Let me tell you about my family

I love my family.

Yesterday I sat around my kitchen table. I don't have a formal dining room but I have a huge kitchen! I had 13 people in my house. It was so much fun. It's not often that us country bumpkins have a house full of guests, but yesterday was my once a year day.

My mom and dad are the greatest - and they don't even read my blog!!! I have always felt so much love and I've never worried about my relationship with them. Christmas Eve my dad brought our trailer back full of firewood. We were really sad that it was too warm to have a fire in the fireplace, but we have firewood. Then my mom just jumps in wherever she can to help me keep things clean.

I have one brother. I like him, too. He brought his wife and their two daughters. I must say that having girls around the house changes things... My SIL makes a wonderful pumpkin pie. We gave our nieces a tea set and a cooking set. The cooking set contained a chef's hat. My SIL tried to get each of the kids (except that oldest one of mine...) to put it on for a picture. The two youngest were the most averse to wearing it and the most humerous as the fended it off.

My SIL let me know her folks would be alone on Christmas day. As God would have it, I saw them in Sam's last Sunday. I was able to personally invite them to join us for our Chritmas dinner. I've never had trouble with in-laws and they aren't direct in-laws but still; I don't know my SILs parents very well. I shouldn't have worried. From the moment they arrived at my home I knew we'd be alright.

I married the man I used to call "the smartest man this side of the Mississippi". I don't call him that anymore, but I think it sometimes. Now he's just MM (My Man). But I learned something about him this year. I was shocked that I did not know it before now. I didn't discover it on Christmas day. It isn't a show stopper, but wow. I thought I knew MM. Now I wonder what I don't know about him. Really, he could have told me long before now. I was almost embarrassed to not know. We were at his Uncle's house for thanksgiving and I was packing up some leftovers -including of course, the obligatory turkey. Running out of time, I asked him to cut some more turkey and load it up in a bag. He looked at me as if I had asked him to bag up the garbage so we could take it home with us. I didn't get the message and kept doing my work. When we finally got in the van I asked (no volunteering of info allowed!) what was up with turkey? Was he totally offended that I asked him to do something? I had no idea.

So what did I learn? Not that prepping left overs is women's work - he would've walked home for that one. Or that he doesn't know how to carve a turkey... You know who does the majority of the cooking around here, right? I learned that MM does not like turkey. It was an amazing discovery. Now back to Christmas day.

Every year for Christmas we have never done a turkey. Until this year I never understood it. Now I get it. We eat pork ribs and chicken on Christmas day because it's the best and it's a treat (the ribs for sure). OK MM I'll eat ribs anytime, so long as I can have my family around the table.

So there you have it... My family. I have to count everyone to get to a baker's dozen but I wouldn't have it any other way!

How grateful I am for my boys...

I love being a mother. I love that I have all boys. Sometimes I want a little girl but really I'm quite content letting other families raise daughters for my boys. Along those lines today I got to spend the morning at Dance Mommy's house being spoiled with brunch and a good time with friends. Later, I spent time with my dad at our favorite kitchen store and other places. I didn't make it home until nearly 7 p.m.! What a day I had had.

It wasn't until I got home, all the purchases were put away and I sat down that I noticed S quietly sitting on the lazy-boy. This mildly unusual for S as he is nearly 3 and full of energy. At the very least he meets me at the door with a hug and kiss when I've been gone all day. It was then that I was told: S was injured while I was out! Immediately I did what any mother would do: ask questions. I quickly shut my mouth as I realized that it was at the hands of one of of his brothers that he was injured. I imagined the worst when MM said "I don't think it's broken." Really, honey, I could live forever without you ever saying that again. Tell me it's just a surface wound, lie to me, but don't leave me hanging all through dinner until we unwrap the leg to inspect the damage.

It really wasn't all that bad, but it did make my heart stop and his older brothers give pause to their actions. I rebandaged it after dinnner and from what I could see, it was just a bad scraping.

According to L and M his foot got caught between the frame and the wheel of the bike and as the wheel turned under one brother's pedal power, the spokes scraped the skin from his ankle. Hows that for gross? MM was there within seconds and L had successfully laid the bike and S down on the ground so that nothing else bad happened. According to MM if it had been a fall, most likely we would have been in the ER/urgent care learning to care for a broken bone this evening rather than our nice cozy - air conditioned home! Can you believe it? - air conditioning running in December! I know I know, I live in Florida for Pete's sake (who is Pete anyway?).

Before I go too long on this post let me share that both L and M had been injured and to the ER before they turned three. It is my prayer that S not ever need to darken that door!

Go hug your kids... Thank God for his protection...

You know all those pictures you take of your kids?

The ones you say you'll use at their wedding? I thought of one better than their wedding... How 'bout long before they find the love of their life post those pictures on your blog or your facebook... then all the world will see. Am I just evil?

