Christmas Evening

Tonight is Christmas evening. Presents have been unwrapped. Lots of food has been consumed. The kids are consumed right now with the new video game console. We are sitting here relaxing and enjoying the "remains of the day." Tomorrow, hubby and I have to work and the kids have to go to their daycare.

It bothers me when people talk about wanting Christmas to be over. I think these people are probably trying to try to do to much and the spirit of Christmas has been lost to them. We spend a lot of time with family during the holidays. I always plan to cook a lot more than I actually have time for. I always get a little carried away with the decorating. I want the holidays to be so special and sometimes think that the results are actually in my power. When in truth the kids are happy without much work. Give them time to play with their new toys. Don't ask them to get dressed before noon.

I have a large extended family. My cousins are all grown with large families of their own and when we get together now our kids play like we did. I enjoyed so much spending time with the family.

I hope you had a good holiday with your family and find this season peaceful and not too over scheduled. Take time to sample the holiday dishes you've worked so hard to prepare. Watch a movie or watch your kids playing video games. Spend time catching up with family. Take a drive and enjoy the lights. Remember what is important in life regardless of your particular Faith.

Saturday Morning

Whew! What a week I've had. It's Saturday morning now and I'm having a little quiet time with my breakfast before I get to work cleaning and cooking. Here are some of the things I'll be making over the next few days:

Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Popcorn
Magic Cookie Bars
Fruit Salad
Smoked Salmon Dip
Baked Beans
Mashed Potatoes Au Gratin
Fudge - if time
Tiramasu Trifle

The kids are in the other room playing some annoying-sounding game they got from the Grandma yesterday. Of course, buying loud noise-making toys is a grandparent's prerogative. But they are disturbing my quiet, peaceful breakfast. That's okay, in a few minutes I'm going to put them to work.

Hope everyone has a delightful Christmas Holiday!!!

Busy Week

Tonight is my Homemaker's Club Annual Christmas Dinner and Gift Exchange. We have our dinner catered in the conference room of a local business. Dessert follows at one of the member's house. We draw names earlier in the year and exchange gifts. It is always a enjoyable evening with just the ladies.

Seems like I am so busy this time of year. There is always one or two things I forget to buy or do. I have to work all weekend and them I'm off next Tues & Thursday. I still haven't planned what desserts I'm making and I need to buy the groceries on Monday.

Next Saturday night I have planned a dinner out with my parents if I can arrange a baby-sitter. We used to go out together frequently before the kids came along and in the early years. But in the last year or two it has become increasingly difficult to find a baby-sitter.

We are going to Boaz for a family gathering the following Sunday. I have to work Christmas Eve until 4pm. That evening we will have a nice family dinner followed by the opening of gifts. On Christmas Day we have our family gathering with my Dad's clan.

Did I forget hubby's Christmas party next Wednesday evening and a Brownie workshop on Thursday. Also, there is the cookie exchange with the ladies in my SS class on Tuesday night. And of course there is a lot of baking to be done and always the last minute stuff. And let us not forget the gathering with hubby's family the Sunday after Christmas.

We have a small family trip planned after New Year's to recover from all the excitement.

Long Time No Post

I didn't really mean to quit posting. But, it has been several weeks nonetheless. When I went back to working full-time at Wal-Mart the appeal of spending time on the computer was lost. When I am home I don't even want to check my email, much less spend hours browsing other peoples blogs and finding witty things to post. Call it laziness if it makes you feel better.

I have been really happy back at WM, though, and am confident I've made the right decision.

We've been very busy. I got the house decorated for Christmas. This weekend we went to Auburn for my cousin's wedding and just got back this afternoon. It was a beautiful wedding. Rick and I enjoyed taking a walking tour with our kids of the University Campus (where we both attended) last evening. A lot has changed since we graduated.

Christmas is approaching fast. I have all my presents wrapped except for whatever last minute things come up. I really need to finish my Christmas cards and get them in the mail. I have my deer and Palm Trees up in the front yard.

