Christmas

My kiddo, in his meanest Grinch voice, mutters..."I hate Christmas!" He loved his Grinch mask and Santa costume...big things on his list this year. For the rest of us, we all happy as well! Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

I love this day! We'll be making teacakes (love the dough,) by cutting out shapes with cookie cutters (accumulated over decades,) cooking them and then later frosting them. I have Christmas music playing in the background, scented candles in the other room making everything smell great, and wassail on the stove! The kiddos are excited with anticipation of what the night will bring! We just finished cooking lunch (baby back ribs and potato salad) and invited a couple of friends to stop by to eat or hang out. I'll be wrapping presents during the naptime for the kids and then the countdown begins! Putting reindeer food out in the yard, setting out carrots (for the reindeer) as well as milk and cookies (for Santa) along with hanging stockings before bedtime. I wish this day would go on for days!

Kids making gingerbread house

Dear Santa, Define Good!

Last week, there was a cute sign that I saw in someone's house that said the phrase, "Dear Santa, Define Good!" I thought of that today...my toddler will definitely test that definition this year!

This is what happened when he decided he was thirsty!


And later, this is what he looked like when I mentioned it was nearing naptime. He went and got his pillow and blanket and laid down on the kitchen floor...and smiled!

A dream about a dream

I know where it came from...and I don't often have very very vivid dreams...and wanted to write it down quickly before I forgot. I had only ever had a couple more similar to this...and the last one involved my mother (and I had forgotten it so quickly afterwards.)

This week, my brother mentioned that my dad would have turned 99 this week, had he still been living. (Yeah, I know what you're thinking...I'm not really that old, he continued having children even in his sixties.) So my dad has been on my mind. And this morning, I was really sleepy. I had gone to a party last night (engagement) and then a friend came home with me so I could change a ticket online for her son to return from where he's living (Marines) for Christmas. Needless to say, I was up kinda late, and tired.

This morning, my toddler gets up as usual between 6 and 6:30am. ...sigh. I get him comfortable watching tv when I sneak into bed (I can see him through the door and hall and can hear him as well.) I don't really go back to sleep, I just kinda 'rest.' After about 30 minutes, my kindergartener gets up and comes in to talk to me. I get up and down a few times too. I'm in that state of inbetween being awake and asleep.

But, I have this dream that comes and goes. My dad is in it and he's alive. He's walking around in my house, talking to my kids, and wearing what he usually wore (khaki pants, long sleeved shirt.) He looks and smells real. I am talking to him (he's telling me to get up (stay up) because the kids are throwing candy on the floor...they actually were as I can hear pieces of hard candy being tossed from the bowl, lol!) I am oblivious to the fact that this dream isn't real and it feels like it's real. Just normal conversation is taking place, nothing really stood out. At some point, my brother's comment comes to mind and I realize that he can't actually be in my kitchen AND be 99 years old and then it hits me that it's not really happening...it is a dream, and he is gone again. How dreadfully sad when I really wake up...because it felt like I lost him again. It's then that I realize that there was a difference between the way I *felt* with Dad in my life than now with him gone. And it was so obvious in that dream. I wish he were here...

My daughter's First Car

Well, it's not actually her first car, but her first new car. My nineteen year old daugter was given our old car about a year and half ago (it was very used) as a reward for graduating high school. It was a necessary carrot to assist her with attending and finishing school (for which she had years and years of trouble attending and difficulty learning.) But, in the last year or so, it started nickel-and-diming us.

After a few incidents in the last few weeks with large repair bills, we had considered options. One of her positive attributes is that she has a good work ethic. She's matured a lot in the last year and works hard to pay off her debts. We figured out how much she could afford each month and then added more for maitenance/extras in order to discuss payments. Of course, is's also low enough so that if worse came to worse, we could afford the payments as well (since we assisted with cosigning it thus helping her credit for the future.) I assured her that she would never have this opportunity again for a cosigner and needed to make sure she paid us the money for the note/maitenance each month before it's due. She said she'd pay half each paycheck so it wasn't so much at once which I thought was a good idea as well. So, we spent a day last week choosing the perfect inexpesive new safe vehicle. She's a happy camper now!

She has also been more considerate and nice lately too (which is also good to see.) Not that she hadn't been before, but it's nice to be appreciated. She's been staying with her friend a lot too...and I miss her.

I grabbed this pic from her facebook page that she took of herself with my two younger kiddos. It's one of my recent favorites of her!

Sharing time.

All morning, I have been compliling my new entries to my address book and starting the task of doing Christmas cards. I love sending and receiving them. I will usually make photo cards or add pictures to regular Christmas cards, then wait for this time of year (as the mark of the beginning of the season.) I put on our local radio station that plays Christmas music 24/7 and began the task! Beside me most of the time at the same table was my toddler. After coloring with crayons, he moved on to markers making drawings totally unrecognizable! We had quality time doing our own thing together while singing on occasion to music! By the time we stopped for a break for lunch (and nap), he had lots of color on his hands and face! He's actually trying to grab my camera in this picture. He's still precious though!



BTW, this is the front of our Christmas card. On the inside left are even more pictures but it also included our names and personal information so I'll just post the front.

Thanksgiving, Part 3

And the last of these.

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed back to the campground to camp out for two nights. On the way back, we passed a property with bear heads at the ends of the property. It reminded me of going to see a relative at the 'farm.' When a neighbor there killed a coyote, they hung it up on the fence for all to see. Luckily, we didn't encounter any 'live' bears!!


