Christmas 2007 (because I'm too tired to think of a better title)

Well, that was quite the bloggy break. I had not anticipated taking such a break; however, the week of Christmas was a little busy and I was out of town for the week, so finding time to blog was not on my priority list. Sorry, faithful readers, I did think of you often and even read your blogs while I was gone, but did not get around to sharing about our fun. My brain was not in working mode, at least not in compiling coherent sentences working mode.

I hope you all had great Christmas celebrations. We did. We celebrated with my family on Christmas day. It was great to spend time with my sister and her family, who we don't get to see too often.

Unfortunately we had very little foresight on Christmas morning so the only pictures we have of opening presents are these. Here are Hoss and Lo looking over Hoss's new books. I guess this picture is not of actually opening presents.

Here's one! This is G opening a gift.

From celebrating at my parents we left and visited my grandparents and other extended family where the Christmas gift exchange occurred in the 4th living room. Hoss enjoyed sitting in the rocking chair looking out one of the windows.

Or just rocking in the chair.

From there we traveled on to visit with my aunt and uncle and family. We had a slight, unexpected detour when my sister's van got a flat tire on the way.

However, we made some Christmas memories as we stood in a liquor store parking lot on Christmas Day, in our three vehicle entourage while my brother-in-law changed a tire.

That was just Christmas day. Wait until you see what happened the rest of the week! Like the unfortunate baking disaster, the car seat dilemma, and the Christmas picture attempts. It's no wonder I had such little time to blog.

It's that time of year....

Christmas is definitly upon us. We have been very busy preparing and celebrating Jesus' birth. Yesterday we traveled to visit with my mother-in-law's family for a luncheon. The trip went much smoother than I anticipated, which was great. Today we celebrated with my in-laws at our house. It was quite fun. Hoss definitely was spoiled! He received a red wagon, pirate ship (which he LOVES), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a train, and the list goes on and on.

This evening was the Christmas program at our church. The little kids, sang a Christmas song spelling out Christmas. Hoss was the "C." Based on last year's scream fest he was put at the beginning in case we had to make a run off the stage. This year he was great, but I did sit beside him the entire time. I was impressed with his cooperation. I think the fiber-optic angel on top of the tree beside him kept him quite entertained.

After church we had our own family Christmas. Since we are "ignoring" Santa (which means we have not completely decided how we are going to pursue Santa so just not discussing Santa yet), we felt today was the best time for our Christmas. Hoss was much more interested in playing with the gifts he received earlier in the day than paying attention to what he was getting this time. However, once the toys were out of the boxes, he was a fan. We got him the "My First Batmobile" (that is the actual name of it) and, of course, a Batman figure and a Superman figure.

We are traveling to visit my family tomorrow. I am currently doing several loads of laundry so we can be prepared for our trip. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! That's what I'm good at.

I doubt I will be posting much in the next week. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

A perfect pillow

I have been debating on posting this picture. #1 -- I am not the most attractive person when sleeping, two because I think there might be drool coming from someone's mouth (don't look to close to my face), and three -- the sleeping patterns of my family could be a little embarrassing. Regardless, it's good blog material. So there you have it, a Sunday afternoon nap at our home.

It's Christmas time in our house...

Well, it's about time I get my act together and get this post started. I have been looking forward to the Christmas Bloggy Tour of Homes since BooMama mentioned doing it again this year over a month ago. I often thought I should start taking the pictures and get my post ready, but did I? Nope, of course not. So when we had the excitement yesterday blogging and computer stuff was the last thing on my mind. So, here I am now, with pictures uploaded and a few moments. Let's get started!

Here is our Christmas tree. It is in the corner beside the entertainment center and the couch. This is mostly to keep the munchkin from attacking it and knocking it over. We may brave it next year and put it more out in the open...maybe! The decoration on the three is a hodge podge of ornaments from our lives and I love it. I think that is exactly what a Christmas tree should have, the ornaments and decorations tell a story. Since I am the one who gets to decorate the tree I get to choose how it is decorated so I chose my favorite white lights and an angel. Donnie prefers color lights and a star. I say, you decorate the tree and we can have that. Obviously, I'll win every year!


This is a paper angel Donnie made when he was three, the Christmas of 1978. I know that because at the very bottom it says "Donnie 1978." This is the first year we have had the privilege of displaying the angel on our tree. We have received custody of the family heirloom only after we promised to take good care of it and to be sure it is high up on the tree to prevent any damage which could be done by the small hands in our home.


I love this ornament because I love primitive decor! It is the only ornament I have like it, but I'm slowly becoming primitive...or not.


I am very excited that we have a mantle now that I can decorate. I have been brave and put up the stockings when I decorated. Hoss has never touched them, which I believe is a Christmas miracle. Next year may be another story. One bonus to having a Christmas wedding is that I was able to keep all the beautiful decorations to decorate my own home. The wreath and greenery above the fireplace were fabulous pieces of wedding decor.


Ok, I have to admit, this is what the fireplace typically looks like, after a two year old has been let loose.


