Christmas Ornaments

This year I was inspired by Kim Wheeler to make my own ornaments to give as gifts. I found the how-to on her blog. I made over 30 of them and had so much fun! Each one was uniquely different. I made big round ones, small round ones, and even square ones! I got so in to making them that I didn't take any pictures until I had given away all the ones that I liked the most...so here's a few that I had left over! Oh- you can check out Kim's blog at http://www.kimwheeler.blogspot.com/

Baby girl

Here are a few pictures of Alaina Claire. She is just precious!!

Sweet Alaina Claire

She's here! And she is so beautiful. We went to see her on Friday, and came back today. Travis held her for the first time today- and for quite some time too!

Cookie Day

David and Lauren came over today to make Christmas goodies...Earlier this morning I had a rather traumatic experience when I got my acrylic nail caught and ripped it off along with the real nail...I called Travis home from work to get my bandaged up..yes I was bleeding pretty good- and about to faint at that...I sucked up the pain and tears and finished getting ready for them to come over. Travis didn't go back to work, which I have no problem with! But I knew that with him home- my brother would no longer care about making Christmas treats with me! Lauren lasted about two batches of cookies- because we were using the super cool cookie cutter thing- it made the dough into all sorts of cool shapes...Anyway, this is what you get when you expect a 13 year old and a 5 year old to stay in the kitchen and cook! Excuse the messs...things are rearranged from having the Christmas tree up...it's Saturday= cleaning day...and Travis started this built in shelf project and it's not complete! Notice my brother's feet on my CLEAN clothes waiting to be folded!!!

Little Man

Travis' mom had to put her dog to sleep this morning. They've had him for a long time and everyone was very attached to him. They are all pretty upset, including Travis. Just keep him and his mom and sisters in your thoughts.

I hope to do some updating soon- so come back often! Have a great day!

Christmas at the Binkley's!

So, being that this is our first Christmas since getting married, we decorated the house just a little! Last year, I refused to decorate the house for just me- so this year we had to! We went out and bought a very small Christmas tree, a couple of ornaments, and lights. That was going to be it. Then a few more trips to Target, we added more ornaments, stockings on the mantle (even a tiny one for Elbie) and garland and bows !

Chattanooga

Last weekend we took a short trip to Chattanooga with Travis's sister Shavona, her husband Will, and their four adorable children. We all had a great time visiting the city, Ruby Falls, Rock City, and riding the Incline Railway. The weather was nice and the surroundings were beautiful! We all had a great time watching an old tear- jerker movie while eating dessert in a cozy hotel room. We all enjoyed the tour of Ruby Falls and the hike up through Rock City. Personally, the Incline Railroad was awesome- a little scary at times, but nonetheless- very entertaining! The views were amazing! Will post pictures of Ruby Falls a little later. Enjoy!

P.S.:If you ever visit Chattanooga, be sure to eat at Sticky Fingers- the ribs are great!

Sweet reminders

I got the following story in an email foward this morning and thought I would share. I'm sure that many of you have read this before- but it's a sweet reminder of the power of prayer. Enjoy!


In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone.The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.
If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job. The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck. The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job.Still no luck.
The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel. An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.
I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel. When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.
As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.
One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered. I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat.Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies a nd cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.
As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....

Another post about Elbie.....

Elbie loves ti sit on the back of the couch and watch tv.....

Until she realizes that she has absolutely no idea what in the world she is watching and that she really has no idea what they are saying, and that there is no way she ever will understand. That is when she decides to just go on to sleep.....There's no need to waste any time!

By the way, I promise to get some pictures of me and Travis up here SOON! ( or something other than the puppy!)

Make sure to check the other posts...

I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew...under my long post below there are a few shower pictures...I will try to post some more later! Have a great day!

God is Going to Take Care of YOU...

Saturday as I was coming home from getting last minute things done for the baby shower, I was listening to our David Phelps CD, if you've never heard him sing, you've got to check him out- his voice is incredible. Anyway, as I was getting closer to home a song came on that I have always liked, but never let the words sink in. This song must have been written for me. It's called God is Going to Take Care of You. It's like every single word of that song was written for me and not meant to be understood until now. Although Travis lost his job, it is truly becoming the best thing that has ever happened to us. As devastated as I was when he called me last Tuesday morning and asked me to come get him and told me what had happened, it's all making sense now. Everyone told me that there were better things in store and that God was going to take care of everything. It's hard to believe that when you think about getting the bills paid and the thought of using our "Just in case something happens" funds- I was scared to death. It was all I could do to not fight back tears, to appear happy and to believe that everything was really going to be okay.

