That's It

I have been on a marathon of December Christmas Posts today. I got most of them up. I still have a few to post. The family Christmas books and a post about the mission trip I took with the youth from church. But for now I have to pick up the house a little and go to celebrate the New Year with friends.
We will be watching Auburn play tonight as we wait to ring in the New Year.
It is great to be alive and healthy to be able to celebrate a new year.
I wish all my family, all my Berry and Fayette friends, all my church family and all my Minor High School friends a
HAPPY NEW YEAR
and
GOOD LUCK to the AUBURN TIGERS!

If you read these posts for December you might need to hit older posts 2 times to see them all!

Funny Christmas Story

The Mystery of the Vanishing M&M's

We lost our sweet lab "Bama" back in April. Bama was an outside dog. We have never had an inside dog. Now, don't feel sorry for our dogs....they have always been well taken care of. Bama and Bailey shared a comfy , well padded, spot on the porch behind the fireplace. It was kept warm with a big heating pad. When we began to discuss that the end was coming for Bama I mentioned that I would like for Bailey to sleep inside with me when John was gone on his hunting trips. John agreed that it would be a good idea if we could train her to stay on her pillow. Well, Bailey is pretty smart and within 2 hours she understood that we wanted her to stay on the pillow and she was proud to do it.
As time passed we became used to Bailey being in the house and now let her in whenever she wants in as long as she stays on her pillow. She sleeps inside with us every night. She, also now, has a pet bed in our bedroom and in the living room. She is good company....but, my feelings are hurt because she had rather be with John watching football than watching a Hallmark movie with me!
The only time we allow Bailey to get off her pillow is to let us know that she needs out. She is so funny because she goes to John to be let out. She will touch his face and he wakes up and lets her out. She is probably scared of me and my snoring. Also, if one of the kids spend the night she is so protective. Lawson woke up one night having a nightmare and she was so concerned. She came to the bedside and had to get on the edge of the bed and touch him before she would lay back down. She really is a good and faithful companion.
Well, we get a little lax when any of the kids are at the house. They love Bailey and we allow her to follow them around. I mean what dog wouldn't love little people that slip you table food! Well, Emma, Abby and John Brady spent the night last week.............let me skip around a little bit here and talk about something else......I have two Christmas snowmen candy dishes. It has become a tradition for me to put M&M's in them for the kids. Plain M&M's in the kitchen and peanut M&M's on the coffee table in the living room......back to the story...... I noticed that the peanut M&M's candy dish, in my living room, was really low and the thought went through my mind that the kids were really hitting the M&M's and I might need to put them up before we had belly aches.
Well, later that night......I was sitting on the sofa in the living room and Bailey was following the kids around. Abby Claire and John Brady were playing the piano and Bailey had been standing beside them with her tail wagging her approval. I guess Bailey thought all eyes were on AB and JB3 and she, very quietly, started over to her bed.......as she passed the coffee table.....with her eyes still straight ahead.....she rolled her tongue out sideways and lapped up about 3 of those peanut M&M's as she passed by....she laid down on her bed and crunched away!
So there you go......the answer to the mystery of the vanishing M&M's!
Don't worry, we do not have a candy dish there anymore! I know that chocolate is dangerous for animals......but she didn't seem to have suffered from it!
We left the candy dish on the table long enough to catch her....lifting a few!

JB3 or maybe this is JB1

Oh....the things they say......

Pops and JB3 went outside to the Nativity scene in our yard, the Tuesday night he spent the night, to pick up a wise man and a donkey that had blown over.
After straightening all the figures.....John Brady and John stood admiring the lit up manger.
John said, after a few moments of silent admiration, John Brady looked at him and asked where was the STAR"? Now, I don't have a star, yet. The stars on Ebay have been going for an outrageous price and I hope to buy one after Christmas for a more reasonable price.
John being John.........looked at John Brady and told him we didn't have one we were just using the street light! That would be my husband....he can always come up with an answer.
Well, I did not know about this conversation WHEN.........John comes in and tells me I need to buy a STAR!
So there you go.....if John Brady says we need it....which he informed his Pops that we did....then Pops says lets get one! WE WILL HAVE A STAR NEXT YEAR!

