Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Now ... 2014

"Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore ..." My favorite Christmas song of all time. I had the sign above the fireplace made from some people who live in Oklahoma that have a shop on etsy. This will always be up for Christmas from now on. When I hear this song, I think of having always been able to spend Christmas with my family every year since I've been born. I don't think I've ever spent a Christmas apart from them. My mama and daddy and sister and my brother until his death and then as the years went on my husband and my brother-in-law.

I remember the Christmas after my brother's death, it had been eight months since he died. I remember sitting in the living room of my parents' house (I was 15 years old at the time) and the lights were off and the tree was lit and it had the multicolored lights on it. I was sitting there thinking how it would never be the same again without him....and it hasn't. He was always so excited for Christmas. In the pictures from the past of Christmas day, he was always smiling and always had to be the first one into the room or down the stairs on Christmas morning. He like to listen to Alvin and the Chipmunks album. This was back when there were actual albums to listen to. You know what happens when you lose someone, old or young, they are always that age in your mind after they are gone. So as I think about him this Christmas, I don't think of him being 52 almost 53 years old, but as 16 years old as he was when he left this earth for his heavenly home.

Then my grandmother and my Muggie and granddaddy who have passed on too. We spent every Christmas with my mother's mother (Gran or Grandmother is what we called her.) And sometimes we would go to Atlanta to spend it with my daddy's parents, Muggie and granddaddy. My Gran had a small, two-bedroom house and it was so wonderful to spend time there. As an adult, I've always wanted to go back in that house and have a look around but I'm sure it is not the same as when she lived there. Our Christmas presents were always hidden away in her coat closet that had a lock. That's where our parents would store our Santa gifts and other gifts, too. Gran always had the same vintage-type decorations around her house. She made the best fudge, too. It was the kind that is cooked on the stove and it had a grainy and thick texture to it. It's rare to get that now. (My sister-in-law Kathy makes fudge for us every Christmas and it is so good, too. It's is a creamy texture and also cooked on the stove.) My Gran's fudge was always put into an old Christmas tin. I remember a red one. Always with wax paper in it.

When we would go to Atlanta for Christmas, which didn't happen too often, it would disrupt the traditional way we did things for Christmas. It was a good time, but when you're set in your ways (like I was) it made it difficult for me to handle not having the same flow of events. We might have to open gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas day, and I remember that just did not sit well with me. I don't know what I actually said at the time (I think I was in my early teens or preteens) but I remember being really upset that things were not like at home. But I lived through it. Christmas in Atlanta was really pretty. My grandparents' home would have a big tree and the cousins and aunt and uncles were there. But the favorite thing to do was ride around and look at the pretty decorations and lights in the homes of the neighborhoods. My aunt would make bourbon balls and we did not like them but we'd try them because they looked so good and chocolatey. We would go have lunch at my aunt's house (my daddy's sister). She like to roast a duck and have some type of olive sauce. That did not sound good to me as a teenager. I would like it now, I'm sure.

Nowadays, Christmas is usually here at my house or at my mama and daddy's house. I love to cook, so I'm happy doing the Christmas dinner and enjoy cleaning it up, too! My parents and sister and her husband come over. We open our gifts after lunch. Things are different now because we are older and there are no children here. So it's quiet and not as many gifts as in years past. I am so thankful to have them all still here with me on Christmas.

Christmas Eve is spent with my husband's family every year. We hosted this year and had 14 people here. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law and his wife and both of their kids and spouses and all the grandkids. And this year my sister-in-law's mother was able to be here, too. You know....it's so nice to see Christmastime with children. They are so excited. We had a good time watching the four little children here on Christmas Eve. They put on a little show for us after dinner. I'm so glad we were able to see them here this year. I know it won't always be that way because of living out of town, and I'm sure at some point they will have to decide when to make it a tradition to stay at their own home for Christmas. I really enjoyed all the fun and noise that evening.

I don't know what next Christmas will be like...and probably glad that I don't know. I don't know if my little Emma will make it for another Christmas. Just so happy to have her still with us this year. But we never know when God will call any one of us home. We are so blessed to know that we have a heavenly home with Him.

So here is my favorite part of the song ..."Through the years we all will be together if the fates allow...hang a shining star upon the highest bough...and have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now."

Books Read in 2014

1. Light of the World by James Lee Burke

2. Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews

3. The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson

4. Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

5. Return to Tradd Street by Karen White

6. Little Bitty Lies by Mary Kay Andrews

7. Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

going to the beach May 16, 2014

Disney Necklaces

Kristie wanted to see a picture of Suzy's necklaces that were purchased at Disney World. Both of these were bought at the store on the Boardwalk at the Boardwalk Inn Resort at Disney World. The one with the red stones is the one I got Suzy for her birthday. I didn't think I was going to be able to get it without her knowing, but I told her I was going to go buy a photo album at the last minute the morning we were leaving to go home. That worked! I really did buy a photo album, too.

Products I Like

I thought I'd share some products that I like here on the blog. I really enjoy seeing reviews of products by other people and also watching YouTube videos of reviews of products.

