was taking pictures for all my Midwest friends!
See! Aren't you glad I embarrassed him for those 5 seconds? So pretty!
So, our date went like this: Got to dinner at the Yard House and enjoyed a fabulous dinner. We talked about Christmas…

My family has lots of traditions, especially when it comes to Christmas. It seems like most of them are centered around food. That's just how we roll. We did one of my favorites this past weekend which was dinner at the R&D Kitchen, shopping at Fashion Island and more shopping and ooing and awwing at Rogers Garden in Newport Beach. It was a cold and rainy night but we still went out. We started at Rogers Garden. They have the most amazing trees along with garden center, ever. They also have very pretty price tags. Kate loved looking at all the "tees"....she goes back and forth calling them "rees" and "tees"... After all the sparkles and such we went to Fashion Island to go see Auntie M at work. She works at our favorite place, Nordstrom. I love it! We all met at one of our favorite places to eat in Newport for dinner and had so much fun. Kate threw the biggest fit ever, that was until her grilled cheese and apple fries arrived. Thank God for food.
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You better watch out..  You better not cry...  You better not pout... Merry Christmas from the Andrews!
*This was not what we had in mind for our Christmas card but our drama queen was not into all the picture taking. So, this is what we got and we're laughing because it is so our life right now and I LOVE it!

What is the greatest gift you have ever received?
 Material wise I have two; my car from my parents and my engagement ring and wedding band. I adore them. But, I adore the man who gave it to me even more, My husband and my baby girl are the greatest personal gifts I have received. I love that God handpicked Chris for me. He has knit our hearts together so tight and has blessed us with a love that can only be from Him. I continue to be amazed by our Kate daily. I love that she does things like her mama and looks like her daddy. I'm still in awe that the Lord knit her together in my womb for 39 weeks. Those are my greatest gifts that I've been given here on earth (so far)....
The greatest gift that I have ever received will be celebrated in 9 short days. He was born in a stable in Bethlehem and was sent to save us all. Jesus Christ is the greatest gift I have ever received. I can still remember the day I asked Him into my heart when I was a youngin at Bible School. I re-dedicated…

Remember when I started this blog I told you it would be the good, the bad and the ugly.
Nothing but the honest truth here baby. This is ugly. There has been nothing pretty about this week, so far. It's only Tuesday so there's still hope. I'm not one to be down and droopy or negative  BUT this week has sucked.  It's only been two days but this might be a long winded post so sit tight and grab a cup of cocoa..
Monday morning.... Kate was up at 6am and didn't go back to sleep.-bad- I'm used to her getting up for the day around 7:30 or so. We had a nice morning and got ready to head to Bible study to be with some of my favorite girls! Everything was great, we got packed up with our goodies and were on our way. By the time I pulled out of neighborhood and stopped at the stop sign my cat shut down. Bam! Dead! This little cutie died on me! I was trying to stay calm and tried and tried to get it going again but it wouldn't budge. So, I called my husband. I did what he said …

It was just another 85 degree day with sunshine and blue skies here in Southern California. I'm finally starting to realize why property is so expensive down here. While half of the nation is covered in snow we are feeling like we're in paradise! As wonderful as today was, I wish we had a blanket of snow on the ground with snowflakes falling! I think everyone who lives here wishes we could have at least one snow day!
Needless to say, it was a perfect weekend and we did our best to make the most of it. Both of the cars got washed and detailed, the front garden got new flowers, we washed windows, finished Christmas shopping (I need to stop!), baked, went to dad's company Christmas party, napped and spent time with family. The sunshine wore us out. It felt good to get so much done but I'm ready for a rainy weekend on the couch with cookies!

Homemade english toffee crunch bars  cake balls!  Double peanut butter cookies  my parents living room  mimi and papa  the three of us
The…

Christmas is two weeks away and the majority of us are busy with Christmas parties, baking, shopping, wrapping, over eating, laughing and enjoying everything that comes along with the season.
There are however, families and children who aren't attending parties, who can't shop and there is no laughter filling the air. My heart grieves for them.
Every year Chris and I do something to help a family, child, or person in need. I have been struggling with what to do this year. There is no angel tree at our church and I have not personally heard of someone who needs help. I called up the mama and told her what I was feeling and that's when she reminded me of Kate's crazy cool Christmas! Yes!
For those of you who have been following Keeping up with the Andrews for a while you have heard of a precious little girl who has captured our hearts, Kate McRae. She is a 6 year old beauty who is fighting brain cancer. Her family started "Kate's Crazy Cool Christmas" last y…

Before I start Kate's date with Santa Clause tonight let's back up and look at their date from last year..Ok, so maybe she was only 2 months old but she liked the old guy.. She lounged on his belly and all was well... Tonight we went to South Coast for dinner at Ruby's. It's a tradition.  Every Christmas we go for burgers and fries, visit Santa and shop! Kate loved Rubys as always..
We waited in line at the North Pole only to find out that Santa had to go feed the reindeer  (aka they were changing Santa's! haha)
Hanging out at the North Pole, what did you do tonight?
And then...Santa returned and it was our turn! Kate watched him sit down in his big red chair and her pouty lip came just by looking at him I placed her in his lap and this is what happened..
still does not like Santa..
Am I a bad mom for taking so many pictures of my child flipping out in Santa's lap??
Of course not! It was hilarious, plus everyone needs a screaming picture with Santa! He gave her a candy c…

Not sure why Kate looks cross-eyed in her 14 month picture! ha
14 months! (deep sigh!) SLOW DOWN!  Time is flying by way too fast around here. 14 months and we are more in love that we knew was ever possible. Our baby girl still amazes us everyday. Here are some of the highlights
Kate is now 22 poundsShe wears 18-24 month clothing, 24 month jammies and size 4 shoesShe now has 12 teeth! 4 of her molars just came in and we didn't even know it!She sleeps 12 hours a night and still takes 2 naps a dayHer words consist of; mama, dada, papa, buh by, hiii, ree, titty (kitty!!), doo doo (thank you), I'm sure there is one I'm missing but those are the ones coming to mineShe loves to read, play outside, go on walks, shop and play hide and seekKate is an amazing dancer! She knows how to shake her booty and clap her hands at the same timeShe loves other kids!There is no more walking, this kid is a runner!This kid looooves her foodI could go on about how wonderful she is and the amazing …

Our precious little girl got her first bee sting tonight. I know what you're thinking. She got stung by a bee at night?? Yes! A bee flew in through our chimney and Kate's little foot happened to step on it. I was in the office and I heard Chris yelling for me along with Kate screaming her head off. I flew out of the chair and Kate was laying in her daddy's arms with a long stinger sticking out of her little foot.
Y'all will be proud of me, I stayed calm. I tried to flash back to my bee stings as a kid and what to do for them. Chris pulled the stinger out (which was not an easy task) and I put her in a warm bath. I knew I was missing something so I called the mama up and she reminded me to mix baking soda and water together and rub it on the sting. The poor girl screamed and screamed and screamed. I put her in a diaper and wrapped her up in a cozy blanket and snuggled on the couch for a bit with her. She realized her daddy was there and then all she wanted was him. They…