There comes a time every year

I love my Moleskein datebooks. 

I have been using the Moleskein soft cover small pocket daily planner since sometime around 2008. 

And at the end of every year it is time to transfer all of the pertinent information from the year ending into the next year's book.

I flip through page by page and copy all the important details. Mainly birthdays but occasionally things I like to keep a yearly record of. 

As I was going through my 2014 datebook I found some really neat reminders. 

The day his sister and I had to take a 4 hour round trip to pick up the boys new truck while he was still in Afghanistan. The day the boy came home from Afghanistan, including the exact date that his boots touched American soil again. The day I spent a couple of hours looking for and purchasing our hotel rooms for our whirlwind Florida trip this summer. The day I weighed in at 128.08 lbs and freaked the hell out. The day my oldest finally started at a job that would mean she would finally become self sufficient and wouldn't never again have to rely on someone to help her through.The day we celebrated the pending wedding of Brat#4 to his girlfriend of almost 4 years. The date of the beautiful wedding they shared at Springhill College Chapel. The day we drove to Tennessee to visit the newlyweds in their new apartment, and then had a blast at the Bristol race.

Birthday parties I attended, anniversaries remembered.Planning for visits and get togethers and barbeques and taking and meeting old friends out for great food and lots of laughs and good times.

 

It's all in this little book that I throw in my purse everyday and jot stuff down to remind me what I always forget to do.

I can even look back through this little book and see what kind of weather we have had. How old my chickens are. How many eggs we are getting at certain times of the year. Who was sick and who had school functions, whether I went to them or not.

And every Alabama football game I watched. Most with the finishing scores.

This is the best part of the end of a year for me. Going through this little black book and looking back over a year that is always full of good times and bad, friends and family, smiles, laughter and tears. 

I've been doing it for quite a while now, you should too, you will thank me at the end of next year ;0)

BAH HUMBUG

 I'm feeling a little scroogish today!

 

Between the stores putting out the Christmas decorations before Halloween, the TV commercials pushing early Christmas buying and a few radio stations already going to Christmas music all day long, I AM OVER IT!

I remember when my kids were little, I loved Christmas, even when we hardly had any money to buy them anything, we still managed to have great Christmas mornings and happy faces all day. They didn't care if I spent a dollar or a hundred. They enjoyed everything about Christmas. The lights, the music, the family.

Now it's buy as much as you can and make sure everyone gets the same amount spent on them and if you do give out handmade gifts, it better come with a gift card attached. 

I hate, hate, hate Christmas time.
It was bad enough when we couldn't even get past Thanksgiving before the Christmas stuff went up at the stores, but this year we didn't even get through Halloween before they started putting up and pumping down our throats, "You can buy more  if you start now" "Layaway now, in October, for Christmas"  Ugggghhhh! Stop it!

I guess this year, because it has started so early, it has pissed me off more than normal. I feel like I am being forced to outdo last year, to make it better, buy more, make it bigger. 




Yes, I could say, "You know what, we aren't falling into this hyped up bullshit this year" then I have 6 sad little faces looking at me like "WTF MiMi"

I guess my bad attitude could have a little bit to do with the fact I no longer have those little smiling faces to wake up to on Christmas morning. No little thunder feet running to my room whispering "should we wake them up?" It's mainly just Me and DH now and though it's a great day with him, it's not near as fun as it used to be until later in the day when we get together with all the family and friends. 

I miss those Christmas mornings.

 

When it's cold and I'm lazy

Something happened while we slept last night. 
The rain moved in and the temperature dropped, a lot! Brrrr baby! It's cold outside!
As usual when the cold weather finally does find it's way down here to the Gulf Coast, I start thinking about cooking heavier meals. 
Meals we don't normally eat in the summertime because it is just too damned hot to fill up on heavy food. 
Summer time is for salads and veggies and steaks on the grill. 
Oh wait, steaks on the grill are a year round thing.....skip that last part.
Winter is for chicken and dumplings and chili and mashed potatoes and thick hardy soups. 

This morning I decided I wanted something we haven't had since early last winter. 
My lazy BBQ chicken.
Yes that's actually what I call it because it takes absolutely no effort whatsoever. 
 
 

At the moment Sweet Baby Ray's is the sauce of choice because it was on sale a few months ago at the grocery. So I stocked up and quickly named it "the favorite" so everyone wouldn't wonder why I have so much of it.

I don't mind all this cold weather really. I just don't like the cold and wet weather. 
When I used to live in Virginia Beach it would drop down below 60 degrees and it would be chilly but comfortable. You didn't need much more than a long sleeved t-shirt and you were fine. 
Down here on the Gulf Coast our winters are cold and wet. The air is always damp, I'm surprised when it freezes that stuff doesn't just freeze right there, stuck in mid air. So when we get cold? It's to the bone.  But I do love pulling out my sweaters.  No not the funky Christmas sweaters with the horridly huge picture of Santa on it. Just regular everyday long sleeved shirts and sweaters. I love 'em.  They hide all kinds of imperfections! ;0)

Waffle House is a wonderful thing!

With a couple of minutes before I have to be at the doc's for my annual "titty sammich", I decided to stop in at Waffle House.
It is one if the best places to people watch, ever!

I've seen a Purple Heart veteran who sat quietly eating, eyes constantly darting around. To me he looks a little paranoid and I am pretty sure he didn't like the crowd. He left fairly quickly.
The booth in front of me was occupied by what I am pretty sure was a hooker and her pimp. All business those two! Each with a phone in their ear and whispering back and forth.

There's the usual coffee lurkers just waiting for someone to come in that they recognize, and all the regulars that come in for a quick cup and some conversation.

I know when I am out at night, dancing and drinking, before I head home, it's Waffle House. That's when all the really crazy people are there. That's when I fit right in ;0)