This weekend has been busy. . . a good busy though.
Friday I got up and run 12 miles with my running buddy. Another friend joined us for 4 of those miles. It was really a lot of fun.
I then came home, took a shower, worked a little bit, and then met Tiffani at the Sock Shoppe. Y'all there were 3 tour buses outside of this place. People think it's like a national landmark or something. It was super crowded inside, and we had all of our kiddos with us. We then trekked over to Taco Bell. I loved just sitting there. . . looking all scanky in my jogging suit, no makeup, hair in a hat self. Tiff looked about the same except I will say she one upped me . . . because her hair was down. We sat and talked for the longest time. We then exchanged kids. . . I took Hanna and JuJu home with me. She took Connor, Alec, and Ash home with her. We met back up a few hours later and gave each others kids back to one another. I came home, took a nap, got ready for the Christmas party. My in-laws came and got the kids and took them to an outdoor live nativity set at their church. The kids had a blast.
Saturday morning we woke up. I slept late. It was so incredibly nice to wake up and there be light outside. . . wonderful, I tell you. Just plain wonderful. Jon took Alec to band practice. I got the girls ready and we went to the church too. The girls practiced for their Christmas program and I helped decorate a float for the parade. This was so fun. I had to pull out the Cricket, which I haven't used in quite a while. When I got home Jon had mopped the whole downstairs for me. It was W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L. Thank you Baby! I came home, clipped my coupons, went to the grocery store, got back home, sat down for 15 minutes, then went and got ready to go to a surprise party. We took the kids to my in-laws and then went to the party.
Sunday- if I could only use one word to describe our day I'd have to say . . . blessed. My alarm didn't go off, so I didn't wake up until 7:30. on Sundays I normally get up at 5:00 AM, get ready for church, then go to the grocery store and get papers. I hurriedly got ready, headed out the door to get papers only (forget the grocery shopping), told Jon what to do to get the kids ready for church. I got home in the nick of time; however, I was disappointed because the papers hadn't been delivered to the grocery store yet. We went to church, came home, scarfed down some barbecue my mom brought to us and all headed to the Christmas parade.
Alec and Ash both were in the parade. It was so much fun. (pictures to follow). We went home, got the girls ready and headed back to church for their Christmas program. Truly the BEST Christmas program I've ever seen. PRECIOUS!! If that program didn't warm your heart, then you clearly have a heart of stone. . . (pictures to follow for this too). Mama almost didn't stay for the program because she doesn't like to drive at night. I know she's glad she did. We stayed after church for a pizza party. . . YUMMMOOO!! And, we closed down the church with our dear friends/family, The Jones, and some of our newest friends we are enjoying getting to know. It was so fun. . . in fact, so fun, the only reason we decided to leave was because there was someone waiting to lock the church.
Now, I'm home and the kids are arguing over ALL the candy Hanna and Nanna got from the Christmas parade. Hanna doesn't think she should have to share anymore. I hear her now saying, "Daddy that's not fair. I worked so very hard for all of this candy."
I'm going to go now and motivate the kids to brush their teeth. . . we all say prayers. . . and cuddle up with my sweet hubby on the sofa.
Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!!!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
MR. Social Butterfly
Five or six years ago if you would have told me we would have had back-to-back-to-back social events, especially during football season, that Jon would have willingly have gone to, I would have laughed so hard I'd probably tee-teed in my pants . . no kidding. Jon's not a social person and he freely admits that.
He enjoys our get-togethers with our close friends, but as far as large social settings, he normally tries to avoid them.
Friday night we had our neighborhood Christmas party.
Then, on Saturday my running friend's husband was having a surprise birthday party for her. He asked us Wednesday night at church if we'd be able to attend and slipped us a reminder note in our theology class. I chuckled because he put on the note 6:00 SHARP!!! (Guess he's paid attention to our lack of being on time - ha!ha!)
