Why is it that when I finally give in and blog that I finish the whole darn thing and all of the sudden get a "runtime" error a few moments before hitting submit?? Okay, no complaints...it's the holidays. I wasn't really planning on blogging today....it's funny how it gets easier and easier to not blog. You miss a day or two and the edge goes away! Buttttt, I have all these blogs going through my noggin and I figured I would get at least one holiday one out and online....to free up some of my thinking room!

Santa's Noisy Arrival

Today, I'll share with you one of my mommy moments! I'm sorry....this second blog won't be half as entertaining as the first one was....I just don't have the umph now! Andddd.....since it's not a long rambling one....I'll just show the pictures in a slide show instead of posting them all throughout the blog....much easier!

Starting to Fill the Stockings!

A few years ago, I bought an oh-so-fabulous Santa suit at a yard sale. (shockers!?!) For the low, low price of $5. Not bad for a get-up that holds the promise of being a kiddo smile inducer...eh? Last Christmas, I nicely asked my husband to don it for a bit so I could do something fun for my kiddo.

Playing with the Thing-a-ma-jig

My kiddo and I had spent Christmas Eve afternoon baking and painting sugar cookies. As an aside....can I just tell y'all that I think the Crisco Butter Sticks Sugar Cookie recipe is the absolute best??? Anyway.....ohhh...and I don't really like icing, so we always use eye yolk coloring. What's that, you ask? Well...it's easy. Just mix an egg yolk with a bit of water, separate it into a few different dishes, add some food coloring....and bam....instant color! It's fun to paint on with paint brushes. Then, all you have to do is dust them with sugar, pop them into the oven, and they emerge pale, pretty, and shiny! (Without all the added calories of icing)

Checks out the Loot under the tree

Back to the story.......so, after my kiddo finally went to bed (after leaving out a plate of the cookies for Santa...along with some carrots for the reindeer) I started to snap some pictures. My cover story?? Well, I told my kiddo that I fell asleep on the sofa and was woken up by the front door opening (we don't have a working chimney...just an old one for a wood stove...no fireplace). I supposedly grabbed my 007 camera (okay...it's just a plain-o Olympus) and started taking some pictures when Santa wasn't looking!

He sees himself in an ornament!

I took pictures of him coming into the house, checking out the stockings, eating the goodies, playing with the toys he was leaving, checking out the tree (and the ornament that looked like him), leaving the house, on the porch, etc. I had a lot of fun in my deception!

Yummy Cookies!

My kiddo wakes up the next morning....and is all excited about the full stockings. I start jumping up and down allllll excitedly telling him about what happened!!! I told him that I alread had the pictures on the computer ready to show him. I had made up a slide show of about a dozen pictures for him.

The Exit

The kid was grinning from ear to ear....asking all sorts of questions. "Did he ever see you Mommy"??? "Did he eat alllll the cookies", etc. I know, I know.....I was lying....but it was for the sake of fun and happiness. Someday, he'll look back at the pictures and realize that Santa looks a lot like his Daddy...hahahaha. Until then, I just have to smile everytime I hear him telling one of his friends about how Mommy caught Santa last Christmas Eve!

Sneaking off the Porch...back to his sleigh

I wish a veryyyy Merry Christmas upon allllll y'all! I'll be travelling the next couple of weekends...doing the family visiting thingy. I probably won't blog again until after the holidays (unless the mood hits me again!) So, until then........y'all be careful.....whether you're travelling or cooking (hahaha...that can be dangerous too!)

(((((((HUGS)))))))

I’m soooo busy today (well, I’m going to be busy as soon as I finish typing this…FOR THE SECOND TIME…GRRRRR), but I just can’t help but do a brag blog about my kiddo!! I’m one proud mom and y’all just have to read about it today!

Some of you already know that my kiddo likes to take pictures. I’ve done a couple of blogs about him and his photos in the past. Well, the PTA does a yearly contest…it’s a national contest…but begins on the local level. It’s called “Reflections” and this year’s theme was “I can make a difference by…….”. If you’re bored and want to read more about it click this link to the national pta website.

