How The Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical

This past Saturday my parents and I went to Nashville for the day to see "How The Grinch Stole Christmas The Musical." The Grinch (the original cartoon one that is) is probably my favorite of the Christmas classics. My mom gets me a Lennox Grinch figurine every year for Christmas and I just generally love the story. So, when I saw that the musical was coming to Nashville I decided to go and asked my parents if they'd like to come along as well. Mother said yes, my dad said no and so I bought two tickets for me and my mother. Then my dad felt left out and so I bought him a ticket too. Long story short, the play was this past Saturday and the three of us went. 

We left Huntsville around 10:00 a.m. and headed north. We anticipated the traffic to be slightly insane around the Grand Ole Opry and it was; but, we found a restaurant close by and were able to enjoy a nice lunch before making our way over tot he Opry House. After lunch we had about an hour to spare before the show started and it took almost that long to get the two or three miles from the restaurant to the venue. We were having no luck finding a parking spot; so, my dad dropped me and mother off at the curb so we could get the tickets from Will Call and he went off to find a spot to park. Mother and I got the tickets and left my dad's at Will Call for him since we didn't know how long it would take him to find a place to park. As luck would have it, he found a spot pretty soon after dropping us off and actually beat us to the seats. We were in the balcony and the Opry House has a wheelchair lift that took some time to get to and use. 

The show started on time and overall was good. It wasn't as wonderful as I had pictured it in my head. Since I am a lover of the original, I don't like much deviation and this show had a lot of musical numbers that were not in the cartoon. Overall the story was the same, but I think I was anticipating it to be an acted out version of the cartoon as someone narrated and it wasn't like that at all. Also, I was either very tired or it was very slow in some spots because there were times when I thought I might fall asleep. I'm glad we went though because we did all enjoy the outing and it was nice to do something Christmasy that we haven't done before. 

When the show was over, we headed back to the wheelchair lift and had to wait on some other folks before mother had her turn. We finally made it outside and were soon on our way home. Ya'll when we got on the interstate to head home, you would not believe the amount of traffic trying to exit at Opry Mills for shopping. I bet the traffic was backed up for five miles or more. It was nuts. This is why I shop online, my friends. 

We made it back to Huntsville around 6:30 p.m. or so and called it a night. We had originally planned on going to a concert at the library but by the time we got back, we were all tired and ready to go home. It was a fun day and I'm glad we were able to enjoy some family time together doing something Christmasy. 

Favorite Things Brunch 2015

As mentioned in my last post, the 2015 Favorite Things Brunch was held this past Saturday. Erika, Kendra and Candy all made an appearance again this year and we welcomed back Amy who hasn't been able to join us the last couple of years. We kicked off the festivities around 10:00 a.m. and had a delicious array of food. Erika brought the most delicious cinnamon rolls I've ever put in my mouth. Kendra brought Grape Salad from Chicken Salad Chick. Amy made a French Toast Casserole and Candy brought a hashbrown casserole. I made some breakfast "muffins" which had hashbrowns, eggs and turkey sausage. All the food was super yummy. 

First on the agenda was eating - of course - and then we spent the next couple of hours talking. I had to run out at noon to pick up my produce basket from Plentiful Produce, but the girls stayed at the house and kept the conversation going while I was gone. Pip spent the morning outside and barked for quite a while until she knocked the glass out of the back storm door. Thankfully I was able to pop it back in and shut the main door and she didn't "say" much after that. 

When I got back from my produce run, we began the favorite things gift exchange. I gave each of the girls a set of measuring cups and a measuring pitcher from The Pioneer Woman's new product line available at Wal-Mart. I bought a set for myself as well and here is a quick review. At a first glance the set is cute, but if you look closer, it does appear to be cheaply made, which is why it is for sale at Wal-Mart and not Anthropologie. My gut tells me these are designed after the ones offered at Anthropolgie because the Pioneer Women herself has featured on her blog and raved about the sets available there, but they are not up to snuff when doing a side by side comparison. Moving on...

Erika gave each of us a bag of goodies. If you know Erika, then you know she is a lover of QVC and so our goodie bag had a lock and lock container and a candle from QVC as well as a hand soap from Bath and Body works - all of which will be put to good use. Kendra's gift to us was a plug in wax warmer. I have a larger counter top one that I use quite often, but this one is a smaller version and plugs directly into the wall. She also gave us a cranberry scented wax melt to use with it. Candy gave each of us a cream eye-shadow from Mary Kay. It is her favorite eye shadow and she picked out a color she thought we would each like. My color is neutral and I've worn it almost every day this week which is really something considering I never wear eye shadow. Last, but not least, Amy gave us each a pack of post-it notes and highlighters because let's be honest, who doesn't love some new school/office supplies?

After the gift exchange, we enjoyed a little more conversation and wrapped things up around 1:30 p.m. or so. It was so fun to get together with these girls who I've known for years and years and years. I love each of them dearly and am thankful we are always able to find time to spend with each other during this very busy time of year - that's my favorite thing of all. 

The First Few Days of December

Y'all, I need a break, seriously. I look at my calendar every day and look forward to the end of the month when I have a day off from the craziness that has become December. I'm so tired and it's not going to get better any time soon. 

So, for starters you may be wondering why I have been scarce lately. Truthfully, you probably are not wondering because the five people that read this blog are my close friends and so you know what has been going on. My mother became ill the day after Thanksgiving and subsequently spent almost a week in the hospital battling an infection. To be honest, we weren't sure she was going to pull through, but things turned around on day six and for that we are grateful. She is still recovering at home but feeling much better. So, as a result of being at the hospital and being tired and being just plain ole busy, I haven't even thought about blogging; so, here's what's been happening in the first few days of December...

