A Christmas Meme

A meme found at *Chocolatechic's:*  I'm joining in the fun - found this meme at Vee's place.  Should be fun to see what everyone's answers will be!  Be sure and go by their places and see their answers, too!

articlesbase.com

1. Hot Chocolate or apple cider?
        Apple Cider!
2. Turkey or Ham?
        Greenberg's Hickory Smoked Turkey  (and ham, too)
3. Do you get a fake or real-you-cut-it-yourself Christmas tree?
         We go back and forth actually...
4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
          You Bet!  Lights, vintage sled, ribbon - we have to, we never have Christmas snow!
5. Snowball fights or sleddin’?
           Snowball fights IF we had snow...  altho sleddin' would be so fun, too!
6. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
           Sorry, not much - unless I can get the family to go and we all just hang out, walk around & window shop and piddle during the  holidays & stop for coffee and dessert or something! Sometimes we go and look at Christmas lights together!          
7. Favorite Christmas song?
           "O Holy Night" - strikes absolute AWE in me and makes me weep  at the miracle of Jesus' birth and His holiness come down to man....  I can't even come up with a worth description of the image in my head. I only want to fall down before Him.  I'm utterly speechless....
8. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
            Mostly they're silly, except for the classics like "It's a Wonderful Life", the Bing movies, altho I do love both versions of "Miracle on 34th Street",
9. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
             Wait til after Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving has it's own special blessings to be enjoyed - don't rush through it.
10. Stockings before or after presents?
             After - that's when all the goodies and gags send us into fits of laughter!
11. Go to someone else’s house or they come to you?
             Go to mom & dad's house (same town) until they're ready to let somebody else host it!
12. Do you read the Christmas Story? If so when?
             Christmas Eve - by candlelight and twinkle lights
13. What do you do after presents and dinner?
              Sack out on the couches, watch Christmas movies, reminisce with loved ones, visit friends, call loved ones that couldn't come that year.  Have another dessert!
14. What is your favorite holiday smell?
               Pies cooking, leaves and wood burning, the fresh cut evergreens, spice candles, my mama's perfume...
15. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
              Would rather be ice skating, but we have no ice and no skating rink...  ;(
16. Do you open a present or presents on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas day?
               Christmas day!  Maybe just oonnnnneeee little bitty one Christmas Eve! Just cuz we can't stand it!
17. Favorite Christmas memory?
               From my childhood - the year I got my new 'big-girl' bike!  More recently - My first Christmas with my new husband (we didn't have any money and we gave each other one small gift) and the early years of my babies' faces on Christmas morning!
18. Favorite Part about winter?
               Snuggling in and being with family & friends in a warm cozy house, having all my kids home
19. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?
               Of course, haven't you???

(It's an easy copy and paste.)  Be sure and let ChocolateChic and Vee know you participated!  And me, too! I wanna see your answers, too!  Have fun!!!

Life on a Southern Farm's Giveaway!!!

Hey, people - quick post here til tomorrow maybe.  Just wanted to let you chicken people know about Georgia Farm Woman Pam's giveaway on her blog, Life on a Southern Farm.  Her husband makes the most fabulous chicken nesting boxes I've ever seen and she's giving away one of 'em for free!  Cluck on over there and check 'em out!  She has a very cool blog, too, by the way.  And you really should do some reading over at her place - they have the neatest farm and some very cute critters!  OH, AND TELL HER I SENT YOU!

Walk in the Woods...

Like to take a little walk with me?  I  usually walk around the farm through the woods for exercise most days when the weather is nice.  The trees are just about peak right now in color altho the leaves are falling fast and the wind is blowing.  Just grab a little jacket and come along with me on my walk...

Not sure what kind of tree this is along the fence line but it always turns this brilliant orange color. Let's turn along the woodline now. Okay?

I love how the leaves are strewn across our path...Look at the colors...  I wonder what's just around that bend in the path up there???

Up a little hill we must go.  Are you out of breath yet?  Let's keep going!

Oh lookie here!  Here's the turtle pond!  The pond is down - it's been so hot and dry this summer and we haven't caught up on our rainfall this year yet... Keep an eye out along the bank for snakes!

There's some kind of marker there on that tree - this must be the way!  Thank goodness!  I sure don't wanna get lost in the woods!

Deer antlers on this tree!  Wow.  Do you think maybe the Indians that used to inhabit this area put them there for some kind of marker???  Maybe!

The woods smell dark and dank and earthy and moist.  Let's keep going...

Oooo - I don't guess these are edible at all but they're kind of interesting-looking, aren't they?