PressDough of Christmas Past

Christmas 2010 has been over for a year but we had a little reminder in a chest in my bedroom......here is the story. I have mentioned before that my Granddaughters love the "As Seen on TV" commercials. they always find something they want for Christmas from these commercials. Well, last year about 10 days before Christmas.....Emma and Abby started telling me about this thing called PressDough that they saw on TV. You use cookie dough and the PressDough to make all kinds of different shaped cookies.

We always make cookies for Christmas (last year it was cupcakes) to leave out for Santa. In my mind I pictured how much fun this would be for everybody in the family. Gathered around making these cute cookie shapes, baking them and making more! We were going to use the rolls of cookie dough that you get from the grocery store.

Well, guess what.....it didn't come last year. It came about two days after Christmas. Luckily, Kim saved us by bringing already cooked cupcakes that the kids had a ball decorating. So, this year I was so tickled because I already had something really neat for them to use to make cookies. We were set! I just happened to decide to open up one of the three packages (yes, I bought 3 packages to make sure we had enough for 4 kids) and look at the instructions. I really didn't get past the spot that said to wash all the parts before we used them. I was so glad I opened it up so that I could get everything ready. It took a whole dishwasher load to wash all the parts. After they washed and dried I took them out and put them in a container to await their use.

Emma, Abby and John Brady spent the Tuesday night before Christmas at our house. It occurred to me that night that it might be a good thing for the kids to try out making these cookies so it wouldn't be so complicated with Lawson around. It had so many parts.....not kidding....I bet there were 60 parts. So, I went to The Pig and bought a roll of cookie dough and turned the kids loose on it.

OHHH MYYYY.....what can I say......DISASTER. Pops got in on it, trying to help. He noticed that it said every part had to have flour on it. So.....John and I are hand washing all the parts and digging out cookie dough so the kids can flour all the parts......still holding onto hope that this thing is going to be wonderful!

After much trouble we finally got 5....read that again.... 5 cookies pressed out...out of one roll of cookie dough. Well, the kids, of course, were all excited. After all, it really hadn't been trouble to them...just John and I and flour all over my kitchen along with smeared cookie dough...and it wasn't even the kids fault....nothing they did could have helped.

We put the five cookies in the oven to bake!

18 minutes later I look through the oven window.....the 5, really cute shaped cookies with shapes stamped on top, had turned into one big cookie with no imprints on it....it looked like a badly shaped flower.

Well, the kids first question was....can we still eat it? They ate it as I put the parts back into the dishwasher to wash. When I got them out of the dishwasher...I packed them up and put them back in the chest in my room. Needless to say...we did not make Santa cookies with PressDough Christmas Eve.

Next week PressDough will get a scathing review from the MeMe!

Well, at least it is another memory to file in our Lawson Family memory and laugh about in years to come!

A Shadow of Herself

Christmas Eve night Courtney was upstairs and called for me. As I came walking to the bottom of the steps.......this is what I saw! I glanced over and saw my little pocket camera, grabbed it and made a picture. Just had to put it on here.....

Peek A Boo "Pocket"

Courtney had another appointment on December 19th to try to see the baby on the 4D Ultrasound. Well, Miss Pocket was hiding again. She was facing her Mother's backbone this day. Courtney drank a Mountain Dew, as the technician suggested last time, and she was awake and moving but just not looking our way. We did get one tiny smushed view of the side of her face. Oh well, just 42 more days or 33 more days (my guess) and we can see her in person. This technician said the same thing as the technician the first time......this baby has a lot of hair. Well, Court said they told her they saw hair on Lawson....and he was a bouncing bald baby boy....but that wasn't 4D...so we will see. We aren't counting on it and Court doesn't have hair bows lined up! Lawson enjoyed the view from the waiting room at St. Vincent as we were waiting to be called back for the ultrasound. He asked his Daddy to show him where he lived when he was a baby. you can barely see the Legg Lofts Building from St Vincents. Dave took Lawson to see the building after the ultrasound and then they went and played with the soccer ball at the Railroad Park.

