Eventful Christmas Eve 2009

We have had an eventful Christmas Eve to say the least. Kasey and I took the boys to see the Galaxy of Lights at the Botanical Gardens in Huntsville. All of the lights were just beautiful. You can see pictures in the following slideshow.

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Then, on the way home, Kasey was having unbearable pain in his left arm. So, we went to the ER at Decatur General to make sure nothing was going on with his heart. After spending about two hours there, they think he has bursitis (sp?). They gave him a shot in his shoulder and sent him home with some pain meds. So we finally got home around 11:30pm. Got the kids in the bed and then I started my wrapping marathon. I finally finished wrapping about 1:30am on Christmas morning. I was wound up and could not go to sleep so now I am posting this entry. The following picture is of the gifts I wrapped this evening (or should I say morning) so our boys will be very happy and surprised! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

McClary Tire Christmas Party

Here are a couple of pictures from the McClary Tire Christmas party on 12-21-09. We had a great time - great food, great company, and a great performance by Dorothy Cole as Tina Turner. Enjoy the following pictures.

ABS Pack 25 Visits the Nursing Home 12/18/09

As you will see when you read earlier posts, we had a very busy day today. Chase's party was at 10am, Hunter's party was at 10:30am, and then the Cub Scouts took donations to the Limestone Health Facility at 2:00pm today. While we were at the nursing home, we all walked up and down the halls singing Christmas carols. The patients really seemed to enjoy our visit today. The children and parents also enjoyed making them smile.

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Hunter's Christmas Party at Little Tots 12/18/09

The following slideshow contains pictures from Hunter's Christmas party at Little Tots Preschool. He had a great time. They ate some great food, made an ornament, made some reindeer food, and played a game. They got some really neat treats to take home today also. Big Brother Chase's school party ended at 10am today. Afterwards, he was free to leave school. Hunter's party began at 10:30am today. So, that worked out great because he got to surprise Hunter at preschool today. Hunter was glad to see him.

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5th Grade Christmas Party 12-18-09

Chase's 5th Grade Christmas Party at ABS was today 12-18-09. He had a great time. The room mothers prepared great treats for them. They did a great job!

Instead of exchanging gifts this year, the fifth grade class bought gifts for a 10 year old boy whose family lost everything they owned in a house fire recently. They really hope their gifts to him will bring him some joy and lift his spirits as he and his family go through this difficult time. Please keep that family in your prayers.

I don't have very many pictures in the following slideshow. I feel a little guilty because when Hunter's Pre-school party slideshow gets posted, there are tons of pictures from his party. But, 5th graders don't do as many activities as pre-schoolers. I guess they are getting too big for that kind of thing. But, they still had a lot of fun! They sure did enjoy the great food and Miss "A" showed them a funny video made by some teachers and students at ABS. It was hilarious!.

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Hunter's Field Trip to Santa's Village - 12-09-09

Hunter and his friends from Little Tots Preschool enjoyed a funfilled day on a field trip to Santa's Village in Huntsville, AL. He had a great time - but, was a little disappointed because he did not get to meet Santa. He did get to meet Mrs. Claus, though. And, she even read a story to him and his friends. Pictures from the field trip are in the following slideshow. Enjoy!

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It's finally beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Harbin House - 2009

I finally put up the tree and put a few other holiday items out! I usually decorate every room in the house and decorate the yard and house outdoors, too. I was not organized enough to do that this year. My neighbors even told me they missed my lights outside. I felt bad because I did not get it all done. The kids love seeing all of the lights. At least I got this much done. You can see what I did find the time to do in the following slideshow. I also put a few pics of my favorite ornaments. I have so many favorites, I could not list them all. But, I took pics of a few. Hope everyone has a great holiday season!

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Fun in the Snow 12-05-09

We don't see snow often in Alabama. So, the boys and I were very excited when we saw a light dusting of snow outside on Saturday morning. We bundled up and headed outdoors to have a little fun in the "snow' before it melted away. We had a blast. You can see some photos of our little adventure in the following slideshow. Enjoy!

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Getting into the Holiday Cheer

Well, I am getting into the spirit of things for the holiday season. I have decorated the blog. But, I still have to find time to decorate our house. I love this time of year. I love seeing the boys get so excited when I drag the holiday decorations out of the attic. It usually takes me about a week to actually put out all of the decor. I don't know if I will display everything this year. So little time...

Hopefully, I can tackle a few things this weekend. Hope everyone is doing well! To be continued...

