Christmas Season 2006

Another successful Christmas mission accomplished.

On the way home last Saturday, Paige made the comment that she felt she could go faster than our van was going down the interstate. That baby was ready to see her Nana. And Paige is the only person I know who can make friends with other people on the interstate. She got out her green and red markers....got a few note cards and proceeded to write this on them and put them in the window on her side.

"HO HO HO"

Merry Christmas!

one card had a Christmas tree with presents underneath.

I was in the left lane passing another fellow mini-van who had NO IDEA what cruise control was. It was a young driver who, when she looked at Paige's window...did a bouncy "ho ho ho" and waved at Paige. That's my Paige...never meeting a stranger.

Christmas Eve we went to our home church for a cantata. Our choir rocks and I just felt that was the best place for our family to be before we headed over to Mama's house to open all the goodies. It pissed Makenna off. She read the program and counted down the songs as they were sung. Well, they didn't really put the last song on the program and when they started singing....that sister was just disgusted.

She said..."Can we just go already?????"

We stayed for the rest, of course.

We cut our visit short due to illness. I was feeling puny and Big Daddy decided we would head on back to Georgia in case I needed to go to the doctor on Friday. The military will close a facility for any reason they can think of, so we knew if I got worse.... it would be Tuesday before I could be seen.

Apparently, we were all sick....Fred being the exception. After going rounds with Tricare yesterday, we were all four seen. This is how it went. Vitt- upper respiratory infection, Makenna- Upper respiratory, Paige- sickest out of group- sinus and upper resp. And me?? Throat infection. JUST LOVELY.

One quick visit to the base pharmacy and our medical needs were met. For free.

We also have house guests that came back with us. My nieces Emily and Erica are visiting whilst their mom- my life friend Lu- goes on a cruise. The dog. The twins are loving Georgia and I truly enjoyed having them here with us. Lu is gonna pick them up Sunday on her way through and I do believe I might miss them. But, whoever said boys eat alot......they obviously didn't have girls. Good Lawd! This group is going to eat us out of house and home!

So, today, we're just all hanging around in our gowns....taking it easy. The girls all got a webkin for Christmas. It's a stuffed animal that you can go online and "raise" it. They're all red-eyed from staring at the computer. Emily says, "This is the bestest present EVAH". (She's a Southern Belle in training)

I am employing evil ways around here, too. They were all excited at the fact we're going to have hot dogs and fries for supper. They smelled a trick when they had to eat a good salad for lunch. Eating three bites...thinking they were done? I offered to put the bowl in the fridge so they could finish it for supper. We had very clean bowls by the end of the meal.

I heard we're having a new year coming in tomorrow night. 2006 was such a life changing year for me....for my family. I look forward to HOPEFULLY having a peaceful non-stressful year in 2007.

Yeah, right.

To Ya'll Out There in Internet Land

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MISS HOPE. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS. MAY HE KEEP YOU SAFE THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON AND BRING YOU SAFELY INTO THE NEW YEAR.

We'll see ya in a week.

Remember...coal will eventually turn into a diamond.

To My Son

Dear Vitt,

You are two. And because you are two, you don't realize what Mama and Dad have to do in order to get this family of five home for Christmas. Mama has been washing and cleaning all day long to prepare for a packing frenzy before she goes to bed. Daddy worked all day and has run errands trying to wrap things up. We just have the best intentions of leaving this house around 7 a.m. because we are ready to get home, son!

And can you believe that I actually had the insane thought to clean my jewelry today so it would be all sparkly and pretty for pictures taken in the next week? I know I used one of your teeny medicine cups and put it to the side. My idea was to clean it all before going to bed and have it laying out to dry. Why, I even threw Makenna's earrings in for good measure!

The stool. Oh, how you love the stool. You utilize that tool every single chance you get. Hence an hour or so earlier. You pulled that stool right up to the kitchen sink to play in the faucet. That's cool. But, then you had to spy the teeny cup sitting there. And you were dying of thirst. And proceeded to dump said cup so you could quench that thirst.

Then I walk in. And lost all semblance of composure and religion I had in my body.

Little Boy, you better be glad your Daddy will stick his hand down the garbage disposal. You better be durn glad he knows how to dismantle the garbage disposal under the sink when there was one single little earring left to find.

