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Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope all you moms out there are having a wonderful day. I’m sitting here enjoying the quiet (and trying my best to stave off the headache that accompanies the rains like we’ve been having so much of lately!). I’ve called my mother and spoke to her a good while. I’ll soon call my mother-in-law and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day as well.

Jim, Jessie, and I had our celebration Friday night, as this was her mother’s weekend to have her. I received beautiful cards from each of them and a new mp3 player from both. A bright shiny red Sony Walkman!

Wow.

I couldn’t help but tear up just a little when Jim later told me that Jessie got her mother a DVD and a card “not as nice” as the one I had received. (I had gotten the “good” gift!)

And yeah, I allowed myself to enjoy that just a little.

While we were out, I stopped in Books-a-Million and picked up the latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series: Dead and Gone. I finished it last night and will say this — it’s an emotional roller coaster!

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am a little saddened that I’ll have to wait a while before the next one comes out to see what direction the next book takes. There’s no cliff-hanger at the end, but I did pretty much cry all the way through the last chapter. The author killed a character I really liked. Well, actually, several had perished that I liked, but one had been a pretty big supporting character for the last few books. (but I won’t spoil it any further for those of you still reading it!)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend, and hope the weather is better wherever you are than what it is here!

Hoppy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I’ve two cute things to share today:

The cutest little rapper I’ve ever seen:

And by far one of the funniest Easter Eggs I’ve seen:

(H/T: For the Lose)

Humpday Hilarities

This funny bit comes courtesy of my Cotillion sister, Vivian:

11 People on a Rope

Eleven people were hanging on a rope, under a helicopter, 10 men and 1 woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one had to leave, otherwise they were all going to fall. They weren’t able to choose that person, until the woman gave a very touching speech.

She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because, as a woman, she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return.

As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping …

Not to be out-done, one of my co-workers sent me this one:

And finally, this one from Steve:

Holiday Fruitcake Recipe

Ingredients:
1 C Water
1 C Sugar
4 Large eggs
3 C dried fruit
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C Brown sugar
Lemon juice, nuts
1 FULL bottle of your favorite whiskey

Directions:

• Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
• Take out a large bowl.
• Check the whiskey again to be sure that it is of the highest quality.
• Pour 1 level cup and drink. Repeat.
• Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 C of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
• Add 1 tsp. sugar and beat again.
• Make sure the whiskey is still OK.
• Cry another cup. Turn off the mixer.
• Break two geggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
• Mix on the burner.
• If the fried fruit gets stuck in the beaters,
• Pry it loose with a screwdriver.
• Sample the whiskey to check for toxisisticity.
• Next, sift 2 cups of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey.
• Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
• Add one tablespoon of sugar or something…whatever you can find.
• Grease the oven. Turn on the cake tin to 350 degrees.
• Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window.
• Check the whiskey again. Go to bed. Who the hell likes fruit cake anyway???

Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice and Merry Yule, y’all!

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

– Luke 2:8-20 NIV

Christmas comes early for some …

I received an email today from Soldiers’ Angels notifying me that the infantry where two of my soldiers are has a “mailstop.” This means only one thing …

THEY ARE COMING HOME!!!!

I know their families have got to be so excited!

God bless you, Casey and Steven. Wherever you are and wherever you’re headed, I wish you a safe trip.

Thank You!

Whenever I’m out and about and see a soldier or veteran, I always go up to them and thank them for their service and hand them a small Soldiers’ Angels card. Something Jessie said a while back sticks in the back of my mind every time I meet one … she said, “‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough.”

I know what she means. For such a small phrase and gesture, I hope I’m able to make a big impact on that person, or the people around them. And I hope I come across as truly grateful.

To all troops, veterans, and their families: you have my thanks, gratitude, and support. May God bless you, and those who love and support you!

We’re outta here!

Welp, I’m finishing up wrapping tonight and we’ll pack up the car early tomorrow to head out of town for a bit.

My overnight bag’s packed tighter than a Ju Ju Be, LOL!

Hopefully I’ll have some goodies to share when I get back.

I hope everyone has a safe and very Merry Christmas!

It’s busy time!

Jessie’s been sick and I’ve been slammed at work, so just saying that I’ve been “busy” is an overstatement. ;P

The game this past weekend was a disappointment, but while wallowing I realized that honestly Bama DID have a good season this year. In fact, just saying they were “good” doesn’t do them justice — this season was awesome. Hell, they were Number freakin’ 1 for Pete’s sake! We kicked a lot tail and shut up a lot of nay-sayers.

That, my friends, is a good thing.

So yeah, I was a little sad coming in yesterday morning. I’ve looked forward to making wallpapers every Monday following a Tide win. Who knows … perhaps I’ll get to make another in a few weeks!

Things at work have been crazy. Usually, things are slowing down this time of year, but with the recent merger, we’ve taken on a huge workload and unfortunately cannot slow down. I have had some time to work on porting one of my designs to SharePoint though.

Hooray for creative time!

It’s a bit minimalistic, but I’m hoping to use it on a soon-to-be-public site that desperately needs a facelift.

I’ve also been working on a side project involving some heavy-duty Blogger hacks, so once I’m done I’ll be posting them on here as well. (note: using the newer Blogger beta XML coding, not the “classic” templates) Basically someone has a Blogger site and did not want it to “look like a blog.”

