Holidays!

What a week of celebration! I managed to get past the sickness enough to salvage the holiday. We shopped until we could barely shop anymore, wrapped until after midnight, had a little eggnog, and settled into bed for a restful Christmas Eve slumber.
The children awakened us pretty early on Christmas morning, but not before sunrise and we opened each gift one at a time so that we could relish and enjoy not only our gift, but each other's gifts as well. We all had a very happy time and played merrily afterward with our new treasures.
It was time to put on the turkey if we were to have it for lunch! I tried a new brand of turkey breast this year, which went from the freezer to the oven, in a cooking bag. It had a thermometer that popped out when it was done and a packet of gravy which only had to be heated and cooked. It was so simple. No basting, no fuss and it was so tender, juicy, and tasty! Everyone raved about it so that I almost felt ashamed to tell them how simple it was! We added to that my mother's dressing, greenbean casserole, lima beans, sweet potato casserole and cranberry sauce and we had a veritable Christmas feast!
We spent several hours afterward watching Mama and Daddy open their gifts from my sister, Pat and chatting with them. Then we went home for a nice long nap.
My sister, JJ came to visit me later that night and we made a full day of Christmas until the wee hours of the next morning! But it was such fun to spend time with her. We so rarely get to spend any time together like that. When we can just sit and talk and laugh and cry and have 'sister' time together. It was one of my favorite Christmas gifts this year.
We just spent four days in Huntsville at Exposure Youth Camp. That is always a blast. I will blog about that and post pictures later. It has rendered me tired and ready for a little rest to prepare for the New Year's festivities that are quickly approaching.
I think I will try to get in a little shut-eye before dinner!

I Am Humbled

To all my blogger friends,

So many of you ladies have been through so many trials and devastating events that I cannot imagine. Some of you are living through them even now. The pain you have experienced is beyond my ability to comprehend and yet, you are still here. You are sharing with us your stories, your hearts, your sorrows, your joys, your lessons, your very selves.
That is a most precious gift. I am truly touched by the words you write. I am inspired, empowered, strengthened, comforted, and moved by your life experiences. I admire you so very much.
That you can maintain a strong faith through your trials is amazing. What a model of wisdom and strength you are.
You give me a gift with every post. A gift that time cannot take away, nor diminish.

Sometimes you make me laugh until my sides ache, sometimes you make me weep because my heart aches, but whether it is a funny, a tragedy, or a word of wisdom, it is precious to me.
I thank you for every word you publish, every thought you share.
You add so much to my life in a way that you may never know.
So, to all of you who give of yourselves to all of us, may your holidays be everything you want them to be and may the coming year bring you much joy and happiness.

And to all of you who read what I write, I am truly humbled that you find my world interesting enough to visit. Thank you for caring to know me and my thoughts, however strange they may be at times.

Merry Christmas to everyone and may the new year bring us much about which to blog!

Christmas Magic?

I don't know if it was Joy's letter to Santa, or changing my Blog page to pink, but whatever it was, it worked!

I awoke this morning feeling a little better but that is typical of morning so I didn't hold out much hope that it would last through the day. However, as the day wore on, I felt better and better.

I puttered around a little bit and still felt good.

I put on a roast for dinner and still felt good.

Took a shower (only the second I have had in a week! yikes!) and felt even better!

Put on some Christmas Karaoke and the girls and I sang while dinner cooked.

I laughed (it had been so long) and joked and danced and played and it is wonderful!

I feel like me, again.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and I have found my Christmas spirit! The Grinch finally left the premises and all is well in the world.

Now I am racing against time trying to get everything done by Christmas morning, but that will be fun! I am just to glad to be back and feeling normal once again.

In The Pink

If I make my Blog pink, will it put me "In the Pink"? I am getting back my sense of humor, even if it is bad! ha, ha!

Letter to Santa

I have borrowed a letter from a bloggy friend who has been experiencing the same challenges this Christmas as I have. Her words could have come straight from my heart, almost as if she had been reading my journal. Santa, pardon the duplicity, but our letters would have looked the same, with the exception of a maid along with the personal chef. (smile)

/Dear Santa,

When you stop by our house on Christmas Eve you don't have a to leave us a single thing. However if you'd be so kind as to take every bit of sickness out of our home and leave us all bright eyed and bushy tailed for the rest of the Christmas break that would be awesome. That's all I want.

However, if you insist on leaving a gift, I wouldn't mind a personal chef. And maybe peace on earth, while you're handing out miracles.

We left you cookies, but I wouldn't eat them if I were you. Awful lot of coughing and sniffling went on during the baking process.

