Special Grandmothers

Painting by Dorothy Sullivan

I was very lucky to get to meet all four of my great grandmothers. I also got to know my two grandmothers very well. This is a list of memories that are special to me.

My father's mother whom I called Mamaw E. taught me how to blow bubbles with pink bubble gum. She also made me beautiful homemade quilts and toys for birthdays and Christmases. I cherish the Holly Hobby blanket that she made for my third birthday. I still have it. Mamaw E.'s favorite color was pink.

My Mother's mother Mamaw W. loved to read. She took me to the public library for the first time when I was six years old and we checked out a book about a cat. Her dog "Lucky" came into the library with us. When she was suffering from cancer, I used to spend the night with her and we'd stay up late chatting and reading books. Her favorite colors were yellow and red.

My Great Grandmother F. was so sweet. When she would get excited about something she would say "Lordy! Lordy! Lordy!" She used to own a restaurant in her younger days and could make the most delicious and beautiful looking yellow cake with white icing. One time when my brother and I got in a fight at her apartment, she gave us one stern look, and we immediately stopped. I also remember seeing her with her hair down once. It was thick, wavy and shining silver. I told her that it was pretty and she laughed.

My Great Grandmother W. was very quiet. She lived nearby, so she babysat me some when I was little. I remember eating lots of treats there. She always had some of those candy orange slices for me. She made pretty dresses for my dolls. She had a beautiful flower garden with all colors of my favorite "Sweet Williams". She made banana pudding for every family picnic, and would always take me aside and tell me that she made it especially for me. When she was older, she had Alzheimer's. When she didn't recognize alot of other people, she still knew who I was because I had the darkest hair in the family. I guess that triggered her memory and she would say "There's that little dark-haired Christy girl".

My Great Grandmother B. baked an apple pie every Sunday. I remember going there for Sunday dinners. One mother's day we visited her and I got in trouble with my parents for picking a big cluster from her beautiful blue hydrangea bush. She didn't mind, though, and laughed and told me to keep it. I didn't get to see her for several years after my father died, and I'll never forget the Christmas after that time period. She gave me the biggest hug and held me close for a long time.

Great Grandmother E. was always sitting in a rocking chair when I visited her. She always had a big smile on her face and gave me a big hug every time I saw her. I don't remember her as well, but I do remember that she was happy and loved seeing us children.

Crappy Cold

I've had the crummiest cold for the past few days. It was so crappy that I missed MG's second to last day of preschool before summer break. It seems like every time I take off from work for something special, I get sick and miss out on it. I'm just now tonight beginning to feel better. Mark made me soup, made me drink orange juice and hot tea with honey in it. He takes good care of me when I'm sick, even though I'm the worst grumpiest meanest sick person around.

Remember our little girl cat visitor Lucy? She has become super friendly and is so sweet and playful. She climbed up into this honeysuckle bush just for fun & Mark captured this dazzling photo!

Can We Keep Them?

I knew this would happen. I've fallen in love with the three cats that we have left....the ones that I was going to take to the shelter if I couldn't find a place for them by now. Lucy was shy, but she has grown so friendly and sweet. Instead of gobbling her food down like the boys, she waits to be petted first. She comes to MG now too. She and Jasper are good friends, so I'd really like for them to get to stay together. Bobo is still outside, but we hope to bring him in this weekend. I need to have him treated for fleas first. Whew-hopefully I can take care of that tomorrow. We're still getting pressure to get rid of the cats, but I wish that we could keep Jasper and Lucy as outdoor cats. So I've been trying to come up with ways to make it safe for them outside and to work out something with our relatives who want to let their dog run loose. So far my brain is too tired to work it all out quickly.

Today I took both kids for their check-ups at the doctor. MG's 3 year check-up and MB's 15 month check-up. I was so embarrassed. MB fought with the doctor, so it was like a wrestling match. Dr. Ashburn said "Whew, I didn't know that he'd fight me so much!" The nurse let me hold MB in my arms for the three lovely shots in the legs. That's the only way that we could do it. MB is usually so jovial and cheerful, but he was one grumpy bubby today. MG did fine. I think that she was a little disappointed because she didn't get a shot. She cracked me up when the doctor asked if she knew her first and last name. She gave her first, middle and last name, but inserted "Mark" in there as an extra middle name.

I have to watch MB every minute. He is a climber. I was in shock when I turned my back for a few seconds and then found him sitting in the middle of the kitchen table. I didn't think that he would be one to climb like a monkey since he's so big and not so nimble. Well, he's strong and he won't give up. He climbs into the front bay window. I've put a bean bag chair up against the bench there to make it easier for him not to fall while he's doing it. Does that make sense? He's going to do it no matter what, so I might as well make it safer. I want to get a family picture made as soon as all the bruises and scrapes disappear from Bubby's face. Everytime something happens, I think "Oh no! We can't get his picture made this week!"

Easter Egg Hunt Pictures

I'm just now getting around to posting these. I've been very side-tracked due to the cat invasion and trying to find homes for them. These are pictures of the church Easter egg hunt that we went to. Note the winter coats. Brrrr...it was a cold day!

Metal Girl had fun finding the eggs with prizes inside.


Here are the two Metal Boys. Don't they look like two peas in a pod?

The Kitty Saga Continues

UPDATE*** I have wonderful news! Mark's coworker wants to adopt TWO of our kitty friends! She will be taking home Leo and Rascal. I'm so excited, although I am going to really miss them. :)

Lucy is the shyest one, but she is becoming more friendly. She is spayed and had to have her uterus removed. She seems very healthy now. She is becoming more social every day. In the sun, I see a little auburn in her fur and a few faint stripes on her tail. Her eyes are gorgeous green.


This is Jasper. He is sweet and loves to have a tummy rub. He's a beautiful soft gray. He is unaltered, but I may try to get him neutered this week.


Leo is beautiful and has been adopted! He'll be going home with his new family today. :)


We just found out today that Rascal will be joing his brother Leo and will be adopted today! I'm going to miss him! Rascal is the character of the bunch. He was riding in the bottom of the kids jogging stroller yesterday. He was also sitting on the birdbath as if it were a pedestal. He's sweet, and I really would like to find him a home. He loves children & is very photogenic.



