Southern Home Moments

Update: Doc's diagnosis - bronchitis

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and I'm sending y'all Happy New Year wishes now. If you're gonna be out & about tonight celebrating, be careful. Our family will most likely sleep the New Year in. Our son has been sick and now I am. I have a horrible cough I can't seem to shake and it just keeps getting worse every day no matter what I try. Now, I'm hurting with it, so I have a doctor appointment this afternoon. Conrad (husband) is working days right now and will need to go to bed early tonight anyway because he has to be at work so early on 12 hr shifts.

Y'all have a SAFE & Happy New Year...don't forget to eat something green (like cabbage or turnip greens for money), pork (for progress), and black eyed peas (for luck)...I believe cherry pie is also on our menu for tomorrow. This is our traditional Southern meal for New Year's Day...well, most everyone's, I believe, around us. Have a good one!

We've had such a busy day today. It's a tradition for the kids & I to bake Christmas sugar cookies every year. My Moma always did it with us when my brother & I were growing up and I've carried that on with my own children. They always have the best time using the cookie cutters & then decorating each cookie their own way. It's time consuming, but we always have fun doing it. Speaking of my Moma, she's been baking sweet potato pies today and she's also made Christmas candies with Clay, Sarah, & Amber....dark chocolate covered peanut clusters, snowballs, & white chocolate covered pretzels. I'm about to start on our potato salad for Christmas Day dinner tonight. It will sit covered in the fridge until then and be just right. The presents are ALL wrapped and under the tree...finished up that the other day...so, tomorrow (Christmas Eve) should be a day to just rest and enjoy being together. My Moma & I were talking earlier today and she told me that my Grandmaw always cooked & baked the day before Christmas Eve too...which I can remember her doing also. But, Moma said that Grandmaw always did hot dogs on Christmas Eve because there was just so much going on Christmas Day. I've got plenty of hot dogs in the fridge, so I believe that sounds like a good idea. Tomorrow will be hot dogs on the grill...quick, easy, & the kids love 'em. Now, on that note, I've got to get back in the kitchen and start peeling potatoes.

This has got to be my all time favorite winter commercial on tv. I love the Clydesdales...have seen them up close at their home in San Antonio. They're beautiful and this is my favorite commercial featuring them.

Conrad & I tried to finish up some Christmas shopping this morning.  We went to Sam's Club while we were out also and picked up some groceries.  I went to the restroom in Sam's Club and there was a woman by the sink humming the tune of "Here Comes The Bride" out loud.  While washing my hands, I smiled at her and asked her if she was getting married soon.  She looked at me and said "NO".  I replied to her, "Oh, I just thought since you were humming that tune..." and she cut me off by saying, "Well, I AM getting married...HE just doesn't know HE is yet."  At this point, I believe my eyebrows went up, but I just kind of laughed and said, "Oh, Ok."  And, on that note, I dried my hands and walked right out the door thinking, "poor guy".  It's amazing some of the funny things you hear people say while you're out & about...especially this time of year.

I think I've finally finished the Christmas decorating at our house and we're ready for Santa...it's as good as it's gonna get this year anyway.  Conrad did the tree & lights today and the kids & I decorated it this evening.  I usually have all my decorating done the day after Thanksgiving, but with us shuffling the bedrooms around the last couple of weeks it just didn't happen.  Everything looks pretty and we got it done just before a short trip to Arkansas (Conrad & I are going...the kids are staying with their Grandmoma & Granddaddy).  You know, doing the tree is a lot of work.  But, it's worth it.  I like to turn off the lights in the den when we're done and we drink hot apple cider & hot chocolate (the kids) while we listen to the music and just look at the pretty lights from the tree, the wreath,  candles, other decorations, & Christmas Village on the mantle.  We played our Christmas music and we looked & laughed at some of the homemade decorations the kids have made over the years.  I have a box I mark "Favorite Ornaments" and I keep the special ones like that separate from the others.  So, again, it's a lot of work, but it's so worth it to see how happy it makes the kids...and me.