Halloween night, after visiting my princess sister and scary- masked-brother, we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house. My little cousin and sister were selling there Halloween candy for 5 cents a piece....smart- wonder why we didn't think of this as kids?...You all know Travis and he had to contribute to their business...so out with the pocket change and in with the treats! My aunt told the girls to stop asking Travis for money because he had just lost his job and would be needing that money to pay the bills and buy groceries. Mind you, it was only the day after he lost his job. They went on asking other people. Then dissappeared. Soon they were back to Travis with a plastic bag. They handed it to him and it was all the money that had made plus some of their own money. They told him that they wanted him to be able to pay his bills and buy groceries. Oc course, Travis did not accept the money. But the next day, I got to thinking. Was this God's way of telling me that it was going to be okay? I believe that he used the precious love of children to show me that he was handling everything. It showed me that as a child of God, if I can fully rely on him, without a doubt, He will take care of everything. I now believe that COMPLETLY..

Last week, Travis began working for himself, and he has come across some really nice Contractor's and it appears that he is going to be doing better than we could have ever imagined. So many things were waiting for him. We just had to trust that everything was going to be okay. And it will be.



Here are the lyrics to the song by David Phelps....


You don’t say a word, but I know you’re so afraid
Trying hard to take a step of faith
You’re so confused and you’re so alone
Standing face to face with the unknown
Every need you have God already knows about it
Still He longs to hear from you
I believe if you put your trust in Him
That is where the road of faith begins

Cause if His eye is on the sparrow when it comes to me and you
There is no place He wont go
And nothing He wont do
Like a mother cradles a child
His grace covers us somehow
So whatever you go through
God will take care of you

Change is never easy; its just part of living
There’s so much more that we can see
A higher place so far above it all
Is ours when were faithful to His call

Cause if His eye is on the sparrow when it comes to me and you
There is no place He wont go
And nothing He wont do
Like a mother cradles a child
His grace covers us somehow
So whatever you go through
God will take care of you

We don’t know
we don’t have to understand
the how’s, the why’s, the when’s
Just give it all to Him

It's a Girl!

Today I had a shower for my cousin Rachel. She has two adorable little boys, and a girl on the way! I think everyone had a great time, and Alaina Claire definately racked up! Here are a couple pictures from the shower... Travis' aunt made the cake...it was almost competely gone. Her cakes are beautiful- and delicious! I made the punch that everyone loves...I think that's why we go to showers---to drink the punch! Rachel has picked out a pink and green theme for Alaina Claire's room, hence the reasoning behind the pink and green shower! For my first attempt at hosting a shower of any kind, I think everything turned out great!

Fun shower games look sick in the FREEZER!

Okay, So I was trying to come up with some unique shower games...and UNIQUE is what I got! I read online about a game called "My water broke!"...Sounds good so far...everyone gets a small plastic baby that has been frozen in an ice cube and placed into a small plastic cup...the object of the game is to melt the ice cube enough so that the baby is freely floating in the cup. Constestants are not allowed to take the ice cube out of the cup. The sick part of this is this- Imagine if you will, being my husband and opening the freezer to find this...

Knowing that I was getting ready for the baby shower...all he could say was "I hope no one investigates our house or anything."It turned out to be a very fun game, I don't know if anyone had ever played before.

Guess who the winner was?

No news is good news....

In our case anyway....I haven't posted in a while...not too much going on lately. UNTIL today! This morning, Travis lost his job.....really for no reason. He's been with the company for almost 3 years now. His boss has always been really tough on him- but lets other employees get by with pretty much anything--like not coming to work every other day! Travis has been a loyal employee, has always shown up for work, represented the company well- as if it were his- although half of the time, his boss did not deserve it. I know that Travis is a HARD worker- a very hard worker. He's very thorough, clean, and trustworthy. I have never known him to be lazy....His boss has made a huge mistake....you reap what you sow. Travis believes that. I just hope and pray that everything works out for the best. Please pray for us that Travis will not have a hard time finding another job. Pray that God will keep us both strong through this and for us to remain hopeful for what is to come. We believe that this is a test of our faith in God. He will bring us through it. In the meantime, if you know anyone that needs some electrical work done, please don't hesitate to give them Travis' number. We love you all!

More pictures of Elbie....

Here a a few pictures of Elbie in her new shirt...She doesn't like to wear it so she was only in it long enough for me to snap a few pictures!

And my little dog's name is...

Little Bitty Binkley...aka "Elbie" (for L.B.) Just thought I would update you all since we have been going back and forth on names to register her with....have a great day!

More Elbie pictures...

First night we had her...playing with Travis

Pa and Elbie

Why do you keep taking these pictures?

I know I'm cute!

We need a name to register her with...any ideas?

Update on Pa...

We went to visit Pa again tonight...we talked to his nurse and she said that he had an amazing day. She said he walked several times, ate better than he has been, and was more alert than he has been since he got to the nursing home. We took Elbie to see him again, and he loves her! He kept telling us: " I just love that little dog!" The nurse even said that Pa had been joking around with the nurses and offering them some of his candy. She said that he was a completely different person. We're so proud! Looks like he is starting to make a total turn around. Maybe he will be able to go home soon!

Elbie...

