Family Christmas

We had a great Christmas! Christmas Eve we went to my sister’s house with my parents, Jennie, Carly, and my family. We opened gifts and ate way too much!

When I started this blog, I decided not to use some of our real names. Why? I don't know. I get confused enough with real names, I don't know why I thought I could remember to use fake ones....

So - here are the cast of characters in my family and a few pictures from Christmas Eve. (Sometimes we are real characters too!)

My Niece Jennie, My Sister Susan, My Mom Rosie, My Dad Herbert, Me, and My Son Justyn

Justyn, Me, and Neil

I look like I'm smashed in the middle and I'm really not that short....

Carly, Jennie, and Susan

Alan, Jennie, and Susan

Justyn always gets new boxers for Christmas.
Jennie looks like she is saying
"It's just new underwear. What's the big deal?"
At 16 months, we are sure Jennie is already using sarcasm.....

Carly got a Whoopie cushion in her stocking and decided to try it out.


Jennie didn’t like it at all.

Protect me Justyn!
Notice the grip she has on his sweater!

Jennie was really into opening presents and ripping paper.

It really doesn’t matter what is inside – as long as she can rip a lot of paper and pitch it behind her!

No matter what happens with the economy - there is always lots of love to go around!

I hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas!

Lesa

Merry Christmas from My Family to Yours!

Wordless Wednesday

**Special Note - One of the guys at work said that she must be reading a fiction book! Ha!

I'll make him think fiction...........

Game Night - Free Entertainment!

What happened to the days of getting together with family and friends to play games or cards? I think in the hustle and bustle of life, we have lost a valuable activity. I remember when I was growing up, we would have card games on Friday or Saturday night at our house or we would go to our neighbor’s house. Our social outings for the week were going to church on Sundays, Wednesday night prayer meeting, and going to someone’s house to play games.

On Thanksgiving Day after we scarfed down (is scarfed a word?) a huge meal, we decided to play cards instead of lying around on the couch, dozing off to sleep, and holding our bellies all afternoon.

We played Texas Rummy. Each round you have different requirements for laying down your cards. It’s very easy to play. It’s a twist on regular rummy using 2 decks of cards. I’m not sure where or how it got the name of Texas Rummy. Maybe somebody from Texas came to Kentucky and taught a friend how to play this game. I don’t know. Maybe if Diane came and taught me how to knit, I could call it Arkansas Knitting! Just a thought…..

We enjoyed talking, laughing, and just being together. The best part – it was free! For several years in the past, we have gone to the movie after we eat Thanksgiving dinner. With the economy like it is, we all need more free things to do as a family. What better way to save money than to pull up a couple of chairs, get out some cards or games, and enjoy what you have!

My son, who is 27, lives with us and we never take time to stop and just talk. We eat in passing, leave notes for each other, and get ready for work each morning in three different shifts at my house. My sister and brother-in-law are the same way. We all have meetings during the week and barely have time to call each other before we fall into bed exhausted at night.

My sister and I have made a promise that we will commit to at least two or three nights a month to play games and just enjoy being together as a family. She already has Friday night planned for us. I’m bringing the Rook cards, Dominoes, Dr. Pepper and a cheese ball. My brother-in-law wanted know if this called for a fresh batch of Chex Mix?….. What more do you need for a fun night? Not much!

I’m already looking forward to our free entertainment on Friday night and it’s only Monday! I’m so easily entertained…….

Lesa

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anoints my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

These verses have gone through my head many times today as I have cooked and spent time with two of the most precious girls. Carly and Jennie came early this morning. I enjoyed having a 14 year old and a 15 month old here all day while I cooked for tomorrow. Jennie is my niece and Carly is the daughter of my friend Pam. I have loved Carly since she was born and could not love more if she were my “real” niece.

This morning we made Bacon Bites to snack on today. I also baked a country ham and baked a Turtle Cheesecake today. Tomorrow morning, I will fix a Sweet Potato Casserole and Macaroni & Cheese. We will eat at my sister Susan’s house at 1:00 and then enjoy an afternoon of playing cards – if we can stay awake.

Hope you have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Lesa

Wordless Wednesday

Caution! Buyer Beware!

Oh my!

