Christmas Sliders and Homemade Fries

It’s Christmas Eve, and as I tidy up the kitchen feeling like an Anthropologist (drinking coffee from my new “M” mug my BFF Renee got me from Anthropologie), I laugh at myself at how silly and goofy I have been feeling and acting lately.  It was only three days ago, that I, in the same messy kitchen, completely lost it and fell apart in front of my daughter Macy, who I must have really freaked out, because she called me several times during that day to “just say Hi”, and to “just seeing if you need anything”, “love you Mom”…

The whole week I had been feeling yucky and holiday stressing myself out over finishing my shopping, making sure the house was ready, do I have enough presents for everybody (it has to be absolutely equal you know).  I had a cold I couldn’t get rid of, I was down in my back, pulled a muscle in my shoulder, and it was not a good time of the month, if you know…yeah, you know…

I sat at our kitchen bar talking to Macy and out of absolutely nowhere, started sobbing like a little girl explaining to her that we hadn’t really done a whole lot of Christmas stuff.  I apologized that I had been in such a funk.  I was in such a hurry that I hadn’t planned the vital holiday family “stuff”.  That was my job right?  I’m the Mom.  I continued, almost inaudible I’m sure, crying about how we hadn’t been to see any Christmas lights, or family shopping days, or Christmas lunches, we hadn’t seen Christmas Vacation “as a family” yet, and most of all, I almost bellowed…we hadn’t made any Christmas cookies.  I wanted her and her sister to have wonderful blissful Holiday memories at home with Mom and Dad.  Everybody was posting pictures of their beautiful bakes on Facebook and I sat here in a dirty kitchen feeling like death warmed over.  I was a failure as the Matriarch.

As quick as my tears came on, the look on Macy’s face at my bizarre outpour sent me into crazy psychotic laughter.  We both got a jolly kick out of my lunacy for a good while!  She explained to me that Christmas wasn’t about making sure to plan a certain night to go look at lights, or making sure that we all sit down at exactly the same time to watch the Griswold’s, or making Christmas cookies that no one in this house really knows how to make anyway (I’m a cook, but not a baker).  She let me in on the secret that she and her sister, Mackenzie, love Slice & Bake cookies and Rice Krispy Treats just fine (that’s really the extent of my baking ability), and are really thrilled when I don’t ask them to help.  She told me that it was OK that I didn’t make Christmas cookies, and that it was OK to leave the fancy baking to those who love it, and who are good at it, like my cousins Cindy and Kelly, Cody’s mom Lutricia, Misty Congie, and the Pillsbury’s.  She was right on time with her words.  It was one of those “Christmas, perhaps, means a little more” moments.  She is a wise young woman who I am so thankful for.  She assured me that she and her little sister (who I am also so very thankful for) have had a wonderful childhood and love all of their memories and I was an amazing, beautiful, fantastic, astounding, incredible mother (hee hee), well…anyway, she talked me off my ledge.

The next day we all got up and went to church, Olive Garden for lunch, and then I ditched the family (after their begging and pleading) and headed to the mall and the grocery store.  That night we made sliders, Velveeta shells and homemade french fried potatoes.  Me and my Kelly, Macy, Mackenzie, Cody and Gavin.  I was in my happy place.  This is my fun holiday.  So much family and love right there.  Sometimes I wish could freeze time.  Bottle it up and keep it this way forever.

That night we had sooooo much wonderful dessert.  We all munched out on our Christmas gift from the Congie’s, homemade Christmas cookies, pastries, you name it!  MeMe (Kathy Rainwater) had baked us some yummy pumpkin bread.  Misty Harmon brought us over some delicious chocolate Buckeyes.  All homemade!  Everything.  I am so thankful that I have these beautiful people in my life. 

Oh…and Mackenzie, with the help of Gavin, Macy and Cody…made Rice Krispy Treats.

New Year, New You!...or Me, rather!

