Family...

(Ryan, Amy and Sarah, Mark's parents, and Mark)



(the traditional Nativity is probably older than Mark)



(baby Jesus is quite untraditionally swaddled in a Walmart bag, yes he is)









(Mark's mom, bless her heart, decorates every surface in her home with clippings from magazines, decorative paper towels, empty fruitcups and plastic bags. She suffers from Alzheimer's, which is sad but we do get a chuckle out of her God-given talent)



(the kids with Liz and Sarah, our long-lost relatives from far away. I've not seen them since shortly before Ryan was born, almost 16 years ago).


In other news...

We are leaving for North Carolina in the morning! I think we'll made it as far as Gadsden, Alabama before we stop for the night. The car is packed to the gills. Amy left a detailed 2-page list of rules and instructions for Mark on how to care for the piggers. Too cute. I'll have to email him more later about the cats and dogs(all animals are the kids' responsibility so he really doesn't know what to do for them).

I'll have internet access in NC but not a way to upload my pictures so I'll probably use the girls' camera sometimes if I can. We have lots of fun stuff planned that will *need* documenting!! Can't wait to share!

more animals

Maybe later I'll have some pictures of my own furbabies in their holiday finery!

My mom called me last night to say they were in Tallulah, Louisiana. Only she actually said Mississippi. Soooo, they arrived around 10 o'clock!! I was supposed to go get their Christmas presents today so mom will have to ride with me I guess. I'm very glad they are here and not driving in any nasty weather. Whew!

I am Channeling the Great Griswold...

(Clark Griswold)

Ye of little faith will behold a wondrous sight.


(the faithless)

Come check late Sunday afternoon to see the transformation!!


(it said 11 feet on the tag, our ceiling is 12 feet, someone got it wrong)

****edited: oops, I think our ceiling is only 11 feet, my bad.****


(we have it anchored to the wall in two places and the ceiling beam as well)

Christmas Foods....

***updated***I moved the pictures to the bottom of this post lest people think we eat Guinea Pigs for Christmas dinner(thanks Aaron!).

Quite possibly my favorite thing about celebrating Christmas, besides the trees and lights, and fun, is the food!

We don't do a lot of parties and such but now and then we'll attend something that requires a dish or snack. My favorite side dishes to take along are Broccoli Rice(or Quinoa) Casserole and Special Dilled Potatoes. I'm actually taking the potatoes to a party tomorrow night!

My new favorite snack is my special recipe Deviled Party Mix. I use a large roaster pan for it because I like having it last all week long. My recipe goes something like this(all amounts are extremely approximate, sometimes I have to adjust as its cooking)...


(Pillsbury image)

Deviled Party Mix

Corn, rice, and wheat Chex cereals(about 3/4 or more of each box)
Quaker Oat(meal?) Squares cereal(I usually use all but a bowl or two of this)
pretzel twists(most of the bag)
salted mixed nuts(larger can)

3/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup(or 1/8th) spicy horseradish mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper(or more)
1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt(remember, this is a large amount of cereals to cover)
1 teaspoon each, garlic and onion powder

Mix the oil, margarine, vinegar and honey together and melt in 225 oven for about 13 minutes. Mix in spices and mustard, adding more oil if it doesn't seem like enough to coat all the cereals.

Add oatmeal squares first, then the rest. Stir well to coat, usually several minutes. Bake at 225 for 15 minutes. Stir well again and continue stirring every 15 minutes for about an hour. Because there is so much it sometimes takes longer to get it all dried out so play it by taste and texture.

Tomorrow we're going to get our tree at Danville Farms. I'm hoping to get it up and ready for lights before we go to the party. Sunday will probably be the big decorating day for us though.


(last year's mantel)


(Shimmer and Stella being Christmas angels)

The Walk...

It started beautifully....
(please click each picture to enjoy the full-size version)








Got even better...







With many neat discoveries...

















Then, luck turned and we had to head home...

Well this confirms it...

I sure am Strange!

You Are an Alien

You're so strange, people occasionally wonder if you're from another world. You don't try to be different, but you see most things from a very unique, very offbeat perspective. Brilliant to the point of genius, you definitely have some advanced intelligence going on. No matter what circles you travel in, you always feel like a stranger. And it's a feeling you've learned to like. Your greatest power: Your superhuman brain Your greatest weakness: Your lack of empathy - you just don't get humans You play well with: Zombies

What Kind of Monster Are You?

Another blog to share...

This blog belongs to one of the homeschool moms in my group. She is hip, smart, and cares a lot for her family as well as the environment. Please visit, Thrifty Domestica.


And, what happens at the friend's, stays at the friend's. Yikes!

Buttercup said, "Yerrrrr're ON!"...

When Buddy tried to steal her favorite forbidden toy.(remember to click to enlarge the pics)


"Yerrrr're Durn Tootin' I'm On!!", he growled right back at her.


"I got the tooooeeeeey, I got the toooooeeeeey!"


"Yep, still got it"


"Uh, you can have it if you want. I'm tired."


In other news...

Mark and Ryan went fishing tonight. We had a rain shower come through so they are thinking it will be a good night for it. Sarah had a birthday party to attend so I rode with Mark to a used tire place to get one for the boat trailer. Then we went by his new office so he could help the driver out with a delivery(Mark did the ticket and inspections and such). This isn't his regular job there but he's in the call rotation so every little bit of experience helps.

In exchange for me "letting" them go fish, Mark set my temporary desk up beside the fireplace in the living room(it is in the place of the glass-front hutch you see in the second picture above). He had to go in the attic to drop the cable down and found out why our kitchen light hasn't been working. It seems a critter decided to taste the wiring and got fried. He didn't see a mark on the wire but there was a burned spot on the insulation in the shape of a critter so that's exactly what happened. Mark's a bit unsure of how to proceed with that sort of wiring.

And, the girls went to their friend's to spend the night and go to church with her in the morning. So, I'm here trying to decide if I want to color my hair, find something on teevee, or play around on the computer. Hmmmm, tough choices. I do have to reload the china hutch though.

Oh yeah, I did a repeat of our spinach, chickpeas and couscous dinner tonight but I left out the garam masala and added onion and garlic powder and a spoonful of Promise(margarine). We loved it both ways, it has proven its versatility!

This was FUN!!...

Go Yearbook Yourself.


(1966)


(1972)


(1974)


(1984)


(1996)

****updated to include one of Amy. Sarah didn't like any of hers though.


In other news...

I'm still deskless. Drat.

If it isn't one thing its another....

Just wanted to let everyone know that one of Mark's elderly aunts died this morning. We were called yesterday evening, just as Mark walked in the door(so I still don't have my Rx filled). His mom's youngest sister had broken her pelvis and was near death. We went to the hospital so that Mark could drive his dad home after dark. His dad is blind in one eye and has 3 cateracts in the other, shouldn't be driving period but can't see at all at night. Anyway, we stayed up there for several hours before convincing his mom that there wasn't much she coud do and it would be better for her to come home and rest. So, I drove his mom(they have a 2-seater truck) and Mark drove his dad.

And, just when we thought the fun was all over, I wrecked the car! Not bad
but I had backed into their carport to turn around and when I pulled out I
dented the passenger side along one of the posts. It is bad but we don't have
money for our deductible right now so it will have to stay ugly. That's what I
get for driving while sick, tired and in the pitch dark. We didn't end up at home til near midnight.

We think the funeral will be tomorrow so Mark will likely drive his parents to it. The kids and I will stay home. I am mentally at my limit.

hahahahaha...

This is hilarious!



We are going to paint this afternoon when Mark comes home from work(yes work).