Away to Callaway!

 

 Tonight we will be singing Christmas carols as we journey through the "Fantasy in Lights" with family! But first I have to get ready and get us packed so we can get there! These pics I found don't do it justice; if you get the chance, just go see it for yourself! Also, those of you that requested the email alerts, please let me know if you got one for this post. Ok, I have to go get my boots and scarves packed.....Oh how I love winter and Christmas!

 

 

Interested???

Are any of you, dear faithful readers and commenters, interested in getting an email notification whenever I have posted a new post on the ole blog? My lil sis who is much more bloggerific than I, has found a way for this to happen since the private blogs can't use the regular "follow by email" app. So, if you get weary with checking to see if I've posted {and being disappointed!} please comment, and I will make it send you an email to save you the hassle of loading up the webpage only to find the same old content. Here's to posting more regularly and to only viewing new stuff!!! :)

 

Also, doesn't this reading room just make you swoon?! I would love to brew me some tea, grab some coconut oatmeal cookies, tuck my Nook under my arm, and dive into the picture....

Cinderella is living proof!

Quote of the Day!

{Cinderella is living proof that a pair of shoes can change your life!}

 

 

 

 

I'm loving my new Adidas trail runners!

do you ever....

Do you ever feel like the "brooding blues" and the "sappy sunshine" are fighting for a hold on your soul? Each trying desperately to seep inside you and take control? I do. Maybe just because I am me, or because I am a woman, who knows?! I'll find myself sinking...down into navy blue thoughts about situations and life in general, and then I'll suddenly snap out of it with the cheery thought that "Every little thing's gonna be alright!" And then the next minute I've got this little tear squeezing outa my eye again....sigh! Don't I have a choice whether or not I want to ride this emotional roller coaster? Maybe I do, maybe I don't, but more often than I like I find myself on board. And then you just gotta hang on till the ride is over and and the sun is shining again! :) Is this normal? Am I OK? Please tell me...or better yet, come sit beside me if you're riding it too!

happy black friday!

Black Friday 2012 found me sleeping soundly in bed! This year, Black Friday "sleeping" sounded better than "shopping!" Daniel didn't have to work, so we just slept until we awoke, which was around 9. Then we lazed around and ate a can of Pillsbury Orange Danish Rolls for breakfast. Perfecto! Around 2:30, I decided to go Black Friday shopping after all! {in Atmore! lol} Netted 1 Christmas present at Goody's and a 2 liter at Family Dollar for $.88! Yay! Then I walked two laps in the park as I am still feeling rather enormous after all the food I consumed yesterday....We were at Uncle Kevin's for a magnificent feast of a whole roasted pig, fried turkey, and every other side dish you can imagine! Daniel and I nature-watched yesterday morning, and while he went hunting again in the evening, I went to school to see friends and play softball and volleyball. Was so fun; I miss playing sports; although I don't think they miss me! I did some major fumbling, but hopefully redeemed myself by catching one flyball! We ended up at Wade's for the evening and got in on some delicious seafood - Florida Thanksgiving menu! Finished Turkey Day eating pie and coffee with family...the best way to end a day! I need to get up now and get a pie made for a pie social that we are planning to attend tonight. Think I'll make a pecan.... The smell of tuna is wafting through the kitchen as the dogs' birthday cakes are cooling on the counter. Not the best smell ever, but they should be delighted! Gonna frost them with mashed potatoes and milkbones once they are cool. Later y'all! Tell me in comments what was the best part of your Turkey Day, and if you braved the crowds for Black Friday madness! :)

domestic gratefulness

Today I'd like to share 6 things that I am most grateful for! Not the big things like democracy, freedom of religion, homes, food, clothing, and family that we all know without saying we are so fortunate to have, but the "little" everyday, ordinary things that I often take for granted!

Top of the list has to be the...

1. DISHWASHER!!! I just love piling it brimming full, turning the knob, and later opening the door to witness the evidence of a miracle!

2. Dual-controlled HEATED MATTRESS PAD! Ooohh the bliss of crawling into toasty, warm sheets on a cold night...

3. NOOK! Everywhere I go, I have with me the power of the written word.

4. The color RED! Each room in our house is infused with a bit of this vibrant color and without fail, it makes me HAPPY!

5. Collection of GLASS FIGURINES! Whimsical and colorful, they delight the child in me. :)

6. Unlimited TEXT MESSAGING! Makes it possible to keep in touch with friends and family even though we live a fast-paced life.