Y'all we ran together on Friday. Do you know how hard it was to make sure I didn't slip up? Hard. So.very.hard. Running should be truth serum. . . because once you start running really long miles together, you'll tell someone just about anything.
During our 12-mile run on Friday, I had to consciously keep telling myself, "Don't mention her birthday. Don't mention anything about this weekend."
Saturday night we headed to the restaurant and had such a blessed time with really good, Christ-loving people. It was so refreshing from the night we'd had before.
So, we have one more social event for the weekend. Jon's been such a sweet trooper to accompany his social butterfly wife to these social gatherings. Y'all I LOVE people. I do. I truly do. I love being able to get to know people, to learn their stories, to talk with them. This was a wonderful evening, and I really had so much fun getting to know my brothers and sisters in Christ better. Thank you Baby for being such a supportive husband to your butterfly wife. I love you!
He enjoys our get-togethers with our close friends, but as far as large social settings, he normally tries to avoid them.
Friday night we had our neighborhood Christmas party.
Then, on Saturday my running friend's husband was having a surprise birthday party for her. He asked us Wednesday night at church if we'd be able to attend and slipped us a reminder note in our theology class. I chuckled because he put on the note 6:00 SHARP!!! (Guess he's paid attention to our lack of being on time - ha!ha!)
Y'all we ran together on Friday. Do you know how hard it was to make sure I didn't slip up? Hard. So.very.hard. Running should be truth serum. . . because once you start running really long miles together, you'll tell someone just about anything.
During our 12-mile run on Friday, I had to consciously keep telling myself, "Don't mention her birthday. Don't mention anything about this weekend."
Saturday night we headed to the restaurant and had such a blessed time with really good, Christ-loving people. It was so refreshing from the night we'd had before.
So, we have one more social event for the weekend. Jon's been such a sweet trooper to accompany his social butterfly wife to these social gatherings. Y'all I LOVE people. I do. I truly do. I love being able to get to know people, to learn their stories, to talk with them. This was a wonderful evening, and I really had so much fun getting to know my brothers and sisters in Christ better. Thank you Baby for being such a supportive husband to your butterfly wife. I love you!Saturday, December 5, 2009
What is YOUR definition of casual?
Okay, when you are going to a Christmas party, and you ask what the dress is, and they say casual. . . what do you interpret that as meaning?
I've asked a handful of people that very question over the last 24 hours. . .and they've all given me the same answer . . . jeans.
I didn't know when or if I'd ever say this on my blog. . . but our new house is in the country club. . . there, I got it out. While many people would be very proud to say they live in this area, when we first were buying our house (and still even now) I NEVER tell people we live in the country club. I always say, "Off _____ Drive". There's just a stigma attached to the country club that we SOOOO are NOT . . . I don't want to give people a false impression of who we really are.. .
And, for those who know us. . . know this very well to be true. God just blessed us with a really amazing house, in a really amazing neighborhood, at an even more AMAZING price. . . and so we are blessed. . .all the more giving Him the glory for our home. . . because it is certainly NOTHING that was of us.
We had the same stigma attached in our minds of "country clubbers" . . . you know, snobby, it's all about the size of your bank account, your status, what you do for a living. . . blah, blah, blah, but we truly have some of the nicest, friendliest neighbors EVER!!! Our neighbors here have been much more friendly than in any other neighborhood we've lived in. . .
Well, the Christmas party has come for this year. . . and we went, reluctantly. Our precious neighbors across the street have really wanted us to be at other social gatherings the neighborhood has had and we just couldn't make them. We were free the night of the Christmas party and decided to go so that we would not disappoint our sweet neighbors across the street.
For our casual attire, Jon wore khakis and a button up. I wore some nice grey slacks, a grey shirt, and a sparkly purple scarf (thinking we were way more than casual. .. wanting to make a good impression, of course). We get to the country club and before going in the main room the evening was taking place in, Jon looks in the doorway. . . all the men have on jackets. . . . I.kid.you.not.
