Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Christmas Eve, but it is also my dad's birthday.

I am unashamedly a Daddy's girl. Always have been.

When I was born, my dad was captain of the police force in Snyder, TX. When I was three, he gave up his job and moved us to Waxahachie so that he could go to Southwestern. He went to class during the day and worked the night shift as a policeman to make ends meet. Don't ask me when he slept. After he graduated, he went into the ministry full time.

I'm so thankful that I have parental influences in my life that have sacrificed for the high calling of Christ. I'm sure my parents would have been better off financially if Dad had stayed on the police force, but not necessarily better taken care of...or happier. This is Dad's 30th year in ministry.

I love you, Dad. You are my hero.
Love,
Treesie-girl

I just had to chuckle...

...at kj's post about Christmas Eve.

I, too, always had the privilege of wrapping Daddy's Christmas present to Mom.

And it was always on Christmas Eve (or the night before we were supposed to have our immediate family Christmas).

Tonight, even though I'm not with my side of the family and wrapping my mom's present, I still got talked into wrapping other family member's presents from someone other than myself!

I think I got out and put away the ribbons, bows, and wrapping paper three times before it was all said and done. First, I finished all that I had to wrap and started putting things in the stockings and found that one thing for my sister-in-law wouldn't fit in the stocking, so I had to go back and get all the stuff out to wrap it. Got that done, put it away, and then my sil asked me if I would wrap her gift to my mil. I didn't mind at all...it was just funny.

Then, of course, everyone was waiting on me to get finished so we could eat snacks and play games. Ha!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!! Love and miss you all!!!

i just had the weirdest phone conversation with my sister-in-law...

My phone rings, and my sister-in-law is on the other end asking me how I make my green bean bundles that I will be making for Christmas.

I start telling her how to put them together, and she says, "Wait, hang on....okay, can you hear me?....okay, now say that again."

So I say it again and continue. When I'm finished, it becomes apparent that I was put on speaker phone because I hear several people talking in the background confirming what I had said.

Robin gets back on the phone, and I asked her where she was at.

WalMart.

Evidently, my sister-in-law struck up a conversation with several women in the produce department about Christmas dinner.

I do believe I have influenced some strangers' meals.

Hope they enjoy it!

Just in case you are interested...

Green Bean Bundles

Take a handful of fresh green beans (the loose ones in the produce department)
Wrap a piece of uncooked bacon around the bundle
Place in a baking dish, repeat until dish is full
Place a pat of butter on each bundle
Salt and Pepper
Sprinkle brown sugar over bundles, covering bottom of dish

Bake at 325 for one hour; 30 minutes covered, 30 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!

Debbie Downer at it again...

Sorry...not trying to dampen others' joyous time of the year.

It is a joyous time of the year, no doubt.

Certain situations, however, don't quite make it feel so joyous.

Today is the two year anniversary of the death of Dan's dad. He is missed year 'round, of course, but some times of the year are harder than others. The fact that he passed away this close to Christmas makes this holiday bittersweet.

I think it makes things worse when some family members are not speaking. Back in July, for reasons I won't go into, Dan's brother, his wife and son have chosen not to have any part of the rest of the family. He told Dan's mom that she should just consider him dead because he didn't want anything to do with her ever again.

It's so sad.
It's so hurtful.
It's so unnecessary.

I mean, really?! I don't like confrontation at all. But I also do not like to leave things unresolved. If you ask my mom, she'll tell you that I've always liked to have the last word...I'm not sure if I believe that or not...on the contrary, I know too well how true it is. Seriously, though, can we not figure this out? Can we not agree to disagree? Can we not find some common ground that we can put our differences aside and mourn or celebrate or both together?

Can't we all just get along?????

Sadly, the answer is no.

Not this year anyway.

Clinton, we miss you. We love you. We wish you were here so we could hear your loud, boisterous laugh...see your bold, colorful cowboys shirts you always wore...feel your continuous, unconditional love for your family...witness your unwavering, diligent commitment to the Lord Most High. We will see you again one day, but until that day comes, life is not the same without you.

I Agree with Kablot...

I very well could be the Grinch.

I look like me on the outside, but on the inside I think I'm really green.

I have done four things for Christmas outside of work:

*Elf Yourself/Put holiday background on my blog
*Made Oreo truffles one night
*Made a big huge bow for the top of my mother-in-law's tree with streamers coming down (it's very pretty, if I do say so myself!)
*Put Christmas music on my blog

That's about it. Oh, I did buy Christmas stockings, but they are for my mother-in-law's house, so it doesn't really count.

I have bought not one single present. I have addressed not one single Christmas card.

This is pathetic.

Bah-humbug!

They're BAA-AAAAACK!!!!!

It's so sad to think that I have been looking forward to the return of the more talented Dan, Teresa, and Rosie...we changed things up a bit this year...enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards