It's the Holiday Season

In case you didn't know, there are (at the time of the writing of this post) 80 days left in the year and 74 days until Christmas. So, if you haven't started your Christmas shopping or at the very least your Christmas list, now might be a good time. 

I wanted to let you all know about an opportunity to help Agape of North Alabama when doing your Christmas shopping, or at least your online shopping and actually, you can do this year round. If you shop on Amazon (and why wouldn't you?) you can automatically make a donation to Agape by going through Amazon Smile. Instead of just typing amazon.com in your address bar, type smile.amazon.com. Once there, you can select a charity of your choice and obviously I ask that you choose Agape of North Alabama. Then, you shop, add things to your cart, check out and automatically 0.5% of your purchase price is donated to Agape. 

Now, 0.5% isn't all that much, but the more people who shop and go through Amazon Smile the more money is donated to this great organization. So, please spread the word and remember Agape when crossing off your Christmas list (or any other list for that matter) by shopping on Amazon. Thanks and happy shopping. 

Labor Day Weekend

Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend! Mine was good and busy and there just were not nearly enough hours in the weekend to get everything done I wanted to get done. Of course, if I had cut out some of my napping, that might have been a different story, but I doubt it. 

The weekend got kicked off on Friday night with a trip to New Hope with my dad for a football game. MA was out of town and so we ventured over to the big city to watch them blow out Geraldine. We still had a good time though and saw some folks that we knew. Before the game my dad grilled steaks which were good, It had been a while since I had a steak and so it was very much appreciated. 

Saturday morning I got up and started on laundry and then met my friend Lauren at the gym for Body Pump. After class was over I went by the store to pick up a handful of items and then got a small white pizza from Big Ed's which was delicious. I took a nap and did more laundry and some cleaning and then that evening went over to my Aunt Linda's house for dinner and the Bama game. I stayed through half time and then went home to watch the second half so I could work on more laundry. When I got home I had even more to clean up because I left my pillow on the couch and of course Pippa decided to tear it up. If I had a dollar for every pillow she has shredded, I'd have about $6 which doesn't even cover the cost of a pillow. So, that was my bad, but still frustrating. 

Sunday was church, per usual. For lunch I grilled a burger (don't you love these details) and afterwards took a nap because there's nothing better than a Sunday nap. That evening I went to my cousin Lauren's house for dinner and we had our first Halloween planning committee meeting with her four-year old son Greer in charge. It was a much more productive meeting than some work meetings I have so kudos to G for getting things done. I am in charge of games and Anna is in charge of music. We are all looking forward to a fun night. 

Monday I went for a hike on Monte Sano with my friends Leah and Amber. We hiked for a couple of hours and probably would have gone a little longer except I was getting a blister on my heel thanks to my shoes which love to slide up and down on the back of my foot. I didn't even think about them giving me a blister, but they did. After the hike, I mowed the grass and then showered and went over to my parents' house for ribs. No one seemed to eat much, including myself because I still had another stop on my day's agenda. The last stop of the day was at my cousin's house where there were a house full of people and we enjoyed hanging out and talking and eating burgers and hot dogs. 

I finally managed to make it home around 8:15 where I finished up some laundry and went to bed. Believe it or not, I managed to squeeze in some school work over the weekend too. So, it was super busy but also productive. Hope yours was good as well!

Twas The Fourth of July

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! Mine was interesting, a little different than normal, but still a lot of fun. I, along with most every other American, was thrilled to have Friday off from work; although, admittedly, it was confusing at times because Friday night I kept thinking that church was the next day. Friday morning I had an appointment to get the oil changed in the car and the tires rotated and just about the time I got ready to leave, the bottom fell out of the sky. I had planned on walking to the YMCA to get a workout in while my car was being worked on, but the buckets of rain kept me tucked safely and dryly inside the Goodyear. 

When the car was finished, I drove over to my parents' house and made a quick trip to Wal-Mart with my dad and then he cooked pancakes and then we began the arduous task of cleaning out the attic. We decided it would be best if we went to Lowe's to buy plywood to nail down to give the attic more room and so we could maybe move a few things around and actually get some work done. We got two strips of plywood down and moved some of Justin's things to that corner, threw some things away and set some things aside for the yard sale this fall and then my dad said we were done for the day. He said we got a lot more accomplished than he thought we would, whereas I was disappointed in how little we accomplished. The telling of two minds I suppose. The rest of Friday was spent being lazy and doing not much other than a few loads of laundry. 

Saturday morning I was up bright and early as the Tour de France got underway. I made my traditional French toast and enjoyed watching the time trial and just generally speaking enjoyed a relaxed morning. I made a cake and coleslaw for the cookout later that day and cooked some meat for my dad who was having a cookout as well. Justin stopped by that afternoon to pick up the meat that I had cooked and in the process dropped almost the whole pan of meat drippings all over my front porch. So, it probably goes without saying that I spent the next 30 minutes or so cleaning up greasy meat juice off my front porch. It wasn't exactly how I planned on spending some of the holiday, but those are the breaks. 

Once the meat juice was all cleaned up, I showered and headed over to the cookout which was being held at the brother of my cousin Jan's. Jan and I are cousins by marriage so her brother is not my cousin if that makes sense. All of the cousins that are my age were there and had set up games of slip and slide, volleyball, wiffle ball, corn hole, etc. I, however, was not provided the memo that there would be intense physical activity and didn't really come prepared to play. rest assured, I will be prepared for next year as I've already ordered a t-shirt for the occasion and will come ready to play. 

We had lots of food and there were lots of people there, most of whom we didn't even know. We all laughed because there was a "Family" side and a "We Don't Know Those People" side. As luck would have it, the skies opened up once again about the time it got dark and so the fireworks show was put into a predicament of sorts. We waited for the rain to pass, but it wouldn't let up and so the guys went out in the rain to shoot the fireworks. The problem was that the trees were clocking the view. Had it not been rained, we would have been able to stand where we could see, but as we were all crammed under the carport, we had to look at the fireworks between tree branches. There were also long breaks between each shot and I eventually got tired of sitting around waiting for the next one and decided to pack things up and head on home. 

