And to All... A Good Night

I am home again. 3 days in balmy/freezing cold Pensacola, WAY too much eating, and MANY MANY MANY long hours in the car... and now we are back at Home Sweet Army base. We had a nice visit with Dan's family. Both happy moments and sad... more on this later.

Did I mention the car ride?

I think somewhere on I-20 (with the unending view of pavement ahead) I said,

"I am not in the Christmas spirit."

Now, 12 hours later, I am beginning to feel it returning.

This is my FAVORITE night of the year.

Christmas Eve.

Just the name makes me smile.

I still have LOADS more things to do, but I am... strangely... at peace.

May your "eve" be blessed and happy and fun and magical and all the things it should be.

Tour of Home

Yes, I know. That title is supposed to say "Tour of HomeS." But, I have yet to figure out that whole blog-linking thingy. And, I only have one home. (My beach cottage is undergoing renovations... in my mind...) So for now...this is all you get to see.

Everyone in blog world is showing off all their Christmas finery. If you have a chance, you should check out my friend Amy's decorations at Franklin 4. Now that girl can haul out the holly!

Here's our litttle tribute to the season...


These are just SOME of the vast collection of Nutcrackers we have. In truth, they belong to the boy... he gets a new one every Christmas Eve. And, no, I have not been using the dudes in Photo #3 to press garlic... it was just in the picture!






The outside of our humble abode... (We have a snowman on the porch, too. He couldn't make it for the picture.)





I just love this guy...


and this guy... (he's new this year!)


and is it obvious? We ALL love this guy...




There are Santas (my "collection") on the bookcases...






The tree...


I've heard it said that you can tell a lot about a family by the ornaments on their tree.

Let's see...
What makes Christmas so magical for us...


Proof that we are a bunch of kids at heart...


How we manage to get through most days...


What we pray for...


The reason we pray...


And last, but not least...

These folks have been with us a LONG time. 15 years to be exact. They are definately a little worn and weary. I think that they probably felt very worn and weary that night in Bethlehem, too. All that traveling and stress and uncertainty. But, then the joy. The unimaginable joy and hope they must have felt.

That's our prayer for you this Christmas...that same joy and hope in your hearts and in your homes.

How Many Days Do I Have Left?

An entire day spent (wasted) shopping.

And, I am not even CLOSE to being finished.

Why do I put it off EVERY year?

EVERY year, people.

I say I'm gonna get better, but I don't.

And, to top off my day...

"Toys R Us" (a.k.a. "Hell on Earth") was out of these...





Hee Hee.. just kiddin'... but wouldn't that make for a GREAT Christmas morning?

A Lovely Little Song

As sung by the boy.

While he was in the bathroom this afternoon.

"Going" to the bathroom.

And singing at the same time.

To me.

His mom.

(The wonderful person who birthed his fat self.)


"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you, my mommy. You better start celebrating... before you turn to dust."

Lovely.

No one can brighten your day AND remind you just how badly you need Botox like a little boy.

(I thought it was funny LAST month when he sang a different version... still including the "turn to dust" line... to his uncle. I'm sorry little brother. It ain't funny anymore.)

Family Bonding

I am no expert when it comes to outdoor sports, hunting, or shooting. I plead ignorance for many reasons.

But, I am no dummy. (No comments here, please.) I do have a limited knowledge of this stuff.

So... on a cold Thanksgiving-y day, I happened to look out of my parents' window. I fully expected to see some serious bonding going on between my son, husband, father, and brother.

Something like this...



Oh, but no.

Apparently, shooting clay targets gets boring very quickly. So someone in the group (who shall remain nameless for legal reasons) thought to himself,

"I'll bet I could catch one of those!"

Now, before anyone calls Child Protective Services on me, let me say that at THIS point, ALL guns were put away. I repeat, there were NO guns present at the time the following pictures were taken.



It appears, perhaps, that trying to catch clay targets is like trying to catch a frisbee.





And, it also appears that RACING for the clay target makes it even more fun.





What (almost) 60 year-old grandpa in his right mind would allow these shenanigans to continue? Well? One who JOINS IN, of course!





I think at this point, I opened the back door and yelled. (in my best redneck voice... 'cause my husband LOVES it when I yell like a redneck)
"Who's gonna pay for the trip to the orthodontist when that thing smacks ya'll in the teeth?!?"





Is using a hat a legal move in this game? Or is he trying to protect his teeth? Or are there any rules anyway?





It IS possible to CATCH clay targets. Or, is my brother square-dancin' in this picture? Hard to tell.



I told you I was no dummy.

So...

OK boys, here goes:
They are "clay TARGETS."

You are supposed to SHOOT them. With a gun. And bullets.

Or, for you "intellectual types" out there... a firearm and ammunition.



What's that? You had fun anyway? Truth be told, it WAS fun watching ya'll, too.

Bonding accomplished.





PS... I know... I changed the blog background again. I liked the red, but that pink center was beginning to bug me. And, it didn't look so great with all these "manly" photos. AND...picking out the snowmen keeps me from having to change it again after Christmas!! Yeah! Plan in anticipation of your own laziness, I always say!

Let the Madness Begin

Reality hurts. It hurts real bad.

Nothing like waking up on a cold Monday morning to a mountain of bags to unpack, a house that needs groceries, a pile o'laundry to wash, and a sleepy boy to wake.

Thanksgiving was wonderful...and over way too soon.

We traveled to Florida "unexpectedly" to see family. We wouldn't normally drive that far for a short visit, but Dan's grandpa is very ill. So... we made a visit, and it was nice to see everyone. It's just the "getting there" that stinks. It was a 12 hour drive. It made our California trip feel like a quick ride to Dairy Queen. Have I mentioned that I do not enjoy a long car ride? Throw in a squirmy 9 year old, two whiny cats, and about a zillion other holiday travelers. Oh, and a little road construction. Good times, people. Good times.

Then, we drove... again... to spend a little time with my family. Had to get my hands on that nephew of mine. Oh so sweet. There was lots more food, a little shopping, and plenty of laughs. My son, husband, father, and brother even invented a new "man game" while we were there. But it deserves its own post. Stay tuned...

And now the Christmas season is UPON us.

I SHOULD be stressed.

Like my sister-in-law told me (at least 923 times) this weekend,

"Christmas is only 27 days away!" Well, honey, now it's 24.

But, oddly, I am not stressed... YET.

I found myself giddy at the sights of Christmas lights on houses as we drove home last night.

Not giddy at the ENORMOUS amount of cars on the road that turned our 4 hour drive into a 6 1/2 hour drive. We had to get OFF the interstate and take "back roads" to make it home before Wednesday.

Wanna know the worst part about back roads? No Starbucks. I was forced to drink a Sonic coffee. Desperate times, people. Desperate times.

Wanna know the best part about taking "back roads" to make it home before Wednesday?

Christmas lights on houses. I was smiling in the dark... sipping my Sonic coffee.

I feel a little inspired. I might even be stringing up my own festive display tonight...