Christmas Eve Has Arrived

Merry Christmas to All,

It has been a wonderful holiday season with many joyous occasions and now the big day is just about to arrive. Although I enjoy the festivities and fellowship with friends, one thing I particularly enjoy is just being home to enjoy our decorations and slow down just a bit. I thought I'd invite you on a Christmas tour of our home. Welcome and come on in. Some of my decorations are rather old, some are newer, and most all are filled with a story or a tradition, and many were gifts from friends and family which are pleasant reminders of good times, days gone by, and shared love.

















One tradition I've begun is to have Christmas Eve Brunch with my family. Some years, we've been interrupted, but it's a time that we can just be together without gifts and simply enjoy each other. This year, Rhyne's parents, Glen and Diane joined us along with Mom and Dad.

Our Christmas Eve will be somewhat quiet tonight--just Collin, Bryan and myself. We'll have the dinner hour together. I've already got the ham in the oven baking. It's really ugly outside, but our home and our hearts are warm and joyful. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Marcia

A Little More Christmas

The second week into the holiday season has just about come to a close. It's been another busy week, but not like the last one.

Monday night was very nice. Collin and I went to the Riceland Banquet at the ASU Fowler Center. We had a wonderful dinner of ham, turkey, broccoli rice casserole, green beans, carrots, tossed salad, macaroni salad, rolls, and German chocolate cake along with tea. Every chair had a goody bag of rice, notepads, and pens. Collin received a very nice jacket as a safety award, and a DVD player for 15 years of service. He also had a winning ticket for the door prizes and won $10. We had a great time and enjoyed visiting with his work associates and their spouses. Here is a snapshot of us at the banquet.

Thursday night, I hosted the Mary Kay girls in my unit. We were few in number, but it's hard this time of year to find a night when everyone can attend. We enjoyed chicken wraps and chicken salad sandwiches from Chick-Fil-A with chips and dip. We had a vanilla almond dip along with cinnamon crackers for dessert. Along with the soft drinks, I made some cinnamon cider. We had a good time and a nice visit before everyone had to begin parting their separate ways.

I'm kind of in wind down mode tonight, but I have Christmas plans for tomorrow. It's time to wrap packages. That's a big job and takes quite a bit of time. I don't plan to venture into the city tomorrow for I know it will be hustle and bustle. I'll take some afternoons next week to finish my shopping. I prefer to stay warm while enjoying the tree and a little Christmas music on the stereo. Um, I might even just have to have a warm cup of cappuccino.

Marcia

Holiday Festivities

What a week! The Christmas season has definitely arrived. This week has ushered in a variety of activities that can only resound that the holidays have officially begun and although a little tiring, I have enjoyed every minute.

Tuesday evening, I attended the first party of December. I was invited to a Sunday School party at the home of my dear friend, Vera, and what a wonderful time I had. The girls had a dinner meal which was great; chicken and dressing, two unique recipes of green bean and corn dishes, escalloped potatoes, rolls, appetizers, and desserts. We had a gift exchange and I received this gold, glittered Nativity scene. I absolute love it. The girls played "Dirty Santa", and I feel fortunate that I got to keep it.

Thursday afternoon, I entertained the ladies I work and teach with from the career and tech center. I prepared the food and drinks so they could come and relax a little while. Here are all of us in front of my Christmas tree.
Here is our table of goodies. I had chicken cheese puffs, chips and salsa, vegetables and dip, and a cheese ball with crackers that one of the other ladies actually made. For sweets, we had baby turtles, peppermint bark, and German chocolate brownies. Along with our soft drinks, I made cinnamon apple cider. The cider is a favorite for us at work and the party would not have been complete without it.Take a look at my veggie tray. It should look just a little like a Christmas tree.

We played a game to exchange ornaments and again, I received a beautiful one. I was so pleased. The angel was a hostess gift to me from one of the ladies.

The Living Christmas Tree at church began on Friday night and I'll share more about it later. On Saturday, we had the Deacon/Ladies Luncheon at noon, a LCT performance at 2, and then we went to a Christmas drop-in at the Davis home (our close church friends) for snacks. They traditionally give home-made ornaments each year. I have a collection of several that are very special. Here is the new one.

Well, again, it has been a very busy week. Friday and Saturday nights, I slept really well. Wonder what made me so tired?

Marcia

Celebrating Thanksgiving

What a wonderful week--truly it's a time to reflect and give thanks. First of all, I was delighted to see Monday and Tuesday come and go. I worked as hard and fast as I could go at school so that I could leave caught up and with my desk cleared. I don't like to leave on vacations with projects left behind and having to go back to unfinished tasks when I return to work. By 3 o'clock, I was ready for the official holiday to begin.

