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Sorry, Hayley Kathryn Designs... Read previous post. Thanks...

I Need Sunshine!!!

I need some sunshine BAD! I'm getting S.A.D.! No kidding... Had to change my blog and banner to something sunny and bright to lift my spirits. This is working so far - all I gotta do is look at these brilliant skies and the sunshine and it makes me smile!

We had a GREAT Christmastime with family and friends. DH and I think it was one of the best we've ever had, truly. It was nice to have all of our kids home - and as much as I want grandbabies - nobody's married yet and we don't have to share our kids with anyone else right now. We had fun watching movies, cooking together, just visiting, watching the guys kill each other playing war games on XBox 360 and yelling, hitting each other, laughing and cutting up. It was great!

We Christmas't again today at my folks' house. My sister and I always plan something silly for mom and dad. This year, we got mom started on a Pandora bracelet and we got Daddy an IPod. We wrapped all their gifts including each little charm on mom's bracelet and all the pieces to the IPod in different little boxes - 10 in all. Then we hid them like Easter eggs all around the living room where their Christmas trees were. We all unwrapped our gifts, and let the folks sit and watch. Then we gave mom and dad a Christmas gift bag and told them to start hunting! It was so fun and we all got a good laugh out of it! We hollered "you're getting warmer!" or "getting colder!" at them until they finally found 9 of the 10 gifts - we had to give them lots of hints on the last one. Then they had to open their gifts in a certain sequence. I think they had a lot of fun and it's neat to do something different with them each year!

We finally settled for grilled burgers for dinner. They were great! and everybody was tired of turkey and ham and dressing. So it was a nice change. We'll do a fish fry next week. Adam and Pop have been fishing several times and we need to eat that fish and make some more room in the freezer so they can go again! Otherwise, they'll have to do a "catch & release".

My daughter is just starting a blog called Hayley Kathryn Designs . She's very artsy-crafty and is going to advertise some of her creations - she's a big hit with young ladies her age (college age +) and will be adding new designs for sale in the near future. She's done quite a few of her particular works of art for friends, and thought since she's had so many requests, why not see if she could do something with it??? Hayley also loves re-furbishing old furniture and decorating. She has alot of talent and she and I have seriously thought about opening our own business doing all kinds of arts and funky stuff. She has a good eye for design and color. I think she would love for some of you sweet friends to stop by and say hi from time to time as she gets more stuff on her blog.

Well, here's a parting shot of little Bella with her Christmas collar on. It was red and green and she looked like a court jester running around with it on. She's a sweetie but a pistol. I don't know if I ever see her just sitting still. We should've called her "Taz"...

MERRY CHRISTMAS YA'LL!!

Merry Christmas! It's Christmas Eve at last and I think I'm ready - or at least as ready as I'm going to be. I'm leaving work in a little bit and making my last stop at the grocery store to pick up a few odds and ends and then it's home to cook for the rest of the afternoon. We are having Christmas dinner with the in-laws tomorrow and on Saturday with my parents and family. So I'll get a break on Friday.

Don't know if you read my post the other day, but we were trying to decide between a fish fry and hamburgers for Saturday at mom's house. I think we may do both, however, this morning, she threw a kink in the mix - now she says that she may do steaks and baked potatoes and all the trimmings.

Whatever...

Just thought I'd show my Christmas tree. It was lovely this year. I loved it. Some kind of spruce tree. I really liked it. I don't think we've had one of these before. I didn't do a tour of my home because I didn't do a whole of decorating this year. I kept it to a minimum because of my schedule. It's been crazy.

I was thinking back a year ago, and one of my first posts was about my middle son's birthday. Well, we did his birthday again Monday evening at the Mexican restaurant just like before. It's a tradition. He turned 23. wow - unbelievable. Here's a pic with his dad.

Well, gotta run - I wish you, all my blogging friends, the warmest of Christmas blessings, the love of the Lord upon you and yours, and that we all remember and feel the holiness and the awe of the coming of our Savior. In Him, Vickie

Thank God I'm a Cowboy

I forgot to mention something to ya'll. A little advertising here---- Adam just finished co-writing a beautiful song with Bill Shore & another songwriter (forgot his name!) in Nashville - it's called "Thank God I'm a Cowboy". It's really good - look at my sidebar and underneath his picture there's a link to the studio where he cut a demo that they are going to start pitching. I really like it alot, and I hope somebody will pick it up and record it. I think it's one of his best songs. Just thought you might wanna check it out. Here, I'll just go ahead and list the link here, too. Just copy it and listen... -http://sonicedenstudios.com/soniceden/shore.html

Thanks for takin a listen...