The warning label on this should be -

"Beware! This product is highly addictive, high in calories, sodium, carbs, and fat, and does not last long after purchase no matter the size purchased."

OK - I'll confess.
I don't smoke.
I don't drink alcohol (well - maybe wine once in awhile).
I try not to cuss.
I do drink this!

I'm just warning you......
Lesa

Veterans Day

Cappuccino Gift Mix

This is one of my favorite gifts to give and to receive at Christmas or anytime! It's so easy to mix up for last minute gifts. I made some of this with the Caramel Vanilla Coffemate this past weekend. It was really good last night with the cooler temperatures we have had the last several days. I only drink coffee in cold in weather. I know - I'm not normal! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Kim Hill & Lisa Harper - One Amazing Evening!

Thursday night I had the honor of attending an awesome event sponsored by our local YMCA. It was a Prayer Dinner featuring Kim Hill and Lisa Harper. I was invited by Eva Self along with several of my co-workers from school. The food that was served was really good but the spiritual feeding was even better! We had an amazing time of music, laughter, and fellowship.

The best part was the sharing of God's word through music from Kim Hill and the message presented by Lisa Harper. She gave Hebrews 11 a whole new twist! Her sense of humor is hilarious! It felt wonderful to be able to pray and worship with my friends and co-workers. We needed this message so much to help remind us that we can trust and depend on our Lord and Saviour when situations seem stressful or impossible. Believe me - working in an elementary school can get very stressful!

This is a video of Kim Hill singing Psalm 1. She sang this song acappella at the opening of the program. It was as if it came directly from her soul and into the soul of all who listened. I was sitting next her and could hear humming through the song just before she went on stage. Her voice is an amazing gift from God.



Here are some pictures that I took of Eva Self and Kim Hill. The lighting was not the greatest for photos. There were green spotlights shining on each side of the stage. The one that I took of Lisa Harper did not turn out well. She looked as green as Herman Munster! I don't think she would have appreciated me posting that picture! And no - Eva does not have green hands!

Kim Hill

Eva Self

If you have not had the privilege of hearing these women - you have missed a blessing! Each one of them have their own unique story of God's blessings upon their lives and how He can work within your life also. I encourage you to check their schedules and see if they will be appearing near you. Trust me - it's an opportunity to be blessed that you don't want to miss!
Lesa

Wordless Wednesday

Election Day

Happy Halloween!

I was tagged!

Earlier this week, I was tagged by Jerri at The Prissy Chicken Memories. Jerri is such a hoot! Be sure and go read her facts! Thanks Jerri for sharing!

This is what I had to do:


So here it goes --

1. I was born with 3 kidneys. My kidneys work like normal kidneys. No – I don’t have to go to the bathroom more than the normal person. I was also born with only one ovary. This explains why God blessed me with only one child. I didn’t know about the missing ovary until 4 years ago when I had surgery. I would love to adopt but who is going to let a 47 year old couple adopt a child?
   
2. I could almost be a vegetarian. I don’t like processed preformed meats. If it wasn’t for bacon and country ham – I could really be a vegetarian.
3. I have never liked glitter. Even as a child in school – I hated glitter. I can’t stand the way it sticks to everything. The feel of it on my skin bothers me. I look like a cat in a litter pan trying to get it off my hands! I have this fear that it will get in my eyes or up my nose.
4. The smell of pancake syrup makes me sick. I got sick after eating pancakes when I was pregnant 27 years ago. You just never get over something that comes flying out your nose when you are pregnant.
5. I got so nervous that I wet my pants in front of the church when I ten years old during Bible drills. It ran down my legs into my white dressy socks and went into my black paten leather shoes. There was never a drop on the floor. My shoes were full. Now this happens when I sneeze or cough suddenly!
6. I am convinced that I have ADD and OCD. During in-service trainings, I count the ceiling tiles or notice every flaw in the ceiling or walls. Then I realize that I have missed half of what I should of heard. At church, I can tell you how many light bulbs are in each light fixture and which ones needed to be changed a month ago. I look for patterns in flooring or fabrics. I notice odd things that normal people don’t notice.
7. I am addicted to boxes – all shapes and sizes. I am especially drawn to small boxes. I can never throw away a good box. It’s like a friend that I may need to call on later to help me out! I will admit. I am a pack rat!