Bryan came home from campus on Friday night with his truck loaded down with stuff and Micah and Rhyne arrived Monday night about 8:30. If nothing else, when I have my entire family at home, I have everything I need. There is no feeling like it in the world. Since our NOLA children got a late start Monday, we ate about 6:00, and then, I pulled the roast out of the oven for the second time which had continued to stay warm and served dinner at 9:00. Tuesday morning, I put chili in the crock pot before leaving for work. Everyone was in and out so much on different schedules, chili was being dipped at different times all day. Aren't crock pots wonderful?

Wednesday morning, I sipped coffee for a while in a quiet atmosphere and enjoyed the leisure time. Micah was up before too long, we dressed, and away we went on our traditional shopping spree. We made it to Hobby Lobby, the Mall, TJ Maxx, and Wal-Mart. We had to get back home to snap a family photo and get to Grandmother's and Papaw's house for our family's Thanksgiving meal. Our meal was wonderful; the bar was filled with a smorgasbord of tasty delights. I don't think Mom could have possibly cooked one more dish. It was delicious; if she is my mom, she is the best cook in the county. She is the queen of "cornbread dressing." Even at church for the fall harvest meal, everyone has come to expect that she will make the dressing. We had dressing, of course, chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, white butter beans, corn, hot rolls, fried apples, tomatoes, mince meat pie, pumpkin pie, and Oreo dessert. I hope I didn't leave anything out.

Thursday, Collin was off and he and I were up fairly early to enjoy our coffee while the house was still quiet. We enumerated many of our blessings shared over the year once again. Our NOLA children were leaving to spend the remainder of the holiday with the Putman's, so activity at our house began to change a bit. Collin and Bryan spent the day blowing, mulching, and ridding our yard of it's thousands of fallen dried leaves. We had put our Christmas tree up in spurts on the previous Sunday, so I began dragging in the boxes of remaining house decorations and began getting us ready for the next holiday. When the guys called it quits and came in, I quit too, and we all got ready to travel to Brookland to have yet another Thanksgiving meal with Collin's mom and dad. Mamaw Joyce had a wonderful meal as well. She served ham with dressing and yummy vegetables.

Friday and Saturday, I continued to clean and decorate our house for Christmas. I finished the task complete with outside lighting. Saturday afternoon, Micah came back to the house for a little bit, and since we didn't have time to shop at Kohl's on Wednesday, you guessed it; back to town we went for one final outing. Back home from a short little shopping spree, we said goodbye for their return trip home.

What a wonderful week. Time spent with family, lots of food, and lots of shopping. Collin even got in a little deer hunting and snagged a trophy--an 8-point buck. Tomorrow all activities return to normal, but now we can all look forward to Christmas.

Marcia

Looking Toward the Holidays

The leaves are changing and many are already beginning to fall. I love the colors of the harvest season and the activities that come along with autumn. Crunching leaves under your feet, the smell of wood burning in the distance, and the taste of hot dogs from the grill or roasted marshmallows from the fire pit are all a part of the tradition that ushers in fall. I always look forward to decorating my house with wreaths, pumpkins, and figurines.

Even Nala, our cat loves the fall because he has water from the "fancy" water dish, i.e., the floating leaf candles on the coffee table.

I have never really cared for Halloween, but our church has had a "Treat From the Truck" celebration for several years inviting the community to join us for a chili and hot dog supper, games and activities, and of course, getting loads of candy from our members who park vehicles on the lot and literally hand out the treats from their trunks. It was reported this year that we had 3.2 million children for the occasion. Collin has become the grilling gourmet for such functions and he panned up 1500 hot dogs. All were consumed save 6. The kitchen staff served 76 gallons of chili and ran out.

I always look forward to Thanksgiving. We always have our complete family home for the occasion and because we can focus on family at a slower pace, we are reminded of our blessings. Thanksgiving is filled with many a tradition for us just like Christmas. Our school week ends on Tuesday and for lot of years, I've put on a big pot of chili, and as soon as we all get home, we dip up the hot, savory treat and load it up with cheese and corn chips. After the meal, the tree goes up. As the week continues the rest of the house will be decorated. I've been making purchases for new decorations. I like to add a few things every year and today, I found something I could not resist. Take a look at the new ornaments that will take their place this year front and center on our tree.

Does this tell you anything about my two little cherubs? How would a mother ever choose. Now I don't have to--I have TWO favorites.

If you can't tell already, let me just say it straight out. I love the holiday season. I can hardly wait to have all my family home with laughter and excitement ringing throughout the house along with meals and festivities to be shared with our parents, loved ones, and friends.

Marcia

The Homecomings

What a wonderful weekend we've celebrated--two homecomings.

