Traveling back to Mississippi & Black Friday Thoughts

The children and I have been in Georgia for the past 2 + weeks, helping Mom after her knee replacement surgery. We can all hook her up into the CPM (continously moves her knee to help with flexiblity & keep it limber), help with therapy, & the biggie...keep the floor clear of any junk that could trip her up. Sounds like a nursing course to me! They also brought their school books and finished math & our history course till Jan. Their last co-op till Jan. is next Friday, then school is officially out till after the New Year. Yeah...hooray...balloons & streamers falling!!!!!!!!!!

We have gotten lots of quilt piecing done and watched movies every night. Mom got out a couple of times during the 2 weeks and we got a little Christmas shopping done. Tonight we brought up her Christmas stuff from the basement since she is not stair climbing, and actually if she could, she couldn't tote anything up!

Yesterday we totally and thoroughly enjoyed too much food at my sisters house for Thanksgiving. It sure was good. And I didn't go back for seconds...too stuffed. Last nights dinner was "Fix your own" and I warmed up a piece of dressing, yum!

Greg and I got up really, really early this morning to go shopping. Did you believe that? Actually, we got up at 7:15. First stop was Target...not a creature was stirring, because they were standing in lines that wrapped around the inside of the store to get to the registers in the front. We put down the 2 things we had picked up and departed. That was insane. Next we went into Belks, got something Mom had pre-purchased (to get the door buster price) & left. Then Old Navy, they had a queue line set up, I wasn't standing in that either, did enough of that at Disney last month! We found a couple of things at Staples and then breakfast at Chick Fil A. Yummy chicken biscuit and sweet tea! Then we hit Greg's "toy" store, Northern Tool & Supply. My dearest found some tools, a rain barrel, blue jeans, work gloves, and some goodies for the kids. Then my "toy" store, JoAnn's. Fabric for the back of my quilt, flannel for gowns for the girls, and quilt batting for all our projects. Then I got an early Christmas gift, a sewing machine bag on wheels! It is wonderful, no more toting that bag to a class or to GA. I can wheel it to the car! And just for your info, we spent more at Northern Tool than at JoAnn's...Greg was shocked.

Shopping today made me very, very thankful that I do not work retail. Everyone I encountered today was nice & patient, but I know they were tired. I hope the restaraunts were busy too, cause the waiters need to make some money too! Especially Allen. Ya'll don't forget to tip your waiters in this recession, seems like folks are eating out but not tipping well. (Just my little "sermonette" as the Mom of a waiter!)

Tomorrow we are headed back to Mississippi. Next week starts the busiest week of our year. Its our churchs annual Living Christmas Tree. Greg & I will help with the tree lights, James is running one of the spotlights, Andy, Katie, Will & Amy are singing and Rob is playing the bass, I think Allen is working. We will be at the church Sunday, Wed, Thurs, & Friday nights and Sat & Sun afternoon & night. Busy, busy, busy!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving........now onto Christmas~! HoHoHo!

48 more days

Wow! 48 more days till Christmas Day! Actually, though, Christmas starts here the day after Thanksgiving. Since we will be in GA. with Mom that day, it will start at our home Sunday after Thanksgiving! I love to get down my zillions of boxes of Christmas decorations and start decorating. Zillions is probably a slight exaggeration but not much...just ask my box totters. They will tell you I've got alot.

The panicky, I've got to get busy feeling is slowly subsiding. I've gotten busy and made almost everything that needs to get made. We have been on a number of shopping trips and found some goodies. I have hit the big "let's get rid of this halloween candy and put out the christmas candy sales". (Come on, they are just wrapped in different colored foil...my kids won't complain! They will inhale) So the Christmas Stocking Stuffers are pretty much complete. But, now my closet looks like a war zone!

Tonight we are going on a family date night and seeing the new Disney 3D "A Christmas Carol" and out to eat dinner. It will be fun, we really like the 3D movies at the theme parks. And we will probably take some of that candy I just bought! Going to the movies is not a frugal activity and when the popcorn cost more than the movie ticket...there is just something wrong with that!

Tomorrow, we are going to our dr.'s office to help separate and pack pills for our Honduras Mission Trip in Jan. They are going to ship everything down early, since the airlines now charge for each suitcase you take. I think there are 236,000 pills to get done tomorrow! I've never done this, so it should be a challenge. We will also need to discuss all of our cooking utensils. We've always taken them before but with the airline charges, it will probably be cheaper to buy new ones down there and store them at the farm there. Then we can just use the same ones every year. I know that will be easier than toting those large rubbermaid containers into and out of the airport! Gotta work on the menu's too!

The picture at the top is our house during the snow last year (2 weeks before Christmas)! It was pretty while it lasted. We don't get much snow here in Miss.!
And, when you build a snowman (or 2) in your backyard beside the pool, they need the proper clothing...straw hat and sunglasses or life jacket and goggles! I have got some creative children! And a backyard with alot of leaves! They just helped hold the snow together!