A Few Glimpses of our Christmas

We spend all day Christmas Eve together. We snack on appetizers all day and have supper around 6 that night. We usually sing a few Christmas songs and have Grandchildren entertainment before we open gifts. I couldn't ask for a more perfect day. It is everything I dreamed of as a little girl. When I look at my family gathered around the table I usually have to fight back the tears. This year Emma offered the prayer before we ate and I doubt I will ever forget that moment.......it was one of those "stand still in time" moments! Lawson helped make this appetizer but he can't try it because he is allergic to shellfish

Meredith and Josh putting together the gingerbread houses

Lawson eating the decorations for the gingerbread houses!

Abby Claire and John Brady.......they are getting pretty experienced at this

Emma and Lawson decorating a house

Emma wanted to show Uncle Josh how good she had gotten on the pogo stick he got her for Christmas last year

Meredith's special gift.......all the way from Napa Valley

Gathered at the table

Christmas Trees and Santa

and the Bass Pro Shop

What could be a better combination. The first weekend in December we usually take the truck to Birmingham so Courtney, Dave and Lawson can go to the tree farm and pick out a tree. We usually get our tree, also. I have always had a real tree. When I was growing up we always had one of those (really expensive .....now) aluminum trees with a color wheel shining on it. I swore that I would always have a real tree when I had my own home and so far have kept that up. Courtney suggested that we meet at the Bass Pro Shop after church so Lawson could see Santa before we went after the tree. Of course, that was right up John's alley. He needed....and I stress needed...to get some things from the Bass Pro. You know the You Tube video of "The People of Wal Mart". I think they need to do "The Men of Bass Pro". Back to Christmas.....we got there before Courtney and Dave and were able to get a line pass to see Santa. We were tickled. The year before we waited in line with Em, Ab and JB3 for almost 2 hours! The adults went and ate while we waited on our time for our Santa visit. Let me just say that if you find your self on an extended visit at Bass Pro that they have a wonderful chicken salad sandwich.Lawson played the games that are all over Bass Pro's Santa Land.....and most of them are games that catch Pop's interest!

I want a Mario Kart K Nex......(and Josh and Meredith have a bone-to-pick with Santa)

Life looks pretty good right now. I ate my lunch, I played nicely in Santa Land, I sat nicely and smiled in Santa's lap and Santa seems to think that I can have a Mario K Nex!

Checking out the Christmas Tree Farm

Lawson always gets to pick out a "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" for his toy room

He was told to pick one out that was as tall as him.....hummmmm...just stretched a little

Pops getting the cut started

Lawson cutting down his tree

okay....let's go

Twas the "Night Before"

Christmas Eve

Courtney and Dave went through Tuscaloosa on their way to Berry and picked up John Brady so the boys could have some "boy cousin" play time. We met them at Tuugies for lunch. The first thing Dave wants when he comes to Berry is a Tuugie Burger. Lawson was showing us how he could look like "Mario" with his french fries.The boys did a lot of playing. they ripped and ran outside, rode the golf cart with Pop, played on the playground at the Elementary School and built castles from blocks.
and as is typical of the times......sat side by side and played on the DS and iPhone

By looking at their expressions......I don't think either one of them are winning!

We took John Brady to his Nanny and PaPa's house when it turned dark. JB3, Emma and Abby were spending the night with them and they were going to see the lights at the Fayette Park. Lawson told me when he found out JB3 was leaving that he would just go stay at Nanny's with John Brady! Courtney, Lawson and I ran to Fayette to get a few groceries and one last gift I had to buy, ate at KFC and then took Lawson to see the lights at the Fayette Park

When we got home John started working on a recipe that had to marinate all night. Lawson is all about some cooking , right now, so he wanted to help. He really does good helping.

He wants to know what every ingredient is and how it smells!

It turned out great!