Overall, it was a fun afternoon and evening and I look forward to next year's festivities where I will come prepared to play! 

The only picture I took - of G and his light saber fire sword!

Mother's Day Weekend

Well, this past weekend was mother's day weekend which meant I spent the majority of the weekend cooking and getting ready for Sunday's lunch which was eaten in 30 minutes - the plight of women for centuries I suppose. Also, the baby birds, Huey, Dewey and Louie turned one week old. I imagine they'll be flying the coup soon. 

Friday after work I made my grocery store run and picked up everything I needed for Sunday's lunch. When I got home from the store, Pippa has torn the top of my favorite chair and pulled a lot of the stuffing out. I've had this beloved chair for either 10 or 11 years. My parents got it for me for Christmas in either 2003 or 2004, I can't remember which. It's a "chair and a half" and is super comfy and everyone loves it - including Pippa I guess. She sits on top of the chair and looks out the window during the day. I noticed when I got back from vacation that the top of the chair had a small rip in it and I then had a premonition that this day would come. I had been putting a blanket on top of the chair for Pip to sit on during the day, but the blanket would inevitably fall off during the day. In hindsight, I should have gone ahead and bought a slip cover for the chair; but, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. So, I gave her a "whoopin" as we like to say in my family and put her in "time out" for the next couple of hours lest I kill her. When she came out of time out, she wouldn't have anything to do with me which was humorous considering she was the one in trouble. 

Saturday morning, I was up by 6:00 a.m. and immediately started cooking. I cooked and cleaned and did some laundry and even got in a TV show or two before I left to go pick up my produce basket for the week. After I got my basket, I went by Bed Bath and Beyond and bought a slip cover for my poor old chair. The slip cover is a solid gray and I washed it as soon as I got home and put it on the chair that evening. It's not the best looking thing in the world. In fact, I hate slipcovers, but, it will do for now since the top of the chair is split open with stuffing poking out of it. For Christmas I'm asking for that chair to be re-upholstered or a new chair, we'll have to see which is the more affordable option. Saturday afternoon I did some more cooking and then mowed the grass and then did more cooking and laundry, etc. They say a woman's work is never done and they are right, whoever they are. 

Sunday morning, I was up at 5:30 a.m. for the last of the cooking and chopping and then off to church before going back home, loading up all the food and taking it over to my parents' house. When I got to their house, I came with hot food, ready to be eaten; but, my brother had chosen this time to take my mother to Lowe's to get her some bulbs as her gift. So, we had to wait about an hour before we could begin eating. In the meantime, my dad called my grandmother and asked her to come over because he didn't realize he was supposed to invite her. My cousins Jessica and Nathan (who live with my grandmother) and my aunt Sandra also came which was great because we had a lot of food and I wanted it to be eaten. While we were waiting on everyone to show up, my dad ate a roll and proclaimed them, "the best you've ever made," to which I replied, "I didn't make those," and then we laughed hysterically. They were the Rhodes rolls that are frozen and have to rise before you bake them. Apparently they were a big hit though because everyone loved them. Note to self: Rhodes rolls for Thanksgiving is way easier than making them from scratch! 

When lunch wad done, my brother was kind enough to clean up the dishes. I'll say this about my brother, that kid doesn't mind cleaning up some dishes and for that I will forever be grateful. The two of us visited with our parents for a little while and then we loaded up the dishes and The Pip and headed out. I dropped my brother off at his place of living and then headed home where I napped and spent the rest of the evening being lazy because after three days of cooking and waking up with an enormous headache on Sunday, all I wanted to do was lie on the couch and do a whole lot of nothing and so that is exactly what I did. 

The Weekend Involved No Labor

Hope you all enjoyed the Labor Day Weekend. I don't know about you, but I was very grateful for the extra day. I'm sure I've said it before but it would be so great if we just had one three-day weekend a month. If I were to ever own a business, I think that's what we would do. Goodness knows we could all use an extra break every now and then. 

Friday after work, I had a little over an hour at home before I headed out again. I picked my brother up from work and we went to the football game at Madison Academy. It was an extremely boring game as MA was leading 28-0 at the half and it was at that point we left. My brother was not conversational in the least and I was bored and so we hit the road. We went back to my house where my granddad soon picked up my brother and took him back home. 

Saturday morning I was up bright and early for a haircut appointment. After my haircut, I took Pippa down to the dog wash so I could give her a bath and she could get her nails trimmed. Her nails seem to grow super fast and she had not had a bath in quite some time so she was overdue. The rest of the day I stayed in from the hot sun and watched football. I cannot believe it is already football season. It sure doesn't seem like it. 

Sunday was the usual church-going activities and Sunday evening I met up with some friends for dinner downtown. I had the Shrimp and Grits at Below the Radar and they were delightful. 

Monday I met up with my dad, aunt and cousins for some putt-putt at Southern Adventures. We got there when they opened and got started soon after and it was blazing hot outside. We managed to get all 18 holes played in a little over an hour and every one of us got a hole in one at some point on the course. My dad was the champion this year (we did the same thing last year), and I finished fifth. The only reason I didn't finish last was because my cousin Brittany had gone inside with her baby who was being eaten up by the mosquitoes. If she had kept on playing, I probably would have finished last which is probably where I finished in last year's tourney. Oh well, someone has to drag up the end of the line. 

After playing putt-putt, I took my sweaty and no-doubt stinky self to Publix to pick up a few groceries and then went home to cook a couple of things for a cookout at the home of my friends, Paul and Leah. I made a cake and a pasta salad which I then proceeded to drop all over the kitchen floor. Let me tell you something folks, Italian dressing is no fun to clean up off of hardwood floors. I made another pasta salad and this time didn't drop it. 

