Christmas Tour 2009

Well, I decided to branch out on my own this year with the Christmas tour. Last year's Christmas Tour post was through a fellow blogger's blog (did I say that right?) For those of you that are new to a blogger's Christmas tour...it is simply a way to stay in the comfort of your own home, in your jammies, or whatever makes you the most comfy...and tour a home or homes via internet and leave comments about your likes and dislikes..Hope I start something here. I sure would like to see some of my fellow blogger's Christmas deco! Get your snuggie and a snack and here we go....

As I said in last year's post..I absolutely LOVE nativity sets. I have many...and want more. This is one of my newest ones...cut out of wood. My parent's brought this back to me from a recent trip. Isn't it cute?! By the way, to see any picture bigger or closer, just click on it!

Another nativity in my living room...as I said last year, I have seriously considered leaving some of my nativities out all year long.

I realize this picture kinda looks boring. I took several shots and none of them really did it justice. This is on my front entry table as you walk in the front door. My glittery trees (that get EVERYWHERE!) with gold mesh wrapped around them, sitting on red mesh...can't really tell, but I've got red lights inside the trees. Looks really beautiful from the street at night.

Three Wise men. I love these. One of my favorite decorations! My mom gave them to me a few years ago from the Southern Living line. A small nativity painting on canvas given to me by a friend. LOVE this too!

Are the Santa's cute? I got them at Country Originals on Northside Drive... if you've never been there...don't go. You'll be hooked. On the right is another nativity that I got years ago from Dollar Tree..yes, Dollar Tree. Hannah played with the pieces for hours when she was little. Have you ever noticed a child play with a nativity set? They know exactly what to do with each part.

My friend Lisa twisted some of the meshy stuff and we put it on the mantel to cover all our electronics. I must say that stockings is something that I never buckled down and bought when the kids were little. My friend gets tickled looking at all of my stockings when I try to decide which ones to hang. Sure wish I had gotten special ones when they were little so I could give them to them one day you know?

This is the coffee table in the living room. Pine cones in a container with some left over Christmas balls is always easy and pretty. The stack of books is something neat I started years ago. I explained in last years post..I was going through Christmas cards one year as I was cleaning up and realized I shouldn't throw away all these great pictures people spend so much time and money on, so I started making a scrapbook of Christmas cards each year out of construction paper and letting Hannah decorate them and make a cover. We laminate each page and tie the edges together. I put all the books out each year and we enjoy so much looking at our friends and how they've changed. (Our card goes on the first page) With the regular cards, we cut out shapes and verses to glue in the book. It is really a treasure and people seem to always enjoy looking at all of our books!

Kitchen table...got these trees on Black Friday at Simply Spaces in Madison. I thought they were great! Wish i had some pretty Christmas dishes to set the table with!!

This is on the ledge as you go upstairs. Another nativity set..had for years. I really should start writing on the boxes where each one came from. The stocking garland we got as a gift when we got married. The kids use to love for me to put little goodies or pieces of candy in each stocking during the month!

Hannah put her own tree up in her room and decorated it herself. She started doing this when she was about 3 or 4 I think. I told her it was about time for a "big girl" tree if she wanted to keep doing it. She can save this tree for her little girl.

This is in the kitchen. I love this frosted fruit! I use it all the time in different things and it always looks so pretty. The plates behind them are some of the Christmas plates I have painted. I'm going to try and start painting one each year.

Since we got married, I have painted or made an ornament each year for us and do one for each child with the year. We have quite a collection and I'm so proud of all of them! They don't care too much about them like I do but they will be so proud of them one day when they have them to hang on their own tree. Maybe I have started a tradition with them. My friend Lindsey painted one for me this year. Isn't it great?!

Hannah always paints her own ornament. This one is from this year.

Matthew's....

Andrew's....

Lighted garland around the front doors with my ribbon wreaths! Looks pretty at night too.

Hannah and her friend making Christmas cookies. We do this every year also. MOST of the time they are edible. I enjoy it just as much as they do! Just realized I don't have a pic of my Christmas houses but you can see a little bit of them in this picture in the background on the counter. A few of these were also given to me when we got married. Good thing about getting married in December...get lots of good Christmas stuff!!

I've made several of these as happies this year already..German Chocolate pound cake. YUM!!!

and FUDGE with pecans!!

and last but not least the tree...Since Drew is deployed again this Christmas, I was just going to put up a pre lit one but Hannah had a fit so Andrew and Matthew got this one from Lowe's and together we got it up. After they did, I was glad because it smells SOOOO good. I don't have half my ornaments on it this year...decided to just go with all of our family ones and handmade ones.

