We've Got It Together

Do you feel like Christmas is bearing down upon you?
Do you feel caught up in the hustle and bustle?
Are you behind in the decorating, shopping, party-planning, and wrapping?

Then come and stop by my house.
Sit a spell on my front porch.

And instantly be transported back to October.

You see... This guy may be hanging on the door.



But these fellas are still hanging out in the corner.



Holiday decorations gone wild.
I told ya'll my priorities were rock solid.

Nativity Brawl

If you happen to read more than one or two of my blog posts, you might be a bit concerned for my mental well-being.
One day, I'm happy and grateful and talking about how I'm counting my blessings.
The next day, I am the Grinch. In a 39.99 year-old woman's body.

It's ok. I'm ok.
And I'm not bi-polar.

I'm just keepin' it real.
(And saying stuff like that makes me feel younger.)

In case you were wondering, I made my self-imposed weekend deadline of getting a better attitude.
Our Sunday service may have had something to do with it.
But not for the reasons you think.
Our chapel service had their annual children's Christmas program this weekend.
I would love to say that the beautiful music and angelic faces put me in a better mood. But that wouldn't be the whole truth.

It was the 2 tiny preschool shepherds.

They weren't holding stuffed lambs or saying verses.
They were fighting over the microphone.
Pushing and shoving to see who could get the closest to it.
And then singing LOUDLY into it whenever they'd shoved the other shepherd out of the way.
It was hysterical. (Unless you were the mommas of these 2... I'm certain they weren't amused.)
But it brightened my mood.

And reminded me not to take this whole holiday madness too seriously.

I'm Making My Lists, But I Am Not Checking Them Twice

I'm not even really checking them at all.
I should be, but I'm not.
I wish I could say it's for some great high and lofty reason... Like
"We're simplifying this Christmas." or...
"We've given all our money to charity this Christmas." or...
"I have found the deeper meaning of giving, and all our gifts will be homemade this year."
But, nope.
None of that.

I can't seem to find the motivation to do anything productive, but I can change my blog background 3 times in one week.
My priorities are rock solid.

Thanksgiving was only 1 week and 2 days ago, and Christmas chaos is in full swing.
But I feel like it's leaving me in the dust.
Maybe Thanksgiving was too short.
Maybe I needed to be more thankful.
Maybe I am in rebellion.
Maybe I need coffee and vitamins.
Maybe I am just old and tired.
(A certain birthday is rapidly approaching and it happens to have the numbers 4 and 0 in it. But I won't say in what order.)

I'm probably just becoming more and more like a granny.
"Where does the time go? I wish I could stop the clock."

So I am giving myself a deadline.
2 days. That's it, self.
You and your lazy granny attitude have until Monday to snap out of it.

After that, I'm checking myself into the Retirement Home.

T on T is Me!

I submitted this week's 10 questions to Mrs. Roots and Rings...
And now I'm famous.

Well. In my own mind.

So here are the questions....
(Can you tell what's on my mind?)

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?
We travel entirely too much. For Thanksgiving, we'll head to AL for 2 days; then we'll drive to SC for 2 days. Then before Christmas, we'll drive to FL for a few days. We will be at our house on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then we'll hit the road again after Christmas... back to SC.
Makes me tired just thinking about it.

2. How do you make the plans for the holiday? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit?
We split up the time, and see both families every year. We actually split the time pretty much down to the hour. And ever since the boy was born, we've made a point to be home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?
Lunch.

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
Eating.

5. After a big meal do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?
I like to lounge around, but I am usually surrounded by non-loungers, so I feel fat and guilty.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?
If I can. I love it! This year, Dan/Daddy has promised me we'll be at my family's house in time for me to hit the stores with my mom and sis-in-law.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?
Moments before the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve.

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? Is there a budget?
We usually do, and the budget usually changes. I am the only one who ever abides by the budget, though. You can ask him, it's true.

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?
Right after Thanksgiving. But for the last few years, we put up the tree earlier. Because we're only home for part of the holiday, we want to enjoy it as long as we can. (And I always leave my tree up past everyone else.)

10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or do you keep it simple?
I'm no Martha Stewart, but I do love to decorate for the holidays. Trees inside and out, lights, Nutcrackers, Santas... I guess we go "all out."

Happy Thanksgiving!!

In the Grand Scheme of Things

This has been the week from heck.
If you can name an event, a commitment, a duty, or an obligation...
We have done it this week.
Every day had something going on, and some days had lots of somethings going on.
And in the midst of it all, my camera broke.

