Goodbye 2009

~You were a beautiful year~

Great Barrier Reef, Batman!

Not sure if you've been keeping up with this guy. (I hesitate to use the catch title of the blog for fear of getting a bazillion hits on THIS blog.) DaddyP & I recently watched a documentary on the Irukanji...Creepy! Whether you're interested in minute jellies that can end your life or not, you'll probably enjoy following the blog. I mean, it's certainly nowhere near as exciting as this blog. I know.
We enjoyed dinner with friends tonight, but we didn't make it to the hospital. Hopefully will be able to get by there tomorrow. Looking forward to tea with friends tomorrow, and dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Arkansas tomorrow eve. Hoping the Rx that DaddyP got today helps him to feel better soon. He's pretty miserable, poor guy.

My laptop, the pups, and some hot tea

My sweet friend of more than 20 years, Rach.

My morning has consisted of watching the kids play in their pj's while I sit on the couch with my 'puter, the pups, and a hot cuppa....and a bit of online shopping. I only intend to move when it's time to fix lunch for The Trio. After that, back to the couch! DaddyP (who is on his way home from the doctor) and I are going to dinner with friends tonight and to the hospital again to visit with my student while the kids have a sleepover with Meem/Pop. I'm hoping to go to Best Buy to start scoping out a new notebook. Not ready to buy yet, but this laptop isn't quite meeting the needs I put it through. Gonna start stalking notebooks, I suppose. We're also looking for the recharging mats and are very interested in seeing some reviews on those.
I'm meeting Ye Olde Friends for tea tomorrow. Very excited to visit!

Let's Get Ready to Rummmmblleee

I'm not sure how long this brawl was going on in the backyard before I actually became aware of it. What I do know is that from the time I started watching at the window, it lasted for a very solid half hour and did not end until my first born, for the first time in documented history, bested my 2nd born in a battle of wills. Sadly, I had already cut off the camera, but I'm happy to report that Jack got angry. He got EXTREMELY angry, and the last move of this here backyard brawl was Jack putting a Super-Suplex (think Nature Boy Rick Flair or Kerry Von Erik) on his brother followed by a pile-driver that made me stand at the window and clap. It'd be nice if I could tell you this only involved my male children, but alas, this is how it started:

In the beginning.....

At some point......
This was a nice full-body tackle.....

Jack really wanted to help....really...

See? He's helping.....Sam.

Not to worry. That's not a hug she's giving Jack. It's a well placed, flying choke-hold.

Sam always wanted to eat dirt.

This was followed by some hair pulling....

Sophy is doing a cheer. We're all about support in this family.

Tomorrow, cage fighting in the dining room! Don't miss it!

Willy Wonka

After church and lunch at Posadoes, the kids and I met MIL today to see the Peter Pan Players performance of Willy Wonka. It was a cute little diddy that the kids enjoyed. I have a cute pic of the kids with Willy, but I haven't had a chance to upload it. While at the play, I got a txt letting me know that one of my 6th grade girls was injured in a fall from her horse which had stepped on her head after her fall. She was airlifted to a nearby trauma center/ER, and so I brought the kids home to DaddyP and returned to the hospital with some fellow teachers to visit with the family. Surgery was being performed as we were leaving...skull fracture, bleeding, swelling ,etc. Not good. So, It's been a long day. Ironically, this girl is neighbor to another of my students whose house burned to the ground on Christmas Eve morning. A good friend's daughter has the swine flu, so we're just trying all around to avoid catastrophe and sickness. Something we're not very good at. Praying for my little student to come through ok.
Not proofreading tonight. Sorry for any typos you come across.

A few more, and then I'm done!

This is Mimi and Pop's other child, Pappy Jo. Pappy is very sort of humanlike. I'm trying to teach her to say I love you, but so far, no luck. She's not much of a yipper, but she does groan and talk a lot. One day, she WILL speak. I think in this photo she is watching tv.
Santa sent Pappy Jo a baby sister. Her name is Moli Jo, but we're fairly certain her name should be Bandit Jo. She's a pistol. In this photo, she was trying to hide from me. Mostly she's just a thief, I guess.

It took me an hour to get these two photos of her. She's very quiet, and she spends most of her time trying to kill shoes, I think.

