Tonight, I was back into my element. I got to fix supper for 4 people again. It was us and Dallas and his girlfriend. I fixed fried pork chops, home canned pinto beans, corn from our garden, Mac and cheese and scalloped squash and Zucchini.
I have got the living room ready to decorate. We went and got all our Christmas stuff out of our barn. This is as far as I got today. Dear Hubby and Dallas ran some errands today and got back later than expected so I got a late start and had to start supper.
Well, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things around here. Here lately I am not wanting to leave my bed. I think I have been catching up on lost sleep. Now I know how dear hubby feels when he has to constantly sleep on different beds. There is no place like home. We will be checking into getting another mattress topper for traveling. Sometimes if dear hubby has to get a house somewhere to rent he still takes some of his own stuff. Now that I will be going with him, I will too.
I have been trying to get my house back in order. Dallas did good keeping the house somewhat clean but I am OCD and you know how that is.
Dear hubby had the house cleaned for me twice before we came home so I could come home and relax but after we brought all of our stuff in, I've had to put it all away. Needless to say, I have organized my side of our closet and rearranged the way I have some things and also purged some clothes. I just went around my whole bedroom and did this. Even my dresser drawers. I filled up two and a half garbage sacks.
Yes I had stripped our bed and washed sheets because Dallas camped in our room like he owned the place while we were gone. 😂
I am having to rearrange the girls playroom and move some things into there just through the Christmas holidays because I am going to start decorating and will need the space.
They are not too excited about still going to a baby sitter even though I am home though. It is breaking my heart but I will have to explain to them that we will still need her sometimes. We are fixing to do a kitchen makeover and we do not need them underfoot or getting hurt. This project has to be done before February.
We need to still keep this routine because when we do leave out again in February, they want have to go through the whole process of finding and getting use to someone again. They will have plenty of times to stay with us before we leave again. They are coming Wednesday and all day with us until Thursday evening. I'm going to let them help me decorate and we are going to roast hot dogs and marshmallows.
I had to go through all the girls clothes I have here too and put away what was in their suitcases and pack up clothes that don't fit anymore. I did an inventory of what they need for the winter and will get what they need for our house. Yes, I have always done this since they were born. I have my own things here so their parents don't have to haul clothes and suitcases and diaper bags back and forth all the time.
As soon as I get everything situated and back to normal and the house decorated for Christmas, I am joining in on hunting. I don't even have the room to bring in my hunting gear until I get my house back in order.
Dear hubby went to his mommas house yesterday to check on everything and I know it was hard for him.
Dear hubby has also been hunting and working on our hunting blinds. I am ready to take our girls practice hunting. Maybe if we're lucky we can out hunt the guys.
It was kind of chilly when they came in from working outside, I had home canned vegetable soup and corn bread ready.
Now it's just some relaxing time with my sweetheart.
Boy, it has been a good few weeks.
I'm just going to go back and copy and paste from Facebook what happened on our days, because I can't go back and remember. LOL.
Since I posted last, I got to treat myself. Dear Hubby had been telling me since I'd been there to go somewhere and pamper myself. So, one day I bit the bullet and took his advice. My sweetheart has been telling me for three months that I need to just spoil myself, so today I did just that and I have enjoyed myself so much. I have never had a spa day until today. Body massage, facial, and full pedicure. I literally felt all the bad things leave my body 😂😂
Gents, if you don't know what to get your lady for any special occasion or just a "Because I love you and you deserve it " gift, get her a spa day package. ❤
Dakota called me one day and said he was headed to AR to a duck club lease he was in and wanted to know if we wanted to see the girls. Well, yes. I didn't even let him get it all out of his mouth before I answered. So we left in the morning and I met him half way. I was so excited and so were they. I cried and they cried. I told him we only had a week left out here and they could just spend it with us and we would bring them back home with us.
We had alot of catching up to do on our snuggles.
First thing I did was give them their princess dresses I bought for them and they loved them and had to play in them, even outside and even doing chores. More on that in a minute.
I still had all their things out there from the last time they came to see us. It's a good thing I did. They knew right where everything was.
I had also went to a thrift store and bought some new things for them. Going to thrift stores pays off sometimes. We will be having church this morning. 🙏
Atleigh had gotten up at 6:30 am that morning and had already made up her and sissies bed. Didn't even ask her to.