So sorry.

Yours truly ,

Chaotic Joy/

Joy, if you read this, may your Christmas be happy and healthy and God bless us, everyone!

Where Are You Christmas Spirit?

Alright now, time is running short! If I must be sick anymore, it will just have to be after the holidays are over. I must draw from the depths of my innermost self, find the strength I know is there, pull myself up by the boot straps and get on with the holiday festivities.

That was my mantra yesterday as I went shopping with the kiddies and wrapped packages, etc. I will just ignore the crud, medicate myself appropriately and it will go away long enough to be happy and get through the holiday festivities of Sunday without a hitch! Sunday's agenda was to be as follows: worship, Heartsill Christmas in Greenville, church again at 3 pm, caroling and a party afterward for the carolers...a full day of fun! I took my medicine and went to bed in order to be able to wake up ready to hit the ground running. About 2:30, Gracie comes to my bedroom crying. Her ear is hurting really badly. I didn't count on this! I can muddle through, but I can't make my children buck up and keep going at all cost, when they are sick! Yikes! So, I gave her Ibuprophen and put a moist heat on her ear which didn't help very much. So we tried the old tried-and-true blowdryer in the ear trick and it seemed to help. About 5:00, she asked to take a shower and in the middle of that, she vomitted. After she got out of the shower we applied more blowdryer heat to her ear and by then, the pain meds had kicked in and she fell asleep. That was around 6:30.

Needless to say, we missed worship. Michael is going to take her to PriMed to see the doctor and hopefully we will make it to 3pm church and the other two can go carolling and to the after party so their day will be somewhat normal.

I am still looking for my Christmas spirit and am determined to find it before the 25th. I have caught a glimpse of it here and there, so I think it can't elude me much longer! Maybe I need to talk to Santa.....hmmmm.....

It Just Doesn't Feel Like Christmas

I don't know why, but this year has been so "off" for me. Nothing has seemed right.

First, all the plans we had for all the big parties for the parents didn't come to fruition until the very last one, summer was eaten up with hospitals and nursing care, but I thought by now things would feel normal.

Thanksgiving was not the same as usual. I don't know what is going on. Maybe it is my attitude, maybe its hormonal, maybe its the weather, maybe its that my children all know about Santa, whatever it is...it stinks and it is really putting a damper on my festivities.

It is less than a week before the "big" day and I have yet to purchase one gift for my children. I have a couple under the tree for my boyfriend and one for me, but none for the little ones. We have been sick for a while and that has taken up time, but this is more than that. There is a whole different feeling to the season and I don't like it!

I have got to find my Christmas spirit...I know it has to be around here somewhere!

recipeassistant

She Who Must Be Obeyed

She Who Must Be Obeyed

A Tribute to a Long Life, Well-Lived

My niece took this picture of Millie and I think it is just too beautiful. How poignant that she is looking toward the sky with her hands clasped and such a sweet smile on her face. This photo brings me much peace. Kristi, I hope you don't mind that I put it on my blogpage, but I can look at it often here and it gives me comfort. A tribute to a long life, well-lived.

A Precious Friend, A Dear Aunt

This morning about 6 am, my mother phoned to tell me that my Aunt Bill had died in her sleep during the night. Her name was Mildred Ruby Conway Durden and she was 96 years old. She was born on February 25 to Lloyd Colvin and Lena Idell Daniel Conway.

She was married to a pharmacist and she always called him Durden although that was his last name. She was widowed at a relatively young age with a young daughter to raise. She owned a clothing store in Montgomery with her sister for many years then retired to Fort Deposit where she lived until she broke a hip a few years before her death.

She was active and spunky all her life. She never let anyone run over her and she took care of her business like a pro. She was smart, strong, and tough when necessary, but she had a heart of gold.

She was kind, loving, generous, good-hearted, and funny. She was a domino champ...no one could beat her! She was a world traveler, but she loved "home".

She was easy to talk with despite the difference in our ages. She loved her family and we loved her. I had planned to see her tonight when we sang at the nursing home...I had a Christmas card for her room. I will surely miss her powerful presence in my world. She was a force to be reckoned with!

Now, of the original ten siblings in my father's family, there are only four left with us. We hate so badly to tell them goodbye, but that is because we selfishly want to keep them with us. They are in a better place now. We will see them again.

Aunt Bill was ready to go. She was not afraid of death. I can't imagine her being afraid of anything. She goes with our love and a little piece of our hearts, but we get to keep a little piece of hers with us in the exchange. It will have to do for now.

We love you, Millie.