Six days and counting...

Not until 2010.  Only 35 3/4 hours until that.  

Six more days until my teens go back to school and I can play on the computer again.  :)  I have been having a few withdrawal symptoms, but I realize I need to share while they are home.  Also, I have been chauffeuring a bit too.  Ah, motherhood.  

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!  I have, even if I haven't been able to be on my computer to blog about it much.  :)  Catch you all soon- 

Hootie

B.O. & Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Today I splurged and bought this tall tree candle for myself!  Quite sometime ago I commented about a friend who makes candles from palm oil.  I've been buying his taper candles all year.  Not too long ago my friend's candles were featured in Oprah's Buying Guide.  But I've been buying them B.O!  Before Oprah!  :)

The jar candle in this photo is a Yankee Candle, but the square tapers are my friends too!  The little red tree was a gift to me from my friend so my tall tree wouldn't be lonely.  Aren't they cute together?

*****

Back on December 2, Sew, Mama, Sew was hosting their annual give away day.  I really did mean to comment about it before it was over so others could go and get in on the fun, but life got a bit hectic.  Well, long story short...I did have a little bit of good fortune.  From Made by the Mama Monster, I won these adorable fabric pieces, a raw edge headband, a Utah Truffle and some other homemade chocolate bon-bons...which I ate all at once!  Did I share the truffle?  No way!  Honestly, I'm not very good at sharing chocolates.   I did let my daughter wear the headband though!  :) 

HOLY COW! She's havin' one...

The she is my 15 year old daughter.  The cow is the fit she's pitching over my choice of Christmas card photos...specifically HER photo on the card this year.  

My cards haven't arrived yet, but I expect them any day.  Until they arrive I am practicing patience and my ignoring skills.  Let me backtrack to share the full story...

Every year I send out a photo card.  I am one of those people who like to be in the picture, mostly because it's my family card and I am half of the reason we are a family.  Also, just because I had kids that didn't mean I disappeared from being in photos.  And truthfully, I love any reason to be in a photo with my kids and DH.  Each month after Christmas, all year long, no matter what we are celebrating or doing, I try to capture a decent photo of us as a family always thinking, "Christmas card potential."  When November rolls around I look back at that collection of the best photos that could be Christmas card worthy.  This year my first choices had more individualized photos of each of us.  I had a great photo of my DH high up on a rock formation in the middle of Montana, a photo of me at the beach from Thanksgiving, my son from his Montana trip and my daughter (with my DH) at her school promotion ceremony.  The person who complained the most was that girl child.  "Eeew!  I look HORRID in THAT photo!!!!  Can you change it!?  (really more of a demand than an question)  

Well, lucky for the girl child, I too, wasn't completely satisfied with my choices.  I felt the card was missing that certain something I was looking for this year.  The next day I started over with my card design.  Since it was last Friday, and I was feeling like I am certainly dragging my feet in getting done what I need to get done this year, I wanted to order the cards that day.  I wouldn't have time to let everyone in the family see my new choice.  I sent an example off to my DH via e-mail and asked what he thought.  I even commented, "Do you think the kids will kill me? Or should I just not worry about it because someday they will grow up and say, 'What fun!'?"  He responded that he loved it and I shouldn't worry.  So I placed my order.  

On Saturday, I asked my daughter if she wanted to see my new design.  Well, let's just say that she is not very happy with my choice.  Could you hear her down in LA?  How about in IL or up in MI?  I KNOW my neighbors could hear her, and hear her, and hear her.  And they could still hear her on Sunday.  She hasn't said anything today, but I haven't mentioned it either.  

So, my original choice for her photo was of her and her dad.  My new choice has her in her Halloween costume.  She was Marilyn Monroe.  Are you visualizing white, low cut, flowing skirt, dress?  White wig, black mole, red lip stick?  Her picture is one of those "surprised" looks that would make anyone instantly think, Marilyn.  My son is in his costume too; he looks like Sonny Crockett from the 80's cop drama, Miami Vice and my DH & myself have on 3-D glasses.  Inside is a picture of the four of us at Disney World and I wrote, "May your 2010 be filled with fun memories!"  