I had to really thump hard on the ole noggin for that one, but I’m pretty pleased with how it’s turning out. A lot of the mods I’m using either aren’t well documented, or were very hard to find, so I’m hoping that sharing them on here will help others. (or, at least, that’s my intent anyway!)

I’ve also made a few modifications to this site and have it all Christmas-sied up. I still haven’t decorated my house yet though. With Jessie being sick, I didn’t think it fair to do anything without her, so I’m looking forward to spending some time with her this weekend and do a little holiday decorating.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far!

Call me a pistol-packin’ mama!

Last weekend, Jim and I exchanged Christmas gifts a few days early. Meet our newest additions to the “arsenal”.

The first, Jim’s present to me: a Smith & Wesson 642 .38 Special. The second, my present to Jim: a Ruger P345 ACP .45.

The next trip to the firing range is gonna be fun!

A lucky woman am I

I’ve enjoyed connecting with family and friends. I ate my fill of turkey, dressing, ham, a wide assortment of sweetened vegetable casseroles and colorful salads, and let’s not forget — my mother’s delicious Southern pecan pie. I watched my daughter play football with my father, then my husband, then I took a turn.

My God, she’s got a cannon for an arm! If she learns a little control, she’d make a decent QB. Look out, Bama, I’ve got one coming your way in a few years!

We’re sitting around listening to some Loreena McKennitt, anticipating the oncoming turkey-induced coma that follows such feasts as we’ve had today. My husband has been sitting here trying to talk me back into singing — and with everything I have going on, I admit that I have missed it. (Performing is another matter, but singing I love…)

I told Jim I’d think about it … and I am …

But in the meantime I’m happy sitting here enjoying the warmth and I’m thinking to myself, what a lucky woman I am. I hope everyone is having a great holiday.

Love and blessings to you all!

For what are you thankful?

During our Thanksgiving celebratory lunch today at work, someone posed this question: “For what are you thankful?” Most everyone had the same answers: family, work, health, …

The merriment continued, and a good time was had by all. After a round of desserts, I went back to my desk and quietly reflected. I would add one more item to that list of things for which I’m thankful — freedom. My Cotillion sister, RightwingSparkle summed it up nicely in her post earlier today: Freedom. It isn’t free, and it isn’t a gift.

While we were on vacation, I had the opportunity to meet a couple veterans and a soldier who were staying in our hotel, vacationing with their families. As I do here at home, I thanked them for their service and handed them a card with the Soldiers’ Angels information on it. One morning at breakfast, I thanked a Vietnam vet. He looked at me with warm, grateful eyes and stammered a quiet “Thank You.” His wife came by our table and thanked me a few minutes later with tears in her eyes.

No one had ever thanked him for his service.

As I’ve stated before, too often we take our liberties for granted. Sadly, those who have made those liberties possible, along with those who now defend them, don’t get anything near the recognition and thanks that they deserve. It saddens me to think that many never have, or quite possibly, never will.

Tomorrow, when you are thinking about those things for which you’re thankful, please remember freedom. If you get the chance, thank a soldier or thank a veteran. And if you are of the praying kind, please remember those in uniform who are out there defending our freedom.

Christmas Meme

My best bud, Teresa, sent me this and I’m sharing my answers with y’all! 

Okay, here’s what you’re supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person
that sent it to you……Tis the Season to be NICE!

(Obviously, this is not email … I’m posting to my blog for more funnery! )

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Usually wrapping paper, but I’m seriously thinking gift bags this year. (easier to carry!) Though “Santa” will most likely be wrapping!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial for now (it’s nice and pre-lit!). Real trees once we get a bigger house.

3. When do you put up the tree? First week of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? Before New Year’s if I’m lucky! LOL

5. Do you like eggnog? For the most part, yeah.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Lite-Brite

7. Hardest person to buy for? My father.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My niece.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have 2.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, baby!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? (Well, I could actually name it, but Teresa’s answer sounds so much better than mine, LOL!) There is no bad Christmas gift, because at least that person thought of you.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually much later than I’d like.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, shame on me — BUT, in my defense, I re-gift to someone who I know would really love and appreciate the gift more than I would!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Dressing! And Mother’s Peanut Butter Balls and Fudge.

16. Lights on the tree? As if there’s any other way to dress a tree???

17. Favorite Christmas song? I have several: “Silent Night”, “Angels We Have Heard on High”, and “O Holy Night”

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel a little, but mostly stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s? *sings* “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. Buuuuuuut do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer … “ (this is Jessie’s favorite Christmas song!)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve — I’m impatient!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The crowds.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Crimson!!!! (Duh?)

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey and dressing!!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I have an Amazon wishlist that I’m compiling.

26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Ben, John, Miranda, … you?

Humpday Hilarities

Today’s funny bit comes courtesy of my pal, Cookie

Thanksgiving Divorce

A man in Jacksonville calls his son in San Diego the day before Thanksgiving and says, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.

“Pop, what are you talking about?” the son screams. “We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” the father says. “We’re sick of each other, and I’m sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Denver and tell her.”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “Like heck they’re getting divorced,” she shouts, “I’ll take care of this!” She calls Jacksonville immediately, and screams at her father, “You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?” and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. “Okay,” he says, “they’re coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way.”

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