We have finished the second season of Lost and are anxiously waiting the 3rd season release on Tuesday. To say we are hooked would be an understatement. I don't know what we will do when we have to start watching it only once a week with the fourth season in January.

There is so much going on that sometimes everything is just a blur. We have Christmas parties and family gatherings coming up. The kids and I have an annual tradition of decorating a Gingerbread house. I have Dr appts for both children next week. I have to work next weekend and then my parents will be here over the holiday. Hopefully, we are taking a little trip after New Year's to recover from the rush.

I hope everyone will continue to stop by once in a while. I'll try to post at least once a week until Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. The primary focus is to be thankful and to eat. What a great combinations that is. My parents are coming for a few days and we are having Thanksgiving Dinner at our house. Sometimes we drive an hour or so away and spend the day with other relatives. This year I have to work all weekend and so we've decided to stay in Huntsville. We will be having the traditional Thanksgiving meal that I have grown up with:

Chicken and Dressing
Turkey
Cranberry Sauce
Green Beans
Fruit Salad
Sweet Potato Casserole
Rolls
Pecan Pie

If you are unfamiliar with the dish, chicken and dressing, allow me to educate you. In most southern families the Turkey if prepared at all is roasted without any sort of "stuffing". Instead we serve dressing. Dressing is a mixture of breads (both white and corn) cream of chicken soup, spices, onions, and chicken baked until golden brown. The recipes and preparation vary from family to family. We tend to eat ours a little soupier than some. We usually serve it with a gravy made from cream of chicken soup. We also traditionally eat dressing at Christmas time and on occasion at Easter. When my Mama was alive and we had Thanksgiving dinner at her house she would make several large pans. There was usually enough for everyone to take home as leftovers. She made the most wonderful dressing and my mother after many years of practice is able to duplicate the recipe. We're not having a whole turkey this year for such a small gathering. Mother bought a Turkey breast from the Honeybaked Ham store. I am not that big a fan of the traditional roasted and usually dried-out bird.

Years ago while I was in college my parents moved to Pennsylvania for a few years. I flew up to join them for Thanksgiving that first year. We drove the four hours to my brother's in laws house in Olney, Maryland. Their Thanksgiving meal was quite different from ours. But the overall tradition of sitting down together for a family meal and being thankful for God's blessings on our lives remains the same regardless of the food served.

Thanksgiving at our house is a wonderful time of fellowship and family time with lots of eating. Regardless of your families traditions I wish all of you a wonderful holiday.

Where Did October Go?

My goodness how time gets away from me. I seem to remember a few days ago it was the first of October and the weather was just starting to cool off. Now it is the day before Halloween. I was considering participating in the NaBloPoMo but now I honestly don't think I could do it. I'm just working too much. I don't even think I have the time to do up a bunch of posts and then post them each day. So good luck to all of the participants and have fun.

After I decided to not participate I saw this entry on Tangerine Zest. Great minds think alike, Ha!

I went on a field trip today with my daughter to Lyon Family Farms in Taft, Tn. This was a very well organized trip. We went on a hayride where the children picked their on pumpkins from the patch. We played in a corn maze, giant inflatible slide, and corn bin. The kids petted and fed all sorts of animals. We listened to they story of how the pumpkins grow and had a sing a long. We had a picnic lunch outside. Luckily, it warmed up enough to enjoy the day. The kids had a onderful time!

My mother sent this picture of me I wanted to share with you because it reminds me so much of Gina's picture on her blog.

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween. Unfortunately, I have to work late and will miss out on the annual tradition of dressing up and begging door-to-door for candy. If our camera was not on the fritz I would perhaps get pictures but now I will only get stories. I'll be back (hopefully) on Friday to tell you about my upcoming weekend plans.

September

I'm so glad that it is September. It's hard to believe now how hot it was just a month ago (and how much I was complaining about it.) Before you know it it will be October, my absolute favorite month of the year. Before you know it the weather will be cool enough for sweaters. I know I've done a favorite things about fall before so I really didn't want to bore you with it again. But what else can I blog about?