ASU celebrated it's 100th anniversary homecoming weekend playing Florida International and winning. It's especially nice to win the homecoming game. With all the festivities and hubbub, another wonderful homecoming occurred. It brought Micah home from NOLA to enjoy the alumni festivities and visit with the family. We haven't seen her since June.

I took off Friday and we played; we enjoyed a leisure morning, got dressed and headed to the city for a serious day of shopping. Friday evening, we went to the Elder's in Brookland to visit with the grandparents and have dinner at TaMolly's. Even Bryan was able to break away from his schedule and join us. We had a great visit. Micah left a little later to join college friends for a celebration.

Saturday morning, she was off for brunch and then a 2:00 gathering at the BCM. She and I went out for a short portion of the game and enjoyed the halftime show watching Bryan march with the band.

Sunday we were all off to church and then to my folk's house for lunch and a visit. Sunday night, Micah went to dinner after church and visited with the Putman's senior. All to soon it was Monday and she was headed home and we were headed to work.

It isn't quite as hard to say goodbye this time of year. We're looking forward to a brief 3 or 4 weeks and then it's holiday time again as we all gather for Thanksgiving. There will be more shopping and plenty of eating. I can hardly wait.

Marcia

Alabama Football

Last weekend brought yet more football and another weekend of travel. Our threesome headed southeast to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where the Crimson Tide hosted South Carolina for homecoming weekend. We visited Jeri, my cousin, and Misha in an annual trip and enjoyed great company and football excitement.

Bryan was fortunate once again, to walk in with the band, but this year he stayed on the sideline throughout the entire game with Jeri. If you look at the picture to the right of the TV headline you see a man in a red jacket, Jeri in the red and white jacket, and thirdly, Bryan wearing a red sweatshirt with a cap. The game was broadcast on ESPN and this is a picture we made off the TV catching them on the sideline. He had a great time.

Even better, he met Erin Andrews, newscaster for ESPN. Jeri snapped their picture quickly on the cell phone. Even though it's a bit grainy, its a fantastic memory. She was very nice and talked with him quite a bit.

Lastly, meet Jeri, our cousin, head athletic trainer for the Tide which makes all this happen one time a year. Oh by the way, Alabama won and this stadium was jammed packed by game time.

Roll Tide,

Marcia

Hog Wild

Last weekend we took to the highways once again. We headed northwest to the beautiful mountains of Fayetteville where you will find yourself in "Hog Heaven" or the campus of University of Arkansas. This was Bryan's weekend and a chance for all of the family to be together, relax, and have a much needed break from our routines of work and school.

We got up early Friday morning about 3:00 a.m. and backed out of our garage about 4:00 a.m. to sprinkles of rain. Before long, the precip was pelting down and we drove in downpours of rain and thunderstorms for nearly five hours. We had a 10:30 meeting and tour of the campus at 11:30. Bryan had always wanted to check out the U of A campus and that is just what we did. After the tour (stomping through the puddles and taking shelter under our open umbrellas) we met with an agriculture professor to get more information about the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture. We really enjoyed the trip, but boy was it wet and cold.

Saturday was much better. The rain disapated and the sun began to shine. We managed to get football tickets to the Arkansas/Auburn game. We had fantastics seats and thoroughly enjoyed the game. The stadium was packed out with 72,000 fans. We knew for a fact that we were not in Jonesboro any more. And here is a fun fact for you. Did you know that the razorback is the only mascot of its kind in the US? No other school or professional team lays claim to the razorback outside of the University of Arkansas. We left about 3:30 and headed home arriving about 8:30. You'll see photos of the family taking in the game and enjoying the sights. The scenery was beautiful as the leaves were beginning to change although I don't think Collin and Bryan enjoyed this phase of the trip as much as I.

Well, there is more football adventure to come and more travel. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted.

Marcia

Another First

You'll remember that I've done a few things this summer on the "wilder" side that have been out of character for me such as barrel rolling in an open cockpit plane. Well, this past weekend, I've done another.

Collin and I went on what is probably our last camping trip for the year. We camped out at Denton's Ferry in Cotter, once again, with Dennis and Regina. On Saturday, we went on a guided fishing tour on the White River. I don't guess I've ever fished, but we were in a boat for most of the day, casting for trout, outside of lunch time when they brought us back to the resort for grilled hamburgers. I think it is probably the only way I would care to fish. Our guide put my bait on the hook and took my fish off. All I had to do was cast, hook 'em, and reel 'em in. He did the rest. He knew the river and took us to all the hot spots. We caught fish all day long; many got lucky and were thrown back.