And you better extra durn glad it fell out when he did.

It sure saved your butt from getting choked for Christmas.

love,
Mama

Countdown

Makenna is on the other side of driving me crazy here. I made the mistake of giving her Santa's website which shows the countdown to Christmas by the minute. She is accessing it on Fred's laptop every five minutes. I do believe she is a tad bit excited.

I'm not too sure how to do this, but I'm going to give you the link to check it out. It's not a bad site to leaving running on your puter.

http://www.emailsanta.com/

I'd get Paige to fix it all fancy, but girlfriend is sleeping in. I'm glad someone is able to.

Party at the Mansion

Let's get one thing straight, shall we? We all know that this particular family lives in the bottom floor of this dwelling. We have neighbors on top to the right and neighbors on top to the left. For all intents and purposes, I guess you could call it apartments. Well, we, and we being the tenants of this said structure....call our homes The Mansion. Why, you ask?

Well........

1. Looking at it from the outside...it's huge. Like a big house.

2. Anyone I know living in a crib this big ...lives in a mansion.

3. Neighbor upstairs brings home a valid point. We have 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 dining rooms (we opted out of that on one side), 4 great rooms, 3 laundry rooms (we only use one)...and enough kitchen space for a restaurant.

4. We all meet in the outside foyer once a day, weather permitting, to sit and chat.

5. And the decorations outside? "Officially" on our lawn....but gladly shared to let others take part and do their own decoratin'.

Just like a family.

This morning, neighbors in C came down to visit me whilst I wrapped presents. I told them to please come and eat supper with us tonight. I wanted our "family" to do something special before the downstairs unit cleared out to head back to South Carolina for Jesus' Birthday. We also contacted Ms. Unit D to inform her of our plans. Her new hubby is out in the field (military field, that is) working until Saturday morning and she's feeling the depressing feeling of being lonely.

How excited we were! We decided to order pizza so no one would have to cook or clean. I had desserts and Miss Neighbor C said she would bring something also. We set the time for 6:00 p.m.

Then I worked those girls of mine like cheap labor when they got home from school. We swept and mopped and straightened and lit really good smelling candles. Our house ....on one side....looked awesome! We were standing there all proud, then I looked at them and said...well, we're half-way done...we'll do the other side tomorrow. ha ha ha ha ha ...yes, I know I am evil.

What a good time we had. I had picked up presents for the couples but was not expecting a single thing from them. They came bearing gifts. My goodness. We had supper at our table with enough room for all when we added the girls' desk chairs. Mister C sang some karaoke with Paige afterwards. We opened gifts. The old folks (that would be Fred and I) drank coffee.

It was a really good time. These kids won't be able to go home for Christmas. They will be working for our country. I am so very proud of them and wanted to do something special for them. Instead, they turned the tables on me and showed me just how special they are.

They are ready for us to come BACK home next Friday.

We made it official. We are all Mansion-Mates.

Music Trivia

Fred and I have always played this game since we started dating back in 2001. I've had a love for music since I was a wee one. My dad had an 8-track player that I inherited as a young girl and my listening choices were CCR, Three Dog Night, and Dionne Warwick. I know there were more, but I tended to gravitate towards these three more. My friend Debbie and I always quizzed each other on artists and song titles going through elementary school until we finished high school. She and I are number one fans of the movie Dazed and Confused*...the music just ROCKS in that movie.

So, as we were dating, when a song would come on, I would be quick to ask.....Who sings this? or What year did this song come out? My whole life revolved around songs. I have a song for every memorable occasion in my life.

Fred's not a real good music trivia player. He gets them wrong more often than he gets them right. I amaze him with my recollect sometimes. I'm not saying he doesn't appreciate good music. He sings along with the songs from back in the day and has a few memories of his own.

Yesterday we were driving to the commissary on base to get groceries. I make him go with me so he can pick out a couple of meals that HE will cook. I figure if he likes the food...he'll be more inclined to cook it and give me a break.

On the radio came a classic. Frosty the Snowman. The original. Quick as a wink I said....Who sings this?

Get this.

Quick as a wink he replied..Burl Ives.

Can you believe it????? He can't remember songs by Bon Jovi or Michael Jackson....prominent songs from his teen years...but he can remember BURL IVES?????

