We went to find some "southern snow" to take pictures for our family Christmas Card.
Luckily we went when we did because they chopped the cotton field the very next day!

This is the one that made the card!

She asked me "Mommy why are we in a cotton field?" I said "to take pictures for a christmas card, remember when I took you to Azalea Park for easter pictures?"
She said she did. One thing I can say, she is a cooperative photo subject!

This smile looks a bit fake don't you think? I imagine it's hard because I took a LOT of pictures!

Some of the cards I sent are coming back so I apologize if you sent me a card and didn't get one or you usually get one from me. Don't know what the problem is this year with the postal service. I've never had this happen before!

My MIL is doing okay, hopefully she will come home today.We will be going down tonight for the week-end.
Last night Santa stopped by the party Miss Patsy had for her dance class.
I got to tell Santa what a good girl i've been this year!

My child is a NUT. She went and put the Santa suit on after we got home.
Me & Stacy laughed so hard!!!!!



Have a great week-end and remember - Santa's Watching!

I have thirteen nieces and nephews. I was always the "fun" Aunt (because i'm the baby of five).
One time I even endeavored to take all 13 of them (in my Dad's station wagon) to see the movie "Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles".
My ears rang all the way home - because all thirteen of them sang the theme song from the movie- non-stop! LOL
But... I digress.
Despite babysitting from the time I was about 12 years old, it in no way, shape, or form prepared me for a baby of my own.
An infant.
We did not know how to do her bottle, the hospital provided us with the "cheater" bottles and we were frantic that we might somehow screw up regular formula/bottles and harm our babygirl.
Sometimes I wish there had been a hidden camera - i'm sure we looked comical. Two "skirting-forty" parents completely un-hinged by a tiny infant.
But, we made it through.
Now she is five years old. FIVE. Where did the time go?
I dropped her off at pre-school this morning.
She doesn't want us to walk her in anymore, she's already embarassed to be kissed in front of the other kids.
I watched her go up the walk-way, flowered LL Bean Backpack on her back (monogrammed, of course).
It looked as big as her.
I still find myself frustrated and at my wits end. \
Did I do the right thing?
Did I give the right answer?
Do I do TOO much for her?
Am I giving her too much lee-way ..... or not enough to grow.
It's HARD - the hardest thing i've ever done.
I am responsible for raising this human being right.
I want her to be strong,fair,compassionate, and open-minded.
In the end I can just take a deep breath and hope for the best!

Back in the day I regularly came up with PSA's (public service announcements dontcha' know?!) but I haven't done it in awhile. I fear i've lost my touch!

Dear DH - You need to take it to the Beach - your such a crab-ass! I know there are reasons for this but it doesn't make it any easier for the people who have to deal with you.

PB - I do not want to be BFF's, I do not want to do extra-curricular Christmas activities with you, I definitely don't want to hear about your s*x life! Have a little professional courtesy ok?

Bowl-Head- I know you are not a happy camper. It's been obvious for years. You're children have disappointed you terribly but there is no need to take it out on people who don't deserve it and have circumstances beyond their control. You deserve a quick karate chop to the neck. (I say quick because I CAN be humane - unlike you).

God's Gift - Hahahahaha after I pick myself up off the floor because - YOU are a catch? - Really? Hold still while I go find a mirror and tape recorder. Take a good long look at yourself and listen. Oh wait, your ego is in the way there!

DSIL - If by any chance you DO take that blow-hard, bossy, lazy, no-good !@#$%%^* back I will jerk a knot in your tail that a whole troop of boyscouts couldn't get out.

Little Hitler - I know you WANT to be the boss but you are NOT the boss and you will never BE the boss if I have anything to do with it. Oh here's a tissue. There's some brown on your nose!

I feel ever so much better now!

Yep - White Christmas.......
but I doubt if we'll get it.....
the last white christmas we had was 1989- 20 years ago!!!!
My brother and I used to always go out shopping on Christmas Eve and when it began snowing while we were having lunch I started crying my eyes out.
It was the first white Christmas since we had moved here from Pennsylvania!
We did get snow twice last year so I can't complain too much.
I have the cutest 8x10 picture of Madison next to the big snowman we built and it's as big as her!
Still, she would love to see snow again and I would too....
so let's hope for a christmas miracle and about a foot of "Noël sous la neige" on Dec 23rd!