Giving Thanks 11-26-09

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The slideshow above contains pictures of our Thanksgiving gathering with family and friends at our house. I am thankful for so many things. I thank God for all of the many blessings He has giving me. I owe my life to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the ultimate price He paid for my many sins. I am so thankful for my husband Kasey and our wonderful boys, Chase and Hunter. I am also thankful for my family, my church family, my Weight Watchers family, my friends and everyone God has caused me to cross paths with somewhere along the way.

In addition to Thanksgiving, we also had several November birthdays to celebrate: Uncle Kenneth, Uncle Kim, Grandmother, Grandaddy, Chase, and Matt. We had plenty of good food to eat. Thanks to all of the family who were able to be with us today. I cherish these moments and I love you all very much! We missed the ones that were not able to be with us. Shelly cooked for her boys at her home this year and our nephew Jonathan is away from home training with the Marines. We will catch up with you guys later.

Enjoy the slideshow! We sure had a lot of fun!

Finally Met My Weight Watchers Goal 11-23-09

As of today, after weighing in at my Weight Watchers Meeting, I have lost 48 pounds over the past 25 weeks. My journey began about six months ago on June 1, 2009 when I went to my first WW meeting. I weighed 166 pounds and I am only 5 ft. tall! These are my "before pictures". I was wearing an XL and a very tight size 14 in clothes.


These are my pictures from today's meeting. I now weigh 118 pounds and I can actually fit very comfortably in a size 6.


Here are a couple of pictures of the sweet ladies from my Weight Watchers Class.


This is one of the most expensive necklaces I own. It has cost me 6 months worth of WW dues to earn my sweet necklace made of paper clips. My leader gives us a paper clip for each pound we have lost so we can make our necklaces. It is a good reminder of how far I have come. I can now wear it as a double stranded necklace. Ha! Ha! Very colorful, don't you think?!

These are my little reward stickers, my "starcatcher bookmark" and my WW keychain. I earned the star charm today for meeting my goal. I received the clapping hands after being a member for 16 weeks. The little round charm with the number 25 on it represents the first 25 pounds I lost.

Now I will work really hard over the next 6 weeks to maintain my new healthy weight. I look forward to earning another charm for my keychain then. It will be a small "key" that represents reaching "lifetime" status. As one of my leaders used to say, "I can, I can, I know I can! I can, I can, I know I can! I WILL!

Hunter's Pre-school Thanksgiving Party

Today was Hunter's pre-school Thanksgiving party. They left the pre-school and headed for Burger King out on Hwy 72 for their Thanksgiving Feast. Thank you Mrs. Beth for letting Hunter ride to BK with you and Walker. The children looked really cute today dressed up like little Indians. Enjoy the slideshow below!

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Another Hike on 11-21-09

After the Pack Hike last weekend, Chase only had a few more miles he needed to hike in order to earn his 50 Miler Award for hiking 50 miles over the past couple of years. So, he and I went on a little hike of our own on Saturday, 11-21-09. We went up to the greenway in Athens. ABS Pack 25 has adopted this greenway and has been keeping it clean over the past few months. We hiked around the school and the greenway from the Sportsplex all the way to Hwy 31 just below Lowes. We hiked over 5 miles and we were pooped afterward. But, now he has hiked 50 miles total and will earn the 50 miler patch and a new hiking stick at the next pack meeting in December. Click on the slideshow below to see some pictures from our hike.

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Chase and I went on a Pack Hike 11-14-09

The following "smilebox scrapbook" contains pictures from the ABS Pack Hike on 11-14-09. We met the other scouts at the little red caboose in Elkmont, AL. We hiked 6 miles on the Rails to Trails. It was a beautiful day for hiking. Click on the smilebox below. Then you will have to click on the arrows at the bottom of each "page" to "turn" the pages of the "scrapbook". Click on a picture if you want to enlarge it. Enjoy the pictures.

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ABS Thanksgiving Luncheon with Chase and Dalton

On 11-13-09 Athens Bible School held their annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. Here are some pictures of the family with Chase and Dalton.

Chase gets Cub Scout Award at Pack Meeting

On 11-10-09, Chase received an achievement award for his hard work toward the BSA 2010 Year of Celebration Patch. There are five different ribbons that he must earn. He earned the Achievement, Service, and Outdoors ribbons so far. He is pictured with another Webelos II scout. Chase is on the left.