I just looked at him. Then I proceeded to tell him how sad it was that he could remember that name and hardly any of the other songs. I laughed because it just really caught me off guard. I honestly was not expecting him to know the answer.

Then I told him...I'm going to blog about this. You know that, right?





*We all know that Dazed And Confused promotes the ideas of smoking weed...underage drinking and teen sex. I didn't say I supported these ideas at all. But, the movie is hilarious and the music is just superb. And Matthew McC.? (I just can't spell his last name) I never thought a man looked good with sideburns until I saw his.

Is it Okay?

I just saw something on the morning news that kind of bothered me. The topic of discussion was, "Is it okay to say Merry Christmas?".

Well, in a nutshell, yes it is.

Have we forgotten that we live in America?

Have we forgotten that we are, for all intents and purposes, a free country?

Have we forgotten why our forefathers left England...and that others immigrated to this fine land of milk and honey?

Have we forgotten why so many of our sons have died in years past?

I am famous for my love of America. If someone knocks at the door, I don't have to answer. And if I don't feel like doing it, I don't. It's simple as that. If I check the peephole and there's a piece of formal paper saying that the law has reason to search my house, I might be inclined to open the door and see what the fuss is about. But, I am a law-abiding citizen, so I really have no fear of that happening.

If the phone rings and I don't feel like talking to the person showing up on caller i.d., then I don't answer. Simple as that. Living in a country such as ours gives me that sweet privilege.

If I want to get up on Sunday morning and go to the church of my choice...then I do. And I choose to go every Sunday morning with my family of five to worship the Lord. A Free Will Baptist church to be more exact. We pass a few churches of different denominations as we go to our own...with parking lots full.

My husband works for the citizens of the United States to protect these rights that have been hard-won. He's put in 17 years of his life.....been in places that he can't even tell me about...to insure our children can keep these choices that most take for granted.

I get so....well, pissed off, for lack of a better term, when stupid discussions are held over issues that really aren't relevant to our continued survival as a free country.

If I choose to say Merry Christmas, then I will. If I choose to add my Blessings, then I will.

I live in the UNITED States of America.


MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL..........

Blessed Child

Time for the Christmas play at church. Parts have been assigned. Makenna was chosen to be the donkey. She has to crawl on all fours and tote Baby Jesus.

She is not happy.

In fact, she's right insulted and pissed about the whole deal.

I tried to explain to her that you can't always get the good parts. That the donkey was VERY important in the grand scheme of things. God picked that one particular animal to tote Mary safely to Bethlehem. So, she really does have a good part.

She ain't buying it.

All we get when we try to talk to her about it is one little girl sitting in the chair with her legs crossed primly...arms crossed over her chest...and the reply...

"Makenna don't do donkeys."


She will this year.

It's Only Fair, I Supose

It's only fair that I tell on my own self.

Last night, Paige went to a Christmas Sunday School party. After getting home, she and I were over in the west wing of the house...she on the laptop and me on my computer. We were talking about the party and playing the best game EVAH.

I have all these cubby holes on my desk that I have stashed lots of things in. Order in chaos kind of thinking. In one, I knew there was a bag of vanilla wafers that I keep for Vitt in the mornings. I decided I wanted a couple of those cookies.

I was playing the card game while reaching for the bag..that was behind some papers.

Now, Vitt has this fascination with shoe laces. If he finds a shoe with a lace...he finds it necessary to remove them. Drives us crazy trying to keep up with them. Apparently he had taken Makenna's brown ones out and I had stuck it in the cubby for safe keeping.

It was wrapped around the bag.

And I pulled the bag out without really looking.

And the shoestring came with it.

And...well.....it scared me.

So I screamed.

And started shaking my hand like crazy. While still holding on to the bag of cookies.

I startled Paige, too, and she wanted to know what was going on. I was explaining to her as I am to you and then I finished with....."All I know is I HAD TO SAVE THE COOKIES!"

She thought this was the funniest thing in the entire free world and almost hurt herself laughing at me.

I guess you had to be there.