I loved seeing our GPS on the mountain roads especially when it showed all the curves!


Icicles were everywhere!


We finally got to our campgrounds. It had an overlook on one end. My kindergartener was impressed with the scenery, as was I.




Picture of our tent.


We went on a two mile hike on the Rim Trail (an easy mostly level round the rim of the mountain top.) It was my first 'walk' since I injured my knee(s) two to three months ago. It went fine and without a hitch. Here's a pic of all of us along the way.


I tried not to drink much in the evening so I wouldn't have to 'get up' at night, lol! But, at midnight, I needed to get up anyway. I took a pic of the family sleeping as long as I was up.


We had a great time during this Thanksgiving trip.


...and the kids had a great time too.

Thanksgiving, Part 2

After our stay in the cabin, we took a walk around before packing up to leave. It was super cold! It rained during the night and then started snowing.

Hubby freezing, lol!


And my warm kiddos all bundled up.


I thought it was romantic to sit in front of the fireplace with a warm fire and read. I brought along a chapter book (Sign of the Beaver...about a boy's relationship with an indian friend in the 1800s) and read to my kindergartener.


After packing up, on Thanksgiving, we headed out to find a hotel for the night. A boulder near the road on the way out.


Seeing a icy tree. This seemed very pretty and we stopped in the middle of the road to get a picture. Luckily, we only saw one other vehicle in the next 40+ minutes.


It looked like clouds forming in the mountains as well. So cool! It was 32 degrees (at noon) and got down to 17 at night. For us, this was REALLY cold!


We stopped for gas and lunch. We celebrated our Thanksgiving meal here!


It just wasn't a gas station and cafe. This is my brother and nephew.
You could also shop...


and play pool!


There was a couple who came in. The woman (obviously in dire circumstances) asked the cashier how much the cheapest pack of cigarettes cost. I was in another area but listened. The woman only had $2 and the cigarettes were $4.15. After asking, she was walking around, probably wondering what to do. The store was to close in an hour and there weren't many people out. One man was sitting at a table drinking some coffee. He had his oxygen tank with him and was breathing through the plastic thing under his nose. He started talking with us as he had heard us talking to the cashier about where we had been and where we were going. He had been to White Rock many times, especially as a child. I was wondering what he was doing alone at a cafe at lunch but he mentioned later that his son was supposed to come at 4. I crossed my fingers that his son showed up. In a few minutes, I walked over to the woman and gave her $2.25 and said "Happy Thanksgiving." She was incredibly happy and wished me the same. I figured...even though I'd have preferred not to help her by giving money for cigarettes, it seemed the right thing to do on a day like Thanksgiving.

Our Thanksgiving meal! It was good! It didn't really matter what we ate. We were thankful for all our blessings...and were with family! My brother and nephew (our camping partners) were with us and we were content. All was well.


After we arrived at our hotel, after having driven through snow and little traffic, we went swimming in the pool. Of course, the jacuzzi was MUCH warmer and where I hung out.


More to follow...

Thanksgiving, Part 1

This year, we decided to go camping for Thanksgiving. We planned on staying in a cabin one night and then camp out the next three nights before returning home at the end of the weekend. We left early in the morning and stopped several times during our long 12 hour journey to White Rock Mountain in Arkansas. The actual amount of time to drive nonstop was about 8 hours. Still, it's closer than the closest mountains in my own state (which is also 12 hours away...we live in a big state, lol!)

On the way, we stopped at a Wal-Mart in Arkadelphia. We've stopped there before and loved playing on the 'hill' along side the parking lot. We live in a city/area/region of TX that is FLAT! So, we enjoy going to places with hills or mountains. The kiddos rolled up and down the hill. At the top of the hill was a McDonalds, but more incredibly, a very pretty colorful group of trees so I had to take some pictures. We also don't live in an area with a changing of the leaves, so to speak, and most trees stay green.

My toddler.


My kindergartener.


And the kiddos with my hubby.


We also stopped for lunch at a restaurant.


Finally, we arrived at our destination. The 17 mile drive up the mountain from the nearest town took about 45 minutes due to all the switchbacks and narrow mountain gravel roads. Definitely an adventure!!! Of course, due to a misreading of the map, we did at one point end up on some muddy road and had to back up our truck and rented uhaul trailer. That was a stressful 10 minutes. I had all confidence that we wouldn't get stuck but my kindergartener started crying at one point and said that he "wanted to be a rock star." I realized that he thought we'd never get out of it and he'd never grow up, thereby never becoming a rock star. If he weren't so serious, I would have laughed. But instead, I reassured him it'd all be fine. And it was.


There is also some trails at this National Forest Recreation Area. This was a very small campground with 8 places to camp, a lodge along with three cabins. It was an awesome place because it wasn't crowded but not completely in the woods by ourselves either. Beautiful and rustic.


This is the first place we have ever been that had the possibility of bears. Luckily, we didn't see any!


We stayed in this cabin.


Most of the furniture had been there since they were built in the 1930s by the CCC. I loved having a fireplace!


I could get used to just showing up somewhere and only having to provide your linens and food!


This is us behind the cabin (down the slope a little.) The place was full of high cliffs and bluffs. Right behind us is about a 60 foot drop. This is also the reason my kindergartener is not in the pic!


Walking back up to the cabin.


We loved staying in the cabin. We had a small visitor while there (think small, gray, long tail, thief of baby carrots.) Wish that we were able to stay in it longer but it was already reserved for the next several days. Since the weather got very cold, we planned to drive into town to stay in a motel the next night and then return to camp. More to follow...