Christmas Day

We celebrated our Christmas on Christmas Eve, as Steven planned to spend his Christmas Day with his love.  I remember when I was growing up, we'd celebrate on Christmas Eve, so that everyone could go spend Christmas Day with their in-laws.  Made it much easier on everyone to not have to shuttle back and forth on the same day to try to see everyone. 




Mom and Marion are in West Virginia, Daddy is in Arkansas, so we kept our butts planted right here in Carrollton.  :-)  Buddy and Pam came over, and Jessie joined us too, so we had us a nice little afternoon/early evening time.  Buddy said Meme warned him that he needed to "leave the mountains before dark".  I don't know where she gets the idea that I live in the mountains!  But seriously, there are a few mountains around here, but I don't live in the mountains. 




The pups were quite funny with their toy pigs - that's how we began the gift giving - all 3 dogs came to me, knowing that I had something special for them.  I gave Dominion his first, I tried to give Gabriel his, but Kita stole it and went absolutely wild with it, and Gabriel got his and sat down at our feet for a moment.  Until the squealing and grunting of the pigs started, then he ran in terror out of the living room, pacing back and forth between the living room, hallway, and kitchen area.  Kita and Dominion were very enthusiastic with their playing with their pigs, Kita more so than Dominion.  All you could hear were squeals and grunts and oinks while Steven was distributing the gifts. 




After the gifts were opened, Steven found Gabriel in the kitchen, trying to get the ham off the counter!  He's never gotten anything off the counter to our knowledge, but the poor boy is so hungry because of his diet, he tried his best to get the ham but was stopped before he got anything.  He came and sat at my feet for a while, with his pig, and I was watching Dominion try to play with Steven with his pig, and Kita was still tearing hers up in the floor.  Steven threw Dominion's pig towards the hallway, but it bounced back towards the table, unbeknownst to Dominion, who continued running down the hallway - Kita realized what had happened, so she ran to steal Dominion's pig, leaving hers unattended, handing the perfect opportunity to Gabriel to steal her pig so now he has 2 pigs. Even though he wasn't interested in making them squeal or oink or grunt!  We did take one away from him and give it to Dominion, so that everyone had a pig.  Best $15 spent at Christmas, EVER.




I went to bed with a sick headache around 9pm.  My sinuses are really acting up this weekend, and I suffered horribly last night.  By 2am, I was in tears and popped a Percocet.  Those of you that know me well, know that it's serious when I'm in tears and taking narcotics - I hate taking pain meds, and I typically have a fairly high pain tolerance.  I was hoping that the Percocet would at least take the edge off the pain, because if not, I was seriously contemplating going to the ED for relief.  Thankfully, I fell asleep after a while, and woke up headache free this morning.  (fingers crossed it stays that way)




Today it's just the 3 of us at home - Brian, Clydie and I - I'll be cleaning up the living room of gifts and stuff, and doing laundry as well.  No rest for the wicked!




Merry Christmas everyone!

Kids Toys at Christmas

Yep, it would have been nice to have these labels when I was buying toys for Steven when he was young.  Of course I think most are marked with how many and what kind of batteries are required, so at least that is helpful.


I remember one Christmas, we went to my family's to celebrate after the kids got their Santa Claus.  My mom asked what Santa brought Steven, and I told her.  I also shared that Santa made sure to only bring quiet toys, and I will NEVER forget the pure evil, shit-eating grin my mother gave me!  They gave Steven a fire truck, complete with an extremely LOUD siren that Steven loved to have going all the damn time.  His sperm donor ended up taking the batteries out of it so that it would stop!  (and honestly I can't say I blame him this time)

A Christmas List

How many of you could do all of these? Granted, not everything on here would apply to everyone, I mean not everyone has an enemy, some people don't hold grudges, or maybe you do all those other things on a regular basis.