Christmas Day Night

Thought I'd share some Christmas photos while I sit here enjoying the fact that the kids were exhausted from the days festivities and crashed in their beds by 8:00. Poor Jack fell asleep after supper at Mimi's, and we knew it was time to come home then. Here are a few photos I snapped today.
Sophy and I made the snowman garland during our Christmas cabin trip.

The wreath came from Big Lots. Big Lots is wreath central the week before Thanksgiving. If you can get there before they're all gone, you can find some beautiful ones for dirt cheap! This one is a woodland looking one that you can't tell much about from this photo.
Random side table
Christmas cards on the piano. Also, our St. Lucia Advent girls are lined up here! All 25 of them! Sam wants me to make a wooden soldier set of these next year. Poor kid must not realize what he's asking. It took me 2 years to finish these chics!
Mantle. Der. Every nutcracker you see below, save one, came from Kroger. The first week of December is nutcracker time at Kroger. Every year, I pick up 2 to add to the mix. The tallest guy came from Biltmore. The dust buster in the photo is NOT a part of the holiday decor.

Our very, very eclectic tree.

Sophy found one of Santa's sleigh bells in the grass this morning. This was very fortuitious considering the fact that this was her little heart's desire. She's holding it on the end of a stick. It was the "official holder."

I love this sweet photo. God love him. I'm not sure who looks more whooped. Honey or DaddyP. Christmas makes a daddy tired.

(Unrelated side note: Our Book Club book for this month is The Wednesday Sisters, by Meg Waite Clayton. I haven't started reading it yet, but I hear from the other gals it's a quick read. I'm counting on that considering time is running out!)

Find Thomas

I didn't realize my kitty girl was in this pic! Hehe, and a hint, NO...she is NOT the white/black striped mammal in the photo!!

Christmas Day

Santa made us all happy this year. Sophy got her one and only wish. A bulletin board and some pajamas with matching house shoes. Here she is yawning in her bed at 10AM on Christmas Day. Santa got crafty with the glue gun and made the plain white bulletin board a little more "Sophy."
Jack and PDad have spent the morning getting his new email address and apps set up on his iPod touch. How old this makes me feel I can not express.

And once we knocked the ice (no lie) off of the slide and rock wall, Sam enjoyed his (& Jack/Sophy's) new fort. No longer do we have to listen to Sam bemoan the loss of his beloved Treehouse that we left behind when we moved.

I'm fiddna hit the kitchen to make a Greek pizza for Christmas lunch (feta, kalmata olives, spinach, pepperoni, etc. Oy! Gotta get cranking to make the ham & shrimp quiches and coffee bread for brunch tomorrow. Meem is making Christmas supper tonight where we'll be Christmas'ing, and I'm so very starving! Super excited that Rachie will be coming to brunch with us in the morning along with PDad's mom/step-dad who'll be popping in for a quick one. Oh my, and even more excitement, my first and oldest friend, Courtney, is in from her world travels...where was she last Vietnam? Uganda? I've lost count, but we'll get together on New Year's Day! Can't. Wait!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

The In-Between Time

This is a photo from my slideshow, but I thought it was such a pretty pic of Grandma's tree. We had such a good visit, and I really appreciated Grandma's decorating and cooking for us. Have I mentioned that Grandma can cook? 'Cause yeah. Dang. She does.

We stopped again at Grandma/Grandpa Arkansas' house on our way home from the trip to have a small lunch and a small Christmas. Grandma had made pimento cheese sandwiches on Sicilian tomato bread (omg) with a chicken & mushroom soup that was seriously delicious. The road was calling, and we were back on it in quick fashion, despite the rain, in order to be able to pick up Flea & Tick from the doggy daycare.
Santa's elves were due Wednesday morning to assemble Sam & Sophy's fort, and due to a rare Christmas Miracle, the storm clouds lifted briefly allowing them to get it assembled. The kids were shuttled off to Meem's for a sleepover to keep the elves from being discovered. DaddyP & I went shopping in Longview in a blinding storm, yet again, only to discover that we were minutes behind a tornado that had destroyed the back side of the town. Luckily, the shopping areas of Longview were undisturbed and with electricity....and thankfully, mostly void of humanity. It was wonderful. We picked up a few last minute things and headed home in yet more blinding rain.Thursday, Christmas Eve, we picked them up and took them to lunch & a movie (Chipmunks) in order to pass some time that would allow us to come home after dark and continue to conceal Santa's surprise.
I'm happy to report we were able to come home, bake Santa's cookies, watch It's a Wonderful Life with the kids, and have a good fire before bedtime without Santa's surprise being discovered. Hoorah! (Note: We were so happy to discover that all 3 of the kids were willing and loved some of our favorite holiday movies this year. It was so cool to share A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version, my fav,) and It's a Wonderful Life.)

