Wordless Wednesday

How Many Different Santa's Can You See Before The Children Start To Get Suspicious?

Warning this could, quite possibly be, a very lengthy post. Just sayin.

Friday night we had B's Christmas work party. I was running late because my patient was running late and apparently she was not guilt ridden at all that it was a Friday and the technologist might have plans on this ole' Friday night. Let's face it, it's not something that comes by too frequently these days. The weather was terrible so that meant my last minute plans to exchange my new favorite boot for one size too big for the one I had which was one size too small.

Don't ask.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Actually, at that time I was in a hurry which explains why I didn't take the time to try them on in the store. B questioned that theory. Men will never understand.

You are in a store. You are in a hurry. You see what could possibly turn into a love relationship with this particular boot. It's 40% off. You (or maybe this part is just me) don't pass it up just because they don't have your exact size!!!! Nooooo. My friend just pick the one that is the closest to your size and CHECK OUT.

Pain is beauty.

To some extent, and then at some point you have to realize that you are not going to be squeezing into that size 9. Did I really just admit that? Yes, my foot is ginormous!

Anyways, we made it to the party.

Every year at B's Christmas party all of the desserts there are entered into a contest. The first year I won 3rd place. The second year nothing. The third year 2nd place. And this year could have been my year to win 1st, not because of my baking abilities but because of the lack of competition. Dang. If only B didn't have to keep out so late the night before watching the 3 hour long Twilight Saga.

Here are some pictures from the party.

I think she found the biggest piece of gum ever made!

Saturday morning we arose and watched the drizzling rain start and stop. And so we decided to head to the Christmas parade anyhow. Because we just don't have enough cavities yet, so going and having people throw Tootsie rolls and bubble gum at us seemed to do the trick.

Then, I have no idea why, I had the urge to go and just be amongst the madness at the Avenues Mall. I heart that mall. Spent a many a Saturdays and a many a dollars at that mall as a teenager and I just hadn't been in a while. It's just not something you do with a double wide stroller and children who think they want well....everything. But we did go and we saw Santa again. And when I say saw I mean waved from a distance. I may be dumb but not that dumb. As soon as we walked up Santa's helper told us that he had just stepped out to take his cigarette/Zanny break, I mean uhh lunch break. Ok, ok, she actually said, "he needed to go feed his reindeer." But we all know what's really going on.

We even braved the Disney store. I could not fit the stroller around in the store, so I ended up just collapsing it a bit and stored it in a corner of the store while, the kids ran free like wild animals! Really they walked around holding my hand and looking at all the store had to offer with such obedient and soft spoken words. Ha! Yeah right! I really think that the stores do this to moms on purpose, it raises their sales.

Then we headed to my Mom and Dad's to watch the Gators play in the SEC game.

When we got home B asked Hayley if she wanted to go look for Reindeer. (She thinks that all deer are reindeer.) Before they left I told Hayley that if she got hungry to ask Daddy to take her by Wendy's.

Well, his truck got stuck. And B called his friend Adam to come and pull him out. When Adam got there Hayley decided she would get in the truck with Mr. Adam. And she tells B, "and I'm gonna have Mr. Adam take me to Wendy's."

B asked, "Why are you hungry?"

She replied, "No, but if I do get hungry then I will eat it."

Duh, Daddy?

Leighton wanted to stay home with me and watch a movie.

Sunday was church. Then lunch. Then home for a nap so that I could get the tree decorated.

I didn't get a picture of L because her dress was soaking in a gallon of spray-n-wash as a result of her lunch, or lack there of.

Decorating the tree is always interesting because I am really OCD about glitter. Here are some new things I put on the tree this year and some old, very old.

This one is from somewhere around 1987.

Monday morning was spent cleaning, except I didn't really get anything accomplished. The vacuum cleaner kept shutting itself off and I could not figure out why. So needless to say I didn't mop either because it didn't get vacuumed first and I just wasn't feeling like scrubbing the bathroom floors. And as I was bending over vacuuming I noticed the dust sitting on my t.v. stand. Ugh.

B came home and wanted to go to town, needless to say it didn't take much to get me out of house and away from...well...all of the frustration/cleaning.

We put the kids in the car and headed for the Town Center. We went in Target and again it did not take long to figure out that they wanted EVERYTHING!

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. As always we spent it at Jekyll Island with the rest of us Jordan's (and Musgrove's).

As always there was too much food and I think Thanksgiving day was the only day that we did not indulge in some oyster eatin'. It was good to be around family and to get some real time to spend with Hayley and Leighton. It's a lot easier to go out and play when your not at home thinking I really need to be inside vacuuming or dusting or laundry!

Friday I took the girls for a walk down to the ocean. Hayley asked me if we were going swimming. Uh, no.

This is a Horseshoe Crab that we found.

Then Friday night we went to the campground on the island and had our annual low country boil and some more oysters! I did not take my camera I stole these off of Facebook from Sarah (used to be Jordan) Hall. Thanks in advance, Sarah!

This is Sarah and her dad.

No, that is not his hair, it is a hat. And all I'm going to say about that is you should have seen Mr. Bobby wearing this hat. HILARIOUS!

Saturday was the famous Florida/Florida State game. And all I'm gonna say is GOOOO GATORS!!!!!

After we watched the game we got ready to go see Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the lighting of the Christmas tree and the fireworks.


(The girls with their Great Grandaddy.)

Then we hoped in this....

... to go see Santa. The Red Bug rental man reassured us that "EVERYONE would be driving their Red Bugs to see the fireworks." Well by all means, we wouldn't want to be left out of the "cool crowd!" And who wouldn't want to ride 25 (27 at best) miles per hour next to the windy ocean and freezing cold air blowing in my just blow dried my hair, hair? Umm, yeah I'll take being a nerd and riding in a car over being in the "cool crowd" any day if it means I can arrive without catching The Pneumonia Bug.








Ok, seriously B and B Jr. would it kill you to smile for a picture?

And Sunday we did this....

You Got To ...Pray

Today I decided to splurge and eat out for lunch today. I usually bring my lunch but on Fridays I get cabin fever and just have to get out! By the way I ended up at Wendy's, where I ordered my 24th Southwest Taco Salad. No I haven't really eaten 24, it may be a few more or a few less. I think I am TOTALLY addicted!

Anyways, while I was sitting in the: 5minuteexpressdrivethruforthoseofusthathave15minutestoorderandscarf I was listening to Dr. Dobson have a discussion about teaching our children to pray. I suddenly felt very convicted of not doing a very good job at that. Yes, we pray at the table as a family and they know how to do, "God is great..." and I pray with each of the girls at bed time, when I am not too tired and thought I might make it through without falling asleep, as I am on bended knee beside their beds.

But do they know that they can talk to God all the time, casually, just like they talk to me.

Here is another view on praying (more for the adults).
God knows all your thoughts, he hears every unspoken word, so why do we need to pray and verbally tell God what's on our hearts?
Answer: Because no relationship has ever been formed by just eavesdropping.

A wife knows that her husband loves her, but it's nice to hear him say it. Same thing as our relationship with Christ.

The other day I bought this 2 ft. tall 'J' to decorate and hang on my front door. Hayley picked it up and said look Mama it's like a 'H'"
I said, "No, that's a 'J' for jump.....and.....Jesus."
Hayley, "name, Amen."

Hopefully The First of Many

Last night I joined some friends and went to LNO. (Ladies Night Out) It is a Bible study on raising children and other motherly and womanly duties.

While I was getting ready I looked down at my toenail polish, that had seen better days, and just about gasped out loud, hideous! I knew I only had a few minutes but it was something that had to be taken care of.

Isn't it funny that we take longer getting ready to go out with the girls versus going out with the husband. Why is that? Because girls will notice your chipped toenail polish and guys won't.

I am writing this post because I have not yet put these ideas on paper, and if I don't put them somewhere FAST they will be gone (as my memory fails me)!

Rhonda is the speaker and holy cow is she gooooooood!

