Christmas 2008 in Review

We had a large time in South Carolina for the Christmas Holidays. We packed as much as we could in to six days. I didn't anticipate getting a twenty-four hour stomach bug that knocked me completely out. That kept me from seeing my Mama and Grandma for two days. They truly can't afford to be sick and I wasn't going to take what I had around them. At least the virus waited until after Christmas to do it's thang.

I got to see a few friends and that was so nice. Michelle was a sight for sore eyes. We were able to visit with her and her family a little bit. You know how it goes. The men sit in the living room with football going while the women gravitate to the kitchen so we can chat and catch up. She keeps telling me she's going to get down this way and I'm holding her to it. They are wide open fixing their properties at the beach, and I can't wait to see the pictures showing awesome results! I got to hang out with Lu just a little bit. She contracted that nasty bug, too, so we mostly were miserable on the phone together. The girls were able to go visit on their bio-dad's side where they had a great time. They were able to see their grandparents and spend some time with their favorite Aunt and Uncle on that side. I missed them, but was glad they had a good time.

I felt like the visit went too fast until I remember my Grandma's bed. I'm not kidding you, Internets, that bed is like sleeping on a board. That woman is all about a *firm* mattress. The Man and I are not. We were like two old goonies in the nursing home every morning when we got up. We were so sore and stiff that it took at least two cups of coffee and an hour of moving just to function. I am grateful that we can stay in my Grandma's house. She's not there anymore as she is bedridden and stays with my Aunt next door. I still get paranoid when we go to leave and I clean. She is like the world's most immaculate housekeeper and even though I know she won't see her house, I want it to be like she would like it when I leave. Six days has a way of messing up a place if you know what I mean.

The ride home was loooonnngggg. I told The Man as we puttered down I-95 that it seemed like everyone on the East Coast was either going home or to Disney World. It caused a lot of muttering to happen from the driver's seat when certain drivers acted as if where they were going was much more important than the other few thousand around them. We finally made it home to our beds and it's taken a day or two to fully recover. I do believe I am getting on the older side. All that long travel makes for a very tired Miss Hope. God Bless the person who decided to put a DVD player in vehicles. The Boy was able to be entertained (which is a feat in itself when the medication wears off) and even got to play his new plug-in game (Power Rangers, of course).

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite pictures from the season with you.

This was taken before church the Sunday morning before we left. I love the fact that my son refused to smile, yet still ended up being cute. He was right thrilled to see the green vest I had for him to wear. My sweet Makenna. Girlfriend can pose, can't she?

Christmas Eve before heading to Nana and Papa's house. Some times the middle kid gets lost in the shuffle. Not this middle kid. She had the shirt to prove it! The star ornament on the tree is one she made in class with her picture in the center. It was a gift she brought with her so we had some personal touch on our tree there.

This is what happens when you tell the five grankids to sit in one place so you can get a picture. I finally gave up trying to get them to cooperate and let them be. I think I like this picture better than any other Christmas Eve picture I've taken. It's just full of personality. My Dad is sitting in the chair to the right just shaking his head.

Santa was good and fulfilled dreams and wishes. Now my baby can save the world properly and with extra gusto!

In case you're wondering, this is the Happy Dance. Who knew a Nintendo DS could cause such happiness. I'm not allowed to post pictures of Paige in her pajamas with no makeup on. Even though the pajamas were adorable and I didn't think she looked bad. I guess I need to respect.

This is my favorite of all the pictures that were taken. This is my Grandma. We all went to my Aunt's house to spend some time with them on Christmas Eve. Even though she is bedridden, she still made sure all her grandchildren had a present from her. Even though each child got the same gift (a little piece of money), they each took a turn sitting on the stool beside her bed so she could see them open their card. It was such a sweet moment and I was close to tears quite a few times. I love my Grandma and I treasure each moment I am able to have with her. (Pay no attention that man who is my brother on the other side of her. He would get all poothead on me if he knew I put his picture on here but I wasn't able to cut him out. I won't tell if you won't!)

That should wrap up Christmas 2008. I have been visiting some of your blogs and have really enjoyed being able to peek in and share in your holidays, too. No plans as of now for New Year's. That's okay. I'm perfectly content to share it with my family right here at The Edge.

Feel the Love

You need be feeling some serious love here, Internets. I have been waiting on Mama's dial-up connection to get to this page for about ten minutes now. Lawd, I do NOT miss the dial-up connection at all. I knew it was going to be slow. I've been here before. Yet, I still sat down and tried to clickety click click my way along. The connection said to me, "HA! Surely, you jest!" I guess I did.

Christmas has been good to us. We've got to spend time with our family, both in person and with The Man's via the phone. I think he's a little bit more homesick this year than normal. Both our parents have had health problems this year and he's really missing his (and his siblings) this year. Must be his age talking, huh? I know how he feels and I just sit back and understand.

The kids totally scored, but not overly so. The girls left this afternoon to go spend time at their bio-dad's house. I begged them both to go and have a wonderful time and just enjoy being together. We'll see how it turns out. We won't see them again until Saturday. While I know that's not along at all...when you're used to them being around, it makes me miss them more than I can say.

I've taken so many pictures and would love to share them with you, but it'll have to wait until my return to Georgia. My trusty laptop knows me and understands me. I promise I got some good ones!

I just wanted to check in and say "Hello". I'm going to go try and visit some of you, but I can't make any promises. Waiting 10+ minutes for a page to load will do a number on your nerves. No wonder Mama only visits The Edge once or twice a week. I bet she has to wait a good 30 minutes when I do a picture post! Whew.

Oh, one cute tidbit to leave you with. My Aunt's husband (long story) had his leg amputated about six months ago from the knee down(diabetes related). Last visit home, he had one leg. The Boy took note of this, but didn't say much about it. We walked in to see them Monday evening upon our arrival and there sat Uncle H. with his new prosthetic. The Boy looked...looked again...turned to his Dad and said, "Look, Dad! He growed his leg back! He got 'nother one!" See, kids DO pay attention! We got a good laugh off of that.

Take care, Internets, and know that I'll be "seeing" you soon!

This is what I say

We at The Edge want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas 2008. The interstate is beckoning us and we must heed it's call. My side of the family is waiting about 4-5 hours down the road. While we wish we could have both sides together and under one roof, it just isn't feasible. The Man is looking forward to getting up tomorrow morning before daylight (!!!) in order to cook outside (again, !!!!) with my brother and Daddy. I get to see my magician...err...stylist tomorrow afternoon after I decorate my Grandma's house (where we stay) and make it festive (small scale style). The girls will be with us until Christmas Day, where they will then make their way to their bio-dad's side of the family to spend time with them. My son will run until his legs give out on The Plantation (that's what we call my Mama and Daddy's property) with his cousin. They will get dirty and have red cheeks and life will so very good for him.

I plan on seeing girlfriends that I miss. I plan on being exhausted by the time we head back to Georgia. That's all good stuff, Internets!

While we enjoy being festive and spending time with our family and friends, we will not overlook or forget that it is Jesus' Birthday. He is the reason for the season. I look forward to hearing my Daddy talk about it Christmas Eve with his grandchildren sitting at his feet. (makes me teary now picturing it)

We send prayers for safe travels for those of you brave enough to hit the road and air. We send prayers that families will bond together and become even closer.

See you all next Sunday! If I'm too tired? It'll most probably be Monday.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!

What She Got!

I received a call from the Elementary school Friday morning before school even started. I caught my breath as I wondered what on earth could have happened to my child since she had been dropped off 40 minutes before.

The voice on the other end of the line assured me all was fine. It was more than fine, actually. The school had been having some sort of giveaway deals going on. Each day had new drawings for gifts. Thursday it was for two bikes. They literally pulled the names out of a hat and my baby's name was pulled Friday morning!

Miss Voice went on to tell me that we might need to come and get it as it was too big for her to handle. HUH? What is in this thing? She really didn't know, but we could help? I assured we could. I called The Man at work and told him about Makenna's good fortune. At noon he swung by to get the goods.

Holy Cow. Not one piece of candy to be found. It was a bunch of...stuff. That requires batteries!

I used to think she was tall. I'm not so sure anymore. The Man says we need to get her to pick out lottery numbers for us. I'm thinking he might be right.

Lots of stuff. The coin sorting bank was cool. The microphone that goes through a radio is rocking. She is sharing her good fortune with her siblings without prompting which makes me proud. Can you see her expression when I commented that Santa doesn't need to come visit now that she's scored? It was priceless. No, not everything has been opened. I'm thinking I'm going to see if I can appeal to her good side about donating some of them to a good cause.

Now, I'm going to try and show you some more pictures from the other day when blogger flaked out on me and wouldn't let me do anymore uploading. I am digging this way of decorating where my name is used on a regular basis. I've found all kinds of cool things with my name in the past year. This is a neat one I've found. See how it's located near the Vikings ornament? Wonder who that one belongs to??

Ladies and Gentlemen? This is THE ornament. Meet Snoopy With Antlers on Skis. I remember this ornament being on my tree since I was really young. Mama gave it to me when I moved out or when I got married- not clear on that. I know it has a place of honor on our tree and I'm very particular about it. I love Snoopy.

We're cleaning and being right busy as we prepare to head to South Carolina Monday. I'm busting butt to see if I can get as much done as possible. I really really don't want to come back to a house that will need cleaning immediately. Methinks after six days of going, I'm going to need a break.

A Little Bit of Edge Hodge Podge

I've been talking about my tree topper that I concocted on my own. I'm not saying it's professional or anything of that nature. I really didn't go all out this year for some reason. It's kind of hard when you know you're not going to be in your home to celebrate the holiday. Don't get me wrong, we are so excited to be heading to South Carolina next week. It's been two and a half months since we've seen our people. My baby left out the house this morning singing, "Woo Hoo! No school ta-morrow. I go'in on vacation!" He talks and talks of seeing his cousin Cayden (who is 6) and he knows he'll be outside every minute possible. He believes Cayden to be his friend, the concept of a cousin hasn't registered with him yet.

Our packages have made it to The Man's family out TEXAS and Kansas way so I can breathe easier with that done. I really wish I could see my nieces and nephew. Because of this thing called life, we have yet to meet our nephew and niece. Makes me sad I never got to hold them as babies and cuddle them and smell their baby scent. My sister in law has been talking about heading this way next summer. Maybe we can make it happen. The Man is "banking" his leave now. When you retire from the military, if you have leave built up, you can take what's called "terminal leave". That basically means if he has, say 60 days, he can retire in May, but get paid by the military for two more months while we move and get our new lives started. This is commonly done by retiring military members and we're going to be no exception. It'll make our long weekends further between, but it'll be worth it in the end. Right now the job market looks good where we want to go. BIG prayers it'll keep looking good when he starts headhunting next summer.

I took a couple of pictures last night to show you what I did do around here decoration-wise. My only gripe is that it's hard to take a picture the way I want. I wanted this soft focus pictures with the lights glowing prettily. Yeah, that didn't happen so well in most of them. I know. I know. The camera is probably capable....the user just isn't.

Honestly? I'm a silver kind of gal. I have yet to figure out why I use gold so much in my home. I have gold in my curtains, my pillows and some decorations. The frou-frou stuff I picked up at Michael's back before Thanksgiving. The gold poinsettias are another story. My mother used to use them on her tree. One year she brought them to me and said she was going with something different. I love them. I decorate the entire tree and then use them as fillers where there's a hole and it just looks so festive and almost elegant. This year, I used them to make the topper. I was totally standing on a chair about to bust my butt to get this angle.

This gives a slight idea of how it looks lit up. Like I said, I love it and find myself looking at it as I sit in my chair. The Man keeps waiting for me to get up and tweak it a little bit more, but I'm not. If it's not right by now? It's not going to be.

This has GOT to be one of my favorite things. I found these plates at Cracker Barrel last week for 40% off. If I'm not mistaken, I got them both for under 10 bucks. They are just the coolest looking thing and everyone comments on them. Mama gave me this plate rack when we moved to Georgia and I've had a great time finding plates to put in it. I've put expensive ones (but only once because Paige knocked them off and broke them), plastic ones, seasonal ones, you name it. I love how you can make one thing work with a theme, season, or holiday easy as 1-2-3. I might leave them up a little past Christmas and justify it by saying you eat mints year round.

I've been fighting blogger for 30 minutes now trying to get one last picture up. Suffice it to say, blogger won. I have an ornament I want to show you and I may come back later and see what I can do to edit this thing. For those of you who have shared your decorations and such? Thank you! I enjoy seeing your homes all festive and might even steal an idea or two next year!

Backlogged with Thoughts and Pictures!

I can NOT believe how fast this week has gone. Santa comes in eleven days! Holy smokes.

Okay. Moment of panic is over.

Paige had her NJROTC Winter Ball last night. Of course, I took loads of pictures for you to enjoy. Alas, I can't do that post until I catch up on some other stuff that's been going on.

Last Saturday, we went downtown for a family day in the park. The community had donated lots of goodies, games, prizes, and food for every one to come out and enjoy. Our goal and aim was to get there early enough to get in line to see Santa. I had tshirts from last year that matched and, by golly, they still fit. Paige was a good sport and wore hers, too. All the festivities started at noon and we got there around 11:20 and jumped into the Santa line as fast as we could.

I love this town we live in. What a wonderful afternoon we had with memories made and recorded in pictures!

Ready for Show and Tell?

The Boy had to get a better perch so he could look for Santa to arrive. This is when he first saw him.

I have two of these. The other one is better and I've tweaked and modified it for family and a few friends. I didn't want to put it up on here because I put our town name and such on it. Look at my babies! With the matching shirts.

There was a sleigh there and I told Makenna to go sit and let me take a picture. Strike a pose, Baby Girl! (the ribbon in her hair has Christmas lights on it like her shirt-how much more anal can I get?) This girl here is growing so fast. I blink and she's another inch taller. I tell everyone who asks where she gets it from, that her Uncle on her bio-father's side is about 8 ft tall (not really, he just looks like compared to my 5'6" self) and she's just like him.

Okay...follow my thought here. We were standing and talking to some friends when I noticed Paige and The Boy were missing. The Man said they were on the pier walking. This is so HUGE because we could never do that before with our son. He didn't have to wear the harness this time. It was a trial run to see if the medication could truly curb his strong impulses. I looked at the pier and thought I saw them at the end (I can't see that far without my glasses) and used the zoom on the camera to see if it was.

I admit I caught my breath when I saw this, but then I realized something. 1. He was standing there just enjoying the moment, and 2. Paige would die before she'd let anything happen to him and she can swim like a fish and has even taken classes towards getting her lifeguard certification. They stayed out there for about 15 minutes and I am so thrilled he was able to enjoy a few minutes with his Sissy.

This is Paige on the way there in the truck. She loves this vest I found for her last year and it's her new favorite article of clothing.

This is totally unrelated to Saturday. Sunday morning, The Boy informed Dad he wanted to wear a tie like he does. So, I let him. It's just gravy that the tie is GREEN, too. I had to take a picture because my boy is just too sharp for his own good and it took all I had to refrain from eating him up.

This is a quick catch-up for the day. I promise I'll be posting some Ball pictures next. Now, be careful if you're out there shopping and whatnot. People are crazier this time of year!