Changing the blog page around

While peeking in on Katie Shannon's blog, I noticed she had the cutest template on her blog now. So I went to the site and picked one out for a change in the selection that is on here now. So check out www.thecutestblogontheblock.com for the neatest stuff to add to your blog. So I am going to redo my page since it was a Christmas theme and for a bit use this template. Keep checking in for updates.

Nearing the last of my Christmas celebrations!

Christmas is my most favorite time of year for some reason. Maybe it's the get togethers with friends and family I love to plan and cook for, this year I actually made some goodies but didn't get them entirely done. Today I am going to Mother Patty's house to celebrate Christmas with my adoptive family of just about 30 years. Then hopefully get with Lorry for my last Christmas date. I also love when it snows as it did only a bit on Christmas Eve. Which brings me to when I checked my niece's blog out, she is in Wisconsin and they had 15 inches of snow and still falling on Christmas. How I would have loved to been there on Christmas Eve and Christmas but now I am in envy of Jordan who has made it to Marco Island, Florida. It's in the upper 70's there and she will be there for around 5 days. Now how fun would it be sitting on the beach for New Year's Eve?! I am so glad that I am able to let Jordan have these experiences when she is young and with the help of my loving husband this is the second big trip we have sent her on. The first was the cruise in August 2005 and now. Since we both turn a somewhat important age in 2009, I think we may need a Christmas vacation of our own. That maybe the best time I will be able to afford it, first is Aimee's wedding in March and second is my birthday party that I guess I will be planning of course. I did use my Christmas money from my mother in law and ordered my dress for the wedding. Next weekend is the last of the feasting and the start of the fasting to look good in it. Speaking of feasting, I got to get ready for one so will possibly post some pictures of that since I totally didn't take any at Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone who reads my blabber on here! I don't have any photos taken from either last night or this morning to post. We(Jordan and I) looked like crap this morning so opted out of picture taking. Last night Kailyn wasn't there so I didn't get any photos of the other's opening presents. Just wasn't into it I guess. I did surprise my most two hardest gift getters this morning. Jordan didn't know of some of her stocking things and I got her a couple of $5 movies, a Marilyn Monroe calendar and some other things. Steve knew I went to the Bud Store in Sedalia, but didn't know that I got him a hat and shirt from there also. It made me happy to watch them in excitement for once instead of opening the gifts and knowing what's in there boredom. I then baked a premade lasagna from WalMart(good but greasy) for Jordan, then fried bacon and eggs for Steve to eat on Christmas morning. How YUMMO does that sound?! I had planned a breakfast casserole but it got denied by Jordan. So now Steve and Jordan are watching their DVD's they got and I am dinging around on the computer. Noticed that alot of sales are going on tomorrow at various stores on a internet headline. Too bad Steve didn't win the powerball last night so I could take advantage of some of those. We are sending Jordan to Marco's Island, FL for the rest of her Christmas, added up the total of the money she got last night and what we put in. She should have enough to have a good time while gone and I am missing her terribly. I don't know how I am going to cope the first few weeks when she goes to college. Even though she is never at home now anymore, that absence is alot different than when she goes on trips. The last time she was gone almost this long was 3 years ago when she got to go on a cruise to Jamacia. That was worse since she didn't have cellphone service while on the cruise. It's presents like this that mean more than anything to give to her, these are ones that I never got the opportunity to do at her age. So I make sure whenever we can, she gets to go and experience something that I have yet to do. Hope everyone has a Magical Merry Christmas like I did today!

Christmas Eve

This is Jordan last night when we let her open the gift she didn't know she was getting. Since she is leaving Friday morning for Marcos Island, FL, the camera has to be charged ahead of time. Also she was driving me nuts with all the questions about what it was. I love to still be able to surprise her with gifts, I do miss Santa tonight though. That was always special to me when I was a kid and when she was younger. I usually make "Reindeer Food" for Christmas but it was left behind at the Sedalia WalMart and discovered missing after I got home. So this year my Santa kids didn't get it or did they miss it either. It's just birdseed and glitter. Jordan got it in preschool and ever since I have done it. Just another thing to do to make the magic of Santa even more fun for them. We went to my sister in law's, Gayle house for the Shannon Christmas. It's always the other time of the year they all get together, the other is Thanksgiving. I'm full as a tick so going to end this post because I want to get a Santa update on one of the weather casts on TV. Gary Lesak had the lamest report ever, showed Santa going around and under the St. Louis arch as if heading his way to Kansas City. Then he is at the Space Needle in Seattle, WA. Poor children watching that had to think, "What the hell? Santa totally just skipped the whole Midwest!". Well that's what I thought when I seen it. Merriest of Christmases to all.