Here is the two year old's favorite Christmas decorations. This is an accumulation of different Christmas stuffed animals mostly received before the two year old's existence.


Finally, our small nativity. I like simple things and not a lot of frills, which may or may not be noticed in the previous pictures. But this nativity tells the story, Jesus was born to save us and He is the Reason for the Season. Happy Birthday Jesus!


Thanks for visiting!

Injury #1

This morning did not go as planned. As I was drying my hair, preparing for church, Hoss came into the bathroom. He was playing with he bath toys sitting beside the tub so I didn't focus too much attention on him. However, minutes later I regretted that decision.

He grabbed a razor from the bathtub and cut one of his fingers. Blood was everywhere and he was not happy. After 10 minutes of attempting to stop the bleeding we decided we needed to get his finger checked out. So away we went to the Urgent Care center.

The cut was not deep, but he sliced off a good piece of his pointer finger on his right hand. They glued the wound closed and bandaged his hand up. The bandaging makes his injury appear much more severe then it is because we wanted to be sure he would leave it alone so it will heal.

Despite the trauma and the bandage, nothing is stopping Hoss from playing.




Thankfully the injury was minor and is not affecting him much! *Sigh* It's going to be an adventure raising this kid!

Joseph's Lullaby

I just saw this video on Heather's blog and it touched my heart. I had not heard this song and I just love it.

Reminiscing

Bedtime has been difficult for us this week. Monday night we discovered that the musical aquarium which is attached to Hoss's crib is no longer working. This aquarium has been the lifesaver in getting Hoss to sleep at night. It was possibly one of the best gifts we were given...thanks Mom!

However, the loss of the aquarium (which during an attempted repair tonight we discovered that the button is broken on the inside, which I am sure is from repeated smacking by some small child) has caused quite a disturbance in sleep this week for poor Hoss.

Tonight as bedtime approached I decided I would rock him to try to get him to sleep. While this was not completely effective in getting him to sleep it was perfect for me. As I sat in the chair rocking my massive two year old child I remembered all those nights I spent doing the same with my small newborn. Tonight I sat listening to the same classical cd which played for many nights two years ago as I rocked my then 2 1/2 month old to sleep.

Since Hoss has gotten older and more independent I have not had to rock him as often. I miss those times. The times I get to cuddle him close as he lays so quiet and still in my arms.

I guess this is the bitter sweet part of being a parent. We get to watch our children grow and become independent, but we loose these moments. I think the breaking of the aquarium may bring me a few more of these moments. I plan to cherish each one.

Works for Me Wednesday -- Pledge Multisurface

With a two year old running around my home many items around the house get little fingerprints nicely placed all over them. Our laptop screen was one of these as well as our television screen. Both of these items I was afraid to clean with water as I was afraid of ruining them. So for many months we looked through the fingerprints while we watched tv or used the computer. Until I purchased Pledge Multi-Surface.
The commercials for this states it is good for any surface in the house, glass, wood, and even television and computer screens (and I'm gullible and commercials work on me!). So I purchased it, tried it, and it worked!! I was so impressed at how beautiful the television and laptop looked free from grimy fingerprints. Pledge Multi-Surface works for me! For more get tips visit Shannon!

Company Frenzy

That is what my dad has deemed the period of time you spend running around the house throwing items into closets, under beds and quickly running a vacuum at the same time as visitors are about to stop by. These are visitors who just called and said, "Hey! I'm in town, at Wal-Mart, and I'd love to stop by. Can you give me directions to your house?"

I always seem to be in a company frenzy even when I have planned company coming. That is simply because I am a procrastinator. Only I procrastinate on things I don't want to do that seem to be so annoying (wait, isn't that what we all procrastinate?). For example, housework. This I despise, but I also despise a dirty house, so something has to give. I dislike most types of housework, especially cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping and mopping the kitchen, making beds (what's the point?), and dusting, oh the dreaded dusting.

My husband doesn't mind picking up toys or running a vacuum so those are his chores. All that is left are dishes and laundry, which I don't mind. After all, you just put them in a machine and it does the work for you! Wow, I just realized how lazy this makes me sound. Maybe I am lazy, but I'm still in denial. Joining the lazy recovery group is on my "To do list" which I am procrastinating on writing.

So yesterday, when I knew my parents were coming over to visit for a few hours (and to attend a Christmas Cantata), the procrastination set in and the company frenzy took place about an hour before their arrival. I'd like to think that this was because I was so busy on Saturday and then with church Sunday morning, but really, that has nothing to do with it. I was just procrastinating. We had kept the house remotely clean. I had done 3 loads of laundry on Saturday and had loaded the dishwasher (because those are my chores), but the other ones which no one wishes to do were not done. So an hour before the scheduled arrival I cleaned the guest bathroom and the toilet in our bathroom because it just needed it and I had the supplies ready. Donnie ran the vacuum and Hoss refused to nap (and took off his diaper and threw everything out of the crib...I'm really starting to re-think this toddler bed thing).