I went to the cookout around 4:00 p.m. and enjoyed visiting with everyone. I got back home around 7:30 p.m. and watched the last college football game of the weekend between Louisville and Miami before turning in for the night to get ready for another work week. 

On The Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a great holiday celebrating the birthday of this great country in which we live. I, for one, was just happy to have a day off from work - thanks, America!

I guess you could say my holiday started early, on Thursday, as we ended up cancelling my weight class at the gym. None of us were really in the mood to go, including our instructor and so it worked out well for everyone involved. I actually needed to mow the lawn and I knew it was going to be a long evening working in the yard, so I didn't want to get too late of a start.

I also got to leave work early, about 3:30 p.m. since there was hardly anyone there and since things were so slow and I had gotten done most of the things I needed to get done, I decided to call it a day early. Thus, I was able to get started on the yard early too. I guess I started on the yard about 5:30 p.m. and two and a half hours later, I was finally done.

Friday I did some cleaning and laundry and a lot of reading. I had started "Gone Girl" well over a year ago and didn't get very far at all, but then Jackie read it recently and said it was a must read and so this past week I picked it up again and read the whole darn thing. It was so stinking good. Clearly I was not in a reading mood when I first gave it a go. Anyway, the majority of the day was spent reading.

My parents had a gathering of people at their house at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and I headed there way a few minutes before that with macaroni and cheese in hand. It was a nice gathering of people and it was a fun afternoon. Jackie and the kids came too and we spent a lot of time listening to my dad tell crazy stories, which is one of my favorite things in the world. My dad definitely has a gift for telling stories.

About 8:30 p.m., Jackie and then kids and I headed into town and drove to the top of the parking garage where Jackie works to watch the fireworks at the Space and Rocket Center. We didn't have the greatest view in the world, but what was cool was that we could see fireworks from various places around the city as they were being shot off by people at their homes. There were so many fireworks going off at different times that it sounded what I imagine the streets of Kabul sound like. I'm weird, I know, but it totally sounded like gun shots going off in different parts of town.

After the Space and Rocket Center fireworks were complete, we drove to Joe Davis Stadium to try and catch the fireworks after the Stars game, but we got there too late and didn't see the first one. Oh well, you can't win it all.

Overall, it was a good holiday and I was blessed to spend it with people I love, the only one missing was my brother who was out selling cars. Hopefully he got a lot sales that day. Hope yours was good as well!

The Second Half of Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday morning I was slated to bring breakfast for our class at church. I had decided on sausage balls and cinnamon rolls and thankfully I had the good sense to take care of the rolling and dough making on Saturday. So, Sunday morning, all I had to do was plop the rolls and the sausage balls in the oven. I left for church earlier than normal so I could carry my haul into the building. It's times like these that a husband would really be useful because carrying a large bag that contains a crockpot full of sausage balls, a Bible, notebook, and class book, utensils, and  a cooler bag of orange juice, along with a purse and holding a pan of cinnamon rolls in the other hand is no easy feat. Somehow I managed. It's also times like these that it amazes me that no one offers to help; but, hey, I survived. 

Breakfast was a big hit and class went off without a hitch. After class was over, I was in the mood for seafood, which meant Red Lobster, so I ventured out for a solo lunch of stuffed Flounder which was truly delicious and absolutely hit the spot. You will also receive fast service and quick food when you dine by yourself. I didn't even look at the menu because I knew what I wanted and as soon as the waiter came over, I ordered which probably helped. 

When my lunch was complete, I went home and attempted a nap, but that was pretty much impossible as the Pip was in a fired up mood and would not leave me alone. I even moved to the bedroom and she moved in there with me. Sometimes she just doesn't want me to rest. I went to evening service and then out to Jason's Deli with my Aunt Linda and the girls. I still had not redeemed the free meal I had won from dropping my business card in the fish bowl last December and so I redeemed that. I honestly wasn't too hungry so I ate my side salad and took my half sandwich home to eat the next day. 

I hit up the Red Box after dinner and got The Monuments Men and Dallas Buyers Club and watched one on Sunday night and one on Monday morning. Both of the movies were good and it was definitely an Oscar worthy performance for Matthew MccCnaughey and Jared Leto, both of whom should have won an award just for the massive weight loss. Good grief. 

Monday morning I had grand plans of watching the Cotton Row runners and then going to the movies, but on Sunday night I discovered a nail in my tire and I scheduled an appointment at Goodyear which conflicted with the morning movie time. As far as watching the runners, well, I was just lazy and it was hot outside so I stayed home. 

My appointment at Goodyear was at noon. I got the oil changed and asked them to check the tire which is either fine or they patched it for free, but I did see them take the tire off and check it so hopefully all is well. For all I know, I could have been looking at a flat piece of gravel that gave the impression of a nail head. Who knows? I haven't had my tire pressure light come on or anything of the sort so I guess I'm good to go for a while. 

I did make it to the movies a little bit later on. I met Jackie for Million Dollar Arm which was really good. I laughed super loud and even cried a time or two. It was a very good movie and I don't think there was much bad language if any at all so it would be a good movie to take the children to. 

The rest of Monday was spent at home which was just how I wanted it. Sometimes when you have a day off, it's nice to just be able to do what you want to do and that is exactly how I spent this holiday, which was perfect. 

The First Half of Memorial Day Weekend

I cannot even begin to tell you how welcome and refreshing this past three-day weekend was. I told Jackie that I think the next president should mandate a three-day weekend at least once a month. I know it was just one more day, but it just made the weekend that much better. Sometimes one more day is all you need and it was certainly perfect timing as far as I am concerned. 

The weekend began with Jackie coming over Friday night for some burger grilling. I had invited some of our other friends as well, but they had conflicts and so it ended up being just me and Jackie, which was fine by us. We spent about five hours catching up and talking. You would think we never see or talk to one another. We talk almost every day, but apparently we don't ever have time to get to the juicy stuff and so that's what we did on Friday. 