I know this list could be way longer, but I have to get a red velvet cake order filled pronto! BTW, check out this awesome link! http://www.3cordshaiti.com/ Blue Elephant Stitches posted about it, and I thought it was so cool! Who wouldn't swoon to own this gorgeous, Haitian-made wristlet?!

what we've been up to...

Howdy! Long time, no blog! Life has been keeping us hopping! Friday I babysat Neil, or as he corrected me, "bigboysat!" because he is NOT a baby! Saturday was Wade and Rhonda's 10th anniversary, so they spent the day and night away to celebrate. I tried to get a lot of baking done for the bake sale, but it didn't really happen. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be ready to have children of our own! HOW do you ever accomplish anything?! I did get my allergy shots, make 45 whoopee pies, and attend the annual Fruit and Nut Sale though with him before taking him to Grandma Diane's for the night. I couldn't decide when to stop baking, but after 9 pies, 73 whoopee pies counting the ones I had made Thursday, 15 white chip pumpkin streusel muffins, 3 loaves of bread, and a red velvet cake, I called it quits and headed for bed at 2 am. Saturday morning, Anne, Becky, and I loaded the bed of the truck with all our goodies and headed for the Kid's House in Milton. It was a gorgeous day to be out selling baked goods under the trees. We didn't sell out there like we had hoped, but the first time at a location is slower most of the time. It kinda got to be a joke how many people walked by our tables and looked longingly at all the sweets only to sadly shake their heads and say, "I would buy stuff, but I'm diabetic." Guess we should've baked with Splenda! The "Festival of Trees" was Saturday night also, so we got a free sneak peak at all the Christmas loveliness thanks to my sweet mom-in-law! The creativity that people put into decorating their trees was amazing! Becky and I took some baked goods into the gas station we stopped at on the way home and managed to sell one loaf of poppyseed bread. Next stop was Steve's Farm where we sold some more things! Then I decided we should stop by the field where Daniel was dove hunting and we ending up almost selling out to all those guys! So it was an interesting but fun Bake Sale Day! Yesterday we had our church dedication service at Southern Harbor Church. I hadn't ever attended a church dedication before. It was an interesting service with the dates, facts, and figures of the building and of course a sermon and lots of beautiful songs. We had sandwiches, fruit salad, chips, pickles, cake, and ice cream for the meal. Today, Daniel had things to do around here this morning, and left after lunch. I have been dinking and piddling around not accomplished much, yet having much that needs to get accomplished! One more thought before I close, Daniel told me that the new addition in our bedroom should not be called the "Pegboard Partition," rather it is the "Armory!" lol

20 questions

1. Why is it already time to put up Christmas decorations?! Atmore was busy at it, Rhonda and I noticed on our way home from spending 5 hours cleaning a filthy, cluttered house. {I was just fixin' to get out my wooden Pilgrim people! Should I even bother and just get right to the holly sprigs?!}

2. What did YOU eat for lunch? :) Rhonda, Neil, and I had Burger King - note to self - "Don't order the gingerbread milkshake again. It tastes like potpourri!"

3. What baked goods will sell the best at our booth this Saturday at the Santa Rosa Kid's House?.... I'm thinking pies....some full-size, some half-size....maybe apple, pecan, sweet tater, and pumpkin? Also some whoopie pies! Chocolate, red velvet, or pumpkin? or ALL three?!!

4. What brand of cake mix is the best?

5. Any suggestions on how to motivate myself to finish deep-cleaning the kitchen??? {my new years rez was to deep clean the WHOLE house and this year is almost over and I am NOT done!! Eeeek!!}

6. What should I cook for supper tomorrow? Kinda feel out of main course ideas lately.

7. Why is it hard to be thankful when I really have SO much?

8. Think getting a flu shot this year will do the trick? Last year was awful, if I ere not, all but two people at my family's Thanksgiving gathering came down with the flu afterwards!

9. Is name brand Jello superior to store brand?

10. Want to know what Daniel just asked me? He wondered "What are you doin'?" and I said, "Blogging." and he replied, "Bushhoggin' huh." lol

11. Should I or should I not go Black Friday shopping this year? Won't be the same without Alisha and Mirna....

12. Anybody want to go Black Friday shopping with me??? :)

13. Should I just buy the fabric and sew the window treatments for the guest room/studio? Or keeping shopping and hoping I'll find what I like?