On K Love radio the other day, they were having a time of people calling in with funny Christmas accident stories. At first I thought, How horrible! That's not funny, but the more I listened to stories, the funnier it got. One guy fell through the floor of the attic while getting the Christmas decorations. As if that wasn't bad enough, the box of decorations fell on top of him through the attic. He had broken ribs, an arm and I believe a punctured lung. His family of course after making sure he was ok thought it was hysterical..Only now, years later is he able to laugh about it. I was reading a blog that I follow last year and I was splitting my sides laughing about her mishap. She was getting decorations out and stepped on the lid to a rubbermaid box...did the serious splits...and broke her leg! I don't think we've ever had any serious holiday accident..other than we went through a period of about 5 years in a row that our Christmas tree fell in the middle of the night....except once, it did fall directly on top of the boys as they watched tv. All I could see was legs and arms and hollering...I didn't do it!!! They were fine but scared to death! I hope my holiday tour hasn't bored you to tears. It truly is my favorite time of the year. I love my family and our traditions. I miss Drew tremendously and look forward to this time next year. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

sticky notes and Bible quotes

This was the title of Hannah's second grade play...and it just happens to be what I'm relying on lately. I can't seem to write my self enough sticky notes . In fact, I may be rubbing off on my daughter. I'm looking at a sticky note stuck to my monitor that say, "Songs I want on my iPod" and then a long list. Maybe Santa needs to bring her an iTunes gift card... or me too for that matter. I actually wrote on a note today at work of something I wanted (we draw names for Christmas) Potholders was on my list. Does that mean you're old if you request potholders for Christmas? Enough of the sticky notes. On to Bible quotes. I have an array of verses that have been flashing through my head lately...only could be divinely sent, right? They come through songs on K-Love or 93.5, they come through Miss Nan (my brilliant Life Group teacher), they come through our pastor, I could list all night...but they are coming and it's what gets me through. I pray that the same is happening for Drew and he is finding comfort in it like I am.
I found several pictures I wanted to share. Most are already on Facebook, but hey, what isn't on Facebook..

Miss Hannah lovin' on her brothers. My they are so handsome, don't ya think?
I just had to take this for Drew. He's worried they aren't taking care of the truck while he's gone. So, Papaw gave them a sho nuff lesson in oil changing and other things. I think they knew it all had to be done but expected someone to take care of it for them. They're gonna do just fine.

Hannah digging out one of the pumpkins. She always LOVES to get her hands down in a pumpkin....SO much so that she puts it all back in after she cleans it out and does it again. Hmm..maybe she'll be a surgeon one day.

Here's our redneck trick or treatin' crew. No hay...just lounge chairs. Get'er done!!

Last but not least, my honey offering a little girl something. UUgghh...makes my heart hurt. OK...I need a Bible quote.

Fall Back

Among many other things...aaahhh..this is by far my favorite week of the year. The week we get to set our clocks back and get an extra hour of sleep. Mistletoe Marketplace is upon us. For those of you who live in a closet and don't know what that is..it's basically a chaotic event that the Junior League of Jxn puts on that is a free-for-all to get your Christmas shopping started...Mind boggling, yet fun and festive. Wouldn't miss it for the world. Cooking...LOVE to cook this time of year, planting stuff and getting all decorated for the seasons to come. This year will be a little different for us without Drew...We survived in 2005 when he was deployed for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I suppose we can make it again. He certainly wouldn't want us all sitting around sad.
On a lighter note...here's several photos from the past couple weeks...


The state fair came and went. We enjoyed as usual. Had to get this pic. My grandfather use to sit this exact way an awful lot...just out in the yard..there he would sit.. squatting down, flat footed. Funny, Hannah never knew him, but she sits this way ALOT!!

Hannah and bestie, Olivia..

Hannah and I at Madison Central Homecoming pep rally. My word...my ear drums will never be the same again..


Buds.....and a teacher..dressed like Michael Jackson...hmmmm...

carving pumpkins....

How 'bout our patriotic pumpkin...

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

completely meaningless...