Family Christmas and other things this week

Here I am with my favorite Christmas present, a fifth of Crown Royal, that way I don't have to get one for New Year's Eve. I am really getting bad at blogging. This past week was jammed packed of stuff and bad weather not helping out at all. Tuesday night was the Swift Carriers party at Greg's which means some kick ass appetizers and this year playing Rock Band. Which by the way I scored a 98 on Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead or Alive by SINGING it. Yea that ol'headbanging loving some Jon Bon Jovi came out on the second try. Then I fell hitting my knee and jarring everything else in my body so I was not feeling like anything Wednesday night when I got home. Steve left Thursday for the midget races at Kemper Arena and came back early Saturday morning. I attended the annual Heinzler Party which was alot of fun and alot of great food too. Then yesterday was getting ready for our family Christmas dinner at Aimee's. Greg offered to cook the meat this year as it was the same day as Deb's family gathering, so all I had was sides and chocolate pie to do. Patty makes my rolls that are to die for. Will have to have her show me how to do that someday. So the following pictures are from last night. We have done this for the past 2 years so that we can spend more time with the kids since schedules are a mess around Christmas. It works out way better than rushing off from the Shannon Christmas Eve at Gayle's back home to only spend a hour or so with everyone. This week is another jammed week so hopefully I will get a post in on Christmas Day. Jordan maybe leaving the day after Christmas on a trip with a friend and her family to Florida. All Jordan needs is eatting and whatever money to take so that's what I sent the word out to give her for Christmas. Below are of everyone opening a gift at Aimee's, Kailyn has strep throat so bless her heart, she really wasn't feeling good. Nana Penny has had that a million times and knows the pain of it, so I really feel for her especially at Christmas to get it. YUK!

Yikes I am slacking off on my blog!!

A picture to begin my post of a Thomas Kinkade picture, I absolutely love his scenes for Christmas...Yikes I have slacked off on my blogging this week, it's been a bit busy with Christmas concerts, going to the loser boat with Shirley, Sue, and Carolyn on Wednesday night. Friday night I went to Sedalia on a mission to get some shopping done. Mission semi-accomplished. Yesterday was another shopping at WalMart then I BAKED!! Yea I did some baking of those peanut butter kiss cookies, I thought came out hard. Jordan likes them that way. Made some puppy chow and cut up the magic cookie bars I had Christy make for me. I started some goodie bags but had inhaled half the brownie pan of them before they got cute. So Jordan and I are going to do some more baking this week on some other cookies and possibly a twisted puppy chow mix. Now I am listening to it sleet against the kitchen window and the pipe in the wash room. Next week is a busy one with the office party Tuesday night, Wednesday night is Jordan's Christmas concert at BMS, Steve leaves Thursday for races in KC and Jordan is helping Aimee, another party Friday night, then our family dinner on Saturday night....eeww just need a breathe to remember it all and make somekind of schedule. Then there will be a night with my grandmother over to eat pizza and maybe lasagna for Christmas dinner on the 22nd possibly, Christmas Eve at Gayle's for the Shannon's, and Patty's Christmas on Sunday the 28th. Then get ready for the New Year's Eve party at the Adcock's. Dang need another breathe and a personal secretary to help me remember all this. And of course some of the Thomas Kinkade pictures to end the blog this time.

Kailyn's Christmas Concert and some SNOW!!

