Winter break

My new job has alot of perks. One of those being I get a winter break. Our offices are closed this year from December 22 till January 4.

It's been nice having off the same time as Hubs and the boys.

I have managed to catch up on the laundry and I didn't even have to wish for the fairies to come help. I put away all of the Christmas decorations yesterday and straightened up the house.

I even read a few of my favorite blogs.

But what I really want is to spend some time with my family. So as CEO of my blog I have made the executive decision to take the rest of the week off. And since my blog ratings have fallen so far off the chart you can't even see them, this shouldn't be a problem.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2010!

Christmas carols revisited

So R1 is at that age where songs are revised and the words changed to make some funny new song with the old ones tune.

Here is what is was singing the other day to the tune of Deck the Halls.

Deck the halls with kerosene fa la la la la, la la la la.
Light a match and watch it gleam, fa la la la la, la la la la.
Watch the school burn down to ashes fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Isn't it fun to play with matches, fa la la la la, la la la la.

So glad he's getting musical education while at school. He's a rock star in the making.

Hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Merry Christmas 2009

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

I hope that each of you have a wonderful Christmas filled with love, family and precious memories.

Christmas Eve

I think I love Christmas Eve almost as much as Christmas morning.

We have a candle light service at church every year. We sing just a few Christmas carols and the last song is always Silent Night. It is during that song we light our candles and the entire sanctuary is glowing by candle light.

I have always thought our church was beautiful but when everyone is standing there holding their candles and the light is glowing and spilling from every corner, every year I think the could never be more beautiful than it is right now.

But this year will be extra special to me. This year Hubs and R1 are reading a scripture verse during the service. And they will be one of the candle lighters this year.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. I hope you spend it with family and friends.

But most of all I hope you remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Jesus, our savior, is born.

Sick or at least I am starting to feel that way.

I can not go to school today said little Peggy Ann McKay.

I have the measles and the mumps, a gash a rash and purple bumps.

OK so I'm not Peggy Ann and don't have the mumps or purple bumps. Nor am I Shel Silverstein. But I am feeling as if I am trying to come down with a cold.

Last night it really hit me. My face was starting to feel flush and the slightest bit of activity had me resting for at least an hour before I could even think about doing anything else.

Even folding the clothes was a exhausting, but when isn't it?

I even went to far as to put on my "sick" PJ's and my extra warm socks and sat in the recliner under the throw blanket.

And while most of us don't have time to be sick. I really don't have the time right now. We are going to be so busy at work for the next two days, they have blocked anyone from taking vacation.

So if I am a little out of it the next few days just blame it on the cold meds I started, because all mom's know two things...

1. While we are sick, the clothes don't wash themselves and 2. The house will look like a tornado just went through it right after an earth quake.

Merry Christmas!!

When the magic dies

I love Christmas, it is one of my favorite holidays.

I love it not only for the birth of our savior, but the magic it holds for my children.

It brings me great joy to watch their faces every Christmas morning. Their eyes darting from one gift to the next. To see the light in their eyes when the receive something they really wanted.

Watching them look at Santa's plate, missing cookies and his special glass of milk half gone. To see Rudolph's bowl of carrots half eaten. I love to watch them go to the back door and see the glitter from Santa's sleigh sprinkled all over the back porch.

But this year the magic has died just a little. My first born, R1, is now 9 years old. He is out growing Santa. He is beginning to realize that Mom and Dad buy the gifts, wrap them and put them out as if Santa himself came down our chimney and placed them in front of the fire place.

And while it saddens me, I know it is a normal part of the growing process. But I want him to still have that child like quality where the Christmas holiday is full of wonderment.

Full of magic.

When he told all of this over the past weekend. I simply told him, if you don't believe then you don't receive. He then asked me if I believed. I only replied with isn't there always one present under the tree to me from Santa?

How can something bring you such joy and sadness at the same time. It truly is bittersweet.

While Christmas takes on a new meaning for R1, R2 still has a few years to go before the magic fades for him.

And I am truly thankful, because I don't think I am ready just yet to let the man with a fluffy white beard, and big round belly wearing a bright red suite fade into the past.

Through my children I am child like once again at Christmas with all the magic and hope that this one season brings.

Ho Ho Ho...Merry Christmas!

I'm a little tired.

I don't know about y'all but I'm so tired from The Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes yesterday that I am having trouble finding something else to blog about.

There are some pretty talented women out there! There are also some beautiful homes. And I even got a get new idea or two for next year.

But since I can't seem to get a coherent thought going here is a little something from the archives around this time last year.

Time for a game of charades.

