Our Holiday **PICS

Quick post: Here's some pics from our holiday parties/visits & opening presents @ home.
Enjoy!

Gone for a bit

Just a heads up [for the 3 people that actually read my blog, lol] I am leaving out of town tonight for Christmas with one part of hubby's family & then Christmas with my family. I probably won't be able to blog til I get home, which will be Christmas Eve ... so it may be after Christmas!
Where we're going, they don't have DSL ... I know! It's like some other land! lol So I probably won't be able to read all my fave blogs either =( Know that I will catch up with my reading ASAP!
Good bye Internet friends & Happy Holidays!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen of My Favorites

1. Favorite food: Chicken & dumplins; although I occassionally make it without the chicken part [when hubby's not home]

2. Favorite animal: Cats! I'm just sure I'm gonna be the old cat lady one day!

3. Favorite Author: John Grisham, I could read him for hours upon hours, if I didn't have all that pesky housework to attend to!

4. All time Favorite Movie: Dirty Dancing. My mom said I wore that VHS completely out and still watched it!

5. Favorite television show: ER, I have 2 words for ya: Noah Wyle

6. Favorite snack food: Pizzaria Combos!, pizza flavor on pretzel ... nothing better!

7. Favorite cartoon as a kid: Smurfs! Who doesn't love those little blue creatures?

8. Favorite subject from school: Math, it was my thang!

9. Favorite Pizza: Meat Lovers minus the ham ... yeah I know I'm weird.

10. Favorite sport to watch: Football, unless Little Man is playing, then it's baseball

11. Favorite spot to play: Basketball, street style, lol

12. Favorite Musical Group: Rascall Flatts

And last but not least,
13. Favorite thing about summer: Swimming!

Wordless Wednesday ~ One Year Ago....

100 Things (Part 1)

100 Things about me:
I am doing this in 4 parts. It's not cheating, it's improvising!
When I get all 4 finished I will combine them for a special 100 things post!

1. My birthday is October 24
2. I got married at 18 years old
3. I was a cheerleader
4. I almost died in 2005 from congestive heart failure
5. My dad died 4 days before I gave birth to my daughter.
6. Even though we have 3 horses AND both my kids ride, I am so afraid of them!
7. I love shopping!
8. I'm allergic to mayonnaise unless it's cooked in.
9. My hair is naturally curly.
10. I hate talking on the phone, now have you EVER heard a girl say that?!?
11. I love reality shows
12. I used to do gymnastics
13. I am soooo anti-Britney
14. I have a half sister, 2 step-sisters & 1 step-brother
15. On the in law side: I have 6 sisters & 3 brothers
16. I never went to college and I regret it
17. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday
18. I really dislike Tom Cruise & Rosie O'Donnell
19. I Love to read!
20. I wear a size 7 shoe (or 6 from the children's department)
21. I'm suppose to be on a low-sodium diet, but I don't do it
22. Valentine's Day is usually such a disappointment for me =(
23. My favorite actor/actress: Robin Williams/Jennifer Aniston
24. I went to a really small school, there were only 19 in my graduating class
25. I love Margaritas on the rocks!

Great (and Fun) Site

I just stumbled upon FreeRice.com. For every right match of the word they give you, they donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end World Hunger. I have already donated over 1000 grains of rice today!
This site deserves a place on everyone's daily clicks. Please join us in the fight to end world hunger!!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

They're not new, they're rather popular now, but I just wanted to blog about and let everyone know about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. If you've never heard them, scroll down to my music playlist, there quite a few songs by them on there.

They.Are.Awesome



If you like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and would like to check their website out, click HERE.

They will be at the BJCC Arena in Birmingham on December 31st. Click to check Ticketmaster for tickets, if you're interested.

I, personally, would LOVE to go to one of their concerts ... maybe someday, somehow!

Christmas Pics

I know I've already posted some of these pictures, but I wanted to try blogging with Smilebox, I've never done it before! So .... enjoy!

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Have you met my husband?