Christmas Vacation '09

Click here to view these pictures larger

Heading Out

I'll update if able from the road. We'll be heading out after early release tomorrow and stopping at the Village for the night to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Arkansas. We'll be on the road as early as possible Saturday and taking our time through the Ozarks! Gpa Arkansas says our mountain cabin just *might* see some snow towards the end of our stay! We've got a special church service visit planned for Sunday morning that I'm sooo looking forward too, and some Christmasy plans for that afternoon! Monday we've got a day trip planned. Hope to be able to update as we go!

Sophy's Christmas List

Sophy brought home her Christmas list that she made in class. Here is the list along with her notations and explanations.

Sophy's Christmas List

• A Box of Gold - to give to the museums because their funding has been cut and most of them really need money bad.
• A Box of Silver - because everybody wants one.
• Some flower seeds - sunflower seeds, in particular.
• An exercising kit - because it's very hard to lay off the Christmas tree brownies.
• New energy efficient light bulbs - the twisted kind that use less power.
• Air freshener - because I'd like for her room to smell better.
• A new furnace - because we really need one
• A back scratcher - the kind shaped like a hand.

I wonder what the other kids asked for.....

Sunday Ramblings: Back Peddling, Farms, Wrestling, Wrapping

Look at these beauties! They're coming soon to a closet near me! Aren't they lovely?Living as we do in the Zone of Perpetual Rain, I think they're a sound investment. Not only that, they're cute as cute can be.

While I sit with my laptop and a cuppa on this misty afternoon, I thought I'd babble. Don't mind do you?
First, the back peddle: After a rare Friday evening spent at home by myself with the kids (Fridays are usually off limits for picture scheduling) while Daddy P shot a college graduation, I ended up with my laundry washed and folded and put away before the weekend ever started. I'm such a good girl, I know. I made a fire while the laundry churned, ordered a pizza, and spent a cozy Friday evening at home. Daddy P and I spent the entire day in town on Saturday. The weather was cold and rainy, but it was superb shopping weather, if ya ask me. We had an awesome lunch at the tea room. Chicken salad, Victorian soup, hot tea and a buttermilk scone. Oh, it was good. We're about as anal as they come, so we had a list and a plan and had our list knocked out by supper time. We had dinner and followed it up with a trip for coffee/hot chocolate and a pass thru the book store. It was a very fun day, and I think Santa picked up what I asked for this year! Oh, it's lovely, isn't it?

Farms: DaddyP and I have hatched, hashed, discussed, planned, and plotted for several years about where we'd like to end up. What I love most about DaddyP is that we're on the same page when it comes to being up for anything and making a goal. We love having work to do and project to work on together. And not to mention, I miss cows. Crops. Dirt. What do we both want? Land. Where? We aren't sure yet, but we're feeling led to one day end up on a chunk of land where we can put a house and possibly a horse or 2 and maybe even a cow or 10. Definitely, definitely chickens. Guineas to be exact. Pretty little hens to wander in my garden. Squeee! It's our plan, really. We're not sure when or where, but it's what we're working towards. It's definitely on the radar. When the right place shows up, we'll find it. Wherever it is.

Wrestling: My boys have taken to wrestling. This is what boys do with their free-time, you see. It's bound to happen. And despite the difference in their ages, what one lacks in age, he makes up for in spit & vinegar. This afternoon, we learned Self Defense 101. Never underestimate a well placed kick or evasive dodge and sweep of the feet. IT was a jolly good time. Jolly good. Now I'm tired and recovering on the couch.