This man said I was grounded from going anywhere else cause I done bought them a toy today. Guess who walks in with bags of candy. He said, "They're sick!" 😅😅😅😅😅
The first thing Caroline says to poppie is, "Let's fight. 😅😅😅😅
Caroline is a fighter and all she wants to do is wrestle. Atleigh is a lover and just wants to read books or do school.
He didn't miss them one bit 😂😂
They crawled up into his lap and played on this little piano and he sang to them.
One night they asked if they could wash dishes, so I said why not. I'm cooking. Team Dixon. I said Poppie is gonna come home to a clean house and clean children. Now Atleigh is saying, "Clean house, clean children." She understands the assignment. She is going to make a great wife some day. I am already praying for their future husbands. ❤🙏
Some things never change. This man is at it a second time around. You see, when the boys were little and we were home all day, cleaning, cooking, chores and home schooling, the minute dad came home from work, he would take over. I was able to finish what ever I needed to do.
This was the highlight of his day was coming home and playing with his boys.
Now he does it with our girls. He never ceases to amaze me.
These girls have not forgot a thing I taught them. While I was in the shower, Atleigh had cleaned up the living room. When I came to look at her work, I saw Caroline sweeping. I did not even ask. They surprise me so much. 😇 and I also found my next corn shucker
They were so good to help without being asked and they were on their best behavior, I took them to their (and mine) favorite place one morning.
Yep, donuts 🍩
And then to a little play place they like because it was too cold to go to the park. I didn't get any pics of them playing because they had met a few little friends and were busy. But they and their friends kept bringing me stuffed animals to keep me company while they played.
Then Poppie comes home with little donuts for breakfast the next morning. 😋
And this happened one day:
Oh my gosh. This child. I am about to cry. Atleigh came and told on her sister for getting into the candy. I did not know until later that little Miss Atleigh was the one who snuck and got the candy and gave both of them some. She got her sister in trouble but didn't tell me she was the one who did it too.
When I finally got the truth out of her, I told her to go to her room and sit and tell God and talk to him and tell him she's sorry for lying to Gmaw and getting her sister in trouble.
Ya'll this child is pouring her heart out to God and crying. My heart is breaking but I am not going to intervene. This is the way it should be when you have a repentive heart and you ask God for forgiveness. If more grown ups were as remorseful and repentive like a little child, this world would be a better place.
Bless this child and her little heart. ❤
Finally the day came for us to pack the vehicles and head for home. They were helping Poppie take things outside.
These girls have enjoyed road trips all summer coming to see Poppie and Gmaw at his "job house" but bless their hearts they said they were ready to go to "home home" which you know where that is. Yep, Poppie and Gmaws house. ❤❤ Bless our sweet girls. But, I know exactly how they feel and now I understand how David Dixon feels coming home after being gone so long. 3 months was a long time. There is no place like home. I have never been so ready to sleep in my own bed in all my life.
We got back home and Dakota came to pick them up and of course they wrapped themselves around my legs and said they weren't leaving. They were staying here. Bless them. ❤
They did have to go though because they had a get together at their other Grandmothers house for Thanksgiving. I told them I would see them in a couple days.
We go the best nights sleep two nights in a row in our own bed.
Thanksgiving day was kind of tragic because in the late afternoon hour, we heard ambulances close by and low and behold I looked out our dining room window and they were at our neighbors. I ran real quick over there and they were leaving with him. I went inside and found the wife and she was so distraught. They wouldn't let her ride in the ambulance so we helped her throw some things together and she left behind them. He was DOA at the hospital. She got to see him and collect his belongings on him and she came back home. I went back over around 9pm and sat with her and let her cry and talk. Then she sent me home because it was 11pm. She needed her rest. We have loved beside them for 15 yrs. They have seen our boys grow up. She is a school bus driver for our local schools. We will continue to care for her. I invited her to our dinner the next day but I guess she just needed time to her self.
Today is the day after Thanksgiving and my parents came and spent the day with us.
Yes, I am still here. I have just been pouring myself into my computer and reading. I have been teaching myself how to use IMovie to edit videos and I'm almost there. I was going to purchase a videography class online and watch it, but I have found helpful videos on YouTube that have helped me get the basics. I had to record a practice clip so I could just play around with it. I did that last night. So today I'm gonna branch out and test the waters. I have been trying to create some images for my intro and outro to my videos. I didn't know how time consuming all this was. But this is what I wanted to do so we are on this road.