You'll never guess what I did yesterday. I found out about a low cost kitty neuter/spay clinic taking place, so I packed up three cats in the only three cat carriers that we have and had them fixed. I chose the three that I THOUGHT were females, because I wanted to help them first. Well, I dropped them off and took MB to get his very first haircut. When I went back to pick the cats up, the vet laughingly told me that ONLY ONE of the cats is indeed a female! The two fuzzy ones are males, so they are likely all siblings. There's no Mommy. I really have to find a place to take the cats that we are not keeping because it's too difficult for us to handle & we are getting pressure from nearby family members who don't want them around and who have a doggy who would hurt them. I wanted to post the latest pictures. I'm so angry at whoever abandoned them. They're sweet people friendly cats.

Bobo to the Vet

Today I managed to take Bobo to the vet. It was quite an undertaking getting him there and inside with two kids in tow. We did it, though! He really is a sweetheart. And he is pretty healthy. His empty eye socket does have an infection, so I have to try to put antibiotic salve on it twice a day. He actually purred while they cleaned it! The only time that he was bad was when his blood was taken and when he got shots. He was just fine in the car as long as we sang softly to him. If we didn't do that, he would start meowing pitifully and trying to get out of the carrier.

I also called two animal shelters this morning. The no-kill shelter is filled and can't take the cats. But they can help in another way if we choose to do it. They can spay & neuter them at a lower cost and put them up for adoption on their web site. Then we'd have to deal with the people who are interested in adopting them and keep the cats here hoping that someone calls.

The third option is the humane society. I talked to someone there who said that they have an option where they try to adopt out the cats. Instead of euthanizing them if they can't find homes for them, they would call us to come back to get them. This would be the closest place to take them and the lowest cost. Keep in mind that Bobo's appointment cost around $170 today.

This has all been extra difficult to find time to take care of the cat situation since Mark and I have such different schedules. Mark can't take off much right now because of the loss of his supervisor. It's been a really stressful week. But I am glad that we got to help a sweet cat today. He's so incredibly nice. Still feeling a little overwhelmed, but it relieves some of the stress when I write about it. Thanks for listening.

Overwhelmed

Do you ever just feel overwhelmed, and it makes you just want to crawl under the covers and sleep? I feel that way today. I didn't sleep good last night, and then the kids got me up an hour earlier than normal. Then MG was feeling sick while MB was having teething pains, so that was stressful right at lunchtime. I've put off the cat situation, which is not good. They will multiply quickly like Tribbles if I'm not careful. One of the female kitties has bite marks on her neck...not a good sign. I've been depressed reading about the college murders. And about Mark's supervisor dying. And the cold not-so-Springlike weather. Cold and crappy.

Sad News

My husband Mark's supervisor at work passed away unexpectedly on Sunday morning. We have been in shock and saddened by this. She really was such a kind person who always had nice things to say every time I saw her, and always let me know how much she appreciated working with Mark. (Which is so nice to hear from a boss) She was so interested in our kids, too. It's been hard for Mark, especially because his previous supervisor had cancer and died. Both wonderful people with kind souls.

Stray Cat Pictures

This is Bobo who is missing an eye. He's the friendliest and very sweet.









Bobo's sister is a little shy, but very sweet and pretty. I love black cats.









I think that this one is the most striking with such white bushy whiskers and red/brown fur on the back. He's a boy!

And here is another boy.









These cats are all fairly friendly and seem to have been around children before. Bobo especially loves Metal Girl. Wish that we could keep all of them. I hope that we can find homes for them.

Cat Family

I have been trying to figure out what to do about our cat visitors. We have four. They are beautiful cats, but I worry about their fate if we take them to the shelter. Unfortunately, that's what we will have to do probably. I have fallen in love with them, so I'm depressed about this. I'll probably regret this, but I will describe them to you.

The mother is beautiful with long thick fur. She's black with white on her face and paws with striking white whiskers. Her eyes are big and yellow-ish green. She is very friendly.

There are three kittens who look to be about three or four months old. The female is all black with short hair and striking green eyes. She's a little shy. One male has long fur that's black and white, but with brown brushed on the tips of the fur. He has the most striking face with lots of white bushy whiskers. I think that he's the prettiest. He's a little shy as well. The other male has an injury. He's missing an eye. He has short hair that's black and white and the markings are like his mother. He is the nicest and friendliest of the bunch and loves Metal Girl who has named him Bo-bo.

I think that we are going to keep Bo-bo and take him inside the house after a visit to the vet. We feel that he is in most need of our help and he loves children and attention. I will have to take him to the vet next week to get his shots and to see if his eye injury can be helped. It looks like it must have happened when he was much younger, so it's not gory or anything. We just feel that if he went to the humane society, they would euthanize him because of the injury.

As you can see, I have fallen in love with all of them, so it's going to make me feel horrible to take any of them to the shelter. Two of my co-workers have stated that they want a second cat, but not right now. We've never had to take animals to the shelter before. Both of our indoor kitties were strays that we took in right away. Sigh. They're such sweet and beautiful cats. They want to be loved and fed.

I suppose that I'll post their pictures to see if anyone wants to travel across the country to adopt them from us. :) Or maybe some of you nearby people might want to adopt one. Just wait till you see their pictures. I am going to ask around over the weekend before we take them away. It will break my heart.

Cat Invasion

I found this odd but cute drawing online. You wouldn't believe the situation we are in with the hoard of cats that have decided to move in with us.

It all started at the beginning of last week when an adorable black and white kitten showed up on our doorstep. Actually, he followed Mark and the kids back from a walk. The poor little guy has only one eye. He has the sweetest personality and loves Metal Girl. We were thinking that he might be a stray and in need of our help. I had planned on taking him to the veterinarian.

Well, the next day his Mommy showed up. We're pretty sure that his Mommy is the neighbor's cat who we've seen on their doorstep wearing a collar. Then the following day, his sister dropped in. Then today another one who looks like the Mommy's twin arrived! Oh no....suddenly there's a cat family visiting with us.

It wouldn't have been so bad except that they're under our feet all the time. We have been feeding them, too, because we just couldn't let them starve in the cold weather. We thought that it was two cats that we were feeding, but now we see four or five hanging out!

Well, our neighbors just got back. Metal Mark took the kids out on a walk and the first two cats followed him out the road and didn't come back. And those were the two sweetest ones. I think that they are all probably barn cats that the neighbors were feeding. So I'm not sure if we're going to have to take one or two or what. We really can't handle the whole group of them since we already have two indoors! Poor things. I especially like the one-eyed kitty. He is the most loving. We'll have to see who shows up tomorrow.