Thanks to my blog-friend Junebug, she inspired me to blog about everyday occurrences. I've got lots of those. Really too many to mention. But here goes..
OK, so some of you know I had the Lasik procedure on my eyes last Friday. Greatest thing since sliced bread. Really. And I'm weird..really weird about my eyes, but I'd do it again tomorrow. I mean, who knew there were individual leaves on trees. It's a miracle!
Also, not news to anyone that I miss my husband tremendously. But hey, we're almost at the half way mark. If you've argued with your husband today, go directly and apologize (even if you were not at fault) Life is too short for that little stuff.
I unstopped the upstairs tub last week. Huge sense of accomplishment for me. I will however need some help (I think!) getting the Christmas tree out of the attic when the time comes. He would croak if he knew I was not putting up a real tree. Just can't so that by myself..unless of course someone would like to help with that as well..
My tire pressure light has been on in the car now for a week or so. Never done air in the tires before. I know, I know...if I can unstop a tub, I can do that... I'll get around to it.
I've been cooking lately. ALOT. Anybody need some good recipes? I'm your girl.
Cleaned out all my pots and flower beds today in preparation for this weekend. Putting out pansies, kale and mums....oh and pine straw.. My eye doctor has instructed me to wear protective goggles. I don't even know what to say about that. Anyhoo..
What's up with the Silly/Animal Bandz?????????? Oh my word..they are like gold in Madison. I offered to let Hannah wear all the rubber jelly bracelets we got to wear to an 80's party not long ago and I got THE LOOK. "Not the same Mom." So, yes, I trekked around looking for someone who had some left...finally found some...I think I heard the Hallelujah chorus play when she cracked the package open.
I bought myself some fresh flowers and arranged them on my kitchen table last week. It made me feel really good.
I think I'm addicted to the sushi at Kroger. The sushi maker, I'm pretty sure doesn't speak any English, but he knows why I come and what kind I like.
Anybody seen Stepfather at the theater? I REALLY want to. We have been into watching some scary stuff lately!
I could see how I could carry on this way for quite a while but I won't. Thanks Junebug for the push!!

shots from the past 4 weeks..

Have you ever seen such good looking boys??

Hannah and I at the Ole Miss game on Saturday.
Girls Nite Out at Germantown Middle School
My sweet hubby... yeah, the media doesn't show pictures like this.
OR this...this is how a mission begins.

drum roll please....

I'm seriously considering calling this blog quits. What'cha think? I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. I've had plenty of things to post on...just won't take the time to sit down and do it. If anyone has ever seen the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray...that would be my life right now....and I'm only about 1/4 way through this deployment...that's not a good sign folks.
Just to tide all 3 of you over..until I can come up with something to blog about...here's some pics from the past few weeks..

rules are made to be broken..

..Some would say. I must say that I got a nice laugh out of reading Hannah's elementary handbook. I know it's been a few years since I've been in elementary school. Wonder what it would've been like to have a time machine and travel to the future back then and read this handbook..I'm sure most of us would be very confused at reading today's rules. I won't go over every single one..cause there's ALOT of them..but I will touch on a few highlights that are my personal favorites.

Hair and body should be free from obnoxious odors. (that speaks for itself)
Shoes, sandals, or boots shall be worn at all times with shoes being laced and tied. No cleats or slippers, and no shoes with wheels. (do kids actually wear slippers to school?)
Appropriate underclothing should be worn. No clothing considered and designed as an undergarment should be worn on the outside of clothing. (I mean, really? That ruins Hannah's outfit for tomorrow!)
Picks, combs, rollers and other styling devices shall not be worn in hair. (I'm wondering what "other styling devices" is...)
Unless prescribed for medical reasons, sunglasses are not to be worn inside of the building. (so Michael Jackson's brothers all had on shades for medical reasons at his memorial service??)
Young men shall not be permitted to wear earrings or conceal the earrings with a Band-aid or any other material. Neither males nor females shall wear rings or studs in their noses, tongues, or other body parts. (Shoot!)
Biking shorts shall not be worn..(where did that come from? don't know any kid that has ever wanted to wear biking shorts to school..)
Males are not permitted to wear skirts and/or garments traditionally designed to be worn by females. (ok..this one worries me..)
Elementary students are not allowed to wear make up. (YAY!!!!! the only rule that really applies to us!! and I can just blame it on the rule book!)

I read these to Hannah tonight and we got a good laugh. I think we laughed more at the fact that if nobody had ever done any of these things..it wouldn't be a rule. I believe it's going to be a good school year!! Let's roll!

Winding down

I guess that's what we've been doing the past week or so..winding down before school starts. I got this cute little picture today of Hannah and neighborhood peeps enjoying an entire, yes ENTIRE watermelon..This was only the first helping. The rest of the slices were gone within about 30 minutes....and it wasn't a small watermelon! The little kids were so cute afterwards...that's what I needed a close up shot of..pink tinged, sticky,dirty faces. I didn't have the heart to wipe them up...just too stinkin' cute!

I looked back this time last year on the blog and we were packing up and moving into this house. Can hardly believe it's been a year..so much has happened..just really now getting settled..FINALLY getting some things done..picked out paint, had a couple of built ins done in Hannah's room. Can't wait til it's all done! I think I purposely waited so I'd have something to occupy my time while Drew is gone..By the way, we're 1/4 way through deployment. In some ways, it's going quickly..but then there's those nights when I think...is it really just August? Next May is forever! I mean really..we've got birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentines, not to mention just the regular ole run of the mill days...(sigh) But enough about that.