Last night after dinner the boys decided it was time to play karate or kick wrestle or what ever they call it.

It's basically them running at one another and trying to kick the other one in some sort of karate maneuver. It's a high energy game that makes me tired just watching.

Anyway, I had a headache and had already taken half the bottle of Advil but it hadn't kicked in and the boys were to loud for my ringing head.

So Hubs laid down the law.

He said no running, kicking, screaming, yelling, no physical contact, no pretend physical contact, don't even think about having any contact.

At this point R8 looks at R3 and says....Hey R3 do you want to play charades?

We all just cracked up laughing.

Christmas Tour of Homes 2009

I love this Christmas carnival. It is one of my favorites!!

You get a small peak at the inside of some of your favorite bloggers homes during the holiday season and you also get the chance to check out some new site as well.

Another great perk...getting new fresh ideas for next year. I had never thought about decorating the light fixture in my dinning room until a few years ago I saw one and it looked awesome. So the next year I did a variation of it, it turned out fabulous.

Last year we had just gotten back in our house one week before Christmas from Hurricane Ike damage. I down scaled our decorating that year. We only did the tree and the mantle. I loved the simplicity of it. So this year I kept it simple again and only added a few other elements.

OK lets get this party I mean tour started.

Here is my Christmas tree.


Usually the only thing I do is the ribbon, garland, and the angel. The boys do all the ornaments. And if I do say so my self they do a great job. I wish I had a better picture of my tree skirt. I have a snowflake theme and the skirt has white flakes on red fabric. It matches our stockings.

Here is the fire place. It is one of my favorite areas. Just very simple, but I love it.



Next is my china cabinet. I just love the glitter boxes. I found them a Christmas store and wish I had bought more.



Here is the wreath I made to hang on the back door. It is the door we use the most and I wanted to some Christmas cheer as I entered my house.



And here is the other wreath I made to hang on the front door.



I hope you had great time wandering around my house and maybe even a got a few new ideas.

I pray you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

Still missing

It's been almost a year since Pam-Maw passed away and I still miss her as if it just happened.

Christmas was her favorite time of the year. She loved to have her house decorated to the max. She also like to drive around and look at all the lights. It was one of her favorite things to do.

Since Pam-Maw live with Uncle M and Aunt D, Aunt D always did the decorations and the trees. She has decorated the house to the max this year including the front yard. It means more to me than she will ever know.

And while it saddens me that they have taken down Paw-Maw huge cherry wood bed and moved things around. It thrills me more that they have redesigned her space to make it their own. Their family/hang out room.

Uncle M and Aunt D had it painted and new curtains hung. Bought a new TV and coffee table. The have set up an area just to read and relax and another to watch TV or play games.

I know Pam-Maw is looking down and smiling. She wouldn't want them or us to turn her room into a shrine but rather some place that brings happiness and peace.

I miss you my sweet Pam-Maw! And I just know the Christmas lights in heaven put ours to shame!

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas

I am happy to announce that with our recent snow fall and the fact that all of my presents are bought, wrapped and under the tree except for Santa I am starting to feel more relaxed about the holidays even though my calendar is jammed packed full of stuff to do just about every night and weekend too.

What I want to know is what are some of your favorite holiday traditions.

A few of mine are...

Christmas Eve candle light service and then going to look at the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

Decorating the doors to the boys bed rooms.

Having Christmas day brunch as a family.

And

Watching most of the Christmas specials that come on TV.

Now it's your turn.

Office Christmas Tree

I mentioned a while ago that during my 11.5 hour shopping spree on Black Friday that I bought a Christmas tree and all the decorations for my office.

I had seen on a friends Facebook page her Christmas tree that she does every year and her theme. I liked it so much and I thought I could one on a much smaller scale and pull of her color scheme because it would match the decor in my office.

Her color scheme is Black, White, and Silver.

And here is a picture of the tree in my office. What do you think?

The stump

Not to long after we moved back into our house from Hurricane Ike, Hubs and his dad cut down a tree.

Hubs thought the tree was blocking the satelite dish from receiving the signal, but in all honesty I really just wanted the tree gone.

So he and his daddy cut the tree down and left the stump. Hubs kept telling me he would get to it and cut the stump out and fill in the hole. But here we are a year later and it hasn't been done.

That is until now.

It S-N-O-W-E-D again!

Well here we are almost a year later and it has snowed AGAIN in Southeast Texas.

I can't believe it.

Friday on my way home from the flakes kept coming and coming. As I got closer to my neighborhood and then onto my street, the flakes were HUGE!