We sat out on the porch like old times and watched the comings and going of Five Points and let me tell you there is never a dull moment when you are people watching from your front porch in Five Points. There were various cars driving by; some of which stopped in front of a house down the street and kept backing up and then driving forward - can you say stalker? There were numerous people coming and going to and from my next door neighbor Tina's house. She always has an eclectic group of friends stopping by. There were people walking their dogs throughout the evening. However, the most interesting observance of the evening was the new guy who moved in across the street (next door to Jeff). 

The house next to Jeff has been a rental since I first moved in and I'm sure I've mentioned it before. The first tenant to live there was a woman and her son who had lived there for a while and then she got a job in DC and they moved. Since then we've had a plethora of individuals. Everyone from a women who came out in her panties to  a couple that broke up and then got back together. The house had been in need of some repairs and so after the last tenants moved out, the owner did some renovating and listed it again. It took many months this go around before a new tenant was found and it looks to be a guy in his 20s. Apparently this guy does not have a vehicle and a woman (we are assuming his mom) was driving him to and from the house. The only thing I saw him move in was a TV. I'm assuming he moved in other items while I was at work on Friday. He was not wearing a shirt and basically looked like a hoodlum. At one point, he left and came back 30 minutes or and hour later with a bag from the grocery store. Upon further observation throughout the weekend, I'm assuming this guy has moved out on his home for perhaps the first time. Either that or he has had some issues and his family is giving him another shot at living on his own. Either way, this is sure to provide loads of Mrs. Kravitz type neighborhood watching. 

On Saturday morning, I had a haircut, then hit up Target to kill about an hour before heading over to the movie theater to take in a viewing of X-Men: Days of Future Past which was seriously amazing. After the movie, I did some grocery shopping and then went home to be lazy. Saturday evening, Jackie and I went out on the town, or really just to Drake's for dinner. I had never been there and she had said the sushi was surprisingly good and it was in fact surprisingly good. We ran into various people that we know and basically felt like the most popular people in Huntsville, or something like that. 

It was a busy couple of days for the first half of Memorial Day weekend, relaxing and fun, filled with laughter and friends and that's exactly how I like it! 

Mother's Day Weekend 2014

It was a busy weekend for me and I'm sure it was for most of you too. Mother's Day tends to be busy for a lot of folks.

Friday afternoon I met Jackie for dinner at I Love Sushi. It had actually been a few months since I had been there and so I was glad she picked it as our meeting place. After dinner, she headed to Nashville to stay the night with her sister, and I went to Publix. I went to the one on Whitesburg and picked up what I needed to complete Mother's Day lunch.

Saturday morning I got up about 6:00 a.m. and immediately began cooking. I had broken the green beans the night before; so. I put those on to cook as well as the chicken and then baked a cake. Long story short, I spent the whole day cooking, doing laundry, getting some cleaning done and then, because it didn't rain I had to mow the grass as well. All week long, the weather folks had said it was going to be a torrential downpour on Saturday and it didn't rain a drop. I had been looking forward to a rainy Saturday, but it was not meant to be.

Sunday after church, I took all the food over to my parents house and fed the family for Mother's Day. We had chicken casserole, green beans, corn, salad, and chocolate cake. We just had crescent rolls because I didn't make homemade rolls. I actually had a new recipe I wanted to try but ran out of time.

When lunch was over, I took my grandmother home and then took The Pip and I home and then fell asleep on the couch. It was later in the day that I normally get home on Sundays and I forgot to set an alarm on my clock so by the time I woke, it was past time for evening worship. That's how it goes sometimes I guess. I was pretty tuckered out, and so was Pippa because she didn't move a muscle.

It was a good, productive, busy weekend. I am thankful I was able to spend some time with the family and with my mamma. Hope all you moms had a great Mother's Day and were able to spend it with the ones you love.

A Rainy Fourth

As expected, it rained and rained and rained some more on the Fourth of July; but I've got to be honest, I really didn't mind it at all. I'm a fan of lazy rainy days. The rain came in waves, sometimes slow and steady and other times a heavy downpour. Rain is forecast for the next three days as well so everything should be lush and green in the coming days.

I spent the morning of the Fourth watching le Tour (of course) and I once again had French toast for breakfast. Thursday morning's batch finished off my French bread so no French toast for me today which is probably a good thing. Mostly it was just a supremely lazy morning as I didn't do much of anything in terms of productiveness.

Later in the day I made my infamous coleslaw and a peanut butter pie to take over to my parents' house for the cookout they were hosting. I had no idea how many people were going to be there and just made a little larger batch of coleslaw than normal in case there was a larger crowd.

The cookout started at 4:00 and about 20 minutes til I finally headed towards their house. I often forget that it takes longer than usual to get to their house these days because of the massive amount of road construction that blocks the road going to their house. So, I ended up getting there a few minutes late and being the last one to arrive which is highly unusual for me.

There were about 15 people at the cookout so the larger batch of coleslaw was a good decision. My dad cooked Khalua Pig (I'm probably spelling that wrong) and there was also potato salad, baked beans, bread, and a plethora of desserts, most of which contained coconut which was weird. I'm not a fan of coconut so I stuck with my peanut butter pie.

I stayed until about 7:00 and then came home and watched a movie, Looper, which was really good. I had heard good things about it but had never seen it until Thursday night.

So, it was a low-key and relaxing day which is really all a girl needs on her day off. The only bummer of the day was that I did not witness any fireworks. I could have driven down to the Space and Rocket Center but I don't think they held their fireworks show until late in the evening. Lots of people in the neighborhood were shooting off fireworks into the wee hours of the night, but I never ventured out to take a look. I'm sure the same thing will be taking place tonight so perhaps I'll enjoy the view from the front porch.

Hope your Fourth was relaxing and fun and filled with good friends, good family and good food!