One thing she talked about was having thoughts of discontentment about your home. One example she shared was, "Well, we can't have anyone over because that toilet runs and everyone will have to use the one in the back." I almost laughed out loud. But I didn't because I was sitting on the front row in a room of oh about 50 women, and with it being my first time there I thought that might be a bit rude. Just before our annual Halloween party I asked B if we could get a new toilet for the spare bathroom because I didn't want it to be running all night long and because I was embarrassed. Ok, has Rhonda been reading my mail? I am SOOOO guilty of feeling discontent with my home. Here's a thought, isn't discontentment jealousy? Hello!

I had read the posts from Kelly last week while she was on the Compassion trip to El Salvador. After I would read some of her words about these families living with dirt floors or a family of 4 living in a one room hut. Uhh, who could feel discontent about having a 3 bedroom brick house then? Things that I feel I have to have, that new recliner for the living, really isn't a need. Or a new dining room table that seats 6 instead of 4, because every time we have people over to eat there aren't enough chairs. There's that feeling again that Rhonda was talking about. Well, we can't have people over because....

Another point she made was, when we see something or someone that is pretty and we think it, why don't we say it? Why does the thought only go as far as our brain. Is it because we are jealous?

Her goal, that she said a couple of times, is that people take away one little nugget of information. Well, when you say nugget in my presence the first thing that comes to my mind is chicken nugget, maybe that's because I live with a 2 and 3 year old. In comparison to the nugget I think I took the whole chicken. Thanks Rhonda!

Healthy and Happy

I am going to brag for just this one post, I promise! Two nights ago we had spaghetti for dinner. B wasn't home so we just sat at the bar and ate. I was so proud of my girls for wanting salad to go with their spaghetti. Hayley discovered ranch dressing at Pizza Hut one afternoon and now it's all I can do to keep her from eating it 24/7. Leighton on the other hand prefers her salad plain.

Since we were eating at the bar they decided to grab an apple off of the 3 tier stand I have on the counter.

It has little tiny pumpkins and fake fall leaves sitting on the top and bottom layer and I put apples on the middle layer, for decoration of course. Except, as quickly as I go the store and buy some pretty green Granny Smith apples to put on my middle tier, they jump up on the bar stool and snatch some off to eat. I really shouldn't complain.

Side Note: If there is one thing I have learned it is that you have to keep good, healthy, fresh fruits and veggies readily available. Why? Because we are Americans and Americans like convience. If you have to wash and cut those strawberries or rinse off the grapes before you can eat them, let's face it, it's probably not going to happen and they go bad and get thrown away. Ok, maybe that only happens in my house! When I buy grapes or strawberries I go ahead and rinse and cut them up and put them in tupperware so it is ready to eat. I know, you feel like you're reading an insert out of a Martha Stewart mag. I'll stop, I know BORING! Maybe it will help ONE mama out there.
As I was, scarfing down my food because that's what us moms have to do, I noticed how healthy they were eating and I am so thankful they like to eat things that are good for their bodies and minds!




And yes, only in a small country town like ours will you find one wearing a John Deer shirt and the other wearing a Callie Kays shirt! Ha!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

A few weeks back we took a trip down to the big O for a few reasons...1 my brother was getting married...2 we went to Disney World... and 3 just because it's nice every once in a while to just get away!


Let me first start by saying Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Edwards!


Proud father to ALL his daughters! Keli, Tina, Dad, Carolyn, and Me

The second part of our trip had to do with this guy....

The girls had so much fun! Actually this was their first time staying in a hotel. (That shows you right there that we don't get out much. Maybe now that they are older we will be able to go more places.)

This was them right after we walked into the room. Of course they immediately starting jumping on the beds and ran to look out the window! We were WAAAAAYYY up! On the 14h floor!

Sunday night we hit The Magic Kingdom.

As you can see from the picture below that we started out carrying the Mickey's that I bought ahead of time from War-Mart. And now if you will look up, we are carrying a "baby Mickey". What happened was, while we were riding rides we parked the stroller and left the Mickey's in the stroller. When we returned from riding "Peter Pan" and "It's A Small World" (I still have that dern song stuck in my head) one of the Mickey's were missing! So I informed one of the Disney employees what had occured, they graciously replaced it, even knowing that the stolen one was from War-Mart. Now if that's not customer service I don't know what is!

Overall, we had a great weekend and we can't wait to go back!