It's been literally months since I wrote a blog...not because of a shortage of things to write about, but a shortage of time to sit and focus on putting thoughts together. I miss sharing my life with people via blogging...so I will hopefully do better at keeping up with this in 2011. Here are just a few tidbits from our year....kind of a snapshot of the 'goings on' in the Barnett life.

Took my first, and hopefully last, trip to Las Vegas in January. We went to set up and man a booth at the Shot Show for our business, Elzetta Design. I had heard many things about the city, and it was all the things I'd heard. I guess I can say I'm glad I've seen the skyline...but I have no desire to ever return.
I've enjoyed getting to know a new church body at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Cynthiana. It has been a high blessing to be pastored by David Sabella and to feel the love of Christ shown through him and his wife, Fran. In the picture here to the right, I'm at the Pastor's house for a fellowship gathering. Kinley and Jacob are on my knees having a horsey race. Great fun, great laughs, and great exercise.

In the early Spring, it was a blessing to be involved in pulling together the first Annual Celebrate Life Walk in Paris. It was a great success and so much fun. We were able to bring in Nina Bell from Concerned Women for America, who graciously shared her testimony, having had an abortion herself in her young years and growing to receive redemption and forgiveness through Christ. A young lady shared her story from The Nile, which is a group home ministering to women in crisis pregnancy situations. Rand Paul, now our U.S. Senator, spoke about his passion for the protection of all life, including but not limited to the unborn. It was an all around great event, even though our actual 'walk' was in the pouring rain.
My precious nephew, Urriah Paul, was born on May 14th. He popped out so quickly, my brother nearly missed

it. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 12 oz....only 2 ounces smaller than my own boy was so many years ago. Just a few weeks later, I had the wonderful blessing of being in the room with my sister Jen when she had her 6th blessing, little Karalynn. What an exciting experience that was! Praise the Lord for His lovingkindness shown so clearly to me and my Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

My brother, Steve, auditioned for "America's Got Talent" this year. That was exciting!
I wish I could have gone with him to Chicago, but I'm sure it was an awesome experience. The Lord saw fit to keep him home with his family this year, since they had the addition of their 4th baby boy. So, it seems it has all worked out perfectly, even though he wasn't called in this time for the show. Who knows what the future holds.

My husband and I had the greatest time attending a 3 day Pistol Course with Threat Solutions in Cave City. What a total blast!!! Even though the temperatures were soaring in the high 90's, it was a great time, and a great education. We also got certified to teach Concealed Carry Classes, which I'm now doing on the side.
My business, which I named 'Keeping the Piece', is focused primarily on equipping women with basic pistol skills and getting them licensed to carry concealed. I absolutely love doing this and hope it will grow in the years to come. If you're interested, you can visit my website at www.KeepingthePiece.com to learn more about what I'm doing.

I always look forward to Spring and Summer when the beautiful flowers come to life in my yard. This was by far the prettiest year for my hydrangeas and gladiolas. I just can't thank God enough for the beauty of flowers and eyesight to enjoy them.

We were blessed to be very involved in Rand Paul's U.S. Senate campaign. What exciting news it was when we heard he'd won the primary against Trey Greyson...and then the final election against Jack Conway. We were cheering for weeks!

We didn't shoot our AR15's as much this year, but did get to enjoy a few outings with some of my husband's friends. It's always a BLAST to shoot these guns.

We had another double-birthday celebration this year for Solomon and his Grandpa Bogie. They both celebrate the gift of life on May 9, and now we look forward to celebrating together each year. GG came to join in the celebration, and Solomon enjoyed building a roller coaster, which was a gift from Grandma Karen and Grandpa Bogie. Very neat gift!

Solomon and I went to a Wrestling Match with my parents, Granny & Grandpap. It was hilarious, and the boys enjoyed trying on their funny masks. We laughed the entire evening...until my cheeks hurt. Great memories.
It seems like my little boy is growing up too fast. We stopped on the way to Liberty and took these pictures. I love spur of the moment photo shoots, and always get great pictures in this area around Liberty. We make lots of memories going there for picnics and just to see the ducks swim on the lake. Needless to say, my boy is growing into a man quicker than I can stand. But, I am blessed beyond words to be his momma and I love him dearly.

My husband got me the most AMAZING birthday present ever!!! A Springfield emp...which I've literally been drooling over for several years. It was the biggest surprise in the world and I think I danced around the house for 10 minutes after opening the box! I absolutely LOVE it!

I taught my first Women's Basic Pistol Course with Eric Dean of Threat Solutions. We held the class at Canoe Creek Ranch in Lancaster. My Mom and my Mother-in-law both participated in the class and did extremely well. It was so exciting to have them in my first one. What a blessing. In this photo to the left, my Mother-in-Law, Karen, shoots my Sig Mosquito.

Now it's December...quickly approaching Christmas. Here's what's going on with us now. I'm teaching homeschool during the week and loving every minute of the blessing of filling my son's mind with good information. It is a joy to watch him grow and listen to his questions....just experience learning alongside him. What a joy! Also, the Lord has me teaching lots of Women's Concealed Carry and Basic Pistol on the weekends, and even some weeknights. Soon, I'll be adding about 8 hours per week at a local gun store to help bring money in for the family so my husband can continue to pursue his dream of running his own company, Elzetta. In spare time, if I can find any, I like to play my piano, read good books, and watch movies with my boy.
My husband, Dave, is excited about all the new things going on with his business. He has just released a new product called the Elzetta ZSM, which is a tactical flashlight mount for a shotgun. He and his partner will be travelling to Vegas next month for the Shot Show. If you're a Shot Show attendee, visit his booth # 8406!
My son is interested in the military, Legos, and reading TONS of interesting books. He had the unfortunate excitement of breaking his humerus last month...and it wasn't very humerous at all. He broke it just under the growth plate, which was too far up near the shoulder to cast it. So he spent a month in a sling with basically no support or protection around this broken bone. He had to sleep in a recliner, which wasn't very comfortable, but he was a good sport and handled the pain and frustration better than any person I've seen. He's such a wonderful kid...God encourages me through him every day.
As you can see, life around our house is pretty full, but very blessed and I am thankful beyond words for the goodness of God.
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