He pulls my arm before I walked in. We almost bailed. He goes to another doorway to look in and there is one more guy in the room dressed like Jon . . . and, no, he wasn't the waiter.
I've asked a handful of people that very question over the last 24 hours. . .and they've all given me the same answer . . . jeans.
I didn't know when or if I'd ever say this on my blog. . . but our new house is in the country club. . . there, I got it out. While many people would be very proud to say they live in this area, when we first were buying our house (and still even now) I NEVER tell people we live in the country club. I always say, "Off _____ Drive". There's just a stigma attached to the country club that we SOOOO are NOT . . . I don't want to give people a false impression of who we really are.. .
And, for those who know us. . . know this very well to be true. God just blessed us with a really amazing house, in a really amazing neighborhood, at an even more AMAZING price. . . and so we are blessed. . .all the more giving Him the glory for our home. . . because it is certainly NOTHING that was of us.We had the same stigma attached in our minds of "country clubbers" . . . you know, snobby, it's all about the size of your bank account, your status, what you do for a living. . . blah, blah, blah, but we truly have some of the nicest, friendliest neighbors EVER!!! Our neighbors here have been much more friendly than in any other neighborhood we've lived in. . .
Well, the Christmas party has come for this year. . . and we went, reluctantly. Our precious neighbors across the street have really wanted us to be at other social gatherings the neighborhood has had and we just couldn't make them. We were free the night of the Christmas party and decided to go so that we would not disappoint our sweet neighbors across the street.
For our casual attire, Jon wore khakis and a button up. I wore some nice grey slacks, a grey shirt, and a sparkly purple scarf (thinking we were way more than casual. .. wanting to make a good impression, of course). We get to the country club and before going in the main room the evening was taking place in, Jon looks in the doorway. . . all the men have on jackets. . . . I.kid.you.not.He pulls my arm before I walked in. We almost bailed. He goes to another doorway to look in and there is one more guy in the room dressed like Jon . . . and, no, he wasn't the waiter.
All the ladies had on these outfits full of sequins . . .so much so I started having flashbacks to my senior prom. . .very, very dressy. I'm thinking to myself, "Well, I guess casual to country club people means something totally different than from us normal folks".
We walk in. Everyone is super friendly and welcoming. I stuck my foot in my mouth a few times, but I have to be myself. I'm not a pretender and I can't be someone I'm not. I'm a small town girl who comes from a middle class family that is actually currently "middle class" now. I have a heart for my family and my children. . . I love being home. I love sincerity and genuine people. You should have seen some of the looks on people's faces when I told them I homeschooled my children!! (all of the other children in the neighborhood go to the most expensive private school in town). I wanted to tell them I took my hair down from my bun today and decided to forgo wearing my denim jumper.
It's funny what one bad seed can do though. . . there was this one man there . . . he and his wife. . . they were quite jerks, honestly. I'll refrain from going into great details, but it just left you with a bad feeling and kind of put a damper on the rest of the night. His attitude made us think badly of the rest of the people that were there. . . which is totally unfair of us.
Most were genuine and sincere, but we walked away feeling like the neighborhood fits the stereotype. Some people work blood, sweat, and tears to be apart of this "social class", if you will. . . I'm sorry, but there is NOTHING in this world that makes me want to rub elbows with those kind of people or be in that environment again.
I'm grateful for our home, and I'm grateful for the niceness of our neighborhood. I'm even more grateful for my friends . . . who are honest, who love the LORD, who are genuine and sincere and who don't give a hill of beans about what my husband does for a living or the size of our bank account.
Again, the evening was overall good. It was just a few that spoiled it for us. We did meet a handful of genuine, sincere people, and I'm grateful to know them and have them for neighbors.
So, just so you know, in case you get invited to a party, and they say the dress is casual . . . please get them to clarify their definition of casual.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
My Great Love for a Soldier and an Angel
Our decision to do Nutcracker was very last minute this year. Then when we decided to let Hanna do it, the tryouts took place during the death of my Papa. The ballet studio was so gracious to still give Hanna a part. The girl really lucked out . . . she got 2 parts.
A sweet angel. . .
And. . . a soldier
Now the practices are every.single.Saturday from anywhere to 1-3 hours. . . YIKES! especially when your other child plays soccer every Saturday.
And. . . you are only allowed to miss 2 practices. In fact, when I ran my marathon, my mom was so sweet to come and take Hanna to practice for me.
The Nutcracker requires a lot of dedication from both the parents and the children, but . . .
When you see your sweet, precious child on stage, all dressed up in costume. . .
it is just absolutely P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S!!!
The first time I saw Hanna all dressed up as a solider, I thought I would melt like butter. . .
She was literally one of the most precious things my eyes had ever beheld. . .
She, of course, was a bundle of nerves . . .
But she did an excellent job. By the end of the 4th performance, she was an old pro. . .
Because Hanna is so extremely introverted, ballet is so good for her because it allows her to express herself without having to verbally say anything. . .
She loves it!!! And we LOVE that she loves it!
She got to make new friends while practicing every Saturday. . .
And hang out with them backstage. . .
The weird thing is is this little girl she is pictured with . . . her daddy and Jon were friends growing up. They don't keep in touch anymore. . . but I just thought it was weird how Hanna and this little girl were drawn to one another . . . amongst all of the other girls they could have chosen to be friends with. . .
This lovely lady here is one of Hanna's favorite ballerinas . . . her old ballet teacher, Ms. Jena.
If Hanna is ever the center of attention, she DOES NOT like it (just like her Daddy). The night of her first performance we all prayed together has a family. She wouldn't even stay in the same room with us. She was lying down on the stairs.
After her first performance she asked her for her Daddy. . . these 2 totally get one another, and I think their relationship and silliness that only they can understand is precious.
I'm so thankful God has given us the means to be able to afford to do things like this.
I'm so grateful for all of the love and support Hanna had from our family and friends.
Both of my sisters and brother-in-laws made it and my parents, and my niece and nephew. Jon's parents were there, and we had several dear friends come out to support her. One friend who didn't make it was even so thoughtful to text me to wish Hanna good luck. I so very much appreciate all of you who were thinking of her and praying for her.
A sweet angel. . .
And. . . a soldier
Now the practices are every.single.Saturday from anywhere to 1-3 hours. . . YIKES! especially when your other child plays soccer every Saturday. 
And. . . you are only allowed to miss 2 practices. In fact, when I ran my marathon, my mom was so sweet to come and take Hanna to practice for me.
The Nutcracker requires a lot of dedication from both the parents and the children, but . . .
When you see your sweet, precious child on stage, all dressed up in costume. . .
it is just absolutely P-R-I-C-E-L-E-S-S!!!
The first time I saw Hanna all dressed up as a solider, I thought I would melt like butter. . .
She was literally one of the most precious things my eyes had ever beheld. . .
She, of course, was a bundle of nerves . . .
But she did an excellent job. By the end of the 4th performance, she was an old pro. . .
Because Hanna is so extremely introverted, ballet is so good for her because it allows her to express herself without having to verbally say anything. . .
She loves it!!! And we LOVE that she loves it!
She got to make new friends while practicing every Saturday. . .
And hang out with them backstage. . .
The weird thing is is this little girl she is pictured with . . . her daddy and Jon were friends growing up. They don't keep in touch anymore. . . but I just thought it was weird how Hanna and this little girl were drawn to one another . . . amongst all of the other girls they could have chosen to be friends with. . .
This lovely lady here is one of Hanna's favorite ballerinas . . . her old ballet teacher, Ms. Jena.
If Hanna is ever the center of attention, she DOES NOT like it (just like her Daddy). The night of her first performance we all prayed together has a family. She wouldn't even stay in the same room with us. She was lying down on the stairs.
After her first performance she asked her for her Daddy. . . these 2 totally get one another, and I think their relationship and silliness that only they can understand is precious.
I'm so thankful God has given us the means to be able to afford to do things like this.
I'm so grateful for all of the love and support Hanna had from our family and friends.
Both of my sisters and brother-in-laws made it and my parents, and my niece and nephew. Jon's parents were there, and we had several dear friends come out to support her. One friend who didn't make it was even so thoughtful to text me to wish Hanna good luck. I so very much appreciate all of you who were thinking of her and praying for her.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Black Friday
Oh I had such mother guilt about Black Friday this year. Alec was still running a fever. Hanna had to be at Nutcracker dress rehearsal. I decided to go anyway. . . knowing Alec would be mostly sleeping while I was gone . . .and also knowing his Daddy could take just as good of care as him as I could.
I had one big item I had my eye on . . . Rock Band for the Xbox 360 for $50. This would be a family gift (my favorite ones).
I was so excited I woke up at 1:45 that morning. I got up, put some makeup on, pulled my hair in a pony tail, and put my "Run Girl Run" hat on and headed out the door.
I was meeting my mom and baby sister.
I went to Old Navy first and had to wait in line to even get in the door. Now, mind you, the store had been open for 45 minutes. . . but because of the crowd they would only allow a certain number of people in when people came out of the store. Crazy, I tell you. . . just plain crazy. I went and picked out a couple of a pair of jeans. . . then looked at the line. I knew there was NO WAY I was going to get my jeans and be at Wal-Mart in time. I put my selfish side aside and left . . .with NOTHING.
I got to Wal-mart and followed the guy who was rolling out the XBox 360 Rock Band games. I followed him like a puppy following its master. I stood where he stood, walked where he walked. . . you get the picture. he finally found us a home and I stood beside them.
There was this girl who was CLEARLY very loud and aggressive and meant she was getting one of these items and didn't care who she had to stomp on to get it. Quite frankly, she scared me . . .
That is . . . until my Mama got there. . . 
Mama made it LOUD and CLEAR she would fight who needed to be fought. She jokingly teased with this man (see him behind the boxes?) that she was fighting for ME and would fight HIM if she needed to. With Mama by my side I wasn't so scared of this girl in orange anymore. Mama also brought coffee to get us geared up and ready to go!!!
It's so funny the things that run through your head as you are waiting for your item. I literally was thinking, "Okay, Michele, you're in pretty good shape. You could definitely pick up and hold one of these and even run if you need to. Oh, but this girl in the orange. She seems pretty mean. Are you that mean, Michele? Could you really fight her if you had to? Would her aggressiveness outweigh your athleticism? Is it really THAT important?" I was ready to do what needed to be done. See my big purse? No, that's not luggage!! It is the BEST purse ever made, and I LOVE it!!! I even draped it across my chest so I would have more moving room with my arms . . . in case I had to use them . . . you know? . . . to throw an elbow . . . just kidding. . . sort of *smile*
With all of my stuff, my Mom's stuff, and my little sister's stuff. . . we had 3 buggies piled high!!!
Mama was beat!!! She's been battling a tough cold and her voice sounds like fingernails going down a chalkboard. I love talking with her, but there were times when I would ask her to be quiet. Her voice was so scratchy and painful sounding. . .
In this belly lies my future niece or nephew. My little sister is pregnant, and we are all so very excited.
Hopefully now I will get to be the fun aunt.
I about fell on the floor when we were standing in line for the bathroom and Kristen pulls out these (from her coat pocket)
You HAVE got to be kidding me!! She takes them everywhere she goes. . . and just when you thought you knew someone. . . there's always something new to be learned. . .
I teased my mom. She said, "Well I just got out of bed today. I don't care about fashion." I said out loud, "Well, obviously you don't Mama. Otherwise, you wouldn't be wearing that sweater." We had great time and laughed a lot.
I had one big item I had my eye on . . . Rock Band for the Xbox 360 for $50. This would be a family gift (my favorite ones).