So there. I have now confessed some of my unknown secrets and weird facts. I’m not going to tag anyone but if you want to participate – go ahead – knock yourself out! It has been fun reading what people tell about themselves!

Have a great rest of the week!

Lesa

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Fall Sunset

I took this picture of an old shell of a barn just
before sunset tonight. It looked so lonely.

Wordless Wednesday

Let the Christmas Projects Begin!

Every year about this time I start thinking about my Christmas projects. Most people start in July. Not me. I try to pack it all into three months! I create better under stress and we all know how we love stress…….

Tonight I finished painting a few glass Christmas ornaments. I have been painting and selling my ornaments for about eight years. One year I painted over 80 ornaments and sold them. That was before I started working full time during the summer months. Each year I try to come up with a different style. This year I decided to paint candy canes. I always paint the first one for my dear friend. She is like my "World Premiere"! Then I start taking orders from other people. Each ornament has the year, the name of the family, and all the family members names painted on it. I have even painted the names of cats and dogs on a family ornament. I take custom orders so every ornament is different and unique. This is the candy cane ornaments for 2008:

I have been saving burnt out light bulbs. They are so little and cute. Yes – I save everything.
(I think it’s the classic middle child syndrome – more on that in another post…..) I drilled a hole in the top for the ribbon and painted a few of these. These will make great stocking stuffers or small gifts for people at work. (My camera flash does funky things with the glossy finish on the ornaments.)

I try to make a lot of our gifts at Christmas. With the economy like it is this year, I think I need to get busy!

Lesa

The Rumble of Random Thoughts

I took this picture on the way home yesterday from a wonderful visit with my cousin. I loved the fall colors that are just starting to show and the way that road seemed to jump up and turn.
Yes - I stopped in the middle of the road.....

My cousin reminded me yesterday that I have not posted anything new on here in awhile. I feel like such a slacker! I have been so busy and stressed with work that I come home and collapse just about every afternoon! It seems like work has been consuming every spare moment of my life lately. I'm so ready for things to slow down at work! Fall break starts October 13 and I can't wait!

I've been busy today just enjoying being at home. I made a large pot of beef & vegetable soup and put most of it in the freezer. I froze enough for about 4 meals. It will taste great on those cool evenings when I don't feel like cooking supper. All I will have to do is warm up the soup and maybe fix some cornbread to go with it when I get home. Grilled cheese or pimento cheese sandwiches would be good with it too.

I also made M&M Cookies tonight. I used a sugar cookie recipe and added 2 cups of Halloween M&Ms. I didn't chill the dough like the recipe suggested. I just rolled them into golf ball sized balls and pressed them down with my fingers. I made about 3 dozen and I'm sure they will not last long around here! Here is a picture (click on it to make it bigger) of the recipe card and a few of the cookies:

My big project for today was making a rack to put on my kitchen door. A friend of mine from work showed me this picture in a Penney's catalog this past week and my first thought was - I can make one of those!
My husband gave me a jigsaw and cordless drill for Christmas a few years ago. I have made simple little shelves and racks since then. This afternoon we went to Lowes and I bought some pieces of wood, hooks, and spray paint for my project. I didn't want it as long as the one the picture. I'm going to hang it up tomorrow afternoon in my kitchen. I had to touch up a few places on the wood tonight with the paint where a bug got on it while it was still wet. I can't wait to hang up my old aprons and dish cloths on it! The best part is I spent about $10 to make this rack!


I hope this week goes by fast. I have a big box of pine cones waiting for me to play with next week. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with them but I'm sure an idea will come to me soon. If you have any pine cone suggestions, please let me know!
I thinking of some kind of Christmas decorations......

Have a great week!
Lesa

Resting

I stretched out on the couch tonight after supper. It's been a long week at work already and it's only Wednesday!

This is what I saw when I went to get up and put my feet on the floor.


She seems to be saying, "Us chubby girls have to rest after we eat!"

I wonder if her cholesterol is as high as mine....

I do know that I'm not this cute when I lay on the floor like she does!