Metal Girl has been especially bad lately. I'm not sure why. We got out today for a long walk, and she played at the park. I thought that playing outdoors would help, but she seemed even worse after that. I hear her getting in trouble as I speak. I'm not sure what's going on. Tomorrow is going to be boring because I plan in having "Poopapalooza" day. I'm going to put her in regular undies instead of the pull-up diaper to encourage her to use the potty. She has gotten very lazy with trying to use the potty, and I haven't been putting all my efforts into getting her to try. I did find a cheap Easter themed game that I put up on a shelf & told her that she could play it only when she poops in the potty. She got mad and cried because she wanted it, so maybe this will work. I'm extremely tired of changing big stinky poops. All you parents out there with young babies.... toddler poop is pretty disgusting. I don't know how it's possible, but I think that a toddler can poop as much as an adult. I feel bad because I sometimes gag when changing her diaper. Lately I've been saying "Ugh! This is gross!" and she will answer "Ewww! Let me see it!!"

Isn't that lovely? Keep us in your thoughts as we work on potty training. The ironic thing is that Metal Boy takes his diaper off every time he wets it! He is also very interested in the potty and wants to sit on it. But he will pull off his diaper and go on the floor, so I ended up putting the Princess pull-ups on him today. What a day! What a week!

Weighty Issues

I have weight issues. It's been especially difficult because I was always SO THIN as a child and teen & young adult. I guess my metabolism slowed down during my mid-twenties. That's when I first gained weight and went up and down with losing it and gaining it ever since. I used to do the slim fast diet and the three day diet. Then I had my first child and didn't lose all the pregnancy weight before getting pregnant with baby #2.

I've really been thinking about the psychological aspect of this. All too often, I will choose to stay at home instead of going to church or to a party or special event because "I have nothing that fits." It's true that most of my nice clothes do not fit me right now, but I think that there's more to it. I'm a shy person, so socializing is something that I really have to work at. Perhaps staying overweight has "helped" me to stay within my comfort zone. It's given me an excuse to continue being anti-social to some extent. This is not the best thing for my kids, so I really need to lose weight and become healthier. I think that it would help me to feel more energized too...I'm always so tired & feel like a sloth. I've got a lot to think about!

A blogger friend recently had a post about weight gain that really got me to think about this. It's something that I've been struggling with.

Sleep and Dreams

I dream almost every night. When I read the news too often (especially the depressing stuff), I have the worst nightmares. My dreams are always vivid and very real, so this really upsets me. It doesn't help that occasionally I dream something weird that seems to be a premonition and something related seems to happen. I also have dreams about my relatives who have died... especially my grandparents.

I can remember extremely vivid dreams from my childhood. When I was 3 I dreamed that I was small like the "little people" toys and I was inside the little toy hospital that I'd gotten for Christmas. Two gorillas who looked like King Kong picked up the little hospital with me inside of it and threw it over a waterfall. It was so vivid that I can still remember it in detail.

Some dreams have been beautiful. I always dream in color and with vivid detail. It's almost like I'm watching a movie. The only problem is that it feels as if I didn't get much sleep so I'm always so tired. I'm having to ban reading bad news reports just because they bother me too much and cause the nightmares. I guess the best that I can do when I see a headline about something horrible is to pray for the people in that situation instead of reading the tragic details.

Talking Big

I just have to share two things that MG said today. It was pretty cute coming from a 3 year old. She was admiring MB's new pillow. It's really a big stuffed duck that I bought for $10. She hugged it and said, "This is pretty good for a dollar!" Then later when I was making her clean up her toys while I cooked dinner, I called out "Are you really cleaning out there?" (Because it sounded like she was playing instead.) She said "I'm doing the best that I can!"

Princess or Super Hero?

Now that I've been outside with the kids today, I feel much better and will write about something fun. Ever since my daughter turned 3, I've been reminiscing back to when I was her age. I really have lots of memories of being 3. It must be a huge deal. For my 3rd birthday, I had a Snow White Disney Princess cake. I remember going to the bakery with my mom to pick up the cake and the decorations to go on top were in a little bag. They were little plastic figures of Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. I was so excited.

I liked princess stories, but my favorite show as a 3 year old was Batman and Robin in reruns. I LOVED IT. I had a crush on Adam West...but only when he was Bat Man. I also liked Bat Girl and Cat Woman and pretended to be one or the other. I loved Wonder Woman. I remember asking for a Super Hero doll, but my mother didn't like them for some reason. Since I always wanted a Super Hero doll, I bought the Barbie series that included Bat Girl, Super Girl and Wonder Woman before MG came along a few years ago. I have since given them to her. I think Super Heroes are better roll models than princesses, although I do like the princesses.

MG, on the other hand, really loves stuffed animals and My Little Pony animals more than any kind of doll. I gave her a new baby doll for her birthday. Metal Boy likes it, but Metal Girl could care less. I knew this and really shouldn't have bought it.

I'm amazed at how independent Metal Girl is. I like it though. She really shows lots of confidence. I grew up with such a low self esteem. This may have been due to fate because of things that happened after my dad died. I just know that I want my kids grow up confident and happy. Today we picked out her Easter dress. I actually let her pick it. Did she want the flowery frilly thing that I was pushing her towards? No, she wanted the polka-dotted one. It really suits her too.

Favorite Zoo

We are awaiting the opening of our favorite zoo in the area. It's a privately owned zoo and wildlife preserve. I like it much better than the Baltimore zoo. Here's a link to the web site. It's such a beautiful place and so much fun.

http://www.cwpzoo.com/

We're Outta Here!

I'm going to check the forecast and take the kids somewhere tomorrow! It's really was crappy to be stuck inside for two weeks. The combination of snow storm, stomach viruses and car's flat tire have kept us here at home. We have a terrible case of cabin fever. I truly feel like hopping on a plane and going to Florida or Hawaii... somewhere beautiful and warm! I guess I'll have to settle for a walking trail and small park if the weather is nice. We got the tire repaired today, so I get to have my car back for tomorrow.

I did get a little lift in spirits yesterday when we went on a long walk...I took the kids out in the double stroller. We saw a beautiful woodpecker in the top of a tree and several other birds. We stopped by the barn to see the cows. Ruby the red and white cow, who is really a pet, let me pat her nose for the first time. I forgot her name was Ruby, though, and kept calling her Rosy.

