My family left this morning

Well, after one week (and only one fight with my brother) my parents and brother left this morning to go back home to Canada. It was a nice visit and a wonderful Christmas. Here is a pic of all of us (you can just see me peeking over the shoulders of my sons) and then one of my kids with my parents. My dh is the grumpy looking one....geesh! Learn to smile, man!!

Lookie Lookie!!! Jimbo Hooks

Will ya lookie at what I got for Christmas!!! My daughter and son got me 2 Jimbo Hooks for Christmas and my swap partner got me another. I'm in 'hawg heaven' right now!! Woo hoo!!

Merry Christmas to everyone

Thank you to everyone that has read my blog over the past year.

Things are going well with my parents and brother here for the holidays, so far. It is the eve of Christmas Eve and there is still shopping to do, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap.......all the fun stuff.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and I'll talk to you in the 2007!!!

Christmas Meme

Tagged by Jaye

Attach a photo of one of your current holiday displays:

1. Egg Nog, Mulled Cider, or Hot Chocolate?
Egg Nog, fresh on Christmas morning, made by my father!!! It's a tradition.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Always wrapped

3. Do you decorate the outside of your home with lights? Any other displays?
Are you kidding?? Inside, outside, displays inside, displays outside.........gotta love it!!

4. Poinsettias, Holly or Mistletoe? Pointsettias and Mistletoe

5. When do you put up your decorations?
I put up my outside decorations (usually) the weekend right before Thanksgiving and then the inside gets done the beginning of December.

6. Do you prefer to give or receive?
Ok, let's be honest.....as mother's when we say 'no, don't get me anything, spend the money on yourself'...it really means, I bought a load of stuff for you, you'd better get me something nice too or you'll never hear the end of it. However.... I do enjoy giving something to someone that I know they are going to love. It makes my holiday!!

7. Cut tree, live tree, artificial tree, or Festivus pole?
I much prefer a cut tree but dh is scared of them so we have a very nice artificial tree.

8. Have you ever made a gingerbread house?
Every year!

9. Do you display a nativity scene?
No, it's not something I've ever done

10.When did you learn the truth about Santa?
What truth???

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
I lived in Canada for the first 34 years of my life I grew to resent snow, except on Christmas Eve. I do miss it on Christmas Eve but beyond that..........dread it!!

12. Can you ice skate?
I learned when I was a kid

13. Do you open your gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
My kids exchange their gifts from each other on Christmas Eve. Also my mother (Grammy) always allows them to open one gift with is always pj's and something for them to do. They love it!

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Being with my family. After moving to Texas in 2003 I only get to see them a couple of times a year, when I used to go over every Sunday for dinner. So being with them when they come down (they're on their way as I type this!!) is the best part for me.

15. What is your favorite holiday cookie?
Sugar cookies

16. What tops your tree?
A star

17. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Goodness, there are so many. So this is Christmas by John Lennon is an alltime fave though!

18. What is your favorite Christmas movie or story?
Has to be, without an ounce of a doubt....It's a Wonderful Life!! It's not Christmas until I watch it!

19. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? If Yum, how do you eat them?
Just like them for decoration on the tree......other than that..yuck!

20. Do you send Christmas cards? If yes, do you enclose a letter or picture?
I try to send cards but don't always succeed. My cards are usually have family Christmas cards made so I guess that counts as a picture. I enclose a letter in some.

21. What kind of lights do you decorate your Christmas tree with? White lights, or another solid color, multi colored, candles, or a novelty light such as bubble lights?
My tree is prelit with clear lights but I do prefer colored lights.

22. Favorite Christmas memory as a child?
I don't have one in particular because they were all great. I aways enjoyed going to my grandparents house where all of my mother's brothers and sisters came with their spouses and children......a big, full house of love!!

23. Best present that you have received?
This may sound rather corny....my mother bought me this. A small wrapped up box (very small, smaller than a ring box) and it had a tag on it saying something along the lines of, 'you can never unwrap this gift but every time you need a hug, know there is one in here for you from me'....or something like that. Seh bought it at the dollar store......which she found funny.

24. Turkey, Ham, Seafood, or Soup for your holiday dinner?
Has got to be, without a doubt, turkey on Christmas Day.

25. Describe your favorite Christmas ornament.
I made, using Cross Stitch, a few ornaments for my grandmother in years past. When she died they all came back to me. One says 'Holidays are a time for family' and that's my favorite.

FI.NA.LLY!!!

I can't believe it's finally over and done with. Let me tell you...these last two weeks have likely been the very longest of my life!! Last Friday, December 8th, we finally moved in to our new home. It only took me a few days alone (kids at school/hubby at work) to get things all unpacked and organized.
We had some problems with our heater, but thank goodness it's been extremely mild here this week so it hasn't been a worry. It's fixed now though, just one of the things you encounter when you buy a house I guess.
The biggest thing? NO DSL!!! Yes, I'm accessing this using a stinking dial up connection.....I can barely stand it!! Oh well, if that's the biggest trade off I have to make then it's worth it.

We put up our Christmas lights today...finally...and they look really nice. It's about time though. Likely the longest I've ever waited to put them up, but then again we had other things going on. It was almost 80 today so it was a very nice day to put them up.

Chico is doing very nicely by the way. He has healed quite well and you'd never know he had a run in with a truck....thank goodness!

The next big thing? Well, my parents and brother are due in on Wednesday. I'm tellin' ya, I'll be glad when December is over so life can take on some form of normalcy!!

Awful scary day

What an awful day!! The only time of the day I ever let my dogs outside without being on a leash is at 5:00am when nothing else is going on. They take a pee and come right back in. This morning I heard a terrible noise and a dog yelp. I knew it was my newest little buddy, Chico.I ran outside as fast as I could to see a pick-up truck driving away and nothing else. My dh came outside right behind me and said "Lisa, Chico's right here, on the porch." He was scared and shaking. I thought, 'ok, maybe he didn't get hit by the truck.' Then I saw a couple of small abbrasions on his 'knees', his chin and his 'armpit'. We took him to the vet to get checked out. He had no broken bones. Just a couple of 'road rash' spots, especially one under his armpit. He got some pain killers, some antibacterial cream AND his full set of shots, including rabies, which we were going to take him in for soon anyway, so at least that's done. $178.00 later.........geesh.......I can't tell you how happy I will be when this week is done!!!Thank goodness Chico is ok!!

And 18 shopping days......

Making himself right at home

Well, Just an update to let y'all know Chico is settling in juuuuuuuust fiiiiiiine!! He owns the bed and sleeps in between me and my dh every night, under the covers. I swear, between my 7 y/o son, a cat and the dog, I'm not allowed in my own bed....lol.

A couple of quickie projects

Well, while waiting for this whole 'house thing' to come to a conclusion (should be by the end of this week...finally) I had to get a something to preoccupy my mind..and hands. I made this camo doggie sweater for Chico...he's not sure what to make of it just yet. I also made a pink camo hat for my daughter. Hmmm, now what to do tomorrow.........

So this is what a roller coaster feels like....

Man, I just can't put in to words the emotional roller coaster I've been on the past few days. First, we closed on our house (this one that we sold) yesterday morning. We were in great moods and feeling on top of the world. Then.......by 4pm we were feeling lower than slugs as the house we were planning on closing this morning ran in to snags and we weren't going to be able to get a clear title to it, meaning we could not buy it. Now, keeping in mind that we have to pay the guy who bought this house $25/day for rent if we have to stay here after Sunday Dec, 3rd, which works out to $750/month.....on a house we just owned and has been in my dh's family for nearly 80 years.
Yesterday morning my computer broke down......done....dead....kaput!! So, I drowned my sorrows last night by going out to buy a new one. As soon as I got online I looked for a new house to buy. Found a couple to look at.
We get to our Realtors office this morning and he says 'let's just over to the title company and go through the motions. If he doesn't show up by 5pm he'll be at default anyway.' Fine, we went over there. We get there and it ends up not being nearly as bad as we thought and 'things' could be fixed. Bottom line.......we will still be able to buy the house (the glitch was on the sellers end, not ours) after even though the closing date is going to be early next week, instead of today. GREAT!
Now, dh (for lack of a better phrase) and I are fighting over stupid stuff. It's amazing to me how you can go through all of these ups and downs and never fight about anything, support each other wonderfully and then once things are on an even keel, you fight over asinine things. I just don't get it!!
Yeah, I know we'll 'kiss and make up' but it just frustrating to have to go through it at all. I DON'T UNDERSTAND MEN. If anyone out there does, I'd love a tip about to disagree with him without making him feel like 'you're not on my side'. I swear!!!