Yep.  It’s the New Year!  It’s time to make happen all of our resolutions and great hopes and promises to ourselves.  I have many, of course...lose some weight, take better care of myself, eat healthy, exercise, blah blah, etc.  But this year my big one... STOP PROCRASTINATING!   I’m terribly good at this!  If you know me, you know it’s true.

New Years is a weird time for me.  I absolutely abhor New Years Eve.  I find myself trying to smile real big and hide my trembling lips, teary eyes and uncontrollable urge to burst into tears when I hear that darned “Auld Lang Syne”.   But it’s IMPOSSIBLE to mask, as we HAVE to, at exactly the same time(!), smooch the loves of our lives, our precious children, and amazing family and friends (which I wouldn’t miss for ANYTHING in the world, by the way).  I am so emotional at midnight.  Not for any real reason?  Just something coming to an end I guess.   

What is even more weird...I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE New Years Day!  HA!  New beginnings, I guess??  I love getting together with my wonderful family and play all of the new games Santa brought us.  I eat myself into oblivion, but I have to eat all those peas and collards!  Luck & Money, gotta have those all year long.  Yes, new beginnings!  They feel wonderful!  A new chance to get it right, clean slate.  I am really excited to get started on the healthier eating, and I’m already back on the treadmill and feeling stronger (and super stoked to start my new Dynasty DVDs, thanks family!).  But I really want to work on my procrastination.  I have those piles in the closet, the pictures I need to hang in the basement, the mountain of magazines I MUST throw away because I really will NOT ever look at them again!  And filing our bills away!  Ugh!  I’m not sure how many years are piled on that desk.  It’s chaos.  It stresses me out and it drives me crazy.  It drives my hubby crazy too, God bless his sweet heart.  I need to de-clutter.  I will be productive in 2012.    

OK.  So I am putting this out in the universe in hopes that this “procrastination declaration” will motivate me and hold me accountable to make some much needed changes.

My goal for the new year....a lighter, clearer, more organized me.  When it needs to be done, I’m going to do it!  

...and for the people that love me, give me a little nudge now and then and tell me to get off my @$$.  :)))

Happy New Year! 

M

Just DO it!

There are lots of things that you have been told to NOT do your whole life.  Our Mom’s & Dad’s started the whole thing when we were just wee ones.  Now I have become a “teller of the “DO NOTS”, and you can ask my kids, I am really great at it!  Ha!  I’ve taught the obvious ones…don’t stick your finger in that socket...don’t have anything plugged in near the bath your taking, hair dryer, radio, etc...don’t talk to strangers, don’t run with scissors…But what about the DO’s?  We need to be “tellers of the DO’s” too!  

A few years back, my sister, Moni, gave me a book entitled “The Complete Life’s Little Instruction Book, written by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.  I love this book.  It is by far one of my most favorite books in the whole world!  A fun, quick read that really makes you think, smile, even change maybe.  I’m not about to list all of the fifteen hundred and sixty “instructions” here, but I am going to list a few of my favorite’s as well as a few of my very own.  But do go buy this book!  It’s awesome! 

So, to my girls…DO these things...in no particular order.  

Eat summer, home grown tomatoes.  Grow them too!   They are delicious!  If you don’t like tomatoes (but how could you be my child?), buy some from a local farmer for someone you love that loves them!  Best present EVER!

Be positive!  Be energetic!  Be silly!  Silver lining and all that!  You want to be happy?  Then just be happy!

Stay informed and be in “the know”, but realize that media and news is biased.  People want attention and headlines and power and they will scare the hell out of you to get it!  Ugh!  News...I don’t touch the stuff!  

Vote.  Simple.

When you are older...When you drink wine, drink it out of a wine glass (unless you just have no other choice).  And drink champagne “just because”.  You don’t have to wait for that special occasion.  Your Daddy & I still have a bottle of Dom Perignon in the fridge from, hmm, I don’t remember.  It’s probably gross now.  But of course, I’m not pushing you to be a drunk! LOL!!  Eat off that fine china is what I’m saying.  Capish?

