After Christmas Round-up

I can't believe that "just like that" Christmas is now gone.  We had a great Christmas!  The weather was rather warm, so it never felt like Christmas on the outside, but inside, well, that was a different story.  On Christmas Eve, we had finger foods at Gran and Papa's house.  Here are a few pictures..

 The spread

Papa, before the chaos began

Gran showing off her new cookbook.  Can't wait to see what she comes up with out of there to cook! :)

Not so lovely picture of an ecstatic Jake as he opened his new iphone.  He has driven me CRAZY for the past 2 months about wanting this phone!!  So glad I won't have to listen to his sob stories of how "crappy" his phone is ANY MORE!!

Anna opening her Vera Bradley duffle bag.  I think she liked it!!!

I think this was my favorite moment of the night.  Joe has been wanting a macbook pro for a few years.  I don't know what has kept him from getting it, but the closer we got to Christmas, the more worried I became that he was going to buy one.   Every time we would go to a store that sold Apple products, Joe would sneak off to check out the laptops.  I would be a nervous wreck until we would leave the store.  Last week, when we went to Houston, he left me and the kids in a store and said. "I'm going to find the Apple store."  Needless to say, I PANICKED! As soon as the kids finished looking around in that particular store, I high-tailed it to the Apple store to oversee his motives.  When I got there, he was engrossed in conversation with a salesman, but when he was distracted I politely told the salesman, in no uncertain terms, that he better ZIP the sales talk!!  I proceeded to tell him that he would NOT be making a sale that day and that there was already a macbook wrapped and under our Christmas tree!!  The poor guy never said another word to Joe.  I think I made my point!!  

Joe's mother and sister, Mary Ann, came the day after Christmas.  They stayed for a couple of days and we got to shop for an entire day in Fort Smith.  It was a lot of fun!

The day that they left, our daughter-in-law, Tonia, her mother,  and 2 of our grandchildren came to visit!  It was SO good to have them running around and playing and laughing....

Tomorrow, Joe's oldest son, David, and his family will be coming to spend a couple of days.  It has been an ENTIRE week of company and we have loved it. 

Anna and Jake start back to school on Monday.  We will leave on Thursday afternoon to head to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl.  

Better get moving.  Lots to do before tomorrow!

Bye for now.....

Christmas Season

This is our Christmas card for 2011.  I sent out close to 90 cards this year.  It is a little sad to know that it won't be too many years before I won't be able to send out Christmas cards with the a picture of the kids on it.  Anna is in the 10th grade now and I know she won't agree to this once she graduates from highschool...I will miss that.  I SO enjoy getting Christmas cards from families and friends that we only hear from during this special time of the year.  It is amazing how families grow and change.  I have another picture to share.......

I am a "Mimi" to the cuties!!  Alexis is the oldest (on the left), then there is Katelynn, then, in the back, are Nick and Klayton.  They will be coming to visit on New Year's Day!  The house will be buzzing with laughter and noise and I can't wait.  


We are slowly, but surely, getting ready for Christmas around here. Joe is on call for the entire weekend, but usually holidays are pretty quiet in the hospital.  No one wants to be sick during Christmas, so most people tough it out until after the holiday.  I am thankful that we don't have to travel and we can enjoy Christmas at home.  Joe's mom will come and visit the day after Christmas and stay for a few days.  This year, she is bringing Joe's sister, Mary Ann, so hopefully we will get to go shopping for some after-Christmas sales!!


Mama and I are splitting up the cooking for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We are going to open presents on Christmas Eve and eat "finger foods".  Right now I am planning on making Hot Ham and Cheese Sliders, Sausage Balls, Divinity and Wassail.  Mama is making Deviled Eggs, Homemade Pimento Cheese Sandwiches, Little Pecan Pies, and probably 30 or so other things.  It is such a blessing to still have both of my parents healthy and close to me to celebrate this special time of the year.  Christmas Day we will have a bigger supper at our house.  We are going to soak a turkey (in hot sauce!!) and fry it up!!  This is my favorite part of the entire meal.  You would think that the hot sauce would be really overwhelming, but it isn't.  Love, love, love fried turkey.  The other things on my list are Shoe Peg Corn Casserole, and Sweet Potato Casserole.  Mama is making Chicken and Dressing, Pumpkin Pie and, of course, 30 other of her specialty dishes that I can't remember right now.