We also looked out the window to see a pretty gray rabbit nibbling the grass. Metal girl said "It's the Easter Bunny's friend!" and she proceeded to tell the bunny what she'd like for an Easter treat.... "I would like a chocolate rabbit, lollipops...they're my favorite...and candy!"

Piles of Mud

I haven't had time to post or read blogs for five days. It's really been a rough five days with the kids. I guess they both have a lot of pent up energy. We've had to stay inside a lot due to the Winter weather and Mark's car being out of commission for a few days. I have high hopes for today. I see the sun and it's supposed to be warm. We shall go outside and play in the mud.

Little Miss Independent has been especially difficult. She pitches a fit if you forget to let her do every little thing by herself. Her favorite phrase is "DO IT MYSELF!" while screaming and kicking. She's also been mean to her little brother, so I really haven't been able to hardly take my eyes off of her over this. Don't get me wrong....she's really sweet to him most of the time. But when you least expect it, she'll shove him or tackle him. We have to explain over and over and over again about why this is unacceptable. I get so upset at her. I've really had to watch what I say and that is hard.

So I've been quite depressed about this situation. I know that it's probably nothing unusual and that this is just part of being a parent. I think that suddenly Metal Girl is very active and being inside too much is not a good thing for her. She acts so much better when we go out. Today will be better, I'm sure. Most of the snow has melted away to leave piles of mud to play in.

Spring? Not!

Yesterday I saw a cardinal, a robin and a finch all together in the grass looking for food. I kept seeing and hearing Canadian geese flying overhead towards my in-laws' pond. The daffodils were peeking out of the ground. The air was warm, so we opened the windows. I knew in my heart that Spring had sprung. I even saw a spider spinning his web outside our window.

Did I forget for a day that I live in Maryland? Mr. Smartypants (ever the voice of reason) reminded me that we could still get a cold blast of Winter weather. Well, he was right!! We're supposed to get snow tomorrow. Every weather station says something different, but it's possible that we could get a few inches of snow. Yeah... in mid-march. It's cold again too...brrrr.

I have to tell you that yesterday I was so sick. It was strange because I haven't barfed since being pregnant. Yesterday morning I woke up with the worst headache that I've ever had. I threw up and was dizzy and didn't know how in the world I was going to keep up with my two kids all day. Fortunately, MM was able to come home early to relieve me. I had the kids for about three hours while I was sick. That was difficult enough. They were so full of energy, and all I wanted to do was go to bed and put a cold rag on my head. I missed work last night. It really was a 24 hour virus . I think that MB has had a touch of it too. Today I felt 100% better...thank goodness.

Speaking of MB, I hear him fussing in his sleep. He's probably going to wake up for his midnight snack in a few minutes. Gee, I can't get used to the daylight savings time change, so I'm staying up way too late. Tomorrow is my long work day...bah!

Happy Birthday Metal Girl

Today is Metal Girl's Birthday. She is three years old!

Happy birthday little girl!

I took a couple of days off from work to help in MG's preschool class and to enjoy time with her on her birthday. It was a nice and badly needed mini-break. :)

I feel refreshed and much better.

Freezing Fog

We woke up to a foggy morning on Thursday. When the fog cleared away, there were ice crystals covering the branches of the trees. These are a pictures of the line of trees behind our house. It was beautiful and sparkling with every branch encrusted with white ice. The white lacey branches looked so startling against the blue sky.

One of Mark's coworkers told us that we had an "ice fog". I had never heard of this (or seen it), so I did my research to find out that we had a "freezing fog" instead. An ice fog occurs only in the artic regions. Here's an article describing all the different types of fog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fog

Am I the only person who needs sleep in this house?

Baby Blues

Super Baby wouldn't take a nap today. He was like a wild monkey all day climbing on everything. He climbed up onto MG's bed while I was kneeling down next to it to find something underneath. He fell off and banged his head against my head. It hurt me, but he rolled onto the floor giggling. MG wouldn't take a nap, either, but that's nothing new.

The strange thing is that MB woke up several times last night and then got up around 7am this morning! He seemed to have extra energy all day long. Why was I the only tired person in this house that needed a nap? I had such trouble sleeping last night that moved to the couch around 3am. Then the stinkin cat kept pestering me!

I think that both kids will probably sleep good tonight. Their batteries have to run down sometime. Whew...mine were run down when I got up this morning.

Two Rays of Sunshine

Here's a picture that I took of MG and MB last week. :)

I Need a Vacation!

Since today has been very trying and very stressful, I am attempting to view my cup as half full to be more positive. I tend to be a little negative and a cup half empty person with depressive thoughts, so I really am trying to change this negative part of myself. Despite lack of sleep last night and grumpy kids today, I captured two beautiful pictures of my kids this morning. They are cuties with sweet smiles. I don't have time to post them right now, but will try to do that soon. My daughter's birthday is coming soon, so I will save the pictures for that special day. :) Take care.

Friday and Saturday Sleepy

Mark and I take turns with working alternating Fridays and Saturdays so that one of us can always be with the kids on each of those days. Mark was with them yesterday. I caught this cute picture of their "naptime". (second picture) I was glad that Mark took a little nap....he rarely does that and is pretty much a work-a-holic or thinks that he always has to be busy doing something. The top picture was taken about an hour ago. Metal Boy was sleeping with his hair in his eyes, so I gave him his first haircut. I just trimmed the bangs. Looks pretty cute! :)

Mommy's tired....Mommy's cranky!

"Mommy's tired...Mommy's cranky!" That's what Metal Girl said to me this morning. And don't forget, Mommy is PMSing for the first time in almost two years, so Mommy feels awfully crummy. I haven't been too mean today, but my usual reserve of patience has been depleted. MG got to sit in time-out much sooner than normal for bad behavior. She is also getting an early nap right now due to my lack of patience today. She does seem extra tired, though, and didn't get a nap yesterday. Hopefully this will help us all to feel better and act better. I'm going to try to have a nap too. :)

Ma-Ma Ba-ba

Metal Boy is quite a character. I've been trying to wean him from nursing. Metal girl quit nursing at 7 months, and it wasn't a big deal. We can usually go all day without nursing, but then he decides that he has to throw a few hints. He picks up the boppy pillow (used for nursing) from the floor and brings it to me and says "ma-ma ba-ba". Isn't that funny? Of course it melts my heart, so he's still nursing before going to sleep at night. Maybe this will fizzle out on it's own, I don't know. Gee, it seems like just yesterday when I was worrying about nursing in public. Now we're way past that stage. Sigh.