This is my birthday present from my husband. It's the Fitbit Flex. It's very light. You wear it on your arm while you are walking or running and it will track your steps. You can wear it 24/7. It has a sleep setting that lets you know how restless you might be at night. I haven't used it with the sleep setting yet. I started walking and injured my knee. The doctor said to not walk for a few weeks and then start out slower. This is wireless and connects with your computer and also connects with your phone using an app. So far I feel like it is reading a bit more than I am actually walking. I don't know if it's because I wear it all day and maybe some of my movements are being counting when I'm not walking. I need to read more reviews on it and see what everyone else is experiencing on its accuracy.

I saw this shampoo and conditioner in Ulta and decided to give it a try. I like it. It has a soft coconut smell, not too strong. It makes my hair soft, especially the conditioner. I feel like it is leaving a bit of a residue, though. My water pressure is not the greatest, so I am thinking of taking a pitcher of water in the shower to see if that helps rinse that out. I am looking for a good clarifying shampoo, so if anyone reads this and has a recommendation, let me know in the comments.

I love this CC cream by IT Cosmetics. It has great coverage. I bought this kit from QVC. The tube of CC cream in this kit is more than twice the size of the tube they sell at Ulta. IT Cosmetics are only sold at Ulta and QVC and IT Cosmetics Web site. I also use another powder foundation by It Cosmetics. I'll show that another time. The IT Feel the Moment primer serum feels good on the skin, but takes a little longer to dry than I like. I have oily to combination skin, and it feels too heavy at times for my skin type. I think it might be really good for dry skin.

This is the Tarte beMATTEnificent pallette. It's all matte shadows. I mostly have shimmer, satin shadows, so I was happy to get this at Ulta and give it a try. I really like it. Most of the colors are close in range with a darker purple color. It's easy to blend them. The blush is pretty and not too bright. I like the dark shawdows in here for eyeliner. Ulta gave me a Tarte freebie when I bought the eye pallette. I like the lip balm. I use it over lip stains that are too dry. The sample size of setting powder, I haven't used it enough to say whether I like it or not. I am using several Tarte products and like this brand. I have noticed that if I buy make up items from QVC, you get a better deal usually because they include maybe a brush or other items that don't come with it at the local stores.

Suzy's Birthday at Elephant Walk

For Suzy's birthday this year, mama and daddy and I took her to Sandestin, Florida, about 50 miles east of here, to the Elephant Walk restaurant. I had heard of this restaurant for years but had never gotten over there to try it. It closed for a bit of time and reopened last year. Glad to know they are open for lunch. The interior was so pretty, and it's right on the beachfront. Our table was right in front of the window so you could see the beach. It was a slow lunch day for them, and we were the only ones in the dinning room for a good length of time. The service was nice and the food was really good.

Here is Suzy on her 45th birthday! She looks marvelous for her age. She has on two Disney necklaces. One she bought at Disney and one I got her for her birthday from Disney while we were there.

This is my lunch...a steak and cheese grits. It was so good.

Just some pictures from outside the restaurant. The restaurant is on the same property as the Hilton hotel/resort. It's not run by the Hilton, though. But people come there to the beach from around the resort area and ride their bikes and park at the restaurant. The restaurant has an outside deck with tables and chairs and also a take-out order counter with a small menu that you can pick up and eat on the deck or out on the beach.

Yesterday there was 20 inches of rain here in this area, a few more inches in Pensacola. Amazing amount of rain in a short period of time. So many people's homes flooded and cars underwater. So many roads and streets and driveways washed away. No work or school for a lot of people today and no public schools open tomorrow either. The area we live in sits up higher than most around here, so we did not have any flooding here. But not far from here there was plenty of flooding. Also, it didn't necessarily come from the waterfront either. It was caused by water runoff and not have adequate storm drainage for that amount of rainfall. What a mess. So many people do not carry flood insurance if they don't live near the waterfront. Suzy carries flood insurance because her neighborhood is very close to the water and it does flood in hurricanes. Her house was okay, but the water came close to entering her patio area. For the most part, her street flooded.

Disney Trip 2014: February 4 Last Day

Today is Tuesday and it's our last day of the trip before we leave on Wednesday morning. It's been a great trip even though it rained a lot and my toes had big blisters. I know what to do about that now, I hope. We started the day going to Epcot and riding some rides and then had lunch at Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club hotel. Then we walked around there and then went to Magic Kingdom and rode some rides and looked around. We then came back to Epcot and rode rides again and walked around. Then we sat out on the boardwalk at our hotel and did a little shopping. I got some new sunglasses and Suzy got some things, too. Here she is with her new hat and Mickey earrings and Mickey necklace. Those are my new sunglasses, too!

Here is Beaches and Cream. We will be going back here next time, too.
This is the blue cheese burger at Beaches and Cream. It was so good. We shared it because we wanted to get a big dessert, too.
This is the No Way Jose at Beaches and Cream. Oh my...it's Suzy's favorite dessert of this trip. I ate some of it, too. I would not have a problem eating this whole thing by myself...but some people cannot finish it even with two people eating it.
We walked around the boardwalk area and you can see the Dolphin and Swan hotels from this area. They look so nice. They are on the Disney property but are not booked through Disney through disney reservations as far as I know. I didn't check with Lisa, the disney agent, about that, though.