When my cards do arrive, I think I will have to address them on the sly next door.  If you are lucky enough to receive one this year it will mean that I got them out BEFORE my daughter knew they had arrived.  She has threatened to cut them up, burn them, paste over them, etc.  

Teenage girls can be SO melodramatic!  Wish me luck in continuing with patience and ignoring her rants.  :)  

Focus, Breathe, Relax...

When I was in labor with each of my two babies, I had a picture with me of my happy place.  I could look at that photo, focus and relax.  

***

Over Thanksgiving break, my DH sacrificed himself and drove straight through the night so we could get to the east coast and celebrate the day with his family.  Fourteen hours in the van, two kids, a wife and a new dog!  

Did I mention he worked all day too before that? 

The weekend before had been a hard one for me to get through.  I know it takes a long time to accept the loss of someone close.  I think three years is a long time, but not really when that loss effects ones soul so deeply.  

My husband got me safely to my happy place...not in a photo, but in person.  

I spent most of my time with Winston walking the beach.  Hours and hours with the cool breeze caressing my cheeks.  Shell searching, bird chasing (Winston, not me!), shark tooth finding, dolphin watching, pelican counting, sunrise watching and star gazing...breathing...and relaxing.  

***

The first person I saw on the beach that morning wished me Thanksgiving greetings and he said something like, 'makes you realize how much you have to be thankful for, doesn't it?' "I do," I replied.  

Christmas Freebie! R U Ready?

Tonight is the night to get into the Christmas spirit!  

You don't even have to leave home!!!  

At 8 pm tonight and Saturday night, or 2 pm on Saturday and Sunday, Indiana University will present Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Ballet.  

You can sit at home in your PJ's and watch it!  For Free!  Just before show time, Build a fire in your fireplace, warm up your computer, grab a cup of cocoa and click on this link:  Nutcracker Live Stream!

I'll be watching on-line tonight too!  Then, I'm helping out tomorrow afternoon and will be attending the show on Sunday with my family.  If you watch on Sunday, I'll be way down front and just off center.   I'll stand up and I'll wave to the camera just a few minutes before show time!  And as a bragging mom...this is my baby in the tutu being laced up above.  She's in the first act as a Lead Officer (blue jacket, not red; but impossible to pick out in the crowd if you aren't her mom).  In the second act she's a Trepak (What we all think of as the Russian dancers).  When the Trepak girls follow the boys in a line, she's first.  

I love IU's production of The Nutcracker, especially when it snows on stage!  

I hope you enjoy this little gift.  

~Hootie  :)

Holiday Travels and Food!

We spent 14 hours driving in our van, from Wednesday afternoon until 6 am on Thanksgiving.  We traveled from Indiana to the coast of South Carolina.  

Dinner was not a home cooked meal.  It was nice to share the time with family, but GOSH I MISSED THE FOOD!  It wasn't until a few days later that I realized how much I missed all that home made stuff.  

We returned home late on Sunday night.  On Monday I needed to do a little grocery shopping.  Turkey legs were on sale!  For dinner on Monday I made smaller portions of some of the meal we had missed:  Turkey, mashed potatoes (not from a box!), gravy (from the turkey drippings), stuffing (okay, this was from a box...I only had legs, not a whole turkey to work with), cranberry sauce (real cranberries cooked on the stove top with water and sugar, etc) and green beans.  Mmmm.  The week before we traveled I did make sweet potato casserole to go with a ham we had, so I didn't make that again.  

I made myself a pumpkin pie on Tuesday night!  Now I am ready for the Christmas season.  :)  

Hope you all had your favorites to eat last week!  Next in my kitchen...Christmas Baking!!!