Happy Fourth

Hope you and your family have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Christmas 2012

I got up early on Christmas morning and made a couple of sausage and cheese quiche for us to have for breakfast. I also pulled apart the bread dough for the rolls we would be having for Christmas dinner. I then took a shower and got ready for the day and loaded up the car with presents and The Tide and put the dressing in the oven so it would start cooking while I was away.

On Christmas Eve we had decided to do Christmas at 9:00 a.m. and so The Tide and I arrived a few minutes before 9:00 and found the only person up and about was my dad and he was in a panic because he had lost $230 that his congregation had collected for one of the members as a Christmas gift. He and I looked for the money for about 45 minutes, going through the trash and every other place he could think of and we never found it.

Finally around 10:00 a.m. we all made it into the den to begin our family Christmas. It was a really good Christmas for everyone I think. My dad was surprised by a few of his gifts which is always nice and my mother and Justin liked their gifts as well. I was blessed with a lot of nice things, all of which were on my list and one awesome surprise - a Le Creuset 4 and 1/2 quart dutch oven. I have wanted one of these for years but they are so expensive that I never put it on my list. Earlier this year, the 4 and 1/2 quart dutch oven was on sale for a sweet price at Williams-Sonoma and I had told my mom about it. They sold out online and she told me that they had sold out and I didn't think anything else about it. My sneaky mother called the store here in town and asked if they had one for the same sweet price and they did so she got it. It was such a nice surprise and I cannot wait to put it to use.

After we opened gifts, I took some trash out to the street, my dad got busy in the kitchen and mother and Justin went to put their things away. I then left, taking The Tide with me. She was not feeling well and I thought it would be best if she weren't around over 20 Parkers later in the day.

When I got home, I cooked the rolls and made sure the dressing was done and around 1:15 headed back to my parents' house for the remainder of our Christmas festivities. We had a really good dinner and then played dirty Santa. I ended up with two Pyrex casserole dishes that have Parker engraved in the side. My aunt brought these and she ended up with one of them and just gave it to me. Her dirty Santa experience was much like mine was the week before. I brought a gift for Justin to play and he ended up with another Starbucks card. He was kind enough to buy me an eggnog latte the day after Christmas.

Most everyone left around 5:00 and my aunt and I left around 6:00 when the winds started picking up and it began lightning outside. It was quite windy and stormy Christmas night and there were tornadoes in the southern part of the state. Thankfully, there was no storm damage around Huntsville.

So, Christmas, much like Thanksgiving, was peaceful and a lot of fun. It was a great day with my family and I hope they all enjoyed it as much as I did.

Even More Christmas Activities

Saturday evening I went with my parents to see "A Christmas Carol" at the VBC Playhouse. The production was put on by Fantasy Playhouse and was just as good this year as in years' past. We arrived about 15-20 minutes before the show started and found our seats. My parents were sitting on the floor in the wheelchair section and I was two rows behind them.

A few minutes after sitting down, a couple came in and had the two seats to my left. Their two seats were in the curve of the playhouse seats where two sections met and therefore, there was a lot of space between the two seats. this couple was probably in their 50s and did not have wedding rings but appeared to be head over heels for each other. I gathered that they were probably in that lovey-dovey stage of their courtship. Long story short, I traded seats with the man so that these two could snuggle up beside each other. The woman thanked me over and over again and practically hugged me. I told her it was no big deal as my parents were sitting in front and I wasn't on that row with anyone.

I actually love those seats in the curve because you get a heck of a lot more leg room than you would otherwise have. Unfortunately I ended up sitting by a squirmy kid whose mother would not discipline. Seriously, the kid had her feet practically on the head of the person in front of her. She wallowed around in her seat and over onto my seat at times. She bounced up and down and moved the seat up and down and all the while the mother sat there either oblivious to what was going on or she just ignored it. At intermission, the girls' sister came over and the two of them crammed into the seat beside me to the point where the squirmy girl was practically in my lap. I asked her to please sit in her own seat thank you. I was hoping she would fall asleep during the second act, but she didn't.

It was the first time I had seen the play in about three years and there are many lines I think I could quote due to the fact that I've probably seen it close to 15 times. The songs for sure I know and I know what is coming up next; but, it is always a good show and quite enjoyable. This particular show was sold out and they asked if anyone had any extra tickets to please turn them in for a tax credit so they could be resold. I'm not sure that anyone had any extra tickets. The show on Sunday was also sold out. I think this is probably one of the most popular Christmas performances in Huntsville and always does really well. If you have never seen it before or it's been a while since you have, check it out next season.

Sunday night I joined some of the girls from my Sunday school class for a Christmas party of sorts. Some of us get together for a prayer group on Sunday nights and although I'm not really a regular, I have been and was invited to the party. We brought finger foods and played Bunko and just generally had a great time. I had never played Bunko before and had a great time playing. We each brought a Christmas ornament and the winners of each round got to trade with one of the losers if they wanted. I ended up with a poinsettia ornament that was really pretty.

We played three games - six rounds per game - and then gathered in the living room to see who won prizes. There was a prize for the most Big Bunkos the most Little Bunkos and the most wins and the least wins. I won the prize for the least wins and got a really pretty photo album. After the prizes were dished out, I gathered up my things and went home. Since the Survivor season finale was on, I wanted to make sure I had time to watch it before going to bed. The hostesses were twin sisters and as I was leaving they gave me a mug with a "n" on it that was filled with homemade biscotti, marshmallows and hot chocolate balls. Apparently you put the hot chocolate balls in a glass of warm milk. I'm looking forward to giving that a try once the weather cools off, or if the weather ever cools off. I'm assuming they got a mug of goodies for everyone because they are very sweet girls.

I made it home in time to watch Survivor and be shocked at the winner. Then I got a wild hair and purged my winter closet of some sweaters I haven't worn in years, some of which I know I've had since 2001. I finally made it to bed around 11:00 p.m. and even turned out all the lights and guess what - there were no rodent scares!

It was a really great weekend full of Christmas cheer!