On Tuesday, December 1, I took a break from going to the hospital in the evening in order to participate in the Galaxy of Lights Fun Run. My cousin Lauren and her son Greer and my friend Lauren also participated. It was a super rainy night, but the rain held off for a little while and we managed to get our walk/run in. Sadly, we all went away empty handed as far as door prizes are concerned. I was a little bummed about that. 

Last Friday night I had my Bible school class Christmas party at the home of the aforementioned friend Lauren and her husband Steven. Instead of playing Dirty Santa with gag gifts like we did last year, we played Nerdy Santa with new or "lightly used" books. Our class is so full of characters that you really never know what you are going to get when it comes to playing Christmas games. There was an interesting array of books including how to make coffins and a book stolen from the children's ministry library about talking to your child about sex. It was a lively evening as one might can imagine. 

Last Saturday I hosted the annual Favorite Things brunch for the gals with whom I've been friends the longest. I hope to write a whole post about this as it is truly one of my favorite events of the season. Sunday was church and grocery shopping, and running a few errands, followed by family dinner with the cousins. 

Monday night Erika, (the once again aforementioned friend) Lauren and I went to the Heritage Ringers Concert. I know I've mentioned it before, but this free concert is one of my favorite of the season! It was once again held at Trinity Methodist and there was a huge crowd as always. They played some great tunes this year including one from the Grinch! During the concert I was thinking they should record a Christmas CD some time and sure enough at the end of the show, the conductor announced that they had in fact recorded a Christmas CD and so Erika and I both willingly forked over $10 to buy one. It is worth every penny, although I was admittedly sad that "Sleigh Ride" wasn't one of the recorded tracks as it is my favorite number that they perform. 

That brings us to Tuesday night which was the annual Agape Board and Staff dinner. This year it was held at Madison Church of Christ and catered by Jim and Nick's BBQ from Cullman. The food was really great and the fellowship was nice as well. Some of the folks at these events can get a little long winded and seeing as how I am a stickler for being home by 8:30 p.m. on a "school night", I started getting antsy around 8:00 p.m. At 8:35 p.m. when people were still giving speeches, I couldn't take it anymore and dismissed myself out the back. I felt kind of bad, but not bad enough to stay. I was ready to be home in my PJs. 

So, that, my friends is the first eight days of December wrapped up neat and tidy for you. The rest of the month isn't slowing down. On one hand it's nice to be busy, but on the other, it's also quite exhausting and I'm anxious for January where I have maybe two things on the calendar. 'Tis the season as they say! 

Book Review: The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids

I'm alive! I know it's been a while. It's been a whirlwind lately and blogging has been about the last thing on my mind. More to come on that (hopefully). Today, I need to provide your with a book review or I might get kicked out of the book reviewing club and I don't want that. It would be so sad! 

Way back in October, I chose to review "The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids" written by Pastor Rick Warren. I have never read "The Purpose Driven Life" but have heard lots of wonderful things about it and so when I saw Pastor Warren had written the same book geared towards children, I thought I would jump on the chance to review it. Then school and life got in the way and so now, finally, I present to you my review of this lovely book. 

There are six "purposes" which outline the book. They are as follows, The Reason for Everything, Faith and Friendship with God, Your Part in God's Family, Becoming Like Christ, Serving God, Serving Others, and You Were Made for a Mission. There are 365 devotionals in the book, one for each day of the (non-leap) year. Each devotional starts with a Bible verse and then a practical lesson, or story by Pastor Warren followed by a prayer for that day. 

Pastor Warren uses nine different Bible translations throughout the book, making sure that the most practical and relate-able version is listed for your child. The book is printed in very bright blue and green which is no doubt to be made appealing to the young eye that enjoys bright colors. My old eye would prefer a toned down color. The books is geared more towards pre-teen and teenagers than little ones, but would be a great tool in getting kids that age interested in Bible study and in a pattern that they will hopefully continue for the rest of their lives. 

The book is published by the Zonderkidz division of Zondervan and is available for around $16.00

In January, I Shall Rest

It was another busy weekend, as most are this time of year. Friday night we went to the Madison Academy game and for the first time in three years, the Mustangs lost in the playoffs. It was kind of expected and therefore not so devastating; but, it was a good game. They had a good run, but alas, all good things must come to and end. 

Saturday morning I left my house at 8:00 a.m. to run errands and knock some things off the to do list. I also had an ALANA meeting and this is where I shall pause to tell you three readers about this organization because we are in desperate need of some new faces so consider this my plea. ALANA is the Association of Ladies for Agape of North Alabama. This group of (old) women support Agape in various ways. They hold charity sales throughout the year to raise money and collect dues of a whole $10 a year. With the money that is raised, the ladies help support the foster children who are supported by Agape. They provide money for such things as a spring (or Easter) outfit, a Thanksgiving turkey, they help pay for the foster family retreat in the fall and also provide money for school supplies. If other needs arise, they address those as they come up and try to help the foster families out as much and as often as possible. I'm not sure how many members there are in total, but there is a core group of about 20 or so women and the average age is surely close to 75 (if you throw out me and my friend Leah). The ladies meet about four times a year on Saturday mornings for about an hour and food is provided at the meetings. Here is my plea - this group is in desperate need of some new and younger faces! If you are interested in getting involved in this great group, then please get in touch with me either by emailing me or leaving a comment with your contact information in this post. OK, that's it for the public service announcement for today. 

After the ALANA Meeting I had a little time to kill before picking up my produce basket for the week. So, instead of going home for 30 minutes, I went by and volunteered to sort baskets. There were actually a lot of volunteers that day so the sorting went quickly and I was able to get my basket and head home. Once home I changed clothes, sat down for about 15 minutes and then drove three houses down the street to pick up my cousins Anna and Randy for a basketball game. My cousin Tyler (Anna's brother) is the assistant coach at Shorter University and they were playing in a tournament at UAH. So, a bunch of us went to support him. The game was actually really good and we had a great time cheering on the Hawks. 