I was so excited I woke up at 1:45 that morning. I got up, put some makeup on, pulled my hair in a pony tail, and put my "Run Girl Run" hat on and headed out the door.
I was meeting my mom and baby sister.
I went to Old Navy first and had to wait in line to even get in the door. Now, mind you, the store had been open for 45 minutes. . . but because of the crowd they would only allow a certain number of people in when people came out of the store. Crazy, I tell you. . . just plain crazy. I went and picked out a couple of a pair of jeans. . . then looked at the line. I knew there was NO WAY I was going to get my jeans and be at Wal-Mart in time. I put my selfish side aside and left . . .with NOTHING.
I got to Wal-mart and followed the guy who was rolling out the XBox 360 Rock Band games. I followed him like a puppy following its master. I stood where he stood, walked where he walked. . . you get the picture. he finally found us a home and I stood beside them.
There was this girl who was CLEARLY very loud and aggressive and meant she was getting one of these items and didn't care who she had to stomp on to get it. Quite frankly, she scared me . . .
That is . . . until my Mama got there. . . 
Mama made it LOUD and CLEAR she would fight who needed to be fought. She jokingly teased with this man (see him behind the boxes?) that she was fighting for ME and would fight HIM if she needed to. With Mama by my side I wasn't so scared of this girl in orange anymore. Mama also brought coffee to get us geared up and ready to go!!!It's so funny the things that run through your head as you are waiting for your item. I literally was thinking, "Okay, Michele, you're in pretty good shape. You could definitely pick up and hold one of these and even run if you need to. Oh, but this girl in the orange. She seems pretty mean. Are you that mean, Michele? Could you really fight her if you had to? Would her aggressiveness outweigh your athleticism? Is it really THAT important?" I was ready to do what needed to be done. See my big purse? No, that's not luggage!! It is the BEST purse ever made, and I LOVE it!!! I even draped it across my chest so I would have more moving room with my arms . . . in case I had to use them . . . you know? . . . to throw an elbow . . . just kidding. . . sort of *smile*
With all of my stuff, my Mom's stuff, and my little sister's stuff. . . we had 3 buggies piled high!!!Mama was beat!!! She's been battling a tough cold and her voice sounds like fingernails going down a chalkboard. I love talking with her, but there were times when I would ask her to be quiet. Her voice was so scratchy and painful sounding. . .
In this belly lies my future niece or nephew. My little sister is pregnant, and we are all so very excited.
Hopefully now I will get to be the fun aunt.
I about fell on the floor when we were standing in line for the bathroom and Kristen pulls out these (from her coat pocket)
You HAVE got to be kidding me!! She takes them everywhere she goes. . . and just when you thought you knew someone. . . there's always something new to be learned. . .
I teased my mom. She said, "Well I just got out of bed today. I don't care about fashion." I said out loud, "Well, obviously you don't Mama. Otherwise, you wouldn't be wearing that sweater." We had great time and laughed a lot. This is truly one of my very favorite days of the year. I was a little bummed because I had to be in my car by 9:30. Jon was going to take Alec to the doctor and/or Hanna to the dress rehearsal and I was going to do the other. Anyway, we were both needed at home. . . it was probably for the better though . . . at least I spent less money, right? A good bargain is my kryptonite. . . it makes me weak in the knees and I tend to buy more than I need.. . .so good thing I had to leave early.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Thanksgiving without a Turkey
This year I was so looking forward to going home Wednesday night to my Mama's house, laughing, seeing my Mom and Stepdad, laughing, seeing my sisters, laughing, playing games, oh yeah. . . and laughing. . . I was excited about going to see my Grandmama. . . although slightly dreading walking through their house not seeing my Papa there. ..
Tuesday night things got all changed around. . . . Alec got sick and was running fever. We decided we would "play things by ear" and at worst, we could leave Thanksgiving morning to go see our family.