(You may pause for a moment of silence.)

I cried. Well, actually I said a bad word. Sorry.
It's the truth. You see, I love taking pictures. I LOVE taking pictures.
I love framing pictures, editing pictures, looking at pictures, sometimes scrapbooking pictures, and having pictures.

I pretend that one day I will grow up and become a photographer. (No laughing.)

I only have a small digital camera, but it was doing the job.
(My dream camera is a big honkin' digital SLR with a zoom lens that lets me count people's nose hairs.)
But now, I am resorting to using our old camera. It works fine; Granny just needs her spectacles to see the itty bitty screen. It will have to work fine while my camera is at Nikon Hospital.

When I realized it was broken, after I said the bad word (sorry), I began to grumble and gripe. "No camera! A week before the holidays start! AGH!"

But then little by little this week, I've realized if a broken camera is the worst thing that happens to me... then I am doing just fine.

I have a lot to be grateful for. (And it's not even Thanksgiving yet!)

10 on A Gray Tuesday

Ho do you spell grey? Is it gray? Just curious. (By the way, "spell checker" didn't tag either one!)

Gray/grey is how it looks outside today. A perfect look for November. You know how some weather gives you the blues? Well not today. It feels like Fall. Yippee!

Here we go...
Ten on Tuesday hosted by Roots and Rings...



1. What is your favorite breakfast pastry?
Does a PopTart count? I like the un-frosted blueberry ones, toasted, with butter.

2. Were you ever in a Thanksgiving or Christmas play?
Oodles of them... at church.

3. What is your favorite clothing accessory?
Jewelry. Is that a "person" accessory? I like scarves, too.

4. What is your favorite item of clothing?
Jeans.

5. What is your favorite color and why?
Blue. It makes me think of the water... the beach. Although the beach I grew up with had brown water. Hmmmm....

6. What is your favorite type of Christmas cookie?
Anything with icing.

7. What is your favorite scent (food, perfume/lotion)
It changes all the time, and it changes based on what the smelly thing is. I like candles to smell warm and cozy. I like perfume to remind me of summer. I like food that smells cinnamon-y or spicy. I guess I don't have one favorite scent.

8. What is your favorite household cleaner?
I'm not picky. Whatever gets the job done. I am a fan of the Magic Eraser. It's magic.

9. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? And what did you actually grow up to be?
I wanted to be Wonder Woman. Or a marine biologist. Or a vet.
I'm actually a mommy and a wife... But you can call me Wonder Woman if you want to.

10. What is the last song or album you bought?
I bought the boy a song for his IPod... something from Camp Rock. I'm cool like that.

The "Man Trip" Post

The week before Thanksgiving signals an important time in my life.
That special time of year when I run around like a chicken with my head cut off... trying to play "catch up" with all that needs to be done. Good times.

That also includes my blog. So many things to post about and so little time. Before you know it, you'll be looking at our Christmas pictures and reading about our marathon holiday travels... all on the first day of March.

So.
Back in the middle of October (told ya), Dan/Daddy went on a "Man Trip" with 2 of his besties. (Hee hee. I like saying they are "besties" because I know it would equally irritate all of them.)

Matt and Dan/Daddy have been friends for 16 years. (Did I get that right, Shan?)



Tim and Dan/Daddy have been friends since around 2001, I think. Since Dan/Daddy's "preacher" days.



Naturally, Dan/Daddy introduced his two friends, and then they became friends.



Tim and Matt stayed in touch even when Dan/Daddy moved away and joined the Army.
(Now it sounds like a Lifetime movie.)

Tim has spent the last 2+ years as a missionary, and Dan/Daddy has been hopping in and out of the Middle East.
They rarely get to spend time all together anymore.
But they all 3 think the world of each other and they all 3 share a love of the outdoors. (Or a love of escaping their wives and kids.)
So a plan was hatched for when Dan/Daddy came home from deployment and Tim came home for a rest from the mission field. A plan to all go on a "Man Trip" to the mountains.



The packing list included 3 changes of clothes, enough fishing gear to start their own store, and exactly 47 pounds of meat. Per person.

From what I've been told, they fished, talked, and ate meat. Like modern-day cave men.



Roughin' it.
A much-needed getaway for all of them.
I am so glad Dan/Daddy calls these guys his friends. Because they are great guys, whose wives I adore. And for that, we are grateful.