Travis and I just love this dog to death!!! Last night when we put her in her crate to go to bed, she didn't cry. She laid down and went to sleep. Then, this morning when I left for work, she didn't cry either! She sure is a smart dog! Last night, Kyndall and I went to Target to get her some treats, and I bought her the stuffed animal thing that is bigger than her...she picks it up though and runs with it in her mouth. It's hilarious!

A visit with Pa...

Travis' grandfather, aka Pa, has Alzheimers and is currently in a nursing home. We try to go and visit him as often as possible. Usually when we get there he is laying in his bed watching TV. So tonight when we went for our visit, we almost walked right past him because he was sitting at a table in the eating area looking out the window and watching other residents. He smiled ear to ear when he saw us, as he loves having company! We had Elbie with us, so he was even more excited to see us (along with all the other residents)!! We had a lot of fun tonight because he was acting a lot more like himself! He kept picking on us and laughing and joking around! He introduced the other residents to Elbie as "his little dog". He asked a nurse what she thought of "my little dog"! It was so sweet! Suprisingly, Elbie was good the whole time!

This one lady kept coming over to us to see the dog- she wanted to give her some Diet Mountain Dew. We could hardly understand what she was saying- so everytime she would talk, Pa would start laughing...and of course I was there to snap a picture! By the end of the night, he was enjoying having his picture taken. He got to where he would ask me: "did you get another picture of me?"

Here is a picture of him talking to Nanny on the phone...he sure does miss her! We sure do hope he gets better soon so he can come back home! He's so much fun to be around though! What I wouldn't give to have one more day with my Grandpa. Keep Pa in your prayers. We're hoping that he will get stronger and be able to walk on his own again soon so he can come home.

One last funny story...last night we were having trouble getting Pa to drink his minerals... here is how it went:

Lea Ann- Come on Pa- you have to drink your minerals to get stronger so you can go home.

Pa- (rolling up his shirt sleeve and flexing his muscles) - I don't need to get any stronger- I'm already dangerous!

Lea Ann- (speechless)

Our little addition...

So, last night we went and met the little dog...She was adorable and Travis and I fell in love instantly. She seemed to like us pretty good too. So- we bought her! Brought her home and played for a while. She was already named Lady Bug- so we shortened it to LB- "Elbie" aka little binkley...she is so sweet! She slept all night in her crate. Travis had to wake her up to take her outside this morning. Then she played a while and cried when Travis had to leave for work. She didn't like the hair dryer very much. I had to put her in the crate before leaving for work. She cried a little and I felt HORRIBLE! We love her!!! Travis texted me this morning and said he already missed her! (If you know Travis, you know that this is very UNUSUAL!)

A Little Cart-Binkley?

Okay, so it's just a dog...but in our world it's a big deal!! Travis has been totally against having an animal in the house until this weekend. I just asked (it's become a routine) if we could get a dog. I don't know what happened because the answer has always been "no" since we have all new flooring in the house. But for whatever reason- Travis decided that this time he would say yes when I asked!! It caught me off guard! Here is the dog that we are contemplating getting...tell me what you think. She's a 12 week old pomeranian. Already crate and house trained. She will be between 4-5 pounds when she's fully grown.

Here we are...

So I decided to make a blog to keep everyone posted on our first year of marriage. So far, things are great. I am going to go back and post other things along with pictures from our wedding, honeymoon, trips, and anything else I can find! But for now- welcome to our blog!

Happy Birthday, Travis!

For Travis' 22nd birthday, I suprised him with a trip to Gatlinburg! We were only there for two nights- but we had a lot of fun! We went to the wax museum, star cars museum, rode the ski lift, and did tons of other things...The museums were a first, and a last. Worth seeing once, but too expensive to see twice!

Views from the room...it was foggy in the afternoons!

I'll be back...

For those of you who don't know, Travis has a fascination with Arnold Schwarzenegger. So, we went to the wax museum and, can you believe it, there sat Arnold's metal arm, the real thing, from Terminator 2...Travis was amazed!!! He wanted to touch it but it was inside a glass container inside another glass case....must be special! Anyway, here is a picture of the hand and one of Travis with another part of the Terminator....

Honeymoon...aka PARADISE

For our honeymoon, we went to New Orleans to check the place out...great place to see once, but neither of us were extremely impressed. Anyway, we left from New Orleans on a Carnival Cruise to Mexico for the week. It was amazing. We both agreed that we could stand to live on a cruise ship...it's definately our favorite way to travel! Anyone who hasn't been yet should definately go on a cruise. Here are a few pictures... The first one is of a beach in Costa Maya, Mexico...Then the beach in Cozumel-- a beautiful city.. I will post more pictures later....we took a ton!!

Just chillin in Mexico!!!

Here's a picture of us just sitting at a restaraunt in Costa Maya Mexico... 4th day of marriage... just got off the cruise ship...we were wasting time until it was time to climb aboard our so called "dune buggy jungle adventure"-- will post on that later...

Wedding Day!!

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Today we will become Mr. & Mrs. BINKLEY!!!

(This is a picture of our wedding cake...Travis' wonderful Aunt Patsy made this cake- she did an AMAZING job!)