13 Things I love about Fall

1. Fall color. The maples and oaks and redbuds turning their gorgeous colors of gold, brown & orange before falling to the ground and creating piles of leaves for the children to play in.

2. Boiled Peanuts bought from a roadside stand. I wish I knew where I could get some. I may have to settle for my own. If you're unfamiliar with this delicacy check out my mom's post on the subject.

3. Candy Corn. It may be mostly corn syrup but I love it! It is good that it is only available in the fall (or the good kind, anyway) because I definitely eat too much. The absolute best, of course is Brach's.

4. Cool morning & evening breezes. My morning walks are so much more pleasant now. And in the evenings you can sit outside while the children play and just soak it in.

5. My hot tub. Oh, yes. After months of disuse because it was just too darn hot, I'm looking forward to evenings soaking in bubbled bliss.

6. Fall Fashion. Oh how I love my sweaters and sweatshirts and jackets and boots and jeans.

7. College Football. I love to go to games although in I've only been to 4 in the last 12 years. The atmosphere and excitement is hard to explain to the uninitiated. Playing in the band at Auburn was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life and I miss it. I even love watching the games on T.V. And I love Auburn even if they are not having the best season so far.

8. Halloween. Not just the night of when all the kids come to your door begging for trips. But the whole Halloween experience. School carnivals and carved pumpkins, yard displays of mums and scarecrows,. I love to decorate the house with pumpkins and fall decorations and candles. I have these really cute pumpkin baskets and Halloween beanie babies.

9. Fall Break. This is only the fourth year of fall break for us. I wish we had this when I was younger. It is nice to have that week to look forward to.

10. October at the Beach. Fewer crowds on the beach and in the restaurants. The water is still warm but the sun is not scorching. The kids spend long hours playing in the sand and I spend long hours lounging and reading. (Hubby spends long hours inside the condo on the computer). We race go karts, play miniature golf, and play games at night (since we can't take our Tivo with us.)

11. Christmas shopping. Although I start this process in August I try to be finished by October (except for the unexpected). I like to have my presents wrapped before others start thinking about who's on their list. Of course, I miss the bargains, but I also miss the crowds and the last minute stress.

12. Harvest Festivals, Street Fairs, Pumpkin Patches. We have a wonderful pumpkin patch here complete with hay rides and activities for the children. In October we have the Madison Street Festival complete with a parade. Our school is having a harvest festival in late October.

13. Chili. Now, I confess that I have eaten this during the warm months but usually refrain from cooking it. I like my chili full of beans (unlike the Texas versions) served over corn chips and topped with cheddar cheese. It is a great meal to eat while watching a football game (or even a F1 race).

Thursday

We had a somewhat relaxing holiday. It felt so much like a Saturday tucked in the middle of the week. We went to a friend of Hubby's for a cook-out and swimming. The kids swam for hours and were disappointed when time to leave. The food was excellent - pork ribs, barbecue chicken and smoked pork with all the fixings. Sitting out in the sun all day is somewhat exhausting, though.

We have an unexpected treat this weekend. My MIL called and asked for the kids for TWO nights. They are leaving tonight and will not be back until Saturday evening. I'm trying to remember what we did before kids. I'm sure it will come back to me. So we have two chances to dine out alone and whatever mischief we can get ourselves up to. I suggested hubby take Fri afternoon off and he ended up taking Thurs and Fri off. I admit I am jealous because I couldn't work that out for myself. So I'm stuck at work today but my weekend begins at 6:30pm.

I probably won't post this weekend. So I hope everyone has a good one. Remember Saturday is 07/07/07 and supposed to be a lucky day.