We are so ready to get out of here and get back home. Each day, dear hubby will come home and say, "Do you want the good news or bad news first?" They keep extending his release date. Now they have cut us very close to Thanksgiving. Y'all this is the time of the week that I have all my baking and cooking almost done for 2 households. AND I'M STILL HERE!!!!!! I am freaking out. We are heading out WEDNESDAY the day before Thanksgiving. 😠 There is no way I'm calling off our Thanksgiving and not feeding my family....
So....... I was scrolling through FaceBook and saw an advertisement from our local grocery store for Deluxe Thanksgiving meals to preorder. So guess what I did. Yep, I placed and order for our dinner. I was so excited. I have got to make this Thanksgiving just as special since this is the first one without his mother. You see, every year, we cook big meals and the whole family gathered at her house. We had a feast. Got to spend time with all his relatives. Same at Christmas. This was her two biggest holidays she loved the most. Not to mention, in November is his deceased sister and Grandmothers bday. He is having a hard time the past month trying to move forward. It is just so different this year. He is having a hard time dealing with it, and so is our boys. I told him we had to keep going. This is all our boys have known, just like you all your life. I have to make this special. I will pick the dinner up on Thanksgiving day and will add more to it. Our guys always go hunting the morning of and the morning of Good Friday. I guess its a southern thing. It's expected. Maybe when he comes in from hunting he will be better.
He came home from work yesterday and told me that they asked him could he stay longer. Well, this time he said, "NO, MY WIFE WILL KILL ME." and he is right and I will probably go after them too. I am so ready to see our girls too. My dear hubby is even relieving one of my anxieties for me and having my house cleaned two days before so I don't have to rush in and do it when we get home. I am so relieved.
I finished my book by Mrs. Sharon White and was sad. I loved it so much, I ordered some more of hers and they are awaiting me when I get home. In the mean time, I brought this one with me and I will finish it first. It is very good too. As you can see, I love anything to do with The Proverbs 31 Woman. She is my idol.
I also brought this little devotion book with me and I am enjoying it as well.
Dear Hubby has not complained about one thing I have cooked while I have been out here but one night he saw this on Pintrest and wanted to try it. It turned out delicious. It is Frito Pie or Frito Casserole. There is so many versions, just pick the one you like.
Well, I have more classes to watch if I'm ever gonna learn this YouTube stuff. So I'm off but nap first. I will be so glad to get home and sleep past 4am. Except for when we go hunting. Y'all have a blessed day.
Today we pay tribute to our Veterans and I have alot of special ones dear to my heart.
My dear Marine Sweetheart 🇺🇸
Thank you to all who have served and are still serving today to protect our freedoms we so gratefully enjoy.
No, this is not going to be a debate about when you can and can not put your Christmas tree up. If you want to go ahead and put it up, so be it. After the past two years we have had, it is kind of refreshing. If it brings you joy and happiness, by all means do it. We can all use some joy and happiness after what all we have been through and what we are still going through.
I however have always liked to wait until the day after Thanksgiving. I like to celebrate each and every holiday and bestow upon it the attention and beauty it needs. I love Thanksgiving. My momma and my dear mother in law always made it special as so will I. We have always had big meals at my late mother in laws house and this year is going to be so different. I can already sense the mood in my dear hubby. These holidays will be so hard for him and our family. I've got to make sure it is special for him. I want to teach our grandchildren the importance of Thanksgiving and counting your blessings. I can't wait to get home and decorate with my fall placemats, and start planning our menu. My parents started joining us for Thanksgiving a few years ago. My momma always let us do what ever we wanted for Thanksgiving because she knew so many of us had in laws and so many houses to go to that it was just hard. But she was very clear that we had to have our hineys at her house come Christmas night or else. lol. As they got older, I noticed how alone they seemed. Why it never hit me before I don't know. But a few years ago, I told my husband that was going to change. Although we were so worn out from one family get together and not to mention stuffed, I told my husband I wanted to host a get together for my momma and daddy. We ran the idea across them and they discussed it and agreed. Like, Hello? You need to discuss it? Get your hiney to my house or else young lady.. lol. When I did my cooking for my mother in laws house, I would double recipes and make two. That way I had both meals covered. This year I need to make it more special for dear hubby. I think I am going to let him pick the menu. I will fix what ever he wants. I also love spoiling my momma and daddy. She said we should have done this years ago. It's just she knew how tired everyone was from bouncing from house to house especially all in one day. She just didn't want to bother anyone. Well, like I said, I got tired of seeing them alone on Thanksgiving and we changed that. It has been special every since. Just about the time we leave here, It will be close and I will have to deep clean my home first then get to work on my menu and start precooking.