Chase's Talent Show Performance at ABS 11-13-09

Chase played the keyboard today in the ABS Elementary Talent Show. There were lots of performers today and they did such a great job. Click on the video to see Chase's performance. The video was recorded on my small Kodak camera and is not very clear. But, at least you can hear what he played. He played a short song called "Ghosts at Midnight". He did a really good job. He just started taking lessons this past September from Scarlett Henson and he has come a long way.

Star Student at Little Tots Pre-school

This week was Hunter's turn to be the Star Student in Mrs. Lisa's class at Little Tots Pre-school. He was so excited to decorate his poster and for Mrs. Lisa to hang it up in the classroom. He put a picture of himself on it at the top. Then he had to answer some questions about himself and school. Some of his answers were cute and funny. One question asked, "Why do you get to be the star student?" He said, "Because it is my turn and I have been good." His favorite subject is "playing". He said he is good at the following things: playing, singing, praying, reaching high, and drawing. To the question "What do you want to be when I grow up?" he answered, "A super hero." I thought that was cute. Here is a picture of him and his teacher, Mrs. Lisa. We LOVE Mrs. Lisa! If you want to see his poster better, click on the picture to make it larger.

Hunter's Halloween Party at Little Tots - 2009

Hunter had a great time at his Halloween Party at Little Tots Pre-School. He dressed up as Super Why from a show on PBS Kids. He looked so cute. The other children looked great, too. They had some yummy treats, made a "witch's brew, made a spider craft, and played a fun game. Click on the slideshow below to see some pictures from that fun day.

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Weekly Weight Watchers Weigh-in Report 11-2-09

When I weighed in at my Weight Watchers meeting on Monday, I had lost 1.6 pounds last week for a new total of 43.4 pounds lost over the past 22 weeks.

I have 7.6 more pounds to go before meeting my goal weight. It is getting harder to get these last pounds off. My motivation is still pretty strong, though. I have come too far to start doubting myself now!

Kasey and I went to the mall last Saturday. I think that is the first time I have been since I started Weight Watchers. I don't get out much! Ha! In the past, anytime I went to the mall, I always thought I needed to treat myself to some yummy cookies or chocolate covered peanuts. And, of course, I would always have to eat lunch in the food court before leaving. But, this time, even though all of the food smells were very tempting, I did not even want it. I did not want to waste any of my points on that stuff. When I thought about taking a little taste, I looked over at a store display and saw a pretty outfit that I would really like to buy when I meet my goal. That sight put that tempting thought of getting something sweet right out of my head. I really like the feeling of finally being in control of myself and not letting the temptation of unhealthy foods have control over me! It took me awhile to get to this point and I hope I stay there!

Flowers from Kasey 10-27-09

Nineteen years ago, Kasey and I said "I do!" He sent me these beautiful flowers today for our anniversary. Grandma and Grandpa are going to keep the boys on Friday night so we can hopefully go to dinner and a movie to celebrate.

Weekly Weigh-in Report 10-26-09

I lost 1.8 pounds last week for a new total of 42 pounds lost over the past 21 weeks. I have nine more pounds to lose to meet my goal. I am hoping to be at goal by the end of November. Then I will have to work hard for six weeks at maintaining that goal to earn my Weight Watchers Lifetime Membership. I want to keep busy with the meetings even after my goal is met so I won't slip back into my old ways. Hopefully by the end of January, 2010, I will become a lifetimer!

Chase Shows His School Spirit

Last Thursday, the children were asked to either dress up as a robot or dress in green and gold to show their support for the ABS robotics team (called Trobotics) and the volleyball team. Chase decided he wanted to dress up as a robot and put green and gold letters on his face ("ABS" on one side and "Go Trobotics on the other side). This first picture is the front of his costume. the cat is checking him out and is not too sure what to think.

This picture shows the "ABS" on his face.

He wanted "Go Trobotics" written on the other side.

This is a picture of the front of the costume again. He drew a meter or gauge on a paper plate, then placed that on a round foil pie pan with an arrow. The meter was supposed to measure how much school spirit he had. He set the arrow to point to the danger zone as if he has way too much school spirit. The title on the gauge said "ABS School Spirit". I thought he came up with a pretty good idea.

This is the back of his robot suit. He put bicycle reflectors on the back of a foil muffin tin. We put dryer vent ducts on his arms and legs. I thought he looked pretty good.

Fall Fun at the Buckner's House 10-24-09

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This slideshow contains pictures from the get-together we had at Jim and Kelli Buckner's house on Saturday, October 24, 2009. We had a great time with our Holland's Gin Family! We enjoyed all kinds of activities: hay ride, roasting marshmallows at the bonfire, eating good food and we even had a surprise visit from "Elvis".