We even bounced around going to Ryan's and picking up food to bring home if we had to stay here. I told my sweet friend Lisa (I would link to her blog but she NEVER blogs) this. . . she was NOT having it!!! She insisted that we come over to her house . . . or she would bring us food to our house. I told Jon. He said that's what we'd do. I'm so grateful to have friends that are more like family. . . Friends that we can invite over for hot dogs and not a fancy meal. . . friends that we can call up and say, "Wanna come watch a movie".. . . friends that we can talk with for hours or saying nothing at all.
Thanksgiving morning I was in such a funk. . . I was mix of melancholy and mad. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and although Jon and the girls would have gone to Tim's and Lisa's and brought Alec and I back lunch. . . it just didn't feel like Thanksgiving. It wasn't eventful like every other year had been. We almost always go either to my grandparents or Jon's parents. It was just like an ordinary day.
Then my sweet hubby got on the Internet and started looking up recipes. He planned our menu, took the girls to the grocery store and got all the ingredients. The girls and I were going to cook our first Thanksgiving meal. I was so very excited. This was going to be a very special day with the smell of turkey and dressing coming from the kitchen. . . .except for one thing. . .
Although I put the turkey in cold water. . . it didn't thaw. . . so Jon went out again and got an already cooked Rotisserie chicken.. .
My poor sweet boy was sick as he could be . . . so sick he actually thanked me for being up with him in the middle of the night. . . this is just not like him. . . although he was sick, it was a good time for us to bond. . .
Sweet Hanna loved peeling potatoes.
Tuesday night things got all changed around. . . . Alec got sick and was running fever. We decided we would "play things by ear" and at worst, we could leave Thanksgiving morning to go see our family.
We even bounced around going to Ryan's and picking up food to bring home if we had to stay here. I told my sweet friend Lisa (I would link to her blog but she NEVER blogs) this. . . she was NOT having it!!! She insisted that we come over to her house . . . or she would bring us food to our house. I told Jon. He said that's what we'd do. I'm so grateful to have friends that are more like family. . . Friends that we can invite over for hot dogs and not a fancy meal. . . friends that we can call up and say, "Wanna come watch a movie".. . . friends that we can talk with for hours or saying nothing at all.
Thanksgiving morning I was in such a funk. . . I was mix of melancholy and mad. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and although Jon and the girls would have gone to Tim's and Lisa's and brought Alec and I back lunch. . . it just didn't feel like Thanksgiving. It wasn't eventful like every other year had been. We almost always go either to my grandparents or Jon's parents. It was just like an ordinary day.
Then my sweet hubby got on the Internet and started looking up recipes. He planned our menu, took the girls to the grocery store and got all the ingredients. The girls and I were going to cook our first Thanksgiving meal. I was so very excited. This was going to be a very special day with the smell of turkey and dressing coming from the kitchen. . . .except for one thing. . .
Although I put the turkey in cold water. . . it didn't thaw. . . so Jon went out again and got an already cooked Rotisserie chicken.. .
My poor sweet boy was sick as he could be . . . so sick he actually thanked me for being up with him in the middle of the night. . . this is just not like him. . . although he was sick, it was a good time for us to bond. . .
Sweet Hanna loved peeling potatoes.
Ashley made the corn souffle all by herself. She read the directions and did the whole thing from start to finish without me. I'm so proud of her.
I looked like nothing short of death warmed over. . . so I'd only allow Ash to take a picture of my apron.. . .the apron I NEVER wear. . . it's cute as can be though. ..
The boys watched a movie. Ash would giggle and say, "The boys are the couch potatoes and we are the sweet potatoes."
Hanna made sweet potato souffle and blackberry cobbler.
Ash also made the cornbread dressing with a little help from me.
I did have a little bit of Thanksgiving past with me. . . these brown and serve rolls. My Grandmama fixes them for every meal. I think she and Papa must have stock in these rolls because she fixes them so much . . . just kidding.