Gettin' Ready for Christmas

Hi everybody! We're all well at our house! YEA! Hopefully I can keep it that way for another week or so. Adam's home - got home on Thursday afternoon. What's the first thing he does? Calls his Pop-pop and they plan a fishin trip. This morning they went to Pop's friends' ranch where they have a private lake. I think they're cooking up a fish fry for Christmas dinner at my mom's house. Who knows - Mom just said she doesn't want turkey & dressin. We were trying to decide between Pop's Million Dollar grilled hamburgers (yum), Mom's Sunday roast, and a big fish fry with all the trimmings. So far, the fish is ahead. 'Specially if Adam has anything to do with it. Good ole big mouth bass & crappie! Yum-o!

Well, He and Pop stayed all day fishin and shootin turtles & varmints at the ranch - there's millions of em out there and they're a nuisance, they've also got hog traps & have caught quite a few - hey this is Texas and hog and varmint huntin is a state passtime, what can I say. The hogs literally tear up the landscape and make it not worth much for anything, dig up crops, eat whatever they want - and they breed like rabbits, and they're dangerous to boot. The more we can get rid of the better.

There are snakes, too, copperheads and water moccasins. Back in September when me, my sister and Pop went fishing out there we counted 4-5 water moccasins in the lake and a big one actually climbed up on the motor of the boat and was about to come in the boat!!! My sister was sittin in the back seat of the boat and I hollered at her and she jumped back and we swatted at it with our fishing rods and it scooted back into the water. It was a big-un! THEN, she freaked out.

I'm finally getting most of the shopping done, the tree finally got decorated and I put out a few other deco's. I'm going to be cooking for Christmas at my in-laws. My sweet MIL doesn't cook anymore - cuz she doesn't remember how. She's in good health and is sweet and happy, but I'm afraid Alzheimer's is slowly taking her memory. I hate it for her, and I hate it for my FIL who has to stay with her all the time and keep an eye on her. She's gone walking at night after he's gone to bed and he got up and found her missing. My FIL called my DH and he was about to go looking for her when she returned home. She just went for a walk. She just doesn't realize the danger anymore. It's sad. We are going to have to make some very hard decisions very soon I'm afraid. My FIL is getting more and more feeble and DH & I think they need to be in assisted living at least. They are unwilling to accept this right now.

Anyway, I guess I better start making preparations for Christmas dinner. We'll have Christmas at MY folk's house on the 27th when my sister's family can be here. My brother & his wife are not going to get to come this year. :^( Sorry I haven't posted any pictures of my Christmas tree or anything. I feel like I've done so little this year towards Christmas, but I've been alot more relaxed and I've taken a lot of pressure off myself.

Here's a pic of the new pipe fence we put up in front of our place at the farm. The gates still have to be welded, but DH put chains up for now. He's also painted it the same color green that the

shutters on the house are.

Hopefully, this fence along with the alarm system will take care of any would-be thieves. At least, we feel more secure knowing that people just can't drive up to the side of the house, break in the back door, and clean us out. At least it'll be alot harder for them. We hope to get the entire farm surrounded in this heavy pipe fence before it's all over with. Kinda expensive tho - we'll have to do it in increments.

All three of my kids are out roaming tonight. Even tho they're all in their 20's now, I still don't sleep until they get home safe & sound. They're good kids and I don't worry so much a bout what THEY will do, but about the other people around them.

Guess I'll go lay down and keep one eye on the clock and my cell phone. DH is snoring like a freight train - One of us has taken to sleeping on the couch nearly every night at some point. I think he has sleep apnea and his snoring has gotten worse over the years and the more weight he has gained. But he won't do anything about it.

Good night all - check with ya later... Vickie

Shoot Me Now...

Just Shoot Me Now... (I wrote this on Dec. 4, today is Dec. 13 - I couldn't figure out how to change the draft date...)