But in the end the cleaning got done, to a satisfactory point. We didn't dust or scrub the bath tub, but we were presentable. If you want to visit (and we would love to have you all), please feel free to give us at least a week's notice. It won't mean that we won't procrastinate, but it will mean that we may have a moment to wipe the sweat off our brow before you get there. After all, what is a visit without a Company Frenzy to start it all off?

Look! I won!

I entered the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways over at Mamamista's and guess what I won from Trendy Tadpoles, this:

Except in Hoss's size for this summer. Oh, he will be so cute! Gotta love Johnny Cash. Did you know that Johnny and June were married in Franklin, KY at the United Methodist Church? I did and I even visited the church (well, drove by it!).

12 Days of Christmas, revised

Check out this awesome men's acapella ground singing a great rendition of 12 Days of Christmas. Thanks to my sis for emailing me the link!

It was sooooooooo yummy!

That was my supper. What is it? Only the best supper I have made in a long time. It's a barbeque chicken potato. A fabulous bbq place in Alabama makes these potatoes and they are a favorite of our family. If you are headed down I-65, this is a stop you want to make!

My husband went to the doctor yesterday and found out he has high cholesterol, so this was a "last meal" before we cut back on the bad cholesterol foods. It was so good I just couldn't pass up posting about it tonight.

Ok, the truth is I just didn't have anything else to post about, except maybe about how I watched Santa Claus is Coming to Town yesterday and Santa had red hair in his early days (you know, before he grayed) and I kept thinking that Santa should have worn a green suit instead of a red suit because green goes so much better with red hair than red. I do have a red headed kiddo, I know these things. But that wouldn't make a good post and my supper was just so darn good.

Back to the best potato in the world...here's how I made it. I put 5 chicken breasts in a crockpot this morning before work with 2 bottles of BBQ sauce (I'm sure any kind would work). I added a little water as well, just to be sure it had enough liquid. I would suggest only allowing it to cook in the crock pot for 8 hours. Mine was in for 10 hours and was a little dry. I shredded the chicken when it was done, which literally fell apart because it was so tender.

Then I cooked two large potatoes (in the microwave because I'm inpatient like that) and added butter, shredded cheese and the shredded chicken to the top of the potato. I prefer to add some additional barbeque sauce to that. Oh, it's so good, just don't think about the calories and bad cholesterol goodness! If you're looking for healthy food ideas, you've visted the wrong blog, but if you're looking for yummy food then you are at the right place!

Works for Me Wednesday -- $5 Pizza

Today is the What Do I Fix? Edition of WFMW. Since I am trying to get back into the swing of participating, I thought I'd give you my idea of a quick and easy meal. Now I am not the best cook and while I do enjoy cooking, I enjoy cooking easy items which take little to no time. My favorite type of cooking is no cooking at all. Which is why the $5 pizza deal at Little Ceasars is a favorite of our family. Yes, I know it is not exactly healthy, but honestly, we aren't the picture of health ourselves. What it is is convenient, quick and a lifesaver after a long day of work.

For more and probably much better ideas visit Shannon.

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday, ANNIVERSARY (sung to the tune of Duck, Duck, Goose)

Birthday party #1 took place at the land of the cheese, and the mouse named Chuck. It was just as much fun as I thought it would be (yes, there was some sarcasm in that). If I can convince Hoss to never have a birthday party there I will have succeeded as a mother. Although he ran like a wild man for over an hour, Hoss appeared to enjoy himself. He especially loves "Wack a Mole." Ok, really, he loved any game which he could hit something or throw something (skee ball was fun as well except he wasn't able to get the ball to go all the way up the ramp and wanted to climb up it to put the ball in).

Birthday party #2 was at Mickey D's, which at least has better food than the pizza at the Chuck's place. Hoss was a bit too small to climb up into the play land, but he sure enjoyed trying.

Birthday party #3 was held at my sister's house. Hoss slept for the first half and woke up just in time for a fun game of Hungry, Hungry Hippos. I would venture to say that Santa would bring this game to him this year since he loves the hippopotamus, except one of his first tasks when beginning the game was to put a marble in his mouth.

Today was Donnie and my 3rd anniversary. We went to lunch and planned on seeing a movie, but the one we wished to see was not playing for a matinee so we decided to go shopping instead. Donnie gave me one of the best gifts. I got to sleep in while he got up with Hoss and got him dressed and took him to my mother-in-laws for the day. I cooked him tator tot casserole, one of his favorite meals, for dinner. I'd say it was a good day of celebration!

Hippos are our friends

I'm back from the weekend adventures of the triple birthday extravaganza. I'll discuss more about that soon.

One thing I learned while on our long car trip is that my son is completely obsessed with hippopotamuses (is that how to make it plural?). I have come to notice lately that several children's book have hippos in them. I'm not positive how Hoss began to develop his interest in hippos, but he has been saying, "hippopotamus" clearly for a couple months now and has become rather interested in these animals. This weekend we discovered that his favorite Christmas song, at least for now, is this one. Click here to listen to this song.

I love this kid!