Family Photo

Jason and I had not had professional pictures made since our wedding, so we decided to have some made for our Christmas card picture this year. 

In October we met our photographer at a beautiful park to make some pictures. She didn't even mind that we wanted our dogs in the picture too. Trying to pose with the dogs was no easy task, especially with lots of people and other dogs around! There are definitely pictures where the dogs are not looking at the camera! But we had some really great ones also.

Here's the one we used for our Christmas card:

Merry Christmas from the Ellis family:

Jason, Kristen, Daisy Duke, and Scarlett

photo by Denise Jones Photography

An Update

Well, it's been awhile. Unfortunately, being busy and having construction workers on our street knock out our cable/internet three times over the last couple of weeks have kept me from blogging.

My last off week we had a lot happening! 

It started off with a great small group on Monday night.

Tuesday, Jason and I took the pups on a long walk. We found a really nice trail near our house that follows a river.

Taking a break by the water

Tuesday night the family went out to dinner to celebrate Charles's birthday. We had a delicious dinner at Olive Garden and even got free dessert!

Singing "Happy Birthday"!

Wednesday was an around the house day. The bug man and the cable man both came by, so I had to be  at the house. I did get out for dinner with Jason and some of our friends at Outback.

Thursday was a really fun day. I got to have lunch with my dad and do a little shopping. I bought a few new fall things at the Loft and got some decorations for the house at Hobby Lobby. That evening after dinner, Jason and I went to a nearby fair. It was free admission night! We didn't ride any of the rides, but we did check out the horse show, petting zoo, tractor display, and have a funnel cake!

Friday was a chill day which was good. Saturday, we headed up to Chattanooga to meet some of my aunts and uncles and cousins for a surprise baby shower for MC. She was definitely surprised, and we all had a good time. 

Diaper Cake

Opening gifts- My aunt made this blanket for Baby C

My aunt also made this cake! It was delicious! All the baby shapes are pieces of chocolate.

Since we were already so close, Jason and I went with Mom and Dad up to their new property. We wanted to check it out! It was pretty grown up so we came prepared with boots, machetes, and a chainsaw attachment for Jason's weed eater. I'm glad we got to see where Mom and Dad will be building their house. It's definitely a nice piece of property in a nice area.

Daddy and I with our tools!

Sunday, we went to church and did our grocery shopping. Then we had some of our friends over for dinner. It was good to catch up with them! 

After dinner we headed over to do a physical assessment with our new personal trainer. She is a very close friend of ours who trains out of her basement. We're going to try to have sessions with her twice a week. I love working out, and I'm excited to be able to make it something Jason and I can do together. Our first official session was Monday afternoon, and it went really well. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I'm looking forward to the start of another off week, and hopefully finding some time to post about our Disney trip and the wedding we went to this weekend.

Weekend Recap

Our busy weekend has come to an end.

Friday morning I made pancakes for breakfast before Ramsey headed back to North Carolina.

After Ramsey left, Jason and I took Daisy and Scarlett to the vet to get their nails clipped. Jason took our picture before we left. Daisy was in my lap, and Scarlett decided she wanted to be in my lap too!

Jason and I ran some more errands in the afternoon, then we got ready for dinner. I made corn casserole and another blackberry cobbler (my fourth of the summer!). We had dinner at my parents' house with Charles, MC, Aunt Pat, and Uncle Wayne. 

Saturday morning we had MC's baby shower. I didn't get many pictures, but fortunately one of MC's friends is a photographer and she took lots of photos for us!

MC and baby C got all kinds of goodies!

I had to get a picture of these petit fours also. They were so cute with the blue booties on top!

Aunt Pat and Uncle Wayne headed back home Saturday afternoon, but we were able to spend some time with them after the shower. After a little break we headed to baby shower number 2 of the day. My friend, April (who I have known since preschool!), is having a baby girl. She and her baby also got lots of goodies! I have to say, baby girl things are just so cute! I was definitely exhausted by the time a got home.

Sunday morning, Jason and I went to church then had lunch together. It was a gorgeous day, not super hot and with a nice breeze, so we decided to go out on the lake. We also took the pups with us. Daisy loves going out on the boat, but this was Scarlett's first trip. She did really well riding in the boat, but she did not want to go swimming. When we tried to put her in the water she would immediately try to climb back out. She was terrified! Daisy did a little swimming though. She will swim to Jason and then swim back to the boat.

Scarlett hanging out on the boat.

There were lots of sail boats out today!

Sunday evening, Jason's cousin and his fiancé came over for dinner. Jason is marrying them in October, so we worked on their ceremony order and also did a little budgeting exercise.

Monday is here, so it's back to work for both of us. It was really nice having Jason off last week while I was off! Hope y'all have a great week!

Sweet Summer

Well, it's been another busy off week so far.

This summer has certainly flown by, but it has been a good one.

Our friend, Ramsey, has been in town this week from North Carolina. Monday night some friends invited us all over for dinner. We had some delicious food cooked on the Big Green Egg, and then had dessert at a place called Spoonful of Heaven. We had fried Oreos and fried cheesecake!

Tuesday morning we were up bright and early for this months mobile food bank with iServe. It was a rainy morning, but we still had a good turn out for volunteers. Jason's parents always come up to help us out, so we were able to have lunch with them afterwards. 

I made a lasagna with salad for dinner on Tuesday night. My parents and our friend, David, came over and we all ate together. 

After all the kitchen clean up, I looked out the back to see this wonderful view.

A gorgeous summer sunset sky!

On Wednesday Jason, Ramsey, and David went four-wheeling. I took the day to get the house cleaned up and run a few errands.

This morning we got up and headed down to Jason's parent's house. His mom cooked us a big breakfast, then Jason and Ramsey helped Jason's dad with an old truck he's been working on. Daisy and Scarlett had a good time playing with their dogs, Bella and Sparky. We had two tired pups on our way back home.

Tonight we had a big family dinner at our favorite BBQ place. My Aunt Pat and Uncle Wayne are in town this weekend for MC's baby shower. They were able to come over after dinner to see our house and get the big tour.

The week isn't slowing down from here. We are supposed to go check out Baby C's nursery tomorrow and have dinner at my parent's house. Then Saturday is baby shower day. One for MC and one for my friend, April. A busy, but fun weekend ahead!

Thankful Thursday

Happy 4th of July!

I think this July 4th is the perfect Thursday to list somethings for which I am very thankful.

1. I am thankful for a loving and merciful God!

Titus 3:5 (NLT) "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.

2. I am thankful for the freedom we have in America and all of those protecting our freedoms.

3. I am thankful for Jason.

I could not ask for a more hard working and loving husband.

4. I am thankful for family.

Jason and I are so blessed to have such wonderful families. We love spending time with them.

5. I am thankful for our pups- Daisy Duke and Scarlett.

6. I am thankful for my job.

7. I am thankful for sweet friends.

8. I am thankful for the time Jason and I were able to spend at Whisper Mountain last week. It was a fun time in the mountains of North Carolina!

Some scenes from our time at Whisper Mountain

We are truly blessed.

Hope everyone has a great 4th!

The Story of Scarlett

If you know Jason and I at all, you probably know that we love dogs. We had been talking about getting another puppy since we got married. We considered getting another dachshund but decided on a  bigger dog. Jason always had big dogs when he was growing up. He used to have a Walker Hound, so he was on board when I said I wanted a Blue Tick Hound. We started looking for a breeder around the time we moved into our house and put a deposit on a puppy that was due in March. Unfortunately, this puppy never came to be. After the loss of another litter of puppies due in May, we decided to look for another breeder. We just couldn't find any puppies that would be available before the fall. Then, a friend suggested we look on Craigslist.

We found an ad on a Sunday night for a 4 month old Walker Hound and Blue Tick Hound mix. Jason called about her on Monday morning, and we had an appointment to visit her that same afternoon. It was pretty much love at first sight. She is beautiful and was very friendly and sweet to us. They called her Scarlett, and we decided to keep that name. My mom says we have two southern belles, Miss Daisy and Miss Scarlett.

First Picture

It has been an interesting couple of weeks with Scarlett at our house. We are very used to Daisy, who is already trained. It's been seven years since I've had a puppy. I forgot how high maintenance puppies can be! If I had a dollar for every time I've said "no" to her since she's been home with us, I would have a lot of cash!!

She is a very smart pup though, and she is learning. She has not had very many accidents house, and she almost knows "sit". The biggest problem we've had is her standing up on our kitchen table and countertops! We are trying to teach her that "down" is good!

Jason and Scarlett

Most people have asked us what Daisy thinks of Scarlett. Really, it depends on the day. Scarlett wants to play with Daisy, but Daisy isn't really interested. Daisy is interested in Scarlett's toys though. Daisy has a small chew bone, so we got Scarlett the same one but bigger. Daisy only wants to chew the big one! They have also been fighting over the Kong toy. Jason put peanut butter in it once, and they still fight over it even though all the peanut butter is gone.

Scarlett wants the Kong, but Daisy won't give it up.

We're still getting to know our new pup, but we love her sweet personality.

Here are a few things Scarlett loves:

- her stuffed duck

- treats

- snuggling

- playing outside

- chew bones

On a ride with Jason.