When the game was over, we went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and then I finally headed home for the night. Anna, Randy, Tyler and Autumn went to see a movie; but, since I had been home for all of 15 minutes that day I opted to go home and stay home. It was a good thing to because I think I was asleep by 7:30 p.m. 

It was a busy, busy Saturday and I've got to tell you, I'm ready for a weekend of rest which will no doubt happen in January, which will be here before we know it. 

A Night Out in Nashville

Well, I never found the post I lost. That is seriously one of life's great mysteries. So, I'll try to recreate it as best I can. 

So, earlier this year when I wrote this post, I mentioned it was the last concert of 2015, but apparently I was a liar because as luck would have it, the concert gods had one more show in store for me. the Sunday after the Foo Fighters show, I was having dinner with my cousins and some friends of ours (Russell and Cindy) were over as well. Lauren and I were telling Russell about our Foo Fighter's experience and somehow it triggered him to tell us all about Tab Benoit and what a great show he puts on. Tab is from Louisiana and sings a Cajun/Zydeco type of music and Russell was pretty fired up when he was talking about the show he had been to. The next thing I knew, Russell was looking up the dates for upcoming shows and then we were all buying tickets. 

The show was last Tuesday and there ended up being 13 of us who went up to see it. The show was held at City Winery in downtown Nashville which is a very nice venue. I had never heard of it before buying my ticket to the show and was very impressed with the place. I rode up with my cousins Jan, Benny, Anna and Randy and because of rush hour and a couple of accidents, we arrived a little after 6:30. The seats are such that you are actually seated at a table and you can dine before the show, which is why we arrived early. I think everyone was happy with the meals they ordered. I had the steak which came with a cauliflower and mushroom puree and asparagus, all of which was delicious.  

The opening act, who's name I cannot remember to save my life, came on stage about 7:30 and played for 45 minutes or so. He was actually quite good and I enjoyed listening to him. Tab took the stage around 9:00 p.m. and seriously, the folks in the crowd went a little nuts. It was rather humorous. Tab can play the guitar like nobody's business and doesn't have a bad voice to boot. That particular night was hi birthday and I'm here to tell you the man was three sheets to the wind (or drunk for those of you who are not familiar with the expression). He ended up doing a whole lot more talking than singing and playing which basically amounted to us getting a stand-up show in conjunction with the concert. I couldn't tell you the last time I laughed that hard. I don't know if he always talks that much, but he sure talked that night and it was hilarious. 

The stand-up show/concert ended around 11:00 p.m. at which point we discovered that one of the couples who came with us paid for everyone's meals, which was an incredibly nice gesture and took everyone by surprise. We collected the truck from valet parking and then headed back south. Most of us stayed awake for about 45 minutes of the drive before nodding off to sleep. Big thanks to my cousin Benny for driving all us sleepyheads home through the night. It was a very fun night and a great way to end the 2015 concert season! 

The Lost Post

Well, I wrote a post earlier today and now I can't find it. I don't know if I deleted it or what, but at any rate, it has vanished. Such is life sometimes. So, I'll just say, have a good weekend everyone and maybe next week I can pull it together and not lose the posts I've written.

Galaxy of Lights

It's hard to believe it, but Thanksgiving is next week and Christmas is just around the corner. I've finally managed to knock a dent in my Christmas list. Thank goodness.

Typically, I don't do anything Christmas related until after Thanksgiving, but this past Sunday night I made an exception. My cousins and I and a couple of friends went to the Galaxy of Lights at the Botanical Garden for one of the walking nights. Every year I say I'm going to go on a walking night and never end up making it. They have a couple of nights were dogs are welcome - maybe one year I'll be brave and take Pippa to enjoy the holiday spirit. I've participated in the Fun Run the last couple of years and have enjoyed it so much. Walking the Galaxy of Lights is so much better than driving. You definitely get a better perspective and are able to take it all in so much more I think.

The gates opened at 5:30 p.m. and I think we all got there around 6:00 or 6:15. Since I'm a member, I got a ticket for a free hot chocolate and a cookie, but I gave it to my cousin Anna because she had mentioned hoping there was some hot chocolate and she's pregnant. So, we'll be treating her with special care for the next few months, starting with hot chocolate.

We had a great time walking, talking about baby names from A to Z and other things and just enjoying each other's company. The night was cold, but not freezing and so it was perfect for a night walk to enjoy the lights and sounds of the season.

I'll be doing the Fun Run again this year on December 1, but there are a few more walking nights before then. This Friday, November 20 thru Monday, November 23 are the last walking nights. November 23 is a dog night so if you're not a dog fan, I wouldn't recommend going that night. After these last few walking nights, the driving nights start.

Galaxy of Lights is so fun and festive and has become one of my favorite activities of the Christmas season. Check it out if you have a chance!

Here's What's Been Happening

Hello and thanks for stopping by. We are halfway through the month of November and I've only posted three times (including this post). Now that my final is over (still waiting on my grade) I hope to have a little more time to spend on writing about the mundane happenings of my life. I'm sure you're thrilled. Let's start with this past weekend. 