Entry Day

Anyway, the contest is a way of promoting the arts in the public schools. Sadly, it’s one of the first areas to get cut when there are budget woes. But…art….every aspect of it is soooo great for their brains and learning. There are several categories in which to enter: dance, music composition, literature, visual arts, photography, etc. The judging is broke down into various levels: K-2nd, 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-12th grades. Andddd…the best part…..they are totally impartial judges. No popular voting! Yay!!

My kiddo entered one of his tree pictures. Some of my readers that I’ve known for awhile might recognize this picture. It’s not the same one you saw months ago….but it’s a redo of it. His new camera has more better capabilities when it comes to blowing the photos up. Soooooo, one morning….he went outside and retook his tree picture. He’s looking up into our biggo oak tree in the back yard. Now you know how a tree looks from a six year old’s perspective!

How a 6yr old Sees an Oak Tree

I get a call on Sunday night. It’s a lady from the school informing me that he has won First Place in his division! Yayyyy. She gives me the date/place/time for the award ceremony. I’m excited for him……First place at his school (so I thought!)

The Yummy Dinner

We get to the awards place. First thing we see is a biggo food setup. Hmmm…this isn’t just a silly award ceremony. It’s a banquet of sorts….glad I dressed up a tad! We eat, listen to a bunch of boring speeches (haahah…sorry), and then they start announcing the awards! This is when I realize that he hasn’t just won First Place at his school…….

He’s Won First Place City Wide!!!

The Certificate (Plaque Coming Later)

The Memphis City Schools have 108 elementary schools. I’m sure that not all schools participate in the contest……but a lot do. It’s totally voluntary. Apparently, the judges picked his photograph as the First Place winner out of all the entries! Yay kiddo!!! Now, it will be sent on to the State level for judging…..sometime in February. I’m not sure how he will do on that level….but darn it….I don’t care!! I’m soooooo proud of him doing well at the school and city level!!

Receiving the Award

One final note….and a funny (I think my original blog was much more entertaining….sorry, we always lose something in a do-over!). After the ceremony was finally over, my kiddo asked me to walk back up front with him. He wanted to go ask a question to the State PTA lady who had flown in from Chattanooga for the ceremony. I say, “okay” thinking he just wants to tell her that his Grandparents live there. We approach her and he asks, “When do I get my $1000????” Hahahahah….omg…mortification sets in on my face as she looks at him quizzically! Then the light bulb goes off! Hahaa…my kiddo is getting the Chick-Fil-A photo contest prize mixed up with this one! I inform him that he will have to be happy with a certificate and an engraved plaque (which wasn’t back from the engravers yet…awwww….oh, well…he’ll get it soon!)

Our Self-Portrait!

Okay, I’m done bragging…..I can’t help it….I’m a proud mommy!!!

I don't think I've given my opinion (blog-wise) on more than a couple of books. I'm not sure why I haven't.....because I'm a totallllllly biggo reader. Oh wait....I did do a fantastic review on "Nerd in Shining Armor" Hahahaha. Anyway.....I just have to plug this book for y'all.

A couple of years ago, an (former.....he was a "poofer"...lol) online friend of mine told me about a book. He had heard about it during his morning commute on NPR. I don't listen to NPR (nothing against it.....just rarely turn on the radio) so of course, I didn't hear of it. He couldn't remember the title or the author, but he told me a bit about the plot. He thought it sounded like something I would really like.....as he knew I loved to read.

So, I started googling (I will control myself and not gush about how much I love google....can't imagine life without it..hahhahaha).....found the title and author: "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. Later that day, I made a trip up to the library, found the book, and came home.

From the moment I opened the book to the first page......I couldn't put it down!! It captivated me.....it drew me in....it made me want for more. In other words......a great book! I finished it the next evening or so......and sent my (former..hahahah...I can't help it) friend a message thanking him for the recommendation. He was surprised I had already not only found it, but also had read it completely.

So, when I saw that the author had written another book.....I was quite excited! Oh....the title...."A Thousand Splendid Suns". I guess it actually came out this summer.....but I was a tad busy to fight for it at the library!! Friday, I had about 30mins before picking up my kiddo from school, so I zipped into the library. There on the shelf it sat.....like it was saying, "I'm waiting for you!!!"