I'm not too happy with him today. Other than his "drunk issues" last night, when he KNEW we were gonna have family pictures taken, he has been totally unreasonable today.
I wanted to take the kids to see Santa because they still haven't visited him yet this year. He was all like, well I have this and this to do today, and so-in-so is suppose to be coming over to help me do this..... So he decides that it's early enough in the day to go ahead and go to the mall, so that we get back in time for him to get all his stuff done. Never did it cross my mind that Santa wouldn't be there until noon. So it was 11:15 and he wouldn't wait. On the way home, he stopped by Wally World {that's Walmart for you people without kids} By the time we left there [which is about 1/2 mile from the mall, btw] it was then 12:10. So I mentioned the time and asked if we could swing back by the mall.... Nope, time to go home, C. is probably there waiting on him already.... Did I not understand that when he tells someone that he's gonna do something, he sticks to it? I'm sitting here wondering, if he realizes that what is coming out of his mouth is the exact opposite of how he is treating his kids right now?!? We're less than a mile from Santa, but there's more important things to get to, even though that's what this entire trip to town was for...
And to top things off, at 1:45, C. still wasn't here and hubby still hasn't even left the house ! ! ! Anyone else out there thinking what I'm thinking?

Friends & Pictures

Yesterday was spent with my S-M-I-L [that's step-mom-in-law] Christmas shopping for my 2 kiddos & my 3 nieces. We had tons of fun in the best stores, TJ Maxx & Ross. Then we ate lunch at a place I've never tried. We had the buffet at a Chinese place. Now, I've only had Chinese a few times, which is why my SMIL wanted me to try it. Well, it wasn't the worst food I've had, but I think it's safe to say that I won't be eating there again any time soon. [1 fact about me: I'm a super picky eater]
Today was good progress on my organization list. I went through & cleaned out Princess's closet, clothes & even pulled down clothes from the attic to organize them into all one size in each box. We have 3 nieces older than Princess, so we get the great hand-me-downs! [which I am ever so grateful for!!] So I organized what sizes I had into summer & winter boxes. That [and regular cleaning] took most of the day.
Tonight, we went out with my BF Girlfriend & her fiance. We ate at my fave Mexican restaurant. It was so Yummy! Good times, great friends! And the kids actually acted pretty well while we were there. Princess got all upset when she noticed the people way down at the bar were watching a rodeo, and our TV was showing basketball. To keep her from hollering, we had to get the television changed to rodeo. That's my little cowgirl =)
And we took some Christmas pictures today. They were suppose to be all 4 of us, but hubby had "issues" so our "family" picture only had me & the 2 rug rats in it.

Rich Chewy Peanut Butter Bars

hosted by The Pumkin Patch

Rich Chewy Peanut Butter Bars

I've been making these since I was in High School, which is a very long time =) They are my favorite to make at Christmas! And I usually double the recipe. Enjoy!

1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky(whichever you prefer, personally I use smooth)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat peanut butter or margarine together until melted. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour and stir just until combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.

Need help with Christmas present ideas?

Here's ya some links!

Simply Thrifty has a list of 50 Holiday things you can make yourself!

Budget101 has some cute gift in a jar ideas!

FamilyFun has some great Homemade Christmas gift ideas!

Thrifty Fun has their list of Christmas gifts ideas you can make.

Strecher.com has some Creative inexpensive gift ideas!

Now for some fun! I found this website with some of the stupidest stuff I've ever seen! And the website is .... you guessed it, Stupid.com
Here's some of the stupidest of the stupidest: [I will not name the items, to add to the fun, check the links out to find out!]

Stupid Thing 1

Stupid Thing 2

Stupid Thing 3

Wordless Wednesday

What the holidays mean to me

What The Holidays Mean to You

For you, the holidays are about emotional connections and bonds. You are happiest being around those you love. You celebrate the holidays in an over the top style. If something is cute, you'll buy it. People end up with a lot of gifts from you - and your house is like a holiday wonderland, full of decorations. During the holidays, you feel magical. You love all of the decorations and how happy people are. You like to sit back and take it all in. You think the holidays should be nostalgic and sweet. The holidays bring out your inner child. Your best holiday memories are of childhood foods and traditions. You secretly still wish you believed in Santa Claus.

What Do the Holidays Mean to You?

Ice Storm

St. Louis, among other places has been hit by a horrendous ice storm. The news has said that by the time the storms end, there will be over 4 million people out of power.
Normally, my hubby's crew would have already left out. Yesterday, they told them that this time, they weren't sending them out. Then around 7am this morning, hubby calls me and tells me to make sure all his clothes are washed and ready to go. They are talking about sending them after all.

This upsets me a little because he could possibly miss Christmas, if the damage is really bad. I mean, I love that he goes and helps people out when they are in need. And these peoples' needs are definately more important than Christmas presents, I know that. But he has never missed a Christmas and it just saddens me that he could. I would understand, of course!
I just hope that everyone up there where the storms hit are safe and healthy. And that they have the shelter they need until the storms are over and the power is back on! Please keep these families in your prayers!

Broke at Christmas

Well we did it. We broke ourselves. Okay, we're not completely broke, but we might as well be.
We got all the Christmas gifts taken care of. We're gonna be traveling quite a bit this month and feeding these horses with the drought has almost sent us under. {Drought= less hay= more $ spent on feed}
And I don't know about where you live, but here, Little Man's kindergarten is 3&5 dollaring me to death! Everytime I turn around they are going on a field trip, putting on a program, having a party, needing supplies, etc... it goes on and on!
Not to mention that Little Man's birthday is right after Christmas, January 2nd, so there goes more $$$
On the upside, one of my heart medicines, Coreg, finally came out with a generic, so I now get it at Walmart for $4.10 a month.
But with all the stress that goes along with Christmas, sometimes I just wish it was over already! I don't even get to enjoy it that much anyway. We put too much emphasis on gifts nowadays. I think this is gonna be the last year that we go so present crazy. Next year, the kids will get a couple gifts from Santa, and a few from us, and that's it!

Reality

Funny Pics at pYzam.com

Freebie Friday

Free sample of Dunkin' Donuts Coffee

Free Campbell's Soup for Life Booklet

Free Caregiver's Guide to Alzheimer's

Free 20 piece starter pack of Nicorette Cinnamon Surge & Stop smoking Now!!

Sign up for Folger's Wakin' Up Club & get special offers & sample via postmail!

Free Jesus First pin

Free Menopause Survival Kit

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Evolution of Dance

Best thing I've seen on YouTube!!
Make sure to go to the bottom of the page and turn the site music off first, and make sure your volume is turned up!! Enjoy!!

Christmas Links

Santa themed:

• At northpole.com, you can track Santa on Christmas Eve, send letters to Santa, check the naughty and nice lists, browse recipes and More!
• Great ideas for family Christmas fun at AmazingMoms.com!
• Holiday Party Supplies has great Christmas buys including Stocking Stuffer Sets, partyware and personalized items.
• Christmas Recipes
• List of Christmas movies

Christian themed:

• Story of Christmas
• The Birth of Christ
• Kids Craft Ideas
• Poem - There's No Christmas without Jesus
• Christmas Stories & Articles
• How to Cope with Grief & the Holidays
• Annie's Christmas has tons of great stuff!
  

Getting to know me. Christmas Version

Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, copy, paste, and insert your answers.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper

2. Real tree or artificial? artificial ... had a real one once, too messy

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but this year I was a little late due to rearranging the living room / playroom

4. When do you take the tree down? Somewhere in between the day after Christmas and New Years Eve.

5. Do you like eggnog? I am extremely picky and was told I wouldn't like it, so I never tried it

6. Favorite gift received as a child? swing set from my Daddy (R.I.P.)

7. Do you have a nativity scene? used to, several pieces got broke and I never replaced

8. Hardest person to buy for? my uncle J.

9. Easiest person to buy for? either one of my kiddos

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A really old-lady outfit from my Granny, bless her, I wore it once while pregnant only to please her.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail only! I love holiday cards.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Night They Saved Christmas

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try to start in January with all the after-holiday sales, but really start shopping around September.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? probably

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? sausage balls

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? I usually have either/or/both {yeah I know people gasp at the thought of both! idc} This year I have clear & red so =p

17. Favorite Christmas song? I don't really have a favorite, but anything Little Man sings for me I love!!!

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? both, but stay at home on Christmas Eve night

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen .... okay I'm missing one.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? neither this year, started with a ribbon, now have a santa up there ... the angel I bought for the position didn't come with a hole down there, lol.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? hubby and I open Christmas Eve that way Christmas morning is all about the babies

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? not being able to find that special gift you've been searching for

23. What I love most about Christmas? being with family & the decorations

A little Christmas Funny

Christmas Traditions: New and Old

We have a few traditions for Christmas. Some that we started when we got married, some started when we moved away from our hometown, some when we had kids.