Now the snow didn't stick like it did last year and we didn't get nearly as much but we sure did have fun playing it.









And yes those are MY zebra print rubber boots R1 has on. Guess he couldn't find his fast enough, that and mine make a better fashion statement than his plain old black ones.

Happy Birthday Duh-Duh

Today is my mother in law's birthday. Other wise known as Duh-Duh to boys.

And to keep being her favorite daughter in law I will not reveal her age. Note, I am her only daughter in law so I will always be her favorite. Even though this birthday ends with a zero and is between 50 and 70.

Truth be told, I love this woman and when I grow up if I can be only half as good a mother in law as she is then I have truly accomplished something.

And in staying true to my birthday list of things here is one just for her.

1. I am glad that she raised a Godly son.

2. She loves me as if I am her birth daughter and always has.

3. She loves the boys with all heart and soul.

4. I like how she and Big Guy get each grandchild for a week by themselves in the summer just to spend time with only them.

5. I love how when she is out shopping she will randomly call and ask what size clothes the boys wear and then come by with a bag full.

6. I really really really miss her and Big Guy living right behind us.

7. I love how she "nudged" me to go to church with them.

8. I love how she calls every few days just to say hi and she loves us.

9. I like how committed she is to her family.

10. I like how she gives of her self to others.

11. I love knowing she prays for us every day.

12. I just love her love her love her!!!

Happy Birthday Duh-Duh. May it be a wonderful day with wonderful memories.

Love you!!!

I was grounded

Have I ever told you the story of how in my late twenties I got grounded? Yes that's right grounded.

No, well get ready here it comes.

I had been on my own, in my own apartment and paying my own bills since I was twenty. And in the early days of dating Hubs, I would sometimes spend the night at his house. And before you go getting the wrong idea, let me say this, he still lived at home.

I would stay at his house because 1. He mom and dad said I could. 2. It was much closer to work. and 3. I loved being there.

The thing with me staying there was there were rules. Rules which were meant to be followed.

I would sleep in Hubs' bed while he would take the sleeper sofa. And the rule was if you slept on the sleeper sofa it had to be made up BEFORE you left the house.

One morning we were all in a rush and we forgot to make the sofa.

Big Guy, Hub's dad, came home around lunch time to see the sofa unfolded and messy. I thought Hubs' had made the bed and he thought I had made the bed. So no sofa bed was made.

Now Big Guy is a make your bed every morning kinda guy. And a rules must be followed kinda guy.
And here is where I got grounded. Duh-Duh, Hubs mom, and Big Guy told Hubs that I was not allowed to spend the night for a week. 7 days, no exceptions.

My first thought was, WELL I am a late twenty something and I haven't been grounded since I was a teenager. And that's fine! I have a house to stay at and I will stay there never spend the night again!

But looking back, I'm glad I was grounded. Not only does it make a great story to tell years later, but it also show me that Hubs' parents cared enough about us to hold responsible for our actions.

Even though we thought we were old enough we still had to follow the rules. They were setting us up for parenthood. And we all know how hard it is to be a parent. Some times it even stinks to discipline our children. Not matter how big or small the infraction might be.

And to this day when I ask Big Guy if it was hard to "ground" me or us, I still get the same answer...NO, no it wasn't.

The Blind Side

Hubs and I had date night Saturday. It was totally spur of the moment and it was wonderful.

We went to dinner and the movies to see The Blind Side. If Sandra Bullock doesn't win an Academy Award for her performance then shame on them. Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron did a wonderful job too.

You can go here to get a little background on the movie. This was one of those movies where I just wanted to get up in the middle of the story and go home and hug my kids. It made me laugh and cry. It made me clap and cheer. And it made me hold my breath and exhale slowly.

It also made me want to go and buy the book when it was over. And after it was that is just what Hubs and I did. We went to Target and bought the book.

But through out the movie I just kept thinking how great our God is. How wonderful He really is.

God knew back, way back before any of the characters were born what would happen.

He led Sean and Leigh Ann together. Gave them the resources they would need to help Michael before they even knew who he was.

Let them be in the right place at the right time. To help him, love him, give him a home and a future he would not have had.

He gave Michael a sister and brother who stood by him, when even they were being talked about by their peers. God gave Leigh Ann and Sean the tools they would need to teach their children about character and standing up for those you love and believe in.

God gave Micheal a future. And all I can think of is Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God gave Michael hope and a future. And he trusted God to give him these things. While the move doesn't come right out and say that he prayed for this. I know he must have. He must have prayed for God to help him and give him a family that loved him.

And Leigh Ann and Sean must have prayed to. Prayed to be able to help Micheal and give him what he so desperately desired.