I enjoyed this new adventure. I don't think it was actually the fishing so much although that was ok, but I loved the tranquility, the scenery, and the water. It was nice to lay down the pole and just ride in the boat. The leaves were beginning to change color and there were many birds that were beautiful. We even saw a bald eagle. You'll note in the photograph how beautiful the scenery is in this area.
Well, here I am bringing in my first trout of the day. There is no evidence; you'll just have to trust me that I actually caught a large number of fish. Collin made this picture of me, but alas, he cut off the net and the fish, the main focal point (which would explain why I am the photographer in this family). You must believe me when I say there was a fish on the end of the line.
We packed up Sunday and drove home in the rain after having spent a beautiful Saturday. It was a little chilly and we had put on layered clothing taking off one piece at at time as the day progressed. The drive home seemed to close down the official summer season and herald in the beginning of fall with cool temperatures, drizzle, and changing leaves.

Now I don't believe I'm going to become an avid fisherwoman. This was fun, but I don't think that Bass Pro should get all excited that I'll be coming in any time soon to buy waders, poles, tackle box, and lures.

Marcia

Family Reunion

I'm an only child, but my mom and dad come from rather large families. My mom is one of seven siblings and my dad is as well. I've always thought this was the most amazing thing to have numerous brothers and sisters. When the brothers, sisters, and their spouses gather, there is always much gaiety, conversation, and laughter. It can really get loud sometimes and can also be quite funny and humorous if you sit back and listen. I can only imagine how it was when they were younger and living together at home. It was always rather quiet at my house when I growing up. When either side of the family had a reunion it was quite an affair always with a big meal involved.

Last weekend, we had one of such gatherings. My mom's sister from Illinois, along with her niece and husband came by for a visit while enroute to visit their granddaughter and daughter, respectively. My mom invited their other two brothers and a spouse along with Collin, Bryan, and me to come for the dinner meal as well. We had a great time.

At my mom and dad's age, I think it is incredible that my mom still has three of her siblings, and my dad has four of his. This is a picture of my mom (who by the way is the youngest) along with her sister and two brothers. Perhaps one of these days, I'll catch dad with his brother and three sisters. My dad by the way, was the youngest boy in the family. Until then, enjoy a picture of the Wood clan.

Marcia

If It's September, It's Time for the Fair

Mid-way rides, cotton candy, funnel cakes, swine barns, music, exhibit halls--all sights, sounds, and smells of the fair. Fair Week is always an exciting event that ushers in fall weather with cooler nights. It has become our custom to attend on Tuesday night for the festivities and this year was no exception.

Collin and Steve, our neighbor, always work the Riceland booth on Tuesday nights, and Robin and I have begun a tradition of tagging along for the ride, but breaking away for our own night of fun, girl's style. We tour the exhibit halls, make a round through the mid-way, and find a "clean", hopefully, sanitary food booth to buy supper on the grounds. The last two years, we have enjoyed a barbeque sandwich and diet coke from the Moose Lodge concessions. It is super good. From there, we always make our way over to the grand stand for the night's entertainment. This year's extravaganza featured country's own Jake Owen. It was ok, but two of the best we've seen have been Craig Morgan, and last year, Luke Bryan. When the show ended, we found our two best guys and decided it was time to call it a day.

Rain has plagued the NEA attraction all week. In some aspects that has been rather bad, but Collin can usually manage to turn a lemon into lemonade and the precipitation didn't slow him down any at all. In fact, the muddy bog that we had to drive through and park in brought out the kid at heart. This swampy marsh was so soured and stunk so bad that you had to hold your nose. I wouldn't even let him park in the garage. He was banned to the shop, but did he ever have the time of his life, kicking it into 4-wheel drive and spinning and diggin' in. All I can say is, I am NOT washing THAT truck! Take a look for yourself.

I'm not sure he is setting a good fatherly example either. When Bryan came home to see the truck, he started grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, Dad, I didn't know you had it in you. I'm impressed."

What's a wife and a mother to do?

Marcia

Labor Day R&R at Denton's Ferry

Looking forward to the final 3-day holiday weekend of the summer, Collin and I packed up and headed to the big metropolis of Cotter, AR, the "trout capital of the US". We found a beautiful camping spot called Denton's Ferry on the White River. I do not care to fish at all, but Collin gathered his fishing gear and waders, while also splurging on a new pole all set for a big weekend. I was perfectly happy to look at magazines while he forged the river. Collin actually had pretty good luck and caught several nice fish. He threw them all back; it may be fun to fish, but I don't think he wanted to clean them. Lucky, for the fish! Our good friends, Dennis and Regina Jaynes, who have recently come to enjoy outdoor living in a camper joined us for the big weekend. We had a great time. We had some yummy meals together off the grill, enjoyed some trout fishing, some exploring of the area, and some much needed rest from our fast paced daily routines. It was a great way to end the summer.