My Dad, now deceased (R.I.P.) gave us our very first family Christmas ornament with the year 1999 on it. Since then, we have bought a new family ornament every year. When Little Man was born, we continued the tradition by buying an additional new ornament with his name on it. Same with Princess, but we just picked a girly one out for her, instead of getting one to engrave. Now that they are both older, they pick their own ornaments out every year.

We have family scattered all around different areas. So we have always tried to split time between everyone. Hubby has 2 sides of family with step-parents and all. And I have have my mother's side that we visit. And hubby has a brother in Louisiana, a sister in Florida, etc. One tradition that we have Always stuck to is, being home to sleep Christmas Eve and opening Santa's gifts Christmas morning at Our Own Home. This is a biggie for us. No matter how many plans and parties we make, we are always home for this special time.

A rather new tradition for us is, hubby sitting with the kids and reading them "The Night Before Christmas" before they head to bed. Also a new tradition starting this year, I will be reading them the Real Christmas Story to enforce the real Reason for the Season.

Usually hubby's brother, his wife & their 2 girls come up from LA for Christmas, which means they are never home for Christmas morning. This year, they decided to start being home like we always have. So that changes our Christmas a little. Also hubby's step-mom (who is a nurse) has to work on Christmas Day, so that changes some too. [We always go to her house for Christmas breakfast] So we are getting some new traditions this year. I will be making Christmas breakfast here at home and I plan on making Christmas lunch too.

We will be going to Louisiana on Dec. 28th to see our family there and exchange gifts. Not sure if this is gonna become a tradition yet or not.

Lots of old traditions holding strong and some new ones coming in this year!! What traditions are special to you and your family?

Just got our tree up

...so I thought I'd post a couple pics on here. I decided to go a little different this year. Our tree is prelit with clear lights, I usually add multi colored lights to it, but this year I added red lights. And I got red & silver garland & a red & white ribbon topper. Red, clear & silver balls, along with the kids' ornaments & others that we've collected over the years. I did forget to add the candy canes before I took the pictures though.

I have wanted to do something different with the colors for a few years. I had actually bought some pink & some bright blue beads last year on sale after Christmas, but I decided not to use them. But instead to go with a red theme.

I think it turned out pretty good. This is the first year Mackenzie helped put her own ornaments on too, so it's so memorable already!!

Well hubby has to work tomorrow & the kids went to bed with him, so I guess I get the couch tonight, but I'm sooooo tired already. I'm out! Nite everyone!

A Little Elf Fun

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself.
Check it out by clicking the link HERE.

Make yourself one here
I got this from a friend's page !

MIA

Sorry I disappered for a bit. I've been pretty busy.

We spent the 21st to the 25th at our family's houses.

After we got home I spent Monday catching up our laundry.

Tuesday was spent grocery shopping & cleaning the house.

Wednesday I had to take Little Man to the doctor. He's been running & sliding on his knee for a few weeks (even after multiple attempts my me to get him to STOP) and it caught up with him. He's got infection in there. Gross looking too, lol. So he's on antibotics for a week.

Then from Wednesday evening until yesterday, I was rearranging the house. I am going to start babysitting 2 boys in January, so I decided I needed a playroom. I moved the living room to the front room of the house that I had used as a sort of family room with a tv, my computer & stuff in it. Now the room that was the living room is the playroom/office. It turned out great, but took A LOT of time getting it done. Matter fact, there's still some small things that have to be finished.

Last night I went out with 2 of my female cousins to celebrate one of their bdays. My hubby actually kept Little Man & Princess without complaining OR calling his step-mom to babysit. And I got to go out with the girls and have a few drinks & appetizers at Applebee's. We were home by 9pm, {we're all moms, lol} but we had a great time. Want to know the weirdest part? We spent almost the entire evening talking about our kids! Go figure!

So here I am today, finally getting a chance to sit and blog. If my hubby & Little Man weren't off herding cattle, we would be putting up the Christmas tree, but I guess we get to do that tonight.

Hope everyone had a fun & safe holiday last week. Have a great weekend too!!!

Oh yeah ....... Happy December!!!!

Here's a couple pictures from our Thanksgiving: