Countdown to Mistletoe....Day 13....Stink! Stank! Stunk!

This morning I didn't have to get up any earlier....5:45 am is early enough!  But, I did have to leave earlier to deliver a box of pretties for Rob & Haylee's new home.....and Hardee's biscuits!  And, of course Miss Avery was awake and all dressed up for moving day in her red outfit and tutu!  So cute.

TGIF and as I was driving along reflecting on my week....what a week....I said out loud ...."A Grinch I will not be this Christmas season....so back off....Mr. Grinch!"  I changed the radio station from Bluegrass Junction to the Christmas station and you guessed it......playing loud and clear....

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
You really are a heel,
You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch,
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you I'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch,
You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,
With a nauseous super "naus"!,
You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful
Assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You're a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch,
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,
"Stink, stank, stunk"!

I looked up the lyrics and after reading them, thought I'd be able to come up with a favorite....I can't!  But I do know that my heart is NOT full of unwashed socks and my soul's not full of gunk, Mr. Grrrrriinch!

If you have a seasick crocodile that keeps naggin' at your good mood or you are feeling a little like a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss......listen to the words next time and sing along as loud as you can.  Who cares if anyone is listening, their mood might need lifting too!

Stink! Stank! Stunk!

Countdown to Mistletoe....Days 11 &12...Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

Day 11 was just too jam packed and exhausting to do much of anything but collapse when I got home. 

Movin' on.....My lunch break today was a battle on Richmond Road because I think everyone else decided to use that route of travel.  Nonetheless, I made it to my destination.....Paint On Pottery Too! 

A few of us from work visited last week for our annual Christmas painting field trip.  The others painted pottery (cookie plate, wine glass and a jewelry dish) and I decided to go out on a limb and do something different....fused glass. 

I've been drooling over the fused glass Christmas trees for about a month and once they gave me the low-down on how to do it, I was off and running. 

It was fun.  It was a lot of fun.  So much fun that I've already decided what I want to do next.  Robin Hartman and her staff  were very helpful and trying to decide how to decorate my tree was the hardest part.

Addictive!  About half-way through the project, I was already thinking and dreaming over the sunburst flowers in the painted mason jars.  I NEED one....no no no...I need three in my kitchen window and that will be a nice winter project so my window will be ready for Spring!

But for now....this has joined my other Christmas decorations.....

I just love the painted mason jar!

Oh Christmas tree!

A special THANK YOU to Robin and the girls at Paint On Pottery Too....We'll be back!  In fact, if anyone wants to go...ummm this weekend...give me a holla!

Side note....I slipped into Quirks of Art and bought a 'prop' for Christmas Eve and can't wait to share it with you!

Countdown to Mistletoe......Day 10.....Enough Said!

My post tonight is short and sahweet!



Household favs....Maple with bacon, peanut butter and chocolate drizzle and my fav...cinnamon sugar!

Up close and personal!

Duck Donuts.....enough said!



Countdown to Mistletoe.....Day 9.....Dashing ALL THE WAY!

You see...it really does pay to get married at Christmas time because you can recycle some of your wedding day decorations!

And...I had to do something tonight that I don't normally do......I bought Christmas lights BEFORE they went on sale.  When I arrived at Home Depot I strategically parked at the entrance close to the Christmas decorations.  I know you are thinking...she's so smart!  Nope....this Mama was dog tired mentally and physically and I didn't want to take anymore steps than I had to.

I entered and took a quick left into Christmas Land, found the lights I wanted and proceeded to the check-out.  I looked up at the registers closest to my exit door.....no lights were on indicating they were operable.  Customer service was booming and a HD employee stood there holding himself up with the handle of a cart full of some kind of heavy duty mack Daddy appliance.  He was planted and not moving. 

My eyes carried me and my thoughts ALL THE WAY to the other end of the store where all kinds of registers were open!  Are you kidding me?  I made eye contact with the leaning employee and said, "The only reason I'm going to walk all the way down there is because I have a gift card and I'm too tired to walk into another store.  Why in the world don't you have a register open down here?" 

I started my hike and about 10 steps in, I turned around and said, "Then....I have to walk all the way back to my car.  You can't do this to women on a Monday...in the rain! Dontmakenodernsense.

OK - that's over with.....on with the decorations....

I love my camera and one day I'll get Kelly to show me how to properly use it!  Here's what I came up with....

Jingle bells!

The can of hot cocoa on the left was a gift several years ago....recycled!

The tree made it's way to our bedroom and gathered all the silver, gold, white and glass ornaments.  And...believe it or not, I'm not loving the lights!  Go figure!  But they'll do for this year and I'll buy the twinkling ones I really wanted AFTER Christmas!

With the exception of a few special pieces, every ornament on and under the tree was recycled from our Christmas wedding last year!



Table centerpieces......recycled!



Yes.....recycled!





That gives you a little glimpse of the Christmas decorations in the Ward family home.  The tree is up and decorated with all the wonderful ornaments made by Robbie, Ashley and Andrew throughout the years and a few other favorites.  I haven't taken any photos of the tree yet and to be completely honest, the camera is ALL THE WAY on the other side of the room and well yeah....it's not happening tonight!  Stay tuned.....

Countdown to Mistletoe.....Days 6, 7, 8....Got Decorations?

OK - so I missed a few days. 

Since moving, dinners have been a last minute decision and the list of things to do just keeps growing and growing. Unpacking is taking a little bit longer because I'm trying to s-i-m-p-l-i-f-y (aka purging) as I go.  AND...I'm also trying to get a few Christmas gifts made along the way.  Whoa.....now I'm really hitting panic mode!