Now my table was not decorated for the fall or anything. . . so I had to do the best I could on the spur of the moment. I even lit the candles.
Ash and Hanna made these place cards for everyone as a surprise. . .
Jon and the girls made our dinner extra special with sparking grape juice. . .
Here's the spread . . .chicken, mashed potatoes, corn souffle, sweet potato casserole, green beans, cornbread dressing, and blackberry cobbler and ice cream. . .
I had so much fun cooking in the kitchen with my girls. Although I missed my family terribly we made the best of our day. . . our first Thanksgiving in our new home was wonderful!
I looked like nothing short of death warmed over. . . so I'd only allow Ash to take a picture of my apron.. . .the apron I NEVER wear. . . it's cute as can be though. ..
The boys watched a movie. Ash would giggle and say, "The boys are the couch potatoes and we are the sweet potatoes."
Hanna made sweet potato souffle and blackberry cobbler.
Ash also made the cornbread dressing with a little help from me.
I did have a little bit of Thanksgiving past with me. . . these brown and serve rolls. My Grandmama fixes them for every meal. I think she and Papa must have stock in these rolls because she fixes them so much . . . just kidding.
Now my table was not decorated for the fall or anything. . . so I had to do the best I could on the spur of the moment. I even lit the candles.
Ash and Hanna made these place cards for everyone as a surprise. . .
Jon and the girls made our dinner extra special with sparking grape juice. . .
Here's the spread . . .chicken, mashed potatoes, corn souffle, sweet potato casserole, green beans, cornbread dressing, and blackberry cobbler and ice cream. . .
I had so much fun cooking in the kitchen with my girls. Although I missed my family terribly we made the best of our day. . . our first Thanksgiving in our new home was wonderful!Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Stick 'em Up
Alec and I had a pretty big blow up last week. This is starting to become more of a norm around here rather than just an occasional thing. After we duked it out with our words he came to me the next day and asked me if I'd play air soft guns with him.
Typically I'm not a "play" mom. I love to read to my kids, love to play games, go on bike rides, walks, etc., but playing really is not my thing. It took me a long time to freely admit that I didn't like to play. . . and when I was able to do this it was truly liberating.
I knew he really needed this from me, so I agreed. . . He warned me that he was going to blow me out of the water. Guess what?
I won!!! I did, I did, I did. I was so very excited. Mind you I used about 500 pellets to his 50 pellets, but I still won. . .
And. . . I squealed like a whiny girl when he shot me. He laughed. It was a good time. I really had a lot of fun.
Typically I'm not a "play" mom. I love to read to my kids, love to play games, go on bike rides, walks, etc., but playing really is not my thing. It took me a long time to freely admit that I didn't like to play. . . and when I was able to do this it was truly liberating.
I knew he really needed this from me, so I agreed. . . He warned me that he was going to blow me out of the water. Guess what?
I won!!! I did, I did, I did. I was so very excited. Mind you I used about 500 pellets to his 50 pellets, but I still won. . .
And. . . I squealed like a whiny girl when he shot me. He laughed. It was a good time. I really had a lot of fun. Afterwards he talked nonstop to me about air soft guns. It took me back to a time when he was so very chatty . . . all the time. . . a time when his mom was the apple of his eye . . . a time when things were less difficult with him. . . a time I miss that seems very far in the distant past.
I've had some really good advice from friends lately who have been through adolescence or is currently there. This really, really helps. It helps me to know that we are "normal" right now. I'm learning to love him more and more even when I don't like him, even when he hurts my heart incredibly bad . . . to try and love more and be less angry with him. And when he flies off at the handle to not fly off with him, rather speak softly and gently to him (this is really hard because this kid knows how to push my buttons). To die to myself.. . and to realize shepherding his heart is way more important that my "to do" list. . . to bring all of my cares and concerns to the cross daily. To not think in the future with all of my "what ifs" as far as to what kind of person he turns out to be. These are all things I needed to be reminded of.
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