Friday night I had plans to go to the MA football game with my dad and on Thursday night I got a call from someone offering me tickets to a play for the same night. I turned down the play tickets since football was already planned. Then, on Friday, my dad sent a text saying he was sick and wouldn't be able to make it to the game which left me with nothing to do because I wasn't going to go to a football game by myself. Normally having nothing to do wouldn't be that big of a deal; in fact, it often is a welcome change. However, since I had been at home every night that week studying, I was itching to get out of the house. So, I called back the friend who had offered the play tickets, but the tickets were, as I suspected, already taken. Then, I thought about going to a movie because I haven't been to see a movie in months and there are quite a few out and more coming that I want to see right now. So, I text my cousin Jan to see if she wanted to go, but she was planning to decorate her Christmas tree that night so she invited me over to decorate it with her and I accepted because like I said, I just needed to get out of the house after a week at home. 

So, after work, I had an appointment and then I ate some dinner and watched the news about the terrible attacks on Paris, and then I headed over to Jan's. We spent the next three hours or so decorating and talking and watching episodes of Homeland from this season which she recorded for me on her DVR. For the record, I like to watch Homeland without any interruption or disruption, so I really don't know what is going on as well as I would if I was watching it at home by myself, but hey, I'm getting to see the season as it's taking place and I can go back and catch the little details next September when the season is released on Blu-Ray. For now, I'm just grateful I don't have to wait a year to find out what's going on in the world of crazy Carrie Mathison. 

Saturday was a day of running here there and yonder, or at least the morning was. I started the morning by going to Sam's Club as they were having a pre-black Friday sale and had a lot of really good deals. I have been tossing around the idea of getting a new phone for a few months now. The one I have is about two-years old and has been hit with the two-year curse. It's on the fritz from time to time and when I was at the Botanical Garden a few weeks ago, I had 80% battery and while I was taking photos, the phone just died and shut off. So, needless to say, a new phone is on my agenda. However, paying $200 for a new phone isn't what I want to do right now. So, I had seen that this mega-sale at Sam's had a Samsung Galaxy S6 for 96 cents if you renew your contract for two  years. Well, I've been with Sprint for 10 years or more and don't plan on changing. So, yes, I'm okay with renewing for another two years if it saves me $199.04 on a new phone. Now, ever since I've had a smart phone, I've had a HTC, so changing brands makes me a little nervous, but everyone who has the Galaxy really seems to like it so hopefully it will work out for me as well. 

Sam's opened at 7:00 a.m. for the mega-sale and I pulled into the parking lot about five minutes til and y'all, I totally underestimated how many people would be there. I am not kidding when I say they were lined up all the way down the side of the building. I wasn't even sure I would make it in to get a phone there were so many people there. I got in line and the poor man behind me had no idea what was going on and asked me why there were so many people there; apparently he must be a business club member and has access to the early hours. I made it into the store a few minutes after 7:00 (they were only letting a few people in at a time) and got into the phone line. I didn't have much time to wait because I had a hair appointment at 8:00 and the line seemed to be crawling at a snail's pace. When I was about five people from the front, I sent a text to my hairdresser and told him I was going to be a few minutes late. The salon is close to Sam's and there was no way I was giving up my spot in line when I was so close. He said it was no problem and not to rush. I made it to the front, and got my slip to get my phone. They were providing people with reservations and making appointments for activation later that day or within the next three days. So, on Monday evening, I'll stop by Sam's and pick up my phone and get it activated. I'm hoping they can switch over contacts, as well so I don't have to make an extra stop by the Sprint store later this week. 

After I got my phone reservation, I went to the salon. As luck would have it, the 8:30 appointment showed up at 8:00 so Jeff was able to just switch us out which worked for everyone. I'm pretty sire that will never happen again. After my haircut, I stopped by Wal-Mart and Publix to knock out the weekly grocery shopping and then drove out to the YMCA in Madison to meet my friend Lauren for Zumba. I finally made it home for the day around 12:30 where I plopped on the couch and watched football for the rest of the day. 

The Last Stretch of the Semester

Hello party people! I've been scarce the last few days and it's likely to be the case this week as well. I've been busy as a bee but with nothing very exciting to report. I've mostly been busy with school work. In fact, I had to miss the first round of the high school football playoffs last week because of school. The game was moved from Friday to Thursday because of forecasted thunderstorms on Friday and I had a live class session that night. Thankfully MA won without me having to be there to pull them through. 

I'm finished with me mini-class, but have my final in my other class this week and so, I've been studying and reading and studying and reading and I don't know if there's much more room left in my brain for information. My final is on Thursday of this week and I've cleared my evenings from all the fun things I had planned in order to read and re-read and re-read again. I've got an A in the class right now and I really don't want to lose it. 

After my final this week, I have two more chapter quizzes (the final oddly enough doesn't include the last two chapters) and then I have my group project yet to go which I'm certain will be a disaster. My group doesn't seem to work too well together based on last week's exercise. So, fingers crossed we will work out the kinks and get our project turned in on time and then, praise the Lord, I'll be done until January. I registered for classes last week and am taking seven hours next semester - two regular classes and one mini-class. Since I usually don't have too much going on in the winter months, I'm hoping it won't be too overwhelming. 

In other news, Christmas is right around the corner and I've done very little shopping which is extremely unusual as I am typically finished with all manner of Christmas shopping by now. For one, I have no idea what to get my mother; so, mother, if you're reading this a list would be nice. Mother is the hardest to buy for because, unfortunately, she doesn't do anything or have any hobbies because of her illness. I've gotten her one thing so far and that's it. So, mother, send a list! I've bought a few things for my dad, but most of the items on his list are things that could possibly be on sale Black Friday. So, I want to read the sale papers and see what I can find before making any purchases. Then there's Justin and I have no idea what he wants so I have yet to buy him anything. We drew names for Parker Christmas, but now some people are not coming and others cannot remember who's name they drew and so I have a feeling there might be some rearranging of the names and so I don't want to buy anything just yet in case I have to redraw. I have purchases my gift for the favorite things brunch this year and really, that's about it. I really need to step up my game. Thankfully, there's Amazon for all the things I need to order but don't want to leave my house for. 