Thirty

Today is Jason's thirtieth birthday!

We did some celebrating over the weekend. Two of Jason's good friends from North Carolina came down on Friday to spend the weekend with us. Friday night, we had a delicious dinner at the house. Jason cooked the steaks, and I took care of the rest. It wasn't a very nice weekend, so Saturday we headed over to the mall. We walked around, had some lunch, and did a little shopping. At Brookstone, the guys found the massage chairs. Needless to say, we were in Brookstone for awhile...

Boys in the massage chairs

Later Saturday afternoon, we headed to my parent's house for Jason's surprise party! Jason knew I had something planned for his birthday, but he didn't know what it was. He said he was surprised! We had a great time at the party with lots of family and close friends. I did a Ford truck theme for the party since Jason is a big fan. I didn't even think to take a picture of the decor, but I did get a picture of Jason's cake. I had Elaine, who made our wedding cake, make Jason a strawberry cake in the shape of a truck. It looked great and was delicious!

Strawberry truck cake!

Here are more pictures from the party:

The "Ogres"

Jason and I

Opening gifts and reading cards...

Sunday morning we went to Northpoint Community Church. Jason's friends wanted to check out Andy Stanley's church because they listen to his podcasts a lot. It was a great service. After a quick lunch, it was time for them to head back to North Carolina.

I snapped a quick picture before they left.

Sunday afternoon we spent some time with Jason's family. Then last night we had Jason's birthday dinner with my family. Charles and MC were in town this weekend so they were able to come too. We also got to spend time with our dachshund niece, Ruth! She's still a cutie, and Daisy was being a little nicer to her last night.

Jason is the dog whisperer

Dear Jason, 

Happy birthday sweet husband!

I hope you have a fabulous 30th birthday. I love you and am so blessed to call you my best friend and my husband. Thirty will be a great year!

Over the Weekend

This past weekend was eventful.

We had a scare with Daisy on Saturday and had to take her to the emergency vet. It's a long story, but she is fine and is back to her sweet, normal self!

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday night and for the Falcons game Sunday.

House Warming Gift- Love it!

Charles and MC were in town over the weekend for a retreat with some of the kids in their youth group in Kentucky. On Sunday morning we went to church with them. I was able to sit by my husband and my brother at church. I loved it!! 

Charles and MC recently got a miniature dachshund puppy, and she came down with them. We were able to play with her too! She's long haired and her ears are curly. And I love puppies! She is super cute!

Ruth!

Daisy and Ruth

Daisy wasn't really sure what to think of Ruth. She doesn't spend time with many other dogs, and it takes her awhile to warm up. Ruth definitely wanted to play with Daisy though!

Sleeping on my dad

Ruth learned pretty quickly that my dad is the one with all the treats! She loves him!

Ruth and Aunt Kristen :)

Spending time with Ruth got me thinking about Daisy as a puppy and looking at her puppy pictures! I definitely have puppy fever!!

This is Life

What we have been up to lately:

Jason has started clearing a road up to his property in the mountains in North Carolina.

He set up camp there with the camper, so last time I was off we took Daisy on a camping trip.

We went four wheeling and checked out a bunch of trails.

Daisy really enjoyed the four wheeler!

Daisy on the 4 wheeler

Mountain View from our campsite

The property overlooks this reservoir.

No camping trip is complete without a fire and s'mores!

We were also able to spend some time with our friends in North Carolina while we were there.

We also went to the UGA vs. Georgia Southern game. 

A friend gave us the tickets, and the seats were excellent!

Jason is excited about the Dawgs headed to the SEC Championship.

Unfortunately, I had to work over Thanksgiving. We celebrated with my family on Wednesday evening before I went to work. Jason was able to have dinner with his family on Thanksgiving night. 

It was certainly different this year, but I am thankful for my job. And I do have Christmas Eve and Christmas off, so I am thankful for that too!

I ventured out on Black Friday this year. I only went to Bass Pro Shop though. 

Jason's presents are the only ones I have bought so far!

I can hardly believe Christmas is less than a month away.

My to-do list definitely includes Christmas shopping and making our Christmas card photo.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Weekend Update

This weekend was filled with family and friends. 

Jason went to Florida with his dad and brother-in-law on a fishing trip.

They left on Friday and went out on Saturday morning.

Jason and his dad

They caught several trout and a few bull sharks.

Trout

While Jason was gone, I went shopping with my mom, went to a birthday dinner with friends, and had a Saturday to just chill.

Jason got back late on Saturday night. 

Sunday morning we watched church online, then had lunch with Jason's parents.