Would This Annoy You?

I have a long time friend whom I've known since my freshman year in high school. He and I were close friends all through high school and then we went to the same college. He and Mark were college roommates and friends, so that is how I met Mark. He was also our wedding singer. :) To say the least, we've always been close friends and kept up with each others lives.

Well, he is expecting his first child and just found out that the baby will be a boy. He was talking on the phone with Mark updating us on these details and then announced that the baby's name will be the same as our little boy. It's not a very common name. We were very surprised, but even more surprised when our friend was shocked because he'd forgotten the name of our child! He didn't realize that he was choosing the same name at all!

Even though I've sent him several cards and pictures signed with the name, he couldn't remember it! I really don't mind him using the same name because that happens and no one owns a name, but it does surprise me that a close friend can't remember the name of my child. I don't think he remembered the name of my daughter either! Is it a gender thing... remembering details like the name of a child of a close friend? I always remember these things. Mark thinks that it's because he's never met our kids in person. I guess it shouldn't be such a big deal to me.

What a Day

What a day was today...

I hadn't taken both kids out for over a week because of the Winter weather, so I was determined to get out early today no matter what obstacles got in my way.... and there were many!

We were all ready and out the door by 11 AM which is a feat for us. I got ready to put Metal Girl into the car to discover that her car seat wasn't there. We had been using Mark's car and forgot to put it back in mine. I had to put Metal Boy into his seat and go back for MG's old car seat which is still ok for her to use. While working on that, Metal Girl fell off the porch and pitched a fit. She wasn't hurt, but was upset that her pants were wet.

The iced encasing my car's tires looked slushy, so I thought I could get out, but low and behold I was stuck. My father-in-law heard the commotion. I sure hope that he didn't hear me saying bad words...surely not over the tires spinning out. He helped me break up the ice with a shovel. (Sure I'll be sore tonight since I've never broke up ice with a shovel in my life) We finally got my car out thirty minutes later!

When I got back home , most of that gosh-durned ice had melted. It was good to get out, though. I'm so ready for Spring, but really did enjoy getting one snow worth playing in. If only we hadn't had the ice on top of it.

Well, now I'll change the topic and tell you about yesterday. I had been thinking about Britney Spears. When I first heard about her head shaving incident, I kind of thought "how stupid", but I've since changed my mind. Last night I really thought about how she may be having problems with depression and this could even be post-partum depression. Depression and stress can be very hard to deal with, so sometimes doing something crazy can relieve that pressure. I have to think back to when I was in college and did some crazy things to relieve the terrible pain and pressure of depression. It's probably a good thing that I didn't have kids till I was in my thirties. I definitely wasn't ready for the responsibility till now. I hope that she stays in rehab this time and gets help. It can't help to be so hounded by the media concerning every little thing you do. Wouldn't it be horrible to never have any kind of privacy? And to have everyone in the entire world know your every problem. Ugh....what a nightmare.

I finally managed to get a pretty picture of the sunset a few evenings ago. I've been playing around with my camera to figure out the various settings. The snow here takes a long time to melt, so I've seen so many pretty sunsets over the snow.

A few nights ago we had a very starry sky. It was just so gorgeous. The sky looked sapphire blue with the stars glittering brightly. I could also see the white snow glittering on the ground. It looked so magical with everything sparkling.

I guess I got my Winter weather fix, because now I'm anxious for Spring. Spring is my most favorite time of the year. It's just such a wonderful time of the year where everything begins anew.

Metal Boy has been going non-stop like the energizer bunny. I actually tried to lie down for a short time to rest while he played and Metal Girl napped. (Unfortunately their naps do not coincide any more) I fell asleep only to be awakened by Metal Boy pulling my hair and poking me in the eye. I'm glad that he did, though. I don't like to fall asleep when he's busy getting into everything. We have things "baby-proof", but we keep discovering new things to baby-proof.

I've had way too much coffee today trying to wake up and be alert. And it didn't do one bit of good. Sigh.

Happy Feet

Metal Boy has had a lovely week. He took his first steps on Valentine's Day, and has been toddling all over the house. He is so proud of himself and claps and laughs after he does it. He loves pushing this doll stroller around the house. We've been trapped here all week, but MB has taken advantage of it getting lots of walking practice!

Ice Ice Ice

The snow was beautiful, but the ice is yucky. I've had to keep the kids inside because there's a layer of ice on top of the snow! It's just too slick. That's not so bad except that I have an energetic toddler with cabin fever. Actually, I have two energetic toddlers....but the little one is just starting to walk. He took his first steps yesterday on Valentine's Day! :)

Happy Icy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! This picture was taken yesterday during the snow portion of our Winter weather. Last night we had ice and freezing rain! No work for two days! :)

Tomorrow I am going with Metal Girl to her preschool Valentine party to help out. I'm bringing pink milk, pink yogurt and heart shaped cookies. She was very excited to make cards for her teachers and classmates. It's a fun day for treats.

So, do you celebrate Valentine's Day? I did as a child in school. It was fun to make cards for the other kids and to eat chocolates and cookies. During high school, I didn't care too much for it. It was a little depressing if one didn't have a boyfriend when the day rolled around.

Tomorrow, I think that I'll write about my favorite romantic comedy movies in honor of the occasion. This may be a fun Valentine's Day for us! We're expecting snow in the forecast.... possibly a big one! It's supposed to start tomorrow night and last through Wednesday! We'll see. I'll post a picture of it. We have a new sled to pull the kids around in, but I don't know if we'll be doing that if we get more than a few inches. :) If it does snow, it also needs to be just enough to close work. I need a snow day!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad for Valentine's Day

Hello! If you're looking for something really delicious to make for Valentine's day, this is a fun and easy recipe. It may be my new favorite desert. The flavor combinations are so good together! Enjoy! :)

Pretzel Salad Recipe

FIRST LAYER
2 cups coarsely crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted margarine
3 tablespoons sugar

SECOND LAYER
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 cups whipped topping (small container)

THIRD LAYER
1 lg pkg (6 ounces) strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (10oz) boxes frozen strawberries

Preheat oven to 400°. Put first layer in a 9x13x2-inch pan. Bake 8 minutes. Remove to cool.Second Layer - Beat sugar into cheese, stir in whipped topping. Spread over cooled pretzels.Third Layer - Mix gelatin, boiling water and strawberries together and set aside 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture; chill thoroughly.