Floss your teeth EVERYDAY!  Those deep cleanings are tough!  Thank you West Georgia Family Dentistry.

Remember Birthdays.  It is important to feel special.  NEVER forget mine!

Say Please & Thank You, always.

Be the first to say Hi!  And smile!

Kiss your babies goodnight, even if they are asleep, and even when they are big.

Dream big, but enjoy and love all the small stuff, that’s what’s really important.

Be your husband’s best friend, and NEVER forget your anniversary.  He is your lobster, after all.

Do nice things and be kind.  Don’t expect to take any credit for it.  Just pay it forward.

Avoid negative people.  You will know some, you probably already do, they are everywhere.  They will suck the life out of you!

Never cheat.  On anyone, or anything.  

Don’t eat fat free cheese.  Yuk!

Wear your seat belt and don’t speed!  DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!

Don’t smoke or do drugs!  No brainer.

Never bad mouth the person you work for.  He/she signs your check, if you aren’t happy, find another job.  Oh, and make sure to give a notice.

Never judge a person by their bank account.  That means squat!

Relax and enjoy your life.  There will be times when things get serious and uncomfortable, but I pray that they will be few and far between. 

Be a good sport.  Be a good loser, and a good winner too!

Go to your kids' stuff!  Ball games, chorus concerts, school plays.  Read to them, sing to them. Listen to them.  You don’t want to miss a thing, and you can’t get it back!

Never brag about what you have, but don’t feel guilty about it or feel like you need to apologize for it either.

Watch what you say to the people you love when you’re mad.  Once it’s out there, there’s no going back.

Pay your way.  All of it.  Tax, tip, the whole ball of wax!

Stand for something or you will fall for anything.  Be a leader, not a follower.  But be a good leader.  Some leaders just need fans.

Marry for love.  Real love.  You’ll know it.  Believe in love at first site.  It’s out there.  It’s easy to spot.  If he has dimples and reminds you of your sweet Daddy...grab him!  He’s a keeper.

Count your blessings and take nothing for granted.

Call your Mother.  Everyday. 

No Excuses!

Ok.  So this is my new blog.  Started today.  No excuses.  

I have been wanting to start this for a while now.  Recording thoughts and hopes and all the great happenings with my beautiful family (much much more to come on these fabulous people later).  Weighing in on great food and recipes (with huge emphasis on the “weighing in” part, as it seems I am constantly dieting).  Great movies, great books, great TV...a little bit of everything!  There is lots to blog about, and if blogging is anything like talking, I will be FABULOUS at it!   

The message at church today (shout out to Greg @ Crossroads, woo hoo!) was “No Excuses”.  It seemed the perfect day to begin my blogging experience.  I have had tons of excuses about waiting to start..don’t have time, can’t think of what to say (if you know me, that one is probably a real shocker), I can’t be still long enough, blah, blah, blah...  To be honest my “non-blog” excuses are nothing compared to the many, many excuses that I come up with everyday to NOT do a lot of things!  We all do it, some of us are worse than others, but we all make excuses to NOT do something everyday, some of us, hourly.

I make excuses to NOT clean house...it’s the weekend!  Or, to NOT take those seven huge trash bags of aluminum cans to the bin...well, it’s out of my way today.  One really big excuse that I make (I’m not even sure what excuse I tell myself) is NOT making doctors’ appointment, physicals, mammograms, all the annual stuff for Myself.  This is my health for goodness sake!  I am so paralyzed with the fear of something being wrong with me, that I can’t even make sure that there is not a thing wrong, and that, in fact, I am really fine. LOL!  This one is huge!  Something is gonna have to give!

Of course, the excuses don’t end there.  I have pictures to hang, clothes to wash, calls to make, closets to clean, and I need to quit drinking SO much wine everyday.  Ugh!!!  But God spoke to me today about my health.  I really have to take care of these things.  Some of you think that I am a complete crazy idiot.  “Call your doctor!” you say, and some, well, you are right there with me.  Those of you right there with me...call your doctor!  I’m calling mine tomorrow!  No excuses!!