After lunch we went to the park for a first birthday party!

The birthday girl with some of her gifts.

Because the party was at the park, we took Daisy with us. Miss Lexi loves dogs!

Playing with Daisy's ball

They even took a short ride in the new wagon!

The party was a lot of fun, and Daisy got completely worn out chasing a ball.

These are the outfits Mom and I picked out for Lexi. Super Cute, right?

On the way home from the party, we stopped and picked up our pumpkin. With the weather today and the pumpkin it's starting to really feel like fall.

It's time to start pulling out the chili and chicken and dumplins recipes.

It was a wonderful weekend.

I'll leave y'all with a picture of Daisy in her Halloween costume.

She's a bumble bee!

What do you think?

Daisy's Adventure

Last Sunday afternoon, we went to the lake with friends and decided to take Daisy along for the ride. We took her on the boat once last summer, and she really liked it. So a few weeks ago we bought her a doggie life vest. It wasn't nearly as hot today as it has been so off we went. 

Daisy loves riding in the boat and checking out the scenery and all the smells.

She really enjoyed swimming to Jason and back to me with her life vest! 

She is such a good swimmer!

Sunset on the way in.

Fourth of July

This year the Fourth of July went entirely different than I expected.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. It's my work week, so I knew I would be sleeping all day. Jason went to North Carolina with his parents for the day, and originally told me he wouldn't be back until after I had to leave for work. 

Jason and his parents ended up coming back early. They were already on their way back when I woke up around 3:30. Jason suggested we have dinner together, so I started trying to figure out what to fix. Jason was able to grill some chicken and steak when he got back, and I took care of the asparagus, potatoes, biscuits, sweet tea, and brownies for dessert. It was a feast! And my parents came to eat brownies with us for dessert. It was a fun time with family!

Jason's parents brought their dog, a maltese named Bella, so she and Daisy had a great time playing together. They chased the ball and chased each other all around the house. It was so funny to watch them! And Daisy is wore slap out today! :)

Daisy and Bella

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth!

I am so thankful for our freedom and all those who have and who do fight to protect it!

Happy Birthday Daisy Duke!

In the summer of 2006 there was one thing that I really wanted, a puppy!

We already had one dog though, and my dad had always said we could only have one at a time.

It was the weekend before the 4th of July when Daddy said I could get a puppy. We were picking up Charles's friend to go to the lake and saw her two dogs. I told my dad that she had two dogs and asked why we couldn't have two! Then, he said that I could have a new puppy if I wanted one! I was so excited and couldn't even believe he agreed to it. I immediately told him that he couldn't take it back. I spent the rest of the day at the lake deciding what kind of puppy I wanted and what to name it.

I decided I wanted a miniature dachshund and her name would be Daisy Duke. When we got home that night, we found an ad in the newspaper for a female miniature dachshund. She was about an hour and a half away, but I didn't care. I wanted to get my puppy as soon as possible before my dad changed his mind!

On the 4th of July we made the trip to get sweet Daisy. The breeder only gave us directions to the Wal-Mart and told us to call her when we got there. We arrived at the Wal-Mart and couldn't get in touch with the breeder. She was not answering the phone! I called over and over. I was almost crying at Wal-Mart because I was afraid we would have to go home empty handed. Finally, she answered the phone and gave us the rest of the directions. 

As soon as I saw Daisy's sweet face, I knew I had to take her home! Daisy was an angel that first night, but the second night she was home we were both up crying! She didn't want to be in her crate, and I felt so sorry for her. She weighed less than 2 pounds when we took her to the vet for the first time. She was so tiny!

Daisy has been such a blessing to me. She is the most loving dog. She loves to snuggle and give lots of kisses. And whether we've been gone 2 seconds or 2 days, she is always happy to see us! I am thankful to have her to sleep with me during the day when I'm working and to protect me when Jason has to travel.

May 8th is Daisy's birthday. My little Daisy is 6 years old today! I can hardly believe it. It definitely went by quickly.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Daisy over the years:

Daisy when she weighed less than 2 pounds!

She loved playing with my shoe

This picture of me is awful, but you can see how small she is!

Daisy and Suzi were best friends!

Daisy LOVES belly rubs!

Daisy also loves tennis balls and playing fetch.

Daisy loves going for a walk

Daisy loves riding in the car with her head out the window!

Daisy loves to perch on the couch and look out the window

Daisy on the boat last summer; she had a blast!

 I love that Daisy cocks her head when you talk to her! She's so funny.

Daisy loves snuggling with Jason!

She likes her sweater when it's cold outside.

Our Sweet Family

Happy Birthday Miss Daisy Duke!

We love you!