As for me, the one thing I want this year is for my favorite chair of all-time to be re-upholstered, but I haven't heard back from Santa on the decision. I did go by the fabric store this weekend and picked up some samples and wrote down pricing, etc. I've got so many samples to chose from I don't know how I'll ever decide, that is if I get to decide. The re-upholstering is rather expensive so I'm waiting to see what Santa's offer is. At any rate, it may take a while for me to determine which fabric choice to go with. 

Well, I guess that's it for this rainy Monday. I don't know about you. but I'm tired of rainy Mondays. Here's to hoping the rest of the week is crisp, cool, and sunny!

Hallowen 2015

I realize it's November, but I have yet to talk about Halloween. This year's Halloween was full of fun from morning til night.

I woke up early on Halloween morning and headed down to Goodyear downtown as I had an oil change scheduled for 7:00 a.m. I stayed at the store while they changed the oil and balanced and rotated my tires. I clipped coupons, watched the news, played candy crush, and read the latest Southern Living while waiting for my vehicle to be serviced. Also while there, I got to see the folks running in the Sppoktacular 5K run by in their various Halloween costumes which was rather entertaining. I had anticipated the time at Goodyear to be about and hour, but it was more like an hour and a half.

I was supposed to meet my friend Lauren M. at the Botanical Garden at 9:00 a.m. and had planned on going to the grocery store before. However, since the time at Goodyear took longer than expected, there wasn't enough time for the grocery store. So, I ran by CVS and got some of their brand of Airborne (which is way cheaper and seems to work just as well) since I was almost out and then I went to the Garden.

Lauren M. was running late so I had a few minutes to spare before she arrived and I perused the gift shop. If y'all have never been to the gift shop at the Botanical Garden, I highly recommend it and if you are a member, you get 10% off. They seriously have so many cute things there. Lauren M. arrived and we walked around the garden for about an hour and checked out all the scarecrows on the scarecrow trail. It was the last day of the exhibit so they weren't as put together as they probably were on the first day, but still, it was fun.

After the garden, Lauren M. and I parted ways and I finally made it to the grocery store and got the things I needed to make taco soup and potato soup for Halloween night. My cousin Lauren L. was hosting her annual Halloween party that night and I was in charge of games and cooking the two pots of soup. I spent the afternoon making soups and then showered and got myself ready for the big party.

I had decided some time ago to dress up as Mary Poppins. Mary has always been one of my favorite characters and I've always loved the movie and since I already had most of the items to create the costume, that's what I settled on. I think it turned out quite nicely.

I went over to Lauren L.'s early to get the soups warmed up and help her with any last minute things and soon enough the other guests began to arrive. We had a fun night eating yummy foods, talking and hanging out with each other. Some of us enjoyed scaring trick-or-treaters half to death. It was all a lot of fun, except for the rain - it was the second straight year for loads of rain on Halloween.

Around 8:00 p.m. I decided to call it a night. After my dad of working in the yard and then being up all day without a nap on Saturday, I was ready for the bed. So, I gathered my belongings and was soon on my way home where I promptly set my clocks back an hour (thank you Lord for the extra hour of sleep) and called it a night.

Halloween 2015 was a fun-filled day and I'm already thinking about what I'll be for Halloween 2016!

A Much Needed Day In The Sun

This past Friday I took the day off work to get some yard work done around the house. Saturdays are the only day of the week that I really have to get things done (since church is on Sunday) and for the past five or so Saturdays I had been helping my dad do things to get ready for and have the garage sale which left no time for the things I wanted to get done around my own house. So, I decided to take a day off from work so I could maybe get some things accomplished for myself. 

Thursday night my brother and I traded vehicles. He has a truck and I needed to haul gravel and mulch so he dropped his truck at my house and took my car with him. I got up bright and early on Friday morning and was at C.T. Garvin Feed and Seed at 7:00 a.m. when their doors opened. I bought a scoop of gravel and was back home before 7:30 a.m. I parked the truck and went to put the tailgate down and couldn't for the life of me get it to budge. The next thing I knew half of the handle had broken off in my hand. I don't even know my own strength, people. So, I called my brother and asked if there was a trick to getting the tailgate down to which he replied no and then I had to confess I had torn the handle. I then jumped in the bed of the truck and started scooping gravel and tossing it into my "driveway". After 30 minutes or so my neighbor Jeff came out and gave the tailgate a try (you could still lift the part of the handle that didn't break) and he couldn't get it to budge either. Then my cousin Randy drove by and stopped and to make the story a little shorter, Randy had to take the back panel off the tailgate to manual move the gears to get the tailgate down. 

I finished up the gravel and then headed back to Garvin to get a scoop of mulch. Well, actually I made a detour to Advanced Auto Parts first. I inquired about a tailgate handle for my brother's truck. There was one in town that they could have at the Five Points location within a couple of hours. It was $115. I almost had a heart attack; but, since I had broken the handle, I forked over the money. I then got my mulch and in the meantime Randy had looked up online the pricing for the tailgate handle. He found one for $30 (with shipping). So, I went back to Advanced Auto and got a refund and then went home and ordered the part at the lower price. 

I had to put the tailgate up when I got mulch so the mulch wouldn't go flying out the back and once again couldn't get the tailgate down. Randy stopped by again and again took the back panel off to get the tailgate down, but not before breaking the other part of the handle first. 

I spent the rest of the day raking leaves, putting mulch in my four flower beds, trimming shrubs, pulling weeds and mowing grass. When all was said and done, I had worked from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. with a break here and there for food an beverage. I was covered in dirt and dust and surely smelled terrible. The yard, however, looked great. I was so proud of myself and all the hard work I put in. I've always had someone help me do these things (mulch, gravel, shrubs) and this was the first time I had knocked it all out by myself. It was a super proud moment. 