I started it Saturday afternoon (after the all-important yard sales...hahahah) and didn't really put it down until this morning at 8:30am. Yes, I'll admit.....I woke up...shipped my kiddo off to school, climbed BACK into bed and proceeded to read! It's just as good or better than the first book.

I won't bore you with a long synopsis....you can go to Wikipedia (the page on the book) for that. My realllly quick synopsis: it's set in Afghanistan (like "Kite Runner")....and follows the lives of women (as opposed to men in "Kite Runner"). It follows them through a few decades...through their lives, their hardships, their loves, their losses, and gives you a real impression what life is/was like in Afghanistan from a woman's point of view. Okay...that is about the most vague synopsis.....buttttttt all I wanted to say today was, "Go borrow, order, check out....whatever......this book.....it's worth it!"

I always find it amazing how our bodies work. We really are pretty intricate creatures. I woke up a few minutes ago due to my body waking me out of sleep. I was in self-protection mode!!! It's like my brain/body knew I couldn't handle too much more of my dream so it threw down the white flag.

What was the dream? Well, I'll tell you. (Not much to tell actually....I only remember the last part) Apparently, I was attending some kind of golf tournament. No, that would more than likely NEVER happen....but in my dream I was. The only golf I play or watch is Gooney Golf (miniature golf....but the place I went as a kid was called "Sir Gooney's Family Fun Center" sooooo all miniature golf is referred to as "gooney golf" by me). Oh wait...hmmm....golf....I did watch a really good movie about it a couple years ago......."The Greatest Game Ever Played". Look it up.....it's good!

Anyway....where was I? Ohhhh.....the golf tourney. I guess I got bored (go figure) and decided to start moving my belongings to my car. First of all, how much does one take to a golf tournament and WHY did I have stuff in the locker room there??? Weird. So, I decide to walk allllllll the way to my car with a pile of clothes. I didn't luck into a close parking spot so I was kinda in the back 40 by myself. (Why do they call it the back 40????) I get there and someone has written on my back window with window paint. I'm irritated, but get over it. I open the back (SUV...yes, I'm bad...I own two) and throw my belongings in.

All of the sudden two people come out of nowhere. One reaches up and closes the back of my vehicle for me. I say "thank you" because out of nowhere a soda and a purse have materialized in my hands......making my hands full and unable to shut the door. (Stupid dreams) Then I start to make my way back to the tournament. They are walking beside me. The guy (I could sooooo ID him for a sketch artist right now) smiles and says to me, "I was just checking my pockets and they seem to be empty." Weird, I think. Then he smiles again and says, "I think I'll be needing your purse." I look at him and respond, "Would it be awkward to ask you to rob someone else? You see, I just got my purse stolen a year or so ago....soooo I've had MY turn?"

He didn't like this idea. Sheeeeeesh...where are the thoughtful crooks. He proceeds to grab the handle of my purse (lovely salmon colored Nine West bag) and sticks a gun in my ribs. THAT'S WHEN I AWOKE!!!!!!

Let me explain some of my crazy brain activity and see where a bit of this ties in. Hmmm.....golf: My kiddo asked to go play Putt-putt today. Hmmm...the salmon purse: I just bought it yesterday at a yard sale...it's sooooo pretty! Hmmm....the writing on the car window: remember from an October blog that someone vandalized my car one night....with a reallllllly big bad word. Hmmm....the parking in a dark place: last night I went to a play and parked in my normal spot, started walking before realizing that I had to detour (because of construction) around the back of the building...it was kinda dark & I was a tad nervous (held my keys between my fingers ready to jab their eyes out!). And lastly....hmmmmm....the stolen purse: mine got stolen last year and I guess I'm still a bit perturbed about it!

So, there you have it.....an "I woke up from a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep" blog!! Y'all have a great Sunday (mine will sooooo include a nap!!!)

~~~p.s.~~~ the picture is from Mud Island down by the docking area.