Lesa

Wordless Wednesday

Two Years from Fifty

Today is my 48^th birthday. I don’t feel like I’m two years from 50. I’m not sure what I thought I would feel like at this age but I don’t feel any older. People are always saying “Happy Birthday! Do you feel any older?” I can honestly say no – I don’t feel any older. It does seem like as I get older that time goes by faster. It also feels like not too long ago I was playing with my brother and my cousin in the yard building forts and having dirt clod fights in the garden! These are pictures from my 6^th birthday in 1966.

I know – these pictures look like they are 42 years old! I remember getting a doctors kit with a plastic stethoscope and tiny candy pills. My cousin Mike, my brother Herby, and two kids that lived down the road from us came to my “party”. I thought I was queen for the day! Mom always let us pick the kind of cake we wanted and what we wanted for supper on our birthday. I always wanted a yellow cake with chocolate icing, “homemade” Chef Boyardee Pizza from a pizza kit with ground beef on top, and potato chips. That is not very exciting today but I assure you – it was great in the 1960’s! Tonight we ate at Cracker Barrel. As I ate my turnip greens, country fried steak, and cornbread, I couldn’t help but think of all those birthdays my family suffered through pizza and chips!

Lesa

Wordless Wednesday

Only In An Elementary School

There is never a dull moment in an elementary school. Our student council for the new school year has started meeting on Wednesday mornings. Being 3^rd through 5^th graders, they have a lot to learn at the start of school. They are so eager to start their new “jobs” helping around our school. Each day they have assignments such as watering plants, checking the bird feeder, hanging the flag in front of the school, and basically learning to be good community helpers. Thursday we had a "small" problem with the flags.

Guess what we learned how to do before this day ended?

These are the best views on a Friday afternoon.
I felt like the little girl on the left. I would have looked rather funny skipping with my hands in the air.
If we could only be like children -
happy and carefree with not a worry in the world!

The best part is that we have a three day weekend!

Lesa

Bacon Bites

I used a “cheap” package of bacon and cut the whole pack in half with a large knife. I placed 1/2 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese on a club cracker and wrapped each cracker with a half a slice of bacon. I put the crackers on a rack that was on a baking sheet and baked them in the oven for 2 hours on 250. Remove from oven and let them cool on the rack.

The last two days at work have been very stressful, so tonight I decided I needed to fix something a little naughty. I really didn’t need these but - oh my - they were just what I needed! I found this recipe in an old recipe book. My mom used to make them years ago. I don’t remember her adding the Parmesan cheese but then my mom doesn’t remember making these either! They were very easy. The hardest part is waiting for them to bake for 2 hours while my house is bursting with the smell of bacon cooking. I’ll have to remember to make these for the holidays. Needless to say – my cholesterol jumped up a few points tonight! After 2 of these and a glass of wine – I feel like a new woman! I may make it through one more day of work after all!

Lesa

The Rumble of Random Thoughts

We have had a very busy weekend. We attended a wedding in Louisville for the daughter of one of our close friends. Chelsea and her sister, Carly, have seemed like nieces to us for many years. My sister started babysitting Carly when she was six weeks old. She is now fourteen and very quickly growing into a beautiful young lady. It has been wonderful to watch them grow from little girls to a beautiful young women. There were many tears shed by all who attended Chelsea’s wedding. These pictures were taken as Cole said his vows to Chelsea and as they lit the unity candle. She was gorgeous in her wedding gown!

Jennie had a great time with Carly at the reception and loved playing with Carly’s necklace. Jennie loves to pose for pictures. Someone at the wedding said she was a very photogenic baby. I don’t know if she is or if she is just a little on the rotten side! Carly picked out the dress that Winnie is wearing.

These are pictures of my sister, brother-in-law, and Jennie at the reception and a picture of Neil and I. We had a really good time with family and friends.

We visited a local winery today and made a few purchases while we were there. That three hour drive in the back seat helping entertain an eleven month old teething baby wore me out just a little.

I’m also tired because we didn’t realize that our hotel was located near an airport until 5:00a.m. this morning when I would have sworn that a Fed-Ex plane was coming through the window….
Followed by several UPS planes and many, many more planes…

That was a rude awakening!

Lesa