As for me:

• I don't have any current quarrels to mend, that I'm aware of.
• Unfortunately I do have a lot of "forgotten" friends - I'm horribly bad at keeping in touch and communicating with those I consider friends, shit I'm bad at keeping in touch with family and close friends!
• I've dismissed suspicion and replaced it with trust in the past and been burned.  Fortunately I don't have suspicions in my life now so no worries there.
• I'm not one for writing letters, I'd rather send an email.  Although there's one I've written that I really, really need to send to the intended recipient.
• Soft answers are my norm. :-)
• Youth = Shenanigans in my household!
• I am loyal to a fault, and I think most that truly know me, know this.
• I always try to keep my promises, if at all possible.
• Forgoing a grudge and forgiving an enemy currently go hand and hand for me at the moment - I'm not going to do it any time soon.  I don't want to go into details with who or what this involves, but generally speaking - if you think someone did something inappropriate, isn't it your responsibility to let that person know that they acted or spoke inappropriately?  How is the person who behaved/spoke inappropriately supposed to know they did wrong, if you don't tell them?  I'm not forgoing or forgiving anything, if the accusers cannot even broach the topic with me.  (ok, I know this attitude regarding forgiveness totally goes against the spirit of Christmas, but I don't care, I have my reasons.  When you have to find out through the grapevine about alleged inappropriateness - 2 YEARS after the behavior and/or words supposedly occurred - I call bullshit.  I really have to stop now, this is ruining my Christmas post).
• Apologize - I've done plenty of that, even when I shouldn't have.  Tried to be the bigger person.  Makes me mad sometimes to do that.  lol
• I do try to understand, and see things from both sides.  Although sometimes one side refuses to accept that, and is a crazy, psycho person, and deletes and blocks you on Facebook.  But whatever.  LOL  That's what I get for trying to understand.
• I try not to demand things of others.  I also try not to expect much from others, that way I'm not disappointed when my expectations aren't met.  (this is not directed at my family members!)
• I think of others when making big decisions, and sometimes even when making small decisions.  If my decisions will affect more than just me, I have to think of others.
• I'm kind (usually, unless someone pisses me off!)
• I'm gentle (unless someone tickles me - someone is getting hurt in that case!)
• I laugh way too much sometimes (and especially at inappropriate things)
• I try to express my gratitude to others.  I don't always think to do it, but I am very thankful for my family and friends.
• I don't welcome strangers into my home - unfortunately with the way things are these days, it's just not safe.  But sometimes they may be a stranger to me, but my husband or my son or Clydie knows them, and then they're not really a stranger.
• I'm not around small children very often, but if I was, I would try to gladden their heart in some way.
• There is so much beauty in the earth, sometimes it's the simplicity of clouds in the sky, and sometimes it's the beautiful fire colors of the trees changing in the fall.
• I need to work on that last one, I'm not very good at telling those I love that I love them.

So, that list didn't turn out quite how I expected as far as how it applies to me.  I've got a lot of negativity there, which I'm quite aware of, and probably should work on (but not on the forgoing and forgiving part, I just cannot see myself doing that any time soon). 

Anywho, I hope some of this made you laugh or smile, or at least think about things in your own life. 

If I don't blog again before Christmas - I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and that he fat man in red brings you what you want!

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That, and Lots of Pictures!

My autumn, leading into winter, has consisted of hunting, celebrating my son's 21st birthday, and just life in general.  I've thought of so many blog posts that I should write, but just don't make myself sit down and compose my thoughts well enough to put out in the cyber world. 


I've had a lot of negativity over the last month or 2, with a ridiculous family member that I won't name.  (don't worry Mom, it's no one in my household!)  I'm not going to waste any more energy on this person, and they have burned through their second chances with me.    So to this family member, if you happen upon my blog and read this (although since you've deleted and blocked me on Facebook I doubt you will) - I just have one thing to say - WTF EVER!


Steven celebrated his 21st birthday on November 21st.  I took the day off from work to spend some time with him during the day, take him to his first liquor store run, and get ready for the cookout.  Here are some photos:




                                  first liquor purchase at Cheers!