After I was done with all the work, I drove out to the Infiniti dealership where my brother works to trade vehicles with him. I'm sure I was the homeliest looking person to ever step foot in there. When I got home, I showered and got ready for the football game and laid down for a few minutes; but, not for long lest I fall asleep and miss the game. I was beyond tired by the time that evening rolled around; but, it was worth it. I'm so glad to have gotten all the yard work done and to spend some time away from the office and in the sun soaking up some vitamin D from sun rays rather than capsules. Winter is coming, and we are ready at the Parker house. 

Pictures and Parker Pumpkin Carving Night

While the garage sale managed to consume the majority of my weekend time, I did manage to get a few other things accomplished. I got home from the sale, jumped in the shower and got all gussied up because Pippa and I were having out Christmas card pictures made. I was supposed to meet my friend Kristen at the Green Mountain Nature Trail at 3:30 p.m. but ended up running a little late because I desperately needed gas in my car. Pippa and I finally managed to arrive and walked over to the covered bridge where we were supposed to meet Kristen. She patiently took a million photos and then we parted ways. I haven't seen any of the photos yet, but Kristen said there are some good ones and some funny ones. I look forward to seeing both. 

After pictures, we headed back home where I managed to watch the second half of the Alabama-Tennessee game before leaving again to go back over to my parents' house for dinner. My dad grilled filet mignon, made baked potatoes, steamed asparagus, salad, and rolls as well as a cake. All of it was delicious! By the time we were done with dinner, I was done for the day. I was so tired from working all morning and so I took my tired self home and went straight to bed. 

Sunday was Parker Pumpkin Carving Night at the home of my cousins, Benny and Jan. This has been a yearly tradition for some time, but this was only my second year to participate. I arrived a little before 6:00 p.m. with my tray of deviled eggs and my large pumpkin to carve. 

There was a crowd of maybe 20 or so people, maybe more, I lost count. It seems liked people were coming and going throughout the night. It was a fun group. I carved a basic jack-o-lantern again this year. I may carve another pumpkin on Friday or Saturday, but wanted to quickly get my carving done on Sunday so that I could get out of the way and let the kids have a go. We enjoyed a delicious dinner (as is always the case) and lots of good conversation and laughter. It was a great time, as always. 

To say it was a busy weekend was an understatement. This coming weekend should be pretty busy too and then I'll have a break of a low key weekend and I'm really looking forward to that! 

If You Want Our Treasures, Check The Saving Way

Well, this past Saturday was our  big blowout garage sale. My dad and I have worked for the past four-five Saturdays to get ready for it and he worked throughout the week as well. I placed an ad on Craig's list that ran for two weeks prior to the sale and my cousin Jessica listed it on facebook as well. I was so excited about this big blowout sell. I felt confident that we would have a big crowd because we had done such a good job advertising and preparing. My dad and I put up big bright neon signs the night before and I felt confident we were going to have a huge crowd. 

I could not have been more wrong, y'all, and it was so disappointing. I woke at 5:00 a.m. and gathered up the last minute things I needed to take with me, brushed my teeth and hit the road. When I got there, my friend and co-worker Maria was already there. You may recall that she had some treasures in the sale at my house back in the summer and she brought what didn't sale as well as many other items this time around. It was sprinkling a little and so we decided to pull the boat out of the garage, which wasn't in the original plan. We moved things out of the way, pulled the boat out and discovered a treadmill and a filing cabinet that could be added to the sale and it's a good thing because the treadmill actually sold late in the day. 

We spent the next hour and a half or more setting up for the big sale. Usually when you're having a garage sale, people start showing up as you're dragging things out of your house or garage, but not this day. I don't think we had any customers until about 7:30 a.m. and it was three ladies that attend church where my dad preaches. They bought some baby clothes that my cousin brought over to sell and some other odds and ends and one of them bought the dining room set that was my granddad's. They got the table, six chairs and hutch for $300 which is quote a bargain! I'm glad they got it because I know they will use it well and take good care of it. Slowly but surely we got a few more customers throughout the day and made a sale here and there. Since it was so slow, my dad and I did some yard work during the slow periods. He is basically chopping down every shrub in his flower beds for the winter and if they come back ,great and if not, he's replacing them. So, we chopped and hauled to the road when the garage sale business was slow. 

Towards the end of the day we had a surge of about five customers at once and after they all went their ways, we started packing everything back up to put back in the garage for The Saving Way Thrift Store to pick up. Unfortunately, they don't pick up on Saturdays, but hopefully it will be some time this week because I know my dad is very, very anxious to have his garage back in order. It took us a couple of hours to get everything boxed up and put away and we finished around 1:30 p.m. When all was said and done, we made around $300 in total, not including the dining room set. We, of course, sold a lot of weird things that we didn't think would sell, and didn't sell things that we thought would sell. It was quite an interesting experience and a very draining day. 

When I went home, I noticed what seemed like hundreds, but was probably more like 20, signs for yard sales. So, undoubtedly it was a big day for sales in the heart of the city which probably contributed to the lack of people who wanted to drive "over the mountain" to where my parents' live. So, needless to say after the hours and hours and hours and sis I mention hours that my dad and I put into the sale, it was a bust. I didn't even make the $50 I set out to make. Oh well, that's the way it goes sometimes I guess. I'm thankful that we are done with garage sales for 2015! 

Monday Night at BJ's

On Monday night, I met up with friends Erika and Candy for dinner and a couple of hours worth of catching up in conversation. It was a great night. I always love spending time with these two ladies. 

We met up at BJ's Brewhouse which is a newer restaurant at Bridge Street. It opened back in the summer and we had planned on going for our friend Kendra's birthday. but the wait was incredibly long and we settled on Cantina Laredo that night. BJ's has a pretty extensive menu and before arriving I had settled on having a burger. Burgers are one of my favorite foods and it sounded so good to me and that is exactly what I ended up ordering. It was delicious! One of the best burgers I've had in a while. In fact, it was so good I got another one the next night since I was headed out that way for an Agape meeting. On Monday I got fries with the burger. The fries were shoestring fries and were really good. On Tuesday I got a Caesar salad as my side item and ended up eating only a few bites. I am a weirdo in that I can taste the preservatives or whatever is used on bagged lettuce and to me it makes the lettuce taste terrible. There is a definite difference in the taste of a fresh head of lettuce than bagged lettuce and the lettuce on the Caesar salad tasted like it was bagged lettuce and I just did not care for it. 

Erika, who had actually been to BJ's a few times already ordered the salted caramel mini pizzookie for an appetizer and a Caesar salad and an individual deep dish pizza. A pizzookie, in case you are wondering is a hot cookie that comes out in a deep dish pizza pan covered in ice cream. The mini size is an individual serving. They also come in regular size for those who like to share. Her pizza looked and smelled wonderful and it was half price because we ordered during happy hour. Candy ordered the fish tacos. They looked delicious and she ate every bite; so, I have no doubt they were every bit as good as they looked.

After Candy and I finished our dinner, we also ordered a pizzookie. Candy got the salted caramel and I got pumpkin. Don't judge me, pumpkin haters. I've loved pumpkin flavored things since I was a kid, long before the pumpkin spice fad became a thing. We both really enjoyed our pizzookies. Just warm enough and the ice cream on top was perfection. I would definitely recommend this dessert. 

We had a great night spending time with each other and catching up on our lives. I'm so thankful for these friends! As for BJ's, I think we would all give it two thumbs up. Give it a try the next time you are out that way!

2015 Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll

This past Sunday was the annual Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll presented by the Huntsville Pilgrimage Association. This is always such a fun event. I actually haven't been the last few years and I was so glad I went this year. The afternoon was beautiful and it's always fun to learn more about Huntsville and enjoy some great storytelling. 

My friends Margaret Anne (who is from Huntsville) and Lauren (who is not) went with me this year. Margaret Anne actually arranged us all going. Lauren and I got there right at 2:00 p.m. when it started and MA met us a few minutes later. Before MA arrived, Lauren and I went to the graves of Goldsmiths and Schiffmans and also Milton Frank. I don't remember these folks being portrayed before and I had an interest in them for a variety of reasons. The Goldsmiths and Schiffmans have a football field and a school named after them (thanks to their generous donation of properties) and Milton Frank was a renowned football coach at Huntsville High and has a football stadium named after him. He was only 57 when he died - so young! His "wife" was visiting his grave so she was doing the storytelling, not him. I asked her how he died, but she said she didn't know as she had not come across that in her research. 

Since Lauren had never been to the stroll before, we let her pick the most of the rest of the people we visited. We did stop by John Hunt (founder of Huntsville!) who was being portrayed by MA's former history teacher at Grissom. He actually retired a couple of years ago and now she teaches in his place. He did a great job and was very animated in his storytelling. 

We made a stop by one of my favorites, Miss Howard Weeden. She always has great stories to tell and the lady that portrays her does a fantastic job complete with accents as she tells the stories of the slaves she painted. 

One of my favorites this year was new to me. It was Reverend "Saint" Bartley Thomas and his wife from the Primitive Baptist church. He was a black minister and baptized over 3,000 people in Big Spring in the 1800s. Here we were also treated to singing by the Saint Bartley Singers and they were so good! Everyone clapped and some people sang along and this group got the biggest round of applause by far. 

Since Lauren loves cows, we had to make a stop by Lily Flagg so Lauren could learn all about the 1,047 pounds of butter and about as many gallons of milk she produced in one year. Lily went to the 1892 World's Fair in Chicago and when she got home, her owner Samuel B. Moore threw her a big party with 50 different kinds of cake and Lily was at the front of the receiving line. 

We left the stroll a little after 4:00 (it ended at 4:30) and headed home. We didn't even put a dent in all the people being portrayed. There were 72 characters this year and about 10,000 people showed up to learn about our city's rich history. If you've never been before (or even if you have) be sure and put this on your calendar for 2016! It's one of the best ways to celebrate and learn about Huntsville! 

The 12th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run

Saturday morning was the 12th annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run and honestly at this point, I've lost count of how many years I've participated in this race. Maybe six, seven, eight? I just really don't know. I didn't think I would have anyone to walk or hang out with this year, but then remembered that my friend from church Emily had participated last year and so on Friday night I sent her a text and asked if she would be my walking buddy (that is, if she were planning to walk). She agreed and we set a meeting place for Saturday morning. 

Emily's mom had breast cancer in 2011, but is doing great now and so Emily, her mom and brothers have done the race for the past four years. I parked in the Blossomwood neighborhood and walked over to the school and walked and shuffled through a  sea of pink to find Emily her mom and brother and some of her mom's friends. We started towards the back of the group and finished in about an hour or so. I've got to start walking more because I think I get slower every year! Emily and I spent the whole race talking and catching up. She and I have been friends for a few years but don't see each other all that much. She has kept Pippa for me a time or two and I usually just see her at church so it was good to be able to spend some time with her one on one. After he race was over I grabbed some goodies, otherwise known as breakfast, and then walked back to my car. I was back home before 9:30 a.m. and was able to take a late morning nap before tackling the rest of the days activities. 