P.S. My most loyal commenter, Erika, is on vacation this week and therefore does not have access to a computer. So, if someone could please leave a comment or two this week to let me know someone is reading, it would be most appreciated.

I Had To Remember It's The Season of Giving

Friday night was our Sunday school class Christmas party. I attend the Young Professional (YP) class and there are probably 40-50 people in the class. About 20 or so people attended the party on Friday and it was such a fun night!

Earlier in the week, I had asked Justin if he would like to go and he said yes; since we were planning to play Dirty Santa, I picked up two $15 Rosie's gift cards as our gifts. The party started at 6:00 and was in Hampton Cove, so I picked Justin up about 5:45 and we headed that way. On the way, we listened to The Statler Brothers Christmas CD and laughed and sang and laughed some more at how bad my driving was. It's a sure sign you're getting old when it's difficult to see while driving at night. We passed quite a few houses that were well decorated and gave them one, two, or three honks depending on how much we liked them. Finally we arrived at the party in one piece and I told Justin he could drive when we left.

There were quite a few folks there when we arrived, including Jackie and her mom. Jan had prepared baked spaghetti for our dinner and Jackie had come early to help her mom and the hostesses' mom get things set up. In addition to the baked spaghetti, we also had broccoli and mashed potatoes (yes, I also thought mashed potatoes was kind of an odd choice) and garlic bread. The food was excellent! For dessert there were a couple of cookie cakes. I actually didn't eat any of those, but had a glass of what was supposed to be a coffee punch but really just tasted like chocolate milkshake.

After we ate, we played Dirty Santa and I had the "luck" of drawing the very last number. When we got towards the end of the game, there were two people (including myself) who had not had a turn, but only one gift left to open; so, we were short a gift. The other girl, we'll call her #24, had brought her daughter along to the party and the daughter played Dirty Santa with us. When I asked #24 if she had brought two gifts for her and her daughter she said no, only one and that was obviously where the disconnect was. Had she brought two gifts both her and her daughter could have played but since she only brought one gift and her daughter had played, she was out. Sadly, she did not comprehend this and she got up to open the last gift and I had to call her out on it. I felt kind of bad because she didn't understand, but hey, all's fair in love, war and Dirty Santa.

So, I stole one of the Rosie's cards, and that person stole her boyfriend's gift and then the boyfriend stole the Rosie's card back from me. This group plays different than my family and once a gift id with the third owner it could no longer be stolen. There were a few iTunes gift cards left to steal but quite honestly I didn't know what was open and felt under a lot of pressure and was extremely frustrated and just opened the last gift under the tree which was some sort of Mary Kay hand lotion. Now, I have more lotion at home than I know what to do with, plus I sell BeautiControl so Mary Kay lotion was about the last thing in the world I wanted or needed. I ended up giving the lotion to a girl who got a stupid gift that one of the boy's brought. Long story short, I brought two gifts (for me and Justin) and went home with nothing. Justin, however, scored a Starbucks gift card. He said he would buy me a cup of coffee - I will be holding him to that. He did offer to give it to me, but I just told him to keep it. I just had to keep reminding myself that it is, after all, the season of giving. One of the guys told me later that I looked visibly upset. I said, well, I was. Thankfully, Justin had warned everyone ahead of time that I am terrible at hiding my feelings and to be prepared because if I didn't like what I ended up with I would be letting everyone know.

After the game, we had a photo taken in front of the tree and chatted for a little while. Soon after we all parted ways. Justin drove back to my parents' house so he could be dropped off and then I drove myself home. First, however, we made a stop to fill my car up with gas because it was $2.97 a gallon at the Wal-Mart in Hampton Cove and I just couldn't pass that up since I knew it was a bit more expensive in South Huntsville where I usually fill up.

It was a really fun night, despite the fact that I went home empty handed.

The Living Christmas Tree 2012

Thursday night my family and I ventured out to First Baptist Church on Governor's Drive in Huntsville to enjoy The Living Christmas Tree concert. This year's show was titled Star of Wonder, and a lot of the songs focused on the star that shone when Jesus was born. Obviously a lot of people celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas; I, however do not. I believe the date of Jesus' birth is unknown and therefore do not celebrate it at Christmastime, or any time for that matter.

My friend Denny's parents sing in the Tree and he got me six tickets a few weeks ago. I had gotten an extra pair in case my parents wanted to invite a couple of their friends. They didn't want to invite anyone so I gave two tickets to a girl at work who went with her cousin. That left me with four tickets for me, Justin and my parents. Justin was leading his first AA meeting and so he was unable to attend and then, my mom backed out because she had been at the hospital during the day while my granddad had a heart cath. So, it ended up being just me and my dad - can't really say that was a surprising turn of events.

The concert started at 7:30, which ended up being a shock to my dad and I because I thought it started at 7:00 and had told him to meet me there at 6:30. When I got there and saw my dad was by himself, I turned in our other two tickets so that someone else could use them. We found a seat close to the front and waited for the show to start.Beginning at 7:00, the orchestra began playing music to entertain us while we were waiting for the concert.

A few minutes before 7:30, the minister greeted us and soon after the concert began. In addition to the choir and orchestra, a group called SlipJig also performed and they were wonderful. One guy played the violin, another played the guitar (though sometimes he played a wind instrument as well) and the third guy played some sort of flute type instrument and some sort of bag pipes that you didn't have to blow into. I have no idea what these strange instruments are called, but the combination of them all sounded really great. This is a Celtic/Irish type band and they were one of the best parts of the show and the part my dad liked the best I think.

I really enjoyed this year's program. The only part I did not enjoy was the dancer. They had some girl that is originally from Huntsville and is a trained ballerina perform a couple of dances which were just completely stupid. I personally found it to be inappropriate for someone to be dancing around while the choir was singing of the Savior's birth. It also seemed really out of place and was distracting and quite frankly made me a little uncomfortable.After speaking with the girl from work about last night's show, she and her cousin had been of the same opinion of the dancer and my dad also said that they could have done without the dancer. So, First Baptist, if you're reading this, ditch the dancer. She did not go over well with the folks I know.