Wrapping: Well, as I stated earlier, we started and finished our Christmas shopping yesterday. You thought perhaps that I'd be sequestered in my room with the wrapping paper and tape? Hahha, sillly people. But yeah, I should be. Perhaps later. It's calling me. For the first time in years, I've actually saved the Sunday comics from the entire year in order to my wrapping! It's something that I've always said that I would do, but it's never really happened until now. Go me! Maybe I should get started....yeah. Maybe I should.

Feeling Festive

DaddyP is doing Round #2 of pet Christmas pics at Doggie Daycare this afternoon, so we're doing our typical Sunday usuals. Round #1 met with such success that the DD owners booked another session with more people than his previous doggie shoot, which was very successful. Who knew there was such a market for doggie portraits?
Speaking of pet portraits, I have no idea who took this picture of Thomas. I'm guessing Sophy, since this is the Santa hat that she has worn to school every day for the past week. I'm amazed that I didn't receive a note asking us to kindly refrain from wearing it, but apparently her teacher is very long suffering. Judging by this photo, Sophy's teacher isn't the only one with an abundance of patience. Poor Thomas. She's a good girl.
Soph and I usually bake on Sundays. Our most common baking exercises are muffins for the upcoming week. Occassionally, when we're feeling spunky, we'll crank out a batch of chocolate cupcakes for after school snacks for the week. This Sunday afternoon caught us making White Trash ( I know, I know. White Trash is born, not made...) We added almond slivers and craisins to our batch. Craisins are not only festive, but are, quite possibly, the only fruit that has entered my body for the last 29 (+whose counting) years. AND not only is it covered in melted white almond barkie goodness, but I apparently can't stop eating it.

Once Sam realized that our efforts involved chocolate, he was a very willing participant. The thing about Sam that you have to realize is that he doesn't merely participate, he takes over. I guess that makes him a willing dictator? He's cut from the cloth...

Which is generally okay with Soph, as she is nobody's fool. Why not let someone else do the work while you watch? She is also cut from the cloth.....

In other unrelated holiday news, here is a shot of my Santa Head cupboard. I've accumulated some giant Santa heads over the years. Don't be alarmed. I harbor no ill will towards the Big Guy. But if you'll notice in the photo, I do have his head on a platter! (PAH!)

I'm a bird nut, it's no secret. I have birds all over my house. This little guy just swooped in for the holidays along with brother red bird hanging nearby (not pictured...in case you were searching.)

Birds aren't the only guys hiding out in our kitchen/dining area. Fred returned the day after Thanksgiving, and after a 2 day stint in Sam's room brought on by a rash of hijinks and mishaps attributed to the aforementioned red head, he made his way to this location this morning. I think this is a good place for Fred, since the area where we gather to share our meals is a frequent Zone of Misconduct. I do not find it coincidental that he's in this spot.

He's a sneaky little guy, our Fred. And yes, he's looking at the camera....which means...maybe he's.....watching....me???? Gulp.

Happy Holidays Y'all

Hope this weekend finds you ticking items off of your holiday to-do list. Maybe you're hyper-anal and have your list already manhandled! Even better! The state of my holiday affairs are as follows:

• I'm excited to get to spend tomorrow with my DaddyP. We'll be heading out early to 1.) grab a brunchie tea at the tea shoppe (my choice, not his), 2.) start and finish our Christmas shopping...pausing briefly for a white chocolate hot chocolate, and 3.) grab dinner with friends at Carabbas (his choice) if we survive it all! Looking forward to it!
• The Christmas cards are addressed for the most part, waiting for stampage, and coming soon to a home near you.
• Items you can buy me for Christmas: This, This, These, or This Outfit.