It is not just Thanksgiving that kind of gets left out sometimes, it's other holidays as well. Especially when you have so many close together. Like Valentines and Easter. We kind of skip St. Patrick's Day. Oh well, I love to give each holiday their own special days and recognition. Man, speaking of St. Patrick's day, I went all out that week and each day we did something rainbow. You can go back and check it out. We had a blast.
The day after Thanksgiving I kick it into Christmas mode. I get dear hubby to get all my christmas stuff out and I go to town decorating my home. I do the inside and he does the outside. I will start planning my menu and such.
Hence, the reason for this post. I know the Holidays can get stressful, but they are not suppose to be. The reason they get stressful is because we have become conditioned to believe that it is all about money and pleasing other people that we stress over "gift giving". Christmas is so commercialized about the gift giving that we go into debt trying to find the perfect gift for someone, and we feel obligated to buy someone a gift as not to hurt their feelings. I am just happy with being with my family that that is all that matters to me. Of course when you have children, it is a whole new ball game. Of course I want them to have Christmas presents, Lord knows our grandkids get just as much from us as they do their mommy and daddy. Cause I can. lol. It is a magical time for children. But I put alot of emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas and teach them what it is all about.
I'm going to share some tips on how I try to help keep the stress down for our holidays so we can actually enjoy them.
First, we start shopping very very early. Like around October early. Maybe sooner. You see, companies will try to trick you into believing they run the best deals on Black Friday. I have found that to not be true. I have seen things that I have wanted go on sale on Black Friday, when they ran a sale earlier in the year for around the same price and then I waited until Black Friday and missed my chance because they ran out. Start keeping your eye out for sales through out the year. We know we have a whole year to get ready for the next year right? See, it makes sense. Do Christmas shopping throughout the year, catch sales, and order them or go buy them and put them up. Make a note of who it is for and hide it. You can even go ahead and wrap it and be a step ahead. I do this with stocking stuffers too. My point is, somtimes the sales through out the year comes out to be the same or even better than waiting unil last minute. This also cuts our stress of worrying if they are going to get delivered in time. We have to start early because we have one kids birthday in December, mine and dear hubbys wedding anniversary, and then Christmas all in one week. Then exactly one month after that the other kids birthday. We have done this since our kids were little.
Next is timing for family get togethers. Everyone wants to have something at their home and you find your self rushing around from home to home in a matter of two days. When you have kids, this is alot. Plan some things ahead and see what works best for your family. It is natural for children to want to wake up first thing Christmas morning in their own home and open gifts. Then it is hard to hurry them and whisk them away to someones home a few hrs later then maybe one more place after that. This will create some irritable children, not to mention irritable and exhausted parents. My family has always worked around each other. For instance, My mother in law would have her Christmas with everyone on Christmas eve, Christmas morning was our time with our children. Christmas Night was at my mothers house. Now, when grandchildren came along this added a glinch. Our first Christmas without our oldest son was hard. But he had his own little family to start traditions with now and we had to understand and cope. So we came up with a plan to have Christmas with them and out grand children on another day. So now, we have Christmas with them on the night of the 23rd and we let them spend the night with us and we do all the things with them that we would do and did with our own boys. Then we get up the next morning and they have their Christmas with us. They have the whole day to play and rest before that night which is Christmas Eve. Then they get to do it all again with mommy and daddy for their house. That way we get to have a special day with them and then they are free to enjoy other family members get togethers too. If it is stressful for you and family members, see if someone is willing to change a day they host theirs and work with other family members. Maybe even combine get togethers. It's a start anyway. This can even be done the week before if someone is willing. We have the whole month of December anyway. Who said it had to be on a certain day.
I do not have any traveling tips for the Holidays if you fly or go way out of town for the holidays. We have never had to travel during this time. I'm sure there are great tips out there.