The show lasted about an hour and a half and as mentioned, I really enjoyed it. I got caught up in the moment a couple of times and felt like leaping out of my seat and whistling; but, one I don't know how to whistle and two, people probably would have thought I was crazy. I'm not sure my dad enjoyed the show. He kept looking at his program and checking his Blackberry throughout the show and during the next to the last song he was like, let's get out of here. I told him to go on, but he didn't. He did leave during the last applause and tried to get me to go as well. I, however, was enjoying myself and in no hurry to rush through the night and wanted to take my time leaving. So, he finally left my himself and I left when everyone else did. I don't really know why he was concerned with me leaving at the same time as him. We didn't park anywhere near each other. It's not like I needed him to drive me home.

I got home at precisely 9:21 and text Denny to let him know I had enjoyed the show. The Living Christmas Tree has five more performances on the docket. They are Friday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, December 15 at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday December 16 at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The 3:00 p.m. show on Sunday is abbreviated for children and the show on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. will be interpreted in sign language.

If you have time this weekend and are looking for something to do, check out The Living Christmas Tree. It's free to the public and is a really enjoyable show. The concert will also be aired on Sunday, December 16 at noon on WHNT Channel 19. For additional information regarding The Living Christmas Tree, please click here.

The Holiday Season Is Upon Us

Greetings friends and fellow readers. Sorry for not posting anything Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. It's been a rather uneventful few days since Thanksgiving and I doubt you wanted to read yet again about my weekend of cleaning house and doing laundry and watching football. So, I just didn't post anything. I really don't have much to write about at the moment either but will go ahead and ramble on for a while so as not to keep the adoring public waiting... or something like that.

I managed to get the inside Christmas decorations put out and also pulled out and decorated the tree, which just so happened to smell a little of gasoline thanks to the fact that it is stored in the same shed as my lawn mower. I keep waiting for it to go up in flames each time I plug it in. Hopefully that will not happen. It actually no longer smells of gasoline - or maybe I'm just used to it. It could have been the Christmas tree bag that had the smell, who knows? At any rate, when I was pulling it out and putting it up, there was a hint of gasoline in the air and I just hope my house doesn't catch on fire because that would certainly not make for a Merry Christmas.

I have not yet put the outside lights up. I plan to do that on Saturday. This past Saturday when I put the tree up, etc., I had a lot of other things going on and just did not have time to deal with the outside lights. I've had time to do it in the evenings, but I'm scared of going out to the shed in the dark - yes, I did just say that. Y'all there are spiders and all kinds of other creepy crawly things out there so the outside lights will have to wait until Saturday when I can pull the storage bin out of the shed in broad daylight.

As far as Christmas shopping is concerned, I am basically done. I just have one more gift card to pick up and then it will officially be a wrap - ha, get it! I started wrapping presents last weekend and hope to finish up in the next couple of days. I had to go out and get a few more boxes because I didn't grab enough free ones from stores on Black Friday.

I still have a ton of Christmas cards to address and cannot seem to get motivated to address them all. Hopefully I will get in the spirit in the next few days because I like to have my cards in the post the first week of December. 

Speaking of Christmas, if you are an ice cream lover, you should try the White Christmas ice cream from Publix. It is Publix brand and it is absolutely delicious. Have you ever noticed that I recommend a  lot of ice cream products and claim I don't even like ice cream that much? Truth be told I just have to be in the mood for ice cream and when I am in the mood I want something yummy and White Christmas from Publix definitely qualifies. 

For those of you looking for some free Christmas activities, I have a few things I would like to tell you about. First, the Huntsville Christmas parade is on Saturday. It starts at noon and is sure to be entertaining. Last year my dad and I went and it was the first time we had gone in many, many years. I think we are all planning to go this year and I am looking forward to it. Here is a link to the route

Next Monday, December 3, is one of my absolute favorite Christmas events - and it's free! It's the Heritage Bell Ringers Christmas program and it is amazing! The program begins at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church on Airport Road. These folks perform Christmas songs with bells and it is so incredible! If you have your Monday night free, I strongly encourage you to attend. I would advise getting there early to get a good seat. I won't be able to make it this year because I will be at Ladies' Night Out for the church I used to attend and it is my last event as the official organizer so it would be kind of rude if I didn't show up. I am really bummed about missing this show though because it is probably my number one most favorite event of the holiday season. Please go if you have the chance. Here is a link to the Heritage Bell Ringers web site for more information.

Thursday, December 13 - Sunday, December 16 is The Living Christmas Tree at First Baptist Church. This is another one of my favorites. My friend Denny's parents are tree singers (I guess that's what they are called) and he got some tickets for me and my family to attend on December 13. These performances are also free, but you must have a ticket. Click here for information on how to get a ticket for this lovely show.

I'm sure I'll have some more Christmas information for you before the season is up. In the meantime, make plans to attend one or all of these three free events. You'll be glad you did.

Thanksgiving 2012

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Mine was good and busy and it’s hard to believe it’s already over and we are all now focusing on Christmas.

After working the recount last Monday and Tuesday, I went back to my “real” job on Wednesday. After work, I came home and mixed up a large pan of dressing and rolled up some apple dumplings. Seems like I did a few other things as well but I can’t remember what all it was. I took a break to attend church and then came home and did some more food prep, including mixing up two batches of bread dough for homemade rolls.

Thursday morning I got up early and made some coleslaw and a pie and 24 mini pumpkin cheesecakes. I broke off the bread dough and made rolls. I finished cooking the black-eyed peas and baked the dressing and rolls and around 1:00 my brother and granddad came by to help me load everything up and take it over to my parents’ house.