It's a rainy day here...supposed to be like this into the night as well.  I've been watching it come down with a cup of coffee at the moment, but it's a bit too messy to sit out on the porch.  Our cold snap came & went again.  We're back to a high of 70 degrees today.  All this back & forth with the weather here has gotten all 3 of the kids with sore throats & sniffles right now.

The weekend was nice though and the Christmas Fest/parade was fun.  Towards the tail end of the parade, Santa was riding with Sparky the Fire Dog on top of the firetruck.  Amber (our 7 yr old) got more excited over seeing Sparky than Santa!  She was jumping up & down and yelling, "Moma!  It's Sparky!  It's Sparky!" ;p  Here is a picture of who she was so tickled to see.  I bought a few gifts, and we found a bench to sit on and ate corn dogs, fries, & cotton candy.  I had forgotten to take a bag with us to catch candy in from the parade.  Amber had stuffed my purse fatter than a turkey at Thanksgiving!  There wasn't a crook or cranny in it OR on ME (pockets & hands) that she hadn't crammed candy or necklaces into. :)  I felt like I was toting a boulder around on my shoulder and trying to hang onto to her & gifts too.  Sarah (our 9 yr old) was sick and  had to stay with Grandmoma & Granddaddy, and Clay (our 13 yr old) was in the parade.  Here's another picture from the parade...

every Southern parade probably has a least one or 2 good tractors in it.  LOL ;p  Our 3 kids LOVE their Granddaddy to pull them on the homemade wooden sled he made them behind the big tractor.  He pulls them all through the woods on it.  Most of the time, they come back home lookin' like they've rolled through a mud hole, but they've always got big smiles on their faces!  It's one of their favorite things to do.  

I thought I'd share a few of my Christmas decorating ideas while I was in the middle of fixin' the house up.

*For my dining table, I used a solid dark green table cloth.  I placed a lighter shade of green cloth place mats on the table.  On top of them, I used green cloth napkins that I already had, wrapped them in some "candy cane striped" cloth ribbon I already had and tied that in a bow.  Then, I stuck a single candy cane through the center of each bow and it turned out so pretty.  I also placed a "candy caned striped" tall candle in the center of the table that brought it all together.  Simple & cheap because I already had these things anyway.  I like to mix & match all the time with what I already have on hand.

*I also always place my lighted Christmas village on our mantle.  I like to have a snow setting, so I use the jumbo cotton balls.  I always have these in the bathroom anyway.  Just unroll each cotton ball and then gently pull them around some to fluff them.  Lightly overlap them and have some pulled down a bit over the edge of the mantle.  It looks just like snow, and to me, prettier (and cheaper) than buying fake snow already done.

*I made my own jingle bell wreath that I hang on the door every Christmas season.  Just get a big wire hanger from your closet, unwrap it and form it into a circle leaving the "hanger" top still up top.  You'll twist that around when you're done to use as your hanger for it.  Buy a pack of medium sized jingle bells from any store that sells crafts or Christmas supplies and feed them through thickly around the wire hanger.  Once you can't fit any more on it, wrap the ends back together underneath the curved hanging part and you're done.  You can also garnish it any other way you'd like.  I made mine several years ago and we always hang it on our door. 

This weekend is already looking to be a busy one.  Our son is in the Honor Society and their Christmas Party is tonight.  I'm taking some refreshments.  Then, Saturday, Christmas Fest begins in town.  It's a lot of arts & crafts booths, various vendors, lots of foods, music, etc. all weekend.  Our son is also going to be in the parade tomorrow.  We've had a cold spell move in this weekend, so I hope the weather is OK for all the activities.  The news said last night that we might "possibly" see some snow on the Gulf Coast here.  We all just laughed...yeah, right.  We'll believe it when we see it!  It hasn't snowed here since 1996.  Even then, it was just enough to cover the green grass.  We had just enough snow to build a snowman about a foot high, but we sure had fun playing in it.  I know a lot of people get more snow than they care to see, but it only snows here once in a blue moon so it's still fun for us when it happens...and "magical" for the kids.