Baby, It's Cold Outside

. . .but it is nice and toasty in our house. We have a wood burning insert in the family room and it sure has felt good these last few days.

It didn't take long for the weather to take front and center stage this new year. We got in three days of school just to wake up yesterday morning to a white blanket of snow and chilling temperatures. School was dismissed and I took the opportunity to sleep in just a bit and then, I spent just about all day gathering, organizing, and sorting tax receipts and papers. And the kicker is, I'm an organized person; I have folders and files designating special places that I put things all year. When you operate two businesses out of your home it is a must; otherwise, I don't know how long it would take me. At any rate, I felt quite a sense of accomplishment along with taking care of a load of laundry and preparing our evening meal. Of course, being the shutter bug that I am, I couldn't resist bundling up to make one or two snapshots of the snow. Although it doesn't look very deep, the roads were icy.

I thought we would be back to school today, but I think the single-digit temperatures and wind chills kept a lot of us home again. With this second day of vacation, I tackled a few other odd jobs and some house cleaning chores. Just about all the remnants of Christmas have disappeared at our house with just a few things remaining visible to keep a reminder of the holiday season.

Many of you know how fond I am of snowmen. I have quite a collection that I display for Christmas, but I also reserve a few things for the month of January. Since that is actually the time we get snow, I like to save my snowman cookie jar and some place mats to enjoy in the bar area where we eat. He was a Christmas gift last year from a dear friend and how I do enjoy him and a couple of other little secondary pieces.

I can hardly stand to throw out anything that has life so I also am enjoying the last days of my poinsettias. They won't make it much longer, but they surely add a bright spot in the dining area.

And finally, even in winter, I get much enjoyment from our pergola and patio area.

We've hung two bird feeders and we are visited frequently by wren, chickadees, blue jays, and my favorites, the red birds. We stand in the french doors endlessly looking out at them. And yes, my unwanted squirrels are still here, feeding, as well.

Well, I think I'm headed back to the fireplace and having a hot cup of cappuccino.

Stay warm,

Marcia

Happy New Year

What a wonderful holiday we've had this year with family and friends. This week has passed quickly and it's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and the New Year is here. Our family Christmas was wonderful. Collin and I shared a pleasant Christmas morning together over coffee without rush or hurry. It was rather quiet and still in the early morning and Bryan was still asleep. It's always nice to have a little time to just take in the moment. We began our day with Mom and Dad. We had a wonderful lunch and then opened presents together.

About mid-afternoon, we traveled to Brookland to share Christmas with Collin's mom and dad. Collin's nephew, Nathaniel was able to drive in from Oxford and join us. I'm not sure the last time that he and Micah have seen each other. I think it was good for the cousins to reminisce and catch up. I know the grandparents enjoyed having them.

The last stop of the day was back at our house to see what Santa had left under the tree for everyone. Presents aside, I felt so blessed to have all my family home and together one more time. My dad always says, "If I have my family, something to eat, and my health, I've had Christmas." I agree with him.

And now, here we are beginning a new year. Collin and I have shared and talked about this past year and how blessed we are. We have a wonderful family, health, good jobs, a warm house, friends, financial and material blessings galore, and a wonderful church family. God is so good and he blesses us daily even though we are undeserving. Every good and perfect gift comes from above. May we live this year with thankful hearts and strive to glorify our Heavenly Father every day.

Marcia

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