Yes, really I am. But that's another story.

If you know me very well at all you know I'm attached to my kids. When I was a mommy for the first time I spent much time holding L - when I wasn't working. I sure missed him... Then I wanted to take him every where and was moderately insulted when someone told me we couldn't bring him! How dare them.... We're a family now... but I must now record that I carried him in a sling until he was nearly 4 and he weighed 40 pounds! I do not regret a moment of that bonding with him. It's not for everyone but it sure gave me a way to connect with him and still get something done.

Recently a friend shared with another friend that I had made her sling. I received a call asking if I still made slings. I hadn't made any in a little while, but they aren't difficult - I've made many many versions of my sling, but I love the simplicity of what I make now. Since there's always the question about whether or not the sling will hold the baby I did a test. I found a willing participant who shall remain nameless (they all do on my blog...!) who weighs more than 60 and less than 80 pounds. Lo and behold, it held. Now. I can't decide if I should post the picture of this willing participant and the lovely new sling.

Will you help me decide?

Speaking of candid pictures. Anyone have a picture of Kelly in the outfit she got on sale?

This is much nicer...

than being memed without mercy...

25 Christmas Questions Meme

So, Meg decided to answer her meme and was quite gracious and didn't meme me. I'm thrilled.

So here's the deal...

1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Fill out the questions below
3. Tag 5-7 people at the end of your post.
4. Pass on the tag. Have FUN!!

Those are the rules, but they are rules. So I won't follow all of them. I'm done with rules.

1.Egg Nog (why does spell checker not recognize Nog) or Hot Chocolate? HOT CHOCOLATE!

2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Who's Santa?

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? When ever MM drags them up from the basement.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Ribs. and crescent rolls.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: The year my mother loaded our gifts with bricks so we couldn't guess what they were. I suppose we'd gotten too good. Besides how else could she hide watches.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't think I ever thought he was real. My folks didn't take much interest in fairy tales.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? The kids do. We try to give them some small game or toy.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? We inherited many of our ornaments from MMs mother. We've added a few here and there but MM is all for the standard out of the box stuff so handmade stuff is out of the question.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Enjoy it. Get just enough here to be able to say "I've seen snow." It's not so far away that we can't drive to see it.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes. And knee-board and water ski, but not snow_____.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? It wasn't a Christmas gift, but it was a gift - 6th grade I really wanted a real backpack. Not the cheesy elementary kind, but the pack your books and get moving kind. I got it for my birthday. I really loved it.

14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I'm not to sure that any part of the Christmas holidays is more important than another. Although, I love having my family here at my house Christmas morning - the one time in the year I can count on them making the trip out here. Gee, you'd think I lived miles and miles from them...

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I make a Hungarian Christmas nut roll. I do it for lots of reasons, but I love to make it. I love to eat it and surprisingly - it has no chocolate.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? TRADITION! I must say that I like being home - my home on Christmas Day.

17. What tops your tree? Jesus, not literally, but in the colloquial expression: "Top that..." Remember I inherited much of our decorations. Our white walls prove that I'm no decorator and thus I'm original as they come - it's a star and it flashes!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving. I don't like to admit I need anything and if you give a gift it must be because of need - certainly not want...

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?" Right now, Jingle Bells because it's all M knows right now. We'll have to change that...

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Did you say sugar - we like the Jelly Belly flavors.

21. What do you want for Christmas? See #18

But if I'm just being silly, (to copy MEG - a hair straightener and a Bissell Healthy Home Vacuum (Now Dance Mommy will have to blog about her great deal - perhaps that's borderline coveting?).

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party? Usually either the Adult (read: sans kids not XXX) or kids party from my office.

23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs? As the kids grow we are making them delay so we must have eaten breakfast before gifts and since family shows up before noon we open a few gifts then get dressed for the day.

24. Do you own a Santa hat? Santa hat? Red, with white trim and a little white puff on the end. Own? Do you mean: it's in within my house such that if we are discussing illegal substances I am culpable for the item type of ownership? Or I bought it with my money for myself to wear as the occasion arises type of ownership? I'm culpable but it's not mine. (Meg, this is really fun now)

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? See #14. We love being home so much that we invite our neighbors as well.

Now, I wonder if Dance Mommy, The Princess, Lea or even Clea will join in this fun... But I'm not memeing you... And I wouldn't dream of mentioning Daughter of a Polish Man as she's on vacation... (See, going to the blog social event of the month was a wise thing... Now I can tag them and know who I'm torturing and how bad it'll hurt them.)

If you won't read the saga of our vacation...

Then check out my new link: Patrick and Barb in Haiti.

They are missionaries to Haiti and have a blog with their latest news. I am amazed every time I read about them. Please pray for Patrick and Barb and all the missionaries you know. Pray for God's provision and for his protection. Pray for God to break down the barriers that keep them from effective ministry to lost souls.