Kailyn's 2nd Christmas concert was last night at St. Peter's where she is attending preschool. It brought back so many memories of when Jordan still had Christmas programs. Jordan still has concerts with the MHS singers but it's not like when she was younger. Jordan went to Noah's Ark and those were some of the cutest Christmas programs ever. When she was in 1st grade, she was in Linda Doolin's dance class and those girls got to perform a tap dance at the Christmas program. Seeing all the little kids last night really made me realize that Jordan is almost grown up and I miss my little girl more now than ever. Ok gotta stop that cause it's making me cry as I am typing this. Next Wednesday night is Jordan' s concert at BMS, there was a concert last year that she wouldn't tell me the songs they were singing. That is because I got a special surprise when I opened the program to see that she and the other singers was going to sing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz. That happens to be one of my most favorite movies and it was also my favorite memory of all the concerts ever. Yea I teared up as I am again so let me get on to something else like the SNOW!! Yahoo we got some but not as much as I hoped for. I know everyone reading this is thinking she must have really fried her brain in the 80's for loving snow. Well I would rather be cold than sweaty hot any day. There is nothing more peaceful on earth than going out outside when it's snowing and everything is covered in a beautiful pure white blanket. I did see that next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is a possible ice storm a coming, that is what the weather on Fox 4 said tonight....yikes I don't like the ice at all, just beautiful snow. And of course, I love snowmen!!!! Tomorrow is the 14th anniversary of my Dad's wreck that took his life, it is also when Shirley takes us girls to the boat. So in some freaky way, I'm hoping for some good luck to make this day something else besides that. Going to get a powerball ticket to just for the hell of it. I'll post those dreams in a later blog.

How I spent this Saturday...

Just thought I would let everyone know that I finally used my final gift certificates at Bodyworks Day Spa in Sedalia today. I got a spa pedi and mani from my husband for my birthday(May 7th) and seemed like everytime I tried to get there, something came up and I had to cancel. Then I had mentioned to my girlfriend, Lorry, that I was going and she wanted to get some pampering done too. So today nothing was going to stop me from going and I wanted to head to JcPenney's for a bit of shopping which only produced 3 presents, 1 reject from Jordan, a new bra for me, and a pair of jeans. I haven't worn Levi's for awhile because honestly my fat ass couldn't fit into the cool looking ones. So I plucked a couple of pairs off the wall in a size 16Long and off to the dressing room praying that I could fit into at least one of the pairs after I have fought to keep the 30lbs off that I have lost in the last year. The first pair was a winner and I almost cried that I can wear these, then the second reminded me that not all jeans will I be able to get into. Now I must get ready for a Christmas party that we are attending at the skanky Living Room bar. Got to find something to wear with my new jeans!! This picture is what I think the ultimate Christmas party should be and that would be my awesome house that everyone would come to....

Christmas is coming!!

This is another of Thomas Kinkade pictures of Christmas, it's just a beautiful small town in the mountains of somewhere. I really don't have alot to post today. Did go to WalMart and got a couple of more Christmas presents boughten. I am proud of myself for actually getting some of it done early this year. Even my decorations are pretty much done around the house. Need to get my Santas done and the progress pictures posted someday. Still have my boys to get and some more for Jordan. Pictures are what most of my gift receivers are getting this year and I seen the best thing when doing the reprints. A 8x10 photo book where you can make collage pages with several pictures on a page...hoping this works for my mother in law's present this year. I am getting a bit sleepy so I am going to snuggle in for a hopefully good nights sleep. Also try to stay warm in the frosty winter air......ya I'm loving it!! Would rather be cold than sweating hot any day.

Catching my page up for EA

I was told that someone mentioned that I hadn't been keeping up to date on my blog. This would be my adopted sister Elizabeth Ann or EA is what I call her.I was amazed that I do have people reading this and yea I got a bit o lazy on this. So EA I am blogging tonight and plan on doing it more often so that I can put these Thomas Kinkade Winter/Christmas paintings on here. He is my favorite artist, especially at Christmas. So if you enjoy him too, www.thomaskinkade.com is where I browsed for this and future scenes to start a post with. I can so picture myself in each and everyone one of them. They represent what I think of what a perfect Christmas would be. Snow on the ground and the air is a bit chilly, the house is lit up with all the Christmas decorations I could ever get my hands on, and sharing the blessings of having good friends and our family. Then of course, me catching Steve under the mistletoe so I can aggraviate him into kissing me. So enjoy the future pictures and hope you get that feeling too when you look at one of them.