Come on over...

It's the holiday season and with it comes the smell of cookies in the oven, the laughter of friends reminiscing as they dip everything that stands still in chocolate, while Christmas music plays in the background. There's nothing I like doing more during the holidays than entertaining! I love to sit and visit with old friends or just kick back on the sofa and look at the Christmas tree and enjoy all the beautiful lights that adorn every inch of our home. I love wrapping gifts and anticipating the excitement on the face of the person receiving it. I love that my husband gets in the kitchen and makes his famous sausage balls for all of us to enjoy. This year he even made cheese straws that were amazing! I love that every night I can turn on the tv and watch Polar Express for the 10th time or watch Rudolph in claymation or sing along with Mr. Heat Mizer and Mr. Freeze Mizer on "The Year Without a Santa Claus" (one of my all time favorites!), And it wouldn't be Christmas time without our family tradition of watching Christmas Vacation, which we have affectionately named Gary..."Gary Griswold" (Dianne!). I also love that I now have a reason to wear my Snowman pajamas every night and my flannel pajamas with the snowflakes...even though it's 60 degrees outside!

So come on in and check out the decorations...kick your shoes off and stay a while. I'll pour you a cup of hot chocolate and even throw in a few extra marshmallows!

This one is standing on the back deck looking in...
This is on the back deck...looking down the length of the deck...


This is from the deer's perspective looking in...just made me laugh...


This is my favorite tree, the 12' one in the great room...


This is the fireplace in the great room with the village on the mantle...









This is the Nativity on the sofa table...



This is looking over the "cat walk" area into the great room
Looking out to the deck from the great room...

Looking out to the deck from the "cat walk"



This is the Disney tree in the kitchen. I love this one because it has all of the ornaments from when Zack was a child...


Dining Room...


I love changing everything in my China cabinet to reflect Christmas too! Check out these adorable Fitz & Floyd Christmas kitties called "Kitty Claus". My mom just got these for me at Macy's this year!
This is our patriotic tree in the office...

This is what Gary calls the "nostalgic tree" in our bedroom. He decorates it and says it reminds him of when he was growing up!

My mom just gave me this ceramic tree that someone made her many years ago. She used to put it out every year when we were growing up. I have it on the dresser in our bedroom. I love this perspective taking the picture into the mirror and seeing the reflection of the Christmas tree too. Also, check out Sylvester having to make his presence known!

I couldn't take a picture of Zack's tree because he was asleep. But, you're not missing much...it has Family Guy and The Simpsons ornaments with a Grinch at the top of the tree!
Hope you enjoyed your visit! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's the Holiday Season...

I can't believe that Christmas is less than a week away. The past 6 weeks I feel like I've had no concept of time. I've been keeping pretty busy, I find that it's "easier" to get thru the day when I keep my mind occupied.

Just thought I would share some photos of what we've been up to lately...
This is Zack at Atlantic Station (over Thanksgiving)...notice the Yankee's jacket...it was "Papa's"
Mom came to visit December 9th - 13th and it was so nice having her here! Of course, Zack was running fever and had strep throat the entire time she was here, but she helped take care of him like only Nana can! We were able to go to Ft. Deposit (only about 25 minutes from our house) and go to the Priester's Pecans store. Check out the picture of the ladies working in the factory...I would love to have that job and eat the "rejects"!!!
Di-dan came to visit the following weekend and I can't tell you how much she makes me laugh! We took several pictures in front of the tree...they were all good of her, but I kept laughing so much I looked like I was crying. We stayed up too late and ate too much the entire time she was here. We'll have to do that again soon! So glad you came!
Last night we went with Sara Beth (Zack's girlfriend) and her mom to tour the Governor's Mansion. I've lived here almost 7 years and that's the first time I've seen the Governor's mansion and we live only 10 minutes away! We had a good time and really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful decorations.
And look who we found on the back porch eating a peanut butter sandwich and drinking a glass of milk!!! Our Governor, Bob Riley....by the way...I know you can't see this in the picture, but he had on jeans and was only in his "sock" feet...
Finally, this morning we took our Christmas picture...yeah, I know I'm very late in getting our Christmas cards out! Oh well, better late than never!!! We had to take so many pictures and Gary and Zack were NOT amused...but don't they look cute!
Pretty soon I'll post pictures of our Christmas decorations and I would love to see yours! I've missed all my blogger buddies...where are you??? By the way, Jules, great talking with you today...Cho thanks for the card you sent...Di-dan thanks for my prayer texts! Love you, my friends.