I arrived at my parents’ house around 1:30 and was surprised to find that everyone was already there seeing as how we were scheduled to start at 2:00 and my family is usually never on time. As it turns out my mom told everyone we were eating at 1:30 –well, everyone but me; when she and I had talked previously we had decided on 2:00. I made everyone wait until 2:00 to start eating – we were still waiting on a few others to arrive who I told 2:00. Eventually we were all there and we got started on a delicious meal.

That evening I broke one of my life long rules of not going to the movies on a holiday and went to see Breaking Dawn Part Two with my cousin Ashley and her husband Andy. The movie was pretty good and perhaps I will post a review later this week.

After the movie I went home and enjoyed a little down time before going to bed to get some rest before heading out on Black Friday. It was one of the best Thanksgivings we have had in a long time – nice and relaxing and tension-free, just the way it should be. Hope yours was just as nice!

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

Well, here we are at Thanksgiving - didn't we just celebrate this holiday? I'll tell you, it sure doesn't feel like Thanksgiving, especially with these 70 degree days. Despite the warm temps, which some of you probably are thankful to have, we have a lot to be thankful for this year - jobs, homes, families, friends, the list could go on. Wherever you are in these great United States, I hope you are with family and friends and that you too have a lot for which to be thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving from me and The Tide!

Black Friday Sales

I'd like to chat with you for a bit about Black Friday sales. Yes, that's right, Black Friday sales. As I'm sure you are probably aware, Thanksgiving is one week away, which means, Black Friday is also one week away; and my question is should we even call it Black Friday anymore? Shouldn't we just call it Black Thursday?

For many years now, my dad and I have braved the manic filled streets and stores of Huntsville to take advantage of the Black Friday specials. I really don't even know when this little tradition of ours started but for some reason I think it was either when I was in college, but more likely after I had moved away to New York. My guess is my dad probably wanted some time with his oldest child while he could get it. At any rate, the tradition was started and ever since we headed out on that cold Friday morning all those years ago, we have never missed an opportunity to elbow other shoppers and fight for the last electric blanket.

For the past few years, stores have been opening earlier and earlier which has been both puzzling and at times frustrating; because maybe I want a $5 gift card for showing up and your front door and waiting in the cold but maybe I also want to get more than one hour of sleep so I don't slit the throat of the shopper next to me. Years ago, the earliest stores were opened was 6:00 a.m. and then some genius (I say that sarcastically) decided that 5:00 a.m. would be better. Then, the next thing you know, stores are opening at 4:00 a.m. and then 3:00 a.m. and lo and behold, 2:00 a.m. Really, 2:00 a.m.?

Then, of course, you've got Wal-Mart who only closes their stores one day a year (Christmas Day) because heaven forbid they miss out on one hour's worth of profits. Wal-Mart, I believe it was last year, or maybe the year before that, decided to have Black Friday specials starting at 11:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving or maybe it was midnight. I can't remember, but either way I found it to be ridiculous. I blame Wal-Mart for this new trend in "Black Friday" start times because this year, not only is Wal-Mart having a "Black Friday" sale starting 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving night (8 p.m., people!), but Target is opening at midnight and so are the two malls in Huntsville. That's right folks, the one place I could count on for a 5:00 a.m. start time has decided to open at midnight!

I can't really say I'm surprised by this. Let's face it, Americans are greedy and want their deals faster and quicker and better than the year before and every store in town is trying to get the advantage over the store next door. Not to mention the fact that most people probably don't like to spend time with their families and are more than likely looking for any excuse to gobble down the turkey and trot on out the door. What better excuse than - I've got to nap before I head out for Black Thursday night?

I have no idea what my dad and I will do this year. We may just head out at our normal time of 5:00 a.m. or he may decide he wants to brave the midnight crowds; either way, I'm sure I'll be recounting the tale right here on ye olde blog. I've got to say though, all these midnight and 10:00 p.m. and now 8:00 p.m. openings sure make me miss the good old days where all the stores seemed to open within an hour or so of each other and we ran from one store to the next to get the best door prizes.

What about you? Will you be Black Friday or Black Thursday shopping this year?

Halloween 2012

Today is Halloween, although most of you will probably read this on Thursday, thus the title of the post. I carved my pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern on Tuesday night and once again, instead of using one of the pasterns that I have always loved, I just free handed it. I think it turned out really cute.

This week at work we began our two-week United Way campaign and we held a costume contest on Halloween. I was once again the organizer of the contest and was really surprised at the low turn out. We only have six contestants. Well, really nine, but there was a group of two that competed as one and a group of three that competed as one. The winner was a girl who dressed as a jelly fish. She wore all white and had a clear umbrella with "tentacles" taped to it made of clear bubble wrap. she looked really cute. She was also one of the winners last year when she dressed up as Flo from the Progressive Insurance commercials. Another winner was a lady who works in the cafeteria who said she was Oprah undercover. Her hair looked exactly like Oprah's from a few years ago. Wonder if Oprah's Andre came down and did it for her?

After work, I stopped by Goga and then came home to hand out some treats to the neighborhood ghost and goblins. No, for those of you wondering, I did not go to church. If there's one trait I inherited from my mom, it was stay home on Halloween. I had a total of 10 trick-or-treaters this year - nine kids and one adult. Yes, you read that correctly, one adult in an Auburn swetshirt and her face was painted like a tiger. It was very...odd. I have a lot of candy left over; hopefully my co-workers will quickly gobble it up.

In conjunction with Halloween, this past Sunday was the Family Fun Fest at Mayfair. I have been the past couple of years with Jackie and the kids and it is always a fun time. The Fun Fest was from 3:00 - 5:00 and I arrived around 4:15 because I was watching a movie and too lazy to get off the sofa. I met them all at the trunk-or-treat area as they were wrapping up. We stood by Jackie's parents' truck and watched all the little ones come by. One of my favorite costumes was a homemade recycle truck. It was adorable!

Troy

Ashlyn and her friends

The front of the recycle truck

The back of the recycle truck

My 2012 Jack-O-Lantern