We have several trips planned for the next few months.  We are going to watch the Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl on January 6.  So glad that we are playing INSIDE this year!  The Liberty Bowl almost did us in!!  The 15 degree temperature, not to mention the horrible wind, just about froze us to death!!  In February, Joe is going on another medical mission trip, but this time it is to Ecuador.  Then, in March, Anna and I are going to New York City!!  Her choir is performing at Ground Zero and I couldn't be more excited.  I know that it will be emotional, yet exciting.  She and I have always wanted to go to NYC, so we're really looking forward to it!!  


Well, folks, I'd better finish wrapping a few gifts.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit.  Hopefully, I will get some pictures of Gran and Papa opening gifts and share them with our Mississippi friends and family!!  


Bye for now,

Excited for 2011

This was our Christmas card for this year.  Anna and Jake HATE it when I drag out the camera and tell them it it Christmas card picture day!  This year, I decided to get a non-biased person involved, and had our picture made by someone outside the family.  She was sweet enough to sell me the digital copy of the photo and I made the cards myself.  I really liked the way they turned out and the kids were happy too.  I consider this a major success.  Maybe we will do this every year!!!

We had a really good Christmas.  I like that the kids are getting old enough now that they don't want "toys".  I don't feel nearly as bad when I am buying clothes and things that I know the kids need, rather than toys that they will only play with for a month or so.  Jake is VERY MUCH into video games now.   I'm not real crazy about it, but I guess it is part of teenage life now.  Anna wanted clothes, clothes, and more clothes.  She got a retro pink Northface jacket and toboggan to match.  She got rain boots (leopard print), a camouflage/rhinestone belt, Coach "Poppy" perfume, etc.  Jake's main gift was a paintball gun.  He was over-the-top excited.  He got a lot of clothes too....he was okay with that and I was glad that I could use the excuse to buy him some new stuff.

Our Christmas....

Jake, Gran and Anna getting ready to eat

Anna and Jake acting goofy

Papa and Gran

Joe took me to Fort Smith on Christmas Eve to get my gift.  About a month ago, he told me he was thinking of getting me a new camera.  I couldn't believe it!  I had, quietly, thought of a new camera, but had never mentioned it to him.  What a suprise when he mentioned it to me!!!!  I love taking pictures and, eventhough my camera was fine, this new one is AWESOME!  It is a Canon EOS Rebel  T2i.  He also got me a cute camera bag, camera strap, zoom lens, and tripod.  Come to think of it, maybe I WILL take our Christmas picture next year!!

Joe had no idea what I was getting him.  He had been looking at a Big Green Egg for a couple of months and this was the perfect opportunity to get it.  He had talked to his cousin, Darrell, a month or so ago about his and Joe was really wanting one.  We have cooked on it twice and love it.  The first night we tried steaks and the next night, hamburgers.  Both were really good. (love the apron!!)

We had Christmas Eve with Gran and Papa.  It was nice to stay home throughout the holiday.  We will see Joe's family around January 1, on our way to see the Hogs play in New Orleans.  

We will leave next Saturday.  We are all so excited to go to The Sugar Bowl!!  A lot of people we know are going, so it should be a lot of fun.

Before Christmas, our pantry was finished and I love it.  I can't believe how much more room I have.  It is SO much neater than before.  Here are some before and after pictures.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

 I must put this in here somewhere, but the picture above with the black garbage bag hanging on the refrigerator door....it is not NORMALLY there.  I was cleaning out the shelves before I moved it all to another room and needed a handy place to hang the bag...didn't want you to think I was TOTALLY white trash or something!!  

Just a few more pictures of the insides of the cabinets....

I left this shelf open for cookbooks and for cereal/crackers.

                                                                    

I love that I can walk in my pantry and know where everything is. 

 

Well, I hope you and  your family had a wonderful Christmas.  I'm still working on my Daily December project, but as soon as it's finished I'll post it.

Going on a double date tonight to see Little Fockers, so bye for now!