Top 10 Random Things of the Week & It's Only Tuesday

1. Today I gave a skunk his wings. Forget Clarence and his ringing bell, all you need is a Ford, as it turns out.
2. Sam announced on the trip to school this morning that he wished the school would "start putting comic strips inside the bathroom stalls for all the kids to read" while "doing business."
3. I had a very intense and heated discussion with a class of 12 year olds today on the correct spelling of terd/turd. Don't judge me. They'll grow up and thank me one day...perhaps when they're blogging about the class they're teaching.
4. A friend and I discovered a new form of gas this week. It's called "scare the cat off of the bed" gas which is one step higher than "blow the sheets off of the bed" gas. I have great girlfriends.
5. My new favorite saying to confuse people, "He go, eh?" What I like to do especially is prank call my school office and talk to our secretary in my best Pakistani accent, and ask her, "He go, eh?" She loves it when I prank call her.
6. I have learned twice this week EXACTLY what the sole of my shoe feels like.
7. It's no secret. I am enamored of little, zippers. Knowing this, will one of you please buy me a P-Nut? And if not a p-nut, how about a PMD (no, it's not THAT time of the month.) You MUST watch the video. (All joking aside. Why isn't anyone applying this technology for people in wheelchairs?)
8. Dear December 18th, I wish you'd hurry up.
9. Scratch that, I'd settle for Friday.
10. The Science Museum of London, in England, asked visitors to vote on which modern invention or discovery has made the greatest impact. The results were:
1. X-ray machine 9,581 votes
2. Penicillin 6,825 votes
3. Structure of DNA (the chemical that carries the code for every living thing) 6,725 votes
4. Apollo 10 capsule 4,649 votes
5. V2 rocket engine 3,985 votes
What about meat in a can? Vienna Sausages? Spam? C'mon.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

We had a super fun time on the home tour. Saw some not-so traditional Christmas decor and some beautiful traditional decor. Lots of cider and snacks and a great dinner of grilled salmon, duck, mussels, and low country grits with shrimp and lump crabmeat, etc. afterwards....oh, and with bread pudding for dessert. Seriously delicious. Accidentally left my camera at home for the tour, so I thought I'd post some random holiday photos from mi casa.

Here you have our holiday kitty, Thomas. She's the sweetest girl on the planet, and I don't know what I'd do without her. I'm not much of a "cat person," but she's the perfect pet. She isnt' clingy, but she's a lover. I love this cat!

Our colorful tree! For the past couple of years, I've put up a gold and creme themed tree with the kids putting their favorite decorations on their own trees in their room. This year, we opted for colored lights and all of the kiddie ornaments on our big tree! It's a wild and ecclectic mess, and I love it!
I've accumulated quite a snowman collection over the years. These are the cheap guys often for sale at Dollar General. They, apparently, make great teacher's gifts. Bwwuahhaha. Besides, the guys you see here, I have glass ones, cloth ones, tin ones, paper ones, and...well...cheap ones! The collection is growing!

Here you have my latest crafty contribution to the holidays. These are what I'm calling, "St. Lucia Dolls." Posie made these years ago, but her dolls were true St. Lucia dolls. I sort of stole her idea and went the Advent route. So, Sophy and I chose the dresses, hairdos and faces of the various gals you see here. We then numbered them 1 thru 25 and are using them for our advent countdown this year. Here we have a gaggle of gals. I love how they appear to be posing. Hehe. They are numbered on the bottoms, and we are putting them out as the December days roll along. Here they are in no particular order.

Aren't they cute? Look at the hairdos and hair accessories!

Our personal favorite, as Sophy calls her, Miss China. Officially, I believe she is Miss December 8th.

Here we have the Misses December 24th (in blue sparkling attire) and 25th (in multi sparkle.) Miss Christmas Day (multi sparkle) isn't yawning. No..nary a yawn. That, my friends, is her song of Christmas joy...wafting across the world. According to Sophy, she is singing, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." I think she's right.

Let's see if I remember how to do this!

Merry Christmas 2009

Wordless November is over, and just in time...I was about to explode! November was a blur of visits, parties, schoolwork, and the usual happenings. Our favorite time of year is at hand, and the house is decorated and ready! DaddyP and I spent the evening (wee hours of the night) last night designing our Christmas cards. The 2 pics from above won't be appearing on our card this year, so I thought it'd be okay to share them. We ended up choosing more candid/off-beat photos for our card because quite frankly, if anything sums up our kiddos...it's OFF-BEAT!

The upcoming weekend brings a Christmas home tour and dinner with friends, so I'm very excited about that. We abandoned our usual home tour circuit, and this year we will be doing a new tour! Will post pics if I'm able to snap any.

Topics to come: Book Club & December tidbits