You should never promise to..

#1 blog about your trip.
#2 post pictures on your blog.
#3 break a camera.



MM was ill from the time we left (We didn't go to Church the Sunday before we left because we were all ill to some degree...). He's allergic to pet dander and our first stay was with family. They have a dog and a cat - both indoor! It was great to spend time with them and eat and enjoy their company. I just wish that MM had been in better humor. Have you ever been to see any part of the TVA? You should. It's really pretty. The bridges and dams are huge in comparison to the dam that holds our river back... Since MM was ill enough I spent my sleeping hours sleeping and my waking hours chasing boys. But I did manage to blog a little while we drove...

We left Alabama for Chattanooga. As a kid I never understood all there was to know about Chatty. We stayed in a hotel and MM seemed to get better - a little. But I've already told you the fun we had there.

Onward to Boone, NC. My cousin and her family live near there. We watched the newscast for weather reports. The second night in Chatty brought cold cold wind and a little rain. Would we be driving in snow? One must know. I have always tried to keep the kids from getting too excited about things that may or may not happen. It's a fault of mine so when cousins started talking about frozen precipitation I tried to not let on that anything abby-normal was going to happen. Really, I just hate disappointment. The weather looked clear enough and it wasn't that far of a drive - just 5 hours or so...

The van was loaded and we were on the road. GPS was on and we were ready. If you are going to use one of those, be sure to have a paper map to go along with it. It helps avoid the back roads that are supposed to save you time but in the end lead you to a dead end just like the sign said. That only happened to us once and it was on this leg of the journey. I was driving - remember MM is still not 100% therefore I couldn't blog to my heart's content... Please accept my apologies. The construction signs all said "ROAD CLOSED to THRU TRAFFIC". I've always wondered what that meant - Now I know :o. You will drive until you are less than 2000 feet from your next turn and you will have to make a very tight u-turn to go back along the winding road from whence you had just come. It was a 30 minute diversion that left us at a gas station where the clerk spotted the boys right away and asked to give them a lollypop! She gave us great directions that the GPS hated and we were back on the road.

We finally arrived at my cousins' about an hour and a half past dark. Dinner was ready and we were worn out. The kids weren't terribly hungry - in fact they hadn't eaten well the whole time we were on the trip. All the time I kept saying "they'll eat anything" and turn around to one or the other complaining about what they were getting! UGH. So much for good manners. Guess I need to pull out that graces book I bought (NOTE TO SELF - Never buy books your local bibliovore is pushing...). By the next morning MM is feeling so bad he proclaims in my ear that he'll be packing up in the morning to take us all home. That would be an entire day early - and in haste!. What? Huh? The snow hasn't even fallen yet? How will the kids get to play in it if I'm busy packing their stuff? What are you saying to me?

Plan B begins: I call the GP at home and they can't do much for him since he's not feverish. Plan C: Visit local Doc in the Box and get something to knock out the illness or MM - I don't particularly care which at this point. We didn't get there until nearly lunch because of the road conditions. We don't and my cousin barely drives in the snow. The kids are out of school. My cousin and I laugh about family and growing up and raising kids. I realize I have been given something special - family. MM gets his meds by the rush of the Rx at Wallyworld who was going to go to lunch while MM suffered. I'm grateful for a measure of sanity in this blustery day.

We stayed one more night and began our trek home. After MM got us out of the mountains it was my turn to drive - the rest of the way home - therefore no blogging for me. HUMPH!

Enough from me, here are some pictures from the trip:


We really did visit family except I forgot to take pictures most of the time. But I did take some mental ones, and they're the best anyway-except I can't share them.









And here is M practicing his catching technique - we'll have to work on that.











This is MM's cousin's cabin in the woods!

This is what happens when S "Didn't see the step." and L couldn't stop his error.
Then there's the trolly ride all of 2 blocks.

And the sculpture of wood and railroad. You'll have to visit Chatty so see all of it...

The first time any of the kids play in the snow - S just doesn't know why mommy insisted that he get out of the warm car.

Then there's the first snow sledding of the season - a totally unusual snow in NC in mid November. Earliest my cousin has seen.













The next morning MM took this shot of the front door view as the sun rose our last day of vacation.










Then there's the donning of the layers. It's the only way I knew to dress the kids and not need snow suits for one or two days.

PS: My cousin has two dogs and two cats - both indoor. Amazingly MM started to feel better after he started his Rx but now that we're home, he's relapsing. Wonder if that's just where we live?

I can't forget the Sawmill.

One cousin owns a sawmill. My dad would love to come see his place and perhaps help me refurnish my house with some of the most beautiful heart pine furniture in the world. If you've never visited a log cabin, you really need to some time in your life. Did you notice that I like to tell you what to do? We have pictures of the cabin. Words don't begin to describe it.

We think we might see snow today and perhaps tomorrow night!

Yeah.