We rode Small World. We got stuck on this ride right at the end. We were back into the boarding area but our boat was not up to the platform. We stayed there probably six or seven minutes not moving. I'm just glad that we were not in the part where the music was blaring "It's a Small World after all." I did have it stuck in my head the next day.
Pretty crowded in Magic Kingdom.

We stopped to watch the castle show for a moment.

I believe these square/round/cone shaped plants are some type of Yew. We had some on our yard and they were not shaped and looked bad. I was so glad to see they can be shaped into something nice. I know Disney can just about do anything with plants.

Next three pictures were just around Epcot. They were getting ready to plant things for the Epcot Garden food and wine event. I'd like to attend that to see all the pretty plants and flowers and eat the food.

Had to go to Club Cool one more time! Yummy.

We rode Malstrom in the Norway pavilion a lot. Had to ride it one last time before going home.

This is inside The Land pavilion at Epcot. Soaring and the Living with the Land are in this pavilion. Lots of seating for the Sunshine Seasons restaurant in here. Good place to get off your feet or cool off.

We had dinner at The Land pavilion in Epcot at Sunshine Seasons. It's a counter service restaurant and had a good selection of different types of food and a good selection of bakery items.

We ate dinner at Sunshine Seasons in the Epcot park. We ate there three times during this trip and it was good. One morning we ate breakfast and I had a blueberry bread pudding that was so good.

So glad that the weather was good into the evening.

Last evening on the boardwalk. We sat out here for a little while after walking around for a bit. Sad that it was the last evening to be at Disney.

I don't have any pictures to share from the last morning. It was pretty uneventful. Long ride home but sure was a nice trip. We want to stay at the Yacht Club next time if they have a room available at the standard room price. If there is a convention there, it seems to book up early and they don't release rooms until the last minute if they have any available. The 2012 trip, we stayed at the Yacht Club and it was not busy at all. We got upgraded to the concierge floor. We had park hopper tickets, so we decided it's best to go to Magic Kingdom earlier in the day and then go to Epcot later in the day. Since we were staying on property, we were able to get extra magic hours, so we would take advantage of that at whatever park was available. We liked the magic bands. They were convenient and also being able to use the My Disney Experience app on my phone was really nice. Setting up fast passes and changing, adding and canceling dinner reservations was easy. Charging things to the room was a breeze, too. Can't wait to get back to Disney!

Disney Trip 2014: February 3

Monday morning the sun was shining after a rain shower. We set out for Magic Kingdom and had a full day there. I don't remember what we did for lunch. We did not come back to the room until nighttime. We did not have a reservation for dinner or lunch, so about 3:15, while we were riding the train, we decided that we would have dinner at Boma. I used the My Disney Experience app on my phone to make the reservation. It was so easy. And since we wanted to eat early, there was a reservation available. We chose to eat at Boma again. I really liked using the app on my phone. We changed fastpasses and could see what wait times were for the rides in just a minute of time. It was really nice and convenient.
We made a bee-line to Liberty Square to go to Sleepy Hollow for breakfast.

We ate waffles here at Sleepy Hollow for breakfast.

Magic Kingdom morning. Sun is shining.

A bird waiting for the parade.

The celebrate it parade is my favorite.

The end of the Pirates of the Caribbean. One of Suzy's favorite rides.

We sat down for a bit near this banana tree.

Yummy second time to Boma.

Boma desserts. Last chance to get the zebra domes.

Disney Trip 2014: February 2

Today is Sunday. Woke up to sunny skies finally. Suzy notices she had a nasty rash on her leg. She was on a new medication and we did not want to take any chances that she was having a reaction, so we found a medi clinic that was open near to Epcot and got in the car and drove over there. It was a busy place for a Sunday morning. The doctor said it was a common rash that people get while in the area and nothing to be concerned about. It was not a reaction to her medicine. So we got on our way back to the hotel to get started on our day at Epcot.
Suzy at the medical clinic.

Rash on Suzy's leg.

Suzy and I knew we wanted to get the chips and salsa and guacamole from La Cava Tequila in the Mexico Pavilion while we were on this trip. So today was the day. It was not crowded in there when we got there and were able to get seated right away. It's a small tequila bar but serves a nonalcoholic slushy drink in lime or mango. So that's what we got. It was so good. We'll go back here again.

Looking over to Germany.

The fountains at Epcot. I didn't realize someone was getting their picture taken.

We stopped by Club Cool so many times! My favorite was the pineapple drink.

This hangs in the entryway of the Boardwalk hotel. I'm sure there's a store behind it. Beautiful flowers always fresh by the entryway.

After all the rainy days we'd had, this was a pretty sunset on Sunday evening.

It was Super Bowl Sunday while we were on vacation. ESPN Club on the Boardwalk had extra outside seating and TVs.

One of our favorite things to eat while in England.

The bakery in France.

I don't think I'd ever had a macaroon before. I liked them. They were a bit expensive for a box of five from the bakery in France.