I just had to add this picture. lol
My next is my absolute number one tip and that is menu planning and cooking ahead. I start doing this the day after Thanksgiving as well. I plan my menu way ahead of time, like in late October. Then I will start stocking up on some of the non perishable items a little at a time when they are on sale. Come the day after Thanksgiving I will start precooking alot of my dishes and doubling batches (sometimes I have more than one home to cook for not just mine) and I will put them into the freezer. The night before one of out get togethers, I will pull those dishes for that home to defrost. All I have to do the next morning or before the time to leave is just heat them up and put them into a insulated casserole carrier. Some times I do have things that will need to be last minute or at least the night before. Somethings are just better fresh. But if it can freeze well, then it is going to go on my menu and cooked early. I've had times when I have had to cook for 3 homes and church dinner for the holidays. Yes, I wound up tripling recipes to make it easier on me. This goes for my baking treats and desserts too. I always make treats for all the children on my side of the family and dear hubbies side too. That is alot of kids. I try to keep it simple but I get such joy from it. It has to be something that will keep for a few weeks too so I can bag them real pretty and set them aside.
If finances are a problem, start at the beginning of the year and make a christmas budget and set aside a small amount each pay check to save for gifts. Wrap gifts as you purchase them and hide them.
All I can say is don't wait until the last minute to do ANYTHING. Start earlier in the year or at least a few moths early. Commercializing and trying to get things done at the last minute is robbing us of our joy during the holiday season that we go through it in a blur and do not take the time to slow down and enjoy being with family. We forget what it is all about. Then before we know it, it is a new year and we wonder where the time went and some are just glad it is over. That is sad. Take time to enjoy the holidays and family. Because one day you will look back and loved ones will be gone and you will wish you had this time back.
I hope some of these ideas have helped you. If you do not get a chance to start early this year, because here we are only weeks from Christmas, make it a point to start in January of next year. Get a planner and write things down, start planning. Keep an eye out for sales throughout the year and maybe buy one gift a month.
Let's get back to making the holidays special again. As soon as we get back home, I sure am.
This week has been more about praying with some working and reading mixed in to help keep me mentally sane. Satan has been attacking my family and I have cried out to God so many times on their behalf. It has not been easy. I have cried, vented, and pleaded with God that I am just mentally drained this week. We are close to the end of this job here and will be headed home soon, but I do not want to go home to chaos. I have my momma as my trusted prayer warrior and right now she is the only one keeping my head on straight. She reminded me that she was in my shoes a long time ago with me. (She just had to remind me of that). I have not always been the perfect child and never claimed to be. I became prodical at one time. She prayed me all the way home. Back on the right path. The baby and kid stage is so much easier. When your kids get grown and gone, that's when your knees hit the floor more. I just have to keep praying. I have to tell myself that God gave these boys to me for a reason. He hand picked me to be their mother, leader, teacher, counselor and disciplinarian. I don't know if it's till working or not, but I guess one day we will see.
My momma is still recovering from surgery very good. She just hates wearing the sling she has to wear. She is having to learn to do alot with one hand and arm. She gets frustrated sometimes but she will overcome. She starts physical therapy at the end of this month. She was so hoping it would have been sooner.
I have been working alot more on my vidoes. I have had to go through 19 videos with anywhere from 3 to 17 clips in each video. I've had to see what needs to be taken out and name all the clips to know what part goes with what video. I will try to find a different way to record next time. I can't find a pause button on my camera which causes clips. Then you have to piece your video together. Phew. On my phone there is a pause button. That makes it easier. It will be one one video with no interruptions. If that makes sense. These are all videos from two years ago from our last gardening season. I wanted to do videos then because I was pondering the idea of starting something. I didn't care if it was classes or what. I had several people reaching out to me wanting to know how I did things. Friends in CO, TX, LA, CA etc. It's alot of work emailing every one and such, so I finally just decided that recording would be a great idea. I could reach everyone all at once. So, hence, my YouTube channel. I am trying to teach myself some things but I think I'm going to have to require help from some computer goorooh. I went and purchased me some video gadgets that I didn't have for my computer to help with YouTube videos. I have got to figure them out too. All in time. I'm trying to learn how to create an introduction for our channel and a closing for after the end of every video. By the time I do learn more I will be able to put up about 19 videos. I am so excited. Its a learning process that's for sure.
Well, I am off. I woke up way too early this morning and the coffee has not kicked in yet. Maybe a shower will help wake me up. I have more work to do. One thing is for sure. Being out here, I have been able to get work done that I could never have gotten done at home. lol