14. Did you know that our fur children have birthdays next week? Diesel turns 3 and Leroy 2 on Black Friday!

15. Wonder why the bromiliad that I got at the Garden Party died? One more plant to add the my list of plant homicides.

16. Shall I make the dogs a Milkbone tuna birthday cake? Or Milkbone peanut butter?

17. Did you know that a spoonful of 7 minute frosting lightly sprinkled with salt just makes everything better sometimes?....

18. Does eating grapefruit really help you to lose weight?

19. Any tips on how to budget? For groceries, household, gifts, clothing etc.?

20. Will my dishes do themselves if left alone long enough?? Sadly, I have found the answer to this one by experience, and it is a resounding NO!

he loved it!!!

Danl got home at 7:30 last night. I was so anxious for him to see the peg-board partition, but I wanted him to be totally shocked when he walked into the bedroom, so I didn't say anything. It took F.O.R.E.V.E.R for him to finally go back there for something, and he just stopped, stared, and said W.O.W!!! and then was silent for a bit! I was scared that he didn't like it, but then he said "This is really cool, I love it!!" He is back there right now, putting things he had with him away, and reorganizing his ammo. I'm really excited that now our bedroom actually feels like a calm, peaceful place to sleep and relax instead of an aisle of Bass Pro Shops / Jo-Ann Fabrics that had a bed in it.

while the hubby's away....

While the hubby's away, the wife will NOT play - she will attempt to organize copious amount of hunting and shooting paraphernalia! Shhhh! Don't tell Danl, it's huge surprise! I have been pondering on how to organize his mess for awhile now, and didn't want to tell him what I have in mind for fear of getting shot down! Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission, y'know what I mean?! I think he will LOVE it when he sees it though! I went to Marvin's this aft, and bought a 4' x 8' piece of pegboard (which they so helpfully cut in half for me! I tried to appear feminine and helpless! lol) I am posting this before I even attempt to begin to hopefully gain some courage for the daunting job awaiting me....First, I plan to move the glider rocker and an end table out of the guest room/studio. That should give enough room to move my sewing desk etc. in! Next, I intend to rearrange the furniture in the master bedroom to accommodate the new "peg board partition" I'm gonna build. It should conceal all the gunnery and give more room to hang things that Danl is always losing, thus making my job of master thing-finder and house beautician easier! I am ready to flex my muscles and BEGIN! (Tara, want to come help?! :) But first, I have a baby shower to attend! It's for Faye {Loewen} Colley. Some of her friends that she grew up with are putting it on for her. A little bird told me that cupcakes will be involved..... Yay! :)

details, details, 'n more details!

Here it is!

Thursday, Nov. 1 - A pleasant day for driving. Stopped at Chickfila for lunch. Have I mentioned how good their lemonade is?! Also the carrot, pineapple, raisin salad! Mel and Danl think it looks disgusting, but they didn't taste it! Arrived in Jonesboro and spent a relaxing evening at the hotel. (see "Away to AR" post)

Friday, Nov. 2 - SLEPT IN! Finally scraggled around and got dressed to go to Cracker Barrel for brunch. I devoured 3 pancakes with Montmorency (which our waitress kept pronouncing as "Montgomery") cherry topping and whipped cream, bacon, and a fried egg along with cups of coffee! Mel had the pecan pancakes, and Danl ate biscuits 'n gravy and a hash brown. All tanked up, we headed to Sears next. Picked out and purchased a stainless steel gas grill for Alex and his bride. Dropped Danl back off at the hotel so Mel and I could girl shop. ;) Jonesboro is a great place for shopping and eating! Couldn't think of a store or restaurant it didn't have! First we browsed Trees 'N Trends; Mel bought the most awesome orange glass fish! Goodwill was next; which netted nothing. Turtle Creek Mall was our next stop. Got Danl some brown leather, casual shoes on clearance for $15 and me two pair of flip-flops for $.35 each! Didn't end up going to see Alex and Ashton's house since we found out it was 40 miles away from Jonesboro. 80 miles round trip! We'll go see them once they are living there one day! Spruced ourselves up for the supper and proceeded to get lost getting there which was mostly my fault since I had been driving when we got there the night before and "thought" I remembered how to get back out on the road we had come in on. But, I DIDN'T and we ended up on dirt roads before finally making it to the First Baptist Church in Truman. Supper was soup and cinnamon rolls, really delish! Visited with lots of friends and fam we hadn't seen in awhile. Ashton was wearing a navy dress with embroidered flower/vines. Alex was maybe 10-15 pounds thinner I thought! They appeared to be pretty relaxed. After supper, a quartet sang, Kelvin Wenger read a poem, and the youth had three songs. We soon headed back to the Hilton.