Laundry Basket Rides

We love it when Daddy gives us laundry basket rides around the house! :)

Little Abner

He's a nice foot warmer on a cold day! He loves to have his tummy rubbed! Isn't he cute?! You can read the story of Abner Kitty on my previous post! :)

Good Morning, Little Abner

Good Morning, Abner Kitty....

This is one of my cats this morning. He was my first baby boy. For the last couple of years he had been a little stand-offish with me since the kids came. Finally, he has started being sweet again and visits with me more often. He was a stray cat when he first arrived on our doorstep. His mother was stray and wild, so she would bring her babies up to our porch to try to find some food. I fed them, but one day she left this one behind. She must have realized that she'd found a good home for her baby!

I have to tell you about the day that Metal Girl came home with us from the hospital. We brought her into the house in the baby carrier. Mark then fed the cats. Abner had come out to see her. Then she woke and was crying. It upset him so much that he threw up! It really shook him up. He still will not let the kids pet him. Maybe one day when they're a little older he'll settle down. :)

I'll tell the story of our first baby girl kitty sometime soon!

Twilight Zone

Metal Boy slept through the night last night! I do not remember if he has ever slept through the night before...maybe once. So now I feel like we're living in the Twilight Zone.

It didn't end there. Metal Girl refused to go anywhere this morning and went back to bed to rest and read books. MB went back to sleep for an early nap as well. Now I'm a little worried that they may be getting colds. I hope not!!!!!!!!!

Here's a picture of me and MB from this morning. He needs a haircut. MG says that he looks like Shaggy from Scooby Doo. I hate to cut his hair, though. It has a couple of little curls in the back.

Ah....I hear MB now....waking from the nap. Gotta run!

Whistle Pigs

My dad used to call them "Whistle Pigs". When we'd go on drives out in the country, we'd sometimes stop along the side of the road and see groundhogs standing up in the field on their hind legs and looking around. Sometimes they make a whistling sound. My dad used to whistle at them and they'd whistle back. What a funny memory.

I never heard much about Groundhog Day growing up, but always thought groundhogs were so cute. Now I live close to the home of Punxsutawney Phil....the famous PA groundhog who looks for his shadow every year to decide whether we'll have an early Spring or longer Winter. Have you ever seen the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray? Well, the real celebration is such a big deal...just like in the movie.

Groundhogs can be somewhat of a pest in your garden. They like to munch on some of the veggies. They're so chubby and so darn cute, though! I've heard of people having them as pets, but they can be ferocious if encountered in the wild. :)

I thought that a gopher and a groundhog were one and the same, but they really are different. A gopher is a small burrowing rodent, while the groundhog is a bigger animal. Groundhogs are also known as Woodchucks.

Sounds at Night

We live out in the country on the edge of a farm. I usually love the night time noises. Last night I kept hearing two owls calling to each other. It was very relaxing. Then I was awakened by MB crying.

I was having trouble sleeping after feeding MB. I was about to drift off when I heard an unearthly terrifying scream! It sounded like it was outside and didn't sound quite human, but it scared me. I was half asleep, so I thought that it was a person screaming. I jumped up and ran to look at everyone. I'm pretty sure that it was a raccoon!

Have you ever heard a raccoon screaming like that? When I lived in Tennessee with my grandparents, I slept with my window open and it was quite near to the ground. A raccoon came right up to the screen and let out this ungodly screaming and screeching one night. It sounded like it was in the bed with me. It was very horrible and scared the "you know what" out of me. That was the first time that I'd ever heard that particular night time noise. Fortunately, the raccoon last night must have been further away or it would have sounded even scarier.

In the Spring here , we usually hear the tree frogs in the evenings. We live nearby a swampy area, so it sounds like hundreds of the little frogs chirping away. We also hear the geese honking and cattle mooing from the farm. These are all relaxing noises to me.

Dammit Boots

Here we go again on watching our language! Especially me! After Metal Boy's check-up appointment, I took the kids to Target to shop. Metal Girl picked out these lovely green froggy boots as a treat for being so especially nice during the appointment. She has been asking for rain boots for a long time. She loves them dearly and wants to wear them ALL the TIME everywhere we go. Well, yesterday she was kicking at Metal Boy with them, so I um said something like "dammit those boots". So the boots were put away, and last night she asked if she could wear her " Dammit Boots". Sigh. Aren't these the cutest little dammit boots you ever did see?

MG has started insisting on doing things herself and wanting to try new things. I was making omelets for she and I, and she wanted to crack the eggs. I want to be patient and let her try new things, but I only had three eggs left! I didn't let her do it, so she had a trantrum. Then she later had a tantrum because she wanted to wash the dishes. I had already finished them, but she kept crying and saying "I want to do dishes by myself!" over and over. Mark let her help him do the dishes later after dinner. She was so tickled. :)

Favorite Children's Book?

I love children's books. This morning I took the kids to a puppet show at the library based on Jan Brett's book The Mitten. We barely got there in time at 10 AM. All the traffic lights were green, so I was lucky! I love to read, but have been reading lots of children's books during the last three years for obvious reasons. I love them. I especially love Jan Brett's books. Her art work is so unique and beautiful. Metal Girl has also fallen in love with these stories. I made her a felt mitten with all the animals. We have to do this story every night. We also love Trouble With Trolls by this author.

I have lately been reading books that I loved as a child. I just read some of the Trixie Beldon mysteries. Next, I'm going to read a classic book that I've never read... Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I watched the first part of the Jane Eyre miniseries on PBS last Sunday evening. Are you guys reading anything good right now?

I feel rejuvenated today. It was nice to get out and do things. I got off to an extra nice start because the kids slept in today! This is a rarity indeed. I had a precious hour of free time this morning! It's amazing all the things that I was able to do within that hour. I knew that I had to take advantage of it while I could. :)

Night Time Peace

* Van Gogh's Starry Night *




Everyone is in bed sleeping soundly. This is my time to myself. I have been terrible about getting started on the exercising. I did it one night and then nothing the rest of the week. Sigh.
Mark and I had a rare 45 minutes of quiet time on Friday evening. We had gone to the bank and were then going to get groceries. It got really quiet in the back of the car, and we realized both kids were sleeping! At the same time! It was SO UNUSUALLY QUIET. Instead of going to the nearby grocery store, we decided to go further to have a nice drive and time to talk.