I'm so glad we have an awesome God and that I serve Him.

If you see no other movie this year, see this one. It will not disappoint. I promise!

Black Friday Shopping

Last week I had the crazy notion to go shopping on Black Friday. I have never done this before and after hearing everyone talk about it I thought I would try it just once.

And just to warn you this post is going to be long, so get ready.


So I called my friend Beth and asked her if she and her daughter would like to go with me. Truth be told if Beth said no then I wasn't going. I really didn't want to shop by my self and it is always more fun when you shop with a friend.


Anyway Beth yes said and then promptly asked what time we would be leaving. I say 5AM, but only if that's OK with you. She said sure, and she would meet me at my house.


So on Friday, at 5AM Beth and her daughter pull into my driveway and then we all pile into my car. But before we leave, Hubs coming out into the garage and spouts out "IS THERE A REASON WHY YOU LEFT THE CLOSET LIGHT ON?!" I reply in the nicest of nice voices NO, and then haul butt out of the garage while remembering to hit the garage door opener to close it.


The first thing we did was stop and fill up with gas and then get some food. We needed a sugar rush to kick start the morning. After that we were game for anything.


We hit the mall first. Old Navy was having a give away and we got there around 5:15 but they didn't open until 6 and the line was half way down the mall so we kept walking.

We went to Children's Place next. I love their clothes. They are not very expensive and they last! Which is a good thing when you have boys. I bought both boys this sweater to have their pictures taken in and a few other things for them to open on Christmas day.

Next we made our way to JC Penney and Bath & Body Works. My mother loves it when I give her all things bath related and it's usually at BBW where I rack up for her.

After that we just made our way down the mall stopping where ever we thought might find something.

Then once we were finished with the mall we made our way to Target. This my friends is where I totally scored for the boys. I got everything on my list. Almost everything. They did not have Connect 4X4, which is a new version of Connect 4. But I wasn't upset I knew I still had an entire month to find the game. And another good thing. There weren't any lines at the check out. I walked right up and unloaded my cart. Can I get an Amen?!

Once back in the car we headed over to Academy and Toys R Us. I made a few purchases at Academy and once I saw the line at Toys R US which was wrapped around the store and then into Babies R Us I just couldn't justify standing in that line for one thing, even if it was the coveted Connect 4X4 game. I secrectly think Beth was relived.

Kohl's was our next stop. I know I was supposed to be shopping for the boys and family but I TOTALLY found some great things for me. I found these boots and this sweater jacket/vest thingy. And it was all on sale! And as a side note, I didn't even pay close to the prices which are listed on their website! I saved over $70.00!! I was so excited. Merry Christmas to my self!

Next up was Shoe Carnival, Dress Barn, and Bed Bath & Beyond. And while it was fun to go into these stores, read this twice...I DIDN'T BUY A THING! I know what is wrong with me.

It was at this point we decided we needed some nurshiment and went to eat some mexican food. All I can say about it was it was good because I inhaled all of it. After we ate we went back to the mall for round two. Actually Beth found a coupon in her purse for Macy's and we just had to go see if anything they had.

Hobby Lobby was on the list after that. I wanted to do a black/white/silver small tree for my office. I had seen one in a picture on a friends facebook page and it looked awesome. So on a much smaller scale I accomplished what I wanted and purchased a tree and all the trimmings. I will have to post a picture later as I keep forgetting to bring my camera to work.

Once we finished at Hobby Lobby, which the shopping didn't take long, it was the slow moving check out line. But in their defense you know everything that is breakable has to be wrapped in paper like 1,000 times. We were off to Lowe's and then Michael's.

I think by the time we hit Michael's we had hit rock bottom and it was 4PM at this point. Yes we had been shopping for 11 hours straight.

Unbelievable!

After Michael's we headed to off to Chick-Fil-A. Two reasons. The first their Peppermint Chocolate Chip shakes are to die for! And the second, what ever you bought that day, if you saved your receipt anytime in December you could go back and get exactly what was on your receipt for FREE! FREE, I say. Look Hubs you don't have to cook dinner! Our Chick-Fil-A did this once before and it was great for a quick dinner when I didn't feel like cooking anything or should I say Hubs didn't feel like cooking anything.

By the time we pulled back into my drive we had been gone 11 1/2 hours. I have to say it was fun, non stressful, and completely rewarding knowing that I am done Christmas shopping and I can enjoy the holiday. Hubs didn't even call or txt me every hour to ask me when I was coming home.

But now I still have the task of wrapping EVERYTHING.

Merry Christmas everyone!