Vacation Update & Christmas Greetings!

Good morning! We had a pretty uneventful trip down here to Central Florida on Monday and have been enjoying time with our family and friends since we arrived. We had the first of many Christmas gatherings on Tuesday night. We had a very sad turn of events after the party that night. My cousin's little girl Alyssa (who had been very sick for some time, she had many complications from a blood disease that was diagnosed a couple of years ago) passed away. Alyssa was 3 years old. My cousin and I grew up together. We are almost the same age. For some reason I feel like we share a special bond and always will because of all the time we spent together as children. My heart hurts for her so badly. Rest in peace Alyssa, our special angel, you will always be remembered and loved!

We have many more family get togethers to attend during the remainder of our vacation. Followed by a very special service to celebrate the life of a very special little girl. Not sure if I'll make it back on here so I'll take this time to say...

I hope you treasure the time with those you love this holiday season!  I know I will!  God Bless!!

Not Me Monday

I am definitely NOT getting my Not Me Monday done early so that we can hit the road!

I am NOT headed for a warmer climate to spend time with my family and friends. And it was most certainly NOT ME who filled up the entire shoe bag before my husband could even put in one pair! I am NOT planning to nap and listen to tunes the entire 11+ hour trip (with breaks to eat of course)while my husband drives. In my defense, I always offer and of course he refuses.

Hope all of you are NOT doing some fabulously fun things this holiday!

Getting to Know Me

More questions to get to know me curteousy of Keely over at Mannland.  Thanks Keely!

1. Middle name?
Michelle


2. What do you think is your best asset (physical)?
Eyes, I guess


3. If you could only eat one type of cuisine for a year, what would it be (Mexican, American,Chinese..etc.)?
Mexican - I LOVE Mexican food!


4. Walmart or Target?
Walmart, but mainly because that's what I can afford! LOL


5. Favorite State besides the one you live in?
Florida


6. What side of the bed do you sleep on, left or right?
Left Side


7. King or Queen size bed?
Queen


8. Beer or wine?
Neither


9. Water..ice-cold or room temp?
Ice Cold


10. Christmas..love it or hate it?
LOVE IT

Christmas In The Park

I've always loved looking at Christmas lights.  So last week when our youngest son told us about a place not to far (or so we thought) from where we live that has a fabulous Christmas light display I was more than happy to oblige his request to go and see them before we leave for Christmas vacation.  We decided Thursday night would be the night.  Not that we had a lot of other options.  Every other day until leave is filled with something to do.  Thursday came and it was raining.  In an effort not to disappoint our sweet boy we set out anyways.  We drove and we drove and we drove.   The place that we thought was pretty close by (by country living standards) turned out to be about 45 miles away.  And the farther we drove the harder the rain got.  But we carried on knowing that the boy in back seat would be so disappointed if we turned back.  When we got there, this is what we saw...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lights were beautiful and magical, but after our three hour trek I was left wondering if it was really worth the long drive to see the lights.  Then I looked at this face...

 YEP!  It was totally worth it!

Fantastic Giveaways

MckMama & GrammieMommy are both giving away an awesome prize.  If you like pictures (Who doesn't like pictures?).  Then you should go visit them here and here. 

A Little Clarification

I felt after this post that I probably needed to add a little clarification.  You see I live in somewhat of a welfare state.  The area I live in has a large portion of people who depend on government assistance and hand outs to live.  It's a lifestyle for them.  The mentality in this are is (for the most part) one of "you owe me."  People tend to think that they are entitled to have someone else support them and their lifestyle.  They take no responsibility for making a living, but expect hand outs at every turn.  That was the tone of the phone call that I received yesterday.  This lady seemed to think that because we had given to her family in the past that we owed it to her to help her again.  She expected it and was somewhat rude because she felt like we weren't going to give it to her.  It is usually these type of people who ask for help that when you go to deliver help you will find them driving a brand new car, talking on the latest and greatest cell phone, watching their 50 inch plasma TV, wearing tons of jewelry, with their nails done.  All the while their children are running around in rags and they have no food to eat and no toys to play with.  They put those things last because they know people will not turn the needs of the children away.  It's this type of behavior that has made me somewhat of a cynic.  It's a very sad situation.  Especially for the children.  Unfortunately I think our government feeds into this mentality.   Our nation is need of a lot of prayer.  We have gotten way off track from where we started.

Interesting Things Happen Here!

I work at a church office.  To say that some interesting things happen here is an understatement.  Take for instance the telephone call I just received....

Me:  Good afternoon _________ Church how may I help you?

Female Caller:  Do you help people, do you give people stuff for Christmas?

Me:  Ma'am, you will need to speak to the pastor, but he is not here at the moment.  Can I take your name and number and have him return your call?

Caller:  Well I already talked to him and he told me he would have to check to see what is available.  I just thought you might know something different.

Me:  No Ma'am, you will need to speak to the pastor.

Caller:  Well what about you?  Do you got any extra stuff?  What size clothes do you wear?

Me:  So you need clothes?

Caller:  Yes and sheets.  Are you from here?

Me: Yes, I'm from here. (um, I work here, hello - I didn't really say that part just thought it)

Caller: We've gotten help from there before and I was just wondering what y'all can help with.

Me:  When did you speak to the pastor?

Caller: Last week.  I called him at his house.

Me:  Well let me take down the information about what you need, talk to the pastor, and ask around to see what I can find out.  What size clothes and sheets did you need? 

Caller: Size ___ and ______ & _______ sheets.

Me:  And what is your name and phone #?

Caller: My name is ________ and my phone number is ___________.

Me:  Ok I will see what I can find out.

Caller:  You have my phone number right?

Me: Yes, I have it.

Caller:  Ok, so you call me back.

Me: Ok.

Don't get me wrong.  I have NO problem with people calling for help, that's what we're here for.  But being pushy and asking what size clothes I wear!  I guess some people have no healthy boundaries!

Weekend In Review

I know, I know it's a little late to be giving an update on the weekend.  The first part of this week has been so busy I didn't have time to upload my pictures for this weekend so I'm doing it now.

Oh, and just in case any of you were wondering we found the belt that was mentioned here! :D

Our weekend started out with our small group Christmas Party.  We hosted it and I was so busy playing hostess that I forgot to take pictures!  Sad, I know!  But we had a lot of fun.  Lots of eating and laughing were involved. 



Then on Sunday our church had it's first ever Women's Tea and Christmas Party.  I did manage to get some pictures of that!  Hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was fabulous and I can't wait until we do it again next year! 

We have a wonderful church family and I love them so much!

Working Mommy Wednesday

It's time for Working Mommy Wednesday again.  Thanks to Julia over at Sweet As Punkin Pie for hosting WMW. 

Today's question is...

With all the demands of working and motherhood, how do you manage to make time for your husband? 

I must admit that now that my kids are older finding time to spend with my husband is much easier than it used to be.  

I am blessed to have every other Friday off from work and so we spend those Fridays together.  Sometimes we just hang out at the house and watch movies.  Sometimes we go out shopping and to lunch.  Sometimes we use the time to clean.  But whatever we do, we do it together.  

We also try to run errands together (like grocery shopping or dropping off/picking up the kids).   Most evenings just before bed time we retire to our room and watch TV together and spend time unwinding.  That is usually the time when we talk about whatever is going on at the moment and talk about whatever is on our schedule for that week.  One of the blessings of having teens in our family is, we can leave the kids at home alone when we want to go out for an impromptu date night.  Which we do on occasion when we find that we are feeling disconnected or just missing one another.  

When our kids were smaller it was a lot harder.  Thank goodness for grandparents and family who babysat for us during that stage! 

Making sure that you get quality time with your husband/wife is very important no matter what stage of life you are in.  It's not something to be neglected.  This is a very good question.  Thanks Julia! 

Not Me Monday!

This is my first time participating in Not Me Monday which originated over at MckMama's Blog. Something did NOT happen this morning that made me think it would be perfect for not me Monday.





I most certainly DID NOT send my youngest child to school this morning with NO belt on and tell him to wear his hoody sweater all day and be sure to keep it zipped.  We were not minutes from walking out the door when he announced that could not find his belt.  We did not look everywhere and still not find the blasted belt.  We were NOT running late and so I of course did not tell my son to break the rules and go to school without a belt.  I would NEVER do such a thing! *wink wink*

Oh, and I am most definitely NOT blogging instead of working.  NEVER!

Five Question Friday

It's time for Five Question Friday again courtesy of Mama M.



1. Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?
I actually have a funny story about that.  When I was growing up the presents that Santa left were always left unwrapped for me to find when I got up on Christmas morning.  My husband grew up with Santa leaving wrapped presents.  So we discussed and came to the logical conclusion that my way was the right only way we would do it for our kids.  When our oldest son was finally oldest enough to talk and understand about Santa he got up on Christmas morning and exlaimed, "Santa opened ALL my presents!" LOL

2. When is your "big" Christmas celebration...Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Tell us about it...  
We have a big family so we have many Christmas celebrations.  We have special times of tradition that we spend every year with every part of our families.  I love them all, but the one that is most special to me is when we gather at my grandparents house (which now belongs to my uncle since they have both passed away) and ALL our extended family gathers there.  It's like our family reunion and I look forward to it every year.  I guess it is special to me because I know it was very special to my grandparents when they were alive.

3. Are you big on keeping tradition every year?  
YES!

4. Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy? 

I like both depending on my mood.  I always did colored when my kids were smaller, but I've always loved the elegance of a tree with all white lights.  Maybe now that they are older (of course when I get a new Christmas tree) I'll try the white lights

5. Do you decorate outside your house for Christmas?  
When I was growing up I always loved having Christmas lights on the outside of the house.  I begged my mom every year to put them up.  Some years she just didn't get to it because the winter is a busy time of the year for her at her job.  When I first got married I strongly encouraged my husband to put up lights, especially when our kids were little.  But now that the kids are older we aren't as diligent about getting the house decorated.  So I guess the answer is sometimes we do and sometimes we don't.  

Getting to Know Me

I borrowed these questions from Keely over at MannLand5.

How old are you?
35

Where are you from and where do you live now?
I'm originally from Central Florida and now I live in Southeast Louisiana

What music have you been diggin lately?
I love ALL kinds of music. As a matter of fact I just LOVE music, couldn't live without it!

Favorite food(s)?
I love mexican food!

Single,married, divorced?
Very happily married for 18 years

Kids? If so, how many and how old?
3 kids, Kalib (16), Morgan (15), & Cory (12)

What are 3 blogs you read daily?
Couldn't be limited to just three!

What is your favorite Christmas/Holiday tradition?
My favorite tradition is gathering with ALL my family on Christmas eve.

Lastly, if you're a blogger, how long have you been blogging and if you don't have one..how long have you been reading blogs?
I have been blogging for a couple of years, but have only been blogging faithfully here for a little over a month.

Just Wanted to Share This Today

I LOVE this video.  This song is so anointed!  Hope it blesses you today!

Working Mommy Wednesday

Julia over at Sweet as Punkin Pie posed this question for Working Mommy Wednesday...






Have you ever or would you ever call in "sick" if you weren't really sick? (whether it's your job or to another function that you were supposed to attend). Did you get "caught"?

Umm... of course I would never call in "sick" if I wasn't sick! ;)  Actually, I wouldn't.  But mostly because I am so totally blessed with one of the best jobs in the world.  My boss is so flexible with my schedule.   If something comes up I can usually work it out to change up my schedule (see I told you blessed!). 

I am looking forward to hearing everyone elses answer.  Don't forget to stop by Julia's blog to see who the featured "Working Mommy" is and see how everyone else answered this question.  

Truthful Tuesdays

It's time to come out with it.  The truth that is.  Elizabeth, over at Confessions from a working mom, has a great question for today.

What do you

really want for Christmas

that money can't buy?

If I could have anything that money would not buy it would be knowing that my kids are going grow up to be happy, healthy, successful individuals.  To know that they are going to be ok.  As I've mentioned in previous post(s) we are in the midst of raising teenagers. I thought there was a lot to worry about when my kids were younger.  Now there's a whole other set of things to worry and wonder about that I never even realized.  The rules have all changed (as a matter of fact I think they change daily, no make that hourly!).  The stakes have been upped. While I know that I can't be assured that their lives will end up the way I would like them to, I can be assured that God is going to be with them (& me) no matter what comes along.  I can rest in the fact that He loves them even more than I do and He wants the best for them.  Most importantly is realizing that His plans for their future is what is important.  Knowing the One who holds their future is *almost* as good as knowing the future itself.  

Southern Winter Wonderland

Our internet at home is not working and so I couldn't post over the weekend.  I wanted to share a few of our snow pictures with you.  Now, I know this is not much snow, especially if you live in the great white north.  BUT for us here in Southeast Louisiana this is SNOW!  And if you ask me this is just the right amount of snow to get (once a year).  Course, what do I know?  I'm just a good ole southern girl! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

By the time the kiddos got up a lot of the snow had melted. 

There wasn't enough to make a regular snowman so they made minis instead.

My Fantasy Christmas List

I got this idea from Alexis over at Where He Lead Me I Will Follow.  She posted about her fantasy Christmas list and I thought I'd do the same. 

Here's MY Fantasy Christmas List

1.  A $5,000 shopping spree - you know the kind like they give you on "What Not to Wear."  I love to shop for clothes, shoes, jewelry, toiletries, make-up.  You name it!

2.  An iphone.  My current phone is just fine, but I'd love to have an iphone.  Maybe someday.

3.  A New Laptop.   Not one for me, but one for my kids to use, so that maybe, perhaps, I might get an opportunity to use mine again.

5.  Multiple Gift Certificates to a Spa.  I don't know, maybe enough to go once a month for a whole year?

6.  Maid service for the rest of my life. 

** As an aside, if you decide to google "maid" for images you will come up with images of the kind of maid most men would fantasize about, not you.  (Don't ask me how I know this.)

7.  Laser Hair Removal.  This might seem a bit strange to some of you.  But I have gotten to the age where I am finding hair in lots of unwanted places. 

There you have it!  It's definitely not an exhaustive list.   I also reserve the right to come back and add more later. 

Want to see what everyone else has on their fantasy list?  Hop on over to Alexis' blog and link up with the other ladies on the blog hop.