Don't go through this way! There's an old gulch and creek down there over that little ridge.  Might be dangerous, might be snakes!  Sometimes the water's runnin' high!

But it looks like today it's running dry but you can see the water line on the trees.  There are lots of animal tracks in that sand there.

Here's a hickory nut tree that we moved from the deeps woods to this area.  I sure hope it makes it.  It was being swallowed up by all the trees and couldn't get any sun at all.

Looks like we're getting to end of our walk and we gotta kinda go around this big ole sweetgum tree.  It has a big hole in the front here that's sometimes full of water.

Look at this gorgeous, huge Hickory Nut Tree!  We've got several and they turn the most beautiful golden color in the fall!



Who's that there lurking in the woods with his chainsaw!  Hope there's not gonna be any funny business going on with that saw!

And here we are back at the farm house and the barn.  Thanks for going on my walk with me! Come back any time!!!

Thanksgiving 2010 at Momma's House

Ok, let's just admit it. I did BAD on posting my thanksgivings every day.  I had high hopes, but life was just too busy.  Oh, I have counted them and recounted them in my head, but they never made it to cyberspace. I'll try again next year.  We DID have a fabulous Thanksgiving. My brother drove here all the way from North Carolina - alone - his MIL is in bad health, and my brother's wife had to stay home and care for her. My sister came with her family, and all my kids were here. We had Thanksgiving at my folk's house.  As long as Mom wants to do it, that's what we'll do. Of course we all help her out with the food, etc., but the big get-togethers are at her house.

I have a few pics I'll show you...

above

My niece Jaci, me, Hayley, mom, my sis Lisa, and niece Taylor...

My sister Lisa, Me, and Mom

My oldest, Adam, and Dan, my brother.

 This is my brother, Dan!  He drove down to Texas straight thru so he could be with us!  I miss him so much!

Hayley and her Mema ...(My mom & dad always have invited Tony's folks over...)

Around the table, dad, mom, Lisa, Jaci, Tony, Adam (Taylor's boyfriend hiding), Taylor and her Dad & my BIL Wayne (Lisa's husband)

My Adam, Mema (Tony's mom), Tony and Hayley

Daddy attacking that Ham!  He had already done the turkey by the time I got my camera out.

 Hayley made the coconut pie this year - we burned one crust (cuz I wasn't watching it...) Grreat pie, honey!

Chickenfoot, anyone???  We had a tournament - I did win, once! That's all!  And you see my glass of tea sitting there?  Welp, I gave it a good wallop and sent it flying all over the table and my Mom!  Now, we would have all reckoned that it'd be my sister that would do that, but this time, it was ME!  Lisa, if you're reading, I love you, you graceful gazelle!!!  tee-hee!

And lastly, but certainly not leastly - Josh and Bug.

We had so much fun!  I can't wait for Christmas now - but I really think Thanksgiving and Christmas should be about 6 months apart so we can rest up in between holiday times!!!  Hope YOURS was a great as mine!  See you soon!

Keep your dress down!

Giving Thanks November 19

I have given up trying to post Thanksgivings every single day.  That's what I had planned on doing, but life gets in the way!

I had to go back to work 8 years ago.  Before I went back to work, I usually spent a day a week with my parents, one or the other or both.  We'd just visit and have lunch, Dad and I would work on a project I needed help with, Mom and I would go shopping or just piddling around.  One of my goals since cutting back to 3 days of work a week was to go back to spending time with my parents while I still have them and while they're still in good health.

 
Today I did that.  I spent the entire day with my mom.  Daddy was busy getting something fixed on their 5th wheel, and so Mom and I went to town.  I even took her to the DPS office to renew her driver's license.  She told me I didn't have to go but I told her she'd be bored waiting if I didn't go with her.  She laughed and said Yes she would!  We did that, we went to the Christmas store ( I could spend all morning there!), we ate at Spring Creek BBQ, went to a Christmas bazaar at a local farm and finished up at Ross and Beall's.  I took her home around suppertime.  We just had the BEST DAY!

I'm just SO thankful to have my mother.  She's an angel, I do believe, and I've been so blessed to have her in my life.  She and dad have always tried to lead their kids and grandkids in the ways of the Lord and be good examples to us.  I'm also thankful to be able to have time to spend with them again.  We've got lots of catchin' up to do! They're getting older - heck, we all are!  I intend to do this quite often. Mother has missed me.  I'm their only kid close enough to do this with.  What a wonderful day.  I think it did more for me than it did for mother!  Thank you God for my mama and daddy!