Yesterday Stephen and Andrew unloaded all the Christmas decorations.  If you read the last blog, it cleverly said I only had a 'few' boxes of decorations.  Yeah well.....that wasn't exactly 100% true.  Some would say it's an obsession, but I love decorating for Christmas and always have.  And being completely honest there were some years I was doing good to just get the tree up.

Some years I feel whimsical and bright. Other years, I feel more of the elegance of simple silver, gold and tinsel.  This way I don't have to go out and buy all new decorations each year......hahahahahahahahahaha!  I never met a 75% off sale after Christmas I didn't like.  In fact, I hardly ever buy Christmas decorations, lights, etc. at full price.  Maybe some tissue paper each year, but I even buy cards for next year at least 50% off.

Let the decorating begin!

The guys started unloading boxes and cartons of 'pretties' and I started going through each box.  I did start with one empty box and any decorations I no longer want went in that box...all 3 of them!  My coffee table became full from edge to edge rather quickly.  Ohhh...I remember that...that HAS to go out this year!  I even found a long lost photo of me in my younger years standing beside the old red fifty-six!

This year it's colorful and decided to shower the buffet table with my collection of snowmen and realized there are some missing!  Oh no!  My memory caught up with me (and before coffee too!) and I remembered there are about 10+ boxes already in the attic (big smile!).

There is one purchase that will need to be made BEFORE Christmas.....mistletoe!  I'll need to make a kissing ball to hang because we don't have one.  Hmmmm....I think I need to go see my friends at Season's because Kent & Kendall always have the best! (And just a little side note....if your heart has been taken over by the Grinch, or maybe just not quite feeling the spirit of Christmas quite yet.....drive on over to Season's.  I promise you, you'll leave with love in your heart and a little glitter on your nose.)

Merry Christmas!

Count Down to Mistletoe....Let Me Entertain You...Let Me Make You Smile.....Day 5!

Christmas Eve with the Bailey and Wilder families has always been a long awaited night of good food, fun and laughter.  Some of the laughter a little more than some could handle (no further comments!).

I remember as 'teenagers' and even years before, we never really isolated ourselves from the 'adults'.  Heck - that's where the fun was!  Between gag gifts, hand bell choirs, nose harps, and just plain silliness....we had to be right in the middle of it!

Of course, there were times the adults had to humor us by listening to us sing a rehearsed Christmas carol or a newly learned song on the guitar....Lord, I'm five hundred miles away from home.....away from home....away from home......If I had a dollar for every time we sang that song!  Or even better........Let me entertain you....let me make you smile (I can't remember the rest...but I'm certain Nancy & Cindy remember!) 

We even had a Sisterhood Inauguration one Christmas!  Bailey (aka Gwynevieve Fauntleroy) and Jenna (Thelma Linda Bartenbeaner) joined Agatha Bellmont, Melvina Rothchilds, Zomelda Dagoon and Bonita Bungeeda as the youngest members. I must say they've accepted their new names and roles with the utmost of humor and honor! (Since then, Haylee has also joined the sisterhood but for the life of me, I can't remember her name....Chlotilda something....)

This year the festivities will continue!  And the fun and laughter will start with good food (of course!) and a few props!  We used to take advantage of having our families together to snap a family photo or two and this year we'll do the same.....but with a moustache or reindeer antlers or a beautiful Christmas boa.  I can barely fit everything into our new house, so we won't have a photo booth to capture these silly pictures....but I'll most definitely have the camera charged and ready wherever we take them. 

Pap & Dad...this is for you!  You always found a way to do something silly when a picture was being taken and this year we will follow your lead!

Countdown to Mistletoe.....Let's Do It! .....Day 4

When asked, "In a perfect world, when would you like to get married?"....without hesitation my response was December 25th!  Stephen's response, "Let's do it!"

Of course I knew it would create craziness on a day that's usually somewhat quiet and traditionally spent at home.  I love you all and hoped it wouldn't be too much (big smile!).

And, as a child I remember Nannie and Papaw Bailey celebrating their anniversary on Christmas day.  Traditions changed a little throughout the years as our families continued to grow and trying to balance visits to in-laws along with trying to hang on to our own family traditions...those gatherings changed too. 

However, I just remember Nan and Pap celebrating their day!  They'd sometimes exchange anniversary gifts Christmas Eve and it was always so funny because for the longest time, they'd buy each other gifts and when Nannie would open hers, she'd say, "This is pretty!  Of course, I knew I was getting it because I was with him when he bought it."  Well, that only happened for a few years because we started buying gifts for Pap to give her.  Yep...you guessed it!  He still told her what she was getting!

So we started just buying gifts for each of them and putting them under the tree with tags that simply stated, "To My Other Half" or "To My Better Half".  Neither one of them would know what they were opening.  We just had to beat them at their own game.

Nan & Pap in Mexico

Such a loving couple!  I miss their flirtatious behavior and the way they'd hold hands when they sat next to each other.  They couldn't be away from each other for long and even if she just ran to 7-11, they'd talk the whole way there and back on the CB radio (Ground Cable and Nellie Bell...10-4 Good Buddy!) Pap would always do something to 'cut up' if a picture was being taken.  And, Nannie's response would be, "Robert!".....but if you spell it the way she said it, it's "Rahbut!"

When Stephen said to me we'll share the 25th with Nan and Pap because we have a love just like theirs....I knew I had a keeper!

It's been a little more than fifteen years since Pap went home and Nan still has plenty of spunk!  I can't think of a better couple to share our anniversary with and can't thank you enough for for the many years of love you share with us all.