{Santa has to be real because my mom did not buy me a video game - not the same mom who severely limits "screen-time" and keeps saying "why don't you go outside and find something to do."}
{Dad and I during our first bowling game - notice the furniture had to be completely rearranged to make a big enough area to play"
{Bowling with Grandaddy -
and baseball and golf and cow racing and boxing}
{Tennis, anyone?}
Guess what came in the mail today?
How cute is this necklace and bracelet set? 
Thank you Chelsea!
...........
Here is the box of goodies that I mailed out to fellow Pink Christmas swapper, Karli.
Karli is expecting a baby boy in a couple of weeks, so her Pink Christmas was all BLUE! A box of personalized B&W photo cards with matching address labels all with a baby boy theme!
{presents pulled from our tree and ready to go to Silver City}
{at Mom & Dad's 
{Carly's Aunt Kacey & Uncle Rocky gave Carly her very own iPod - later she told me "I can't belive I have an iPod. That is so awesome"}
{we love to play games in my family - Carly got an updated version of the card game "Spoons" and we played a lot. She also got "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" which we all agree that we are not!}
101 Tidbits about Me
{topping our list for Santa was a hippity-hop ball - 
{Santa brought some things from Carly's list like a Hannah Montana Barbie, books, movie, and the hippity hop ball. And there were surprises like a Mississippi State T-shirt, chalk animals, CDs and a Wii}
Carly said she needs to write Santa a BIG thank you note!
{making a Gingerbread House with D - notice that it is still dark outside that is because everyone rises way too early at the Lake}
{opening presents with cousin, JC - They were both very happy after their first gifts...Carly-bulldog Webkin & JC-large stuffed Scooby}
{morning of karaoke - D got a new chip from LeadSinger}
{Aunt Libba & Uncle Beege gave Carly a nail set, so her and Aunt Libba were doing their nails. Carly chose orange on one hand green on the other}
{attempting to set up video call with Josh in Japan}
{Christmas dinner, after anti pasta there was beef tenderloin, ravioli, spinach Madeline, and rolls}
{cin cin (cheers!)- to a wonderful Christmas with family}
{gifts for angel tree child}
A couple months ago, my mom, sister, and I placed an order for wrapping supplies. I had more fun looking through that catalog and deciding about coordinating items. The goodies came in the first on November and I was so excited when I got them that I came home and wrapped Carly's teacher's gifts!
My MIL just shakes her head at all the hullabaloo over the presentation (along with her son who has no concept of presentation even after 13 years of trying to explain it to him - he considers the present wrapped if it is in the WalMart bag). For probably 16 years, I have been making an appearance at my MIL's, 3 years as a girlfriend and the last 13 as a daughter-in-law. For each of those years, my presents have looked like this.
This is not an exaggeration - EXACTLY- like this. I'm not talking about the fact that there are never bows (ever) and the presents are marked with black Sharpie right on the paper. I'm referring to THIS EXACT paper. This paper was in the family before I was (16 years ago). My MIL had bought (for a steal) a gigantic roll of wrapping paper like you find at department stores. My first few years in the family ALL our presents were wrapped in this paper. But then it became such a "tradition" with my MIL taking much ribbing that she started parceling it out so we all started getting a couple of presents wrapped in it. This year I only had one.
You never know where family traditions are going to come from! What are we going to talk about when that paper runs out? She says don't worry that she's never going to run out!
{Nona and D we love our new rolling pin}
{plate full of cookies and tons of icing}
{finished product}
...
... "Wednesday: Higher ground for breakfast. Me - chocolate long john. Mommy's breakfast - turkey bagel. We are going to the library and the grocery store. I might get to play with my pottery wheel. I might get back on the computer for my webkin. Me and mommy are gong to bake Christmas cookies. Daddy went to work - pooh pooh!"
{Carly's second grade class - at the Enchanted Forrest}
{Carly with her 2 good friends at the Mall for Christmas caroling}
this.....
or this....
or this. All of which are kind of cool in an artistic kind of way, but not really what I was looking for. So, I gave up and just went with a SPT.
Even though we look like we are bundled up for Arctic temperatures, it was only about 48 degrees but when we left home and got out of the car it was misting rain (that's what you get when you put "go to the parade" in the countdown box - no turning around now) but once we walked to a good viewing spot it stopped raining and was a beautiful night.
{SPT of Carly and I - when it was over she told me a half-a-dozen times "thank you so much mama, it was SO much fun"}
{gwyn, jan, me, julie, elizabeth, and ginny}
[Carly's Christmas Countdown Box]
me green.
{my first ornament - it isn't dated but probably 1972)
My mom and sister left on Saturday to go back home after some crazy shopping (see my sister's blog here ). They had not made it to the end of my driveway before Carly started asking was I going to get the nativity scene down. I had planned on using Saturday to decompress after all the Thanksgiving traveling and festivities. There were a thousand things that needed doing before we started pulling Christmas decorations down. But after the 2nd or 3rd time, I was like, why don't you just get the blasted thing down. She was SO happy. She lovingly opened each piece and put the boxes back while I decided where we were going to set it up. She carried the pieces to the table and arranged them just so, and then she played for a while and then she arranged them again. Later when I walked by, I moved a couple of pieces, arranging them the way I thought they should be. A little later she was appalled "who touched MY nativity scene?" 