Hannah is excited about her new school..we took advantage of the tax free days and got school clothes for the first time. She's most excited about getting to wear "regular" clothes to school this year. I must admit, it was a little fun picking out some outfits. She has it all planned out what she's wearing the first day. It made me remember how I use to do the same exact thing. She's so brave..I would be a nervous wreck walking into a brand new school in the 5th grade. Guess it's better than 6th or anything above that...That would really be brutal.

The boys are juniors and excited about that. They both are in football and Matthew is first string. Scares me really. I hate to see them with guys piled on top of them. Drew tells him, "Make sure they know who you are when you get up off the ground.." Whatever that means... Andrew is in Wave Connection at Tupelo High and loves it...that's the awesome show choir..one of the best in the nation..gets made fun of tremendously by his brother, but that just fuels the fire. They will be fun to watch this year. So glad Drew will be back for their senior year.

I would say I can't wait to get started on painting the house, but it's not one of my favorite things to do. Colors are whole wheat, rye grass and mandarin. What'cha think?

our current situation

So this has been the situation for what seems like quite sometime now..We are being held prisoner in our own house by sparrows that have decided to build a condo right outside the front door. One day it wasn't there and the next day..boom, there it was..this mud and straw nest with eggs in it. I know this because Andrew got on a ladder to see if anything was in it a few weeks ago. When we go out the front door, which is quite often and daily, these parents will take your head off. Not just as you come out the door, but they will follow you halfway down the street letting you know how much they dislike you invading their space. Not only is it the parents, but 2 or 3 more...aunts and uncles I presume..but they are NOT happy with us. When we got back from NOLA, it happened..the babies had arrived and the family was out to get us with a vengeance. I probably really should explain to my neighbors why I am waving a broom around every time I come out the front door. Today, a baby had fallen out of the nest and was lying directly by the door. From my dads instruction, I gloved up and got a ladder (while Hannah stood in the driveway and waved the trusty broom) and very gently dumped the baby back over into the nest. I keep checking on it..through the blinds of course..and lo and behold if it is not up sitting on the edge of the nest like it could tumble out again any second...Hate to break it to the birdie..it may just be on it's own this next time it falls...Then again, maybe it's "falling" on purpose. I have fallen many times and God always continues to gently pick me back up and put me in the nest. Isn't that what a parent is supposed to do?

Here's the maniac sparrows...
And all had fun at Camp Wesley Pines this week!! So glad to have my baby home!!
Thanks for praying for us and for Drew. He made it safely out of Kuwait this week and into Iraq. Continue to keep him in your prayers. It's hot and it's dusty, not to mention 115 degrees (not counting the heat index) Psalm 91 will come into play now!!

are we there yet?

...that questions was asked many times over the past 4 days. I even caught me asking myself the same question too. Hannah and I took the train to New Orleans for my 40th birthday...there I said it..40th birthday. I miss Drew more than I can explain. He always makes my birthday so special...makes me feel like a little girl again..waiting on a cake or a special surprise.

We watched the most awesome fireworks show from the riverwalk....the Dueling Barges fireworks extravaganza!! There were several bands that we listened to...did ALOT of people watching..one of my favorite pastimes..

I lost count of how many beignets we ate and how much we laughed at each other while we ate them. We just about had to change clothes each time we ate them from all of the powdered sugar. Too bad I don't have any pictures of that..

one of MANY self portraits we took of ourselves over the weekend. We found that they are really the best ones!!!

Had to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp..It was probably the best place we ate at I think! Not to mention it happens to be our favorite movie of all times. Hannah even asked me while we were eating there..."Mama, is Forrest Gump a true story??" Seems like it could be huh?

sure fire signs of summer...

If nobody has told you, summer is here. I know you are miserable like me when you get in your car and have to drive for a few minutes with just the tips of your fingers cause the steering wheel is so stinkin hot.

Our tomatoes are doing very well!! Just wish some would hurry and turn red...there's tons of them just waiting for me to eat them!

This needs no explanation. Can't you just smell this bacon cooking? My absolute most favorite thing to eat in the summer. You just can't make a bad one. Almost feel guilty eating them without Drew. He loves'em as much as me. Sure do miss that guy!

Another sure fire sign is the dragging out of the neon polish! We have a different color each week on our toes. Not sure when or why we started this, but we aren't the only ones...something fun to do in the summer for girls!

I think I should probably OWN Pop-Ice by now...or at least stock. I say every summer I should stockpile them cause they only sell'em in the summer and we love'em so much!!! VERY cheap and taste great on a 100 degree day. Oh yeah..dogs like'em too.

Last but not least...the pool with friends. Of course, now you have to go to the bottom of the deep end to feel the coolness of the water. Oh what am I whining about...my husband is in the desert. He would probably welcome some lukewarm water right about now to swim in.

Another one of my favs is all the fireflies out right at dusk. Wish I could capture on camera all of them behind our house. Looks like white twinkle lights...just beautiful.