I won't go on and on about this, but I always get depressed in the winter. It's not too terrible this time, but I do feel like I have less energy. I just don't get anything accomplished with cleaning the house and chores. I know that part of the answer to improve how I feel would be to exercise. I take care of the kids and then don't feel motivation or energy to do much else. I'm trying to cut back on caffeine... I felt so good when I quit drinking coffee while pregnant. So I really have to do these things before I can expect to feel better with my moods and energy level. Hopefully I can get going and feel better.

Last night I stayed up writing in my journal about my new year's resolutions. Well, my main resolution is to start an exercise program tonight. Oh joy! I've really been making excuses about not having time to exercise alone. I do have about two or three hours of free time every night after the kids go to bed. That's plenty of time to exercise. I really don't want anyone to see me doing it because I'm not all that coordinated, so this will be the perfect thing for me. I know that this will only help me, so tonight's the night!! I'm not going to make any other resolutions because this is a really big one for me. There are definitely other areas in my life that I need to improve, but I think that this is the most important one.

I've been a little homesick for my family and the mountains in Tennessee. I've been remembering some happy times when I was a kid.



My dad used to get excited when we had snow. He loved Winter and Christmastime. Sometimes the mountains would have snow even if we didn't get it in the valley. Dad would take us up to Gatlinburg in his blue chevy truck. The rocky sides of the mountain along the winding road were covered in glistening icesicles. This is a picture along the road up to Gatlinburg in the Smoky Mountains that I found online. Just like I remember it.

I've really been missing my family. People I love age while I'm away, so I think about how they're not going to be here forever. Every moment we share with people we love is precious. My Dad died when I was eight, but he sure knew how to make lasting memories for me. I really want to write about them here sometimes. I don't want to forget those special times.

I've been just a bit sad thinking too much about things. I think that when I was sick I felt sorry for myself and then started thinking about sad things. I felt extremely crummy and felt so bad that I couldn't think straight enough to get us to the doctor. I thought that it was a really REALLY bad cold, but I'm pretty convinced that we had the flu. It went on and on for at least seven days, we had fevers and aching muscles, head colds and I was so weak that I could barely stand up in the shower. We're finally on the mend, but I really really should have taken the kids both to the doctor. I just didn't realize that it was worse than a cold. : ( The important thing is that we are ok now. Next time I'll be going to the doctor with the slightest sniffle. It usually doesn't happen this way with me being sick too.

We're finally getting our normal cold weather here in Maryland. I sure hope that it kills some of these germs. There are so many yucky stomach viruses, flus and colds being passed around. Just about everybody I know has been sick with something. I also hope that we get a beautiful bunch of snow soon!

Happy Birthday Bubby!

Today is my little boy's very first birthday. He is the sweetest little guy and is such a joy. He is very comical and seems to have a great sense of humor even at such a young age. He really makes us smile and keeps us laughing. He was giving big sis kisses yesterday. Happy birthday to you little bubby!

Crappy Colds

Metal Mark has been spared so far, but the rest of us have had the worst crappiest colds. I can handle taking care of the kids when they're sick...even at the same time... but it gets harder when I'm sick too. Thank goodness Mark was able to take off early one day from work. Then I was already taking off on Friday to help at Metal Girl's preschool. That's when I got really sick with the cold. Last night was a blessing because Metal Boy slept through the night. Then he was hungry at 6:30am but went right back to sleep after that!!!! Boy, that was some much needed sleep.

Metal Boy will turn 1 on Tuesday!!!! He shares his birthday with his grandfather "Pap-pap". It's hard to believe that this past year has flown by so fast!

There goes New Year's Resolution #1

I would have been doing really well if I hadn't had to put together MG's big girl bed. I had really been holding back on cussing in front of her. Then I decided to put the bed together. It had ten million screws and bolts, so I think I may have said that many curse words. Sigh. Maybe since we're only three days into the new year I can start over. Think so? Anyway, the bed is put together, but I left the crib in her room just incase we can't get her to stay in the new bed tonight.

Both kids have been sick for the last few days. Oh no...I just heard MG say a bad word while she's playing. Maybe I should get out the soap and lick it. Instead of eating chocolate, maybe I deserve a big bar of soap.

Even though they've been sick, today was much better. They both have colds, but their appetites are back to normal.

Merry Christmas!

It really was a fun Christmas eve getting ready for Santa. MG got carrots and cookies ready for the reindeer and Santa. She insisted on carrying the plates over to the little table by the Christmas tree.... all the while tripping along in her Elmo slippers. I think that she had as much fun getting ready for Santa as finding the gifts under the tree this morning.

It was a nice Christmas. It feels like it's going by too fast, though. I'm truly dreading going back to work. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble enjoying my job right now, but I won't wreck the happy spirit of the holiday by talking about that. But I sure wish that I didn't have these feelings about my work. :( I suppose I'll probably write about it here soon so that I can sort things out and get some objective opinions from you guys.

Best Christmas Gift Ever

MG has decided to finally start using the potty! She loves having choices, so it really helped when we got a potty seat and step stool for the big potty that she can flush. So she can choose the little potty or big one and pull-ups or cotton undies. This is a great Christmas gift for me! Less diapers to buy!!!!! And let me tell you, a 2 and 1/2 year olds diapers are the worst to change. Very disgusting.

All I Want for Christmas

It's really fun celebrating Christmas this year. MG is so excited about everything. It really brings back the magic of the season for me. She told Santa that she wants trains and lollypops. MM and I got the wooden train set out last night and put it together.

We also decided to take all those annoying horrid wires and packaging for the other toys. I spend about 15 minutes on a leapfrog train set for MB. Phew! I'm glad that I took care of that early instead of waiting till Christmas day when they open their presents. It's so ironic that the toy itself has to meet all kinds of standards to make it safe for kids, but it's packed into the box with 50 choking hazards. It makes sense that a parent needs to take it out of the packaging before giving it to the kid, but it's so easy for any one of those small wire twist ties or plastic pieces to fall into the floor.

Tomorrow we're going to make one simple kind of cookie and easy easy easy chocolate covered pretzels. I've learned that staying simple is best at this point. For Christmas day, I'm going to make Pretzel Strawberry Salad! It's sooooooo goooood! And very pretty! Crushed pretzels are the crust, then there's a layer of cream cheese w/coolwhip and a layer of strawberries & strawberry jello. I decided to make it after MM dropped a container of pretzels on the floor, crushing them...just perfect for my recipe!