Okay that title is a reminder for me - but looking at these pics definitely makes me happy!
We had a special visitor come back this year. She had a miniature elf last year that I had gotten from Amazon.com (as I didn't know fully what I was looking for). Well Wink was very well loved, some of you may remember my fracturing my ankle trying to move him one night ....
I found this book and the big Elf at the Christmas Shoppe at Southport Beach,NC and tucked it away.
Maddie and Daddy read the story "The Elf On The Shelf".
It details how Santa sends a special elf to watch over you starting around Thanksgiving.
His job is to report to Santa every night and fly back before morning (hence we have to keep thinking up places to move him to).
The child names the Elf and then is not allowed to touch the Elf or the magic will go away.
Madison is very very enchanted by this. She's a very whimsical child anyway. It makes me smile!


Meet our new (and permanent) Elf - "Sprinkles"

Madison visiting with "Santa" at the Darlington Christmas Tree Lighting. She knows he's not the REAL Santa but a helper :)

May the magic of Christmas be upon you and have blessed day!

What are the chances........
we have two people here who are dead ringers (pardon the pun - no really!) for famous serial killers and one scary character on TV.
There is a guy, who actually sits near me who looks like the guy who played the "Dad" to the clan of vampires in the movie Lost Boys. The one who was romancing the "Mom" because he needed a vampire Mom for the Lost Boys. His name escapes me.
This guys name is Charlie and boy, he looks a LOT like that guy.

The two serial killers.
One is a woman who works on the second floor who looks like Aileen Wuornos. Maybe that's not such a stretch - blonde, stringy-haired, blowsy woman LOL

the OTHER one - a guy - looks exactly and I mean EXACTLY like the BTK Killer Dennis Rader. So much so that one day I asked him if he was originally from around here because I fully expected him to say he was from the Mid-West where Dennis Rader is from. He said he wa from.........Kansas. I lacked the courage to ask if he was related to Dennis Rader though. If he is, i'm sure he's not bragging about it!
Have YOU ever known anyone who looked like a serial killer?

As if I don't struggle through bad days at work and try to shed my negative feelings when I walk out the door, I pick Madison up from school and it slides even more downhill quickly.
She got put in timeout. Told an OUTRAGEOUS lie to her teacher (one that would give my MIL a heart attack if she knew Madison said). Drug her jacket along behind her in the dirt. Purposely dropped her bookbag in the dirt and wouldn't pick it up.
So I spanked her on the step in front of her teacher (the class was inside). Then we get home and she doesn't want to go to dance class.
By that time - I am through. I didn't argue with her or make her go. I was angry and upset all evening long. Part of it is the stress i'm going through with work, part of it is a "visitor" - TMI alert, I realize this.
We are supposed to go to the tree lighting on the square tomorrow night - Madison was supposed to dance. That is spoiled since she didn't go to class last night I have no idea what she's supposed to wear, what time she is supposed to be there etc. Plus i'm too embarassed as i'm going to go ahead and let her quit dance class as she's been asking to do.
Somehow Stacy will still pull the float this week-end in the Christmas parade but i'm not riding on it or anything. See above.
I am sure i'm being stupid but it's how I feel. I don't mind so much letting h er her quit dance class - I ALWAYS said if she didn't want to do it I wouldn't make her but really - I envisioned this happening when she started at age 2 not at 5.
Not when we've got all of these dance-involved Christmas obligations coming up. Not when her Daddy JUST paid a deposit on her dance costume for the recital in May.
Ah well, i've got it all out......here on my trusty old blog.
Now just let me get through this day-from-hell (we've got out of town visitors so ramp up the old bullshit meter x 3).
On a GOOD note Stacy did some more decorating outside last night - my house looks SO GOOD y'all!
It is bright and festive and he's picking up 4 more airblowns to put up tonight (although they won't get put out until it stops raining).
Cut me some slack, our house is on an acre so we DO have some room for them! ;)
Get-Me-Through-This-Tuesday-Lord!