Telling on Paige

I'm almost positive I've told you how Paige is now cooking our meat on the George Foreman grill. She has completely taken over that part of the meal on Sunday and is asking for the GF 5. Didn't know such an animal existed. Soooo.... you think she wants the upgraded grill or the ipod nano?? I know which one I'd wish she really wanted.

So, today she and I are cooking Sunday dinner after getting home from church. I'm running around taking care of everything but the meat. She is manning her grill with her tongs and spices. We were finishing up for the most part when she said to me,

"This is going to be some GOOD meat because I've been licking the air."

She. Kills. Me.

Mass Confusion...you know, the usual

Fred and I are going to his Christmas party this evening. And I really want to go because the Navy dishes out some really good door prizes, people. And don't be jealous.....it's the least they can do!

Three weeks ago, I asked our upstairs neighbor if she could watch Vitt and Makenna while we go. She's a great girl and with three younger siblings...I know she's quite capable. So, the younger two are to go upstairs with her and Paige can do her bachelorette thing down here in our home. Works all the way around.

This morning Mistress Scrooge asks if Vitt can stay with her. She will be lonely. He is fun.

HUH?

We've decided to let him go ahead and stay with her. Rudolph and Frosty are to come on tonight, so that's two hours of pleasure viewing for the two of them and she can lay down with him to go to sleep. Miss Upstairs Neighbor will be nearby if Paige should need immediate assistance.

What about Makenna?

That sister will go on upstairs. I don't think Paige's generosity extends to letting her sister live if left alone with her.

Besides, Mak can scam a foot long coney from Sonic out of neighbor. She's good that way.

I'm going to squeeze him to death.

I know. Two posts in one day. Deal with it. I'm like a solar eclipse. It happens once in a while.

So today is trash pick-up day. And Vitt is like any other little boy. He loves him a big truck. He has the blinds open so he can see the truck stop at each building, put the cans on that lifty thing, and ride on to the next.

The truck is in front of our house. OH JOY, PEOPLE! There is a female driver today. She is sitting there looking as bored and out of place as she can. It is apparent that she went through no extra trouble appearance-wise to drive the trash truck today. She glances towards our building and there's my baby...waving frantically and hollering "HEY! HEY THERE!" A small transforms her face as she waves back just as big. They both wave big and wild as she drives off.

She has a smile on her face. She is someone's hero.

Feeling Right Froggy and Good to Go

I never had family out of state until I married my husband. All my family is for the most part, local. After acquiring a Yankee hubby, I acquired his lovely family that were nowhere near local.

So, every year, we struggle to get Christmas done and mailed in time. And we have not had that many successful years. The year I was pregnant.....well, it was a bad year. The presents SO didn't make it on time. In fact, if I remember correctly...they were a few months late!

This year I vowed would be different. And it is! YaY!

We finished shopping for his family this past Tuesday evening and it was so easy. We have not had such a easy shopping experience where we found good stuff for every single person. Even the brother in law I've never met! Last night I sat and wrapped each gift lovingly and put cute computer generated personal labels on each gift. Because I was pushing to get them done, Fred decided to be generous and pick up supper to go. We all decided to ride to pick up supper. As we're driving along listening to Christmas music on the ALL CHRISTMAS MUSIC STATION...my husband is sitting in the driver's seat dancing to an old favorite. I've been fighting a cold or allergies and wasn't catching a groove. I looked at him and said...I know why you're in such a good mood. Oh?..he said. Yeah, said I, we've got your family totally done and you're a step ahead of them and catching all kinds of attitude. Nah, he said, with a grin. Sure.

And Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge? Sir, we have in our home, your long lost great great great great grand-daughter. Her name is Paige and she's got to be the sourest (my word invention there) person I've EVAH seen. She has nothing good to say and any moment I keep expecting her to say BAH! HUMBUG! So, Fred and I piss her off by commenting that we're not going to let some snotty 12 year old bring us down, etc etc etc. Nothing grates her butt worse than being talked about like she's not there.

I've even considered doing the 3 ghost thing. Past, present, and future. Was really warming to the idea until I realized that if we did that......she'd probably have to be in therapy for being scared to death. So not worth it.

I'm going to get a little container of glitter and start sprinkling her with "HAPPY CHRISTMAS" dust when she goes sour on us. Joseph, the shepherds, plus the baby lambs.......she'll be glittered from her head to her toes.