Saturday, Nov. 3 - Wedding Day! Danl looked so handsome in his new, dark turquoise shirt! We got the church on time without getting lost. I think there was around 350 people there, not sure. The choir sounded really good, Greg Schneider was the leader. Ashton was a beautiful bride! Her dress was simple and elegant; a soft, shimmery mint green with lots of loops and buttons all the way down the front. She had loops and buttons on the belt too. I didn't see her shoes, but Mom said she thought they were shiny with narrow high heels. She's pretty short; or maybe she just looks that way standing by Alex!! They make a good looking couple! Her younger sister was a pretty maid of honor, wearing a beautiful black dress. Since Anthony is tall too, the wedding procession looked pretty balanced out! :)Mike preached an interesting wedding sermon. Lunch was Alex-style - definitely not skimpy! Huge portions of smoked Boston butt, gourmet potatoes, a roll, fruit salad, and pickles covered our plates. For dessert, it was cherry or blueberry cream cheese frosted white cake. I think the mints were even homemade! Two small pale green hearts were on each black napkin. Cute! The flowers on the tables had a large white gerber daisy and greenery with black rocks in the vase. For some reason, I didn't take in the bouquet on the brides table! I know! I know! I failed miserably! I also missed the silverware chest and Bible. Mom said she had beautiful Oneida silverware. Danl wasn't in the mood to hang around while they opened gifts; they didn't seem to be in any kind of rush! Just enjoying it all and taking their time. :) We sacked out for awhile; then went out for sushi at Hiro Japanese Grill. It was super!

Sunday, Nov. 4 - Packed up and checked out by 8:30. Struck out for the mountains of Guntersville. Drove through some beautiful country on Hwy 72. Dad had jumbo bacon-wrapped shrimp and steaks coming off the grill when we arrived! Yummo! Their beautiful, new house is almost done, just a few things here and there that need completing. Finished the day with coffee and pecan pie.

Monday, Nov. 5 - I woke up not feeling the best; clogged sinuses etc. My last zyrtec had sadly rolled down the sink drain at the hotel. :( MomDenise and Erica had a cleaning job in the morning. When they got back, we went to town. Ate at Bubba-Rita's for lunch (it's like Moe's) then while Erica got fingerprinted, I shopped Fant's. Didn't buy anything!!! Fun to look around though! It's an amazing, old-fashioned general store! Everything from camo and frying pans, to home-decor, luggage, gifts, and clothing! Next, we tried to shop in Bakers on Main, but it didn't work out so well since it was closed. "Sorry people! Your sign wasn't very noticeable!" Took some McD's by to the teachers. So great to see my friend Tawanna who is teaching there this year. Back on the farm, Dad cooked up a delightful hibachi supper of fried rice, steak, shrimp, chicken, and scallops! I would be the size of the farm if we always ate like that!

Tuesday, Nov. 6 - Home Sweet Home!

sweet home florida!

We are back in the Sunshine State! And you know what? I LIKE this place! AR is too much like Kansas! Kinda boring.... flat and not many trees. But I'm glad they can grow rice! Life without sushi would be terrible! We just pulled in this afternoon as we stopped through Sweet Home Alabama on our way back which wasn't our original intention. But it was an awesome diversion! This post isn't the "Detailed Wedding Report." That will come tomorrow. Just wanted to say we are alive, and home, and well! Diesel and Leroy are happy to be with their humans again. Was hard to recognize them, they are blistering white once more!

away to AR!

Here we are in Arkansas! Diesel and Leroy are thrilled to be living the posh life for a few days at the doggie hotel, and we are thrilled to be relaxing at the Hilton after a day of driving, our bellies full of Papa John's pizza..... Mel and I just got back up from turning ourselves into lazy prunes in the hot tub. Tomorrow we want to sleep in, grab breakfast at the nearby Cracker Barrel, do some shopping, tour the area to see Alexs' new home and where Greg and Cam reside, and attend the pre-wedding supper. This is so relaxing after the crazy month we just came through! We are going to live it up, because all too soon, it will be nose back to the grindstone! :) Which is good too.