                                                   Kita was ready to party down!

 


               Got the birthday banner at the Dollar Tree again this year - and this time they spelled it         right!

                        Oreo Blizzard cake from DQ


                 



                                         Brian & Hope hiding Steven's eyes, they didn't want him to see the cake yet

                                  I love the look Brian is giving him, with his hands clasped like he's
                                          up to something sinister

                                           I think he's just realizing it's an ice cream cake

                                  the obligatory smile :-)

                    the moment he realized it was a DAIRY QUEEN Oreo Blizzard ice cream cake!
                      (yes he tried to pick it up and run off to his room with it!)

            the next morning - Steven's under the black blanket, Hope's on the couch, and James is in the recliner.  Oh and Dominion is on the love seat, watching over his birthday boy.

I think the "kids" had a good time at the party, and they were safe in our home.  I know we had a great time participating in this momentous birthday, and I hope that it was everything that Steven wanted.


Here are some pictures of our hunting escapades this season




                                          in the blind in Crawfordville

                                        beautiful sunshine from the blind

                                       in Dublin, GA

                                 never seen what a beaver can do to some trees?  well here ya go!

   kinda hard to see, but this is where the beaver were dragging their trees once cut

       watching the sun come up slowly through the pines in Dublin

 Jessie & I got out of the golf cart to go to the waterfront to see where the beavers were (we'd been joyriding on the golf cart while the menfolk were in town, and decided to explore the road less traveled)

Clydie takes such wonderful photographs. Look at my hat, all cockeyed on my head.  No, it doesn't have a thing to do with that being my 2nd Jack & Coke!

We had a blast in Dublin with Jessie and her friend, Bobby.  Went once without Clydie, and took her along the second time because the accommodations are very nice!


Poor Gabriel - I've had to put him on a diet because he's up to 77lbs.  He stays ravenously hungry because he was used to free feeding, but we've had to take up the food bowls for all 3 pups and feed them twice a day.  It doesn't affect Dominion so much because he gets a special meal for breakfast anyway, but poor Kita just doesn't know what to do with herself now that she doesn't have a food bowl to guard!  His daily intake has probably been cut in half or more (we worked him down to that, we didn't feel it was right to drastically cut him suddenly because we tried that and he was really becoming a pain at meal times and on the occasion he was allowed a treat, he'd try to take your hand with the treat).  He's still a chunk but we are seeing a very slight different in his outline from above. 


And Gabriel won't sleep inside the house at night anymore - he's been sleeping on the porch since it started cooling off, and I really didn't want him outside the last few nights because the morning lows are in the 20's.  I know he's a Siberian Husky, and those dogs are supposed to be able to handle the cold, but he's a fat, lazy house dog and I worry about his well being.  The first night we tried to keep him inside from the cold, he wanted to go out every 90 minutes, and you had to practically drag him back in the house, so I left him out.  Now before people freak out - the porch is a screened in porch so he's sheltered to an extent, the door to the yard is open so he has free access to potty, and we keep water available (which froze last night :-/ ).  There are some seat cushions on the floor which he's been laying on, and Clydie put a blanket out there for him which he sleeps on.  (and which he gives up to Kita when she's out there lol). 


photo of Gabriel with his blankie

Yes, Clydie covered him up with it, and he'll stay under it for about half an hour then he's had enough and will get on top of it. 


Is everyone ready for the fat man in the red suit to visit in a few weeks?  I have a few more things to get, then I'll be ready.  Thank you very much to Clydie for doing the majority of the decorating - I was down in my back pretty bad for a few days and managed to fluff the tree and put the lights on it, and that was the extent to my participation.  She put all the doo-dads out on the mantle and bookcase, she and Steven put the décor on the tree, and she put the garland on the handrails on the stairs.


This is the longest blog post I've written in a while that wasn't a copy and paste of something else, so I'm about worded out now.  If I don't blog again before Christmas, I hope that everyone has a very  Merry Christmas!