High Tide...

It's been a while since I've blogged. It's not for lack of things to say--it's just that I haven't felt like it. Many times I've sat down at the computer and thought I would post, but then the motivation quickly left. That seems to be par for the course right now. Lack of motivation. I find myself starting many "projects" and not finishing any of them. I can't seem to concentrate like I could before. I find that I'm more forgetful and my brain doesn't function like it used to. I still feel like I'm trying to find my way through the fog.

It's only been a month since Dad passed away. What's strange is that it feels like it's been a long time. The night I sat by his bed and was able to steal away some precious moments with him seems like it was a lifetime ago. Now, I wish I would have sat with him longer. People say with time it gets easier. I don't feel one step closer to things being "easier" than I felt a month ago and yet there are times that I don't feel like this happened to me---that I watched it happen to someone else. I guess that's the "self preservation" kicking in and not allowing me to experience too much pain all at once.

There have been so many events that keep knocking the scab off the wound. His birthday, Thanksgiving, (although it was so nice having Dianne with us), and then this past Thursday the funeral home had it's annual Holiday Remembrance service. It was one month to the day that Dad passed away. I felt like it was too soon to go back there, but Mom wanted to go, so we (her kids) joined her. That was hard. The speaker was good, but he had the workers pass out gold plastic forks with white ribbon tied around them and gave an illustration of "keeping your forks, for the best was yet to come" (meaning dessert after a meal) and the parallel of seeing our loved ones in heaven would be the "best to come". Hmmm...nice concept, but not there yet. My thoughts are not consumed with anxiously anticipating a reunion in heaven, they are consumed with grieving the loss of my Dad here on earth.

One night during the Thanksgiving break, my mom gave me a small book she had picked up at Hallmark entitled "Good Grief". I read it in a little over an hour, along with a box of tissue. It talked about the stages of grief and described 10 stages one might be experiencing. There are days when I feel like I experience all 10 in one day. The author described the grief process as being different for everyone and some move through the stages and there are others that experience them all at different times and in no particular order...but there is no "right" and "wrong". I keep thinking that this should be getting easier, or I get frustrated with the fact that I can't seem to function as efficiently and diligently as I could before. I keep telling myself, "this too shall pass"...but it doesn't.

There are times when waves of sadness knock me off my feet. Moments when the undercurrent of sorrow is so strong I feel I can't come up for air. I pray for low tide. I can't withstand these waves that are overwhelming me. Then I see the beacon of light in the distance in the image of my dad in heaven, saying "sweetie heart, don't cry for me! I am healed. I am no longer in pain and I am in the presence of the Lord in the most glorious place that your earthly mind cannot even imagine it."

I know, Dad...you're right, but my "earthly" mind wants you here. And my "earthly" arms want to wrap around you and give you another hug and hold on tighter than I ever did before. And my "earthly" eyes want to see that smile and twinkle in your eyes just one more time. If I had it to do over, I would tell you I loved you more. I would hug you first---I would laugh longer at your silly jokes---I would have thanked you for everything you did for me, unselfishly and with such unconditional love like I've never known before. I hope you know this---I hope you hear my prayers.

I'm struggling to decorate for Christmas, which used to be the most exciting time of year for me. The simple things that brought me such joy before about this season, now seem to be daunting tasks that I will never finish. But that's okay. I keep telling myself that it's okay to have an ornament in one hand and a tissue in the other. I will try to focus on what means the most to me this season, my mom and family, my sweet and extremely supportive husband and wonderful son, and my dear friends. These are what I will cherish this year in a way that I never have before.
 
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