Been home for 3 days with a nasty cold, nasty, nasty. I decided yesterday that I should hang a bucket around my neck to keep my runny nose from running down my upper lip into my mouth like a little kid. Did your kids ever do that? And then just suck it on into their mouth? GAG. Mine did. I've gone through a box of Kleenex with lotion and my nose is still chapped. I've coated myself in Vicks and dragged my vaporizer around the house with me. I've coughed until my ribs and back and stomach are sore! I haven't washed my hair in 4 days and where it's not sticking to my head it's hanging in tangled dreadlocks - even worse than bedhead! What a bad time to be sick. I've got Christmas stuff to do! Parties and shopping! Decorating the tree! It's been sitting in the living room for a week with nothing on it!

Actually, I think my Nashville boy brought it home with him. DH and I both have it. Yuck.

It's been kinda nice being off work, but I really haven't felt like doing anything. I've been reading lots of blogs, but really had nothing to talk about. I've really enjoyed reading your blogs and seeing all your neat Christmas stuff - the trees, the decorations, the things you're making, the FOOD, traditions - it's been really interesting.

Ok, now back to Dec. 13. DH and I went to the farm today - he started painting the new pipe fence in front of the house. Boy does it make me feel a little more secure! I know people could still break in, but they'll have alot harder time doing it. I put up some Christmas lights and garland on the porch rails and did a little decorating. We're going to have Christmas at our home-home instead of the farm this year. I've done a little shopping now, and Princess is home from college and I'm looking foward to us going shopping together next week.

I think I'm more in the mood for Christmas than I was last year. I've had to learn this past year to say 'no', and just do what I can do and not OVER-do. If I can do all the things that make me happy and keep me unstressed then that's what I do. I will not feel guilty or stress out over things that don't get done. I may just hit the high spots and get the bare minimum done but this is what I have to do for me to keep me sane. Perhaps things will improve over time and I can get back to my rat-race life and trying to please everybody and keep everybody around me happy. But for now, I've got to keep myself happy - not selfish happy- just keep me calm.

A couple of years ago for my 50th birthday/30th annniversary, my sweet dear husband bought me a new wedding ring set - it's gorgeous!!! Anyway, I've been wanting to do something with the diamonds in my first wedding rings. I was too sentimental about it for a long time, but DH wants me to wear them. So, I went to several jewelers in our town and I found a setting that I liked. I wanted an antique-ish white gold setting and that's exactly what I got. It's rather renaissance-looking. I'll try to show you a close-up picture of it when I get it back! I'm so excited I can hardly wait and DH wants me to wrap it up and put it under the tree! Can you imagine that! Once it goes on my finger, it probably won't come off!

My job is about to change after the first of the year. When I first started working for Charles' construction company, we also managed 2 self storage facilities. This past year Charles' company has grown by leaps and bounds - we went from 5 fulltime employees to 20+, and we hired a new officer manager. He's taking a big load off of me, which is good. The lady I hired 2 years ago to manage the storage places has decided to get married and move to Waxahachie. So I'm going to be moving over to the self-storage place to do that. I was real upset and disappointed when I first said I would do it, but the more I think about it, the better I feel. I already knew the job, but I felt like it was a demotion. I was getting overwhelmed at the construction office. They may have to hire another person to just answer the phone and file and do light stuff. But the new office manager is going to take over most of my job - insurance, payroll, accounts payable/receivable, you-name-it-I-do-it.

I think I can see God's hand working here. He knows I don't need the stress right now. I am trying to seek His guidance in this and be open to His leading. Charles would've let me stay in the construction office and hired someone else to work the storage, but I told him I would do whatever he felt was best for the company and I'm going to be a team player. I truly think the Lord is leading me there, and opened up this opportunity for me. It's a low-stress job and I will have some free time at my office to read or do handwork or even do little watercolors. I hope I can work myself out of a job completely. As my kids get out of college in a year or two or three, I'm going to quit working outside the home. I long to get back to my home and painting and all the things I enjoy so much but can't do right now.

Speaking of jobs, my DH is trying to decide about his job. He was going to change in the summer, then in the fall, then after the first of the year. He thinks he needs to let the market settle for awhile. So we're still in a holding pattern for the time being. You know, "a bird in the hand..."

Well, let's see if I have any photos to show you. I need a Christmas header, don't I? well, let's see what I can do about that...

Here's some sillly pics of me, my mom and my sister in the car. They were yelling at me to stop taking pictures. Mom didn't want her wrinkles to show, and Lisa was being her usual obnoxious self for the camera. Dont' know what I was doing. We 3 always have a good time!