I heard there were about 6,000 participants this year. The team than raised the most money raised close to $12,000 all for a great cause - to fight breast cancer and buy some great equipment for the Huntsville Breast Center. I love seeing so many people come together for such a fun event and a worthy cause!

Photos from My Phone - October 2015

It's been a while since I've done a "Photos from My Phone" post; so, I thought I would tackle it today. 

First up is a photo from this past Saturday when I took Pippa to the Dog Wash. I know I've mentioned it before, but the pet shop in Five Points has a dog wash which is super convenient. I can give Pip a scrub and they will trim her nails while we are there and they clean up after us - all for $15. The folks who work at and run the shop are really nice and I like to support local businesses so I'm happy to be a repeat customer. The pet store is called "Goin' To The Dogs' and Cats" and it's located on Wellman in case you want to check it out. They have lots of fun things for pets of all shapes and sizes. 

The first Saturday of the month, I drug out my bins of Halloween decorations and inside I found such a treasure! I had completely forgotten that I bought two Halloween costumes for Pippa. One is a pumpkin (which I haven't put on her yet) and the second is a referee, also known as the "Rufferee". It's a ref's outfit and even has a yellow flag for penalties. It is hilarious and I'm so glad I got it because it has provided me with numerous laughs. This past Friday, Pip managed to get a hold of it and tore two holes in it, but I think I can sew them up and she can still wear it. 

Mild Green Mojo Chips by Late July - They are good!

A picture of a dead shrub which I had a heckuva time getting out of the ground. I had actually asked my male cousins to come by and help with it but when they didn't show up week after week, I decided to have another go at it. I guess I had enough stress or aggression to get that bad boy out of the ground. Persistence pays, my friends. 

This coral fungus was on a felled tree branch on the Alms House Trail on Monte Sano which I hiked on Labor Day. I thought the fungus was so pretty. It looked like it should be in the ocean, not on the side of a trail. 

Here we are, the 2015 Halloween Party Planning Committee. G is our leader. I wasn't told to make a scary face, but instead look half asleep. 

These "surprise" or "spider" lilies pop up in Five Points in late August and early September. I have always loved them and never had any in my own yard until this year. I had one come up in the flower bed in the back yard. 

I have the College Gameday Bobbleheads in my office and a few weeks ago I came in and found a note on my desk from the janitor. She was dusting and something bumped into Desmond and he fell and his arm broke. I was sad, but not devastated - this is a sign that I'm growing up. I was proud of the janitor for confessing that she was the one who broke the Desmond. She actually stopped by that afternoon before beginning her shift and asked if she could pay for the damages. I told her no, it wasn't a big deal and not to worry about it. One of the guys at work glued Des back together for me. Sadly, he will never have full use of his right arm again. 

That's it for this edition of "Photos from My Phone". Until next time. 

Updating You on Stuff That You Probably Don't Care About

There's not much news to report from the weekend. Friday I went to a football game and Saturday I finished cleaning out the attic at my parents' house. On Sunday I went to church. That's about it. So, here's some updates on things you probably don't care or didn't know you care about. 

I'm two months into the fall semester of school and so far I am really enjoying it. I'm taking one full class and a half class that's required for the program; so, the load the semester hasn't been too bad. The full-time class has been great. The information has been very interesting and I've enjoyed learning about different styles of management and how to deal with different personalities, etc. I've done well on all my quizzes and assignments so far and right now have an A in the class. We have our big assignments, term test and group project due in the coming weeks so the majority of the grade has yet to be determined. I've laid out a schedule for myself so I can stay on track with everything. The next three weeks in particular are jammed packed with reading and assignments and quizzes so I'm glad I don't have too much going on socially and plan to keep it that way. 

The one thing I've disliked most about this class is the book we are reading for our case study. I just cannot get into it and am finding it to be exceptionally boring. So, I've made a day-by-day schedule of what chapters I need to read to be finished by November 1 so I can contribute to the group project which is due in late November. I'm hoping that if I just sit down and start tackling the book per the schedule I've made that I'll enjoy it a bit more. So far I've just been reading about how the company got started and it hasn't peaked my interest in the least. 

The one hour credit class, which is an intro to the MBA program, has been fairly easy. I've had to read some articles from Bloomburg Businessweek and discuss my thoughts about the articles. The quizzes for this class have been about our thoughts regarding the program and we had to complete an ethical leadership program. So, it hasn't been bad at all which has been great because the fall seems to be the busiest time of year and I was concerned how I would balance everything. I have decided that I will only take one class in the fall next year as well since I seem to have so much going on. I plan to take two classes in spring and summer, but haven't decided what those will be yet; although I need to figure it out soon because registration for spring classed takes place in a couple of weeks. Crazy!

The addition at my parent's house is complete. I did not do a very good job of chronicling it as it was being built, unfortunately. My granddad moved in a week or so ago and I wish I had taken a picture before he moved in because you would have been able to see it clean and nice and neat which isn't always the case when someone is living in a space. My dad is super thankful to once again have a bed to sleep on after sleeping on an air mattress or a couch for the last few months. 

We are almost finished with gathering and pricing items for my parents' upcoming garage sale. Y'all, this is my last garage sale of 2015 and for that I am thankful! We got the last items down from the attic last weekend and I started pricing things. We have a few more things to go through and price this upcoming weekend and then we should be done with everything except the actual sale which is taking place on October 24 from 7-11. I've put an ad on Craig's list with pictures so I'm hoping that helps bring out some people. We will have bicycles, a wheelchair, a hospital bed, dishes, games, puzzles and various and sundry other items for sale. I have a few items in this one as well and am hoping to clear about $50. I'm setting that as my goal. Fingers crossed. 

I think that will do for the random updates for now. Hope everyone is having a good week!