Christmas shopping is finished! Thank goodness. I had to do grocery shopping today, and it was pretty wild...especially in the meat department. They had boneless chicken breast for $1.00 per pound, so everyone was trying to get at it. Then MG decided to run down the aisles yelling "Mommy! Mommy!" from the next aisle over. She was pretty good though, and entertained the other customers in our check-out line by singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" at the top of her lungs. Then she notice that people were looking and got embarrassed. It was cute.

Well, take care! Hope that you're all enjoying the holiday season too!

Santa's Spies

We've been warning MG everytime that she's "bad" that Santa is watching, and that he will only bring her toys if she's being good. Yesterday morning she believed us. There was a huge deer buck out in the field in front of our house. When I told her to come and see him, she said in awe "It's a reindeer!" I told her that he was really out there watching to see if she's being good. :)

Christmas Crazies

My wild toddler girl has been acting just awful and wilder than wild during the last two weeks. It has been pretty terrible and crazy at times. I was really getting worried and stressed out and wasn't thinking clearly because of lack of sleep. I talked to a friend about this last night. She's a mother of three boys, so she laughed when I told her about MG. She was not shocked at all and said simply "It's because of the holidays." It really does make sense when I think about it. It's not a complicated issue of knowing right from wrong or anything like that. It's just that we're all acting so unusual talking about Santa and Christmas presents and breaking so totally away from the routine normal everyday things that she is so used to. It's all very extra exciting. So I deleted my last gotta go to church entry. I do want to go, but that's a separate issue from MGs wild holiday antics. Thank goodness!!!

As you can guess, I had a full night of sleep last night!!!!! MB got me up only once around 2 or 3 am. It was a real miracle! I can't tell you the last time he only got me up once. The norm is 3 or 4 times. We had such a good day. I felt so alert and uncrazy. What a relief! I had begun to fear that I might be losing my sanity. :) It's amazing how sleep deprivation affects me. It's not pretty. I need my sleep.

I had been giving MB baby medicine for the terrible teething, but he is such a big boy. I was giving him the highest dosage on the package...for a 2 year old, but the doctor told me that I need to give him more because he's heavier than the typical 2 year old. So last night was the first time he had the bigger dose. His teething is so painful, and his gums bleed every time. Poor little guy. I'm glad the medicine helped him sleep last night.

I forgot to tell you that MB stood up on his own for the first time on Saturday! He did it at the library where there's a little table with Thomas trains! He stood up so that he could play with the trains. This is exciting since we got them a wooden train set for Christmas. He stood for a long time, fell down once and then pulled himself up again to get at the trains. And lucky me, I had my camera! I will post a picture of this exciting event soon! I'm so happy with my digital camera. I printed out the pictures today, and they are so beautiful. The Christmas pose turned out so good in front of our tree.

Well, that's it for me! Have a great rest of the week! If you have kids...tell me, do they get wild and crazy during the holidays? I need to know that I'm not alone! :)

MG's Fashionable Blankies

MG has been asking me to paint her nails, so yesterday we bought some new fingernail polish. I asked MG to choose three colors . Her first choice was minty green. I said "Oh, that's so pretty." She explained, "It matches Green!" (Green is the name of her favorite blanky) Sure enough, it is the exact shade of green as her blanky. When we got home I had to paint her nails, and she grabbed "Green" to compare colors. A perfect match! :)

Weaning

Yeah, it's definitely time to wean Mr. Mommy Milk Boy. He's started biting me! On top of getting me up several times last night, he topped it all off by biting me as hard as he could! That was a rude awakening. He drinks formula from a sippy cup, so the only problem I anticipate is nighttime feedings. Soon he'll be able to drink whole milk anyway.

I have an early Christmas present. We finally decided to get a digital camera. I really love it. It's so nice to be able to erase pictures that don't turn out good. And then I can print out only the ones that I want. We were a little behind in the times still using our film camera. Although, there still may be occasions where I want to use it.

Well, that's it for me. I have kids waiting for the Mommy Show Entertainment hour. :)

Tagged by Two!

I was tagged a few days ago by Linda and have been waiting around to post because I don't know how to tag people. I've also been tagged by Barbara. They're both really fun Christmas themed topics, so I'm going to go ahead and post. Later, I'll get MM to show me how to tag people and then I'll do that tomorrow. Or....pretend that I tagged you and let me know if you put it on your blog! :)

Tagged by Barbara...
Top 5 Christmas Songs-
1. Jingle Bells
2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
3. Away in a Manger
4. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
5. Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon

Tagged by Linda...
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Presents from Santa are wrapped, but not so when I was a kid.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We have colored lights on our tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I think it would be a fun tradition.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We usually put them up right after Thanksgiving. This year we actually put some Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. I've gotten extra excited about it this year.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I really love cornbread dressing if we have turkey on Christmas. This year we're having ham, so I can't think of a way to work in my dressing.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? We used to go to my maternal grandparents' house on Christmas eve. It was so much fun. We'd stay there till very late at night and then arrive back home to discover that Santa had visited a little early.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was in third grade. I remember knowing for a while, but didn't want to admit it.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I think that we sometimes do. I can't remember if we did last year though.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Our tree has some of MM's ornament's from when he was a kid...like a homemade angel from his grandmother. There are a few homemade ones and other fun things for the kids. We collect Snoopy ornaments.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I really do love the snow, but I'm so inexperienced with driving in it. I try to stay off the roads.

12. Can you ice skate? I have gone ice skating once and fell so many times! I love to watch ice skating on TV.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I think that my favorite gift was a special doll from my grandmother when I was a little girl. I think her name was Dancerella or something. She was brunette (like me) and could dance on her toes and twirl when you turned a pink tiara on her head.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with family and enjoying our children.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? I love Christmas cookies, but my Mom always makes cheesecake with cherry topping. That's my favorite!

16. What tops your tree? A Red Velvet Bow.

17. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Giving. It's so much fun to surprise the people I love.

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I've always loved "Jingle Bells" and "Away in a Manger".

19. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?? Yum.

20. What do you serve for Christmas dinner? We usually have dinner at Mark's parents' house, and it's either ham or turkey with sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, corn bread dressing, gravy.