Cinco De Mayo

Did you know that Cinco De Mayo is not actually Mexican Independence Day? No, that is celebrated on September 16. Cinco De Mayo is actually the date of the Battle of Puebla. Furthermore, it is a far more significant holiday in the United States than in Mexico. In the United States we use it as an exuse to eat Mexican food and drink Margaritas. As if, we needed an exuse.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

Easter Sunday

We had a pleasant Easter Sunday. My Daddy was not feeling well on Friday and decided not to make the trip to Alabama. His presence was missed.

We had a good service Sunday at our home church, Whitesburg Baptist. After church, we had the usual ham/potato salad/baked bean dinner. I had created a treasure/Easter egg hunt for the kids. The Easter Bunny (or his nemesis Santa Claus) does not visit our house. Instead I prepared a bucket of goodies for the kids and hid it in the house. I made up some clues and hid them in plastic eggs. The kids had to find each egg until it led to their surprise. They were more excited by the hunt then the treasure at the end.

We woke up to a cold morning. The temperature had dipped below freezing Saturday night. Very unusual for April. Just last Sunday, the daytime temp had been in the 80's. We had to wear coats over our new Easter attire. The kids were not interested in going outside to hunt eggs. I think they got this out of their system a few weeks ago.

Sunday afternoon was restful. Nobody wanted to eat leftovers that evening. We ordered from China Dragon. We are starting to be regular customers. Everyone wanted some of the banan pudding I made, though.

This morning I am feeling unusually tired. Too much sugar? Maybe just having to go to work when the kids get another day off. I hope I have a good week.

Good Friday

Today is good friday or Good Friday depending on your perspective. Today is the day we recognize in history as the day Our Lord, Jesus Christ was crucified. Today I am thankful that Jesus died for my sins so that I might have eternal life.

Please see this link for an obituary.

After Christmas

Today is the day after so to speak. Usually there is a big letdown. The house is a mess. I had to come to work today. The kids had to go to daycare. No one is happy. Tomorrow I have to work at WM and that should prove to be a fun day. Today I have been too busy preparing for year end inventory to catch up on blog reading or update. I'll be back Friday hopefully with something meaningful to say.

Christmas Cards

In the first 10 years of my marriage I was very diligent about sending out Christmas Cards. I tried write personal notes to people who I didn't talk to regurally or see. I sent pictures of my children. I sent these out the first week of December.

One year I decided to only send cards to those I would not see personally during Christmas and last year I just decided to not send any. This is very liberating, I find. I know there are those out there who otherwise do not hear from me and I am sorry about that. I still delight in receiving cards and especially those "picture greetings" of everyone's children. Maybe next year I will even get my act together and get the kids Christmas pictures made before Christmas. (Right now I am shooting for an early Easter picture.)

Christmas Meme

My friends in Sunday School have been emailing this meme around and I thought it a great way to introduce some memes to my blog.

Get To Know Ya Christmas Style

1) Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Actually, I like General Foods Suisse Mocha.

2) Does Santa Claus wrap the presents or just put them under the tree? Santa does not actually visit our house. Neither does the tooth fairy or Easter Bunny.

3)White lights or colored on the tree/house? Well, we like the whites the most. My tree is traditionally all white. I have some color in my yard display. The children like colored lights on their minature trees in their rooms. Of course, at the time of this blog there are no Christmas lights on at my house yet.

4) Do you hang mistletoe? No. I probably would, though, if someone gave me some.

5) When do you put the decorations up? Usually the first weekend in December that I am off work. Big plans for this weekend, I have.

6) What is your favorite holiday dish excluding dessert? Fruit salad or chicken and dressing

7) What is your favorite holiday memory as a child? This is too hard to narrow down. My parents always made Christmas special at our house. We always had lots of food and family gatherings.

8)When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I have an older brother so we both 'figured it out' about the same time. I think I was 8.

9) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Actually, since there is no Santa visit we open all of our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. We save our stockings for Christmas morning.

10) How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I collect Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments and I have a lot!!! They no longer all fit on the tree so I choose some for other areas of the house.

11) Snow. Love it or dread it? Snow? What is snow? I have a distant memory of it snowing on January 1 of 2000. But that was our last real snow here in North Alabama. We generally have to go snow skiing to see good snow and I love it.

12) Can you ice skate? Yes, a little.

13) Do you remember your favorite gift? I think it would be the year I got a big-girl bike.

14) What is the most importang thing about the holidays for you? Well of course I am going to say celebrating the miracle of Christ's birth. But outside of that it is spending time with family.

15) What is your favorite holiday dessert? fudge

16) What is your favorite holiday tradition? With the kids we try to decorate a gingerbread house together every year. For many years my family had this crazy tradition of watching the movie, E.T. on Christmas Eve.

17)What tops your tree? An angel

18)Which do you prefer - giving or receiving? What a silly question!

19) What is your favorite Christmas Song? Carol of the Bells, I'll Be Home for Christmas, Why Can't Everyday Be Like Christmas.

20)Candy canes - yuck or yum? Yum, especially Bob's Old Fashioned Sugar Canes which I haven't been able to find this year.

21) Favorite Christmas Movie? It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas... what don't I like?

22) What do you leave out for Santa? see #2

23) (I added this one myself) When do you complete your Christmas shopping? Usually, I start in August and consider it a success if finished by October 1. I like them wrapped by November 1. Of course, there are always last minute things but I hate going in the stores this time of year and try to really plan out my presents in advance.

Okay. That was fun. Let's see if anyone else reads my blog. Come on BearsInExile, AtHomeDaddy, Cherry Extract, Maya's Granny, LittleTrucker.

Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday (or the anniversary of my 27th birthday actually). It was a good birthday. I did not have to work, my husband remembered and (gasp) bought me a present. Last night at the Maccaroni Grill I was serenaded in Italian by Robert and presented with a huge piece of chocolate cake. My presents included an Auburn tag for the front of my car and a new pair of headphones. My present to myself was a new sweater I found at Dick's Sporting Goods last week.

So the Christmas season is officially upon us. I am listening to seasonal music this morning and I suspect I need to get busy and decorate before we are shunned by our neighbors.

Despite several days of eating whatever was at hand and celebrating my birthday (and those wonderful fried peach pies), I had a net loss this week. I know I started last week rededicating myself to dieting but Wednesday's events "through a wrench in my gears". I did manage to Nordic Trac 3 days and I tried hard to make good choices. I am still happy to be losing and hope it continues, however slow.

9.0 lbs

Anniversary

My hubby must have seen the not so subtle hint in my blog. He remembered our anniversary. We went out but without a baby-sitter we went with the kids. Also, still trying to diet so I chose the grilled fish and was very disapointed. For some reason he kept saying he thought it was 14 years. Living with me only feels like two years longer than it is. I guess I should be glad he didn't think it was 20. Now my birthday is coming up in a few weeks but I am giving out no subtle hints. We will just see.

Autumn

Tuesday I found it necessary to make a 2.5 hour drive (and back home again). Despite the fact that most of the trip was via interstate I saw some really great fall foilage. I think that may have been the peak. I saw quite a mixture of greens, reds & some amazing golds.

My husband let my son have some coke at lunch. We normally do not let our children have caffinated drinks, restricting their soda to sprite or sierra mist. The boy talked non-stop all the way home. He has a bit of a geography obsession. He spent his time studying the atlas and sharing details with me. (He let his sister sleep, luckily.) A large part of his obsession deals with Alaska. He spends time drawing maps and labeling them. He knows all the capitols and major cities. Don't challenge the child. He will only prove you are not as smart as you think you are.

Once back home J had decided not to go trick or treating (he is 8, remember) because he had enough candy. The sister and I went to a few houses while he minded the door (most of the neighbors had their lights out.) B was happy wearing her dance outfit from last year so I was not out any costume expense this year. I think the children enjoyed giving out the loot to the treaters more than anyting else. It's the same way they would rather hide the eggs than hunt them. I am sure some of his behavior is normal.